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 Posted: Tue Jul 04, 2006 8:51 pm
Diallo awoke early in the morning as the sun began to warm his silver coat. He rose and stretched, shaking off the tightness in his muscles from the cold of the night. He turned his nose to the sky then, scanning it for signs of any vultures for an easy morning snack. At the same time, his ears were pricked and his nostrils flaring for any sign of the wind to bring scents or sounds to him. He found nothing, the sky a blank canvas without clouds and the world still as stone.
He could already tell that it was going to be a very warm day, and he could only hope to wander upon some water to help tide him over before a meal. The way this was looking, it would be this evening at the earliest before he could find food.
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Posted: Tue Jul 04, 2006 9:54 pm
Lilah had been in nomads' lands for a while now, and she was quite enjoying herself. Though she planned on seeking out company sooner or later, she didn't feel up to dealing with a whole clanful of hyenas. It was enough, for now, to meet other wanderers occasionally -- even better to simply howl a greeting from afar. She had seen packs of hostile predators on her way to this peaceful grassland, but nothing had bothered her here yet.
She could vaguely sense the presence of the younger hyena, but she wasn't troubled enough to rise from her comfortable early morning nap. The sunlight soaking into her dark fur and injured limb felt too good.
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Posted: Wed Jul 05, 2006 6:14 am
((Sorry about not posting earlier, had to leave with dad for work. I may or may not be able to post during the day, depending on my load at work.))
Giving up on finding any suggestion of life, he shuffled around in the dust with his nose to the ground for a few moments to determine which direction he had come from the day before. If he couldn't follow his nose to find food, he could at least wander in a proper direction in hopes of finding something to eat. Having found his previous path, he set off in the direction opposite of it at a leisurely pace. No rush when there wasn't anything to rush to, afterall.
The land around him was slowly coming to life with grasses and some small insects. A sure sign of water, his tail waved a little behind him anxiously. If he could find water this early in the morning, perhaps he could sit and wait for some small prey item and not have to scavenge this day. But the land also had an older scent on it, probably from a previous day, of another hyena. Water meant possible clan territory, and this fact made him even more cautious. He wasn't going to change course... yet.
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Posted: Wed Jul 05, 2006 2:10 pm
Lilah pricked her ears slightly at the approach of the other hyena. She was still dozing, making little noise, and the soft shush of the other's paws through the grass could be heard clearly. The air was still, carrying no scent that would tell her more about this newcomer.
She stretched, her lips skinning back as she yawned deeply. Whether or not the stranger was a threat, she couldn't just lie there and wait to meet him. She stood slowly, wobbling a little, and then settled back onto her haunches. The black hyena let out a soft, warbling cry, alerting the other to her presence. He had probably already sensed her, but in case he hadn't, she didn't want to startle him and possibly start a fight.
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Posted: Wed Jul 05, 2006 2:19 pm
He slowed his pace, ears shifting first one way and then the other in small, anxious gestures at the other's outburst. It took him a few moments before his eyes found her motley-colored form, and he was pleasantly surprised to see her sitting as opposed to charging at him viciously. Keeping his pace steady, his ears and head upright to appear non-combative, he approached her.
The closer he got, the easier it was for him to see that she was colored far differently than any hyena he had ever seen, and she even seemed to be wearing feathers and bones in her fur. The patch of mane closer to his neck began to rise at her appearance, caution growing at the startling sight of bone being wound into another's fur.
When he was close enough to see her clearly, within speaking distance, he halted. Although his ears and head were upright, his tail hung close about his body and his forelegs were tensed and ready to run. If she attacked, what more could he do?
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Posted: Wed Jul 05, 2006 9:12 pm
Seeing that it was only a young hyena, not much more than a cub, Lilah relaxed slightly. He could be from a clan, but she hadn't scented or felt the presence of any large groups in the area. The strange hyena was probably just another loner, like herself.
Lilah dipped her snout, nodding politely at the stranger, and uttered another low cry of greeting. The small silver male was obviously tense, ready to flee. Though Lilah felt rather uncomfortable when socializing with others, neither did she want to make an enemy, and she was determined to put the stranger at his ease.
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Posted: Thu Jul 06, 2006 3:33 pm
He chanced a higher chatter of respones to her own greeting, his vocal chords not yet aged enough to make the deeper notes that she could. It was only as he took the time to really see her that he noticed her foreleg, which seemed badly scarred.
"A-Are you hurt?" He took a step forward, head ducking down between his shoulder blades in a passive, worried gesture, curiosity sneaking in on him as his nose twitched. He didn't see her as possible prey, but he was still cautious himself.
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Posted: Sat Jul 08, 2006 12:13 pm
Amused at the stranger's concern, Lilah snorted. "Nay. Old hurt." She was cautious when meeting new hyenas, but the young male's worry was oddly touching. Lilah stood slowly, so as not to frighten him, and nodded once more in greeting. "Lilah." She quirked her eyebrows up, an inquisitive expression crossing her face.
