Chapter Twenty-Nine: Devouring a Little Honey Badger

Chapter 29: Eating a Little Honey Badger

Chu Ye pondered for a while and decided to eat the little honey badger himself. There was no need to play the good guy and carry it back for the other lion cubs. However, for safety’s sake, he dragged the badger into a thicket; he didn’t want other predators to see him, as that would only lead to trouble. Once inside the bushes, Chu Ye prepared to eat.

But as he began, he realized the "packaging" was tougher than expected. No matter how hard he tried, he couldn't seem to puncture the badger's hide. "Damn it, did I waste my luck? Can I really not eat this little badger?" After struggling for a long time without success, he growled in frustration. "How am I supposed to bite through this skin?" He began to brainstorm.

Thankfully, he possessed a human soul. He carefully examined the badger’s body and figured he should try beneath the neck. He had bitten the neck to kill it, but he had instinctively tried to start at the belly, just as he had seen other predators do. He gnawed at the belly for a long time, only managing to scrape off some fur. Finally, he decided to try the chin area. It worked instantly—he broke through the skin. With a breach established, the rest became much easier.

Since this was a sub-adult honey badger, its hide wasn't as thick as an adult's. Had it been a full-grown one, Chu Ye might not have been able to eat it at all. As he finally exposed the fresh meat, he felt a surge of appetite. Normally, a four-to-five-month-old lion cub like him would still be nursing, but in the dry season, they had to transition to meat earlier. The lionesses were often undernourished and had little milk to provide, leaving the cubs with no choice but to hunt or scavenge if they wanted to survive.

The little badger provided only two or three kilograms of meat, but for a cub his age, it was enough for a full meal. After finishing, Chu Ye felt much better and even let out a satisfied burp. Feeling full, he realized he should return to the pride; he was still too young to be out alone, and the thicket was full of hidden dangers.

However, after a few steps, he thought of the hungry lionesses and the other cubs. "Well, I’m done with the bones. I might as well take them back for the others." Carrying the remains, he headed back to the pride.

Upon his return, the two lionesses were sleeping, and the male lion was nowhere to be seen—likely patrolling the territory or searching for food. Chu Ye dropped the bones in front of his mother, Lisa. The scent of blood immediately woke her, and Aisha, who was lying nearby, also stood up. The other cubs, catching the scent, gathered around Chu Ye as well.

Lisa stared at the bones in shock. Even though it was just a skeleton, she immediately recognized it as a honey badger. Honey badgers were notorious for being difficult to handle; even adult lions avoided them, let alone cubs. She looked from the bones to Chu Ye, wondering where he could have found them. She suspected he might have scavenged them from another predator, but in the dry season, predators rarely left any scraps behind.

Regardless of the mystery, the bones were fresh and still had bits of meat clinging to them. Lisa began to eat, and Aisha, unable to resist, joined in. But a single skeleton wasn't enough for two lionesses, and they soon began to squabble over it. The starving cubs tried to join in, but they were no match for the strength of the lionesses. Under the force of the struggle, the skeleton was crushed and scattered across the ground. The cubs, unable to reach the larger pieces, could only scramble for the smaller fragments in the dirt, catching a fleeting taste of the badger.