Welcome to Gaia! ::

The hunt had been hard... It was, for the moment, just Xue Lin and one of her three sons, Xue Ru. Two hyenas didn't hunt as well as many hyenas, making life challenging. The white and red animal pulled at the meat of the carcass, happy for the moment that a lion hadn't happened upon them yet. After all, they weren't stupid... Lions outmatched a pair of hyenas in size and strength. Near her, her son was gnawing on a bone, intent on getting at the meat that was inside it. She paused, letting out a yawn, then sniffed the air. They weren't alone... But it wasn't a lion. Another hyena, which had her more at ease. To Lin, all hyenas were friends, especially out in the rogue lands.

Loko o Ka growled softly under her breath. It was not her day. In fact, it hadn't been a good few days for her. Ever since leaving the graveyard, she had hardly had anything significant to eat. She could catch a rabbit here and there, but she was only one hyena, and she could not take down larger prey without help. She was alone, and life was suddenly difficult. Still, she wasn't willing to go back to her old pack. They were hardly worth her time. Everything was about killing lions and taking over the rest of the wasteland... What point was there in that?

She sniffed the air and perked up, glancing around and seeing a pair of bright hyenas, along with a partially eaten carcass that they had most likely killed.

"Hello?" She asked, moving closer cautiously. "I am Loko o Ka." She offered, trying to look friendly and disguise her hunger. "May I ask yours?"

The white and red hyena looked up from her chewings, swallowing as she regarded the newcomer. The blue certainly stood out on the brown... But then, her son was white and green, another black and white... Besides, the blue and brown were appealing together. "Xue Lin." She motioned with her head towards the male near by. "And my son, Xue Ru." She then looked at the carcass, before turning back to Loko o Ka. "Help yourself, friend. You look like you could use it." She'd seen plenty in her life, and had come to know long ago the look of a hungry animal. She was willing to help those outside the species who didn't appear able to help themselves... Primarily, the odd wild dog, or a young lion that shouldn't have been away from a pride or family. Then she'd send them on their way when they could go it alone. Other hyenas, though... There was a sense of wanting to stick around them. Pack instinct, she figured. It was a natural reaction, of course, to want to be with her own kind.

She nodded respectfully to the bright hyenas. "You are too kind." She smiled, sitting beside the carcass and beginning to eat, failing at her attempt to not appear overly eager. After a few good bites, she sighed happily at the feeling of food in her stomach once again. It had been a while since she had eaten anything that she could take big bites of. Do that with a rabbit, and you'll end up with bone splinters, and those are not pleasant to deal with.

"It is truly a pleasure to meet other hyenas out here." She smiled, "It is difficult to come by food that is small enough to catch when all alone. I could never have taken down something of this size alone." She took another bite of meat and swallowed it down, her hunger beginning to subside a bit.

"Do you two travel with only each other? Or are there others?" She asked curiously, "If it is not too much to inquire. I am simply curious to see if there might be a pack nearby." She was beginning to think that the life of a lone hyena was going to be too much for her. She wasn't about to go back to her old pack, but she might be open to a different one.

"We travel... Sort of alone.." Lin yawned, stretching out. "For now, it is only Ru and I. My other two sons seem to switch freely between running around with their father, and following me... We have no solid pack."

Behind her, from his bone, Ru piped up, "Because most of the packs we run across are slobbering idiots with no mind to use the brain the Gods gave them."

Lin glared back at her son, tail flipping. "Speak when spoken to, boy, not before... As right as you are..." Her gaze returned to Loko, frowning. "No pack holds interest for those of big mind when no pack cares to nurture the mind over the body."

"Oh, I see..." Her face fell slightly. It was as pity, she would have loved to join up with a pack that contained these two. She had never met hyenas so willing to share their food with someone who needed it. In her old pack, food was so scarce that most would chase you off if you asked for some. The only ones willing to share were usually close family, and even then it was questionable.

Loko o Ka laughed at Ru's words. "Quite right. In my former pack, the main focus was training one's body so that we could fight off the lions. What good does that do when the lions inhabit the same sort of desolate land as us?" She sighed, "Losing lives, fighting mindlessly, and all so that we may lay claim to a larger expanse of bones and dust. Pathetic."

Wait just a minute... "Then again... If there is no such pack, why do we not create our own?" She suddenly lit up, her tail wagging at the idea. "After all, if a bunch of foolish hyenas can run a pack, surely we can. I can see that you two are bright, as am I, and I'm sure there are others. We just have to find them."

Lin nodded, then followed Loko's gaze. Mountains... Her smile seemed to stretch ear to ear, eyes shining. "Your mind is a very bright one, Loko, it's starting to outshine the sun!" She started walking, then paused. "What if there's somebody already there...?" Not that she imagined there was, though. Her smile turned into a small frown, tail swaying. After a moment, she looked around. "We'll need dens... Provided nobody's already there. And someone to dig them FOR us..."

A movement drew the attention of her ear. She turned slowly, both ears trained and listening. She fell silent, before slowly moving. If that was what she thought it was... A plan was forming in her head.

