Become a Cheetah
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Gama had been severely injured by the hyenas, and fleeing with Tata had worsened her condition.
The scent of blood could easily attract other predators.
Luo Qiao knew that to avoid unnecessary trouble, he had to quickly treat Gama's wounds and find a hidden place to keep her safe.
The open grassland offered few hiding spots, and he couldn’t just stash Gama in a warthog burrow. The only suitable place was the rocky hill at the center of his territory.
Luo Qiao carried Gama as he walked ahead, with the three young cheetahs following behind. Tata's mood had improved somewhat, and Luo Sen and Luo Rui continued to comfort him.
When Aisha was killed by hyenas, they were less than three months old. The helplessness and fear from that time were still deeply etched in their memories. Without Luo Qiao, they would have likely died—either from starvation or at the hands of other predators.
Seeing Gama and Tata was like looking at their past selves.
"Don’t worry, your mom will get better."
Luo Sen walked beside Tata. At nearly seven months old, the young cheetah already carried himself with confidence. Luo Rui, though similar in size to his brother, was more lively and loved to act spoiled.
Compared to Luo Sen’s straightforward comfort, Luo Rui nuzzled Tata and waved a small paw.
"Don’t worry about those hyenas! Dad will protect us!"
"Really?"
"Of course! Dad is amazing. He’ll chase them all away!"
Luo Qiao, walking ahead, stumbled and nearly dropped Gama. Kids, do you think hyenas are little monsters that can be chased away so easily? Even if hyenas were little monsters, your dad isn’t some superhero…
"But your dad lost a fight to my mom…"
"That doesn’t mean my dad isn’t strong! Dad was once bitten by a lion but still managed to escape! And he’s killed hyenas before!"
Tata tilted his head. "Really that strong?"
Luo Rui puffed out his chest. "Of course, absolutely!"
Gama, who had clearly overheard the conversation, looked at Luo Qiao with increasing suspicion. Her expression seemed to say: Did this guy really escape from a lion? Did he really kill hyenas? Or is he just boasting to his kids to save face?
"Listen, losing a fight doesn’t mean I’m not tough!"
Luo Qiao lifted his head proudly.
"At least my escape skills are top-notch! Want to compare notes?"
Gama silently turned her head away. Is this really something to brag about? Fine, it was her fault for taking a young cheetah so seriously.
As for the 'tough guy' comment, let’s just forget about that.
The rocky hill at the center of Luo Qiao’s territory was formed by dozens of massive boulders. The gaps between the rocks created natural caves. Near the base, a flat rock protruded, forming a secluded space hidden by tall, dry grass. From the outside, it was nearly impossible to spot, but from inside, the view was wide and clear.
Luo Qiao had already scouted the area. He had originally planned to use this spot as a resting place for himself and the two young cheetahs, but now he had to let Gama stay here to recover.
Luo Qiao set Gama down, and Tata immediately ran to her side, nuzzling her and checking on her injuries. Luo Sen and Luo Rui followed Luo Qiao as he used his sharp claws to cut dry grass and spread it over the floor of the cave. Then he carefully placed Gama inside.
"Stay here for now. I’ll go find some medicinal herbs."
Luo Qiao took Luo Sen and Luo Rui with him. Although he had helped Gama, that didn’t mean he fully trusted her. He was sure Gama felt the same way. Letting his children stay with a cheetah he wasn’t familiar with? Only a fool would do that.
In the animal world, things were straightforward. Luo Qiao simply called Luo Sen and Luo Rui to follow him, while Gama kept Tata close by her side, not allowing him to follow Luo Qiao.
Well, everyone made their intentions clear. Simple and direct.
Luo Qiao only had a basic understanding of medicinal herbs. At most, he knew a few common ones that could stop bleeding and reduce inflammation. Using them on himself was one thing, but applying them to Gama required extra caution.
After all, she was a female, even if she was a tough one who liked to hit people…
After briefly treating Gama’s wounds, Luo Qiao had to go hunting again. With two more mouths to feed, the cheetah father felt the weight on his shoulders grow heavier.
Luo Sen and Luo Rui continued to follow Luo Qiao wherever he went, unconditionally supporting whatever he did.
Surprisingly, Gama and Tata also followed behind Luo Qiao.
"You need to rest. Don’t move around too much."
"Ah ah ah!"
"You insist?"
"Ah ah!"
"Alright."
Gama’s insistence on following wasn’t without reason.
The waterhole Luo Qiao was heading to was quite far from the rocky hill where Gama was hiding. If he caught larger prey, there was no way he could drag it all the way back for Gama and Tata.
If it were a lion or a leopard, they could eat part of the prey to lighten the load before bringing it back. But cheetahs only ate fresh meat, and Luo Qiao didn’t feel right giving leftovers to Gama.
