Become a Cheetah
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"Rosa, Shana, what are you doing?"
Just as Luo Qiao was trapped between the two lionesses, unable to move forward or backward, another lioness approached. She looked noticeably older than the first two, with a white right eye, likely blinded during a hunt.
"Aunt Tena"
Rosa and Shana became very obedient in front of this lioness. Rosa affectionately rubbed her forehead against Tena, acting like a little cub.
They seemed to have forgotten about Luo Qiao, who was still nearby. Seizing the opportunity, Luo Qiao tossed Luo Rui onto his back as well. The two little cheetahs instinctively dug their claws into Luo Qiao’s fur.
Luo Qiao winced in pain, but for the sake of his sons, he endured it!
Finally, after the three lionesses exchanged greetings, their attention returned to Luo Qiao. Compared to Shana, who openly displayed hostility, Luo Qiao had a gut feeling that the older lioness was far more dangerous. One of her fangs was missing, but it did nothing to diminish her imposing presence.
Tena looked at Luo Qiao and then at the two little cheetahs on his back. Luo Qiao was certain that, in Tena’s eyes, the three of them were already as good as dead.
The three lionesses slowly closed in on him, and Luo Qiao slowly backed away, not daring to turn and run. Lionesses weren’t slow runners, though not as fast as cheetahs, but there were three of them here!
Alright, maybe he wasn’t strong in combat, but he had brains!
Suddenly, Luo Qiao raised his right front paw and pointed toward one of the lionesses’ heads.
"Look! There’s a zebra flying in the sky!"
The three lionesses reflexively turned their heads in the direction Luo Qiao was pointing. Taking advantage of the distraction, Luo Qiao spun around and bolted! Luo Sen and Luo Rui clung tightly to his back, occasionally being flung into the air by Luo Qiao’s speed, but they didn’t make a sound.
Watching the cloud of dust left behind by Luo Qiao, the lionesses realized they had been tricked, which only fueled their anger. What had been a three out of ten desire to kill him now became a five.
"Rosa, Shana, chase him down and tear him apart!"
Tena’s voice was cold and bloodthirsty. The three lionesses charged in the direction Luo Qiao had fled.
Cheetahs were fast, few predators on the grassland could match their speed. But cheetahs had poor stamina. Luo Qiao didn’t dare push his speed to the limit, or he would die from oxygen deprivation and overheating in less than a minute.
The instinct to survive pushed Luo Qiao to perform beyond his limits. Before the lionesses could catch up, he managed to dive into a dense patch of tall grass.
He knew it was still dangerous—he could use the grass as cover to hide from the lions, but the lions could also ambush him in the grass.
But he had no other choice; he couldn’t run anymore.
Luo Sen and Luo Rui climbed down from Luo Qiao’s back. The two little cheetahs imitated Luo Qiao, crouching low to the ground.
The wind was in their favor, and the lions couldn’t catch their scent, but they could see the lions.
However, the three lionesses clearly had no intention of letting them go. They persistently searched through the grass, and Luo Qiao knew that if this continued, he and the two little cheetahs wouldn’t escape.
"Stay quiet, boys. Don’t make a sound."
Luo Qiao instructed the two little cheetahs to hide well, then ran off in another direction. The cubs’ spotted fur and soft gray manes provided excellent camouflage. As long as they stayed still, they would be hard to spot.
The lionesses saw Luo Qiao and, without thinking about where the two little cheetahs were, pounced toward him.
Luo Qiao had never imagined he would do something so reckless, but he had to protect his children. Yes, his children—from the day he found Luo Sen and Luo Rui, they had become his children!
No one could harm his children. No one!
As he ran, Luo Qiao glanced back at the lionesses, taunting them and making sure they were all chasing him before continuing to run.
Luo Sen and Luo Rui hid in the tall grass, not daring to move. The two little cheetahs huddled close together, their amber eyes fixed on the direction where Luo Qiao and the lionesses had run.
"…Brother…"
"What?"
"I’m scared."
"Don’t be."
Luo Rui pressed close to Luo Sen, his mind drifting back to the time when their mother had left them. It had been in tall grass like this, but back then, it was a pack of hyenas chasing them. The hyenas had screeched and killed their mother! Until her last breath, their mother had protected him and his brother.
"Don’t be afraid. Dad will be fine…"
Luo Sen tried to comfort his younger brother, but his trembling body betrayed him.
At this moment, the two little cheetahs could only rely on each other. In this vast grassland, without Luo Qiao’s protection, they wouldn’t survive.
Time passed minute by minute, and for the two little cheetahs, each minute felt like an hour.
Every bird that startled from the grass made them tense up.
They could only silently pray, hoping to hear that familiar voice at any moment. But even as the sun set, painting the sky with blood-red hues, Luo Qiao was still nowhere to be seen.
"Brother…"
Luo Rui’s voice was trembling, on the verge of tears. Luo Sen was also scared. When night fell, the demons they feared would return. Although the number of hyenas in the Oros lion pride’s territory was far fewer than in other places, it didn’t mean those greedy creatures would give up this area!
They had to leave!
