Become a Cheetah
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The baby hippo's corpse had been nearly picked clean. All the lions had eaten their fill, including Nas who had caught the scent of blood. The injured lioness arrived with her sister's help. Too weak to compete with stronger pride members - especially the dominant males - she could only wait patiently for others to finish before taking her share.
Felix and Ero claimed the prime spots. Not even Nas could make them yield an inch. The mother hippo's body lay several meters away, belly torn open.
The lions hadn't killed her directly, their wounds had done the work through dehydration and blood loss.
With two carcasses to guard, the pride wouldn't need to hunt for at least a week. But their plans would be disrupted. Hyenas lurked nearby, eager for scraps, while vultures never missed a carcass on the savannah.
After eating, the lionesses moved aside to rest. The three males still picked at the hippo remains. Only then did the injured female dare approach. She displayed submissive gestures to the males before being permitted to feed.
With abundant prey, the pride wouldn't exclude a member wounded during the hunt. Had they only caught the calf, she'd have gotten nothing. A severely injured lioness who couldn't hunt became a burden during dry season - one the pride might abandon when necessary.
This seemed cruel and unreasonable, yet survival demanded such harshness.
The hyenas hesitated while males remained. Though greedy, they wouldn't risk death for food. They could only watch and wait patiently for leftovers.
Lions ate only meat, but hyenas could crush bones for marrow. The hippo was large enough to return to later. The vultures showed no such restraint.
With wings and sharp beaks, they descended eagerly on the remains once most lions had left.
Felix and Ero, now full, rested beneath a tree's shade. The injured lioness focused on eating while Nas tirelessly chased vultures. With carcasses meters apart, the birds simply flew between them whenever driven off.
Nas wasted energy running back and forth until finally positioning himself between both bodies, a strangely effective tactic, though only briefly.
Felix rolled over, watching Nas scratch his itchy back.
"Wasted effort."
Vultures proved trickier than hyenas, at least hyenas couldn't fly. Ero rested his head on his paws, silent. His gaze kept returning to a particular rock where he'd earlier spotted a familiar cheetah - one whose leftovers he and Felix had stolen back when they roamed near Oros territory.
While Ero would kill competitors, he bore this cheetah no ill will. It had provided food once. But that was all. He wouldn't hunt it down, nor help if the pride found it.
"Ero, what's wrong?"
Felix noticed his brother's distraction.
"Why keep staring at that rock?"
"Nothing, brother."
Ero lowered his voice.
"Nas hasn't encountered Oros. Seems nothing happened."
Felix studied Nas before closing his eyes as if sleeping. After a pause, he murmured
"He's still needed alive. Give it a year, if Oros doesn't kill him, I will. You understand, Ero."
"Yes, brother."
Nightfall brought Nas relief. With vultures returning to nests, his exhausting patrols ended. The injured lioness, now fed, felt somewhat better. Seeking comfort from her sister, even light contact proved painful. She abandoned the attempt, lying down to recover.
The pride wouldn't leave yet. They'd guard the hippo remains until nothing edible remained.
This news struck the hiding cheetah father like a thunderbolt!
How outrageous! Barging into his home, feasting, then settling in to sleep without leaving!
Well, they'd caught the prey themselves, but why couldn't they have waited until the hippos entered leopard territory? Did lions also think cheetahs were easier targets than leopards? Though admittedly true...
The cubs remained hungry, but didn't trouble Luo Qiao now. Parson and Jairo couldn't stay either - they needed to leave while the pride slept. Satiated lions grew lazy, creating the perfect opportunity.
"Come with us?"
Parson suggested to Luo Qiao.
"The ;ion will stay at least one or two more days."
Luo Qiao shook his head, staying here was risky, but he was different from the Parson and Jairo brothers. He had two cubs, and couldn't possibly take them across the vast grassland at night. That was even more dangerous than staying here and starving.
Parson wanted to say something, but Jairo was already urging him impatiently. He still couldn't understand his brother's obsession with this evolved male cheetah, perhaps he never would.
Parson and Jairo left under the cover of night. Due to the presence of the lion pride, hyenas wouldn't easily approach either, which made their movements more convenient.
After the cheetah brothers left, Luo Qiao quietly went out and gathered more dry grass to spread in the rock cave. If the lions didn't leave tomorrow, he and the two little cheetahs would hide for another day.
Maybe they could take Luo Rui and Luo Sen around the edge of the territory while the lions were sleeping at noon. Although Luo Qiao was still worried about Monty causing trouble again, it was at least better than facing the lions.
Back in the rock cave, the two little cheetahs were obediently lying in the dark, motionless. Luo Qiao, however, sensed something was wrong. His keen senses made him take two steps back immediately, lower his head, and look towards a dense patch of grass.
In the grass, a pair of light golden eyes flashed a strange light in the night. Then, Monty emerged, carrying the carcass of an adult female warthog. The warthog was clearly strangled, its skin wasn't punctured, and there was no blood, so it wouldn't attract the lions.
Luo Qiao was stunned, staring blankly as Monty placed the warthog carcass in front of him, then licked him, flicked his tail, and walked back into the grass.
What was this supposed to mean?
The two little cheetahs had already smelled the scent of food, and they walked out of the rock cave, seeing the warthog carcass.
"Dad, can we eat it?"
Luo Rui reached out a paw and touched the warthog carcass, which had clearly died not long ago. Cheetahs generally don't eat prey killed by other animals, nor do they snatch from others, but Monty had brought this warthog, clearly for them to eat.
Should they not eat it, and just throw it away? And then starve while waiting out the lions?
Or, should they eat it?
Luo Qiao licked his lips, deciding to drag the warthog carcass back to another rock cave. It also had dry grass, and after they finished eating, they could throw the remaining bones and fur far away, and then bury the bloodstains with dirt. That should keep them from being discovered by the lions.
"Of course we'll eat it!"
Luo Qiao signaled the two little cheetahs to guard the warthog, then climbed onto the rock, nervously watching the direction of the lion pride. Sure enough, most of the lions were already asleep. They were full, and all that was left was rest and sleep.
However, the three male lions roared again before sleeping, seemingly to declare their authority to all the grassland residents.
Luo Qiao carefully shrank back. The smell of the hippopotamus carcass was enough to block the lions' noses, and they should be able to eat this meal in peace.
The two little cheetahs were now focused on eating meat, and Luo Qiao was also ravenous. After dragging the warthog carcass into the rock cave, the three cheetahs immediately devoured it. Halfway through, Luo Qiao suddenly realized a fact: wasn't this warthog the last one left in his territory?
Should he thank Monty for giving him food, or curse him for killing the last warthog in his territory?
Never mind, he should eat his fill first.
o0o
❤️
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