Chapter 21: ◎Prairie Model Working Leopard (21)◎
Due to the fact that there was a powerful male leopard next to her, all the big cats who had suffered losses under Klein did not dare to approach her at will.
But the other male leopards, who had only met the little leopard once, were very curious.
They had never heard of a sub-adult challenging a hyena leader on her own, and she was only a female!
Even the lions of different species were shocked when they heard that the spotted hyena group had changed owners. Their lion group had been entangled with this group of hyenas in the north for the whole dry season. The leader said they were gone and they were killed by the little leopard that Klein usually regarded as eyeballs.
The shock is no less than seeing an impala triumph over a predator.
Shi Qiao: Who are you talking about Impala?
She is obviously a weak and pitiful little leopard who can only hug his thighs.
They think she is weak because of the big boss. In fact, among ordinary leopards, there are only a handful of sub-adults with such fighting strength. Even some adult leopards can barely win by relying on strength and size.
The fighting skills of wild animals are not innate but must be accumulated little by little through experience, and a bloody price must be paid in the process.
A certain sub-adult has been instilled with the fighting skills of apex predators, and coupled with her own clever ideas that surpass ordinary animals, she is already a leopard that makes other big cats fearful.
At first glance, the one-year-old sub-adult looks just like an adult female. In a few months, she will transform into a complete adult leopard.
It's just that in front of the boss, Shi Qiao feels that she is still the little follower she used to be.
She has to sleep on the same tree branch every day and lick each other.
Cheetah Cudi is no longer afraid of leopards, and occasionally visits the acacia forest, the new territory of the two leopards, to search for fresh prey that is not often eaten.
Every time he sees "you licking me and I licking you" in the tree, he can't help but click his tongue.
Some leopards are getting really tired.
Klein saw the cheetah barging in carelessly, baring its canine teeth at the opponent, and yelled: "Get out."
Got it.
Cudi rubbed oil on the soles of his feet and ran very fast. After a while, he caught an antelope and came back happily.
It deliberately took a long detour and did not pass in front of the grassland bully. Unexpectedly, it was caught by the other party on the road.
Klein thought of the antelope that the little leopard didn't have time to bring back for enjoyment last time. The other party then talked about it for several days. He didn't need to do anything, just a light but very intimidating look, and the prey in the cheetah's mouth naturally ended up in the leopard's mouth.
Cudi: "..."
If he tries to hunt it here in the future, he will be stupid!
After all, he was still a bit reluctant to part with his prey. The canine antelope had well-developed motor nerves and was covered in fine skin and tender meat that jumped out every day. Cudi followed Klein with a low eyebrow, hoping that the other party would give him a bite to taste after he returned.
When they arrived under the acacia tree, Shi Qiao came down from the tree to greet the boss and the "delivery boy" behind him and said hello to the cheetah by the way.
"Long time no see, Cudi, your skills are still so good."
Seeing the little leopard who was smaller than itself during the dry season but now surpassing him in size, and having to accept the ridicule from the other party, the cheetah felt like his heart had been stabbed twice.
The wounds on the little leopard have returned to normal under the careful care of the boss these days. When the scabs on the wounds fall off automatically, there will be a new and beautiful leopard again.
Thinking that the opponent had taken care of the unprovoked hyena leader Gnis some time ago, Cudi was shocked to realize that this sub-adult had somehow moved from behind Klein to a position alongside the opponent, and had begun to show off her talents.
It still wanted to ask: "Did you really kill that hyena leader yourself? Without Klein's help?"
She and a certain cheetah had always looked down upon each other, and the other party was as incapable of chatting as ever.
Shi Qiao's face dropped: "Why are you asking? It doesn't matter if you believe it or not."
Her shallower wounds no longer showed signs of injury. Other leopards would be seriously injured in a fight of this level, and their strength would drop several levels, but Shi Qiao was not affected at all.
Also thanks to a certain male leopard who regretted being held back and allowed the other to fight alone, he pampered the little leopard to the point of opening his mouth.
Life is comfortable, and no hyenas dare to come to the door to cause trouble anymore. The sub-adult can walk sideways in the territory away from the lions.
Klein dragged the antelope up the tree and signaled the cheetah to come up for afternoon tea or a certain cheetah could disappear on their own accord.
Shi Qiao also climbed up the tree twice. Originally, she was thinking of giving the unlucky delivery boy a piece of meat, but now that he was questioning her, she lost her temper. She took the canine and antelope meat that Klein fed to her mouth and chewed it happily, and even deliberately chewed at the cheetah.
Cudi had never seen a sub-adult fight before, so he had nothing to fear from the opponent and was about to start taunting her again.
