African Savanna, like right now:
The sun was setting, it was time to hunt. Gracefully I stood up and leapt off the tree, the sun glistening off my golden brown fur. Then I landed on a pile of pebbles and crashed into the dirt.
“Smooth.What would mother say?” I thought as I dusted myself off. “Well, it would be something along the lines of: ‘What are you doing! Are you a baboon?’ and then your brother would say, ‘Mother, don’t make fun of baboons,’ and he’d laugh. But they aren’t here right now, you’re on your own.”
Shaking away my thoughts I made my way towards the water-hole, because that’s where all the animals are and animals mean food and I was hungry.
Hungry was an understatement, I was starving. For a week and a half I hadn’t eaten anything. The reason for this predicament were my epic fails at hunting. Last week I was chasing a wildebeest when I crashed into a tree. A few days later I tried to bring down a rhinoceros and all I got was a wound to the side. Three days ago I tried rush a giraffe, my jaw still hurts, and yesterday in desperation I attempted to chase a baboon but then I slipped off the tree and was attacked by his family, I nearly died. Now I was really desperate, if I didn’t eat soon, I might die.
I approached the water-hole from the west, so that the sun would be in the eyes of anyone who looked my way. The place was filled with animals: zebras, flamingos, giraffe, impalas, birds, and wild boars, all perfectly tasty and nutritious. My stomach growled yet again
Don’t worry tum-tum I mumbled We’ll get food soon, maybe,hopefully.The gazelles were the closest so I decided that I would try them. But I had to remember that gazelles are one of the fastest animals so I had to come up real close if I stood a chance. I crouched low to the ground, letting the long golden brown grass cover me- my spots imitating the shadows, I was virtually invisible. I wasn’t just in the grass, I was the grass. Like a wraith I made my way towards the gazelles not making a single sound, until I stepped on a twig. It snapped loudly and the gazelles turned in my direction. Cursing myself I stooped lower, basically lying down and held my breath, peeking at them through the grass.
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“Hey Jeff did you see something?” said Jim the gazelle.
“Yeah” replied Jeff face downward munching on grass.
“What?”
“Your face interrupting my late-afternoon snack.”
“No I meant out there.”
“Out where.”
“Over there.” said Jim pointing with his head towards the long grass. Jeff looked for about three seconds.
“Nope, nothing there.” he said and resumed eating.
“Are you sure?”
“Yep.”
“How sure?”
“A hundred percent.”
“Are you su--”
“Just be quiet and let me eat, I swear on my sweet horns that there is nothing over there. Happy?”
“Then what was that crackling sound?”
“Probably a boar or something.”
“What if it was a cheetah, or a lion?”
“Stop being a worrywart it was probably nothing.”
“You know what I think I see something.” this was followed by groans from all the other gazelles “It’s a tail… and … and oh my god it’s a leopard! RUN EVERYONE! RUN FOR YER LIVES!!” The entire herd stared at him in annoyance and resumed their eating.
“Come on Jim you see leopards or lions in everything, even your shadows, get a grip and let us eat in peace.Trust me there is no leopard over here, and if there were I’d see it a mile away.” snorted Jeff just as a leopard broke out of the cover of the grass and made a dash at them.
**************************************************************
I was a few feet away when I burst through and charged at the gazelles. They ran off in different directions, but the closest one was only a few feet away, I still had a chance. I swung my paw at one and scratched its side, staining its fur red. It swerved in a different directions, but my ankles were strong, I was able to keep it within five feet of me. However the gazelle was accelerating and if I didn’t catch it soon it would get away. I thought of eating gazelle for dinner tonight and made a final surge. I made to bounds and then leapt at it forelegs stretched claws out.
My claws grazed its side and the gazelle screamed out in pain. Then I slipped and fell to the floor.
“Oh no.” I thought to myself “Now I’m gonna starve.” I watched as the gazelle laughed out in joyous freedom and then crash into a tree and crumple to the floor. Quickly I got up and raced towards the tree. I saw the gazelle lying there, its leg in an awkward angle. Upon seeing me it whimpered.
“Please mister leopard, please spare me, I have a family--”
“ I have a hungry.”