No Going Back
He felt his heart beating in his chest as he watched the terrible events in front of him unfold. Just as the alpha male lion got a hair away from the terrified fox, an unexpected savior stepped in to stop the events that Daniel was were about to happen.
She stepped in just like a mother would. But then the alpha male’s attention was on the fox’s defender. He watched as she growled back at the proud lion. He knew there was no going back.
Daniel Mokoena
Daniel Mokoena was passionate about nature and wildlife. After studying hard, he finally managed to achieve his goals and apply for his dream job - a wildlife ranger. He soon got the call that he had gotten a position at the Kalahari Game Reserve.
He started immediately and wore the uniform with pride as he learned the ropes and got familiar with the game reserve. But if he knew what was going to happen one day on the trail, he would have reconsidered his career choice.
A Tough Childhood
Daniel’s passion for animals sparked from his childhood. At the age of ten, he was an orphan trying to survive the loneliness that came with it. During that time, he found a stray dog that would keep him company.
He’d often feed the stray dog any scraps he could find from the orphanage. The dog would come back and visit him every day.
Behind Him
Although his childhood was tough, he tried to leave it behind him. He was motivated to turn his passion for animals into a career path that he would stick with for the rest of his life. Once he started at the Kalahari Game Reserve, he was more than happy.
Daniel was excited to learn everything there were about the animals on the reserve. He studied their habits and gained a particular fondness for the bat-eared foxes that lived in the areas. But what he would see one morning would make him question everything about his job.
An Ordinary Morning
Daniel woke up on a warm Tuesday morning and got stuck into his routine. He got dressed, ate breakfast, and brushed his teeth before heading out of his room to the vast wilderness around him.
He walked to the reception to greet the tour guide and the group that would be taking the tour that morning. He loved seeing normal people get to see what he saw every day. But today would be very different from normal.
The Tour Route
Soon all of the guests were piled into the tour vehicle, and Daniel sat in the passenger seat with his rifle. He was in charge of both the safety of the people as well as the animals. He would never hurt any of them if he didn’t have to.
Along the tour, they were scheduled to visit the most beautiful animal that Africa had to offer, including giraffes, zebras, and the best of all - Lions. But Daniel would be met with a harrowing sight when they got to the lions.
A Bat-Eared Fox In Trouble
As the tour bus got closer to where the lions were, Daniel’s eyes grew wide as he saw something so unexpected he would have believed it if he didn’t see it. There was a bat-eared fox in the middle of the road.
It looked terrified, and for a good reason. There were predators circling around it. Daniel had no idea what he could do. He wasn’t allowed to interfere with the natural order of the food chain.
Lions
There was a pride of lions surrounding the terrified little fox. Daniel watched as the leader of the pride - a large male lion - sauntered slowly around the animal. He knew it was no use. The small fox would surely meet its end.
The guests in the vehicle started to gasp in horror behind Daniel. One person even cried out for him to do something, but he knew very well that he couldn’t. He just had to witness what happened.
Feeling Helpless
Daniel had only started the job three months ago, and already he felt just how he had when he was a child - helpless. He never knew that the stress of the job would boil over this badly. He hated the fact that his favorite animal was in danger.
What would he tell his boss about what happened? Surely the people on tour would complain that he didn’t do anything. They all looked at him, but he knew he couldn’t harm the lion either.
Someone Else Watching
The situation was only getting worse. The poor animal was surely doomed, and it would be a terrible experience for the entire car full of passengers. Daniel questioned his career decisions. This wasn’t something he signed up for.
But what Daniel was unaware of was that someone else was watching from behind the scenes. And they wouldn’t sit idly by and let harm come to the innocent fox, even if it was just the natural order of things.
A Defender
He felt his heart beating in his chest as he watched the terrible events in front of him unfold. Just as the alpha male lion got a hair away from the terrified fox, an unexpected savior stepped in to stop the events that Daniel was were about to happen.
She stepped in just like a mother would. But then the alpha male’s attention was on the fox’s defender. He watched as she growled back at the proud lion. He knew there was no going back.
A Lioness
The animal that intervened was a lioness. Daniel had no idea what pride she was from, but her motherly instincts clearly kicked in as she defended the small fox. The alpha lion looked at the Lioness and crumpled his nose with a low growl.
He looked as if he was willing to go straight through her for the little fox. She spat at the alpha lion with such defiance, but that caused a reaction Daniel would have never expected.
An Unexpected Reaction
The lion did anything but what Daniel expected. The lioness’ spirit seemed bigger than his, and he actually backed down! The rest of the pride were ready to follow their alpha male’s actions and took a step down.
The Lioness stood firm in front of the fox, shielding it from any harm or danger. Daniel was more confused than he had ever been before. Why had she saved the little fox?
Like A Mother
The Lioness was the only one that truly knew why she looked out for the poor fox. But Daniel and the rest of the tour had their assumptions. One of the reasons could have been that she felt her maternal instincts kick in and couldn’t let the lions harm the animal.
The lions didn’t seem to be bothered after all, and they decided to look for a greater animal to hunt for their food. That left the fox alone with the Lioness. But what would she do?
Happy Ending
The Lioness looked over at the young fox and picked it up by the scruff. She carried it away from the pride and placed it close to where its own species lived. Daniel was sure the young fox would be able to make its way back to its family.
Daniel never thought he’d ever see anything like it. He was moved by the event and was confident in his career choice. Even the guests in the vehicle gave him great feedback on their tour.