Relentless Enemies Page #8

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splashing noisily among them.

This hunt has all the signs

of being chaotic and dangerous.

Their plan is working.

The buffalo are exactly

where the lions want them.

The setup is perfect.

Now the hunt turns to the straggling bulls,

old, fiercely independent fighters,

aggressive and tough.

This will be a battle of giants.

This is the object of every hunt,

continually add pressure

and cause something to unravel.

Mistakes are then inevitable.

A single cow stands out among the bulls,

an easier target.

But as she turns back,

it is into the path of a waiting lioness.

The lion conquers her hesitation.

She has unlocked the puzzle

and found the weak spot

in the buffalo's defense.

The activity is like a magnet.

Even the lone lioness hazards the depths

to get to the flaying cow.

But these may be waters

too much even for a Tsaro female.

The crystal clear waters allow

frightening glimpses of what lurks below.

And when the buffalo starts to sink,

the lioness makes the decision to swim for it.

Making for the river bank

before the crocodiles

she knows are down there can surface,

she leaves the buffalo cow

to her own devices,

a more vulnerable bait.

The herd has outmaneuvered

the lions again today,

perhaps because it was the cubs' first hunt.

Females were scattered, and the chaos

didn't quite work in their favor.

Instantly, the buffalo settle,

quick to let go of the stress of the attack.

Their way of dealing with the lions'

relentless predation

is to put it all behind them.

It takes the lions some time to notice

that none of the cubs is with them.

Hours later, they find one dead in the grass.

The distance from water

absolves the crocodiles.

This may be something more insidious.

For Silver Eye, the distress is too much,

and she slowly and deliberately

eats the remains of the cub.

Whether lions can mourn or not,

there is an air of desperation

around the pride now.

At least one of these females knows

exactly what has happened to the cubs.

One female was always behind.

Others are more determined

to defend their young.

In the case of the Blacksmith plovers,

it is at risk of death,

against overwhelming odds.

It is the time of the angry bulls.

Monsters filled with aggression

and exploding with testosterone

find any reason to knock down an opponent.

And while these beasts engage in combat,

the plovers stand their ground

in amongst the thrashing hooves.

There is nothing delicate about this.

These are battles of brute force

that male buffalo are built for.

Their heavy necks are able to withstand

tons of head-to-head impact.

Without these gnarled and impossibly heavy

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