Become a Cheetah
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The arrival of the baboons seemed to signal that the area within five hundred meters of the waterhole was no longer safe for the young cheetahs.
While nocturnal predators could be avoided, the baboon troop, active during the day like the cheetahs, posed a significant threat.
To make matters worse, this baboon troop wasn’t just passing through. They had turned the area near the waterhole into another feeding ground.
There was water, grass seeds that were hard to find during the dry season, and even a marula tree!
Elephants loved the fruit from this tree, and so did the baboons.
“Do we have to move again?”
Luo Qiao handed the captured hare to the young cheetahs. The hare wasn’t very big, and it wasn’t even enough to fill the stomachs of the three young cheetahs.
Luo Qiao and Gamma didn’t take a single bite.
Gamma was also worried about the arrival of the baboons. Unlike Luo Qiao, she could take Tata back to her own territory. If Luo Qiao left, it would mean abandoning this territory, which could easily be taken over by other cheetahs.
“Don’t worry about that”
Luo Qiao shook his head. “There’s a giant python living here.”
“What?!”
“Don’t worry. It recently ate an antelope, so it probably won’t come out until the rainy season.”
Hearing Luo Qiao’s words, Tata was just as surprised as Gamma. She licked the blood off her face and said to Luo Sen and Luo Rui, who were still busy eating.
“Aren’t you worried about living with a python?”
“Why should we be?”
Luo Rui replied while tearing into the hare.
“Dad said it’s a lazy creature. As long as we don’t provoke it, there’s nothing to worry about. Besides, if we ever run out of food, that thing could be our backup meal.”
“Exactly! You’ve been living with us for so long, and you haven’t seen it show up, have you?”
Luo Sen added.
“Dad said that even though it’s big, if you find the right method, you can take it down.”
Luo Rui chimed in “And it’s all meat!”
After hearing Luo Rui’s description, Tata’s eyes also lit up. If Gamma knew what these three young cheetahs were whispering about, she would probably take Tata and leave Luo Qiao and his sons immediately.
It was too dangerous, they were definitely going to grow up twisted!
In the end, the cheetahs decided to stay near the rocky hill for the time being. Gamma’s injuries hadn’t fully healed, and moving now would be an unwise decision.
Luo Qiao began to pay attention to the timing of the baboons’ visits. He made a simple sundial with a few branches. Although it wasn’t very accurate, he could roughly estimate the time by observing the shadows.
Every time the baboons arrived, he would run to check the position of the shadow and mark it. After a few times, Luo Qiao had figured out the baboons’ daily activity patterns and could now lead the young cheetahs to avoid the baboon troop.
Gamma wasn’t interested in Luo Qiao’s sundial. Everything she did was based on instinct. When Luo Qiao tried to explain it to her, Gamma simply dismissed him with a single sentence:
“Why not just look at the sun?”
Well, Luo Qiao finally understood what it meant to be lonely as snow.
The cheetahs began to avoid the baboon troop, but the waterhole’s owner, the leopard, wouldn’t let the baboons come and go as they pleased. The baboons were also a threat to Beatrix’s cubs.
The mother leopard had hidden her cubs deep within her territory. As long as the baboons didn’t cross the line, Beatrix didn’t want to confront them.
Leopards could climb trees, and so could baboons.
The baboons were equally wary of the leopard. Young baboons could become prey for the leopard, and while adult male baboons could drive away a female leopard, a male leopard wasn’t so easy to deal with.
The baboons knew this was the leopard’s territory, but they needed food and water.
Monty hadn’t shown himself. As long as the leopard didn’t want to be seen, even if he was right next to his prey, they wouldn’t notice him.
Beatrix, on the other hand, was more cautious. She kept an eye on the baboons’ movements but didn’t target them for hunting. The baboons gradually let their guard down, leaving a young male baboon as a lookout while the rest occupied the best spots near the waterhole to eat and drink.
The dominant male baboon was the strongest in the troop. He could even kill an adult cheetah, which was one of the reasons Luo Qiao and Gamma were so nervous about the baboons’ arrival.
The baboons gathered in small groups to eat. Young baboons clung to their mothers or played with other young baboons. Some male baboons tried to win the favor of the females by getting close to the young ones, though they had to be careful of the dominant male.
Everything seemed peaceful until a female dik-dik came to the waterhole to drink, accompanied by her calf.
Without warning, the dominant male baboon attacked, grabbing the calf firmly in his hands. The mother dik-dik immediately fled into the bushes.
Baboons didn’t kill their prey immediately but preferred to eat them alive. The calf’s pitiful cries lasted for a long time. Other baboons wanted a share of the meal, but the dominant male wanted it all for himself.
He carried the calf’s body to a tree some distance away from the troop, intending to enjoy his meal in peace. However, a shadow was quietly approaching him. The lookout sensed something was wrong and sounded the alarm, but it was too late.
