Welcome to Gaia! ::

(( This rp is open to other hyenas in the graveyard, but I would like to get to introduce Rasuli to Mafa first. Just so he can get in, hopefully and introduce himself. Then I'll be more than happy to play with Tuk and everyone!

And no doubt a nice fresh elephant carcass would attract a few hungry hyenas... wink ))

The older hyena pup sniffed as he made his way back towards the graveyards. It had been a place he used to visit, at least the boarders, with his mother and uncle. But they were gone now, and instead a new figure led him. It wasn't a figure that could be seen though, it led him by whispers on the wind and shadows in his mind. But there was no telling this little hyena Rasuli (for that is his name) that this figure wasn't real or just a hallucination. It had proved itself to him enough and he would not question it.

Last night, as the crickets chirped, it had told him to head back this way but this time to go far deeper into the graveyard. The pack's current leader would be there, with others, and he was to do his best to join them. It was the only way to help restore the hyenas' power in these lands and to avenge the injustice that the lions had imposed on them for so long.

Rasuli paused as he wandered in and out of the scattered bones. How would he find them though? The voice had said they'd find a way to bring them to him....

And then there in the distance he saw it! A great hulking form moving slowly throught the dust swirls and ancient bones. Shifting to a loping trot he hurried to catch up.

The old, wrinkled lady let out a weary sigh. "Good..." She rumbled. "Although it's not so... pleasant dying near one you know's gonna eat you afterwards... Still, I suppose afterwards I won't care... great circle of life and all." She shifted her head to look around. "But there's only one of you? Well I suppose the rest will show up... pack of scavengers."

The hyena pup tried to resist licking his chops as he replied. "Better than dying with your enemy watching." He stated simply. His time alone with the voice in his head had made him mentally grow up rather fast.

"Circle of life? What's that? I only know things shouldn't be wasted. Eat what you can because there might not be any tomorrow." And he knew from experience that there usually wasn't anything for a couple of days after that either.

"I'm... waiting for the others." He explained to her. "Going to join them when they come. The hyenas need to be considered more than just a pack of scavengers." He mimiced her words. "We would already be, if it weren't for the lions and their plague."

The old elephant laughed, though it ended in a terrible wheeze. "Heh heh heeehhh uh uhh... You've got a point small one." She gave a funny sort of smile. Even in her dying moments she was still amused by this pup, and besides, a creature of his small size wasn't a real threat to her even in this state.

"Ah, the circle of life is a bit like that.... in a way. Nothing is wasted. Lions, hyenas (she added thoughtfully) they feed on us but when they die and the ground eats them we eat the grass that springs forth from it." She explained. "That's what the Pridelanders believe.... I don't know about the lions making the plague though."

Rasuli growled. "I don't believe anything any lions think! Waste not-want not, mum used to say. That's all. And I know the lions sent their plague... or their gods did. Didn't want us hyenas around. Or others. Trying to kill us off and take it all, be the only meateaters in these lands. That was their plan. But we'll stop it."

((I like this little guy already xDD))



For a long time, the air had been dead still, not a single friendly breeze played on the dusty lands of the graveyard. But then again, not too many friendly beasts lurked in these lands. But recently, there had been some stirring, the dust and dirt had been shifted around from its dormant state, a whisp of fresh air had blown in. An adolescent hyena stood tall on the dried and hard femur bone of what was one a regal, sturdy elephant. Now, the bone was more likely to crack if too much weight was put on it, but this hyena was skinny enough to get by. She didn't weigh much more than a young lion, she didn't get enough calories in these parts to grow like that. She was mostly solid muscle, not very strong muscle, but she could hold her own. Her strength was growing with her new pack though, hunting in numbers was easier than hunting alone.

