A wild dog sniffs out a kitten
whose mom has just died.
After snacking on its dead siblings,
it eyes the last of this family line.
Little thing has long lost
even the will to look up,
as the wild dog laps at it
for the taste of its mother’s milk.
The dog could have ended it
with a swift closing of its jaw.
But at the last moment
something tells it to stop.
Instead it lets the kitten
tag along and teaches it to hunt.
Sharing its meals even when
the catching is rare and small.
Day by day the kitten grows
falls into step with the wild dog.
Quite the pair in their time,
sneaky & intimidating like no other.
Miles over miles send out shivers
with their howls and roars.
Years after years sticking together,
never losing the scent of its partner.
Time comes to pass & the wild dog
pasts its prime.
No longer can he keep up
with its feline friend.
Though the kitten now has
become the lion.
It always shares
the best parts of its catch.
One day the lion finds the wild one
breathing its last breath.
It laps at its nose and mouth
until the struggle ends.
The wild lion would one day
return to this spot to die.
Remembering the wild dog
who once gave a lost kitten a life.
hotsurf_ 