[squeaking]
NARRATOR: Wame and her pack revel
in the glory of another successful hunt.
Their home now teems with Wame's happy,
healthy pups.
[rumbling]
But there's trouble afoot.
Big trouble.
[trumpeting]
Giants in search of water,
heading straight towards their den.
Wame knows what happens to pups that get under these feet.
[trumpeting]
Bold move Wame.
[trumpeting]
The giants are unstoppable.
[trumpeting]
The pups escape by the skin of their tiny teeth.
But there's little left of their precious den.
With their home destroyed, and hyena still circling,
Wame must face reality.
Her pups should stay in the den a few more weeks,
but it's no longer safe.
[squeaking]
Wame leaves their sanctuary behind
and faces the drought head-on.
They are thirsty nomads once more.
And the precious pups now face every danger.
The great herds gather like flies
across the Northern Flood Plains.
The sight makes Tsebe hungrier by the minute.
It should be easy, but she's hunting alone.
The odds are against her.
[snorting]
With no partner, she only has one shot.
[snorting]
[squealing]
Who says pigs don't fly?
Now Tsebe wishes her sister was here to help.
But the devoted siblings had to go their separate ways,
sacrificing their unity...
[growling]
...for the safety of the cubs they were carrying.
For Tsebe it's all been worth it.
[growling]
Two boys and a girl.
The start of a new pride,
replacing the family Tsebe lost
and the beginning of a new dynasty.
Just arrived, the cub's father here to protect them.
[growling]
Tsebe admires his dedication,
but can't help wondering how long it will last.
Motshidi adrift.
Forced from her forest home by a mother with cubs,
she feels lost and all too alone.
The urge to breed,
to make a family of her own, grows.
She lets the world know, hoping to attract a mate.
But, to attract a king, she must get stronger.
You must eat, princess.
But she's in a strange, new land with even stranger prey.
♪ ♪
Poor Motshidi is not used to hunting
outside her familiar forest.
"Motshidi" means "survivor".
Movement...
a second chance to kill and boost your strength.
She knows she must be silent, surprise her prey,
and not be surprised herself.
Never wake a sleeping lion.
♪ ♪
What are you thinking, Motshidi?
[growling]
Has the sun cooked your brains, princess?
There's nothing for you here.
Nothing but death.
[growling]
[whining]
Young Khutlo is finally a soldier,
the newest recruit in the hyena army.
And he hates every second of it.
[laughing]
His greedy superiors still show no mercy to the low ranking runt.
Every meal, a battle ground.
Whenever he dares to go in for a bite...
[yelling]
...he risks being bitten himself.
[whining]
No one cares for Khutlo here.
Hungry and humiliated,
he takes the only road left and deserts,
hoping to make it on his own.
[chittering]
There's a kind of liberation about hunting alone.
But it doesn't put food in your belly.
Frustrated, he changes targets.
If only I could fly.
Success is always just out of reach.
He can't hunt alone
and he knows what the army does to deserters.
Slowly, an idea forms.
If the army won't share the spoils
he will have to steal them.
You're a hyena after all, Khutlo.
[squeaking]
Wame's pups are taking well to life on the road.
But a leader's life is never easy.
The drought is unrelenting.
She must lead the pack to water,
before thirst takes its deadly toll.
Emboldened by their trust,
memory directs her to a waterhole.
But the drought has drunk it dry.
Success and failure both follow the leader.
Your pack and your beloved cubs need water, Wame.
But bad luck isn't done with you yet.
[growling]
Hyena scouts.
[growling]
Instead of avoiding danger,
Wame leads her family straight into it.
[squeaking]
Wame stumbles into hell.
The dogs do their best to keep the hyena at bay.
At all costs they will protect their pups.
[growling]
Finally, they exhaust the enemy.
But Wame senses her leadership is slipping.
First, the dry waterhole, then the hyena.
She knows punishment is on its way.
[growling, whining]
Brutal, savage,
and unforgiving.
[growling, whining]
Wame, defeated.
[squeaking]
She still has the love of her pups,
but lost the pack's respect.
The only way she can earn it back
is to find them water, soon.
Tsebe's cubs are six weeks old and already a handful.
But Tsebe has patience born of experience.
Their first time father is less tolerant.
[growling]
[meowing]
The cubs crave milk.
To produce it, Tsebe needs meat,
and meat means hunting.
Leaving him in charge of her cherished cubs.
