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 Posted: Sat Sep 22, 2012 7:46 pm
It was beginning to grow chilly and windy, and the red-furred female sensed that there was likely a storm blowing toward her little part of the lands. It was time again for her to be out and hunt though, for her last hunt had proven mostly unsuccessful. She'd at least managed to get away with a little bit of a bite to eat, but it wasn't really enough to truly sate her. It had been fine at the time, but that was a day and a half ago, and it wouldn't last much longer as far as energy was concerned.
Though before setting off too far from home, Dela stopped and stared upward, watching the sky. She really didn't want to be caught out in a storm if there was potential for it to get nasty, and there was always potential for it to get nasty in this country. Especially considering you could be in a place where there were plenty of caves or rocks or trees to hide in one moment and a place with no salvation the next, this trip would require careful consideration.
Dela continued on, watching the clouds blow in, and judging by their darkness that it should be fine if she didn't stay out too long. Her golden eyes were entranced by the siwrling, quick-moving clouds as she wandered along, not paying much attention to where she was headed.
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Posted: Sat Sep 22, 2012 8:04 pm
When you're as small as Baobab, you can run fast. Short and lithe, the wild dog was a testament to her species, but being the runt of her litter clearly showed. The morning had started off sunny, but Africa's rains were beginning to brew. The prey beasts would be restless. Restlessness left much room for mistakes. It was Baobab's most favorite time to hunt.
Seizing the opportunity, she'd selected a gazelle herd, matching her size well to a beast she felt was easy to take down. It was quite a distance away and rather than waste time, the dog made her way towards the outside of the herd in a lightning sprint.
She never thought she'd nearly bowl into a hyena.
Paws skidding on grass, knees twisting and body jarring, Baobab pretzel-twisted away from the red-colored animal and threw herself out of her accidental target's way.
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Posted: Sat Sep 22, 2012 8:33 pm
Dela was utterly shocked as she heard quick pawprints before her, and looked down from the sky to see another canine skittering and spilling over herself in an attempt to stop what looked like a near collision. Dela hasted to move herself further out of the way, and immediately her hackles bristled, her lips curling into a snarl, she laid back her ears and watched the little wild dog. "Just what are you trying to pull? Holy!" She cried out, half-scared, half angry. She released the snarl, deeming it not necessary as this animal was a considerable amount smaller than herself, and relaxed her hackles a little, though she allowed her brow to remain furrowed and her ears were still pressed nearly against her skull.
Let alone, Awendela hadn't even noticed that there were a prey-herd right before her and she'd nearly just walked right up and scared them away. Well, maybe it was too late now...miraculously none of them had seemed to notice this ridiculous incident between her own red-furred self and the small wild dog. They were probably too focused on the incoming storm clouds to have noticed either of the canines, and the winds were probably blowing all directions, which would confuse them as far as scent would go.
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Posted: Sat Sep 22, 2012 8:49 pm
In a crumpled heap of panting and shaken nerves, Baobab gave herself a moment of recovery before attempting to find her footing again. She felt awful for giving the hyena such a start and jumbled up some words of apology in her head before replying right away.
"I'm so sorry!" she finally gasped through breaths, fixing herself into a more natural position on the grass. Her knees were burning and she didn't want to attempt standing yet, lest she stumble and appear foolish. "I avoided you completely, didn't I?" she asked, moving her head about while she observed the hyena carefully, as if she were concerned for her own pup. "I'm so, so sorry! I didn't--" she swallowed, throat dry. "I didn't see you," she finished.
Maybe just another minute on the grass...phew, she wasn't old, but she wasn't exactly in her young adult years, either.
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Posted: Sat Sep 22, 2012 9:11 pm
The red-furred hyena couldn't help but laugh as the other creature struggled to compose herself on the grass. 'Great...' Dela thought to herself, she'd given away her tough act, as usual. Once you laughed, it was spoilt, she'd learned that. Whether the other creature was mean or not, the act was no good if you cracked it. She shook her head at herself and rolled her eyes toward the sky. "You did miss, I just didn't know if it was intentional or..." She trailed off, flicking her tail and plopping down onto her own haunches, eying the other female with scrutiny. "Or if you didn't see me, to which you've now admitted." Dela chuckled softly, pricking up her ears and gazing back to the herd of prey-animals.
"Either way, I don't imagine that being a very productive way to hunt, if that's what you're here doing." She added, grinning and puffing out her chest a little bit.
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Posted: Sat Sep 22, 2012 9:19 pm
Baobab's ears folded, brows pointing helplessly as she laughed along. It was a huge relief to see that the hyena wasn't a stereotypical one. It just proved Baobab's motto of not judging a book by its cover.
"I don't normally just...rush in an grab something, really," she explained while she worked on stretching her limbs, "I was making my way towards them when--well--..." she smiled apologetically.
Her eyes turned briefly to the nearby herd of gazelles and she sighed. There was no point in thinking about nabbing a meal now. She needed to rest her legs for at least a day before she could try another move like that. Maybe next time she'd have to watch where she was going...
"Are you sure you aren't hurt?" she asked, turning her attention back to the other female.
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Posted: Sat Sep 22, 2012 9:32 pm
Dela watched the facial expressions of the other creature as she spoke and tried to explain. It looked as though she were pretty tired, and she also looked disappointed, Dela noted. Well...she could see why. The red-furred female had had her own shares of disappointment with hunting lately, and in other things as well. That didn't require thought right now, she reminded herself, and dismissed the thought. "Yeah, I get what you mean. The storms make it difficult though when you're the only one working at it." She nodded to the wild dog.
