|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
 Posted: Sat Oct 17, 2009 10:39 pm
 Many evenings had been passing, none too out of the ordinary for the single, black hyena stepping towards a row of bushes. None had been able to, after many moons, rival anywhere near the amount of enjoyment he had during a particular evening. It was strange what one little, insignificant encounter could do to stick out in one's memory.
It was hard for him to not wander back to the very same watering hole where he had that pleasant evening. However, he was a lone traveler, and as lone travelers do, he was able to keep himself from sticking around that area, and dwelling on what he did not need to fill his mind. The past was the past, and he only sought to learn from gained experiences; like the time he spent with his foster mother--he acquired many skills and knowledge of life along with what was needed to survive and be independent through her. Though they have long departed from each other's company, he would not do himself well to obsess over seeking her out. They both knew well that the other was fine on their own, and appreciated what time they had with each other in the past.
He just needed to move on with a continuation of learning. Many faces would come in and out of his days, all of them rarely to be seen again, if at all. This was an effect of being a rogue wanderer, never dependent on familiar allies, for any form of an ally could so easily vanish behind one's tracks.
As the male hyena began making his own tracks, he walked through the bushes, which weren't as prickly as they could have been, and found a small lake of water at his paws. Nose raised to scent the air as ears held still and straightened to observe any clues to another presence. Finding nothing, he lowered himself onto the ground as dark red eyes gazed into the water. He saw a quick flash of a silvery flinch, and a paw came forward at the water to p***k it with the tip of his retracted claw; he was playing with the small watery residents, having no present need to feed or drink.
|
 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sat Oct 17, 2009 11:08 pm
"Esther, honestly, if you really want to see him again that badly, let's just go to the spot. Chances are good he's been there too."
Esther shook her head and cast a disapproving glance at Tambuzi.
"I have no idea what you are speaking about."
"Yes you do. He's been on your mind since we saw him. You've been moping about for weeks and I'm tired of it. There is no reason that you shouldn't have enjoyed his company. I liked it too. And I would like to see him again. So, let's go."
Esther looked hopeful a moment, but then shook her head.
"He probably won't even be there. He could be anywhere. No, let's not think about it. Come on, let's get some water."
Esther stood and Tambuzi wrapped around her front leg with a sigh. She turned away from the direction that particular watering hole was and made for a different one. She got there quickly and pushed her way carefully through the bushes to the water's edge. Esther took a long grateful drink and was completely oblivious to the fact that Tambuzi was trying to get her attention. It was only after she'd finished drinking that she noticed they weren't alone.
" . . . Otieno."
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sat Oct 17, 2009 11:48 pm
He expected to be alone for the rest of the night, he truly did. A lethargic feeling settled into the male hyena's body as the unstirred night shifted in to dispel the day. He wasn't even tired, and over the past few days, he noted staying awake for longer times, unable to get exactly a good night's rest. It wasn't that much trouble, though, for me attuned his own schedule for a fitting nocturnal lifestyle when he was up.
Keen eyes were fixated on the shimmering lake before him, and that mixed with the tired body but overexcited mind left him very much ignorant of the beginning rustles beyond the bushes near him. However, a part of his mind did observe the entering form of the light gray and white female hyena accompanied by the snake. His eyes were barely half focused when he stared without seeing at the vaguely familiar faces; he thought to himself, wondering whether it was a hallucination or not. It was as if he were watching the introduction of the evening he begged himself to not burden his thoughts. As much as he didn't want a feeling of regret from that evening to haunt him, though, the dreamlike sight of them was a little... more than comforting; it seemed almost real, too... The snake's blurred motion of a wave, the female hyena bending down to draw from the water looked like they were more than a fantasy.
The only thing that broke his detached view of his surroundings was the very real call of his name. Dark red eyes blinked and head twitched to actually pay attention to the very manifested presences before him.
"Oh!" he exclaimed softly, but then corrected with a more excitable yet composed tone, "...Esther and Tambuzi? You are here?"
As if they could be anyone else, his unnecessary question was spurred from the extreme surprise of her appearance. It had been a very long time, and he didn't expect to actually bump into Esther ever again, as much as he wanted to rewind his life to go back to that very first moment. It was nothing he would admit to anyone, or even himself, as he was also confused at the feeling. The way she suddenly spoke his name out, though, made Otieno very happy as a warmth flushed through his body.
"I mean..." he began to compose himself more, "Hello again... What brings you two here this late? Did you know I was here?"
There was absolutely no way that anyone could have known he was here, though, unless for some reason the pair were expert trackers. He was, of course, clumsy at times in leaving behind tracks. But that couldn't have been the case. No avian, rodent, or another hyena could have noticed him along the way, either. He liked to think he was very untraceable indeed.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sat Mar 13, 2010 10:24 pm
Esther blinked a few times and struggled to find the voice she seemed to have completely lost. He was here? How had that happened? It was as though her thoughts simply summoned him from the air. It was an unimaginable coincidence that they both would happen to be here at the same time, for neither she nor Tambuzi had tracked him to this spot. Perhaps fate had decided to intervene and give them a second chance to see each other.
Tambu glanced back and forth between Esther and Otieno and willed his companion to speak. He rolled her eyes as she was obviously speechless. So, he spoke up first.
"Hello again! Wow, we didn't expect to see you here. No, we had no idea you were here, but how fortunate for us to see you again," said the snake, slowly sliding down from Esther's shoulder to land on the ground.
Fortunately for them both, his words seemed to gotten through to Esther, for she managed to find her voice.
"Hello again. Uh, we . . . we were just out for a walk and decided to stop for some water. I never imagined . . ." she trailed off, feeling a little sheepish.
