Cyrus successfully captured the orphaned gazelle cub, and as he left with the cub in his mouth, he couldn't help but look back at the distance. The Parzin and Jarlow brothers were eating the gazelle, seemingly unaware of him.
Cyrus breathed a sigh of relief and quietly left under the cover of the long grass.
Parzin lifted his head and looked at the long grass swayed by the wind, slowly licking away the blood from his mouth. Jarlow, on the other hand, tore the flesh of the horned antelope off the bone while muttering vaguely, "I helped him, but I didn't even say thank you..."
As the dry season approaches, the scorching sun scorches the earth, and some sections of the Gangsa River have already exposed dry riverbed. Dry yellow grass leaves and flying dust can be seen everywhere on the grassland. Compared to the lush greenery of the rainy season, the grassland now seems to have lost all its vitality.
At noon, the scorching heat almost evaporates the last trace of water vapor in the air, distorting the line of sight due to the high temperature
Cyrus and his two little cheetahs were lying in the shade of a tree. The high temperature made both Cyrus and the two little cheetahs uncomfortable, and the usually lively little cheetahs didn't even want to move at this moment. But Cyrus cannot keep waiting, he needs to hunt. It has been seven days since Cyrus last caught a large prey, during which he can only catch prey such as rabbits and wart pigs to feed himself and his children. With the passage of time, even these small prey have become fewer and fewer.
The arrival of the dry season has made the entire grassland appear empty, and the previously ubiquitous wildebeest, zebra, and gazelle have almost disappeared from the grassland. Although herbivores such as water buffalo have long lived in this grassland, their large size and sharp horns are enough to deter Cyrus.
The cheetah, which is difficult to deal with even an adult stallion, is trying to put a water buffalo on its dining table, purely seeking death.
There were too few prey to capture, and the lion pack began to become increasingly irritable and aggressive. Just a day ago, Cyrus and two cheetahs witnessed four female lions biting a young male hyena alive. They grabbed the hyena's neck and limbs, almost tearing it apart.
Cyrus recognized Rosa and Shana among the lionesses, who had bitten him before.
Fortunately, the lioness never pays attention to the wind direction. Cyrus protected the two cheetahs and hid in the bushes downwind until the lioness left before daring to step out.
"Dad, it's so scary."
Charlie leaned tightly against Cyrus as the father and son passed by the body of the hyena. Calvin and Charlie couldn't help but tremble.
Cyrus also believes that this situation is somewhat cruel, but it is an important lesson that young cheetahs must go through in their lives.
"Don't be afraid, remember, when encountering a lion in the future, try to avoid it or stay in place. As long as you don't let the lion see or smell it, there won't be any danger."
Cyrus carefully taught the two little cheetahs and exerted all his efforts to raise them. The plight of Sheeta's cubs once again sounded the alarm for Cyrus, as danger could occur at any moment. Any carelessness or carelessness could potentially cost the lives of their father and son.
In order to avoid encountering lions and hyenas, Cyrus chose to hunt during the highest daytime temperatures. This is also a typical behavior of most cheetahs.
At this time, both lions and hyenas will find a shady place to sleep and rest. The only possible competitor Cyrus may encounter is the wild dogs that are accustomed to hunting during the day. These predators, like cheetahs, only eat fresh meat and are typical canine animals with large ears and slender limbs. They form groups, have sharp teeth and excellent patience. Compared to cheetahs, it is almost impossible for any prey that is targeted by wild dogs to escape.
However, wild dogs do not stay in the same place for long periods of time. They are also nomadic tribes on the grasslands, like herds of horned horses. This is very different from hyenas, so in Orus' territory, hyenas are relentlessly hunted and driven away, and wild dogs narrowly escape. But this does not mean that wild dogs can be carefree. They are still careful to avoid direct encounters with lions, and if they find something wrong, they immediately move.
As the dry season approaches, the wild dog pack gradually leaves this grassland. Cyrus only occasionally encounters them, and although they are active during the day, they prefer the coolness of the morning or evening. At noon, the chance of encountering them is also not high.
Cyrus looked around and confirmed that there was no danger here, so he instructed the two little cheetahs to stay under the shade of the trees and not run around.
"Dad, go find food for you."
"Dad, won't you take us with you?"
"You'll feel uncomfortable going out now, be obedient."
Calvin and Charlie obediently rubbed against Cyrus. The two cheetahs have only been able to eat very little meat recently, which makes them look a bit thin. Once they consume less food than their daily calorie consumption, it only takes five to six days for them to starve to death.
Cyrus absolutely does not allow this situation to happen. He has traveled even further today, almost reaching the border of the Orus lion pack's territory. Across the dry riverbed is the territory of another group of lions, which have two robust adult male lions. Although they are both primitive species, their strength cannot be underestimated.
