Become a Cheetah
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Oros was not meeting Felix and Ero for the first time. Just a few months ago, these two young lions were wandering near the borders of his territory. Now, they had transformed into the new kings of the Hosby lion pride.
Oros could tolerate the lionesses of the Hosby pride, but he would never let go of the male lions from a rival pride!
The lionesses of the Oros pride knew the nature of male lions all too well. They just wanted Oros to leave the pride and cool his head, perhaps have a fight with Nas to burn off some energy and avoid him taking out his excess energy on the cubs.
Additionally, they wanted him to completely give up on the Hosby lionesses. After all, those lionesses already had strong husbands, so what was there to long for?
However, Oros saw this as an opportunity to eliminate Nas, the only one in the Hosby pride who posed a threat to him. This way, when the rainy season came, he might have a chance to mate with the Hosby lionesses, of course, avoiding Tina and the others.
But since he had encountered these two young lions, it didn’t matter. He would deal with them first, and with Nas left alone, he wouldn’t be much of a threat. After all, it was rare for a lion as formidable as Oros to single-handedly guard a pride of twelve lionesses.
Generally, a pride with twelve lionesses would require at least four male lions to defend the territory and satisfy the lionesses’ 'needs.'
No wonder Oros boasted about his stamina to a cheetah. Without good stamina, he certainly wouldn’t be able to keep up.
Now, this male lion with great stamina but a bad temper was eager for a fight. Meeting Felix and Ero, they had walked right into the lion’s den.
“Ero, do you think we can take him down?”
“No, brother.”
“…At least think about it before answering!”
“No need to think, brother.”
“We have two lions! He’s alone!”
“Brother, not long ago, he beat us up.”
“Alright, should we run then?”
“Yes, brother!”
Oros clearly didn’t appreciate Felix and Ero’s retreat. In his mind, no matter how strong the opponent was, running away without a fight was shameful!
Just like the beliefs his father and uncles had instilled in him, a male lion survives by fighting for territory and mates! If you don’t fight, you’ll end up alone for life!
To become a successful male lion, you must know how to fight!
Oros firmly believed this and would carry it through his entire life.
Felix and Ero turned and ran without hesitation. Oros roared after them but didn’t give chase. Without a clear intention to expand his territory or provoke the entire pride, he couldn’t casually cross the boundaries between prides.
Crossing the boundary would spark a war between two prides.
The territories of the Oros pride and the Hosby pride barely overlapped, so Oros could only watch as Felix and Ero escaped.
Felix and Ero were unwilling, but they weren’t strong enough to face Oros. The only male lion in the Hosby pride who could match Oros was currently busy circling the lionesses!
In fact, Felix and Ero misunderstood Nas. He was currently locked in a fierce battle with hyenas and had no time to flirt with the lionesses. Male lions and hyenas were natural enemies, and once a fight broke out, it was a life-or-death struggle with no room for compromise.
Oros’s roar could be heard several kilometers away, a deep and powerful sound symbolizing the unshakable strength and authority of the lion king. The lionesses in Oros’s territory didn’t need to listen closely to detect the anger and dissatisfaction in his roar.
“It seems the Hosby male lions aren’t that impressive”
Hona said lazily, swishing her tail as she played with two cubs.
“Yeah”
Rosa rolled onto her back, exposing her soft belly on the grass. “It looks like they didn’t even want to fight him.”
“More like they didn’t dare”
Lemei walked over and nuzzled Hona’s head before lying down next to Rosa. “Although Oros has a bit of a temper, he’s definitely a formidable lion.”
“True, he’s mentioned his pride before. I’d love to meet his father and uncles. They must be so strong and handsome!”
“Forget it, Oros’s father is an old lion now. Can he even mate anymore?”
Tina, licking one of the cubs, chimed in, “Don’t forget, Oros is an evolved species. His father probably is too.”
“Unless he’s defeated and driven away, his father would never leave his pride…”
“What a shame.”
“Well, let’s think about where to hunt tonight. Fenny and the others have been eating more, and the buffalo are getting smarter…”
No matter how much time passed, the lionesses’ conversations always revolved around male lions, prey, and cubs.
Compared to the leisurely atmosphere of the Oros pride, the Hosby pride and the hyenas were having a tough time. Oros’s roar was not good news for either the lions or the hyenas.
