African Cats Page #2

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Fang deserts his pride,

leaving them unprotected.

Kali is poised for takeover.

Mara may be killed.

But a mother will do anything

to save her cub.

Layla is the lionesses leader.

Despite her injury,

she puts herself between the invaders

and the precious cubs.

Inspired by Layla,

the other lionesses attack.

Layla and the lionesses have saved

the pride and their precious cubs.

Kali has lost this battle,

but next time

he may bring reinforcements.

Fang has also been saved

by the lionesses.

But for how long?

The attack has taken a terrible toll.

This little cub is badly hurt

and lucky to be alive,

but Mara is nowhere to be found.

Layla has taken

Another devastating blow in the fight.

It takes all her strength

just to get to her feet.

She must find her Mara.

With a mother's desperate hope,

she calls for her cub.

Mara has survived.

Her mother's bravery has saved her.

There is no greater bond

than that between a lioness

and her cub.

The rains have returned,

but the herds are still far away.

Hunting is never easy.

Now, it's dangerous for Sita as well.

Hyenas.

Sita has already lost two of her cubs

to these deadly enemies.

Her biggest fear is that

they will steal the others.

The hyenas call,

drawing in more and more of the pack.

They know Sita is hiding something.

Bit by bit, they tighten the noose.

The hyenas have been kept at bay.

This time, Sita's courageous defense

has saved the cubs.

Cold, hard rain.

This is a time of suffering for everyone.

For the River Pride, the cold rain

has been a blessing in disguise.

It allows them to appreciate the bond

and protection of a larger family.

One of Layla's sisters, Malaika,

has small cubs of her own.

With her injuries not healing,

Layla is drawn closer

to her sister's family.

lf Layla builds a bond with her sister,

then Malaika might look after Mara

as well as her own cubs.

Layla's time is short.

Strengthening the bond with her sister

may be Mara's best chance to live.

Layla may soon have to

give up her cub.

And Mara's life will depend on

getting closer to her cousins.

It's happening.

Mara is being adopted by Malaika

and the pride.

There's nothing better for a lion

than close companionship.

With Mara safe,

Layla can go.

The time has come

for Layla to leave the pride

forever.

Layla struggles to find a quiet,

safe place to be alone.

The pride is now far away.

Mara searches for any scent,

any sign of her mother,

but it's not there.

All alone

with her precious cub far away,

Layla, at last, gives up the fight.

Sita's cubs have grown in size

and strength,

and they can't wait to show off

their new powers.

Since the failed invasion,

Kali has prowled the southern side

of the river with his largest son.

Now, he calls on his other sons

To join them.

Kali goes to greet his sons.

They have been separated

for some time.

The family bonds between

these ruthless fighters are very strong.

But there is also fierce rivalry

between them.

They all want the crown.

But Kali is their father

and he lets them know

that he is still king.

Together, they are the most powerful

force in the land.

Together, they will make another

assault on Fang and the River Pride.

Fang's future as leader

is hanging by a thread.

As the months have passed,

the cubs have grown into young adults.

Within this close-knit family,

Mara has thrived.

She is now a teenager in lion years.

The bonds of affection within the

River Pride have never been stronger.

Kali and his sons

are coming with a vengeance.

Fang's enemies lock in.

They launch the attack.

Fang's only hope is escape.

He runs for his life.

Fang will be shown no mercy

if he stays.

Kali's gang is victorious,

and Fang is never seen again.

Now the invaders attack

the rest of the River Pride.

The fighting is over.

Kali and his sons rule.

Their will is now law

on both sides of the river.

Kali's sons try to make peace

with the lionesses.

But in the battle

the youngsters were driven away.

The pain of losing them

is still too fresh.

The pride's young males

are in the greatest danger.

Kali's gang view them as a threat

and hunt them down.

Mara also fled in the battle,

but as a lioness, is in less danger.

For the first time in her life,

she is alone.

She has lost everything.

Kali's gang

drive out Mara's young male cousins,

banishing them

from the pride lands forever.

And there is only one escape route,

across the river.

The river has swollen,

but the young males

have no choice but to cross.

And now,

the crocodiles have the advantage.

The youngsters know

what lurks just beneath,

but they fear Kali more

than they fear crocodiles.

The current drags them down

into deeper water.

They are in over their heads

in every sense.

They've escaped,

But just by the skin

of a crocodile's teeth.

With all the warring between lions

south of the river,

life in the north has been

relatively carefree for Sita.

The cubs have grown to young adults,

but they're still cubs at heart.

Sita is not finished with their training.

It's time for another journey,

one where they can learn

the final lessons they'll need to survive.

Lesson one, buffalo are very grumpy.

Lesson two,

Never get fresh with an ostrich.

The savanna

is the greatest schoolyard,

but some of the other kids

are a bit different.

A serval cat is drafted

into a game of tag.

It's no fun for the serval,

but the young cheetahs

can safely test their skills

against smaller teeth and claws.

And wouldn't every cat

just love to chase a dog?

A jackal is the perfect size.

Lesson three,

even little dogs bite back.

Lesson four,

hyenas.

The cubs remember all too well

Their terrifying encounters with hyenas

when they were small.

Now, they must learn

to stand their ground.

The cubs have finally come to terms

with hyenas.

They're close

to becoming independent cheetahs.

But not just yet.

With her family blown to the wind,

Mara has found living alone

a challenge.

With no pride to hunt with her,

she's going hungry.

Warthogs seem to be the perfect meal,

small, tasty and easy to catch.

Not quite so easy after all.

The herds are still gone,

and all the other alternatives

seem to be

super-sized.

But young lions

think they're a match for anything.

lf only Mara had taken Sita's class

in avoiding grumpy buffalo.

Now the real cost of losing her family

is painfully clear.

Mara was driven out

before she learnt to hunt.

The gazelles that Sita hunts

have crossed the river to the south.

She must follow them

or her family will starve.

For the cubs, this may be

their most dangerous lesson yet.

Sita rarely crosses the river.

She knows it's deadly.

They've just entered Kali's new realm.

The River Pride lionesses

once again proclaim

their ownership of the pride lands.

They have made peace with Kali.

Their new ruler has become

a committed protector.

Mara is still an outcast.

With food scarce, the lionesses

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