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 Posted: Sat Oct 17, 2009 10:16 pm
 Nighttime distilled the land of the daily ruckus brought in by the sun's heat beating down on all creatures, provoking them to cause such a stir. The air was quite fine, but the breeze had lessened, though there was still enough to move the grasses to a vague tilt. A black, white-maned hyena laid still next to a small pool of water; a tree beside him had been shading his dark, black body for the duration of the hours prior to the sun's descent. Life moved quick at times, but memories often did not.
Dark red eyes lowered onto the water's surface before him, and the male could almost see a particular evening replaying right before his eyes. The shifting waves of the liquid did nothing but aid the mirage, and a blur of something gentle, gray, and beautiful zigzagged across the water... and then it seemed like a snake drifted through the scattered reflective surface as well. The hyena shook his head; it was his imagination playing at his confusion once again.
A sigh escaped, and he lowered his mouth to the water and licked it. He had already eaten and drank until he was well satiated. But there seemed to be something else missing--something that he wouldn't have thought was missing many moons before. Company could have been what he sought, though most likely company of a particular sort... or duo. This hyena was contradicting his own default attitude.
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Posted: Sun Oct 18, 2009 9:17 am
The night was good cover for those who had pelts that were dark. Ylva's blue mane and Kumo's lighter coat and blue mane made it difficult to really travel under the cover of night. Really, Ylva didn't give a damn though. The female was strong and bold, almost to a fault with her boldness. The only thing the hyena really worried about tonight was her little son trotting along side her.
Kumo had wanted a drink of water in the middle of the night. The female had swallowed her frustration when abruptly awaken in the dead of night by a thirsty little pup. Thank god Kumo hadn't waken up the rest of the family. What a nightmare it would have been to take four pups to the watering hole.
"Thanks mom for taking me , " The little pup lowered his ears a little embarrassed that he had woken up his mother.
Ylva chewed her lip some and looked up at the starry sky above. Trying to think of something not snarky to say back, she loved her pup really. "We all need water to survive ... " The females tone was flat and a little annoyed. Kumo picked up on this and his head fell a little as well as his ears. The pup was ashamed and not sure why.
Ylva nuzzled him some with her nose and attempted a smile, but it was a weak forced one. Kumo returned the gesture half heartedly.
The two reached the watering hole and little Kumo started to run to the bank of the pool of water only to be blocked by Ylva.
"Hey what gives?" The pup whined.
"We aren't alone..." The female craned her head and sniffed. A male hyena was near, possibly blanketed by the night better then the two of them were. "Who's here..." Ylva growled as she pushed Kumo under her self.
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Posted: Mon Oct 19, 2009 1:24 am
It took a while for the black hyena to register that two other figures entered the clearing. Reminiscing did well to distract what could hardly be seen in the night. Luckily, he was no threat to the approaching pair of adult and child, and white mane flicked around as a head swiveled to inspect what had come for him in the direction of the voices.
Dark red eyes turned to the distance, seeing a faded dull blue that might have, if shone in the sunlight, been as bright and dazzling as the sun itself. On one of those blues was a duller cream, but smaller in proportion to what a normal, adult would be. Curious, he was about to call out on his own, feeling like he was in no particular, imminent danger. However, his own voice was interrupted by a threat growl of a greeting that resonated from the pair of shapes, and the male shoved in his second thoughts again about being endangered.
He walked carefully towards where the voice had come from, voicing, "Ah... I'm Otieno, and I didn't mean to scare either of you," and squinting in the darkness to try and get a better look at the owner of the other voice.
He was actually surprised to see a gray female hyena with the little cream pup beneath her. He stopped, then, not meaning to frighten the two any further, especially the young one. She was rather beautiful, as well as her pup; he assumed they were related because of the almost glowing marks and appearance of the mane.
"I hope I'm not a bother here; I didn't think children were up this late, and the water here is quite... refreshing."
