incredible effect on him, without even being aware of it. He felt an idiotic grin form on his lips and could do absolutely nothing about it.
“The lion is the second largest of the big cats, after the tiger. Its main habitat is in Africa. It prefers the extensive grasslands of the sub-Saharan regions. When hunting, it can reach speeds of up to fifty miles per hour, which is relatively slow compared with other big cats. Its prey consists primarily of antelope and wildebeest, as well as buffalo, zebra, and, when necessary, elephant.” Julie looked up from the small brass plaque and searched around for a lion.
“Cool.” Like all boys his age, Luke drawled out a long o whenever he was particularly enthusiastic about something. Julie’s nephew was incredibly bright for his six years. The wind had tousled his short brown hair, and his brown eyes—which bore a striking resemblance to Julie’s—shone with delight. He stood on tiptoe next to his aunt so that he could see better over the railing around the big cats’ outdoor enclosure.
Bastian went to stand beside them.
On a plateau lined with dense bushes, a regal pair of fully grown lions lazed luxuriously in the spring sunshine. This was clearly the alpha male of the pride with his companion.
“Look!” Luke pointed to a lion who appeared out of the bushes, stalking the pair. He must have been younger, as his mane was nowhere near as majestic as the alpha male’s. As the pair noticed him, they jerked to their feet, prepared to defend their territory, and the two males sized each other up, snarling. The tension was palpable.
The female took cover beside her companion. The older lion growled out a further warning, but the young lion, undeterred by his rival’s imposing presence, leapt at him in a single bound.
Luke gasped. The big cats’ growling and snarling was punctuated by Luke’s cries of encouragement. The victor soon became clear. Despite his boldness, the young lion failed to overcome the pride’s leader. It only took two final, well-aimed blows to force the weakened challenger to retreat.
Luke’s shoulders sagged in disappointment at the abrupt outcome of the skirmish. “I was rooting for the other one.”
“He looks like he needs to fatten himself up a bit before he can hold his own against the big one.” Bastian sounded chummy and familiar. They had quickly become friends—it had only taken a second for them to decide they liked each other.
“At least the big guy took his share of the beating.” Luke grinned at Bastian, revealing a gap in his teeth. “But why were they fighting?”
“For food, perhaps,” suggested Bastian.
Luke looked around the plateau for evidence of that. “No, there’s no food there.”
The pair had settled back down and were once again lazing together in the sunshine.
Julie laid a hand on his shoulder. “They were quarrelling over the girl,” she explained.
Luke looked disappointed. “So Big Guy let himself get drawn into a scrap over a girl?”
Bastian suddenly became aware of a certain similarity to his own situation. Not long ago, he’d jumped in on Julie’s behalf, not without getting himself hurt in the process.
Julie also seemed to be aware of the parallel. “He didn’t go looking for trouble,” she said uncertainly.
The corners of Bastian’s mouth twitched at her guilty expression. “Maybe not, but it had to be done.”
Luke glanced back at the pair of lions. “He must like her.”
Bastian’s eyes fell on Julie. It would be so easy to confirm Luke’s observation, but the implications of that would be so much greater than the little boy realized.
Blissfully unaware of the tension between his two companions, Luke was eager to move on. “Let’s go.”
“What do you want to see now? The elephants? Or the monkey house?” asked Julie.
“I’d like an ice cream, please,” he said, looking at her so imploringly that she had no choice but to head to the nearest café.
The zoo’s small
“The lion is the second largest of the big cats, after the tiger. Its main habitat is in Africa. It prefers the extensive grasslands of the sub-Saharan regions. When hunting, it can reach speeds of up to fifty miles per hour, which is relatively slow compared with other big cats. Its prey consists primarily of antelope and wildebeest, as well as buffalo, zebra, and, when necessary, elephant.” Julie looked up from the small brass plaque and searched around for a lion.
“Cool.” Like all boys his age, Luke drawled out a long o whenever he was particularly enthusiastic about something. Julie’s nephew was incredibly bright for his six years. The wind had tousled his short brown hair, and his brown eyes—which bore a striking resemblance to Julie’s—shone with delight. He stood on tiptoe next to his aunt so that he could see better over the railing around the big cats’ outdoor enclosure.
Bastian went to stand beside them.
On a plateau lined with dense bushes, a regal pair of fully grown lions lazed luxuriously in the spring sunshine. This was clearly the alpha male of the pride with his companion.
“Look!” Luke pointed to a lion who appeared out of the bushes, stalking the pair. He must have been younger, as his mane was nowhere near as majestic as the alpha male’s. As the pair noticed him, they jerked to their feet, prepared to defend their territory, and the two males sized each other up, snarling. The tension was palpable.
The female took cover beside her companion. The older lion growled out a further warning, but the young lion, undeterred by his rival’s imposing presence, leapt at him in a single bound.
Luke gasped. The big cats’ growling and snarling was punctuated by Luke’s cries of encouragement. The victor soon became clear. Despite his boldness, the young lion failed to overcome the pride’s leader. It only took two final, well-aimed blows to force the weakened challenger to retreat.
Luke’s shoulders sagged in disappointment at the abrupt outcome of the skirmish. “I was rooting for the other one.”
“He looks like he needs to fatten himself up a bit before he can hold his own against the big one.” Bastian sounded chummy and familiar. They had quickly become friends—it had only taken a second for them to decide they liked each other.
“At least the big guy took his share of the beating.” Luke grinned at Bastian, revealing a gap in his teeth. “But why were they fighting?”
“For food, perhaps,” suggested Bastian.
Luke looked around the plateau for evidence of that. “No, there’s no food there.”
The pair had settled back down and were once again lazing together in the sunshine.
Julie laid a hand on his shoulder. “They were quarrelling over the girl,” she explained.
Luke looked disappointed. “So Big Guy let himself get drawn into a scrap over a girl?”
Bastian suddenly became aware of a certain similarity to his own situation. Not long ago, he’d jumped in on Julie’s behalf, not without getting himself hurt in the process.
Julie also seemed to be aware of the parallel. “He didn’t go looking for trouble,” she said uncertainly.
The corners of Bastian’s mouth twitched at her guilty expression. “Maybe not, but it had to be done.”
Luke glanced back at the pair of lions. “He must like her.”
Bastian’s eyes fell on Julie. It would be so easy to confirm Luke’s observation, but the implications of that would be so much greater than the little boy realized.
Blissfully unaware of the tension between his two companions, Luke was eager to move on. “Let’s go.”
“What do you want to see now? The elephants? Or the monkey house?” asked Julie.
“I’d like an ice cream, please,” he said, looking at her so imploringly that she had no choice but to head to the nearest café.
The zoo’s small
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