Become a Cheetah
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The vast grasslands and forests cover more than eighty percent of the land area of the planet Losa.
In this expansive land, the apex predators are large felines, ruling over the entire continent.
The cheetah Luo Qiao dragged the carcass of a dead antelope into a patch of tall grass, glanced around, and confirmed that there were no other predators.
Two three-month-old cheetah cubs leaped out from a nearby bush, bouncing toward Luo Qiao.
Luo Qiao tore open the soft skin on the antelope’s hindquarters, and the cubs immediately began devouring the meat ravenously.
One of the cubs turned its head, licked its nose, and tilted its head toward Luo Qiao. “Mama, aren’t you eating?”
Luo Qiao smacked the cub on the rear with a paw “Call me Dad! It’s been a month, and you still haven’t gotten it right.”
The cubs’ ears twitched in grievance. In their memory, only a mother would feed them and protect them. What was a father? They had no concept of that.
This wasn’t their fault. A male cheetah raising cubs was unheard of.
Not just in the delta where they lived, but across the entire continent.
Luo Qiao had been with the cubs for a month and knew that explaining wouldn’t change anything.
Seeing that the surroundings were indeed safe, he lowered his head and fiercely bit into the antelope’s hind leg.
Eating raw meat didn’t bother him at all anymore.
A month ago, Luo Qiao had still been a photographer.
While filming the great migration of wildebeests, his helicopter suddenly malfunctioned and plummeted from the sky, vanishing into the stampede of galloping beasts.
When he woke up, he found himself turned into a cheetah.
At that moment, Luo Qiao felt only confusion. He wasn’t sure what had happened, or even if he was still on Earth.
All he could do was wander across the endless grasslands, hoping to find some trace of civilization. Each time, he was met with disappointment.
By chance, he encountered two cheetah cubs. Their mother was already dead, though whether she had been injured while hunting or killed by lions or hyenas was unknown.
The two cubs were nothing but skin and bones, barely clinging to life, yet they still struggled to emit kitten-like warning growls at him.
Luo Qiao took them in, feeling a deep gratitude toward them, they made him feel alive.
Fortunately, the cubs were old enough to eat meat. Otherwise, how could he have fed them? As a male cheetah, he simply didn’t have the ability to provide milk.
After multiple failed attempts, Luo Qiao miraculously managed to catch a newborn black-backed antelope.
Sinking his teeth into the fresh, bloody meat, he nearly wept. Even if he had gone from walking upright to running on all fours, he could still survive.
However, life was never smooth sailing. Out of ten successful hunts, he was lucky to actually eat on two or three occasions.
Despite being one of the top predators, cheetahs were always bullied. Lions bullied him. Hyenas bullied him. Even leopards bullied him.
As an unfortunate cheetah, life was like a tea table full of tragedies.
^life is full of challenges and difficulties, despite expectations of peace or ease.
Each time his kill was stolen, Luo Qiao could only flee with his two sons, feeling utterly frustrated.
The two cubs didn’t know how to comfort Luo Qiao, so they simply licked his chin. This did little to ease the hunger gnawing at the big cat.
The constant theft of his prey and his growing desperation to stay fed pushed Luo Qiao’s hunting skills to new heights.
If someone stole his food, he would just hunt again! After countless cycles of loss and persistence, Luo Qiao and his cubs finally escaped the depths of poverty.
The antelope carcass had been eaten down to scraps, but the internal organs remained untouched.
The cubs had no interest in them, and Luo Qiao had once tried biting into one, only to be so disgusted that he immediately recoiled, sticking out his tongue in revulsion.
If he had been reborn as a vulture, he would have undoubtedly chosen to die again.
The two cubs, their bellies round and full, licked each other’s bloodstained faces clean before turning to groom Luo Qiao.
He had resisted at first, but after a few mental adjustments, he eventually accepted it.
The three cheetahs left the remains of the antelope behind. A group of vultures, who had been waiting nearby, immediately swarmed in.
At first, these creatures had bullied Luo Qiao too, even daring to drive him away from his own kill. One day, Luo Qiao snapped—he leaped at them and killed one, tearing its bald neck apart.
