Become a Cheetah
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The standoff between Luo Qiao and the leopard Monti was interrupted by an unexpected visitor.
The newcomer was a male brown hyena. Due to the relentless efforts of the Oros lion pride to hunt and drive away hyenas within their territory, the spotted hyenas, who usually lived in groups, found it extremely difficult to survive on this grassland.
Their numbers had been decreasing, and they no longer posed a significant threat to the lion pride. Unlike the spotted hyenas, who had been driven away in groups, the solitary brown hyenas and the highly adaptable striped hyenas could still find a place to survive here, though it was not easy.
Without the protection of a group, leaving their birthplace and growing grounds recklessly made them vulnerable to attacks from their own kind. At least their smaller numbers made them less of a target compared to the spotted hyena groups. As long as they carefully avoided the lion pride, they could still survive.
Oros had ruled this lion pride for quite some time. Although he was in his prime, there would inevitably come a day when he would be killed or driven away by younger, stronger male lions.
The hyenas had never before looked forward so eagerly to the arrival of other male lions. However, they were completely unaware that the newcomers would most likely continue Oros's reign of terror.
After all, for the lion pride, the only real threat came from the hyena groups. Lions inherently believed that hyenas were a nuisance that needed to be eliminated or driven away. This was also one of the reasons why male lions killed hyenas but did not eat them.
The brown hyena that appeared before Luo Qiao was named Ban Ke. At three years old, he was considered a young adult among male hyenas. However, finding a mate on this grassland was not easy.
The vast territory ruled by the Oros lion pride was hardly a good place for hyenas to settle down and thrive. Ban ke's mother was an evolved species. Although hyenas looked different from the big cats, they indeed shared a common ancestor.
However, the big cats had never acknowledged hyenas as their "kin," simply because hyenas' appearance was, frankly, not very appealing.
The big cats, especially lions, known for their elegance and strength, deeply despised their 'close relatives' the hyenas.
Oros had once declared that he would kill and drive away all the hyenas on this grassland. Although the likelihood of this happening was slim, it accurately reflected the lions' attitude toward hyenas.
Ban ke had inherited his mother's genes, but he never liked to appear in his other form. The big cats would only mock him, drive him away, and seize any opportunity to kill him.
Ban ke absolutely did not want to end up like his mother, killed by a male lion!
Ban ke had also been drawn by the scent of blood in the air. After listening carefully and confirming that there were no lions nearby, he realized this was an opportunity.
Aside from lions, Ban ke was not afraid of other predators, but he still needed to be cautious. Discovering a leopard and three cheetahs, two of which were cubs, guarding the wildebeest carcass, Ban ke began to count his blessings.
He completely disregarded Luo Qiao and the two cheetah cubs. The only one that concerned him was the male leopard.
This was Ban ke's first encounter with a male leopard. They were more elusive than female leopards and extremely difficult to deal with. If possible, Ban ke did not want to provoke this male leopard. However, he was determined to get his hands on the dead wildebeest. He hadn't eaten in three days.
Luo Qiao observed the hyena before him. This was not the spotted hyena he was familiar with but a slightly smaller species. These solitary brown hyenas were not numerous, but they were equally fierce.
It seemed like trouble kept piling up. Luo Qiao could only pray that the hyena's goal was just the dead wildebeest. Or, if the brown hyena and the leopard got into a conflict, maybe he could seize the chance to slip away with his cubs?
Leopard Monti, however, paid no attention to the appearance of hyena Bank. His focus remained on Luo Qiao. Noticing that Luo Qiao seemed to be scheming something, Monti's amber eyes gleamed faintly in the night. The frequency of his tail swishing increased, though his expression remained unchanged.
Well, expecting a leopard to have a rich range of expressions was indeed strange. As for that expressive cheetah Jairo, he could be considered a genetic mutation.
Ban ke cautiously took a few steps forward. He planned to drive away the three cheetahs first. In the past, the two cheetah cubs might have also been his targets, but now he had better prey and didn't need to bother with the little ones.
Luo Qiao saw through Ban ke's intentions. He almost gleefully allowed himself to be driven away by Ban ke, happily leading the two cubs into the tall grass.
As he ran, he pretended to look back, putting on a show of reluctance and resentment. This level of emotional expression was truly Oscar-worthy in the cheetah world.
As for leopard Monti, he simply sat in place, watching Luo Qiao and the two cubs disappear into the tall grass. He had already memorized Luo Qiao's scent. If he wanted to find him, this evolved male cheetah would not be able to escape.
As for the hyena who had suddenly appeared and disrupted things...
Monti looked down at the naive creature, who was lowering its neck and trying to scare him off with growls and threatening gestures. He stood up. Although he didn't like causing trouble, this arrogant hyena needed to be taught a lesson. He had to make it clear that aside from lions, there were other things this hyena should fear!
Ban ke paid the price for his greed and arrogance that night. Although leopards were not as strong as lions and their bite force was inferior to hyenas, their incredible agility, sharp fangs, and claws were deadly weapons hidden in the night.
Bank's spine was broken.
Monti didn't bother biting Ban ke's neck. Only lions had the strength to bite through a hyena's thick neck muscles. Monti preferred to watch these dirty, greedy creatures flail helplessly on the grass until they died.
Watching the severely injured Ban ke slowly move his body, as if trying to escape his fate, Monti lost interest in the game. He walked over to the wildebeest carcass, lay down, and filled his stomach before the lions arrived.
The remaining meat was left behind. Although he could have dragged the wildebeest away, he chose not to. It was too much effort. The scent of lions was already in the wind, and with food plentiful, Monti had no intention of clashing with the pride over a meal.
