[PRP] Lackies and the Hyena

[PhiferWolf]

The serene Pride Lands. Lush grass, the shade of the acacia trees and Pride Rock, the calm atmosphere. Wierd how a dark, danky place like the Elephant Graveyard could boarder it.

The ground collapsed in on itself and the ratel's head popped free. His violet eyes scanned around. "Ey, this be teh place, laddie." he said crawling it out. He took a deep breathe and exhaled. "Ah, the Pride Lands, what a glorious place. Can't believe ya tried to leave it, Jamaa would have been crossed wit ya."

Shortly after speaking, two long ears poked free of hole the ratel made. Then two emerald eyes and his head, "Shut up you insesent little idiot!" he shouted, "WHy would Jamaa even care about us? We're his lackies, he only likes us because we do favors for the brute. He just wants us to check up on that little hyena, Commit that to memory." The jackal pulled himself out and shook himself of pieces of dirt. "I don't even want to know why we had to dig from the Mpininzani Packlands to here, we could have just walked!"

"Ey, stop ya bickering. I don't care fer ya "walking", I got us here didn't I?" he said with his wierd accent. "Goma, Jamaa is our frend, he asked us tah check up on Yakuti. As his ferther, he is worried fer that wittle guy." he said compassionately.

"Topas...you're an idiot! Got it memorized?" he shouted. "Jamaa could have gone there himself!" Goma added. "God why do I even bother. You're gonna go, "Oh but Jamaa asked us to blah blah blah blah." " he mocked, mimicking Topas's voice in a whiney way. "Fine, but I won't like it. We come, we see him, he's fine, and you dig us out of there before anything happens."

Topas just smiled and walked along. Goma not too far behind.  

[Atheare]

Yakuti perked up his ears, there were noises nearby, and scents. He sniffed the air and recognised one smell, it was that Goma, but he didn't recognise the other... He walked over carefully, half-hidden by the bones nearby, and saw Goma with an unfamiliar creature, but they were talking about checking up on him for Jamaa, so he couldn't be that bad.

Yet again, he was with Goma, so maybe he was.

He walked up behind them, "Here I am Goma, I'm fine, you can go now." He growled at the jackal before looking at the new face. "And you are...?" He said inquisitively, tilting his head to one side while observing Topas.  

[PhiferWolf]

Goma flinched and backed off a bit, "See he's fine, let's go." he said turning away. Goma loved to be in the Elephant Graveyard, it was dark and he could easily hide in the many shadows that the bones made. But what made him hate it was the darned hyenas. Yaku was probably the only one he tolerates and even then, he still dislikes them.

"Hold on, laddie." Topas called, "The brute told us to make sure he was alright. Besides, he told me that you would do that too." Jamaa was smart, he knew both of them well enough to plan out their entire day to their likings. Topas for one stayed loyal to his friend. "Now, get oveh here."

"Name's Topas. I am your father's friend. He asked us to make sure that you are holdin' well with your pack here." Topas explained. Goma just sat by and paid no attention to what the two spoke about. "He wants to know if you are eatin' alright, how you're holdin' up, that sort of stuff."


"For one thing, his voice is starting to change." Goma chimed in. "He's gotten bigger, and he looks fine. Alright can we go now?" Topas just shot a look back at him. Goma rolled his eyes and sighed, he wasn't getting off that easily.  

[Atheare]

Yakuti smiled, "Hey Topas, nice to meet you." He said, "I'm doing fine with the pack, I even recruited a few new members." He said, puffing out his chest proudly. "And I eat alright, its more work then back there, but I get along okay." He said with a nod. It was true, here he had to do a lot more work for a lot less food, but he managed to get enough. He was thinner than before he came, but not too thin.

Yakuti wasn't getting off that easy either though, he liked Topas much better than Goma, and he wanted someone to talk to for a while, though it seemed that Goma would be staying if he was. Yakuti glared at the jackal, but said nothing.  

[PhiferWolf]

"That is good to hear Yakuti. Do you want us to bring you food now and again? I can just dig a tunnel to your den and I can bring you food." the ratel suggested. "Or I can bring you some water now and again."

"Topas, just tell him." Goma commanded. Topas gave a look of concern and confusion at Goma. "Fine then. Yakuti, Jamaa doesn't want to see you for a while." he said bluntly, "Got it memorized?" he added, his trademark phase. "Not now, tomorrow, next month, or when you are older." Goma showed no emotion as he said it, as if he didn't even care.

"Goma, you didn't have to be so harsh about it." Topas chimed. He looked back at the hyena, eyes of concern. "Yakuti, the thing is. Jamaa has been given some more pack duties and as pack Guardian he can't just simply drop his responsibilities. But I am sure he will come see you when his duties are done with. And when the pups are grown up and given places in the pack, I am sure he will come visit." Topas assured.

"No he won't." Goma added. "Jamaa has better things to do than come see little Blue Butt."  

[Atheare]

Yakuti cocked his head as Topas suggested helping him, "You can if you really want to, I won't stop you, but you don't have to." He said in a confused voice.

Anger swelled up inside the young hyena as the jackal spoke, "No! He does want to see me!" He barked at Goma, "He does! He..." Yakuti trailed off, ears drooping sadly. "He won't come see me, will he?" He asked sadly, "More pups will be born, he won't have time for me..." He said, sitting down and hunching his shoulders in a depressed fashion.

"Goma is right..." He said, "He has better things to do..."  

[PhiferWolf]

Topas shot a glance back at Goma. "Yaku, Jamaa will come see you. You are his son, he won't just up and leave you. He loves you just as much as he does us. He will come and then you will see." Topas assured. Topas nose wrinkled when he spoke.

