National Park

Chapter 4

“Quare! Quare!” An odd-sounding birdcall sound echoed through Raja’s pounding head. It actually sounded more like ‘go away; go away’!

That’s exactly what it should do, thought Raja. He opened his eyes and immediately shut them at the intensity of the morning sun. The brightness just caused the throbbing in his head to increase. Raja feebly raised his paw to feel his head and, to his surprise, found that it was covered in some sort of bandage. Forcing his eyes open, he saw to his surprise that he was in an obviously well-maintained area. It appeared as if someone had swept the ground, as there was not a single leaf lying around, and, to the left, there was a mound of sand as if someone had done their spring cleaning and swept all the dirt into this little mountain!

Raja rubbed his eyes, trying to remember… Lion! His eyes shot open and as he scanned his surroundings again, this time with more attention. He was lying at the centre of a semi-circular area surrounded by various large trees. The grass was amazingly high at the outer area of the semi-circle and appeared double his height. It was like a secret place, he thought dazedly, especially if seen from the outside; the grass and surrounding trees would hide anyone within the area.

Raja wriggled his legs, then quickly counted the nails on all his paws and scanned his body to see if the lion had decided to eat any part of him. Everything was still there, he thought with relief. The last thing he could remember was the lion standing over him and being sure at that moment that it was the end! Wasn’t your life supposed to pass before your eyes at the moment of death? Nothing like that had occurred, so Raja decided that he wasn’t going to question his fate. And, if it was morning, it meant he had been asleep the entire night! The family would be worried sick not knowing where he was.

Raja stretched carefully, trying not to disturb the dressing on his head. The thought crossed his mind that he must look like a real Indian king now with this ‘turban’ on his head. The next thought was that he couldn’t believe his calmness considering what had just happened and knowing that he was lost in the park, possibly being kept alive just to be eaten later.

But it was his birthday and he was still alive!

He grinned, then froze as he heard a rustle and saw the blades of grass in the distance shaking. Whatever was causing the disturbance was moving towards him! Raja’s eyes grew wide as the grass parted and out stepped the lion he had seen just before he fainted. The lion stalked majestically across to Raja. A slight breeze in the air fluttered the lion’s mane, and at the same time cooled the sweat on Raja’s body.

Raja’s racing heart pounded against his chest and the throbbing in his head worsened.

“I… I… I have been separated from my owners after our truck was attacked by an elephant,” Raja started off nervously. As he continued, his voice grew with confidence. “Today’s my birthday. I have been preparing my whole life for this moment, and if it is my time to go, then I accept that fate. Do you believe that we are here for a reason? As I stand here, I believe that my life can’t end now… it just can’t.”

Raja spoke directly from his heart, tears flowing from his eyes; he knew he had to try to convince the lion not to kill him. He could only hope that his words had been understood. The lion stood motionless as it stared down at Raja. Then, with a deep rumble, he spoke.

“You’ve got nothing to fear. I’ve dressed your wound and brought you here to my personal area,” he said.

Raja’s mouth dropped open, but the lion’s deep reassuring voice made him relax. As the tension in his body eased, he managed to get his mouth closed.

“You are an odd-looking creature,” the lion growled. “I’ve seen many so-called pets of the humans, but you seem quite unique. You have stood your ground without running, and, oddly enough, you’ve become philosophical in what you thought would be your last moments. This is truly a sign of acceptance of one’s imminent end; an acceptance of the current situation. However, I do agree that your time has not yet come. An older and wiser animal would have accepted their current position, but would have also been grateful for a long life, and that is something you do not have as yet.” The lion stepped back and stalked around the bare area. He turned, walked back to Raja, bent one leg and bowed, all the while maintaining eye contact. “I am Niol Panthera and I am part of the lion clan of the Umzantsi region.”