The scorched blades of grass wearily stretched towards the cloudless blue sky. The heat was so intense that you could smell it. A cheetah crept carefully through the grass, so well camouflaged that you couldn't spot her even if you knew she was there. The grass around her barely moved. A gazelle was grazing silently on shorter grass, looking up every few seconds. The cheetah's brown eyes were glued to it, following it. The gazelle looked up again, ears swivelling wildly, frantically trying to detect any sound of an approaching predator. The sun was blinding, despite the fact that it wasn't midday. The heat was already searing hot. The cheetah knew she had to be as close as possible before she gave chase. She needed to time her chase perfectly to have enough energy to catch the gazelle. The gazelle looked up again and froze. It knew a predator was near. Suddenly a spotted blur exploded out of the grass behind the gazelle. It took off, immediately knowing what was chasing it. Hooves and paws pounded against the worn earth, leaving dints in the dry surface. She was already close to the gazelle. Hooves pounding, the gazelle kept going. It was close to being caught and wasn't fast enough to leave the cheetah behind. The gazelle turned abruptly, but the cheetah was faster. The cheetah turned tightly, gaining on the gazelle. The cheetah was quickly starting to tire, but not having eaten in days gave her the motivation she needed. This was the best chance she would have to eat for a while. The cheetah kept up her dizzying speed, her paws kicking up dust on the dry ground. Sides heaving, heart hammering, the cheetah's muscles were pumping hard. As she drew closer to the gazelle, she felt her legs starting to give in. Unwilling, she started to slow down a little bit, exhaustion creeping into her legs. The gazelle could feel the cheetah's eyes digging in to its side. Closer and closer the cheetah came, almost ready to trip the gazelle. A bird observing from the sky called out, watching intently. If the cheetah managed to make a kill, it would be ready to scavenge what it could. The gazelle was petrified, the cheetah right on its tail. The cheetah could see her prey was close and started to go faster, closing in on the gazelle. She was close enough to touch the gazelle and starting to sense a victory. Reaching out a paw, the cheetah grabbed at the gazelle's leg, attempting to trip it. Her paw missed and she slowed down, regaining her balance. She had timed her chase precisely, and knew she would have just enough energy to try again. Reaching out again, the cheetah knew she wouldn't have have another chance if she missed. The cheetah's paw slammed into the gazelle's leg, knocking it off balance. The gazelle tripped, unable to regain stability. It knew the chase was over now. The cheetah would finally eat again.