Become a Cheetah
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At dawn, the lion pride had eaten their fill, leaving a young lioness to guard the buffalo carcass while the rest of the lions began to rest and sleep.
The energetic, round-bellied lion cubs, however, were not willing to rest. They tumbled and played together, occasionally biting the lionesses’ tails, which didn’t anger them.
A few fluffy cubs, caught up in their play, pounced near Oros. Seizing the rare moment of good mood, Oros decided to play with the cubs. Unfortunately, he didn’t control his strength well, and with one swipe of his paw, a cub was pressed flat to the ground, limbs splayed, letting out a soft cry.
Oros found this amusing and proceeded to press down the other cubs around him. The cubs stubbornly got up, only to be pressed down again, repeating the cycle several times. However, his actions annoyed the protective lionesses.
The fiery-tempered Shana and Rosa pounced on Oros, giving him a few swipes with their claws and rescuing the cubs from under his massive paws. Before the poor lion could even react, Tina roared at him, and in the end, he was kicked out of the pride.
“Since you’ve already eaten, go patrol the territory.”
Tina’s decision was final, and none of the lionesses spoke up for Oros. The helpless lion could only walk away, glancing back every few steps, leaving a pitiful figure behind.
Who would have thought? He just wanted to play with the cubs. Before, the lionesses had complained that he wasn’t patient or caring enough. Now that he showed patience and care, he still ended up beaten and bruised. Women were truly incomprehensible creatures.
With his pride in shambles, Oros began his patrol of the territory, head hanging low.
While the lions drifted into sleep at dawn, it was the start of the day for Luo Qiao and the two cheetah cubs.
Food was scarce during the dry season, and Luo Qiao had to travel far for each hunt. He could no longer leave the cubs behind and had to take them with him.
Luo Sen and Luo Rui were thrilled—they didn’t want to be separated from their father for too long. However, walking several kilometers every day with no guarantee of catching prey meant the cubs would burn too many calories, which worried Luo Qiao greatly.
As time passed, the temperature began to rise. Luo Qiao tried to keep the cubs in shaded areas, such as under trees or near rocks. But they couldn’t stop to rest for long.
Today, Luo Qiao brought the cubs to a somewhat unfamiliar place, several kilometers away from where the lion pride had hunted the buffalo. It was near a rocky canyon where, during the rainy season, a tributary of the Gansa River flowed through. Now, only a thin stream remained, with most of the riverbed exposed to the dry, hot air.
Luo Qiao had discovered this place while tracking antelopes. During the dry season, water sources were as scarce as food. Although the Gansa River didn’t dry up completely, it was infested with crocodiles. Unless absolutely necessary, Luo Qiao would never let the cubs near the river.
The stream in the canyon was clear and refreshing. The two cubs cheered and rushed to the water’s edge, their small paws sinking into the damp soil as they eagerly dipped their pink tongues into the water.
The cool water eased their thirst and the heat, lifting Luo Qiao’s spirits as well. Adult cheetahs like him could extract some moisture from their food and go without water for up to ten days. However, growing cubs needed regular meals and water. J
ust a few days without catching larger prey, and the cubs would visibly lose weight. After the scare with the lions, Luo Qiao was determined to make it up to his children.
As the trio enjoyed the rare moment of coolness, a noisy squawking shattered the peace.
Guinea fowl.
These noisy birds would alert the entire world the moment they spotted a predator. Luo Qiao usually avoided them, as they could ruin his hunting plans. But now…
Luo Qiao signaled the cubs to stay put and ran toward the guinea fowl, deliberately herding them toward a patch of grass on the other side of the riverbed. The birds fell for the trap—the first few stumbled into Luo Qiao’s makeshift snare, while the rest quickly realized the danger and fled, either flying or running away.
Luo Qiao didn’t care about the ones that escaped. He excitedly ran to the grass and pushed aside the broken stalks. Sure enough, two guinea fowl had their feet caught in the snares, while another had fallen into a crude trap, its wing pierced by a sharp stick, barely alive.
“Dad, Dad, are we eating them today?”
Luo Sen quickly ran over, with Luo Rui close behind. The two cubs watched as Luo Qiao killed the two struggling guinea fowl, while the one with the injured wing was tossed to the cubs for hunting practice.
The snares Luo Qiao had set were originally intended for rabbits and warthogs. He hadn’t expected the guinea fowl to stumble into them. Although he had never heard of cheetahs eating such birds, food was scarce now, and there was no time to complain about the type of prey. Besides, leopards ate birds, so it wasn’t too strange for cheetahs to eat guinea fowl, right?
The two cubs expertly bit down on the guinea fowl’s neck. Luo Rui, eager to take a bite, ended up with a mouthful of feathers and couldn’t help but sneeze. A few feathers floated down and landed on the cub’s head.
Luo Rui felt wronged. His large amber eyes welled up with tears as he looked at Luo Qiao and whined.
“Dad, this doesn’t taste good.”
The sight of it made Luo Qiao’s heart ache. He couldn’t help but pull Luo Rui close and nuzzle him vigorously, successfully upgrading from a doting father to a full-on fur enthusiast.
Thinking Luo Qiao was playing with him, Luo Rui immediately dropped the guinea fowl and began nuzzling and licking Luo Qiao in return. Seeing this, Luo Sen also squeezed in, and the three of them ended up in a fluffy, affectionate heap.
Luo Qiao even rolled on the ground with the cubs for a while before suddenly freezing mid-roll. Was there any difference between him and a cat now? Was there?
Instincts were terrifying…
Suddenly, a gust of wind swept over them. Before Luo Qiao could react, a strong force pressed down on him. A soft, broad paw pinned him on his back, deliberately rubbing his exposed belly.
Luo Qiao was stunned, completely stunned.
Why was this leopard here?!
“We meet again.”
“Why are you here?”
Seeing Luo Qiao’s dumbfounded expression, Monty flicked his tail in amusement. He lowered his head, his light golden eyes fixed on Luo Qiao, and said, “This is my territory. Of course, I’m here.”
It was only then that Luo Qiao remembered—leopards loved environments like this, with plenty of hiding spots and tall trees. Why hadn’t he noticed earlier?
Sniffing Luo Qiao’s scent, Monti seemed satisfied and retracted his paw.
“You looked pretty cute rolling around just now. Do it again, and I’ll let you go.”
Luo Qiao immediately felt like crying. This leopard was definitely a rogue, a big rogue!
Was there any difference between his tone and a hooligan teasing a young woman?
It was basically saying “Hey, beauty girl, give me a smile. If I’m satisfied, I’ll let you go.”
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