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Posted: Tue Jul 11, 2006 4:24 am
Flickering his ears at her snort, he suddenly felt a little embarassed for his own awkward question. It probably wasn't the most polite thing to say, and the way she addressed it enforced that concept. As she rose, he skittered back a step or two, head ducking down a lhair lower in anxiety. He did, however seem to calm a bit as she spoke what he assumed her name was.
"Diallo." He ducked his head a bit as he spoke again, retaking the ground he had lost earlier, and boldly coming a bit closer to her. He gave his tail a quiet wave behind him, an almost nervous gesture, but he was trying at least.
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Posted: Tue Jul 11, 2006 3:01 pm
Lilah wasn't exactly a social butterfly, but she could sense that the silver male's discomfort was greater than her own. She was also growing impatient with these dull formalities. They had met, and quite thoroughly, by her standards. What more was there to do, sniff each others' rumps like scruffy wild dogs? She nodded politely as Diallo stated his name, yipping softly in acknowledgement.
She stretched slightly, nudging Diallo's snout with her nose, and then turned away. She wasn't used to much contact, and after the greeting ritual was completed, she was at a loss for words. With another yip, Lilah turned and began to trot in the direction of a small puddle she had noticed last night. It was little more than a shallow crack filled with mud, but it would do. She dipped her snout in, drinking briefly.
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Posted: Wed Jul 12, 2006 4:59 am
He was a bit confused by the way in she avoided speaking, preferring to vocalize in other ways. But he'd been embarassed enough already, and decided it was best to not question her about her choices.
As she headed towards the water, Diallo gave his own bright yip and bounded after her. He'd come this way in search of water, and regardless of its condition - as long as it wasn't Bad Water - he was more than willing to drink it. He thrust his nose in after her, drinking heavily as his eyes watched her. He'd seen some brilliant coat designs on other hyenas, but was still amazed at her pattern and the way in which she had adorned herself. When he was finished drinking, having licked the remnants off of his muzzle, he looked at her quizzically.
"Lilah, are you a nomad?" She acted calmer than any other hyena he had seen before, bar his poppa and that clan, and he wondered if she was perhaps a clan hyena.
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Posted: Wed Jul 12, 2006 10:02 pm
Finished with her drink, Lilah raised her head and watched Diallo silently. She wasn't sure what the younger hyena wanted -- probably only company. Still, she wasn't used to speaking with strangers... or with anyone at all but herself. She knelt briefly, clumsily scraping the mud from her snout with her good forepaw. "Yes," she said hesitantly. "I wander."
She supposed it would be polite to ask Diallo of his origins, but it seemed like a silly question. It was obvious that, like herself, the silver and black hyena was simply a wanderer. Uncertain of what to say next, Lilah considered. Unless this hyena wanted her help in hunting, she didn't know quite what to do. Lilah had eaten well the previous day and didn't feel any great urge to hunt. With a shrug of her shoulders, the black hyena began to trot silently into the dry grass. She would do what she always did... look, and see. If the male wanted to tag along, that was fine with her.
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Posted: Thu Jul 13, 2006 7:45 am
He shook his head slightly, sending stray bits of water that had avoided his tongue all over the place before darting after her, stumbling a bit in his own haste and the after-effects of his shaking. Having wandered for the while that he had, he was in no rush to lose the bit of companionship he had found.
He trotted to catch up to the wider-paced adult, looking up at her as he came up on her injured side, nearly touching her with his closeness. He may have been an adolescent, but he was still far from enough from an adult and the independence that may come with it. Even if he didn't want to admit it.
"D-Do you mind... if I come with you?" His ears shifted back a bit at his own question; it had obviously surprised him, and on different levels he hoped she said yes and no. He didn't want to rely on someone else, but... He shook his head out again, all the way down his mane and to the base of his shoulderblades.
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Posted: Sat Jul 15, 2006 6:41 am
Though he seemed shy and reluctant to speak, the other hyena was obviously starved for company. Amused by his awkwardness, Lilah let out a whooping laugh as she loped along, slowing slightly to allow Diallo to keep up. "You come," she said, flicking her tail and casting a quick glance at him. The strands of bone woven into her unkempt brush clicked dryly.
As always, Lilah wasn't sure of her destination, simply following her gut instincts. There was no fresh sign of any animals about, but she was hunting something. As the sun rose higher, a dark smudge appeared on the horizon, bringing with it the sweet scent of woodsmoke.
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Posted: Sat Jul 15, 2006 8:46 am
He dipped his head a little lower at her great laugh, expecting her to say he could not. But his ears perked as she agreed and even slowed her pace, his head slowly coming back to a more relaxed position. "Really?"
Behind him his tail waved slowly, hesitant to show too much joy at the fleeting thought. Even if Lilah didn't know where she was going, Diallo was sure to follow as long as she allowed him to. He hadn't been running in a certain direction himself, anyways.
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