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Tandabui made his way along the mountain paths, if you could call them that, picking his way along carefully. Wouldn't do him or the tribe any good if he fell and injured himself, though no one would notice probably for at least several hours. But that was the risk he took for slinking off when it was still fairly light outside. He wanted to hunt and not be told to get out of the way or stay in a safe place. That and he wanted to impress Siri with a kill all on his own.

But it was difficult and he narrowed his eyes, looking vaguely unsure. It was one thing to tell oneself that one was going to hunt alone, quite different to actually DO it. The bright light hurt his sensitive eyes and he wondered how those of the other clan did it. Surely they were insane to come out at this time of day! He looked around, his keen nose lifted up to sniff the air for any trace of prey.

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Several hours later, the tired juvenile was pretty proud of himself, dragging the body of a young zebra with him. Granted, it wasn't that big but he had done it all on his own! He was extremely tired though and parched beyond reason. Trotting to where he knew was a small stream where he could allay his thirst and then make his way back to his pride, he dipped his head to drink. 'Siri's going to be so impressed! I just know it!' Gulping down water, his entire muzzle drenched, he looked up and froze, seeing another lion in front of him. She didn't look familiar, but she didn't look like someone from the Mwezi tribe either. Carefully lifting his muzzle from the water, droplets still dripping from his jaw, he tilted his head to one side. She didn't look so good....

"Hey, are you okay? Are you dead?" He sure hoped not , but it wouldn't be the first time one of theirs had slept forever.

After a few moments, Milele noticed that the other cub wasn't leaving. she sniffled back her tears and looked up at him in surprise. She'd thought for sure that he'd leave her like everyone else had.

Milele stared at Tandabui in shock, almost as if his words hadn't made any sense... but the smell of freshly killed meat was overwhelming her fears.

She glanced over her shoulder in fear, one more time, "Are you sure?" Seeing that he'd made up his mind, Milele crept forward, keeping low to the ground and sniffed the carcass. "Would you please stand watch for me while I eat so the great huge shadows won't sneak up on me and catch me unawares?"

Without even waiting for a response, she ripped a huge chunk of flesh off the dead zebra and started eating it ravenously.

At his suggestion, she eyed the haunch and then tore a huge chunk out of it and scarfed it down. Around mouthfuls of food, she responded,"That was good!"

*munch*

"Thank you!"

"The shadows that trampled my tribe and my parents." *crunch* "Mommy always made me sleep in the trees, and one night, these huge monsters came stampeding through the place where the tribe had camped for the night. They were a million feet tall with scary long teeth and feet as huge as the fattest tree. They made these deafening braying noises with their long noses."

*chew chew*

"The tribe heard them coming, and the chief worked to help all of the mothers who had just had babies, try to collect their young and get them out of harms way... but they weren't quick enough. The noise was so loud that it startled me out of the tree and the dark beasts were so loud that I just started running, all the time they were right on my tail, trampling everything in their path. Trees, rocks, bushes... everything was crushed."

*gulp*

"I ran and ran and ran, always looking over my shoulder to see them still chasing me. I don't know how long I ran and how long they trampled everything behind me. I think I've outrun them for now, but when I go to sleep, it's like I can still hear the horrible noise they make with their long noses and the sounds of my tribe getting crushed under the horrible feet of the monsters." A shiver ran up her spine and she shivered involuntarily.

"You can see why that would scare anyone!"

She stopped chewing to look at the other cub in a new light.

"Yeah, those Longhorns sound like what trampled by tribe. You know so much!" She took a deep breath, trying to calm her quickly beating heart and digesting what the other cub told her. Especially the part about finding a new tribe that would adopt her. She'd felt so alone for long, and she was so tired of running.

"If you think that your tribe would adopt me, I would like to meet them. I'm awfully lonely, and I hadn't even dared to think that another tribe would have me. But I don't want them to accept me if the Longhorns are still chasing me. I don't want your tribe to be hurt too."

Her shrivelled belly was getting full and she was slowing down as she tore meat off the bones.

The way the other cub spoke of the tribe elders really inspired Milele with courage to give it a try.

"Wow! If they're that awesome, then we should all be really safe. I'd like to give it a try, if you'll introduce me to them. Oh, by the way, my name in Milele. I'm sorry I didn't introduce myself at first."

Her belly was full, and the female cub looked down at the carcass and realized that she'd eaten almost half of it alone... but her belly felt so full and happy for the first time in a long time. She looked back up at her new friend with a chagrined look on her face.

"I'm sorry. I ate most of your kill. I feel really bad and here you were being so nice to me. Do you want me to try and help you get another that you can take back to the tribe?"

Milele felt a good feeling stir inside her as Tandabui rubbed noses with her. She was so thankful to have found such a nice cub. She was really looking forward to belonging to a tribe with such nice lions in it!

She almost argued with him over being a good luck charm, she had been feeling anything BUT lucky, but she was caught up in his excitement. She turned her nose into the air, trying to mimic him. She could smell something, but it was an unknown scent to her.

"What? What do you smell?" She'd never been allowed to hunt yet, since her mother had thought that she was too young and hadn't yet let her accompany the other lionesses on their hunts.