Being a Dad in the Animal World
o0o
Was it just his imagination, or had Jason's gaze changed? Before, Jason used to look at him with frustration, but now it seemed… a little arrogant.
As if Jason no longer saw him as a lion at all?
This gave Bai Yi an inexplicable sense of defeat.
He felt like Jason was mocking him for not knowing how to hunt.
But that wasn’t true, he did know how to hunt. He just didn’t have the desire to do it.
If he were truly on the verge of starvation, he would force himself to cross that line.
Still, Jason’s return had hit him hard.
Not only had Jason learned to hunt, but his behavior had also matured. It made Bai Yi feel like Jason was the real adult male lion, while he was the one being taken care of.
How did things flip like this? It had only been a few months, and Jason was barely three years old. How could he give off that kind of presence?
That wasn’t even the worst part. What really troubled Bai Yi was the vague sense of crisis creeping up on him. He had a gut feeling that his position in the pride was in danger.
To prevent Jason from looking down on him, Bai Yi decided to show off a little and remind him that his authority was not to be challenged.
So that night, while the pride was sleeping, Bai Yi got up and went out to hunt.
They would assume he was just patrolling and wouldn’t follow him.
He couldn’t let Jason underestimate him. That kid had already started showing signs of disdain. Bai Yi wasn’t sure if he was imagining it, but either way, it was seriously annoying him.
However, the moment he left, Jason instinctively woke up. He thought Bai Yi was about to abandon them, so he quietly followed, masking his scent to avoid being detected.
Bai Yi reached an area where a group of hartebeests was grazing. He crouched low in the grass, watching them for a long time, but made no move to attack.
Jason also hid in the grass, carefully observing Bai Yi’s every move.
Then, Bai Yi suddenly leaped forward, startling the hartebeests. They scattered in all directions, running for their lives. Jason thought Bai Yi would go after them.
But he didn’t.
Instead, Bai Yi pounced in the opposite direction of the fleeing prey.
Jason was baffled. What was he doing?
Using his excellent night vision, Jason watched as Bai Yi clamped his jaws around a mouse that had been out foraging.
Jason: "…"
He thought Bai Yi would head back after catching the mouse, but he didn’t.
With the mouse still in his mouth, Bai Yi kept moving forward.
Jason followed him the entire way and watched as Bai Yi continued "hunting."
An hour later, Bai Yi had a whole pile of mice in his mouth, dozens of them. He looked quite pleased with himself as he stuffed them all into his jaws and carried them home.
Jason: "…"
He quickly ran ahead to avoid getting caught and possibly receiving a beating.
Not long after, Bai Yi returned, bringing a "midnight snack" for the pride.
He woke them up and proudly placed his spoils in front of them, expecting praise.
But the cubs, who had just feasted earlier that day, were clearly unimpressed.
These tiny mice weren’t even enough to get stuck between their teeth, let alone satisfy their hunger.
Even the allied male lions ignored the meal. No one touched the food Bai Yi had brought back.
Bai Yi knew that mice weren’t the best-tasting prey and were far too small to be filling, so it was understandable if they didn’t want to eat them.
But still… wasn't this a little too heartless?
Would it kill them to at least take a bite? Was even pretending to appreciate his effort too much to ask?
Not long ago, they had been starving with nothing to eat, not even mice! And now they were getting picky?
Bai Yi felt a little defeated as he realized they had no intention of eating them.
If they don’t eat it, then forget it. If they don’t, I’ll eat it myself. In case no food is caught tomorrow, this midnight snack will simply add unwanted calories for the journey.
The three cubs and that male lion weren’t eating, so Jason certainly wouldn’t either, Bai Yi thought. He decided to lie down and eat on his own.
He did not expect that after watching him for a while, Jason would walk over, lie down opposite Bai Yi, and start eating the midnight snack.
Bai Yi paused in surprise, and his heart immediately swelled with deep emotion.
After all, his good big boy understood his intentions. Bai Yi reached out his paw and patted Jason’s head.
You truly are the most understanding, knowing exactly what I’m thinking.
If tonight no lion eats this midnight snack, Bai Yi would have felt a great deal of frustration.
Seeing Jason eat, the three cubs and his allied brothers soon joined in the meal.
Bai Yi: "..."
What’s happening? Have they taken Jason to be the pride’s leader?
