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Chapter Text

Unina hoisted herself up, though not so much so she could remain unseen as she stalked closer to her current targeted prey; a lone impala grazing out in the open, unaware of the female cheetah's presence. Her belly, heavy and swollen with her very first litter of cubs, jutted out awkwardly from her flanks, making the task of sneaking up on the impala very taxing. It had been one year since she departed from her own family and already she was expecting one of her own, which Unina couldn't be more excited about. She could practically feel the cubs vigorously kicking in her belly as she approached even closer to the unsuspecting impala, who still failed to detect her. Even if it were to finally sense her near, it was far too late, for Unina was finally close enough and made a move.

The cheetah surged forward in a flash, and in an immediate panic, the impala bolted off with Unina not far behind. Due to the weight of her belly, running at this speed felt quite awkward. The impala certainly wasn't making it any easier with their sharp twisting and juking mid gallop, anything to throw the predator off its tail.

Unina cried out when she missed another step and tripped over her own paws again. Quickly, she scrabbled her claws to regain her balance before she could collapse on the ground. Her pelt ruffled with slight embarrassment. The sooner these cubs are born the better.

To say that her current state made it tricky to keep up with the impala's swift gallops and sudden turns would be an understatement. She felt heavy and clumsy while running and the extra weight made her slower than usual. Despite it, the expecting mother cheetah persevered.

Quickening her pace as much as she could, Unina finally caught up to the impala and used all her strength to lunge forward and hook her claws onto the impala's flanks. A surprised bleat escaped from its lips as it buckled over and Unina went down with her prey, carefully avoiding to fall directly on her stomach. Dragging the impala to the ground, Unina fastened her claws around its neck and sank her fangs into it to deliver the killing bite. The prey animal's cries were choked off from the blood and Unina tightened her grip. A one or two feeble thrashes, it finally went limp and only then did Unina finally let go.

Huffing and panting heavily, Unina let herself take a breather as the thrill of the hunt wore down. She used this time to also do a quick checkup on herself, making sure there were no scuffs, bruises, and especially no injuries relating to her unborn cubs. Much to her relief, she could still feel them becoming even more restless, having been disturbed from their mother's excessive movements from the hunt.

"Settle down, in there," Unina cooed in amusement as she glanced down at her swollen flanks, watching her spotted, tawny pelt flutter from tiny movements. The cubs were only a week away from being born and Unina couldn't wait to be a mother, nor was she really worried about the struggles that may come from this life-changing event. After all, if her own mother could raise Unina and her brothers all the way to adulthood, as well as many other litters before them, all by herself without the aid of a mate or other relatives, then so could she.

Unina leaned forward, about to take a bite of her hard-earned meal when a loud roar came from behind. Twisting around, she saw about three lionesses prowling over towards her with a malicious grin on their smug faces.

Uchafu...

A low growl rose in Unina's throat, her ears pinned flat when the leader of the pride came padding forward; a large, bulky male lion with a thick mane engulfed around his head and chest. Muscles rippled beneath the fur of his broad shoulders with each step he took, he stopped in front of the expecting mother cheetah and she let out a furious hiss as she stood protectively in front of the impala carcass. Silently, her gaze darted around the other three lionesses that had surrounded her, circling slowly with a sneer.

"Good afternoon," the lion greeted Unina with a smug purr, "I figured you would be out here at this time. That's quite a mighty fine kill you have there, though it must've died laughing when it saw that you of all predators challenged it."

"Piss off, you overgrown hairball," Unina snapped at the lion. "Are you and your pride seriously stalking me, now?"

"It's a mere coincidence that we've encountered one another yet again. Small savanna, I suppose," the lion cooly explained, though Unina wasn't buying any of it.

"Hmph," Unina sniffed, "Don't think I'm a fool. You and your pride robbed my kill yesterday, and now you're following me just to do it again. I didn't think you'd be able to haul your fat rump out this far."

"I suppose you wouldn't know anything about having a fat rump?" the lion chuckled dryly, gesturing his muzzle at the bulge of Unina's pregnant belly.

Unina smirked, "Well at least it's temporary and I'm not forever stuck looking like a giant, overweight hairball."

"If you want to keep your tongue, I suggest you hold it before I rip it right out of that smart mouth of yours," the lion snapped, quickly silencing the witty cheetah before taking a deep breath to regain himself. "Anyways, you know the drill. Hand the impala over and get lost."

The three members of the lion's pride have now stopped circling and have surrounded Unina from all sides, blocking out any possible exit.

Unina scowled at them, "Why won't you all just leave me alone?"

"Come now," the lion snorted haughtily, "We don't have to do this the hard way. It's simple, just hand us that impala over and we'll leave you be. Easy."

"CHEZA!" Unina snarled at the larger feline, her hackles rising as she stood defensively over her kill. "This is my catch! I already let you steal my prey yesterday, but I'm sure as hell not letting you do that again! If you want your own, go get it yourself! Otherwise, you and your trio of mangey, tail-kissers can go eat dung!"

One of the lionesses seethed at this, "How DARE you speak to us with such DISRESPECT! You are nothing but a weakling who's lower than the very ground we walk upon!"

"We should teach this spotted fleabag a lesson," another lioness snarled, "She's being nothing but an uncooperative, disrespectful brat!"

"It's your call," the third growled to her leader, "Just say the word, and we'll flay her and claim the kill."

"Stand down," the male lion ordered, "For now..."

"Look, just let me go," Unina said, "I'm clearly in no condition to fight. I don't even want to fight."

"Then hand the impala over," the lion said. "It's nothing personal, you don't get very far in the food chain by being a weak, pathetic loser, something you cheetahs will never understand."

"There is enough prey around here for all of us, why don't you go and hunt instead of harassing me and stealing my catch?"

"That's enough. You either hand it over or suffer the consequences," the lion said in a dangerously low voice, "I'm serious."

"Listen here, you selfish fuzz-brain, I have to feed myself and my children," the defiant feline's face curled with rage as she thrusted her muzzle up towards the larger predator's face. "Yesterday, you strutted your rump over here to steal prey that I actually worked for, since you're all so unbearably lazy! As if your mothers never taught you to hunt. You have THREE lionesses that can easily hunt down anything! So for once in your worthless life why don't you leave me the hell alone instead of stealing my meal, you STUPID, LAZY, POMPOUS LION–!"

Before she had a chance to blink, the next thing Unina saw was the lion abruptly whipping out a paw and swiping her across the face, toppling her over onto her side. Unina screeched in shock and pain as she roughly rolled on the ground a little before the lion lunged and grabbed her by the scruff and forced her to the ground where he slammed a large paw on her just right above her belly, pinning her down on her back. Unina grunted and struggled beneath the massive paws planted firmly along her lithe body, she watched with distraught as the lionesses strutted over to the impala carcass. They all glared smugly at the defeated cheetah.

"P-please... don't hurt me, I-I'm expecting, remember...?" Unina stuttered, her stomach sick with panic and fear. She tried not to shiver beneath the lion, who glowered down at her. The cheetah's blue eyes widened as she felt his claws sharply pricking at the space between her chest and her stomach.

"I've killed many cheetahs before who have given me less back talk than you have," the lion snarled into Unina's ear. "You just had to keep running that smart mouth. You just had to make it difficult, didn't you? You brought this on yourself, you could've gone free and not risk hurting yourself and your unborn scraps, had you simply listened."

"L-look... You already got what you wanted, the impala is now yours... You've won, okay...?" Unina trembled beneath the lion, feeling the sting of tears in her eyes. She swallowed a lump in her throat, "You win...! So let me go, please!"

"Maybe I should gut you open, that oughta teach you to learn some manners," the lion spoke cruelly, Unina sucked in a sharp breath and stiffened as she felt him slowly trace his claws lightly over her stomach.

"No, please!" she wailed, fighting back a sob. "Don't harm my babies, please!"

"I think we've made our point," the third lioness said, "I'm sure this scrawny flea-bag will think twice before showing you any kind of disrespect. We already got what we came for." The lioness then dipped her head, "But if killing her worthless hide will bring you satisfaction, then don't let me impede."

"Hmmmm..." the looked back at his mate thoughtfully, glanced over to the side where his pride had the impala carcass in their possession, then he finally turned back down to Unina. It was clear the pregnant cheetah had resigned and was no longer thinking of hurling any more bold insults at him or his pride.

"You have five seconds to get the hell out of here," the lion muttered, finally getting off of Unina. The female cheetah remained still on the ground as the male lion turned his back on her, his thick- maned head held high. "Let's go, ladies. I'm starving."

"Of course. You can eat now if you want," the lioness said to him as she rubbed her flank against his side.

The lion was already digging in while his pride stood by, waiting for their leader to finish, however long that would be as well as how much would be left over for them would depend.

Unina gasped a breath of air that she hadn't realized she'd been holding in for a while, her legs shivered as she strained to push herself up to her paws. The female cheetah slowly looked up and stared at the lions, every hair on her pelt bristling in terror. Her heart racked wildly against her chest, I-I'm alive...! I lost my catch but I'm still alive...

"Five seconds," the lion reminded Unina with a mouthful of impala meat, he licked his blood stained muzzle before taking another greedy mouthful.

Not wanting to risk sticking around the pride any longer, Unina quickly fled the scene.

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When the first contraction hit, it caught Unina completely off guard that she stumbled midrun. She hadn't expected it at all, and the sudden wave of pain that struck through her ripped out a sharp, agonizing screech from her throat that sent birds in trees to take off in a frenzy. The second the pain passed, Unina quickly forced herself back up and she staggered into the closest underbrush where she screamed as another contraction wracked her body. She clawed helplessly at the ground, curling up in a feeble attempt to curb the pain. Gradually, the span of time between the grueling contractions diminished. They grew closer and closer to each other, giving her less time to recover. The female cheetah groaned and gasped as white-hot pain flared through her aching belly. Summoning every bit of strength in her body, she squeezed her muscles and pushed, sobbing and howling as she did everything in her power to get the cubs out. It was slow, excruciatingly slow.

No... it's too soon...! They aren't supposed to come until the next fourteen days...!

She could barely breathe, wheezing and gasping around the pain. Of course she was scared, terrified out of her mind. It felt like she was dying. It didn't help that she was also completely alone, writhing in her own agony with nobody close to comfort her. Once again, she finds herself asking;

How did mother do this...?

But Unina doesn't have time to dwell on that, she needs to be strong if she is going to bring life and raise up her new family, for it was the natural way of her kind. Cheetahs have always lived a life of solitude, especially females. The responsibility of carrying on the next generation of her bloodline rests on Unina's paws alone without the help of any of her kin, let alone mate. Not that she needed help from them anyway.

I can do this... I HAVE to...

Minutes grew into hours, time was the least of Unina's concerns. She rapidly grew increasingly weak and dazed. Her whole body felt numb, her spotted fur drenched in sweat, and she could barely keep his eyes open. After many hours of screaming and cursing and crying as she continued to endure the insufferable labor, seeming to have no end, it finally did, and Unina's ears twitched when the den was soon filled with the sound of faint mewling.

Wearily, Unina tried to lift her head up. She gasped and groaned as a sharp pain shot through her head. Her whole body felt sore and there was an especially deep ache throbbing in her abdomen. Through the bloody discharge, she counted six tiny bundles near her trembling, aching body; two girls and four boys. A warm purr rose in the new mother's throat as she leaned forward to give each of her newborn children a tender lick to their soft, damp pelts.

"Hello, my darlings," Unina whispered softly, blinking back tears of relief and joy. "Welcome to the world."

Chapter Text

Wriggling around, one of the infant girls quickly sought her mother's belly and immediately began to nurse, ceasing her squeaky cries. The youngest baby struggled aimlessly in the nest for a few moments, weakly crawling around trying to follow her older littermate. Eventually, she did finally reach Unina's belly and squeezed into the space right next to her sister, nosing her tiny muzzle into her mother's soft fur as she too started to feed off her milk.

One of the boys however seemed to be having difficulty trying to feed. Unina watched as he refused to latch and suckle despite her gently nudging him to the curve of her belly with her paw. After a little bit of coaxing by licking his small forehead and back, the little boy finally, albeit very weakly, began to nurse alongside his two sisters. Though much more frail compared to the girls, Unina was relieved that he was finally able to nurse.

While three of her cubs were alive and seemingly well in spite of their untimely birth, Unina's smile dropped the second her attention shifted over to her remaining sons, who didn't look as promising. Two of the boys laid completely still in the nest, not nursing or letting out soft, feeble mewls and cries like their other littermates. The third looked as if he were struggling to even breathe, his tiny flanks heaving in exertion before he too soon went as chillingly still as his brothers.

Concerned, Unina gingerly lapped her tongue over their soft, damp pelt, neither of them moved. Whimpering, Unina tried again, licking and gently nosing the small bodies of her newborn sons, hoping to see at least one of them crawl or hear a faint cry, something, anything. But they remained still, not a peep from any of them.

The pain that tore at Unina's heart sharply like claws felt even worse than the pain in her weakened body. I-I've lost them...

Unina's lip quivered as a single tear trickled down the side of her spotted face, fighting a sob that threatened to escape from her throat so she wouldn't disturb the other three cubs as they continued feeding.

Unfortunately, things only got worse from there, for the fourth boy continued to have difficulties nursing for the rest of the day. Unina desperately did everything she could; she stroked his head and back, changed positions, anything to encourage her son to feed again. But the cub remained in a lethargic state, and by nightfall he met the same fate as the rest of his three brothers.

Unina barely got any sleep that night, nearly forgetting about her two daughters that remained as she wept for hours. When she did remember, Unina dreaded acknowledging them, for she didn't really have much hope left for their survival after tragically losing all of her sons.

It wasn't their time...It wasn't their time to be born, nor was it their time to die... The cheetah then recalled the lion pride from yesterday and how she narrowly avoided getting slaughtered by them, but the encounter had already caused her too much stress and sent her to labor far earlier than it should've been. I should've been more careful... If I was more alert and had known they were following me, if I ran away sooner... or if I hadn't provoked their leader, maybe this wouldn't have happened... I've failed as a mother already...

But the damage was already done, and Unina knew there was nothing to change the outcome. It took a lot for her to muster up the energy and courage to finally look at them when the sun rose the next day. Blinking through bleary eyes that were still damp from last night, the mother cheetah couldn't help the soft gasp that escaped from her lips when she noticed the slow but steady rise and fall of the two girls' tiny flanks as they were snuggled up together, fast asleep at their mother's side. Just to be sure, Unina lightly poked at them with her muzzle and the cubs let out a soft squeak in response.

They're both still alive...!

The heaviness in the cheetah's heart lifted slightly as a tiny flicker of hope sparked amongst the grief and emptiness. Tenderly, she wrapped her tail around her sleeping daughters and she buried her muzzle against their soft pelts.

"You two are all I have left. My two, beautiful, little miracles," Unina whispered as she breathed in their warm scent, bringing her a small amount of comfort.

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By the third day, the mother cheetah was already on the move. She peeked outside of the underbrush at around dawn. Once sure that the coast was clear, Unina emerged from the den and set off on her way, leaving her two daughters behind. Their soft confused cries tugged at Unina's heart a little and she quickened her pace; the sooner she can find a new den site, the sooner she can move her cubs. All four of her sons were buried near the entrance as well, a difficult but necessary act Unina had done yesterday afternoon. As cozy and safe as the underbrush was, she knew they couldn't stay there forever, for the scent of newborn cheetah cubs would soon attract predators to their location at any moment.

Unina strided out into the early morning savanna, pausing occasionally to sniff out any signs of nearby threats lurking around. In just a few minutes, she finally found a new den site; a thick bush just fifteen meters away from the old spot. It was perfect to hide her cubs, the canopy of leaves would provide shade from the bright sun and the prickly branches would provide extra security to deter any possible hunters from poking their noses around to seek out her children. And the important thing was that the distance from this new den site and the previous was enough to diffuse the babys' scents.

Quickly, Unina hurried back to the underbrush where her litter of two were waiting for her. Gently Unina picked up the older cub by the scruff and carried her over to the new den site. The young cub let out a startled high-pitched chirp, wondering why her mother was removing her from the comfort of their current nest.

"Mah?" she mewed, as if to ask her mother where she was taking her.

Soon the cub arrived at her new home. Carefully, Unina lowered her eldest daughter onto the ground beneath the bush. The little cheetah squeaked and chirped as she was placed into her new den, blindly squirming around in place while her mother left her again to fetch her sister. After a few minutes, Unina turned up back at the bush with the younger infant in her jaws. She settled her down next to her littermate and the two girls instinctively snuggled up together in the new den site.

Unina would love nothing more than to laze around with her children again, but she knew that her day was far from over. With the cubs secured, she must now go on a hunt in order to produce enough milk for them.

It's always a huge risk to leave young, infant cubs unattended for long; they're still blind and helpless, and their chances of vulnerability only increase the longer their mother is out. But it was a risk every cheetah mother is willing to take if she is going to keep her children alive.

"Mommy will be back soon, sweeties," Unina promised, giving each of her daughters a loving lick to her fuzzy head.

Without wasting any more time, Unina headed out again, leaving her defenseless litter in the bush. She began making her way out into the plains again. Eventually, she caught the scent of prey and tracked it all the way down into an open grassland. There, she noticed a herd of Thomson's gazelles grazing a couple tail-lengths away from where she was standing. Immediately, Unina crouched low on the ground so that the tall grass cloaked her tawny, spotted body, muscles tense and ready. She attentively observed the herd tranquilly munching away on the grass, unaware of the predator watching their every move. Unina then hoisted herself up a little more but not so much so she could remain hidden as she stalked closer to the gazelles.

She singled one that was standing more distant from the others. Its back was facing her as it grazed, occasionally it would raise its head along with its other companions, listening for any predator that could be lurking nearby this very moment. Luckily for Unina, they failed to detect her so they all carried on munching away at the grass. Unina held her breath as she froze each time the prey raised their heads before gradually creeping closer inch by inch when they were distracted again. Her targeted gazelle would occasionally walk further away from her path, so Unina had to adjust and move herself until she was near with her prey again. She stalked again, staying downwind, drawing closer to her target until she was practically right at its hooves.

Unina's nostrils flared at the tantalizing scent of her target, her mouth beginning to water a little. Bunching up her hind quarters, her tail flicked to the left once, then she pounced.

Immediately, the small antelope bolted off in a panic, the sudden move alerting the others and causing them all to flee into different directions. But Unina didn't mind them, she was only focusing on this one. With a burst of speed, after her target she went, churning her paws vigorously into a lightning-speed sprint that her kind was well known for. A stream of dust trailed at her feet as she followed in hot pursuit for prey. Still greatly weakened after giving birth, running at this speed felt especially tiring. Her game was keen to not let her win so easily either, sharply twisting and juking mid gallop in attempts to throw her off its trail. Unina huffed in exertion, stumbling and missing hard turns left and right.

Her current condition made it tricky to keep up with the tommie gazelle's swift, sudden movements; she felt significantly slower than before. But much like her prey, she was very stubborn, and so she pushed onward, refusing to give in. She needed to eat, and so did her daughter.

"Huwezi!" she muttered underneath her breath. Unina poured in whatever speed and energy she had left to finally catch up to the prey animal. The cheetah made sure to keep at least half a tail-length away from the small antelope to avoid its kicking hooves. Summoning every bit of her strength, she lunged forward, clawing at the gazelle's legs. A surprised bleat escaped the it's lips as it began to lose its balance. The second it buckled over, the spotted hunter sprang forward and lashed out at the small antelope again before it could get a stable itself, hooking her claws at its flank and hauling it back. The tommie's cried out as Unina went down with it. Dragging it to the ground, Unina fastened her claws around its neck and sank her fangs into it to deliver the killing bite. Its cries were choked off from the blood, Unina tightened her grip. A couple of thrashes, then a feeble kick, and the prey finally went limp.

Panting, Unina let go of the gazelle's neck and licked at her warm, bloodstained jaws. She did a quick checkup on herself, no scuffs or bruising. Unina gave a satisfied huff, feeling triumphant and proud. It had been three days since she's last eaten, and she had been very lucky today; her kind may be the fastest land animals in all of the savanna, but their lightning-fast speed can only last for so long and eventually they will tire out, often resulting in their prey getting away free. And even if they were successful, there were many other larger and stronger predators who often target and steal food from cheetahs, knowing that they were physically unable to overpower them.

With that in mind, Unina made sure to waste no more time and immediately began digging into her meal. The sooner she finishes, the sooner she'll be able to return back to her girls and feed them.

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Back at the den, Unina's two daughters were still lying in the den, their tiny, fluffy bodies curled up tightly and nestled closely to each other for warmth. They both instinctively stay put, and for very good reason. At this age, they're both completely helpless, and without their mother currently around to protect them, they're an even easier target for any kind of threat; from prowling lions, leopards, and hyenas on the plains, to eagles soaring through the skies.

Nearby, a puff adder slithers on by near the bush, in search for a place to lie in wait in order to ambush its next meal. The tiny cubs barely make a movement, let alone a sound, as the venomous snake passes by. Lucky for them, the reptile isn't interested in making a snack out of cheetah cubs, and carries on its way as soon as it discovers the bush spot is already occupied.

Nealy past half a minute has gone by, and Unina has yet to return. The two young cheetahs wriggled around restlessly as they grew hungry. The oldest one desperately calls out for her mother in pitiful mewls;

"Mah? Mah!"

Her baby sister joins her shortly; "Mah! Mah! Mah!"

They hunker lower to the ground, their bodies shivering as they begin to grow cold. Whimpering, the cubs try again, crying for Unina to come feed them, increasingly growing more famished, confused and scared by her prolonged absence. Fortunately, their cries have been answered, as Unina soon came padding back over to the den site.

"Mah!" the little cheetahs chirped in relief, shakily stretching out their head and scrabbling towards where they could smell their mother's familiar scent.

"Oh, my babies, I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to be gone for so long," Unina apologized softly, stepping into the thicket and lying down beside her cubs. Tenderly, she lapped her tongue over the little ones, comforting them. "There there, don't cry. Mommy's here now."

The adrenaline from the hunt had already worn off, leaving Unina feeling more exhausted than ever; now she can finally relax with her cubs.

The little infants crawled over towards the curve of Unina's belly and began to nurse, finally putting an end to their cries. Now they made a new noise; soft, content purring. Unina gave a purr of her own, the sound rumbling deeply in her throat and she couldn't help but smile as she watched her daughters feed.

The oldest cub was the first to finish, withdrawing her tiny muzzle away from Unina and licked up the leftover drops of milk that dribbled from her chin. The milk filled her belly, warming her up instantly.

"My, you sure are very fast, aren't you?" Unina purred in amusement. She thought silently to herself for a heartbeat before speaking again, saying her older daughter's new name for the first time; "Fuli."

She then turned to the younger cub, who was still taking her time nursing. "And I shall call you Usana, the small baby of our family," Unina declared, nuzzling the little infant.

Being born premature, Fuli and Usana weren't as strong or physically healthy as Unina had intended. Two of their most important features were significantly affected; both girls lacked the signature malar stripes and the furs of their mantles were thinner than normal. Though this isn't going to get in the way of Unina's love for them. Even if this outcome wasn't what she had in mind, there's nothing that could change it. These two were all she had left now, and she will dedicate every single day to keep them alive.

Now full, the newly named Fuli is more active and starts to do a little exploring. Standing up on her hind legs, the bigger infant started to climb over her younger littermate. Usana made her feelings clear by letting out a disgruntled, squeaky growl at the sudden weight of Fuli squishing her to the ground. Using her littermate as a boost, Fuli began to climb up along the side of her mother.

Unina chuckled as she watched the eldest child blindly push herself upward against her body, Fuli mewed excitedly as felt her way around, gradually inching her way up the adult female cheetah before reaching her flank. Then the cub lost her balance and slipped, sliding gently down Unina before lightly plopping back onto the ground next to her Usana. Fuli gave a displeased chirp, as if annoyed at her failed climbing attempt. Unina still couldn't stop smiling as she gazed at her cub adoringly.

"Nice try, sweetie," she whispered, nuzzling Fuli.

The short climb had already tuckered her out greatly and Fuli gave a great big yawn as she snuggled up closer to her mother's soft fur for yet another nap. In a few minutes, Usana eventually finished drinking milk and dozed off too, pressing closer to her only littermate. Unina wrapped her tail around the small infant, keeping them extra warm.

"Rest well, my dears," she whispered to her daughters, "Beautiful Fuli and Usana."

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Two weeks have passed, and within that time both Fuli and Usana have opened their eyes; Fuli revealed to have a pair of striking emerald green pupils, which Unina assumed it to be inherited from the male who sired this litter. Whereas Usana's were shining orbs of sky blue, the same as her mother.

At this age, both girls were taking their first steps on tiny, clumsy paws out of the nest. Eager and alert, they gazed out into the new world around them wide-eyed, filled with curiosity and wonder.

"Whoa!" Fuli chirped, looking around at her surroundings for the very first time, "Everything looks so big out here!"

Her mother chuckled warmly, "And now you two are old enough to start following me around instead of staying in the den."

"Really?" Fuli gasped excitedly.

"The world looks so big and scary..." Usana mewed worriedly, backing away into the den. "What if I get lost? Or hurt?"

"You won't, as long as you stay close to me," Unina assured her.

Fuli turned to her sister and gave her an encouraging nudge, "Come on, Usana! It'll be fun! Our first time out in the savanna, think of all the things we'll see out there!"

"But what if it's scary out there?" Usana voiced her concern once more.

"It'll be fine," Unina coaxed, encouraging her younger cub to step further away from the nest, "I'll be with you the whole time."

"Me too!" Fuli chirruped, "We'll all walk together."

Usana gave a small, comforted smile, "Okay."

"Come along, dears," Unina said, already turning to leave. "Stay close to me and don't go too far ahead or behind."

"Woo-hoo! Let's go," Fuli cheered, already scampering after Unina, "Next stop, anywhere!"

"Wait for me!" Usana chirped, hurrying after her family.

With that, the two young girls followed their mother out of their old den site and out into the plains, ready for their first real, big adventure. 

Chapter Text

At six weeks old, Fuli quickly pelted through the plains as fast as her little cub legs could take her. Ahead of her, Usana was doing her best to outrun her.

"I'm gonna catch you!" Fuli yowled, easily gaining up on her younger littermate.

"Fuli, come on! Slow down a little!" Usana panted, trying to quicken her sprint as best as she could. Compared to Fuli, her stamina wasn't that great, so she always had to run in short, scampering bursts and needed to stop frequently to catch her breath.

It didn't take long before Fuli was right on her tail, and the second she was close enough, she pounced. Fuli barreled right into Usana, the two cubs squealing with laughter as they tussled playfully, batting their soft paws at each other's spotted faces before Usana was pinned down on her side by Fuli.

"Ha, gotcha!" she bragged, lightly nipping at her younger littermate.

"Hahaha! Stoppit, that tickles! Hehe!" Usana cried out as she felt Fuli's blunt, growing fangs nibbling along her ears and back. She pawed at Fuli helplessly, trying to push her off. But her sister was much bigger and overpowered her with little effort, Fuli barely budged from Usana's small hits.

"C'mon, lemme go!" Usana chirped breathlessly, gasping for air as Fuli continued her playful attack.

"You can't escape the greatest and fastest cheetah in all the world!" Fuli yowled triumphantly as she continued holding down her sister.

Suddenly, the tall, yellow grass started to shake and before either of them even had a chance to twist around, their mother came out forward in a lunge and landed right in front of the two cubs.

"Boo!" Unina chirped.

"AAAHH!" Usana shrieked out loud while Fuli yelped and stumbled backwards. Then they realized who it was and sighed in relief, "Mama...!"

Unina chuckled lightly, "Sorry, did I scare you?"

"A little," Usana admitted quietly, trembling slightly. Her back was still arched while the thin silver-gray fur of her mantle bristled from the shock.

"Aww, it's okay, sweetie," Unina cooed, tenderly licking her younger daughter, bringing her immediate comfort. Gradually, Usana's fur began to flatten as she finally calmed down.

Fuli chortled; "Haha, scaredy-cat!"

"Fuli, be nice to your sister," Unina lightly chided.

"Hmph, you were scared too...," Usana mewed defensively, looking down at her paws.

"Pff, no I wasn't!" Fuli said, pushing herself back up on her paws. "I wasn't scared... I was surprised! Huge difference."

Her mother smiled, "Really?"

"Yeah!" The older cheetah cub puffed out her chest and she lifted her muzzle up confidently, "I'm not afraid of anything!"

"If you say so," Unina chuckled again, leaning forward to nuzzle into her eldest daughter's fluffy face.

"Heheee, mommy!" The little cheetah cub chortled as her mother gently nosed into the silver-gray mantle fur on her fuzzy head. Then Unina stuck out her tongue to give it a couple of licks to remove some of the dirt stuck on the fur.

Fuli squealed, batting her tiny paws at Unina's muzzle as she continued to groom her. "Hey, cut it out!"

She ducked away just as the mother cheetah leaned in for another wash. The fur of her mantle always ended up looking disheveled and could never seem to stay neat and tidy no matter how many times Unina groomed it.

"How is it that Usana's able to keep hers clean while yours can't?" she'd always ask herself.

