Mystic Moon wandered on the Magaliesberg hills for many days and months, and in this time, he hadn’t seen any other wolves. He had come across some lions as he moved through the vegetation, and now and again, they growled at him but he kept his distance. At other times, being careful to stay downwind, he came close to the lions so he could watch them and get to know the other animals in the area. He loved climbing to the crest in the afternoon light. Up there, he could feel the zephyrs’ blasting gusts of wind and sometimes, just cool air. He could see far into the distance, he could see the grasslands far away and a human dwelling here and there. Sometimes, when the wind pushed hard, it caused tears to form in his eyes, but here, he was at peace, finding a stillness in himself.

One day, he noticed two young lions playing on the hillside, moving higher and higher up in the folds between the crag. He could see no adult lions nearby. He was watching some vultures circling a few miles west, and he also saw a few grey clouds drifting in, and wondered if rain would come. When he turned back to look at the cubs, they were perched on a narrow ledge. Below them, the valley fell away hundreds of feet. In front of the cubs was a small open spot and then a sheer rock-face, and above them, the rocks perched precariously. He watched as one of them tried to walk backwards, but its paws fumbled on loose stones and the young lion froze. There was a flat rock that opened up to the bush of the incline one jump away.

Mystic Moon bounded down along the path, getting closer to the pair.

“Hey kids,” he said. The cubs dared not look up.

One said. “Hey, hello. Where are you, who are you?”.

The other voices trembled. “P..p..please help us!”.

The wolf said, “My name is Mystic Moon. Don’t look up. Just stay calm. I am coming to help.”

Just then, Mystic Moon heard a loud growl and he looked down. It was the lion he knew as Matseng and a few metres behind him was Cleo, a lioness that the wolf had seen a few times with Matseng and his brother Zukhara.

Tell us: What do you think Matseng and Cleo are going to do to Mystic Moon?