Chapter 2

My head was spinning from hunger.

My cubs were also wobbly on their feet, lacking milk.

The vast, scorching grassland stretched endlessly under the blazing sun.

A sudden wave of dread washed over me.

If we continued to starve, it would only take one day and night for this land to claim us.

I had no choice but to learn to hunt like the lions I’d seen in animal documentaries. I gritted my teeth, enduring the hunger, and trekked dozens of miles. Finally, I caught two voles.

They were barely a snack, but at least I had milk now.

I rushed back without stopping, eager to feed my cubs, but then I saw three fluffy heads peeking out from behind a dune.

“Mommy, look! So many lions.”

Kai, the second cub, looked envious. “If we follow them, we’ll definitely get enough to eat.”

“Don’t say that!” Finn, the eldest, gave him a small swat with his paw. “We won’t starve with Mom, either.”

*Rumble…*

Finn’s little belly inconveniently growled.

I stood on the dune, gazing into the distance. Across the wide plains, a massive pride was slowly moving.

Behind them, the boundless land stretched, and an orange sunset hung in the distant sky.

I knew deep down that my cubs had no chance of survival with just me.

I clenched my paw and slammed it against the ground.

I’m going all in!