Become a Cheetah
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The hyenas' cries lasted throughout the night. By dawn, the grassland still echoed with their mournful howls and sharp barks.
Luo Qiao pricked up his ears and listened carefully. Luo Sen and Luo Rui nestled close to him. The cool morning, a rare moment of leisure, was disrupted by the hyenas.
"Very unusual..."
While grooming Luo Sen's fur, Luo Qiao pondered what could have happened to the hyena clan. Either they had been overthrown by force, like Nali's hyena clan, or they had been attacked by other predators. Neither scenario was good, no wonder these guys were wailing so pitifully.
Luo Sen lay on his back on the grass, his two front paws holding Luo Qiao's head. Luo Rui leaned over, rubbing against Luo Qiao's front leg. At this age, young cheetahs still loved to act spoiled.
As the temperature gradually rose, the hyenas' cries finally stopped. No matter how sad they were, life had to go on.
"Dad, the hyenas have stopped crying."
"Hmm." Luo Qiao stood up, stretched, and yawned widely. Whatever, it had nothing to do with them.
"Dad, I'm hungry. Let's go hunt."
The father and sons had only eaten two hyraxes yesterday. The meat was tough and not very tasty. Neither the two young cheetahs nor Luo Qiao had eaten their fill.
"Hmm."
Luo Qiao flicked his tail, leaped onto a nearby rock, and scanned the horizon. The vast grassland stretched in all directions, with the most prominent feature being the rocky hills in Aisha's territory.
There wasn't much to eat here, just hyraxes and lizards. Although pythons ate hyraxes, to truly fill their stomachs, they needed larger prey.
Luo Sen and Luo Rui lay beside Luo Qiao, imitating him as they looked around. Suddenly, Luo Rui pointed at a termite mound not far away and exclaimed.
"Dad, what's that?"
Luo Qiao turned to look and was also surprised. "That's an aardwolf."
"Aardwolf?"
"Yes."
"...Can we eat it?"
"..."
Luo Qiao was at a loss for words. He really wanted to cover his face with his paw. Seriously, whose cheetah cubs would want to eat an aardwolf?
Aardwolves fed on termites and were a type of small hyena. Their teeth were tiny but sharp enough to deal with cheetahs. Son, even if you're hungry, you can't go after these guys!
However, aardwolves were usually active at night and rarely seen during the day. The two young cheetahs had never seen one before. They even wanted to try rhinos, so it wasn't surprising they had the idea of eating an aardwolf.
Luo Qiao firmly told Luo Sen and Luo Rui that these creatures were not edible, not tasty, and very dangerous!
"Son, let's stick to hunting antelopes and rabbits."
Jumping off the rock, Luo Qiao led the two young cheetahs away from the fig tree ridge. Prey was scarce on the grassland during the dry season, but that didn't mean there was nothing. If they were diligent, they could still find something. However, they needed to know a few tricks.
Luo Sen and Luo Rui followed behind Luo Qiao. The tall grass obscured Luo Qiao's figure, but the bright spots behind his ears and his raised tail ensured the young cheetahs wouldn't lose him.
The three cheetahs spent the entire morning traveling. During the dry season, cheetahs often walked several kilometers a day in search of prey. To survive, they had to adapt to this harsh reality.
Luo Qiao was searching for water. Finding water meant finding prey. Before meeting Shamu, Luo Qiao had always thought that ponds and streams on the grassland would gradually dry up during the dry season. But Shamu had told him otherwise.
"Do all the animals in the delta rely solely on the Ganges River during the dry season?"
Shamu had taught Luo Qiao many things, and Luo Qiao remembered every word. It had been a great help to him.
Luo Qiao stopped and climbed onto a termite mound, carefully scanning the surroundings.
A small herd of gazelles! They were by a waterhole about five or six hundred meters away from the three cheetahs!
Luo Qiao jumped down from the termite mound, with the two young cheetahs closely following behind him. It had been a long time since Luo Qiao last hunted gazelles. As the top item on a cheetah's menu, gazelle meat was always the favorite of the young cheetahs.
During the dry season, some herbivores that did not follow the wildebeest migration would scatter across the delta, nibbling on the few remaining patches of green grass to sustain themselves while waiting for the rainy season to arrive.
Many of the animals that stayed in the delta would come to waterholes like this one to drink. Experienced predators always knew how to find traces of these prey. Luo Qiao was lucky—he had met Shamu. The knowledge Shamu had taught him was a valuable treasure for any young cheetah.
Luo Sen and Luo Rui understood very well that this hunting opportunity was hard to come by. They voluntarily stopped and hid in the grass, watching as Luo Qiao used the cover of the vegetation to approach the gazelle herd.
Luo Qiao carefully closed in on the prey. Whenever a gazelle raised its head, he would stop.
Finally, he was less than thirty meters away from his target. Suddenly, one of the gazelles sounded an alarm. Luo Qiao was sure he hadn’t startled the herd, but he had no choice, he had to launch his attack early!
The gazelle herd scattered in panic. Luo Qiao instantly accelerated to his maximum speed. The female gazelle he had targeted tried to shake him off with a sharp turn but ended up tripping over a protruding rock and breaking her leg.
