AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“Believe me, if I were aiming, I’d have hit a lot harder and narrowed in on the bull’s eye,” I said.
“What exactly is the bull’s eye?” August asked.
“If you don’t know, you need to take an anatomy class,” I suggested.
Sabrina cackled from the front, thoroughly amused. “Oh, I’m so glad we met you two. This is better than the Korean dramas I’ve been hooked on lately. And I don’t even need subtitles!”
Nakul chuckled, then eased the safari cruiser to a gentle stop, his focus on something in the wild. “Look over there, to the right of the acacia.”
We all reached for our binoculars, catching sight of two magnificent cheetahs crossing a path not too far from us.
“They’re gorgeous,” Sabrina said.
I nodded, admiring their tawny coats covered in spots. “Amazing.”
“Does anyone know how fast they can run?” Nakul asked.
“Not as fast as my sister when she wants to leave the country,” Caleb said with a chuckle.
I jabbed his back with my finger. Why did I get the feeling that he was just getting started with the jokes?
“Cheetahs are the fastest mammals on land,” August said. “They can get up to seventy miles per hour. They eat hares, impalas, gazelles, and wildebeest calves.”
“Very good, August!” Nakul said, glancing in the rearview mirror. “And for ten bonus points, can you guess how many wildebeest are with us right here in this conservancy?”
“Over a hundred thousand,” August answered.
“Correct again!” Nakul replied.
I turned to August, genuinely surprised by his knowledge on the subject. “How did you know that?”
He shrugged. “I did a little research on the flight over here to know what to expect and what to look forward to. I know you know most of this stuff too, but the difference is, I observe nature without smacking men in their fiddlesticks.”
Everyone laughed except me.
Instead, I called out, “Could you please drop off Caleb and August at the nearest lion feeding?”
Nakul chuckled and started the vehicle again, driving slowly along the dirt path, filling the air with tales of past game drives, each story more fascinating than the last. His voice, mixed with the gentle rumble of the engine and the whisper of the savanna wind, created a backdrop that made the African bush feel even more alive.
“Just last week,” Nakul continued, “a group of guests witnessed a rare interaction between a young rhino and a massive bull elephant.”
“That’s amazing,” Sabrina exclaimed, leaning forward in her seat with wide-eyed wonder. “What happened?”
“The unexpected …” Nakul smiled warmly, clearly pleased to recount the scene. “It was truly a special moment. The elephant, instead of showing aggression or fear, gently used his trunk to help the young rhino out of a mud pit it had stumbled into. It was like watching a gentle giant caring for a younger sibling. After the rhino was free, they both spent a short time together before parting ways peacefully.”
We were all touched by the story of unexpected kindness between such powerful creatures.
“It’s moments like those that remind us how unpredictable the wild can be,” Nakul added. “Just about anything can happen while we are out here. No two days are the same.”
The morning had been unfolding beautifully with each wild sighting, the towering and graceful giraffes, the massive elephants, and the two buffalos, who we happened to encounter right in the middle of their mating.
Caleb tilted his head to the side during their intimacy. “You’re kidding me …”
“What?” Daphne said.
He turned to her. “I can’t believe I’ve been doing it wrong the entire time.”
Sabrina and Simon hooted from the first seat.
