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 Posted: Sun Jan 27, 2008 3:14 pm
 The winds blew a harsh caress over the grass, swaying them in the moonlight to make each blade glisten as if something monumental were about to occur... Hidden amongst the thicket of tall grass laid a black form, wrapped and concealed by the darkness surrounding. Had it not been for telltale signs of white peeking out amidst the form, the pup might as well have been part of the ground itself. Darkness kept this pup a secret from fatal predators well.
He turned over from his slumber, eyes still closed as a soft mewl emitted throughout the air to those nearby. His parents had seemingly left him, and were long gone if anyone had wanted to search the area. Nothing gave a clue as to what sort of history he may have had, what became of the ones who brought him into the world, or what he had potentially in store for his future. It was quite clear, however, that if nothing came to aid the deserted pup soon, his early life may very well come to an abrupt end.
But the grass around him became calm all of a sudden, recovering from the wind that had pushed them earlier. They moved underneath and over the pup, comforting him, and he was assured that his parents would come back quite soon to satisfy his rising hunger.
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Posted: Sun Jan 27, 2008 3:46 pm
 Talutah walked across the deserted area. The sun was long gone by now and the moon had become the only source of light. The day had been a long one, it had taken many hours for the red hyena to secure a meal. Her body was tired from the chase, yet her legs refused to stop. Open ground was not the place to rest in. Talutah would search for a safe place, even if it took all night.
She became aware that her red coat shone obviously in the moonlight. A worry of becoming another animal's meal was always on Talutah's mind. This, along with traveling alone, created a distrust in the hyena. She was always on edge, always ready to fight if the time came. Even with this on her side, Talutah failed to notice a small object until it was right in front of her.
From her current postion Talutah was unable to determine what the thing was. It was almost completely black and blended in with the dark surroundings. Lowering herself, Talutah slowly made her way closer to the animal. But her anxieties were forgotten once she realized it was nothing more than a hyena pup. It had been some time since she had last seen one. He was so small and defenselss; Talutah wondered where the parents could be. Surely she would have seen adult hyenas if they were nearby. There was no way this little one would survive without help.
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Posted: Sun Jan 27, 2008 4:41 pm
Little did the hyena pup know that something else was approaching; luck had it for him that it was not looking for a small night snack, for he would have surely done a nice job in easing a larger predator's belly, vulnerable as he was. He awoke as soon as his young instincts sensed something older approaching, and he let out another soft call for his mother, or perhaps even father. He knew at least one of them must have left food for him elsewhere, and was now coming to fetch him to bring him to the meal!
Struggling to get up on all four legs, he found himself tumbling over in an overexerted effort. He grumbled impatiently as he raised his eyes, and then his head to see something very big and very red in front of him. Confused momentarily, he simply stared back at the female adult, fully aware that she was something new in his life, and could not have possibly been the mother he had known earlier. Or did something happen to her for her appearance to change so drastically?
Whoever the stranger was, she did not seem like a threat at all, and instead of a negative reaction, the pup felt comforted by the large red one's company. It had seemed like forever since he saw his true parents, so perhaps this was a friend of theirs coming to lead him to them. His eager eyes locked onto the adult gratefully, so very sure that the anticipation bubbling within his stomach was a good sign.
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Posted: Mon Jan 28, 2008 7:19 pm
The pup awoke and gave Talutah a scare. She had expected the little one to be either too tired or too starved to move. If he had that much energy, Talutah figured that his parents couldn't have been gone for too long. The hyena had never had pups of her own but knew that no mother would just leave her baby while she went to hunt. Scanning the surrounding area, Talutah red eyes search desperatly for any sign of life. Any sign that the pup's parents were close. But no sign came.
What would she do? Her first instincts said to just leave the pup and forget about it. He was looking up at her with large, eagar eyes; eyes that the female couldn't ignore. The least she could do was wait with him. Maybe his parents would come back after a while...but what if they didn't? Talutah hadn't really even thought about having pups of her own, let alone taking care of someone else's.
Talutah decided to ask the pup about his parents whereabouts, perhaps he knew where they had gone. "Pup, why are you alone?" she asked, attempting to sound calm, "Where have your parents gone?"
