Become a Cheetah
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This year's rainy season has been exceptionally long, which is not good news for herbivores. Although they don't have to worry about food, the continuous rainfall has caused the Gangsa River to swell, becoming a difficult barrier for the herbivores' migration route.
The nomadic wildebeests on the grassland have been forced to stay in the area where the Oros lion pride resides. Along with the wildebeests, zebras, gazelles, and other herbivores that migrate with them have also been stranded.
The continuous rainfall has provided them with fresh, tender grass, but it still cannot soothe their restless hearts.
Several times, wildebeests and zebras have attempted to cross the river, but all efforts have been in vain. Even the confident giraffes, upon reaching the middle of the river, were forced to turn back due to the swift currents.
The large number of stranded herbivores is good news for the carnivores here, especially the big cats.
The cubs of the Oros lion pride have safely made it through the entire rainy season under the careful care of the lionesses. In previous years, the cubs would have already started facing the challenges of hunger during the dry season by this time.
However, this year's conditions are quite favorable, and the lionesses are confident that at least two-thirds of the cubs in the pride will survive to one year old. In the past, only about a quarter of the cubs born each year would survive.
No matter how strong the lionesses are, they cannot compete with the harshness of nature. When the dry season arrives, prey in the territory becomes scarce, and only the strongest cubs can survive the competition.
It's not that the lionesses lack maternal love for the weaker cubs; this is simply the way of lions.
Rather than having all the cubs go hungry, it is better to let the stronger ones survive.
The lion pride has been able to rule this grassland for over a decade, relying on this blend of maternal tenderness and cruelty.
The lioness leader, Tina, loves every cub born into the pride, but she must consider the well-being of the entire group.
Fortunately, this year's rainy season has been long, and the cubs have grown stronger. It is believed that most of them will survive the dry season and become the young strength of the pride.
As for the male lion, Oros, his presence will also ensure the pride's survival through the dry season.
If they cannot hunt enough prey, then larger animals such as giraffes and buffaloes will inevitably become the lions' targets. In such cases, the participation of the male lion becomes essential.
Oros takes this responsibility seriously. These cubs are his offspring, and even though he often loses his temper with them, he will do his best to ensure their survival.
The recent calm in the lion pride has given the ever-wary hyenas a chance to breathe.
The approaching dry season will test all the creatures on the grassland, including Luo Qiao, who is currently training his two cheetah cubs in hunting skills.
Luo Qiao and the two cheetah cubs have been living well recently. There are plenty of young ones in the wildebeest and gazelle herds, and adult gazelles are not difficult to catch. Occasionally, with good luck, Luo Qiao can even bring down larger prey.
However, hyenas and vultures often appear unexpectedly, and sometimes lions show up as well, which troubles Luo Qiao, though there's not much he can do about it.
As long as his cubs are well-fed, Luo Qiao doesn't mind too much. Of course, he can't afford to mind, compared to hyenas and lions, cheetahs are no match in terms of strength.
Every day, Luo Qiao spends most of his time hunting for the two cubs, playing with them, and teaching them the essential skills for survival.
The rest of the time, the three cheetahs, with full stomachs, tend to laze around, finding a spot with a good view or some shade to rest.
Luo Qiao and the two cubs enjoy staying near termite mounds. Whenever Luo Qiao sits on a mound to scan the horizon for prey, the two lively cubs chase each other around him, occasionally darting between his legs, their strong little bodies often causing him to lose his balance.
The cubs are now six months old and still love to play. The only difference is that their play has become more purposeful, sometimes even appearing rough and aggressive.
This change is especially noticeable in Luo Sen. Whenever he raises the fur on the back of his neck and adopts a threatening posture, Luo Rui often gets scared and runs to Luo Qiao for protection.
Luo Qiao isn't sure how to handle this situation. Should he scold Luo Sen? That doesn't seem fair. What's the difference between a non-ferocious carnivore and an antelope? Should he teach Luo Rui? But how? Personality can't be changed through lecturing.
Luo Qiao once wondered if he had mistaken Luo Rui's gender, but his size and male characteristics, identical to Luo Sen's, clearly indicate that he is indeed a male cheetah cub.
"What a headache..."
Luo Qiao, like any father troubled by his children's education, felt utterly helpless. Other families at least had a mother to discuss things with, but what about him?
However, Luo Qiao's current body was also very young. From his memories, this evolved male cheetah had only recently left his mother. It could be said that no sooner had he been driven out by his mother than Luo Qiao took over his body.