[purring]
[bleating]
Once again, Tsebe struggles alone.
How will you feed your family, Tsebe?
Back at the den food is the least of her worries.
Where is the father of her cubs?
Where are her babies?
And why is there another huge male
in their place?
A monster at the den.
It's the cub's uncle, armed and dangerous.
Tsebe doesn't know if her babies are alive...
or dead.
[growling]
What have you done?
Where are they?
The father, at last.
Furious at his brother's intrusion.
[growling]
The uncle cuts his losses.
But where are Tsebe's cubs?
[meowing]
They are unharmed.
But how could their father leave them unprotected?
Tsebe won't let it happen again.
It's time to leave her careless king
and go in search of the only one she can depend on,
her sister.
As drought desiccates the forest,
Khutlo, the budding outlaw, watches the army feast.
[growling]
He's not alone.
The jackals serve as a useful distraction,
giving Khutlo the cover he needs
to start his life of crime.
So proud of his cleverness.
But the jackals are clever, too.
[barking]
Khutlo tries to protect his prize.
[barking]
But they're too quick for him.
The commotion attracts the commanders.
Khutlo can only watch as his dinner vanishes
before his eyes.
It's not working out quite as he'd planned,
but you won't give up, will you?
Even feeding takes practice, Khutlo.
Motshidi must build her strength to attract a mate.
But even the prey here is not what she's used to.
♪ ♪
Hardly the feast of her dreams.
But food nonetheless.
Encouraged, she searches for a bigger meal,
but catches the scent of something
far more intoxicating,
a male leopard somewhere in the area.
Could it be her king?
Or could it be her killer?
The desire to breed blinds Motshidi.
She knows a male leopard might attack her
as soon as mate with her.
Dare she approach?
Motshidi is drawn to the flame.
[purring]
[growling]
He can tell she's no queen,
and spurns her advances.
[growling]
She's unharmed, yet unmated.
Oh, princess.
Only the strongest are fit for a king.
Wame leads her thirsty pack, determined to find them water
and regain their waning respect.
With local waterholes dry,
she aims for the distant Northern floodplains.
If she fails it won't just be the end of her leadership,
it could spell the end of the entire pack.
Traveling so far when they're already exhausted
is a huge gamble,
[squeaking]
but they should never have doubted her.
[squeaking]
[barking and growling]
Tired, battered and bruised,
Wame reclaims her crown.
[squeaking]
[groaning, mooing]
Tsebe is on a mission to find her sister.
Without her help, Tsebe will struggle
to keep her cubs alive and may never rule again.
It's a hazardous journey for the tiny youngsters.
Giants loom,
the mercury bubbles,
and danger lurks in every shadow.
They must stay close.
[sniffing]
At last, a familiar scent on the breeze.
[roaring]
[roaring continues]
Tsebe's calls go unanswered,
leaving a single terrifying question,
is your sister still alive?
Filled with dread,
Tsebe fears the worst for her sister.
But a tantalizing scent lures Tsebe on.
The cubs battle exhaustion...
[meowing]
...as their little legs struggle to keep up.
[roaring]
[distant roar]
Finally, the familiar call she's been hoping to hear.
Her beloved sister,
safe and sound.
♪ ♪
And she has cubs!
[meowing]
Two sisters, one family,
reunited at last,
stronger together,
and ready to build an empire.
[chirping]
The hyena army searches for another free lunch
and see the dogs have struck gold.
Khutlo, the aspiring outlaw, stays back.
He's not here to steal from the dogs,
he's here to steal from those who reject him.
It takes a thief to know a thief.
[whimpering]
The army does the heavy lifting,
while Khutlo seizes his chance.
It may not be much,
but once it was theirs, and now it's his.
[yipping]
♪ ♪
A success so small yet bursting with potential.
After all this time, Khutlo, you may be onto something.
From Khutlo the runt, to Khutlo the soldier,
to Khutlo the bold outlaw.
[bird chirping]
Motshidi yearns for a family,
to start a royal dynasty in this new land.
To crown your king, Motshidi, you must first grow strong.
[growling]
[growling continues]
A feast fit for a queen.
The table is now set.
Roaming her new realm,
her strength is clear for all to see.
This time, he comes to her.
♪ ♪
Nothing attracts like power.
[growling]
♪ ♪
Motshidi lost everything,
but now, the seed of dynasty grows within her.
Motshidi the queen
can at last claim her kingdom.
Captioned by Cotter Captioning Services.