Out of Bounds

Chapter One

One year later

    A white figure flashed through the savanna, cutting a line through the grass as he ran. His breath was fast, his heart racing, as his paws hit the ground hard. A cloud of dust flew out from behind him, billowing out as he raced through the savanna. The gazelle ahead of him was close; the gap between them was short enough for him to bite its tail if he wanted to. But he didn't. I have to save my energy, he reminded himself, pushing ahead. His paws pounded against the earth as he chased the gazelle further from the Center. Just a little faster...

Suddenly, another cheetah rocketed out of a nearby half-dead shrub and landed on the gazelle's back. The white cheetah pulled up short as the newcomer swung around and delivered the final blow to the creature's neck. A sickening crack came from the gazelle and it cried out in pain before collapsing onto the ground.

"What's the big idea, Quicksand?" demanded Calypso, trotting up to the bigger male, tail lashing. "That was my catch! I had it—"

"If you had it," Quicksand interrupted, whirling around to glare at the younger male. "Then I wouldn't have caught it." He turned back to the corpse and bent down, sinking his teeth into the beast's neck. The larger male began to drag it back in the direction of their coalition's Center.

"I was on it! I would've gotten it if you hadn't jumped out of that shrub and killed it!" protested Calypso. "I thought you told everyone to go in different directions; so why'd you follow me?"

A wave of satisfaction cascaded through the white cheetah as Quicksand paused in his stride. He growled deep in his throat and continued walking. Knowing he'd won the argument, Calypso trotted ahead.

The walk back to the Center was silent, the pair striding evenly, one ahead of the other. The silence crackled with hatred and annoyance, making Calypso feel less and less safe. What is he thinking about?

When the pair reached the coalition's Center, Calypso paused just outside of the entrance. Sahara stood just ahead, talking with a few other females. She glanced up, meeting the white cheetah's eyes, and he slipped her a smile. She flashed him a grin and returned to her conversation, leaving Calypso to deal with his Quicksand problem. He turned towards the annoying male and discovered that the sandy-colored cheetah had disappeared. He lifted his head, scenting the air, and caught a whiff of gazelle. Calypso turned his head slowly, trying to find the direction in which it was coming from, and caught it in the direction of the Tall Tree. Frustration bubbled up inside of . He didn't... The white cheetah began trotting at a quick pace in the direction of the Tall Tree, following the scent trail just to be sure he had smelled it correctly.

When he reached the Tree, to his dismay, he discovered that he had been right. Quicksand was seated at the foot of the tree, gazing up at the Sun. The Sun is the title given to the leader of a cheetah coalition, the name representing the cheetahs' golden color; another reason why Calypso didn't fit in. His coalition's Sun was an older female by the name of Acacia; she was a fair but strict leader who took her job seriously, rarely letting her guard down.

"...only slows us down," Quicksand was saying. "We need to do something!"

"We've discussed this before, Quicksand." Acacia's voice was close to a growl. "We are to wait until initiation before making any final agreements."

"But he's messed up too many times already!" cried Quicksand, his ears flattening against his head. "We need to fix things now, before he gets someone killed!"

Acacia bristled, her dull golden fur raising upward as she spoke. "Do not argue with me. My word is law," she hissed. The sandy-colored cheetah nodded, glaring at the ground. "Oh, and," the Sun added, catching Quicksand's attention once more. "Don't target Calypso simply because of his fur. You're trying to make him look bad, but it only damages your reputation."