Luo Qiao pounced on the gazelle, pinning her down and clamping his jaws tightly around her neck.
"Dad!"
Luo Sen and Luo Rui suddenly cried out in alarm and ran toward Luo Qiao. Luo Qiao released the gazelle's neck and turned his head. Not far away, a massive python, at least seven or eight meters long, had coiled around a male gazelle. The gazelle wasn’t dead yet, but it was only a matter of time.
Luo Qiao gasped. Could this be the python Monty had mentioned?
Luo Sen and Luo Rui were clearly frightened. They rushed to Luo Qiao's side without a second thought. Only by their father’s side could the two young cheetahs feel safe.
The python was entirely focused on suffocating the gazelle it had caught, completely ignoring Luo Qiao. Its thick body coiled tighter and tighter, and the gazelle’s bones began to crack.
"Don’t be afraid."
After calming the two young cheetahs, Luo Qiao bit down on the gazelle’s neck again. The gazelle’s cries and the scent of blood could attract other predators, so he had to kill her as quickly as possible.
Finally, the gazelle stopped struggling. Luo Qiao immediately dragged the prey into the tall grass to hide it, with the two young cheetahs following closely behind.
"Dad, what is that?"
"A python."
Luo Qiao kept his eyes fixed on the python. He was sure that as long as the python’s attention remained on the gazelle, it wouldn’t come after him or the two young cheetahs.
"Let’s eat. Don’t be scared."
Luo Qiao’s calm demeanor reassured the two young cheetahs. Luo Sen and Luo Rui trusted that if their father said it was safe, then it must be safe. Once their fear faded, their hunger quickly took over. They tore open the skin of the gazelle’s hind leg and began devouring the meat.
Luo Qiao continued to keep a close eye on the python. If he noticed anything unusual, he would immediately take the two young cheetahs and flee.
The python seemed entirely focused on its meal. After suffocating the gazelle, it began swallowing the prey headfirst. The gazelle’s body was several times thicker than the python’s, but its gaping jaws allowed it to slowly consume the prey. No matter how many times one saw it, the sight was always horrifying.
Seeing the python start to eat, Luo Qiao finally felt at ease enough to eat his own meal. Everyone was busy with their own food, and no one was bothering anyone else.
The three cheetahs wolfed down the meat. The scent of blood and the commotion of the hunt inevitably attracted scavengers. The first to arrive were the vultures, circling in the sky but hesitating to land.
Perhaps they were intimidated by the python?
Who knew.
Finally, Luo Qiao and the two young cheetahs were full. The python had also swallowed the gazelle whole. Looking at the massive bulge in the middle of the python’s body and then at the leftover skin and meat on their side, Luo Qiao had to admit—he was jealous!
The python had devoured everything, skin and bones included, while what they couldn’t finish would only end up as a feast for those freeloading vultures!
Tsk!
Luo Qiao flicked his tail and led the two young cheetahs, whose bellies were now round from eating, away from the scene. The vultures, who had been waiting impatiently, immediately swooped down in a flurry.
The place where Luo Qiao had caught the gazelle was less than five hundred meters from the border of Aisha's territory. Watching the direction in which the python slithered into the grass, Luo Qiao could confirm that this was the same big trouble that resided within Aisha's territory.
After today's meal, Luo Qiao guessed it would be another two or three months before he saw this python again.
Although the python was like a ticking time bomb in the territory, its presence also saved Luo Qiao some trouble. If they could coexist peacefully, it wouldn’t be a bad thing.
Easier said than done, though. Luo Qiao was quite troubled. Should he greet the python to establish a peaceful relationship, or should he pretend the python didn’t exist and go about their separate lives?
If he casually walked up to the python, waved a paw.
"Hi, neighbor!" would the python respond with a swipe of its tail?
The python, now moving through the grass, had no interest in cheetahs. If it were a leopard, he might have been more alert, but a cheetah? Forget it. Too skinny, all bones, and not much of a threat.
Right now, he just wanted to return to his den, lie down comfortably, and digest his meal. In three months, he would come out again to hunt his next feast. By then, the wildebeest might have returned, and perhaps he could upgrade his diet.
The encounter with the python made Luo Qiao determined. After tonight, he would explore the territory. If conditions allowed, he would settle down with the two young cheetahs. As for the python, peaceful coexistence would be ideal.
But if the python caused trouble, Luo Qiao wouldn’t mind finding a honey badger to have a "chat" with it. If that didn’t work, he would figure out a way to deal with it himself!
Meanwhile, the python, dreaming of upgrading its diet, had no idea that a cheetah was plotting against him.
On his way back to the fig tree ridge, the leopard Monty ran into trouble. A group of hyenas living near the border of the Hosby lion pride's territory attacked him.
Monty lay on a tree branch, looking down at the hyenas gathered below. He was puzzled. He was sure he didn’t know them. Had these hyenas gone mad? There was no prey around, so why were they chasing him so relentlessly?
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^Honey badgers are known for their fierce and aggressive nature, often taking on much larger animals, including snakes.
aardwolves