"Usana just doesn't know how to have fun like me cause she's too scared of everything," Fuli would reply back. Usually that response would be met with an indignant "HEY!" from Usana or a look from Unina. But Fuli didn't really mind, for the baby fluff wouldn't stay forever anyway and she'll gradually outgrow it as she gets older.

"Alright girls, let's focus now," Unina said once she concluded her grooming, "We must continue on our way."

"Where is our new den site gonna be, Mama?" Usana asked.

"Well we have to keep moving and see, sweetie," Unina replied, "And if we hurry, we can claim someplace nice before some other animal does."

"I wonder what our new home's gonna look like," Fuli wondered aloud.

"Only one way to find out." She then turned and began to pad off. "Come along, dears."

"Okay!" Fuli and Usana both chirruped in agreement.

Unina's daughters skipped alongside their mother, keeping up with the older female cheetah's strides.

In just one year, the girls had almost doubled in size, their fur becoming fluffier, and their milk teeth were beginning to erupt from their gums. The once tiny, helpless infants were already growing a lot quicker than Unina anticipated, it almost felt like it was merely yesterday since she had delivered her two, beautiful, little miracles. And as the cubs continued to grow, so did Unina's love for them. With each passing day, the cheetah mother doted heavily on her girls. They were everything to her, they are her family now. She is all she had and they were all they had. And Unina is solely responsible for raising both of them to become fine, capable adults who will be fast and strong enough to forge their own paths.

It wasn't long before Unina started to notice how different the sisters were from each other. Both girls were special in their own way, and their mother quickly took note of each of her daughter's unique personalities and quirks;

Her first-born daughter, Fuli, is a young feline full of pride who's very comfortable in her own spots. Even at this age, the little cheetah's adventurous personality was really starting to shine. She's a big bundle of energy who loves to play and explore and is always keeping Unina on her toes. A curious and confident child who's developing quite the independent streak; all part of her nature of being a female cheetah. And that alone was showing great promise for Fuli's future as a loner once she reaches adulthood, following the same lifestyle as the rest of her female kind.

In contrast to her boisterous big sister, Usana is more soft-spoken and skittish, though she still possessed a very curious mind as all cubs her age do. Unina's second-born is a lot less outgoing than Fuli and leaned heavily on the passive side, gladly letting her older sister take the lead.

At first, both sisters were small and frail when they were born, as expected for premature cubs. Typically, most animals abandon or even kill the weakest of the litter, for they're deemed unfit to survive long-term. They usually don't even last a day after birth. Even if by some miracle they do, they were born far too weak and don't develop properly like regular cubs, and their constant need for extra support could potentially slow their family down.

Despite this, Unina never had the heart to abandon her cubs. Slowly and tenderly, she nursed her remaining daughters to good health, making sure they got enough nutrients to grow. Now they looked as if they were normal like any other cheetah cub.

It always amused Unina at how different her daughters were from each other, and it wasn't limited to their personalities. Even their appearances were drastically opposite from one another; Usana looked just like any other cheetah. She had dusky-orange fur dotted with bold, black spots. Like her mother, her eyes were blue like the sky. Whereas Fuli's were a striking emerald green, and her coat is bright golden with unusual but one-of-a-kind large, brown, rosette-shaped spots that looked more "blotchy". It gave her an almost leopard-like appearance. It was apparently a rare fur mutation and cheetahs like her were nicknamed "king cheetahs."

You girls are as different as night and day! Unina would joke. And yet despite it, the two sisters remained close and almost never strayed far from one another.

"Are we there yet?" Fuli asked, a question she had been asking at least a dozen times while they traveled.

"We're almost there, sweetie. Just be patient," Unina promised, striding on ahead so that she was now in the lead, looking around for yet another new den site to stay for the week.

Fuli had long lost track of every time Unina made them move to a different territory, something that she'd been doing ever since she and Usana could walk. But Fuli didn't mind, she actually really enjoyed this semi-nomadic lifestyle. The young girl always loved exploring and whenever it was time to move to a new place, she always got to see new sights and locations her savanna home had to offer. And there was still much more out there that the little king cheetah cub hasn't seen yet. Everyday felt like a brand new adventure filled with brand new discoveries.

Something then caught Fuli's attention and she paused, turning to her right, she spotted a bright red butterfly fluttering around nearby in search of a flower to land on and feed off its sweet nectar. Instinctively, the young cheetah bounded over to the butterfly and began to clap her paws at the butterfly, trying to catch it. In response, the colorful winged insect quickly flew upward to avoid getting swiped at by small, cream paws.

Unina's ears twitched at the sound of Fuli's giggling and stopped in her tracks to look back. She purred in amusement at her eldest daughter frolicking.

"Fuli, stay close to me," she reminded her before continuing onward, Usana remaining at her heels.

Noticing her mother and sister leaving, Fuli immediately dropped her antics and hurried after Unina. She tried occupying herself by batting playfully at Unina's tail while it swished back and forth at her face, though she quickly grew bored again by the lengthy trek to their new shelter.

And once again, Fuli asked; "Are we there yet?"

"Just a little further, my dear," Unina urged.

Huffing in exertion, Usana was beginning to lag behind a little, which Unina quickly noticed. "Would you like me to carry you the rest of the way?" she offered.

"Yes, please," Usana replied, panting softly. All the walking had already drained most of her energy, leaving her weary.

Fuli watched as Unina gently clamped her mouth on Usana's scruff and lifted her off the ground. The king cheetah cub straightened her posture; "I can keep walking."

"Are you sure?" Unina spoke through Usana's fluff.

"Yes, Mama," Fuli assured her, pushing through the slight ache in her paws while walking a little faster to match with her mother's pace. "I'm a big girl now! I'm not a baby that needs to be carried around anymore." Then she quickly added, "Er, no offense, Usana."

The younger cheetah just dipped her head sincerely and softly said, "None taken."

"Okay then," Unina said, "If you change your mind, just let me know. You and Usana can take turns."

"No need," Fuli chirped adamantly, strutting ahead of her family with her nose to the air and a self-assured grin plastered on her muzzle. Unina padded beside her with Usana dangling in her grasp.

The cheetah family trekked onward for a couple more minutes before finally arriving at their new location; a kopje made up of a large, flat boulder with a few other big rocks lying around near it surrounded by a sea of lush, green grassland. Unina sniffed around the area for any lingering scent markers made by other animals who might've already claimed this spot. Luckily for the three girls, the grassland was unowned by anyone, completely free for them to temporarily inhabit for now.

"Okay, we're here," Unina announced, placing Usana on the ground right next to Fuli.

"Whooooaaaa!" The two sisters breathed, emerald green and sky blue eyes widening as they gazed upon her new home.

"Race you to those rocks!" Fuli exclaimed, bounding ahead without warning.

"Hey, wait up!" Usana mewled indignantly. She watched the older cub disappear right into the tall grass and head straight towards the kopje. The younger cub attempted to follow her only to hesitate once she reached the slope of vegetation, eyeing warily at the large boulder jutting from the greenery.

"Fuli, hold on!" Unina chuckled at Fuli's eagerness.

Uneasy, Usana backed away into her mother's forelegs with her ears flat against her head, "Are you sure it's safe here?"

"I'm sure, honey," Unina promised, nudging the cautious child forward encouragingly. "Come on, you can do it," she coaxed.

Usana nodded, still unsure but willing to trust her mother's word. Unina helped Usana climb the boulder, nudging her along while letting Usana push herself upward. Being significantly taller than her cubs, Unina could effortlessly jump up the kopje rocks. She couldn't help but laugh when she saw Fuli trying to scrabble her way up the kopje, standing on her hind legs and clawing at the hard stone.

"Need any help?" Unina called out to her.

"No, I can do it!" Fuli mewed, stubbornly groping at the rock in a hasty attempt to pull herself up.

"You got this, Fuli," Usana called down from the top, hoping to motivate her littermate.

Though the rock was far too steep for Fuli, she only ended up sliding onto her bottom. Fuli looked up at her mother sheepishly and Usana gave a small giggle.

The cub sighed in defeat, "Okay, maybe just a little..."

"Sure, dear." The mother cheetah leaned forward on the edge of the kopje and gently picked up her daughter by the scruff, lifting her off the ground and placing on the surface of the rock boulder. From there, Fuli now had a better view of her current home and she joined her family in admiring their new surroundings.

"This place looks awesome!" Fuli chirruped excitedly. "So much better than the old place."

"Yeah!" Usana nodded in agreement.

Unina grinned, "I'm glad you both like it. We'll be staying here for a week, then we'll have to move again."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Later that day, Unina went out hunting again. But despite her orders to stay put, Fuli was now having a bit of trouble doing just that. Ever since the six week old girl was extremely inquisitive about the great big world around her; the savanna was just practically calling her name, and little Fuli couldn't help but answer it.

There's just so much out there waiting for me. I just gotta see it all!

With an extra zest to her steps, the young cheetah cub springed down from the safety of the kopje and ventured out. She plodded awkwardly down the slope of the surrounding grassland on small, clumsy paws that she was still growing into with each day.

"Wait, where are you going?" Usana chirped when she noticed her littermate rise up and leave. "Mama said we needed to stay here until she gets back."

"I'm just stepping out for a bit," Fuli said, not bothering to look back, "I'll be back."

"Fuli, no!" Usana gasped, "You're not allowed to do that. Mama said it's very dangerous, you'll die out there!"

"Relax, sis, I'll be fine!" Fuli chirped impatiently, rolling her eyes. "It'll just be a short walk. I wanna explore this place a little."

"That's a very bad idea, Mama's gonna be very upset when she finds out," Usana pointed out, blue eyes wide with distress.

The cocky king cheetah cub just snorted, "She's not gonna find out unless you tattle. Besides, I'll be back before she even notices I'm gone." Then she paused to look back and meet her sister's anxious gaze, "You can come too if you want."

Usana blinked at Fuli, appalled. Then she shook her head firmly, "No way! I don't wanna get into trouble."

Fuli snorted again, "You're no fun. This is literally our chance to explore!"

"Hmph, not on my watch you don't!" Usana sniffed.

"Fine," Fuli shrugged, giving a sly smirk, "Then don't watch. Later, sis!"

"Wait, what–? FULI!"

Usana's fretful mewls fell upon deaf ears as Fuli skipped further away. She quickened her pace to an attempt at a light, clumsy sprint.

Adventure, here I come!

The tall grass gradually began to shorten further along. Turning a corner of a nearby bush, to her right, Fuli spotted a dead tree sapling leaning at an angle, a bit of its roots peeking out from the dirt. Fuli scampered over to the sapling and sniffed at it curiously.

Hmm, maybe I can try climbing it?

Standing on wobbly hind legs, she reached her forepaws out towards the deceased sapling and hooked her tiny, blunt claws onto the gray, craggy bark. Then she pushed herself upward, attempting to scale the tree. She stretched forward to grab onto one of the jagged branches, her backfoot misstepped and she slipped.

"Whoa!" a startled yelp left Fuli, claws scrabbled as she clung tighter onto the tree to break her fall. Trying again, she hauled herself up, though when she tried to get ahold of the branch again, she skidded a little and nearly fell backwards. An annoyed growl left Fuli's throat, This is a lot harder than it looks.

The stubborn king cheetah cub was just about to go again a third time when her ears perked up, picking up a familiar, bird-like chirping sound; though it wasn't from a bird.

Mama's home!

Sliding down the tree, Fuli quickly bounded off. Retracing their steps, Fuli led the way back to the kopje. There, Unina and Usana were waiting for her. The former stood on top of the boulders, scanning the savanna while making anxious chirps to call Fuli, while the latter was sitting beside Unina, letting out small chirps herself to help her mother summon her sister.

"Fuliiiiiiii! Come back!"

"Mama, Usana, I'm here!" Fuli announced as she burst through the grass and made their way towards her family. When they saw her approaching, both Unina and Usana quickly leapt down and hurried over to her.

"There you are!" Unina sighed in relief, nuzzling and licking her oldest daughter. "I was so worried I lost you."

"Mama, I'm fine!" Fuli grunted, trying to pull away from her mother's slightly overwhelming embrace.

"Don't ever do that again!" Unina scolded, "You could've gotten hurt, or killed! Why didn't you wait for me like Usana?"

"I told you sneaking off was a bad idea," Usana murmured with a slightly complacent look, a rare expression for the usually meek cheetah cub.

"Shut up," Fuli muttered, giving her littermate an annoyed look.

"Fuli," Unina immediately scolded. She then turned to Usana, "Go back to the den, sweetie. I need to speak with your sister."

"Yes, Mama," Usana chirped, and she turned to trot back over to the kopje, leaving Unina with Fuli.

"I just got so bored, you were taking forever to hunt!" Fuli began. "So I decided to go out and do a little exploring while I waited for you. I couldn't help it!"

"Oh Fuli," Unina sighed, "Remember what I told you, the savanna isn't safe for you to go explore on your own."

"Yeah, yeah, I heard that a hundred times already," the king cheetah grumbled, rolling her eyes.

"I'm serious, Fuli." Her mother's sudden grave tone made Fuli stiffen, giving the brash cub a knowing hint that she meant business. "There are many dangerous predators that roam around these lands who would kill or eat a young cheetah cub like yourself. It's why we don't stay in one place for too long and travel around so often, it throws predators off our trails to help keep us safe."

"I know, Mama." Fuli shuffled her paws in guilt, "I'm sorry for worrying you. I really am."

"I forgive you, dear," Unina sighed, calming herself a little. "I understand that you like to explore new places. It's just hard for me, since you and Usana are my only cubs." Sorrow started to cloud her pale blue eyes, "I've already lost your littermates before even getting the chance to meet them... And I can't bear to have anything happen to you."

Sympathetically, Fuli rubbed her cheek against her mother's foreleg, hoping the small gesture would bring her some form of comfort. Unina had told her daughters the story of how she miscarried their four brothers. The young cub knew that Unina was still deeply affected by the loss. She couldn't blame her mother for being concerned over her wellbeing and wanting what's best for her.

Sometimes Fuli wondered if she should feel just as sad about their deaths despite not having a personal connection to them like her mother did. She barely remembered their scent, much less knew what they looked like since she was only an infant when they passed. Regardless, she could only imagine what her brothers were like had they'd survive.

"Fuli, please try to stay in the den site when I'm out, next time?" Unina said. "I know it's hard, but please try your best."

"Yes, Mama," the cub agreed.

"Good girl." Unina gave Fuli a loving lick to her fuzzy forehead. "Now then, follow me. I want to show you and Usana something."

"Okay!" Fuli chirped. As Unina led her over to the kopje, Fuli began to recap her mini adventure to her mother.

"Mama, I tried climbing a tree just now!" Fuli chirruped.

"Really?" Unina gave an enthusiastic purr. "Was it fun?"

"Eh, not really," Fuli replied, "It was kinda tricky. I kept falling."

"Ah, sounds like you need more practice then," Unina said, "The more practice you have, the better you'll become at climbing."

"I don't think I'm interested in climbing. Besides, I like running better, it's way more fun!"

Her mother chuckled, "If you say so."

When they reached the kopje, Fuli and Usana watched as Unina pulled out the gazelle carcass she had caught and brought back with her that was lying at the foot of the boulders. Usana nearly reeled back in response.

"What is that?!" Usana exclaimed, taken aback by the sight of the carcass.

"It's a gazelle," Unina explained. "Now that your milk teeth are coming in, you can start learning how to eat meat."

Fuli gaped at the gazelle, then she looked at her mother again, "You mean we get to eat real food like big cheetahs?"

"That's right," Unina confirmed.

Usana still looked bewildered, "So we're not drinking milk anymore?"

"Well you still have to for at least four more months. But you can have a headstart in eating meat right now."

The two cheetah cubs padded closer to the gazelle, leaning forward to sniff at the meat cautiously. Usana frowned skeptically, "What if I don't like it?"

"You'll love it, trust me," Unina assured her. "Go on, try it."

Warily, Fuli poked her nose at the gazelle, nostrils flaring as the smell hit her and made her mouth water slightly.

"It does smell pretty good..". She licked her lips hungrily.

"Hmm..." Usana thought to herself, still very unsure. "I don't know..."

Fuli brushed her tail reassuringly against Usana's flank, "Here, how about we try it together?"

Heartened, Usana gave Fuli a small smile and nodded, "Okay."

Settling on the flank area, at the same time, Fuli and Usana both reached out and gingerly sank their tiny fangs into the meat and tugged. A startled growl left Fuli's throat, stunned for a moment by how surprisingly tough the carcass was. The girls nibbled and gnawed; some drool trickled down the corner of their mouths as she tried to bite off a piece of the gazelle. Usana glanced uncertainly at her mother, who only gave her an encouraging nod to keep going. When Fuli finally managed to rip off a piece, her jaws immediately got to work in chewing to make it easier to swallow.

"Ith's kinduf chewy!" she said with a mouthful of gazelle meat. Then she swallowed and licked off some of the prey's blood off her lips. Immediately, she perked up while emerald eyes dilated in delight. "THIS IS AMAZING! I LOVE IT SO MUCH!"

Unina chuckled warmly at this response, "See? I told you."

Fuli was already wolfing down her meal, purring happily as she ate. Even Usana began to warm up to eating meat and was eagerly taking more famished bites.

"You're right, this is soooooo good!" she chirruped with a mouthful of gazelle.

"I know!" Fuli agreed happily.

Unina watched as the two sisters quickly gulped down the meat, pausing occasionally to lick their blood-stained muzzles. A small burp left Usana's lips, making them both giggle.

"Oops, 'scuse me!"

"Finish up quickly, dears," Unina told her daughters, "You need to learn to eat fast."

"Why?" Fuli asked between bites.

As if to answer her query, the two cheetahs froze when they heard a loud growl from the distance. Fuli and Usana looked around wildly to see what kind of animal was making that noise, while Unina on the other hand looked more alarmed.

Following her gaze, Fuli soon found the source of noise; two large male felines with scraggly, golden brown manes, heading straight towards her.

"What are they, Mama?" Usana asked, her voice quivering. Already her pelt was starting to bristle with worry.

"Lions," Unina responded in a low voice, appearing just as concerned as her second-born daughter. Quickly, she nudged her cubs away from the gazelle carcass. "We must hurry, before they see us."

"Shhh!" Unina urged in an apprehensive hiss, "Keep your voice down and get moving! These are the same kind of animals that made me lose your brothers. If they find us, they will kill us all."

Unina hadn't meant to spook her children, but Usana looked absolutely terrified at the prospect of being hunted, let alone by the very same animals that caused her mother's miscarriage, and was the first to scurry off in a panic, staring back at the lions. Even Fuli finally fell silent, the usually unyielding king cheetah cub decided it was best to not argue here and did as she was told, quietly following Unina and Usana away from the kopje, mimicking her mother's stealthy movements as they snuck away from the predators. The tall grass helped cloak their spotted bodies, Unina slightly peeked above the grassland and studied the lions as they snuffled around.

The lions weren't here for negotiation. They were rogue males who have just recently been kicked out of their pride now that they're adults, searching for a pride to claim themselves. And while they were capable of hunting together, today these two brothers would rather go for some easy prey; particularly the meals caught by smaller, less formidable predators like cheetahs.

They drew closer, their heavy pawsteps stirred dust at their feet as they walked and they let out low, threatening growls. Unina led her daughters further away. Like she expected, they were attracted to the kill she brought home for her cubs. In no time, the duo found the half-eaten gazelle carcass, and already they began tucking into the scraps. With the kopje now taken over by the two lions, it wasn't safe for the cheetah family to inhabit anymore. Thus, they must search for a new place.

"Let's go, before they finish and possibly smell us here," Unina chirped, already walking away from the scene.

"Phew! That was so close," Usana whispered. The younger cub padded closely beside Unina, not daring to stray even an inch away. The hairs of her mantle gradually began to lie flat from knowing that she and her family were safe for now. Sure, they had lost their meal, but she can always hunt again later.

"Indeed," Unina concurred gravely, still walking ahead at a frantic pace.

Fuli scampered after her family as they set off into the plains once again, leaving their old den behind to the lions. "Why did we let them have the gazelle? We were still eating it."

"That's why I told you to eat fast," Unina responded as she strode on. "So that animals like lions won't steal your food."

"But why do they do that?"

"It's because we're the smallest of the big cats here," Unina gently explained. "We may be fast, but we're not as strong as most other animals. Our bodies are more built for running and not fighting. That's why many animals like to pick on our kind, because they know we're not strong enough to fight back, and if we do, they can easily overpower and kill us, especially when they're in groups."

"But that's not fair," Usana pointed out with a frown.

"True. But that's just a part of life. Some animals have it better than others, and some, like us, are unfortunately not as lucky. So whenever you see any big predator coming for you, it's better to run away as fast as you can if you have the chance. Don't worry about the prey or standing your ground, just run."

"Hmm..." Fuli thought out loud to herself, "That sounds lame."

"Perhaps," Unina said, "But it's all about keeping yourself safe. Remember that, okay? You too, Usana."

"Yes, Mama," Usana answered obediently.

"Okay," Fuli sighed. The young girl still wasn't sure if she liked the sound of fleeing from her enemies as opposed to retaliating against them; it would send a message that they shouldn't mess with her ever again. But then again, Unina is knowledgeable in the ways of their kind and is responsible for teaching her daughter all there is to it so that she could grow up to be successful and thriving. And that knowledge would be passed on to Fuli's own cubs in the future, and so on and so forth. It was this kind of information that keeps whatever's left of their kind alive.

"Mama, one day, I'm gonna be the fastest cheetah ever," Fuli declared with a determined expression, "Then I'll outrun everyone, just like you! And no predator will ever be able to catch me! Because I'll be too fast for them!"

"I'm sure you will, honey," Unina smiled.

Despite losing their den and meal, Fuli quickly got over it and became exhilarated over the fact that she was yet again out and about, giving her another opportunity to explore her vast home range even more.

"C'mon, Usana!" she chirped eagerly, dashing ahead. "Last one to that rock is a dung beetle!"

"Hey, wait up!" Usana squealed, hurrying after her. The two giggled as they raced through the plains together, their mother laughing not too far behind.

Every hair along Fuli's golden pelt tingled in excitement as she wondered what other new sights were awaiting her.

Chapter Text

As a mother, Unina naturally did all she could to shield her daughters from the harsh struggles and reality of the world outside. But she could only do so much, and she knew that she couldn't protect them forever. It was only a matter of time before they'd discover that the savanna wasn't always as peaceful as it may seem. Their encounter with the rogue lions was just the beginning of the countless challenges Fuli and Usana would face. It's a harsh reality, but one that every cheetah cub must learn to understand at a young age.

The family of three had traveled through the afternoon until nightfall before continuing on their way as soon as dawn came around. Unina didn't stop until she and her daughters were as far away from the predators as possible. They've made good progress and there's bound to be a good distance between them and the lions now.

"Hey Usana, race you to that puddle over there!" challenged Fuli.

Usana gave an accepting grin, "You're on!"

"On your marks, get set... GO!"

The two sisters laughed as they both took off in a sprint, Fuli quickly took the lead but Usana wasn't too far behind, their mother keeping up with them in effortless strides.

"Weeeee! Look at meeeeee!" Fuli whooped, grinning from ear to ear as she relished the feeling of the cool breeze whipping through her mantle fur as she ran ahead, sending an excited shiver down her spine. Wispy yellow-green blades gently brushed against her small, spotted flanks, tickling her. "Mommy, look how fast I'm going!"

"Yes, dear, I'm looking," Unina chuckled from behind, padding at a steady pace to keep up with her cubs.

"I'm the fastest thing alive!" Fuli exclaimed.

"What about me, Mama?" Usana chirruped persistently, despite being slightly behind Fuli. She glanced back to make sure Unina was watching her as well, "I'm going fast too, right?"

"Yes you are, sweetie," Unina smiled reassuringly. "Both of you are getting faster every day, I can hardly keep up!"

"I'm still a whole lot faster than you, little sis!" Fuli teased, sticking her tongue out at Usana.

Usana reciprocated, playfully sticking out her own tongue right back at Fuli. "Hmph, I'll win this time, big sis!"

"I like to see you try!"

"Oh yeah? Just watch me!"

In reality, neither were going as fast as they believe they are, since they were still cubs of course. But Fuli and Usana felt as if they were sprinting at the top speed of a hundred adult cheetahs, and their mother let them indulge in the feeling.

"I'm right on your tail, Fuli!" Usana warned.

But Fuli just smirked confidently, "That's what you think!" Then she zoomed off in a sudden burst, kicking up a cloud of dust in Usana's face in the process.

"Hey!" The younger cheetah coughed from the dust cloud while Fuli raced further ahead.

In a few minutes, she soon reached the puddle she and Usana were racing towards and she let out a triumphant yowl as she gracefully leapt right over.

"Woo-hoo!!" she cheered as she landed on the other side of the puddle. The young king cheetah dashed around in joyous circles to celebrate her victory. "Yeah, I won! Take that!"

"Hmph, show off..." Usana grumbled as she gradually slowed down, her tail drooping with defeat as she walked the rest of the way to the puddle to meet her gloating littermate.

"Girls, let's take a pause right now," Unina said, stopping beside the puddle. She leaned down towards the small pool before her and began to lap her tongue at it, sighing in relief as she relished the refreshing sensation of the cooling water. Fuli and Usana crouched beside the puddle and they too started to take a couple sips. Cheetahs usually seldom drink since their prey is able to provide them enough hydration. But on rare occasions, like right now, they will still seek water.

Nothing like a good drink after a good race, Fuli thought to herself as she gulped down some water. And just like that, she was re-energized and ready to dash off into the plains again.

"Ready for round two, Usana?" she chirped, springing right back up to her paws.

"Sheesh, do you ever get tired?" Usana asked as she looked up from the puddle.

"Please, I'm never tired!" Fuli declared. Already she could feel her paws itching with the urge to run. "Let's go already!"

"Just a moment, honey," Unina said. "I think it's time we eat something."

"Sounds like a good idea," Usana agreed, seeming a bit relieved.

"I guess I am getting kinda hungry," Fuli realized. Having food after a race is also good.

Unina had the cubs stay put at a nearby umbrella thorn acacia tree while she went off to track a gazelle. In just a few minutes, Fuli had already grown fed up with waiting.

"Uuuuuuuuuugh, I'm soooo boooooooored," she whined, restlessly kneading at the ground with her claws. "Mama's taking forever!"

"It hasn't been that long, she literally just left," Usana pointed out, occupying herself by pretending to wrestle Fuli's tail as it impatiently flicked back and forth at her face. "She'll be back soon. You just gotta be patient, like me."

But Fuli didn't want to sit around and wait any longer, she could practically feel her legs uncomfortably itching with the need to run, yearning to get back out again. The cheetah cub looked out at the savanna, watching how the golden grass swayed gently in the soft breeze, almost as if to beckon her to come out and play. She continued fidgeting as the urge to just dash off from here soon became too overwhelming.

If I wait another second, I'll explode!

Suddenly, she noticed a large shadow casting on the ground to her left and she perked up, noticing a lone vulture lazily soaring through the sky, scanning the plains for rotting carrion to feast upon.

A confident smirk then formed across Fuli's muzzle as she crouched down with her legs half bent. Usana quickly caught on to this and frowned.

"Fuli, don't do it..."

"Be right back, sis!"

Without waiting for a reply, Fuli suddenly sprinted off, leaving Usana behind at the tree. The younger cub coughed as she was once again subjected to being caught in another dust cloud kicked up by Fuli as she ran.

"FULIIII! COME BACK HERE!!!"

Ignoring her sister's frustrated yowls, Fuli continued to race the vulture's shadow. The moment she stepped out of the shade from the umbrella thorn and onto the sunlit grass, the exposure to the sun's warm light felt rejuvenating, giving Fuli a sudden rush of energy surging through her veins as she bounded alongside the shadow. It didn't take long for her to get ahead, for the vulture wasn't really flying that fast nor was it even paying any attention to her.

"Ha, too easy!" Fuli confidently smirked to herself.

"FULI! FULI, WHERE ARE YOU?"

Oops, Mama noticed I left again. Better head back. She ran as fast as her little legs could allow her, following the voice of her mother. She could hear her mother's voice growing louder the closer she got, indicating to her that she was on the right track.

She soon returned to the umbrella thorn tree, where Unina was waiting for her, calling out her name. A freshly caught gazelle carcass lay near her paws and Usana was already taking small bites in an attempt to open it. Fuli hurried over towards her family.

"Fuli, where in the world have you been?" Unina demanded, her eyes wide with concern and a hint of anger as she noticed her missing daughter approaching. "What did I tell you about wandering off while I'm out?"

"Sorry, Mama," Fuli chirped.

Unina then sighed heavily with a half-smile, "Oh Fuli, what am I going to do with you...?"

"I told you to be patient," Usana called out to Fuli.

"Yeah yeah, whatever," Fuli snorted, feeling ravenous as she padded over to the prey her mother brought home. "Finally, I'm starving!"

She immediately started gnawing at it, trying to take a big mouth-watering bite. But despite their teeth growing in, they were still quite small, and both Fuli and Usana were having a difficult time trying to open up the carcass.