Cyrus carefully identified the signs and smells on the ground, tracking the antelope herd along the edge of the territory. Hard work pays off, and finally, Cyrus caught up with two stray female impalas.
Cyrus quietly lurks in the grass, the withered yellow leaves blending seamlessly with his fur. As long as he doesn't move, the impala won't notice him. Finally, as the two black spotted antelopes entered Cyrus's attack range without any defense, Cyrus rushed out like lightning, instantly accelerating, making him look like a silhouette passing on the grass. He closely watched one of them and chased after her, throwing the black spotted antelope to the ground at a distance of less than 300 meters.
This hunting was quite successful. Cyrus tightly bit the neck of the impala, and for the impala, this torture lasted for ten to twenty minutes. Cyrus could also take the opportunity to adjust his breathing and run quickly, causing his body temperature to rise rapidly. In such high temperatures, it was even more uncomfortable.
Finally, the impala stopped breathing and Cyrus was able to move freely.
Looking around, Cyrus did not find any other predators except for the scorched yellow grass and rolling heat waves. But now he is too far away from the two cheetahs, and it is clearly unwise to drag the heavier impala a few kilometers just by relying on his teeth. Cyrus can only try to drag the impala to a hidden place and hide it, then wait for the two cheetahs to hear his call and rush over.
Fortunately, shortly after he set off, Calvin and Charlie secretly followed him. The disobedience of the cheetah caused Cyrus a headache, but it also saved him trouble.
Before blaming the two cheetahs, vultures were already hovering above their heads.
"These annoying guys!"
Charlie, who had a gentle personality, also began to complain. Cyrus licked the bloodstain on the corner of his mouth and said, "Don't worry about them, eat quickly."
A mother black antelope is enough for the father and son to have a full meal, and in the case of scarce food, every piece of meat needs to be cherished. Although Cyrus and two cheetahs wolfed down the meat, in less than twenty minutes, more than forty vultures had gathered around them.
Calvin didn't go to drive them away again this time. The little one was buried in eating meat, and Cyrus had already taught him and Charlie that although vultures are freeloaders, they are also considered raptors. If it's not necessary, it's better not to provoke them easily. As for the guy whose neck was torn off by Cyrus, it was purely due to his bad luck. When encountering Cyrus who was being pushed to the brink, the rabbit became anxious and even bit people, let alone the cheetah?
Cyrus and two cheetahs finally had enough to eat, and there was still a lot of black spotted antelope meat left. The vultures immediately surrounded them. However, during the dry season when food is scarce, no one can feel at ease eating a meal. A lioness suddenly appeared and charged towards the bodies of vultures and impalas.
The vulture whizzed up into the air and landed not far away. The lioness picked up the remaining black spotted antelope and flew away. Compared to the lioness Cyrus has seen before, this lioness is clearly a bit thin and her fur is not shiny enough. She is likely not a member of the Orus lion pack, but an intruder.
But what does this have to do with Cyrus?
This is already the border between two lion pack territories, even if this lioness came here across the border, it has nothing to do with Cyrus.
Cyrus found a nearly dried up pond with his two full cheetahs. This is a tributary of the Gangsa River that flows through the land and dries up during the dry season. The water in the pond now appears muddy and very turbid. Cyrus never allows his children to drink such water.
"Dad?"
Calvin looked at Cyrus, who had transformed into a human figure and was busy with a meal, puzzled as to why his father didn't let him drink water. Cyrus has prepared a simple water filtration device, which consists of some stones and a few leaves. Then, he continues to dig deeper into the pond, allowing more water to seep out. Cyrus filters this water and feeds it to two cheetahs. Although there isn't much boiling or sterilization, and animals don't pay attention to that, at least it's not muddy water mixed with mud, Cyrus still has some psychological comfort.
The next thing to do today for three cheetahs who have eaten and drunk enough is to find a place to rest. The meal of black spotted antelope meat we just ate made Cyrus and two cheetahs not need to eat anything today or tomorrow.
Shortly after Cyrus left, Monty, the leopard, arrived at the place where Cyrus and two little cheetahs were drinking water. Looking at the abandoned stones and leaves on the ground, Monty used his paws to pull for a while before losing interest.
The weather is too hot, and Monty, the leopard, plans to go back to the fig tree to rest first. The stored food has been eaten up, and he needs to hunt tonight.
The Orus lion pack has now left the center of their territory, and their prey is scarce. They must expand their search range. Due to the decreasing number of prey captured, some of the young lions in the lion pack have already suffered from malnutrition. Finally, after the first young lion died, the female lions in the pack made a decision to hunt water buffaloes.