The hyenas were uneasy. One male lion was enough to deal with, and now another one? Judging by the roar, it was definitely a mature male lion. The Hosby pride only had two young male lions left, right? Could there be more than three male lions? What a sneaky pride!
The lionesses were also anxious. They recognized the roar as Oros’s, and their first thought was that the Oros pride was planning to take over their territory!
This was not good news!
They were already busy dealing with the hyenas and didn’t need the Oros pride suddenly causing trouble! Although Nas had never met Oros, he had heard of him and even knew from some source that Zuwa, whom he couldn’t catch, had a soft spot for this lion.
Under normal circumstances, he would have rushed over to fight Oros immediately, but right now, he simply didn’t have the time!
Don’t ask why the lions could recognize Oros by his roar while the hyenas couldn’t. Foreign languages aren’t easy to learn, especially across species!
Monty and Luo Qiao, perched on a tree, also heard Oros’s roar. Luo Qiao had been dragged back up the tree by Monty. Perhaps due to his 'desperate resistance, Monty hadn’t done anything further to him, but he also hadn’t let him go.
Even if Monty allowed Luo Qiao to leave now, Luo Qiao would still cling to the tree. Below, a group of lions and hyenas were fighting, and going down would be suicidal!
Oros’s roar and the sudden appearance of Felix and Ero brought the brawl to an abrupt end. The hyenas weren’t confident about taking on three male lions, and the lions were worried about the safety of their territory’s borders. So, the hyenas began looking for escape routes, and the lions, in unspoken agreement, didn’t pursue them relentlessly.
After the hyenas had all left, Nas learned from Felix and Ero about their encounter with Oros.
Except for the pregnant lionesses, the other lionesses weren’t particularly worried. Since Oros wasn’t there to seize their territory, the worst outcome would be just another change in leadership.
Nas, however, immediately became more alert. He stopped following the lionesses and took over Felix and Ero’s duty of patrolling the territory borders.
The two young male lions had no objections to this. The lionesses planned to return to the center of their territory to rest and figure out what to hunt that night.
Zuwa called Felix and Ero over as well. Although these two male lions weren’t yet ready to mate, they could still help with hunting large prey.
With the lions and hyenas gone, the leopard and three cheetahs perched in the tree seemed to have been completely forgotten.
After a while, Monty licked Luo Qiao. “Although it’s a pity, I don’t like forcing things. These matters are more enjoyable when both parties are willing.”
Luo Qiao turned his head, looking at Monty with suspicion.
“Don’t look at me like that. I won’t do anything to you anymore.” Monty chuckled and nuzzled Luo Qiao’s head.
“Of course, if you want to continue, I’d be more than happy.”
Bugh!
That swipe of the paw was Luo Qiao’s answer.
Monty licked his paw and swiftly climbed down from the tree. He looked up at Luo Qiao “I’ll let you off this time. Next time, you won’t be so lucky.”
With that, he turned and disappeared into the tall grass.
Luo Qiao, still holding the two cheetah cubs, was a bit stunned. Just like that, he was gone?
“Son, bite me. Let’s see if I’m dreaming.”
Luo Sen and Luo Rui were obedient children. Each of Luo Qiao’s front paws got a bite, and he confirmed it, this wasn’t a dream!
“Great!”
“Dad…”
Luo Sen’s call interrupted Luo Qiao’s celebration. The cheetah father looked down at Luo Sen.
“What?”
“How do we get down?”
Luo Qiao was instantly brought back to reality. He looked at the two cubs, then estimated the distance from the treetop to the ground. Once might be a coincidence, but twice… Could it be that the leopard had deliberately left him stranded in the tree?
Monty, walking through the grass, twitched his ears. Thinking about the cheetah stuck in the tree, he couldn’t help but laugh. When it came to pursuing a mate and mating, male leopards were quite 'gentlemanly.'
If the other party wasn’t willing, they had plenty of patience.
In the end, things would always go their way.
Luo Qiao, unaware of all this, was busy struggling with the tree trunk. He managed to slide down halfway, then, after gauging the distance, he took a deep breath and jumped from several meters up.
Shaking his head to clear the dizziness, Luo Qiao immediately shifted forms and opened his arms.
“Come down slowly. I’ll catch you.”