"Here, let me help," Unina said. She bent down and sank her teeth into the leg of the gazelle before effortlessly tearing it apart. The three cheetahs eagerly began tucking into the fresh meat. As they dined on their meal, Unina remained on high alert, keeping a constant vigil for any threats.

Sure enough, the smell of prey was already attracting some passing scavengers. A lone jackal is already onto them as it emerges from the bushes and casually strode out in front of the felines while staring at the gazelle tentatively. Fuli and Usana stared at it, exchanging an uneasy glance as the canine hunter stood awfully close for their comfort.

"Mama...?" Usana mewled fretfully.

Unina paused her eating and looked up, meeting the jackal's tempting stare with a testing glare. When it took another step closer, she gave out a low, warning growl. Wisely, the jackal backed off and continued on its way, figuring it wasn't worth wrangling with a full grown cheetah, let alone a mother who's very protective of her children, all for some scraps of gazelle.

"Wow, it actually backed off!" Fuli exclaimed.

"I was worried we'd have to be forced to leave, again," Usana said, "Like those lions who took over our den last time."

"Jackals usually don't stand a chance against cheetahs," Unina told them, "When it comes to them, we have the upper paw since we're larger, stronger, and faster than they are."

However, the jackal quickly became the least of their worries. Moments after it left, a new enemy appeared. Fuli and Usana soon perked up again, ears flickering as they detected a series of high-pitched tweeting close by.

"What is that noise?" Fuli wondered out loud.

"Maybe some birds?" Usana said. Though the branches of the acacia they were eating under weren't occupied by any birds, and looking around there was no flock in sight.

Unina looked around and Fuli saw her muzzle drop into a concerned frown, indicating she had most likely spotted something unsettling in the distance. Now her mother was standing up and alert as she glared ahead into the savanna, the fur along her neck had risen up too. Looking back into the open, Fuli soon noticed a large group heading towards them and the high-pitched whining and chirping grew louder; just up ahead was a pack of six canines. There was an uncanny glint in their yellow eyes as they headed towards the trio.

"Woah... What are they, Mama?" Fuli asked softly, beginning to feel a bit intimidated by the size of the group.

"Those are cape dogs, also called wild dogs, painted dogs, painted wolves, or hunting dogs" Unina quickly answered, her hackles gradually rising as she spoke.

"That's a lot of names for them," Fuli commented.

"And they're very dangerous," Unina added, still focused on the predators nearby. Fuli suddenly realized she was now on her feet in a ready stance, tension rippling along her bristling fur. "These animals can steal our prey and sometimes even eat cheetahs. And they don't just kill their prey, they eat it while it's still alive."

"What!?" Usana practically shrieked out loud.

Fuli's jaw dropped in horror at this fact, while Usana was already trembling, a worried noise coming from her throat.

Unina turned to face her now concerned daughters, her expression softened a little but still retained a certain grimness. "Listen to me, both of you," she instructed in a low voice, positioning herself in front of the cubs. "You two quickly go hide. This won't take long."

"W-where are you going?" Usana mewled anxiously.

"I'm going to distract the dogs and try to drive them off," Unina briefly explained. "In the meantime, you two just get as far away from here as you can and stay hidden until I find you. Don't let them see you."

"But you just said they eat cheetahs!" Usana pointed out frantically, "They're going to kill you!"

"I'll be fine, just go, now!" Unina hissed urgently. "I'll come for you when it's safe, I promise."

"O-okay... Be careful," Usana said.

"Be careful, Mama," Fuli agreed.

"You too, girls," Unina said, giving her cubs a small reassuring smile before heading off to confront the pack.

Fuli and Usana scurried off into the thick vegetation like their mother told them, glancing back momentarily to watch as their mother bounded closer to the approaching cape dogs.

"Come on, Usana!" Fuli whispered, nudging her sister ahead of her. Unina watched as her daughters disappeared into the tall grass before turning her attention back to the canines. The smell of the gazelle carcass is what attracted them to here, but these opportunist hunters aren't against seizing a cheetah cub either, a risk Unina is not willing to take.

"You might as well give up here, spotty," the dominant male lead of the pack sneered as he and his family surrounded the mother cheetah. "Before you and your kids get hurt."

The painted wolves snickered amongst themselves as they circled Unina, who met their gazes with an undaunted expression. The four juveniles of the pack glanced hungrily at the gazelle.

"Just take it and go, I won't fight you for it," Unina said, her tone strong and clear and her posture just as firm despite the rapid pounding of her heart.

"The gazelle is fine," the lead female then spoke up, barely looking at the cheetahs' half-eaten kill as a malicious grin slowly twisted on her black muzzle, "But why settle for just that when we can have so much more? Our little ones back in the den would surely appreciate it."

Unina's gaze darted around her at the pack, who were now salivating and while their eyes were now all locked onto her, their bushy tails wagged back and forth in anticipation as they took a couple paces towards the cheetah, who backed away slowly.

"I'd like to see you try, mutt," Unina spat, unfazed by the threat.

The alpha pair both snarled a command to their pack; "TAKE HER DOWN, BOYS!"

One cape hunting dog charged the cheetah, snapping his jaws. Just as he came near Unina's face, she clawed at the dog's face with a lightning-fast paw, knocking him out of her way and creating an opening for her to rush out through the pack. "HUWEZI!"

"GET HER!" The female yipped and four of the dogs pursued Unina while the female and male leaders seized the gazelle beneath the acacia. The cheetah needed to not only be quick on her feet, but also calculate her next move wisely. With six dogs against her, the stakes were high. One wrong move, and she and her cubs are done for.

In the bushes, Fuli and Usana gasped softly as they observed their mother luring the predators away from their direction, letting their sons deal with the cheetah.

"Go for the legs!" the male commanded from afar as he and his mate observed the teenagers as if they were assessing them.

Unina ran and ran, making sure the dogs were still tailing after her, swiftly dodging their gnashing teeth. Any time one of them diverged from the path and headed near towards where the cubs left, Unina nimbly twisted around and rushed them, clawing at their flanks to draw their attention away.

"Go, Mama, go!" Fuli cheered quietly to herself.

"Please don't die!" Usana added worriedly. A frightened whimper came from her throat when she saw another dog attempt to bite at Unina's tail, only for the mother cheetah to swiftly dodge the attack by sprinting the other way. "Oh, I can't watch..." The cub cowered behind Fuli, shielding herself from the sight of Unina risking her life to take on the predators. "This is scary!"

"Tch, 'scary'? You mean awesome!" Fuli chirruped excitedly. "Look at her go! She's so fast, they can barely keep up!"

"SHHHHHH! You're gonna give us away!" Usana hissed frantically.

"Don't shush me!" Fuli grumbled.

"Then stop being so loud!" Usana huffed. Still crouching, the younger cub began to creep away. "Come on, let's get out of here."

Fuli took one last look at her mother before hurrying after her littermate.

After a while, the wild dogs eventually gave up on keeping up with Unina, letting the female cheetah flee as they went to rejoin their parents under the tree where they were immediately met with berating from both parents.

"You let her get away?" their mother spoke in disbelief. "There were four of you and one of her, and you still couldn't catch her?"

"She was just too fast, Ma," one of the dogs panted, his pink tongue hanging out from his mouth. "She kept moving around so much, it tired us out."

Their father shook his head in immense disappointment, "You all had one job, and you couldn't even do that right. Honestly, do we really have to do everything ourselves around here?"

The four teens tried to ignore the harsh scolding, turning their gazes over to the gazelle in their parents' possession. But just when they were about to gorge down the kill, the dominant female stopped them.

"Uh-uh," she growled, "This is for your younger siblings. Since the four of you couldn't even handle one scrawny cheetah, you can help us drag this back home to them."

"Awww, but Ma!" all four of them whined.

"Listen to your mother," the alpha's mate snapped.

Grumbling amongst themselves, the four brothers reluctantly dragged the carcass as they followed their parents back to the den.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"You think we should start heading back now?" Fuli asked as she and Usana trudged deeper through the grassland.

"You heard what Mama said. We need to get as far away from those dogs as possible or they'll eat us alive," Usana said, not bothering to look back or pause midway.

"Ugh, that's just sick," Fuli said as she made a face, recalling what Unina said about how the painted wolves were notoriously known for consuming their prey alive. The thought still sent a shiver down her spine, how could any animal eat so barbarically?

"I know," Usana grimly agreed, her body seemed to shiver for a moment as if she too had gotten a chill from knowing how those predators treat their prey. "And I don't wanna become dog food."

"Me neither."

"I hope Mama was able to escape, too," Usana gravely added, her ears drooping as she remembered how they left her to deal with the pack all by herself.

"I'm sure she's fine," Fuli chirped reassuringly.

"But what if she isn't?" Usana countered, turning to look at the king cheetah with an anxious expression. "What if she tripped and fell and broke her leg? Or if the cape dogs have already killed and eaten her alive?"

Dread filled the younger cub's blue eyes as she suddenly stopped, her breathing quickening from distress. Fuli paused too to brush her tail over her flank, trying to calm her down.

"Maybe we should go back," Usana then said, turning around and scampering off in the direction they came.

"Hey, wait up!" Fuli hurried after her panicked littermate, rushing ahead and stopping right in front of Usana to block her path. "Usana, calm down."

"Calm down?!" Usana echoed, "Our mother is in danger! She's gonna die!"

"NO SHE'S NOT!" Fuli shouted, silencing the other cub. Then she continued in a more calm tone; "Mama isn't going to die. She knows how to deal with danger. She has everything under control. She'll be fine, and so will we. In the meantime, we should just lay low until she gets us."

"What if she doesn't?" Usana asked. The little girl was now hunched up and trembling from head to tail while every hair on her back stood on its end, a common behavior for whenever she got extremely agitated. "There were six of them against her!"

Fuli didn't respond right away, for her sister had a point; their mother was unfairly outnumbered and as fast as they may be, cheetahs still aren't fighters in the end. Nearly any animal can easily overpower them, especially if they were in large groups.

But Mama promised she'll come back for us.

Stepping closer to Usana, who was still huddled up on the ground shaking in fear, Fuli gave her a long comforting nuzzle against her forehead. "Hey, it'll be okay. We'll all be okay. Mama always knows how to deal with this kind of stuff. She's dealt with lions and other predators before, she can handle a couple of dogs."

"I guess..." Usana sighed, still skeptical.

Fuli nudged her back up on her paws, "Come on, try to chill out. I know she'll come back, she has to." Then an idea popped in her head, "Hey, I know what'll take our minds off this. An adventure!"

"An adventure...?" Usana repeated, gazing up at Fuli as if the other cheetah cub had grown an extra head. Then she frowned when she realized she was being serious. "Are you kidding me? What is with you always with 'adventures'?"

"Oh c'mon, it'll be fun!" Fuli said, springing up to her paws eagerly. "It'll help pass the time while we wait for Mama."

"If she ever comes, that is..." Usana mumbled.

"She will," Fuli firmly assured. "So why don't we have some fun while we wait?"

"Seriously? How can you be thinking about having fun in a time like this?" Usana demanded.

"Just trying to lighten the mood, here." Fuli shrugged.

"This isn't a game, Fuli! We're all alone with no one to protect us!" The younger cub snapped. "And you're suggesting we just run off into the unknown like you always do? The world is dangerous for us, literally almost every single animal out there to kill us! All of our brothers are dead because predators made Mama lose them. Everywhere we go, there's always something out to harm us! There's nothing fun about it!"

Taken aback by her littermate's sudden outburst, Fuli was once again silent for a moment, even slightly hurt by what she had said. The young king cheetah cub looked down at her paws and let out a sigh, "I know that."

Usana gazed at her sister, her ears flicking as Fuli continued; "I know there's a lot of animals who steal our food or kill us, the world is big, and scary, and full of danger. I know you're tired and scared of everything out here, but is that how we're all supposed to live?"

"What do you mean?"

"The world isn't always that bad. Sometimes it's scary, but it can also be really cool too. There's a lot of things we haven't seen yet, and sometimes the savanna can be full of surprises!" Fuli placed her arm over Usana's shoulder, bringing her sister closer, "I like going out to explore on my own because I don't wanna be stuck hiding and being afraid of everything life throws at us, that's a lame and miserable way to live. I'd rather be out there in the open, seeing it all! You should give it a try, it's not that hard."

Usana looked away, "I don't know..."

"Come on, sis, sometimes life can be amazing when you take the time to explore what it has to offer. Think about all that we've been through since we walked out of the nest. We survived then, and we're both still here. Whatever we may face, we'll be fine," Fuli said. She slipped her arm off of Usana's shoulder to place her paw right over hers. "And we won't be alone either."

Slowly, the younger cheetah cub turned back to meet Fuli's gaze, the latter smiled confidently and gave her sister a reassuring bump on her flank. "Come on, it really is fun out here! And whatever happens, I'll be here with you." Then she smirked, "We can race again too, unless you're worried about losing again."

Usana hesitated for a minute before sighing, "Okay, maybe just one quick race."

"Now you're talking!" Fuli chirruped excitedly, dropping into a ready stance next to Usana, who crouched down as well. "On your marks, get set... GO!"

Both girls dashed off together, bursting through the grass and out into the open plains. Fuli's smile grew bigger on her golden spotted face as she ran. Running always made her happy, she loved how alive and free it made her feel. She loved the way the wind blew past her fur from the speed she was running at. She loved how the adrenaline rush coursed through her body as she churned her little paws faster to boost her speed.

"Woo-hooooooo!!!" Fuli whooped out loud, startling a grazing antelope herd, who let out alarmed bleats and grunts as they frantically galloped away, feeling threatened by the cheetah cub's sudden presence.

The sisters sprinted past them, the savanna stretching endlessly before them; a world filled with so many sights and sounds for them to discover. Fuli sprinted, her lithe, spotted legs stretching out in long, graceful strides, feeling lighter and freer than ever. Glancing to her left, she could see Usana was beginning to let go some of the stress from earlier too, her expression looking much more relaxed.

"Where are we even racing to anyway?" Usana chirped.

"Er... I don't know yet," Fuli admitted, "I kinda just wanted us to run 'cause I felt like it. But hey, that's good too! Running just for the fun of it!"

Then an interesting scent caught her nose and Fuli abruptly skidded to a halt. Caught off guard, Usana quickly tried to slow down and bumped into Fuli's back.

"Oof, hey what gives?" she chirped, her flanks heaved as she panted heavily.

"You smell that?" Fuli said. Now that they've both stopped, the two girls stood in place and sniffed the air. Her previous interest in running has now been dropped for the moment.

Usana took the time to take a whiff and she too could detect it, "What is that?"

"Let's go find out together," Fuli mewed. "Come on!"

Following her nose, Usana trailed closely behind as Fuli led the way as the girls trotted off to find its source. Gradually, the scent grew stronger as the two sisters came closer. Soon, they tracked the trail all the way to an area filled with scrub vegetation.

"Look!" Usana gasped.

Squinting, Fuli could just make out the light brown figure of a hare standing frozen still at the sight of the young predator, its pale brown eyes wide as it stared back at the girls.

Curious, Fuli stalked towards the hare, her paws tromping loudly on the grass as she tried to get closer. In response, the hare hunkered lower to the ground, trying to blend in with its habitat more. Before the cubs could blink, it bolted in a panic, scurrying into the bushes to hide from the cheetahs.

"Whoa!" Fuli halted, taken aback by the hare's abrupt move. She looked around, the prey animal was nowhere to be found. That hare was quick! Almost as quick as me.

"Okay, that was kinda cool," Usana admitted, smiling a little. Fuli smiled back, glad to see her sister was finally letting herself lighten up a little.

Then her nose twitched, suddenly picking up another brand new scent, "Oh! I got a new scent!" Wonder what this one is?

Padding further along, Fuli and Usana followed this new trail into the grassland and soon came across a small clearing. Pecking at the ground was a flock of about ten medium-sized birds with a round and plump, black-feathered body speckled all over with white dots; a helmeted guineafowl, recognized by its distinct red crest on the top of its pale blue head.

"Wow, those have gotta be the fattest birds I've ever seen," Fuli commented aloud to Usana.

"You think they can even fly?" Usana wondered.

"Who knows."

One of the guineafowls pecking ceased and it froze still, its beady black eyes wide as it stared at its surroundings. Then the bird tensed and emitted a nervous, loud squawking sound, signaling to the other fowls close by. Soon the whole area was filled with the loud, grating alarm calls, making the cheetah cubs cover their ears.

Usana tipped her head to the side, "What's got them so spooked?"

As if to answer her query, right on cue, a caracal suddenly darted out from the grass, having been stalking the flock the whole time. The birds took off, flapping frantically into the air to escape the feline hunter. But the caracal was quicker, her hind legs springing them high into the air with outstretched paws. The medium, tan cat swiped her claws mid leap, hitting two of the ten birds and bringing them down with it. The caracal landed gracefully on all four feet just as she delivered a swift bite to the necks of both guineafowls, instantly killing them.

Both young cheetahs sat in the grass, in complete awe from what they had just witnessed, "WOAH!"

"That was incredible!" Usana breathed, beaming with enthusiasm.

"I know!" Fuli exclaimed with just as much vigor. "She got two birds in one jump!"

"I can't believe we got to see that!" Usana chirruped.

Fuli grinned, "See? Told ya there are some pretty cool stuff to see out here!"

The two siblings were then interrupted by a nearby growl. Even the caracal shot up, her large tufted ears swiveling in response to the sound before rising up to her paws in alert.

Already, Usana was beginning to feel on edge again, "W-what is that? Lions? The wild dogs?"

Fuli followed the caracal's gaze and her eyes widened in surprise, "No... it's a cheetah."

"Huh?" Usana turned around, shaking her head to make sure that she wasn't just seeing things.

There was indeed a lone male cheetah padding over towards the caracal, eyeing at the guineafowls in her possession. Bristling, the caracal gave a hostile hiss at the cheetah, who barely so much as flinched. The spotted feline was much larger and taller than the other, even the caracal seemed troubled as he approached closer. The cheetah then broke into a trot, and the caracal quickly grabbed one of her fowls and bolted away, leaving the other bird behind. The cheetah then slowed to a stop and claimed the abandoned prey, glaring off into the direction the caracal had fled, ensuring that she wouldn't return.

Blinking slowly, both Fuli and Usana were left flabbergasted by what they just saw happen.

"He stole her food," Usana said, staring at the other cheetah in bewilderment as he proceeded to scarf down the bird. "Just like how lions and wild dogs steal food from us."

"What the heck! Why did he do that?" an appalled Fuli huffed, feeling sympathetic for the caracal being forced to give up her prey to the other bigger cat. "That wasn't fair! This makes him as bad as those predators who steal from us!"

"Mama never said cheetahs could do that," Usana added, still puzzled.

"Hmph, well I'll never do that!" Fuli declared, turning her back to the inconsiderate male cheetah. "That's cheating!"

"More like 'cheetahing'," Usana tried, can't help but giggle at her own silly attempt at a pun. "Get it? 'Cause we're cheetahs, and it's cheating, but it sounds just like... Yeah you get it."

Turning to look at her younger sister, Fuli couldn't help but smile warmly at her; this is probably the calmest and most relaxed she has ever seen her been. And seeing her being this lively, laughing and smiling a lot as opposed to being jumpy and frightened made Fuli swell with joy.

"I can't wait to tell Mama everything we saw today," Usana said as she and Fuli continued on their way through the open plains. "I think I'm starting to see why you like exploring so much."

"Yeah, this is probably the best adventure I've had!" Fuli chirped.

"You girls lost?" a voice then spoke to them out of nowhere. Startled, the two jumped and whipped around, suddenly finding themselves face to face with the same four teenage cape hunting dogs from before. Their eyes were all focused on the pair of unsupervised cheetah cubs before them.

Chapter Text

"What's the matter?" the eldest of the pack sneered. "Cat got your tongue?"

That sent the rest of his brothers snickering amongst themselves, Usana was already cowering while Fuli couldn't help but gulp from the way their intense eyes attentively bored down on her.

Oh no, they've found us!

"M-my mother said we shouldn't talk to strangers," she told them in her best, bold tone, trying not to let her voice quiver. The king cheetah tried to straighten her posture, making herself appear as collected and unafraid as her mother whenever she was in the face of danger.

The teenager simply scoffed at her, "Well I don't see your mommy anywhere around here, do you?"

Fuli's stance immediately began to falter, "Well, no... But–"

"So I don't care what she says," the cape dog cut her off with a growl and Fuli flinched. Then a sly grin formed on his black face. "Say, you hungry? My bros and I were actually looking for a snack."

Fuli's emerald gaze darted around her as the four painted wolves took a couple paces towards her and Usana, who both backed away slowly. The fur along the cheetah cubs' backs began to prickle at the unsettling glint in the eight yellow eyes staring down at them.

Where is Mama!? This would be a good time for her to come now...!! There was a sinking feeling in her gut now. She said she'd come back for us... She promised! Where is she?!

"F-Fuli...?" Usana whimpered, turning to her sister with panicked-filled blue eyes.

"Uh... Hey look, your mom's here!" Fuli said out loud, pointing ahead.

"Huh?! Ma?!" The four juveniles perked up in alarm, heads twisting and turning around to see where their mother was.

Fuli blinked, I did not expect that to actually work... Nevermind, FOCUS! Hastily, she nudged Usana ahead, "Come on! Let's go!"

"Wait a minute, Ma ain't here..." the smallest dog realized before he and the rest of the group noticed the two girls scampering off into the grass.

"What the– HEY! GET THEM!" the lead dog ordered, and the four of them all pursued the fleeing cubs.

"AAAHHHHHHHHH!! MAMAAAA HEEEEEELP!!!" The girls both screamed desperately as they churned their paws vigorously to run as fast as they could to escape the hungry canines. But still being cubs who aren't as fast as adult cheetahs yet, trying to throw a whole pack of cape hunting dogs off their tails was nowhere near an easy task. It was certainly taking a toll on Usana, who's low stamina was already making her much slower compared to her older littermate, who was significantly ahead of her.

"Fuli, wait...!" Usana wheezed and gasped for air as she tried her best to keep up with her older sister, but then she missed a step and stumbled, falling face first to the ground. The cape dogs closed in on her.

"USANA!" Fuli shrieked, quickly circling back to rush over to her sister.

Groaning softly, Usana just lifted her head up when she heard the lead dog chuckling coldly; "Here, kitty kitty..."

Terrified out of her mind, Usana could barely utter so much as a whimper as the leader stalked towards her menacingly while his brothers backed him up, just as equally threatening. The poor small cheetah cub was too scared to move, flinching and fearfully shielding her face from the view of the hunting wolf charging towards her with his razor-sharp fang filled mouth open.

"GET AWAY FROM MY SISTER!" Fuli yowled, hurrying over and halting in front of her littermate. Instinctively, she lashed out at the large canine, her claws scoring right across his black snout. Though they were tiny, they were still very sharp, and the painted dog yelped as it staggered back, shocking his brothers.

"C'mon! Let's go!" Fuli urgered, ushering Usana back up to her feet as they took off once more.

"I thought you said adventuring would be fun!" Usana yelled through hyperventilated breathing.

"This usually doesn't happen!" Fuli cried, juggling between running fast enough to escape the hunting wolves while trying not to go too fast at the same time so Usana wouldn't fall behind.

"This is exactly why Mama said to not go out alone!"

"C'MERE, YOU LITTLE SCRAPS!" The hunting dogs yipped and snapped at them, the leader in particular was especially furious from Fuli's audacity to scratch him. She could practically feel them gaining on her, determined to snatch her and her sister up and gobble them whole. The girls twisted and turned, the wolves still hot on their trail, their big paws thundering behind her as they let out zealous cackles and tweets.

"Look out!!" Usana shouted a warning and Fuli narrowly ducked in time just as one of the painted dogs lunged at them, barely missing her by a whisker. The same dog ran ahead and stopped right in front of the girls' path.

"I've got you now!" he crowed, smacking his lips.

"AH!" At the same time, Fuli and Usana quickly scrambled to the side, splitting up just before they reached the painted wolf in front of them.

"Wait, watch out, WATCH OUT–"

The three hunting dogs that were chasing the cubs from behind skidded and fumbled as they tried to stop at the last minute, and they all ended up crashing right into their eldest brother.

"Ugh, you idiots!" he grumbled in annoyance. "This is why Ma doesn't love us!"

With the pack momentarily slowed down, Fuli looked around for a spot she and Usana could take cover. We can't outrun them, we need to hide!

"This way!" Fuli shouted, guiding Usana into a thick, tall grassy area. Maybe we can lose them here!

The girls scurried deep into the vegetation and flattened against the ground with their paws tucked beneath her and her tail wrapped tightly around her body, trying to make herself look as small and inconspicuous as possible. Fuli could feel Usana shaking violently beside her, covering her face with her paws.

"We're going to die..." she gave a muffled whimper.

"No, we're not. It's gonna be okay, we'll be okay," Fuli assured her, brushing her tail comfortingly over Usana's back. "Mama will come for us soon." I hope...

"Split up, they couldn't have gotten far," the eldest painted dog yipped an order to his packmates. By the sound of his voice, he was awfully close by. He licked some blood off his nose and Fuli gulped uneasily when she heard him angrily growling, "I call dibs on the golden one..."

Peeking from within the grass stalks, Fuli stiffened as the lead dog came to a stop in her view, looking around with enraged expression.

"I know you can hear me," he said in a dangerously low voice, letting out a harsh snort as blood from his scars hit his nostrils. Then he shifted into a more light-hearted pitch. "Come on out, I'm sure this is just a misunderstanding. Let's talk about this, dog to cat."

In your dreams! The king cheetah mentally screamed.

"Don't make me wait..." the dog said, there was a snarl on the edge of his words. He prowled past Fuli and Usana, poking his nose into the grass to try to sniff the small cheetahs out.

Fuli's breath hitched and she tightly curled up next to Usana even more, muscles tense with apprehension. Please don't find us, please don't find us, please don't find us, please don't find us...! she repeatedly begged in her mind. Maybe this wasn't such a good idea...

Suddenly, the grass further ahead rustled, which automatically captured the painted dog's attention. A sinister grin twisted across his face, "There you are."

He confidently strutted over to the section where the sound came from and stuck his head right in, "Thought you could get away from me, huh? Any last words...?" Then there was a hissing sound. "What the—AAAAAIIIIIEEEEEEEEEEE!!!!"

The canine reeled back and Usana peeked from behind her paws. She and Fuli both noticed a medium sized blackish-blue furry object clinging onto his face, snarling viciously as it jabbed its long, sharp claws right into the larger animal's muzzle. The other wild dogs perked up and began yipping in shock at the sight of their brother howling in anguish as he thrashed his head side to side, eventually shaking off the ratel, who landed heavily on his clawed feet and snarled up at him.

"Woah! What the heck is that thing?" Usana mewed quietly, unveiling her paws from her eyes completely while staring at the honey badger in awe.

"I have no idea," Fuli replied, just as astonished. "I didn't even know it was here."

It was then she noticed the thick, white streak of fur that grew from the top of the creature's head all the way to its tail.

"Hey! It looks exactly like our mantle fur! He must've mistook that thing for us because of it."

"Woah, that's actually really fascinating!" Usana breathed, her eyes sparkling with amazement.

Fuli glanced over her shoulder to smile proudly at her own silvery-gray back, I guess this isn't only just for making me look good. It can also help fool predators like these guys.

Looking back, Fuli saw the leader crying out in pain as he was forced back by the black-blue honey badger, who stomped towards him while hissing furiously. When the other three pack members tried to step in, another one emerged from the grass growling savagely as he swiped his claws at them.

"There's two of them!" Usana gasped.

The hairs along the dogs' patchy, colorful backs stood on its ends while uneasy whines and whimpers left their throats as they retreated back, intimidated by the sheer ferocity of the creature before them. They didn't have a haughty grin or sneer anymore. Instead, their faces were pale with fear.

"They're actually scared of that thing!" Fuli realized. "Those two badger-looking things are outnumbered and smaller than them, and they're afraid of it!" Ha! Not so tough anymore, huh? Stupid dogs.

The badger growled, baring its sharp fangs as it struck the lead cape dog's forepaws with its long claws. The predator flinched and jumped back even further.

"Nini jamani! What in the savanna are you four doing!?" a new voice joined in. Fuli, Usana, and the boys all looked up and saw the alpha female of their pack standing to the side, glaring at her sons with a displeased look.

"MAAAAAAAAAA!!!" The four juveniles turned around and hurried over to their mother whimpering with their tails tucked between their legs.

"Yeah, you better run!" the badgers yelled at them as they fled, "You're lucky we didn't castrate any of you!"

The dogs tried to huddle against their mother, but she only snapped at them, forcing them away whimpering. "Who's idea was this?" she demanded.

Three of the dogs quickly pointed paws at their eldest brother, who scowled at them for the betrayal.

"Well??" the matriarch said impatiently.

"W-we were just out hunting," the canine stuttered. "Since you and Pa decided to feed the pups the entire gazelle, even though they obviously can't finish the whole thing!" There was resentment laced in his tone as he spat out the last sentence.

"So you decided it'd be a good idea to wrangle with honey badgers?!" the female scoffed, "Have you forgotten what me and your father taught you?!"

