[low growling]
NARRATOR: The kingdom of Mombo is on fire.
A drought from hell.
But Thata and her family are in luck.
A victim of famine becomes family feast.
There'’s plenty for all.
But as ever, the selfish teens hog the carcass.
Thata is not impressed.
The boys have competition.
Hyena come to steal the feast.
[yipping, laughing]
The teenagers carry on regardless...
knowing that Queen Thata will protect them.
[laughing, whooping]
[growling]
But the thieves are not giving up.
[roaring]
Thata does what she can but the hyena refuse to retreat.
Unlike the cowardly teens.
Their bellies full, the boys abandon the meal
[growling]
with no thought for their leader.
Let her take care of it.
[laughing]
Thata takes what she can.
They could turn on her at any moment.
[growling]
It'’s all too much.
[whooping]
How Thata'’s heart bleeds.
The young gluttons gorge and go,
leaving the rest of the pride hungry.
Starvation knows nothing of fairness.
The hyena army now dominates the lion'’s lost heartland.
Feasting on the victims of the drought.
Praying on the misfortune of others.
Nothing is sacred, nothing is spared.
To Phefo'’s young cubs, their new home is paradise.
But Phefo knows there is no such place.
Danger lurks at every corner.
Her beloved cubs require constant protection.
And yet, at four months old, the hungry cubs need meat.
And only she can get it for them.
To hunt, she must leave them to fate.
A decision no mother should have to make.
As for the little brother and sister,
they couldn'’t be happier.
Utterly carefree, they use the time to branch out.
For them, life is a game.
And trees are for climbing.
Though it'’s not quite as easy as it seems.
[rumbling]
They have company.
Big company.
The young siblings have never seen such a giant.
The sister is fearless, like her mother.
Like all cats, she'’s born curious.
It'’s all a great adventure.
But danger is never far away.
[trumpeting]
The pride escaped the flames,
but Thata is still feeling the heat.
Her growing cubs need food.
But the greedy teens take everything.
She must think big.
[rumbling]
Even a calf could feed the whole pride.
But Thata knows, like her, the calf'’s powerful mother
will do anything to protect her family.
She needs the teens to help.
But their bellies are still full.
There is no other choice.
Thata and her sisters must do it alone.
Let the hunt begin.
[quiet trumpeting]
NARRATOR: Thata lies in wait.
[rumbling]
She'’s spotted.
[roaring]
Her plan is working,
and her sister moves in for the prize.
[trumpeting]
[growling]
Success is fleeting.
Thata and her sister can'’t take on a mother elephant alone.
All they can do is watch
as their meal slowly wanders away.
Thata knows that if the lazy teens don'’t help soon,
the pride will starve.
♪
Mogolo, once great leader of the dogs
enjoys her retirement.
Now she'’s not just a proud mother.
She'’s a proud grandmother.
Her daughter Wame, the new leader, has pups.
Six of them.
[squeaking]
The whole pack unites in celebration.
[squeaking]
For the youngsters, it'’s a little overwhelming.
All long legs and wet noses.
[squeaking]
And lots of love.
But new mother Wame is anxious.
Motherhood is tough but she'’s also the leader of the pack.
Fortunately, wise old Mogolo is here to help.
And just as well.
The tiny pups constantly wander off,
unaware of the dangers beyond the sanctuary of
their secret den.
Together, Wame and Mogolo keep them safe,
hidden from the outside world.
But Wame knows that the future of the pack depends on her.
Mother and leader as one.
Phefo, a refugee and born survivor.
She dreads leaving her cubs alone at the den.
Yet, they need food too.
She'’s desperate to get back to them.
But hunting requires concentration.
♪
Slowly, Phefo.
Every second is another away from her cubs.
[bleat]
♪
Act in haste, repent at leisure.
Homeward bound, at last.
But with nothing to eat.
Back at the den, the siblings are in a world of their own.
Practicing their climbing, and trying to hunt.
The small prey is quick and far more confident
than the timid brother.
His brave sister goes in hot pursuit.
But this is not at all what she was hoping for.
A full grown male leopard.
If he hears the cubs, he will kill them.
Phefo... come home.
NARRATOR: The brute is awake.
Only silence will save Phefo'’s cubs.
♪
Hurry, little one.
[snarling]
Only when their mother returns are they finally safe.
But the cupboard is bare.
The cubs continue their merry ways.
Instinct tells Phefo the peace won'’t last.
Tonight, they are together
but tomorrow she must hunt again
or her precious cubs won'’t survive.