She saw the male leopard on the tree impatiently patting the locust leaves on the treetop with his paws. The leaves and flower branches fell in a pile and hit the cheetah's head, scaring it so hard that it shut its mouth and ran away.
When Shi Qiao saw the two faces of the other party facing him and facing the boss, she felt that her self-esteem was hit.
It was that Cheetah who always laughed at her for running slowly and having no strength when she was his sparring partner. Plus, there was a boss beside her, which made her doubt herself every day.
"I'll show that cheetah how good I am in the future."
The little leopard said while chewing the antelope angrily.
The male leopard picked off a whole leg bone from the meat and placed the leg meat in front of the little leopard: "Don't look at it, it can't beat you."
The younger brother doesn't even dare to mess with the hyena queen, so he can only walk the hyena men around. How can he beat the little leopard?
When the boss said this, Shi Qiao suddenly felt at ease, and the canine antelope meat in her mouth felt even sweeter. She ate the stolen antelope, and the little leopard crawled to the side and took a look at Klein's back.
The male leopard's fur reflected the sun's rays as the sun shone down from the tree canopy. The injuries on him healed faster than hers, and the location of the injury could no longer be seen at all.
Shi Qiao discovered that Klein didn't have a scarred physique. He had been in so many fights since he was a child, and now only a handful of old scars could be seen.
She turned her head and looked at herself, hoping to inherit the other person's physique.
Although they don't have any genes in common, they at least eat and sleep together. Maybe their physiques can also influence each other.
At such a young age, she has several scars all over her body, which makes her look ugly and dishonest.
One antelope was not enough to feed two leopards, so it could only be used as a cushion for the stomach. After being injured, Shi Qiao was temporarily deprived of the right to go out and hunt at will. Now that she was mostly healed, her desire to hunt began to stir again.
The little leopard drags the male leopard who wants to hunt by himself and rubs against the other's head, trying to regain the right to hunt.
What's the point of staying in a tree all day? Her hunting skills will be wasted if she doesn't chase her prey.
Seeing that Klein was deliberately not looking at her, Shi Qiao rolled in front of him.
She forgot about the newly grown wound on her back, and when she was rubbed by rough tree bark, the leopard's body instantly felt a burning pain on her back.
The male leopard blew out a breath from his nose and barked at the other party, with a warning in his tone.
The little leopard just ignored him, almost holding his thighs to prevent him from leaving if he didn't agree.
Picking up the little leopard who knew he couldn't stand this, Klein still allowed her to go out with him: "Follow me, don't run around by yourself."
Shi Qiao nodded vigorously.
Why is she running around? Always following the boss is a creed that the little follower has kept in mind since she was a cub!
The last time she was singled out by a hyena was an accident.
Klein does not intend to hunt far away, but will safely look for today's prey within the territory. The size does not matter. Prey that is too heavy is not suitable for the current little leopard to toss.
On the way to find prey, the sky turned completely dark, and it was time for the night hunting phase, which leopards are best at.
The big boss is responsible for what to eat, what to catch, and where to go. Shi Qiao doesn't have to worry about anything. She only needs to follow behind the other person and pay close attention to the sounds coming from other animals.
The prey that are easy to catch and can be eaten are all kinds of antelopes, ranging from small to large.
Shi Qiao moved the tips of her ears back and heard the sound of teeth chewing grass not far away.
The open grassland is completely silent at night, without the busy traffic and feasting of human industrialization. Far away from the pigeon cages made of reinforced concrete, you can even clearly hear the baboons talking in their sleep while sleeping in the trees.
When Shi Qiao saw the big boss in front of her looking back at her, she immediately understood.
Their late-night snack was hidden behind a bush not far away.
Two leopards were sneaking under the dark sky dotted with stars. The spots on their bodies were not as conspicuous as during the day. It was not easy for them to be spotted by prey at this time. All they had to do was blend themselves into the tall grass and make their footsteps almost inaudible.
To catch their prey by surprise, Shi Qiao still went further around, preparing to watch the big man's movements from another direction.
Compared with hunting alone, cooperative hunting is less unscrupulous and more about observing each other and cooperating at any time.
If the ambush is successful, there is no need to chase far. The little leopard is already very proficient in how to use support. When the tall grass behind the prey shakes suddenly, it means that the opponent has started to take action.
This group of hartebeests are grazing on grass. They belong to the same family and genus as impalas and are both distant relatives of cattle.
However, the horns on the male's head are not as long as those of the impala, and their attack power is slightly inferior. Klein picked a female antelope that did not run that fast and chased after it. Shi Qiao also jumped out to block the antelope's path to the east.
