Witch of wolves

Mabuyakhulu

Suzette sat feeling the pulse of the large cat next to her, it had a steady beat and wasn't breathing too fast, despite the hot day they sat in.

"Howzit look?" Her assistant Mbedzi asked.

"She's fine, and it seems the cub will be too" Suzette said starting to pack up her equipment "How long since we tranked her?"

"Bout twenty minutes" Mbedzi said taking some of the medical bags to the pickup.

"That gives us five" Suzette said slowly rising to her feet.

In normal circumstances they would use an injection that countered the tranquilizers, but this time they used a small amount as not to harm the leopards's cub, and that amount was enough to just leave her to wake by herself.

"Got the blood samples?" She asked coming over and joined Mbedzi on the back of the pickup so they could watch the animal.

"It's in the bag, back seat" he replied wiping the sweat off his bald head "Geezus it's hot"

"Today is a special one" she said laughing, the both of them still had eyes on the leopard "Have your people given her a name yet?"

He shrugged "Mabuyakhulu"

"Maba what?"

"Mabuyakhulu" he said laughing "It means coming back stronger"

"Ah, then it's a bit difficult, but fitting" she said, this leopard survived a mauling from a lion not to long ago, Suzette was even surprised to discover the cub was still growing in her, it was about time Mbedzi gave it a name, a fitting one indeed.

The leopard opened its eyes and gave a grunt, Suzette had her camera on it the whole time, filming it as much as possible.

When the leopard finally left they hopped into the land cruiser and headed back to the lodge.

Suzette handed her Zulu accomplice a bottle of water "Thanks Sisi" he said taking it.

"You know when your head sweats like that it becomes mirror like right?" She joked making him laugh.

"Again with that?"

"Sit still amazulu let me check my hair" she mocked him leaning closer but Mbedzi bellowed with laughter.

She sat back after their good laugh and sighed "I could use a beer right now"

"You drink to much Sisi, watch it"

"I'm working with carnivores, you think I'm afraid of an ice cold beer?"

"You have a point, when last did you hear of your boyfriend?"

"I was hoping I could go to him today, I need to go check on that elephant roaming around his area anyways"

"You heading out immediately?"

"Yes, its about half an hour's drive but that can turn to an hour if you need to crawl watching for game"

"The elephants especially, they never move, always stopping to watch you first"

"If that happens it will turn to an hour and a half" she said with a giggle.

Back at the lodge they first stored their blood samples then parted ways, she got into her pickup and saw a few missed calls from the head of park Simmons, she dialed him up.

"Suzette?"

"Sorry sir, I was out with that loin attack leopard"

"Oh? How's it doing?"

"Great actually, she completely recovered"

"Good to hear, meanwhile we have another lion attack"

"Oh no..." Suzette remembered when they found Mabuya, she'll call her that, Mbedzi gave it too difficult, they thought she wasn't going to make it, and it took months to help her recover "What got attacked this time?"

"Not what, who, it was Clarkson, and he didn't make it"

Suzette gasped.

"Yes, now it's one lion less for you to worry about hey?"

"Don't say it like that Simmons!"

"I'm joking, so what you up to today?"

She wanted to put the phone down now, Simmons never once phoned her without hooking on some flirting, but what could she do, she loved her job, and she was afraid if she bit at him he'll replace her.

"Going south now to see my elephant"

"Oh, sore foot hey?"

"Yeah, just a checkup"

"And after that, why don't I stick you for a beer at the staff camp?"

She licked her tongue over her dry teeth, that beer always sounded like a winner, but she had other plans.

"It sounds great, I'll let you know how it goes"

"Great, I'll wait for your call"

She put the phone on the seat next to her, making sure first she hit the red button before "Fucking asshole!"

She stopped at her chalet and got a crate of beer out then loaded it onto the back of her pickup, then after taking one out she hopped in again opening it with a keyring.

She got drive on her automatic and set off at the press of her pedal, the bottle upside down in her mouth.

Like she'll ever go for Simmons! Geez what's with him!? He probably thinks because she's a classic blonde she'll go for the men with money! He's disgusting really.

And if it wasn't enough, he wasn't the first, and not the last, many of the high investors of the park tried to flirt with her, one guy actually tried to pin her against a wall behind one of the chalets once, but that's when she met Phillip...

Phillip... Was caught surprised by that situation, he had snuck out to empty his bladder, but remained quiet when he heard movement behind him, only when Suzette let out a shriek did he 'Cut his piss short to investigate'

Suzette laughed when he said that, he was crass, foul mouthed, drinks harder than she does, and isn't afraid to start fights, especially when it came to her and other men flirting with her... Now at least, back then he wasn't interested in her, how rare.

She remembers how he stumbled back to the bar, the man who rubbed her up out cold on the ground, it was one blow really, and no matter how sweetly she thanked him he just nodded and stumbled away, not even winking at her.

After that they kept bumping into each other, it must have been fate, he finally opened after three months to merely ask her if she wanted to be his girl and invited him to a classic Braai, from there on they basically couldn't get enough of each other.

She picked up her phone deciding she wanted to hear where he was, knowing his occupation he probably went to check on that lion that killed Clarkson, her plan was to sleep over at his house then head to her elephant the next morning, but found her battery flat.

She quickly connected it to her charger but had to slam the brakes hard when a herd of Buffalo stood just around a bend.

"Fucking assholes! Move!" She yelled beeping.

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Author's Note:

So "Sisi" this time means sister, and a "Braai" is an Afrikaans word for Barbecue.