"Okay, children, settle down." "It's story time, children." "The story I'm about to tell you took place a long time ago in the heart of Africa." "It all began just south of the great Limpopo River in the valley nestled in the foothills of the Lebombo Mountains." "And in that valley lived a large pride of African lions ruled by a magnificent male called Mogolo." "In his pride, Mogolo had a favorite female." "Her name was Misava." "That night, in a village on the edge of the valley, a sangoma, who was a healer and a keeper of stories, was telling his people about the legend of the white lion." "Generations ago, a white lion had roamed the valley, and there was peace and prosperity for all." "But one day, the lion disappeared." "No one really knew why, but it was believed that when the great chief Muhluri died, the lion followed him as if to live with the ancestors." "Life became a lot harder for the people of the valley." "Food was scarce, and many were going hungry." "Gisani, the sangoma's son, would sit for hours listening to these stories, and as he stared into the fire, he wished for the return of the white lion and a better life for all his people." "It seemed as though a young man's wishes had come true." "A white lion had been born into the valley." "But why was his coat white?" "Was he a magic lion?" "Well, Gisani's people believed that the white lion was a gift from the ancestors." "And the first one was seen after a shining star had fallen to the Earth." "And that's why the Shangaan believed they were white." "They were the color of the stars." "For newborn cubs, the world was a dangerous place." "And Misava had to be ready to defend her cubs with her life." "A hyena would not hesitate to kill and eat a vulnerable young lion cub." "So to protect her cubs," "Misava started moving them to the safety of a new lair." "She began with the smallest of the two, who would be known as Letsatsi." "His brother Buti followed close behind." "As the weeks passed, the cubs were developing well." "Letsatsi was proving to be a real adventurer." "The wonders of the outside world were hard for him to resist." "It had been a while since Misava had last fed." "She was hungry." "And to replenish the milk needed to feed her cubs, she would have to risk leaving them alone and head out into the bush to hunt." "And of course, the wonders of the outside world would once again be irresistible to the cubs." "Misava, returning from her hunt, made a terrible discovery." "Buti was dead." "And Letsatsi was missing." "Misava searched and searched but could find no trace of Letsatsi." "The storm of the previous night had washed his scent completely away." "And Letsatsi, without his mother to protect him, would be lucky to survive the day alone." "Driven by a sense that Letsatsi was still alive, she kept searching." "But Letsatsi's calls to her were lost in the wilderness." "Meanwhile, Gisani had been summoned by his father." "A woman in the village was very ill, and he needed Gisani to search that night for a special healing plant found only deep in the valley." "And to help protect his son, he decided it was time to pass down a most treasured possession." "It had once belonged to the great chief Muhluri himself." "Gisani couldn't believe his eyes." "Right in front of him was the creature his father had spoken so often about." "What was Gisani to do?" "He should build a fire." "Lions are not that fond of fires." "The fire would scare him." "He should take it back to the village." "You have to understand, for that young man, who had grown up with his father's stories about the white lion, this was a sacred creature, and he didn't dare touch it." "Then what did he do?" "Rather than interfere, he would stay close to the cub." "That first meeting had a powerful effect on Gisani." "He knew there and then that his destiny was to watch over and protect this sacred creature." "It was time for Misava to return and introduce Letsatsi to the pride." "His white coat would be honored and revered in Gisani's village, but here in the lions' world, it would just make him a curiosity to the older members of the pride." "And right from the start, it would be a struggle for Letsatsi to find acceptance." "As the days stretched on," "Mogolo's fondness for his spirited young cub deepened." "And finally, Letsatsi, white lion of the Lebombo Valley, found his place in the pride..." "Right by his father's side." "As the seasons tumbled by," "Gisani, true to his destiny, spent days at a time away from his village, following the pride." "Letsatsi matured into an impressive young male." "For some time now, life in the pride had been settled and peaceful." "But on the horizon, dark clouds were gathering, and the storm that was about to hit the pride came in the form of two extremely fit and strong lions." "They were known as the Mhahlwa." "What does "Mahaluwa" mean?" "No." "Mhahlwa." "It means they were the evil twins." "They had been biding their time, waiting, just waiting for the day they sensed Mogolo had reached the end of his reign." "And that day had come." "Old Mogolo was quickly defeated." "He would be forced to wander the land alone." "How could he just leave his