Ever since I was a kid I've always been absolutely enthralled by Cheetahs.
not so much by there speed but by their timid nature, the tear streaks upon their faces, and the bird-like chirp they have instead of a roar.
I had a school assignment that involved researching in the library, and fell across a children book that i really liked and wanted to share with you guys. The book was titled: "How The Cheetah Got It's Tears"
I wasn't able to find the actual story, but I found the same myth online >here<
a short version:
The headman continued, "The cheetah is one of the most unique animals found on this earth."
The cheetah ran and ran across the vast plains of the world. After a time of wandering the plains alone, the cheetah became lonely, and decided to look for friends of its own kind. One day, the cheetah, with its great eyesight, spotted some large cats off in the distance and eagerly went running as fast as she could toward these cats.The cat was a big male lion, and he roared out to the cheetah in a very low booming voice, "Who are you and what do you want?" The cheetah, which is much smaller in size than a lion and who by nature is a very shy and timid animal, said "I am lonely and have been searching the savannah trying to find friends of my own kind." The cheetah felt so sad that she started to cry. She was very lonely.
The cheetah did not realize that any other animals were near her. A giraffe had walked up quietly while the cheetah was crying. The giraffe, looking down at the cheetah with its big brown eyes, asked, "Why are you crying?" The cheetah was very surprised when the giraffe spoke. The cheetah looked up tearfully at the giraffe and proceeded to tell her sad story about the lions roaring and telling her she was not a cat, and the wild dogs chasing her and saying she was not a dog.
Sniffling, the cheetah said, "I have been sitting here crying, and I have cried so long and so hard--look at my beautiful face, the tears have burnt marks in my face."
A bird that was flying by the treeand saw the beautiful cheetah and chirped, "I have traveled throughout this land and you, cheetah, are the most splendid and unique of all the cats I have seen."
The headman concluded his story and said, "The cheetah has had spots ever since that lonely day. And it chirps like a bird to show how proud it is of being the most unique of all cats."
