Chapter Text
You took a big gulp of water from your canteen. Leaves spun in the Savanna air. Sparkling in the predawn light, they looked like diamond dust. You smiled. You loved this: just you, the savanna, and the lion.
“Don’t move,” you whispered in Swahili at the lion.
And this lion, you thought, was the most magnificent one you had ever seen. He was as perfect as a children's book illustration: golden-colored with a red mane and yellow eyes. You pulled out your wildlife tranquilization handbook, flipped to the lion section, and looked up the dosage for a male between 300 to 350 pounds. If your estimates were correct, 500mg of ketamine would be about right for him. You opened your mini fridge, which contained nothing but ketamine. You carefully filled the dart. You felt behind you and unhooked the rifle. Placid as a marble statue, the lion did not move. You loaded the tranquilizer dart by feel, your eyes never leaving the lion. The wind blowing through his mane as he stood outside his den, he looked like a king on a throne. For an instant, you imagined you could hear Gram’s voice, telling the story of the lion and the lamb. . . . Gram hadn’t told that story since the day you’d left the research station, but you still remembered every word of it. You used to believe it was true.
Now I don’t need games, you thought with a grin. You snapped the syringe into place and lifted the gun to your shoulder.
You cocked the tranquilizer gun, and the lion turned his head to look directly at you. You held your breath and didn’t move. Wind whistled, and loose snow swirled between you and the lion. Your heart thudded in your ears even though you knew lions don't attack people in safari trucks. This was it—the end of the chase. When you’d begun this chase, fireflies had been dancing in the night sky. You’d tracked him in the moon's light for three miles north of the station. Loose dirt had jostled at the end, but you’d driven over it and then onto the grasslands. You’d followed him all the way here, to a jumble of large rocks that looked like a miniature mountain range. But the strangest thing was that a hornbill had led you to him. You had no idea why this lion was letting a bird follow him around. Maybe he didn't like the way hornbills tasted, or maybe he had made a deal with the hornbill to not eat him if it agreed to be his servant. You grinned at the ridiculousness of that idea. Regardless of the explanation, the hornbill had led you here to this beautiful, majestic, perfect lion. You’d won.
A moment later, the lion looked away across the grasslands.
“You’re mine,” you whispered in Swahili as you sighted down the barrel.
Lifting the gun, you squeezed the trigger. You managed to place a dart into his flank. The lion growled and took a step toward you, and you instinctively froze. Fortunately, the lion didn't come any closer. You waited several minutes, carefully watching the lion's facial expression for signs of lightheadedness.
Once the lion was down, you got out of your truck and approached him, feeling a sense of triumph. "Not so tough now, are you?" you said as you attached a tracking device to the lion's ear. Suddenly, a lion cub you hadn't noticed ran toward you, a look of fury on its face. You knew exactly what to do - anyone who had any experience with cats did. Before the cub could get any closer, you grabbed it by the scruff of its neck and held it in the air, laughing as it tried desperately to bite and scratch you. "You must be the lion king's son," you guessed. The cub snarled. You placed the cub under your armpit and resumed collecting the adult lion's biometric data. You went back to your safari truck feeling quite pleased with yourself. The lion woke up, confused but now being monitored, thanks to your courage.
Your radio crackled. You pulled it out of your pocket. “Y/N here,” you said, grinning. You'd chased a lion into the grasslands without backup. If you hadn't caught him, your colleagues would have been furious. "I tagged a lion.”
"YOU COULD HAVE DIED!"
"I know," you replied smugly. Just then, you noticed another lion coming out of the cave. This lion had darker fur, a black mane, green eyes, and a scar going through his right eye. He had to be the most exotic lion anyone had ever seen, and you were the one who found him. With a sense of pride, you pulled out your camera and took a photo of him. You promised yourself you'd tag him in the morning. He was smaller and weaker than the other one, so he probably wouldn't be as much of a challenge.
You hung up a piece of steak on a tree, hoping to lure the scar-faced lion. He seemed underweight, as though the lionesses had been refusing to share their kills with him. You knew he wouldn't pass up the chance for a free meal. After waiting for a few hours, you finally saw him. He approached the meat, a look of genuine confusion on his face. But his hunger soon got the best of him, and he walked over to the tree, grabbed it with both of his paws, and began to eat it. You pulled out your wildlife tranquilization handbook and looked up the dosage for a male between 140 and 200 pounds. You waited until he was done eating before you darted him. Within seconds, he was down. You were worried about him now. Why did he go down so quickly? Did you overestimate his weight? You stepped out of the safari truck and let out a sigh of relief when you noticed he was still breathing. Once you were close enough to tag him, the lion suddenly started smirking. He must be having a nice dream, you thought. The lion's eyes snapped open, and he got back up on his feet, looking at you with a devious grin. The lion had outsmarted you! “No,” you said out loud, starting to panic. You’d thought for sure you'd had him immobilized! What had happened? Lions didn’t—typically—pretend to be unconscious to lull their prey into a false sense of safety. You'd been researching lions for years, and this wasn't a hunting strategy you'd ever seen. This had to be a nightmare. The lion pounced on you, and you thought for sure you were a goner, until a roar that definitely wasn't coming from this lion made you and the lion freeze. The strong, red-maned lion you'd tagged earlier came running. You squeezed your eyes shut, hoping the lions would give you a merciful death, but nothing happened. You opened your eyes, and you saw the two lions fighting. The red-maned lion stopped and gave you a look that said, Get out of here while you can. I'll fend him off.
You ran back to your truck and quickly closed the door as you got in. As you drove off, the black-maned lion's devious grin haunted you.