Being a Dad in the Animal World
o0o
Jason was actually quite smart. Bai Yi was now their only hope for survival. Without Bai Yi, they would all die an untimely death.
So, he had to cling to this lion’s leg tightly and not let him abandon them.
Bai Yi had only gone to clean himself up. After all, he was an adult male lion, quite fierce.
Even though there were crocodiles in the swamp, he would be careful, wash his belly, and leave. Otherwise, he wouldn’t be able to sleep comfortably, not to mention that Jason was always sniffing around him.
Being disrespected by a little lion like this bothered Bai Yi a little bit.
He was a straight man, even after becoming a big lion. He was as straight as it gets.
Speaking of straight men, Bai Yi was indeed very upright. Otherwise, he wouldn't have been able to shout away a lioness who was already lying at his feet seeking affection.
There weren't many male animals in the animal kingdom as upright as he was.
No, there were none at all.
He was truly a rare, good lion.
Bai Yi thought to himself.
He carefully made his way to the shallow water by the swamp, dipped his paw in the water, and squatted down to clean himself.
He had to complain a bit—it's so inconvenient doing everything without hands.
Just as he was diligently cleaning himself, he caught the scent of Jason and the cubs.
He tensed up. Thinking that he had left the territory, why was Jason bringing the cubs out too?
Didn’t he know that leaving the territory was dangerous?
They had marked the boundary on the edge, intentionally making the scent strong to prevent other animals from invading. Once they left the territory, they would definitely attract enemies.
Moreover, he could already smell the strong scent from where he was, which meant they were standing right in the wind.
His actions would undoubtedly alarm the crocodiles in the swamp. He had thought that once he finished cleaning, he would run, and with caution, the crocodiles wouldn't be able to do much to him.
Bai Yi felt worried because the scent of Jason and the cubs was growing stronger, meaning they were about to leave the territory.
There were many lion prides on the grasslands, not just theirs.
It's perfectly normal for lion prides to fight for territory. Once a fight breaks out, it’s either you die or I die.
When a group of competitive kings of the grassland come together, it’s a bloody, violent battle.
Bai Yi finished cleaning himself and noticed that the water in the swamp had stirred. He realized that he might have disturbed the crocodiles.
He stepped back a few paces from the shallow water and headed back toward the territory.
As he walked, something didn’t feel right. He smelled the scent of other lions.
The strong scent meant they weren’t far!
Bai Yi’s heart skipped a beat. The vigilance of a male lion made his heart race. He was nervous and worried!
The scent of the unfamiliar lions was also coming from the wind, and it was mixed with Jason and the cubs’ scent, making it even more noticeable!
Bai Yi’s heart tightened. He hurriedly ran toward Jason and the cubs.
When he reached the edge of the territory, the direction of the scent changed. Bai Yi guessed that Jason had smelled the unfamiliar lion's scent and ran in the opposite direction.
The scent hadn’t faded. In fact, it was growing closer.
Bai Yi had already marked the edge of the territory. If they didn’t leave after smelling the scent, it meant they were here to fight for territory!
If it was just one lion, Bai Yi was confident he could drive it away. But if it was a whole pride, he could only avoid the battle.
He followed the scent for about a hundred meters and found the intruding group. Yes, it was a group.
They were cautiously approaching, and the lead male lion had clearly noticed him.
Bai Yi shuddered. Without hesitation, he turned and ran.
The group of lions chased after him. After running a few steps, Bai Yi realized he was heading in the direction of Jason.
He quickly realized and ran in the opposite direction from Jason.
Now, he could only pray that Jason was smart enough.
If he chased after them, this group of invaders would definitely find Jason and the cubs.
At that point, the four cubs would be in great danger.
The pride of lions launched an attack and chased after him.
Bai Yi silently prayed in his heart, hoping that Jason would quickly take the cubs and run as far as possible.
He did everything he could to delay them.
Soon, he had run out of the territory and reached the edge of the swamp.
In front was a swamp about tens of meters wide, and behind were a group of over a dozen lions, ready to drive him out of their territory.
Gradually, the scent of Jason and his group started to fade. He sniffed the air and found their scent indeed becoming weaker and weaker.
After a while, it completely disappeared.
Bai Yi felt a bit relieved and took a deep breath.
A group of lions surrounded him, growling lowly and fiercely in a threatening manner.
It seemed that if he didn’t pass through the swamp today, his fate would certainly be grim.
This group of marauders had seized the territory he had just found, meaning he would have to wander endlessly again.
Bai Yi took a deep breath and simply turned around, stepping into the swamp.
Either way, he was going to die, so he might as well take a gamble.
If he was lucky, the crocodiles wouldn’t catch up to him, and he would manage to swim across to safety.
If he was unlucky, he might encounter a crocodile and be dragged into the swamp.
Either way, he was helpless.
The lions continued to roar at him as he swiftly and nimbly began crawling through the shallow water next to the swamp.
His instinct for survival made him swim extremely fast.
It would be impossible to cross the river without alarming the crocodiles, but fortunately, Bai Yi swam so quickly under the instinctual urge to survive that it was almost unbelievable.
With the threat of the lions behind him and crocodiles waiting patiently in the water, Bai Yi once again marveled at how hard survival was in the animal kingdom.
Fortunately, he had grown up and looked quite imposing, so the crocodiles didn’t dare to strike easily.
Bai Yi was even a bit thankful for his lion-like appearance, even though he was terrified inside.
He successfully swam to the other shore, looking across the river that was tens of meters wide. The group of invaders had left, and they began to enjoy the fruits of Bai Yi’s labor.
The territory had become their hunting ground, and Bai Yi would have to start wandering again.
Though a bit sad, there was no time to waste. He had to find Jason and the three little ones.
The four children were without parents and could easily become the prey of hunters.
They were still young, and other predators wouldn’t be afraid of them.
Bai Yi sniffed the air, but could no longer smell Jason and the others. He could only follow the direction they had fled in.
It was truly terrifying in the middle of the night.
No one could even get a good night’s sleep.
Bai Yi hadn’t slept all night and had been heading in one direction, but there was no sign of Jason or the three little ones. He began to feel anxious.
Since he didn’t know how to hunt, he had been starving.
He couldn’t bring himself to eat the cute herbivores he saw.
He searched for two days but still found no trace of them.
Bai Yi felt a bit discouraged.
In such a vast grassland, with various carnivores mixed in, perhaps the four children had already become someone else’s meal.
The thought of this made his heart ache.
But there was nothing that could be done. It was the law of natural selection, survival of the fittest, elimination of the unfit.
On the third day, still with no results, Bai Yi gave up.
He sorrowfully thought that the four of them might have already met with misfortune.
o0o