Free Web NovelChapter 43: Chapter 42 - The Girl Raised by Cheetahs(Part 1)
Point-of-View: Aurora Pretorius
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I let out a cry as I tripped and fell, scraping my left knee as I painfully skidded on the ground...I slowly got back onto my feet with a slight groan, my legs shaking as I stood up, before freezing as I noticed something in my left peripheral, a herd of deer being chased by...cheetahs.
There were four or five of them, and they were far enough that they hadn’t noticed me, but not so far that I could get away if they do notice me, cheetahs are just that fast. There were some trees and bushes to my right, I better hide!
I strayed off the trail and moved past a tree, heading deeper into the greenery...before coming in between a large bear and a cheetah cub. Give...give me a break.
Th-this is a nightmare...a-am I going to die now too? I don’t understand...I thought there weren’t any bears in Africa.
And why is a cheetah cub here, I thought they stay hidden in their dens until they grow up? I feel like laughing and crying at the same time...I’m about to die, my dad is dead, and the first thing that comes to my mind right now are animal trivia facts that I’ve read about?
Before I knew what I was doing, I was standing in front of the cheetah cub, which growled at me in response, while the bear began slowly lumbering towards me. It’s a black bear, i-it’s so scary from close up.
There’s a saying about how to deal with bears, what was it...? I remember, ’if it’s brown, lay down. If it’s black, fight back. If it’s white, goodnight’...wait, I’m supposed to fight this bear if I want to chase it away?
I-I don’t think that’ll work! H-how am I supposed to intimidate a creature like this when I’m the one who’s terrified? Trembling, I shakily picked up a rock and flung it at the bear...but I missed, the rock narrowly missing the side of its head, as it flew past its ear. frёeweɓηovel.coɱ
The bear responded by letting out a vicious roar, before moving towards me at a much faster speed, as the cheetah cub let out a loud...roar? Meow? I’m not sure what to call that, but it was really loud. Is it a cry of fear?
Without thinking, I found myself turning around, picking up the cub and holding it close while I crouched, my back to the bear...m-maybe this way, it’ll only kill me, and this baby animal will survive. That’s better than both of us dying, right? B-but, I...I don’t want to die...
The cub didn’t struggle or resist as I held it, I could feel it trembling...poor thing, it must be really scared too. As I braced myself to feel pain, I felt something...something was welling up inside me, starting to surge...it was a strange, unfamiliar feeling...
Suddenly, I was snapped out of it as vicious snarls and growls echoed out behind me, that surging feeling vanishing as abruptly as it had appeared. I slowly turned around in surprise, to see two cheetahs attacking the bear ferociously.
And before long, the bear ran away, covered in scratches and wounds as I let out a roar, the echo of its heavy footsteps growing quieter and quieter. But it was too early for me to let out a sigh of relief...because the attention of the cheetahs was now on me.
Cheetahs are one of the most docile big cat species...I-I need to let them know that I mean them no harm. I slowly put the cub down, lightly petting its head as I did...if I’m going to die, I might as well pet a cute animal while I still can, r-right?
It’s no use, I can’t think straight right now...I’m so emotionally overwhelmed. I then put my hands on the ground, with my palms facing upwards, before meeting the gaze of one of the cheetahs, trembling in fear. The cub was still staying near me, I could feel it sniffing my hands.
As the bigger cheetahs stared me down, I felt an unbearable tension, beads of sweat running down my face as I struggled to keep my breathing from getting panicked. I then heard a sound, like a quiet, steady vibrating. Is the cub...purring?
One of the cheetahs then approached me, leaning down as it closed in and sniffing the cub, before shifting its attention back to me and sniffing my face. Without realizing it, I was holding my breath as it looked at me with a piercing gaze...it’s so close, its nose was literally touching my face.
And in that moment, fear wasn’t the only emotion that I was feeling...there was also a sense of awe and admiration for the beautiful, majestic creature in front of me. It let out a slight growl as I slowly raised one of my hands, in an almost trance-like state.
What I’m doing is probably really stupid...but somehow, it didn’t feel like I was in danger. The growls grew louder and more threatening as my fingers touched the bottom of its jaw, the cheetah baring its fangs at me. I didn’t look away, continuing to maintain eye contact as I slowly started to gently scratch it.
I’ve petted a lot of stray cats near my home, I just hope that a bigger cat has the same weak spots. After a few seconds, the growling grew quieter, before subsiding...and then, it began purring. I...I did it! I could barely understand it myself, how I’d managed to stay so calm in the face of it.
Maybe it was because I was in a situation that almost guaranteed death, and that meant that I had nothing to lose, and therefore, no reason to panic? Wait, what now? Will they leave me alone so that I can get back on the trail?
It’s either that or eating me-...suddenly, the cheetah that was sniffing me walked around behind me, before I felt its breath on the back of my neck, as it grabbed the back of my collar between its teeth.
Huh?
The next thing I knew, it was dragging me away, deeper into the greenery, the other cheetah and the cub following along. The cub bounded over towards me, sniffing me, while the other cheetah was apprehensively keeping its distance. Uh...what is happening?
Okay, that settles it...today has been nothing but a crazy nightmare. It has to be, I can’t think of any other explanation that makes sense. There’s just no way that any of this is real. My dad isn’t dead...I’m not being dragged away by cheetahs...it’s all in my head, just a bad dream.
Any minute now, I’ll wake up in the bed at the room in the inn-...or maybe this entire vacation has been a dream, and I’ll wake up back in our house in Zimbabwe. Yeah, any minute now...
