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 Posted: Sun Apr 24, 2011 6:38 am
At last! She'd found a herd! And a herd currently being stalked by a lioness! It seemed her luck was turning at last and the hunger gnawing in her belly reminded her, sharply, how needed it was. With a growl of pleasure, the hyena settled herself amongst the golden grasses, pressing her chest to the sun-baked ground. Lying her ears flat and baring her teeth a little, her piercing green eyes focused in on the scene playing out before her. For this plan to bear fruit, however, the lioness needed to make her kill. Luckily, this one seemed to move with the practised precision of an experienced huntress. The odds of success were certainly looking up. All she had to do was wait and watch and then steal the kill out from under the poor rogue's nose.
Woe to be her!
And by the looks of it, Orenda would not be waiting too much longer. The black feline was moving close to the herd of antelope now. Close...closer...so close that the hyena was surprised that the herd - with their keen senses - did not know she was there. The wind was clearly in the lioness' favour and so too was her silent paws. The hyena felt her legs twitch with anticipation and, in the next moment, the black cat exploded from the grass. Her vicious snarl was so loud that it echoed back from every dominating rock within the area, making her seem even larger and more ferocious. In that moment the herd turned and fled as one, all of them but the poor creature now trapped beneath the feline's paws. It gave a high-pitched keening cry, the ground thunder beneath it's fallen body. It fought for a moment and then blood loss sapped its strength. A moment later and the panting mouth and heaving sides fell still.
Orenda wasted no time. She was up and onto her paws in moments, loping across the grass to where the lioness was now tugging at her kill. With a long string of authoratative barks, the hyena advanced, circling the feline carefully, sizing her up. The black cat steeled herself, hackles up, growl low and threatening. But Orenda was hungry and it would take more than that to put her off.
The brawl that followed was short but brutal, leaving Orenda sporting gashes to the face and chest. Her fur, now flecked with her own blood and that of her adversary proof of the length she was willing to go to eat. The feline's own muzzled was raked viciously by the jaws of the hyena, bleeding profusely, flooding her nostrils and making it difficult for her to breath.
They faced one another again, Orenda unmoving, knowing of her advantage. After all, a hyena was strong and stocky and one on one like this, they normally rose victorious, depending on the hunger of their opponent. The black cat was clearly hungry enough to fight for her food, but not enough to risk her life. After a moment of staring, she gave a low growl and fled, though Orenda favoured that she would not have gone far.
Lifting her head proudly, she gave a bark of warning and then trotted over to the carcass she had claimed as her own. Now, all she needed to do was get it somewhere she could better protect it if someone tried to scavenge from the scavenger. The muscles in her jaws and neck flexed as she began to drag her prize to cover.
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Posted: Sun Apr 24, 2011 6:58 am
Noh'pe was down in the dumps. She'd lost track of that handsome dog just the other day, and now she couldn't find any scent or sight or anything of him. It was as if he'd vanished in the night--which he had. That'd happened before, but usually she proved her worth and caught up. He didn't seem to like when she hung about close, so she usually stalked him from a small distance...apparently he'd seen her though. Playing hard to get, he'd gone on without her. What a disappointment. It was probably ,she chided herself, because she was so new to the art of courtship. She had no skills yet. Maybe with time...but she'd hoped he'd at least wait a little for her.
This was the way she'd thought he'd been going before he'd noticed her following...her wandering thoughts were interrupted by the sound of barking, and then a fight. It didn't sound exactly like her dear sweet Kepo, but...maybe he was scared! Or hurt! She'd heard the sound of a battle (with one of those big things she'd seen in these lands! They looked nothing like dogs, and were massive...) and...oh what if he'd been hurt, or worse?!
Yipping in alarm, she broke into a run. There was a slight rise in the land, and it'd seemed the noise came from the other side...Whining anxiously, she crested the small ridge, eyes darting frantically...there was blood! And...oh. Her heart didn't know if it should sink or soar. Kepo was not here. But also, Kepo was not hurt, that meant. She sighed and breathed deeply to calm herself. Thank goodness. If anything'd happened to him...
...But what was this? There was another dog here. It kinda looked like Kepo...brown, like him and she seemed to have the same funny hair style. She pawed the top of her head, immaculately groomed with its short fur. She probably looked so lame. Maybe that was why Kepo'd ignored her? He thought she was ugly! The idea was gut wrenching. She shook the thought from her head. That couldn't be it. But still...maybe this dog could give her some tips...
