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 Posted: Mon Aug 16, 2010 12:25 pm
Bekeli had led the female hyenas on for a day and a half. Far as he could tell they were drawing closer to where the lions had monopolized the best source of water in the region.. far as he could tell. He would never admit to the sisters that he only has an inkling of where he was leading them. Bekeli might've been afraid of his own shadow but he wasn't that stupid.
Lifting his nose to the air the skinny male kept up their harried pace. He never checked back to see if the sisters were following him; he could hear their steady footbeats on the dusty ground. His ears swiveled constantly, eyes nervously alert.
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Posted: Mon Aug 16, 2010 12:50 pm
They had been traveling for far too long. Both sisters were growing tired and irritable. There hadn't been water better than the muddy puddle, and no sign of good prey. Looking at the skinny male leading them, Dikeledi thought she shouldn't have been surprised. What a poor, terrible place! Hopefully this place he was leading them to would be better. Right now, Dikeledi was ready to tangle with a whole pride of lions for some water and food.
"I hope we're getting close," the pink hyena grouched. "I'm starting to think you don't know where we're going!" If that was the case, Dikeledi would be angry indeed.
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Posted: Mon Aug 16, 2010 1:12 pm
Bekeli whined softly to himself, listening to the grouching of Dikeledi. His attention wavered, though, as his nose caught the scent of a fresh kill. Slowing to a stop, Bekeli raised his nose and switched direction. He knew the sisters had probably caught the coppery scent of blood as well, and right now food was important. He only hoped that the three of them together could take down whatever had killed the preybeast.
Sudaj was pleased with himself, very pleased indeed. He'd been following the old zebra for days now, waiting for it to slow enough that he could take the disease-riddled beast down by himself. That day had been today, and having already eaten his fill, Sudaj lounged nearby, watchful to invaders but relaxed enough to catch a small snooze should he wish to.
Food could do wonders for ones disposition.
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Posted: Mon Aug 16, 2010 2:36 pm
Bahari had kept silent, focused on the environment more than Dikeledi's temper. She caught the scent as Bekeli did, just a fraction of a second before her irritated sister caught it as well. Food! Her mouth watered. Not something measly either, something delicious. She glanced over at her sister.
Dikeledi nodded, grinning already. If the lions were feasting, they would take them unawares. If it was something smaller, or a lone lion, they were in luck! The three of them could easily overpower a lone hunter. Bekeli was a scrap of a hyena, but even a malnourished hyena was another set of jaws and claws. The three of them would be much more imposing than just two. Without speaking, she broke into a run, her tail curved up jauntily over her back. As soon as they were within sight of the fallen zebra, she let out a laughing cry, hopefully to startle whoever was guarding the kill.
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Posted: Mon Aug 16, 2010 3:32 pm
Sudaj heard the bone-chilling cry before he heard the footsteps. He recognized it as hyena, and so he didn't rush to his feet. If he was outnumbered, so be it. He wasn't out to make enemies; there was strength in numbers, and Sudaj was smart enough to realize this. Lucky for him, he'd been able to eat his fill, and he'd rather come across fellow hyena than a lion, or worse, more than one lion.
Lazily he licked his chops and waited for the others to arrive. If he was lucky, they'd be friendly, and perhaps by inviting them to eat his leftovers, they'd be thankful enough to leave him intact, or even invite him to tag along.
Bekeli arrived first but veered to the side. He wanted to see what the sisters did before asserting himself. His hackles were raised as a warning, though, and he whimpered as he caught sight of the other hyena. Other than that he remained silent, distant, and eyed the zebra carcass hungrily, almost crazed with hunger.
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Posted: Mon Aug 16, 2010 4:01 pm
Bahari copied Bekeli's movement, going to stand at Dikeledi's other side. To an enemy, they would be a row of hyenas ready to attack! She assessed the scene quickly, glancing from side to side. Just one male hyena. If he had sisters, they were nowhere to be seen. She relaxed slightly. If there were others, surely they would be sitting by the kill as well.
]Dikeledi relaxed as well, after shooting a sharp look at Bekeli to calm him. The thinner hyena seemed to be a bundle of nerves, and she didn't want him acting up while she decided what to do. She frowned at the brown male. He seemed passive, nonthreatening. She would have preferred a little alarm. That confidence made her worry that he might have backup hiding somewhere ... but she decided to take a chance anyways, stepping forward boldly. "We're here for lunch."
