Today was one of the rare days that Awendela would leave her tiny oasis in order to scavange or hunt. It had been four days since she’d last left, though she had managed to return home, triumphant with a large piece of a gnu carcass she supposed some lions had left behind. Her stomach had been grumbling all morning, and so she’d decided that it was time to head out for a little. There was always the slight chance that she could come home to find it overtaken, or at least occupied, but Dela was prepared to fight if that need ever arose. Though, she had had good luck so far keeping the little crater to herself. It wasn’t too often other creatures just randomly wandered up, and she kind of preferred it that way. Sometimes though, Awendela wondered what it might be like to take a companion. Or what if she had pups…She shook her head and padded on, scanning the lands before her for any sign of prey-creatures.
She had been hunting since a younger age than her siblings, and while Dela had left the family earlier than any of them also, she was a quite proficient hunter, and she knew that it wouldn’t be too long before she was able to return to her little home again. She had figured out in the time living there, that her little home was situated amidst prey migratory routes, and though they had learned by now to directly avoid the crater itself, they really weren’t smart enough to move much further off from it. It was easy pickings as they passed by, or grazed. There were always young and sick members in the herds. That’s just how it was.
Mihko figured by now she was headed in the right direction, and though the landscape again was becoming unfamiliar, she felt she was on the right track. As she wandered, the horizon brought to her vision- as silhouettes against the setting sun- a herd of impala not too far off in the distance. She was a lousy huntress, always had been, always would be, but at least a spotting like this gave her a little bit of a chance to attempt a hunt. Maybe she would manage to pick off an old one, or a young one, or…anything. She furrowed her brows and slunk forward, moving at a faster pace than her initial wandering speed. She hunkered down low in the grass as she approached, and watched the prey-creatures as they grazed. She was downwind, which was good. Mihko at least knew the basics of this business, whether she was good at it…well, that was barely even a question, as she’d made it quite evident to herself by now that she was really no good at it indeed.
She tried to be as quiet as possible as she continued on, pressing toward them through the grass that thankfully provided her cover. If they turned to her, they would see her perfect, with the setting sun right on her, she had to be careful. Again, something she wasn’t so necessarily skilled at. She wiggled her toes in anticipation as she watched a tiny impala stray in her direction. It was obviously a baby, and for a second, Mihko’s thoughts were on the fact that she would have to try and take the life of a mere baby in order for herself to survive- but before it had properly registered as a thought, it slipped away. When you were hungry in the grasslands, there was no forgiveness. She crouched lower and lower, compiling all of her power into her muscular hind legs. Mihko was ready to spring when the moment was right. She laid her ears all the way back and a worried look crossed her features. ‘When is the right moment…?’ the rust-colored lioness pondered to herself, flicking her tail softly against the ground behind her.
Awendela suddenly caught the scent of impala, and her nostrils flared with intrigue. There was something else that was carrying over the breeze to her, but it was faint. As she quickened her pace, she came up on the herd, staring out across the hundreds of heads of them. One of them looked up, and made eye contact with her. She could practically see it choking on fear. After a moment it snapped out of its seeming trance and bellowed, then took off- fast. Dela rushed in on them, frantic now that they had been scared that she was about to lose her easy meal. She hadn’t expected them to be so close…
Mihko heard a bellow from not too far off, probably at the other side of the herd, and not even a moment later, she began to hear the huge shifting of hooves that meant the herd had been stirred up by something else and they had initiated the process of fleeing. Unfortunately for Mihko, this mean now or never if she wanted to have something to eat. And it had been too long since the last time she ate to mess this one up. The young lioness put every ounce of focus she could possibly muster into this attempt, and just as the young impala leapt up to dash off, Mihko plunged forward, her legs like springs sending her sailing through the air, and she grabbed it by it’s stomach before it even hit the ground. In her shock of actually managing to catch it, Mihko dropped the baby, and though the last remaining trailers of the herd were disappearing from the grass before her, it was doomed now. It struggled to run and Mihko watched in horror for a moment, blood dripping from her mouth onto the ground at her paws.
The red-furred hyena was angry. She had completely messed it up, and now it seemed as though she would have to go a bit farther from her home to get some sustenance than she had originally planned for. As these thoughts crossed her mind, she spotted a young impala, hobbling along with a gash in it’s stomach. ‘Perfect!’ She thought to herself, dashing forward to grab at it, not spotting the lioness that wasn’t far from it, watching it in what seemed like a mix of horror, confusion, and hunger.
Mihko blinked and shook her head as suddenly a red and white hyena dashed toward her prey. No way…this wasn’t going to happen. The young, powerful lioness sprung forward once again, grabbing the impala and tumbling before the paws of the hyena. The fall had snapped the prey-creatures neck, and it hung limp from the rust-colored lioness’ mouth, as she stared at the hyena, her chest heaving as she regained her breath once again.
