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 has been a 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 and size 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 are due in about a month, yet Unina couldn’t wait to be a mother. She believed to be prepared to face the many struggles that may come from this life-changing event. After all, if her own mother could raise Unina and her siblings 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. Her nostrils flared as they were filled with the unwelcome stench of hot breath and fur, mingling with the dried impala blood. She sat bolt upright and twisting around, she saw them at once; about four lions prowling over towards her with expressions a mix of hunger and malice.
Uchafu…
A growl rose in Unina's throat, her ears pinned flat as the pride drew closer. She glanced once at the freshly-killed carcass, swallowing in her frustration as she reluctantly backed away into the long grass she had chased the impala through. As exasperated as she was with being forced to abandon her catch before she even got a chance to eat it, she knew better than to tangle with predators like lions, especially with cubs along the way.
The last thing I’d want is for them to get hurt.
But when Unina glanced over her shoulder, the lions hadn’t fallen upon her prey. One lioness was standing protectively over it, but the others—three of them—were still advancing on her, quickening their strides when she did to match her pace.
What in the savanna? With an aggrieved huff, she spun to face the lions.
“I’m going,” she spat. “You already have my kill. What else do you want?”
“We want you off this territory,” said one other lioness, casting the expecting mother with a hostile glare. “There’s no room for cheetahs here. Get out, or we’ll run you out.”
“That’s not true,” Unina called back. “I didn’t even scent you here before.”
But her heart was already racing, and the tips of her paw pads tingled. With a loud roar, the pride charged.
Jamani! Unina whipped around and went into another sprint. Her muscles already ached a little from chasing down the impala, and being heavy with cubs certainly didn’t help, but she was sure she could still manage to outrun the lions. The bigger cats would get tired, or bored, any moment now...
Except then she pulled up short, the shock of the sudden stop vibrating up through her bones, as another lion, a large, bulky male, abruptly lurched out of the undergrowth to her left. And before she even had a chance to blink, the next thing Unina saw was the lion swiping his claws across her 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 again and grabbed her by the scruff and forced her to the ground where he slammed a huge 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 three other lionesses caught up, sneering at the unfortunate feline as they surrounded their leader.
“P-please… don’t hurt me, I-I’m expecting!” Unina stuttered, her stomach sick with panic and fear. They wouldn’t kill an expecting mother… Surely lions can’t be this heartless… Right…??
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.
“Tch, typical cheetahs. Thinking they can just run around wherever they want and take whatever prey they like,” the lion scowled.
“I didn’t know this was your territory, I swear! I didn’t scent you here! I was going to leave!”
“You wanna lose your tongue too, spotty?” the larger predator snarled, a choked gasp left Unina’s lips when his grip tightened around her neck. Baring his teeth, he leaned forward until he was practically nose to nose with her. The hairs of his thick mane brushed against her small muzzle, almost making her sneeze. “I’ve exterminated many cheetahs before who have given me less back talk than what you’re giving me right now!”
Unina sucked in a sharp breath and stiffened as she then felt him slowly trace his claws lightly over her stomach. “Maybe I should gut you open, that oughta teach you to learn to stay outta my property.”
“No, please!” she wailed, fighting back a sob. “L-look… You already got what you wanted, the impala is all 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, “I’ll get out of your mane and won’t hunt anything else here. J-just please, don’t harm my babies…”
“I think we’ve made our point,” another lioness said, “I’m sure this scrawny wimp has learned her lesson. We already got her kill too.”
“We should probably head back before vultures start to come in and try picking off the impala,” a third suggested. She then dipped her head, “But if killing this cheetah will bring you satisfaction, then don’t let us impede.”
“Hmmmm…” the lion looked back at his pridemates thoughtfully, glanced over his shoulder where one of them had the impala carcass in their possession, then he finally turned back down to the pregnant cheetah in his grasp.
“Find somewhere else to hunt and give birth, this area is ours. You have three seconds to get your sorry rump out of here,” the lion muttered, finally getting off of Unina. The female cheetah remained still on the ground as the male turned his back on her, his thick-maned head held high. “Let’s go, ladies. I’m starving!”
The lions abandoned the cheetah and made their way back to where the impala was left guarded by their pridemate. The male was already digging in while his lionesses 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…
“Three seconds,” the lion reminded out loud Unina with a mouthful of impala meat before gulping it down. 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. The consequences of the perilous encounter would soon catch up shortly after she left the now lion-claimed territory.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
“Aaarggh, JAMANI!!”
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.
N-no… it’s too soon…!
She could barely breathe, wheezing and gasping around the pain. Never in her life had she felt as scared as she did in this very moment. It felt like she was dying. The fact that she was completely alone terrified her even more, 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 that seemed 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 three 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.”