Broken One

One should be proud of being an Acinonyx jubatus, the fastest cat in the creature world. Little Joe, however, never considered himself as one within the cheetah family. This is due to his crooked left back leg which he had gotten from an accident at youth.

Growing up in the savannah, where the only way to get food is to literally catch up to it, Little Joe had always been a little bit behind from his peers. Nevertheless, he tried his best to not stain the cheetah’s name. Every time his group rest, he would full sprint down the vast land, controlling his speed, trying to not notice the pains in his leg.

One practice, Little Joe felt very confident, trying to best his highest speed at 60 miles per hour. First, he put his chin to touch the tall grass. Eye grazed forward, looking for a destination. Front legs held firmly onto to hard ground, his back legs folded downward, preparing to pounce. Adjusting the weight between his crooked leg and his right leg, he prowled forward toward his destination. Head paralleled to the ground, his back gave off a curve as he tried to increase his speed. “Faster, faster, faster!”

Not sure if it was the sun’s fault, or the warm dust flying past him, his eyes started to become blurry, head boiling up, tongue tasted the soil as he skidded across the ground. As he tried to spin his body upright, his muscle wouldn’t move. He had become completely numb.

His siblings, resting about half-a-mile away, luckily notice and come sprinting to where he is. When they reached the destination, one nimble on his ear, the other tried moving his legs, seeing if he’s alive or not. Seeing that he wouldn’t move, they push him into a nearby shade, and lay down next to his body.

Little Joe, as exhausted as he is, tried as hard as to stand up, yet couldn’t. He knew that he had always been a shame to the cheetah family. Yet, he wanted to be a cheetah. His mind buried in deep darkness, with glimpses of light at the other end. Little Joe got down to his sprinting position, gave out a sigh, and pounce toward the light as fast as he can. He could sense the wind gliding across his whiskers as his tail waving back and forth. Feeling very light, he felt his feet above the ground, as if they’re flying. Then, a smoke with an image of another cheetah, greeting him on the other side.