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 Posted: Sat Jan 19, 2013 3:14 pm
The counting voice could be heard from some distant. A loud voice for such a little creature. Perhaps she should have been quieter. More careful. But she was a pup and knew nothing of worldly dangers. And, for that matter, neither did her father or her aunt. They had been travelling all of their lives and had been lucky enough never to bump into any grievous danger. As such, their safety was somewhat taken for granted and games like these could be played without so much as a gentle rebuke.
"SIX. SEVEN. EIGHT. NINE. TEN. READY OR NOT. HERE I COME!"
And then there was a shriek of laughter as the hunt began, the small, dark shape of a young female hyena darting from one place to the next. No. Nothing under that rock. Nothing hiding in the bushes. Perhaps down by the water? The sound of the babbling stream might help mask someone hiding there. Was Nikan really that smart? Well, she wouldn't put it past him. Might as well check! And so, there she was, skipping down the sharp decline and down to the stream. The recent rains had swollen the water source and drawn other creatures from far and wide, but now with its depths beginning to recede again, the herds were beginning to move on. A little sad, really. The eating had been good and she'd had a full belly for many a day now.
But her father had warned her that it wouldn't last. Nothing stayed still for long in this land.
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Posted: Sat Jan 19, 2013 4:20 pm
Gula had been enjoying a refreshing drink of water from the stream when the sound of laughter flowed down to her big ears. She took one last drink before looking around for the source. There must be a little one nearby. After all, there weren't many adults she knew that shrieked like that. Her belly was full and she had been resting nearby but curiosity got the better of her. She had always wondered what having pups of her own would be like. She shook her paws to get the caked mud out of it. It was quite easy to find the pup, a dark little hyena. Gula swayed slightly as she walked up behind the pup. "Hello there. What are you doing?" Her teeth were showing in a smile. She was in a good mood today, happy and healthy.
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Posted: Sun Jan 20, 2013 3:32 am
"Oh!" The little female jumped with surprise and came to a halt, staring across at the deep brown hyena with curiosity rather than fear. She'd not seen this one before. In fact, the only adult female she'd met had been Nikan's mother. Her own mother was nowhere to be found despite the fact that she had looked. Her father had always just told her that some hyenas did not like to stay put for long and that in this case it was better for him to look after their young. Still, it didn't seem like a very nice thing for a mother to do. Lycoris would tell her that, someday.
"I'm looking for my friend, Nikan! But you can't help me because it's a game and that would be cheating." Her tail gave a cheerful wag. "He's hiding around here somewhere."
And she launched herself into the water, snuffling noisily. "My name is Lycoris. What's yours? Do you have a family nearby? The herds are that-a-way." And she waved a paw in the direction of the plains.
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Posted: Sun Jan 20, 2013 11:38 am
Gula let out a laugh. Not the half-bark type either. This laugh was one she felt from deep in her gut, a good laugh for the soul. This pup was sure amusing. It had been too long since she had been around one so young, not since she was as young. Her parents had abandoned them as soon as they were weaned. At the time, she had only had her siblings but they parted ways as adolescents. She tilted her head with a huge smile as her laughter settled down. "Lycoris huh? I'm Gula." A touch of worry creased her brows as she looked around. There were no parents that she could see. Surely these pups had not been abandoned like she had. Not being the subtle type, she asked, "Where are your parents?" There were predators that would not hesitate to kill a little hyena pup. This one was not being cautious at all. In fact, Gula felt like staying even more in case another predator became attracted to the noise.
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Posted: Sun Jan 20, 2013 2:01 pm
"Nice tah meet'cha, Gula." She piped up, smacking a paw playfully in the water and sneezing when a splash took her across the nose. "My dad's not too far." She continued in an unfazed tone. "Our den is just over those rocks. This is where we've been staying until me and my siblings are big enough to grow and move on." She looked a little uncertain about that. Her friend, Nikan, would not be going with them when that happened. "When we get big enough, dad says he's going to take us on all sorts of travels. My aunt, too." And perhaps they'd even meet their mysterious mother on the way. Lycoris wasn't sure how she felt about that, though. She'd give her a piece of her mind if it ever did happen.
"What about you? Where's your parents? Are you all alone out here?"
And, wiggling her hindquarters in the air, she pounced into the shallows, sending up a great splash of water.
