Hi,
This is Cara Bloom.
I love telling stories that light up children's imaginations while gently calming their busy minds and growing bodies at the end of a long day.
Tonight we're traveling far across the wide African savanna where golden grass moves softly in the evening wind and tall acacia trees stretch their branches towards the sky.
It's a story about two young friends,
A cheetah and a leopard,
Who spend the day learning from one another.
They discover that even though they are different,
They can admire each other's strengths,
Try new things,
And grow together.
So settle in somewhere cozy,
Let your shoulders soften,
Take a slow breath in,
And a long breath out.
And when you're ready,
We'll begin our quiet journey across the savanna.
The cheetah and the leopard learn to run and climb.
A savanna bedtime story about two friends learning from each other.
Late afternoon light stretched across the wide savanna.
The kind of golden light that slowly deepens as the day prepares to rest.
Through the tall grasses,
From one direction came a mother cheetah and her young cub walking quietly across the warm earth.
From another direction,
Beneath the shade of the acacia trees,
Came a mother leopard and her playful cub,
Moving softly through the dappled light.
The two mothers noticed one another and paused peacefully beneath the wide branches of an acacia tree.
The cheetah's mother lowered herself into the tall grass to rest,
And the leopard's mother climbed easily onto a strong branch above them.
Both mothers watched their young ones with calm,
Knowing eyes.
Stay where I can see you,
The cheetah's mother gently said.
Explore if you like,
The leopard's mother added softly,
But stay near.
The two young cubs padded a short distance away,
Curious and full of the quiet energy that comes near the end of a long day.
The young cheetah loved to move,
His long legs always seemed ready to stretch and run.
His tail flicked with excitement whenever something new caught his attention.
The young leopard moved more slowly.
She liked to watch the world carefully.
The birds in the trees,
The insects in the grass,
And the quiet ways the savannah changed as the day softened towards evening.
Tall golden grasses swayed slowly in the warm wind,
Whispering against one another like quiet waves.
Acacia trees dotted the landscape,
Their branches wide and gentle against the sky.
In the distance,
A small group of giraffes moved slowly between the trees.
Their long necks swayed peacefully as they searched for leaves in the fading light.
Farther away,
A family of elephants walked quietly across the savannah,
Their slow footsteps almost silent in the soft evening dust.
Soon,
Beneath the shade of the acacia tree,
The two young animals noticed one another,
Sitting nearby.
The cheetah shifted his paws with eager curiosity.
The leopard simply watched him for a moment,
Calm,
Thoughtful.
Then she gave a small,
Friendly nod.
Not far away,
Their mothers remained close by,
Resting and watching quietly.
The two young animals had wandered only a little distance away to a nearby smaller acacia tree,
Its trunk a little crooked,
Its low branches stretching outward like open arms,
A perfect tree for climbing and exploring,
But still close enough to know their mothers were nearby.
The young cheetah,
With his long,
Graceful legs,
Had black tear marks running from his eyes down to the sides of his mouth.
The young leopard sat smaller but strong,
With beautiful rosette spots scattered across her golden fur.
The two friends sat quietly,
Watching the grass ripple in the evening breeze.
The cheetah flicked his tail and said proudly,
I am the fastest runner in all the savannah.
The leopard tilted her head.
I know,
She said with a quiet smile.
My mother told me cheetahs are the fastest land animals in the world.
The cheetah puffed out his chest just a little.
Some cheetahs can run faster than a car on a road.
The leopard's eyes widened.
That is very fast.
The cheetah nodded.
My body is built for running.
My long legs help me stretch far with every step.
The leopard thought about this.
My body is built for climbing.
The cheetah blinked.
Climbing?
The leopard looked up at the smaller acacia tree beside them,
The one with the crooked trunk and low branches.
Yes,
And she began to expertly maneuver her way up the trunk.
Leopards are very strong climbers.
My mother says we can carry food up into trees to keep it safe.
The cheetah watched his friend climbing.
I have never climbed a tree before,
He admitted.
The leopard smiled as she jumped down,
And I have never run very fast.
They looked at each other.
Then the cheetah's eyes brightened.
I could teach you to run,
And I could teach you to climb.
The warm savannah wind moved gently across the grass,
Breathing slowly across the land,
In and out,
Like the savannah itself was breathing.
For a few quiet moments,
Neither of them spoke.
Above them,
The sky slowly shifted from warm gold to deeper shades of orange and rose.
The cheetah stretched his long legs and slowly stood up.
Watch carefully,
He said.
Then he began to run.
First slowly.
Step,
Step,
Step,
Then a little faster.
Step,
Step,
Step,
Step,
Step,
Step.
The warm savannah wind brushed soft through his fur.
In and out,
In and out,
And then still faster.
Stride,
Glide,
Stride,
Glide.
His body flowed across the land like wind moving through the open savannah.
When the cheetah returned,
He was breathing a little faster,
But he looked very happy.
That was incredible,
The leopard said.
Now you try.
The leopard stepped into the grass.
She ran,
But her steps were shorter,
And soon she slowed and stopped,
Breathing softly.
Running fast takes practice,
The cheetah said kindly.
My body is not built like yours,
The leopard said,
But I did feel the wind.
The savannah seemed to pause with them.
The sun slipped lower in the sky,
Long shadows stretching across the land.
Daytime animals beginning to wander towards their resting places.
Take a slow breath in and a gentle breath out.
Now it's my turn to teach you,
The leopard said.
She padded towards the smaller tree.
Her claws touched the bark.
Slowly,
Smoothly,
She began to climb.
Up the trunk,
Up past the low branches,
Until she rested comfortably on a branch.
How did you do that?
The cheetah asked.
Our claws can retract and extend,
She explained.
It helps us hold on to the tree.
The cheetah tried.
He slipped.
He tried again,
And slid down gently into the grass.
They both laughed softly.
Maybe we are not meant to be the same,
The cheetah said.
Maybe,
The leopard replied,
We are meant to learn from each other.
Soon,
The light began to fade.
The two young friends walked back towards their mothers.
The sky deepened into soft shades of violet and blue.
Fireflies blinked quietly among the branches.
Crickets began their evening song.
Take another slow breath in and gentle breath out.
The stars appeared one by one in the wide sky.
The cheetah curled beside his mother,
While the leopard climbed into the branches above her mom.
The savannah grew quiet.
The savannah grew peaceful,
And the savannah grew ready for sleep.
The wind softly breathing across the land,
In and out.
The animals growing still.
The stars shining quietly above the wide open sky.
The night settling gently over the savannah.
The mothers resting.
The cubs sleeping.
The wind soft and slow,
In and out.
Now,
Very softly,
It is time for sleep.
