Become a Cheetah
The early morning on the grassland was cold. Luo Sen and Luo Rui huddled close to Luo Qiao, and the trio of father and sons were lazily lying around, none willing to move.
Perhaps it was the habitual nature of felines; if it weren’t for the need to hunt to sustain their lives, Luo Qiao wouldn’t feel bored even if he spent the whole day doing nothing.
"Dad, what are we eating today?"
As soon as Luo Rui saw Luo Qiao stand up and stretch, he immediately squatted in front of him with shining eyes. Ignoring the disdainful look from his older brother Luo Sen, he rolled around on the grass like he was being playful.
Luo Qiao couldn’t help but extend his mischievous paw, rubbing the soft belly of the little cheetah. Seriously, was this really a cheetah? Wasn’t it just a little kitten?
The playful nature of the cubs was now fully exposed.
While Luo Qiao was gazing at the sky at a 45-degree angle with a deep expression, Luo Sen suddenly jumped onto Luo Qiao’s back, his little paws stepping all over him.
Luo Rui stopped rolling around and quickly followed his brother’s lead, climbing onto Luo Qiao as well. The two little cheetahs were no longer the skinny, malnourished cubs they had been when Luo Qiao first found them.
Now, round and fluffy, they were truly adorable.
Luo Qiao lay on the grass, letting the two little cheetahs chase and play around him, occasionally climbing onto his head. Their weight wasn’t much different from that of a house cat.
The rainy season was already halfway over. According to the memories Luo Qiao had inherited, in about three months, when the dry season arrived, most of the herbivores would migrate.
At that time, hunting would become very difficult. Although cheetahs, unlike lions, didn’t stick to a fixed territory, they also couldn’t wander around freely.
If they ventured into an unknown area without any precautions, disaster could easily strike.
The threats to the little cheetahs weren’t just from predators like lions and hyenas; they could also come from their own kind. Most of this delta was the territory of the Oros lion pride.
This formidable pride had not only driven other lion prides out of the delta but also continuously hunted and chased away hyenas. As long as Luo Qiao avoided the lion pride, he was safe here. But when the dry season came, even this safety became uncertain. Hungry lions were not to be trifled with.
"It’s time to consider some practical problems."
As the temperature gradually rose, Luo Qiao led the two little cheetahs away from the termite mound.
Today, their luck wasn’t great. After walking for a long time, they still hadn’t found any traces of an antelope herd. Luo Sen and Luo Rui had been chasing and playing around the whole way.
The two little cheetahs had been raised well by Luo Qiao, and they believed that as long as Dad was around, everything would be fine.
Luo Qiao felt a bit helpless about this. It wasn’t a bad thing for his sons to admire him, but it also put a lot of pressure on him.
By noon, Luo Qiao still hadn’t found anything.
The two little cheetahs were feeling uncomfortable under the sun. Luo Qiao led them to a shaded area under a tree, but on the grass in front of the shade, they found an ostrich egg.
Wait, was this an ostrich egg?
Luo Qiao pawed at the egg, while Luo Sen and Luo Rui, seeing an ostrich egg for the first time, were full of curiosity.
"Dad, what is this?"
"An ostrich egg."
"Oh."
The two little cheetahs didn’t know what an ostrich was, but that didn’t stop them from thinking about a more practical question.
"Can we eat it?"
"Yes, you can."
Luo Qiao nodded, but he didn’t want to eat it. The reason was simple: ostrich eggs had a strong smell. However, unable to resist the shining eyes of the two little cheetahs, Luo Qiao decided to go ahead and eat it.
Transforming back into his human form, Luo Qiao carried the ostrich egg to the shade, picked up a stone, and cracked the shell. Instantly, the two little cheetahs covered their noses and ran far away.
Luo Qiao grinned and waved at his sons.
Luo Sen and Luo Rui hid in the tall grass, shaking their little heads like rattles, refusing to come over.
Luo Qiao was at a loss.
Cheetahs were picky eaters, after all. As big cats that only ate fresh meat, they really couldn’t stand the smell of ostrich eggs. But it felt like a waste to just throw it away.
After some thought, Luo Qiao walked over to a smooth stone slab not far away. Looking at the sun, he poured the egg liquid onto the surface of the slab. With a sizzling sound, a burnt aroma replaced the originally pungent smell.
The two little cheetahs twitched their noses, while Luo Qiao was left speechless. He had just wanted to try something, but the result was surprisingly good. Was that thing in the sky the sun or a grill?
Do cheetahs even eat cooked food?
Luo Qiao tore off a piece of the fried egg and ate it himself. After a while, making sure there were no issues, he divided the rest of the fried egg between the two little cheetahs.
Sitting to the side, he propped his chin on his hand and watched the two little ones eat without even looking up. How different were evolved cheetahs from their primitive counterparts?
One ostrich egg clearly wasn’t enough to satisfy the appetites of the father and his two sons. Luo Qiao decided to keep moving forward. He remembered encountering a herd of impalas not far ahead. Although catching a full-grown one would be difficult, a young impala shouldn’t be a problem.
Not long after Luo Qiao left, two young lions emerged from the grass. Due to the direction of the wind, Luo Qiao hadn’t caught their scent and hadn’t noticed them at all.
