Become a Cheetah
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As Oros and his pride made their way back to the center of their territory, they encountered a lone male buffalo that had been separated from its herd.
The buffalo had an injured front leg, possibly from a muscle strain or a fight with another male buffalo. It limped as it walked, and the lionesses would never let such a golden opportunity slip by.
Except for the injured Tina and Hona, who stayed behind to guard the cubs, the other ten lionesses went all out.
The injured buffalo stood no chance against this group of hungry and fierce lionesses.
Oros merely watched from the sidelines, not putting in much effort. It wasn’t until the lionesses had brought the buffalo down that he stepped forward to share in their spoils.
Male lions always had priority when it came to prey. Perhaps it was due to Oros’ earlier display of strength in killing the Hosby male, or perhaps for other reasons, but during the meal, the lionesses chose to conveniently forget about Oros and Zuwa’s little escapade.
Although Oros often didn’t mind the lionesses’ occasional swipes and kicks, the lionesses knew well when to show submission and avoid truly angering the male lion.
The entire pride feasted, and the cubs regained their energy, once again chasing and playing around their mothers and aunts. One cub became particularly fascinated with its own tail, spinning in circles like a puppy trying to catch its tail.
Oros, finding the cub amusing, playfully swatted it with his paw. He hadn’t meant to cause any harm, but the cub ended up flattened on the ground. For an adult male lion, the cubs were simply too fragile, and males often struggled to gauge the right level of interaction with their young.
Oros glanced around guiltily after seeing the cub lying motionless on the ground. Sure enough, Tini was already baring her fangs at him…
Now that the pride was safely in the center of their territory, they no longer had to worry about threats from other prides or hyenas. As a result, the mighty lion king, in the eyes of the lionesses, was once again reduced to being a freeloader.
And so, the unfortunate lion king was once again driven out of the pride.
Male lions might appear to be the rulers of their territories, but in reality, there were times when their lives weren’t much different from those of vagabonds.
Whenever the lionesses were displeased, the male lion would be unceremoniously chased out of the pride. Of course, he would still return on time for meals. Nothing could stand between a male lion and his love for meat.
As the sun climbed higher and the temperature rose, Oros found a rocky outcrop far from the pride. Behind the rocks stood an acacia tree, making it a perfect spot for an afternoon nap.
After climbing onto the rock, Oros lay down, lamenting the fickleness of his mates while also thinking about his next meal. Occasionally, images of the Hosby lionesses would flash through his mind. Well, Oros was the type to forget a beating as long as there was food involved.
What Oros didn’t expect was that, while he lounged lazily without a care in the world, three cheetahs were hiding in a bush beneath the rocks.
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Luo Qiao and his two cubs lay flat on the ground, trying their best to stay inconspicuous.
He still couldn’t understand how, after just a short nap, he had woken up to find a lion lying on the rocks above them, and not just any lion, but a familiar one.
If this male lion was here, it meant the pride couldn’t be too far away. Luo Qiao had thought the pride was still at the border of their territory, giving him and his sons a chance for some peace and quiet. He hadn’t expected the lions to return so quickly.
"Dad, what do we do?"
Luo Sen and Luo Rui no longer panicked at the sight of a lion, but they still felt an instinctive fear. Luo Qiao could only try to calm the two cubs.
Oros was too close, and while the cubs were fast runners, they were no match for an adult lion. The only chance for the three of them was to wait until Oros fell asleep and then sneak away.
Luo Qiao might have the courage to face a lioness, but he had no desire to provoke a male lion, especially this particular one.
The two cubs imitated Luo Qiao, lying flat on the ground with their chins pressed against their front legs, breathing softly. They waited quietly, watching as Oros yawned repeatedly but refused to fall asleep. Luo Qiao’s eyes were practically bulging from staring so hard.
Finally, Oros rolled over onto his back and fell asleep.
Luo Qiao twitched his ears, stood up, and crouched low as he slowly crept out of the bushes. Luo Sen and Luo Rui followed his lead, moving carefully to avoid making any noise.
Just as the three cheetahs had made it about fifty meters away, Luo Qiao glanced back and nearly lost his soul from fright.