"Hellooo down there!"
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Posted: Sun Apr 24, 2011 7:08 am
The cheerful voice had Orenda's head lurching round, her lips tugging back to lay her teeth bare. A snarl rippled from her throat; a warning that she'd just spilt blood to claim this food and that it was hers. However, she stopped short when she set eye on the owner of that...rather friendly voice.
Neither a lion nor a hyena, but instead a gangly little canine (well, gangly compared to her stocky, short form, anyway). It had large ears, smooth fur on her head, long legs and a bushy tail. But, whoever it was, it was clearly not a threat. No point wasting precious energy on chasing away something like that - so long as she didn't get any ideas about stealing her dinner. With a loud snort, Orenda turned back to the carcass, dragging half of it into some brambly shrubs, before rounding back to pick at the first of the open wounds - set into its body by the lioness.
Sensing the other hadn't left, she growled around her first mouthful of food and lifted her blood-smeared snout. Swallowing, she narrowed her piercing green eyes and gave another snort. "I don't do sharing." Was all she spared the time to say, returning her attention to eating.
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Posted: Sun Apr 24, 2011 7:31 am
Uh oh, she didn't seem too friendly. By the looks of it (and the stink) she'd just killed something. Craning her neck, she made out that it was an antelope the other canine'd dragged into the bush. She looked around...no one else? Had she hunted it alone?? That was...super impressive!
"Really? You mean it's just naturally that way? Huh!" Maybe it was something native to the area. Would her hair get long if she lived here? She ran a paw over her scalp...nope, still as short as ever. Well maybe one day. For now she'd just be ugly...
...But wait! That dog'd killed something all by herself! Maybe...maybe she couldn't be as pretty as the dogs in this area, but if she could become a great hunter....well then surely Kepo would be able to stand her bad looks. Wouldn't he? She thought back to his stylish stance, his gorgeous face, his shining eyes...ah, yes, only good dogs could be that beautiful, right? Surely he would see her inner beauty!
Excited and still a bit dazed from her day dream, she loped towards the hyena. Her posture was in no way threatening--she was nearly bouncing across the field between them. "Hey! You killed that right? That's really impressive! I didn't know we could do that without the pack to help! Can you teach me?" Her tail swished eagerly, and she smiled wide, and genuinely. This would be great! She could learn to be a solo-hunter...and maybe if she stuck around she could figure out how the local dogs got their interesting looks!
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Posted: Sun Apr 24, 2011 7:54 am
Orenda was in no mood for small-talk, or for instructing this strange little canine on proper scavenging etiquette. Even still, in the mood for chat or not, it seemed this little female was not going to take no for an answer.
"You've not experienced much of the world, have you, kid?" Her voice was gruff, but luckily for the wild dog, Orenda did not consider her any sort of threat, otherwise another fight would surely have ensued. Curling a lip in distaste, she moved to stand over her kill, one paw on the antelope's side and the other on the dusty ground in front of it. The cuts on her body were only just now starting to hurt and she winced as the torn flesh shifted over tensing muscle.
"We don't hunt. We scavenge. You know what that is, right?" She gave a short, barking laugh and shook her head, splaying the dark fur across her eyes. "Scavenging is a lot more energy efficient, if you know what I mean?"
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Posted: Sun Apr 24, 2011 8:06 am
Noh was smart enough to know when someone was talking down to her, but she didn't get angry about it. She was pretty new to a lot of things, and she knew not everyone had a good temperament for teaching. She'd just have to keep trying to be nice and show that she meant only good, and then maybe this lady'd lighten up.
"Not really, no. But I'm on a great adventure to become a wise and traveled dog. Then I can go home and share all the things I've learned. So...so please teach me?" She rambled on as the hyena stood over her kill. "I'm not going to try to take your food, you know...so you don't have to do that. I'll be good. Promise!"
Wait, what? She hadn't hunted the antelope? But no one else was around and...she spotted the bleeding wounds on her side. Oh. "You mean stealing." Her tail slowed its wag. Maybe this wasn't the right kind of person to be hanging out with. Stealing was wrong, she knew. Taking food from an abandoned kill was one thing...but making someone else go hungry so you could eat wasn't very nice. Or at least that was how things were where she was from. Maybe...maybe this place was different? The grass was gold, not green. Dogs had long hair, not short. And they stole, not hunted. It fit with the pattern of opposite things. It still felt wrong though.
