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 Posted: Tue Jan 03, 2006 6:46 pm
((Resumed from thread... biggrin ))
Hwiuur's first act, once her eyes had opened and her cub fuzz had lengthened into something more respectable that fluff, was to wander away from the rest of her tribe and further into the Wasteland. Oh, she always made a point of coming back, but each day her wandering grew further and further until she was sleeping nights away from her family.
Today, she had wandered far enough to get very lost. She could have been more upset about this, truly--she'd gotten lost before, and her usual answer was to wander in ever-increasing circles until she found them again. But today, she'd found a nice pool of water and an abandoned carcass, and she fully intended to take advantage of these instead of returning to the squabbling of her siblings.
Besides, there had been a miracle of surviving amphibians in the pool. The mutated clawed frogs, with their bright colors and screeching calls, provided an ample source of amusement to a young hyena. Hwiuur made the most of them, diving paws-first into the puddle of water and chasing them from one end to the other.
Though Lilah had spent most of her young life alone, deep inside she craved the company of others. In her travels, she had stayed as far away as possible from adult hyenas and clans, but the occasional cubs she met wandering were sometimes nice. Some of them were not so nice at all, but she was confident in her ability to defend herself from aggressive young hyenas.
She approached the young hyena cautiously but not fearfully. When she was younger, her first instinct would have been to flee -- after all, there might have been an angry mother waiting just out of sight to attack anybeast that threatened her young. But Lilah was now confident in her ability to scent others, and there had been no trace of an adult for some time.
The cub by the pool had it made. Fresh water and what looked to be untainted meat were rare treasures indeed. Lilah licked her chops thoughtfully. Though not yet an adult, she was older than the cub and could probably beat her in a fight. She wasn't too interested in fighting, however. Food had been scarce for the past few days, and Lilah was very interested in eating something other than bugs and mice -- but the lack of food had also made her tired and not eager to get into a confrontation. It would be better if she could induce the strange cub to share with her.
Trotting forward slowly, Lilah yipped in greeting. She would not cower submissively before a cub, but neither was her stance aggressive.
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Posted: Tue Jan 10, 2006 1:40 am
On the subject of others, Hwiuur's emotions were distinctly mixed. She much enjoyed having other cubs to romp with and warm bodies to sleep among during cold nights; on the other paw, she disliked squabbling over food and the insistence of the adults on always having it their way. There were many she had met out on her long walks who she'd taken an instant liking to; and just as many she'd turned tail and fled from, cub-chasers and killers.
She looked up, dabbing one bright-colored paw in the water as the frogs scattered away from her. Her tail wagged just one beat as she noticed the other youngster--adolescent, healthy from the smell of it, albeit a little underfed, and female, mercifully--before she returned the greeting with a more cautious bark of her own. She was not exactly sure about this newcomer, retreating until she was ankles-deep in the water but no further to keep an eye on Lilah. Friend, foe, or other? ...Not clear, not yet. Maybe she'd have to run.
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Posted: Fri Jan 13, 2006 4:32 pm
The cub's polite bark of greeting encouraged Lilah. Lilah had never had much interest in hyena politics or rank -- if she ever became a clan member, she would never rise far -- but she had a strong liking for good manners. Lilah was a solidly pragmatic 'yena in almost all other ways, but she insisted on being polite.
Though Lilah had no intention of fighting the strange, indigo-colored cub, she was pleased by the cub's slight retreat. The stranger did not appear to be aggressive, but neither did she appear to be a coward that would run and possibly attack from behind. The cub was brave but cautious, like Lilah herself. And polite, too. Lilah took an instant liking to the stranger.
She approached a little further and then sat back on her haunches, not wanting to appear threatening. " 'lo! I'm Lilah!"
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Posted: Tue Jan 17, 2006 10:41 pm
"Polite" was not a bad thing where Hwiuur was concerned; though perhaps she could not put words to it yet, that was indeed what most bothered her about clan life: impoliteness. Unless you were a ladyship or higher, everyone was rude to you. Dealing with other young 'yenas away from the pack, though--that, she liked. Everyone was on equal footing so long as everyone had manners.
She wagged her tail as Lilah approached, semaphoring her own peacable intent now that it was clear the other female meant her no harm. "Hwiuur," she introduced herself, demuring slightly. Then she backed up another step, but only to get her toes out of the water. "Would you like something to drink? There's plenty." She glanced toward the carcass, somewhat reluctant to give up all that meat, before adding lowly, "That, too."
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Posted: Wed Jan 18, 2006 11:39 am
Lilah nodded, stepping forward and lowering her head to drink from the pool. It tasted good, and the other cub had been playing in it so it probably wasn't tainted. After a good drink, she looked up again, licking the last few drops from her muzzle. She could tell that Hwiuur wasn't too keen on sharing the meat, but Lilah was hungry.
"Thanks," she said, walking over to the carcass. "I won't take too much." Lilah tore off a chunk of meat and backed away, holding it between her paws to nibble at.
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Posted: Sat Jan 21, 2006 5:13 am
Apparently mollified by Lilah's promise not to take too much meat, Hwiuur gave another friendly wag of her tail. Then she promptly flopped down at the edge of her puddle with a splash that sent the frogs creaking and ribbiting away again. "Uhm," she ventured at length. "Do you have a clan?" By which she meant: am I trespassing? She, after all, had no real idea where her family had gotten off to--so who knew whose territory she'd wandered into during her walk.
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Posted: Sat Jan 21, 2006 11:23 pm
Preoccupied with her chunk of meat, Lilah took a moment to answer. When she did, her tone was amused. "Clan? Me? Naw, never. I'm a loner... just like you, I s'pose." She shot a piercing look at Hwiuur before resuming her meal. If Hwiuur had a protective mama lurking around the next hillock, Lilah had better get down all the food she could. She had gotten quite good at telling clan hyenas from loners, but there was always the grave possibility of error.
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