A blue butterfly flickered above the dry grass, and Leo bounded after it. He raced past a termite mound striped with afternoon shadow. Behind him, his mother’s footsteps grew fainter. “Wait!” he called, but his small roar vanished into the wind.
The lion cub stopped beside a rustling bush. His ears flattened as a vulture circled high above, its shadow sliding over the grass. He called again, softer this time. “Mother?” Only the dry stalks answered, whispering, shhh-shhh.
A meerkat popped from a burrow and pointed toward a line of acacia trees. Then a dark shadow passed overhead, and the meerkat scrambled up rough bark. The lion cub followed tiny footprints scattered through the dust. Each rustling bush made his tail twitch.
At the watering hole, an elephant lifted its trunk and sent a silver spray into the air. Sunlight caught the droplets, painting a rainbow above the reeds. The lion cub stepped onto wet mud—and whoosh! He slid straight past a crocodile’s yawning mouth.
The lion cub popped upright with a surprised squeak. Water dripped from his whiskers as the elephant released a deep, rumbling chuckle. Rrrr-um, rrrr-um! The sound trembled through the reeds, and even the crocodile blinked.
Beyond the watering hole, the lion cub climbed a rocky outcrop. Loose stones skittered beneath his paws. Then two gleaming eyes appeared in the gully below. He froze for one breath and thought, I must be louder than the dark.
He planted his paws and roared. “RRAAAOOOR!” The sound rolled across the rocks like thunder. The hyena spun and bolted through the gully. Far above, tall grass parted on the ridge, and his mother stepped into view.
His mother crossed the ridge and nudged him toward a sheltered den. Near its entrance, fresh footprints stitched across the dust. The lion cub glanced back, then stepped toward them. His mane caught the golden light as he followed the trail, one confident paw after another.