Become a Cheetah
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The air in the night grassland echoed with violence and a bloody scent. The pregnant buffalo cow returned to the herd, yet she was still not safe.
She was about to give birth.
Buffalo can give birth quickly, maximizing the chances of their calves not being discovered by predators, thus increasing the calves' survival rate. However, she was very unlucky today; the lionesses of the Oros pride had already targeted her, and both she and her soon-to-be-born calf were doomed.
In the darkness, even if the lionesses didn't hide in the tall grass, the buffalo would have difficulty spotting them. Strangely, the lionesses did not attack the buffalo cow while she was giving birth but patiently waited until the calf was born. Then, three lionesses from the pride burst out of the darkness.
Buffalo have poorer eyesight than lions, but they can smell the lions, especially since the lions made no attempt to conceal themselves; they charged directly at the buffalo herd.
As long as one buffalo was startled, the entire herd would descend into chaos. This was the moment the lionesses were waiting for.
"Rosa, go grab that calf!"
Tina and Hona closely followed, assisting the three lionesses in continuing to drive the buffalo. They had to ensure the buffalo herd wouldn't suddenly turn back. Once the other buffalo were driven away, the calf would be an easy catch.
Rosa and Leme directly charged at the calf, which hadn't even managed to stand up yet. The mother buffalo hadn't even finished licking the amniotic fluid off her calf before the lioness bit its neck.
The buffalo herd was driven away by the lions, but the mother buffalo couldn't so easily abandon her child. She left her companions and turned back.
The newly delivered mother buffalo was not as weak as one might imagine; she even threatened Tina and the other lionesses with her horns and hooves, breaking through the blockade of five lionesses. Seeing Rosa bite her calf, the mother buffalo angrily charged at the lioness who dared to harm her baby.
Rosa was unwilling to let go, and the mother buffalo would not give up. The other members of the buffalo herd seemed to be encouraged by the mother buffalo's actions and turned back one after another, their large, hard horns facing the lionesses. Faced with so many horns and hooves, the lionesses dared not be careless.
Shana and Hona stayed close to Tina. The experienced Tina did not retreat because of the buffalo's turning back but growled softly, standing firm against the buffalo herd.
The calf had already been killed by Rosa, but the lionesses' goal was definitely not just one calf. There were twelve adult lionesses and one strong adult male lion, along with eleven cubs.
One calf was simply not enough to feed all the lions. They didn't just want the calf; they also wanted the mother buffalo who had returned to save her young!
The buffalo mother and son would undoubtedly become the lion pride's meal tonight. Nothing could shake the lionesses' resolve!
The leader of the buffalo herd was completely enraged by the lionesses. As long as the buffalo no longer panicked and scattered, a herd of buffalo could definitely kill lions!
The lionesses could no longer stop the enraged buffalo herd, but Oros arrived in time. This majestic and strong male lion was completely different from the lionesses. The threat he posed to the buffalo herd was unmatched by the lionesses, even though they outnumbered him greatly!
Oros's massive size and thick mane were equally intimidating in the night. The buffalo began to hesitate, and Tina seized the opportunity to drive the buffalo again. The buffalo finally scattered and fled.
Oros did not chase the buffalo. His main target was the mother buffalo trapped by Rosa and a few other lionesses. Leme had pounced on the mother buffalo twice, but the mother buffalo stubbornly shook the lioness off.
As the mother buffalo tried to gore Leme with her horns, Oros leaped up and jumped onto the mother buffalo's back!
Unlike the old buffalo he had previously slammed into, causing it to cry out in dismay, the mother buffalo had already exhausted a lot of her energy during childbirth and had been besieged by the lionesses. It was already a miracle that she had held on until now, relying solely on her will to survive and her superior weight.
Now, with Oros's pounce, the mother buffalo's four legs trembled simultaneously, and she could no longer stand, collapsing directly onto the ground. The strong and powerful Oros had become the nightmare of all buffalo targeted by the lion pride. Such a large body crushing down was unbearable for anyone!
Oros directly used his claws to turn the mother buffalo's neck and bit her throat. The mother buffalo's death was now inevitable.
Rosa and Tina dragged the calf over, while the other lionesses helped Oros subdue the mother buffalo. Leme turned back to fetch the cubs. Tina and the other lionesses who had driven away the buffalo herd also returned. This buffalo mother and son were enough for the entire lion pride to have a full meal.
The place where the lion pride captured the buffalo mother and son was near the boundary between the territory of the Hosby lion pride and the cheetah brothers, but the Parson brothers were still far from the lion pride.
Jairo had previously been tracking a female cheetah that had intruded into their territory but unexpectedly discovered the female cheetah's corpse on the border adjacent to the leopard's territory!
Judging from the condition of the body, the female cheetah's neck had been bitten through, and she had died from excessive blood loss. Jairo realized something was wrong and immediately called back his brother.
