Welcome to Gaia! ::

The shadows had become a place of sanctuary and relief for the dark-coloured hyena. The few precious moments he got away from the narrow-eyed stares of suspicious pack members were rare and treasured, though the brief moments of peace gave him time to fret about Daktari. The rest of the time he kept busy looking for clues as to the where-abouts of his Dak's pups. Right at the moment however, he was situated half-way up the rocky valley side, slunk down in the middle of several huge boulders that had fallen in a rock slide long before his time. It was shaded there, the pack very rarely came up this way and it had been where he and Daktari sometimes met.

Best of all, Silvamord never came up here and she was one face he simply couldn't handle seeing right now.

Sucking in a deep, trembling sigh, the dark-coated male curled up a little tighter and tucked his muzzle under his foreleg. His back was pressed against the cold rock of a large boulder that made a shallow shelter with another, protecting him with their towering slabs of worn stone and providing some shelter from the wind. He was secretly hoping that Daktari would turn up, though he knew any words between them would only hurt his heart further, he just desperately needed to see his oldest friend.. perhaps his only friend now after the recent incident with the pups.

The faintest sound of paw-steps drifted over and one long lack ear quivered, almost lifting before it was pinned back against the male's neck. Crimson eyes squeezed shut tightly as his heart gave a sudden juddering lurch. The almost desperate hope that those pawsteps belonged to a certain flame-coated hyena nearly had Kimya leaping to his feet and racing out to see if it could possibly be true, but the far more realistic dread that it was someone unfriendly kept him frozen in place. He knew he was being weak, he wasn't usually this skittish and tightly strung, but the strain of the past few days had taken a serious toll on the silent male even if he never showed it to the rest of the pack. It was only in this brief, stolen moments of isolation that he could give in to the grief that still lived within him like a frozen sea, cold and still.

The paw steps were steadily growing closer and the shadowy male finally forced himself to open his eyes, head lifting reluctantly to peer round the edge of his boulder-protected haven. Eventually he spotted the shape of a rich green female headed his way and the first emotion that hit him was one of intense relief. It wasn't Silvamord. He could not face another frosty conversation with her right now, he was still soul-battered from the last one and Daktari's absence since then hadn't helped.

Slowly he realised she was stil headed directly at him and he guessed it was him she was coming to see. With a soft grunt of effort he pulled himself to his pas and shook the dust from his coat, at the same time he shook his emotions away like so much shed fur and the calm, impassive mask slid back over his features.

No one would see him breaking down, no one would know how close to emotional collapse he was. And no one would be able to worry Daktari with the truth of Kimya's state. So it was an impassive expression that met the green female as she rounded the corner in the path not five paces from where he stood.

Kimya watched as she approached. He didn't recognize her aside form having caught glimpses of her now and again as he roamed the outskirts of the pack's land, but he certainly hadn't been introduced to her. Her pleasant greeting completely surprised him and the expression flittered across his features before he could prevent it. Gathering himself quickly he dipped his head, polite but still reserved.

"It is." He agreed, his husky voice was low and soft, as if it was used to rarely which was the truth. Kimya was not the type of hyena to speak without thinking, or really, speaking at all. He was a watcher, a doer, but not a talker. Still, her bubble manner and obvious enthusiasm was strange enough that he forgot to be wary and actually looked at her with a touch of curiosity. Her tail wagging certainly caught his eye and his own lifted slightly from where it had been low against his rear, though mercifully it stayed still and didn't join in the side-to-side motion.

Turning his head he gazed out between the tall boulders and down into the valley, giving the view a long considering look before turning back to her. "It is very pretty." He finally conceded with the tiniest of smiles. After a moments pause he seemed to consider something then spoke again. "I'm known as Kimya'moja."

And there it was... as soon as his name came out they all turned away from him. Dropping his gaze he prepared to watch her snarl something at him and maybe even try for a swift bite before stalking off, such was the usual reaction when they realised who he was. But she surprised him again as she stayed put, not even an angry expression or sharp words as she resumed talking.

Blinking he lifted his gaze back to her, ears twitching where they had pressed back, almost starting to lift to a more normal position. After a moment his shock at her willingness to associate with him vanished as she hit on something he was ashamed to realise he hadn't yet considered.

"Not a hyena?" Instead of scoffing as she might expect, he was looking at her with an intense expression, the only emotion in his features was one of serious consideration. "... hmm..?" He murmured distantly, having been thinking furiously more than paying attention to her question, but then he blinked himself back to the present and shook his head. "No. Its not silly.. its a very valid proposition. Why didn't I consider that..." Frowning slightly he turned again to look out over the view, only this time he wasn't seeing the valley in all its glory, but was looking within at this new line of thought.

Pulling himself back he settled his gaze on her once more. "Is there any particular reason you think this? Anything you have seen or heard?" he needed all the information she could offer if he was to pursue this new development properly.

(He didn't scoff at her, it says 'instead of scoffing'. lol )



Silently he listened to her, deep crimson eyes fixed on her intently as if he could see her memories of that night in his own mind. It was clear he was considering her words seriously though the mention of 'snakes with legs' confused him. "So... skinny creatures with tiny paws?" he queried, half to her and half to himself, trying to solidify the image in his mind and make some sense out of it, though he had no idea what the creatures could have been. Maybe crocodiles? They were long and thin, but he thought he recalled their prints being fairly broad...

Frowning down at his paws he turned her words over and over in his mind. Long and thin, small feet... funny smell... Ganets? Unlikely.. Ratels? Too fat. Servals? Hardly snake-like...

Sighing heavily he shook his head against the beginnings of a head-pain. "If you remember anything else... I'd appreciate hearing about it. Where did you see these shadows?" Maybe if he visited the area, he would get a better idea.

Kimya listened quietly, glancing away down the path as she mentioned the denning area. Even if the evidence was gone, any clue he could gather was an important one. Nodding slowly he seemed to be thinking things over but did pull himself out of his contemplation to answer her. "If you know of any who will speak to us, then I think it would be worth trying." He knew the little creatures were fierce and very violent if provoked, which included being bothered by upset hyenas as much as unruly lions.