remarked. ‘Sort of puffy. And your eyes are nearly closed.’
‘I’m on fire,’ the lioness groaned. ‘I feel as if I’ve been eaten alive.’
‘You have to be careful of bees if you have no defence against them. They don’t bother me.’
‘So I’ve you to thank for the torment I’ve just suffered, have I?’ Lorna looked angry but she was too exhausted by her recent experience to do anything except complain. Ratel knew it and didn’t budge.
‘I’m sorry to see you so out of sorts,’ he said. ‘And you haven’t even had the pleasure of the honey to make up for it.’
‘Honey?’ Lorna grunted. ‘What’s that? A kind of meat?’
‘No.’
‘Whatever it is, it isn’t worth what I’ve endured to get at it. If you’d come hunting with me, none of this would have happened.’
‘Sorry, but I can’t resist the stuff. I am a honey badger.’
‘Really? Well, I’m a meat lion. And that’s all.’ Lorna pulled herself out of the stream and, still grumbling mightily, plodded to her cave.
‘Shall I – um – rustle something up for you?’ the badger offered.
‘No. I couldn’t eat anything. How could I feel hungry after all that? You can just rustle off!’
The badger was enjoying seeing the vulnerable side of Lorna for once. She always appeared to be so in command on other occasions. He didn’t feel real sympathy because he was incapable of appreciating how painful bee-stings could be. But he marvelled at the way some tiny insects had brought the massive beast so low. Even humans had so far failed to do that.
. . . And Hunted
Lorna nursed her sores and her hurt pride for a while. She didn’t feel like hunting. The sheep farmer began to think that the threat to his animals was lifted. But eventually Lorna’s appetite returned with a vengeance. She set off at once for the pasture, her mouth watering at the prospect of devouring another fat sheep. The honey badger had steered clear of the cave while Lorna was moping. He guessed she wanted to be left alone. Lorna didn’t look out for him as she travelled through the forest. She wasn’t looking for companionship. So it was quite by chance that they encountered each other that night. Their paths crossed near the edge of the woodland.
‘Lion, don’t go that way!’ the badger cried at once. ‘It’s not safe!’
Lorna glared. ‘What are you talking about, Ratel?’
‘There are fierce animals guarding the fluffy ones,’ the badger warned. ‘They yelled at me and their yells brought some humans running. I saw sense and gave up the hunt. I’d rather stay free and eat mice.’
‘Fierce animals?’ Lorna mocked. ‘What kind of fierce animals live round here apart from me?’
‘Well, maybe they wouldn’t bother you ,’ the honey badger allowed. ‘But what of the humans? I’ve never trusted them. I think it’s a trap.’
Lorna sat on her haunches and considered. ‘Perhaps you’re right about that,’ she said. ‘I must keep one step ahead.’ She growled, angered by having her favourite prey placed out of bounds.
‘You look as though you’re back to your old self,’ the honey badger remarked. ‘Your face is—’
Lorna snarled. ‘Don’t remind me of all that!’ She remembered the pain. She stood up. ‘The humans have made a mistake if they think they can restrict me,’ she declared. ‘There will be other prey not so well guarded, I think.’
‘You mean . . . outside the forest?’ the badger asked.
‘What do you think I mean? There’s nothing to challenge me in here, is there?’
Ratel gasped. ‘You’d actually go searching for this prey under the noses of the humans?’
Lorna purred, pleased with the badger’s reaction. ‘It won’t be under their noses,’ she replied, ‘if they don’t know I’m coming.’ She turned and padded away unhurriedly towards a different section of the forest. The badger watched her for a while, then trotted after her.
The lioness made a wide detour around the sheep
‘I’m on fire,’ the lioness groaned. ‘I feel as if I’ve been eaten alive.’
‘You have to be careful of bees if you have no defence against them. They don’t bother me.’
‘So I’ve you to thank for the torment I’ve just suffered, have I?’ Lorna looked angry but she was too exhausted by her recent experience to do anything except complain. Ratel knew it and didn’t budge.
‘I’m sorry to see you so out of sorts,’ he said. ‘And you haven’t even had the pleasure of the honey to make up for it.’
‘Honey?’ Lorna grunted. ‘What’s that? A kind of meat?’
‘No.’
‘Whatever it is, it isn’t worth what I’ve endured to get at it. If you’d come hunting with me, none of this would have happened.’
‘Sorry, but I can’t resist the stuff. I am a honey badger.’
‘Really? Well, I’m a meat lion. And that’s all.’ Lorna pulled herself out of the stream and, still grumbling mightily, plodded to her cave.
‘Shall I – um – rustle something up for you?’ the badger offered.
‘No. I couldn’t eat anything. How could I feel hungry after all that? You can just rustle off!’
The badger was enjoying seeing the vulnerable side of Lorna for once. She always appeared to be so in command on other occasions. He didn’t feel real sympathy because he was incapable of appreciating how painful bee-stings could be. But he marvelled at the way some tiny insects had brought the massive beast so low. Even humans had so far failed to do that.
. . . And Hunted
Lorna nursed her sores and her hurt pride for a while. She didn’t feel like hunting. The sheep farmer began to think that the threat to his animals was lifted. But eventually Lorna’s appetite returned with a vengeance. She set off at once for the pasture, her mouth watering at the prospect of devouring another fat sheep. The honey badger had steered clear of the cave while Lorna was moping. He guessed she wanted to be left alone. Lorna didn’t look out for him as she travelled through the forest. She wasn’t looking for companionship. So it was quite by chance that they encountered each other that night. Their paths crossed near the edge of the woodland.
‘Lion, don’t go that way!’ the badger cried at once. ‘It’s not safe!’
Lorna glared. ‘What are you talking about, Ratel?’
‘There are fierce animals guarding the fluffy ones,’ the badger warned. ‘They yelled at me and their yells brought some humans running. I saw sense and gave up the hunt. I’d rather stay free and eat mice.’
‘Fierce animals?’ Lorna mocked. ‘What kind of fierce animals live round here apart from me?’
‘Well, maybe they wouldn’t bother you ,’ the honey badger allowed. ‘But what of the humans? I’ve never trusted them. I think it’s a trap.’
Lorna sat on her haunches and considered. ‘Perhaps you’re right about that,’ she said. ‘I must keep one step ahead.’ She growled, angered by having her favourite prey placed out of bounds.
‘You look as though you’re back to your old self,’ the honey badger remarked. ‘Your face is—’
Lorna snarled. ‘Don’t remind me of all that!’ She remembered the pain. She stood up. ‘The humans have made a mistake if they think they can restrict me,’ she declared. ‘There will be other prey not so well guarded, I think.’
‘You mean . . . outside the forest?’ the badger asked.
‘What do you think I mean? There’s nothing to challenge me in here, is there?’
Ratel gasped. ‘You’d actually go searching for this prey under the noses of the humans?’
Lorna purred, pleased with the badger’s reaction. ‘It won’t be under their noses,’ she replied, ‘if they don’t know I’m coming.’ She turned and padded away unhurriedly towards a different section of the forest. The badger watched her for a while, then trotted after her.
The lioness made a wide detour around the sheep
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