The image of Kepo stealing a kill flashed through her head. He looked so brave and cunning, snatching a hare right from under another dog's nose...It was wrong to steal, but...maybe for him. "Do lots of us steal, then? Not hunt?"
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Posted: Sun Apr 24, 2011 8:14 am
Orenda tended to talk down to everybody. Her own family had even had to put up with her barking orders and her brutish behaviour. Many times she had rough-housed her siblings into subservience and then there had been the time when her sister had dared to claim dominance over her...
That had been a bad day.
Even still, whether she knew it offended others or not, it was very unlikely that this attitude was not going to change any time soon, not until someone shoved her around, perhaps.
"Well, you're well on your way." Orenda replied sarcastically, leaping over the carcass to approach the wild dog. Might as well have a bit of fun. Entertainment for dinner, how wonderful! "Stealing is so crude a word. I prefer scavenging. It's the way of the survivor and it's how we live out here. How do you eat if you do not scavenge?" She snorted and grinned, though it was not a particularly friendly grin. "It's a dog eat dog world. See food, take food. It's that or die, kid, and I'm not ready to leave this world just yet. Surely your parents taught you that?"
She gestured back to the food. "The felines hunt the antelope. The felines kill the antelope. The canines steal the antelope. And so on and so forth." She was trying to sound intelligent, but with her thick, brutish voice and the careful way she formed the words, the attempt failed.
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Posted: Sun Apr 24, 2011 8:29 am
Oh, well that was good. This lady thought she was doing a good job of learning! That had to count for something. She smiled, and her tail began to wag once more. She really had learned a lot, hadn't she?
"Well I hunt of course! I'm good at startling hares the right way, but sometimes I'm not fast enough." Those days she went hungry, but that was okay. Sooner or later she always found something. A nest of eggs, or a dozing lizard. "My parents taught me to work with my brothers and sisters to hunt things with the other pups our age. We got really good at it, but lots of them were better than me. But we never stole anything." That was the honest truth. What would her family wonder if they heard she was getting thief lessons now? Probably they'd think she'd gone crazy.
"Uhm...what's a fee-line?" Maybe that was what they'd dubbed hunting parties out here. Such a strange name. Fee-line. "You mean a hunting pack? We wouldn't steal from them, silly! They'd bring the kill to us, or bark so we could all come find it and share! Oh wait! You live alone, huh? I think I get it now." Maybe this was a land of loners. And apparently the few hunting packs around would kill things, and then the loners would try to steal them. Er. Scavenge them. That..kinda made sense.
"Why not just make friends with the fee-lines and share?"
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Posted: Sun Apr 24, 2011 8:36 am
She scoffed. Hunt? Hunt!? Orenda didn't think she'd ever hunted in her life, or, not successfully anyway. She'd never been one for patience or moving quietly. Both of those things were key aspects in hunting and so...she had to resort to the more crude methods of surviving. She was fine with this, however, proud of it, even.
"Well, you have a big gap in your education, kid. Why waste your energy chasing some stupid rabbit around and around when you can just walk up and take. You have to be careful, mind, some felines don't take kindly to scavengers. Some put up a fight. You gotta prove your toughness. Do that and eat your fill. Most, though, just give up the moment they see you coming. Well, maybe not you. You're a bit on the weedy side." She snorted. "Not much muscle there on your bones."
Orenda rolled her eyes. "Feline. The big cats. Lions." She flattened her ears in dismay. "Please tell me you know what I'm talking about, kid." At the mention of befriending such creatures, Orenda growled, hackles rising. "Felines do not befriend canines. Ever. They are not to be trusted. Disgusting, flithy creatures." Which seemed odd coming from a roguish hyena like her...
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Posted: Sun Apr 24, 2011 8:56 am
"Really? Oh gosh, that's not good." Not if she wanted to become a wise, adventurous dog like her dreams...Stealing still seemed wrong to her somehow, but clearly it was a skill, and one she didn't have. No one had ever taught her. She didn't even know how to go about starting. "Well I mean, if I hunt the hare then it's my kill. If I steal, I'm making someone else use energy and get nothing for it, right? That doesn't seem very fair" She was thinking how she'd feel if she was stolen from. She couldn't quite imagine it.
