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Takataka skidded to a halt alongside a wildebeest calf, dust spraying up at his ankles. Its sudden change in movement had completely thrown him off. He cursed.

"Don't stop because of one sharp turn!" Kokoto yelled after him from where she watched. Her brother was a hunter by rank, but he still had a lot to learn. Koko had normally carried the weight in the past, but since they had joined a pack, her younger siblings had to contribute. That meant more hunting experience, fast. "Help him, Tufani."

Bursting from seemingly nowhere through the thick cloud of dust her younger brother had left behind, Tufani quickly caught up with the calf. She snapped at its hooves, missed, turned with it smoothly, then snapped again. The calf was quick, however, and kept evading her. The hyena quickly ran out of steam. She, too, stopped and cursed.

"Takataka!" The two hyenas' eldest sister shouted, trying to rally her brother into a second try.

Panting heavily, the young male dragged his paws into a slow trot and quickened his pace as he went. It was easy to catch up with the calf now that it had begun to tire out, but the male was tired and his muscles burned.

"Dammit!" he cursed again, slowing down once more. The frustrated groan in the background caused his ears to fold.

"Tufani!"

The adolescent female charged ahead once more, bowled into the calf, and broke its neck with her jaws. She doubled back, momentarily stupefied that she had made a successful kill. Her lips twitched into a smile of disbelief, and she looked to her siblings for approval.

"YEAH," Kokoto barked, tackling her sister with affection. "You came out o' nowhere in that finish! Where did that energy come from? You looked beat!"

Tufani's chest swelled with pride and she snapped at her sister's ear--a common sign of affection between the siblings. She offered only a coy smile through her heavy breaths, always careful never to seem too over-the-top with emotions lest she seem too pup-like. Being mature was very important to her.

"I dunno," she breathed, shaking her head. She cast her red gaze upon Takataka. He remained where he had stopped earlier, but was making his way towards his sisters slowly. Tufani lapped blood from her lips and sighed. Oh, great...

Ears folded, Takataka approached his sisters with a sheepish smile, trying his best to seem entirely unaffected by his utter failure. His clear lack of stamina and skill made him feel like a full grown hyena being compared to a lion cub. And the lion cub was stronger.

Not to say Tufani was a lion cub--he didn't mean--crap...

Shaking out of his thoughts, Takataka stopped in front of his siblings and managed a, "Good job, 'ani!"

Tufani's face turned a bit sour and she replied, "Don't be sore just because I made the kill."

"Shut up, Tufani," Kokoto hushed, then looked back to her brother. She stepped close to him, a tower of bulk casting shadow. Different mothers meant different genes, and Koko was definitely the muscle of the trio. Something about that made the two younger siblings feel safer, especially Taka. While others might feel unease beneath the large female's shade, Takataka felt a comforting shield.

He smirked up at her, but didn't meet her eyes. "I'll be the one to get it next time. Brat," he said, directing his comment to Tufani.

"Taka," Koko said firmly. The male swallowed. "Look at me." Taka hesitantly looked up and met his sister's red eyes. There was a pause filled with staring, and, as usual, the little brother let his big sister's eyes suck him in and hold him there, clearing his head of mental walls. Eyes misting, Taka swallowed the lump in his throat.

Kokoto slammed her forehead into his, the headbutt sending the male nearly off his feet. He doubled over with a groan and a cough. Tufani squinted an eye an winced.

"GOOD TRY!" Kokoto roared. "You ran like a rabid pack of jackals were at your heels. You've got nothin' to be sad about!" Her younger brother was soft, and Kokoto wasn't sure how he would handle the Graveyard at first, but she knew she could toughen him up.

Takataka trembled where he stood, head bowed and black hair blocking his face. He made a tiny, squeaking sort of sound, stopped his trembling, and lurched into a confident position.

Expression clear of all traces of depression, the male shouted back, "YOU'RE RIGHT!"

"YEAH!"

"I'LL GET ONE OF THOSE LITTLE SUCKERS NEXT TIME!"

"YEAH!"

Tufani pressed her face into her forearm and shook her head.

"You'll shake 'em around like twigs in the wind!" Koko rallied, pacing around her little brother.

"YEAH, I will! And I'll spill out their guts!" The adolescent said fiercly, slapping a paw against the gray earth.

"I KNOW YOU WILL! Because you're crazy!" Koko shouted, bouncing toward her brother and snapping at his hair, then bouncing back out.

"No, YOU'RE crazy!" Taka returned, mimicking her gesture.

"You're crazy!" Snap.

"You're crazier!" Snap.

"You're craziest!" Snap.

"You're both crazy." Tufani interjected gravely, eyes heavily-lidded. "Now I think we should probably head back and attempt some scavenging, before I'm crazy."

Koko nuzzled Taka's face brutishly, then caught up with Tufani. "Fine, let's go, Ms. Bossy Brat."

"Don't call me that!"

"I'm allowed. I can do whatever the hell I want."

"Yeah," Takataka agreed haughtily.

Tufani rolled her eyes and groaned. "Maybe if I'm lucky, I can find a replacement teacher."

Takataka glared at his older sister's back as he walked alongside Kokoto. "Don't be dumb, 'ani, you shouldn't want that."

"Oh, calm down," Tufani answered, tossing her head.

"Luck or not, you're stuck with me," Kokoto said mock-helplessly.

"Yeah, she's our Boss Teacher, remember? She's always gonna be there." He paused and then glanced to his eldest sister unsurely.

"Uh, hello, yes, I'm always gonna be around to teach you, stupid-head," Kokoto replied, sensing his doubt, "just like you'll always be there to learn from my incredible, outstanding mind."

Takataka sighed quietly, maw twitching with a smirk, feeling a mixture of contentment and relief. "Right."

"You two are hopeless," Tufani sighed.

They were an odd trio, she thought, but she loved them. They were the closest to her, and she was sure it was the same for them. Nothing could ever separate them. No matter what, they'd always be together.

Always.