《狮崽》

        稀树草原上，上午晚些时候，太阳卡在天空与大地间，完成它的使命。它不再是刚刚从地平线升起，唤醒从冷冰冰的睡梦中苏醒的万物的那一枚温柔的太阳。同时，它也不是攀到最高点，炙烤着土地和岩石，热得发出嘶嘶声的太阳。 这是一个成熟、明事理的上午，太阳不遗余力地普照万物，每一株草、每一片叶子，都充满了阳光为维持生命所需带来的温暖。所有生命已经开始喝水解渴。在这个上午，生命喷薄而出，身体摇曳，情感洋溢。

        这个上午，一头母狮躺与在一棵巨大的金合欢树的树冠下，与她的幼崽玩耍：小狮子跳到妈妈身上，咬她的脚掌，抓她的尾巴，然后从她背上跳下来，小狮子上蹿下跳玩得更欢了。

        母狮盯着她的孩子嬉闹，看似在休息。她很开心，小狮子在游戏中学会技能，而且每次都能独创赢得游戏的新方法。突然，母狮侧耳聆听、嗅到危险的气息。那是一匹饥饿的、正在觅食的鬣狗。她迅速地将幼崽推到她身下。小狮子在妈妈的保护下，绷直身体，待命。小狮子不再是一个爱玩的、天真无邪的小孩子了。这里只有一大一小两头雌狮，随时准备好保护对方，而展开杀戮。

      （草原上）响起喧闹恐怖的咆哮，咆哮声里充斥着警告、惧怕、痛苦和绝望。那咆哮蕴含了全世界所有的力量。什么也看不见了…恐惧汹涌…来了一群鬣狗。这是母狮为了保护她的孩子而发出的咆哮。鬣狗围成圈，踢起灰尘，它们害怕接近幼狮。母狮明白她孤军作战，不可能获得任何帮助。因此，一旦发现危险临近，她就冲进去战斗，仿佛最后一搏。浑身肌肉充血、青筋暴起，击打更强烈了。在视野内，她观察着全部事物；在兴奋中，她创造了防卫策略。

        但是，鬣狗不是她最不利的敌人。她大部分的担忧来自他——雄狮，动物之王，有可能是她孩子的父亲。他与她是平等的，来自相同的物种，但他从来不知道，也感知不到母爱天性，他从不与狮崽亲近，因为她不允许。之所以不允许，是因为她在那儿保护新生命，为了她的孩子和她自己，探索发现新事物。她总是身心高度警备，她的爪子和肌肉总是随时准备好防卫或攻击。她监视一切，防止她最害怕同时也是最渴望的雄狮的到来。

                                          作者：Ivanna

            写于乌克兰，文尼察，2016年夏

附上寓言英文原文，如果有任何（我确定一定有，而且还不少）翻译错误，请读者指正。

                                                                                      Lion cub

Savannah. Late morning. The sun stuck between the sky and the earth to fulfill its function. It was no longer the gentle shining sun that had just risen from the horizon and awakened everything from a chilly sleep, but it was also not yet the sun that by reaching its peak heated the earth and stones to a hiss. It was a mature morning when the sun poured its energy into all living things, when every string of grass, every leaf was filled with the warmth of the sun to keep on living, when all the living beings have already drunk some water to calm their thirst. It was a morning when life came rushing out, bodies moving and emotions bubbling.

It was on this morning that a Lioness lay under a big crowned acacia tree and was playing with her little lion cub: it jumped on her, bit her paws, caught her tail, then fell to the ground from her back, and that made it even more fun.

The lioness seemed to rest as she watched her kid play. She was happy that it was playing a game of skill and each time invented new ways of winning its game. Suddenly the lioness’s ears and nose heard and smelled the threat. It was the hungry hyenas looking for food. Quickly she pushed the cub under herself. The little lion straightened up under its mother's body and waited for the order. There was no longer a playful, innocent, little child. Only two lionesses ready to kill in order to protect each other.

There was a loud and terrible roar – a roar of alarm, fear, pain, and despair. All the strength and power in the world was in that roaring. Nothing to see... A lot to fear... And a pack of hyenas. It was the roar of a lioness defending her child. Hyenas circled, kicking up dust, but they were afraid to come close to the child. The lioness was alone and she knew that she won’t get any help from anyone, so every time seeing the danger she rushed into battle like the last time. The muscles were bloodshot and heavy, and the blow was stronger. Her eye observed every object in sight and with excitement created a defense tactic.

But hyenas were not her worst enemy. Most of all she was afraid of him. Lion the king of animals and the one who could be the father of her child. Someone who is her equal, someone from the same species, but who does not know and will never feel the mother instincts, who will never come close to the lion cub, because she will not allow. Will not allow, because she is there to protect a new life, like everything new by discovering the world for herself and her child. Her body and mind were always alerted, her claws and muscles were always ready for a defense or an attack because they were on the lookout for the only one she feared the most and wanted the most.

                                                                                          Ukraine. Vinnitsa.

                              Summer 2016