"No, it wasn't– I mean we–"

"Not another word out of you, mister. You march your tail straight home, all of you, now," the alpha barked. Whining and muttering amongst themselves, the four teens stomped back to their den with their mother right behind them, rolling her eyes and sighing heavily to herself, "Kids..."

"Yeah that's right, get outta here!" the ratel harrumphed as the pack left.

"Stupid dogs," his companion hissed, shaking his pelt, which was now a little ruffled and ragged from the fight.

"These guys really don't mess around," Fuli said. She and Usana would've thanked them for unknowingly saving their spots, but judging by what they had witnessed just now, the badgers didn't seem the openly friendly type. Probably best to leave them alone.

Growling, the duo turned away and headed back to its original spot in the grass. In unison, the girls let out a huge sigh of relief. They won't be coming back here anytime soon.

"Phew, that was way too close," Usana sighed, the fur along her back finally starting to flatten. "That was actually pretty cool, watching those things take on the wild dogs. They're crazy!"

"And brave!" Fuli chirruped. "Crazy-brave!"

"Haha, yeah!"

Their little adventure soon came to an end when they heard an all-too recognizable chirping call sounding nearby. Seconds later, a familiar female cheetah with fawn-orange fur and pale blue eyes turned up, anxiously calling for her cubs.

The sisters' faces brightened at the sight of Unina, "Mamaaaaa!"

The girls rushed over to meet Unina, who immediately pulled them into a long embrace.

"Asante, Roho na Mangwa... There you are, my babies!" Unina deeply sighed in relief, nuzzling and kissing her daughters as she hugged them tighter; perhaps a little too tight. She then nosed her muzzle against Fuli and Usana and began to sniff at them anxiously, checking for injuries, "Are you both okay?"

"We're okay, Mama," Usana promised her, purring uncontrollably while rubbing against her mother's leg.

"I knew you would come back!" Fuli mewed happily.

"I was looking all over for you when I heard you two screaming," Unina said. "I came as soon as I could." Finally she pulled away, but the cubs still clung to Unina like they were afraid she would leave again. "Now let's get out of here before we run into more trouble."

And with that, the cheetah family took their leave.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Later that evening, while Unina laid on the ground grooming her children after dinner, Fuli and Usana recounted everything that happened before Unina found them.

"While waiting for you, me and Usana went off to do some exploring and we found a hare in the bushes. Then we saw this whole group of fat birds and this really awesome tan cat with big ears that can jump super high!" Fuli started off, pacing back and forth, unable to sit down as she retold her and Usana's experiences.

"The cat caught two birds in one big leap!" Usana added, just as exhilarated as her older sister.

"Sounds like you two met a caracal," Unina said, pausing in the middle of grooming Usana. "They are quite agile and very talented jumpers."

"It was awesome!" Fuli continued, "But then this cheetah came in and chased the caracal off and stole her prey."

Lifting her chin up, Usana glanced up at Unina as the latter began to wash the fur in the neck area. "You never told us cheetahs could steal from others," she pointed out. "Why is that?"

"Ah... You see girls, the truth is we could take from other weaker animals like caracals, but it's rare," Unina said. "Some cheetahs may choose to do so due to the high competition for prey, but I don't want either of you doing that, too."

"Why not?" Usana asked, "Other predators steal from us all the time."

"Yes, but not all the time," Unina corrected her. "Only sometimes. As long as you steer clear of their territories, you should be fine."

"Guess you're not doing a pretty good job at avoiding predators lately then, huh Mama?" Fuli remarked. It was purely an innocent joke that just so happened to unintentionally come out as backsass, and Unina made it clear she wasn't having any of it from the silent, sharp "I will slap those spots right off of you" look she threw at the king cheetah cub, who quickly corrected herself; "Kidding! Kidding...!" she then added, "I was kidding..."

Unina then shook her head as she spoke again; "Anyways, as I was saying, as long as you steer clear from other animals' territories, you shouldn't have to worry about running into them, hence why we constantly move around. Also, I don't want any of you stealing from others because that is not fair to them, as it isn't fair to us when we lose our prey to predators."

"It's cheating," Fuli recalled her statement from earlier.

"Exactly," her mother agreed with an approving nod.

"Then how come other animals do it?" Usana challenged, though it was out of genuine puzzlement and curiosity.

"They're just lazy," Unina answered bluntly, even slightly curling her muzzle in a critical manner. "We predators possess sharp teeth and claws and skills necessary for efficient hunting. Those who choose to take from others for an easy meal because they don't feel like putting in the effort to catch prey themselves are disgraceful and an insult to the Great Light for not putting the skills we have been blessed with to proper use. Just because most animals do it doesn't mean we should do the same. We are better than that, and I'm not raising my cubs to become cheaters. When you're living by yourselves one day and you're going to get food for yourself, you'll get it honorably by hunting, not stealing. Understand?"

"Yes, Mama," both girls chirped.

"Good," Unina smiled, "Now, what else happened?"

"After we saw the cheetah, we suddenly got chased by the four wild dogs from before!" Fuli explained.

"Wema wangu!" Unina gasped, her blue eyes widening. "My goodness!"

"Fuli even scratched one of them!" Usana continued breathlessly, "Then we hid in the grass and these weird animals came out and sent them running back to their mom! I think she even called them 'honey badgers'?"

"They were really scary and fierce," Fuli chirped, crouching down to mimic the ratels' hefty movements. "And they had white fur that looked like our mantles, so the dogs mistook them for us. One of them jumped on one of them and ripped at his snout! He was all like 'Yeah, keep running!' And the dog was all like 'AAAAAUUUUUGHHHHH!!'"

Usana giggled at her sister's impression of the canine's pained howls, which wasn't too far off from how it sounded.

"Yes, those sound like honey badgers alright," Unina confirmed as she listened to the story intently. "Those animals are indeed very frightening, so it's best to avoid them at all costs. Your mantles may be thinner than normal, but luckily they're still effective from what I'm hearing. They're meant to make you look like honey badgers to fool other predators so they'll leave you alone."

"Well it worked! They didn't find us at all!" Usana gleefully meowed. "Those badgers were super scary, but also really cool! I can't believe an animal as small as them could drive off larger animals like the dogs!"

"I'm just glad you're both okay," Unina said, "Sounds like you two had quite the adventure."

Both cubs laughed; "We did!"

"I still can't believe I was face to face with predators, and I didn't die! I've never felt so brave before," Usana chirruped, her expression bright and exhilarated. "You were right, Fuli. Sometimes the world is scary, but it can be pretty cool and full of surprises!"

The other cub beamed from this, "See? I told ya!"

"Yes girls, there are a lot of things to discover out there in the great, big savanna, either good or bad. But it was still very dangerous for you two to be on your own," Unina added in a slightly more stern manner. "I was worried sick for both of you. Hopefully this will be the last time we get separated."

"I agree. As fun and scary as it was, I'm glad we're back with you," Usana concurred as she weaved away from Unina when she finished grooming. She then settled over in the spot beside her mother's flank and yawned, the adrenaline from today's events beginning to wear off. "I'm pretty tired from everything that happened today."

"Me too," Fuli admitted, failing to stifle a yawn herself as she padded over to snuggle right next to Usana.

"And you say you never get tired," Usana smirked.

"Only sometimes," Fuli replied back, and the two shared a laugh.

"Okay my little thrill-seekers, settle down," Unina chuckled light-heartedly. Curling around her cubs, she gave each of them a tender lick to their small fuzzy heads before resting her head on her paws. "Sleep well, my dears.

"Goodnight, Mama," Fuli and Usana purred.

"Night, little sis," Fuli said as she closed her eyes

"Night, big sis," Usana mumbled back sleepily.

Fuli couldn't help the big smile on her face as she nestled even closer to Usana. Despite nearly becoming prey for the cape dogs, Fuli found that in the end she was quite content with the action-packed events of today, and what made it even better was that she got to share this adventure with her sister. Today was truly an experience neither of them would forget.

Chapter Text

Two months have passed, and the family continued their routine of roaming through the savanna and settling in a new territory before moving on again by the end of the week. Luckily for them, Unina has scouted the area and detected no possible threats inhabiting this part of the land they were currently staying in. So today, she decided to kick back and relax beneath the generous shade provided by an acacia tree's leafy canopy, shielding her away from the sun's blazing heat. Her cubs had recently eaten and were now even more active and lively. Usana was busy playfully wrestling Unina's tail as it lazily flicked left and right at her face. Meanwhile, Fuli was pretending to stalk her mother in the grass. The king cheetah cub then charged forward before pouncing onto Unina's head, grabbing at her face and nipping her ears.

"Raaar ! Gotcha!" Fuli yowled, nipping her mother's ears.

"Aghh, nooo !" Unina cried out in feigned pain, scrunching up her face as she felt small, soft paws grope at her muzzle as her daughter's tiny fangs tugged mercilessly at her ears. Fuli then hopped onto Unina's shoulders and awkwardly padded along her body before wobbling and losing her balance.

"Oof !" the cub squeaked as she tumbled over. An amused purr rumbled in Unina's throat.

"Be careful, dear," she said, helping her daughter up while Usana scampered over to sit beside her sister. Unina then started to groom their fluffy heads and cheeks, much to Fuli's displeasure.

"Ew , Mama stop!" she grumbled, immediately trying to pull away.

"Hold still," Unina told her as she held her firmly and pulled her in closer to run her tongue over her mantle. "Your fur is a mess."

"Stoppit!" Fuli squealed, squirming in her mother's paws, " Ack , lemme go!"

"Why can't you sit still like your sister?" Unina lightly scolded.

"I like taking baths," Usana chirped. While her older littermate continued to kick and squirm around, the younger cheetah cub sat in place unmoving, gladly letting her Unina bathe her.

Finally, Fuli managed to break free from her mother's grooming session and shook her cleaned pelt. " Eugh , I hate baths..."

Unina just shook her head in resignation, deciding to let her go and focus cleaning only Usana now.

"Can we go already?" Fuli grunted, impatiently headbutting Unina in her side. "It feels like we've been stuck here forever."

"We'll head out after we rest," Unina assured her, giving a slow yawn. "I'm quite tired after that hunt."

"Oh come on!" Fuli huffed in annoyance.

"Be patient, child," Unina lightly scolded her, letting Usana go once she finished grooming her. "Here, go play with your sister."

"Hmph ... fine," Fuli grumbled, glancing over her shoulder to see where her littermate had gone off to.

Then she heard Usana gasp, "Fuli, check this out!"

Fuli found the younger female crouched on the ground, intently observing a large, blue beetle with a long horn-like nose similar to one of a rhinoceros scuttling across the ground. The king cheetah padded over and joined her on the ground.

The girls gazed at the bug, sniffing at it curiously. Cautiously, Fuli stretched out a paw and lightly tapped the beetle's hard back and gave a surprised squeak as she quickly withdrew. Unfazed, the beetle continued on its way, paying no mind to the cheetah cubs watching.

Suddenly, the insect's shiny, blue carapace split in half, revealing a pair of wings that emitted a startlingly loud buzzing as they beat together, and the beetle abruptly took flight.

"EEK !" Startled, both Fuli and Usana shrieked and jumped back with their fur standing on end.

"Girls, what happened?" Unina demanded, sitting up and alert while her eyes darted around for any signs of danger only to see nothing. The two cubs silently exchanged a glance as their screams echoed through the empty savanna, then they burst into laughter.

"We're okay, Mama!" Fuli giggled.

"We were just surprised by a beetle," Usana added between snorts, "It was crawling on the ground and suddenly its wings popped out and it flew!"

"Oh really?" Unina chuckled, laying back down to ease the tension. "That sounds silly."

"It was!" Usana chirruped.

"Let's follow it!" Fuli enthusiastically suggested.

"Now wait just a moment– FULI!"

Already, the king cheetah was skipping after the flying beetle, paying no mind to her mother shouting for her to stop, her small golden body disappearing as the tall grass engulfed her.

"Young lady, you bring your tail right back here, this instant!"

"Hey, wait for me!" Usana meowed as she too zipped into the grass, going right after her big sister.

"Usana, no!" Unina protested as she watched her daughters vanish, much to her dismay. "GIRLS!" With a heavy sigh, the frazzled cheetah mother heaved up to her paws and hurried after them, "Great Light, give me strength... FULI, USANA, COME BACK HERE, NOW!"

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

In the grass, the two sisters giggled as they eagerly pelted after the flying beetle, determined to catch up to it. A gentle buzz sounded from its wings rapidly beating against each other, taking the beetle further away from the pursuing cheetah cubs.

"C'mon, Usana!" Fuli squealed, leading the way as per usual. "It's getting away!"

"I'm going as fast as I can!" Usana said, quickening her pace with all the might in her small body to keep up with Fuli. "Where do you think the beetle is going?"

"Not sure," Fuli replied. "Only one way to find out. Let's keep going!"

"Yeah!" Usana cheered.

Since the face-to-face encounter with the wild dogs from three days ago, Usana has grown a touch bolder after surviving the terrifying encounter and getting to witness many other eye-opening events while sight seeing with Fuli. While maybe still not as daring compared to her littermate, Usana was now more willing to tag along on one of her little explorations, much to the surprise– and dismay– of their mother. But there's no way Usana was going to continue missing out on everything; if she could survive wild dogs, she can survive anything. And of course, Fuli will always be right at her side so whatever happens, they'll be facing it together.

Eventually, the girls lost sight of the beetle when it fluttered even deeper into the grass. Their running slowed to a stop and they both looked around before Fuli spoke; "Where'd it go?"

"I don't know," Usana panted lightly, "I think we lost it."

"Darn," Fuli said.

With a shrug, Usana turned around and began heading back the way they came, "Guess we better get back to Mama before she yells at us some more." But then she felt Fuli grabbing her tail with her teeth, stopping her in her tracks. "Wha– hey! What gives?!" Usana yelped in annoyance.

"Look over there!" Fuli chirped, letting go of Usana's tail and pointing ahead with her paw. Following her direction, Usana soon noticed a medium-sized hole dug up in the ground. Intrigued, the two cubs padded over to get a closer look.

"What is that?" Fuli wondered aloud, tilting her head to the side as she observed the hole.

"I think it's a 'burrow'," Usana answered. "Mama said that some animals like to create these sort of tunnels to live in, underground."

Fuli made a face, "Weird, what kind of creature would want to live in dirt?"

"Well there's mice, moles, hares," Usana began listing off, "I'm sure there's more animals than that... I'll ask Mama about it later."

"What kind of animal do you think lives in this one?" Fuli asked as she stretched out her muzzle to curiously sniff at the entrance of the burrow.

"Not sure," Usana admitted, "Could be anything."

A mischievous smirk formed across Fuli's face, "I dare you to stick your head in and find out."

"What?! No way!" Usana instantly protested. "I'm not doing that!"

"Why? Ya scared?" Fuli teased.

"Fuli, we have no idea what's even down there," Usana pointed out.

"Yeah, so why don't you find out by looking inside?"

"I'm not going in there!"

The king cheetah sneered, "Sounds like you're just a scaredy-cat."

"Are not!" Usana huffed, stomping her foot down in irritation.

"Are too!" Fuli continued teasing.

"Are not!"

"Are too!"

"Alright then. If you're so brave, why don't you do it?" Usana then challenged.

"Hey, I dared you to do it first," Fuli said.

"What's wrong, you scared?" Usana taunted with a sly look of her own, pinning her sister's own words against her.

Fuli scoffed, her ears pinning back in offense, " Tch , no!"

"Then go on. Take a peek," Usana further invited, giving a mocking grin. "Unless you're a scaredy-cat."

Fuli's emerald eyes bulged in outrage, "I am NOT a scaredy-cat!"

"Prove it then," Usana snorted.

"FINE! I will!" Fuli agreed with a firm nod. She strutted closer to the hole with her chin held high and her chest puffed out in determination; "Just watch me. Nothing bad is gonna happen to me."

Usana snorted again, rolling her eyes; "Sure, sis."

A "humph" sounded from Fuli as she stuck her tongue out at her littermate, who instantly reciprocated with the same exact gesture right back at her. With one final miffed glare at Usana, Fuli crouched down at the burrow's entrance, gazing at the dark blackness that is the interior. She inched a little closer, sniffing cautiously as she peered into the hole, already sensing the hairs along her back beginning to prickle slightly from nerves. Fuli forced her fur to remain flat, fully aware that Usana was intently watching her. Not wanting to be subjected to any more snide jabs from her sister the longer she hesitated, Fuli mustered up the courage to finally plunge her head right into the burrow, earning a gasp from Usana.

The king cheetah felt a flash of satisfaction at this response, so with more confidence, she delved deeper in, really pushing into the narrow tunnel until the edge of the den hit her shoulders and she couldn't fit herself in anymore.

"Ha, see!" Fuli's muffled voice came from inside, "Told you nothing bad would happen!"

"See anything?" Usana asked.

"I can't see a thing in here!" Fuli replied. "It's too dark. I'm coming out."

Fuli pushed against the burrow's edge with her front paws while her backlegs also scrabbled to get herself out, but for some reason, her head wouldn't budge.

Huh, that's weird. She repeated the motion, trying again to pull herself out of the hole but to no avail. Now she was beginning to grow worried again, and so was Usana, who padded over to Fuli's side with a concerned frown.

"Uh, Fuli? You need some help?"

"No, it's fine. I can do this," Fuli insisted, trying once more to free herself. She pushed and pushed with all her might, but her head remained deeply wedged in the tunnel. She let out a muffled sigh, "Okay, maybe a little help."

"Okay, hold on," Usana said, firmly grabbing onto Fuli's scruff and tugging it at the same time as Fuli pushed.

"Come on, keep pulling!" Fuli urged.

"I am!" Usana grunted through a mouthful of her littermate's golden fur, pulling Fuli as hard as she could to the point where the king cheetah gave a disgruntled squeak. "Sorry!" Usana quickly apologized, loosening her grip. And even after all that, Fuli's head was still trapped inside the burrow.

"Uh-oh..." Fuli sucked in breath as a sense of immense dread filled her. Panic surged through her, and she began flailing her limbs in distress. "HELP ME, I'M STUCK! HELP!!"

"Oh no!" Usana cried out, staring at her thrashing sister in alarm.

"There you are!" Unina then spoke as she finally caught up to her daughters.

"Mama!" Usana mewled, quickly rushing over to her mother as she approached. "Mama, quick! It's Fuli, she's stuck!"

"GET ME OUT OF HERE!!!" Fuli's deadened cries rang from inside the burrow as she continued to thrash and kick and squirm out of control, desperate to free herself from the ground. "USANA!! MAMA!! HELP!!!"

Unina's jaw dropped at the sight of her eldest cub's head being buried in the hole while the rest of her body frantically wriggled uncontrollably outside.

"What is the meaning of this?!" the adult cheetah demanded, "What did you do?!"

"It was my fault!" Usana admitted, dipping her head in remorse. "She dared me to put my head in and I said no and told her to do it instead, so she did. I didn't think she'd get stuck. I'm sorry..."

The mother cheetah glanced at her youngest, who gazed down at her paws with an expression full of shame. With an exasperated sigh, Unina shook her head and said; "We'll talk about this more later. For now, let's try to get your sister out of that burrow."

She padded over to the hole, specks of dirt and dust hitting her legs from Fuli's back feet still scrambling aimlessly. She shouted once again, "GET ME OUT!!"

"It's okay dear, I'm here," Unina called out to her, "I need you to try to hold still for me, okay sweetie?"

"O-okay..." came Fuli's terrified reply, and she ceased her thrashing.

Bending down, Unina firmly grabbed hold of her cub's scruff and began to pull, each attempt gradually becoming a little more forceful than the previous.

"OW!" Fuli squeaked again when she pulled a little too hard.

"Wema wangu, you're very stuck in there!" Unina exclaimed.

A dreaded groan sounded from within the burrow; "I'm gonna be stuck in here forever until I die!" the king cheetah wailed.

"No you won't! Don't worry, we'll get you out," Usana assured her, then her ears pinned back in apprehension. "Right, Mama...?"

"Of course, dear," Unina said. "I may have to dig her out if I can't pull her out."

"I'll help!" Usana chirped, scurrying over and raking her small paws against the edge of the burrow, scraping small chunks and bits of dirt out of the way. Unina also got busy scratching away at the surface, trying to dig out the burrow's entrance to make it big enough for Fuli to back out. "Hang in there, sis!"

Fuli sighed, "I shouldn't have run off..." she muttered to herself. Mama will probably yell at me some more once I'm free...

Suddenly, there was a shuffling sound coming from deep within the burrow and Fuli stilled even more. Something's in here!

"H-hello...?" she softly mewed.

"Dagnabbit, what's going on up there?" a voice grumpily mumbled to themself. "Can't a guy nap in peace?"

Fuli gulped, "W-who's there? Show yourself!"

"What in tarnation– Who goes there?!" the voice shouted, followed by more footsteps. Squinting through the gloom of the tunnels, Fuli could just barely make out a silhouette of a medium to large sized creature with a jagged hide along with a pair of gleaming beady eyes, and it was heading straight towards her.

"Uh... M-Mama?" Fuli called out uneasily. "Someone's coming here..."

"Just hang in there dear, we're almost there," Unina said, trying to dig faster.

"Huh...? What in the world?" the creature muttered aloud, waddling closer towards Fuli, causing the cub to panic again.

"Mamaaaa !!!"

"Fuli, stop moving!" Unina shouted, but the king cheetah was already beginning to squirm again.

The second Fuli blinked, she found her muzzle-to muzzle with the creature as it stared back at her with wide bewildered eyes. " Nini jamani–?!"

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHH !!!!" a scream ripped from the cheetah cub's throat.

"WOAH !!" Fuli's reaction alarmed the animal, who in response instinctively whipped around and the fur along his back bristled and stood erect, lashing out at Fuli. In a heartbeat, she felt her face get assaulted by a million sharp, thorn-like spines all over. With a painful howl and a sudden burst of adrenaline, Fuli yanked herself free in one swift motion and fell backwards, much to the surprise of her family.

"Fuli!" Usana squealed, she and Unina quickly rushed over to her side.

"Are you alright, dea– Bingu njema!" Unina gasped.

Groaning, Fuli groggily sat up and shook her head, only to stiffen when she felt the sharp stabbing pain throbbing all over her cheeks and chin. When she tried to rub her face, she felt something long and stiff pricking her in the areas that hurt, worsening the discomfort. " Ooooowww ...!"

"Fuli... Your face!" Usana managed to utter, gaping at her sister in shock.

"Wha– whazzit? What happened?!" Fuli asked, frantically swaying her head around trying to shake off whatever was stuck on her and causing the immense pain.

"Oh for the love of the Light and Spirit... Fuli, stop moving already, please!" Unina chirped strictly, and the king cheetah finally stilled in an instant.

The animal that startled Fuli soon emerged from the burrow, revealing himself to be a crested porcupine. He stomped out with a sour expression from being disturbed from his nap and having his home invaded, but when he locked eyes on Fuli, whose face is now adorned with several of his sharp quills, he immediately softened.

"Oh no..." he lamented, turning apologetically towards Unina. "Ma'am, I am so sorry, I had no idea it was your kid in my burrow. If I had known, I wouldn't have hurt her, I swear..."

"It's okay," Unina assured him, before giving Fuli and Usana the side eye, "My cubs should've known better than to stick their noses into other creature's homes, anyway. I certainly taught them better, or at least I thought I did."

Both cubs avoided their mother's disappointed gaze, shuffling their paws awkwardly on the ground.

"Come on, girls, let's leave the porcupine alone now," Unina ordered. Carefully avoiding the spikes, she picked Fuli up by the scruff and carried her away while Usana meekly tailed closely at her side.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"I am very disappointed with you two," Unina sighed as soon as she set Fuli down back in their den site. "Both of you disobeyed me; Usana, you know better than to foolishly run off like that. And Fuli, I've told you this countless times already, and now you've gone bother another animal and got yourself hurt. You both oughta be ashamed of yourselves."

"We're sorry, Mama..." Usana and Fuli both mewed with guilt.

Unina would've continued chewing them out, she had much more to say and was greatly frustrated with their actions. But given how much pain Fuli was currently in, she decided to drop it and tend to her eldest daughter's quill-covered face.

With a deep sigh, Unina beckoned for Fuli to come over and sit at her paws. "Listen dear, I need you to hold as still as you can while I take these quills off of you. Understand?"

Fuli nodded and Unina leaned forward to grab ahold onto one of the prickles and yanked it out in one go, instantly eliciting a loud, long, screech, causing Usana to cover her ears. The screech was soon followed up by an equally long sob.

"Oh I know, sweetie, I know..." Unina cooed apologetically, trying to nuzzle a small spot on Fuli that wasn't covered in prickles to comfort her. "I know it hurts..."

Unina repeated the process for the next quill, and once more Fuli tearfully cried out. The process was agonizingly slow, the fact that each thin spike was also tipped with tiny barbs made them really embedded deep within Fuli's skin, making removing them even harder. Tears soaked the sides of Fuli's face, mixing in with the drops of blood that welled up in the many puncture wounds.

"You're doing very well, sweetheart," Unina encouraged as she continued working through the spines. Fuli tried her best to stay still like her mother instructed, but each time another quill was pulled out, her body would reactively jolt.

"Poor Fuli..." Usana meowed sympathetically. She'd help, but her mother didn't want her, not that Usana wanted to either; she didn't want to come anywhere near those sharp needle-like hairs. She wished there was a way to lift her sister's spirits if she couldn't touch her. Usana pondered for a moment and soon an idea came up, Maybe there is!

Taking a second to clear her throat, she then began to sing a heartfelt, but terribly off-key, song;

Oh little porcupine
Covered head to tail in spines
Be careful, don't come near
Or you'll have quills all over your rear!

Pokey! Pokey! Pokey!
Owie! Owie! Owie!

I said don't go near
Now you have quills all over your rear!

You're now covered head to tail in spines
Just like a porcupine!

When the song concluded, Usana started singing again from the very beginning. As Usana sang, Fuli grimaced even more as she tried to cover her ears to block out her sister's out-of-tune voice, each repeated verse seemingly getting worse the longer it continued.

This is worse than the quills...

As the last few prickles got plucked out, her pained shrieks eventually died down to a pitiful agonized whimper.

"And... There," Unina said as she plucked out the last quill and spat it out onto the pile of the many other discarded quills. "All done."

"Finally...!" Fuli groaned in relief. Thankfully, Usana's awful singing had also stopped too.

"Yay! You're okay!" she cheered as she rushed over and barreled into her littermate into a hug, accidentally nuzzling into her face.

"YOW !!" Fuli yelped and she instinctively pushed Usana away, her cheeks stinging from the cuts.

"Oh no, sorry!" Usana apologized.

Unina gently nudged Usana to the side so she could cradle Fuli in her paws and lick the scratches, tenderly cleaning the blood off and wiping her tears. Fuli sniffled as she snuggled closer to her mother's grasp, finally calming down. By the time Unina was finished, her face still throbbed slightly and there was a tingling numbness everywhere, but otherwise she felt okay.

"How does it feel?" Usana asked.

"Still stings a little," Fuli answered, wincing a little. "But I feel a lot better than before."

"That's good," Usana offered an optimistic smile. "What did you think of my song?"

Fuli cringed, "If I'm being honest, the quills hurt a lot less than your singing."

Usana sniffed, "Well guess what, I got another one for you;

There once was a cheetah cub named Fuli
She was very dumb, mean, and jerky

"HEY!" Fuli cried out, offended. Usana ignored her and continued on;

She never listens to a word I say
So now she has quills all over her fa– " Ack !"

The song was abruptly cut short when Fuli tackled Usana and the two cubs rolled around a bit, squealing.

"Take back what you said!" Fuli demanded, smacking Usana right on the head as they tussled.

"Make me!" Usana yowled, batting her paw right across Fuli's cheek, hitting one of her scratches.

"AH !" Fuli jerked and rolled off of Usana as a sudden wave of pain flared in the area and gingerly rubbed at it. "Okay, okay! Truce! Truce!"

"Ha!" Usana razzed. Grumbling, Fuli stuck her tongue out at her and blew a raspberry.

"Okay, that's enough, you two," Unina said, stepping in between her daughters before they could rush each other again. She then gave her a very stern, yet gentle, look to Fuli. "Let this incident be a lesson."

"Oh, believe me, it is," Fuli said with a slight shudder.

Chapter Text

Fuli and Usana had really come a long way from where she started off; from just tiny survivors of their litter born in the underbrush to now traveling almost everywhere in the vast savanna with Unina, and still they haven't seen it all yet. Unina continued to keep a watchful eye over them, always remaining vigilant everywhere they went to ensure their safety. The bond the family of three females shared grew stronger with each passing day.

By the time the girls turned four years old, they'd arrived into a new territory; a backland filled with a variety of plants and vegetation, including various kinds of trees overlooking the land. Some bushes are also present, though they were not quite as abundant as trees. Many dirt paths are scattered all around the land.

"Wow, where do you think all these paths lead to?" Usana wondered out loud to Unina and Fuli.

"Who knows," the latter answered, her tail giving an excited flick. "We should go explore one of them!"

But just as she sprang forward, prepared to dash off like usual, she instantly slumped on the ground and she felt something weighing on her tail. Looking over her shoulder, she was met with a serious look from Unina.