Leopards were chasing them on both sides, and all of them were strong hunters. The distance was getting closer and closer. The female hartebeest knew that she could only delay time by herself, so she simply ran to the south outside the group.
There were her children in the large army. To save the lives of her children and others, she could not lead the two leopards in the direction of the other hartebeests.
No longer wasting any energy, Klein pounced and knocked the hartebeest to the ground with his front paws, biting its back to prevent the opponent from moving.
Shi Qiao also lowered her head and bit the prey's neck.
Before she died, the female hartebeest was still looking in the direction of her kin. Shi Qiao knew it when she saw a young hartebeest not far away that did not follow its adult peers and continued to run away, but stayed there stupidly looking at their location.
The little hartebeest that was stunned was the child of the female hartebeest.
Shi Qiao licked the blood from the corner of his mouth and sighed inwardly.
She does not regret the success of hunting, because kindness is the most useless thing on the grassland.
Wild beasts are kind to their prey, who will be kind to them?
Animals put profit first, live a simple and pure life, and will not be affected by sentimental external factors. Every link in the food chain is in an eternal confrontation relationship from birth. When she was still a cub, some herbivores wanted to trample the young beast to death in advance with their hooves.
After experiencing a lot and seeing a lot, Shi Qiao began to integrate into it, and became tough to survive.
Seeing the look in the little hartebeest's eyes, her thoughts drifted further and further, gradually drifting to a deeper level.
At first, she hunted out of a simple desire to survive, but gradually it turned into hunting hard because she wanted the boss to be proud of her.
Today, some simple reasons seem to be getting more complicated.
She kind of hopes that the little hartebeest can live on with its mother, leave her mother like her, and find a new emotional sustenance. In this case, even if it is killed by a stronger animal one day, it will not regret coming to this world.
Seeing the little leopard looking into the distance in a daze, the male leopard noticed the other's uncharacteristic silence.
Sometimes he thinks the little leopard is stupid, and sometimes he feels that the little leopard actually knows a lot. More intelligent animals will think of many things that other animals can't think of as they grow up. This is also the reason why they are incompatible with their kind.
Thea is obviously also a unique leopard, often falling into inexplicable thoughts.
Klein did not disturb the other party, nor did he forcefully divert the little leopard's attention. There were some things that she could only figure out on her own, such as survival, death, and the meaning of living in this world.
The meaning of the beast's survival is simple.
Hunting, grabbing territory, fighting, being beaten, looking for females, continuing the bloodline
Nature runs its own rules over and over again, and all animals are immersed in it, each with its own destiny.
The female hartebeest in front of them is too weak, has no ability, and cannot escape capture. Her fate is to be hunted by predators. As for the young hartebeest, it will either continue to run with the group in the future, or it will lose its mother's protection and die on the way.
In contrast, becoming a strong person is the best choice. Only a strong person can control their destiny in their own hands.
This is something that Klein has always wanted the other party to understand, and it is also the reason why he teaches the other party to hunt and fight.
He wanted Little Leopard to become stronger, and unknowingly, he took on a new meaning of being by her side and watching her become stronger.
Coincidentally, the sub-adult next to him also had the same idea.
Shi Qiao thought to herself that fortunately she was surrounded by the same kind of companions. If she had not met Klein, even if she was lucky enough to survive until now, she would probably have experienced more cruel pain before she could slowly transform from a human to a leopard.
It's different now. She lives naturally by each other's side, retaining the rare tenderness of beasts and full of hope.
Shi Qiao saw the big boss waiting for her to have dinner with him, and her thoughts that were drifting to the horizon were instantly brought back.
Why is she thinking so much? Now is not the time for the boss to wait for her to think about things.
Seeing that the little leopard was no longer dazed, Klein nudged the other person with his head and led the other person to the soft belly that he had just torn open. He kept the habit when she was a child, leaving the softest and most chewable belly for the other person to eat.
Shi Qiao felt warm in her heart. She also licked the blood splattered on the side of the boss's face and rubbed it back.
Eat, eat, and when they're full, go back and lick her fur with the boss and take a nap. Tomorrow will be another happy day!
After the two leopards had eaten their fill, they were about to return home. They passed by the busiest pond in the territory, where they discovered the "uninvited guest"
Klein's eyes narrowed dangerously, and Shi Qiao automatically entered the alert mode.
There was a strange male leopard drinking water by the pond, with some unhealed wounds on his body. The little leopard thought about it and then realized that this male leopard might be the one who fought with Big Brother.
Unexpectedly, the other party dared to hide near the territory and even dared to come in to drink water.
