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 Posted: Tue Oct 06, 2009 2:24 pm
Peals of cackling laughter met that rather flat joke, the owner of both rolling on his back in the dirt as blue paws flailed the air. Zakie found himself entirely too funny, and his mother only encouraged it by laughing at any joke he told or prank he pulled. Half the time, she was laughing just because her son was cute and trying to be funny, rather than at the joke itself, but it didn't matter to the blue and white hyena boy.
Life was for fun! Life was for jokes! Life was for enjoying yourself and helping others enjoy too. Wasn't it? That's what his mother always said and Bluu hung the moon in Zakie's eyes. Zadie, his sister, came a close second, but no one was as wonderful as their mother.
Speaking of mother and sister, Zakie rolled over and sat up, shaking himself into a could of dust before he blinked around him, wondering when the pair would get back. They'd gone for food, and since he hadn't much felt like trying to tackle something in the heat of the day, he'd stayed behind to keep their place in the shade of the small tree. They'd bring the food back and not have to chase anyone out, so he was content to stay put while he waited.
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Posted: Tue Oct 06, 2009 3:10 pm
As it turned out, there was another hyena in the area - something of a wanderer, for the moment, though she had heard there were others who loved and respected the Earth as she did. In a way, Toph was searching for those others, without being too obvious about it. Some part of her was tired of being alone.
The smallish female had left her own family when she was young, preferring freedom to the restrictions and demands of tradition. Not to mention the way that they all tried to pamper and pet her and lead her around just because she was blind. Toph snorted. Seeing with eyes wasn't the one way to see. The earth shivered under her paws constantly, and she had learned early how to read its messages.
For the most part, those that she met couldn't even tell she was blind unless she told them... for her other sense did such a good job of compensating for the lack of sight.
Padding along, Toph paused at the sound of a rather bad joke, and then raucous laughter. Oh great, someone thought they were funny. Still, she hadn't met anyone else in a long while, so she turned her paws toward the sound - appearing after a few moments before the male. "That was a really bad joke you know," she informed him loftily.
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Posted: Tue Oct 06, 2009 5:11 pm
The pale male squeaked as a voice suddenly piped up, flailing as he fell over. He struggled to roll over and when he got himself onto his stomach, he lay panting, eyes wide at the female that had manage to sneak up on him.
"Hey!" He gulped, pushing up to sit as he shook himself all over. "Don't sneak up on me like that! You could have made my heart explode." His good nature couldn't be suppressed for long and he chuckled at himself, able to see the amusement of it. Sneaking up on someone was one of mother's favorite ways to joke, and it was always so amusing to see. Zakie had to assume that it had been just as funny to see him freak out over the surprise.
"You sure are good at it though. I bet it was funny." He laughed as he rocked on his hind-end, long ears flopping. "I'm not quite so good sneaking up on things, so I don't usually hunt, my mom and sister do that. I do help sometimes, but they're a lot better." Chattering was just Zakie's way of greeting someone, getting to know them and become comfortable in their presence. This girl at least looked interesting enough to be worth getting to know.
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Posted: Tue Oct 06, 2009 5:29 pm
Toph blinked. Geez, chattery, wasn't he? Oh well... she could deal with that. Some of those she had known in her younger days tended to babble on quite a bit. "Well, I didn't mean for it to be funny, or to sneak up on you. But I guess if I did, all the better, huh?" she pointed out with a slight smirk.
"I live alone, so I have to hunt for myself," she said then - a much shorter reply to his flood of information.
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Posted: Tue Oct 06, 2009 5:35 pm
"Oh, well... that's not much fun." Zakie said as he stilled, his head tilting to the side as he studied this new female. "Mother always said she had us because she wanted someone to play with, that being alone wasn't as much fun. Don't you like having fun? Don't you want to be around others?"
The questions were childish, yes, but part of it was his upbringing, the way his mother never said a word against anyone and laughed at everything. No one ever bothered her, and even if they tried, she just laughed it off and went on her way. She'd taught a lot of that to her children, even if Zakie wasn't quite as large or well muscled as his mother. For other species, the males might be the powerful ones, but hyenas were different like that.
Zakie layed his ears back as he realized he might be talking to much. Mother never minded, and Zadie didn't seem to, but he knew that sometimes others didn't care for his chatter or questions. He kept a hopeful look on his face, waiting to see if this girl would be inclined to talk with him for a bit. Meeting new people was usually fun...
"My name is Zakie, by the way."
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Posted: Tue Oct 06, 2009 5:41 pm
Geez, he really was kind of childish... but some part of her could understand what he was trying to say. She could even agree, a little. "Hrm. I guess it's not that much fun being alone, but when I left ... where I came from, it was kinda hard to take anyone with me," she pointed out with a little tilt of her head.
"Zakie," she repeated. "I'm Toph." She neglected to add on the rest of her name - just in case he might recognize it and tell her to go back home or something.
That had happened a lot when she first left. Almost everyone she'd met for the first few days had told her that her family was probably worried, that she should go back ... and so on. Which was part of why she had gotten so far from home now.
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Posted: Tue Oct 06, 2009 6:04 pm
"I can understand that." Zakie said as he rose and stretched, his forelegs out in front of him as he wagged his tail. "Mother had a hard time with us until we were big enough to come along. She often left us with friends for weeks at a time, but she always came back to see us. And when we were big enough, well, we just went with her. It wasn't that she didn't love us, just that... you know. She needed to follow her paws."
