|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
 Posted: Sun Dec 16, 2012 1:48 pm
 "This isn't like you, Orenda." The small jackal retorted as he braced himself against a rise of rock and peered down through the trees; ears and tail upright with dominance. "Should I be worried?"
Behind him, facing the other direction, was a tan hyena, her heavily marked face compensating for the lack of marks across the rest of her body. Bright green eyes - almost feverishly bright - blazed through the tangles of her hair and she curled a lip to growl in reply, her sides constricting sharply. In some places across her pelt, the fur had grown back in odd tufts, hinting at long-healed scars hidden beneath. In other places the fur was still missing, scar tissue still raw and not yet fully healed. She was a fighter, that much was obvious. The jackal knew that. Everyone who met her knew that. But now, beneath that dominant, fierce personality lurked something else.
Saren thought it smelt like fear.
"I've scouted the area twice now. Soon the sun will be down. If you think that there's--"
"--Will you just shut up." The hyena snapped, whirling on him. Her face was tugged up into an ugly snarl, depicting quite vividly her unmasked fury. "My instincts have never wronged be before, jackal. Hold your tongue before I tear it out."
The jackal sighed but fell quiet. It had never been easy to talk Orenda out of something once she'd set her mind on it. In fact, he didn't think it had ever been done. Even if she was blundering into chaos, nothing he said could have stopped her from doing so.
"Someone has been following us." She continued. "I think they mean me harm."
"Then we'll make them regret it." Saren replied easily. He did not think that their stalker even existed. Who would be tracking them for days and days without moving in to attack them? They surely had great patience if that was the case.
|
 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sun Dec 16, 2012 1:54 pm
 The sun was still in the sky and night had not yet drawn its concealing veil across the land. It was early for Celo to be awake, but something wasn't right. Ears and nose twitching, the hyena poked his head just barely out of his burrow. Ah, a strange scent, or more than one. And, far more tellingly, Voices. One pleading and one harsh. Interesting. A mated pair, perhaps. Wincing against the bright light, the hyena poked his head further out and looked around for the strangers. They were...over there he thought. Shaking the last drowsiness from his limbs, the hyena heaved himself out and began to head towards the strangers. He wouldn't greet them. After all, they were the strangers here.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sun Dec 16, 2012 2:01 pm
"We?" Orenda continued, snorting. "I don't think so."
"Oh really? And that last fight...I didn't help you at all?"
"You helped because the strategy allowed for it. If I had been alone the outcome would have remained the same. I do not lose fights." She was still alive, wasn't she? Surely that was proof enough. "And where is Desolas?"
"I can make a guess if you would like." Saren replied. "But I don't think that is particularly necessary, do you?" They both knew Desolas' habits. He was a manipulative little canine - just like the company he kept - but he had other hobbies that they did not. Such as his lust for female company...The charm must have come from his mother's side. Neither Saren nor Orenda had that. Still, it was hard to believe that he'd have any luck finding a female out here. There certainly hadn't been any hints that indicated as such.
"I think you--" She clipped her jaws shut, her ears jerking backwards. The sound of someone approaching. Too heavy to be a jackal. Did that mean her pursuer was finally making his move? With a vicious snarl, she whipped her body around and charged towards the sound, the jackal disappearing into the undergrowth as was their customary fighting technique.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sun Dec 16, 2012 2:07 pm
Even if the sunlight was half-blinding him, Celo's ears made out the panicked sound of small feet running before they stopped suddenly. A smaller creature then, in addition to the larger shape he was heading for. One that had gone into hiding at his approach. The grey hyena briefly wondered why, before deciding it probably didn't matter and just making a mental note to keep an ear out for the other.
Based on what he could see sizewise, and what he could scent, he guessed his guest to be a fellow hyena, though female.
Celo stopped a reasonable distance out from the other and considered what he could see. Her coat was a lighter color than his, and brighter. Her mane and tail were very dark in contrast. Her face...was a mixture of both, somehow. He couldn't make out more than that.
"Evening," he offered upon seeing that nothing was happening.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sun Dec 16, 2012 2:13 pm
She skidded to a stop a few paces away and drew up her head and ears. Her chest expanded as she filled her lungs with air and behind her, her dark tail swept up. She was not a small, cowardly thing curling up on the grass. She was powerful and strong and she was not going to let anyone get the better of her. Especially not some cowardly--
--what?
Her snarl faltered and she leaned her weight forwards so that it was balanced on the toes of her forepaws. "Evening yourself." She snapped. "Do I look as if I'm in the mood for polite conversation? Explain yourself now or I'll put my teeth into your throat."
There was a small rustle in the undergrowth that indicated the jackal was in position, somewhere to the male hyena's right.
"If you're the one who has been pursuing me all this time, you've made a grave mistake. I'm not someone you want to mess with."
