Okay, children,
settle down.
It's story time, children.
The story I'm about to tell you
took place a long time ago
in the heart of Africa.
It all began just south
of the great Limpopo River
in the valley
nestled in the foothills
of the Lebombo Mountains.
And in that valley
lived a large pride
of African lions
ruled by a magnificent male
called Mogolo.
In his pride,
Mogolo had a favorite female.
Her name was Misava.
That night, in a village
on the edge of the valley,
a sangoma, who was a healer
and a keeper of stories,
was telling his people
about the legend
of the white lion.
Generations ago, a white lion
had roamed the valley,
and there was peace
and prosperity for all.
But one day,
the lion disappeared.
No one really knew why,
but it was believed that when
the great chief Muhluri died,
the lion followed him
as if to live
with the ancestors.
Life became a lot harder
for the people of the valley.
Food was scarce,
and many were going hungry.
Gisani, the sangoma's son,
would sit for hours
listening to these stories,
and as he stared
into the fire,
he wished for the return
of the white lion
and a better life
for all his people.
It seemed as though
a young man's wishes
had come true.
A white lion had been born
into the valley.
But why was his coat white?
Was he a magic lion?
Well, Gisani's people
believed
that the white lion
was a gift from the ancestors.
And the first one was seen
after a shining star
had fallen to the Earth.
And that's why the Shangaan
believed they were white.
They were the color
of the stars.
For newborn cubs,
the world was a dangerous place.
And Misava had to be ready
to defend her cubs
with her life.
A hyena would not hesitate
to kill
and eat a vulnerable
young lion cub.
So to protect her cubs,
Misava started moving them
to the safety of a new lair.
She began with the smallest
of the two,
who would be known
as Letsatsi.
His brother Buti
followed close behind.
As the weeks passed,
the cubs were developing well.
Letsatsi was proving to be
a real adventurer.
The wonders of the outside world
were hard for him to resist.
It had been a while
since Misava had last fed.
She was hungry.
And to replenish the milk needed
to feed her cubs,
she would have to risk
leaving them alone
and head out into the bush
to hunt.
And of course,
the wonders of the outside world
would once again
be irresistible to the cubs.
Misava,
returning from her hunt,
made a terrible discovery.
Buti was dead.
And Letsatsi was missing.
Misava searched and searched
but could find no trace
of Letsatsi.
The storm of the previous night
had washed his scent
completely away.
And Letsatsi, without his mother
to protect him,
would be lucky
to survive the day alone.
Driven by a sense
that Letsatsi was still alive,
she kept searching.
But Letsatsi's calls to her
were lost in the wilderness.
Meanwhile,
Gisani had been summoned
by his father.
A woman in the village
was very ill,
and he needed Gisani
to search that night
for a special healing plant
found only deep in the valley.
And to help protect his son,
he decided it was time
to pass down
a most treasured possession.
It had once belonged
to the great chief Muhluri
himself.
Gisani couldn't believe
his eyes.
Right in front of him
was the creature
his father had spoken
so often about.
What was Gisani to do?
He should build a fire.
Lions are not that fond
of fires.
The fire would scare him.
He should take it back
to the village.
You have to understand,
for that young man,
who had grown up
with his father's stories
about the white lion,
this was a sacred creature,
and he didn't dare touch it.
Then what did he do?
Rather than interfere,
he would stay close to the cub.
That first meeting
had a powerful effect
on Gisani.
He knew there and then
that his destiny
was to watch over and protect
this sacred creature.
It was time for Misava
to return
and introduce Letsatsi
to the pride.
His white coat
would be honored and revered
in Gisani's village,
but here
in the lions' world,
it would just make him
a curiosity
to the older members
of the pride.
And right from the start,
it would be a struggle
for Letsatsi
to find acceptance.
As the days stretched on,
Mogolo's fondness for his
spirited young cub deepened.
And finally, Letsatsi,
white lion
of the Lebombo Valley,
found his place
in the pride...
Right by his father's side.
As the seasons tumbled by,
Gisani,
true to his destiny,
spent days at a time
away from his village,
following the pride.
Letsatsi matured
into an impressive young male.
For some time now,
life in the pride
had been settled and peaceful.
But on the horizon,
dark clouds were gathering,
and the storm
that was about to hit the pride
came in the form
of two extremely fit
and strong lions.
They were known
as the Mhahlwa.
What does "Mahaluwa" mean?
No.
Mhahlwa.
It means they were
the evil twins.
They had been biding their time,
waiting,
just waiting for the day
they sensed Mogolo had reached
the end of his reign.
And that day had come.
Old Mogolo
was quickly defeated.
He would be forced
to wander the land alone.
How could he just leave
his family?
Was he a coward?
No, Mogolo was no coward!
He might have tried
to take on a single challenger,
but he was no match
for the combined forces
of the mighty Mhahlwa.
