Author's Note

Inspired by the Travel Butlers Story, When the Cheetah Cried. Follow the journey of a mother cheetah as she searches for her lost young cub in the Zebrican plans...and how she and her species gained their Tears of Black.

Tears Of Black

There once was a Cheetah on the Zebrican plains

Prowling through an area where no animal remains

Her eyes spoke with an unbearable urge

One that she was very determined to purge

But she was not doing this deed alone

Beside her was a feline that could have been her clone

A clone that came in the form of her son

One that could’ve been no bigger than a bun

It bounced and leapt all around its mother

Using her long slender legs as cover

Its eyes were full of innocence and mirth

The look that he always had since his birth

His mother watched with him with a look that was fond

One that was as deep and meaningful as their bond

With her heart beating with indescribable love

A type that was as bright as the wings of a dove

They trudged through the pains of the Zebrican savanna

The strands as yellow as a luscious banana

Walking past animals big and small

Even ones that were as short as they were tall

For what seemed like hours they searched the land

Which looked to be even dryer than sand

Trying desperately to find a meal

One that would help satisfy them a great deal

At least they finally stumbled upon their quarry

grazing under a sky that was every bit as starry

It was a herd of graceful antelope

Off at a distance requiring a telescope

The mother cheetah then felt her hunger spike

One that rolled faster than the tires of a bike

The feline inside of her demanded to pounce

Before the antelope even had a chance to even bounce

To sink her fangs deep into their flesh

Before the ground before them made them into a mesh

The mother cheetah eventually managed to calm down

And slowly began to hunch her body down

Creeping ever so closer to her prey

Relishing for their incoming dismay

Her cub silently stayed where he stood

Knowing if he wanted to eat, he had to be good

And not interrupt his mother on her quest

Least he turned it into an unnecessary fest

And spoil the hunt they knew would be her best

The mother continued to creep closer still

Thankful that she was not hunting on a hill

Until she was within range to attack

Positive that her prey would not fight back

She then let herself explode into motion

Hardly giving the antelope a single notion

They immediately flew as one

Joining in the race that was soon to be won

By the very cat that making it done

Shining as bright as the light of the sun

That chase was over before it began

With the cheetah on her prey with the strength of a man

The antelope struggled and kicked in vain

Grasping on for the life it would no longer obtain

But the cheetah silenced it with a bite to the neck

With the equivalent of a pirate crew stomping on a deck

The cub watched from afar as she took the animals life

Ending its time of fear and strife

Watching as it struggles began to weaken

Until it finally lost its hope-filled beacon

The mother and cub then began to feast

Letting the meat satisfy the inner beast

They then settled down for their nighttime rest

With the mother unaware of her incoming test

From not to far away stood a zebra stallion

His large frame looking him like a part of a battalion

He had seen the hunt watching from afar

In awe at how the cheetah ran like a shooting star

He eyed the club sleeping next to her, looking like a little stinger

A sinister idea beginning to linger

He slowly began to creep through the night

Make absolute sure he was out of sight

Not wanting to wake the mother

Least she spilled the life blood of another

Quicker than wind, he took the mother’s son

Thus, committing a deed that could not be undone

He then swiftly vanished back into the dark

Into the village that was larger than a park

When the morning came, the mother cheetah upset

Panicked in a way one can only bet

She realized immediately her cub was missing

The very same cub she thought she was kissing

She shot up to her feet and began to look around

For the cub she was sure she’d immediately found

The mother searched high far and wide

In trees, under burrows, and rocks that would divide

Crossing through territories of other enemy cats

Cats that could strike her down with the force of baseball bats

Alas, there was still no sight of her baby

Her hopes of finding him dwindling like the navy

As she continued to search, she soon began to weep

Her sobs wracking hard and coming up deep

Her cries echoed through the Zebrican wild

The heart-wrenching sounds anything but mild

They came out wild, loud and hard

Coming out sharp enough to slice up a card

Those that could hear it felt their hearts break

Hearing the pain that they wished they could take

The pain that would tear into any stony soul

And leaving them weak and hopeless as a foal

For many days and nights, she continued to cry

Her hope and strength slowly flying by

Leaving her a writhing furry grieving mess

One that wished to be relieved of her stress

As she cried uncontrollably, she was unaware

Far across the plains and trees that were bare

Her desperate wish was about to come true

With a type of help coming she never expected to

Deep within his village, the zebra held his prize

One that he knew would grow in size

And soon obey his every command

And make every villager follow his every demand

Fortunately, this hope would not come to be

For sitting not too far, relaxing in the tree

Was the zebra’s old, wise and kind leader

Watching him from afar at the distance of a meter

He saw the innocent cub he had in his hold

His ears picking up each word the zebra told

Of the sinister plans he had for the poor animal

Ones that were just as bad as a cannibal

With a stomp in his step, he approached the thief

Outraged that he went against the tribe’s belief

The belief of respecting all the wildlife

And keep them all safe and free from strife

Without hesitation the tribe leader exiled him from the village

Leaving the savanna plains for him to pillage

Before taking the cub and setting out on a quest

One that he knew would surely be for the best

He trudged through the plains and leapt through the trees

Going through the area with the vigilance of bees

All while the cub was nestled close to his vest

Soothed by the heart beating gently within his chest

They soon found the mother alone and cold

Looking like a torn and ruined piled of mold

Then the tribe leader made a move many would way was bold

One that proved his heart to be one of gold

When the mother saw him, she immediately began to hiss

But then her sure of anger soon turned to bliss

When her eyes laid upon the cub she thought was gone

Forever buried in the golden plains she walked on

With a spring in her step she ran towards the two

Filled with a relief the tribe leader surely knew

He watched as the mother and cub embraced

Returning their love in a way that was graced

The tribe leader watched on filled with pride

His heart leaping and bounding in length and in stride

With his job done, he turned to walk away

But a meow from behind him told him to stay

He then turned to look back at the elder carnivore

And she looked up to look eyes of the lone herbivore

Allowing him to see a sight that shocked him to the core

For on the mother cheetah’s gleaming orange eyes

Running down her face like the incoming tides

As dark and shadowy as the interior of a shack

Was the cheetah’s very first tears of black