"Weedy?" She looked down at herself. "I don't look like a plant...oh, you mean thin. Well, yeah. Everyone from where I'm from looks like this. Like how it seems everyone from here has that lovely long hair there." She patted her own head. "Wish I had that."
"Huh? Lions? Of course I know about those...but they're just in stories, right? My mom used to tell me before we'd go to sleep. About lions and...uhm...what were they...chy-tars? They're supposed to be big and strong and mean sometimes."
She looked with new respect at Orenda. "You've MET one? How big was it? Did it smell?" The last she asked only because her new friend had said they were 'disgusting'. She could understand that. They were supposed to be big, it must be hard to take a bath. Unless you had a huge tongue. Hmm.
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Posted: Sun Apr 24, 2011 9:02 am
"Life isn't fair." Orenda remarked sharply, beginning to lose patience. "The longer you stay out here by yourself, the more you'll come to understand that, kid. Trust me on this. Out here you take care of yourself. Put your own health first and you'll live. Try and care for others and you'll be dead. You know what dead means, don't you?" She was being a little mean, but half-expected the wild dog to ask her to explain it.
The hyena sat heavily, sweeping her brush of a tail through the dust. "You weedy canines don't get to have hair like ours." She replied swiftly. "That's one of the things that makes us different and don't you forget it."
She gawped then, leaping to her feet, snarling with irritation. "Seriously? How have you not been killed already? You have more luck than you deserve, kid! How about you let me take some? You seriously haven't seen a lion yet? There was just one here a minute ago. Gave me these scratches, she did. You stick around long enough and she'll be back too. Trust me on that." She curled a lip. "They smell bad. Smell them a mile off. Look, kid, I ain't going soft and I don't care, but maybe you should go back to your pack. You ain't cut out for life alone out here."
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Posted: Sun Apr 24, 2011 9:25 am
Well of course she'd take care of herself first...but that didn't mean she couldn't help others, right? "Of course I know what dead means!" She felt her fur stiffen a bit. "Once in my pack last winter someone died. They were really old and it was a really stormy time, and they died in their sleep. I know what dead is." Like sleeping that never ended, and you got cold and stiff. She'd killed things to eat too of course, but that felt...less like death somehow. It was life for her after all.
Oh, so it was something local to the area, that hair. That was a shame. Noh was sure she could bulk up, but she couldn't make her fur grow. "What else is different, huh? You've got thicker legs and hair, and your tail doesn't seem as long..." Well and she was brown, compared to Noh's white with blue spots. But that wasn't the point. There were brown dogs in her pack too.
"I'm not lucky! There just aren't lions around. Really, you're not kidding with me? They really live around here?" She sort of wanted to see a lion. They were scary in stories...she could make up great stories when she got home. She'd be the only one to ever have seen a lion! She eyed the cuts...that looked painful...but she hadn't been the one to steal or fight ,so the lion would be nice to her, right?
"Wait what? Go back? No way! I set out to learn lots of things and become an adventurer that my pack will respect! I'm not going back until I learn all there is to learn! So...so teach me to steal, okay?"
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Posted: Sun Apr 24, 2011 10:01 am
Well...at least she knew something. Orenda had begun to doubt that the poor kid hadn't been taught anything by her pack. Even still, it did not even cross her mind that Noh considered they were the same species. Thinking back later, she would kick herself for not noticing. After all, the wild dog hadn't even seen a lion before! It was hardly likely she'd know a hyena when she saw one...
"Stronger jaws. We're built for fighting. You...well, not so much. See, we can fight a lion. If you tried it...well...let's just say you'd be turned to ribbons." She snorted. "Listen kid, lions are as real as you or me. Some of them are weak, some of them are not. You just gotta be careful, you know? Make sure you keep away. If you value your life, you'll stay away. What's the point of adventuring if you're not going to live to tell the tale?"
Orenda had a feeling she wasn't getting through to her.
With a loud sigh, she hung her head, took a few steps back and returned to her meal. "Let me eat, first, and then I'll show you." She wasn't sure why she was agreeing to this and she knew she'd probably regret it, but clearly the girl had touched a soft spot in her.
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