Postcards from Africa - The brothers Cheetah

Last night, I finally finished my cover page for the Africa photos. Still a while before I'm able to post them on the site (and this isn't even taking into account the doctors schedule), and the memories come flooding back, and I realised what I'd written in November was a mere prelude.. It's nearly impossible to find a cheetah in the tall, yellow grass of the Laikipia plateau and as I struggle with the first of the brothers, a second artistically places itself under a bare tree, casting a classic Egyptian cat pose. He's spectacular and totally oblivious to anything but his quarry. I abandon search of the others, and focus on gorgeous, apparently surveying the landscape. Without warning, he rises, making the breath catch in your throat, as his shoulder blades stand out in relief, dipping and rising as he stalks his prey. It's like being inside the Nat Geo channel on TV, as the stalk morphs into a sprint, the compact body swerving, perfectly balanced by its tail, and our gasps mutate into soundless gapes as our necks snap around when his offensive is complemented by a flank attack by his brothers, two racing in front of us as the other circles behind us, all converging towards the hapless, desperately fleeing gazelle. Our first game drive. A live kill. We stay where we are, respecting their right to an uninterrupted dinner, and try to mute our squeals at the sight of a sudden torso in the far distance, face covered in blood. Oh my. Oh my, oh my, oh my.