It had been days since Akhenaton had finally met the young hyena that had been following him. Her rough but helpful knowledge of wounds had quite possibly saved his life, for he wasn’t sure he could have carried on with that fire living in his shoulder. Her bites had bled the sickness from him and though the wound was still incredibly painful, he could walk on it again.
A voice from behind made him pause and look back, spotting the maroon youngster trotting up the path. “Welcome back Ikenna.” He offered, still rather confused by just how he came in possession of what was a very loyal little hyena pup, for she now followed him everywhere, even down to the river to bathe. She had scurried off earlier, claiming she wanted to bring him a present, and now he saw the strange hairless little body in her jaws.
“ ‘Ummel ‘At.” She mumbled at him around her mouthful. Drawing close she trotted round him and set the body at his paws. “Tunnel rat.” She repeated, beaming. “I caught it for you.” With an incredibly pleased expression she sat down and stared at him, eyes wide and expectant. After a moment he blinked then looked down at her gift. Naked of fur, tiny, hairless and pink, it was not something he had ever eaten before, but she was so pleased to have brought it that he couldn’t turn it down. “Thank you Ikenna.” He replied, giving her a warm and reassuring smile that made her puff up like an owl with pleasure. Dipping his head he ate the offering carefully. It tasted weird.. kind of dusty, but it was still fresh and bled just as much as any other animal. Swallowing the last bite, not that there had been many to the tiny body, he licked his maw. “That was very nice. You know...” He paused for a moment, glancing down at his shoulder. They had been existing on small or wounded prey, things he could catch easily, or stuff small enough for her to hunt. “I believe we should try for a proper meal today. What do you think?” Beaming the young female bounced on her paws. “Yes please!”
Chuckling, the large male lion, followed by the happily rambling young female hyena made their way across the plains, Akhenaton on alert for any sign of a decent meal. Eventually they came across a herb of ibex. Not the biggest prey, but plenty for a single lion and his companion. The pair chose a spot to watch and settled down, well hidden in the thick scrub of a prickly pear. It was over an hour before Akhenaton whispered for her to stay still, slinking out from under the bushes cover and starting to hunt. A mature doe was hovering on the edge of the herd, close to the rest but never part of them. He figured she was too old or had been injured, for though she didn’t limp, the rest stayed out of her way. The perfect prey. Over the next while the large male vanished into the tall grasses, his sandy coloured coat perfect camouflage against the yellowed stalks. Inch by inch he crept closer to her, his wounds forgotten as he stalked.
Suddenly in a flash of dust and grass, the male launched out from his hiding place only several yards away from the doe. The battle was brief, Akhenaton was a skilled hunter, and even handicapped by his slowly healing wounds, he brought the old doe down easily. With the rest of the herd fled in terror, he dragged the body back to where he and Ikenna had been hiding. The young hyena pup scrambled out and loped over, pouncing on the big male with joy before diving at the carcass. Amused by her enthusiasm and more than willing to share, Akhenaton settled down beside her and started to feast.
The pair didn’t quite manage the whole carcass, though by the time they had finished, there wasn’t much for the scavengers that were just starting to arrive. Grabbing a bone Ikenna danced sluggishly in front of her lion friend. “Im coming.. Im coming.” He rumbled in playful disapproval, following along behind the permanently hyper pup. He had to admit, Ikenna was good company, youthful and inquisitive she had more guts than some males he had known and nothing seemed able to keep her down for long. He followed her all the way back to their temporary den, for he was still travailing steadily west, but the pair had taken to finding shelter each night, her for her vulnerability to the cold, and he so his body would heal and avoid a second bout of sickness.
Ikenna crawled into the old abandoned den and curled up, waiting for her large friend to join her before transferring herself to his side, loving the solid wall of warmth he provided. Cradled against his flank she settled down to gnawing on her prize, giggling when she felt Akhenaton yawn beside her. “Lazy.” She chirped, earning herself a gentle swot from one of his huge paws. “Quite kid.” He rumbled, affection taking the sting from his words as he settled down to doze.
He knew she would eventually leave him and the thought brought a touch of regret to his heart. He had become fond of the young pup, she gave him something to think about during the long days, distracted him from the sorrow of his recent past. So full of joy and more often as not, full of mischief, he knew he would miss her when they finally parted ways. But for the time being, he had a long walk ahead of him and she seemed in no hurry to go elsewhere. He had wondered about her parents, but she never mentioned them and didn’t seem worried about travailing so far from where they had first found each other. Giving a mental shrug he assumed she would leave him when she was ready, and until that point, he was more than happy to have her company on his long journey.
Smiling softly at the tiny snores now emanating from the young hyena, he too settled down to rest, content and a little less heart sore than he had been.
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