The male smiled as he shook his head, making his ears flop on his skull. "You gotta go where you gotta go, you know? People come and go, and if they're special, you remember them." He grinned at her, accepting her without question, even agreeing with her reasoning. That too, was part of who he was and how he was raised. No one ever stayed around long, for his family, only his mother and sister. He had lots of friends, but all of them lived somewhere else and were left behind when they moved on. You just sort of got used to it and learned to believe you'd seem them again sometime, when your paths crossed again.
"I bet your family is real proud of you, being all grown up and independent. You can take care of yourself, all alone, and that's a brave thing. You gotta be smart, and strong, for that." Zakie said brightly, grinning.
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Posted: Tue Oct 06, 2009 6:30 pm
Toph winced at mention of her family being proud of her and actually looked just faintly ashamed for a moment. "Not really ... actually. My family probably thinks I've fallen down a hole someplace and died," she grumbled.
"They didn't want me to leave, when I went. Thought I'd be helpless all on my own." That last was something of a growl, almost - as she clearly was not helpless, thanks very much.
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Posted: Tue Oct 06, 2009 6:41 pm
Zakie blinked in surprise, his head tilting.
"Why would they think that? You made it out here all by yourself, you can't be helpless. I mean, I'm more helpless that you are." He laughed, his tail wagging in the dirt. "I don't hunt well by myself, and I think I'd be lost if I was all on my own. I really don't know what I do without my family around. You're doing way better than that."
Mention of his family made Zakie curious and he rose from his shady resting place, stepping to edge to glance about, wondering where mother and sister had gotten to. They'd been gone a while, but... maybe prey had been hard to find. Or they had a hard time bringing it back. He shrugged as he turned around and came back to flop down in the grass, his jaws cracking wide in a yawn. They'd be back when they got back. They'd never completely left him and they wouldn't start now, or so he believed.
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Posted: Tue Oct 06, 2009 7:07 pm
Toph heard and felt the other get up to pace around a little and then sit down again - even as she nodded in agreement with his words. Yea! Her family should have realized back then that she'd be just fine. It didn't matter if she was blind. She could take care of herself.
"Exactly!" she exclaimed in reply - stamping a paw slightly against the dirt. "What are you waiting on, anyway?" she asked then, seeming to sense his attitude somehow.
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Posted: Tue Oct 06, 2009 7:21 pm
A laugh broke from the pale hyena as he shrugged, flopping down on his side.
"My mother and sister. They went out to find some food and I stayed behind to... kinda hold this place for them, you know? So they have a place to come back to and rest when they're done. I'm not a great hunter, like I said. I almost do better doing this sort of thing while they hunt. I do hunt, though, just not as much or as fast as they can."
He laughed as he shrugged where he lay, lifting a hind paw to scratch at his side. Yeah... he was sorta useless for females so independent as his mother and sister... but they were family and they like having him along. They were also the most important things in his life, so... it really worked out for them all.
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Posted: Tue Oct 06, 2009 7:33 pm
Toph considered that for a moment or two, and then nodded. "Mm... well, I guess guarding something that's yours is important, too, huh?"
Though ... she hadn't done all that great a job of guarding her own home. She had heard the rumors of the war... after she left. Heard how the Fire clan had taken over almost all the others. But still, she hadn't gone back even then - too proud of her own independence.
"If you think they might not want me here, I can go," she offered then.
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Posted: Tue Oct 06, 2009 7:54 pm
Zakie sat up quickly at her suggestion that she leave.
"No no no! You don't have to go!" He gasped out, then laughed at his eagerness. It really was nice to have someone new to talk to. "I don't mind, really I don't, and its nice talking to you. I'd probably be bored otherwise."
She was nice, and in Zakie's world, that's all you needed to be his friend. Be nice to him and he was a steadfast friend, ready to over look just about anything. Everyone needed a friend, as far as he was concerned, and who was he to judge someone else?
"I guess, though, If I'm making YOU bored, you can leave... if you really want to." The hope in his eyes and voice said that he'd be happy if she didn't. "I know, I talk alot and I act like a pup, but I'm a nice guy, really!" He grinned, trying to get her to laugh.
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Posted: Tue Oct 06, 2009 8:18 pm
That worked, as Toph blinked at the so-obvious hope in his voice, then laughed softly. "All right, if it's that big of a deal, I'll stick around," she replied almost playfully.
It had been a while since she'd been around friends, after all. And Zakie seemed willing to be her friend. "I'm not bored, just ... y'know, don't wanna intrude," she went on with a lopsided smile - loosening up a bit more now.
"I wouldn't want your mother and sister to think I was just here to steal their food after all."
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Posted: Tue Oct 06, 2009 8:22 pm
Zakie laughed as he shook his head, his tail wagging happily.
"Oh, don't worry about it. They're really nice, my mom especially, and nothing gets her down. She wouldn't mind sharing, if you're hungry, and if need be, you could have my share." He grinned as he stretched out on his belly, prepared to enjoy an afternoon of pleasant company and fun things to talk about. He'd bet that Toph had been lots of places he hadn't and had lots of things she could tell him about. And in return, he could tell her about the places that he had been, and she hadn't.
"You're not intruding, don't worry. Hey, do you wanna tell me where you come from? I bet it was a nice place, since you turned out so nice. I've kinda just been all over and not from one place... I bet it was real different to be born somewhere."
Zakie grinned, ready to be his usually, happy to listen self.
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