Though Luo Sen and Luo Rui were scared, their trust in Luo Qiao gave them the courage to try. Their sharp claws made the descent easier than it had been for Luo Qiao, but halfway down was their limit. Luo Qiao had to let them jump.
Fortunately, the cheetahs’ light bodies and quick reflexes allowed him to safely catch both cubs. Holding the fluffy little cheetahs in his arms, Luo Qiao finally let out the breath he’d been holding.
The night on the savannah was far more dangerous than the day. Luo Qiao knew they couldn’t stay here long. He had to return to his territory immediately. The two cubs wanted to walk on their own, but Luo Qiao insisted on carrying them.
Luckily, before Monty had brought them here, they had eaten some gazelle meat. Luo Qiao ran across the grassland with the two cubs in his arms, and they made it back to the rocky hill at the center of Luo Qiao’s territory before sunset.
Unexpectedly, they ran into Gamma and Tata there.
Gamma: “Ahhhh!” You’re back. Looks like you’re fine.
Luo Qiao: “…”
Gamma: “Ahhhh? Ahhhhhhh.” Was the leopard good? I heard their mating lasts four or five days. I thought I wouldn’t see you for a while.
Luo Qiao: “…”
Gamma: “Ahhhh?” Why aren’t you talking? Too sore to speak?
Luo Qiao: “…”
Gamma: “Ahhhhh!” See, whether it’s leopards or cheetahs, males are all the same!
Luo Qiao finally spoke up: “I’m a male too.”
Gamma: “Ahhhh.” You’re different.
Luo Qiao sighed deeply. He took a deep breath. He couldn’t bully an injured one! He had to endure!
Gamma: “Ahhhh?” Come lie down. Do you want me to take a look?
Luo Qiao’s forehead twitched. He couldn’t take it anymore! Injured or not, to hell with it!
Luo Qiao shifted forms and pounced at Gamma. Unsurprisingly, he was swatted away.
Gamma: “Ahhhh!” Behave!
He pounced again, and again he was swatted away.
He tried once more, and once more he was swatted away.
Gamma licked her paw and swished her tail, clearly saying: Want to try again?
So, Luo Qiao behaved.
Luo Sen and Luo Rui had already huddled up with Tata. The three cheetah cubs put their heads together, whispering. Then, Tata dragged a hyrax out from the grass. The hyrax was still alive but severely injured and barely breathing.
“Mom caught this for you to eat.”
Luo Qiao immediately looked at Gamma, but Gamma turned her head away, not even giving him a glance.
“But your mom is injured, isn’t she?”
“Mom found this.”
Tata pointed to a patch of thorns for Luo Sen and Luo Rui.
“Last time, a female cheetah asked Mom for directions. Later, we saw her again, and she told Mom about these thorns. On the way back, Mom saw them and used them to catch two hyraxes. We ate one, and the other is for you and your dad. Mom said that if it weren’t for your dad treating her wounds and catching antelopes for us, she wouldn’t have had the strength to catch the hyrax, even with the thorns.”
Hearing Tata’s words, Luo Sen and Luo Rui looked at Luo Qiao with hearts in their eyes. Luo Qiao, who had been beaten down repeatedly, finally felt a bit of his spirit restored.
Watching the two cubs start eating the hyrax, Luo Qiao walked over to Gamma and tentatively touched her with his paw.
“Thank you.”
Gamma turned her head to look at Luo Qiao, called out once, then called Tata over to her side and ignored him again.
After Luo Qiao and the two cubs finished eating the hyrax, they threw the remains far away and cleaned up the blood on the ground, covering it with dry grass.
This type of grass had a special scent—not pungent, but effective at masking the smell of blood.
Tata had already fallen asleep. Luo Qiao wanted to take Luo Sen and Luo Rui to the other side of the rocky hill, but Gamma stopped him. Luo Qiao wanted to say that males and females shouldn’t be too close, but Gamma licked Tata’s ear.
“Ahhhhhhh.” Forget it. You’re already tangled up with a male leopard. What’s the point of worrying about male and female boundaries now?
Luo Qiao: “Ahhhhhhh!” Nothing happened between me and that male leopard!
Gamma: “Ahhh. Ahhhhh.” No need to explain. Explaining is just covering up. I get it. Go to sleep now.
Luo Qiao was speechless. Countless wrongful convictions were formed just like this.
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