Fortunately, Gama’s wounds had been treated enough that walking wasn’t a problem. Though she couldn’t match Luo Qiao’s speed, keeping up with him wasn’t an issue.
Leaving Luo Sen and Luo Rui in the shade of a distant tree, Luo Qiao crouched under the scorching sun near the waterhole. He knew hunting twice in the same place in one day wasn’t wise and could alert the territory’s owner. But he needed food and had no choice but to take the risk.
Patience doesn’t always pay off, but impatience almost always leads to nothing.
Just as Luo Qiao was about to faint from the scorching sun, a few gazelles appeared in his line of sight. He couldn’t be sure if these gazelles were part of the herd he had encountered earlier, but he was certain of one thing, dinner was within reach.
Luo Qiao fixed his gaze on his prey, not daring to make a sound, afraid that the meal he was so close to catching might slip away. The gazelles’ sixth sense told them something was off, but their parched throats drove them to the waterhole to drink.
Luo Qiao knew it was time, either he would rush out and catch one, or he would go hungry again.
The gazelle he had locked onto was less than twenty meters away. Luo Qiao burst out of the grass like a bolt of lightning, charging straight toward the female gazelle he had targeted.
A cheetah at full speed could cover seven or eight meters in a single stride. Gazelles were almost as fast as cheetahs, and their sharp turns were their key to survival.
For a moment, it seemed the gazelle might escape, but Luo Qiao accurately predicted the direction of its turn. At top speed, he stretched out a front paw and tripped the gazelle. It seemed simple, but it required extreme balance and coordination.
One misstep, and Luo Qiao wouldn’t just miss his prey, he could break his own leg.
The gazelle struggled to get up, but Luo Qiao clamped his jaws around its neck and pinned it to the ground.
Luo Qiao dragged the dead gazelle into the tall grass. Gama and Tata arrived soon after, and the cheetahs immediately began to eat. Luo Qiao stood to the side, panting heavily and keeping an eye out for scavengers.
After a few bites, Gama took over Luo Qiao’s role, and the two adult cheetahs silently agreed to let the young ones eat more. Fortunately, the gazelle was large enough to fill the stomachs of all five cheetahs.
Vultures began circling overhead, announcing to all predators that there was a free meal available.
The cheetahs quickened their pace. They had to eat as much as they could before hyenas or other predators showed up.
However, the first to arrive wasn’t a hyena but the owner of this territory—a male leopard.
Gama didn’t recognize this leopard, but Luo Qiao knew him all too well.
In fact, as far as Luo Qiao was concerned, running into Monty was no better than running into hyenas.
The moment Monty appeared, Gama immediately shielded Tata behind her. Monty glanced at her casually before fixing his gaze on Luo Qiao. He stared until Luo Qiao felt thoroughly uncomfortable, then finally spoke.
"A female, huh?"
The atmosphere grew awkward.
Luo Qiao opened his mouth, unsure how to respond. Why did he feel like Monty looked like someone who had just caught their partner openly cheating?
This was terrifying. How could he even think such a horrifying thought? It must be the sun getting to him!
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Meanwhile, the Oros lion pride had been doing well lately. The eleven lion cubs were growing stronger under the careful care of the lionesses. They were playful, loved to roughhouse, and often rubbed their heads against the adult lions to show affection and respect.
Only in a lion pride, where family units raised their young together, would the cubs remain under the pride’s care and protection until they were two years old.
While the cubs lived carefree lives, the lion king Oros had been feeling bored lately. His plan to take advantage of the Hosby pride’s turmoil had been ruthlessly shut down by the lionesses, and the hyena clan within his territory was too weak to pose a challenge. He couldn’t even find an opponent to fight.
Even when a large number of rogue lions flooded into the Hosby pride’s territory, none dared to cause trouble for the Oros pride.
The mighty lion king, with nothing to do, could only sleep all day.
One of the cubs approached Oros, waving a small paw in front of the lion king’s eyes to confirm he was asleep. Seizing the opportunity, the cub tried to climb onto Oros’s back, only to be promptly grabbed by Tini.
The cub was, of course, scolded. While the lionesses doted on their young, they didn’t hesitate to discipline them when they went too far.
They could all see that Oros was utterly bored lately, and his temper was bound to be short. Perhaps sending him out to patrol the territory and pick a few fights would be a good idea.
Rumor had it that among the three new kings of the Hosby pride, there was a prime-aged evolved lion. Surely this lion wouldn’t let Oros stay bored for long.
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🤣🤣 got caught sharing food with female what will Mr Monty the leopard do?
ReplyDeleteThank you for the chapter