Become a Cheetah
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Luo Qiao felt a momentary temptation. If he lived with Parson and Jairo, whether in terms of food or safety, it would be much more secure than surviving alone on the savannah with two cheetah cubs.
However, Luo Qiao did not agree immediately. Things were not that simple.
Male cheetahs without blood relations might form alliances and live together for certain reasons, but he had never heard of an alliance where one would help raise the other's cubs.
Moreover, as the cubs grew, their appetite would increase, and now, during the dry season, food was scarce. Luo Sen and Luo Rui could easily become a burden.
Additionally, there was already a competitive relationship between them and Parson and Jairo. Food, mates—these could all become points of conflict.
There was no blood relation to serve as a buffer between them.
Perhaps this was overthinking it. Parson and Jairo might accept Luo Qiao, and they might even accept Luo Sen and Luo Rui, but Luo Qiao was unwilling to take the risk.
As Luo Qiao used his paw to rub the round bellies of the cubs, he shook his head.
Luo Qiao's refusal surprised Parson. Jairo, on the other hand, flicked his tail. His brother never listened to advice. He had told him before that, as a wild animal, subtlety and hints were not suitable.
Sure enough, the other party didn't understand what his brother meant by proposing to live together.
"Won't you reconsider?"
"No, thank you for your kindness."
Luo Qiao lay down on the grass, looking lazy. A well-fed big cat could appear quite harmless.
Parson did not press further, but he had no intention of giving up. Since this evolved cheetah didn't understand his hints, he would be more direct.
Perhaps Jairo was right, since they were wild animals, they should follow the rules of the wild.
Jairo watched as Parson stood up and walked over to Luo Qiao. He instinctively followed. The two brothers had been together since birth, and their understanding of each other ran deep.
It seemed his brother was done playing the subtle game.
"What's wrong?"
Luo Qiao looked up. The two cubs in his arms were already drowsy, oblivious to Parson and Jairo's approach. However, Luo Qiao noticed the change in Parson's demeanor. Looking into Parson's amber eyes, he suddenly had a bad feeling.
Luo Qiao stood up as quickly as possible, waking the two cubs and urging them to run away.
"Parson?"
Parson remained silent. He slowly approached Luo Qiao, lowering his head slightly. He looked as if he were staring at prey, but the fur on the back of his neck was not raised, and there was no killing intent in his eyes.
Luo Qiao felt that this scene was somehow familiar, but he couldn't recall where he had seen it before.
The two cubs also sensed that the atmosphere was unusual. They ignored Luo Qiao's tail-flicking hints and stood firmly by his side, raising the fur on the back of their necks and making small bird-like calls at Parson and Jairo.
Parson ignored them, but Jairo couldn't help but chuckle. Well, although this evolved cheetah was a bit eccentric and strange, he had certainly raised his cubs well.
But the way they looked just made him want to pin them down and give them a good rub.
Luo Qiao instinctively shielded the two cubs, staring intently at Parson. He didn't understand what Parson was trying to do, but he felt an inexplicable sense of danger.
Finally, Parson spoke, "Since you don't understand my hints, I'll be more direct."
Huh?
As soon as Luo Qiao twitched his ears, he felt a paw strike him. Parson was careful, using just enough force to make it hurt but not injure him.
Why hit him?!
Seeing that Luo Qiao still didn't understand, Parson swiped at him again. Luo Qiao instinctively wanted to dodge but suddenly remembered the two cubs behind him. He had no choice but to take the hit, falling to the ground.
The two cubs instinctively started to hide in the grass, but Parson and Jairo paid them no attention. Parson leaped high, using his tail and paws to repeatedly strike Luo Qiao. Luo Qiao tried to get up, only to be pushed back down by Jairo.
"What are you trying to do? Want to fight?!"
Luo Qiao was furious. Was this some kind of bullying?
"Fight?"
Parson stopped his movements. Standing beside Luo Qiao, who was forced to lie on his side, he lowered his head and licked the corner of Luo Qiao's mouth. "No, why would I want to fight you? I'm courting you."