Dela was surprised as the kill was snapped up from uder her nose, and in a moment of fury, she growled and barked ferociously, watching as the lioness tumbled in the dirt and held the young impala in her jaws. “YOU CAN’T BE SERIOUS!” She shouted, raising her hackles and digging her claws into the dirt below her. She glared at the lioness, golden eyes narrowed, dangerous.
It wasn’t too often that Mihko was mean, or even the least bit confrontational, but she once in a blue moon had a successful hunt, and she wasn’t about to let this hyena steal it out from under her. She had been hungry for days, and somehow this turned sweet, bubbly Mihko into a purely instinctual creature, much different than she usually was- her happy little self. She was prepared to defend this kill with her life if this hyena didn’t back down, and whilst normally Mihko would be terrified of a hyena, she held her ground, refusing to release the impala from the grip of her jaws.
“Now hold on just a minute here…” She mumbled, the young impala still limp between her teeth. There was a possibility that discussion could save this situation, and Mihko knew she personally would prefer not to get into a scrap if she could help it.
Awendela fumed for a moment, staring down at the lioness, her chest heaving, hackles still raised. This seemed so ridiculous, but who was she to pick a fight with such a lioness. She looked powerful and tough, and she seemed ready to defend her prize, but Dela also was skilled in the arts of faking toughness, and she didn’t let it pass that easy. “Hold on…what?” She asked, tilting her head down at the lioness and lifting a brow. “Spit the damn thing out if you’ve got something to say.” The red-furred female snorted angrily. Did the lioness really expect her to understand what she was trying to say with her mouth full?
The orange-furred lioness lifted a brow of her own at the hyena as she demanded that she spit out the young impala. Mihko kept her eyes on the hyena as she lowered her head and lay her prize on the ground, carefully placing a font paw over it, in order to still protect it. “I said hold on just a minute here.” She repeated herself, this time it was actual words. “I stalked that herd, and I almost had this young one when you came rushing in. I was ALREADY hunting it. That means it’s mine, and I’m just about starving, you’re not going to take it from me.” Mihko faltered on her last few words, she really had a hard time being stern like this, but if she went another day or two without eating, she would begin to get horrible cramps and she knew it. She had known this feeling well since she was tiny- having been on her own her whole life.
She breathed heavily, holding her paw tight over the kill and staring into the golden eyes of her opposition defiantly, her own eyes fiery intense.
Dela listened carefully as Mihko spat out her words with volition. It seemed to Dela as the seconds passed that this was actually one quite desperate creature. While the red-furred hyenas first impression was that this lioness was likely hunting for or as part of a pride, but since she’d mentioned the fact she was near starving, Dela now figured she was on her own, and that actually caused her to back off a few steps, although she didn’t lay her hackles down just yet.
She had had her own experiences with hungry rogues, and she knew better than to push a desperate creature too far. It was unfortunate that there was no way for the hyena to know that the lioness she now confronted was actually a sweet, friendly creature- and perhaps if Dela had gone about this confrontation with less initial anger, this would be playing out slightly different right now,
As bright blue eyes observed the movements and apparent thought process of the hyena, Mihko suddenly felt bad for being so outright defensive. “Now, look…” She trailed off, her eyes seeming to bed apology of the other female. “I’m just saying…” She stammered, not sure what else she could say. It was true that she had hunted it first, and you couldn’t just go around stealing other people’s kills. And Mihko certainly didn’t want a fight. She thought perhaps that maybe if she offered the other creature a piece of the small kill, that would sate her, and Mihko would be able to get out of here without any problems.
“I don’t wanna take anything away from you, either, so here…” She held the limp carcass of the impala under her paw firmly and grabbed at a hind leg with her jaws, ripping it with ease from the small prey-creature’s body. She tossed the piece of meat in front of the hyena and looked back up at her.
Awendela stared at the lioness as she searched for the words to convey some sort of message, and then offered her a piece of the kill. This wasn’t how things would usually go, but it seemed as though the lioness wanted to be on her way, and Dela lowered her hackles and blinked golden eyes at the lioness. “Fine then.” She said, snatching up the piece of meat and without even saying another word, turning and taking off in the other direction- back toward her home.
The rust-colored lioness was offended that the hyena couldn’t even have offered so much as a thank you, but at least she hadn’t suffered tooth and claw. The other female had been satisfied with her offering, and Mihko had still gotten away with some food and a feeling of accomplishment. While she hoped that the next creature she should by chance run into with treat her with a little more kindness and patience, she knew that it wouldn’t likely be under the same circumstances, and supposed this would have to be one of those meetings she would have to just shrug off.
And she did so as she began to dig into her little meal, watching the red-furred canine disappear again into the setting sun.
Word Count: 2178
Completed! <3