[PRP] From the Bones (Loko o Ka/Taka)

[Atheare]

Loko o Ka sat beside a rather large rock, a dead rabbit in her jaws. The unwitting thing had made it's burrow beneath the rock, which seemed silly to her, as it made ambush very simple. All she had to do was sit atop the rock and wait for it to poke it's little head out of the hole and then pounce on it, which indeed she had. Loko o Ka was not a skilled hunter, but she did know how to take advantage of the stupidity of small prey creatures.

"Sorry, little friend." She said with a smirk after setting the snack down at her paws, "I am afraid you chose your location poorly." She grinned, glad that she had caught herself something to eat finally. Recently she had been relying on the rest of the pack for food because she was spending her time hunting for new pack members rather than for prey.

With that, she began to eat, relishing in the joy that came with catching her own meal. She had learned from her life in the graveyard how to catch rats using the same technique, but this was different. Out here, there were rocks instead of bones, and rabbits instead of rats. The transition from rats to rabbits was her favorite, as they provided more meat and seemed to be less intelligent than their smaller counterparts. Win - win, in her eyes.  

[Atheare]

Loko o Ka paused, laying the rabbit down at her feet before sniffing the air. She could smell another hyena very nearby, and it did not smell familiar. Where most would probably become defensive at this point, the female became excited, grabbing her catch in her jaws and looking around. It was not long before she located the source of the smell.

She dropped the rabbit again, "Hello there." She called, her tail wagging slightly behind her. She tried to keep from looking too excited, but still appear friendly. "Are you from around here?" She picked up her snack and approached him, stopping a respectful distance away and setting it down once more. She could see already that he was watching her prize intently. He was probably hungry.

"Would you like some?" She gestured toward the half-eaten rabbit. "It's no trouble, I am sure the hunters of my pack have gotten something. I'll eat later." She offered, again trying to keep herself from seeming overly eager.  

[Atheare]

Loko o Ka smiled, trying not to laugh at his eagerness when she offered him her food. It rather reminded her of her first encounter with the other leaders of her pack, in which they shared their food with her when she needed it. It was a rather interesting coincidence, in her mind.

"It is no trouble." She repeated pleasantly, "Do not worry yourself about it, it was a gift to a fellow hyena. It is good to help those in need. I was not unlike you, not too long ago. I, too, abandoned my previous pack in favor of a life alone." She sat down, trying to seem less intimidating. This hyena seemed slightly nervous, and she wanted him to feel comfortable. It was no fun to be forced into an awkward conversation.

"Life alone isn't as easy as I thought though." She laughed, "As I am sure you are realizing. I also have trouble hunting alone. That kill was mere chance, and the rabbit made a poor choice of where to live. A group hunts far more effectively than an individual." She nodded toward the nearby valley where she lived, "It's alright though, there is sure to be food back at my home. We provide for each other there."  

[Atheare]

Loko o Ka grinned as she saw his tail begin to move. He was beginning to relax, which was always good. Loko o ka never liked to make anyone feel uncomfortable, though sometimes it was unavoidable, being in a position of power, she had to deal with some unpleasant issues, but for the most part she was able to avoid it.

"Yes, my pack lives in that valley." She nodded happily, "I am one of the leaders there. We are a new pack, we're small, but we are a peaceful group dedicated to learning and the pursuit of higher knowledge rather than brute strength." Again, she wanted to make sure that he was not uncomfortable, and figured that telling him that the pack was not a hostile one would probably help.

"You are welcome to join us if you like." She offered, trying not to sound pushy. "Or not. Either way, you are welcome on our territory so long as you are not an imposition on our food supply."  

[Atheare]

Success! Loko o Ka grinned ear to ear at his reaction and stood up, eager to lead him to their home, which was only a short walk away.

"My name is Loko o Ka. It is a pleasure to meet you, Taka." She wagged her tail along with him. Regardless of if he decided to join or not, she certainly enjoyed his company and would be glad if he decided to stay nearby. With the amount of trouble he seemed to have hunting alone though, she had little doubt that he would want to join them.

"We live right over there." She said as she began to lead him toward the valley where they lived. "Out here where we are now is where we hunt, and there is a watering hole not far from the entrance to the valley." She explained as they walked. "It's not always easy to be a small pack, but with each member we gain the stress on each individual lessens. And we are expanding quickly." She added, not wanting it to seem as though the pack was a stressful environment. "Our system is efficient, so each member has to do minimal work while still providing the necessities."  

[Atheare]

"There are so few hyena packs around these days." Loko o Ka sighed, "The only one I know of aside from this is my former pack, located in the graveyard." She sniffed indignantly. "While I hold no ill will toward them, they are far too concerned with killing lions and too little concerned with being a safe, stable environment to live in."

As they entered the valley Loko o Ka looked around, seeing a couple of hyenas wandering about doing what ever tasks needed doing. "This is the place." She nodded toward several of the caves that had been dug out. "Should you choose to stay here, you may choose to live in any of the unoccupied caverns. If you're not sure if someone lives there or not, just ask." She smiled as she saw that some of the caves were new. Clearly someone had been very hard at work digging while she had been gone. The new caves were very small still, but would grow with time and effort.

"If you don't mind work, perhaps you would be of use digging out and maintaining the caves. As our pack grows we will need more of them. Otherwise, scouting out danger, hunting with the others, and helping care for the young are all things that need to be done. You may take your pick."  

[Atheare]

Loko o Ka looked slightly puzzled at his enthusiasm for digging. Most of the hyenas in the pack quickly chose anything but digging, seeing it as a lowly job, but it needed to be done so she wasn't about to complain about a willing volunteer.

"Very well then, you may help dig the dens." She nodded, "If you are needed for anything else we will let you know."

She peeked into a nearby cave and barked. "Omoa!" She called, "Come out here, you have a new helper."

The black and white badger jumped at the sudden noise, scurrying outside at the mention of help. About time.

"New helper?" She looked up at the unfamiliar hyena, sniffing at his feet. "I guess she means you then?" She looked him up and down for a moment. He was no badger, but he was certainly big enough and strong enough to be of use.

"Does new helper got a name?"  

[Atheare]

Omoa smirked. This was certainly a happy hyena. "Nice to meet you too, Taka." She was surprised to see that someone who was supposed to be digging with her was so excited. In fact, seeing any hyena this excited was rather odd for her. Until she came into this pack, Omoa had only ever known stern, grumpy hyenas who ordered her around with little regard for her feelings.

This pack was different, but she still didn't see quite such a happy response to getting in the dirt. Oh well, help was help.

"Well, just come find me if you want any pointers or aren't sure what to do, alright?" She nodded to Taka before turning to face Loko o Ka for a moment. "In the meantime, I'm in the middle of my work. If you'll excuse me..." She waddled back into the cave and into the darkness to continue digging.

"Well, there you have it." Loko o Ka said with a smile as Omoa retreated back to the cave. "When it comes to digging, report to Omoa for anything you need. For anything else, come to me." She paused for a moment, trying to remember what else she had to tell him. "Oh yes, as for food, the hunters bring their kills back to the valley." She turned her head toward the back of the valley, opposite of the way they had come in. There was a large, flat rock there with some bones on it.

"Over there is where we eat. Bones are up for grabs if you want them, we try to split up the meat pretty evenly. You won't get in trouble for eating too much or anything, just try to get your fair share." She wagged her tail happily as she explained, "On that other big rock up above where we eat is where the council meets to make decisions. If we need to have a pack meeting, that is where it will be. Other than that, I think you know everything you need to know."