Beyond the water hole there was tall grass again. Sticking up above it, Evie could see a head. It had golden fur, two pointed ears, and a pair of black eyes.

A lioness was staring right at her.

6

CATS AND CAVES

The lioness yawned, closed her eyes and looked away. It was as if she couldn’t care less, or just couldn’t be bothered with two humans right now.

Evie remembered what Bear had said.

“I guess she’s not hungry, or protecting her cubs, or surprised?” she said.

“That’s right,” Bear agreed. “Plus, lions like to ambush. If you can see them and they can see you, and if you stand tall so that you don’t act like prey, you’re probably safe.” He waved a hand. “That’s why this lot are all taking it so calmly.”

Evie allowed herself to relax a little. All these animals knew lions better than she did, and if they felt safe …

Suddenly, there was a flash of black and gold. It was like an arrow, and it headed straight for one of the antelopes. The calm of the water hole vanished instantly as every animal fled in a different direction.

Bear knelt quickly and filled the water bottle.

“While the cheetah distracts them …” he murmured. He screwed the top back on. “Let’s get off.”

The cheetah was still chasing down its prey. The antelope was leaping about all over the place, which meant the cheetah had to swerve to keep up.

“Did you know that cheetah was there?” she asked as they hurried back.

“I thought there might be something waiting to ambush. I didn’t want to rush straight in.”

Bear tipped a couple of drops from a small bottle into the water. He screwed the flask shut and gave it a shake.

“Iodine drops,” he said. “It’ll make the water taste like rubber, but at least it’ll be safe to drink.”

Evie shot a final look back at the water hole, and was surprised by what she saw. The cheetah seemed to have given up. It slouched so that its stomach almost touched the ground. It slunk away and plonked itself down next to a large clump of grass. Something moved, and then three half-sized cheetah cubs came tumbling out.

“I thought cheetahs were the fastest animals in the world?” Evie said. “Why couldn’t it catch that antelope?”

“You’re right that cheetahs are the fastest for one-off sprints,” Bear agreed. “Nothing can catch them or get away if they run in a straight line. But the antelope was making the cheetah use up all her strength zig-zagging to follow her. The cheetah’s all burnt out now. She’ll have to have a long rest before she tries to hunt again. And even when she does grab some prey, she might be so tired that a hyena can come along and steal it off her before she takes a bite.”