Chapter 21: Mega Herd
The next day, the pride decided to go hunting.
The rainy season had arrived, and along with it came the herbivores from their migration. It could be said that there was a surplus of prey at this time.
Now that Kael was one year old, as well as the other cubs, he had to follow the pride out for hunting.
No one was going to bring food for these cubs again, they were past that. It wasn't necessary to participate in the hunt, they just had to be there to grab their food and learn the skill required to catch their prey.
Although, their abilities were not too far off since they had honed their skills while hunting the brown rats for so long. By encouraging the cubs to hunt the brown rats, Kael had ensured an easier time in the future for the cubs.
Right now, the pride members were walking through the tall green grass. The pride leader and Uncle were at the front, as usual. Big Aunt stayed directly behind them, leading the other lionesses and their cubs.
The sub-adults stayed by the flank, not daring to be near the pride members for fear of offending someone and getting beat up.
At the end of their convoy were Nalii, Priya, and Diane. Kael and Katari walked beside them with other cubs like Eidel, Ruda, Burdo, and Priya's only cub, a female whom Kael called Zabita.
Kael maintained his golden fur from yesterday with the only noticeable change in his claws which seemed to be getting darker.
Katari had also changed, she wasn't as small as before. Compared to the other cubs, she was now a few millimeters taller than average, not really noticeable unless they stood side by side.
Another change was her fur, they had become lustrous and enchanting to look at even though they still had the same color.
She now gave everyone the feeling of her not being where she was. Even Kael noticed that if he looked away from Katari, he would find it hard to sense her.
Her steps had at some time become so calculated that she barely made any sounds while moving.
One golden lion cub and one lustrous furred cub walked side by side, a scene that was very extraordinary. The only other being present that could match their aura was the pride leader.
The reason they all walked at the back of the convoy was to avoid the other pride members. Ever since yesterday, the pride members had been staying away from the lionesses like they were some plague.
Kael could see that these lionesses did not mean it, but they would rather not get on the bad side of the pride leader for the sake of these lionesses. The pride leader seemed to be really pissed at them.
Diane wasn't too bothered about whatever was happening. Right now, the only thing in her mind was to hunt, her favorite activity.
Nalii was disturbed by the negative treatment but she handled it well, as long as Kael was safe from harm within the pride.
Priya was the most worried among them, once in a while, she would go and meet the lionesses again, only to get shunned. She also went to meet Uncle, who she had not really interacted with since a year ago. But even he gave her the silent treatment.
Priya was truly the most emotional and sensitive of the bunch. She kept a long face throughout the journey.
Kael felt bad for them, if there was a way to help them, he would. Yesterday, he had offered them the same contracts that he gave Katari with the exact same contents.
He had hoped to make them his pride members while also awakening their lionheart and increasing his loyal support at the same time. It was especially important for him to get his mother to sign the contract, she was the one he had the most bond with.
Unfortunately, all three lionesses refused, shaking their heads in disagreement with the contract. They understood the contract in words but they didn't really get what a lionheart was.
They also weren't so easy to turn over like that. Just because their pride members were treating them badly didn't mean they would instantly become disloyal and turn over to his side.
It would take a lot more push and time for them to fully be willing to sign the contract. And Kael was willing to wait for them, he had the time to spare now.
*Rawr*
Eidel, Ruda, and Zabita played in front while Burdo walked quietly and alone. Burdo wasn't the type to enjoy playing around, he was always serious.
Kael almost felt pity for him. Soon they would grow up and have to leave the Hot Lion Pride. Unlike him, Burdo was not building any support, he would rather be alone, sleeping, or looking for small prey.
Whenever they hunted brown rats, Kael had made sure to give some lionesses a few pieces or two. He had wanted them to get familiar with the idea of him providing little things for them.
Although on a normal day like today, those pieces of meat would barely arouse their appetite, this strategy worked like magic during the dry season with the scarcity of prey.
He had only tried this method at the beginning because he could not handle having to work so hard to catch prey and hand it out to the lionesses. The method was good as it opened a path for connection between him and the lionesses.
Every other thing he did combined to bear fruit in the form of Priya and Diane stepping up for him. Although they were just two compared to the rest that he had fed, he was satisfied.
Burdo, whenever he hunted brown rats, would only take it to Nalii and that was for her to tear it up for him. No one was allowed to touch his food if they didn't want to have scratches all over their face.
As it was now, everyone mostly steered clear away from him, which was what he actually wanted.
The problem was that when the time came for the pride leader to chase him away. There would be almost no pride member willing to put up a resistance for his sake.
Burdo was going down the same path as Pavel. Kael almost felt bad for him, almost.
Kael wasn't necessarily a kind-hearted person when it came to certain matters, he had no reason to try to help his brother in this world where the only law was strength.
Kael had no intention of offering Burdo a contract, not because he didn't like Burdo but because that would just ruin the plans and visions he was having for himself.
In Kael's pride, he only wanted one male, which was him. He didn't like the idea of other males fighting for dominance within.
In those animal documentaries, the most common reason for a pride leader's downfall was the presence of an internal challenger.
A lion-like Uncle was only complacent because he did not have the power or guts to challenge the pride leader. If Uncle was replaced with someone like Burdo, the pride would never be peaceful.
As for the number of females, Kael decided that it would be based on the number of lionheart types, which he didn't know yet.
'We're here…' His thoughts trailed off as the lion convoy stopped moving.
Kael walked to the side to see what was in front of them.
Far away from the group was a vast herd of Zebras. The herd stretched from one end of the plain to another, painting a picture of black and white in between heaven and earth. This was the largest gathering of animals Kael had ever seen.
The zebra herds he saw in the past were not as large as this one. Now there were greener pastures in the wilderness, and a lot of zebra herds came back to the wilderness to form one mega herd.
The sight of such vast numbers of zebras would shake a lot of creatures to their core, not the lions though. All the lions saw was an excess of food.
With a few growls to communicate, the lionesses got into formation while the pride leader and his brother disappeared into the tall grass, as usual.
The lionesses formed a bowl-shaped formation and began to spread out, the sub-adults joined in. The cubs stayed behind, following them at a safe distance.
Kael and Katari walked ahead of the cubs, intending to join the hunt discreetly. What better way to test out the might of the lionhearts?
Kael looked at Katari, giving her a nod for confirmation. With her now-enhanced intelligence, she easily understood what Kael was implying.
She nodded back at Kael before picking up her pace. If she continued like this, the lionesses would see her and probably send her back for her own safety.
However, just before Katari reached the lionesses, her fur blended and mixed into her environment, practically making her disappear. Katari had now completely disappeared from sight.