Endless Sand was content, at least for now. A small, cute gazelle dragged his limp leg through the
sand, and thrust himself to his mothers side.
“Hugh! Goodness, don’t scare me.” Iris smiled down at him, before bending her neck to feed.
Alexus, Iris’s best friend, grinned at him. He got along well with her, mainly because she
never failed to neglect him.
“Hello Hugh!” Alexus said cheerily, and the others echoed. Hugh grinned and began to suck
his mother’s teat.
You see, reader, despite having a bad leg, Hugh never let it take him down. Also, the other
gazelles couldn’t help liking this happy creature.
He’s not as bad as Rhys says. Skylar thinks, observing as Hugh bounced around his mother,
talking rapidly. His leg seems like nothing to him, just as if it wasn’t born limp.
However, Skylar’s thoughts were interrupted as Ozzie, watching out for predators, sounded the
alarm call.
“Cheetah!”
Skylar and Alexus, along with the others, rushed towards the cave. Iris lagged behind,
encouraging Hugh to go, ordering him forward. The cheetah was running straight towards Hugh,
accelerating. Hugh, panicking, began to move as quick as he can, his leg leaving a trail on the floor.
“Hurry!” Ozzie called, ushering the eldest into the end of the cavern. Skylar reached the cave,
nudging her baby into the cavern amongst the elders.
But Iris was having trouble. As she finally reached the cave, Hugh behind her, the cheetah was
almost at their heels. Hugh skidded in the crowded space, his hooves burning from the hot sand. The
cheetah advanced, hungry and almost there...as a large thing raised its legs and charged right at it.
Rhys called out - a call, that bleated and screamed. It reared and crashed down onto the
cheetah’s eardrums. The cheetah roared back in response, running faster towards the charging
gazelle. The two clashed together, hooves and paws. The cheetah was thrown back at the force of
Rhys’s fury. Rhys charged forward as the cheetah finally stood and, snapping its teeth angrily,
galloped forward once again at amazing speed.
Rhys frowned-no, reader. He did not simply frown. Rhys glared, glowered, pierced a look of
daggers and fire. His hooves pounded the hot sand as he flew over.
The cheetah had no chance. Rhys’s hooves, now so fast, left the ground and landed straight
onto the male cheetah. It whimpered, skidding around and running off, as Rhys stood tall,
watching his retreating enemy.
At the front of the crowded cavern, a wide-eyed Hugh watched, mesmerised that his strong
father was able to fend off a predator, a cheetah.
The other males emerged from the cavern, congratulating and admiring his father. His father
simply turned and muttered.
“Only for my wife.”
Iris ran forward, smiling happily at him and laughing. Hugh, with sad eyes, sat with the tired
elders, watching as a outsider. Rhys never protected him. It was only for another.
“Hey, you should be proud of your father!” A wrinkly voice from the back of the cave scolded
the tired Hugh. He turned, frightened. Five gazelles, three women and two men lay there, the
* * *
