Born Cheetah by Zenina Masters

Chapter One
     
     
    “And this one is from Rayna.” Leyline perched the huge box on her minimal lap and tore through the paper with the brightly coloured duckies on it.
    Rayna watched and tried not to bite her nails. She had picked out the shower gift with care. The otters were very fussy about what they needed for their offspring.
    She watched Leyline peer into the box and sighed in relief when she smiled.
    “Onesies, a diaper container, some freezable teething rings and a baby book! Thank you, Rayna.” Leyline started to cry, and her sister Augusta handed her a tissue then resumed writing the contents of the box for a thank you card once the baby was born.
    Rayna was almost trembling with relief. Some of the gifts had been bigger, some smaller, but she had never quite gotten things right with her adoptive family. A cheetah raised by otters was destined to be left out on occasion.
    She sat back and watched her two sisters as one opened and the other wrote and organized. Her mother came by and handed her a glass of punch. “You did well, Rayna.”
    Justine Samuels was a handsome woman, even in her late fifties. She had taken in her best friend’s child without hesitation when the accident that killed the Bakers left their daughter alone in the world. Every time Rayna saw her, there was a sense of gratitude that went through her in a wave.
    “Thanks, Mom.”
    Justine settled next to her and put her arm around Rayna’s shoulders. “No thanks necessary. You did well.”
    Rayna clapped with the rest of the gathering when two cousins brought forward the gliding rocker with the big yellow bow.
    “When is it going to be your turn, Rayna?” Her mother whispered it while the crowd was oohing and ahing.
    “When I find a man who doesn’t run, Mom. Or one who runs with me.” She swallowed. There was only one man she had ever met that could run with her, and Leyline had gotten there first.
    Of course, it wasn’t the man Leyline had married. Jonathon Tripper was a good man, a solid otter, and he would be a great father.
    “You will find him. How is life in the big city?”
    “Busy, fast paced, just how I like it.”
    “Do you get out to run?”
    “Whenever I can. Aunty Reggie meets me weekly for lessons, and we go on hunts when I need to.”
    Justine tightened her grip for a moment. “How is that working out?”
    “Fine. I don’t need to kill much. I prefer the chase.”
    Her mother swallowed. “Good. I know it was a concern.”
    Rayna put her arms around her mother and squeezed. “I know, and I am sorry.”
    “Never be sorry for your nature, Ray. You are what you are as we are what we are.”
    Rayna sat up again and smiled and clapped throughout the rest of the unwrapping until everyone rose to their feet and mingled.
    Thankfully, Augusta had braced Rayna for what was about to happen. She stood and a wave of schoolmates swirled and eddied around her, asking her about her life and had she met a male of her own species yet.
    Rayna spun out practiced responses and replied that her job kept her too busy to hunt for a mate. The moment she mentioned hunting, the questioner smiled nervously and wandered away.
    She tried not to smirk, but it was difficult. Finally, she was in a corner with Augusta, sipping punch and eating a tiny pink, blue and yellow sandwich. “Congrats, Gusty. This was an excellent shower.”
    “Thanks, Ray. It was an effort. Her moods are more unstable than a bathtub duck.”
    Rayna chuckled. “She always was high strung. Now, she must be borderline.”
    “Oh, she crossed the border a while ago. Now, she is heading for the next continent.” Augusta laughed then extended her legs and groaned.
    “Is there anything I can do?”
    “Pop your teeth and scare them all away?” Augusta looked up through thick black lashes.
    “If one more of them asks if I am dating one of my own kind, I will. I swear. Male cheetahs are arrogant, annoying and obsessed with sex.”
    “Just like you.” Augusta