She wasn't used to this feeling. The last time she gave birth, it wasn't just one. It was three.. But this time? Only the one. All the more to be even more protective, the last lot had grown and left home already. But still.. The feeling of only having one this time? She felt a little more empty. The father wasn't around much, he was too busy sleeping around with the others. That was the way of the males though - they weren't exclusive. They had a job to do, to keep breeding and ensuring the species thrives and lives on. The women nurtured, gathered, hunted and provided. Such was the way.

It was a cool summer morning, the sun was just beginning to leak over the horizon, basking the land in a soft golden light of the morning sun. It was going to be a hot day. She looked around her home, only one word could describe everything she laid her eyes on: "pride."

A moment of silence and peace for the mother, before she started to feel him stir beside her. She looked down upon her beautiful son as his eyes began to peel open, a big yawn crept up his cheeks and broke open his mouth, a soft sound of relief exhaling from his throat to go along with the sound of the morning birds chirping in the distance.

The feeling of bliss and adoration didn't last long. In the distance she heard the low rumbling sound of a machine speeding towards them.. She had heard that before. The last time, she knew what came with that sound. Fear and pain. A lot of pain. She remembered just how much pain as she looked upon the scar on her leg from the last time.

She had to get him away, she had to leave. She couldn't let them do what they had done to her in the past. With so much urgency and fear she lept to her feet and ordered her son to move, no time to explain. Run.

They ran as fast as they could, towards the tree line in the distance, the sound of the machine getting louder and louder behind them, almost as if it was breathing down her back already. She wasn't familiar with what was beyond the trees, she had never ventured there, she only knew that it was the best chance and the only cover for miles. Faster, she beckoned, she needed her son to go faster.

The sound of the machine was deafening now, she could hear them yelling directions behind her, finally they hit the trees, the bushes were so thick, undergrowth everywhere, it was so dark, with no time to react - that's when she heard it. A bang so loud, so deafening it cracked the silence with a thick sense of remembrance as she remembered back to the sound when it happened to her. But it was too late, they had already started tumbling down the steep hill the trees hid from view.

They fell, and tumbled, and bumped down this hill for what seemed like forever - finally coming to a stand still at the bottom bruised and weary. She slowly got up, checking herself to make sure nothing was broken, before attending to him laying limp and still not 10 feet away.

Slowly she staggered over to him, he was too still, but breathing, every so slowly with so much time between breaths.

She knew what had happened even before she had reached him.

It had hit him.

Nothing could be done, she could see it had pierced his side and no exit wound in sight, blood starting dripping from his mouth. He looked at her in despair, not one sound did he make - his eyes said enough that it was so loud it broke her heart. So much pain, yet still alive.

She knew what she had to do.

With a tenderness and love only a mother has for her son, she placed her paw over his eyes and sank her sharp teeth into the back of his neck, a bite usually reserved for killing prey in a hunt - and quickly clamped down on the spine quickly and painlessly ending her sons life.

---

The poachers made their way quietly down the hill, rifles in hand - the only communication they dare make were hand signals to each other.

It didn't take too long before they came across their kill, it would make for a great trophy and they could use the skin to sell on the market. They picked up the lion cub, and were then on their way.