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Posted: Sun Jan 20, 2013 11:51 pm
Gula was one to make quick decisions with little thought to it. Her estimation of this pup named Lycoris was that she was entirely too friendly to strangers for her own good. The second thing was, why did she have a father but no mother? Based on her experience, she could only assume that the mother had abandoned the pups with the father. Lycoris had a good father then, he was caring for them. She knew that if she ever had pups, she would never leave them until they were definitely old enough to care for themselves. Emotions flashed across Gula's face at the questions. Sorrow filled her eyes for a moment, then anger that stretched down into a low growl, and then she shook her head. "I was abandoned by my parents Lycoris and you should love your daddy very much for not doing the same. So yes, I am all alone." A slow smile stretched across her maw with the happy thought that the pup before her was not abandoned. Actually, splashing around in the water seemed tempting since there seemed to be no other predators around. She could keep an eye on the pup in the absence of the father who seemed lax in his duties at the moment. So she leaped up and jumped into the shallow water, dousing the pup with her splash. She laughed again, this really was fun.
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Posted: Mon Jan 21, 2013 1:03 pm
Lycoris looked up, eyes wide. Poor lady, out here all alone. It didn't matter that she was a grown up. She didn't deserve to not have any friends or family. No one did. "You're not alone any more though, right? I am here!" She liked making friends, especially with other hyenas. There didn't seem to be enough of them around here. Apparently their kind could be few and far between.
And then a splash of water crashed over her head, shocking her system for a moment. A little squeak burst from her throat and then she grinned and the grin turned into a laugh. "Wooo~oow. That was a big splash!" And now, completely soaked with water, she crashed around in the water in utter abandon, kicking up waves with her little paws. Then, changing her course, she lowered herself into pouncing position and threw herself at Gula--
--unfortunately landing a little short and landing just in front of her, getting another slap of water in the face.
"Hey!" A little voice chirped up, a small face peering up from behind some rocks. "What's going on? What happened to our game?" And he started to pout as he pulled himself atop his hiding place and peered down at them splashing in the stream.
"Oops." Lycoris paused and glanced across at the adult. "That's my friend, Nikan. I was s'posed to find him."
"Uh oh." Nikan interrupted. "Lycoris. That's a stranger. My mum said--"
"She's not a stranger, stupid. She's Gula."
The little male's ears drooped and he scowled down at the pair of them - clearly upset at having been forgotten.
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Posted: Mon Jan 21, 2013 1:23 pm
Gula couldn't help smiling at Lycoris. She was such a sweet little thing. Such innocence was not something she encountered in her travels and it was quite refreshing. “No, I suppose I'm not.” It made her wonder what the pup's father was like to have raised her by himself. She shook herself after making that big splash, throwing her head back to laugh. Water still clung to her fur as she stood in the water. Her eyes narrowed as Lycoris headed towards her but then she had nothing to worry about, just a little splash. Laughter filled the air again as she had to cover her eyes with one paw at what she had seen. Soon she would learn how to leap further. “Might want to work on that.” Gula nearly jumped out of her fur in surprise at the little voice. She had been so caught up in having fun that she forgot to stay alert. The pup was very brightly colored. It was a miracle they had not attracted lions or any other manner of predators. Then she felt bad at how upset the pup named Nikan looked. A knowing look filled her eyes before she leaned toward Lycoris. In a rather loud whisper she said, “Our plan worked. All that splashing made him show himself.” She smiled down at the dark pup, “So you win right? Because you found him.”
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Posted: Tue Jan 22, 2013 4:09 pm
If Gula ever had the chance to meet her father (and hopefully she would) she would see how very much alike the pair of them were. He was bouncy, energetic, laid-back and naive in so many ways that it was amazing he'd gotten as far as he had in life without coming across some sort of trouble.
"I will!" She replied, making a mental note to practise pouncing on her siblings later that day so next time she'd be able to judge it better. "And yep, I win! I win! I win!" She ended the declaration in a little sing-song, splashing little circles just in front of Gula.
Nikan's pout deepened. "Nooooo." He whined. "You weren't looking! It's cheating!" And, after a shy glance at the strange adult, he slipped down to the bank, keeping his belly close to the floor as if he was afraid the adult might pounce him. A second later and he was shoving up alongside Lycoris, peering across at Gula with wide eyes.
"Don't be dumb, Nikan." Lycoris gave him a shove back and stepped away from him. "She's a hyena. Like us."
He blinked.
"Hey!" The dark pup exclaimed. "If you're alone, Gula, you should come stay with us! I'm sure my dad won't mind. Or my aunt!"
