Pride of the Plains by Colin Dann Page A

tolerant parent and playfellow now that his interests were restricted to one pride. He showed no preference for Huru over Kimya. Neither the one nor the other was his favourite. But although the sisters had once before shared a male companion, Huru’s lack of enthusiasm for him had avoided any rivalry. Now things weren’t so relaxed. When Blackmane had been around Huru had had most of Batdescars’s attention because Kimya had had Blackmane’s. Huru believed Kimya was jealous of her now that Blackmane had gone, and she found herself watching her sister suspiciously when the pride was at rest.
    The cubs were growing quickly. They were healthy and strong. Mbili and Tatu, being older, were a little bigger than Nne, Tano and Sita. All of them were inquisitive and eager to follow the hunt. Day by day they learnt more as they watched their mothers’tactics. Huru and Kimya used speed, cunning and perfect co-operation. They had become the most successful of all the hunters in the game park, and were full of confidence in themselves; not only as hunters but as parents, too, as they reared their five cubs in safety and harmony. Yet their rivalry over Battlescars had the potential to disturb the pride’s equilibrium.
    Many days passed before the lions stumbled across the remains of Blackmane. The entire pride had gone to the pool to drink after gorging on a kill. Shreds of hide and the unfortunate beast’s skeleton were all that remained, and would have been overlooked had it not been for Battlescars’s memory of the fight that had taken place there. Wisps of black mane hair were the most compelling evidence that this was all that was left of his brother. The old male was very quiet as he sniffed at the remnants. He remembered Challenger and found himself scanning the surroundings for evidence of him. But the young lion was long gone by then. Battlescars’s noble head dropped between his shoulders as, with open mouth, he panted in the extreme heat. He remembered the long companionship of his brother and relived in his memory the terrible battle which had destroyed him. Now Battlescars knew he must gather his strength one more time. He sighed deeply.
    â€˜Sisters!’ he called. The lionesses were drinking. ‘Here’s a tragic sight.’
    Huru and Kimya, their jowls streaming water, strode to the spot, followed by the cubs. Kimya knew instinctively what she was looking at. ‘Blackmane,’ she whispered. ‘How sad to see such a noble beast reduced to this.’ The cubs crowded round, their boisterousness lulled for once. Sita said, ‘Is that my father? Who did that to him?’
    Blackmane’s other cubs, Nne and Tano, were silent.They stared at the remains, unable to identify with them. They couldn’t relate the sight to the image of the powerful male lion they remembered as their father. Mbili and Tatu’s ties of blood with the pitiful skeleton were less strong than their cousins’. They could only wonder at the huge skull with its massive teeth which lay underwater at the edge of the pool.
    â€˜He looks as though he’s lying in wait under there,’ said Tatu.
    And Blackmane’s open jaws, through which he had expelled his last breath, did appear to be ready to swallow something.
    â€˜Foolish cub,’ Kimya muttered. To Sita she said, ‘Your father was killed by another lion while fighting bravely for all of us.’
    â€˜Yes,’ said Battlescars appreciatively. ‘That’s how it was.’
    The pride walked from the waterhole. Battlescars was the last to leave. ‘How I miss our comradeship,’ he murmured.
    Sometimes Huru and Kimya saw the cheetah Upesi, who had been a neighbour in the refuge centre, hunting in the same territory. They didn’t compete for the same game. The smaller cat took less bulky prey than the lionesses and they left her alone. When prey was plentiful the cheetah lost fewer of her kills to