The remaining vultures instantly took flight, retreating to a safe distance.
From that day forward, every vulture in the grasslands became noticeably “well-behaved” around him.
Even the jackals, who had always trailed behind him looking for scraps, began keeping their distance.
The two cubs gazed at Luo Qiao with admiration, their eyes practically turning into heart shapes.
Dad was so powerful!
“Dad, what are you looking at?”
Luo Qiao was sitting on an ant hill, looking around. A small leopard walked over and lay down beside him.
This was his younger brother, the corner of his eye slightly tilted upward. Luo Qiao named him Luo Sen.
Another one, with a white tip on its tail, was called Luo Rui. They were his adopted sons, and naturally, they should bear his surname.
"Find a place to sleep."
Luo Qiao jumped down from the ant hill and called the two small leopards to follow him. They walked toward a more secluded tall grass patch.
After surveying the surroundings, he instructed the two small leopards to wait there.
He found a thorn bush not far away, crouched down, and after a few minutes, a tall, slender young man with black hair and amber eyes appeared on the grass.
This transformation was an instinct of the body. During the time he lived with the small leopards, Luo Qiao had gradually absorbed the memories of this leopard from its past life, gaining an understanding of this world.
At the same time, he confirmed the fact that he was no longer on Earth.
Well, he actually didn’t care that much.
After stretching his limbs, Luo Qiao used his sharp claws to cut a large piece of thorn-like plant, dragging it back to the tall grass patch where the two small leopards were.
He discreetly arranged it around them. This plant had a numbing effect, something Luo Qiao had discovered by chance.
If predators approached, it would at least buy them some time to escape.
The two small leopards had long been accustomed to Luo Qiao’s occasional strange behavior but knew the benefits of it.
They were also evolved species, their intelligence surpassing that of their unevolved counterparts, though they wouldn’t be able to transform until they reached eighteen months of age.
"Dad, are you going to tell us a story tonight?"
Luo Sen was always curious about everything. Seeing Luo Qiao coming, he left Luo Rui, who was rolling around earlier, and nuzzled up to Luo Qiao.
Luo Qiao felt the itch on his calf from the small leopard rubbing against him.
He immediately shifted back into a leopard form, lying on the ground with his claws gathered.
Both Luo Sen and Luo Rui were gathered into his embrace.
The two chubby furballs, initially restless, quieted down as soon as Luo Qiao began telling a story.
"Well, tonight I'll tell you about the Ice Age..."
As night gradually fell on the grassland, within a thorn-surrounded tall grass patch, the leopard father was telling his two sons about a bloody incident caused by a squirrel...
o0o
The delta where Luo Qiao lived had a climate very similar to Earth’s African savanna, with only two seasons: dry season and rainy season.
During the rainy season, the previously clear sky would suddenly be filled with dark clouds, lightning tearing through the sky, and large raindrops would quickly pour down.
Luo Qiao, along with the two small leopards, hid under an abandoned ant hill.
One side had been hollowed out, and Luo Qiao and the two small leopards could barely fit inside.
The small leopards’ fur was already soaked, and they were shivering from the cold.
Luo Qiao felt a pang in his heart and let the two small leopards huddle under his belly, which forced him to curl up on the ground.
"Dad, when will the rain stop?"
"I’m not sure."
Luo Qiao anxiously looked at the sky. The rain had been falling for two days straight. If it didn’t stop soon, he wouldn’t be able to go hunting.
He could bear it, but the two small leopards clearly couldn’t.
Damn weather, even raising kids wasn’t peaceful!
Luo Qiao muttered curses under his breath as he pulled the two small leopards closer into his arms.
As dusk approached, the rain lightened and eventually stopped. Luo Qiao perked up, quickly letting the two small leopards out.
The three of them licked the rainwater off their bodies and jumped onto the ant hill, their eyes sparkling as they looked around.
Wildebeest, pass! Zebra, pass! Large antelope, pass! Anything too big, pass! Luo Qiao knew his own strength well.
He only wanted to hunt, not get injured or risk his life. Finally, a gazelle jumped into his line of sight.
"Sons, stay here, Dad will go get you dinner!" Luo Qiao leaped down from the ant hill, heading straight for the antelope.