She then furled her brow at the smaller creature, still looking as though she was having a hard time. "Are you sure you're not hurt?" She questioned, bending a little at her knees to get closer to the wild dog.
Dela also took a moment to observe the animals. She was finding it really surprising that they still hadn't responded to predators being in the area, and she contemplated making a run at them...
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Posted: Sat Sep 22, 2012 9:45 pm
Oh, no, now she was giving the hyena cause for concern! Things were getting worse and worse. Baobab felt terrible. Putting on a care-free smile, the wild dog clambered to her feet and shook herself from head to tail tip. The amount of dust that flew off her was surprising. Whether the dust was just from her tumble or if it was from rolling in dirt normally...who could say?
Ignoring the steady onset of swelling in her joints, she puffed herself up as if to say, 'See? I'm fine!'
Noticing the hyena's interest in the gazelles, Baobab was about to inquire about the herd when a sudden rumble of thunder sent the little dog on the alert. Her face heated in embarrassment, but she laughed anyway. The sound of hooves met her ears soon after. The herd was on the move.
"Oh--!" Somehow she felt like everything was her fault now...
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Posted: Sat Sep 22, 2012 9:52 pm
Golden eyes stared after the prey-creatures as they began to flee. Something must have seen as the wild dog stood up. Dela swore she felt her eye twitch, but she would forget about it for now. She hadn't been after food for too long, and she was still close to the main routes, there would likely be more chances on the way back home. "Well then." She said, nodding in the direction of the departing herd.
The red-furred female thought she'd seen the smaller canine grimace as she stood longer, and tilted her head at her curiously. She looked so sheepish and apologetic, Dela didn't really get why. It's not like anything that had happened was really her fault...well, okay- maybe the falling was her own fault, but prey run away...that's what they always do, so Dela saw no reason for her to feel bad for such a thing, it was inevitable and unblameable. "Are you alone out here, anyways?" The hyena turned back to the other female and lifted a brow curiously. It was good information to have, this could all be some sort of trick, for all Dela would know.
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Posted: Mon Sep 24, 2012 7:10 pm
"Oh, yes," Baobab confirmed, offering the hyena another friendly smile. She was really itching to leave. The turn of events had left her embarrassed and feeling guilty and she didn't want to continue making her new acquaintance uncomfortable, or continue to cause inconveniences.
"I've been on my own ever since I parted ways with my family," she explained. She felt a pull of etiquette moving her to ask the hyena the same question that had been asked her, but part of her felt it would've been inappropriate. She felt she owed the hyena some explanations, while the hyena owed her nothing. Baobab had nearly bowled into her, after all. And the hyena had probably been thinking of snatching a meal from that herd of gazelles that had been scared off.
A group of rain drops plopped onto the wild dog's snout and she wrinkled her nose in surprise, eyes cast upward.
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Posted: Tue Sep 25, 2012 3:16 pm
"I see." The red-furred female said, letting her expression return to normal and perking her ears. She watched as the first few raindrops landed right on the wild dogs nose, and glanced up at the sky as more and more began to fall. Great. No food and no shelter from the rain. Dela was angry about those two things, but she wasn't angry at the other female. She just thought that maybe it was about time to get out of here and take shelter somewhere, or maybe try and run home...
"I think I better get out of here before the rain really starts." She said, nodding to the smaller canine with a friendly grin of her own. "You gonna be okay out here?" She inquired, tilting her head slightly. Dela wasn't really a mean creature, and she would likely be willing to take this female in if she had nowhere to go. How could she not? She looked in need of rest, and Dela would feel terrible leaving her out in the rain if that was the case..."I mean, do you have somewhere to go for shelter and warmth?" the red-furred female asked again, making sure that the other would understand what she was asking.
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Posted: Fri Oct 05, 2012 6:43 pm
Well, there was one positive aspect of the rather unfortunate series of events, and that was the change in Baobab's opinion of hyenas. She had never had much experience with them. She'd always been rather neutral, but sometimes verged just on the side of distrust. This hyena was a bit rough around the edges, but there was clearly warmth and kindness within her. What sort of a mean creature would go to such lengths in making sure someone else was going to be safe?
Smiling brightly, Baobab wagged her tail and nodded, saying, "Oh, yes. There are plenty of places to wait out the rain around here."
It was true that there were, but her answer was half of a lie. Baobab had no den to curl up in, but she was sure she could find someplace to hide until the rain stopped. Pessimism wasn't part of her nature. Neither was potentially inconveniencing others.
"I hope you stay warm during the storm," Baobab wished. "It was really nice meeting you. I hope we see each other again. Really!" She shook some water from her head and began to trot off.
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Posted: Fri Oct 05, 2012 10:28 pm
Dela grinned at the wild dog as water dripped off her muzzle. "If you're sure, I'll leave you to it." She said, nodding at the other canine and then shaking her own head as well, droplets of water flying off only to be replaced momentarily by new ones falling from the sky. She flicked her tail in a half-hearted wag, it was weighed down by the rain a little.
"Well, I'll be around if you are, so maybe. Take care then!" She called after the wild dog, watching her for a moment as she went off. Dela smiled again and then turned and began her journey back home. She knew it wouldn't take long and there was a small grove of trees that she could take shelter in for a while while the rains came down. It would be so beautiful back at home once it was finished. She smiled to herself as she trotted off.
FINISHED~ <3
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