Ah, no. Could it be that I don’t look fierce enough? That I don’t have the same air of authority as Jason?
Really, there’s no need for you all to disregard me like this, is there?
It turns out that ever since Jason’s return, he has consistently managed to catch food, giving this small pride something to look forward to.
Although Bai Yi is the oldest and most imposing male lion in the pride and is the main fighting force, it is evident that his role is merely to scare other predators into not daring to offend them.
The pride’s behavior only deepened Bai Yi’s sense of crisis; he was now being fed by others, a price paid for his lost authority.
This midnight snack was somewhat disheartening to watch. Fortunately, everyone gave Jason the courtesy and ate every single mouse he had caught.
To be honest, the mice didn’t taste very good. They were too small to fill the gaps between their teeth, leaving nothing but a mouthful of fur after eating.
The journey of migration was difficult. Fortunately, Bai Yi knew which dangerous territories to avoid, so they pressed on toward the Mala River.
Since they hadn’t been very hungry lately, their appetite was somewhat reduced. With the scorching heat and unbearable drought, they needed water more than anything.
After trekking for several dozen kilometers, they finally reached the Mala River. Thanks to the river’s nourishment, the area teemed with animals, attracting countless hunters.
All migratory animals must cross the Mala River. Even though the water here never dries up, the grass cannot meet the demand of the vast number of animals, and this area is frequented by the lion coalition.
The clever animals would not stay here for long.
At most, they would only drink their fill of water here.
Bai Yi’s group was no different. After drinking their fill at the Mala River, they planned to cross it.
The river was home to crocodiles that resided there all year round.
At last, being able to drink his fill again filled Bai Yi with renewed hope for life.
Indeed, water is the fundamental necessity for survival. He could go four or five days without eating, but four or five days without water made him truly feel the despair of life.
At times like this, he longed for some kind of container to hold water.
Bai Yi came up with an idea.
He pulled out the bladder of his prey, poured out the urine, and used it to hold water.
It didn’t hold much, but when thirst became unbearable, even a little sip was better than nothing.
The only issue was carrying it, as it was cumbersome.
So after Jason and his brothers had hunted a large prey, he collected more bladders.
After filling them with water, he snatched an intestine from one of the three cubs, tied the two water-filled animal bladders to its ends, and hung them around his neck.
Hmm… it did make walking rather uncomfortable, as he kept bumping into things along the way.
Once again, Bai Yi showcased his high intelligence, leaving the livestream audience stunned.
"My goodness, he actually knew that thing could hold water? That it’s so hard to carry, yet he made a pair?"
"Is this reasonable? How can an animal have such a brilliant mind? Bai Yi is just too extraordinary!"
"I wonder how high Bai Yi’s IQ really is, is it comparable to that of a ten-year-old child?"
"In the animal kingdom, I only know that dolphins have an intelligence level similar to that of a seven- or eight-year-old child. It seems unlikely that a child of that age would even think of using such a method to store water."
"Bai Yi’s intelligence must be on par with that of a teenager. Isn’t that extraordinary? For an animal to possess such intelligence is truly remarkable!"
There was an intense discussion in the livestream about how high Bai Yi’s IQ really is.
Some viewers even asked the host whether it might be possible to test Bai Yi’s IQ.
It is well known that many animals, if subjected to prolonged training, can reach a level comparable to Bai Yi’s; the key is that they must be tamed.
However, Bai Yi is just a wild lion, and the possibility of him being tamed is slim.
Of course, some people have raised the question, asking if Bai Yi was sent back to nature from a zoo; the host’s answer has always been negative.
There is currently no evidence that Bai Yi was ever tamed, and he is a pure wild lion.
"When we found him, it was when Jason's mother had died. He was sleeping at that time, and we even worried he might bite and kill Jason and his siblings; however, he did not do so."
"Because he was not one of our filming subjects, we did not pay attention to him. Later, when we reviewed the livestream records, we discovered that he was a newly adult male lion who had, after more than a year of wandering in the wild, finally managed to claim leadership of a pride; within three days, however, he was defeated and cast out by other male lions."
"At that time, we also found it quite amusing. He was the male lion who ruled a pride for the shortest time we had ever seen, and we did not pay him any mind until he exhibited an unusual behavior that made us decide to follow him."
