Being a Dad in the Animal World
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Xiao Bai took Jason and the three cubs back, and the filming crew could not figure out his methods, while the audience was even more perplexed.
They appeared rather excited, believing that Xiao Bai had found life on the run too difficult, which is why he had taken the cubs back to rejoin the pride.
After all, life in the pride was indeed quite comfortable. He did not have to hunt and could live as a happy, salted-fish lion.
He could enjoy his easy life for as long as it lasted; after all, it was still several months before the lionesses gave birth.
Dilai was set to guard the pride until the cubs grew up. At that point, he might leave or perhaps have reached the end of his life.
Of course, these were matters for the future and had little relevance to the present. At the moment, they only wanted to know how Xiao Bai and Dilai would interact.
This time, Xiao Bai returned not as the leader of the pride. It was unclear whether Dilai would still be friendly towards him.
Alternatively, perhaps Xiao Bai had come to realize that submitting to Dilai was a viable option.
They waited eagerly in front of their screens; even the filming crew appeared equally excited.
"Male lions rarely return to the pride once they leave; their goal is to conquer other prides and establish their own dynasty. Xiao Bai's behavior is rarely seen in nature. Let us look forward to his reunion with Dilai!"
Three groups of viewers argued heatedly:
"Xiao Bai is a very clever lion. He must have realized that Dilai was the one to rely on; life on the run is too harsh, which is why he chose to return to seek Dilai. Dilai would surely accept him, after all, they almost reached the stage of becoming a couple!"
"Dilai was perfectly normal. He knew he wasn't obliged to raise others' cubs, and his act of biting Jason was as normal as it gets. To the supporters of SonBai, please don't be so hostile; after all, they are merely animals and cannot be judged by human standards."
"It's completely normal. All male lions do what Dilai does. Why single out Dilai with such malice?"
Seoe territory belongs to Xiao Bai, the cubs were brought into the pride by Xiao Bai, and the lionesses are all his. Why does Dilai treat Jason that way?"
"If Xiao Bai returned merely to show favor to Dilai, ignoring the cubs' suffering, then as a smart fan, I'll have to stop supporting him"
"Even the foster mother understands that the cubs need protection. Surely Xiao Bai knows that too?"
"Anyway, I feel utterly wronged. Jason was nearly bitten to death by Dilai; if the foster mother hadn't stepped in at the crucial moment, all four of them would have died. Xiao Bai's leaving was rather irresponsible"
"Friends, this is the law of nature. Xiao Bai is merely an animal and does not possess human intelligence. Please refrain from such harsh language. I understand you feel wronged on Jason's behalf, but Xiao Bai is not obliged to raise them"
"I agree with the previous comment. Do not morally coerce Xiao Bai. Although he may be a bit different from a typical lion, raising cubs does not fall under his responsibilities. Jason's mother is already dead; Xiao Bai is not his mom"
"I am literally laughing out loud; this isn't even a fan club. A live documentary can set you all off, so what can't you fight about? If you argue even over animals, how stifling must your lives be?"
In the live stream, a war of words erupted over Xiao Bai's return to seek Dilai, and both the chat and bullet comments were a complete mess.
Of course, Bai Yi had no idea what the humans were really doing. After the filming crew broadcast them, they would receive all sorts of comments and interpretations; he only knew that he was holding in a lot of resentment.
The journey back was long, so they had to walk while taking breaks. Jason walked rather slowly, and Bai Yi waited for him with the three cubs.
Along the way, they encountered a cheetah that had made a successful kill. Bai Yi, tapping into his thieving instincts, snatched food for the cubs to stave off hunger.
A day later, they arrived at what was called home.
However, this time they could not go back directly, for Dilai, along with six lionesses, had issued a warning to him.
Jason and the cubs were too frightened to move forward, and Bai Yi couldn't help but sigh inwardly. Indeed, animals are simply animals, without any hint of sentience.
It had been less than three days since he left, and already Dilai had turned hostile, warning him not to encroach on his territory.
A few days ago, a male lion had even shown him affection; now, he had become like this, leaving Bai Yi with mixed emotions.
Sure enough, male lions are all scumbags; he had witnessed it firsthand.
What shocked him even more was that before he could launch an attack on Dilai, Dilai had already made a tentative attack on him.
Jason and the three cubs were frightened into fleeing, nervously calling out from nearby; they looked very scared.
Bai Yi stood on the opposite side of the river, facing Dilai across the water. At first glance, the scene resembled that of two former lovers suddenly drawing weapons against each other.
Dilai issued a warning roar across the river, and Bai Yi responded with a low growl.
To the public, the scene appeared to be a call for love.
It was clear that Dilai was too afraid to cross the river because there were crocodiles in the water.
However, Bai Yi did not care about those; he charged straight into the river and swam toward the opposite bank.
Dibai fans screamed: "Ah, ah, ah, Bai Yi is so brave! He knows that at the end of the river awaits his love!"
Crocodiles swam toward Bai Yi, yet they were always one step behind.
The brave and robust male lion quickly reached the shore and charged directly toward Dilai.
Dilai showed no fear and charged forward to confront him!
The audience thought the two lions were about to cuddle up, act cute, and roll around, but unexpectedly they collided and began tearing at each other!
The audience: "!"
Has the relationship between Dibai been broken just like that? Is their friendship really as fragile as glass?!
