[PRP] Friends, Right?

[Dagi]

(Mabozi v. Zoma <3)

It was another particularly uneventful day at the elephant graveyard. All was peaceful. All was still. That is, until crazed ball of energy flew through, sending up clouds of dust and shards of bones into the air. It was Mabozi, who else, aimlessly charging laps, burning off some of that endless energy that the male possessed.

However, today's energy wasn't his usual. Oh no, it was much more elevated. Mabozi had recently found out that his mother had given birth. Though he was fully an adult, Mabozi had no conception of this idea, but all he knew was that he had some brothers and a sister to play with. All his puphood, he'd been looking for someone to play with, and now, a year or so after the fact, he finally got his wish.

Slowing to a halt, Mabozi stopped to catch his breath. He plopped down next to a crumbling rib cage, flipping onto his back and letting his paws dangle in the air. His tounge lolled out of his mouth, flopping onto the dusty ground, picking up flecks of dirt and who knew what else. But it didn't seem to bother him, Mabozi was in an eternal good mood, nothing ever spoiled that.  

[chirigami]

Zoma's eyes wandered about her as she took careful steps around the bones that littered the pretty much every inch of the graveyard. As usual, things sure didn't look familiar - though, she just didn't remember things by sight anyways no matter where she went, and she did tend to go far and inbetween. She was probably one of the few hyena that could say she'd seen it all, if she remembered what all of it looked like. But really, all the bones looked the same anyway so it wasn't as if she was that dense.

The female shook her head of the digressing thoughts and stopped her pace, letting her gaze scan the large ribs and skulls before inhaling as much as she could. She took in a smaller breathe, her cobalt eyes widening just a little and lighting up just a little more. Sure, it didn't look familiar but it sure did smell it. Maybe finally she was close to the center most area, where BossLady was or at least on the right track to finding her way. ... but wait. Zoma sucked in a little more air through her nose, the scent.... another hyena.

Zoma's ears drooped slightly and she groaned. It wasn't anyone she knew, not like she would have wanted to encounter anyone she had previously encountered - even Mafa, she still remembered her tone of voice, but as it was a stranger she knew it couldn't be good as everyone she seemed to meet wanted to rip her face off; she would deny she had anything to do with it, she was being playful dammit. But, there could still.. maybe be the chance that they were nice. The hyena in the area did smell similar to familiar but not really all that close. She could chance it, maybe.

"Hello?" She called out, inwardly wincing as there was no way out of it now... unless they just didn't respond.  

[Dagi]

Voice! A voice! Mabozi stopped what he was doing immediately and popped up like a cork in water. Flecks of muddy spit spattered about as his head snapped back into position.

"Hallooooo?!"

Mabozi practically howled as he responded, his deep voice carrying a very childish tone. He turned a circle once, then again, and then again, until he had been spinning about, looking for the source of the voice for about a minute. The dusty male stopped, feeling rather dizzy and enauseated. He burped, shaking his head and stumbling away in Zoma's direction, not exactly sure what he was heading into.  

[chirigami]

Aa, a reply! Zoma's ears perked up, her body stiffened and raises every so slightly, enough for her to raise a forepaw. She wasn't really surprised that there was a response, these hyena seemed social albeit having a nasty attitude .... but this one, this was different. There was no aggression or bitter tone to the response.

This got Zoma excited, but not enough to bound as quickly as she could to where the voice seemed to come from. She didn't know exactly where they were, first of all, but it did bring a large smile to her maw. A friendly hyena?

The hyena took a step forward, his nose out and sniffing to smell out where the other was and another to her left until she too made a revolution where she had stopped. Damn sense of direction, she knew things were here but not here they were!

"I suck at this," she whined.  

[Dagi]

Two lost hyenas. Strange. But it was just the kind of luck Mabozi was in for. But, as his dizziness wore off, he found his bearings again. Mabozi was fairly excellent at knowing where he was when he was in the graveyard, he'd been born and raised her, the place was burned into his memory.

He stumbled about a bit more until his already jumbled head cleared. Still, there was no one around, that he could see. He sniffed, narrowing his eyes. Turning around, he followed his nose. It was a few seconds before he hit Zoma. Literally. In his daze, he bumped into the lost female.

"Dooooo-- WHY HELLO THAR!"

Mabozi had been in the midst of regretting walking into something, as usual, but then he noticed that thing he'd walked into hadn't been another bone structure, but another hyena. He hadn't had anyone to talk to in ages! Exciting day.  

