Original subtitles

Across Africa,

three big cats all want the same thing...

..a place to call their own.

(THRILLING MUSIC)

They must claim a space to hunt...

(GROWLING)

..a space to raise their families...

..and then they must hold on to it.

(MUSIC INTENSIFIES)

(MUSIC FADES) (BIRDS CHIRPING)

On the shores of Botswana's Gomoti River,

the cats have found all they need...

in one small world.

(BIRDS CHIRPING)

This is the home of Molelo,

lone pride male...

and hard-working father of twelve.

(PLAYFUL MUSIC)

His oldest cubs were born seven months ago.

And since then, he's done all he can to keep them and their mothers safe.

(CUBS GROWLING)

(ROARING)

(PLAYFUL GROWLING)

(MUSIC ENDS)

(MOLELO GROWLS SOFTLY)

(ROARING)

Molelo's roars remind neighbouring males...

that he, alone, owns this world.

And these days...

his voice is his strongest weapon.

(LOW GROWLING)

He's still super confident,

but months of defending his land on his own are wearing him out.

Even walking is an effort.

(SNORTS)

There are still five months to go

until his cubs no longer need his constant protection.

That's five long months...

of keeping other male lions out.

(BIRDS CHIRPING)

(SOFT MUSIC)

On this winter morning,

a young cheetah named Tharo and his siblings

are coming to terms with a great loss.

Their mother has left them.

(MUSIC FADES)

Without her protection,

only four of her five cubs have survived.

(MUSIC RESUMES)

They only have each other now...

to get through the next few critical months.

Young Tharo has started to take the lead

through a neighbourhood that is suddenly bigger,

wilder, scarier...

..for these 15-month-old cats.

They dare not venture beyond the plains

their mother taught them to live and hunt in.

(MUSIC FADES) (BIRDS CHIRPING)

In the popular woodlands,

a leopard named Sephiri is looking for a secluded spot to give birth.

(GENTLE MUSIC)

Hmm, no luck here.

While it's in her nature to be...invisible...

..she must also make her presence...known.

And this morning,

she's marking out the boundaries of her nursery.

These woodlands are her domain...

..the treetops, her lookout...

and her pantry...

where she stores her meals out of reach of thieves,

like lions and hyenas.

Sephiri doesn't tolerate any other female leopards here...

..with one exception...

..her two-year-old daughter,

who was supposed to leave home months ago.

She shares her mother's appetite for impala antelope.

And although, by now,

this freeloader is old enough to hunt them for herself...

..why bother...

when you can just raid your mother's pantry?

Her strategy is this -

whenever Sephiri leaves a kill...

..she shows up...

and helps herself.

While the forest is their sanctuary...

(GROWLING)

..Sephiri is always alert to the more powerful cats

just beyond the tree line.

(SOFT PIANO MUSIC)

By this age, Molelo's cubs know prey when they see it.

But until they reach two years of age,

they won't be able to catch it themselves.

That task still falls to Saba and her sisters.

If you count Molelo, there are 17 bellies to fill.

(IMPALA SNORTS)

They're going to need a warehouse of impala.

(ANIMAL CHATTERS IN DISTANCE)

Or one large zebra.

(ZEBRA SNORTING) (TENSE MUSIC)

Saba decides the hunt is on.

One of her sisters begins the painstaking stalk.

Warthog.

(GRUNTING)

Nah. Too small.

Forget the zebra.

These wildebeest...

are just the ticket.

She makes sure everyone's in place.

Years of hunting as a team...

means they each know exactly what's expected.

She hasn't the speed of a cheetah,

nor the forest cover of a leopard.

So, the closer, the quieter,

the better chance of success.

(HUFFING, SNORTING)

(BIRD CAWING)

(SOFT SNORTING)

(DRAMATIC MUSIC)

(BRANCHES CRACKING)

It's a miss for her.

(LOW ROARING)

But not her sister.

(MOANING)

(SNORTS)

(BIRDS CHIRPING)

(GRUNTING)

The wildebeest will feed the whole family...

for a day.

Close by, the world is quietly changing.

Rainfall, from far upstream,

is making its way down the Gomoti...

..stealthily creeping over its banks...

and across the parched plains.

(SCREECHING)

As the water spreads,

so will its influence on the cats' world.

(SQUAWKING)

In Sephiri's dry woodlands,

winter winds gust through the trees,

stripping them bare.

(WIND HOWLS)

(SQUIRRELS SQUEAKING) (SEPHIRI GROWLS)

The sight of Sephiri has squirrels hot under the collar.

(SQUEAKING)

(PURRING)

She's been so secretive...

that weeks have passed before the world realises...

she's no longer pregnant.

(GRUNTING) (GENTLE MUSIC)

(HIGH-PITCHED SQUEAKING)

It's another daughter.

There should be a second one...somewhere.

(SQUEAKING)

She's on her way.

Something's not right.

(HIGH-PITCHED SQUEAK)

(TENSE MUSIC)

It's Sephiri's older daughter.

And she has the cub in her sights.

Female leopards are known to kill the cubs of others.

She can't outrun an adult.

