It had been a long, hot chase, first just finding the herd had been a problem, they had started to migrate and were not where she had expected them to be, requiring a long trek over the hot and dusty plains, then she had been forced to wait while a rogue leopard had made several failed attempts to hunt, spooking the prey animals every which way. But finally, over an hour later, they had finally settled down enough that she could begin her stalk. The chase had been long and tiring, but at the end, she had won her prize, bringing down a full-sized doe and keeping it down until it lay quiet and still.
Now she sat panting heavily, one paw on her meal, waiting for her body to clam before she could begin to eat.
Unfortunately for the lioness, fate had other plans and the scent of freshly spilt blood had attacked unwanted attention. Nose to the wind, a pale blue hyena female was slowly closing the distance between herself and the resting lioness. Soon enough the kill and its dark-coloured huntress came into view, causing the hyena to smile faintly.
“Ahh.... it has a protector I see.. well, this should be fun...”
Moving into a trot Haai set off towards the waiting meal and its lion guard. Yet the lioness had rather good eyesight as almost immediately se spotted the approaching scavenger and scowled. “That’s all I need...” Huffing she tore a mouthful of her kill and swallowed it, claiming the meat in a way, even though she knew it was useless against the creature now coming towards her. Hyenas were not known for their table manners after all.. or general good humour either.
Haai grinned as she saw the lioness’s clear discomfort. Amused at the predator’s worry over her. Finally she drew up a few yards away, ears pricked and tail waving high. “Well well well... look what we have here. You caught that all for me?”
Snarling Kyoko stood, drawing herself to her full height. While she was not overly impressive she was well muscled and more than capable of handling herself. It was the sheer annoyance that she really had wanted to avoid. Hyena’s were damned persistent even if they were rather thick-headed. Lowering her head she raised her lips, snarling a warning at the creature before her. “Leave... I want no issues today.”
“Oh, and why would I do that?” The hyena snickered. “And miss a perfectly good opportunity to avoid hunting? It is far too hot for such trivialities.” Slowly, the female hyena turned and started pacing round the carcass and its keeper, eyeing the lioness who looked really rather formidable, not that she was going to admit it.
Ears pinned back Kyoko thrashed her tail, becoming really rather annoyed at the stranger. “Leave now, or I won’t have mercy for you.” Suddenly hissing she charged forwards, causing the hyena to scamper back with that infuriating loud laugh. Yet the creature didn’t go far and she turned, prancing back towards the lioness yet staying just out of reach. Grinning she stood still and sniffed. “That smells so good... why don’t we share?”
“I’m warning you...” Growling she hunched down, fangs bared. Then, without any further words, she charged forwards, claws flying as she raced at full tilt after the hyena. Haai, realising this was no faint, yelped and shot in a full gallop, racing round the carcass, unwilling to lose her find despite the enraged lioness. Round and round they went, the hyena taking napping bites from the meat more to drive the lion mad than because she was actually getting a mouthful, her speed and direction far too erratic to win anything from her attempts.
Leaping Kyoko slashes with one front paw, raking red lines across the hyena’s haunches, the cry that followed making her head ring. And yet the stranger didn’t run like she should have, instead, she turned round and with a snarl of her own, flung herself at the lioness with a cry of fury.
The two females battled, blood and sweat raining the dry and dusty ground, leaving splatter marks across the earth as they raced and spun and charged, clashing with front paws flying, claws extended as gaping jaws reached for tender throats. The hyena put up a good fight but eventually they broke apart, blood and sweat dripping for their bodies, wounds raw and bleeding marked coats both dark and light. Yet Haai had certainly come out the worse for it, breath straining in her lungs, sides heaving as blood spotted the ground under her.
Kyoko snorted blood from her torn nose and eyeballed the female, lips lifting to reveal blood-stained fangs. “Leave! I will not ask again!” Muscles flexed and shifted as she crouched, readying herself for another rushing charge, but the hyena took a step backwards, ears flat against her skull and eyes narrowed in disgust. “You lions are all alike.” Lifting her head she put a smirk on her sore muzzle, tail lifting as if to taunt the lioness. “I’ll go, but others will come. You wont ever have any peace while you stay here, lion. There is a local hyena pack that is full of hungry members, you wont be so successful when you have to fight off more than one of us.
“I’ll fight and I’ll win. You mutts steal and lie, sneaking about like vermin. What ever happened to working for your own meal?” Growling the lioness lowered her head and charged a few strides, sending the hyena skittering across the churned up earth, laughing hysterically, as if the whole world was a joke. “You will eat your words, lioness. I promise you that, you will eat your words!”
Turning the hyena bolted into a run, leaving the worn and bloodied lioness to her hard-won meal, yet the triumph as bitter sweet and as she flopped down and rested her head across her aching paws, she glanced in the hyena’s direction and sighed heavily. What a bad ending to a thoroughly trying day.
