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 Posted: Wed Jun 20, 2012 6:28 pm
Niu was on the hunt. She was not hunting for food, oh no, she was hunting for water. Her stomach was quite full at the moment with the calf she had snagged from a herd of gazelles. They were a choice meal for a lone hyena like herself. Now she needed to get herself clean. All the blood was already stuck to her fur and dried in, caked on. It felt quite disgusting to her. She never liked being dirty and needed to find water to help clean it off.
At last, she came across a small pool of water. A miracle considering how dry it was. Perhaps this was left over from the passing storm last week. In any case, she was glad to have found it. The prey animals were not happy to find a predator in their midst. She paid them no attention. Instead, she dunked her face into the water to let the blood soak it in so it could come off. After letting it soak, she started to use her paws to try to take it off, dipping them in the water again once in awhile. She must have looked very strange indeed to the animals at the watering hole.
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Posted: Tue Jun 26, 2012 9:53 am
Odi had been napping under one of the low-growing bushes that thrived near the dip in the land. It usually gathered a nice deep puddle whenever it rained, so he had come to make this area his home during the rainy season. It was away from any of the aggressive lion prides, and seemed unclaimed by anyone else. He had taken care to not hunt nearby the puddle, so that the local prey now considered him a non-threat, though they didn't quite trust him either. He didn't blame them. Even if he was scrawny for a hyena, he still was capable of killing one of their young or savaging the unwary. So they gave him a wide berth when he was awake, but otherwise ignored him.
It was the uneasy shuffling of some of the local prey beasts that woke him. Staccato hoof beats that told of a nervous gazelle very near his bush. He sleepily figured that in their fear of another predator, they'd completely forgotten to be wary of him. Good thing for them that he was not hungry, and still stuck to his no-hunting-at-home rule. With a yawn he sat up, stretching this way and that before finally scooting out from under his bush. Sure enough, restless and alarmed prey scattered suddenly at his appearance, as they had forgotten him in the face of another predator. The question was, feline or canine?
Usually it was feline, but not today! Instead, it was a lovely she-yena. She was taking great care with her minstrations, though he could hardly see any marring of her fur by this time. No, she was quite well-groomed despite her further efforts. He immediately appreciated her cleanliness, as most of their kind were rather scruffy and filthy. It wasn't one of the main reasons he was holed up here by himself, but it was one of the minor ones.
He didn't directly approach her, but rather sat on the other side of the deep puddle, gazing at her quietly. He didn't speak either, just content to let her finish before saying anything.
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Posted: Wed Jun 27, 2012 1:52 pm
Niu was completely unaware that another hyena was at the very moment watching her as she cleaned herself. She hadn't realized how caked on the blood had been. Maybe she should learn how to eat more carefully to decrease the amount of blood that transferred to the fur around her muzzle. In any case, she was as meticulous as she could be in her cleaning. After getting off as much of the blood as she could, she felt satisfied and clean. It was then that her eyes lifted to notice the other hyena across from the watering hold.
Her pink eyes blinked up at him for a few seconds before she realized she had yet to say anything. "Umm...hello. I, umm, I didn't realize there was anyone here. I hope you don't mind me. I'll just be on my way if I'm intruding." She had no way to know if he was friendly or not yet. Slowly, she stepped backwards out of the water. Just because she was another hyena, didn't mean she'd be welcome here.
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Posted: Wed Jun 27, 2012 2:24 pm
As she spoke, he smiled. It wasn't a grin, or a wolfish smirk, or even a forced expression. It merely was a smile, soft and gentle. It showed no teeth, and spread to eyes and ears both. "Oh no, you don't have to leave," he replied softly. It wasn't quite a whisper, but wasn't a 'normal' volume either. It was normal for him, of course, but not for most folk. Smaller, quieter, less prone to violence, these were all reasons he existed on his own, by himself. Not many approved of a gentle or soft-spoken hyena. Apparently they were meant to be the hated scourge of the savannah. He never could bring himself to make enemies with anyone, so he'd been driven out of any groups of hyenas he'd met thus far. He secretly hoped this female wasn't one of those sort.
