While they were working on the boat, Fluttershy noticed something in the grass. That thing in the grass was a big cat cub. The cub had black spots, had pointed ears, a light brown fur coat, and long, skinny, cheetah-like legs.
"Hey guys, come look at this!" said Fluttershy
Everyone else came over to where Fluttershy was, and they too saw the cub. The cub hid in the grass, hoping it wouldn't be noticed by them. Fluttershy walked over to it to try to comfort it.
"Don't worry sweetie, they won't bite." Said Fluttershy
The cub slowly came out of the grass, and Fluttershy was able to pick up the cub.
"Aaaaawwwww, it's so adorable!" squealed Sunset Shimmer
"Cutest puma cub I've ever seen!" squealed Rarity
"And the weirdest, look at it's legs!"
"Wait a minute, skinny legs, looks like a cougar cub, this must be a Miracinonyx!" said Twilight
"A Mira-what now?" asked Rainbow Dash
"A Miracinonyx, it was a cat closely related to the cougar, but it had the speed of a cheetah." Answered Twilight
"That's nice to know, but we have to find the mother." Said Banda
"He's right, I know exactly how that mother probably feels right now." Said Kama
Once again, everyone else looked at her like she was the weirdest person ever.
"Okaaaaaaay then, Tulu, Rainbow, and I will find the mother, the rest of you look after it." Said Banda
Banda's group was off, with Rainbow Dash taking to the sky to get an aerial view. While the girls were trying to get the boat together, the cub turned out to be more difficult to look out after then they thought, and it did nip onto Sunsets leg.
"OWWW" shouted Sunset
"No no no, we don't bite people's legs, no we do not!" said Kama sternly
The cub let go, but there was a good reason for that behavior.
"You must be hungry, and you're old enough to eat meat so one of us will have to hunt." Said Kama
"Wow, you seem to know what you're doing." Said Sunset
"Let's just say I've got experience." Replied Kama
"Wait, you've raised cubs before?" asked Applejack
"Yes, but I'll tell you later. Gotta get him some food." Answered Kama
"Well let me make a spear for ya real quick." Said Applejack
"I really hope this boat doesn't get destroyed or flipped over by a strong current." Said Twilight
"Me too, I hate getting wet." Said Kama
When Applejack finished the spear and gave it to Kama, Kama went off into the plains in search of a proper meal. Meanwhile, Banda and his group were still searching for the mother.
"See anything Rainbow?" asked Banda
"I don't see any cats at all, just herds of herbivores." Answered Rainbow Dash
Tulu went on ahead, he used his keen sense of smell, and he found something he dreaded seeing.
"Hey guys, come look at this!" said Tulu
They went over to Tulu, and they saw what he found, which was the dead body of a female Miracinonyx. The corpse had puncture marks in the neck, and Banda smelled the scent of another feline.
"Must be the mother, poor little guy." Said Banda
"That's horrible!" said Rainbow Dash
"Come on, we must tell the others." Said Tulu
When they got back, Kama had retured from the hunt, which she brought back a pronghorn, and the cub was eating the meat. They noticed Banda's group wasn't looking so pleased.
"Whatever is the matter darlings?" asked Rarity
"We found the mother, but she's dead. Killed by a bigger feline." Answered Banda
"Oh my, how dreadful!" said Rarity
Kama, overhearing this, began to tear up, holding the cub up close to her. Pinkie Pie deflated, and the cub looked like it was wondering what just happened with Pinkie.