family?" "Was he a coward?" "No, Mogolo was no coward!" "He might have tried to take on a single challenger, but he was no match for the combined forces of the mighty Mhahlwa." "The young males fled for their lives." "The Mhahlwa would kill them if they offered up any resistance." "And you can only imagine how difficult it was for Misava to say good-bye to her only surviving cub." "Now Letsatsi's only option was to join his older cousins." "By joining the group, he would have a better chance of survival." "But it was not meant to be." "Without Mogolo to protect him," "Letsatsi, who had always been seen as an outsider, was cast out." "Gisani had learned of the Mhahlwa takeover and knew that the well-being of his people depended on him watching over this lion, now more than ever." "Frightened by the sounds of the night," "Letsatsi pushed deeper and deeper into the mountains." "Letsatsi had gone without food for many days, but one thing he couldn't go without was water, and there below him was the answer to his burning thirst." "But even here in these peaceful surroundings, danger was everywhere." "Lucky to be alive," "Letsatsi had crossed the border of his old pride's territory." "Letsatsi was moving quickly, and Gisani was already a day or two behind." "He could not afford to lose track of him now." "Letsatsi was now in unknown territory." "What was that?" "I'm going to take a look." "You stay, now." "And in this territory lived the most dangerous creature in all the land... man." "Gisani, now not far behind, was getting to know Letsatsi's tracks by heart." "He was also getting better at reading other animal tracks." "Had Letsatsi fallen prey to a vicious crocodile?" "Was he even still alive?" "The only way to answer these questions was to cross the river." "After his failed attempt to make a meal of a tortoise and his painful encounter with the porcupine, choosing the right prey was proving to be quite a challenge for young Letsatsi." "Now, vast as the African bush seemed, it wasn't long before Letsatsi encountered another lion." "With a roar that sounded like thunder..." "This lion was known as Ku Dzindza." "He pressed on, up and up the great mountain." "And as the day's events caught up with Letsatsi, he was finally overcome by exhaustion." "With the new day came new hope." "Below him was an unexplored valley teeming with life." "Surely there was something down there to provide a meal for a hungry young lion." "At last, Letsatsi's tracks led Gisani to a clue that he was still alive." "But he also quickly realized that Letsatsi was moving into an area where game was hunted by man." "After avoiding Ku Dzindza, you would think that Letsatsi was crazy following another lion." "But he sensed that something was different about this one." "He was about six months older, and Letsatsi's instinct told him that this lion just might be an ally and a friend." "Maybe, just maybe," "Letsatsi's instincts had been wrong." "Perhaps, now, his color had something to do with his rejection, but by now, that was the least of Letsatsi's worries." "He was desperately hungry and needed to find food and find it fast." "The following morning, Letsatsi was in serious trouble." "He had no choice but to try and join forces with this experienced hunter again." "And this time, respecting Letsatsi's fierce spirit and determination," "Nkulu, which means "the elder,"" "allowed him to have the lion's share that day, and a new friendship was born over that carcass." "The bare bones before Gisani was good news." "Judging by the tracks around it," "Letsatsi had joined forces with another lion." "Richards was a local hunter and was curious to know what Gisani was doing out here so far from his village." "A lion kill." "Gisani explained that a single lion had brought down an impala but two had fed on it." "They fed on him there, and the hyenas just dragged him some of the way." "The hunter was impressed..." "Jackal also had a turn." "And, seeing Gisani's potential as a tracker, wasted no time in offering him a job." "I can offer three square meals a day." "Richards." " Gisani." " Gisani." "Letsatsi and Nkulu's friendship was growing stronger by the day." "And soon they became inseparable." "Days passed peacefully as they lazed in the shade and did what lions do best during the hottest part of the day... sleep." "And as the night fell, the hunt would begin." "Tonight they caught the scent of an easy meal." "Mom!" "A few nights later, the two friends were witnessing one of Mother Nature's spectacular fireworks displays." "They were surrounded by a lake of fire." "They were trapped." "Nkulu, the stronger of the two, managed to scramble to safety." "But Letsatsi... just couldn't make it." "What happened?" "Did he get burned?" "Did he die?" "Easy, children." "Easy." "There's more of this story still to tell." "Letsatsi did keep trying and finally, with his last ounce of strength, managed to clamber up and join his friend." "Finding a friend is a good thing, especially one who can teach you important survival skills." "But sometimes friends can lead you down dangerous pathways and teach you bad habits." "I can't believe this." "Oh, no." "Oh, no." "Oh, no!" "With