Luo Sen stood up and licked Luo Rui’s ear. Though both brothers were afraid, they knew they couldn’t stay here at night. They had to find a hidden place to take shelter.
The two little cheetahs used the last bit of daylight to head toward a familiar place. They wanted to return to the termite mound, hoping that Dad might be waiting for them there.
Darkness finally fell, and in the night, the roar of a lion and the eerie laughter of hyenas echoed.
Luo Sen and Luo Rui didn’t stop. They kept walking until a familiar voice carried on the wind made their ears perk up.
"Brother?"
"It’s Dad! Dad!"
The two little cheetahs forgot all their fear. They called out and ran toward the direction of the voice.
Finally, near an unfamiliar termite mound, they found Luo Qiao.
Luo Qiao looked disheveled. His hind leg and tail were bitten, and if it hadn’t been for a passing elephant herd, he might have died at the jaws of the three lionesses.
After escaping, his only thought was to find the two little cheetahs as quickly as possible. He refused to think about what might have happened to them after he left. He could only believe that Luo Sen and Luo Rui were safe, waiting for him to find them.
But when he reached the tall grass where the cubs had been hiding, they were gone. He was nearly driven mad with worry. Fortunately, he didn’t smell any other predators, which helped him calm down.
On the way, a bat-eared fox told him it had seen two little cheetahs. Luo Qiao was so overjoyed that he forgot the pain in his body.
He swore he would never let the cubs chase bat-eared foxes again!
Finally, the father and sons reunited at the termite mound. Luo Qiao held the two little cheetahs tightly, choking back tears.
They were his reason to live in this world. Luo Qiao didn’t know how he could survive alone in this strange place if he lost them.
"Dad, you’re hurt?"
Luo Sen smelled the blood on Luo Qiao. For a cheetah, even the smallest wound could be fatal.
"It’s nothing" Luo Qiao pulling Luo Sen back as the cub tried to inspect his hind leg. He licked Luo Sen’s nose.
"Dad’s fine. Are you hungry? Tomorrow, Dad will catch an antelope for you, okay?"
Luo Rui leaned against Luo Qiao’s front paw, yawned, and nuzzled his chin. "Dad, as long as you’re here, that’s enough."
When Luo Sen and Luo Rui finally fell asleep, Luo Qiao shifted into his human form. He needed to tend to the wound on his leg, as it was inconvenient to do so in his cheetah form. Just as he was applying some herbs he had found, a playful voice suddenly rang in his ear.
"Hey, beautiful!"
Luo Qiao turned his head sharply toward the direction of the voice. Two tall male cheetahs stood not far away. As fellow male cheetahs, these two were noticeably larger and stronger than Luo Qiao.
Male cheetahs in groups had an easier time hunting and lived better lives than solitary ones.
The two cheetahs moved closer, getting a clearer look at Luo Qiao. One of them clicked his tongue and muttered under his breath.
"I thought we finally had a female here, but it’s just another male."
The other one, noticing Luo Qiao’s wounds "You look rough. Did the lions do this?"
Luo Qiao wasn’t sure about the intentions of these two cheetahs. Whether they were friends or foes was uncertain. On the grassland, you couldn’t assume that just because they were the same species, they were friendly.
"Don’t be so tense. We mean no harm" the cheetah who had asked about Luo Qiao’s wounds explained. Seeing Luo Qiao still on guard, he lowered his body and shifted into human form, smiling at Luo Qiao.
"My name is Parson, and this is my brother Jairo. We’re also evolved species."
Parson had amber eyes, but his hair was golden, very close to the color of his fur. He had a slender, well-proportioned build and was strikingly handsome—or even beautiful.
By any standard, he was an incredibly attractive man, or cheetah.
Well, Luo Qiao had already learned to see things entirely from a cheetah’s perspective.
Progress, indeed.
Jairo remained in his cheetah form, seemingly unimpressed by Parson’s words. He didn’t understand why his brother was being so polite to this evolved cheetah.
Based on their usual habits, any male cheetah daring to enter their territory would definitely not have an easy time. Jairo flicked his tail and glanced around boredly, eventually spotting the two little cheetahs in the grass.
Luo Sen and Luo Rui were startled awake by the unfamiliar scent. The sight of a strange male cheetah greeted them.
The two little cheetahs were terrified and immediately ran toward Luo Qiao. Their tiny claws clung to Luo Qiao’s legs as they let out bird-like chirps.
Parson and Jairo were also shocked. Watching Luo Qiao effortlessly pick up the two little cheetahs, the brothers’ eyes nearly popped out of their heads.
Is this guy really male?
Suddenly, Jairo’s ears twitched. He walked over to Parson’s side and said, "Brother, I heard there’s an evolved male cheetah in the delta who’s raising cubs. Could it be him?"
Parson pinched Jairo’s ear, seemingly agreeing with his brother’s words.
Jairo continued, "I also heard this evolved species is quite wild and loves running around naked in broad daylight!"
A vein throbbed on Luo Qiao’s forehead. He turned and glared at Jairo, then froze. He clearly saw that Parson, now in human form, was wearing a leopard-print loincloth around his waist!
Looking down at his own bare waist, Luo Qiao belatedly realized his own state of undress.
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