SOMETHING TO PROTECT

Once upon a time, in the midst of dense jungle lived a pride of lions. The pride had 1 male and 4 lionesses. As time progressed, one of the female lioness gave birth to young ones. The pride was getting bigger. The family was happy and content. As usual,one day the female lionesses went away to hunt.  The lioness who gave birth also wanted to join but others refused. They wanted her to be there for the young ones. The lion also went somewhere close just to quench his thirst when the tragedy happened.

The female lioness was calmly sitting watching her kids play and fumble around. She looks up, the day was bright and beautiful. There was a certain calmness that day all around the jungle. The silence was rather disturbing as even the birds were abstaining from chirping. The lioness sensed the eerie feeling too and looked at the direction of the pool, wishing the lion comes back soon. At that very instance, she heard a loud howl from nearby followed by laughing noises. Those laughs were common in the jungle. She instantly knew the hyenas were tormenting someone. She turned a blind eye, ignoring all the voices. Her sole attention was her cubs. But then a sound pierced her heart. It was a sound of a baby animal. It was faint but the heart of a new mother can hear such cries. Her motherly instincts took over and she prounces towards the sound to help. On reaching, the horrific view was too much for her. It was a female wild bitch who was scared and bleeding. Around 5 hyenas rounding her up, laughing, playing with their food. And behind that helpless bitch, was her son. The puppy, screaming, trembling with fear, was still brave enough to try and come in front of her mother. But the mother pushed him back, imposing her authority. Normally the lioness would have left in silence. But her being a mother, she felt for the bitch and in one fell swoop took one of the hyenas down. The bitch was startled and backed off. The lioness turned to her and looked at her eyes, as if saying " I am her to help you. " The eyes of both the mothers conveyed what words can't and the bitch too came to help the lioness to fight. Both of them fought bravely. Scratched and bruised they fend off the hyenas. The lioness looked at the puppy who was quite now but looking silently at her. She smiled and turned to retreat to her cubs. Just as she turns, a horrific voice from behind sends chills to her spine. She turns behind to find another 3 heynas were closing onto the bitch and her puppy. These 3 had blood smothered onto their faces. A body of a dog was torn open beside them. The way the bitch was trembling, it surely was the puppy's father.  Even before the lioness could process, one of the hyenas jumps straight onto the bitch's neck. Blood started splurting out as other 2 hyenas  started chomping onto her feet and back. The howls of the bitch sent tremors into the forest. The lioness could see her eyes losing their glaze, fading out of life. The puppy beside them was barking trying to bite with his tiny teets onto the hyena's feets. They just pushed it away waiting for the bitch to die. One of the hyenas left her and turned to the puppy. The laugh of it made it's ill intentions clear. As he prounces onto the puppy, the lioness loses her calm and comes all guns blazing. 

The lion returns to their pride's resting place only to find the lioness was gone. The cubs were safe but the stench of blood and death was soo evident from somewhere close. The lion ran towards it only to find the lioness, tired and injured, even in her last breaths, keeping the 3 hyenas away. The scene was too much for the lion and he roared. He roared like the king of jungle they are.  The thundering roar ripped everyone's heart open, whoever heard it, and instilled fear. The hyenas knew they messed up. They turned back even at the sight of the angry lion and started running, only to meet the other 3 lioness who were back from the hunt and answered the lion's roar. The lion ran towards the injured lioness and started licking. The wounds were too deep and fatal. Somewhere both of them knew that it was her end. In her last breath, she moves a little and pushes the puppy from her behind towards the lion. The puppy was weak and trembling. The lion was hesitant but when he saw in her dying lioness's eyes, he totally understood that she wants him to protect this puppy too. He looks at the weak puppy. He was reluctant to accept him but to honour her wish he took him under his protection.

Living within a pride of lions, the dog grew up to become a strong and healthy dog. The food was never scarce. But, deep down he knew that everyone around him can never accept him into the pride. The lion was always playing with the cubs but never even played once with the pup. He taught every cub how to hunt. The puppy always was behind everyone, listening from a distance. The lion provided him with ample food and water. But acceptance, a sense of belonging, everything was missing. To honour the lioness's death, he welcomed the pup into the pride, but not a single one of them accepted him in the pride.

