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Darkness was home. When it was dark she was safe from everyone, from all offenders, she had learnt this far too long ago. Her memory barely spanned past what she had done the previous night. Her body, numb as usual, pressed against the cold wall one wrist raised in the air. A callus had long ago formed around her wrist so she barely noticed the thick metal cuff that surrounded it; it kept her in an upright position, always in an upright position. Sleep came easy to the tired and her head never lifted from the icy stone as long as the lights didn?t come. Slavery had been abolished so many generations ago, no one had ever informed Colche of this, of course, when you didn?t know any better, you didn?t realize it was slavery.

She knew her father; he was a big man, though he did not allow her to speak, unless a client addressed her. Big men, small men, men with muscle, men drawn and old, withered, but tough. She had never known any different. Since time started she had lived in the darkness in the damp, in the cold, her slender body being fed by scraps of cooked meat, feeding time was good, it usually happened just before they had a client, she didn?t pass out if she was fed. That one time, her eyes had closed and she had gone towards the fiery light until she was awoken by a sharp blunt object that woke her from her daze. The chains had hurt her that night, tightened and added, her body pressed against the wall spread eagled. She hadn?t made any money. Her belly was always full when there was a client now, she made money, not as frequently as he would like now. She had almost touched her sixteenth year. Not that she had noticed the time pass. Her body had changed her chest expanded, her hips became curved and her collar bone showed prominently. Fat had never haunted the figure and it had certainly kept her younger looking. Her time was drawing to a close now, looking fourteen instead of eight didn?t attract them any more.

The times slowed, the painful visits didn?t happen quite so often, the men that spoke softly to her and called her names like ?princess? and ?doll?, vanished in to oblivion. Then, there was silence. A week in the dark, it was bliss, food was scarce but water could be lapped easily from the dampened walls. Strangely she was happy, her wrist which was always suspended above her head was numb, but her fingers could be wriggled and sleep against the cool walls was all she had ever wished for, sleep, away from the light.

The light flooded the basement and blue eyes turned upwards. Blue eyes filled with fear, no, she thought it had stopped, she could quietly leave the dark of her own accord and fly towards that fiery light, the light that didn?t scare her any more it came in times when she hurt and her heart sped rapidly, it was a place of safety but she always woke, woke back in the darkness. He was alone, something dangled from his hands, hitting the steps as he came down jangling metallically. Finally he reached her, looking down at the beautiful figure. Sixteen, without an ounce of fat, the ?exercises? she had performed all those dark years had left her legs and arms streaked with tense muscles. She had never been allowed to lay down her leg muscles strong from kneeling constantly. He reached forwards and cupped her chin raising those perfect blue eyes. He questioned if she could still see. He didn?t care she was pretty enough but of little use to him any longer. A length of leather was tied around her neck and for the first time in her existence, she was un-cuffed and led up the wooden stairwell via a dog lead and collar.

Her first step was but a stumble, she couldn?t stand properly but he yanked at her and she knew not to stumble again, he had chocked her doing that, her neck gave a crick but she swiftly scrambled after him. Her knees met unceremoniously with the wood and splinters dug deep in to her pale flesh. Her teeth nipped at her lips, she knew not to cry out, if, she cried out she would be hit. Her breaths became panicky. As they neared the light, the light where the men came from, where pain arrived. The door stood open and they walked through, she didn?t dare shield her eyes. She didn?t dare do anything except walk. Her eyes stung and dim, pale lights filtered down to her, she could indeed see, though her pure blue eyes couldn?t comprehend the shocking lights which shone from above.

The room before her was a large one, not particularly dirty, if anything it was well kept a receiving room for guests. They passed through this room swiftly and in to another a room full of comfortable sofas, chairs, and even a television. Not that she comprehended these things. She knew one piece of furniture, a bed, it sat in the corner of her ?dungeon? and when the men came, that, was where she went then back to her wall. A huge black man sat in the comfortable room reading a magazine, though it swiftly dropped when he saw them enter. He looked at the two, almost sternly over dark glasses.

