The Turtles and the Cheetah

Many years ago, though it may seem hard to believe, turtles were the fastest creatures on Earth. They dashed around the globe, outpacing even the hyperactive hummingbird. To show their superiority over the other creatures of the world, every year the turtles held a race, where they invited every creature in the world so they could beat them and show their power. The Turtles even bet their immense speed on the race. After many years of beating every animal on the Earth, a Cheetah decided to win the race and steal the turtles' speed. The Cheetah visited the wisest animals in the land, trying to procure a way to beat the turtles in a race. The search for a way to beat the turtles took the Cheetah across the land until the Cheetah came across a wise Woodpecker. The Woodpecker listened to the Cheetah's plea for help and agreed to aid the Cheetah in the race. Until the day of the race, the Cheetah and the Woodpecker spent their time training and planning for the event. The day of the race, the turtles once again bragged about their incredible speed. As all of the animals lined up for the race, the Woodpecker flew ahead on the course and began to roll boulders into a large wall. Earlier, the Woodpecker and the Cheetah had moved many large boulders to where the Woodpecker was building. Though the work was tiring and very long, the Woodpecker was somehow able to roll the boulders into a wall while the turtles spent their time flaunting their speed. The Cheetah spoke up, complimenting the turtles and encouraging them to go on showing their speed. As such, when the race actually began, the turtles had tired themselves out from their show. However, when the race began, the turtles still ran on ahead, easily surpassing all the other animals. But the turtles ran too quickly. They ran so quickly that when they came upon the wall, they were too quick to stop themselves. The turtles ran headlong into the wall, knocking themselves out. The Cheetah and the other animals eventually came across the wall. Though the other animals were unable to climb the wall, the Cheetah sprang up the wall easily, continuing the race. By the time the turtles had regained consciousness and the other animals had gotten over the wall, the Cheetah had almost made it to the end of the race. The turtles climbed over the rock wall with difficulty and regained their pace. They passed the rest of the animals and were on the tail of the Cheetah. However, the Cheetah had one more trick up their sleeve. Using their tail, the Cheetah kicked up a cloud of dust, blinding the turtles and causing them to spiral into one of the canyon walls. After the turtles had been dispatched, the Cheetah triumphantly crossed the finish line. That is why today, cheetahs are one of the fastest animals on Earth, while turtles are now one of the slowest.