title: Cheetahs (Revised Edition) (Nature Watch)
author:  Dianne M. MacMillan 
description: Dianne MacMillan, a former elementary-school teacher, is an accomplished author who has published both fiction and nonfiction children's books. She also pens articles for juvenile magazines and regularly visits classrooms to talk with children about her writing experiences.
zlib_text: 
  
  
  ![Golden Eyes](images/cover.png)
  
  
  
  
  
  Chapter One
  
  
  A long hiss escaped the jowls of the cat as she hunkered down amongst the
  rocks and thick shrubbery. Low chirps echoed across the fog-laden ground, and
  even the human inside the beast could not call back the frightened sounds.
  
  
  She panted, her breath forming puffs in the frigid morning air. The burst of
  speed she'd needed to escape her pursuers had drained her. She lacked the
  energy to go much further, but it was imperative that she find safety.
  
  
  Her gaze focused on a ponderosa pine several yards away. Cheetahs were ill-
  equipped to climb trees, but there were enough low-lying branches that she
  could scramble toward the top and hide in the dense foliage.
  
  
  She sprang from her hiding spot and ran for the tree on stealthy paws. Fatigue
  burned every muscle, but she couldn't succumb to the need for rest. Not yet.
  They were coming for her, and they would kill her.
  
  
  With sagging energy, she jumped to the lowest branch. Her claws dug i