On a free day, a lioness appeared on the road – she was crying. The tourists rushed to capture this moment, but the predator, not paying attention to them, purposefully headed towards one man.

As she approached, the locals began to exclaim in broken English: “No, no!”, without explaining the reasons. The man, struck by the strange behavior of the lioness, could not resist and followed her into the thicket. Soon his cry was heard…

The charm of the moment quickly disappeared – flashes of cameras filled the air everywhere, and someone whispered, while others hugged their companions tighter, trying to see what was happening. But the lioness did not take her eyes off that very tourist.

Despite the noise and bustle, the man confidently followed her into the wild thicket. Suddenly, his cry pierced the air, making me go cold and feel goosebumps on my skin.

Some tourists rushed to the bus in panic, screaming on the verge of hysteria: “Help!” – “We need to do something!”

While the others were arguing about whether to wait or follow, I decided to approach the spot where the man had disappeared into the jungle.

And then I froze. Either it was a call for help, or just an echo… However, the voice was that of a person. I listened.

I hoped to catch every sound, dreaming of finding the one we lost in the forest… or the lioness, because of whom this whole nightmare began.

I reached a clearing, where the sun gently warmed my skin, despite the general tension of the moment.

And there he was – a man, calmly sitting next to that same lioness, who now looked much calmer.

She nervously swished her tail, and her gaze expressed anxiety.

“She’s trying to say something,” James muttered, touching his chin. “She needs help.

We carefully made our way after the lioness, climbing over roots and hiding under branches. It was as if she knew the route; her movements spoke of a desperate need to lead us somewhere.

Like an arrow, she crossed the stream, leaving no splash.

“Well, it’s our turn,” James grinned, approaching the bank.

The lioness quickened her pace, and this was transmitted to us – we no longer doubted that we should follow her.

A fallen tree nearby formed a makeshift shelter, its massive trunk and tangled branches creating something akin to a hut.

The lioness stopped right there. Her behavior made it clear – this place was important.

The sun’s rays reflected off the metallic glare, among the tangled ropes…

What we saw made us go cold.

The lioness led us to the place where her cubs were writhing helplessly, caught in poachers’ traps.

Each freed knot was a small victory. With each saved cub, the mother seemed calmer, as if breathing became easier.

And then, the last knot was untied, and the cubs ran to their mother with joyful squeals.

– Look, they’re okay!

– We did it, – James could hardly contain his emotions.

We watched as the family was reunited, and this scene of love became a real balm for our hearts.

The lioness looked at us with such gratitude that it warmed us to the core.

She approached her cubs and carefully pressed herself against them, as if showing her gratitude with every cell of her body.