Become a Cheetah
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On the vast grassland, an evolved male cheetah excitedly pounced towards an evolved male lion, as if it had found a long-lost relative. This terrifying scene, completely defying the laws of nature, became one of the top ten gossip news stories of the year on the savanna!
A snake eagle foraging in the grass was almost dumbfounded by this scene. The black feathers behind its head bristled, and a claw raised halfway remained suspended for a long time.
Maintaining a golden rooster stance for more than ten seconds, a young cobra that had been trampled into a dizzy state luckily escaped, slithering into the withered grass at top speed and disappearing.
The snake eagle was so surprised that it completely failed to notice its prey had escaped. It blinked, shook its head, and turned to look at another snake eagle.
"Honey, is this really not an illusion?"
Clearly, its mate also couldn't understand what was happening before their eyes. They had the same question: had this cheetah been hit on the head by a sausage tree fruit?
Oros was equally puzzled. He had personally experienced Luo Qiao's despicable, shameless, and cunning nature. This evolved male cheetah could unhesitatingly strike at a male's most vulnerable spot and then turn around and run away as if nothing had happened!
"Roar!"
Luo Qiao was getting closer and closer. Looking at those tearful amber eyes, Oros's mane was about to stand on end, and he involuntarily took a step back. Heavens, he was a lion, yet he was retreating in front of a cheetah!
People are always in awe of things they cannot understand, and lions are no different. However, what he couldn't understand was a cheetah, and one that would attack a male's private parts at that! It was not without reason that Oros felt a shiver down his spine.
Was the creature in front of him really a cheetah? Whether it was or not, it successfully made Oros feel utterly humiliated.
The enraged lion king roared, warning Luo Qiao not to come any closer!
Would Luo Qiao listen to him?
Of course not.
Another male lion was chasing after him. If he didn't run, he could only obediently wait for death. Although Oros was not a good fellow either, he was currently the only lifeline that could help him get out of his predicament.
Felix closely pursued Luo Qiao, his golden eyes glaring angrily at the running cheetah, wishing he could kill him with a glance! But his reason remained, and he knew he absolutely could not step into the territory of Oros's pride, especially when Oros was right in front of him.
Lions have always believed that internal conflicts outweigh external conflicts. As long as he dared to take one more step, Oros would definitely ignore Luo Qiao and charge directly at him!
Therefore, the furious Felix could only stop and let out a roar at Luo Qiao. He was merely expressing his dissatisfaction and his contempt for this spineless male cheetah.
Luo Qiao didn't care about this kind of warning that was akin to "Don't you dare run! I'll beat you to death!".
He was already bending over, so what difference did it make to him whether he had guts or not? Even if he did, he wouldn't even think about developing a super-friendly relationship with a female cheetah.
So, facing Felix's mockery, Luo Qiao felt no pressure and continued to run.
Of course, he didn't dare to really throw himself into Oros's embrace; that would be pure suicide! After Felix stopped chasing, Luo Qiao continued to run for another two or three hundred meters before stopping. Prolonged high-speed running caused his body temperature to rise continuously. Although it wasn't life-threatening like sprinting at top speed, he still needed to rest for a while to recover his strength, and then, continue running.
He would be a fool to think that running here would solve all his problems and guarantee his safety. Oros was much more difficult to deal with than Felix. The only difference was that he had encountered Oros more times and had a certain understanding of this male lion, including his twelve wives. Therefore, Luo Qiao believed that the possibility of escaping from Oros's claws was higher than facing Felix.
However, things did not develop as Luo Qiao had expected. Felix's angry roar unexpectedly enraged Oros. In the lion king's eyes, no matter what the roar meant, it was a provocation against him.
Think about it, a young and strong male lion standing at the border of his territory, roaring loudly. Could there be any other explanation besides a challenge to his authority? Perhaps Felix was willing to explain, but Oros simply didn't want to listen.
Felix did not expect his roar to provoke such a strong reaction from Oros. Clearly, there was a cheetah right in front of Oros, less than a hundred meters away. As long as he charged up, relying on his strength advantage, he could slap that panting cheetah to death!
After a while, Oros did start running, his strong body, thick mane, and majestic appearance awe-inspiring. Felix thought Luo Qiao's death was imminent. Unexpectedly, Oros directly bypassed Luo Qiao and ran straight towards him!
Oros was not as hesitant and worried as Felix. He had already defeated all the male lions in the Hosby pride and completely disregarded this pride! If he could kill Felix and continue to expand his territory, he believed the lionesses in his pride would be even more willing to give him flirtatious glances and show off their charms. Even if the lionesses wouldn't mate now, at least it would be good for a snack.
Oros's pride had already experienced the benefits of territorial expansion: a larger activity area, more prey, and more abundant water sources! They occupied a larger territory than ever before, allowing them to live and raise their cubs better.
Oros could fully imagine the expressions of the lionesses when they learned he had killed a Hosby male lion. Perhaps, in their joy, they would go and hunt a very chewy buffalo!
Yesterday and the day before, their prey had been hartebeest. For a pride of more than twenty members, hartebeest were simply not enough to distribute, and everyone was hungry. Moreover, hartebeest meat was very greasy and did not suit the lions' appetites.
Oros wanted to eat buffalo, but this required the lionesses' consent.
For dinner and the favor of his wives, the majestic male lion Oros proudly and vigorously charged towards the young Felix! He looked menacing, determined to take down Felix!
Luo Qiao watched Oros charge towards Felix, watching the once arrogant young male lion being chased by another male lion, completely forgetting to come and trouble him. This feeling was very strange. Although it was somewhat different from what he had expected, he had only hoped that Felix would stop outside the territory of Oros's pride, and then he would find an opportunity to get rid of Oros. He hadn't expected things to develop this way.