A strong adult male leopard attacked the dominant baboon from behind. He gave the baboon no chance to escape or fight back, biting through the baboon’s spine in one swift move.
The female baboons immediately grabbed their young and fled, while the male baboons gathered together to confront the leopard that had killed their leader.
Monty paid no attention to the male baboons’ roars. The tips of his long whiskers could detect even the slightest movement of his prey. Only when he was sure the baboon had stopped breathing did he release his grip and bare his fangs at the approaching males.
The baboons retreated. The leaderless troop left in chaos, with the females particularly panicked. A new dominant male might kill their young! Monty carried his prey up his favorite tree, while Beatrix, who had remained hidden, took advantage of the confusion to catch a young baboon that had been separated from its mother.
The mother baboon realized her child was gone and let out a mournful cry. Meanwhile, Beatrix’s cubs tasted baboon meat for the first time.
The young baboons also learned an important lesson: leopards, like lions, were extremely dangerous.
The baboon troop retreated to their usual habitat. Luo Qiao didn’t know what had happened to them, but from their panicked state, it was clear something bad had occurred.
The cheetahs hid carefully in the rocky hills, watching as the large troop of baboons ran past. It was a rare sight.
Gamma kept Tata hidden in a cave, while Luo Sen and Luo Rui stayed close to Luo Qiao. They trusted that their father could protect them well.
As Luo Qiao watched the retreating baboons, a different thought began to form in his mind. He had been frustrated by the baboons for a long time, and though he didn’t want to admit it, their arrogance had provoked the young cheetah father.
When most of the baboon troop had passed, Luo Qiao spotted a golden opportunity. A female baboon and her young child had fallen behind. The mother’s leg seemed injured, bent at an odd angle, which slowed her down.
“Stay quiet and don’t make a sound.”
Luo Qiao whispered to Luo Sen and Luo Rui, then transformed and prepared to descend from the rocky hill.
“Huh?”
Gamma didn’t understand what Luo Qiao was planning to do. Luo Qiao pressed a finger to his lips and whispered, “Shh, if we’re lucky, we’ll have an extra meal today.”
The baboon troop was moving further away. The mother baboon tried to keep up with the group, but she was struggling. If the leader hadn’t died, this situation wouldn’t have happened. The young baboon clung to his mother’s back, still too small to fend for himself.
Luo Qiao followed the mother baboon from behind. He didn’t dare act recklessly. At this distance, if the mother baboon screamed, it could easily draw the troop back.
He plucked a few tough strands of dried grass and waited for the right moment. Suddenly, he quickened his pace, leaped out of the grass, and jumped onto the mother baboon’s back. With a swift motion, he wrapped the grass around her neck and tightened his grip.
Baboons weren’t like hyenas. Their flexible forelimbs could reach back and scratch Luo Qiao, or even break the grass stems. Luo Qiao used all his strength to pin the mother baboon down, ignoring the risk of being scratched. He had to finish this quickly.
The panicked young baboon ran in the direction of the retreating troop, screaming as he went.
Luo Qiao realized with frustration that he had forgotten about the young baboon, but he couldn’t let go of his prey now. Gamma’s timely intervention saved the day. She rushed forward and killed the young baboon.
The entire hunt lasted less than a minute, but to Luo Qiao, it felt longer than any other hunt he had experienced. The three young cheetahs were perched on a rock. As soon as Gamma left, Tata ran out of the cave and watched Luo Qiao kill the mother baboon.
The young cheetahs didn’t blink once.
“So cool…”
Tata’s exclamation filled Luo Sen and Luo Rui with pride. That was their dad!
Gamma carried the young baboon over to Luo Qiao and looked at the mother baboon, whose neck was nearly broken by the grass stem.
“What a reckless move!”
Luo Qiao released the grass stem, his palms red and marked from the strain. Fortunately, he hadn’t been scratched by the mother baboon.
“But we have food now, don’t we?”
Gamma didn’t say anything more. She carried the young baboon to the shade of a rock, and Luo Qiao dragged the mother baboon behind her. After a few steps, he looked up at the three young cheetahs on the rock and called out.
“Kids, dinner’s ready!”
The three young cheetahs cheered and happily ran down from the rock. Gamma watched this scene, then glanced at Luo Qiao and shook her head without saying a word.
In the world of beasts, the simplest natural laws prevailed, the strong ruled.
Although Luo Qiao wasn’t the best fighter, Gamma had to admit that in a year or two, he would become one of the strongest cheetahs in this delta. Besides, he was a very capable 'mother.'
If Luo Qiao knew what Gamma was thinking, he might feel proud—or perhaps struck by lightning.
The entire scene had been witnessed by two other cheetahs.
Jairo flicked his tail and said to Parson.
“Brother, it seems our worries were unnecessary. Even living with a python, he’s doing just fine.”
Parson simply watched Luo Qiao in silence, saying nothing.
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😍😍😍
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