What?!
Luo Qiao's ears shot up. Was his hearing failing?
"Are you joking?"
"No"
Parson seemed to find Luo Qiao's current state amusing. He continued licking him while speaking, "I don't like to joke."
Courting him? He was clearly beating him up! And it was two against one!
Jairo, as if joining in the fun, patted Luo Qiao's hind leg with his paw and lowered his head to sniff.
However, Parson shot him a warning glare, causing Jairo to take a step back and say, "You're a male too. Don't you know how to court a female?"
When Jairo mentioned females, Luo Qiao suddenly remembered the scene when he had encountered Hida before...
*#￥erwrtEW!* Luo Qiao cursed loudly, using his front paws to push Parson away while shouting, "I'm a male!"
"I know you're a male" Parson said, completely unfazed by Luo Qiao's rejection. He swiftly swiped at Luo Qiao again with his paw, "So, I'm just courting you, wanting to mate with you."
Courting? Mating? And just that?!
Luo Qiao was beyond furious. He kicked Jairo hard with his hind legs and clawed at Parson with his front paws. As the two brothers dodged, Luo Qiao flipped himself up and roared at Parson.
"Your grandpa's paw! Court my leg! Mate my head! I don't want this!"
Luo Qiao's sudden outburst startled Parson and Jairo. Before they could react, Luo Qiao had already transformed into his human form, scooped up the two equally frightened cheetah cubs, and dashed into the tall grass, leaving only a fleeting figure from behind.
At least he remembered the lesson from last time and made sure not to run off naked.
Jairo licked the corner of his mouth and asked "Brother, aren't we going to chase him?"
"..."
"Speaking of which, he's Hida's brother after all. Spicy, I like it!"
"..."
"Don't look at me like that. Can't I just joke around?"
"..."
"Really, I swear! I only like female!"
Parson turned his head away. Fine, he'd let it go this time. There would be plenty of opportunities in the future.
Jairo secretly breathed a sigh of relief. Indeed, his brother was someone who didn't act often, but when he did, it was always something shocking.
Luo Qiao ran for a while, and when he saw that Parson and Jairo weren't chasing him, he leaned against a tree, panting heavily.
"Dad, is it over?"
"Yes, it's over."
Luo Qiao put Luo Sen and Luo Rui down, patted their heads, and cursed in frustration: This damn world, these cursed big cats!
Just as Luo Qiao and the two cubs set off again, the Oros lion pride was feasting on a giraffe.
This giraffe was enough to feed the entire pride for a week. Although they could hunt buffalo during the dry season, who wouldn't prefer to save some energy and enjoy a free feast compared to dealing with sharp horns and hooves?
The lionesses, having eaten their fill, rested in the shade of a nearby tree, nursing the cubs. The cubs had already started eating meat, but lion cubs have a nursing period of six to seven months. Moreover, lionesses nurse communally, so the lionesses in the same pride didn't mind whose cubs were feeding.
Of course, the older cubs always bullied the younger ones. If the age difference was too great, the younger cubs would struggle to get any milk.
Fortunately, two-thirds of the lionesses in the Oros pride were currently nursing, which greatly increased the cubs' survival rate.
Since the dry season began, the lionesses had been doing their best to keep themselves and the cubs well-fed. Although some cubs had still died, thirteen had successfully survived so far, making the lionesses' efforts worthwhile.
"Shana, where's Oros?" Rosa asked while playing with a cub using her tail.
"He went after the hyenas."
Shana rolled onto her back on the grass, and two cubs fell asleep while nursing.
"Why look for him?" Tini walked over and lay down next to Rosa. "He'll come back when he's hungry."
"True."
"Damn it, those vultures are back again."
"It's fine. Hona will chase them away."
Rosa yawned, feeling drowsy.
Since the new hyena leader, Nabi, was killed by Oros, the entire hyena clan had fallen into chaos. The equally powerful female hyenas refused to back down, and the clan was on the verge of collapse.
Oros wouldn't miss this golden opportunity. A new round of slaughter and expulsion had begun.
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