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Posted: Sun Feb 17, 2008 3:29 am
The pup was oblivious to the red adult's hesitation in approaching the stray, and answered the silence that came with her indecision with only an unconditional smile. She seemed a little distant, but yet, at the same time, she was occasionally taking in a glance at him, locking gazes at one point or another, even. Was there something strange nearby or on him? He attempted to search in the same way the red one did too, though he did not know what he was looking for, but when her words broke the silence, the pup glanced up at her once again.
He blinked twice in succession, confused about both of the questions.
First, he was alone? He was sure he had heard that word a couple of times before, and it took a few seconds for him to realize what it meant--and when he thought about it, he became even more perplexed. How could he be alone when the adult was right in front of him asking questions?
Second, didn't she know where his parents were? What was going on?
"Uh..." he thought aloud softly while still in his state of confusion, pondering whether he was alone, and whether the red hyena in front of him really didn't know where his parents had gone to, and in efforts to try and find an answer, stared into her eyes as if they held a tangible clue.
"Are you in my dream?" the pup finally deduced, figuring that he may still be sleeping, because in order to be alone, the one in front of him must not be there, but since he could see her, she must have been imagined. It seemed not unlikely now, too--because she was such a color that he had never seen on an animal before. What a colorful imagination he had!
In response to the latter question, he replied, "They will be there when I wake up, they always are!" He then slowly got up from his haunches and padded over closer to the red one, taking a closer look at her fur. "Sooo bright," he remarked in wonder and awe, and asked nonchalantly, "What are you doing in my dream?"
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Posted: Sat Feb 23, 2008 9:31 am
Looking, the pup seemed even more confused than Talutah was. But he still managed to give her a smile, something that even the reserved hyena couldn't ignore. She returned his smile with a small one of her own, though, was afraid that her smile was a bit rusty.
After a moment it became obvious to the female that the pup had no idea where his parents were. Talutah had looked around and off in the distance many times. Still, there were no signs, she neither saw nor smelt, of any other hyenas. Then Talutah was asked just about the most random question, that was no doubt something only a pup would say. "Your dream?" she questioned.
"So he thinks that he is still asleep?"she thought to herself, which was confirmed by the pup's next statements. Pieces of the puzzle were starting to come together. Apparently, the pup's parents had left him sleeping there but he had no idea what happened. "I am not in your dream," she replied, trying to sound kind as to lessen the blow of her next statement, "You are awake, I-I believe your parents ...eft you here."
Talutah had no idea how the pup would take this news, he was so young after all. Having been abandoned when she was younger too, Talutah knew the pain losing your parents caused. But he needed to know what happened.
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Posted: Mon Feb 25, 2008 4:24 am
"Yes you are, and no I'm not," the pup insisted, a hint of mild disappointment in his tone. The adult had no knowledge of what she was talking about--that's for sure; had it not been she who suggested that he was still dreaming through her statement and wild appearance? And it was impossible for his parents to have left him there--if one needed to hunt for food, then the other had always remained with him while he slept, or needed to be kept watched over.
So he was either awake with a strange stranger, or in a dream with a very confused figment of his imagination.
"...And they wouldn't leave..." he said firmly. They had been happy since he first saw the world, hadn't they? There was no reason for them to be gone, so he refused to even entertain the notion and shrugged it aside, choosing to instead focus on his new "friend".
She must have known where his parents were at, because if he was indeed awake, they had to have left him with someone else they knew and trusted. It was exciting to meet this acquaintance of his parents that he couldn't stand still, and so he rushed forwards to right behind the adult hyena, peering through the slightly tall grasses wondering if he would be able to spot anything similar to what either of his parents looked like.
"Where did you hide them?" he asked the unsuspecting female, "and why did you come here again?" The question was asked with innocence, and as much curiosity as can be had by a fairly young pup.
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Posted: Fri Mar 07, 2008 1:24 pm
Needless to say, Talutah was in a tight spot. For, how do you tell such a young pup that his parents are probably gone? She didn't have anyway to know if they were really gone, but then again she did know that no parent would leave a pup alone for this long. Maybe they were attacked or injured? This thought was even worse and Talutah tried to push it to the back of her mind. Either way, the pup was not going to believe that his parents were gone. The red female figured this was probably the first time he was without them.
She watched the pup behind her. Talutah was certainly not the mothery-type but couldn't help but smile. This pup was quite cute. She even admired his innocence, her own had left many years ago. "Hide them?" she repeated turning towards the pup. How could she tell him without hurting him? There was no good way to tell such a young pup his parents were probably gone.