their bellies full," "Letsatsi and Nkulu didn't have a care in the world." "Life was good." "The farmer had agreed to sell Nkulu to Richards the hunter, who would probably just have him stuffed." "Seems I've outdone you this time." "I've bagged a lion." "Take a look." "And for a heart-stopping moment," "Gisani was filled with a terrible dread." "There were two of them." "The other one got away, though." "Do you know what the interesting thing was?" "The other one was white." "White?" "Are you sure?" "Oh, yeah." "Didn't miss him by much." "Well, thank God you're not a very good shot, then." "What do you mean?" "Richards told the farmer that he knew of more than a dozen foreign hunters who would pay handsomely for such a trophy." "Keep an eye on the white." "There's more where that came from." "Right." "Load him up, then." "Once again," "Letsatsi's world was turned upside down." "So for the first time, it looked like Letsatsi would give in." "Without his close friend Nkulu and without anyone to teach him how to hunt," "Letsatsi was in serious trouble." "But if there is one thing we have learned up to now:" "Letsatsi would never give in." "And drawing on what little reserves he had left, he forced himself up and tried to hunt one last time." "What a sweet victory for Letsatsi that guinea fowl was." "And although it was not much to eat and rather bony, it was his first successful hunt, and he enjoyed every mouthful." "Letsatsi had become a force to be reckoned with." "Even a dangerous hyena was no match for his growing strength and confidence." "And as the days stretched into months and the months into years," "Letsatsi became the lion he was meant to be." "News of Letsatsi's strength and beauty began to spread beyond the valley, and the hunter, true to his word, put out the invitation to his wealthiest client to come and hunt one of the rarest, most magnificent animals in the whole of Africa." "And without hesitation, a hunter by the name of Nicalski came to claim his trophy." "The hunt was on." "What was Gisani to do?" "How would he explain to his people back at the village that he was the one who led the hunters to the white lion?" "But why didn't he leave the hunters and chase Letsatsi away?" "Good question." "But I believe he felt it would be better if he stayed close to the danger." "And that meant staying close to the hunter." "For Letsatsi, the time had come to fight for a pride of his own." "He began the long journey back to the territory of the lion that roared like thunder," "Ku Dzindza." "He was here yesterday." "Let's go." "Where is he?" "He's doubled back." "Right, we'll cut across the river." "We'll catch him there." "He's too far ahead." "We'll have to camp again." "What's going on with you?" "'Cause it seems to me like we've been chasing our tails for two days now." "Boss, there's something I must tell you." "The white lion" "Have you lost him?" "We're right on him." "I'm not paying all this money to watch the scenery, you know." "For crying in a bucket!" "Now you are embarrassing me." "The white lion, we cannot kill him." "Have you gone soft in your head?" "This is a lion hunt." "That man in that car has paid a fortune of money for this." "But the legend says" "The legend, that is a bedtime story." "It's still just a lion, Gisani." "What is it this time?" "Where is he?" "He's headed that way over the neck." "Pull yourself together, man." "The young man's mind was spinning." "He knew he could not stall for much longer." "He seems to be giving your man a bit of a runaround." "My guess is, he's nomadic." "He's covering new ground, looking for a pride to challenge for." "What's your man's name again?" "Gisani." "Gisani?" "Gisani." "Yes, sir." "This rifle needs a good clean." "Yes, sir." "And oil it properly." "Yes, sir." "We'll get him tomorrow." "That, I guarantee." "Tomorrow." "Tomorrow I kill a white lion." "Like two massive forces of nature, the lions were on a collision course, each step bringing them closer to what would surely be a fight to the death." "Let's walk." "Finally." "There are two of them." "We must wait!" "I'm not waiting." "There is my lion." "Hold your fire, Nicalski." "I can easily get him from here." "I said hold your fire!" "Got him." "Nicalski, there's another lion out there!" "I missed him." "But how?" "This hunt is over." "The sights." "My rifle has been sabotaged." "This is an outrage!" "He cleaned my rifle last night." "He must have tampered with my sights." "That is impossible." "The white lion must live." "Get out of my way." "If you must shoot it, you have to shoot me first." "Richards, control your man." "There will be no more killing today." "Richards." "It's over." "You have not heard the last of this." "Let's go home." "You're Gisani, aren't you?" "Hmm, I see someone has been paying attention." "Yes, my dear," "I am the one they call Gisani." "I am a Shangaan and the one entrusted by my father to protect the white lion, Letsatsi." "And in doing so," "I try to ensure the peace and prosperity of my people for many, many years to come." "I also helped establish this, a wildlife sanctuary." "And as for Letsatsi, he ruled over the most powerful pride in the whole of the valley."