Some viewers who had come for the spectacle began flooding the livestream chat:
"Hahaha XSWL, how could he be so formidable that he was driven out by other male lions in just three days? I don't believe it, unless you can turn back time to let me witness his lowest point."
"I can attest that I remember Bai Yi. At that time, because the filming was for Emma, he was merely a supporting character. It was only the host’s remark 'the shortest reigning lion king in livestream history' that made me take notice of him, and afterwards, he vanished from view."
"I think I understand why Bai Yi seems to reject lionesses; could it be that he has a complex? Haven't those lionesses been friendly toward him for the past three days?"
"Perhaps the lionesses were not in heat, so they refused him. Having been rejected, does he now see every lioness as worthless?"
"Hahaha, now it makes sense. A male lion who sincerely courted a lioness and was rejected, then encountered other males who forcibly claimed their rights, became so disheartened that he lost interest in lionesses and became disappointed in the opposite sex, ultimately changing his sexual orientation. Give me some material; I can even make up more on this."
The livestream chat became harmoniously unprecedented, with countless "hahaha" messages floating across the screen, along with some educators recapping early livestream content.
No one really knows just how high Bai Yi’s IQ is; his various behaviors clearly show that he is indeed far superior to the other lions.
After crossing the Maasai Mara River, their water supply once again became scarce, and their goal was to search for water sources along their migration route.
Bai Yi was deeply moved, realizing that a clever mind is indeed useful.
o0o
After three painful days without any successful hunts, everyone was exhausted and thirsty. Bai Yi finally decided to open his "precious water pouch."
The amount of water was clearly insufficient to fully quench the thirst of the six lions; it could only barely relieve their thirst.
This meant they could last for another two or three days, at least preventing them from dying of thirst.
Bai Yi finally learned what Jason had been doing during the months he was away, for he had been keeping a close eye on the herd of buffalo along the way.
It was clear that the young lion was vengeful; just because a herd of buffalo once attacked proactively, he seemed determined to wipe out every buffalo on this vast grassland.
During hunts, if both buffalo and other animals were present, he would head straight for the buffalo, letting the others escape.
For three consecutive days without catching any prey, everyone was starving and restless.
Bai Yi couldn’t figure out what was wrong; in his hunger-induced anxiety, Jason and his brothers remained motionless as if too tired to hunt.
Bai Yi then moved over to act cute for Jason.
He rolled on the ground, exposing his fluffy belly, and tried to charm Jason.
"Jason, you need to go hunting. If you don’t, your brother will starve"
Jason glanced at him with clear confusion while Bai Yi patted his belly with both paws.
"Awooo"
"Hungry hungry, food food"
"Big guy, let's go out hunting. You handle the charge and I'll shout 666"
It didn’t take long for Jason to understand; he truly grasped Bai Yi’s meaning. He bowed his head, licked Bai Yi’s paw, and rose to walk over to his brothers.
"Roar~"
"It's time to get to work, brothers. Our elder brother is hungry"
His brothers, understanding immediately, got up and followed Jason without taking a break.
Bai Yi felt it wasn’t right to always get free food, so he took the three cubs along and followed.
Fortunately, Bai Yi had joined them; otherwise, Jason and his brothers would have been doomed.
They headed toward a group of frenzied wildebeests. The way these wildebeests ran clearly signaled that predators were chasing them.
Jason hesitated at first, but when he remembered that his brother was hungry, he did not back down.
His allied brothers, two lions, hid in the tall grass and watched as thousands of wildebeests sprinted past.
Before long, a group of lions appeared, working together to hunt the wildebeests.
This scene indicated that Jason’s chances of a successful hunt were slim, so he decided to employ the 'skills' he had learned from his elder brother.
He intended to snatch food from the jaws of a pride once again.
His allied elder brother seemed to understand Jason’s meaning; he did not want to be pursued by the pride.
The elder brother turned away and left, aware of the danger.
Jason did not leave. He kept his eyes fixed on the pride, waiting for them to complete their hunt.
This group of lions consists of a group of lionesses. No male lions were seen, which means there are no male lions in this group of lions.
Upon seeing that they had taken down the wildebeest and that it lay motionless, Jason slowly lifted himself, preparing to pounce!
o0o
Author’s note:
Bai Yi: After this meal, I'll go hunting.
Jason: No need, babe, I'll catch mice to feed you
Bai Yi: "......"
In Chinese slang, 666: great / cool