Years passed, the cubs were grown ups now. The lion too was getting old and slow. The young lions were sensing that. Soon that day came when the younger lions rebelled and threw the older lion out of the herd. The once alpha, was now overthrown by his own pride. The lion slowly moved out. It's the nature's law. Weak withers where strong flourish. As he was moving slowly through the grassy plains, he heard something moving behind him. He was old but still a lion. He turns swiftly aiming his claws at the sound only to find a big beefy dog looking at him. Apparently the pride also removed him as he was only allowed by the previous alpha to stay and nobody thought of him as equals. Looking at him, the lion remembered the first time he saw him. Weak, trembling, but his eyes had fire. Even then, also now. He signals him to find his own path, but as a dog, his loyalty was unwavering. For him, he was the one who feeded him, taught him how to hunt, and gave him a new life. He knew the lion never accepted him as a part of his pride, but even then, he was the one who kept a part of food aside for him, he was the one who stopped everyone from bullying him, he was the one who taught louder whenever he saw that the dog was struggling to keep up from the back of the pack. In some unusual way, his unacceptance was welcoming too. The dog understood the situation the lion was in now and followed him. Even when the lion roared and asked him to go away, he followed him from a distance like a shadow.

The lion was resting peacefully under a tree. The aura around was calm. Though he was old he heard footsteps approaching towards him. He growled slowly thinking it's the dog signalling him to go away. But the footsteps came closer and closer.  Then another batch of footsteps started approaching and that's when he knew he was in danger. He stood up and scanned the area. Along the bush he spots a tuft of hair bouncing. He tracks back a little when he heard the sinister laugh. All of a sudden, 5 hyenas come out of the thick, tall grass bed. Their mouths drooling, eyes red. The laugh kept on growing with every step they took towards him. The lion was cornered. No pride to help, he knew it was his end if he tried to run. So, with all his might, he roared. The roaring trembled the land around him, pushing the hyenas a little back. They too knew that this lion is old but dangerous. One of them, the biggest one in between all the five hyenas stepped up and prounced at him. The tiger lifted it's paws and smacks the hyena on his face launching him 2 feet away. Looking at that, the other hyenas started tracking back. The lion knew if he stood his ground he might get out alive. But then he hears laughter. He turns to find the heyna he hit, was now on his feets and laughing, taunting him to make a move. This tactic also empowered the other hyenas and they started closing in, laughing, ready to kill a lion. The lion knew he can't fight them all if they prounced at him together. In a way he was ready to die but not without a fight. As soon as one of the hyenas jumps at him, he sensed another footsteps approaching fast towards them. He pushes that hyena with his paws but it manages to scratch him on his chest. When the other's were ready to jump on him, a loud howl stops them in their tracks. From above 2 hyenas, the a strong ,muscular, beast of a dog jumps over them and stands infront of the lion. His mouth growling in anger, his eyes burning with fire. He looks at the lion and his injured chest and started barking at hyenas warning them to not come close. The hyenas  didn't came here to retreat. And that's when the fight of survival started between both gangs.

The environment was quite now. Bodies of hyenas were pilled on top of each other. The lion and the dog were face deep into their lavish meals. Both injured, both trembling after the fierce fight, but both smiling. Finally both of them had someone to hold onto, to improve upon, this relation. Finally after soo much they experienced in life, they had something to protect.

Nowadays people use love as an excuse to hurt, as a word to get out of situations, as a reason to get sympathized. But what is love? Why the lion who only showed instances of care for the dog, was so special for the dog? Why the dog, who lost everything in a very early stage of life, was ready to give away his life for the lion? It's simple. Love. True love is something or someone you want to protect, to cherish for the rest of your life, to be hurt when they are hurt and be happy when they smile. Love is all around us. The parental love, the brothood love, the sisterhood love and even the couples love. Love is when the people involved understand that in this life, they want to hold onto this relation, they want to protect this. So find someone or something to protect. Something special enough that you don't need grand gestures to express it. Something that don't see age, gender, race, or species. Something that's the purest form of life. Something that's called LOVE.