Crossing to Live in the Wilderness Plains 205
Chapter 205
An adult male cheetah with a sleek, glossy coat lay flat in the tall grass, downwind. His dark gold eyes watched the lion pride in the distance without making a sound. This wasn’t part of his territory—this belonged to a pride of lions. As an outsider trespassing in their domain, the male cheetah always moved with extreme caution to avoid being discovered. Fortunately, prey on the plains was abundant lately, so at least hunger was never a concern.
The cheetah had originally held territory of his own. When he first reached adulthood, he claimed a stretch of land near the forest. His neighbor had been a beastman, so no other predators dared challenge him for that patch.
Unfortunately, after returning from migration, he found that territory occupied by a whole group of beastmen. A lone cheetah couldn’t possibly fight so many—he couldn’t even defeat that single beastman neighbor from before. So he simply abandoned the land, crossed the Chishui River, and decided to claim what had once been his mother’s territory.
His mother had been torn apart and eaten by a lion pride during migration. The male cheetah loathed lions, but he felt no emotional pressure about taking over his mother’s old land.
But by the time he arrived, the territory had already been taken by another female cheetah. From her scent, the male cheetah immediately knew she was his older sister—one he had never met. She had become pregnant during her return journey and was about to give birth. A pregnant mother leopard was completely irrational, viewing everything with hostility. The male cheetah didn’t want to fight his own sister, and with beastmen activity in the area growing more frequent, he soon abandoned that place as well and began life as a wandering cheetah.
There were many predators on the plains, and nearly all viable land had long been divided up. The male cheetah could only hunt within the borders of others’ territories—meaning being chased off or even hunted down himself was inevitable.
Little by little, the cheetah traveled farther and farther from his birthplace, to the point he could no longer hear the flow of the Chishui River. He eventually reached a river even wider than the Chishui. There was plenty of prey here—and plenty of predators as well.
The cheetah twitched his nose. Each time the wind blew, a blade of grass brushed across his soft nose, tickling unbearably. But he didn’t dare move, afraid any slightest motion would draw the attention of the predators facing off in the distance.
Crossing to Live in the Wilderness Plains (CLWP) is translated by Betwixted Translations. The site you’re reading this chapter on stole our translation.
This stretch of land belonged to the largest lion pride in the region. They had five fully grown males, and with the cubs born this summer, the pride numbered well over a hundred. If the cheetah could count, he would know just how massive this pride truly was.
Because of their numbers, every creature in the surrounding area was potential food for the lions—even the massive elephants were beneath their notice. For that reason, no predator dared behave recklessly here—ironically making this the safest place for the wandering cheetah.
The lions’ territory stretched wide, and as long as the cheetah avoided the patrolling males and the pride’s usual resting grounds, he remained safe and well-fed. Even the annoying jackals no longer dared openly trail behind him for scraps. The male cheetah was quite satisfied with this arrangement.
But now, it seemed, this territory was about to change hands. The cheetah’s eyes dimmed slightly as he continued observing the scene ahead.
The ones confronting the lions weren’t native plains beasts—they were a small unit of hyena-drakes. They were fewer in number and similar in size to adult male lions, giving them no real advantage against such a massive pride.
This group of hyena-drakes had been dispatched to search for signs of beastman tribes. The plains were vast, and no one knew where beastmen might have settled. Many hyena-drakes had been split into scouting teams spread across the plains. Once they located a beastman tribe, they would relay the information back, and the full hyena-drake horde—led by their chieftain—would descend upon the tribe, crush it, and devour every beastman within.
“Roar!” A male lion at the front of the pride roared thunderously at the hyena-drake, warning them to get out of lion territory.
The hyena-drakes didn’t budge. As dragon-kin of the forest, they possessed far greater strength than ordinary plains animals. They dismissed the lions’ threats entirely.
For their part, the lions—rulers of the plains—had never been treated with such disregard. Seeing the enemy unmoved, the leading male lion let out another furious roar and lunged forward.
The moment he moved, the entire pride surged into action. Aside from a few elderly lionesses who whisked newborn cubs to safety, the rest quickly clashed with the hyena-drakes.
Though fewer in number, the hyena-drakes were nowhere near weaker. Their hide was tougher than a lion’s, their claws sharper, their attacks more savage—and above all, they cared far less about their own lives.
Crossing to Live in the Wilderness Plains (CLWP) is translated by Betwixted Translations. The site you’re reading this chapter on stole our translation.
Hyenas seemed to have cruelty flowing in their blood by nature. As long as the battle wasn’t completely one-sided, it seemed they never even considered escaping to save their own lives.
In just half an hour or so, the lion pride that had originally held a numerical advantage quickly found itself at a disadvantage. Several lionesses were bitten open in the abdomen and collapsed, and a male lion had added many wounds of his own. Seeing they couldn’t gain the upper hand, the pride originally planned to retreat—yet the hyena-drakes, though far fewer in number, had actually surrounded them.