[chirigami]

And thankfully, Zoma didn't get the idea of wandering off from her location - that could be a long en devour of never finding one another, her wandering and the other following and maybe never catching up. But, perhaps she should have moved or at least paid attention - still trying to pick up hi scent and wondering why it seemed to be getting closer until it was too late - as he bumped right into her.

"Aa!" The female's body stumbled a little, a little from the tiny impact but also since he startled her. "I'm sorry, I should have been more attentive," she giggled lightly, shaking her head and regaining ground. She put a sweet smile on her features, righting herself a little more and looked upon the other ... and blinked.

Huh .... he looks, well kind of like BossLady, not like she expected all hyena to be different in hue and pattern but she had yet to meet another with a similar scheme as the Alpha and he was noticeably different. Nah, just had to be a coincidence, really besides the pelt being rather common anyways.

"I'm Zoma," The last thought nearly now evaporated from her mind, "And you are?"  

[Dagi]

Mabozi didn't even note the female's apology, as he wasn't feeling regretful about anything. In fact, he didn't even remember. He watched her look him over, but it was only for a second, as his attention had already jumped.

Being already quite close to the female, he leaned in further and smiled his huge, goofy, infamous smile.

"M'Bozi. I'm M'Bozi!"

Seeing as he wasn't a little pup anymore, his mannerisms might've been deemed slightly creepy, he was an adult afterall, but he didn't seem to notice. In Mabozi's mind, he was still a pup, prancing around, playing, being a goof. It wasn't going to change.

He backed up slightly, looking over Zoma in return, trying to imprint her in his memory, though it probably wouldn't work unless he spent more time with her. Mabozi had the memory of a goldfish. Just about. Tail wiggling furiously behind him, he smiled more,

"ZomaZomaZoma! You live here? With me? With MaMa?"  

[chirigami]

Oh, how Zoma's eyes just lit up like the new dawning sun. He wasn't attacking her, sneering, snorting, jeering or stealing her lunch. No, he was happy, energetic - wow, maybe even a little too much for her, but now she didn't care - and was maybe even pleased to meet her? The female would have been spouting tears of joy if she wasn't already preoccupied of keeping up with his energy levels and feeding off of them.

"M'Bozi~" She repeated in a stern little voice like with everyone she met, it needed to sound right to her even though she was going to try out a nickname on him. Oh goodness, and maybe he wouldn't get defensive about it like all the others, and like it. Oh glee.

"I think I do, I kind of just live anywhere in the graveyard really ~wherever I want." And she was rather proud of that, having no set home. "Mama?" Huh, maybe that lost thought was right ... if he did look like her, so she chanced it, "Is BossLady your mother, Bubbles?" Her eyes were big when she asked and her black tail wagged behind her, rather excited first with the question and then with the nickname she had thought of. Hopefully he'd like it, but if not then she'd so try another.  

[Dagi]

Mabozi beamed as Zoma repeated his name, that goofy grin plastered on his face like a beacon. He'd never met her before, but she seemed much more willing to play than anyone else around here. What a chance encounter.

"Rahlly?! I li'e where'er tooooo!"

Mabozi's whole body wriggled in excitement as he wagged his scraggly tail. He cackled lightly, in joy, and ran a circle around his new companion. So she was part of the pack! Basically family! His ears perked as she spoke, head tilting in a silly looking manner to the side. Bosslady? Bubbles? Who were these folk? Was she talking about his MaMa?

"MaMa, she boss! MaMa lea's pack, 'ery proud!"

His dark eyes lit up as a few synapses in his head clicked together. This 'Bubbles', maybe that was what she was calling him. A nickynamey! How flattering! Without thinking further, he bunny hopped over to Zoma, draping a paw over her shoulder in an affectionate gesture. He grinned wide, perhaps she needed a nickname too, but Mabozi wasn't too stellar at thinking.

"Buuuuubbles!"  

[chirigami]

As he pranced and circled her - odd, now it seemed only males did this to her? second time now - she could help but giggle openly at his antics. "Don't get dizzy! that would be bad 'cause then you'll get all sick and stuff and maybe fall over ~"

"So she is!" Zoma couldn't help but beam back at the hyper male as he made his short reply about his mother, this was the pup she had herd about so long ago. The one she had missed meeting when he was born. Oh, this seemed to make up for it in her mind, to at least meet him now. "How is BossLady Mafa? I haven't seen her in foooorever!" And to learn about how the Alpha was doing would be so exciting to learn about too! And maybe if she was in luck, she was close to then further find out too. The female was so long overdue with re-encountering her leader.