The young males
fled for their lives.
The Mhahlwa would kill them
if they offered up
any resistance.
And you can only imagine
how difficult it was
for Misava to say good-bye
to her only surviving cub.
Now Letsatsi's only option
was to join his older cousins.
By joining the group,
he would have a better chance
of survival.
But it was not meant to be.
Without Mogolo
to protect him,
Letsatsi, who had always
been seen as an outsider,
was cast out.
Gisani had learned
of the Mhahlwa takeover
and knew that the well-being
of his people
depended on him
watching over this lion,
now more than ever.
Frightened by the sounds
of the night,
Letsatsi pushed deeper
and deeper into the mountains.
Letsatsi had gone without food
for many days,
but one thing he couldn't
go without was water,
and there below him
was the answer
to his burning thirst.
But even here
in these peaceful surroundings,
danger was everywhere.
Lucky to be alive,
Letsatsi had crossed the border
of his old pride's territory.
Letsatsi was moving quickly,
and Gisani was already
a day or two behind.
He could not afford
to lose track of him now.
Letsatsi was now
in unknown territory.
What was that?
I'm going to take a look.
You stay, now.
And in this territory
lived the most dangerous
creature in all the land...
man.
Gisani, now not far behind,
was getting to know
Letsatsi's tracks by heart.
He was also getting better
at reading
other animal tracks.
Had Letsatsi fallen prey
to a vicious crocodile?
Was he even still alive?
The only way
to answer these questions
was to cross the river.
After his failed attempt
to make a meal
of a tortoise
and his painful encounter
with the porcupine,
choosing the right prey
was proving to be
quite a challenge
for young Letsatsi.
Now, vast
as the African bush seemed,
it wasn't long before Letsatsi
encountered another lion.
With a roar that sounded
like thunder...
This lion was known
as Ku Dzindza.
He pressed on,
up and up the great mountain.
And as the day's events
caught up with Letsatsi,
he was finally overcome
by exhaustion.
With the new day
came new hope.
Below him
was an unexplored valley
teeming with life.
Surely there was something
down there
to provide a meal
for a hungry young lion.
At last, Letsatsi's tracks
led Gisani to a clue
that he was still alive.
But he also quickly realized
that Letsatsi
was moving into an area
where game was hunted by man.
After avoiding Ku Dzindza,
you would think
that Letsatsi was crazy
following another lion.
But he sensed that something
was different about this one.
He was about six months older,
and Letsatsi's instinct
told him that this lion
just might be an ally
and a friend.
Maybe, just maybe,
Letsatsi's instincts
had been wrong.
Perhaps, now, his color
had something to do
with his rejection,
but by now, that was the least
of Letsatsi's worries.
He was desperately hungry
and needed to find food
and find it fast.
The following morning,
Letsatsi was in serious trouble.
He had no choice but to try
and join forces
with this experienced hunter
again.
And this time,
respecting Letsatsi's
fierce spirit and determination,
Nkulu,
which means "the elder,"
allowed him to have
the lion's share that day,
and a new friendship was born
over that carcass.
The bare bones before Gisani
was good news.
Judging by the tracks
around it,
Letsatsi had joined forces
with another lion.
Richards was a local hunter
and was curious to know
what Gisani was doing out here
so far from his village.
A lion kill.
Gisani explained
that a single lion
had brought down an impala
but two had fed on it.
They fed on him there,
and the hyenas just dragged him
some of the way.
The hunter was impressed...
Jackal also had a turn.
And, seeing Gisani's potential
as a tracker,
wasted no time
in offering him a job.
I can offer
three square meals a day.
Richards.
- Gisani.
- Gisani.
Letsatsi and Nkulu's
friendship
was growing stronger
by the day.
And soon
they became inseparable.
Days passed peacefully
as they lazed in the shade
and did what lions do best
during the hottest part
of the day...
sleep.
And as the night fell,
the hunt would begin.
Tonight they caught the scent
of an easy meal.
Mom!
A few nights later,
the two friends were witnessing
one of Mother Nature's
spectacular fireworks displays.
They were surrounded
by a lake of fire.
They were trapped.
Nkulu,
the stronger of the two,
managed to scramble
to safety.
But Letsatsi...
just couldn't make it.
What happened?
Did he get burned?
Did he die?
Easy, children.
Easy.
There's more of this story
still to tell.
Letsatsi did keep trying
and finally,
with his last ounce of strength,
managed to clamber up
and join his friend.
Finding a friend
is a good thing,
especially one who can teach you
important survival skills.
But sometimes friends
can lead you
down dangerous pathways
and teach you bad habits.
I can't believe this.
Oh, no.
Oh, no.
Oh, no!
With their bellies full,
Letsatsi and Nkulu
didn't have a care in the world.
Life was good.