Luo Qiao didn't gain much from it either, as he soon found himself raising two cheetah cubs, becoming an 'unmarried' single father.
At least when he was human, he had dated girls, held hands, hugged, and had s*x with them. The poor guy whose body he had taken over was far more pitiful, he hadn't even touched a female cheetah's paw.
Wait! This body was his now!
Luo Qiao suddenly paused, realizing in an instant that after living for over twenty years, he had somehow become a virgin again? No, given the current situation, shouldn't it be a virgin cheetah?
"Dad, what are you thinking about?"
Luo Rui ran over to Luo Qiao, lay down beside him, licked his chin, and nuzzled him affectionately.
Well-versed in the body language of cheetah cubs, Luo Qiao immediately knew the little one was hungry. Luo Sen, seeing Luo Rui acting spoiled with Luo Qiao, also came over and rubbed against him. Although he already had the demeanor of a male cheetah, in front of Luo Qiao, he was as docile as a kitten.
With his sons hungry, there was no time for idle thoughts. Things like female cheetahs' paws were nothing compared to filling their stomachs.
Luo Qiao stood up, stretched, yawned, flicked his tail, and leaped onto the termite mound. Luo Sen and Luo Rui immediately followed him.
Huh?
Luo Qiao wondered if he was hallucinating. He had just been thinking about a female cheetah, and now one actually appeared? Don't ask him how he knew it was a female—it was intuition, okay?
A few hundred meters away from Luo Qiao and the two cubs, an adult female cheetah stopped in her tracks. She first looked at Luo Qiao, as if assessing him, and then froze when she saw the two cubs beside him.
This female cheetah, named Hida, was eight years old. She had recently given birth to three cubs, but they were killed by lions while she was out hunting. This was already Hida's third attempt at raising cubs, but so far, only one female cub had survived to adulthood.
It wasn't that Hida wasn't diligent or that her hunting skills were poor. In the harsh competitive environment, cheetah cubs were simply the hardest to raise. However, the territory of the Oros lion pride was relatively good, as there were few hyenas here, greatly reducing the threat to cheetah cubs.
But it wasn't absolute. For example, Luo Sen and Luo Rui's mother had been killed by a lone male hyena.
Hida could confirm that the cheetah on the termite mound was a male, an evolved one like herself, and quite young. But she was shocked to see two cubs accompanying him.
Male cheetahs sometimes lived in groups, but it was impossible for them to be accompanied by such young cubs.
Were they his brothers? Clearly not!
So, was he raising them?
Hida suddenly remembered a rumor she had heard before—about an evolved male cheetah raising two cubs. She had thought it was just a joke, but now she was seeing it with her own eyes.
However, Hida had no time to dwell on Luo Qiao and the two cubs. She had come here purely to escape the pair of evolved cheetah brothers.
The one named Jairo had been relentlessly pursuing her for days.
Hida was certain that Parson had no interest in her, but as long as Jairo didn't give up, the brothers would keep chasing her until they got what they wanted.
Hida had just lost her cubs and wasn't ready to raise another litter yet.
Hida and Luo Qiao quietly observed each other for a while, maintaining a cautious distance. Only when they were sure neither had any intention of attacking did they both relax.
Luo Qiao hadn't marked his territory, mainly because he had a lingering fear of leaving scent marks. Hida, on the other hand, was nervous about intruding into a male cheetah's area.
Just as Hida was about to quietly leave, two male cheetahs appeared. They had been following her scent and had finally caught up.
Luo Qiao recognized them—Parson and Jairo. It suddenly dawned on him that Parson had once mentioned their territory overlapped with Oros's. He must be in that overlapping area now.
Parson and Jairo also noticed Luo Qiao. Parson wanted to approach and greet him, while Jairo was clearly more interested in Hida.
What else could male cheetahs chasing a female cheetah be for? Luo Qiao quickly understood. However, what happened next nearly made him question his initial assumption.
The two male cheetahs suddenly accelerated when they were less than a hundred meters away from Hida. When they caught up to her, Hida immediately lay down, assuming a submissive posture.
Then, the two males began leaping around her. Amid Hida's cries, Parson's movements seemed half-hearted, while Jairo was full of enthusiasm, even occasionally swatting Hida with his paw!
Hida didn't hold back either. Seeing the brothers' attitudes, she outright ignored Parson and directly swiped at Jairo with her claws, kicking and scratching. Eventually, she stood up, forcefully pushed Jairo away with her front paws, and sat down, continuously vocalizing.
Luo Qiao was stunned. Was this not courtship but some kind of feud?
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