Mmmm. This was the life.

Tukutu had managed to find himself a meal. Sure, it was jsut the scraps of someone else's, but when they left it behind it became public property. And since he was the one taht found it, it became his property. Whoever had left it behind had certainly left enough for him to get quite a fill, and for this he snickered with glee. Sucker.

As he relished in his evening meal, he let his mind wander a bit. Mmm, good food would always do that to a poor soul like himself. He felt so spoiled, but that was mostly for the fact that he rarely went off to catch his own meals, and even more less often went to bed full.




Mbezi sneered. He couldn't put it into words how much he hated Tukutu. There wasn't a real reason that he could pin down, but the flames of hatred were always licking around his heart. It probably had to do with his mother. He got all the attention that Mbezi craved. Sure, it was never good attention, and never very much, but it was more than what the younger hyena could claim. The memories of that always fueld his hatred. Looking at him, so smug and content. It was disgusting.

Sliding in, he decided that it was finally time to do something about it.

"Disgusting creature," he spat, his hair raised as he snarled at the older hyena. "You're not fit to be here in Mother's pack. You're nothing but a disgrace, worthless. Dragging it all down with your laze."



Tuk's ears perked up. Him. Tukutu never had anything personal against this one son of Mafa's, but he always harassed him. And it was getting old, quite fast. He sneered back, hovering over his meal like it meant more than his life. It was his, he wasn't giving it back.

"Fool," he said darkly. "Yer th' one tha's useless." The signature hyena laugh kicked in at this point, raising the call that there would be a fight brewing. That would probably get the foolish male to run away. All talk, but no bite. That was how many of the males were here, at least of his generation. What happened to the ferocity of the hyena? It had been lost. It might be time to display what it really meant.




"Ahahahaha!" Mbezi replied with a laugh of his own, returning the threat that there might be a fight soon. His eyes were shining with hatred as he glared at the male, almost so similar in colour to him. It was disgusting. He would ruin that pelt, ruin that creature and drive him into the earth where he belonged. Nothing but waste!

Mbezi's mind was growing too quickly out of control, the emotions forcing him to do things that he never thought twice on. The edges of insanity were clinging to him, and still he continued to go with it. Everything pointed at Tukutu. If only...if only....then everything would be perfect. He would never have to worry about anything else again. It would be magical.



Tukutu's ears perked forward, but only for a moment before they were back against his skull. Something was wrong. There was something off in his cry, something that bothered the older male. He knew that there was nothing he could do about it though; it was either right back of risk the change of severe injury. He wasn't a fool enough to worry about anyhting else but saving his own skin off his neck. This wasn't going to be a pretty battle, and he certainly wasn't going to take the blame for it if anything happened.

He pressed the circling, forcing Mbezi to move. Starting the cicle of the fight. He dreaded it, but knew that he had more experience than the lazy 'prince', Mbezi.




Mbezi cackled. The fool, he took it! He gladly jumped into the circling start of the fight, already knowing how this would turn out. The fool! He continued on his charade, competely content with the fact that he would kill him. Yes, kill. That would be the only way to even do all of this!

"You should have died long ago, Tukutu. Only your laze in life is what has saved you so far. Fool, fool!" He cackled again, though he had tripped, catching himself at the last minute. THe foolish hyena didn't take it as a sign, though. Instead, he decided to use that trip to start the attack. "Die Tukutu!"


---

The fight blurred into one large lump of grey hyena. If anyone witnessed it, it would be hard for them to tell who was doing what. Tukutu felt the first bit of blood soak to his fur, the pain ebbing away as the survival instinct kicked in. The foolish younger one could feel that his insanity might be thwarting his plans, but still he continued. It went on for longer than it should have, one that would certainly prove that there would be no true victor.

Snarls swirled the air as more bits of blood drenched the ground below them. The dust managed to hide most of their movements, and one would slip outside of the cover of the dust showing the wounds in the battle.

FInally, finally, there was silence. As the dust settled it was obvious who the major victor was.

And if anyone witnessed, they might be surprised. Or they might now, mattering on who they liked more.

The winner turned out to be Tukutu.

He didn't emerge without scars, though. There was a deep gash in his thigh, dust and dirt clinging to the wound from the sticky blood. He was exhausted, the adrenaline of the fight slowly starting to ooze out of his system. His form was hunched over, but he was the one that was standing, even if awkwardly. He had many other smaller cuts all along his body, ones that would heal quickly.

Mbezi...was not so lucky.

The fight had not done him well. It was obvious that he would become a cripple. His right foreleg was nearly ripped to shreds, skin clinging to what was left of some of his muscles. There were bits of gore that were hanging off of what was left, and it was obvious that he would be lucky to survive from such a wound. He was huddled on the ground, nearly whimpering. He had a scratch across the broad of his nose, the blood confusing his line of sight as he tried to keep his head up.

Of course, he didn't want to pick his head up, he lost.

---

Tukutu knew that he would recover, even if it would be a while. He narrowed his eyes at the loser, knowing that the fool must feel shame that the older hyena let him go with his life. He would never live the same again, but hopefully some sanity would return in his form. For now, all he cared about was finding a place to sleep off the fatigue. He'd deal with his wound...somehow tomorrow. Cleaning it and just sleeping sounded wonderful.

Slowly he made his way to his broken skull, crashing into it and sleeping soundly. The hyena had proven that he wasn't completely worthless today.



Mbezi, on the other hand, merely stayed where he was, in shock. The pain put him into an odd fever, and so he slept where he was, within his blood and dirt. He would...do something. He didn't know what. All he knew what that he might be worthless from now on.

It was like his life ended, and something else began.