Just as the little leopard thought, Sally the wandering leopard didn't leave immediately since he sneaked behind Klein last time and saw them fighting hyenas. Instead, he hid in the surrounding areas while the lord leopard was recovering from his injuries.
Thea was injured, and Klein was not in the mood to patrol and strengthen the markings, which allowed the stray leopard to lurk here.
At this time, Sally also saw two leopards who had just finished their meal and stopped by to drink water. His purpose of hiding in this area was not only to compete for territory but also the sub-adult female next to the male leopard.
The hyenas in this area have no leader and are already in chaos. If he can occupy this place, he will not only have the best hunting resources in the rainy season, but he may also be able to snatch the sub-adult.
Opposites attract, and Sally doesn't care about the relationship between the sub-adult and the male leopard, nor does he care that the other person is not yet an adult.
It is a leopard that only looks at faces.
Now there is no bush to block it. He can see the full view of this little leopard on the other side of the pond. Her figure is smooth and her limbs are well-proportioned. Every mark on her fur is perfect. Her amber eyes are reflected by the fine starlight in a pool of clear water, and they are so beautiful that they shine even at night.
Besides, this little female is so strong.
At the end of the last battle, he was defeated by the powerful male leopard. Sally wanted to take advantage of the opponent's injury and sneak in again, so he secretly followed the opponent to prepare for an ambush.
Unexpectedly, he saw the scene of the hyena leader being bitten to death by a sub-adult and the injured male leopard fighting against the hyena group, and he temporarily suppressed his desire to make a sneak attack.
It was able to kill so many hyenas even though it was injured. There was also a sub-adult who single-handedly challenged the Hyena Queen. Anyone who saw it had to step back and weigh it. In addition, it was also injured at the time, so they could only avoid them and familiarize themselves with the surrounding environment.
Shi Qiao glanced at the strange male leopard who stopped and looked straight at them. Before she had time to ask the boss if this was the stray leopard that invaded the territory last time, the male leopard next to her dropped his face and ran over like an arrow from a string.
The little leopard was startled and quickly caught up with the other party.
Sally on the other side of the pond didn't care to look at the sub-adult. He ran first to respect it and waited for it to fully recover its heyday strength before fighting guerrilla warfare.
The pond was huge, and by the time Klein ran over, he could no longer capture the back of the wandering leopard.
Unable to catch up with the opponent, and with sub-adults behind him, it was very unsafe to leave the territory. Klein was forced to stop at the edge of the territory and let out a powerful roar in the direction where Sally disappeared.
He slapped the acacia next to him with his paw, and the tree immediately left several deep claw marks. He wanted to strengthen his mark on the edge of the territory to prevent other leopards from coveting her.
He just saw Sally's eyes observing the little leopard, and his keen intuition allowed Klein to guess what the other person was thinking.
It was normal for the territory to be coveted. All the wandering leopards wanted to challenge the lord, but there was only one thing that offended the beast.
That is, he cannot covet the sub-adults around him.
This stray leopard delayed his search for the little leopard last time, allowing him to meet the hyena leader alone and get injured. Now he made no secret of the purpose of his invasion. Klein wanted to tear it apart.
It was the first time that Shi Qiao saw such an angry boss.
The other party's eyes looking into the distance were very scary, and there was a chill all over his body, which even made her feel chilly.
For the boss, fighting is like eating and drinking. The enemy will not notice obvious mood swings. There is no ambiguity about what to do, but today he is particularly violent.
Shi Qiao thought he was going to fight with the intruder, so she started to be vigilant from the moment she saw the strange leopard, thinking about where she would attack if a fight broke out later.
Busy in deploying strategies and tactics, Little Leopard never thought that the reason why the boss looked so gloomy had something to do with her.
The border has been identified by wandering leopards who have weakly guarded gaps, and they may invade again in the future. Shi Qiao was wondering whether she should persuade Klein to move his family here, at least not too far from the center of the territory. The location of the acacia forest where they live now is a bit out of the way.
This time, the other party automatically found a tree without her opening her mouth.
The acacia could not bear the weight of two large leopards at the same time, so Klein let the small leopard climb the tree while he stayed under the tree to be on guard at all times.
Shi Qiao looked at the boss who had never been so cautious and strict, and mentally beat up the stray leopard. The leopard came twice to test the bottom line, and the independent hunting rights she had just wanted to fight for again flapped her wings, and flew away.
The peaceful and comfortable days during the rainy season were no longer peaceful. Shi Qiao felt that there were enemies everywhere and she could not really lie down.
Who told her to be a leopard?
There is no way. If they want to avoid being replaced or even killed by intruders in the future, they can't let the other party treat their territory as a public area to enter and leave at will. The specific method is to beat the enemy hard so that it will never have such courage again.