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Posted: Wed Aug 18, 2010 11:11 am
Sudaj eyed the crowd lazily, a careless yawn preventing him from greeting them. Smacking his lips he adjusted himself in the dust; it almost appeared as if he was casually scratching his back. They were here for lunch, hmm? Had they arrived when he'd first brought the beast down the trio might've had a fight on their hands despite Sudaj being outnumbered, but with a fully belly and the sun warming his fur, Sudaj was feeling quite generous.
Besides, he was a sucker for an aggressive lady, and both of these seemed to fit the bill.
"Dig in," he burped, yawning again. "I couldn't eat another bite!"
Bekeli was instantly on edge, though he caught Dikeledi's glance and forced himself to calm just a bit. He was starving, and he didn't like this other male with his laid-back attitude and lack of respect for the sisters. Whining again, he looked to Dikeledi as the brown hyena "invited" them for lunch; oh, how Bekeli yearned to eat his fill. The zebra was large, quite large, and would feed the sisters and himself quite comfortably. If he could make away with a leg, he would be happy. Just a leg, or maybe a bit of sweet innards, or..
Bekeli's attention snapped to the strange male and he snarled, teeth bared and skinny frame full of aggression.
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Posted: Wed Aug 18, 2010 11:30 am
That laid-back attitude got under Dikeledi's skin, but she couldn't really find anything to object to. To run him off for being agreeable seemed counter productive. "Hmph." She snorted, trotting over to the zebra, keeping a suspicious eye on the stranger. She almost wanted him to charge at her, give her an excuse to show him his place ... but he had given her what she wanted, so she really had no complaint. The pink-maned hyena glanced over her shoulder and nodded to her followers before chomping into the feast herself. She wouldn't grudge Bekeli a bite, as long as he didn't go after what she wanted.
Bahari joined her sister, though she remained watchful. The stranger seemed peaceful, but they wouldn't be caught unawares. Bahari quickly went to work on the zebra, tearing off a chunk of meat. Instead of eating with her sister and Bekeli, she carried her snack off and sat down beside the brown hyena. "You're pretty calm for having your food stolen," Bahari noted, eying him thoughtfully.
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Posted: Wed Aug 18, 2010 11:37 am
"If I wasn't feeling so full I might've been a little like your friend here," he said, nodding at Bekeli. "As it stands, I'm full, outnumbered, and I like to think I'm smart." His eyes were steady on the pink-maned female. She had a way about her that he found appealing.
"Besides, you three seem a little on-edge for stealing the meal of a poor, single hyena." Sudaj yipped, finding the situation amusing.
"I'm Sudaj, by the way." He figured he might as well be polite, it was often that he found himself in the presence of other hyenas.
Bekeli was hungry enough to almost ignore the male. Almost. Sudaj's apparent condescending tone rubbed Bek the wrong way, but Bekeli remembered Dikeledi's warning look and decided against pitting himself against the male that lounged nearby.
Instead, the scruffy male tucked into the leaner parts of the Zebra, his teeth ripping into the tougher flesh along the flank.
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Posted: Wed Aug 18, 2010 11:53 am
Like Bekeli? Bahari supposed that was an insult. She was rather fond of the nervous striped hyena. "Like Bekeli? Bekeli is polite," she said mildly. There was a harsh glint in her eye that belied her tone. Bahari was far more laid-back than her sister, but she wouldn't hesitate to teach this stranger a lesson if he got too uppity for his own good. There was no call for this no-account stranger to go sniping at scrawny Bekeli. Or at any of them really. Bahari took a bite of her zebra, speaking around mouthfuls. "I'm Bahari, my sister is Dikeledi, and the male is Bekeli."
Most of Dikeledi's attention was focused on her food, but she was keeping one ear cocked towards the conversation between her sister and the stranger. She raised her head, sneering at the brown hyena. "We're not on edge. We're on guard." The brown hyena might be content to wander around, being run off his kills, but Dikeledi wasn't about to be caught unawares and overwhelmed by anything.
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Posted: Wed Aug 18, 2010 12:02 pm
Bekeli worked loose a rather sizeable hunk of meat and distanced himself from the sisters, leaving the rest of the corpse to them. This would be enough to satisfy his hunger for now; the sisters deserved more than he did at any rate.
