Being a Dad in the Animal World
o0o
Jason charged forward aggressively, his presence seemingly intimidating.
However, in front of this fully grown male lion, he was nothing more than a cub.
Bai Yi swiped his paw across Jason’s face, sending the little one yelping as he quickly backed away to put some distance between them.
Even so, he did not give up on attacking him.
Bai Yi understood that Jason was afraid he would harm the three cubs.
If it were any other male lion, these three cubs would not have survived.
But Bai Yi was not truly a lion. Even though he had transformed into an imposing and majestic beast, at his core, he was still a human with rational thought.
Therefore, he had no intention of harming the cubs or attacking the ill-tempered Jason.
Jason continued pacing back and forth at a distance, letting out deep, threatening growls, yet he did not dare to approach.
One casual roar from Bai Yi was enough to scare the wits out of him.
At least the little one knew fear.
Seeing that Jason would not come closer, Bai Yi turned back to Emma, picked up a cub in his mouth, and walked away from her.
However, the other two did not follow.
After taking a couple of steps, Bai Yi set down the soaking-wet cub and called out toward the other two. They still ignored him.
He let out a helpless sigh.
Being in such a timid state made everything inconvenient.
Jason watched him, his eyes and body language filled with fearful vigilance.
Bai Yi wanted to tell him that he meant no harm, but the moment he opened his mouth, reality hit him once again.
“Roar—”
Once again, he was defeated by his circumstances.
It was not as if he wanted to meddle.
As a human, he had dedicated the first half of his life to academics and the latter half to work.
Even though he had achieved academic success, his job was far from satisfying.
He had finally taken one step closer to his dream, only for life to drench him in cold reality.
The wildlife documentary crew he had joined seemed cursed, whoever they filmed ended up dead.
They had been relentlessly criticized for years, yet he had never given up on the project.
By the time Bai Yi had his accident, the project was still going nowhere.
It was not making any money, and on top of that, they had been fined a huge sum by the authorities for allegedly harming wildlife.
Life is full of hardships.
Fines and unemployment were bad enough, but at the lowest point of his life, he even lost his own life in a foreign land.
He never even had the chance to enjoy life.
Now he was no longer human, yet he still had to worry about these ridiculous matters.
The rain gradually lessened. Standing in the rain, Bai Yi gazed into the distance, his heart filled with melancholy.
His eyes were dull, his mood heavy with frustration.
His absurd human life had ended, and now his absurd lion life had begun.
He had no desire to be burdened by a few helpless cubs dragging him down.
After contemplating his life for a while, Bai Yi turned and left.
It was not that he refused to help, but that he was powerless to do anything.
Three cubs and a soon-to-be adolescent male lion all thought he was not a good lion.
Bai Yi felt completely lost.
Whether they lived or died was up to fate.
At this moment, he was just a confused and innocent big lion.
Without looking back, Bai Yi walked away.
Seeing him leave, Jason finally let his guard down and moved closer to his mother. He called out to her a few times, but she did not respond.
He seemed to understand something, standing there for a long moment, his expression blank.
Perhaps deep down, he had always known that their mother would never wake up again. But the instinct to wait for her had kept him standing there, guarding the three cubs.
Or maybe he still held onto hope, believing that in the next moment, she would wake up.
But the truth was cruel—his mother would never wake up again.
Jason stood beside his mother for a while before moving around her.
He walked over to the three cubs, picked one up by the scruff of its neck, carried it forward a few steps, and set it down.
Then, he returned to pick up the other two.
As he carried the cubs away from their mother, their hungry cries echoed, sharp and unmistakable against the slowly fading rain.
Their cries attracted predators who had been watching them for a long time.
A pack of hyenas.
Jason carried one cub as he walked forward, while the other two, familiar with his scent, stumbled along behind him.
He would pause every now and then to wait for the smaller ones, only continuing once they caught up to him.
No one knew what fate awaited them.
Would it be death, or was there still hope?
He was aware that as night fell and the rain lessened, the hunters would emerge.
And sure enough, they had not gone far before they found themselves surrounded by hyenas.
These vile creatures always moved in packs, preying on the weak.
Four cubs, having just lost their mother, were now trapped in a desperate situation.
The hyenas cackled arrogantly, forcing Jason to put the cubs down and roar at them.
But his roar had little effect. The hyenas could see through them and none of them were old enough yet. Even if there was a young male lion among them.
He couldn't possibly protect three cubs.
Their targets were the cubs.
The cubs' cries were unbearably piercing, drawing the attention of even more predators nearby.
They hadn't eaten in a long time, their bodies reduced to little more than skin and bones.
Hyenas specialized in wearing their prey down. Even a fully grown lion could be exhausted by their relentless attacks, making it easier for them to take down their target.
They used the same tactic against Jason. The three cubs huddled close to him as he crouched low, shielding his hindquarters to prevent the hyenas from finding an opening.
He had to protect himself while also shielding the cubs.
The chances of survival were slim. He roared in the direction of his mother, his voice filled with fear and despair.
Then, he turned back to the vile creatures, growling a warning.
His roars echoed through the area, one after another.
But he was only two and a half years old—not yet a full adult. His warning meant nothing to the hyenas.
They attacked him in turns, and though Jason was already exhausted, he fought back with everything he had.