He stopped, the man that was her father and she immediately fell to the ground hiding her eyes, her slender body raked in shivers. She said nothing, she lay silently waiting for her punishment. She had never been brought in to the light place before. All she expected was punishment.

Her father jerked the leash though and she skittered forwards and upwards choking as it was handed to the other man.

?you know, I would have thought you would provide some clothes? James raised a thick brow and grunted cricking his neck to the side making it make a cracking noise which broke the silence and could be rather unnerving to anyone.

The man that was her father smirked and reached for a couch throwing a blanket that lay there over the back at the little female ?it is dark, no one will notice, just go, you have what you came for.?

Colche jumped as the blanket hit her falling to the ground in a dramatic flail, her body laying flat against the floor. She had never worn clothes, let alone been handed a blanket.

The giant of a man grunted and reached down wrapping the blanket around her. ?I was never here? were his only words to the father that had abused her for her sixteen years of life as well as a rather dangerous glare over the dark shades.

Colche remained still, allowing the man to do as he pleased. She knew that if she moved she would be punished, if she spoke she would be punished. But, but where was she going ?please? she whispered at last ?Put the lights out? she chokes and tenses, afraid that would be her last word. She had said so few words in her life that this sentence was stuttered and it took a long time for her to string the few words together, she was not dumb, nor deaf, she was not blind, she had never been taught how to speak and when she did speak it usually encountered a swift beating, she expected nothing less than this now.

The man that was her father laughed aloud ?you will be in the light all the time now little pet, don?t disappoint the man he looks like he needs a little fun!? he laughs again as he walks to the large front door and swings it open ?she?s well trained she?ll keep you amused I?m sure!? he laughs again and the door slams behind them the echo of his laughter ringing through the courtyard before them.

James grunts never turning back to react to the slimy mans comments. The car door was already open and he laid her on the back seat of the car ?Don?t worry, you?ll be safe now? perhaps these sounded like words of encouragement to the black security guard but to Colche, they sounded frightful. She was in a place she didn?t know, in a thing she couldn?t describe, it was dark, which was slightly comforting, though lights flashed through the windows as they started to move away and she bunched up, hiding every inch of her body beneath the thick wool blanket.

The huge lack car drove away from the place and James sat in silence as he drove, listening to his passenger, not that she said a word but she certainly wasn?t the usual type the good doctor took on. He smirked, just a touch, the good Doctor seemed a little different of late of course. He chuckled to himself thinking the ?rescue? of this one must have been due to that female the Doctor had taken under his wing. Doctor Aubrey Lockhart, yes this certainly had her air about it. Ah well, who was he to question? He was just to fetch and deliver the dithering bundle, nothing more, and nothing less.

Said to be the fastest land mammel on the earth the cheetah is a beautiful beast. It once came very close to extinction and reached a bottle neck in their evolution. Most cheetahs look exactly the same but one stands out from the crowd, the king cheetah.

Reg Cheetah :



King Cheetah :



Note the differences in fur pattern. It is also said that the king cheetah is slightly larger than a regular cheetah.

What is a King cheetah?

Once regarded as a separate species, it is now known that it is a true cheetah but has a variation of pelt pattern. This fact was verified in 1981 with the birth at De Wildt of the first captive-born king cheetah.

What does the cheetah look like?

In the case of the normal-spotted variety, the general ground colour of the fur ranges from pale yellow to a golden tan which is broken with small round black spots which occur all over the pelt, except towards the end of the long white-tipped tail where the spots merge into rings. The king cheetah has stripes running down the length of its back, with spots merging into lozenge-shaped blotches over the rest of its body. Fur of both varieties is rough, short and smooth, with longer hair over the back of the neck and shoulders. Black tearlines run from the inner eye to below the nose, giving the animal its characteristic sad look. The muzzle is light in colour and very short; the ears are small and round. Supposedly the world's fastest mammal, the cheetah's gracefully slim body is built for speed; it has a small head, long legs and an oval-shaped tail that acts both as a rudder and for balance' back legs are lower than the shoulders, and between these two features the back sags slightly. Like those of a dog, the claws are readily visible - they can be retracted only partially and lack the protective sheaths found in other cat species. Other dog-like features are weak jaws, small canines, and paws with hard foot-pads making it difficult for them to climb or to jump from heights. Front paws have five digits, back paws have four. Eyes are large and a coppery brown in colour, though the colour may vary from animal to animal.

