by Colin Dann
People, Joel and Simon included, came running to the front of the lions’ enclosure. Annie trembled. She had her hands to her ears. The din was incredible. It was raw, wild, and expressed a deep and primitive longing. Instinct had taken command. The lionesses were manifesting the wild animal’s innate hostility to captivity: the frustrations, the discomfort, the falsity of a life dictated by human will. Ellen had been caught up in it almost unconsciously. The sisters yearned for freedom. The pull of their ancient homeland had exerted its sway. Joel recognised the significance of the moment. He turned to Simon. Their glances met and they nodded quietly.
‘It’s time,’ said Simon.
‘Yes,’ said Joel. ‘They’ve found their roots.’
For a couple more days the lionesses were fed reduced rations while Lorna, with some help from her sister, polished off the remaining hares. Ellen’s return to health put on a spurt. She had filled out and she had a new confidence in herself. There was an eagerness about her which was a delight to see. Joel eventually began to wonder if the sisters could somehow tell that they were on the verge of an exciting adventure. They were restless. They patrolled the enclosure together, pausing now and then to stare with proud faces at their keepers as though looking for an expected signal. Then, early one morning, it came. An unusual bustle in the Kamenza refuge had the lionesses darting impatiently from one side of the pen to the other. They roared repeatedly, urging the men to hurry; to hasten their release. In a matter of moments, everything was transformed. An exit from the enclosure suddenly appeared on the far side as a section of fence was drawn upward, and they heard the voice of their old keeper, Joel, calling them by name for the last time.
‘Farewell, Lorna. Farewell, Ellen. Go now. Go home. Go home. Go! Go!’
From the veranda of her house Annie waved and waved. Together, always together, the lionesses bounded out of the opening and loped through the long grass until they were just a tawny blur in the distance. The savannah engulfed them, easily finding space for two more beasts amongst the myriad already competing for life in its vastness.
Later, in the brief African twilight, Ellen and Lorna lay under an acacia tree. They had eaten. Lorna had chased and killed an elderly gazelle. Ellen had begun the chase too but her stamina was inadequate as yet and she had dropped out. Their meal had been interrupted by a pack of hyenas who had circled them as they ate their kill. Eventually the lionesses had been driven away by the pack’s determination and superior numbers. The sisters had been taught an early lesson about competition and when to give way. But there was much more to learn. Ellen lay staring in the direction of Kamenza and the security of its enclosures. Lorna, however, gazed across the limitless distance of the game park. Her eyes missed nothing. She watched the movements of the different game species that were now their neighbours, assessing them for strength, swiftness, rivalry, danger. She saw how one species reacted to another and she knew that she and her sister had to go cautiously and, for the most part, quietly before they were able to count themselves part of the great scheme. There were unknown fears to conquer as they battled for survival. There was anticipation too – a nerve-tingling, thrilling anticipation of the hunt and the triumph of speed and cunning.
‘Are you awake, sister?’ Lorna asked. ‘The air is cooling. There are new scents everywhere.’
‘Yes, I’m awake,’ Ellen answered. ‘I’ve been listening to all the strange cries. They’re quite disturbing. Whatever can they be?’
‘That’s what we’re going to find out,’ said Lorna.
About the Author
Colin Dann was born in Richmond, Surrey. His interest in natural history was fostered by studying the local wildlife in Richmond Park, and wildlife success came at the age of ten, when he won a London Schools Essay Competition set by the RSPCA. His prize was a copy of The Wind in the Willows. For many years he worked for Collins, the publishers. It was during this period that his concern for conservation led him to write his first novel, The Animals of Farthing Wood, which won the Arts Council National Award for Children’s Literature in 1980.
Colin has since published seven further books in his Farthing Wood/White Deer Park sequence: In the Grip of Winter (1981), Fox’s Feud (1982), The Fox Cub Bold (1983), The Siege of White Deer Park (1985), In the Path of the Storm (1989), Battle for the Park (1992) and Farthing Wood – The Adventure Begins (1994). These stories were made into a highly successful animation series for the BBC. Other titles by him include The Ram of Sweetriver (1986), The Beach Dogs (1988), Just Nuffin (1989), A Great Escape (1990), A Legacy of Ghosts (1991) and the City Cats trilogy, King of the Vagabonds (1987), The City Cats (1991) and Copycat (1997).
Also by Colin Dann
The Animals of Farthing Wood
In the Grip of Winter
Fox’s Feud
The Fox Cub Bold
The Siege of White Deer Park
The Ram of Sweetriver
King of the Vagabonds
The Beach Dogs
Just Nuffin
In the Path of the Storm
A Great Escape
The City Cats
A Legacy of Ghosts
Battle for the Park
Farthing Wood – The Adventure Begins
Copycat
Nobody’s Dog
JOURNEY TO FREEDOM
AN RHCP DIGITAL EBOOK 978 1 446 45392 6
Published in Great Britain by RHCP Digital,
an imprint of Random House Children’s Publishers UK
A Penguin Random House Company
This ebook edition published 2011
Copyright © Colin Dann, 2011
First Published in Great Britain
Red Fox 9780099403449 2011
The right of Colin Dann to be identified as the author of this work has been asserted in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988.
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