[PRP] Its Always Home (Fupa x Marion)

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So..."graveyard" apparently meant "place where dead things rot". All in all, a strange enough place for any creature to make its home, but Marion supposed that, as hyenas were scavengers, it made a gruesome kind of sense. Still, this was a place unlike any other she'd ever seen or passed through. Adults made their dens in the massive skulls left behind by elephants, pups ran along vertebrae and hid behind ribs...it was adorably grotesque.

And everywhere she looked there were signs of a struggle in the not-too-distant past. Many who had been injured and now went through life with lasting disabilities. Many scars that had only just lost that angry red look. Many with the dull eyes of those who had seen too much death, lost too many close to them.

The markings some had by birth certainly didn't help, the red hyena decided, looking at one female who was mostly white...save for her hind feet and two marks that tracked like tears down her cheek. Marion had been alarmed at first sight, for the other's markings were the same red as blood.  

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She watched the bone roll toward her and set a paw on top of the broken old thing to keep it from rolling further. She wasn't entirely certain why an adult would be collecting and piling the splinters like a pup, but there had to be some sort of explanation.

"I take it this is yours?" Marion offered neutrally.  

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Splints? She knew what those were. Pieces of wood that kept broken limbs aligned so that they healed straight. But these hyenas used bones? Well, not a bad idea, living in this place. Splinters and shards of bone were everywhere, here. It was an interesting concept.

"I met Masuko and she gave me leave to stay three days," the red hyena replied, amusement twisting her lips slightly. The Alpha was a force to be recokened with, yes, but that didn't stop her from seeming a bit...overenthusiastic when she was out of sight.  

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Her ears twitched slightly as Marion caught the other hyena's near slip. Masuko didn't often allow strangers to stay, even temporarily? It was true that this pack was smaller than it could be, from what she'd seen, but she couldn't help wonder what it was the white hyena had been about to say instead.

"I've seen many who will be maimed for the rest of their lives," she replied quietly, thinking back on those unfortunate ones. Blinking, she refocused to answer the question.

"It's different from everything I've ever seen," the red hyena related slowly. "But I've still got two days to decide whether I like it or not."  

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Hmmm. If she had to hazard a guess, Marion would guess that the injuries were the result of some conflict with lions. Lions that Masuko couldn't stand. She couldn't quite gauge the white hyena's opinion, but assumed that this one didn't feel quite as strongly as the Alpha.

She was also modest, admitting that she was not the best healer around. There were stories there, Marion was sure, about those this hyena had been unable to save.

The red hyena "hemmed" as the other pointed out a good and bad point each for the elephant graveyard. "Comfortable" wasn't quite the word she'd use, and water was a telling factor. These were reasons to pass on by after the next two days were done.

Huh. It seemed as if she was hoping for reasons to stay. Curious. What was it about this place, this pack then?  

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Marion watched the other hyena move around, collecting her bones. They were interesting choices and she could see the use of them as splints. Personally, she liked objects that were less...straight and plain. But she only observed such items, etching them in her memory as she passed on by.

"Why are you so protective of those bone splinters?" The question was out before the red hyena even realized she meant to speak. It was not the question she'd intended to ask.  

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There were people who...lived off collecting bones? Marion presumed they weren't limited to that material, but the very concept was...well, eye-opening. It certainly wasn't a trade a rogue could pull off, when simply carrying yourself was all you could manage in the harsher places of the world. It was, in short, something the red hyena would love to do, if only she had the chance.

She nodded in understanding of what the white hyena had said. "It's occurred to me, I've been asking you questions and none that important. What's your name? I'm Marion."

Probably best to be friendlier if she was going to be neighbor and competition to this female. There was no more doubt. She was here to stay. And collect whatever odd objects caught her fancy.