"So.....what's gonna happen to the little guy now?" asked Pinkie Pie
"Perhaps we could take him with us?" suggested Rarity
"No, he's a wild animal, he can't come with us." Said Twilight
"But I'm a wild animal, and I'm coming with you." Argued Tulu
"Well the thing is, you can talk, so you can get along with people just fine. This little guy on the other hand can't, and if we brought him back with us, then tons of people would come here, and many animals around the world already have to worry about people killing them. Besides, if they went to the first place we were, many people would be killed. We just can't let that happen." Explained Twilight
"So what do you think we should do then?" asked Banda
"I have an idea, maybe we can the cubs father." Answered Twilight
"What are you talking about Twilight? Male lone cats don't care for their own cubs!" said Kama
"That's exactly what scientists thought until a male tiger in Ranthambore National Park in India raised his two female cubs after their mother died. Plus, we don't know for sure if male Miracinonyx were caring dads or not, so that's an open question
"Well what are standing around for? Let's go!" said Tulu
They were off once again, hoping to find a male Miracinonyx in the area. Just before sunset, they found one, and they let the cub go. The cub ran up, and the male rubbed on him, meaning that this individual was indeed the cubs father. The gang left soon after that. At the time they got back to the boat, they decided to make a fire and eat some more fish. One that night, there was one particular thing on Sunsets mind.
"Kama, you said you raised cubs before, and you also said you've seen lions even though you lived in a place lions don't live, and you said you hate getting wet. Mind explaining why?" asked Sunset Shimmer
What they heard next, they would have never thought to ever hear about a person's past. Kama looked at everyone, and told them what they wanted to know.
"This may sound crazy, but...at one time.....I was a cheetah." Answered Kama
Everyone had their eyes wide open in amazement, and their jaws hanging.
"I was born in the savanna, I was the only one in my litter. My mom was sitting on a huge termite mound one day while I was playing, she told me to hide. She saw lions coming, she went towards while I hid in the long grass. She tried to use her speed to escape and distract them from me. Little did she know that there was another lion waiting in ambush, and before she could even try to escape it, the lion caught her and grabbed her by the neck, and I heard the sounds of her screeching in pain, the lion broke her neck, and she died. I stayed hidden the rest of the night, with lions, hyenas, and leopards hunting at night, I had to stay quiet, despite my urge to cry. In the morning, I was rescued by some humans who took me to a place they called a sanctuary, where they took care of me and taught me how to hunt. When I became an adult, they released me back into the wild, and I had my own territory. There were three males that were interested in me, the strongest one is the one I liked, and I eventually had my first litter of cubs, which were two boys. I loved them with all my heart, and I would do anything for them. But one day, I came back from a hunt, only to find two male lions with my little boys in their jaws. They saw me, so I had to run away, luckily I escaped. I cried the whole night, the next day, I was just walking, but then I was captured by bad humans, they caught me in a net, and then put me in a cage and put me in the back of a truck and drove onto a plane. Eventually, they brought Banda into the truck, but he was able to escape. When we got to the jungle, I was finally able to escape, at first I was struggling to survive in the jungle, but then an elderly shaman man came to me, and with his magic, he turned me into a teenage human girl, and he passed away soon after and my fear of fire eventually went away, and I lived in the jungle until I met you guys." Said Kama
"That explains EVERYTHING!" said Applejack
"Kama, I'm sorry to hear about your losses, but when we get to our destination, you can live with Banda and I, we decided to get our own place soon after he killed the horse." Said Tulu
"Thank you." Said Kama before hugging Tulu tightly.
"Your welcome kid." Said Tulu
It was getting late, and the gang went to sleep for the night. Meanwhile, there was some glowing nearby, it was coming from Kama's spearpoint, Applejack apparently made it out of a teleportation rock, these rocks only work when a person makes them into a carving or a weapon, and a red aura formed around the gang, and it teleported them to another riverbank, in another region in Bakula.
MIRACINONYX
Height: half a meter tall at the shoulder
Length: more than a meter long
Weight: probably 50 kg or more
Miracinonyx is one of the fastest big cats in Bakula. They can run up to a top speed of 85 km per hour, but they don't have much stamina. They hunt during the hottest part of the day when the other predators are less active, so it can avoid them at all costs because while these cats are deadly, they're at the bottom of the large predator hierarchy in the plains. The larger predators and packs of Gongers will kill these cats in order to eliminate the competition. However, these cats have been known to kill solitary Gongers when they get the chance. The favorite prey of Miracinonyx are Pronghorns, and these cats are the main reason pronghorns are fast to begin with. Miracinoyx fossils have been found in North America, but they managed to come into Bakula when there was a landbridge between Bakula and North America.