It was there on that leg bone that Mafa, lead hyena of these lands, felt this little breeze. The little breeze that rattled the bones around her and made her perk up. She wasn't a highly spiritual animal, barely infact, but she did believe in luck, and her lucky wind was here. With a huff, the female gruffly rose her snout into the air and took a whiff, something was definitely up. The smell wasn't something she was used to, it sure wasn't lion, she'd charge in there and chase them out before she could even process the thought. No, this was something else, something that almost... Belonged here.

Her curiosity peaked, Mafa hopped from the bone and started with a brisk trot towards this strange new scent, her senses on alert, in case it was some dirty lion trap, a trap to take over what was hers, what belonged to her kind, the graveyard. Every useless critter out there knew that the graveyard was strictly hyena territory, it had been for ages, so much longer before Mafa's time. She had been born here, raised here, she'd never really left. It was natural that she never wanted to leave the place, or to let those slimy lions crawl all over it. It was for that reason which she fought, though her intentions weren't noble. It wasn't just about protecting the land, it was also about her intense hatred of the lions. She liked seeing them squirm, she liked their blood spilt, and if it was be her jaws, the better. Mafa didn't have a grand history with the feline kind, it was more of a supressed memory now, one she chose not to think about anymore.

It wasn't all too long before Mafa located the source of this new disturbance. The female had to pause at the sight, a large lumbering mass was laying motionless on the ground, looking rather tasty. An elephant... She had never seen a live one... Or one that was close to being live. She lived among their bones but had never seen an actual elephant. Rather pitiful. There was something else too, not an elephant, but a hyena. Mafa's aqua eyes narrowed as she scanned the area only to spot a furry bundle perched on the herbivore's flank. She had heard a cry before, having assumed it as one of her pack members she really didn't take any notice. But this one, it was a new comer. A supporter to her cause, or just a pest. She'd have to find out, though she'd never refuse a hyena from staying where it belonged. With a low bark, she called out to the other,

"You there, hyena, who're you?"

Mafa stayed silent briefly, her mind absorbed in the elephant. She couldn't wait to sink her fangs into that lump of meat, she hadn't eaten anything that good in a damn long time. She blinked a few seconds after his respone, looking up at the youth with an expressionless face,

"Mafa, these are my lands"

Her words were harsh, but she didn't want to scare off this young hyena. It seemed to her that he had brought in an elephant, no way was she letting him go. A glimmer appeared in her eyes, her land, her elephant. Without giving it another though, Mafa hopped onto the flank of the elephant and linked it once. It was bloody, the pup had been trying to get at it. Maybe he hadn't brought it down. Hell, what was she thinking, a whole pack of hyenas would have trouble bringing an elephant down, and this one wasn't even wounded. It had somehow found this place and died here, how lucky. What a lucky little pup. Her icy gaze focused on him for a second, maybe her lucky breeze had brought him in. The thought of it sounded rediculous, even to Mafa, but she wasn't a creature of reason. The female already held some respect for the youth, lucky b*****d, a lot luckier than she was.

"Nice catch kid.... What are you doing here?"

She spoke without looking up, her gaze remained down at the elephant's skin. She was clawing at it, inflicting even more bloody scratched on the tough hide. Mafa then lowered her head and wedged her teeth into one of the grooves her claws had made and pulled up. A chunk of the rough skin came away with a sickening tear and Mafa dropped it, sending it down to collect dust. Warm blood from the dead animal seeped out from the hole and Mafa's mouth watered just looking at it. Without thinking, she took a bite, ripping out flesh and swallowing it without chewing. It was her right to eat first, even though it was this pup's 'kill'. The adolescent took another bite and stepped back, licking her chops as she gazed out over the graveyard, allowing leeway for the pup to get at the meat.

A rough, pink tounge slipped out from Mafa's mouth and licked her chops intently as she watched the pup eat. This smell of blood would certainly attract other, she wondered how they'd react to this little number. It was of no matter though, they could think what they wanted, somehow, this little pup knew what he was talking about. Either that, or he knew how to get of Mafa's good side. Her eyes narrowed in light confusion as he spoke. A gift, from what? Maybe the pup had a lucky wind too. Her head nodded as he spoke, not really listening to his words until the last second. What he said had sparked her passion,

"Damn right Rasuli. This is our home, not something those godforsaken lions can stomp all over. Destroy like they do everything else..."