How did they come to fight?!
Dibai fans began questioning their lives while Sonbai fans and Weifen(Bai yi Fans) started cheering!
They knew that Bai Yi would never ignore the grievances of Jason and the three cubs!
It was obvious that Dilai was old and no match for Bai Yi. After several rounds of mutual tearing, Dilai began to retreat as Bai Yi's fierce and loud roars forced him to fall back step by step.
The lionesses watched the commotion from above; not one of them came to join the fight.
Dilai was defeated. He rolled on the ground, exposing his furry belly, and let out a low growl toward Bai Yi.
This was behavior seen only in submission, and Bai Yi was not the kind of lion to be merciless even when he was right.
He was simply giving Dilai a lesson and venting the anger on behalf of Jason and the cubs.
Soon, Dilai once again displayed his submissiveness as he began to act like a licking lion.
Bai Yi was unlike other male lions. While other male lions, upon defeating their enemies, would bite them fiercely even if the enemy did not die, he would not do so.
Of course, he would not remain in this pride any longer; in this pride all future cubs born by the lionesses would belong to Dilai.
Dilai was old too, and judging by the momentum of their earlier fight, Bai Yi could sense that he had no more than two good years left to live.
Therefore, he deserved a proper pride in which to grow old, so that he would not be left with nothing in his later years.
After beating Dilai, Bai Yi left immediately without pausing.
He once again crossed the river under the watchful eyes of the crocodiles, heading toward Jason and the three cubs.
On the opposite side of the river, Dilai watched Bai Yi's figure fade away, his lion face filled with confusion.
He roared at Bai Yi's retreating back, as if trying to keep him from leaving.
Perhaps in Dilai's heart he believed that he was the one defeated and that he should be the one to leave. Why then did Bai Yi still go?
He could not understand.
Bai Yi approached Jason and, for the first time, voluntarily licked the child's forehead.
"I've avenged you, brother. Let's go"
He walked forward alone, and Jason glanced back at Dilai before following Bai Yi's footsteps without looking back.
The three cubs followed closely behind.
Bai Yi's act of venting for the children not only left the filming crew baffled but also deeply moved the audience.
"They may have been angry that Dilai bit Jason, yet he did not go to the extreme of finishing him off. He even knew that Dilai was old and bit him with great caution"
"He left the territory for Dilai to spend his old age while he roamed with his cubs. How can there be such an understanding and kind lion!"
"I can't take it anymore, I'm losing my cool, family, why isn't Xiao Bai human ahhh!"
"I won't lie to you, I've developed feelings for a male lion"
"Friends, calm down, Xiao Bai is indifferent even to lionesses; just let it be, different species can't fall in love"
"You are truly beasts, not even sparing the lions!"
Bai Yi knew very well the benefits and drawbacks of having a fixed territory versus roaming for survival, yet he still chose to leave with Jason and the others.
He needed to find a region where the cubs could survive before the dry season arrived.
Otherwise, when the dry season comes, if they cannot keep up with the migration of the herbivores, they will have no choice but to starve.
The days of wandering were bound to be full of hardships, so he could only hope that the cubs would grow up quickly.
Under such survival conditions, it was far too difficult for a lion to raise cubs.
It was currently mid-May, a time of great risk for Maasai Mara.
Because Serengeti National Park had already entered the dry season, animals began migrating toward Maasai Mara where water and grass were abundant. These included over 200,000 zebras, more than a million wildebeest, around 500,000 gazelles and other herbivores.
And following behind these animals were packs of African wild dogs, cheetahs and hyenas.
Their arrival further exacerbated the already difficult living conditions.
After spending another two or three months on the Maasai Mara plains, they would head back to Serengeti National Park since the dry season would then hit Maasai Mara.
There was no denying that life was full of challenges, which made raising the cubs even more difficult for Bai Yi.
He had to find an absolutely safe territory where the cubs could reside.
Soon, the great migration of animals arrived, with countless herbivores pouring into Maasai Mara, and Bai Yi knew that he could not remain there.
Although food resources were abundant, danger came along as well.
The scent of the African wild dogs grew stronger, which signaled that the savannah was about to be soaked in blood once again.
The local lions and the migrant lions would soon engage in a fierce battle.
He led the cubs to flee northwest, since he dared not go further north.
Jason's injury had healed, but the cub's behavior was becoming increasingly bizarre.
Although he would no longer do lewd things to Bai Yi, he would do them to himself.
The weather was very nice that day; the sun was exceptionally bright and warm.
After finishing lunch, the entire family lay in the tall grass basking in the sun, with the three cubs showing their fuzzy bellies and sleeping especially soundly.
Bai Yi had to be vigilant of his surroundings, so he did not dare to sleep.
He lay there while Jason stayed not far away.
He squinted his eyes and noticed Jason looking at him.
The cub often stared at him with a confused and puzzled look, which Bai Yi had come to expect.
In the very next moment, Bai Yi was stunned.
He saw Jason shift his position, revealing his belly toward him.
From his vantage point, it was clearly visible, and he felt a sudden tightness in his belly.
Jason lowered his head and started licking.
Bai Yi: "..."
Is he licking himself?
Bai Yi had never tried that.
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The author has something to say:
Jason: "I can serve you"
Bai Yi: "…No need."
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