"Oh no you don't," she said sternly. "How many times do I have to tell you to not run off on your own?"

"Oh... right," Fuli chuckled sheepishly, "I forgot."

Unina just shook her head and removed her paw from Fuli's tail, keeping her gaze straight ahead as she continued trekking through the new backland. "Let's keep moving for now."

"This place looks pretty," Usana commented. "There's so many tall trees."

"It looks nice and shady," Fuli added, "Right, Mama?"

"Uh-huh..." was the only simple reply Unina gave, for she couldn't even share half of her daughters' enthusiasm. While there were a few open flat plains and savannas, most of the backland's environments were woodland and forests. Not only were they unsuitable for cheetahs to inhabit, but in Unina's experience, some of the most dangerous predators inhabit those kinds of areas. So she couldn't help but feel a little on edge whenever she came near them.

Being just a young cub, Fuli could care less about any possible threats that could be around.

"Can't we explore the forest just a little?" Fuli chirruped, "It looks so mysterious and interesting here! Maybe we can even pick a new den site here."

"No can do," Unina gently told her, "These kinds of environments aren't well-suited for us. Plus..." She glanced around suspiciously and Fuli suddenly noticed that the hairs along her back were slightly raised, showing signs of her feeling agitated. "...I have a bad feeling about this place."

Puzzled, Fuli tilted her head sideways, "But why?"

"Nevermind that," Unina brushed her off, ushering her and Usana along. "Let's just keep going."

As the trio continued on their way, the girls decided to make the long trip more bearable by pretending to wrestle each other. Usana soon let out a squeak as she was pinned firmly to the ground by Fuli, who laughed in triumph.

"Stay close, dears" Unina chirped when she noticed them lagging behind from being too preoccupied in their play.

The girls quickly disentangled from each other and scampered after their Unina. Fuli playfully nipped at her heels and Usana batted her paws at Unina's swinging tail from behind. Then, Unina yelped and paused in her tracks when she suddenly felt a small, sharp prick on her tail tip and twisted around to see Fuli lying on her back and nibbling on her mother's tail with small fangs that were beginning to sharpen. The king cheetah gave a cheeky giggle between the mouthful of fur while Usana chortled with her. Unina sighed, letting the tension ease upon realizing the lack of an actual threat.

"You silly girl! Nearly scared me to death," she scolded lightheartedly, yanking her tail out of her eldest's mouth.

Fuli playfully stuck her tongue out at her before jumping back up to her paws. "Hey Mama, when are we gonna eat?" she asked. "I'm getting kinda hungry."

"Me too," Usana agreed. Simultaneously, her empty belly growled in hunger as if to further prove her statement. The younger cub's cheeks reddened slightly.

"Hmm..." Unina paused to look around, there was nothing in sight except for grassland and woodland. She took a whiff of the air to detect any signs of prey, but nothing came up. Perhaps if they continued moving, they would find a herd of grazers sooner as well as a suitable spot to make their den.

"Let's keep walking, we'll find some food soon."

"Okay, Mama," the cubs chirped, padding alongside their mother's flank. The trio continued on for a little while, Unina's ears persistently flickered around as she constantly looked all around her, eyes darting both sides and even above to make sure they weren't being stalked by another predator.

"Hey, Usana," Fuli chirruped, "Wanna play tag?"

"Sure!" Usana eagerly mrowed.

"I'll be it first!" Fuli offered. "You'll get a five second head start."

"Okay!" And with that, Usana raced off while Fuli counted five seconds out loud to herself.

"One... Two... Three... Four... FIVE! Here I come!" Fuli announced, and she too sprinted off.

It was quite lovely today, the tall yellow-green grass swayed in the gentle breeze and the sun's golden rays warmed the earth as it sat high up in the cloudless sky that was as clear and blue as Unina's. The cubs, brimming with energy, squealed excitedly as they played.

"I'm gonna get you!" Fuli called out to Usana, her tail flicking with excitement as she bolted after Usana. She wasn't too far behind her, her little legs churning rapidly as she gave chase.

"Eep!" Usana cried out in mock fear as she fled from Fuli.

They darted and swerved through the plains, their laughter and growls of exhilaration filling the air. Fuli was right on Usana's tail, then she lunged forward. "TAG!"

"ACK!" Usana cried out as she stumbled onto the ground from the impact of Fuli tackling her. The two rolled around for a bit before Fuli had Usana pinned to the ground, both letting out breathless giggles.

"Hehe, you're it!" Fuli chirped.

Up ahead, Unina paused to look back and noticed her daughters had gotten sidetracked once again. "Girls, stay close to me," she reminded them as she continued onward.

Noticing her leaving again, Fuli and Usana put their antics on hold and they hurried after Unina. The family trio trekked through the plains, Unina taking the lead with her bigger, longer strides while her daughters skipped along her side.

"Wanna continue playing?" Fuli asked Usana, "You're still it."

"Alright," Usana smirked. "I'm so gonna get you back."

"Only if you can catch me," Fuli teased, sticking her tongue out at Usana. "But you can't, you're nowhere near as fast as me."

"We'll see about that!" Usana growled playfully, feeling a rush of competitiveness. "Start running."

"Okay!"

In a blink of an eye, the king cheetah then sprinted off, Usana hared after her as quickly as she could, trying to match her older littermate's greater speed.

"Girls!" Unina exclaimed, surprised when her cubs raced right past her. Chuckling and shaking her head, she watched as the two sisters scurry through the grass again. In the front, Fuli zig-zagged around, making it difficult for Usana to keep up. She occasionally stumbled and nearly tripped over her own paws.

"Ugh, will you slow down just a little?"

"Neveeeeeeeeeerrrrrr!" Fuli yowled, her unswerving pace not faltering even just a little.

Behind them, Unina paused for a moment to leap onto the top of a large termite mound to check on her surroundings for a bit, scanning the woodland for any potential prey or predators nearby. So far, the area remained empty, save for a few herds in the distance as well as more trees and bushes. At the same time, she kept a keen eye on her daughters while they played, an amused, adoring smile formed across her face. Suddenly, Fuli shot out from the grass and scampered over to Unina with Usana right behind her, the two girls ran in circles around their mother.

"Come back here!" Usana shouted, still chasing Fuli.

"You can't catch me!" Fuli taunted, swiftly maneuvering around the termite mound. Unina sat at the top, laughing at the cubs.

Usana huffed in exertion as she made laps around the mound in an attempt to catch her sister, she always struggled to keep up with the older cub's rapid speed. Then an idea popped in her head, and the younger cub cleverly twisted and stood in place, grinning at the sight of Fuli's shocked expression when she saw Usana cut her off.

"I've got you now!"

"Ah!" Reacting quickly, Fuli's paws skidded against the ground, slowing her down in time to prevent herself from colliding into Usana, before twisting and springing onto the hill, her claws scrabbling hastily against the side as she hauled herself up, out of Usana's reach. The latter was beyond shocked, her jaw dropped as she stared at Fuli, flabbergasted.

Then she yowled indignantly, "Hey, that's cheating!"

"Still haven't caught me yet," Fuli giggled, digging her claws into the hard dirt to cling on.

"Mamaaaaaaa, Fuli isn't playing fair!" Usana wailed.

"Fuli..." Unina lightly scolded.

"I'm just messing around!" Fuli snorted, rolling her eyes. "Usana needs to stop being so dramatic."

"But you're not playing fair!" Usana repeated, shooting the king cheetah cub an annoyed glare.

"Can you help me up here?" Fuli asked Unina, feeling her grip slip a little.

"That's also cheating!" pouted Usana, "Mama's not supposed to help!"

"Uh, actually, we never said that she couldn't."

Right as Unina was about to intervene, Fuli suddenly shrieked when she felt the termites begin to crawl onto her paws, having been disturbed by the cub's excessive movements. "EEEEEK!! GET 'EM OFF, GET 'EM OFF!!"

Distracted, Fuli lost her grip as she shook the bugs off her paws and fell backwards onto the ground.

"Fuli!" Unina and Usana both cried out. Usana quickly rushed to Fuli's side just as Unina got down from the mound. Concerned, she bent down to sniff and nose at Fuli, checking for injuries. "Are you okay? Are you hurt?"

"Rrgh... I'm fine, Mama," Fuli mewled groggily, getting back up. She gave a disgusted shudder as a chill went down her spine, "Ugh, are the termites off of me?"

"They're gone," Usana confirmed.

Unina sighed, nuzzling Fuli in relief, "I'm glad you're alright. Be more careful, next time."

"I will," Fuli said.

"In that case.... TAG!" Fuli then felt a light tap on her shoulder while Usana giggled to herself. "You're it, now!"

"W-wait, what?" Fuli stared at her surprised, which quickly shifted into a cross glare. "Hey, now you cheated!!"

"You did it first!" Usana argued.

"Did not!"

"Did too!"

"That didn't even count! I fell this time!"

"Girls girls, enough," Unina said, ceasing the two's bickering. "You both will play fair, or not play at all. Understand?"

"Yes, Mama," both cubs agreed.

"At least I always play fair..." Usana mumbled to herself.

"At weast I aways pway fayer...!" Fuli muttered, mocking Usana's tone.

"Fuli," Unina called her out again, giving her daughter a look.

"Yeah yeah, okay, whatever," Fuli quickly said, "I'll be nice."

Unina gave a satisfied nod, "Good."

Fuli then glanced up at the medium to large hill that made up the nest for the colony of white ants, suddenly feeling curious. "What were you even doing up there, Mama?"

"Well dear, standing on something tall like a termite mound helps me get an even better view of the area," Unina explained. "It especially helps us with hunting. Sight is our most important sense, and the higher you are, the more easily you can seek out your prey."

"Really?" Usana chirruped, her ear flicking with interest. "How much can you see up there?"

"Quite a lot, you'd be surprised," Unina replied. "Wanna take a look?"

"Yeah!" Both girls replied, abandoning interest in continuing their current game.

"As long as no more termites crawl onto me," Fuli added as she and Usana padded over to the base, glancing up at the mountain of dirt.

"As long as you aren't disturbing their dens too much, they should leave you alone," Unina reassured her. "If you move around too much, they might feel too threatened and might start to bite at you."

The mother cheetah watched as her cubs attempted to scrabble their way up the termitaria, a few more termites scattered around from the disturbance.

"Whoa!" Fuli squeaked when she almost slipped off again, "This is hard."

"Yeah," Usana agreed, struggling a little herself. But she was doing significantly better than her sister and was even able to surpass her, clawing her way up the mound with such ease that Fuli gaped at her dumbfounded.

How is she doing that!?

Usana reached out an offering paw, "Need any help?"

"No! I can do this myself!" At the same time, a startled yelp left her throat as she almost lost her grip once more. This is even more challenging than climbing a tree.

"Come on, Fuli, you can do it!" Usana encouraged as she made it to the top.

"Stupid termite mound..." the king cheetah cub muttered in frustration. Come on! It's just a pile of dirt! Why is climbing so difficult for me!? Defeated, she glanced back at Unina and the adult cheetah nodded.

"I've got you," she said, nudging Fuli upward with her muzzle, much to her chagrin. Soon, she was able to reach the top and stand beside Usana before Unina joined them shortly. The girls both looked around in different directions, scanning the whole of the open plains.

Fuli frowned, "I don't see anything."

"Me neither," Usana admitted, squinting to the point where her eyes were nearly fully closed. "It's all blurry."

"Oh dear..." Unina realized, bringing her paw to her face in embarrassment. "I forgot you two don't have malar stripes."

"What stripes?" Usana echoed.

"'Malar stripes'," Unina explained. She then pointed to her own; they were a pair of thick, black tear-like markings that streaked down each corner of her blue eyes. "These markings are very important, as they help reflect the sun's glare from our eyes, which is very useful for hunting."

"Huh, no wonder I can't see anything," Usana said, "Everything far away looks like a hazy blob."

"I'm the blindest cheetah ever!" Fuli wailed, distraught by this fact.

"Oh sweetie, don't say that," Unina consoled.

"How come we don't have those stupid tear marks?" Fuli grumbled crossly, kicking at a loose piece of dirt from the hill.

"I'm... not quite sure," Unina admitted. "You're the very first litter I've ever had and this is the first time this kind of anomaly has ever happened, I've never seen anything quite like it before." The adult cheetah then bit her lip uncomfortably, "Then again, you two were born too early... Perhaps that could be the reason why."

"Hmph, this isn't fair," Fuli sulked. How am I ever going to learn how to hunt when I don't even have the cheetah's most important sense?

"You think any of our brothers have them?" Usana asked innocently.

At the question, a lump formed in Unina's throat, which she hastily swallowed as well as blinking away a small tear. "I'll never know," she simply answered.

Both siblings flinched from sensing their mother's obvious grief despite her efforts to mask it from them. Self consciously, Usana looked down with regret, she hadn't meant to upset Unina.

"Er... Hey, can we eat something already? I'm starving," Fuli then blurted out, breaking the uncomfortable silence between them.

"Oh, uh... right," Unina stuttered, snapping out of her tranced-like state. "I saw a warthog just up ahead, we'll be having that for lunch. This way, my dears."

With a flick of her tail, Unina beckoned for her cubs to follow as she gracefully leapt off of the mound, Fuli and Usana both clumsily slid down and hurried after her. As they got closer, the girls could now clearly see the prey Unina decided to target. The pig-like creature had a large head and sparse hairs, and like their name suggests, its face was covered in wart-like bumps. A pair of tusks jutted from each side of the hog's mouth, two of them were small and two longer and curlier.

"Those look pretty sharp," Usana noted, eyeing the tusks uneasily. The three females all observed the warthog as it was busy kneeling on its front legs. With its tusked snout, the pig snuffled around and dug at the woodland ground in search of food, completely unaware of the family of cheetahs stalking it from the tall grass.

Unina then turned to her daughters and spoke in a low voice to not spook their prey, "Okay girls, you know the drill. Stay put until I call you over after the hunt." As she finished her sentence, she threw Fuli a narrowed look.

"Yeah yeah, I know," the king cheetah said, rolling her eyes.

"Good luck, Mama," Usana said.

"Asante, sweetie," Unina said, "Thank you."

Turning around, Unina darted forward, remaining hidden in the vegetation as she crept closer towards the warthog. With her mother now completely focused on her hunt, Fuli gave a short stretch and began to pad away.

"Alright, let's go before she sees us," she said.

"Seriously?" Usana mewed flatly, looking at her littermate with a slightly annoyed expression. "Mama literally just said to stay put."

"Okay, and?" Fuli challenged. "C'mon, I thought you liked going on adventures with me. It's more fun with you around."

"Can't we just chill here this time?" Usana suggested, languidly flopping onto her side and rolling onto her back, a small purr arose in her throat at the feel of the soft green grass beneath her.

"Tch, lazy furball," Fuli muttered.

Usana looked up and glared at Fuli, "How about you go find another porcupine burrow to stick your head in, quill-face?"

Instantly, Fuli bristled at the nickname and her golden face became more red. "I thought we agreed to never talk about that again..." Fuli spoke through gritted teeth.

"Haha, make me, quill-face," Usana mocked. "Y'know, the bumps on the warthog kinda remind me of your face after all the quills got pulled out."

Fuli gave a low growl, her ears pinning back even further as she clawed at the ground, embarrassment burning every inch of her pelt. "Y'know I miss when you were just a scaredy-cat..."

"And even then, I still didn't have a warty face like you did for five weeks!" Usana wittily snarked back.

"Oh, NOW you're playing dirty!" Fuli accused.

"Well it's true!" Usana snorted.

"THAT'S IT, C'MERE YOU–!"

"Haha–AAHH!" Usana's chortles were abruptly cut off when Fuli pounced onto her, the two engaged in another tussle.

"You're gonna pay for that!" Fuli demanded, biting at her sister's hindquarters, eliciting a loud squeal from her as she squirmed beneath her older littermate's firm grasp.

The pair rolled around for a bit, wrestling each other in the grass. Suddenly, they heard a long, equally loud, screech of pain that echoed through the backland. The cubs froze and jerked up, eyes wide and alert.

"That... that sounded like Mama," Usana said, her ears flattening in alarm. "She sounded like she was hurt!"

"Let's go check it out and see if she's okay," Fuli suggested, to which Usana nodded in agreement.

Forgetting about their previous scuffle, the two padded to where the tall grass ended and peaked through the stalks. Up ahead, the warthog, save for a few scratches from Unina, otherwise came out unscathed as it walked away in a jaunty trot, grunting with its tail held high as it disappeared into the bushes, as if strutting over its victory of surviving the predator.

Speaking of the predator, Unina lay splayed out on the ground, flanks heaving and her eyes shut, her muzzle twisting in pain.

"MAMA!!" Fuli and Usana shrieked, both rushing out from hiding and over to their mother. When they neared her, a soft gasp came from both girls as they stared at Unina in horror, particularly her hind leg. What was once a perfectly straight limb was now at a hideously jagged angle.

"M-Mama...?" Fuli mewed apprehensively, tentatively stepping closer to gently nudge her on the shoulder. "Please get up..."

Fortunately, Unina stirred, groaning softly to herself as she slowly opened her eyes and met the concerned gazes of her daughters, who both gave a relieved sigh.

"A-are you okay?" Usana asked, sniffing anxiously at Unina's now misshapen leg. "That looks really bad..."

"Hey, baby..." Unina spoke in almost a whisper. She gave a reassuring smile to her cubs, "I'm okay. I lost the warthog unfortunately, but I'm okay."

"That's good," Fuli said in a hopeful tone, feeling a little more at ease. She'd rather be hungry than lose her mother to a hunting accident.

"Can you walk?" Usana asked.

Unina lifted up her head, "I can try..."

Grunting, she strained her front paws to slowly push herself back up. So far she seemed fine, albeit a little wobbly, her head was still spinning a little from the sudden fall. She had severely underestimated the tenacity and strength of the warthog. It was certainly a lot quicker than she anticipated, and when it wasn't afraid to defend itself from either. The hog had actually rushed its hunter and chased after her, lowering its knife-sharp tusks to drive the cheetah off. While trying to avoid the warthog coming after her as well as nimbly dodging the trees up ahead, Unina recalled how she felt her backfoot getting caught in a large root jutting from the ground and a loud, sickening crack followed by white-hot pain flaring in that same leg as she lost her footing and collapsed.

When she attempted to apply pressure onto said backleg, Unina immediately recoiled and let out a hiss as more pain spiked through that area, causing her to stagger and nearly fall over again. A worried whimper came from Usana and even Fuli was beginning to doubt Unina's reassurance that she was indeed "okay" when her clearly broken leg said otherwise.

"It's just my leg, I'm still alive," Unina huffed in effort, trembling slightly as she tried to balance on only three legs while the injured one slumped at an awkward angle. "Come on, let's go find a place where I can rest for a bit. I'll hunt again later, I promise."

Even though they were still unconvinced that she was fine, Fuli and Usana obediently followed her, staying close to their mother's side as she limped along, her lamed leg dragging along behind her. Unina forced back a pained whimper that rose in throat, not wanting to frighten her daughters any more than she already did. She trudged onward, forcing herself to carry on and lead her cubs further through the backland. While the family may go hungry for the next hour or so, at least Unina is still here to try to hunt again later in the day. She won't let a broken leg slow her down.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The three female cheetahs made a den site in a patch of dense vegetation with some rock formations far away from any forests, which wasn't easy since most of the territory consisted of forests and woodlands. Unina rested for at least an hour and a half to regain strength before trying once again to hunt food for her ravenous cubs, their empty stomachs growled all afternoon while she rested, making her feel guilty for not being able to successfully catch them the warthog from earlier and letting herself get injured. Her lamed leg only made the task even harder, hunting was now a painful struggle since the injury made it difficult for Unina to keep up during the chase after prey as well as making those lightning-fast sharp twists and turns whenever the prey juked her.

After at least three tries followed by lots of resting, Unina finally managed to catch a skinny hare by suppertime. The mother cheetah's heavy pants of overexertion blew against the hare's body as it dangled limply in her jaws, her body sagging from exhaustion resulting from the many earlier hunting efforts, her damaged limb dragging uselessly across the savanna floor. As she neared the den site, Unina's jaw slacked, letting the hare carcass fall right out of her mouth and plop heavily on the ground with a thud. She gave two weak chirps before practically collapsing from exhaustion. On cue to her calls, Fuli and Usana came scampering over, practically drooling at the sight and smell of their meal.

They wasted no time tucking into the meat, tearing apart at the flesh and quickly gorging it down in quick, ravenous bites. They were so engrossed in their meal that they almost forgot about Unina, who laid on her side with her eyes closed, all worn out.

"You want some, Mama?" Fuli asked through a mouthful of hare flesh.

Unina opened one eye and shook her head, "No sweetie, you and your sister can have it all."

"You sure?" Usana pressed uncertainly.

"Yes, dear, I'll be fine," Unina assured her, even offering a small, weary smile. In reality, she was just as famished as her children and food would certainly help restore more of her lost energy. But the growing cubs needed it a lot more than she did, a small sacrifice that she was willing to make. She'll look for something easy like another hare or a field mouse to feed herself in the morning.

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As if Unina's impairment wasn't bad luck enough, more trouble soon found the cheetahs the following day. At the crack of dawn, the cubs were pestering Unina to wake up and hunt again. Of course, they skipped an entire meal yesterday due to her injury, she couldn't blame them for complaining about hunger again. Despite still being severely drained from the previous day, Unina forced herself up and set off into the backland to find prey. While their mother was gone, the cubs waited back in the den, restless and extremely peckish.

"Poor Mama," Fuli sadly sighed. "She's having so much trouble hunting now that her leg is broken. She didn't even get to eat anything at all yesterday, either."

"I know," Usana grimly agreed. "Hopefully she'll have better luck this time. Maybe she'll bring something more filling than that hare."

"I hate sitting around doing nothing while Mama overworks herself to feed us. I feel so useless, I just wish we could help her..." Fuli said. Then her expression brightened, and she gasped softly to herself. Or maybe we can!

Right away, she got up to her paws and started walking away from the den. "Let's go, sis. We're going hunting," she declared.

Usana stared at littermate in bewilderment, "What?! But we don't even know how to hunt yet!"

"It can't be that hard," Fuli scoffed. "Our prey may run away, but they can't hide. Besides, even if they do run, we can always chase them down easily! We're the fastest things alive!"

"But we're supposed to stay put!" Usana argued, "Fuli? FULI!"

The young king cheetah paid no mind to the other cub's concerns as she continued striding confidently out into the plains. "Maybe we can find something to eat in one of the forests!"

Glaring daggers after her, Usana muttered to herself as she begrudgingly followed Fuli. "Urrrgh, sisters..."

If Fuli was going to foolishly wander off on her own again, the least Usana could do was accompany her, lest she'd get herself into another issue similar to the porcupine incident again.

Chapter Text

"This is a horrible idea..." Usana repeated for what must've been the millionth time during their walk, not like Fuli was keeping count anyway. The two girls stood before a large forest, staring into the shadowy gloom through a leafy opening. "We should really head back," Usana suggested once again.

Finally, Fuli turned to face her with an impatient expression as she finally snapped; "You can go back if you want to. I'm not going until I bring something back for Mama," she adamantly declared, turning back to face the forest. "If you're so scared, go back home."

Conflicted, Usana pursed her lips, glancing back and forth from Fuli, to the forest, to over her shoulder in the direction they came. Fuli wasn't going to wait for her sister to finish debating to herself on this either, already beginning to head into the thicket.

"Hey, wait!" Usana said, hurrying after Fuli. She then, once more, hesitated for a moment, once more glancing behind her. With a torn sigh, she reluctantly tailed along, the sun's light fading as she tentatively stepped into the dimly lit forest. "Mama's gonna be so mad at us..."

"Only if we get caught," Fuli pointed out. "So let's hurry up so we don't get caught." She padded deeper into the woods and added, "Besides, maybe she'll be less mad when we bring something back for her."

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"UCHAFU!" Unina shouted in frustration as she came to a staggering halt, watching the gazelles gallop away freely, having successfully escaped their hunter.

Letting out short, angry puffs, her paws finally gave out and she collapsed onto her side, flanks heaving as she tried to catch her breath, "Dammit, I almost had it!"

Unina laid there for a couple of moments as the feeling of failure sank deep inside her. Then with an exasperated sigh, she forced herself back up on weary paws and turned around limping away slowly, ears and tail drooped in defeat. This can't go on..., she then glared bitterly behind at her lamed leg, I can't do anything thanks to this insufferable injury...

She gave another deep sigh, her anger cooling into apprehension. Her children needed to eat, but she couldn't even hunt properly, "What am I going to do..." she questioned herself. She wearily glanced up at the sky and gave a silent plea, Great Light, please give me strength...

Every part body from her joints to her muscles were stiff and ached from overexertion as Unina trudged through the backland savanna; she didn't think she'd be able to move another muscle for a few hours or so, especially if she forced herself to run again.

But I can't rest now, she firmly told herself, My daughters are back at the den, waiting for food. I need to feed them first, only then I can take a break.

"Agh!" Unina winced as she staggered, her injured state made it difficult for her to walk. She was as good as dead if she couldn't run properly. Regardless, she carried on, limping on silently with her head hung low through the forest-filled plains to hopefully track more prey. She's not finished here, and there was no way she'll allow herself to drag her cubs down with her due to her own predicament.

I need to find something, quick. I can't leave them alone for too long. Her hackles started bristling as she grew slightly anxious. Young cheetah cubs were always easy targets for predators, especially when unattended for long periods of time. And even if Unina hadn't detected any dangers in the backlands yet doesn't mean she should let her guard down, especially since the area is full of woodland habitats that could potentially be home to a variety of new predators that could endanger her family.

Overwhelmed, the female cheetah blinked back tears that were beginning to form from all the stress. How did my mother deal with all of this before? She's raised me and my brothers with little to no trouble, and before that, she's had many other litters. And she always made it look so easy... A pang of grief twinged in her heart, She definitely didn't miscarry any of them either...

Having been so lost in her own thoughts, Unina hadn't focused on where she was going and ended up bumping into someone. "Oh! Pardon me, I didn't see you– GAH?!"

The cheetah gasped and jumped back, letting out a threatened hiss as she stared back into the blank expression of a dead kudu, its corpse hanging on a jackalberry tree. At that moment, a large cat with a golden dappled pelt looked up from the corpse.

"Do you mind?" she grunted impatiently, licking some kudu blood off her muzzle, "My son and I are trying to eat."

Dread immediately filled Unina when she finally realized what type of feline the other is, Leopard.

Much like lions and hyenas, leopards were another common big threat to cheetah cubs. And while cheetahs aren't considered their main prey, leopards aren't above killing and making a meal out of them in desperate times, especially if it means getting rid of more competition for prey.

Fortunately for her, this leopardess was occupied with eating her meal at the moment. Her own cub peeked from behind his mother with a mouthful of kudu flesh. He then swallowed and padded along the thick jackalberry branch, blinking curiously at Unina.

"What's that funny leopard doing here, Mommy?" the little boy asked, giggling. "She looks so weird and is very skinny, and her spots look all wrong. Leopard spots don't look like small black dots! And she has black stripes on her face!"

Unina looked up at the cub, can't help but feel a bit miffed. Doesn't his mother teach him manners?

"That's no leopard, son," his mother replied with a disdainful curl of her muzzle, "That's our lesser and weaker counterpart; the cheetah."

The cub cringed as well, and Unina flicked her tail, irritation flashing in her sky blue eyes. "You forgot to mention that we're a lot faster than the likes of you."

The female leopard snorted wryly, "Ah yes, of course, the cheetah's most iconic trait. Though it's not really getting you far today, isn't it?" She flicked her tail towards Unina's injury, "Not with that leg. What, ran too fast and didn't see where you were going?"

Unina's ears flattened self-consciously as the leopard mocked her, though her expression remained flat and held her gaze.

"Listen honey, this place isn't fit for a creature as delicate and lame as you are," the leopard said bluntly. "You cheetahs think you can just roam around anywhere you like, but around here, we leopards run these parts." Her expression then became more cold and darker, "And we don't take kindly to newcomers. I suggest you get a move on, or that crippled leg of yours will quickly become the least of your worries."

"Is that a threat?" Unina challenged with a warning growl on the edge of her tone.

"Just facts, darling," the leopardess shrugged, waving a dismissive paw at her. "Run along now, if you and your cubs want to live."

Unina stiffened, "H-how did you–"

"You talk to yourself a lot," the leopard mother replied impatiently. "Now scram, before someone finds your little scraps and gobbles them all up." She then gave a long, lazy stretch, "Shame you can't hide them up here like us, instead of abandoning them out in the open just allowing predators to find them. You cheetahs are always incompetent parents anyway, it's a miracle that there are still a few of you running around."

"I didn't abandon them!" Unina retorted, flexing her claws. "And I am not an incompetent parent!"

"You heard my mommy! Go away, you ugly fake leopard!" the leopard's son added rudely, sticking his tongue out at the cheetah. She never thought she'd want to claw the spots off another child's face so badly before.

They're not worth it. I have more important things to do anyway than to argue with a couple of overbearing brutes, Unina concluded to herself, even though she was still seething from the other feline's insults. She turned her back on them, half limping and half angrily storming off into the savanna, leaving the leopards to glare after her with smug grins on their spotted faces.