Parson sniffed the female cheetah's scent, confirming that he indeed did not recognize her. He then sniffed the remaining scent in the air and examined the wound on the female cheetah's neck.
"Not hyenas. If hyenas had killed her, they would have eaten her directly. Not lions either; the wounds caused by lions are not like this. The angle of attack and the sharp teeth indicate it can only be a leopard."
Leopards are good at ambush. This female cheetah was still young and looked very healthy. To kill her, ambush was the only way. If it had been a direct confrontation, she would definitely have been able to escape with her speed.
Parson and Jairo didn't feel anything special about the female cheetah's death. Living on this vast grassland, the line between life and death is sometimes very clear and sometimes very blurred. Perhaps in the previous moment, one was a predator, and in the next, one would be killed by another predator.
Parson and Jairo brothers were strong. They could defend a large territory and capture enough food to survive, but once they encountered natural enemies, it was also difficult for them to retreat unscathed.
This was the cruel competition for survival, and no one could avoid it. When encountering predators at the top of the food chain, they could only avoid them. Trying to provoke them without knowing their own limits was simply courting death.
"A leopard?" Jairo raised his head, looking towards the other side of the territory's border, hinting, "The leopard from there?"
"Not yet certain."
Parson shook his head. He had seen Monty but had not seen other female leopards. Coming to the outside of the territory to kill a cheetah was not in line with a leopard's usual behavior.
"However, during this period, still be careful."
"Got it."
Parson instructed Jairo and then thought of Luo Qiao, who was living with two cheetah cubs. Perhaps he should go and remind him in person.
At this moment, Luo Qiao was troubled about where to find his next meal. Before Monty dealt with that strange male leopard, the waterhole was temporarily off-limits. Perhaps it was due to the lion fights some time ago, but the prey passing through his territory was also decreasing, and hunting prey that was too large was also risky, which worried Luo Qiao greatly.
Luo Qiao began to agree with Beatrice's view: that fellow who intruded into others' territories to do no good and also stole his prey deserved to be bitten to death!
Finding little to eat within his own territory, Luo Qiao risked taking his two cubs into the territory of the Oros lion pride. The Oros lion pride's territory was vast, and the entire pride was currently staying in their newly occupied area, sound asleep while guarding their captured buffalo.
The chances of Luo Qiao and his two cubs being discovered were small. However, the father and sons still needed to be extremely careful. Whether they encountered a male or female lion, Luo Qiao would not fare well.
Strictly speaking, cheetahs could hardly be considered competitors of lions. Their hunting targets differed significantly. Lion prides preferred large prey, such as wildebeest, zebra, and buffalo, which made up most of their diet.
Cheetahs mainly ate gazelles and impalas, and the primary food of newly adult cheetahs was even hares! But lions didn't see it that way; they didn't even spare servals and wild cats, and cheetahs could only silently accept their bad luck.
Luo Qiao's destination was a swamp within the lion pride's territory, where animals would also come to drink water.
Luo Sen and Luo Rui could now imitate Luo Qiao's hunting movements quite well and had begun to learn to track and find prey. However, there weren't many opportunities for them to practice. Fortunately, most of the dry season had passed.
Once the rainy season arrived, there would be many newborn cubs on the grassland, and the cheetah family wouldn't have to worry about too little prey. Luo Sen and Luo Rui would have more chances to practice their skills.
"Dad, are we going to the lions' territory?"
"Yes."
Luo Qiao stopped and nuzzled Luo Sen's forehead. "Don't worry, the lions aren't here right now. Remember the swamp where Dad caught that male warthog last time? We're going there."
Luo Sen and Luo Rui said no more. They had lived with Luo Qiao in the Oros lion pride's territory for a considerable time and were not opposed to going to the lions' territory again.
Moreover, there was food there!
For the two cheetah cubs, this was the main reason.
The water in the swamp was very murky; it was more like mud than water. Most of the swamp had dried up, leaving only a small puddle, which had also been turned into a muddy mess by the animals that came to drink. Herbivores could easily get their hooves stuck if they weren't careful.
Luo Qiao and his two cubs hid behind the reeds at the edge of the swamp. Not many animals came to drink here, and they waited for a long time without seeing any suitable prey to catch. Just as Luo Qiao was about to give up and try his luck at the Gang River, he discovered something better in the muddy water.
Catfish!
Every dry season, most of the fish were eaten by birds or died due to lack of water. Only catfish could burrow into the wet mud and stubbornly wait for the arrival of the rainy season. This was somewhat similar to the crocodile's feigned death, but there was still a fundamental difference.
But these were not what Luo Qiao needed to consider now. What he first needed to figure out was: can cheetahs eat fish?
In the leopard's territory, the male leopard that had invaded Monty's territory was bitten in the hind leg again. Unlike the last time, this time, the territory's owner did not intend to let him leave alive.
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Nature's cruelty 🥲.
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