Several male lions became even more enraged at the sight. Knowing that matters with these hyena-drakes would not end peacefully today, they roared again, their golden manes bristling with agitation. Following their roars, the lionesses behind them pounced toward the hyena-drakes.
The battle was exceptionally fierce. Several lion cubs protected in a safe spot couldn’t help but tremble. They clustered around an elderly lioness, yet their eyes remained fixed firmly on the battlefield.
The thick smell of blood spread through the air with the wind. Because of the headwind, no one noticed the cheetah crouched in the tall grass. Several vultures circled above, the nearby big-eared foxes had long since retreated into their burrows, and even the herd of wildebeest that usually foraged nearby had avoided this area.
The battle dragged on for a very long time. Fortunately, the male cheetah was long accustomed to lying in wait for extended periods. What surprised him was that the lions actually won.
Though the lions had won, they didn’t gain anything from it. All five adult male lions had died under the claws of the hyena-drakes. Several heavily injured lionesses were still angrily tearing at the already-dead hyena-drakes. Because of this hyena-drake pack, they might not be able to hold onto this rich territory; by the time they find new males to join, they might not even be able to protect their newborn cubs.
Crossing to Live in the Wilderness Plains (CLWP) is translated by Betwixted Translations. The site you’re reading this chapter on stole our translation.
The lionesses vented their emotions heedless of their own injuries. When the battle ended, the male cheetah slowly rose and slipped away under the cover of the tall grass. The lionesses were too agitated right now—he definitely didn’t want to be discovered. With the male lions gone, the area would soon plunge into chaotic territorial disputes. The cheetah had no desire to encounter anything beyond his abilities before migration.
Flicking his tail, the male cheetah moved toward the area where he remembered impalas appearing. He hadn’t eaten today, so now was the perfect time to get a good meal and then hide somewhere safe before other lion prides noticed anything unusual here. With his slender limbs, he absolutely did not want to clash with those brutish predators.
“The Lion-Wolf Tribe found traces of hyena-drakes?” Chen Qi asked in surprise.
“The messenger from the Lion-Wolf Tribe brought the news today. It’s only a small group of hyena-drakes, and they’re still very far from the tribe—there’s no danger for now.” Aze relayed the message he heard to Chen Qi.
Since encountering the hyena-drake pack last time, the Lion-Wolf Tribe had greatly expanded their patrol range—now covering nearly all areas reachable within a week. Only a tribe with such large numbers could manage this. This time, traces of hyena-drake activity were discovered at the very outer edge of their patrol area.
“It seems our speculation was correct—the hyena-drake pack really has entered the plains.” Chen Qi sighed softly.
“Now that traces of hyena-drakes have been spotted early, Uncle Azhang and the others may have to return ahead of schedule. If they keep staying out there, they might not be able to get back once the hyena-drakes arrive.”
“The tribe’s major defenses are mostly completed. What’s left we can take our time with. I’m just worried about the Lion-Wolf Tribe’s construction—if Azhang and the others come back early, I don’t know whether the Lion-Wolf Tribe can hold off the hyena-drakes’ attack.”
“You don’t need to worry about that.” Lang Yan put down the book he was reading and smiled. “It’s been almost a full summer. I’m sure Axiang has learned everything he needed to by now—he’s very smart. And the Lion-Wolf Tribe has plenty of people. As long as the hyena-drakes aren’t endless in number, they should be able to hold.”
The little wolf cub lifted its head and gave Lang Yan an “awoo.” Lang Yan reached out, and the cub rubbed its head against his palm.
“You’re leaving too? Your leg still isn’t healed.” Ajing asked reluctantly.
Over the past few months, Ajing had accompanied Lang Yan every day together with the little wolf cub. During that time, Lang Yan even went with them to school to learn writing, and now he could already understand some simple books. Perhaps because of the little wolf cub’s company, Lang Yan was far more cheerful than when he first arrived, and his injured leg had improved a great deal—he could walk around the tribe on his own now without a wheelchair.
“En. When Axiang comes to pick me up, I’ll be heading back.”
Lang Yan rubbed Ajing’s head—he really did like this little teacher, and seeing how attached the little wolf cub was to him made him feel reluctant to leave as well.
“If there’s a chance next summer… I hope I can come again.”
“Of course you have to come. Little Wolf and I will both miss you.” Ajing nodded earnestly, then hurried into the room and came back with several copied books, handing them to Lang Yan. “Take these and read them. By the time you learn them, winter will be over.”
Lang Yan froze for a moment, then accepted them with a smile. “Thank you.”
“Awoo.” The little wolf cub echoed softly.
Words from the Translation Crew
Miiya: 3 of 3 for the week.
Translator: Miiya
Editor: MushroomKnight73
Proofreader: Yume
Editor stepping into the realm of MTL translating, starting with CLWP. Support this translation with a Ko-fi. Three Ko-fis will add an extra chapter from the stockpile to the next weekly release.
