Bekeli didn't like the newcomer. Everything about him was annoying in some way. The smug expression forever on his face, the self-assured way he carried himself, even the way that Sudaj smelled was offensive. Bekeli knew that he himself wasn't a strapping young male. He wasn't agile, wasn't the best hunter.. but he did have one thing going for him. He was utterly and completely dedicated to his Queens, Barahi and Dikeledi.
As he did most nights, he positioned himself a respectable distance away from the sisters, a watchful eye always turned to them. Full from a kill the four had brought down together, Bekeli was finally feeling relaxed and content. Soon they would be on to the lions, soon they would have their revenge. Bekeli wasn't really certain what would happen after they took over the water hole, but he was positive that he would be forever in the debt of the sisters.
Sudaj was feeling a bit cockier than usual, having gorged himself on the sweet meat of the kill they'd brought down this evening. It was ever-so-satisfying to know that they'd worked together as a group. Hell, even Bekeli had helped. The annoying little tit could be useful at times. Sudaj had to wonder why the sisters kept the nervous little male around. He wasn't a capable hyena, and to hear it from the sisters, Bekeli had been barely scraping along before meeting them.
Sudaj could believe it.
Excusing himself from Bahari and Dikeledi, Sudaj went off in search of the twitchy Bekeli. He felt there were some things that needed to be set straight. Bekeli had been hostile from the get-go, and Sudaj saw no reason for it.
Bekeli could see a form moving closer to him. Being smaller than the sisters Bek safely assumed it was the newcomer. Groaning inwardly, Bekeli debated faking sleep. Why was Sudaj seeking him out? Bekeli didn't want friends. Bekeli didn't want Sudaj to stick around. There was no reason for the brown hyena to remain, and yet here he was. Bekeli was annoyed. Very, very annoyed.
"Bekeli," Sudaj called out as he trotted closer to the rangy hyena that rested near a small, ratty bush. He could see Bekeli's eyes were open, gleaming in the dim moonlight. "You're not asleep," Sudaj commented, offering the other hyena a grin. He would try the friendly approach, and if that didn't work, perhaps a more straightforward route would get the job done.
"What a meal," Sudaj murmured as he seated himself near the other hyena. "Best I've had in a long time." Licking his chops he raised his eyes to the clear night sky, everything about him exuding contentment.
Bekeli snorted, shuffling a bit in the dust. He didn't reply to Sudaj, choosing instead to ignore the bigger male. Perhaps if he closed his eyes Sudaj would leave, recognizing that his presence wasn't welcome around Bekeli. No such luck, he sighed inwardly as the other male continued talking.
"Yes," was all Bekeli said. Maybe Sudaj would just go away, disappear into the night, never to be seen again. No, Bekeli could never get that lucky.
Sudaj grunted at Bekeli's meager attempts at conversation, deciding to just get to the point. "What do you have against me?" He murmured, eyeing the smaller male with dark, glittering eyes. "I do not mean to be offensive to your senses, Bekeli." Hoping that he got the point across, Sudaj waited in awkward silence. He didn't want to fight with the scrawny hyena he sat across from, but if he had to in order to set things right, he would.
Bekeli rose to his feet, reeking of aggression. "Everything about you is offensive to me." Yellowed teeth became visible as Bekeli snarled a warning to the larger Sudaj. "We were fine until we met you, and then you come along and they don't look to me for help anymore." Bek snorted, pawing the dust. "You do not respect them, you do not understand what they stand for. They are Queens, not mere lowlifes for you to toy with!" Outraged at the thought of Dikeledi and Habari being used as mere entertainment, Bekeli grew even more incensed.
Sudaj was bewildered. He recognized the authority that Dikeledi and Habari had; they were females, alphas, and Sudaj was below them on the social chain. "I do not want to toy with them!" Sudaj grew agitated, an unlikely reaction to Bekeli's accusations. "It is not my intent! They are not stupid, Bekeli, and would never lower themselves to be the mere playthings of males!"
Sudaj rose to his feet. He would not fight the smaller male that the females seemed content to allow to tag along. Sudaj could see now what they might've found valuable in having a pet like Bekeli. He was devoted, that was certain. He would never let the sisters down, no matter what.
Bekeli bristled at Sudaj. "You are right! They wouldn't!" He snorted in a huff, stirring the dust below him. As he usually did when nervous or agitated, Bekeli began to pace in quick side-to-side motions, never dropping his gaze from Sudaj. The other hyena seemed properly cowed, at least for now.
"Respect them; they deserve it. They have earned it," he sneered, discontent for no apparent reason other than the other male's presence.
Sudaj nodded; he understood, and he understood well. There must've been something in the sisters that Sudaj hadn't recognized, but a primal instinct deep within Sudaj's mind told him that these two, Dikeledi and Bahari, could provide him with something that he had not had in many years.
A home, structure, someone to look to for direction. Males were not the natural-born leaders that the females were, and Sudaj realized that he had been struggling to find this exact thing.
Bekeli grunted at Sudaj, having gotten his point across. He calmed himself, the fur lining his back settling into it's usual state of disarray. Tail promptly tucked back between his legs not as a sign of submission to Sudaj, but because it was how Bekeli usually carried himself.
Sudaj knew he could learn much from Bekeli. Though he was nervous, anxious and almost always agitated, he seemed to know his place in life. Sudaj had grown cocky and self-assured in his solitude, and doing so around the sisters could prove dangerous if Bekeli was around. His mind filled with thoughts, the brown hyena fell quiet.
Bekeli grunted again, eyeing Sudaj. Thankfully he was being quiet, and assuming his previous position under the ratty brush, Bekeli closed his eyes. He was tired, very tired, from running the past two days. He had a fully belly thanks to Sudaj's scraps, and without further conversation Bekeli soon fell into a deep slumber.