Esther had been hoping she would get the chance to see Otieno again. She'd never had a good relationship with a male hyena before, the only exception being her own son who was now grown and had a life of her own. When they'd met before, he had truly been wonderful company.
"It is so good to see you again," she said with a smile.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sun Mar 14, 2010 4:47 am
When he saw the seemingly confused stare that accompanied the rather long silence, Otieno thought he really was dreaming. Or maybe there was another hyena who looked exactly like the Esther he met before who also had a snake companion... and happened to know his name. Wait, that wasn't right either. Regardless, the black hyena felt a minor discomfort in the other's gaze, mirage or night - it was locked on him, yet no further gesture or recognition was offered. Yet, he couldn't stop looking at the vision of Esther, either. His focus was barely disrupted when Tambuzi spoke, addressing his previous queries. It was then that he was sure the pair in front of him were real, and he acknowledged that happily so. Without another thought, Otieno took several strides towards the two, trying to keep his grin from making him look like a fool.
"Fortunate?" he echoed the feeling, and did hope he gave Esther and Tambuzi enough of a good impression to have perhaps a longer encounter with them.
He did not notice the irregularity in Esther's speech, but instead concentrated on purely getting closer, as if he had to see for himself whether this was reality or not; as if seeing from a distance was not enough.
"It's good to see you two, too," he returned, his spirits rising to see what looked like a genuine smile from the other, "Have-whoah!"
His left paw immediately slipped off of a rocky edge of the pool of water, incidentally bringing the rest of his body down into the fall, and cutting off his words. Losing balance as quickly as his fall went, Otieno involuntarily did a roll into the shallow water beside the ground on which he was walking; while his paws could touch the bottom of the pool's floor, that didn't prevent his head from submerging for a split second. He was able to stabilize in the water quickly, but coughed out water as soon as he was upright again. Uncanny how he hadn't been in a situation like this since he was a young pup--it had to happen now?
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Wed May 19, 2010 9:00 am
The snake and hyena pair were a bit confused by Otieno's expression. It was almost as if he didn't recognize them or didn't believe that they were actually here. It was rather disconcerting. However, it seemed that their voices managed to convince the male hyena that the two of them were actually there.
Esther smiled, delighted when Otieno recognized them and came closer. She watched in concern though when he slipped and rolled into the water. Tambuzi snickered quietly, but Esther ignored the reptile and hurried over. It appeared that he might have slipped and rolled on one of his legs in the fall.
"Oh my goodness, are you alright?" she asked, very concerned. It might have been partly her instincts as a mother, but she also truly cared about Otieno and wanted to be sure he was okay.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Fri Aug 13, 2010 3:57 am
Otieno did not realize that Esther ran over to his position to check on him. As he tossed his head to flick the water out of his white tuft of mane and face, her body came into view and he felt much more embarrassed.
"Y-yes, I'm fine!" he said a bit too loud and quickly, raising a right paw to wave off the concern.
But when he raised the other to set on the actual ground to get out of the water, he winced. Something was wrong; it wasn't entirely disabled, as his reaction was more out of surprise than pain. Nonetheless, Otieno did somehow injure his left foreleg in the incident. As much as he would have wanted to grit his teeth through this, Esther must have already seen his sudden and unsteady shiver when he placed his leg down.
"I'm still fine," he asserted, making a great leap from the water with his hind legs.
Otieno kept his weight on the right, and didn't move from the spot he jumped onto. While facing Esther, he smiled sheepishly and tried to change the subject.
"Well, that trick definitely couldn't catch a fish like last time. Maybe this lake has no fish?"
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Fri Oct 22, 2010 2:09 pm
Esther wasn't fooled in the slightest. She'd seen that wince of pain as Otieno had set his paw down. She glanced at it, worried that he might have fractured it. It was unlikely, but possible. More likely, he had simply strained or twisted it.
"Fine, huh? That paw doesn't look so good," she said gently. She didn't want to embarrass him or anything like that, she was just truly concerned. Bending down to whisper to Tambuzi, she asked the snake to go and fetch some herbs if he could find them. He nodded his agreement and slithered off quickly.
"Yup, no fish this time, but that's okay," she said with a chuckle. "Why don't you come over this way and sit for a little while. You probably didn't do anything serious, but resting it will help either way."
Esther led him over to a comfortable looking spot nearby and she reclined, hoping he would do the same. Looking at him, she couldn't help but say something.
"It's so good to see you again."
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Mon Mar 21, 2011 2:19 am
A nonchalant shake of the head was Otieno's response to Esther's words and concern. He didn't notice the other hyena moving down to speak to Tambuzi, as he bent down himself to inspect his legs. Nothing looked wrong, though he knew all too well there was something peculiar that happened to him - but he'd never experienced it before. His foster mother had taken care of him so dearly that he hardly felt pain outside of a few bullying nips from hyenas estranging the two.
When Esther insisted on continuing with his problem, he flushed, more ashamed this time. It had been a long, long time since he had been offered or felt nurture in such a way. He wasn't used to it now, or perhaps never really was. If he thought about it, he always felt guilty when his foster mother took care of him, too. It was strange to see another hyena in the world who would find reason to be kind to him because of his solitude and alienation through life.
"Don't worry over nothing, Esther," he mumbled before walking awkwardly towards and along with her, still attempting to hide his faulty leg.
As he laid down, lowering his body entirely to rest, he felt frozen in place as Esther looked at him in his partially helpless state. And when she spoke, he stammered out a reply as he returned the gaze.
"Y-yes, I think you've said that," he swallowed a rising nervousness from all of Esther's tenderness, "S-so what have you and Tambuzi been doing? Uh..."
He looked around, now noticing the missing entity.
"Speaking of which, where is Tambuzi? Wasn't he just here a second ago..?"
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
