I became incredibly cute after dressing up as an animal!

When the elephants were drinking water, no other animals dared to squeeze in, for fear of being trampled by the giant.

After everyone had finished drinking the water, Chief Mary said, "Let's go."

Mary brought up the rear, while Angela led the way, always keeping the child and the two babies in the very center.

No wild beast would dare to lay a finger on a baby elephant.

Lan Xiaoxiao and Chu Yi looked around curiously, since they usually couldn't see so many animals up close. There were so many kinds of animals near the water source.

My cousin came over and gently touched Lan's tiny nose with her own, asking, "Is the baby scared?"

Lan Xiaoxiao replied, "Baby isn't afraid."

The elders in the elephant herd all call Lan Xiaoxiao "Baby," and Lan Xiaoxiao has gotten used to it, so she can't help but refer to herself as "Baby" when she answers.

Chief Mary slowly walked to the front of the procession, her ears flared, and she led the herd of elephants as they began to move south.

There is the Mara River there, a great river that cuts across the grassland, and the climate on each side is quite different.

It's the dry season here, with little rain, dried-up rivers, withered vegetation, and a lack of food.

On the other side of the river, you can see green grasslands in the distance.

The legendary Great Migration of animals took place along this river.

During the dry season, large numbers of wildebeest and gazelles cross the Mara River to the grasslands on the other side.

There were many crocodiles in the river, waiting menacingly.

There are lions on the shore, waiting to snatch up bargains.

Every year, many animals die on their way to cross the river.

Wildebeest and antelopes cross rivers in large herds, millions of them, frantically plunging into the river in a chaotic, crowded mass, with crocodiles hunting inside. It's a passive and hurried survival challenge.

At this moment, Lan Xiaoxiao witnessed this scene with her own eyes!

It was completely different from the animal migrations seen on screen, because she was witnessing it firsthand from a hundred meters away, and the scene was breathtaking!

Large numbers of wildebeest leaped down the riverbank, desperately pushing forward, while crocodiles were everywhere in the river. The water was murky, and the sounds of people crossing the river were deafening.

Lan Xiaoxiao's heart raced as she watched the scene unfold.

"First year of junior high, life is so fragile," Lan Xiaoxiao said to the first year of junior high.

Looking at the scene over there, Chu Yi touched Lan Xiaoxiao's eyes with his elephant trunk: "Yes, there are all kinds of life everywhere, and we are just two of them."

In the first year of junior high school, I learned that the world is very, very big, with countless lives, and each life has its own rules.

And they are turning a new page in the annals of elephant life.

Elephants also have to cross the Mara River, but they are much more at ease than wildebeests.

Mary found a relatively narrow section of the river so she wouldn't have to swim far, and the slope was just right, making it easy for them, with their large weight, to go down. The river wasn't too rapid either, making it perfect for crossing.

Lan Xiaoxiao is afraid of crocodiles. When she heard Grandma Mary say that they had to cross the river, she became nervous instantly.

"Baby is scared," Lan Xiaoxiao said in a whimpering voice.

Immediately, all the elders around came to comfort her.

Grandma Mary said lovingly, "Baby, don't be afraid. We'll stay around you and won't be washed away."

Anna realized what was happening: "Baby, are you afraid of being bitten by a crocodile? No, Auntie will crush its head with one stomp!"

"Baby is safe under Mommy's tummy." An'an used her nose to scoop Lan Xiaoxiao up.

The little blue cat on the first day of the Lunar New Year said, "Little cutie, don't be afraid, I'll stay close to you while we swim."

My cousins ​​did the same, and even shared their experiences of crossing the river last year.

"Don't be afraid, baby. When I was one year old, I crossed a river and no crocodiles bit my legs."

"When I was three years old, I was crossing a river and stepped on a fish. It floated to the surface after a short while, and it had a white belly."

Of course, a dead fish will float belly-up.

As Lan Xiaoxiao heard what they said, she gradually became less afraid and even looked forward to crossing the river.

Even in the first year of junior high, I wasn't afraid to cross the river; I even looked forward to growing up quickly so that I would have enough strength to protect Xiaoxiao.

In the first year of junior high, I really wanted to grow up to be like the clan leader—tall and mighty.

Chief Mary was the first to go into the water. The slope was just right for adult elephants, but it was a bit too high for calves.

Mary and Angie went down first, then took the children one by one, with Anna and Anlin bringing up the rear, and Anan watching over the two babies.

After her older cousins ​​went downstairs, Aunt Anqi used her nose to help Chuyi down first.

I was very brave in the first year of junior high school, and my bottom slipped and I fell down.

Then came Lan Xiaoxiao. Lan Xiaoxiao was only three months old, so everyone was very careful around her.

Lan Xiaoxiao tried to sit down like she did in the first year of junior high school, but her bottom slid down. As a result, her head was too heavy and she buried her head directly in the ground!

Just as her head was about to plunge into the riverbed mud, Chief Mary's thick nose caught her and gently set her down.

"Is the baby alright?" Mary asked kindly.

Lan Xiaoxiao thought it was so much fun, and said sweetly, "I'm fine, thank you, Grandma."

Once all the elephants had come down, Mary led the way across the river.

Aunts Angie, Anna, and Anlin stood guard on the left, right, and back respectively, while An'an led the children in the middle.

Angie's child was older and also protected his younger siblings, supporting Lan Xiaoxiao's belly with his elephant trunk.

Although Chu Yi was young, he always stayed close to Lan Xiao Xiao, his nose wrapped around Lan Xiao Xiao's nose, pulling her up so she wouldn't fall into the water.

When an elephant crosses a river, it can raise its trunk high so that it can breathe through its nose even when the water covers its face.

The smallest baby elephant can't use its trunk yet and can't be lifted up at all. But with Chu Yi's help, he rolls up the trunk and lifts it up, which works fine.

Lan Xiaoxiao found herself floating, and upon closer inspection, she realized that her cousins ​​were supporting her.

The river was swift in the middle, so An'an dived down and used her head to lift the baby up.

Anna also wanted to take the first year of junior high, but she found that the child was really amazing. He could swim and could hold his nose high, so he didn't need anyone's help at all.

"Xiao Bao, you can rely on us a little," Aunt Anqi said.

Chu Yi raised his nose and said, "Thank you."

The river crossing went smoothly, except there were a few crocodiles on the opposite bank, sleeping with their mouths open.

Upon hearing the sound of the elephant coming ashore, the two crocodiles quickly ran away, leaving one behind.

Mary stepped onto the riverbank and stepped directly on a crocodile. The crocodile was crushed into the mud, and the sound of bones breaking could be heard. It was dead.

Lan Xiaoxiao exclaimed in amazement, "The African elephant truly deserves to be one of the five tyrants of the savanna."

Wildebeest and gazelles crossing the river: the law of the jungle, an invisible system of elimination.

The elephant, on the other hand, is relaxed and at ease.

Stepping onto the grassland across the Mara River, separated only by the river, you can immediately feel how much cooler it is here.

The grassland in the distance was much greener than over there, the acacia leaves were lush, and a herd of giraffes were grazing.

Mary urged everyone to hurry up and eat.

Fresh, vibrant green leaves, so delicious!

Hearing the elders' exclamations of praise, Lan Xiaoxiao slowly slid to her mother's lap and opened her mouth to drink milk.

In the first year of junior high school, we also started feeding the leaves. Now that the baby is six months old, we can try feeding it some tender leaves.

It's too short to reach the tender leaves on top.

Chief Mary used her nose to pick a tender leaf, plucked it off, and handed it to Chu Yi: "Eat it, child."