By Yogen Tirumaran
In the savanna, a hiker is taking a lengthy stroll. It's the first time, in a long time, that he's walked in a generally substantial way. His legs have become sluggish. The doctor said he wouldn't be able to walk again, but he's starting to feel better and stronger.
The hiker comes across a youngster in a tree stand who is experiencing nature after a long wait. It has been a long time since he has been considering leaving. The lion pride and the youngster are not that far apart. He tries to remain tranquil for the most part, but he also wants to approach them. The Hiker understands the boy's thoughts and slowly goes to him to ask whether he wants to move closer to the lion pride.
The hiker knows the lion pride as if they were his own family and has known them since they were children, however, he hasn't seen them in over a year and a lot has likely changed. His doctor also told him that he couldn't go into the wild until his injuries healed, but his desire to explore the wilderness drove him to make this major decision.
Strangely, as the two approached the lion pride, they seemed to pay no attention to them. He was constantly observed by the pride, and they were never ignorant of his presence. As the hiker got closer, he discovered the lions had dark grey fur and patches on their bodies. When they were near, they realised it had been hyenas all along. While slowly going back, one of the hyenas spotted them and alerted the clan; the entire clan howled and cackled at both of them.
The hiker knew he wouldn't be able to run fast enough to save himself, so he was looking for something to protect himself. Just then, he noticed a fallen tree branch; he knew it was a good weapon to use, but the only problem was it was about five to ten metres away, and the hiker knew that once he stepped back, the hyenas would start chasing him. So, he whispered to the boy,
“When I count to three, run as fast as you can in the opposite direction,” and the boy nodded in agreement.
As the hiker counted: “One, two, three”, both of them started running in opposite directions. The hiker was able to get hold of the branch before the hyenas got to the boy. He threw the branch towards them and managed to injure one. As soon as the hyena was hurt, the rest of them backed down. This gave the boy and the hiker enough time to escape in time.
If it wasn't for the boy's help the hiker would have lost his life and if there was a slight mistake both of them would have lost their lives.
Comments