Along the way, Unina sighed to herself as she recalled the mother leopardess's words. Most of what she said wasn't exactly wrong; cheetah cubs do have a high mortality rate with many not being able to live past the first two months. Unina's mother would be considered one of the few successful females to raise multiple litters all the way up to adulthood without losing a single cub.

Meanwhile, I've already lost nearly my entire litter the moment I gave birth to them... Unina thought to herself, shame and grief creeping up inside her. And even now, I keep struggling with trying to keep my remaining daughters alive. Fuli constantly wandering off certainly doesn't help. If only she could understand how dangerous the world is to us...

Unina suddenly stopped and her eyes widened as she felt a sense of foreboding at the thought of Fuli, I wonder if she even stayed put! Though knowing that girl, I don't think she did. Oh Light and Spirit, NO!

Without waiting another second, Unina quickly started hobbling as fast as she could back to the den site, praying that she wasn't too late. Fuli, I swear, if you aren't there when I return...

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The two sisters continued through the forest, Fuli took the lead as per usual, sniffing the air for any signs of prey, while Usana cautiously followed her. The wary younger cub eyed the treetops suspiciously as the pair hiked on, her hackles bristling restlessly. She was starting to understand Unina's jitters from earlier. It always felt like there was someone watching from high above in the branches, and there wouldn't be any way of knowing due to the thick growth of green leaves covering the entire overhead, easily cloaking anyone on a stake out and observing the foreign felines at this very moment. Large leadwood trees grew at every corner, closing in almost every gap so that barely any sunlight shined through, creating a dark and eerie environment that made Usana feel claustrophobic. Their kind were more built for the grasslands and open plains. The empty, flat terrain of the savanna was far more free and easier to run around, especially without any various clusters of vegetation blocking their paths.

Fuli could share her sister's unease to some extent, but she continued to play it cool and keep up a brave demeanor as she trudged onward. Usana's ears twitched when she suddenly picked up the faint sound of a twig snapping within the treetops and she paused.

Noticing her stopping, Fuli did the same. "What's up?"

"Shh," Usana hushed her, slapping her paw over Fuli's muzzle to prevent her from making any more noise. She listened closely, studying the thick canopy while straining to hear the sound again. But there was nothing but an uncomfortable silence. "I thought I heard something..."

Annoyed, Fuli shoved Usana's paw away and scoffed. "Quit being so paranoid. If you didn't actually want to come, then you should've gone back to the den."

"I'm only here to make sure you don't get yourself into more trouble then you're already in right now," Usana shot back hotly.

"Ha! Please, like I need you to help me," Fuli snorted.

"So what, was I just supposed to let you wander off alone?"

"If you wanted to, I never asked for you to join. But since you're here, you might as well stop whining and keep up." Fuli then whisked away, "Now come on, let's keep going before Mama finds out we're gone."

Letting out a vexed groan, Usana stormed after her with a scowl. There was no convincing her aggravating, stubborn littermate when she's got her mind set on something. Though she too was starving and longed desperately to eat soon, perhaps they will find something and be able to leave without running into any more danger this time. Hopefully they'll be back before Unina even notices they've left, too.

A little while later, the girls came across a clearing surrounded by more leadwood and bushes. Usana stilled again and jumped suddenly, giving out a startled cry. "EEK!"

"What! What is it this time?!" Fuli demanded, growing fed up with Usana slowing her down.

Trembling, Usana just pointed upward towards the treetops and Fuli followed her gaze and her own jaw dropped; hanging in the branches is a half-eaten springbok corpse, its hoofed legs splayed out awkwardly with its head lolling limply to the side, weighed down by the heaviness of its curled horns. How long it was left like this is unclear, but it looked about at least a day old.

"Well, I guess we found our breakfast," Fuli said, initially disturbed at the gruesome sight. But her hunger was so heavy that it quickly overtook her worries, and she was already beginning to drool slightly at the sight of the kill.

Usana narrowed her gaze, "Whatever you're thinking of doing, don't."

"Stay here, I'm gonna climb to the top and grab a piece of that springbok to bring back with us," Fuli told her, completely ignoring her pleas to not do so as she padded over to the trunk of the tree. She reared up on wobbly hind legs as she then leaned her forepaws onto the base, balancing awkwardly. Hooking her claws onto the bark, she tried scaling the tree by pushing herself upward. She barely made any progress as she vainly scrabbled against the bark while Usana stood by and watched with concern.

"Fuli, maybe we should just go. You can't climb," she mewed.

"No! No, I've got this!" Fuli insisted, refusing to give up now when already so close yet so far away. I will not go home until I bring Mama something to eat! She deserves it for working so hard to care for us!

"Mama could be back by now," Usana pointed out. "Besides..." She glanced around the forest uneasily, "This place gives me the creeps. I want to go home."

"Might be too late for that, little one," a deep growl suddenly came from overhead.

Startled, Fuli lost her grip and fell backward, Usana quickly raced to her side and helped her up. Both girls tilted their heads up to face the green canopy of leaves, sky blue and emerald green pupils darting around to search for who spoke to them. Ears flattening against her head, anxiety began to prickle along the fur of Usana's spine as she pressed closer to Fuli, who looked just as unsettled.

"Who's there?" Fuli asked in a firm tone, getting into a defensive pose, "Show yourself!"

The voice replied back with a half-baffled and half-amused snort, "Heh, I don't think you're really in a position to be giving me orders, kid."

Both cheetah cubs looked up to the right and noticed a large male leopard slink down from hiding in the treetops and hunched up on one of the leadwood's thick branches. Fuli and Usana gulped at the other feline's presence.

"Couldn't help but notice you two were making a ruckus near my turf," the leopard spoke again. The girls flinched as he stared intently at them with piercing blue eyes, his tail slowly flicking side to side, the branch beneath his heavy paws creaking slightly as he menacingly paced along. "I can't remember the last time I saw a cheetah running around here, let alone cubs, all alone..."

"W-we were just about to leave," Usana quivered. "Sorry we bothered you, sir. Come on, Fuli–"

The bigger spotted cat gave a condescending chuckle, "Oh no, I don't think so, kid. See, you're in my territory. And anyone that crosses my territory becomes my prey." His crooked grin grew, "That includes YOU."

In a blink of an eye, the leopard suddenly sprang from the branch with a loud roar, his claws outstretched, both girls were too stunned to move in time. Flinching, they closed their eyes, preparing for the blow. But at that moment, Unina had finally shown up, having successfully tracked down the location of her children.

"NO!"

With a shrill, alarmed shriek, Unina hurled herself at the male leopard just before he hit the ground, biting into the side of his face, knocking him away from her daughters just in time. The predator skidded across the forest floor with a groan, and the mother cheetah let out a vicious snarl as she stood protectively in front of Fuli and Usana.

"Mama!" the young king cheetah gasped in relief.

Without another moment to lose, Unina twisted around and grabbed Fuli and swung her onto her back.

"Hang tight," she ordered before hastily picking Usana up by her scruff. "HUWEZI!" Unina's shout was muffled through Usana's fur as she sprinted as fast as her impaired leg could allow her, speeding away before the leopard could get back up in time. Fuli pressed her chin closer against her mother and tightened her grip onto her dusky-orange spotted shoulders as she and her sister were carried out of the forest.

With a chagrined snarl, the leopard rolled back onto his feet and roughly pawed the side of his cheek. By then, the trio of cheetahs had vanished. He scowled and let out an inflamed roar as he pursued them.

Despite her leg, Unina did her best to nimbly dodge the leopard as she tried to maneuver through the dense forest, using her speed to evade his attacks. She darted sharply to the side, sprinting in swift zig-zagging motions that made the leopard nearly dizzy. But the predator was relentless, refusing to back down in his own turf. And unlike Unina, who wasn't as adapted to his kind of habitat, the leopard bounded and weaved through the trees with ease in an almost graceful manner.

"Mama, hurry!" Fuli mewled from Unina's back, her eyes widening in panic upon noticing how close the leopard was. "He's gaining on us!"

Running in leaping strides, the leopard soon gained onto Unina in no time and lunged, hooking his claws deeply onto her backside. Unina screeched at the sudden jab of pain and she stumbled, sending her tumbling into the ground, causing her to accidentally drop her cubs.

Both girls squeaked as they abruptly hit the ground, dizzy, though fortunately uninjured. Unina scrambled to her feet, frantically trying to regain her footing, but the leopard was already on her, hauling her closer and keeping her pinned to the ground.

"MAMA!!" Fuli and Usana screamed in horror.

The leopard chuckled coldly, "Not so fast now, are you?" he sneered, towering over the lithe, sleek cat with an overwhelming amount of strength. "I normally don't eat cheetahs. But prey here has become rather scarce lately. The other leopards here are already enough competition as it is, and I don't need some knock-off of us hunting here too!"

In that moment, Fuli snapped, her fear was soon replaced with rage, consuming and easily overtaking her initial emotion.

"GET OFF HER, YOU BIG MEANIE!!" she shouted at the top of her lungs, catching her family and the leopard off guard that the latter looked up to see the cub rush him in full fury and sink her tiny, but sharp, growing fangs right into his forearm, causing the leopard to screech as he recoiled, letting go of Unina and allowing her to escape. The leopard hissed in pain as he shook his paw, but Fuli continued to latch on, sinking her teeth into the other cat as deep as she could. Twisting around in one swift motion, Unina raked her claws across the leopard's face, jabbing one of his ice-blue eyes in the process.

An agonized roar left the leopard and he violently jerked his arm one last time before bringing it right over his poked eye, gingerly rubbing at it as tears formed at the corners. Fuli yowled as she flew across the air for a moment, covering her eyes as she braced herself for impact when the hard, dirt ground came closer into view. But instead of that, she felt herself land on the soft, familiar fur of her mother, who quickly moved in time to catch her eldest daughter on her back before she could hit the ground. With Fuli safely caught, Unina rushed back to Usana, who was still staring with her jaw dropped, astounded by everything that had just happened, so much that she barely felt her mother pick her up and carry her off again. Fuli squinted when bright light suddenly hit her eyes as soon as her mother emerged from the forest, never more happy to see the sun again as her mother bounded through the open terrain.

Lucky for them, the leopard seemed to have given up the chase, for when Fuli looked back, she didn't see anyone following them out of the forest. Though she did notice the defeated hunter lingering behind in the shadows, one of his eyes tightly shut while the other glaring icily after the fleeing family, sending a small shiver down Fuli's spine.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Words couldn't even begin to describe just how beyond disappointed and furious Unina was with her cubs, especially Fuli, fully aware that her eldest was behind this little stunt. Usana, who had been ordered to stay in the grass a couple tail-lengths away, hunkered low to the ground with her ears covered, not wanting to hear the very stern words her mother had for her sister.

"Of all the most inexplicably stupid... reckless... most dangerous things you could've done..." Unina started off, fuming. Fuli flinched with every word as she continued; "I've told you over and over again, and yet you never listen!"

"I-I'm sorry..." Fuli whispered.

"Fuli, I've just about had enough of you and your foolishness!" Unina continued on, pacing back and forth while lashing her tail. "You continue to disobey me and you keep getting yourself into danger! And what's worse, you dragged Usana along with you! YOU TWO COULD'VE BEEN KILLED!"

As Fuli glanced up, she noticed it wasn't just anger in her mother's eyes, there was a hint of fear too; the fear of nearly losing her daughters, the constant fear for their safety. Seeing it made her feel even more guilty than she already did.

"I-I just wanted to help..." she mewled, her small voice breaking from a sob forming in her throat. "I just felt so bad seeing you work so hard, I thought maybe I could help bring you some food home... You didn't get to eat at all yesterday and you were so tired. I just wanted to make you feel better... I'm very sorry..."

Tears were already trickling down Fuli's cheeks at this point, and it was clear there was genuine remorse in her words, so much that Unina couldn't help but let out a slow sigh as her anger cooled.

"Oh come now, dear," she said, her tone less harsh and scolding. She was still greatly peeved with her daughter, but her expression did soften as she sat down and pulled Fuli over, letting her cry into her arms. "Your intentions were good, I must say. But you still put all of us in danger. I understand that you wanted to help, but risking your life and the lives of your loved ones isn't helpful!"

With her paw, she tenderly wiped the tears off of Fuli's face and cupped her chin, tilting her head slightly upward so that she'd make eye contact with her before she continued. "It's my job to care for you, and it's my responsibility to make sure you and your sister are well fed and keep you out of harm's way. But I can't do that if you're always wandering off and keep finding yourself in danger. There's still so much you're not ready for." Unina paused for a moment to deeply exhale, "I won't always be here to protect you, and I have enough trouble trying to provide for you with this broken leg. I don't think I will ever forgive myself if I ever lost you or your sister..."

"I'm sorry..." Fuli sniffled penitently.

"I know you are, dear," Unina said, bending down to give a soothing lick to her forehead. "Now I want you to promise me one thing; that you'll never, ever sneak off like that again. Okay?"

Fuli nodded, "Okay, Mama, I promise!"

But given that this isn't the first time Fuli's done this, Unina wasn't too satisfied with that answer. "Are you really sure?"

"Yes, I am!" Fuli exclaimed fervently.

"Then I want you to swear your promise on the Great Light and Great Spirit."

The king cheetah blinked, "...Huh?"

"Repeat after me," Unina instructed, "Ninaapa kwa uwezo wa Nuru Kuu na nyota za Roho Mkuu, I'll never run off on my own ever again."

"Ninaapa kwa uwezo wa Nuru Kuu na nyota za Roho Mkuu," Fuli echoed the phrase, "I'll never run off on my own ever again."

"Good," Unina chirped approvingly. "You swore your promise on the Great Light and Great Spirit. That means your promise is forever, which means you won't ever break it."

"Okay, Mama," Fuli concurred, "I won't."

"Good girl," Unina purred warmly, nuzzling Fuli. She then turned to the grass where Usana was peeking from, flicking her worried gaze from her mother to her older sister. "You can come out now, Usana. It's okay."

Hesitant, Usana took one step forward, slowly emerging from her hiding spot as she padded over to plop down beside the rest of her family. Seeing that Unina and Fuli were no longer angry or sad, her fur eventually began to lie flat, letting herself relax.

"Hey Mama, what is the Great Light and Great Spirit?" Fuli then asked curiously.

"They are the deities that both overlook the whole land," Unina explained. "The Great Light takes the form of the sun, watching over us all during the daytime. They are the ones who created all life here, including every animal, plant, and all kinds of environments and habitats for them to thrive in."

"Including us?" Usana meowed, enthralled by the explanation.

"Yes, sweetie," Unina replied. "The first creatures that roamed these grounds were all born under the Great Light's rays, with the knowledge of what they were and how to survive, but little else. They taught them the Circle of Life, and how to behave within it so that every creature could live to the fullest."

"Wow!" both Fuli and Usana breathed, emerald and blue eyes respectively sparkling with wonder.

"The Great Light presides during the entire day, and every evening, they set over the horizon to recharge their power and fury in the deepest depths of the earth, where the hottest fire boils and never goes out. Sometimes, too much fire would be absorbed into the Great Light's being and would alter their temperament, sending harsher rays and scorching some areas occasionally, some more than others, creating the Dry Seasons and deserts known today. While the Great Light rests at the end of the day, the Great Spirit rises up from their own slumber to light up the dark. They take the form of the moon and are accompanied by stars, serving as the guardian of the night. Although not as strong as the sun, they have the ability to see all of the souls of those who've passed. Their moon vessel serves as a safe haven for all those souls, which is how the Great Spirit is able to guard them."

As their mother concluded the explanation, the girls both glanced up thoughtfully at the cloudless, clear blue sky. "...Is the Great Spirit watching over our brothers right now?" Fuli then asked aloud.

When Unina didn't answer right away, Fuli immediately regretted speaking up, she knew how sensitive the topic was for her. She bit her lip, waiting apprehensively as Unina looked up at the sky too with a pensive expression. Though she didn't seem as upset as Fuli expected her to be. Instead, much to her and Usana's surprise, she gave a small, hopeful smile.

"I like to think they are," she admitted, looking back at her daughters. "I like to think that your brothers are kept safe and taken care of by the Great Spirit."

"I wish we could've met them," Usana said.

"I know, me too," Unina sighed. "But I hope they're up there doing well and watching over us." After a moment of silence, she got up and stretched. "Now then, let's get something to eat. I bet you two are famished."

"Will you be okay?" Usana asked, eyeing the scars the leopard left on her back, now caked in dried blood.

"I'll be okay, dear," Unina assured her, offering her a poised grin. "It'll take a lot more than just a broken leg and a few scratches to get your mother down."

"You're really tough, Mama!" Fuli extolled.

Unina chuckled at the praise, "Yes, I am." As she turned to leave, she gave her eldest one last stern look, "Remember your promise."

"I will!" Fuli chirped.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The family would quickly discover that the backlands were completely dominated by many leopards, not just limited to the two they already met earlier, inhabiting almost every tree in the area. Word of Unina's injury seemed to have quickly spread too, because lately some of the leopards, opportunistic and highly territorial, began encroaching on their den site, emboldened by Unina's weakness. They stalked the family, testing boundaries, oftentimes forcing them to abandon kills and flee.

Unina's impairment left the family more vulnerable than ever. Long-distance travel was impossible, hunting continued to be a painful struggle, and the cubs, still young with a lot to learn, were nowhere near ready to fend for themselves.

Realizing the growing threat and her own limitations, the next day, Unina made the decision to move her daughters out of the backlands at the crack of dawn, carefully evading the predators' trails until they reached the border of the nearest neighboring territory. At first glance, the land seemed no different than the previous one. But as the first slivers of golden beams of light began to seep out from over the horizon and illuminated their surroundings, the cheetahs quickly realized some of the notable details that made this territory stand out. For one, the place was massive, the backlands now felt tiny compared to here. Lush green-yellow grass with fields of flowers of all colors stretched out for miles, Fuli couldn't tell where the land started or ended.

There's so much space here! Plenty of room to run around and so much to explore.

One similarity Fuli also noticed was that there were a variety of trees, most notably acacia, making up all sorts of forests, woods, and groves, creating a variety of habitats for many kinds of animals and species that inhabit.

Speaking of many kinds of animals and species, that was probably the biggest contrast to the backlands Fuli quickly realized. This territory was packed with so much life of all kinds, it left the entire family breathless in awe. All around them, they passed by many different herds consisting of zebras, antelopes, elephants, gazelles, elands, oryxes, and buffaloes, all of them coexisting with one another as they peacefully grazed the lush, green grass fields and meadows altogether. And those are just the herds; many birds of all kinds, ranging from cattle egrets to oxpeckers and even colorful ones like turacos, were either soaring overhead through the sky or perched on tree branches. And of course, there were also ostriches settled in their nests and flamingos wading through the many waterways, including ponds, rivers, and even whole, giant lakes. Swimming within those lakes and rivers were hippo pods and crocodile floats respectively, each of them keeping to their own side of the waters while still maintaining a mutually respectful interaction with one another should they cross paths. And scurrying across the ground were mice, hyraxes, and hares. Hanging in the treetops were troops of monkeys and baboons, chattering noisily amongst themselves while sharing grubs amongst each other.

"It's so beautiful...!" Fuli managed to gasp, emerald eyes shining brightly.

"There are so many animals here!" Usana added, just as awestruck. They've seen gazelles and antelopes before, but not as many as this, especially interacting with so many other kinds of species.

"Where are we? What is this place?" Fuli chirruped. She turned to her mother for answers, but even she was stunned in silence, gazing all around her, mesmerized by her new surroundings.

"I... I've only heard stories of this place, but never actually believed it... I thought it was just an old cub's tale..." Unina managed to utter. "Milele..."

"What's that?" Usana chirped.

"This!" Unina responded, gesturing to all around them. "We're in Milele!"

But the girls were still greatly confused, exchanging a blank look from their mother's enthusiasm. Besides the abundance of animals, they didn't see what else was so special about this place.

"My mother told me about Milele when I was your age. She said it's a land of promise; of safety and abundance. Here, there is plenty of food and water, and there's always enough to go around. It is the perfect home for everyone."

"Wooooaaah!" The cubs breathed. With that explanation, even they were just as delighted as Unina is. 

While this "Milele" is still unfamiliar to all of them, the cheetahs knew one thing; this new territory would give them a promising chance of safety and survival. 

Chapter Text

Under the golden haze of the savanna, a herd of about fifteen Thomson's gazelles were either grazing the rich green grass or nibbling on the leaves and branches of nearby shrubs, or lazing on their sides watching the others eat, content and minding their own business. But even then, they remained on high alert. A few would occasionally pause what they were doing and look up to see and hear for signs of predators lurking nearby before resuming their activities when they found that the coast was clear, failing to detect Unina stalking them from afar.

After hunting mainly smaller prey animals such as hare and game birds due to the limitations from her injury, the female cheetah was feeling a bit more ambitious today and is striving for a much more "proper" meal. She observed the ungulates, almost drooling at the sight. It's been a good while since she's had a good old gazelle, and she knew her daughters would greatly appreciate it just as much.

Tense muscles rippled beneath her sleek, spotted coat as she inched closer towards the unsuspecting herd, careful not to drag her crippled leg too much so she won't create too much noise. Though the gazelles were very hypervigilant and never let their guard down for even a second, constantly looking around and standing completely still as they strained to listen for any sudden sounds. Unina froze too, for one sudden movement would trigger the entire herd to flee. When they went back to relaxing, Unina quickly made her move, creeping closer and closer towards one out of the fifteen gazelles until she was practically almost right behind its tail. The cheetah took another step closer, but at that exact moment, the gazelle just so happened to choose to look up in time and finally noticed the spotted predator, much to its horror. It let out an alarmed bleat and instantly all fifteen Thomson's gazelles started pronking away. With no other choice, Unina gave chase.

For prey animals that were currently fleeing from their hunter, the gazelle herd still managed to somehow look graceful as they fled, running in bounding leaps by swiftly springing high into the air with an arched back and all four feet stiff, almost like they were flying. Trying as they might to escape the pursuing cheetah, Unina remained hot on their trail, refusing to back down. Her lamed back limb still made it difficult to maintain a consistent speed and it was only a matter of moments before Unina's energy would soon run out, forcing her to take rest. Like usual, the gazelle zig-zagged all over the plains, trying to throw the lithe feline off its tail. Normally, Unina would have no problem running in the same swift, sinuous movements. With her kind's flexible spine, powerful muscles, and rudder-like tail, they were naturally built for this kind action. But ever since she broke her leg, Unina has eventually learned to adapt to sprinting in a straight path, which not only made running in this condition a lot more bearable, but also helped her stay on track with the gazelle, who was still busy zig-zagging wildly.

In no time, Unina eventually caught up to the small antelope and without another moment to lose, she hastily lunged forward and hooked her claws into the tommie's flanks. The prey animal staggered from the sudden weight of Unina, who quickly hauled towards her, bringing it to the ground in a cloud of dust. But the gazelle wasn't giving up so quickly. Agitated, it thrashed and kicked in Unina's paws, eventually breaking free and attempting to make another break for it. But the relentless cheetah refused to let her prey go that easy, immediately hurrying after the gazelle and lashing her paws at its back feet, causing it to trip again. As soon as the tommie hit the ground a second time, Unina wasted no more time and latched onto its throat, suffocating it until it finally went dead still.

The hunt is over. As her breathing slows, Unina surveys the horizon, feeling a wave of triumph flooding in her chest as she stands tall, letting out a pleased sigh. First try! I can't wait to see the look on the girls' faces when I bring them this!

The abundance of game and water wasn't the only thing that made Milele great for a cheetah like Unina to live in, but so far she has not detected any signs of predators that could be roaming around. There were some like servals, civets, genets, aardwolves, bat-eared foxes, wildcats, and many more, though these carnivores were generally smaller and had a specific diet consisting of insects, none of them posing any real threats to cheetahs. Aside from crocodiles and eagles, there seemed to be no other apex predator living in Milele, which is a huge relief for Unina. Other possible threats for her cubs included possibly getting trampled by a passing rhino or elephant, but they were generally easy to avoid. These factors only further proves the tales Unina had heard as a cub were true; that this land was the safest place anyone could ever imagine.

I still can't believe we've actually found it! This is truly a blessing from the Great Light and Great Spirit themselves!

Trudging through the tall grass with the gazelle in her jaws, Unina dragged the prey over to a shady spot beneath an acacia tree surrounded by a cluster of bushes where she had left her daughters.

"Fuli! Usana! Breakfast time!" she called for them in her special cheetah chirping call.

In a few heartbeats, there was the sound of grass crunching from light pawsteps as Usana came bounding over, her expression brightened when she saw her mother had returned.

"You're back!" she meowed happily as Unina bent down to greet her with a warm nuzzle.

Unina then pulled away and frowned a little, "Where's your sister?"

"Right here, Mama!" Fuli then chirruped and Unina looked up to see her burst from the bushes and scamper over to meet her mother and sister.

Unina's frown immediately returned to a smile, "Hey, baby," she purred fondly.

Fuli gave a small purr of her own as she too received a nuzzle from Unina as she affectionately rubbed her small body against the adult cheetah's forelegs. The young king cheetah cub has been doing an excellent job with keeping her promise, much to her mother's pleasure.

"Come, my dears, I've got a surprise for you," Unina said enthusiastically, "But first, cover your eyes."

"Okay!" Both girls said, closing their eyes as Unina helped guide them over to their breakfast.

"No peeking!" Unina told them.

The cubs giggled when they bumped into each other as they blindly padded in the direction Unina was nudging them in.

"What's the surprise, Mama?" Fuli asked, her tail quivering in anticipation.

"I can hardly wait!" Usana added excitedly.

"You'll see," Unina said, urging her cubs onward.

After a few more clumsy steps, Unina stopped them when they were right in front of the gazelle carcass, Fuli and Usana sniffed the air.

"Wait... This smells familiar," Fuli commented aloud, her mouth watering slightly.

"Okay, you can open your eyes now," Unina instructed.

The cubs' slowly opened their eyes and their pupils sparkled as they both squealed in delight.

"YAAAAY, GAZELLE!!!" They cheered in unison, bouncing around in excitement, their reactions making Unina's heart swell.

"What are we waiting for? Let's eat already!!" Fuli said, already eagerly tugging at the hide layer of the carcass with her teeth.

"Alright alright, hold on, sweetie!" Unina chuckled in amusement as she helped tear open the gazelle. The cubs eagerly dug in as soon as the flesh was exposed, purring contently.

"Thanks, Mama!" they gratefully mrowed.

Unina grinned as she too joined in on the feast, "You're welcome."

The cheetahs ate messily, bits of meat and blood staining the creamy-white fur of their muzzles, even Unina barely gave herself a chance to really savor each bite. Though to be fair, it had been a good while since they last had a decent filling meal like this gazelle, especially for Unina after going days and even weeks hungry to make sure her daughters at least had their fill for the day. It was truly a luxury for them, so they couldn't help but devour their food like they were on the brink of starvation. And now that they're in Milele, they have many more options to choose from, not just limited to gazelle, and there will always be plenty of prey leftover for another day.

"I'm so glad we found this place," Fuli sighed blissfully as she laid on the soft grass after her meal, she can't remember the last time she felt this stuffed to the point where her belly hurt.

"Me too, I never wanna leave!" Usana agreed, licking her lips. Since she ate too fast, she occasionally let out small hiccups.

Fuli gasped as an idea popped in her mind, "We should stay here forever!"

"Oooh, yeah!" Usana said. "Can we Mama? Please, can we?"

Unina smiled, "I don't see why not."

"Awesome!" the girls exclaimed.

Fuli then rolled back onto her paws, "We should explore Milele more! There's so much space here and I wanna run around."

"Let's have a race too!" Usana suggested.

"Yeah!" She then turned to Unina. "Come race with us, Mama!"

"Pleeeeease?" The two sisters pleaded, putting on their best begging expression. Though Unina didn't require much persuasion as she was already nodding her head, chuckling at them.

"Let's clean yourselves up a bit, first," she told them with an amused look, "You two are a mess."

She leaned forward to lick the remnants of their meal from Fuli and Usana's faces, cleaning off the excess bits of meat and blood.

"Hey, that tickles!" Fuli squeaked, squirming as her mother tried to lick off a particularly deep stain on her cheek.

"Hold still," Unina grunted as she tried to wipe the stain, though Fuli's excessive fidgeting certainly wasn't making it easy. Eventually, she managed to get it off and Fuli shook her head from Unina's persistent grooming.

"Can we go now?" she asked impatiently.

Unina nodded, "Remember to not go too far ahead of me."

"Okay!" both sisters said.

"Race you guys," Fuli chirped.

"You're on!" Usana replied.

The two got into a ready stance, preparing to sprint. "Count us off, Mama!" Fuli said.

"On your marks, get set..." Unina started off, "GO!"

As soon as their mother said the word, the cheetah cubs dashed off, chortling loudly as they raced off into the plains together. Unina let them get a head start before she joined them, feeling just as energized and active after their meal. She couldn't remember the last time she felt this alive since her injury. Even if her leg was still broken, she could still easily outrun her children with her much bigger and longer strides. So she pretended to be extra slow in order to let Fuli and Usana pass her.