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Posted: Tue Oct 20, 2009 12:25 pm
Ylva didn't stand down from her hostile position. The females ivory fangs glinted in the star light. Normally , Ylva was a bit of a snarky rude hyena any way, but right now she was alone in the middle of the night with a single pup. Who knew if there were more males hiding in the dark. Ylva had been tricked once before and did not trust her own kind as a result. With so many different scents mingled in the air it was hard to tell.
"He seems nice.. ?" Kumo interrupted his mothers snarls with his one meek statement. The boy had seen his mother lose her temper before and never was it pretty. "Why not.." The boy was met with a glare from his mother. Kumo's ears flattened on his skull and he rolled on his back showing submission.
Ylva took a few steps forward, really taking in this males scent and the mixed scents of their surroundings. Kumo stayed behind watching the two adults.
Finally Ylva spoke, "You're alone." The female's tone was flat and unlaced with the hostility that had been present earlier. She sighed and nodded to the stranger, "We'll be taking a drink now. Come along Kumo.." With out so much as a glance back to her son she started for the river. The male didn't seem like he was gonna attack them.
Kumo stayed close to his mother, weaving between her legs as she walked. He gave an apologetic glance back at the stranger. Ylva was a tad over protective, and he knew she had only been so hostile on his account. Kumo felt real bad and wanted to say something.
"You can come drink with us!" The boy hollered to the dark stranger. Ylva was to shocked by Kumo's boldness to glare at either of them. A dumbfounded look had replaced her usual scowl.
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Posted: Mon Mar 01, 2010 7:24 pm
Otieno waited patiently as the two strangers paused to assess him. His eyes wandered over to the adult's fangs precariously, knowing that it was a necessary action on their part, but at the same time wishing their judgment wasn't voiced so loudly. However, he could now safely assume that the smaller one was a pup of the adult's, given the motherly sentiments he had seen thus far. While he could be wrong, he saw no problem with being more careful around this pair - a mother's temper around her child should not be trifled with.
He was at least glad the smaller pup had enough compassion to trust him at first, though hoped that the display of kindness wasn't something that would put him in peril when he grew up.
So when the presumed mother came forward for a rather uncomfortable inspection, Otieno instinctively leaned back and lowered - perhaps in both anxiety and respect - and waited until she spoke. You're alone, the voice echoed in his mind; how could she tell? From just the few moments of brief introduction, this female hyena could divulge what was the most basic essence of his being? Or was she one of those his foster mother told him who could see into different places in time?
His head shook as the most obvious answer in general came to him. She did not know him, so she meant it literally. Truly, Otieno was a fool in these circumstances. Inwardly scolding himself for letting time lapse for his personal thoughts, he mustered up the will to respond to the female with a nod of his own.
"Yes," he said with his own blank expression with intention not negative nor positive.
He issued another pause, and spoke again, remembering manners, "Glad to meet you, miss," then turning to the smaller one, "and you, Kumo."
It wasn't strange being brushed aside once he wasn't considered a threat - he was used to others in their own familial interests walking by without another glance. He supposed he was done with this clearing, at least, and was about to start trudging back the way he came from until he heard the little soft voice speak up. Ears straightened upright and body turned to the way the pair had walked to, and a smile replaced the blank look on Otieno's face.
"I could drink some more before going then," he responded, gingerly taking the few steps that separated him and the pair.
As he walked close enough to be somewhat in the two's immediate presence, yet not as near as to be dangerous to the pup if he was someone who had bad motives, Otieno placed his paws at the edge of the line that distinguished water and ground. He stared into the dark water again, finding his capability in moment to be less reflective than before. Then, he dipped his muzzle in the water again, feeling the refreshing liquid while at the same time hoping this gesture would emphasize his absence of harmful intention.
Shortly after, his muzzle lifted slightly over the top of the water and he commented quietly, "I didn't meant to interrupt a mother and son late night stroll. I thought these types of things were done in less dangerous times of the day, though."