But these thoughts floated away as she blushed from the contact. No other hyena had come this close - let alone laid any paw upon her - without expressing some need to do some ill intent and it sort of worried her for a moment, her smile dropping and her eyes wide and her body tensed. ... but it honestly didn't seem he would something like that to her and she managed to relax and pull her smile back up to almost the same intensity. Her cobalt eyes looked elsewhere for a moment, "Do.. you like it? I can totally call you something else if you want ~"  

[Dagi]

Mabozi couldn't help but laugh at Zoma's suggestion. Dizzy? That was the best part of spinning, getting dizzy! He rather enjoyed the swirling in his head. Mabozi had no idea that this female had known his mother for so long, or that she'd been around when he was born, heck, he'd only just met her. But he liked her. That was for sure. A positive energy radiated from his new companion, and Mabozi thrived off of that.

"MaMa, doin' goo'! Guess wha'? I gots new bro'ers, and sis'er, now, too!"

Mafa's new litter was an aspect of extreme joy for the male. Now he had a whole brood to play with and entertain. It was going to be great. Well, at least once they started walking.

Had Mabozi been in a calmer mind set, he might've noticed Zoma grow uncomfortable at his touch. But alas, he was ever oblivious and made no move to remove himself from her vicinity. Mabozi really had no conception of what malinent was, or what taking advantage meant. Others in his head surely did, but Mabozi was blissfully unaware of them as well.

"Like? No like.... LOVE!"  

[chirigami]

Zoma couldn't help but giggle at him some more, slowly easing herself into a comfort level with his paw draped upon her. He obviously wasn't going to do anything to her by now and probably, hopefully, never. It was a gesture of friendship it seemed.

"Siblings? Aa, how exciting!" She exclaimed after deciphering what he had told her, "You're being good to them, right? You have to be good to them since you're their older brother ~" She teased, giggling once again to also hide her deepening blush over the compliment of the nickname she had bestowed upon him. It filled her with happiness, for once that something would stick.  

[Dagi]

Mabozi beamed down at his new friend, glad to be finally making someone laugh. He had noticed that with all the other hyenas he usually bummed around with. They were all reluctant to even put a smile on. It was almost disheartening, but Mabozi didn't let it get him down.

At her words, he smiled sweetly, feeling all warm and fuzzy inside. He had only seen his new brothers and sister shortly before Mafa had chased him off, but he already loved them immensely. He'd be the best big brother ever. Teach them everything he knew!

"Yah! Be 'ery goo'! Imma be goo' big brother!"

Mabozi puffed his chest up, looking all proud and quite happy with himself. Yes, he'd be a great big brother. He had to be!

"Does tha' have any bro'ers or sis'ers?"  

[chirigami]

"That's good, or then I'd have to swat you on the head but I bet BossLady would probably beat me to it," Zoma smiled widely and sighed.

"Tha'?" An eyebrow quirked a little, but seemingly as they were alone it probably meant her, "I don't, well I did but not anymore. They died a long time ago," Still, the smile remained even with the sad little bit of information about herself. She got over it long ago after all and it didn't really bother her. A family would be something nice to have, she always thought, and maybe someday she could make her own once again.
 

[Dagi]

Mabozi smiled pleasantly as she spoke, listening to her whole heartedly. He nodded knowingly, sighing lightly,

"MaMa say I 'ad ano'er sis'er, when I wa' born. Born dead, MaMa say. Maiti, jus' dead now."

He squinted a little, trying to recall what his mother went on about when she was in a sour mood. The heir that never was. Maiti, she had been named, and of course, Mafa put the blame of the female's death on Mabozi. Taking up too much room in the womb, being too big, too stupid, whatever she could think of to displace the blame. It was a good thing, however, that Mabozi didn't absorb any of it, and alas, his chipper attitude never faultered.

Suddenly, Mabozi gasped. He lept up, away from Zoma and did a few bunny hops in front of her. He was talking in some kind of gibberish, obviously too excited to put what he was thinking into words. But finally, he was able to put a few words together,

"I know! We can go see! Go see my bro'ers and sis'er, an' they can be tha's too! Le's go. Le's go see 'em, Zoomie!"

Mabozi simply exclaimed with glee, being very proud of this idea. Seemingly, in his head, he'd morphed Zoma into Zoomie, but it could be taken in regards of an affectionate nickname. The pack was his life, his family, it made him perfectly happy, and he wanted to share that joy with his new friend.