"Ha-ha, you're too slow!" Fuli teased when she noticed Unina lagging behind.

"Are you sure about that?" Unina smirked, suddenly quickening her pace and easily surpassing her and Usana.

"HEY!" Fuli and Usana yowled.

"Nooooooooo!" Usana wailed overdramatically.

"We can't let her win," Fuli declared, quickening her sprint as best as she could. "C'mon, Usana! We gotta catch up!"

"Okay!" Usana concurred, hurrying after her older littermate as they zoomed past Unina. The latter slowed down, purposely letting the cubs pass by her.

"Oh no, you two are too fast!" Unina cried out in feigned distraught as they reached the acacia that marked their finish line.

"Woo-hoo! We won!" Fuli and Usana celebrated their victory, rearing up on their hind legs and clapping their front paws against each other while Unina slowed down and hobbled the rest of the way, the family all laughing together.

So far, everything has been absolutely perfect, perhaps a little too perfect. Though Unina honestly couldn't care less right now. She found Milele and her children were thriving and happy here. And even if her leg mended and they could travel far distances again, they didn't see a reason why they should leave this paradise. Perhaps their roving days shall come to an end after today, and they'll make a permanent home right here. After all, Milele is forever, is it not?

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

King Simba stood near the end of the ledge part of a large rock structure called Pride Rock, gazing out upon his kingdom, watching the many different animals going about their morning; the tall giraffes were snacking on the highest leaves of the acacia trees, elephants, zebras, wildebeests, and hippos chatted amongst themselves as they hung around the watering holes, flocks of egrets flew to their feeding grounds, even the crocodiles, usually the most hostile creatures of the Pride Lands, don't seem to be harassing anyone at the moment.

Seems like good ol' Pua is still to do a good job keeping his float in line.

All in all, everything seemed normal and in order. But even with the seemingly peaceful scene, he knew that he still had to keep a watchful eye. You never know when things could go wrong, and it can happen at any moment–

"Daddy! Daddy!" two excited mewls then interrupted his thoughts. He turned around and saw his cubs scampering over to him; the oldest, his six year old daughter, carried a ball of fuzzy moss in her mouth.

"Whatcha got there, Kiara?" Simba asked playfully.

"Daddy, play moss-ball with us!" Kiara said, dropping the ball at her feet and nudging it towards Simba. Like its name suggests, the ball was made up of moss Kiara had asked for the older lions of the pride to help her collect from the sides of Pride Rock. The fuzzy, dark-green plant was then carefully rolled up to form a round shape, perfect for hitting and rolling around.

Kiara's younger brother, Kiongozi–or Kion as he prefers to be called–  pawed at his father's legs excitedly, "Yeah! Come on, dad!" He was at least three years younger than his big sister.

The male lion chuckled warmly, deciding to play along with his children's antics. Dropping to a crouch, he nodded to his cubs. "Ready?"

"Ready!" They nodded eagerly.

Simba then batted the moss-ball over to Kiara, it rolled across the rocky surface of the ledge before Kiara pounced and caught the ball right in her paws. "Got it!" She turned to her left, "Your turn, Kion!"

The young lioness whacked the moss over to her brother, who tried to copy his sister's moves in his own attempt at a clumsy pounce. He ended up lunging too early and flopped right onto his belly while the ball rolled right past him.

"Oof!" he squeaked.

"You alright?" Simba asked, gently nudging Kion back onto his feet.

"I'm okay, Dad," Kion assured him, giving his head a shake. He then noticed the moss ball sitting next to him and he gave a playful growl as he pounced onto it, his paws flexing as he grabbed the moss. "Got it!"

"Good job," Simba and Kiara both praised, and Kion grinned happily.

"Now pass it to me!" Kiara said, crouching down to get ready to catch the ball again.

"Okay!" Kion mewed, giving a light tap to the moss-toy and rolling it over to Kiara, who captured it in another perfect pounce.

"Your turn, Daddy!" She then kicked the moss over towards the lion, perhaps a little too hard, because the ball actually flew in the air and hit Simba right on the face, much to his surprise.

"Oops, sorry!" Kiara apologized sheepishly while Kion tittered uncontrollably.

"Woah, that was some kick!" Simba humored the cubs as he gently nudged the toy back over to Kion.

"Watch this!" Kion yowled, and he too kicked the moss with all the might and power in his tiny three-year-old growing cub body. The kick was so hard that it caused the ball to fall apart into pieces, scattering bits of moss all over the rocky surface in the middle of the three lions.

"Nooooooooo!" Kiara cried out in dismay, before shooting an annoyed glare at a very shocked Kion. "Look what you did!"

"Sorry..." Kion mumbled regretfully, his ears flattening in shame.

"Hey hey, no need to get upset," Simba quickly intervened, "It was an accident."

At that moment, a new lioness joined in on the family. It was Queen Nala, Simba's mate and the mother of his cubs.

"Everything all right up here?" she asked.

"Mom!" Both Kiara and Kion mewed as they rushed over to their mother, who bent down to greet them with an affectionate lick to their foreheads.

"Oh, you're back," Simba chuffed, greeting his mate with a tender nuzzle. "How was the hunt?"

"It went very well," Nala answered, giving her husband a lick to his cheek. "I managed to catch a zebra and impala with the help of Tama, Kula, and Puleng. I tasked Sabini, Bontu, Kito, and Lindiwe to go south to take down a buffalo, and had Abena, Ola, and Kahina track some gazelles up east." She then gave an irritated huff, "Though Ola, being the typical aggravating brat that she is, kept complaining the whole time about being in charge of hunting, and I quote, 'hyena food'. And of course her tail-kissing friend Kahina agreed with her."

"Oof, that does sound a little annoying," Simba voiced sympathetically. He knew Nala and the two lionesses never got along since their youth, and Nala still resented Ola and Kahina for all the years of bullying. Despite this, she tried to keep things between them professional as possible, especially for the sake of their respective daughters since they were all best friends with each other.

Nala simply shrugged, "She's always been an obnoxious tailhole anyway."

"The cubs are still here!" Simba exclaimed, shocked by his wife's crude language but also can't help but snort at it. Her sass was one of the many qualities he's always admired anyway, and it was always good to know that Nala never lost it even when she became Queen.

"So are we gonna eat now?" Kion asked, "I'm starving!"

"Sure thing, sweetie. This way," Nala said, turning to head back down the sandy pathway located left of Pride Rock's peak. Simba strode alongside her while their daughter and son skipped at their feet to join the rest of their pride for their morning meal.

"I call dibs on the zebra!" Kiara declared as she raced down the sandy path.

"No, I want it!" Kion argued, scampering as fast as he could so he could outrun his older sibling.

Their parents chuckled, "The hunting party brought back plenty of prey so there's enough for everyone. You two can eat whatever you like," Nala told them.

"Guess we'll both have zebra, then," Kion said cheerfully.

The Royal Family soon made it down to the bottom of Pride Rock where the rest of their pride were gathered and already feasting on the prey the hunting party gathered; lionesses Tama and Kula were sharing the impala in their usual spot. The buffalo was divided up among Bontu and Puleng, along with siblings Kito, Lindiwe, and Kamari. As for Sabini, she ate her piece with her own mate, Mega. Most of the zebra carcass was given to the elders; Sarabi, Dwala, Sarafina, Fayola, Thandi, Sefu, and Leo. Though Fayola couldn't eat much since she was busy worrying about her daughters not returning yet. Leo just grumbled complaints over the lioness's excessive worry while Sefu and Thandi did their best to calm her down. Sarafina laid with her son and Nala's younger brother, Mheetu, who placed himself in between her and Tojo. He made sure they were sitting preferably further away from Fayola, knowing that her presence still made Tojo uneasy since he was no longer her oldest daughter's mate.  

The other five cubs of the pride crowded around the pieces of the zebra carcass the adults divided up for them, eagerly tucking into the fresh kill. Ola's hunting party has yet to return with the gazelles.

As the King and Queen walked by, each lion paused to look up and greet them with a respectful bow, to which the monarchs reciprocated, before continuing on with their meal. Simba made sure to stop by and check up on his own mother, Sarabi, and Nala checked up on Sarafina and Mheetu.

"Kiara, over here!" Zuri and Tiffu called out to their friend, waving their paws in the air to give her their location. Kiara excitedly bounded over to them and the three girls all let out a synchronized, shrill squeal in ebullience, much to the annoyance of Kion and some of the other cubs nearby, who all covered their ears and shot the girls a dirty look, to which they ignored.

"Good morning, Kiara," Zuri's cousin, Afua, chuffed at the princess. He even bowed before the young girl as she came over and gazed up at her with a moony smile. "I saved you a spot right next to me."

Zuri rolled her eyes at him, "She's sitting with me and Tiifu, you dopey furball."

"Yeah! She's not interested in sitting with you," Tiifu added.

"No, it's okay!" Kiara assured them, placing herself right in between the two siblings. "I can sit with both of you. "

Zuri just scoffed and Tiifu still looked miffed but didn't complain anymore. Twins Babu and Boga laughed at Afua.

"Oooooh, are you guys gonna kiss?" Boga teased.

"W-what!? No!" Afua stuttered, his ears turning a deep shade of pink. "T-that's crazy!"

"Tell me about it," Zuri muttered.

Kiara just blinked at the twins; "Why would we do that?"

"Oh, just a thought," Babu shrugged, but she threw a bashful Afua a sly smirk.

"OKAY, let's talk about something else!" he exclaimed.

Simba watched as his daughter quickly settled into her friend group when he looked down and noticed his son still lingering behind. "Hey, buddy, why don't you follow your sister?"

Kion shook his head, "No, I wanna eat with you guys."

"You sure? Kiara may be feeling left out,"  Simba encouraged.

Kion stared at him with a skeptical look before glancing back at Kiara, who was already busy eating beside the other cubs, chatting and laughing alongside them. "I think she's fine," he said flatly.

"Just let him be," Nala whispered to Simba before speaking to Kion, "I'll go get some zebra for you."

The male lion toddler followed his father into a shady spot near the base of Pride Rock as his mother soon rejoined them, carrying a zebra leg in her mouth for the three of them to share. It wasn't much, but the other huntresses were bound to turn up any moment now with the gazelles so there will be more prey to go around soon.

"I wish Bunga wasn't sick today so I can hang out with him," Kion sighed as he dejectedly prodded at his food. He had been hoping he'd share it with Kiara, though the young lioness already had company. "I don't like being around the others, they all treat me differently..."

Both his parents exchanged a concerned and pitying look before turning back to Kion as he longingly watched Kiara and the other kids hanging out with each other. They both knew their son had a hard time fitting in with the rest of the pride. Not only were the other children much older than him, but they often shunned him due to preferring to associate with animals outside of his lion pride, most notably his best friend, Bunga the honey badger. The pair have been inseparable since they were infants and they often played together or caused mischief for fun. He was pretty much the only friend Kion had, as well as the only animal who was willing to hang out with him.

Simba knew there was nothing wrong with being friends with other animals outside of lions and Nala knew what it was like to be bullied by most of her peers. Unfortunately, most of their pride weren't as understanding as they are.

"Hey, cheer up," Simba said, nosing Kion in a comforting manner. "How about we go visit Bunga after breakfast?"

Kion's brown eyes brightened, "Really?"

Nala nodded, "Sure, honey. I know he'll be happy to see you too."

"Look! The others are back!" Kamari suddenly announced out loud and at once everyone looked up to see Ola leading Kahina and Abena back to Pride Rock, each of them dragging a gazelle with them.

"Mommy!" Tiifu and Zuri both cried out joyfully at the sight of Kahina and Ola's return. Afua scampered after his cousin to meet Abena. 

Instantly, Fayola shot up and rushed over, practically shoving Kahina aside as she went to coddle Ola and Abena, much to their chagrin. "Oh thank the stars, you're finally back! How was the hunt? Did either of you get hurt?"

"Mother, we're fine..." Ola spoke through gritted teeth, embarrassment burning her pelt as she eyed the other lions chuckling softly amongst themselves as the elderly lioness continued to smother her daughters.

"We need to talk to Simba and Nala," Abena said, trying to pull away from Fayola's tight embrace. "It's important.

"Okay, let them go," Kamari snorted as he nudged Fayola out of the way to let the two sisters breathe, allowing enough space for Zuri and Afua to squeeze in to greet their own mothers. A slightly miffed Kahina glared after Fayola, who paid no mind, before turning to hug Tiffu and receive a welcoming lick from Kamari.

The two cubs then went back to rejoin their friends and while Lindiwe, Bontu, and Puleng took away the gazelles to split them up among the pride, Ola, Abena, and Kahina approached Simba and Nala.

"What do you think she'll complain about this time?" Simba whispered to Nala.

"We're about to find out. Prepare yourself..." Nala silently warned under her breath, trying to keep a neutral expression as Ola stopped in front of them.

"Your Highnesses," Ola formally addressed the King and Queen, the three lionesses all bowed.

"Ola. Abena. Kahina," Simba acknowledged the huntress as he and Nala dipped their heads in return. "What's wrong?"

"We spotted a cheetah in our hunting grounds today," Ola explained.

"Ola, for the last time, they are technically not 'our' hunting grounds," Simba said, trying to remain calm and patient. "Anyone is allowed to hunt wherever they like as long as they follow the Circle of Life. This includes cheetahs."

"I'm aware," Ola replied, keeping her tone leveled. "But this cheetah is different, we've never seen her before."

"She had orange fur and blue eyes," Kahina added, backing up her friend. "And one of her back legs was fractured."

"Hmm..." Simba thought out loud, taking the description to consideration. From the largest elephant to the tiniest ant, the Pride Lands were home to a variety of creatures, including cheetahs. Though since these speedy felines preferred a lifestyle of constantly roving around the savannas rather than stay put in one territory, there actually weren't many cheetahs living around here. What few local residents they had, the rulers and everyone else knew about them, and neither Simba or Nala recognized this particular cheetah.

"Maybe she was just passing by?" Nala guessed. It could be likely, it wasn't new that they occasionally get a few wandering animals that just so happen to traverse the area.

"Did you confront her?" Simba asked.

"No, we wanted to see what she was up to," Adena admitted, "She did manage to bring down a gazelle, despite the leg."

"She can't do that! She hasn't been given permission to hunt here," Ola growled, "She's stealing!"

"Hey, we don't know that yet," Simba pointed out, going against the speculation. "Maybe Nala's right, maybe this cheetah is a newcomer and therefore doesn't know about our rules. I'm sure if we just talk to her, she'll understand."

"But what if she keeps hunting here in the meantime?" Kahina challenged.

"Which is why I'm going to send a mongoose messenger to let Zazu know while he's still scouting for his Morning Report," Simba replied. "After breakfast, I'll send a patrol out to search for this cheetah too."

"Sounds like a plan," Abena agreed. "Thank you, Your Majesty."

"You three go eat," Simba nodded, dismissing the three lionesses. Ola, Abena, and Kahina bowed to the King before turning away to meet up with their families.

"You think the new cheetah will stay here?" Kion asked curiously.

"We're not sure yet, son," Simba answered. "That's up to the cheetah herself. Hopefully we'll find out when we locate her."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Unina was currently lounging on a kopje, taking in the serene beauty of Milele. An elephant herd consisting of mothers and their young lumbered on by, there were sable antelopes and bushbucks sharing a grazing ground together while maintaining personal space between themselves, a small crash of rhinos were wallowing in a mud pool to keep themselves cool, each rhino had their own personal oxpecker to help clean off their hides from ticks and other parasites as well as keep a lookout for danger. In the distance, Unina spotted an aardvark couple pass by a serval and her four kittens, the two animals exchanging a friendly nod before continuing on their way. Unina's ears flicked at the sound of honks and squawks coming from a flock of pink flamingos flying across the sky in search of a pond to wade. Milele was teeming with all sorts of life, and it was absolutely breathtaking.

The female cheetah inhaled deeply before slowly exhaling, she couldn't remember the last time she felt this sense of tranquility. Glancing behind her, she smiled as she gazed adoringly at Usana and Fuli curled up together, napping in the grass beneath the small, rocky hill. The two girls eventually tired out after spending some time exploring all they could, and there was still so much left of Milele that has yet to be discovered. Even the latter was beat, a rare occurrence for the usually active and energetic cub. Unina couldn't help but chortle softly when she noticed Fuli swiping her paws in the air for a moment, currently engrossed in a dream, while Usana snuggled closer to her littermate.

Content, Unina's eyes scrunched shut as she gave a long yawn and a big stretch. Can't get any better than this...

But it seemed like she had spoken too soon, because just as she finished stretching and opened her eyes, she noticed sudden movement from afar. She stood up and squinted to get a better look, then she gasped to herself as her blue pupils widened with dread.

LIONS!!!

There were about four of them, all lionesses. They moved out in unison, calm and coordinated. They'd pause occasionally to sniff the air, seemingly in the middle of tracking something. And Unina knew her family couldn't linger here long enough for them to detect them, immediately hopping off the kopje and and began nudging her cubs awake.

"We need to get moving. Wake up, both of you," she urged them. She ignored their whining pleas to continue their nap.

"Huh? What's going on?" Usana mumbled drowsily.

"Mamaaaa, I'm tirrrrreeeeed," Fuli sleepily groaned.

"Move," Unina ordered, "We must hurry, there are lions in the area."

"WHAT?!" Usana nearly shrieked out loud, snapping Fuli awake.

"Shhhhh!" Unina hissed apprehensively, glancing back to make sure their location hasn't been given away. Having heard the commotion, the lionesses all stopped in their tracks and strained to listen for the sound again, only to come up empty.

"Let's keep going," one of them suggested, and they went on their way.

Once their backs were facing them again, Unina turned back to her cubs, "Quick, this way."

The cubs stumbled out of their slumber as their mother pushed them along, leading them away from the kopje and slowly slinking into the grassland, letting the tall yellow-green blades cloak their bodies as they evaded detection from the lions. Unina tried to move as quickly as she could, her daughters were tiptoeing not far behind

"I-I thought Milele was supposed to be safe," a jitery Usana spoke once she and her family were a good distance away from the predators.

"Yeah, I didn't know there were lions living here," Fuli added.

"Me neither," Unina admitted, giving a disappointed sigh. I'm such a fool for letting myself indulge in a childish fantasy, I probably should've known that this place was too good to be true... No place in all of the savanna is ever a hundred percent safe for us.

Distracted, Unina misstepped and hit her back leg, causing her to scream shortly and stumble forward.

"Mama!" Fuli and Usana cried out in shock as she fell.

"I'm fine," Unina groaned, wincing as a sharp wave of pain shot through the limb. She forced herself back up and limped over to the cover of a nearby scrubland, slumping back down in the thicket of evergreen to rest her leg. Fuli and Usana flanked at her side, eyeing their mother with concerned emerald and blue pupils respectively.

"Does this mean we have to leave...?" Fuli asked. She and her sister were pouting, clearly upset over the possibility.

They had already grown too attached to Milele within the short time they've been here, to tell the truth, so has Unina. She had heard countless stories of the fabled paradise and to actually come across it after all those years was an absolute dream come true. Though as much as they've come to love this place, it would be a risk to stay any longer if there were lions inhabiting it. The best course of action would be to leave at once before the worst happens.

But...

Unina wearily turned to look at her leg again, still feeling a dull, throbbing ache. It was still not anywhere near healed, there was no way Unina would be able to travel far in her condition. She needed more time to let herself fully recover, and Milele is still considered safer than anywhere she and her family has ever been to, despite the lions. It's certainly less perilous than the Back Lands, that's for sure, and Unina was sure that neither of her cubs would want to take their chances there any more than she did.

With a deep sigh, Unina shook her head and finally answered her daughter's question, "No, dear. I can't go far yet with this injury. We're going to have to stay here."

"Really?" Fuli chirped, her mood began to lighten.

"But what about the lions?" Usana pointed out fretfully.

"Don't worry, I'll make sure they won't find us," Unina assured her, giving a heartened smile.

It shouldn't be too hard. Given how exceptionally large Milele's territory is and the amount of animals residing, it should be much easier to blend in and avoid any lions that lived here. And with the amount of prey here, Unina would have better hunting chances and surely be able to regain her strength in no time. In the meantime, they'll just lay low until Unina could properly walk again.

"Don't worry, girls. We'll all be okay," Unina meowed, giving them a comforting, reassuring nuzzle. "I'll keep you both safe."

"You promise?" Usana said in a small voice.

"I promise," Unina confirmed.

"Will you swear it on the Great Light and Great Spirit?" Fuli chimed in.

Unina glanced down at her, giving a soft half-chuckle. "Ninaapa kwa uwezo wa Nuru Kuu na nyota za Roho Mkuu, I'll protect you from all the dangers here."

Fuli beamed with pleasure and hugged her mother again, "Okay. I believe you."

"Me too," Usana concurred.

After all, much like Milele, a promise is forever.

Chapter Text

Simba sniffed around as he padded through the Pride Lands, continuing the search for the mysterious cheetah. Tama and Puleng did the same while behind them, Ola, Kula, and Bontu peeked in every grassland and behind every bush or rock, or tree, double checking as they went.

"Anything yet?" Simba called out to his patrol.

Tama shook her head, "Nothing."

As Ola moved around, Kula accidentally bumped into her side as she walked by, nearly knocking the other lioness.

"Hey!" Ola cried out, causing everyone to pause and turn to look. She regained her balance and shot an annoyed glare at Kula.

"I'm so sorry," Kula immediately apologized, "Are you okay?"

"Hmph. Watch where you're going, wide-load," Ola sniffed in disdain, holding her head high as she rudely shoved past the brown lioness, who's ears flattened self-consciously at the harsh remark.

Right as those words left her, Tama instantly pivoted and cut Ola right off her path, growling defensively. "Watch your mouth!"

Ola just scoffed at her, "Then tell your mate to pay attention to where she's walking next time so she won't trample over me with her huge paws."

Tama bristled, "How about I trample over your prissy ass, instead?" Her claws instinctively slid out, to which Ola did the same as she stared down the other. Kula, Bontu, and Puleng watched them in shock as Simba rushed in between them.

"Enough!" he ordered, glaring at the two huntresses. "We're not going to get anything done if you two are fighting."

"She started it," Tama seethed. "I refuse to work with this pompous hairball if she's gonna insult my wife!"

She did have a point, so Simba turned to Ola. "Apologize, now."

Ola's gaze hardened, but eventually she bit out a begrudging "Sorry." Tama gave a satisfied smirk, which quickly vanished the moment Simba turned his attention to her too.

"Now I don't want anymore trouble between you two from this point on, is that understood?"

"Yes, Your Highness," Tama replied, dipping her head in agreement.

"Good. Now let's go." Flicking his tail, he beckoned for his patrol to follow. Ola and Tama exchanged one final scowl as the former passed by before she eventually looked away from them, holding her muzzle high in the air as she strutted after Simba, Bontu and Puleng padded silently after them.

"You didn't have to do that..." Kula said in a low voice, rubbing her shoulder. "I should've seen where I was going."

"That still doesn't give her the right to call you that," Tama argued, her tone much softer this time. She gently nudged Kula's cheek before they carried on with the rest of their group. Deep down, she could tell Kula appreciated her and Simba putting Ola in her place since she wasn't as bold to make comebacks. Some things just never change, especially when it comes to animals like their cubhood bully.

"How much longer till we meet up with the other search party?" Bontu soon asked Simba.

The King took a moment to ponder before replying, "I say maybe in about a couple more minutes."

"Rrruuuugh, this is hopeless!" Ola groaned, "How hard is it for us to find one cheetah with a broken leg?!"

"The Pride Lands is huge," Puleng reminded her, "Anyone can easily blend in and go unnoticed, and we can't possibly cover all that ground in one day."

"That's why I have Zazu continue scouting for us in the sky," Simba added. "Plus Tojo's birds volunteered to help too."

"And how's that going so far?" Ola rhetorically asked.

Your snark is duly noted, Simba was tempted to say out loud, but he held his tongue for the sake of keeping up a professional and respectable image for his pridemates. But as insufferable as it was to be around Ola, he can't help but admit that she unfortunately made a good point. It's been five days since the hunting party had spotted the cheetah, and so far they keep coming up empty, much to Simba's frustration as well as worry.

This search is taking a lot longer than I anticipated. We can only survey so much ground each day and we're still getting no results.  Not even Zazu can keep track of her since she's always moving around.

"Sire! Sire!"

At the sound of the squawk, everyone looked up and noticed a male red-billed hornbill flying towards them.

Speak of the devil, Simba thought as he watched the hornbill land a few bird-hops away from the lions and bowing respectfully to the ruler of the Pride Lands.

"Zazu," Simba acknowledged his Majordomo, "I hope you're having much better luck than us."

"It depends how you look at it," Zazu began grimly. "The impalas of Vumbi Plains are restless, someone has been attacking them this morning. My guess is the cheetah was attempting to hunt them again. Okala has been injured, but managed to get away."

The search party gasped at the news, the poacher had struck yet again. And worst, they have committed one of the biggest offenses in the Pride Lands; attacking an Animal Leader.

"Take us there," Simba commanded.

Zazu nodded, taking flight once more to lead the six lions to where he last saw the impala herd, still skittish and shaken up from the attack. When they arrived, Simba spotted the unrestful herd leader, Okala, pacing back and forth. Simba realized he was half limping and soon noticed the large gashes on his flanks as well as a gruesome ring of fang markings around his neck and another bite to the hock of one of his hind legs. Okala soon paused and looked up and spotted the Zazu and the lions approaching.

"Your Majesty!" Okala called out to Simba in a chuff-like sound akin to a big cat. The male impala bowed before the King's presence before lifting his head up high as he stood tall and still in a vain attempt to hide his pain. His fidgety herdmates stood by, gazing upon their wounded leader with concern.

"Okala," Simba greeted the impala leader. "What happened?"

"It was that cheetah again!" Okala explained in an outraged tone. "She's been stalking my herd and has taken down at least one member within the past five days! Today, she even attempted to take my own life!"

"Did anyone else get hurt?" Simba pressed.

"No, just me," Okala confirmed, wincing as he gestured to the areas of his slender reddish-brown body that were covered in dried bloody scratches and bite marks. "Though I barely made it out alive..."

Simba's lionesses began to murmur amongst themselves, expressing their worries and concerns over the matter.

"Simba, this can't go on," Puleng stated. "We need to find this cheetah, now. Before she further disrupts the kingdom."

"I know," Simba said, his pelt grew hot and his head reeled a little as he tried to think of another solution, but he was really stuck at this point. Lately, they've been getting reports of the new cheetah tormenting many of the Pride Lands' ungulates, making them very antsy. Though the poaching feline wasn't always successful, presumably due to her leg. Sometimes, the herds would manage to escape her, albeit not completely unscathed, much like Okala right now.

"King Simba!" a new chirp sounded from above as another bird, this time it was Buluu, one of Tojo's four blue flycatchers, descending towards His Majesty and hovered in front of him. "There's been another attack on the gazelles in Nyasi Fields. Tojo's patrol is heading there as we speak."

"This damn cheetah is gonna kill everything here if we don't find her soon!" Ola growled, flexing her claws in frustration.

"I don't think a single cheetah can kill off every last bit of prey here, let alone one with a broken leg," Kula pointed out, to which Ola ignored.

"I should've killed her the second I first saw her, if not run her off into the Outlands and let the hyenas take care of her!"

"Tell the other patrol we'll meet them there," Simba told the flycatcher, who nodded in affirmation before flying off as Simba turned to Zazu, "Keep scouting and report anything you see."

"Will do, my King," the hornbill said, and he too took off.

"What if the cheetah comes back?" one of Okala's hermates asked fearfully, the others murmuring in shared distress.

"Tama, Kula, and Bontu, you make sure the cheetah doesn't return," Simba ordered the three huntresses. "If she does attack again, chase her off and capture her. But don't, and I repeat, DON'T, kill her. Just keep her guarded so I can properly interrogate her."

"Got it," Tama said firmly, the others did the same.

"The rest of you, with me," Simba said before finally turning back to Okala. "Don't worry, we'll have this issue fixed as soon as possible."

"I believe you," Okala said, dipping his head graciously, "But please hurry."

And with that, the group split up with Simba, Puleng, and Ola taking their leaves while Tama, Kula, and Puleng stayed behind like they were told, trying to get the rest of the impalas to calm down.

"Why didn't you let me stay behind to guard the impalas?" Ola immediately started complaining as she reluctantly followed Simba.

Suppressing an irritated sigh, Simba answered, "Because I knew if I made you stay, you would've tore the cheetah to shreds if she were to return."

"Well why shouldn't I?" Ola retorted, not caring if her current tone was considered disrespectful. "That sneaky fleabag is poaching everything in the Pride Lands!"

"I'm sure she isn't trying to do it on purpose," Simba countered, his annoyance increasing even more.

"Oh really!" Ola scoffed. "She just attacked an Animal Leader! Everyone here knows that is an offense punishable by death!"

"I have to agree on this one," Puleng said. "The Circle of Life grants protection to all Animal Leaders and their heirs from harm of any kind, including being hunted."