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Posted: Mon Mar 08, 2010 10:36 pm
The female did not protest or try to undo what had been done. Ylva wasn't about to put her faith in this stranger completely as her son had but he'd done nothing yet to deserve such harsh shunning.
"Pleasure," She managed, her voice still cold, but not unfriendly. It was late at night and she had her paws full with a thirsty puppy after all. She wasn't in all that great of a mood.
"Im glad to meet you too mister," Kumo yipped as he kept to his mothers side. Ylva didn't scold him or glare at the stranger for conversing with her puppy. It was a good sign.
Kumo ran beside his mothers side with a child like pop in his step as he went. The puppies little tail wagged and his tongue hung out his mouth. The cream blue hyena pup was thirsty and couldn't wait to dive his muzzle in the cool night water. In fact , he might have gotten a little overly excited about the whole thing because he stubbed his muzzle when he went down to drink.
"Owwww..." He yipped. Ylva raised a brow and bent down to investigate what may have happened only to stop. The stranger had spoken again. Slowly she lifted her head leaving Kumo to tend to his muzzle.
"Kids," Her blank face almost didn't move as she spoke, "Always needing this and that in the middle of the night." She gave the stranger a good strong awkward grin for a split second only to lower her head again to tend to Kumo's stubbed muzzle.
Honestly, she wasn't sure how she put up with her pups. But she loved them and she'd die for them if the time called for that.
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Posted: Fri Mar 19, 2010 2:10 am
The female adult's response and attitude was more warm than Otieno had experienced in the past, so she seemed friendlier to him than what she most likely intended. This put him in a better mood, allowing a smile to form on his face which escalated when he watched Kumo bounce around. He couldn't recall much of his own youth, but from what he could remember, he wasn't like that at all. Childhood energy for Otieno had been replaced with cautious attention and a wary persona as he traveled with his adoptive mother. He always wondered what it would have been like to have his real parents around - would he have been as blissful and carefree as the cheerful Kumo? He shook his head to himself; the care and love of his adoptive parent would not go unappreciated, and he reasoned that he wouldn't have wanted it any other way. Had there been a better alternative, he would have been raised with both of his parents in addition to his adoptive mother. Such things were useless to reflect upon, however.
Otieno snapped back to reality and twitched his head towards Kumo as he heard his pained yelp. He opened his mouth to say something, but it seemed that the mother thought it wasn't serious, taking the time to respond instead of immediately treating her son. He calmed himself back down, though leaving his gaze on Kumo in concern for just a bit longer.
"Ah, I have no experience with that," he said as he, too, strangely mimicked the grin briefly, "I did have a mother - not the one who had me - who cared for me deeply. I hope she is doing well now. And is the father back at your home..?"
He didn't mean anything by the inquiry - it was simply small talk, and he chanced to ask, "And are you... okay? Kumo?"
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Posted: Fri Mar 26, 2010 10:38 pm
Kumo let his mother lick at his muzzle. Small wells of tears had formed behind the pups eyes, more surprised then hurt. He was still a puppy after all. Ylva had let the stranger talk as she licked at her boys muzzle. The female knew that Kumo wasn't badly hurt and that licking it did nothing to help heal what wasn't there but she knew it at least showed the pup she cared. That was enough to lick at his muzzle.
Otieno's question had Ylva's head snap back up. A sharp look in her eyes, Ylva wasn't the most trusting of her own kind. She'd been tricked by a group of hyenas in her younger days and as a result was always that more cautious around them. A bit of curiosity and rage burned in her cold blue eyes melting away the usual icy exterior she held on the outside to give a glimpse at something much more harsh.
"Why would it matter if the fathers at home," Her words sliced. Not that he wasn't , the father was back at home. But in Ylva's mind a male only asked such a question if he was thinking something else. Her protective aggressive nature flipped on like a switch. Could she really trust this male ?
