Become a Cheetah
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The lion is one of the most dangerous beings on the savanna. Its strong body and sharp fangs are enough to make all predators fear it.
Ero's arrival was purely coincidental. He looked at the cheetah and the leopard in front of him, and for a moment, he thought they were fighting. After all, these two species had an inherent competitive relationship. From his cubhood, the lionesses had taught him to eliminate all competitors! Leopards were like that, and so were cheetahs.
However, compared to cheetahs, leopards were always elusive. They liked to hide themselves, staying high up in trees or behind rocks, watching their rivals and prey from the shadows.
Once a leopard hid in tall grass, even the most experienced lions found it difficult to spot them.
Cheetahs were different. They always liked to roam on the open savanna, running like rabbits. Well, in the eyes of a lion, the cheetah's weight was definitely not much different from a rabbit in the eyes of a cheetah.
Now, a leopard and a cheetah, hmm, how to explain this situation?
Ero licked his lips. He had just eaten his fill and had no intention of fighting at this time, but he was really quite curious.
Monty had already transformed into a leopard. The lion's weight was two to three times his own, but the male lion in front of him was still young. Killing him wouldn't be easy. Once the lion attacked, he could easily run to the nearest tree and, by the way, take this cheetah up with him.
Luo Qiao recognized Ero. His first naked run on the savanna was thanks to this pair of lion brothers. What worried him now wasn't his own safety; he could always escape with all his strength.
Lions killed cheetahs more than eighty percent of the time when the cheetahs were completely unaware, or it was a tragedy caused by a mother cheetah protecting her cubs.
The rest could only be considered bad luck.
What Luo Qiao was most worried about now were the two small cheetah cubs hiding in the rocky mountain. Did this lion coming here mean that they had already discovered Luo Rui and Luo Sen? If anything happened to Luo Rui and Luo Sen, he would go crazy.
Luo Qiao transformed back into his cheetah form. Extreme worry made him forget his fear of lions. He lowered his head, raised the fur on the back of his neck, and bared his fangs at Ero.
Monty and Ero were both stunned for a moment.
This cheetah was provoking a lion?
Before Ero could get angry, Monty grabbed Luo Qiao by the scruff of his neck, turned around, and ran towards the nearest acacia tree. Ero instinctively chased after them, but his speed was slightly slower. By the time he reached the tree, Monty had already taken Luo Qiao and was lying on a branch. Luo Qiao wanted to break free, but Monty pinned him down on his back with a paw.
"Be good and listen! Do you want to be bitten to death by a lion?"
Luo Qiao shook his head vigorously. "Let me go!"
Ero looked up at the situation in the tree. Obviously, these two, the leopard and the cheetah, had a disagreement. So what should he do now? Wait here? And then kill them? Leaving aside the cheetah, this adult leopard looked difficult to deal with. His teeth and claws were not just for show. Leave? Then why did he follow them here?
Ero yawned boredly and simply lay down at the foot of the tree. Since he couldn't figure it out, he would just stay here. They couldn't stay in the tree forever.
When Felix in the lion pride woke up, he found Ero missing. The two brothers always acted together and rarely separated. His first reaction was to look at Nass. This male lion was sleeping soundly on his back. The other lionesses in the pride were also asleep, but this didn't include the injured lioness. Her injury prevented her from sleeping.
"Did you see Ero?"
Felix walked to the lioness and asked in a low voice. The lioness slowly raised her head. This simple movement cost her a lot of strength. She lifted a front paw and pointed in the direction of the rocky mountain, telling Felix that Ero had gone that way.
Felix nodded, looked at Nass again, and turned to walk towards the rocky mountain.
Luo Rui and Luo Sen huddled together, hiding in a rock cave behind tall grass. They hadn't fallen asleep, anxiously waiting for Luo Qiao's return. Although they were already seven months old, the two small cheetah cubs still needed to rely on Luo Qiao to survive.
"Brother, I think I smell a lion..."
Luo Rui quietly approached the cave entrance and looked out. In the darkness of the night, a tall, young male lion was walking through the tall grass towards the other side of the rocky mountain. Luo Sen immediately pulled Luo Rui back.
"Quick, come back!"
The two small cheetah cubs knew the seriousness of the situation. If they were discovered by a lion, they would definitely not survive tonight.
Felix stopped and turned his head towards the place where the two small cheetah cubs were hiding. He seemed to have heard some movement. He sniffed carefully, but besides the smell of dry grass, there was no other animal scent. Was he overthinking it?
He couldn't help but walk closer. If he took a few more steps, he would be able to see the rock cave behind the tall grass.
Luo Sen and Luo Rui huddled tightly together, their eyes wide with fear. The lion was getting closer and closer. They could almost hear the faint sound of the lion stepping on dry grass.
The two small cheetah cubs pressed their ears back and lay on the dry grass. Luo Qiao had told them that this could cover up their scent. They could only hope that this lion would turn back halfway.
Suddenly, a sound came from behind Felix. It was the call of a cheetah.
Felix immediately turned around. A young, evolved male cheetah stood less than two hundred meters away from him. At this distance, he could completely rush over and kill him.
Luo Qiao anxiously looked at Felix's location. It was less than ten meters away from where the two small cheetah cubs were hiding! He didn't care about waking the lion pride, nor did he think that this lion chasing him would cost him his life. He could only shout out loud, attracting all of the lion's attention to himself.
