M6: Botswana!

     I alighted on the Gaborone airstrip, and a perky flight attendant announced our arrival. I didn't get how anyone could be perky after a 16 hour plane ride. Because I was going to modern Botswana, I had to deal with commercial travel. When I left the airport, I was blinded by the bright sun glinting of the sparse skyscrapers. Gaborone was the capital of Botswana, but with only 191,776 people, it paled in the face of New York. I stopped for a lunch of pounded meat (a popular dish in Botswana) and took a cab 200 miles to the central Kalahari Game Reserve.
     After 3 hours of dealing with a hostile cab driver, I had finally arrived at the game reserve. The reserve is the second largest in the world, covering about 32,808 square miles. Tall, sun-bleached grass swayed in the mellow wind below a never ending expanse of blue sky. Last year I had gotten my safari license, so I rented a jeep and set out by myself. Giraffes, cheetahs, leopards, hyenas, and warthog are just a sample of the abundant wildlife that calls the Central Kalahari Game Reserve home. What I really wanted to see, however, was a lion. As I drove along a dirt road, I heard a loud snarl emit from under my vehicle.
     After braking quickly, I peered at the ground below me. A lion cub batted my face with a soft paw. For a moment, I was entranced. The cubs tan fur stuck out at odd angles, and his big brown eyes seemed to melt my soul. After ooohing and awwing over how cute the cub was, I started to wonder what he was doing here. The circumstance bewildered me, until I noticed a large scratch in his side. I realized that the cub must have been abandoned after his mother noticed that he was losing blood rapidly. As a reflex, I started to grab him. He let out a low, malignant growl. Deciding that I couldn't pick him up safely, I climbed back in the car to get help.
     I turned the key, but nothing happened. The jeep sputtered before dying all the way. Ducking beneath the car again, I cautiously approached the injured cub. In one fluid motion, I threw him into the passenger seat. I wrapped him in my jacket while he was still stunned by the throw. Shoving him in my pack, I started to walk back the way I came. The hot sun produced a line of sweat along my brow. Growing exhausted, I almost gave up. Just then, a mournful whine came from my pack, reminding me why I needed to keep going.
     Finally, just as the horizon was erupting is a golden sunset, I saw the Game Reserve Headquarters. Inspired by the dropping temperature, I sprinted the last mile of my taxing journey. After explaining what had happened to a flustered secretary, the cub was taken by some veterinarians. The head vet explained that the cub would've been a goner if I hadn't rescued him. As I was leaving, the cub let out a bittersweet purr and waved his paw, as if saying goodbye. I knew then that some things were worth sacrificing for.