Relentless Enemies Page #5

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But here, they stay as close

to the lions as possible,

circling around the attacking lions they know

rather than running away wildly,

which they've learned

will only attract other prides.

The Tsaro pride needs all their resources

and concentration now.

Any distractions will shift the power

away from them again,

in favor of the buffalo.

In the continued attacks,

the injured calf is embraced

behind a wall of buffalo

and once again the lions,

only reluctant and uneasy

when their whiskers touch the water,

continue the hunt.

Once again, they have to

spur the herd into panic

before they can search out the injured calf.

This is where they need

all of their pride members

to keep the herd under pressure.

And then, they see it.

But surprisingly for this area,

a small raiding party of hyenas arrives,

attracted by the commotion

within the stampeding herd.

These huge lions don't have the experience

of hyenas very often

and their reactions are astonishing.

Just one of these lionesses

outweighs a hyena three times over,

and yet the small handful of attackers

manages to gain

the psychological advantage

simply with posture and intimidation.

Today the lions seem to think better

of provoking the hyenas or evoking the wrath

of their vicious teeth and darting demeanors.

The hunt is over for the lions,

another failure,

although the hyenas

can still smell opportunity.

When the herd nuzzles the wounded calf,

they taste the blood and sense his fear.

The day is not yet over for the buffalo

and their injured calf.

Now he is left to the more persistent dogging

by these new predators on the scene.

When Skew Ear and Silver Eye

regroup with the twins

and decide to move off,

it is not to hunt again,

but to retire from the field, beaten,

and to find the other females.

Something in their strategy

just isn't working.

After the cub deaths,

the pride has been distracted,

females joining loosely

and disbanding again.

But just as the hunting party breaks up,

the hyenas drive the buffalo

right in behind the departing lions.

And now, all they must do is to reach out

and take what is rightfully theirs.

It's an intoxicating moment,

that instant of a lion's explosive

and determined rush at its prey.

The water drags at any movement,

slows their responses

and magnifies the effort

each has to make to escape

or capture their prey.

It is a contest to see which animal

has developed the best weapons

to cope with the water.

The heavy buffalo bodies pitted

against the wit and strength of the lions.

The heroic defense of the clan

versus the instant damage of an attack,

each racing against time.

The time it takes to inflict a mortal wound.

And the capacity to outsmart and outlast

the enemy in this battle

is an art, a science,

poetry in the face of death.

Their new nemeses are quick to follow up.

Where this new confidence came from,

we will never know,

but the psychological tactic

is overpowering.

Both of the lions' kills are under threat now.

A wall of attacking, demonic,

blood-splattered hyenas will intimidate

even the strongest warriors of the plains.

But the day is far from over.

The buffalo have bounced back yet again

and are heading for

the water-crossing to the west.

The day's relentless demands

have sent them back on a familiar path,

and, as before,

the lions recognize the pattern.

When they make their third kill of the day,

the battered pride assembles at last.

The besieged herd makes one last stand

for their injured calf.

This has not been their day of glory.

Their five hours of hunting has fed

almost every other predator in Duba

and, but for a few mouthfuls,

the huntresses have gone unsated.

The lionesses of the Tsaro pride

are finally exhausted.

They cannot push the buffalo another step.

The astonishing beauty

in their haunting relationship

is what makes this island so special.

At dawn, as the lions and the buffalo

gather for their daily interaction,

it is difficult not to see them

as part of one whole.

The buffalo herd is kept pruned

of the sick and the weak,

a burden that weighs heavily

on their progress.

And the lions could certainly

not live without them.

They need each other.

When individual buffalo step out at the lions

and playfully leap back to safety,

it is a deadly game.

The movements seem to lock these two

in an ageless dance,

in perfect harmony

on that essential edge of life

where heroism and bravery are tempered

by the constant risk of death.

The lions amble out of the way,

but bounce back, and for just a moment

the backwards and forwards movement

takes on a fluidity that is much more

than just predators and prey,

or even enemies.

This is a deadly dance that can erupt

into violence in a heartbeat.

And slowly, the lionesses are assembling.

Just then, the old female stops.

In the distance, one of the missing females

appears with two new cubs.

Like an expectant grandmother,

the old female is enraptured.

But something bothers the mother

about her approach.

It sends the cubs back

towards their hiding place.

Something in her body language instills fear

and foreboding in their innocent,

but perceptive, minds.

And then, her actions are clear to the mother.

She is the cub killer!

When the mother attacks her,

it is as if it is for all the mothers

that lost their cubs in the past few years.

Her attentive rearguard

while the mothers were off hunting

gave her the opportunity

to finish off each and every cub

in the past two years.

Thirty-one in total.

And at last, the cause is known.

Now, these new cubs are under threat.

And with each season of failures,

the pride itself is under threat.

She must be controlled.

Now, with the cub killer

known and warned off,

these cubs may stand a chance.

The pride needs them to survive.

Each day these tiny jewels survive

is another day towards preserving

the future of the pride.

Against a permanent backdrop of buffalo,

their play is a dull pleasure.

Every blow to each other while playing

is a risk in this environment.

But it will be hard to control the killing.

It may even be more extensive

than just one female.

Ironically, the biggest threat to the lions

is not buffalo at all,

but the stalking enemy within.

It is a new day, with new challenges.

The Tsaro females collapse a prime

male buffalo in seconds, with little effort.

Their efficiency as a pride running at a peak.

Everyone is here today, all except the cubs,

tucked away in a thicket.

The bull's calls start to attract attention.

Slowly, the numbers mount up.

Eventually, dozens of stomping legs

and fierce, swinging, saber-sharp horns

slash the air around their heads.

The bull must be a valued warrior

to attract the support of the whole herd.

They are now rallying to his call.

The lions are now desperate

to keep their prey.

Their attack is relentless,

but countered over and over

by an equally determined

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