Author: The Cat Who Fished for the Moon

Chapter 1: Escape from the Lion’s Mouth

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East Africa, in a certain wildlife reserve.

The wind swept across the grassland from a distant forest, making the clusters of lupines and African sharp grass rustle and sway. Their flexible bodies bent backward, forming wave-like patterns. In the backlight, they looked beautiful, like a golden sea of sand surging layer upon layer toward the horizon.

At the horizon, the half-hidden red sun shone like a blood diamond, casting a wild, blazing glow over this vibrant land.

For most animals on the savannah, morning was the most exciting time. When the first ray of sunlight fell on the lake, it signaled the appearance of prey. After a night of digestion, their stomachs were empty, and hunger set their nervous systems aflame. The hunt for the day was about to begin.

But for a photographer, this was also the time to hunt.

The soft, magical morning light and the active animals were essential elements of a masterpiece. Most importantly, this moment was fleeting; after the morning passed, many carnivores would retreat to their dens to rest, making them hard to find.

“Opportunities are fleeting; success will never just stand there waiting for you,” Kane murmured to himself, licking his lips.

Feeling restless, he glanced at his “prey” through the lens—two lions under an acacia tree. He had been following these lions for five days, documenting their meeting, confrontation, conquest, and love story in his 400mm lens.

He was still missing the final shot—the one that could best capture the male lion’s dominating, intense love for the lioness. Without it, all his efforts would go to waste.

That damn acacia tree blocked the male lion’s face. No matter how Kane adjusted his angle, he couldn’t get around the massive tree trunk. Seeing the light grow increasingly harsh, he realized the perfect time for the shot was slipping away. Gritting his teeth, he made a risky decision.

He grabbed his tripod and camera, got out of his off-road vehicle, and quietly approached the acacia tree.

Now he was less than twenty meters from the “passionate couple.” Side lighting illuminated the male lion’s roaring face; his lush mane gleamed with a polished glow, and the powerful muscles of his upper jaw formed strong lines, with fangs flashing as if to proclaim to the world: “I am the king!”

The lioness lay beneath him, her slender body breathing softly, her feline eyes narrowed with a captivating charm.

Kane pressed the shutter quickly, the crisp “click-click” echoing like a surge of adrenaline. Years of photography experience told him this was an extraordinary photo, a work that could move people deeply.

Only years later, whenever Kane thought of this moment, he realized how foolish he had been.

His joy overwhelmed him, and the image on the LCD screen was nearly flawless. He rose from the grass, capped his lens, and prepared to leave. But a warm, pungent breath and a low growl froze him in place. He looked up in horror, meeting the face of the male lion, just a meter away.

Kane swallowed, feeling as though his blood had frozen. He didn’t know how to react.

An enraged lion was more dangerous than a bullet. A bullet might kill you quickly, but a lion would tear open your throat and pull your flesh apart strip by strip. Even when you lost half your abdomen, you might still feel its fangs tearing into you.

Kane knew that panicking would only speed up his death. Nonetheless, primal fear caused his thigh to retreat a few steps. This slight movement agitated the king of the savannah. The lion opened its mouth, letting out a deafening roar, and crouched back, ready to pounce.

As Kane fell to the ground, he looked up in despair. The beast’s dagger-like teeth loomed closer. He could feel the wind, the skin tightening around his throat, as if sharp pain was already piercing through.

“The hunter will inevitably become the hunted,” he remembered a saying someone once told him.

Suddenly, a voice called out from behind: “Hey! What are you doing?!”

The cold, crisp voice echoed in the wind, carrying a strange sense of authority that halted the lion’s attack.

Kane felt the rough, hot breath brush against his chin as the lion lifted its paw from his shoulder. Then, with his body feeling lighter, the lion walked past him.

Turning his head, he saw a slender figure standing under the acacia tree. Against a backdrop of dazzling golden light, her silhouette seemed to radiate a mystical aura, outlining her perfect form in shades of gold and crimson.

He couldn’t see her face clearly, but Kane saw her cold eyes staring back at him. Perhaps because they were so cold, they shone with a sharp light, like frozen neon lights that captivated the soul.

“Run!” Kane’s lips moved unconsciously, realizing that if it weren’t for her shout, he would have been a lion’s breakfast.

But she didn’t flee as he had suggested. Instead, she knelt down gracefully and extended her hand toward the male lion.

The lion responded to her movement, swaying its tail, lowering its head, and nestling against her palm, its eyes half-closed like a giant, gentle cat.

Could she control lions with her bare hands? No, it seemed more like she calmed them. She didn’t do anything but extend her hand. What kind of person was this?

Kane’s mind was blank as he watched this near-miraculous scene unfold. Fifteen minutes later, he found himself sitting in the backseat of an off-road vehicle.

“You’re lucky we showed up, or else you’d be lion food right now!” came a teasing voice from the driver’s seat.

Kane looked up, catching sight of a handsome face in the rearview mirror. He introduced himself as Richie.

“I’m Kane. Thanks for saving me,” Kane said, glancing at the figure in the passenger seat—the person who had just saved him.

It was a young woman, probably no older than 24. Her sleeveless white shirt hugged her slim figure, and her dark, curly hair flowed over her shoulders, some strands brushing her tanned skin.

“Thank you!” Kane extended his hand, but the girl didn’t take it. She looked down at her camera and coldly replied, “There’s a campground 100 meters ahead where you can contact your guide.”

Her dismissive words made Kane reluctantly withdraw his hand, though his professional curiosity got the better of him as he noticed her Hasselblad Xpan II, a camera equipped with a wide-angle lens ideal for capturing large scenes without distortion.

But just as he opened his mouth to make conversation, she interrupted him.

“Don’t approach Anthony and Barbara again. They don’t like you,” she said, her voice tinged with a strange calmness, as if advising him or even warning him.

Stunned by her gaze, Kane felt something empty inside, like a small hole had opened up, and disappointment began to seep out.

As they reached the campground, Richie, the driver, announced that Kane could get out.

Kane exited, a mix of unwillingness and frustration stirring in his chest as he watched the vehicle kick up dust in its wake.

“Hey! At least tell me your name!” he called out.

“Tang Mi,” came a faint reply through the car’s fading roar.

The name sounded familiar to Kane; he remembered seeing it atop a list of recent award winners for wildlife photography, a young photographer praised for capturing the subtle bond of trust between her subjects and the viewer.

“Spirit photographer”—that was the nickname whispered among the judging panel.

When others hid in their vehicles to take stealthy shots, Tang Mi would step out and calmly approach lions or cheetahs, snapping pictures as if greeting old friends.

Kane looked at his camera, the crease on his brow softening as a faint smile crept onto his lips.

Whatever else happened, he had been lucky today.

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Lhaozi’s Note: If you notice, there’s some other chapters that are missing, that’s because the author in jinjiang literature(jjwxc) lock those chapters, why? because according to some readers, author locked chapter because it was reported and was lock by jinjiang literature or the author itself lock the chapter because it was reported due to some explicit content, the jinjiang literature will unlocked the chapters if the author edited the chapter and posted it again. Do not worry because as I read the novel it didn’t seem like there’s a missing chapter. Thankyou for understanding!