It hadn’t taken long for Kisi to show Kaimu a new hunting spot, staying with him as they both settled into a very good position for attacking. She looked at him, wondering how the whole thing had come about. One minute, she had been trying to get food on her own, and now she was teaching some lion she had only just met how to hunt for himself. Normally, she avoided other lions- she didn’t trust them. But there was something innocent about him. Something that suggested she didn’t have to be guarded or afraid. Maybe… it wouldn’t be terrible to talk to someone for a change, instead of depending on her knowledge.
“Well, this is the kind of position you want to put yourself in,” she explained faintly, “down wind, so they can’t smell you coming. And in a good position, so you’re not casting any shadows towards them or making anything about yourself really obviously known. You have to keep low, or they’ll see your butt sticking up over the grass.” She smiled, Kaimu lowering his rear end after she brought up the point.
“There’s a lot I didn’t know,” he said faintly, “I thought it was just sneak in and attack… I didn’t know there were so many other factors…”
“A lot of lions just go in without thinking about these kinds of things,” Kisi replied lightly, watching the small herd ahead of them, “but if you do things the right way, you have a much better chance of success. I’m sure, if they did this kind of thing, they would be able to catch something every time they went for a kill. These are the kinds of methods to improve catch rate.” She watched and listened, waiting for the right prey to get into the perfect spot. “If you wait long enough, one will usually wander far enough from the rest of the herd to make itself a target. You have to make sure you keep your eyes on the one you want, and only the one you want.”
“Just one? From the whole herd?”
“If you try and go after the group, hoping you’ll get lucky, they’ll all probably slip away from you. In my experience, it’s better to lock in on one target and keep after it no matter what. You’re more likely to take down the one you want than blindly running into the whole group and hoping one will come close enough to you to attack.” Kaimu nodded, making sure he took everything in. Seemed like he really needed to pay attention- there was way more to hunting than he thought.
“Okay. We’re in position and we have a target. Do you want to go for it, or should I?” Kisi asked lightly, watching her companion only a moment before looking back at their meal. Kaimu looked thoughtful a moment, before completely chickening out.
“Why don’t you go for it, and I’ll watch your form? I don’t want to ruin the lesson now, after we’ve gotten this far…”
“Okay, if that’s what you want,” replied Kisi, not really trained enough in friendship to know when someone was being too hard on themselves. She focused on her meal, the growl in her stomach telling her that she needed to make sure she didn’t mess things up. Not only was she looking to impress the male beside her, but she also needed to get some food into her system. She was starving.
Maybe she needed to spend a little less time getting sucked into her learning.
When she felt the right moment had come, she sprang into action, racing towards her target with all of her might. Kaimu watched, impressed, as she easily slid into the clearing, the antelope seemingly moving exactly where she had planned for it to go once it spotted her. Within what seemed like seconds, she had the prey by the throat, taking it down to the ground with a heavy thud. There, she waited, letting the animal bleed to death in her fangs, her jaws crushing its neck.
Once the movement stopped, Kaimu came out of hiding to join her, an expression of glee on his face. “Wow! That was amazing!” he hummed lightly, “you looked like a real pro! I bet you could take down a giraffe or something, the way you move!”
Kisi released the body, feeling heat spreading over her cheeks. “Well, thank you… I didn’t think it was that impressive… just hunting…”
“No, no! It was great! I can’t believe how amazing you are! I’m glad I have such a talented friend to teach me how to hunt properly!” Kaimu smiled and sat down, Kisi smiling along with him. This was a new feeling- she enjoyed knowing she had someone to talk to. It felt… good. Better than she would have thought. Maybe she had been wrong to think she hadn’t needed friends in her life.
“Well.. you’re welcome to have some. I caught it for the both of us, you know.” Kisi said lightly, feeling a swell of joy in her heart. Definitely something she could get used to, if she ever made any other friends.
“Thank you, but it’s ladies first!” They laughed and continued to converse as they are, Kaimu telling her about his past- how he was born to a very clumsy lion and how he wanted to meet the guy again. Apparently he seemed like a very nice father, and Kaimu wanted to be with him. It all sounded very nice. Kisi told him that her parents were both alive and well, living somewhere in the rogue lands. They were very loving and she knew she would always have them to return to If she needed to. Hearing the history of another lion was almost like learning, too. It was information and she enjoyed hearing about it from someone who wanted to talk to her. Was this what she had been missing?
It was after they had finished their meal together that Kaimu presented her with another question- something else he thought she might be able to help him with.