Shi Qiao glanced down at the big man lying on the ground from the tree. After thinking about it, she jumped down and lay down next to him.
She could feel the constant low pressure on the other person, so she could only use her own methods to ease the other person's emotions. The little leopard tried her best to emit soothing pheromones that could infect the other person. She leaned forward and rubbed her head against the other person's chin.
Rub rub rub rub, don't be angry.
After being nuzzled by the soft little leopard, his nose was full of the other person's scent. The murderous eyes of the big leopard finally softened a bit.
Klein relaxed his tense body and gave some of his energy to the coquettish little leopard next to him. Even if she grew up to be a leopard that could fight a lion, in his eyes, she was still a little kid who needed protection.
After licking the little leopard until it fell asleep, the male leopard's golden eyes looked as sharp as a blade again as he looked outside the territory.
The wandering leopard, which had been guarding the edge of its territory for several days without waiting to show its head again, received bad news.
Cheetah Cudi came from the acacia forest to report the news.
It originally wanted to run further into the forest to catch the antelope that had not been eaten into its mouth last time, but it found a sneaky adult male leopard in the acacia forest, Jeremy, the former lord of the acacia forest.
After circling most of the circle, he couldn't find Klein, which made Cudi anxious.
Looking at the entire grassland, Klein is the only one who can let it hunt in its territory with arrogance and provide it with fresh prey during the dry season. The expansion of the opponent's territory means that it can go to a larger place, but it cannot be snatched away by other leopards that cannot accommodate the cheetah!
After receiving news from the cheetah, Shi Qiao felt that they were now under attack from both sides. There was Sally, a stray leopard, in the east, and Jeremy, who was deliberately taking back his territory, was in the west.
The little leopard was really worried.
Now that Sally has not shown up, they can only go back to the acacia forest to solve Jeremy's problem and let Cudi pay attention to the edge of the territory. Klein and Shi Qiao return to the acacia forest stronghold.
Shi Qiao still remembered that a certain former lord was good at ambushes. The last time they came to look for a tree, the opponent jumped out of nowhere and attacked them. Now it's the same situation. The enemy is in the dark and they are in the light. They can only passively defend before the opponent appears.
Klein was responsible for the front and left, while Shi Qiao was responsible for keeping a close eye on herself and the boss, in case a certain leopard caught them off guard.
Walking under the old acacia tree, the male leopard smelled the smell around him carefully and found a trace of the smell belonging to another leopard, so he walked even slower.
Shi Qiao could tell from the boss's expression that the male leopard was nearby at this moment.
The little leopard's pupils shrank, and she looked specifically at the bushes and tree branches where the leopard could hide. After scanning for a week, she finally saw the leopard's spots that the other party couldn't hide.
Shi Qiao called Klein softly as a reminder: "It's on an acacia tree on the right."
Leopards have very sensitive hearing. Not only did Klein hear her call, but Jeremy, who was hiding in the gap in the tree canopy, also noticed the eyes of the two leopards focusing on him for an instant and naturally knew that he had been discovered.
It originally didn't expect to be able to take back the territory, but it just heard from a fellow prisoner who was beaten out like it that it planned to invade the territory.
Waiting for the other party to occupy this place, and then return the acacia forest to themselves, they will attack from both sides, drive out Klein and the sub-adult around the other party, and settle down in different places and live in peace, why not do it?
Sally entered the territory from the pond, and he came from the familiar acacia forest.
Jeremy jumped from the acacia tree at his feet to another adjacent tree, looking down at the sub-adult who was said to have defeated the hyena leader.
The last time it fought with Klein, the other party hid behind and quietly touched up the damage, but it was defeated too quickly and didn't take a close look at the sub-adult appearance, so it only remembered it roughly.
The rainy season has passed for more than two months, and Jeremy, who was still relatively unsightly when fighting for the land, has grown visibly to the naked eye compared to when he first met.
When Jeremy was far away and could see the little leopard clearly, he realized what Sally's intention was in leaving the little female with all its fur and tail.
A certain male leopard took advantage of the fact that the two leopards could not get close for a while, so he called out to the little female: "Hi, beauty."
The other party's cry meant a beautiful lady or a female to pursue, but Shi Qiao had two language systems, and the leopard's semantically complex tones were automatically translated into more vivid human terms.
Shi Qiao turned her head and looked behind her warily, Beauty?
Where is the beauty?
She didn't react until she was blocked by Klein and roared at the leopard in the tree.
Is he actually calling her?
Shi Qiao got angry and jumped up. What kind of bastard dared to openly molest a minor!