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Taabadu loped after the small hyena as quietly as his paws would allow him, and to say, that was pretty quiet. For a while, he thought he was so quiet that the young hyena had forgotten all about him and left him there. He saw the pup slow so he sped up and caught up to her. It was a while before he realized that she was actually talking to him. He shook his head at her words, they were so jumbled, but he got a few,

"I'm from the savana, it's kinda far... Um yeah, that's nice..."

Taabadu didn't want to disagree with the hyena, not that he got most of what she was saying anyway, if he was going to hang around with these beasts, he was going to have to get to know the words used here. He was quite relieved when the group came to a halt. He lept over a few bones and caught up to the two hyenas, still as silent as ever. He sat next to the pup and focused on the male. He too noticed the bone before it was sat on, but the hyena had said quiet, and quiet he remained. He only sighed softly as his eyes followed the wild hyena as he dragged around. He saw the pup laughing wildly at this, he didn't know how to laugh like hyena, but he could try. He rose his maw up like Mafa did and gave it a try. What came out was sounded like a hyena/lion/camel hybrid, it was none too pretty but barely audible through Mafa's laughter. He hid behind her as the adult came over with a horrid look on his face, Taabadu was scared for his life at the moment. And quickly after that his shield ran off and sniffed at the ground. What was this with the hyenas and sniffing every thing possible? He understood taking a whiff now and then to check the territory issue out but no more... He lowered his nose to the ground and inhaled the dirt, he got no scent, only a cloud of dust up his nose. He hacked it out and decided to practice his sniffing later, maybe after he got better at laughing....

Mafa squealed slightly in her excitement, finally things were starting to look up. The scent of her past was strong here and now that she thought about it, if she had looked around carefully, she would have known where she was hours ago. Better not mention that to Banzai... She looked over at Banzai and Fuzzwald and grinned, awwww they were getting along! Banzai no longer wanted to devour the poor cub, or so she thought. She beamed at Banzai,

"Follow the Mafa now!"

She took off rather quickly, her nose to the ground and her short legs moving quickly to keep up with the nose that was sniffing so frantically. She was so excited, she'd see her mom soon. At a point, her head picked up and she looked around. She trotted over to a rather small cave and smiled,

"Home sweet home!"

She trotted in happily bounding up and down and looking around for her mother.

"MOM! I'M HOME! MOOOOOMMM?"

Her young voice echoed off of the cold stone, the cave where she had lived before was obviosly empty. Her head hung down for a moment and then she sped out and looked around. The sides of the stones in the area were splattered with blood, from the fight Mafa told herself. Once again she called out for her mother,

"MOM! I KNOW YOU'RE THERE. COME OUT COME OUT WHERE EVER YOU ARRREEE!"

There was a desperate tone in Mafa's voice, she was getting scared for no one was around but the place was where she once lived. All of her yelling had disturbed the peaceful slumber of a wise old vulture that liked to hang around the area. He growled in his vulture like way and continued to eye the pup carefully.

Banzai hadn't left his spot near the lion cub. He simply watched Mafa bob from bone to bone until she began to disappear. Even then he didn't follow. It was only until his ears heard the echoes of her calls did he get up. Looking down at the weakling lion, he growled lowly, then took off in the direction of Mafa.

He had seen where she had disappeared, and followed what little scent of her there was. It wasn't long before he saw the cave. He'd never seen a cave of any sort here, come to think of it. He never really ever left the skull though... A scent immeadiatly flared into his nostrils when he neared the mouth of the cave. Dried blood.

He wasn't very worried. Mafa would be fine, because it sure wasn't her blood. Things died in here everyday... The only thing that had concerned him was that it was hyena blood. Very circumspect, he padded into the small openning, nearly having to squeeze through. The first thing he saw once he got in was the pup. He wasn't so certain she was the only thing in here though. He could hear a growl, not like his, but like something he hadn't heard before...

His eyes began adjusting to the dimly lighten cave and he moved close to the pup he'd been so sure to take care of. He wasn't ready to lose his bait bag. "Mafa... Stay close. And don't move."

Banzai was at first startled at Mafa's sudden action. What was this? Someone was touching him with no intention of hurting him! This was quite odd... He looked at her out of the corner of his eye. Who was he supposed to bring back? Whatever was growling at them? Kids were a pain sometimes... But he could feel her shaking slightly. Something wasn't right.

He had the urge to kick her away, but he had told her to stay close. Only, it didn't seem that anything was after them. His eyes peered around the area. He only saw the cave walls. There weren't even skeletons. He had seen bones before. He ate carcasses. He wasn't afraid of the dead. The only thing he was afraid of was what he didn't know.

He sniffed the air again. The scent of blood, though feint, filled his nostrils again. He couldn't pick up anything else. Anything out of the usual anyway. Maybe it was a stomach. He doubted it, but anything was possible. Making sure not to look afraid, he called out to the darkness.

"Whoever's there, you better come out now... I'll find you if you don't."

To confirm any possibility that something was there, the vulture ceased it's growling and swooped into the cave with ease. Flapping its wings once, he perched himself on a rock drenched in blood and gazed evily at the two hyenas, his eyes starting to cloud over. "Hoo, hoo... What doth thou seek?"

Banzai was startled to say the least. Another scavenger? He thought only hyenas lived here. And what was with that accent? It was soooooo messed up. He hoped he was never THAT old, or that he died first.

He moved his paw around Mafa and made his way towards the vulture until the pup was under him. He took a sniff of the vulture. Nope, he hadn't killed her parents, and if he had, not recently. He had to know something though. What idiot lives in a cave full of blood without knowing why? He growled out. "Where'd the kid's parents go?"

The vulture twisted its neck until his head was almost upside down. He blinked, then looked at the pup beneath the hyena. "Hoorororoo... Yon pup dwells here? Thou art too late, young one..."

Banzai didn't want to sick anyone at the moment. All he wanted to do was get Mafa to her parents and go home. Sadly, he didn't think he'd be getting a reward for returning her...

Spinning his head back into proportion, the vulture let out a screech, making the fur on Banzai's back poof out. It was amazing that such an old creature could have such power still. He clicked his beak once, then began to speak again.

"Yon pups voice be filled with aggitation. Those who speak out of place deserve nothing. I will overlook this just once... And tell ye of where the hyenas have dispersed to."

A wing suddenly grew from his side and sustained itself there. His foggy eyes began to look dangerous, and the cave somehow felt darker. "The hyenas who once resided here are gone now. The lions from another land killed them. The pride I cannot speak of, for I know it not. But they are what done in yon caretakers. Seek them if ye wish, but know ye that the two of you alone could not hope to diminish such force."

The hyena waited until the echo from his words faded. He wasn't all that surprised, and at the same time, wasn't all that caring. He began to walk backwards, unveiling Mafa to the vulture, who eyed her crazily. He would walk outside the cave and let them talk alone. He might even abandon her there. Surely she'd learned enough to take care of herself by now. He couldn't help but feel some sort of fathership for her, though...

He blinked again. The way he moved was so slow, sending one into fits of turmoil having to wait for the actions to be completed. "Pup, you look indeed distraught. Shall I devour you to save you from the horror of facing this world alone?"

He was always hungry. But there were times when a wise creature would surrender prey to someone else, younger and more needing. Now he was willing to surrender the life to its rightful owner. He had to admit to himself though, this pup's family did fight valiantly. They had even managed to kill one of the lions. But scavengers are no match for predators. They were all dragged off, no second thoughts.

"Pup... Thou art the last of a brave family, as far as hyenas go. Thou should flourish in life and not give in to the cruelness of beings such as us."