Kumo yipped and quickly scampered in front of his mother. He knew she was upset even though the pup had no idea why. Kumo had been sheltered along with the rest of his siblings and had only known kindness unlike his two paranoid parents.
"STOP!" He growled at his mother, "Don't be so snappy, he didn't mean it!" The pup wasn't sure what had set Ylva off but he was determined to stop it.
Ylva's face had a mildly surprised look. She knew Kumo to be naive, as were almost all youth, but he really was angry at her anger. The hyena sighed. Maybe she'd over reacted . The female shook her head.
"I don't mean to judge," She looked from the stranger to Kumo, "But you must forgive a mother out alone at night with a single pup. Such questions about whether or not there is a father come off as.." She didn't finish her sentence.
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Posted: Fri Aug 13, 2010 3:36 am
Watching Kumo's mother continue soothing the injured muzzle made Otieno reminisce about his earlier days with his adoptive mother. He had never been one to get in trouble or easily hurt, but danger had been everywhere for the pack-less duo, especially for the lack of camouflage.
When the mother's head snapped up, Otieno's did too, out of surprise of the reaction. He wasn't sure what he said that would have elicited such a thing, but he was not one who had confidence in his social cues.
He saw a different look in the mother's eyes; something more fierce and active that made him subconsciously step back. If the mother were to get touchy, then Otieno would not trifle with the two, even if he wished to understand where the mistrust was coming from. Until she questioned his query, he was clueless to what prompted the aggression.
"...Ah, I'm sorry, yes, I didn't mean anything by that," he repeated meekly after Kumo, "I usually see hyena families together; it is rare to see the mother without the father, but when I do come across a single parent... I think about myself and my mother, and her loneliness for lack of a mate. I kept her company well, but there's just something about a mate, I suppose, that fills something... I wouldn't know, ha!"
Otieno stood in place, whipping his tail around anxiously; he felt that his welcome was soon ending, especially because it was night, and the young pup still had to get sleep for the rest of the night. It was delightful bumping into the two, and seeing how mature some hyena pups could be.
"I mean no harm," he said, feeling deja vu all over again in explaining his lack of ill intention to a female hyena - they were all quite guarded!
"Then perhaps our meeting is over, and you should get back to your den with the others. I'll go the opposite way, as I believe I'm trying to head out into open fields - at least, until I find... someone. I am glad to have met you, though, and you, Kumo. Maybe we'll cross paths again when you're older!"
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Posted: Tue Oct 05, 2010 9:27 pm
The females eyes softened as she listened to his apology. He'd clearly meant no harm. It helped that Kumo had stepped in though. He had talked her back to her senses and now Ylva was some what calm again. The keyword being some what.
She lowered her head to Kumo but kept her eyes on the male at all time.
"I do have a mate. He's back at the den with the rest of the puppies," She wrapped her jaws around Kumo very gently. Usually she'd have the pup walk beside her but since right now she just wanted to get out of here she made the exception.
The female turned and started off with a rather limp kumo hanging from her jaws.
Kumo could only muster a good bye wave half heartedly as he dangled. He was sure he'd get an ear fill come tomorrow morning about how dangerous strangers were. He'd gotten the same lecture almost every other day since he was born but Kumo didn't feel that every stranger was dangerous. Maybe one day his mother would learn to trust again.
Though it was doubtful.
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Posted: Tue Oct 05, 2010 9:52 pm
Though Otieno felt that he gained some sort of trust with the female hyena, it could be clearly discerned that she cared much for her young boy to go on the side of caution. He felt her stares, and nodded at her statement. And when she bent down to pick up Kumo, Otieno started his steps outwards from the clearing.
"Have a good night, you two, and safe travels," he voiced.
Otieno smiled as he viewed Kumo's tiny paw wave from afar, and then watched the two figures completely disappear past the thick grasses. It was time to continue into the night, and perhaps another day, the two he would find would be the two he most desired to find...
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