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Posted: Tue Jan 22, 2013 6:17 pm
Gula took note of Nikan's actions. She did her best to seem non-threatening, standing still and stopping her tail from moving. Still, amusement was clear on her face. It was a good thing he was cautious though. If they stayed together into adulthood, they would have a good chance of surviving the perils of living a rogue life. Lycoris was one of the most entertaining creatures she had ever come across. A deep pleasure filled her at being invited to stay with them. "Only if your parents say yes. I wouldn't want to intrude. Maybe I can show you some pouncing skills later." Her smile was a little sad as she thought of how lonely her life had been. Perhaps it was time for her to look for a mate or even just a male who was willing to raise pups with her till they were old enough to go on their own.
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Posted: Wed Jan 23, 2013 2:30 pm
Eventually, Nikan seemed to relax a little, his tail even giving a shy sort of wag. He was certainly the more reserved of the pair, though. Nervous, too. But maybe that would get better with time. Maybe...
"My dad won't mind. My aunt, either. Especially if you show me pouncing skills. That's useful! It'll make them happy. You should definitely stay for a bit. At least for the time we are here. Once we're big enough, we'll be on the move again but...well, I'm not very small, but my siblings are, aren't they, Nikan?"
Nikan's ears drooped at that and he remained quiet.
Lyrcoris continued to speak as if she hadn't noticed. "Are you a very good hunter, Gula? Have you caught all the big animals? Is it very hard? Could you teach me, maybe? Maybe?" Apparently her relatives were not the best hunters around.
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Posted: Wed Jan 23, 2013 3:08 pm
Gula couldn't help grinning at the one known as Nikan. He seemed the shy sort. It was kind of cute. She was truly enjoying herself. How long had it been since she had been so relaxed and not worried about all that came with living? She bent her head down to look at Lycoris, her mind made up. "Alright, I'll stay for a bit. We'll have to be sure to ask your father and aunt permission when we see them." She didn't know what to make of the comment about her siblings being smaller. Had they been born weaker? That would explain them staying in one spot. It would be hard to move with pups that were weak. Her eyes flicked to Nikan briefly, noting his reaction. "I don't hunt big animals. I used to though, when I had my brother. Now I hunt the small and weak ones because I don't need to eat that much by myself. Big animals are for families like yours. You need the meat. But I think I'm good at hunting. Been practicing my whole life, since I was a pup. I'll teach you what I know." It would please her to pass on her knowledge to help ensure the survival of her species.
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Posted: Fri Jan 25, 2013 10:43 am
"Yaaaaaaay." Lycoris bounced on her paws and gave her friend another shove. "Did you hear that, Nikan? She's going to stay." For a bit, anyway. But that was good enough. The world was smaller than it seemed - or so her aunt liked to tell her - and they would meet again someday.
"I'd love it if you could teach me!" She continued. "Between you and me and...well, Nikan, too. My dad and aunt aren't very good hunters at all. We mostly pick off the ones that have already been hunted!" She came from a family of historical scavengers, after all. "But if you can teach me then I can be a useful member of the pack." Her little pack, anyway.
"Can you...teach me, too?" Nikan asked, shyly.
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Posted: Sat Jan 26, 2013 2:08 am
Gula laughed at the reaction she got out of Lycoris, pure joy lighting up her face. There was the distinct feeling that she had made a friend for life, even if it was a little pup. It had been a long time since she had felt welcome by anyone. Most of her time now was spent alone. Her thoughts were interrupted by the sound of Lycoris going on again. She could understand why they would pick off ones that have been already hunted. It had been something she had done many times. It was better to eat it than to waste it or let the vultures get to it. Still, knowing how to hunt for yourself was something she considered vital to survival. Gula gave Nikan a kind smile. "Of course I'll teach both of you. You can learn together. Then you can also work together to bring down your prey."
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Posted: Sun Jan 27, 2013 3:14 am
Chun Chun Boom [We can call this a fin? Or you can post a finishing post if you like! I'd be happy to start another, if so!
"That would be amazing!" Lycoris declared with emphasis on the 'amazing'. And, diving forwards again, she tugged on one of Gula's paws with both of her small ones and peered up with large eyes. "Thank you!" Her tail was waving eagerly from side to side now as she gave the adult another tug and then began to scamper up the incline towards the den site.
Only here did Nikan hesitate. "I'd best get back to mother." He replied.
Even Lycoris looked a little sad at that, but she gave a small nod and said. "See you later!" Before turning back to her newfound friend. "It's not far! Follow me!" And though she scampered as fast as she could, the adult with her long legs and greater stamina would have no trouble at all in keeping up.
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