The White Lions of Timbavati - Timon

"Grrr" I growled, chasing a butterfly with Gandor, my best friend who always gets in the way of me having fun.
Anyway, I suppose I should introduce myself... I am Ciara, the daughter of the leader and the youngest white lion cub in my pride, but being the youngest isn't a bad thing, everybody looks after you and you get all of the attention!

Gandor is three months older than me and is also in the same pride, he is always annoying me but personally I think it's just because he's jealous that everyone sticks up for me.
I don't always get on with Gandor but he is the only other child in the pride, I would be in big trouble if I talked to anyone from another pride, that rule is unbearable but it has to be said that rules are only there to keep us safe, and because parents are boring and don't want us to make new friends, as it would make them look bad if their children had more friends than they do!
The good thing is that my dad sleeps all day, I think he should be more alert, being the leader and all. My mum however is always on the ball yet never goes out hunting with all of the other lionesses, but when she eventually goes then Gandor and I can explore outside the boundaries. I'm a budding explorer you see and I love playing adventure games with Gandor. We imagine the most exciting things, but somehow it never seems real, which is disappointing but Gandor has learned to deal with it. I, however, have not.

One early morning all of the pride walked, observing our surroundings with much caution, down to the water hole to drink but we all got the shock of our lives... the water was gone, completely gone. What was going on, everyone was muttering to each other but I was scared, terrified. So What next? Were we going to die? Would we have to migrate? If so, where would we all go? I didn't know how to feel, what to say or what to do.

Suddenly an idea popped into my head, that night, when everyone else was asleep Gandor and I would go and get the water back. I'm not sure how but I know we'll manage somehow.
The rest of the day felt longer than ever, I still hadn't mentioned my idea to Gandor, I was going to have to, sooner or later, but what if he said no, or told the adults? It turned out that I had nothing to worry about, Gandor would be delighted to attend my little mission and I knew he wasn't a tell-tale.

So as night-time approached I drew the plan, I carved it into soft clay rock using my sharpest claw, that is not so sharp anymore! Everything’s ready, so all we need to do is wait.
So as the sun set and night fell, it felt like a cloak of darkness was being stretched over the sky, and soon enough everyone else was fast asleep. We both trotted off into the distance and, of course, I took the lead. 'SNAP!' "What was that?" I heard the quivering voice of Gandor, "Don't worry!" I replied "This is going to be a real adventure."

I soon felt something warm and fluffy on my paw and, of course, I screamed, big mistake. Who knows which animals I had worked up. "It's only me, Gandor" Whispered the soothing voice of Gandor. "You scared me there, don't you dare do that again!" I whispered back and he nodded in return.

It felt like we had been walking for years but we finally found water. There had clearly been a mud-slide and the mud had been deposited in a small stream, the stream that kept water flowing to the water hole! Gandor and I began digging, removing the mud blocking the water flow. Because of the heat the water hole had dried up over night and due to the mud, no water was there to fill it up.

'SPLASH!' The wall of mud burst open, returning water to the water hole. But we were being carried away, I Know neither of us can swim so I began to worry but I also knew that we would end up back home. I closed my eyes, only to find that when I opened them me and Gandor had been washed up next to our parents. We lay there in the moonlight and dried off in no time. All I can say is, Mission Successful!

By Ciara