"I..." she thought of what to say, "I-I came here to watch over you."
This was all Talutah could think of to say. Plus, there was no way she could leave this pup all alone. The mothering part of her was small, but it was still in her blood. Maybe there was still a chance his parents would come back for him. But even Talutah knew this chance was probably one in a million. Anyway, Talutah felt it was her duty to atleast make sure the pup was safe.
"So...what's your name little one?" she asked, realizing she didn't know his name yet.
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Posted: Sat Jun 14, 2008 2:24 pm
The small black hyena pup smiled as a confirmation of his previous thoughts was given. So his parents did tell the nice red one to play with him! As this thought registered through his mind, he moved his tail in a wagging-like manner, so eager for her attention and the knowledge of what is to come.
When the red one spoke first, before he could, the pup responded with a blank look; what was she asking for? He thought he had heard the phrase several times, but since his family did not bother to associate with others, the only words he called things were "mom" and "dad".
"What's my name?" he asked tentatively, in hopes that repeating the phrase will bring back memories.
We will need a suitable name for him, came back rushing into his mind, and Why not a conventional name, for his easy bringing in the night? The pup was stalled, for he did not know what anyone had been talking about, but he knew not that gone were the days of simplicity and carefree bliss, as horror had already occurred to him at such a young time, whether he knew it or not.
"I first saw the night," was all he could offer as a vague hint to the older hyena, before losing attention to the subject. "Who are you?" he asked curiously instead, for he had never seen another of his own kind aside from his two parents, much less one with her unique colors. "You look funny," he said without second thought, and adding, "I like you! Let's eat, I'm hungry!"
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Posted: Sat Jun 14, 2008 4:00 pm
Talutah was a bit surprised to the pup's reaction to her question. Did he not have a name? Did his parents really not name him? The black pup seemed to be thinking quite deeply over this matter, but offered no conclusion. He first saw night? Night...
"Otieno. How about Otieno?" the female suggested. After all, she couldn't keep calling him pup. Plus, from what he had said about night, the name made perfect sense. But in the back of her mind, Talutah knew giving the pup a name was a bad idea. It would make it harder in the long run, harder to...leave him.
Just as quickly as she had been throw into a deep thought the pup, Otieno rather, changed the subject. He was so young and full of questions, questions that served to take Talutah's mind off more serious matters. "I'm Talutah and I'm just like you, only red. I was sent to watch over you," she couldn't help but giggle at Otieno's innocence. It made the female wonder if she had ever been the same way.
His thoughts moved quickly, very quickly. But now his thoughts had settled on food. Thinking back, Talutah wasn't sure the last time she had eaten. Bringing up the subject had made her realize that her stomach was indeed empty. She could only imagine how hungry Otieno was. "A-Alright. Let's seen if we can find something to eat, shall we?"
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Posted: Mon Jun 16, 2008 3:42 pm
"Otienooh?" the pup slowly attempted to sound out, wondering what that was. It had a nice tone to it, though it was a little too difficult for him to take care in memorizing this early on. But, the confident and reassuring look the adult seemed to impress on him from suggesting Otieno was enough to make the pup shout out, "Yes!"
...Though he didn't know exactly that he had just been named, all would be well and known in due time. "You're a Talutaah?" he repeated before letting out a squeaky bark of laughter, "You're not like me! You're a girl... like mom!" And with that last statement, he rushed forward from the spot he had been positioned at to between Talutah's paws, settling comfortably into a pounce stance, looking where her head was pointed at. He tilted his head upwards to face her and smiled, remembering that this felt just like it had been when he was between his own mother's paws.
"Really?" the pup replied timidly at the red hyena's answer to his request. Had that been an offer to go hunting with her? His body brimmed with energy at once, and he hopped onto Talutah's left paw, placing his paws on her arm. He looked to her with eager eyes, excited at the new prospect given to him.
His mother had usually gone for the food, while he stayed protected by his father; it was brought back to them all, for they couldn't risk having a tender child hinder progress or hurt himself on the hunt. He couldn't count how often he tried following mother along on one of her hunts, or even asking to follow in the most subdued voice he could muster. But there would be new chances for everything, especially since this new red adult had come!
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