It wasn't long before all the herds Anastasiya had been following left this side of the river. For a while, she could watch them still from the bank, slowly moving away as they roamed towards the distant horizon, eating through the grass as they plodded on their journey. They would need every bit of strength they could get, to both complete their migration and also to outrun any predators they might encounter along the way. The river was wide, but she'd seen the distant shapes of lions drinking from a small pool that fed off the running water. Probably dug by someone in the pride, maybe many generations ago so it was now only a story passed among its members. Clever, she thought. The river was never not full of crocodiles who would just as happily munch on a lion or hyena as they would a zebra. But the lions, at least, had a safe way to drink that was too shallow for the crocodiles to hide in.
When the pride had moved on, Anastasiya would sometimes see hyenas, leopards, or cheetah drinking from the same pool. Always when the previous owners were long gone and no threat to them. Lions always had been rather protective of what they considered to be theirs. She didn't really blame them. Life out here was eat or be eaten, after all. If they couldn't secure a safe place for drinking, they would be done for. It made her think about the little cub she had come to think of as a really good friend. She was always well fed. Hardly abandoned. No one ever seemed to come looking for her, but that didn't mean no one was. So far, she had gotten the slip on her family every single time. But would they be pleased to see she was hanging around a hyena?
She would find the answer to that question very soon.
Aolani liked being with the hyena. She didn't even think of her as a different species anymore, either. At first, she'd been afraid. Grandmother didn't like hyena. Even if she had a very good reason for it, Aolani still didn't think it was fair. Some hyena were nice. Like Anastasiya! She was super nice. She didn't talk the cub's ear off like most of her family did. Or smother her like her family did. There was only one of her and she was kind of quiet, like she was. All Ana wanted to do was lay down and watch the world around her. Aolani had enjoyed this for as long as she was able to start wandering off on her own. Someone had always managed to find her, no matter where she went. Not this time. This time she had given them all the slip. They had no idea where she was. And, though she always received a scolding when she returned home, she didn't care. She'd do it again and again. They couldn't keep her held down for long. And when she grew up, just a little bit more, she wanted to go see the world. There was so much out there to see and experience. How could none of her large family also want to do that?
The white cub was laying down on her stomach next to the hyena, dozing a little in the sunshine when the sound of heavy paws reached her ears. Before she even had the chance to open one eye, a booming voice made her jump out of her fur.
"Aolani! You get over here right now! Had I known this is what you've been doing!"
Claws scratched on the dirt as the cub jumped up, her tail flicking in distress. Oh, this was bad. Very bad. Of all the lions to find her, it was her grandmother. Before she could react, she was snatched up by the scruff. She gave a tiny squeak at the rough treatment, more surprised than hurt by it. "But grandma!"
All Eli did was growl back, her mouth too full of disobedience to make words form. Aolani had always been a troublesome cub. Always going off on her own, no matter how many times she was told how dangerous it was out there. Other lions would gladly make a snack out of her, let alone all the other predators who would equally love to do away with a future rival for food. She just never listened. And to be here, with a hyena! The most distrustful of animals. It was a wonder she was still alive.
Stopping suddenly, the old lioness dropped the cub unceremoniously on the ground. Quickly placing a heavy paw on Aolani's tail, Eli bent down to look over her granddaughter, licking her in places she thought might show signs of a wound but only came away as dirt. How was she not hurt?
Receiving just as much of a fright, maybe even more, Ana remained quiet, trying to crawl into her own skin so maybe she'd go unnoticed. She, too, recognized this lioness. The same one she had nearly ran into years before, when she'd just had a fresh litter. The only thing keeping her from tearing into Ana for the disturbance. Now there was nothing stopping her. She couldn't help the tremble that started across her body. She didn't want to die! Especially not now! She had children of her own to think about.
"I don't want to hear another but out of you!" Eli growled at Aolani. Still pinning the helpless cub to the ground, she turned her head to glare at the hyena, making sure to bare all her sharp teeth in a clear threat. "Hyenas are not to be trusted. You are lucky I have this one to deal with or I'd make sure you never get a chance to hurt any of my family." With one last snarl, the lioness picked up the squirming cub by the scruff and ran off, back to the safety of her make-shift pride. Aolani was never ever allowed to be out of her sight ever again.
It took a very, very long time before Ana was able to stop her shaking. And even longer before she was no longer too scared to move, afraid the red lioness would appear out of the growing darkness and pounce on her.
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