At some point, Oros had woken up and was now standing on the rock, staring intently at the three cheetahs. The shadows from the tree canopy obscured his face, and Luo Qiao couldn’t tell what expression the lion was wearing. One thing was certain: Oros wasn’t smiling and waving them off.
Sure enough, the next moment, Oros began to descend from the rock.
"Listen, I’ll distract him. You two run to the swamp we saw yesterday and find a place to hide. I’ll come find you!"
The two cheetah cubs obediently turned around and disappeared into the tall grass. Luo Qiao kept his eyes fixed on Oros. Just as Oros picked up speed, Luo Qiao turned and ran in the opposite direction, letting out a mocking sound. In truth, even if Luo Qiao hadn’t made a sound, Oros would have chased him instead of the two cubs.
Oros had a strong impression of Luo Qiao. This evolved cheetah’s behavior was intriguing, and he had even managed to kill a hyena on his own. Oros wasn’t interested in killing him right now, he was more interested in having a bit of fun with him.
Luo Qiao had experience being chased by Oros. This male lion couldn’t be judged by normal standards, as he had incredible stamina when running. But if Luo Qiao didn’t run, he would have no chance of escaping. For now, the only option was to run.
Luo Qiao’s only advantage was that cheetahs were accustomed to being active during the day, often hunting at noon. Lions, on the other hand, were mostly nocturnal hunters. Under the scorching sun, lions preferred to sleep.
Luo Qiao tried every trick to exhaust Oros’ energy, not paying attention to the direction he was running. By the time he realized it, he had already run into a canyon.
From a distance, the canyon looked dusty and chaotic. In reality, it was just guinea fowl digging for seeds in the soil.
Luo Qiao charged into the canyon, with Oros hot on his heels. The guinea fowl scattered in panic at the sudden appearance of the cheetah and lion, their cries waking the owner of this territory.
High up in a large fig tree, a killer of the night lurked. Among the dense leaves, pale golden eyes hid a bloodthirsty aura.
Oros was getting closer and closer to Luo Qiao. In his panic, Luo Qiao scrambled up the nearest fig tree. A cheetah’s claws couldn’t retract and would grow duller with age, making them poor climbers.
But Luo Qiao, in his desperate escape, displayed astonishing bursts of strength. He managed to grip the smooth trunk of the fig tree and climbed to the top in just a few leaps.
Oros could only stand under the tree, staring up at the cheetah in frustration.
For an adult male lion, climbing a tree, especially a tall fig tree like this, was nothing short of a fantasy.
Oros circled the tree a couple of times. As long as Luo Qiao didn’t come down, there was nothing he could do. The temperature was rising, and after running for so long, the lion needed to find a shady spot to rest, or he risked heatstroke.
Moreover, he caught a whiff of a familiar, unpleasant scent. Looking around, he was certain whose territory this was. While leopards weren’t much of a threat to lions, Monty, the male leopard living near Oros’ territory, wasn’t an easy opponent. That formidable leopard had even managed to kill a male kudu.
Oros lingered for a while longer before leaving. After all, this cheetah lived within his territory. Sooner or later, their paths would cross again…
Luo Qiao lay on the tree branch, nervously watching Oros’ every move. Only when he was sure the lion had truly left did he dare to take a deep breath.
"He’s finally gone…"
"Is he now?"
Huh?!
Luo Qiao was startled. He turned his head sharply to find Monty the leopard practically lying on top of him, his front legs pinning Luo Qiao’s sides. The leopard’s whiskers and fangs were clearly visible.
Luo Qiao stiffly turned his head back, trying to convince himself this was just a hallucination. But the next moment, the sensation on his ear shattered that illusion.
Monty sniffed Luo Qiao, then licked the back of his ear, his voice as deep and magnetic as ever. "Aren’t you going to say something?"
Luo Qiao remained silent.
"If you don’t say anything, I’ll take it as your consent."
Consent to what?
Monty suddenly bit the back of Luo Qiao’s neck, pressing his body lower. Luo Qiao was startled and instinctively struggled, only then realizing how awkward their current position looked!
A thug just left from under the tree, and now I run into another thug in the tree!
Moreover, this leopard seems to be a thug just as formidable as that lion!
And I'm the target of these thugs?
What's going on?!
o0o