The hyenas lunged at the cubs, and Jason couldn't fend them all off. He could only watch helplessly as one of the cubs was about to be taken away—
Suddenly, a fully grown male lion leapt out from the side, letting out a deep, powerful warning.
"Roar—!"
He charged at the vile creatures, baring his sharp fangs as he lunged to bite!
"Roar—!"
The roar of a lion echoed through the surroundings.
The cowardly scavengers, who only bullied the weak and feared the strong, began retreating with curses the moment they saw a full-grown, powerful lion.
Jason's family was saved.
He recognized that lion.
Bai Yi, unable to set his mind at ease, had returned to check on them. Fortunately, he did—otherwise, those four cubs would have met their end in the jaws of the hyenas.
Even if Jason refused his goodwill, Bai Yi would not have been able to forgive himself if something had happened to them.
So, he came back.
But this time, things were different.
After helping Jason drive away the hyenas, Jason unexpectedly approached him and affectionately rubbed against his face.
Bai Yi recoiled in disgust, but Jason chased after him, rubbing against him again—then even licked him.
He was showing Bai Yi his goodwill.
However, even knowing this, Bai Yi could not accept it.
Among lion prides, two unfamiliar males only had one possible outcome: a fight. Each would want to rule the pride, neither willing to submit to the other.
Such intimate gestures were rare unless they were brothers.
Jason was expressing gratitude for being saved. This was simply how they showed appreciation.
To thank you, to like you, they rub against you and lick you.
But Bai Yi did not want Jason to treat him so intimately.
Remember this—you are a lion. You should not behave this way with another male lion.
It would make other lions feel strange.
At least, Bai Yi certainly felt that way.
This time, however, they moved in sync. Without discussing it, both lions walked over to the cubs, picked them up by the scruff, and continued forward, leaving the most energetic one to follow behind Jason.
Perhaps, on a subconscious level, the cubs recognized Jason’s scent as familiar and saw him as their mother.
In the wild, it was rare to see male lions caring for cubs.
Yet, the entire scene had been captured by observers.
Before Bai Yi’s death, his film crew had fitted Jason with a tracker and a drone for monitoring.
They had simply wanted to observe what the young male lion would do with the three cubs after their mother’s death.
After obtaining permission from the relevant authorities, they continued monitoring the cubs.
As expected, the young lion, who had left the pride with his mother, did not abandon the three cubs, something that greatly surprised them.
What shocked them even more was the unusual behavior of the other male lion.
It was widely known that male lions would go out of their way to kill cubs that were not their own.
Yet this lion was different.
He was helping the young lion protect them.
Upon discovering this anomaly, the crew approached the authorities again, showing them the footage captured by the drone.
After watching it, the officials were utterly astonished.
The director of the production team requested to continue filming the project and negotiated with the relevant authorities for a long time before finally securing the filming rights.
The live broadcast of Animal Kingdom was back online, once again plunging into the grand endeavor of exploring the animal world despite the storm of public opinion.
Unfortunately, the intern photographer, Bai Yi, who had originally been following the shoot, tragically passed away on his way back home.
To commemorate him, the director decided to name the new subject of their filming "Xiao Bai."
And "Xiao Bai" was none other than the adult male lion that had helped Jason protect the cubs.
Bai Yi’s biggest challenge at the moment was hunting. He had no hunting experience, and neither did Jason.
The heavy rain in Maasai Mara had finally stopped. The sun emerged, spreading warmth across the land.
He and Jason hid the three cubs away. Initially, Bai Yi had planned to go out hunting while Jason stayed behind to watch over the cubs.
However, when he lay hidden in the grass, watching a group of adorable fawns across from him, he found himself unable to make a move.
To his surprise, Jason had also come along.
Jason carefully crawled toward him, inching closer.
Bai Yi glanced at him and thought, Pretty smart. At least he knows not to scare off the prey.
Jason lay down beside him and, as a bonus, turned around to lick his mane.
Bai Yi, disgusted, shook his head forcefully, making his thick mane rustle.
To be honest, when he was human, seeing a lion with a thick mane seemed majestic, exuding a kingly aura.
Now that he had become a lion himself, Bai Yi just wanted to say: Can someone be kind enough to cut this off? This damn thing is too freaking hot and such a burden.
Just as the two of them were lying in the tall grass, the sudden sound of a drone buzzing overhead broke the silence.
Bai Yi looked up, feeling an eerie sense of familiarity.
Before he could react, a vehicle stopped nearby, and a group of people got out.
A group of Europeans, all familiar faces, carrying familiar equipment.
They held tranquilizer guns, pointing in Bai Yi’s direction while speaking fluent English: "They’re over there! Be careful not to let them escape."
Bai Yi’s heart dropped. A terrible feeling washed over him.
He immediately sprang up and ran, not even sparing a thought for Jason, who was still crouched in hunting position.
Someone shouted, "He’s running!"
Then, the director’s ghostly voice rang out: "Chase him! Do not let him get away!"
Bai Yi knew this production team too well!
The Grim Reaper’s Film Crew—whoever they filmed, died!
If his guess was correct, their target this time was him!
Damn it, even if I’ve turned into a lion, I don’t want to die yet!
Stay away from me, ahhh!
Help—
Who the hell gave them permission to come back to work, ahhh!
This is a death sentence for lions!
Mama, save me!
o0o
Author’s Note:
Bai Yi: Being human is hard. Being a lion is even harder...
Jason: It’s going to get even harder, babe.
Bai Yi: ???