"I'm aware," Simba replied as even-tempered as he could. "Though that law is rarely enforced. I'm also aware that this cheetah is new and clearly doesn't understand these rules yet. I doubt she's purposefully trying to cause chaos and disarray here. If we can find her, I'll talk to her and work something out."

"So you'll just let her go unpunished," Ola said, her voice full of scorn. "What would Mufasa think of a spineless king like you?"

Simba abruptly stopped and Puleng grew tense, her eyes wide and jaw dropped, appalled at Ola's choice of words, let alone even assuming that the previous Pride Lands King and Simba's father would disapprove of his son's decisions on dealing with their current predicament.

The sharp-tongued lioness kept her narrowed gaze on Simba's back, waiting for an answer. The lion king had his claws digging into the ground as he tried to regain his composure, his jaws grinding together as he resisted the urge to outright lash across the arrogant huntress's face, his heart still pounding rapidly at the mention of his deceased father's name.

After a couple of deep breaths, Simba finally turned to face Ola, expressionless. "I'll tell you what Mufasa would think," he began, pacing closer towards Ola. The lioness's opinionated expression fell as he gradually advanced towards her; "Mufasa would've shown mercy, as he does to every creature, regardless of who they are or what they've done. I may not know this cheetah and she may have broken many of our rules in the time she's been here, but I refuse to deal with her through blood and violence. What you may see as being 'spineless' is what my father taught me as having compassion, something Fayola clearly failed to teach you."

As he spoke, he took more steps towards Ola, who slowly took a few paces back. Though her face remained neutral, her ears fell flat against her skull, indicating that the male lion's words were getting to her.

"Now, we are going to meet up with Tojo's patrol, and on the way, I want not another word from you going questioning every decision I make. Is that clear?"

Puleng's anxious gaze flicked back and forth from Simba and Ola, the latter shrank back from the emphasis of specific words. At a certain point, even she knew better than to argue with the King, and she dipped her head submissively, "Yes, Your Majesty."

In relief, Puleng let out a gasp of breath she didn't realize she had been holding in as Simba turned around and stalked off, leaving a deflated Ola to stare after him, mortified.

"You really need to stop challenging him," Puleng whispered as she walked past her. Face burning from humiliation, Ola let out an indignant huff, keeping her head down as she silently followed the others.

By the time they reached Nyasi Fields, Simba saw Kito, Lindiwe, and Sabini calming the gazelles, who were still in shock from the encounter with the cheetah, while Tojo was talking to Buluu and two more of female blue flycatcher birds perched on his arm for updates on the search.

"Tojo!" Simba announced his arrival to his friend. The golden-maned lion looked up from his conversation as his adopted flycatchers flew from his arm to perch on his shoulders, allowing for their caretaker to walk over to the King. Tojo and his birds bowed, along with the Sabini, Kito, Lindiwe, and the entire gazelle herd.

"Any news?" Simba asked.

"Well, Buluu reported last seeing the cheetah lurking around here," Tojo started off, "One of the gazelles got bit in the leg but seems okay otherwise. The cheetah had vanished by the time we arrived. So far, Yakuti and Azula haven't seen anything. Still waiting on Ndege to check back."

"Great! Not even my ex's little pets can help," Ola grumbled.

"Hey! They're not 'pets'," Tojo exclaimed, offended. "They're my babies. And they're doing their best!"

"Yeah!" Buluu, Yakuti, and Azula all chittered proudly, puffing out their bright blue chests as they straightened their postures. Unimpressed, Ola just rolled her eyes at them. Simba flicked his gaze from Tojo to Ola for a moment, to this day he, Nala, and the rest of their cubhood friends never understood how these two managed to get together at one point.

"What do we do now?" Puleng then questioned. Though before Simba could answer, his ear flicked at the sound of a twig snapping nearby and he instantly became alert.

"Everyone, quiet!" he quickly hushed his pridemates and the gazelle herd, and they all fell silent. Everyone now became on edge as the lions surrounded the herd in a protective formation from all angles, eyes wide and ears open, straining for the slightest of sounds. Simba took a whiff of the air and gasped softly. "She's near..."

The small antelopes gave soft, nervous honks as they glanced warily at the lions all around them, guarding them from the possible incoming danger. The grass rustled and the vigilant felines and ungulates all perked up, eyes darting towards the direction, half expecting something or someone to shoot out from the vegetation.

"Show yourself," Simba announced in a firm voice, "I know you're watching us. Might as well make it easy for you and come clean. We just want to talk. We won't hurt you, I promise." As he said that, he shot a stern glance towards Ola, who only glared at him but said nothing.

"I don't think it's working," Tojo whispered to Simba.

"Just give a few minutes, cheetahs are usually extremely shy," Simba told him in a low voice before raising it again. "Come on out, now. I'll make sure none of my pride lays a single claw on you."

Tojo turned to his birds, "Go up there and scout the area."

Nodding, Buluu, Yakuti, and Azula all took off and flew overhead, scanning the ground for any abrupt movements. But so far, everything stilled again, the only thing making the grass move was the gentle breeze blowing. All was quiet... Until–

"Hey, guys! Any luck?" Ndege suddenly called out to his siblings, swooping in seemingly from out of nowhere.

"NDEGE!" Tojo and the other blue flycatchers yelled in dismay, but it was already too late. Just like that, it triggered the gazelles into widespread panic.

"THE HERD!" Simba shouted.

With a distraught bleat, they instinctively began to stampede, not focused enough to be mindful of Simba's lions still in their way as they barged out of their protective circle.

"LOOK OUT!" Sabini roared in alarm as she leapt out of the way. Lindiwe, Puleng, and Ola yowled as they broke the formation and scrambled out of the gazelles' path while Tojo narrowly dodged getting run over by the thundering hooves. Kito wasn't as lucky, for she was accidently kicked in the chin by a passing gazelle, causing her to stumble and fall right in front of many more.

"KITO!" Lindiwe called out to her sister.

The lioness groaned, shaking her head as she looked up, her pupils shrinking at the sight of the rest of the herd charging straight towards her, leaving her not enough time to react. Fortunately, Simba lunged forward and tackled her out of the way just in time. The two lions landed ungracefully on the other side, clear from the stampeding herd.

"Holy stars above! Asante, King Simba!" Kito breathed, still trembling from nearly getting crushed.

"No problem," Simba panted, the hairs along the back of his mane and spine bristling from scattering from the herd's untimely fright.

"What the heck, Ndege!" Azula already got down to scolding her brother. "We almost had her!"

"Sorry, I didn't know..." Ndege chirped solemnly as Buluu and Yakuti glared at him angrily.

"Hey, we'll settle this later," Tojo ordered them. "Right now, we gotta stop the herd before they hurt themselves or others."

"Couldn't agree more," Simba concurred. "Everyone, with me!"

But just when they were about to pursue the fleeing herd, a sudden blur of orange and black caught the corner of his eye.

"IT'S HER, I SEE HER!!!" Yakuti trilled from above. "THE CHEETAH IS HERE!!!"

Amidst the chaos, the female cheetah used this opportunity to flee, especially now that her presence has been exposed. Part of her popped up from the cover of the vegetation, automatically drawing the pride's attention.

"GET BACK HERE, POACHER!" Ola snarled. And without waiting for any direct orders, the huntress immediately hared after the other feline, much to Simba's annoyance.

"Sabini, Lindiwe, Yakuti, Buluu, with me!" Simba commanded. "The rest of you, help calm the herd down! Azula, Ndege, stay in the air to guide them!"

All four blue flycatcher siblings along with the pride split up to perform their assigned tasks.

"OLA, STOP!" Simba roared at the huntress as he, Sabini, and Lindiwe pursued her. Yakuti and Buluu remained in the sky, keeping eye on Ola so the King wouldn't lose sight of her or the cheetah.

"I'm going to CLAW those spots off of your poaching hide before I tear those skinny limbs right off of you!" Ola threatened the perpetrator.

The spotted feline was quick, as expected for any cheetah, though not quick enough due to her injury, making it all the more easy for Ola to keep up with her. The cheetah dared to look back and her blue eyes widened with panic at the sight of the lioness gaining on her with a baleful grin on her face.

With a snarl, Ola pounced and her paws hit the cheetah, who let out a shriek as she felt the huntress's sharp claws pierce into her flank as she was soon brought to the ground, one of Ola's paws on her back while the other was planted firmly on her head, holding her down.

"Gotcha..." Ola spat, baring her fangs at the captured cheetah, who stared up at her with fear. Ola could feel the spotted cat's heart rate rapidly pulsing beneath her paws. Fortunately, Simba managed to reach them just in time before the huntress could take a step further. He let out a loud roar, causing Ola to look up from the cheetah.

"SHEATHE YOUR CLAWS, NOW!!" the lion King ordered.

While distracted, the cheetah took advantage and whipped out a lightning fast paw and swatted right across Ola's face, her claws striking her eye.

"AAAGH, WEWE JAMBAZI!!!" the lioness roared in pain as she reared up and brought one of her paws over her eye.

"Your Highness, the cheetah!" Lindiwe warned from behind, she and Sabini were still catching up. With her pursuer's grip now slacked, the cheetah hastily wriggled free and bolted again before anyone could attempt to seize her again.

With a squinted, tear-filled eye, Ola gave a frustrated growl, "I HAD HER!!"

But when she turned to Simba, the male lion snarled back at her, twice as furious as she was and the huntress, fortunately and wisely, fell silent.

I'll deal with you later... Simba looked up at the sky to Buluu and Yakuti hovering overhead, "You two, follow the cheetah!"

"On it!" The two birds chirped, and they flew after the cheetah, leaving the lions to deal with their own matter.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Unina continued to sprint through the cover of the tall, yellow grass, using whatever energy and speed she had left in her to evade the sharp eyes of the two blue flycatchers tailing her from the air.

As if the lions aren't a pain enough, now they even have birds coming after me! They're practically turning all of Milele against me!

Glancing upward for a brief moment, she saw the two specks of bright blue soaring through the sky, still very far behind but still determined to stay on track with her. Unina quickly realized that she couldn't go back to the den site just yet. If they really are conspiring with lions, they'll expose the cubs! I have to lose them.

Turning a hard right, Unina darted into the nearest grassland, the flycatchers angled their bodies in the same direction and flapped after her as expected. The yellow-green grass grew thicker the further Unina went, playing in her favor.

"Quick, we're losing her!" Buluu urged from above, he and Yakuti beating their wings faster in a vain attempt to keep up with Unina. Even they were growing tired with each flap.

Unina pushed deeper, using the tall, dense stalks to cloak her entire frame in order to shake the birds off her trail. Ignoring the aching in her joints and muscles, she forced herself to keep running. Her broken leg was hurting worse than ever now, her lungs felt like they were on fire after each breath she took, and her spine felt like it would fall apart if she ran any longer. The strokes of her paws and the beat of her heart seemed to meld together, until the sounds of the world contracted down to just the rhythm: badabum, badabum, badabum.

Even her head was spinning and when she blinked, she could've sworn the color leached from her vision. The grass around her became disoriented blobs of black shadows that seemed to glow with a strange purple hue as the whole world grew gray.

Oh no... Horror seeped in through Unina's exhaustion. Blood continued roaring in her ears as loud and merciless as a lion. The painful shadows were growing brighter, violent purple and green swimming in the corners of her vision; she knew this feeling all too well. Cheetahs can only run for so long before getting worn out, and right now, Unina was just beginning to reach that limit. Must... stop... now...

Finally, Unina's paws gave in and she collapsed and the color gradually began to flow back into the world with each gasp she took. Blue sky, dusty yellow-green grass, she could even see the dusky orange of her fur again.

"Dammit!" Yakuti shouted when she and her brother lost Unina's trail.

They thrice circled the grassland, but failed to pick up anything. Admitting defeat, the duo started heading back to report their failure to Simba. Unina peeked slightly from the grass to watch as the flycatchers finally gave up the chase and let out a huge, gasping sigh of relief. Her flanks heaved as she laid on the ground, gulping and gasping for air. Despite now being able to see again, her eyes were still bleary from overexertion.

I have to get back... Fuli and Usana... They're waiting for me...

Pushing past the cries of protest of every muscle in her sore body along with the relentless spinning in her head, Unina forced herself onto her paws and staggered her way back home.

The gentle evening breeze began to shift as the wispy, white clouds grew larger and darker, cloaking every ounce of light from the sky, which flashed for a second as the distant rumbling of thunder rolled in, growing louder and louder, right as the first drop of rain fell from the dark clouds above.

One fell precisely on Unina's muzzle, where she scrunched up her face in response, before another hit her shoulder. Then another, and another, until pretty soon they pelted all over her body.

Great, just great...

Another jagged vein of bright light flickered for a heartbeat, followed by another booming clap of thunder. The rain continued to ruthlessly beat down upon her frame, soaking into her spotted fur as she half limped and half trudged through the savanna. The dry ground quickly became a swamp of cold, wet mud as more water seeped in, squelching uncomfortably beneath Unina's paw pads.

Between failing twice to catch something for her family to eat and nearly getting shredded to pieces, and now being currently stuck in the middle of a storm, it was clear luck wasn't on her side today. That was way too close. I could've died today... it would've doomed the entire family, my daughters...

Shivering, Unina raised her head and tried to sniff through the thunderstorm for the way back to the den site, which wasn't any more easier than trying to see in this weather. Just hold on, my loves, I'll be there soon... Please be there when I return...

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Fuli and Usana huddled next to each other in the least damp spot within the large shrub their mother had left them for the day. It wasn't the most ideal, as drops of water leaked through the small gaps of leafy branches and the tempestuous wind swayed the shrub, but it was the only protection they had from the heavy thunderstorm outside.

Another flare of lighting streaked across the overcast, automatically followed by yet another crash of thunder, making both cubs flinch.

"I-I'm scared..." Usana whimpered as she pressed closer to Fuli, covering her ears to try to shield her from loud noises of the harsh elements. "I want Mama..."

"I know, me too," Fuli said, wrapping her tail around her littermate to bring them both some comfort. "She'll be back soon, I'm sure of it. She always comes back."

Hopefully with something to eat too, I'm so hungry...A shudder went down her spine as the howling wind carried in more droplets of cold rain, splattering all over her face. Ugh, I hate rain... Where could she be? She's never been out this long before.

For the past five days, the family has been doing a fairly good job in avoiding the lions for the most part thanks to their method of constantly switching den sites, though there have been some very close calls. The big cats must've quickly found out about their presence in their territory because they did try to track them There was even one night when they woke up to the sound of distant snarls of their rivals near their den, and they'd be on the move in a frantic rush before the predators could catch up to them. They've been growing more territorial with each passing day.

Suddenly, the bush rustled and both Fuli and Usana shrieked when Unina's head poked through. The adult cheetah panted heavily as stepped into the cover of the shrub, tracking muddy pawprints while rainwater dripped down the sides of her drenched pelt.

"Mama!" both sisters cried in relief.

"Hey, girls," Unina sniffled, her nose somewhat clogged. She gave herself a good shake and her orange fur became all fluffed out, but at least now semi-dry. Exhaling deeply, Unina sluggishly flopped down, shoulders sagging as her weighted eyelids fluttered close. A soft groan left her from the unbearable pain in her leg, every muscle was stiff and sore. Her daughters padded over to snuggle next to her.

"Did you bring dinner?" Fuli asked hopefully.

Wearily, Unina opened her eyes and shook her head apologetically, "I'm sorry, dear. I'm afraid this evening hasn't gone so well for me."

"What happened?" Usana pressed.

"Lions," Unina just grumbled. It was all she had to say, and both cubs already had a pretty good idea on what might've gone down for their mother. Not wanting to spook them, Unina purposefully left out the near-death experience part of the explanation.

"I don't think I like it here, anymore..." Usana mewed. "I thought Milele was supposed to make our lives easier. Instead, it feels harder now with lions constantly on our tails..."

Unina gave a fatigued sigh, "I know, baby. We're only staying until my leg gets better. The sooner it heals, we're outta here."

"Why," Fuli mewed, "Why are they like this?" 

"I'll never know, honey," Unina answered, just as dejected. "Lions are just cruel and savage beasts by nature and I'll never understand why or how they turned out this way when the Great Light created them."

"It's not fair," Fuli huffed indignantly, "Milele is huge and has enough food and water for everyone to share! And yet they still pick on us!"

"I know," Unina said and she shut her eyes again.

The king cheetah shook her head, still frustrated. "This is all wrong... I hate lions! They're so pushy and mean and a bunch of greedy hairballs, and all they do is hurt us. Our brothers would've been alive if it weren't for them, and we never should have to go hungry because they prevent you from hunting. And Milele is supposed to be a safe home for everyone! What gives them the right to be so possessive of this place? Nothing but a buncha jerks!"

"Yeah!" Usana concurred with her sister.

"Why do we gotta have it so tough?!"

Unina just shrugged, "That's just how things are, honey, and there's no changing it. Like a zebra can't change their stripes, lions will never change their ways. Life may not always be fair to us, but there are plenty of other animals who have it worse."

"Hmph," Fuli sniffed, but she knew there was no use in complaining about the matter. And she supposed her mother did have a point with others probably suffering more than they did.

"I'm so cold and hungry..." Usana mewled as she snuggled closer to Unina's chest.

"Oh sweetie, I know," Unina sighed, licking her and Fuli's small bodies to help warm them up. "I'll hunt something tomorrow first thing in the morning."

"I wish today didn't get ruined," Fuli yawned as she nestled beside Usana, a small comforted purr rising in her throat as she relished in the soothing warmth of her mother's body heat, the silky softness of her fur, and the gentle rasping of her tongue.

"It was just a bit of bad luck. Tomorrow is a new day, I'm sure it will go much better than today," Unina assured her, wrapping her tail around her cubs. "And I won't stay out as long as I did today."

"You promise?" 

"I promise," Unina said, then adding; "Ninaapa kwa uwezo wa Nuru Kuu na nyota za Roho Mkuu."

"I believe you," Fuli mumbled sleepily. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Unina's ears flicked from the sound of the ongoing raging tempest outside when she stirred at dawn, though at least the thunder and lighting seemed to have passed. Glancing around with bleary eyes, she noticed Fuli and Usana were still fast asleep at her side, though she doubted they felt any better than she did. She could practically hear the soft growls of their empty stomach and felt them restlessly tossing and turning all night long.

I have to feed them.

Ignoring her body's cries for more sleep, Unina began to head out again, but not before giving a tender nuzzle and kiss to each of her daughters.

"I won't stay out long this time, my dears," she murmured softly to them, briefly resting her muzzle on their small, fuzzy heads before pulling away, despite not fully wanting to. By the time you both wake, I'll have something for you to eat.

The second she emerged from the shelter of the shrub, at once she was assaulted by the heavy downpour and the turbulent gale. Already, she regretted ever stepping out and longed to go back inside and curl up with her cubs until the dreadful weather passed, but she knew she couldn't do that.

Not yet, must hunt first.

Reluctantly, she sloshed through muddy puddles as she ventured out into the dark, stormy savanna, teeth chattering as she tried to sniff out any signs of prey. The downpour had wiped out most of the scents and the combination of strong wind and water practically almost blinded her, resulting in Unina wandering aimlessly through the storm with no trail or any idea where she was heading.

Still, she persists, not wanting her family to endure any longer without sustenance. Along the way, she recalled the gazelle she severely injured yesterday. The last she saw of it when the whole pride of lions showed up, it had been limping from the bite she gave to one of its hind legs.

Maybe I can try to find it again, if the lions or someone else hadn't gotten to it already.

And despite how uncomfortable and unpleasant the rain is, it does offer some benefits when it comes to hunting.

After slogging through the deluge for what felt like an eternity, Unina picked up a faint but present scent carried by the strong gale; the scent of the same gazelle herd from yesterday, just further up ahead. Quickening her pace, she pushed against the wind and rain.

Finally, she discovered the gazelle herd around the same place she found them the day before. Most of if not all of the herd had their backs turned to the force of the storm and their slender bodies were hunched up with tails tucked in between their legs, a desired effect for Unina, allowing for a much easier approach.

Today may turn out much better after all.

Taking her time, Unina sneakily crept up to the herd from their blind side, avoiding the turbulent wind so it wouldn't blow her scent to the gazelles and ruin her cover. The howling of the stormy atmosphere also helped cover her pawsteps, only serving as an even bigger advantage for Unina's stalking. Her eyes were specifically on the one she injured yesterday, its back leg still just as crippled as hers.

It's weakened, easy target. Unina bunched her hind quarters in anticipation when she was close enough, still remaining unseen by the prey and its herdmates. This won't take long at all. The sooner this is over, the sooner I can return home.

She leaped, claws outstretched and clamping down around the back of the gazelle, who let out one anguished bleat as they tumbled to the ground together in a clumsy heap. Unina heard a snap of fragile bone and she dug her claws in deeper. Ignoring the frightened cries and grunts from the other gazelles, who all galloped away in response to their fallen herdmate, she found the creature's neck and sank her teeth in.

You're not getting away this time!

The gazelle twitched and struggled for a little longer, and blood flowed over Unina's tongue. Eventually, she let go, watching red spreading beneath her soggy paws.

Unina smiled, exhilarated. The girls will be so thrilled!

"Not so fast, poacher," a hostile voice suddenly growled at her.

Startled, the cheetah twisted around to see the large male lion again emerging from the misty gloom of the rainy savanna, his thick red mane drenched and slicked against his head. Unina's head swung around as she saw five more lionesses slinking out from the shadows and closing her off at all sides, much to her dismay.

"There's no use running, we have you surrounded," said the lion, Simba she recalled his pridemates calling him. The lions eyed her with a confrontational gaze, emitting low unfriendly growls at the cheetah, standing by to hear the next order from their leader. "Your poaching days are over," Simba went on. "Time to come clean and we'll end this once and for all."

Unina's eyes darted around wildly at the other cats, but she refused to be intimidated by the threat, "You want the gazelle? Take it. I won't fight you for it."

Simba blinked at her, "I don't want your gazelle, I just want you to come with us."

"Why, so you can claw my spots off and tear me to shreds?" Unina spat bitterly, still observing the pride for an opening.

"Ugh, this is taking too long," one of the lionesses grunted impatiently. Unina remembered her being called Bontu. "She's not cooperating."

"Let's just kill her and go home already," another one said, Kito was her name. "I hate being out in the rain."

"NO, we are not killing her, do you understand?" Simba snapped.

"She nearly got me trampled yesterday!" Kito argued. Yes, Unina remembered her quite well now.

"It was an accident," Puleng pointed out.

"Accident? I could've had a concussion thanks to 'spots' over here!" Kito spat.

"With all due respect, Your Majesty, she's been nothing but trouble for the past five days," a third lioness joined in on the discussion. "Illegal hunting, attacking Animal Leaders, creating disturbances among all the herds, running her out of the Pride Lands won't be good enough."

"And killing her won't do any good for anyone, Kahina," Simba said.

Lindiwe snorted, "It'd finally bring us and the Pridelanders peace. I'm honestly getting sick and tired of running all over the place trying to catch her."

"Never mind them," Simba grumbled, turning back to Unina. "Just come with us, we just want to talk. We won't hurt you, I swear."

But Unina wasn't convinced at all. What kind of sick, twisted trick is this? A little joke before they flay me?

"I don't know what kind of mind games you're playing, but it won't work!" Unina hissed. "You don't want my catch? Fine. But I will not die in your claws!"

And without warning, she swiftly twisted and lashed out at the nearest lioness, swiping her claws across her face.

"JAMANI WEWE!!!" Lindiwe snarled as she staggered to the side, creating a big enough opening for Unina to dart through.

"She's getting away!" Kahina yowled.

Aggravated, Simba roared to his pride. "After her!"

The pride pursued the cheetah, refusing to let her get away again after days of unsuccessful attempts to detain her. They chased her through the downpour, through the long slope down the other side of the ridge, the boisterous tempest continuing on with no mercy, significantly affecting both sides' ability to traverse the savanna.

Suddenly, Unina noticed that the ground up ahead ended, and she hastily skidded to a halt just as she neared the edge, revealing a big ravine. Unina stared at the steep, narrow pit and took a few paces away from the ravine's border, had she not slowed down in time, she would've fallen in.

She then heard the bounding pawsteps coming from behind her and saw the pride of lions approaching her, undeterred by the storm. Now Unina was no longer intimidated by them. Instead, she just felt her frustration beginning to build up even more.

"Why. Won't. You. All. Leave me. ALONE," she bit out, her hackles rising with each emphasis of her words.

"Please, just stop trying to run and listen," Simba began, taking a step forward.

"STAY BACK!" Unina hissed, backing away from the lion with her back arched and tail lashing.

Simba paused in his tracks but kept speaking; "I just want to talk to you, we won't kill you."

"LIES!!!" Unina spat bitterly. "All you lions do is LIE! You LIE just as much as you TAKE everything away from me! You took prey from me since I was a cub, you took all my boys away, you took over our den sites and force us to live life on the run, and you always threaten to take the lives of me and my family everywhere we go! You're all the same! Lions, leopards, and every other animal who always wants to harm us for no reason! There is nothing to talk about, not with overbearing brutes like you!"

Offended, Kahina, Lindiwe, Kito, and Bontu all snarled in outrage.

"How DARE you speak to us that way," Bontu hissed, "Who do you think you are?!"

"Dammit, just listen to Simba already so I can go home!" Kahina said, "My fur is all wet and my claws are caked in mud! And I'm freezing!"

Lindiwe sniffed, "I'd just push her off the cliff."

"Girls, stop!" Puleng pleaded, "Threatening her won't persuade her to trust us."

"I'll never trust you no matter what you say!" Unina spat. "YOU'RE ALL MONSTERS!!!"

The cheetah turned and sprinted along the ravine, but made sure to keep a good distance between her and the edge.

"Wait!" Simba called out to her.

"Oh no you don't!" Kahina growled. "I didn't come all the way out here so you can get away again!"

The whole pride went after her again, half running and half slogging through the mucky surface. Bontu yelped when she was abruptly thrown off balance by the thick, slimy mud, nearly crashing into Lindiwe and indirectly pushing her almost perilously close to the edge.

"Watch it!" Lindiwe yelled.

"Careful, everyone!" Simba warned, "The ground's too slippery!"

Up ahead, Unina vainly tried to dash through the deluge, half blinded by the ongoing wind and rainfall and weighed down by her own soaked pelt and lamed leg.

Simba then quickened his pace to surpass his pridemates until he was now flanked alongside the cheetah, who gasped when she noticed him near her. "Just hear me out!"

"NEVER!" Unina snarled against the howling wind. Suddenly, she misstepped and hit her injured limb, and Unina cried out agony and she stumbled to the ground, skidding against the murky ground and right over the side of the ravine.

Simba's jaw dropped as he came to a stop, horror-struck. He quickly rushed over, catching a glimpse of a mudstained paw clutching at the edge. He reached out, trying to get a grip on the paw, but it disappeared out of sight in a terrifying slip. Simba cried out after it, his agonized wail echoing along the ravine. The five lionesses gaped at him as they all scrambled to the side.

Time suddenly seemed to have slowed as Unina began to plummet, a cold air whipping chillingly past her sopping fur while her mouth hung wide open in a silent scream. Her paws frantically flailed in the air, desperate to grab onto any nonexistent ledge or branch that would break her fall.

As Unina blinked through tear-filled eyes, she suddenly saw visions of key moments in her life flashing before her; starting from when she was just a young cub herself, still learning how to navigate the great big world around her accompanied by her nurturing mother and two rambunctious brothers, before flashing forward to when she left her family to set off on her own when she came of age. Soon she saw the time she met her very first mate, whom she spent a week with before they eventually parted ways, since it wasn't in a cheetah's nature to settle down anyway. The following months, she found herself overjoyed upon realizing she was expecting her very first litter. The memory skipped ahead to two and a half months, where she was harassed and beaten by a different pride of lions, leading to her miscarrying all four of her sons. And yet despite the heartbreaking outcome, she somehow managed to find a sliver of hope; her two daughters, Fuli and Usana.

She had watched them grow from the tiny, helpless, premature infants with bleak chances of survival to a pair of strong, healthy, lively children who took on the dangerous yet wondrous world around them with wide eyes and big dreams. She still remembered the day they opened their eyes, the way they stared at each other curiously before their expressions brightened up upon meeting their mother for the first time. She remembered how they stumbled out of the nest on clumsy, wobbly paws, only catching a glimpse of what is to come from the brand new world they were brought into. Everyday was a new, big adventure for them, and they were always eager to run, play, and learn from Unina as she guided them in the ways of their species' lifestyle. She worked tirelessly, day after day, giving her all to make sure her daughters were always well cared for and free from strife, because nothing was more worth than seeing them at their happiest.

There had been many setbacks and obstacles in between, and in no way was their life perfect. But it was still a good life regardless, a good life spent with her two, beautiful, little miracles. A life that was now all coming to an end in this moment as gravity pulled her closer and closer to the bottom of the ravine. Tears flowed from the corners of her eyes as they shut for one last time.

They won't know what happened here, Unina realized. She wanted to sob out loud, though she couldn't find the voice to do so. All she could think about was two cheetah cubs hiding in the bushes, waiting for their mother who would never return. I'm so sorry... Fuli, Usana... My sweet, precious babies... I'll always love you. I'll stay in your hearts...