"Brother, can ostrich eggs be eaten like that?"
Felix didn’t answer. What concerned him wasn’t how to eat the ostrich egg, but whether there was an ostrich nest nearby. If they could find it, he and Ero would be able to fill their stomachs today.
While the young lion brothers were searching for the ostrich nest, Luo Qiao finally had some good luck.
He spotted a limping male impala!
It was unclear how the impala had been injured, but it could barely stand.
Luo Qiao instructed Luo Sen and Luo Rui to lie quietly in the grass without making a sound. He lowered his body, his eyes fixed on the prey not far away, and silently began to approach it.
Sixty meters, fifty meters, forty meters, thirty meters...
Finally, just as the impala noticed Luo Qiao, he burst out from the grass like an arrow released from a bow, pouncing on the impala!
The impala’s long horns and size were more than Luo Qiao could handle, but he had another plan. With a swift swipe of his paw, he struck the impala’s injured hind leg.
As the impala stumbled in pain, Luo Qiao shifted into his human form, grabbed a nearby rock, and leaped onto the impala’s back. He then smashed the rock down hard on the impala’s head.
Blood splattered onto Luo Qiao’s face. Instinctively, he licked his lips, the warm taste of blood causing him to narrow his eyes involuntarily.
At this moment, he was no longer the civilized photographer from the human world but a beast killing for survival.
Finally, the impala stopped breathing.
Luo Qiao jumped to the ground, wiping the blood from his face with his arm. He tossed the rock aside and called for the two little cheetahs to come and eat.
The impala was too large for Luo Qiao to drag, so they could only eat as much as they could right there.
Vultures were already circling in the sky. Luo Qiao used his sharp claws to tear open the impala’s skin, letting the two little cheetahs eat first. He stood guard, keeping a wary eye on the sky and the ground for any potential threats.
Luo Sen and Luo Rui ate hungrily. Luo Qiao, catching his breath, also crouched down. In this weather, he preferred his cheetah form. The taste of blood and fresh meat stimulated his senses. Once Luo Rui was full, he took Luo Qiao’s place on watch, while Luo Sen arched his back and growled lowly at the gathering vultures.
“Ignore them,” Luo Qiao said, pressing a paw on Luo Sen’s tail. He looked up and asked, “Kids, are you full?”
“Yes, I’m full.”
“What about Luo Rui?”
“I’m full too.”
It was rare to catch such a large prey, and the three of them ate until their stomachs were round. More than half of the impala remained.
Luo Sen and Luo Rui were reluctant to leave, but Luo Qiao knew they had to go.
Felix and Ero, who hadn’t found the ostrich egg, were nearby. Luo Qiao saw them, but the two lions didn’t approach. Instead, they stayed where they were, as if afraid of something. Even the vultures, which had been waiting for a long time, seemed uneasy.
Luo Qiao sensed that something was wrong. He immediately called Luo Sen and Luo Rui to his side, looking around cautiously.
A strange scent filled the air—the scent of lions.
A massive lion with a thick mane and golden eyes appeared in Luo Qiao’s line of sight. He walked steadily toward them, his imposing figure radiating fearless power. His dark golden mane symbolized the majesty of a king.
He was the ruler of this delta, the leader of the formidable Oros lion pride.
Luo Qiao instinctively feared this giant. The lion weighed four or five times as much as he did.
“Dad…”
Luo Sen and Luo Rui, frightened, tried to hide behind Luo Qiao. Luo Qiao felt at a loss. This lion was different from the two young lions they had encountered earlier. Luo Qiao wasn’t confident he could escape unscathed in front of this one.
Oros’s gaze swept over Luo Qiao, the two little cheetahs, and the impala on the ground. Finally, his eyes settled on Fili and Elo.
“Roar~!”
The lion’s roar echoed across the sky. The young lions learned from Oros what it meant to be a king. Their father carried the same aura.
Felix and Ero instinctively showed submission, but Oros clearly wasn’t going to let them off so easily. He began to run.
The lion’s mane flew in the wind, his powerful body showcasing unmatched strength and presence.
Fili and Elo had only one thought: to turn and run. And they did just that. Luo Qiao took the opportunity to toss Luo Sen onto his back, grab Luo Rui by the scruff of his neck, and sprint in the opposite direction. But halfway, they were intercepted by two lionesses.
The lioness Rosa looked curiously at the evolved male cheetah in front of her. Wait, was he really male?
Rosa’s sister, Shana, however, looked at Luo Qiao with hostility in her eyes. Lions always excluded any competitors, even if it was a cheetah, which was quite different from their usual prey.
Just as Shana was about to pounce on Luo Qiao, Rosa let out a surprised exclamation. "He really is male!"
Shana’s legs nearly gave out, and she almost slipped to the ground.
"Of course he’s male! What are you looking at?!"
"But he’s carrying two cubs! Sister, a male cheetah with cubs! Could he be the evolved species that Tini mentioned was running naked on the grassland yesterday?"
"So what if he is? Should we just let him go?"
"Good point."
Rosa nodded, baring her fangs at Luo Qiao.
Luo Qiao looked at the two lionesses blocking his path and compared their size to his own. Once again, tears welled up in his eyes.
These days, soft and gentle girls were no longer in fashion. What people admired were muscular female.
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