(EERIE MUSIC)

(LOW GROWLING)

But she can hide.

(MUSIC BUILDS)

(GROWLING)

For some reason, the cub has broken cover.

And now...they've caught their mother's attention.

(GROWLING)

(GROWLING)

Sephiri takes charge.

There will be no violence here today.

But it's time...for a change.

(GROWLING)

Her daughter protests,

but she must leave.

There's not enough space in this small world...

for them all.

Sephiri watches her go...

..to find another woodland to call home.

Her cubs have been born into a dangerous, crowded world.

(BIRDS WARBLING)

They're going to need her full attention

to get through these first vulnerable months.

Until they learn to stay hidden,

and master their woodland home...

..they...are at risk.

(BIRDS CHATTERING)

(BIRDS CHATTERING)

Over the weeks,

the waters spread across the world,

swallowing large parts of the plains.

(EXHALES NOISILY)

The flood brings company.

Buffalo.

Mega-herds pour across the Gomoti

and into the cats' world.

(BIRDS SQUEAKING)

(BUFFALO GRUNTING)

They've left winter's dry pastures behind

for the lush grazing sprouting through the floodwaters.

And following them...

is trouble.

Two drifters, on the verge of adulthood,

kicked out of their birth pride.

(DRAMATIC MUSIC)

Now their territory is wherever the buffalo roam.

Although they have the power to take down adults,

there's almost always an easier option.

(SQUEAKY CHIRPING)

Male lions have little patience for prolonged stalking.

(LION GROWLING)

(GROWLING)

(MUSIC INTENSIFIES)

(BUFFALO GRUNTING)

The herd won't give up one of its own without a fight.

(GRUNTING)

But the brothers know that if they can ride out the buffalo's fury,

the calf is theirs.

(BUFFALO GRUNTING, MOANING)

(GROWLING)

(MUSIC FADES)

The lowing of buffalo...

is music to the ears of Saba and her pride.

(BUFFALO LOWING)

These herds could keep them fed all through winter.

It's an irresistible...

dangerous lure for the mothers.

Close by, Tharo and his siblings can't catch a break.

Buffalo are too big for them to hunt...

..and they've crowded out most of their impala prey.

(DISTANT LOWING)

Worse than that,

their hunting grounds are underwater.

Even if they've found prey,

they can't chase anything... through this.

(MELANCHOLIC MUSIC)

Now, with new lions moving in,

the small world has become a whole lot smaller.

If they want to eat, they can't stay in these plains.

They must find prey and dry land.

(MUSIC FADES)

With large parts of the plains flooded,

impala have drifted to the higher ground of Sephiri's woodland.

Since the rut months ago,

the pregnant ewes have been eating for two.

It could be a supersized meal for Sephiri,

right on her doorstep...

..as long as she remains...

unseen.

No, now is not a good time to play.

(PLAYFUL MUSIC)

Sephiri's an ambush predator,

a silent assassin, working alone.

Except today...

she has an intern.

(GENTLE MUSIC)

(HIGH-PITCHED SQUEAKING)

Her cub must sit out this next part.

It's adults' work.

To watch Sephiri hunt...

is a masterclass in stealth.

(BIRDS CHIRPING)

Effortlessly, she closes the gap.

The precision placement of each footstep...

calculated for maximum silence.

(PLAYFUL MUSIC)

Surprise!

(GRUNTING)

(SQUEAKING)

With these two around, hunting is impossible.

If she's ever going to feed herself, and them,

she'll have to leave them on their own.

It's not ideal.

In her absence, anything could go wrong.

Along the river,

the buffalo herds are a magnet to life.

Their leisurely pace suits cattle egrets looking for a perch...

..and a snack.

Buffalo meat is a powerful addiction for lions.

And in the passing weeks,

it's enticed more homeless young males into the area.

(GROWLING)

They scrap among themselves over the spoils...

(GRUNTING AND ROARING)

..and begin to earn their battle scars.

They'd better hope Molelo doesn't catch them.

Right now, his full attention is on a buffalo of his own.

(INSECTS BUZZING)

And he's not sharing...

(BIRDS SCREECH)(GROWLS) '..any of it...'

..even though he's stuffed.

(EXHALES NOISILY)

(BUFFALO LOWING)

Across the river,

Saba and her pride are after the same dangerous high.

(GRUNTING)

With adult buffalo, the outcome is never certain.

(BIRD CHIRPING, LION GRUNTING)

And always in the thick of it,

these young trespassers...

looking for an easy meal.

(MENACING MUSIC)

(GRUNTS, GROWLS)

As long as these other lions are here,

the river is no place for the pride.

The mothers must always balance prized prey...

against their cubs' safety.

(DISTANT SNARLING)

From the beginning of time in this small world...

..impala have looked to baboons for security.

From their watchtowers,

the primates call out threats to the earthbound impala.

(BIRDS CHIRPING)

(BABOONS GROWLING)

With their own infants to protect,

baboons are the eyes and ears of the woodlands...

..and Sephiri's mortal enemies.

So, whenever they're around,

she specialises in vanishing.