"You are too kind." Loko o Ka laughed. She knew that she was smart, but it was rare that anyone pointed it out, and even rarer that they were so eager to do so. "If anyone is there, we can find someplace else, but I doubt that we will be unable to find an unoccupied valley to call our own." She nodded. She had never been to the mountains herself, but she figured that with the sheer number of mountains and valleys in that direction, it would not be hard to find an area that they could live without being too intrusive.

"Hm..." Loko o Ka hadn't thought about that. "There may be caves there already, and that will have to do for the time being. I am sure that we could employ someone to do it for us." She shrugged, "Wild dogs perhaps, maybe the odd badger here and there. Still, I'm not much for slavery. If we do have them working for us, I do not wish to be cruel to them. It seems so barbaric."

Loko o Ka looked around eagerly, as if expecting for new members to show up all over the place. The idea was exciting, and with three brilliant minds behind it, it was sure to succeed. Not without work, perhaps, but Loko o Ka knew that their pack would be a safe haven for hyenas like herself, like Xue Lin and Xue Ru. They may not be the strongest, but they were capable of complex strategy and higher thinking. That was more important than brute force, in Loko o Ka's mind.

"Mmhmm..." The hyena stalked, then pounced, soon lifting up a struggling badger. Depositing it between them, she grinned. "Speaking of badgers..." She grinned down at the angry gray and white animal, mindful of its sharp claws. If only she knew their history... "Little badger, little badger... How you fight so..."

The badger glared up at the hyena, fur ruffled. "What do you want? I was EATING!" Green eyes shifted towards the other hyena. She was outnumbered... For now... "It'd better be worth my time!"

"Oh, it is..." The hyena sat down, deciding to get down to business. "I have a business proposition for you. We, my associate and I here, require help. Now, you being a badger, you're already a fierce, tough fighter... But you have limits. You have to sleep..." She looked at Loko, urging the other hyena to pick up.

Loko o Ka jumped as Xue Lin snatched the badger up and began to speak to it, startled by the sudden movements. Lin seemed to know this badger, at least that's what Loko o ka was getting from the way they spoke, but she could not be certain.

"What are...?" She paused, trying to figure out what Lin was up to. "Ah, yes. You have to sleep, and you have to eat. You need shelter, a safe place to stay..." She looked at Lin eagerly, trying to see if that was what she was after or not.

"And you seem to like to dig anyway. What if we were to provide you with these things in return for your digging skills, hm?"

The badger regarded the hyenas, mind going over her options. After a moment, she nodded. "Okay. But you'll need more than just me. I'm only one badger. I can tell you what, though. You provide my kind safe haven, and I can round up badgers for you. I got a son and daughter I can round up, they can dig pretty well, too."

Lin smiled, nodding. "Good, good..." She pulled the badger close, leaning down. "And tell me, would you know any hyenas that might be looking for a new place?"

Letting out a huff, the badger moved away, starting to waddle off. "Don't know any, but my daughter lives near a graveyard FULL of 'em." She paused after a few feet, glaring back at the hyenas. "Who are you, anyway?"

"Us? We're just a couple hyenas seeking like minds..." Lin bowed, tucking a paw close. "Xue Lin."

The smaller animal gave a sniff. "Jini'kali."

Loko o Ka was practically shaking with excitement. This idea was really taking off! This badger seemed willing to help, and she sounded as though she would bring in her family as well.

"Wait, your daughter lives near the graveyard?" Loko o Ka tried to remember if she had ever seen a badger there. "I think I may have seen her once. Her name escapes me, but I think she lives with my grandparents." Yes, she had definitely seen a badger when she met her grandparents, if only for a second. If she remembered correctly, she rather resembled the badger before her, too.

"My name is Loko o Ka." She mimicked Lin's bow, "It is a pleasure to do business with you, Jini'kali."

"Of course she does, didn't you hear me?" Short of size, short of temper, ever Jini'kali's personality. She gave the hyena a short glare, then waddled off. "See you two later, I got a couple pups to find."

Lin frowned slightly, watching the badger go. After a moment, she looked over at Loko, smiling at her. "And so the pebbles fall into place.." She scratched an itch, then took to pacing. "We need... More badgers." She looked around, ears soon going back. Okay, no longer easy... She sat down, letting out a yawn. "I think, though, all we can do is wait at this point..." She glanced over her shoulder. "And make sure no lions come to pick our food off..."

Loko o Ka held back the urge to growl at the smart-mouthed ratel. "Until we meet again, Jini'Kali." She said in the most polite tone she could manage. She had to remain civil, even if the badger was a bit irritating. They needed her help, and all the ratels they could find.

She nodded at Lin, "Yes, it'll be a waiting game for the time being. This is an excellent start though. I have no doubt that we will find ourselves successful in due time." She smiled and looked toward the distant mountains. They looked pretty far off, but not so far that it would take more than a day or two to reach them from their current location.

"Well, best start moving to our new location." She said, beginning to walk briskly toward them. "New home, new pack... New life." She mused to herself as she went, an unusual spring in her step. Things were finally starting to go right for her.

As they walked away from the area, Lin held her head high. With a rueful smile, she kept her eyes on the distant hills. "If Ru comes back any time soon, we won't be hard to find..." It wasn't as if they weren't leaving a trail or anything. Any hyena with a sense of smell could follow their tracks. Her ears perked just a bit at a distant whoop and holler, the distant call of a hyena. It only made her smile grow.