Not long after Monti left, the lion pride arrived.
It consisted of twelve lionesses and eighteen cubs. Oros followed behind the group. Due to his indiscretions, after being attacked by four lionesses, including Shana, he was further disciplined by the remaining eight, led by Tina. Now, Oros was doing his best to please his wives, even being unusually kind to the cubs.
The lionesses and cubs gathered around the wildebeest. The cubs had already tasted meat, and although they were still nursing, their carnivorous instincts were beginning to show.
Oros was not hungry tonight. His gaze fell on Ban ke, who was still lying in the grass, clinging to life.
"It was the leopard's doing"
Shana walked over and used her claws to nudge Ban ke, leaving a few sharp scratches on the hyena's body. Oros, however, didn’t care who had done it. He bit down on Ban ke’s neck, ending the hyena’s suffering.
The lionesses indulged him, while the cubs were entirely focused on the wildebeest.
In the dark grassland night, no one could truly control their fate. A confident predator could easily fall victim to the sharp teeth and claws of another in the next moment.
Bank was just a sacrifice to this rule of survival, not the first, and certainly not the last.
Luo Qiao led the two cheetah cubs through the tall grass and returned to the termite mound where they had rested during the day. This would likely be their last night at this mound.
With two cubs in tow, Luo Qiao couldn’t stay in one place for too long. They usually had to move every week or so. Otherwise, the scent of the cubs could attract lions, hyenas, or even male baboons with their sharp teeth.
It was hard to believe that cheetahs could fear baboons, but it was indeed true. Luo Qiao had witnessed it himself, a male baboon leader had caught a young impala and devoured the poor creature alive.
Although Luo Qiao was also a predator, he always ended his prey’s life quickly. The young impala, however, had suffered a long and painful death before its cries finally ceased.
It was brutal.
To survive, Luo Qiao would continue to take lives, but he would never treat his prey in such a manner.
"Dad?"
Luo Sen and Luo Rui lay beside Luo Qiao, still shaken from the earlier ordeal. Fortunately, they were full and had escaped safely. With Luo Qiao by their side, they could sleep peacefully tonight.
"Hmm, do you want a story?"
"Yes!"
At Luo Qiao’s words, Luo Sen and Luo Rui’s eyes lit up simultaneously. Luo Qiao licked Luo Rui, who was lying on his front legs, and began the bedtime story.
Perhaps luck, good or bad, always comes in cycles.
After narrowly escaping from lions and a leopard, Luo Qiao’s fortune finally turned. Over the next few days, Luo Qiao and the two cubs fared well. They didn’t encounter any other predators and always managed to catch prey.
The two cubs had already improved their hunting skills under Luo Qiao’s guidance. Although they couldn’t yet participate in actual hunts, they would chase the young antelopes Luo Qiao caught and bite their necks until the prey took its last breath.
Luo Qiao noticed their imitation of him. Unless necessary, he rarely used his human form for hunting. Only when dealing with particularly troublesome prey would he occasionally resort to it.
Luo Sen and Luo Rui were eager learners, but they still struggled to judge the size and aggressiveness of their prey. Once, the two cubs even set their sights on a honey badger, which made the fur on Luo Qiao’s neck stand on end.
Was a honey badger easy to deal with? That creature could even kill a python!
After reiterating the importance of identifying prey species to the cubs, Luo Qiao began to wonder how other mother cheetahs taught their young. Were his two cubs just special?
However, he couldn’t exactly exchange parenting tips with other mother cheetahs. If he ventured into the territory of a mother cheetah raising her own cubs with his two in tow, he would undoubtedly be in for a beating.
After finishing the day’s hunting lesson, the two cubs were hungry. They started circling Luo Qiao, rolling around and acting cute, begging him to go catch something.
Luo Qiao was so charmed that he practically drooled. He pounced on his sons, giving them a good rub, and began planning where to find an antelope herd today. Unexpectedly, a porcupine wandered into his line of sight.
A porcupine…
Luo Sen looked at the porcupine curiously. "Dad, can we eat that?"
Eat a porcupine?
Do cheetahs eat porcupines?
Well, lions eat porcupines, so maybe cheetahs can too.
Luo Qiao twitched his ears and glanced at the two cubs. Although the porcupine was covered in quills, catching it wouldn’t be too difficult. Considering that the two cubs were evolved species, perhaps he shouldn’t strictly adhere to primitive hunting methods. Teaching them how to use tools might not be a bad idea.
Luo Qiao instructed the two cubs to block the porcupine’s path while he searched for sharp, dry branches nearby. The porcupine, unaware of its impending doom, thought its quills would protect it. It raised its spines, posturing threateningly at the two cubs.
The cubs didn’t dare to approach. They remembered Luo Qiao’s teachings: block the porcupine, be careful of its quills, and avoid getting hurt.
By the time Luo Qiao returned, the cubs and the porcupine were still in a standoff.
Luo Qiao shifted into his human form, holding the dry branches. He quietly approached the porcupine from behind and, while the cubs distracted it, drove the branch into the porcupine’s body.
The porcupine died instantly. The two cubs cheered and eagerly flipped the porcupine over. Luo Rui accidentally pricked his paw on one of the quills, but fortunately, he wasn’t injured.
Luo Qiao dragged the porcupine under the shade of a tree. With the canopy above, vultures would have a harder time spotting the prey.
The trio enjoyed a rare, undisturbed lunch.
Leopard Monti lay lazily on a fig tree, yawning as he watched the scene unfold.
This evolved cheetah was truly fascinating. It seemed his days ahead would not be boring.
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