Luo Rui glanced at Luo Sen. "Brother, is Dad really that hungry?"
Luo Sen gave his younger brother a disdainful glance. "Aren’t you hungry?"
"Yeah."
The two brothers fell silent.
Luo Qiao was lucky. The gazelle was slow to react, perhaps because of the rain or something else. Regardless, Luo Qiao caught it without much effort.
Once the antelope stopped struggling, Luo Qiao dragged it back, walking into a rain-soaked grass patch. He set it up and called the two small leopards over.
Perhaps they should thank the heavy rain; no lions or hyenas appeared, and not even vultures were in the sky.
The three of them were all starving, and besides the internal organs, fur, and bones, almost nothing was left of the gazelle.
Just as Luo Qiao and the two small leopards were about to leave, a chill ran down his spine. He quickly stood up, scanning his surroundings. Two young male lions were slowly walking toward them.
The two young lions were still quite thin, probably having been kicked out of their pride recently. Encountering them definitely wouldn’t end well!
The two small leopards were under four months old and clearly couldn’t outrun them.
Luo Qiao made a quick decision and instantly shifted from his animal form into his human form. He scooped up the two small leopards, one under each arm, and started running.
At this moment, speed was life. He no longer cared whether his actions would provoke the lions' hunting instincts, but he understood what the male lions meant to his children.
These strong, sharp-witted creatures had no sense of reason!
Thanks to the planet’s evolutionary method! Even with two legs, Luo Qiao was still incredibly fast.
However, in his desperate flight, Luo Qiao completely ignored a big issue—he was running naked.
On that day, many animals on the grassland witnessed a young, handsome evolved male leopard running at high speed, carrying two small leopards, in broad daylight, completely naked.
A mother wildcat immediately covered her kitten's eyes, lamenting the declining morals of society.
It was truly strange things happen every year, but this year was especially odd...
The two young male lions not far away were clearly stunned. If conditions allowed, they might have even raised their paws to rub their eyes.
"Elro."
"Yes, brother."
"Is that an evolved species of the male cheetah?"
"Yes, brother."
"But he is carrying two cubs."
"Yes, brother."
"This is very strange."
"Yes, brother."
"Aside from 'Yes, brother,' what else can you say?"
"No, brother."
Felix was speechless. Although they were both evolved species, he highly doubted if Ero really shared the same father as him.
The smell of blood and flesh filled his nostrils, interrupting Felix's thoughts. He walked over to the carcass of the antelope discarded by Luo Qiao and began to chew eagerly. Ero also walked over.
The two brothers had been kicked out of the lion pride before they lost their baby teeth, and hunting was very difficult.
Even just the internal organs and some of the meat were a rare delicacy for the two young lions.
Ignoring the strange male cheetah, Felix and Ero just wanted to fill their stomachs. However, it was clearly not enough.
Felix finished his portion, leaving half for his brother. While Ero bent down and ate, Felix looked around and suddenly came up with an idea.
"Brother?"
"We're following that male cheetah!"
"Why?"
"Are you stupid!"
Felix slapped Ero on the head, but Ero still looked confused.
"All the hyenas on the grasslands know, if you follow a cheetah, you'll get meat!"
"But this territory belongs to Oros. Mother said that Oros is a very fierce evolved species and is always ruthless to lions who invade its territory!"
"Then do you want to stay hungry? As long as we stay near the edge of the territory, it should be fine."
Felix made a decisive statement, and Ero stopped arguing. The delicious taste of antelope meat had already convinced him.
If he could, Felix wouldn't want to do this. Proud lions, when did they become like hyenas, begging for food? But they had to survive.
Until they grew strong enough to have their own pride, they had to do whatever it took to stay alive! In this regard, there was not much difference between evolved species and their primitive cousins.
Shaking his tail, Felix called Ero, and the two brothers walked along the edge of the territory, heading in the direction where Luo Qiao had fled.
At that moment, Luo Qiao still didn't know that trouble had already caught up with him. He was basking in the joy of his quick thinking.
Carrying the two young cheetahs back to the temporary shelter at the anthill, Luo Qiao began another evening story.
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