Crystal “Cee Cee” Castle adjusted the tatty shoulder strap on her camera bag and picked up her pace. She’d heard the cheetah’s chirp and had been on her way to see if she could sneak in a few pictures. Being as their chirps could be heard up to a mile away, she wasn’t sure if she would catch up to it or not. Then the chirp turned into bleating. A noise that sounded like a meow, it was a call of distress.
Her excitement morphed to alarm. These astonishing animals were being hunted at an alarming rate and she was doing her best to bring that to the world’s attention. Sweat dripped down her back as she chugged along. If there were poachers, she wanted to catch them on film.
If they could begin to prosecute those responsible, that would be an entirely different outcome for these creatures. She stumbled, swore, righted herself, and continued on once more.
The call came again, this time off to her left and she frowned, instantly suspicious. Was she being tricked? Or was this a mother trying to keep predators away from her cubs. Cee Cee paused and wiped the sweat from her eyes before readjusting her sunglasses.
Once more, the call echoed over the vast savannah. Eyes still scanning the horizon she reached for her water bottle always on her side and pulled a long draw from it, allowing the refreshing liquid to cool her internal temperature.
The bark of a hyena came from her right and she swore. She didn’t need to be messing with any of those animals. Another drink before she set off once more.
A vehicle was parked near a large balboa tree and she drew up. Poachers. She removed her camera from her bag and put it up to her eye, snapping away. Taking pictures of the truck, it’s plate and make.
As she went around the other side of the tree, she found two men drinking and laughing at the large cheetah caught in one of their traps. Her breath hitched.
It was a king cheetah. And not a small one. This male was easily twice as large as the ones she was used to snapping photos. If not more. The distinctive pattern on the king, or Cooper, wasn’t hard to miss, it was a blotchy pattern but so beautiful in her eyes.
“Afternoon gentlemen,” she said.
They turned to her, eyes wide and full of shock, that quickly morphed into anger.
“What are you doing here?”
“Taking your picture and what you’re doing to that cheetah.”
“We’re going to kill you. Rape first, then kill you.”
“You’re already recognized. This isn’t just a film that has to be developed. It’s also got a chip so each time I snap a picture it gets uploaded automatically in a file at my boss’ PC. That way, if anything happens to me, they will know exactly who did it.”
They stopped and she took two more pictures. Raking a hand through her loose curls, she gestured toward the cat. “Why don’t you just get going?”
They stepped toward her and she swiftly brought up her rifle. “Let’s not do that. Go on now. Off you chaps go.”
“You can’t do this to us.”
“I can’t?” She canted her head to the side. “Kiss this. I think I just did.” Cee Cee gestured once more with the muzzle of her rifle. “Go. On your feet.”
“Our vehicle?”
“Mine now. Thanks, I needed one.” Her heart thundered but she held steady. She’d faced down larger groups and meaner looking ones than this.
The cat had fallen silent and seemed to be extremely interested in the conversation going on with the humans before him. She hoped he would hold on just a short time longer, then she would figure out a way to free him from the trap.
It only took two bullets to burrow into the ground in front them for them to take off. At least they’d been cocky and left their weapons in the jeep which had given her the upper hand.
For now. She couldn’t linger.
Still, she waited until they were out of sight, then she looked at the cat.
He panted and stared back at her. While cheetah teeth were small, relatively speaking when compared to other big cats, they would and could do a deadly amount of damage to her if he wanted to.
This male hadn’t looked away from her and she shifted beneath the intensity of that look. “I don’t suppose you’ll let me free you without ripping into me, will you?”
She scanned around again, making sure those men weren’t doubling back. Satisfied for the moment, she put the rifle down and withdrew her water canteen once more. Rooting around in the jeep, she came up with a dish and she poured the liquid into it and walked toward the feline.
“You have to be thirsty.”
He bared his teeth but she couldn’t hear any warning growl.
Right, because there can only be an attack if they growl first.
She rolled her eyes and put the dish on the ground before picking up the rifle and using it to slide the water closer. He didn’t move his focus from her face even though she saw his wide nose flex and knew he could smell it.
“Come on, big boy. I have to get you out of there. I know those fuckers will be back soon.”
She heard a motor in the distance and knew her time was even shorter now.
He dropped his head and lapped at the water.
She moved closer and it snapped back up, those pearly white teeth warning her to stay away.
“This is fucking going to suck.”
The closer she moved the farther back he leaned. When she reached out for the rusty metal of the trap, she heard it. The low warning growl. She ignored it, she was risking her life for this, but she had to. She couldn’t allow those fuckers to kill this cat.
Gripping the edges, she pulled, cutting herself in the process and her blood mingled with the cheetah’s. She bit back her curse and put more strength into it. Slowly, it creaked open as the cheetah gripped her shoulder with his jaw.
She whimpered, she knew how they killed but he’d not gone for her neck. Yet. The tips of his teeth sank into her skin but the second she pulled the trap far enough, he released her and backed off, favoring his paw.
Sure he was out of danger from it, she let it snap shut, jumping at the force it closed with. She scrambled backward, reaching for the rifle and holding it close. The motor grew louder and she pushed to her feet, stumbled for the vehicle, and tossed her stuff inside, followed quickly by herself.
No key.
Of course not. That hadn’t stopped her before and it wouldn’t stop her now. Blessing her mother who’d taught her how to do this, she swiftly used her Leatherman to get the access she needed. Her shoulder throbbed like a bitch while she flicked the wires together to get the heap running, so she could get her ass out of there.
“Fuck yeah,” she muttered, readjusting in the seat. She glanced to the trap in the back then to the spot it had been.
The king cheetah remained there, watching her with those amber eyes.
Cee Cee revved the engine. “Go on! Get out of here. All this will have been for naught if you’re still around when those fuckards come back.” For both of them.
He turned and was just gone. There one second, she blinked and he was gone.