"Yeah, is that why he felt his behind here in this place? Please, the brute got better things, most importantly Temari." he said playing with his paws. "Why don't ya run back to your skull and get some rest. There's not much else to say really." the jackal spoke without any remorse for the hyena juv.

Topas grunted and growled at the jackal, "Goma be quiet! Jamaa does care fer the lad. He is his son and he will come back some day." he growled. "Yakuti, trust me, he will come back again."

"No he's not." Goma chimed in again.  

[Atheare]

"I hope so..." He said quietly, but then he thought of the rest of the pack, what if Jamaa came when he was grown and had his own responsibilities? What if he got attacked by the others? He shook his head, "No, he won't, because you gotta tell him that by the time the pups are grown, I'll be as old as he is now, and by then it may not be safe for him to come." He said, still shaking his head, "If anyone will come visit anyone, its me." He sighed, "I don't want him to get in trouble for me, I'll get in trouble for me, it'll be better this way." He said with a nod.

"Though I wouldn't mind a visit from you every once in a while." He said thoughtfully, "You can't get in trouble if you just come through a tunnel. Nobody will see you, that could work."  

[PhiferWolf]

Topas grinned, "See I knew ya would see things through. If ya ever do meet him again then he'd sure be surprised. Heh, I'll make the tunnel now if ya like." Topas cannot resist a chance to dig new grounds.

"Hell no, you are not getting me into another one of ya holes you dumb rabbit wannabe." the jackal growled "Last time it was so small, I could barely get through!"

"Hush, I'll take this one bigger, I will be transporting food so I need the room." Topas snapped back. "This time, it can fit even Jamaa!" he shouted confidently....though was that even possible? "Come Yaku, to your place."  

[Atheare]

Yakuti grinned, "Of course Topas, right this way." He said a bit more cheerfully, leading him to his den. He slinked in through the mouth of the elephant skull and dropped into the main chamber, which was rather underground. "Here we are!" He said proudly, admiring his home. "Just pick any wall, I don't mind." He said, looking at the bare walls and remembering the pawprint covered one in Jamaa's den.  

[PhiferWolf]

Topas grinned, he liked the den already, it was underground and sheltered. Topas admired the work put into it and even to the point of admiring the dirt.

"Woah! This place is so well crafted. Nice work with walls, and the corners are amazing!" he said in awe.

Goma said nothing and sat down and watched the black ratel move around. Topas chosen the wall near the entrance and pulled the dirt away with his paws and Goma removed the dirt from the den and packed it outside of the hyena's home. The two continued it until there was a large gaping hole where the wall met the floor. No one would see it unless they were also in the den and even then it was in the dark corner. Topas digged deeper and deeper, faster and faster making it harder for Goma to keep up.

"Hey Yakuti, I will be doing this fer some time. You can leave if ya like. When I come back, you'll know I'm done." Topas called back from deep within the tunnel. The tunnel was big enough for Yakuti and then some. Topas scent disappeared in moments as he got further and further. Goma just kept on working removing the first from the tunnel.  

[Atheare]

Yakuti smiled proudly, he had done some work on the hole he had found originally. "Thanks Topas, I like it too." He said with a laugh before sitting and watching him dig for a short while.

"Alright, I'll go look for some food then." He called to Topas before hopping out of his den and glancing around. He saw an adult-sized rabbit that seemed to have hurt its leg on one of the sharp bones in the graveyard, it was making the most pitiful and frightened noise. At least this meal would be easy to catch.

He walked over to the creature, it was unable to walk or run. He ended its suffering with one quick snap of his jaws, and dropped it into the den, calling to them, "Here's something to eat, I'll find another for me." He said, walking quietly a ways away from the den in search of more prey.  

[PhiferWolf]

By the time Yakuti returned with the rabbit, Goma was gone from the den. The den was rather empty now except for the rather tunnel, and the dead rabbit. Goma popped out now and again, but soon his presence in the den was gone. Now Topas only exited and entered, removing dirt.

Taking a break Topas looked down at the dead rabbit. What was Yakuti trying to do, poison him? Topas didn't eat such things, mainly bugs, plants, and the occasional bird. The ratel just went back to removing and finishing up the tunnel until Yakuti came back.  

[Atheare]

Yakuti returned after catching and eating a few mice, unable to find another rabbit. He hopped back into the den and looked at the large tunnel. "Wow Topas, how long is this thing?" He asked, sticking his head into the tunnel and looking at it quizzically.

He turned his head and looked at the dead rabbit, still un-touched. He didn't know what ratels ate, and he had never met anyone other than a preybeast that didn't eat meat. "Not hungry eh?" He asked, sitting and watching Topas work. "You want some help?" He said, cocking his head, "That looks like it'll take a long time all by yourself."  

[PhiferWolf]

"Nay, I got it, laddie." he replied, kicking out dirt behind him. "It is long, it just so happens that it opens up just a little ways from here and yer den....um....yer's and Jamaa's den." he corrected continuing his work. Why did he chose to have it open up near the other den? Only he knows. The entrance from the outside looks like a pile of rocks next to a large tree, but from the top is the tunnel's opening. No one in their right minds would climb the rock and fall down, so Topas made another entrance just beside the tree big enough for an adolescent lion to make it through...hopefully not getting stuck.

"Sorry, m'boy, I don't eat that sort of meat." he called back taking another rest. If Topas wasn't Jamaa's friend, Yakuti would probably eat him, perhaps. "Anyways, Goma already left and went home. The bloke left without saying good-bye. Nice uncle fer ya." he said laughing. The den may take days to finish given it's length and how big it was. Topas could even make himself a den in there if he wanted to.

"SO this is how ya live? From what I heard from the brute, you used ta be bigger." the black rodent said poking at Yakuti's slightly thinner body.