Saturday, November 5, 2011

Lioness

The grass hides the predator.  Only part of her face can be seen.  Her eye, golden brown, shows her focus.  The tall golden grass flows in the wind as the lioness lays in wait, her fur keeps her hidden, blending in, even as the grass blows.  Across the watering hole the gazelles graze silently.  Their ears twitch and they start to look around.  The lioness still lays in wait, not a muscle moving.  The gazelles continued to graze as the lioness starts to move to the other side of the watering hole.  She quickly moved to the other side and some of the gazelles raised their heads; not seeing the lioness coming so close.  She crouched down and got ready to pounce. The gazelles started to move away from their spot; out of the sense of fear.  The lioness pounced then; attacking the closest gazelle.  The rest run across the watering hole.  Hoofs hitting the rocks and water splashing; they ran full speed across the water.  The gazelles left the weakest to be killed. When the lioness pounced, claws extended, ripped into the flesh of the gazelle.  Teeth tore into the neck and one bite it was dead.  The lioness picked up the gazelle in her mouth and carries it back to her cubs.  As the lioness gently places the gazelle on the ground, the cubs pounce on the food almost instantly.  They start at the stomach, eating whatever they get to first.  The blood pooled around the gazelle and covered the fur of the cubs.  The lioness is lays close by with a watchful eye on her cubs.  In her eye, you can tell she senses something wrong.  Another lioness is stalking in the nearby tall grass.  Food has been scarce and she was looking for something for her cubs.  The lioness moves closer to her cubs and her fresh kill.  She circles the group a few times and starts a low growl.  As the other lioness comes closer, she leaps towards her and lets out a growl.  The other lioness turns and runs off; knowing her place in the pride.  The other lioness stays crouched down in the grass far off.  Once the cubs start playing with the gazelle’s parts, the lioness helps herself to some fresh meat.  Once she is done, she cleans her paws and grabs her cubs one-by-one and cleans the blood off their fur.  Glancing around the savannah, each animal has their own space and their own way of surviving.