"There," Joseph whispered quietly, cutting the loud motor. Beneath the wide canopy of a solitary acacia tree lay a male lion. He was massive—his dark, thick mane framing a scarred face, his chest rising and falling in heavy, deliberate breaths.
"He’s magnificent," David breathed, leaning in closer to the frame. "We keep our distance and stay inside the vehicle," Joseph reminded them in a hushed tone. "To him, this Jeep is just one big, uninteresting shape. We aren't seen as food."
For a brief minute, the system held true. But then, the lion’s rounded ears twitched violently. His heavy head snapped upright, his golden eyes locking straight onto the Jeep with a sharp, terrifying intensity. Slowly, the six hundred pound apex predator rose to its feet in the shade. He didn't stretch or yawn like a sleepy cat. His intense gaze remained welded directly onto the terrified family sitting inside the open vehicle.