Chapter One: Reborn as a Little Lion

Chapter One: Reborn as a Lion Cub

The African savanna stretches endlessly, lush and vibrant, teeming with life. It is a paradise for animals, and the home of lions.

A pregnant lioness slipped into a dense thicket. Soon after, four lion cubs were born.

One of the newborn cubs stared in astonishment at the world before it. Everything was strange and unfamiliar. His name was Chu Ye, newly reborn into this vast, unknown grassland.

Though Chu Ye was thoroughly unwilling to accept his rebirth, there was nothing he could do. Considering he was still alive, he felt fortunate and gradually came to terms with his fate. As the saying goes, “Since you are here, settle in.” Since destiny had brought him to the savanna, he resolved to live well.

Chu Ye was now a lion cub, and his mother’s name was Lisa. This time, she had given birth to four cubs—a relatively large litter. Among them were two males and two females. Chu Ye named them Mao Mao, Hua Hua, and Mei Mei.

Mao Mao was the eldest, Chu Ye the second, Hua Hua the third, and Mei Mei the youngest. Regarding his place as the second-born, Chu Ye boasted, “Though I am the second at home, I will become the leader of the savanna.”

After his birth, Chu Ye stayed hidden in the thicket. His days consisted of nursing and little else. He still knew very little about this unfamiliar world.

Time passed swiftly, and after a month, Lisa’s four cubs had grown into sturdy little lions. Though only a month old, each was plump, furry, and irresistibly cute.

Typically, a lioness nurses her cubs alone for a month. Once they are a month old, she brings them back to the pride.

That morning, the weather was beautiful. The crimson sun rose in the east, bathing the emerald savanna in a rosy glow.

Lisa gazed at her four equally robust cubs with delight. It was rare for a lioness to successfully raise four strong cubs. Looking at her children, Lisa felt a sense of accomplishment. Today, she would return to the pride with her four cubs.

She first nursed them, then tried to lead them out of the thicket to rejoin the pride.

However, the cubs did not understand her intentions and were reluctant to leave the grass. Lisa had to carry them one by one from the thicket to the open ground.

At first, Chu Ye did not know why his mother was carrying them. He wondered if the area was unsafe and if she was relocating them. Lionesses often move their cubs several times in the first month for safety. That was what Chu Ye thought.

But soon, he saw many lions. In reality, there was only one male lion and one lioness; the rest were cubs.

Chu Ye belonged to a rather mediocre pride, with just one male and two females. There had once been three lionesses, but the third had died heroically in a recent hunt, her throat pierced by a buffalo’s horn.

The life of a lion is tragic. Not only do male lions spend their lives fighting, but the lionesses do as well. They are the pride’s laborers, hunting to feed everyone. Every hunt is a battle, and death is always a possibility.

Thus, the fate of lionesses is equally tragic. Every one is a valiant warrior, not only bearing and raising cubs but also fighting on the frontlines. Besides hunting, lionesses sometimes join the males in territorial battles.

A lioness spends her life in constant struggle.

Chu Ye’s pride was not strong. Though it numbered thirteen lions, only three were adults—the rest were cubs. Such a pride was precarious; few could hunt, while many needed feeding.

Lisa’s sister, Aisha, had also given birth to a litter at the same time. Aisha had six cubs, and after a month, all six survived. However, not all were robust; only four were reasonably strong, while two were rather weak.

It was difficult for a lioness to raise six cubs, and having all survive the first month was a miracle. This was thanks to the rainy season; in the dry season, neither Aisha’s six nor Lisa’s four would likely have survived.

The pride’s king was Jack, a mature male lion, six years old. He had conquered this pride a few months ago, becoming its leader.

There had been several cubs in the pride before, but after Jack seized control, he killed them all. Now, the ten cubs in the pride were his offspring.

Jack suddenly had ten children—a blessing, but one with hidden dangers. A pride with only two lionesses raising ten cubs placed immense pressure on the adults.

Still, these ten cubs were the pride’s future. If all grew to adulthood, the pride would become formidable. Yet raising ten cubs to maturity was exceedingly difficult. The rainy season would not last long.

Rainy and dry seasons each took up half the year. It was now the rainy season, but in a little over a month, the dry season would begin, bringing hardship to the lions.

For Jack’s pride, raising ten cubs through the dry season would be a challenge. Cubs only become adults at two years old, meaning they must endure two dry seasons.

During the dry season, half the cubs might die from hunger, or even be eaten by the pride’s own male lion. Worse still, cubs born in the dry season might be eaten by their own mothers.

Such behavior seems appalling, but on the savanna, it is not uncommon during the dry season.

Lisa returned to the pride with her four cubs.

The pride gathered in an open area, dominated by a grand acacia tree and a massive boulder beside it.

The male lion Jack lounged atop the boulder, resting.

Aisha had returned to the pride the day before; she and her six cubs were resting under the tree.

Aisha lay on the ground as her cubs played nearby. When Lisa arrived with her four cubs, Aisha stood up, walked over, and nuzzled Lisa affectionately. The two lionesses were sisters and shared a close bond.

Jack noticed Lisa arriving with the cubs, raised his head briefly, but made no move. It seemed all this was routine to him.

Male lions spend their lives doing just two things: fighting and consorting with lionesses. Raising cubs is beneath them, and even when they see their own offspring, they are impatient and indifferent.

Cubs seemed to know their father’s temperament and rarely bothered him.

Chu Ye rejoined his extended family. For him, it was both novel and tinged with unease.