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sun Dec 16, 2012 2:23 pm
The grey hyena's neutral expression slid into a frown at the female's confrontational tone. He guessed she wouldn't have the patience for any kind of explanation saying that no, he couldn't actually see her that well. Then again, the rage she bore had it's own particular addition to her scent, so he supposed he couldn't really be surprised by her attitude.
"I have not been pursuing you," Celo replied after long moments of thought. "Why would I, when I live right here?"
And no, he didn't particularly want a fight, but somehow doubted saying so would be a good idea.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sun Dec 16, 2012 2:38 pm
He lived...here?
But hadn't the jackal told her that there wasn't anyone around? She shot a look in the direction of the little canine and hoped he could see her fury from where he was cowering, waiting for the sign to attack. And though she didn't drop the defensive, dominant posture, she seemed suddenly less poised to instigate a fight with this hyena. Not unless he did something stupid...
"I will give you the benefit of the doubt." She said after a moment. "And only because I have nothing to fear from the likes of you." She sank her blunt claws into the ground and growled under her breath. "Come out, Saren." And, after a moment, the grey and black canine emerged from the undergrowth, looking more than a little annoyed that he'd been found out. His 'search of the area' earlier had certainly not been done with any real effort. He'd thought Orenda was mad and he didn't want to waste his time looking for ghosts.
"Not your stalker then, hm?" He replied, though immediately flinched back when the hyena growled at him.
Her green eyes were back on the dark hyena. "You should be wary. I am being tracked and whatever is after me may harm you in the process." She didn't care much about his health but she did like how important and infamous it made her sound.
"Do you have a name?"
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sun Dec 16, 2012 2:43 pm
Celo watched the proceedings calmly. He was glad he hadn't been hearing or smelling things that weren't present, though he wasn't entirely certain what Saren was, other than small and mammalian. If the female hyena had been friendlier, he might have asked her familiar to come closer, or moved himself closer.
But that was not the way things were, so his curiosity would have to go unsatisfied.
"I shall have a care," he replied to her boastful warning. "My name is Celo. Who might you be?" He had a feeling that this hyena would be proud to list her accomplishments, though the male was certain they would all be combat-related.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sun Dec 16, 2012 2:54 pm
She gave a low, contemplating growl, her tail lowering just a little. She still believed she was being followed but was becoming more and more certain that this hyena had nothing to hide. Her instincts had told her that she might not even be dealing with a hyena. Perhaps something from the air, like an eagle. Something she couldn't easily spot. Something keeping track of her. The fur on her back bristled at the thought and, uneasily, she cast a brief glance to the sky.
Nothing.
"Ren." She replied, giving him the shortened version of her name. She'd been called other things in the past but the past was...not something she liked to dwell in much. She'd done much to be ashamed about. Made mistakes too. Mistakes which had made her angry...and led to the deaths of those she had cared for.
"That's all you need to know." She continued. "If you know the area well, can you recommend a path I might take to best get away from this place?"
The jackal remained where he was for now, his body tense and alert, though he seemed more wary of his 'mistress' than anything else.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sun Dec 16, 2012 3:01 pm
Ren, huh? It was a short, hard name. Much like the hyena itself. It suited her down to the bones, Celo decided. And if she said he didn't need to know, well, the grey hyena was disinclined to get his head bitten off by pushing her farther. Really, he only liked to know what was going on when people came through this area, who they were and the like. He hated scenting or hearing things and not knowing what they came from.
"Well, Ren, there should be a path over there-" he waved a paw to his left and behind a bit "-that is less visible due to the underbrush." It also had some brambles that could severely injure the unwary, but he bet Ren wouldn't mind. Celo rarely used it himself, but had made certain he knew its twists and turns.
"It ends by a small creek."
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sun Dec 16, 2012 3:09 pm
She turned to look in the direction he had indicated, wrinkling up her snout as if deciding whether to take his advice or not. And then, after a moment of silence, she gave a short nod and snapped her gaze back to him. Her vivid green eyes narrowed and she jerked her head to the side - indicating for the jackal to join her.
Saren, silently, did as she asked, lurching into motion until he was standing close at her side.
"That's the path I'll take then. I'll leave you to your..." She paused, curling a lip and then said: "Life." And, with a small growl, she turned and padded off in the direction he had said, pushing down onto the narrow path without a moment's hesitation.
And when they were out of ear shot, Saren asked: "What are you planning?"
"We'll pretend to take this path and then double back at the stream. With any luck, our pursuer will keep on going whilst we head in the other direction. And, if by chance, he happens across Celo...well...he'll send him the wrong way, too."
"What about Desolas?"
"He's on his own. If he falls behind he gets left behind. He's always known that. Just as you have."
The jackal seemed annoyed at that but said nothing in response, simply trotting obediently at her heel.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sun Dec 16, 2012 3:12 pm
Celo frowned as he listened to the two pad off quietly. He could just barely hear them start talking, but they were far enough away that even he couldn't make out the words. This whole encounter was...worrisome.
Still, there was little he could do here. The hyena headed back to his burrow to think in the nice, refreshing darkness over what he'd learned here this early evening.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
