1/14: Lion and Oryx

[Undertoad]

This mother lion, in the wild, briefly befriended the Oryx by her side, who would under most circumstances be immediate cat food. Who knows what instinct made her give the beast a pass. Probably not just a pang of mercy; probably a mis-wiring of motherhood, since she does look like she's a bit skinny and could use a good dinner. But the post-script: later a male wandered home to find that this prize meal was just hanging out, ripe to be et. And so this Oryx wound up fulfilling its role in nature as a source of high-quality protein for the big cats.