When Bahari spoke of him in a fond manner, his tail flicked a bit in recognition. Bahari thought he was polite? This made Bekeli happy, to say the least, but he offered another warning snarl-whine towards Sudaj. He really didn't like the unimpressed way the male hyena carried himself; it bothered Bekeli greatly.
"It's nice to meet the three of you," Sudaj yawned, rolling onto his side with a yawn. "I am thankful for the company, to say the least," he continued. It was true, yes, he did rather hate being alone for long stretches. "What brings the three of you into the area?"
Sudaj was curious but he didn't pursue Bahari's comment about Bekeli. He'd much rather watch the other female, Dikeledi, eat. She was a striking female, and he appreciated striking females. Rolling again to his belly, he rested his head on his paws and kept his eyes locked on the females. He showed no interest in Bekeli, none at all.
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Posted: Wed Aug 18, 2010 12:24 pm
Dikeledi ignored Bekeli's snarls towards the stranger -- Sudaj. If the stranger threatened Bekeli (whom she now thought of as theirs) she would defend him, but she didn't much care about two males sniping at each other. If they wanted to grouch and snarl at each other, that was their business, and she wouldn't pay it any mind unless it annoyed her.
The way the brown hyena was staring at her was much better than his smarmy attitude earlier. Well, he was still a little smarmy, but at least he appreciated her obvious good looks. Dikeledi wasn't flattered by the attention of a mere strange male, but she would accept it as no less than her due. "We're after lions." She didn't respond to his 'nice to meet you'. It wasn't nice to meet the brown hyena, any more than it would be nice to meet a rabbit or a stump of wood or any other similarly boring thing. He was just there. She looked up from her meal briefly, considering him. "You seen any? We hear they've got the best water around, and we're goin' to change that." Bahari nodded solemnly, still working on her zebra.
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Posted: Wed Aug 18, 2010 12:36 pm
Bekeli spoke for the first time since the treo had happened upon Sudaj, his voice a low, constant whine. "I know where we're going!" That was all he said before tucking back into the dwindling hunk of zebra he'd been gnawing on, resorting to chewing on the bones. He never really knew when his next meal would come; it was better to be safe than sorry.
Sudaj ignored Bekeli for the most part, heaving a silent nod vaguely in the direction of the trembling little fellow. His attention didn't stray far from Dikeledi. There was something about her that just struck something primal deep within his psyche; Sudaj didn't quite understand the instinctual urge.
"I know the water you speak of." He didn't want to put Bekeli on the spot, but the smaller hyena had been leading them a little off course. "It's a long travel in the same general direction you're heading." He rose to his feet with a grunt. "I could tag along if you like; there is no love-lost between myself and lions."
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Posted: Wed Aug 18, 2010 2:02 pm
Bahari rolled her eyes slightly at Bekeli's outburst. Her sister ignored it entirely. It was obvious to the grey hyena that there was some tension between the two males, but Bekeli's hurt feelings were far less important than getting potentially valuable information. The two sisters were strangers here, and for all they knew Bekeli was leading them in circles. Bahari rose to her feet when Sudaj did. She cleared her throat.
"Good." That, in Bahari's opinion, was all that needed to be said.
Dikeledi wasn't quite done with the zebra, and she scarfed down a few last bites before sauntering over to her sister and the newcomer. Tag along? Hm. Well, if she was letting Bekeli tag along, she supposed there was nothing stopping her from welcoming this other hyena. He looked much stronger and more threatening than Bekeli, though. On the one hand, he would be a valuable asset, and on the other ... he might challenge her! She stalked around him, eyeballing him. Finally satisfied that she could whup him in any contest, she stopped and tossed her head. "All right. You can come, as long as you don't cause any trouble."
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Posted: Wed Aug 18, 2010 2:10 pm
Bekeli rose to his feet when the sisters did, instantly pacing from side to side. He didn't WANT stupid Sudaj to tag along; the three of them had been doing just fine without him.
Then again, Bahari didn't seem to mind him. Tail tucked, Bekeli moved to stand behind and to the side of Bahari. Dissatisfied with how this whole meeting had played out, Bekeli whined in unrest. Sudaj wasn't good news, but Bekeli didn't dare to balk at the green-pawed hyena joining their rag-tag group.
Sudaj nodded, "I will cause no trouble." That being said he gave a brusque shake of his coat before they set off. Sudaj would gently steer them back into the right direction, and with any luck they would be able to gather more able-bodied hyenas to help with overthrowing the lions.
They would need any help they could get.
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