The farmer had agreed
to sell Nkulu
to Richards the hunter,
who would probably
just have him stuffed.
Seems I've outdone you
this time.
I've bagged a lion.
Take a look.
And for
a heart-stopping moment,
Gisani was filled
with a terrible dread.
There were two of them.
The other one got away, though.
Do you know what
the interesting thing was?
The other one was white.
White? Are you sure?
Oh, yeah.
Didn't miss him by much.
Well, thank God you're not
a very good shot, then.
What do you mean?
Richards told the farmer
that he knew of more
than a dozen foreign hunters
who would pay handsomely
for such a trophy.
Keep an eye on the white.
There's more
where that came from.
Right.
Load him up, then.
Once again,
Letsatsi's world
was turned upside down.
So for the first time,
it looked like Letsatsi
would give in.
Without his close friend
Nkulu
and without anyone
to teach him how to hunt,
Letsatsi
was in serious trouble.
But if there is one thing
we have learned up to now:
Letsatsi would never give in.
And drawing on what little
reserves he had left,
he forced himself up
and tried to hunt one last time.
What a sweet victory
for Letsatsi
that guinea fowl was.
And although
it was not much to eat
and rather bony,
it was his first
successful hunt,
and he enjoyed every mouthful.
Letsatsi had become
a force to be reckoned with.
Even a dangerous hyena
was no match
for his growing strength
and confidence.
And as the days
stretched into months
and the months into years,
Letsatsi became the lion
he was meant to be.
News of Letsatsi's strength
and beauty
began to spread
beyond the valley,
and the hunter,
true to his word,
put out the invitation
to his wealthiest client
to come and hunt
one of the rarest,
most magnificent animals
in the whole of Africa.
And without hesitation,
a hunter by the name
of Nicalski
came to claim his trophy.
The hunt was on.
What was Gisani to do?
How would he explain
to his people
back at the village
that he was the one who led
the hunters to the white lion?
But why didn't he
leave the hunters
and chase Letsatsi away?
Good question.
But I believe he felt
it would be better
if he stayed close
to the danger.
And that meant staying close
to the hunter.
For Letsatsi,
the time had come
to fight
for a pride of his own.
He began the long journey back
to the territory
of the lion
that roared like thunder,
Ku Dzindza.
He was here yesterday.
Let's go.
Where is he?
He's doubled back.
Right, we'll cut
across the river.
We'll catch him there.
He's too far ahead.
We'll have to camp again.
What's going on with you?
'Cause it seems to me
like we've been chasing
our tails for two days now.
Boss, there's something
I must tell you.
The white lion-
Have you lost him?
We're right on him.
I'm not paying all this money
to watch the scenery, you know.
For crying in a bucket!
Now you are embarrassing me.
The white lion,
we cannot kill him.
Have you gone soft
in your head?
This is a lion hunt.
That man in that car has paid
a fortune of money for this.
But the legend says-
The legend,
that is a bedtime story.
It's still just a lion, Gisani.
What is it this time?
Where is he?
He's headed that way
over the neck.
Pull yourself together, man.
The young man's mind
was spinning.
He knew he could not stall
for much longer.
He seems to be giving your man
a bit of a runaround.
My guess is, he's nomadic.
He's covering new ground,
looking for a pride
to challenge for.
What's your man's name again?
Gisani.
Gisani?
Gisani.
Yes, sir.
This rifle
needs a good clean.
Yes, sir.
And oil it properly.
Yes, sir.
We'll get him tomorrow.
That, I guarantee.
Tomorrow.
Tomorrow I kill a white lion.
Like two massive forces
of nature,
the lions
were on a collision course,
each step
bringing them closer
to what would surely be
a fight to the death.
Let's walk.
Finally.
There are two of them.
We must wait!
I'm not waiting.
There is my lion.
Hold your fire, Nicalski.
I can easily get him
from here.
I said hold your fire!
Got him.
Nicalski, there's another lion
out there!
I missed him.
But how?
This hunt is over.
The sights.
My rifle has been sabotaged.
This is an outrage!
He cleaned my rifle
last night.
He must have tampered
with my sights.
That is impossible.
The white lion must live.
Get out of my way.
If you must shoot it,
you have to shoot me first.
Richards, control your man.
There will be
no more killing today.
Richards.
It's over.
You have not heard
the last of this.
Let's go home.
You're Gisani,
aren't you?
Hmm, I see someone
has been paying attention.
Yes, my dear,
I am the one
they call Gisani.
I am a Shangaan
and the one entrusted
by my father
to protect the white lion,
Letsatsi.
And in doing so,
I try to ensure the peace
and prosperity of my people
for many, many years to come.
I also helped establish this,
a wildlife sanctuary.
And as for Letsatsi,
he ruled over
the most powerful pride
in the whole of the valley.