Kele was utterly proud of himself. Not only had he captured a slave, but he'd done it all by himself. Sure, Kepo was farting out kids left and right but the hyena had yet to bring home a slave. No, Bahari had been the only one to bring home a slave, and that meant that his aunt was one of the greatest females in the pride, that's how Kele felt. Of course she was not better than his own mother, but that was fine.
Growling loudly at the lioness, he bared his teeth at her and snarled. She was an ugly lioness with strange eyes that made him uncomfortable, but she was sound and sturdy and would be a good addition to the ranks of the slaves. Well, she would be a good addition to Manyara. She didn't seem to be as stupid as the female was, at the very least, so that was good.
Vena was heartbroken. She'd fought as hard as she could against the hyena but it hadn't been hard enough. No, she was wounded with a gash against her shoulder and she was almost certain her foot was sprained or broken. It was hard to tell. She was heartsick and it was hard to hide that fact. At least she'd gotten the hyena away from Ayana and Nyeusi. They'd made it safely into the Ulili'Mlindaji, and if Vena could escape, perhaps she could join them.
The hyena kept her on a tight leash, though, and he threatened her other paw if she dared run from him. She was smarter than that, though. She knew that she wouldn't get far if she did decide to run from the ghastly beast, and so she would be better off biding her time and waiting for her chance to come. She only hoped that chance would come.
At the moment, she wasn't too certain.
"What is your name, lion? Not that it matters, really." Kele huffed loudly, making sure to speak as eloquently (and yet, as loudly) as he could. "You will be a slave, lion. Perhaps I will give you to my mother, or perhaps I will give you to my princess-sister, or even better, my princess-cousin. Yes, Zalika would enjoy making your life miserable. She needs a slave. Ohhh, I can't wait for them to see you." His eyes gleamed with an unholy light. It was obvious that the prospect of torturing the lion brought him great joy, though the lion did not know the truth. No, she did not know that Kele was barely respected if at all by his family, and sadly enough the young hyena was used to such things.
Vena was not quite sure she would make it out of this alive. She had a small hope in her heart that Aya and Nye would come and rescue her, but she did not know if she should hold out that hope. It was probably fruitless, but she couldn't resist it, she couldn't help it. Thoughts of her dearest leopard friend, Ayana, were all that kept her moving, all that kept her happy. The hyena had kept her walking for days now, days without food. He seemed perfectly capable of walking on and on and on, but Vena was tired and could hardly lift her paws. She continued doing so for fear of what the hyena would do to her. Perhaps he would change his mind and decide that she would be a fairly delicious meal.
Vena did not want to be this hyena's dinner.
"My mother is going to be so proud of me, you know," Kele kept yapping, finding the sound of his own voice rather comforting at the very least. "She is going to praise me, and maybe she will even let me sleep in a den for a night. I would not mind such praise. I hate sleeping with the other males," he muttered under his breath, not intending for the lioness to hear. It mattered not if she did, but Kele shot a glance at the lioness and caught her watching him. "What are you looking at, SLAVE?!" The last word was nearly a shriek of rage, but he kept himself under the slightest reign of control. "Maybe next time we come out to find slaves, I will take your leopardess friend, too. I will kill her mate, though," he said offhandedly, and Vena was unable to tell if he was joking or if he was completely serious.
Luckily, Kele was completely and utterly full of hot air. Kele had never killed a lion, nor had he ever killed a leopard, but this slave did not need to know this. No, he would keep the fear in her heart and once he got her back to the clan, he would never have to speak to her again. That satisfied him. She would be such a grand gift to his mother or his aunt, or his sister or his cousin. He loved thinking of the sight of Kepo's jealous eyes on his slave-pet, and that brought such joy to his twisted little heart.
Then again, not being related to Bekeli brought him much joy, as well. Suffice it to say, Kele was a simple little terrible beast to please.
"No, please," Vena whispered. She could hardly stand to hear the words. "I will be good, I swear I will be good. Please leave them alone. Please."
"Shut up. Begging won't get you anything," Kele spat, riding high on this wave of power. It was something that he could get used to, in all honesty, though he would never admit to such a thing in front of anyone else. "Just be thankful that you will have a place to live, and if you behave yourself you will be well-looked after. You will be fed," maggoty flesh, yes, but food nonetheless, "protected," though not by the clan members, "and you will have a purpose." Poor lion.
"I will be good," Vena whispered.
"Good," Kele replied. "Now shut your mouth and lower your head. We are near the clan boundaries."
This was the best day of Kele's life.
This was the worst day of Vena's life.
(WC: 1,032 in MSword)