Monty followed behind Luo Qiao. Seeing his actions, his first thought was to drag him back up the tree! They had quietly come down while Ero was sound asleep. Luo Qiao insisted on returning to this rocky mountain. Monty couldn't forcefully take him back to his territory, but unexpectedly, they encountered another male lion here.
Felix also recognized Luo Qiao, but he was different from Ero. He would kill Luo Qiao without hesitation.
Seeing that Felix hadn't moved, Luo Qiao walked a little closer. He now had only one thought: to lure this lion away from the children!
Finally, Felix got what he wanted. Luo Qiao turned around and ran! In the darkness of the night, the cheetah's streamlined body was like a taut bow, and when it ran, it was like an arrow shot from a bowstring.
Monty hid in the bushes. Felix didn't notice him at all. Just after Felix ran past the tall grass where he was hiding while chasing Luo Qiao, Monty suddenly rushed out of the bushes. A leopard daring to attack a lion was purely seeking death!
Monty didn't want to die, but he wasn't willing to watch Luo Qiao be caught up and killed by this lion, even if Luo Qiao had a very high chance of escaping. In fact, at the moment Monty rushed out, he even thought he was crazy, but he still did it.
Was he still a leopard? This reckless behavior would probably be laughed at by all leopards.
Felix completely didn't expect that there was still a leopard hiding in the bushes. This leopard was extremely cunning. He didn't attack him head-on but pounced from behind, fiercely biting and clawing at his spine!
This was the only weakness on a male lion's body! The only way for fighting male lions to kill each other quickly was to bite through the opponent's spine!
Monty was like a lurking assassin, his only aim was to kill with one blow!
But a leopard was not a male lion after all. He didn't have the powerful strength of a male lion. In the end, he could only leave a long wound on Felix's back before quickly running away and climbing the nearest tree.
Well, male lions can't climb trees. That was really a good thing.
Monty chose a branch to lie down on, looked at Felix, who was furious at the foot of the tree, and licked his paw. What was the use of being big? Idiot. Luo Qiao had already run far away.
Monty looked down from above. That cheetah hadn't run straight away but was standing in the distance watching everything that was happening here, and then circled back towards the rocky mountain from another direction.
Should he say he was smart or stupid? Or just stubborn?
However, Monty had to admit that Luo Qiao at this moment was worthy of respect.
After Ero woke up, he found that both the leopard and the cheetah in the tree were gone. After thinking for a while, he got up and walked back. Unexpectedly, he met Felix on the way. He was standing under a tree, his claws fiercely gripping the tree, leaving scratch marks on the trunk.
What surprised Ero even more was the wound on Felix's back. It wasn't fatal, but who could hurt his brother? Nass? If Nass had hurt Felix, why was he scratching the tree?
"Brother?"
Ero walked to Felix's side and looked up. Why did this leopard come here? Did he hurt Felix?
"Ero, I'm going to kill him! Tear him to pieces!"
Felix roared, his roar exceptionally clear in the darkness of the night. Ero shook his head. "Forget it, brother. Are we going to wait here until dawn? Leopards can stay in trees for days without eating. Our prey can't be given to other animals."
"But..."
"There will be opportunities."
Ero raised his head and looked at Monty. Through the gaps in the leaves, the leopard was clearly making fun of Felix, which made Ero a little angry. However, it wasn't worth him and his brother continuing to waste time here.
If there were cheetahs, they could still wait, as cheetahs couldn't last long. But if it was just a leopard, forget it. He could even catch birds in the tree to eat. Waiting idly was meaningless.
Since Ero said so, Felix wouldn't insist anymore. Compared to this leopard, the prey in the lion pride and Nass were more on Felix's mind.
Monty lay on the branch, watching Felix and Ero walk away, and didn't come down immediately. After waiting for a while, until he was sure they had really left, he climbed down the tree and walked towards where Luo Qiao and the two small cheetah cubs were hiding.
Luo Qiao had already taken Luo Sen and Luo Rui away from the rocky mountain. The appearance of Felix and Ero meant that this place was no longer safe. When Monty found them, the three cheetahs were walking through a patch of bushes towards the edge of the territory. This was the route Luo Qiao had originally planned, but it just needed to be executed earlier.
Luo Sen and Luo Rui didn't make a sound. They followed closely behind Luo Qiao. The calls of nocturnal animals echoed around them, and the savanna in the dark night seemed to have become another world.
Monty followed behind them all the way until Luo Qiao stopped beside an abandoned termite mound. Only then did he show himself.
"Come with me."
Monty turned around, signaling Luo Qiao to follow. Luo Qiao knew what was good for him. Monty had helped him a lot, even saving his and his children's lives.
"Wait!"
Luo Qiao suddenly called out to Monty.
The leopard turned his head in confusion, only to have his cheek licked.
Making this move in cheetah form still made Luo Qiao feel a little awkward. But he had a certain understanding of this leopard's personality. Instead of waiting for him to ask for some benefit, it was better to take the initiative. At least this way, there was still room for bargaining.
"Let's make it clear first, this is thanks! Nothing else!"
"Just a lick?"
Monty felt like he had lost out big time.
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