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Why am I not waking up? The cheetahs have dragged me all the way to a large cave, which was partially hidden by shrubbery...my trousers had gotten worn down from being dragged here, and my knees were hurting a bit too. But it’s supposed to be impossible to feel pain in a dream...right?
There were a lot of other cheetahs, some of them growling as they caught sight of me, their jaws dripping with blood. On the ground, by their feet, were a couple of dead deers...I felt a wave of nausea as the heavy scent of blood wafted into my nostrils, but I didn’t let myself gag...any sudden movements and I might get attacked.
The cheetah that had dragged me here then let go, dropping me onto the ground, before nudging my back with its snout and then heading for the cave entrance. Does it want me to follow...him? Her? I glanced at the spot below its tail and-...it’s a he.
Wait, that’s right, I remember reading that only male cheetahs live in groups, females live alone except for when they’re in heat and when they take care of their cubs-...huh? Then what about this cub? Why is it-...?
I was snapped out of it as the cheetah that dragged me turned around made a chirp-like noise...okay, I better follow him. Without really thinking, I followed on all fours, sticking close behind me as we walked past the other cheetahs.
Maybe it was because they had food right in front of them, or maybe it was because this cheetah was treating me in this manner, but whatever the reason, none of them attacked me. I kept my gaze away from the bleeding corpses of the deer they were eating, doing my best not to puke.
As I entered the cave, it took a few seconds for my eyes to adjust...before I saw another cheetah, curled up at the back of the cave with two cubs. The cub that I had encountered then bounded towards that cheetah, who perked up as it saw the cub. Oh, looks like that cub is a female.
The other two cubs had their faces buried in the adult cheetah’s belly...are they drinking milk? Then, that’s a female cheetah? I thought that adult males and females don’t live together-...I then noticed the female cheetah’s left hind leg, which was unnaturally bent.
Oh, I see, it must have broken its leg, to an extent where the damage was permanent. It looks older and weaker than the other cheetahs around...maybe they’re her cubs too? This is different from what I’ve read about how cheetahs live, but maybe there are exceptions to the rule.
The cub that I came across then walked towards me, sniffing my right hand again. I then petted her, stroking the top of her head before lightly scratching the side of her jaw. She began purring, before pressing against my touch and flopping down onto her side, stretching her head up and letting me pet her neck.
Aww, so cute! Her fur is so soft and fluffy, and that purring is adorable! I then glanced up, to see that the mother cheetah had relaxed, and some of the cheetahs outside the cave, who had been peering in, seemed to be less tense too.
The cheetah that had dragged me here then headed out of the cave and tore off a piece of flesh off of one of the deer, before picking it up in its jaws and walking over to me, placing the chunk of meat in front of me.
Huh? Am I supposed to eat this? It’s too dangerous to eat raw meat though...they all seem less wary of me, so maybe I can start a fire and cook this. I learned how to a few days ago, while I was camping with...w-with my dad.
I...I can’t believe that he’s really gone. I have to accept it, I can’t keep denying reality...this isn’t a dream. This is really happening. I then picked up the meat and walked out of the cave, the cheetah that dragged me following me, while the other cheetahs tensed up a bit.
Even though I’m feeling miserable, I need to eat...I’m feeling hungry now that I no longer feel like I’m in danger. Dad always said that it’s always important to take care of yourself, especially when you feel sad.
I then gathered some dry fallen branches, piling some up along with dry leaves, while using one to pierce the meat onto, while using two sticks to start a fire. I’m good with my hands, and my dad taught me how to start a fire by rubbing two dry sticks to create sparks.
It took a few minutes, my arms starting to ache badly, but I eventually managed to create a spark and set the pile of sticks and leaves on fire. Some of the cheetahs began growling and snarling in response, while the one that dragged me stiffened, the hairs on his back standing up.
I then raised the meat over the flames, cooking it slowly. After a few minutes, a pleasant smell began to waft from the half-cooked meat. The cheetahs began to perk up at that, the tension in their shoulders relaxing, their noses twitching as a slight breeze picked up and they caught a whiff of the scent.
Once it was cooked, I took it off the flame and began tearing it into small chunks, blowing on one of them to cool it down and then eating it. It’s so soft and tender, though it’s a bit bland. I then placed some of the other pieces in front of the cheetahs, they sniffed the meat while licking their chops, before they bit into them and began chewing.
As they ate the small pieces of meat while I wolfed down the rest of the cooked meat, one of them then dragged one of the deer bodies towards me, before dropping it in front of me and letting our a chirpy meow. Oh, does it want more cooked meat? I guess I don’t have a choice...
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...
A few hours later, after the sun had set, I was inside the cave, curled up between two of the cheetahs while the cub was sleeping on my legs. After giving them cooked meat, pretty much all the cheetahs had warmed up to me.
I know this is a really happening, but I still can’t believe that this entire day hasn’t been a dream. But, then, a big part of that is because I don’t want to believe that everything that happened today was real. A tear ran down my face as the sight of my dad being shot in the head flashed through my mind, my body trembling.
I then shifted my gaze down as I felt the cub move, she walked over my stomach and chest before letting out a quiet purr as she bumped her nose against my cheek. I let out a slight laugh before smiling sadly and stroking her head softly.
I could go back...it shouldn’t be too difficult to find the trail and get back to the entrance of the reserve, but...what’s the point of that? Both mom and dad are dead now, there’s no reason to go back. No, it’s more accurate to say that there’s nothing left for me to go back to. I think...I think that I’ll just stay here instead...
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