And she's passed on the skill.

(ANIMALS CHATTERING)

Meanwhile, the cheetahs have followed the impala

to the edge of Sephiri's woodland.

(BIRDS CHIRPING SQUEAKILY)

The baboons are all on the ground...

and haven't seen them yet.

Their mother taught them that it is not smart to hunt near baboons.

Tharo's forgotten that lesson.

(BABOONS SQUAWKING)

(BARKING, SQUAWKING)

(DRAMATIC MUSIC)

(BARKING)

(MUSIC FADES)

Male baboons will stop at nothing to protect their troop.

And Tharo's had a lucky escape.

As long as the all-seeing baboons live in the woodlands...

..the siblings will have no luck here.

(HIGH-PITCHED CHIRPS)

They must keep searching - a quest...

that will take them beyond the familiar scents of the small world...

..and away from the only home...

they've ever known.

(POIGNANT MUSIC)

(MUSIC FADES)

This morning,

there's trouble in Molelo's pride.

(RHYTHMIC GRUNTING)

A cub is missing.

One of Saba's.

(GROWLING)

He's nowhere to be seen...

..or heard.

The only thing she can do...

is retrace her steps from the night before.

(MELANCHOLY MUSIC)

(GROWLING)

(BIRDS SQUAWKING)

(GROWLS)

(GROWLS REPEATEDLY)

Somewhere in the chaos of flood, and buffalo,

and gangs of intruders,

a small life has been lost.

(GROWLING)

Saba calls from dawn...

..to dusk.

But the Gomoti is not giving up its secrets.

(LOW GROWLING)

Her hopes fade with the light...

..and she returns to her pride.

(MUSIC FADES)

(BIRDS WARBLING)

Waiting for your mother to come home with breakfast...

is quite boring.

(SNORTS)

Without her cubs as baggage,

Sephiri has secured a meal.

As she drags the carcass to where she left them,

she's leaving a trail.

(OMINOUS MUSIC)

Now to find her cubs.

They should be close by.

But they're not.

(HIGH-PITCHED CHIRP)

(GRUNTS)

(UPLIFTING MUSIC)

They've both managed to stay out of trouble.

An inquisitive hyena...

is following the carcass's trail.

Even young hyenas like this...

are a threat to the cubs.

(MENACING MUSIC)

(SEPHIRI GROWLING, HYENA WHIMPERING)

Not on Sephiri's watch.

(GROWLS)

(GENTLE MUSIC)

Her cubs might be growing more independent...

..but Sephiri still needs to take care of dangerous intruders.

They must get back to the carcass...

before other thieves arrive.

(BUFFALO LOWING)

As winter passes by,

the flood moves on downstream,

taking the buffalo and young lions with it.

But not all of them.

It's the calf killers.

(TENSE MUSIC)

They've reached the age where they want what Molelo has...

..land, and a pride to call their own.

They've had a good time in his world.

Now they're marking it out as theirs.

(MUSIC INTENSIFIES)

Molelo's on patrol.

Bulked up by buffalo season,

he's got a new lease on life.

(DRAMATIC MUSIC)

The stink of outsiders.

That's a threat to his family.

He must hunt them down and evict them.

They've heard the roar of a lone male here.

There are two of them.

They're ready to take him on.

(MUSIC BUILDS)

Molelo doesn't know what he's up against.

But that's never stopped him.

He's hot on their trail now.

(MUSIC FADES)

(SOFT MUSIC)

Their moment has arrived.

(TENSE MUSIC)

So this is the beast behind the lone voice.

And he's frightening.

(TRIUMPHANT MUSIC)

(ROARING)

They're not in Molelo's league...yet.

He makes sure they don't forget it.

(MUSIC INTENSIFIES)

(MUSIC FADES)

Far beyond the reach of Molelo's roars,

a young cheetah cleans up after a meal.

(SOFT PIANO MUSIC)

(BIRDS CHIRPING)

After a long journey up the Gomoti shoreline,

Tharo and his siblings have reached a new land.

(DISTANT ROARING)

There are lions here too.

But that will be the case wherever they go.

Together, they've learnt to navigate a landscape

filled with more powerful cats.

A few months from now,

they'll each go their separate ways...

..to settle new small worlds...

..of their own.

(THUNDER RUMBLING)

By the time the summer rains return,

Sephiri has seen her cubs through their most vulnerable months.

The wet season means new life...

..and easy pickings to satisfy her cubs' growing appetites.

(RAIN PATTERING)

(THUNDER RUMBLING)

But Sephiri's journey...

..is far from over.

She'll still have to guard and guide them

through another winter...

before she sends them off into the world beyond.

Fifteen months have passed since Molelo became a father.

And he's delivered.

(STIRRING MUSIC)

His exhausting patrols have kept his cubs safe,

and now they're old enough to avoid danger on their own.

His days as the top cat in this world...

are numbered.

But he has sons who will carry his blood into new worlds.

And daughters who will remain and strengthen the pride.

Alongside Saba and her sisters,

they'll continue to roam this small world...

..and one day, raise cubs of their own.

(POIGNANT MUSIC)

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