Like Phefo, like Wame.
Each mother must ensure their young have food.
That means hunting.
But Wame doesn'’t hunt alone.
♪
A feast.
With plenty of meat for the hunters,
and for the pups back at the den.
Deep in the forest, grandmother Mogolo
patiently stands guard.
Her new role as baby sitter suits her perfectly and the
pups who blossom under her watchful eye.
Finally, the moment they'’ve been waiting for.
Wame'’s return.
And their first taste of regurgitated meat.
[snarling]
Thanks to their mother'’s leadership,
there is plenty for all.
Wame can relax, secure in the knowledge her pups have
everything they need
and are safely hidden from the outside world.
In the unrelenting drought,
a stroke of luck for Thata'’s pride.
Or at least some of them.
The boys stumbled across a pig den.
And they have no plans for sharing with anyone.
Even with Thata, who gives them everything.
They are now too big to discipline
and she too weak from hunger.
But the rest of the pride needs food too.
Again, all eyes turn to mother.
Thata hones in on a victim
big enough to feed the whole family.
But to kill it alone will take everything she'’s got.
♪
NARRATOR: Thata can'’t afford to fail.
Her family'’s survival depends on this kill.
Patience,
stealth,
power.
[squealing]
Victory for Thata.
Savior of the pride.
But at what cost?
Gored by the warthog'’s tusk.
In agony, she stops to rest.
But there'’s no rest in this kingdom.
[whooping]
Stand your ground, Thata.
[chattering]
But she'’s too weak.
Unchallenged, they steal the pride'’s last hope.
Thata has paid in blood for nothing.
Death is sharpening its claws.
In the forest, Phefo grows desperate.
Once more, she'’s had to leave her cubs alone.
Seizing her last chance to hunt before nightfall,
time is running out.
Back at the den, hunger tempers the cubs'’ play.
♪
As dusk falls,
killers are on the prowl.
[growling]
Stay hidden, little ones.
[whooping]
Then, the relentless hyena recognize what they'’re after.
The scent of meat.
♪
NARRATOR: The hyena knows there'’s food here somewhere.
[hyena laughing, shrieking]
But it'’s not the cubs they smell.
[mooing]
Escaped by a cat'’s whisker.
[barking, mooing]
The notorious scavengers ruthlessly hunt their next meal.
The stuff of nightmares.
The hyena lose themselves in their kill.
While the cubs look on in terror.
On the other side of the forest,
Phefo has less luck than the hyena.
She longs to get back to her cubs.
But not without food.
Not this time.
Dinner...at last.
Phefo can finally go home.
It'’s the cubs'’ turn to smell food.
A family meal.
With the meat they so desperately need.
But their mother'’s love is the greatest nourishment of all.
The gift that keeps giving.
[meowing, snarling]
For now.
Dry, oppressive heat torments the kingdom.
Large water holes reduced to mud baths.
Everyone forced to share.
Thata needs to hunt.
But she'’s in terrible pain.
Suffering that even the boys can'’t ignore.
Finally, they step up.
And try to help.
♪
All they do is scare away the prey,
much to Thata'’s despair.
But one target'’s not going anywhere.
The teens think they have a chance.
[growling]
[snorting]
But they'’re no match for this monster.
Despondent, the boys give up.
Thata knows there'’s only one way to save the hungry cubs,
despite her pain.
She recruits her sister.
One final hunt.
Even if it kills her.
NARRATOR: Time to kill...
and face those deadly tusks once more.
She has no choice but to fight through the agony.
[squealing]
Thata can'’t go on.
Pain and failure combine,
as she returns with nothing.
Thata'’s wound could be the downfall of the pride.
But she'’s not dead yet.
[squeaking]
At the dogs'’ secret den, the pups are growing fast.
There'’s no danger of them catching anything,
so leftovers will have to do.
Until Wame and the pack return from another successful hunt,
bringing fresh food and plenty of attention.
[squeaking]
But they'’re being watched.
Hyena, attracted by the noise.
Mogolo hurries the pups to safety...
[squeaking]
...while Wame leads the charge.
The hyena take what they can.
And that includes pups.
The pack redoubles its efforts,
turning the tables on the skulking thieves.
[laughing]
But Wame must face the truth.
Paradise is lost.
The hyena army now knows their hiding place.
Her pups will never be safe here again.
Wame, leader and mother,
now faces the greatest challenge of her life.
Captioned by Cotter Captioning Services.