Spots, Stripes and Manes, Chapter 1

Sky Feathers first hunt

The dawn light filtered through the branches in the large tree and filled Sky Feather's pelt with a comftorable warmth. She sighed with pleasure as she basked in the suns rays and surveyed the camp. Lionesses were returning from their hunts and males were digging in to their bringings. She didn't bother going over there. Sky Feather knew that the cubs always had to eat last and that ussually means no food for us. Its sad, but true. Although, sometimes her father, the leader of the pride known as Golden Ray, tosses her some scraps from time to time and her mother, Silver Wing, sneaks in a bone or two.

 

Sky Feather was just dozing off when a yowl woke her. She turned her head and saw her brother, Soaring Eagle, bounding over to her, his tail raised high in the air and an expression of glee on his face.

 

Oh no. Here we go again.

 

"Soaring Eagle," Sky Feather begins, "We are not aloud to attack the Storytellars. Do i need to lecture you again?"

 

He rolls his eyes, "I wasnt planning on attacking the Storytellars anyways. I was going to tell you that mama said we could hunt today!"

 

"Really!" she squealed and her brother nodded, "Finally! Now i dont have to starve myself! I can just hunt my own food."

 

Soaring Eagle opened his jaws to speak, but was cut off when their mother bounded over to them.

 

"You two ready?" Silver Wing asked.

 

"Definitly!" Sky Feather meowed and her brother nodded enthusiastically.

 

Silver Wing twitched her wiskers in amuesment and signaled with her tail for them to follow as she led the way out of camp. Sky Feather followed as they tredded down the dirt path shes seen the other lioness take for so long. The mud squeezing between her toes felt good compared to the tough, well-trodden grass of the hollow.

 

"Now just remember," Silver Wing meowed, "to always watch the skys and your sourroundings for other predators. At the stage your in presently, youll be easy prey to any starving hyenas."

 

Sky Feather shuddered at the mention of hyenas. They were probably all lions ememies. In one of the storytellars tales, a group of hyenas killed and ate a fully grown lion without so much as a wink of regret. Those nasty, sly creature would kill anything they got their nasty black paws on.

 

Their mother halted abruptly and faced her cubs, "So first thing you'll need to learn is stalking. You need to get as close to your prey as you can before attacking and youll need to master that skill before you learn anything else."

 

Silver Wing crouched low to the ground, her belly fur just brushing the sandy ground, and kept her chin up, eyes fixed on imaginary prey, and her tail straight. She glanced at her cubs and said, "See how i keep my tail off the ground? if your tail drags on the ground, youll alert you prey and your hunt will be over before it started. And make sure to get as low to the ground as you can so youll be less likly to be noticed. Now you try."

 

She nodded and dropped low to the ground, her brother coping her movements. Sky Feather, remembering to lift her tail, slowly creeped forward on silent paws.

 

"Very good," Silver Wing praised, "You two are doing excellent for your first try. Sky Feather? Go as low to the ground as you possibly can. It helps to balance your weigh on your hind quaters."

 

Sky Feather tried her move again and this time crept down so low, shes afraid she'll topple over. She glanced at her mother and saw her nodding with pride.

 

"Mama," Soaring Eagle meowed, "Can we please hunt now?"

 

" Soaring Eagle, well hu-"

 

Silver Wing was cut off by a loud, peircing howl of rage followed by snickering jeers. Her mother's eyes widended in horror.

 

"Hyenas are attacking the camp!"