However, this might be even more beneficial to him.
Two male lions fighting, who would still have the mind to pay attention to a "delicate, weak, and easily pushed down" cheetah?
Well, as a cheetah that lions didn't even bother to look at, Luo Qiao was very proud!
Felix wouldn't sit still and wait for death. Although running away was very undignified, preserving his life was more important than anything else. If he were really caught by Oros, his life would most likely be in danger. Without Ero by his side, Felix always lacked confidence when facing Oros.
It wasn't so easy for Oros to finish off Felix in one go. The two male lions ran one after the other on the grassland. If one hadn't seen it with their own eyes, it would be hard to believe that these huge creatures, who slept for almost most of the day, could run so fast.
However, running too fast also came at a price. Both Felix and Oros began to froth at the mouth...
Luo Qiao squatted on the ground, turned his head, and watched the two lions run farther and farther away. He twitched his ears. If he didn't run now, when would he?!
Luo Qiao trotted away from the lion's territory, heading towards the valley in the leopard's territory. To get through the valley and reach the waterhole where Luo Sen and Luo Rui were hiding, he still needed to go around a circle. Although this was a bit of a waste of time, if he was lucky, he shouldn't encounter other predators again.
Luo Qiao didn't consider what to do if Luo Sen and Luo Rui weren't near the waterhole. The two little cheetahs were clever and had experience hiding. This wasn't the first time they had encountered such a situation.
Even if their escape experience wasn't something to boast about, Luo Qiao firmly believed that they would follow what he had taught them and find a hidden place to hide, or climb up that tall marula tree.
He hoped the baboon troop wasn't there. Baboons liked to eat marula fruit, but it wasn't the season for ripe fruit yet. The baboons would go to the waterhole to drink and forage, but they wouldn't stay for too long, especially after the last leopard attack and the cheetah scavenging incident. The baboons had become smarter and more cautious.
Just as Luo Qiao left, Rosa, who was lying in the grass, raised her head. If Luo Qiao had walked another three hundred meters forward, he would have seen three young and strong lionesses lying in the grass, watching everything that had just happened.
The lionesses had flat foreheads and unspotted fur, allowing them to blend almost completely into the withered grass. Moreover, Oros had just scent-marked this area, making it difficult for Luo Qiao to smell the lionesses. The lionesses' presence might be another important reason why Oros ignored Luo Qiao's proactive 'offering of affection' and focused entirely on chasing Felix.
With his wives by his side, there was no need to worry about any extramarital affairs. One careless move and he would not only get beaten up but also have his face scratched. Although scars were a man's badge of honor, being scratched by his wives... no man wanted that.
"Tiny, are we just going to let that cheetah go?"
"Instead of wasting time on him, we should conserve our energy for the hunt tonight."
"But..." Rosa was still a little unwilling.
"Listen to Tiny," Hona added, "That cheetah can be dealt with at any time. Don't forget the buffalo herd Aunt Tina wants us to track. The cubs haven't eaten properly for two or three days. Oros took most of the food. We must catch large prey tonight, enough to feed the entire pride, so that the cubs have something to eat."
"Okay," Rosa nodded, "Oros went to chase that Hosby male lion. Maybe our territory will expand again."
"It's not that simple," Tiny stood up and shook her head. "This male lion is still young and lacks experience, but Hosby's Zuwa and Sawa won't easily give up more territory."
"So what? We can just kill them all!"
"Rosa, do you think Oros would allow that?"
"Why not? He's our husband."
"He is a male lion. Occupying a wider territory, mating with more lionesses, and producing more offspring are their nature and instinct," Tiny said seriously.
"Remember what Aunt Tina said? Never expect a male lion to remain loyal on his own. Only claws and beatings can teach them a lesson."
Oros, who was fiercely grappling with Felix, suddenly felt a chill down his back and involuntarily glanced back. Was it his imagination? He hadn't even flirted with the cheetah that had offered itself to him, so why did he feel like his wives were plotting against him again?
Luo Qiao, who had luckily escaped the lion, entered the leopard's territory. He was quite familiar with the valley Monty liked. Jumping over the gurgling stream, the previous rain had caused the stream to swell. Due to its special geographical location, the stream hadn't dried up like other puddles but had long nourished this land.
Luo Qiao was so busy hurrying on his way that he ignored the dozen or so helmeted guineafowl in the valley. The guineafowl, however, remembered this cheetah. The moment Luo Qiao appeared, they immediately scattered and fled, flapping their wings trying to fly, but perhaps because they had eaten too much, they fluttered and fell back to the ground.
Luo Qiao had no time to pay attention to these creatures. He crossed the valley at top speed and entered the tall grass that was higher than his shoulders.
Thirty minutes later, Luo Qiao climbed onto a termite mound, wanting to confirm the location of the waterhole again, but unexpectedly, he saw Monty perched on an acacia tree three hundred meters away.
Looking down, a dozen or so wild dogs were circling the tree, barking wildly. Clearly, Monty had angered them.
Monty and the pack of wild dogs stood in Luo Qiao's way to the waterhole. If he wanted to avoid them, he would have to go a much longer way around. Wild dogs had excellent eyesight and hearing. If he got too close, they would definitely discover him.
"This is troublesome..."
As long as Monty stayed in the tree, he would be safe. The wild dogs would leave sooner or later. If Luo Qiao, whose fighting ability was questionable, rushed up impulsively, he would definitely be completely defeated by the wild dogs.
As for a cheetah dad playing the hero to rescue a beauty, he really didn't have the ability...
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