Weight (mass): about 35 - 60 kilograms; length: 1,8 - 2,2 metres; length of tail: 65 - 80 centimetres; shoulder height: 75 - 90 centimetres.

What does a cheetah eat?

As a carnivorous species it eats meat - but only the meat of a freshly killed animal. It favours small to moderately sized mammals - especially antelope - but also birds and rodents. It is known to eat birds as large as an ostrich.

How fast can a cheetah run?

Top speed is between 90 and 112 kilometres per hour, but this can be maintained only for short distances.

When and how does the cheetah kill?
The animal kills only for food (when hungry), and this happens every 3 days or so. Initially the cheetah stalks its prey, lying usually in long grass until it is within a short distance of its selected prey. It then dashes out from cover and chases the animal at high speed. Once the cheetah is within striking distance, it will sink its dew claws into the hindquarters of the prey and cause it to fall on the ground. The cheetah then swiftly moves up towards the neck of its prey and bites onto the animal's trachea or windpipe, high-up of the neck, just below the jawbone. It hold this position firmly, very quickly and efficiently strangling the animal.

What sounds do cheetahs make?

Defensive noises are hisses and growls, accompanied by spitting and stamping of front paws. High-pitched 'chirrup' and low 'churr' sounds are used for communication. Purring indicates companionship and this is often accompanied by face-licking.

What are the mating habits of the cheetah and how many cubs are there in a litter?

Females come into season throughout the year, though there are peaks which coincide probably with the availability of food. When in season, the female will deliberately urinate near males to attract a mate. After mating, the two do not remain together. Gestation lasts 91 to 95 days, after which a litter of between 1 and 6 cubs will be born. (Litters of 8 have been recorded). Like all members of the cat species, new-born cubs cannot fend for themselves.

Did you know:

* Cheetah have extremely keen eyesight and hunt predominantly by sight.
* Cheetahs do not usually climb trees, but they make use of low branches to gain elevation. They also climb trees to defecate or urinate.
* The cheetahs tongue is well adapted for licking as it is covered with an arrangement of papillae. These horny projections make this organ extremely rough.
* From a speed of 32km an hour a cheetah is able to stop in one single stride. The two front feet strike the ground more or less simultaneously and thereafter the hindfeet strikes the ground and all four feet are placed far to the front and the toes are spread.
* The black tear line, which is unique to the cheetah, extends from the eye to the upper lip, on each side of the face. It has been suggested that the tear lines help to cut down the glare from the sun.
* Cheetahs are not gregarious. They seldom form groups and the groups that do exist generally consist of a mother with cubs, or of a litter from which the mother has taken her leave.
* By the age of seven months the cubs begin taking part in hunts. The female will not kill the prey herself, but instead she will assist the cubs to do so, either by cutting off the escape route of the intended victim, or by bringing to the cubs a live prey animal that she has caught.
* Adult cheetah in captivity eat about 3 - 4 kg of red meat daily. Cheetah seldom eat the hard bone. Many captive cheetah are fed on whole unplucked chickens. It is considered by some that the feathers provide roughage in their diets.
* Cheetah breathing rates have a wide range, from 16 breaths a minute for a cheetah lying resting in the shade to 156 breaths a minute for another cheetah after chasing and catching a juvenile warthog.
* The tail is half the length of the body and is thought to act as a balancer or rudder and to assist the animal when making sharp turns. The tail is slightly flattened.
* The cheetah has 'track shoe' like claws that never receed in to their toes, these help them to reach their high, prey chasing speeds.