Three Heartbeats

In the morning Polly found a cheetah. It sat on a termite mound, very still, watching everything. Cheetahs hunt in the daytime, using their eyes. Polly sat on a dry branch close by and folded her blue-teal wings. Far away, a young gazelle walked away from its group.

Suddenly the cheetah ran. From standing still to one hundred kilometres per hour takes her about three seconds. That is faster than almost any car. Her long tail helps her turn, like a rudder on a boat. Polly flew after her as fast as she could. She lost her in three heartbeats.

The gazelle escaped. It jumped to the side two times, and the chase was over. This is normal. More than half of a cheetah's hunts fail. Running so fast costs a lot of energy. Now she must rest in the shade for a long time.

Polly sat with her later. Here is a strange fact: cheetahs cannot roar. They chirp, like a bird. The cheetah looked at Polly and chirped. Polly chirped back. Maybe they understood each other. Maybe not.