Not that it hurt him or changed his self-image to be so despised by his own kind. Much the opposite really. He held firm to his choices, regardless of what others thought. He saw no reason to act like a despicable fiend, so he didn't. He saw no reason to revel in a filthy hide and rotting breath, so he didn't. He was rather glad of it today, in fact, for this girl didn't seem to like dirtiness. "My name is Odi," he began, offering that soft smile again. "Well, my name is actually much longer, but only my mother ever called me that, and it was never good when she did." Still speaking low, his smile turned rueful, then his ears angled back in embarrassment. Perhaps she didn't care to know such things. He really should learn to curb his tongue! He clamped his mouth shut and looked chagrined. Better to let the lady talk now, he thought.
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Posted: Sat Jun 30, 2012 12:46 am
Niu considered herself good at reading the little signs that one could make with their body. From all accounts, this hyena seemed to be friendly and not a threat at all. Even his voice spoke of gentleness and kindness. She smiled back at him, genuine to the point that even her eyes smiled. It could only be luck that he proved to be friendly rather than aggressive.
Her expression turned to amusement when he mentioned his name and his mother. "I'm Niu, it's a pleasure to meet you Odi. I didn't realize that this was your watering hole and I hope you don't mind that I used it." Maybe saying that would smooth over his slight embarrassment. After all, she was the one intruding and he was being so kind as to let her stay. He had quite a place to himself. It must be hard to keep other, more vicious predators. Even other hyenas would attack a lone one like him, without a pack. That was why she was always on the move.
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Posted: Sat Jun 30, 2012 12:43 pm
His eyes crinkled at the corners in silent laughter, and his mouth opened to let his tongue loll in amusement. "Oh, it isn't my watering hole. It may be where I stay, but it belongs to everyone." He tipped his nose first to the left, then the right, indicating the skittish animals that had scattered some distance away. "It is as much your watering hole as mine, you see." He returned his smile to her, voice still soft. "It would be a loss if someone came along and claimed it as theirs, and I'm certain they'd drive me off, but the truth of the matter would be that it wasn't mine to defend in the first place."
He rose finally and began to pad around the large divot of water, so that he could face her without the damp stuff being between them. He sat down again a polite distance away, though, and tipped his head to the side slightly, canting his ears inquisitively. "Do you mind telling me where you are from, Niu? What brings you out this direction in the roguelands?" It was asked with the utmost respectfulness, though he kept finding his gaze drawn to her pink fluffy fur. "Have you wandered long?" he continued, pulling himself back to her eyes.
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Posted: Wed Jul 04, 2012 2:04 pm
Niu nodded at his explanation. That made sense. It would be hard for him to stake a claim on it as solely his. After all, a single hyena wouldn't be able to take on a pride of lions if one decided to move in. "Then we'll call it ours for the time being, since we are the only predators around at the moment." Her voice was light and playful.
She let herself relax more, sitting back on her haunches. Her mind normally refused to let her remember her puphood. It wasn't good memories. Rarely did she ever go back in the direction that she was raised. Her smile held a tinge of sadness. "I've wandered for as long as I could care for myself on my own." She wasn't sure if she'd like to share her history though. "Let's just say I'm not from around these parts of the roguelands." It was a hope of hers that her parents were long gone from the world and that they didn't bring any more life into it.
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Posted: Tue Aug 07, 2012 9:46 am
His eyes widened at her playful suggestion they claim it together. Together? He blinked twice, looking a little stunned. Oh, surely she was just being silly. She wouldn't claim him that fast, now would she? They'd only just met! Granted, she was a lovely little fluff of color... his expression relaxed into something approaching daydream, but her moving on to his question snapped him out of his reverie. Of course she was just teasing. What was he thinking?
He listened attentively, both to what she said and did not say. There was more to her story there, but the nuances he sensed told him she wasn't happy about that part of her history. Willingly he let it slide on by without comment, allowing her the privacy of not intruding on unpleasant memories. Instead, he moved on to the safer topic of sharing thoughts and memories of his own. "Funny how our kind are more solitary in nature, isn't it?" He nodded gravely at his own words. "I really find it a shame that we aren't as likely to gather into groups as the felines are. They gain so much by traveling or living together" He looked downwards and began to draw lines in the soft earth near the edge of the pond, one each for the benefits he named off. "Safety, companionship, easier hunting, loyalty, and a structured life for the raising of offspring."
He looked back up at her with a smile. "My parents kept us with them as long as we cared to stay. It was wonderful, really. A jolly group of us, all romping and laughing. My parents were quite... prolific." He ducked his head with heated cheeks, grinning sheepishly. "By the time the third litter after us was born, I decided it was time to leave and find my own way in the world." He paused, giving a soft sigh of regret. "It's been very lonely since then."
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