Mafa's words faded with a scoff. She had gotten herself all angry just thinking about it. Her head snapped away from the cub and she paced a few steps away from the pup and his meal. She walked to the shoulders of the elephant and sat down, glaring and spiteful eyes looking out towards the border of the graveyard, the place where the lions had setteled. Her gaze holding steady, she spoke once again, the anger still in her voice,

"Stay as long as you want kid, you're welcome, just don't cause trouble. Maybe the others will come, who knows..."

Mafa's thin tail twitched lightly behind her as she sat solemnly, listening to the pup eat behind her. She was getting hungry again just listening to it, but she'd take her fill when she was done talking to this youth. There was something in what he said next that hit home. Mafa's ears lowered and her icy gaze softened, just for a second.

"Mother...."

Damn those lions, his family too? Her own family had been killed by lions and when she had found out, when she had seen it with her own eyes, she lost the will to feel anything. She became cold and emotionless after that day, just as she was now. She didn't always hate lions, she used to fear them, but now it was her that they'd fear, they'd fear all the hyenas. For a second, Mafa almost smiled at the eagerness of this pup, but then she remembered that she had nothing to smile about. The female turned around, her eyes hard once again, but her glare wasn't as intenst with this pup. She could relate to him, he knew what she was talking about, he understood the severity of the lion's threat. There was a brief glimmer in her eye as she turned to him to speak,

"Yes, my pack, the one you're now in kid. You can help me guard the borders, filthy lions always manage to crawl in here and snoop around, and I'll have none of it"

She took an unnaturally perky step to the open wound on the elephant and sunk her teeth in, tearing out a rather large chunk and chewing it down. Something about the thought of scaring those lions away put her into quite a good mood.

Mafa sighed as she obviously contemplated on something. She had had a family too, before the lions came. They ruined everything. The pup was right, they brought the plague, they took Banzai from her. Mafa's fur bristled, she was getting herself mad again. Viciously, she tore another chunk from the elephant and gulped it down. She then turned from the gaping wound and licked her chops, eyes narrowed and ears pressed back. This female wasn't too good at controling her feelings, she had sudden outbursts of anger, even on good days.

"Plague... Damn them..."

The lead female was muttering to herself now, the new pup almost forgotten. Rasuli's young voice snapped her back from her brooding and her head whipped back to face him. He was so right, /her/ lands, being invaded by those rats, bringing the plague, attacking hyenas. Mafa scoffed, she couldn't stand them. Her icy eyes also flicked up to scan the horizion, a habit she had long since grown into. She was always on the look out,

"They're nothing too special, a few of them I haven't even really talked to. Tukut's an idiot, but he's a good hyena."

A good lion-hating hyena. That was a good hyena in Mafa's mind, and this pup was an excellent hyena, much like herself.

Mafa's dull claws flexed on the elephant's tough hide rather aimlessly as she pondered. The female took a quick glance over her shoulder and peered into the direction from which she had came. She wanted to take Rasuli to the main skull, but she didn't want to leave the kill so the damn lions could get into it before her pack got their chance at it.

"Yeah... Tukutu, I'm not sure if you'll like him, I sure don't... But I trust him, I guess that's what counts"

Mafa wasn't a very trusting individual, so the trust she put in another was really a sought after achievement. The female nodded at the pup's next comment,

"There aren't too many of us, the lions out number us drastically. But most of the lions that ever come in here are cubs, I bet you could kill one without even trying"

She doubted that many of the hyenas in her pack had the ablility or the mind set to kill a lion, she knew she did, and she hoped that the kid did too, he'd need it if he was going to tag around with her.