Lost

• Erica Carlson, Grade 4, Dundee Beach School
• Short Story
• 2017

Excellence Award in the 'Spread The Word 2017' competition

Chapter 1
Once in the hottest part of Africa lived a pride of lions. In that pride there were nine females and two males, the reason there were two males is because Ahadto (u-had-too) their brave, kind leader of the pride didn’t banish his brother when he defeated him.
Ash the smoky grey kind lioness, was going to have cubs the pride was excited. It was four months later and Ash was ready to have cubs. She had three, the whole pride was anxious to see the young cubs. The oldest was Cloe, she had had shiny golden pelt that looked like pure honey, the second oldest was Panziri (pan-zeer-ee) she had a unusually coloured coat, it was pitch black like the night sky missing the stars, Mahadi (ma-had-ee) was the youngest, his fur was white like fresh snow covering a mountain.
It had been a year since the cubs were born and they were growing and thriving. But as Mahadi and his sisters grew older Fang the mysterious dark brown lion became jealous because all the attention was on the cubs. Ahadto was happy about the cub's quick growth and enjoying seeing that Mahadi was going to be strong. Ash was taking Cloe, Panziri and Mahodi training when Fang pounced out from behind sharp jagged rocks and launched on to Mahadi's back he struggled but Fang was older and a more experienced fighter therefore Mahadi couldn't do anything. Ash and Mahadi's sisters roared and eventually made Fong let go of Mahodi's back.
Mahadi was so frightened that he ran away from the pride, when he was running he saw a colossal mountain in the distances so he chose to go there. It was sundown and the grassy plains became still, covered with mist. Mahadi felt exhausted and his back was sore, then he collapsed and just silently drifted to sleep.
When Mahadi awoke he couldn’t see the mountain or a single sign of his pride and he was hungry but he couldn’t hunt, still he tried, then he saw a glimpse of a bird so he crept up on it but missed.
The next morning his sister Panziri went looking for him, but Ash and Cloe remained at the pride with Ahadto. Panziri had wondered where he could have gone she searched and she went around and saw a faint blur in the distances so she crept up in the long wispy grass and saw Mahadi. She wasn’t scared anymore “Mahadi” She yelped while the wind was blowing on her dark furry pelt. It was getting hot and the air was still.
Mahadi spotted a water hole and they were parched so they went to get a drink and a gigantic crocodile leapt from the water and grabbed onto Panziri’s leg, Mahadi jumped on the crocodile and managed to make the crocodile let go, blood dripped down Panziri’s leg “ouch” she cried, the pain in her leg was oozing thorough her body. Panziri was lucky she survived.