Time went on and soon enough, Ana quickly forgot about her terrifying run-in with the angry mother lion. She had found a friend in the lioness named Mohini. She felt like she had somewhere to belong for the first time in a long time. But how long would it last? Hyenas and lions weren't meant to naturally co-exist, were they? At least that was what she had always been taught.
Ana's family life wasn't out of the ordinary for hyenas. Her mother was the leader of the group that consisted of her parents and siblings. They kept to themselves mostly, staking claim over a small territory in the roguelands. They weren't very welcoming to strangers, least of all the different feline species out there. All the children had been taught that hyena and lion especially were never meant to get along. Could never learn to get along. That there were just too many clashing differences between the two. For hyenas could eat the most putrid of flesh while lions were just too snobby and regal to leave their meat for so much as a hour in the sun or it was too spoiled for them to touch. They'd rather leave it to rot in the sun and waste food still good than to savor it.
And they'd turn on you as soon as they got the chance. Lions could never be loyal to anyone but themselves and even then, it wasn't a guarantee.
Despite all this her parents tried to force into her head, Ana wasn't convinced. Maybe she was always too naïve and trusting She'd never had a chance to test her theory against anything growing up, not even a wild dog. For absolutely nothing, not even a strange hyena, was allowed inside the inner circle of her family. Only once the children were fully grown adults, were they allowed to go where they pleased. Once Ana was fully grown, she'd simply left her family's territory. Not because she disliked living with them. She'd always loved her family. But she wanted to see the world for herself. See if what they said was true or not. An entire species couldn't all be like what they said.
And she also wanted to see the world and all the different things it held. She wanted to follow the migrating buffalo with her own eyes. She wanted to see the forests. The mountains. All the ponds and lakes that the world held just beyond her sight. The elephants, the rhinos, the hippos. All the smaller breeds of antelope. The nesting birds. She wanted to see it all.
And she had seen these things. She had followed the roaming herds until she could not anymore, until they reached the raging rivers full of crocodiles just waiting for the chance to pounce on them. She had watched them, floating close to the surface just like logs until they snapped at the necks of the animals trying to cross. She had spied the baby elephants holding tight to their mother's tails. The foals of other creatures play fighting with each other. She had gone far and wide, coming close to prides and other packs of hyenas or wild dogs. But never went any closer than that. Not until the day she had almost walked too close to the sleeping mother lion. This was the one mystery of the world she didn't dare test. She was afraid to be proven wrong and her family right.
Than she'd met Mohini. Mohini was so peaceful and calm, so unlike what a lion was supposed to be. Ana had been filled with confidence to go out there and finally meet other species, filled with the realization that there was no point to her fear. Sometimes she'd find others like what she expected. Sometimes she wouldn't. That was just how it was and she needed to learn to embrace it, not shy away from it. She needed more experiences.
Ana promised to return to Mohini once she was satisfied. She really liked the lioness and felt like the lioness really liked her, too. They got along so wonderfully, as if they were two kindred souls who had finally found each other. To think she would ever have such a relationship with a feline.
For days Ana travelled, stopping only to eat or sleep. A few times she had caught the scent of a feline in the distance. A lion. A leopard. She would not go close. Why couldn't she start small? A wild dog? Or...
Better yet. The smell of another hyena caught on the wind towards her. A male. And he seemed to be alone. Or, at least, she couldn't smell anything but him. Making her way over, she soon saw it was an almost pure black older-looking hyena. Before him was an assortment of what she perceived as junk spread out on a large piece of leather. What was he doing?
"Good evening," Itzal greeted the strange new hyena, his voice all business friendly. Meeting new creatures wasn't anything out of the ordinary for him. Many, many a year he had done business on this very spot in the roguelands. It seemed a highway for travelers. Perfect for business. ]color=#616D7E]"You must be new in the area. I am Itzal, of the Mava'bunda. I trade goods for goods. Does anything interest you, stranger?"
Ana took a moment to look over what he had spread out before him. Lots of bones. Pieces of leather. A few things that looked like jewelry, made out of feathers, bones, and more leather.
"I....I don't really have anything..."
"No, huh? Well, there's nothing I can do for you. I'm here for business only." And he moved his eyes to scanning the landscape around her. A clear dismissal. Ana stared at him for a few seconds before deciding it best to move on. Clearly he wasn't going to talk to her unless she offered something for trade. If that was the case....
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"Back again, I see? I have very little to talk about unless you've come to trade."
"As...As a matter of fact, I have come to trade! See?" And she dropped at his feet a collection of things she had found in the span of a hour.
Getting up and moving around his makeshift stall, Itzal lowered his head to study the things she had brought him. Bones, as was the common currency. A few feathers that looked like they'd been dragged through the mud. Flowers? And some rocks. Worthless. Junk. Trash she clearly just picked up at random.
He moved back to his place behind his goods, sitting back down in the same spot. "I don't want this."
"What?!" Ana couldn't believe it. This looked no better than some of the things he had on display, minus of course the jewelry. But she didn't know how to make jewelry.
"I don't want this," Itzal repeated, a bit of an edge in his voice. He really didn't like to repeat himself. This hyena seemed a bit on the dumb side. He really wanted this interaction to stop and for her to go away. She was giving him a headache already. "I want quality things, not a bunch of junk you picked up at random. I can't do anything with these things. The feathers are dirty. The rocks are just rocks. And the bones are chipped and scratched. Flowers are also pretty useless." And he turned his head away from her once more, clearly dismissing her from his side.
Well! What a rude individual! Determination filled Ana's heart. Determination to proof him wrong. She'd find quality goods, oh yes! Even if she had to look for days, weeks!
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