Bone-Eaters /open/

[♋Makarov♋]

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[atrb=background,http://i51.tinypic.com/xm0k7q.png] The sun glared down with a harsh and unforgiving power, baking the land and turning the prosperous plateau of the Hyena Empire into a stony, hardpan oven. Scant breezes flowed across, and perhaps they would have been a blessing had they not been so warm as well. In the loneliness of the desperate terrain there was a single moving figure, striding at a slight, awkward-legged lope and if one listened closely enough they could hear the shallow rasp of his pants punctuating the buzzing silence. Cicadas probably, insects which appeared in droves in the summer months, emerging from the ground after they had been there in a larval form for over seven years to breed and start the process all over again. They were the main instigators of this buzzing, whirring din, alongside a few crickets clinging to the yellowing, straw-like clumps of very occasional grass. Shaka Zevoa, son of the esteemed Shaka N'jabi, lifted his flattened, remarkably raccoon-like muzzle and squinted back into the sun. His sides heaved as he slowed, but did not come to a complete stop, and there was something clasped between his jaws; A mangle of some sort of feathers. This particular hyena he was of what was called the Striped variety, Hyaena hyaena as his mother and father had said. He was defined by the intense crest of fur falling down his arched back, his tigeresq black stripes over a sandy base, and the dark bib on his chest and muzzle. He was on a mission, and when those beady black eyes caught sight of the heat-shimmered trunk of a fat baobob his pointed shell ears perked forward with almost giddy aniticipation. Zev kicked up the heat, but he was no marathon runner by any means. Nay it was the females of the matriarchy of course that led the charge in the hunts and even ate first, that was just the way it had always been, and Shaka Zevoa was more then pleased to humbly serve the balance. The duty of males such as himself was to stay back and watch the pups, and of course scavenging, one of the most esteemed arts of the male role in the Empire. Reaching the tree took a lot out of him in this dreadful heat and so, as soon as the male reached the scant shade provided by the tree he dropped his catch, the badly mutilated body of a sandgrouse. There was still plenty of edible meat on it though and it was far from rotten, a prime catch of which Zev was quite proud. A low growl greeted him and a black-backed Jackal swung around the side of the baobob at a wary pace. It's ears tilted back against it's head and Zev caught the creature's sly eyes taking hungry jabs at the meat the hyena had dropped at his paws. There was no other choice but to emit a sound of his own, stepping forward to cover his prodigal find with his small but still hefty body. The mane down has back stood up even taller, proving to make him look larger, more imposing. "Stand down, ye filthy bone-picker," he hissed through his teeth. The jackal looked at Zevoa for a moment, down at the sandgrouse and then took a couple of steps away, giving the larger predator a wide berth. Once he had judged the other canine was far enough away, he gave a yodeling snarl and charged full on, driving the curious nuisance away once and for all. Zev had even heard the jackal yip something along the lines of. "Not worth it! Seeya dogpig!" How uncouth.. Feeling exhilarated but ultimately exhausted, Shaka Zevoa trotted back to his spot beneath the shade of the baobob. Giving a moment to rub his scent glands on the surrounding area this time, just in case. Spent, he flopped over onto his side. Energy was a thing well conserved when you lived in these heated kingdoms, especially on the hottest of the summer days. Drool hung from his gaping muzzle in sloppy strands and beads, swaying, bouncing and then finally dripping as his tongue darted back and forth with his rapid pants. He turned his head and surveyed the quiet lands. Nothing except for a lonely buzzard making lazy circles in the sky, almost hypnotizing. Alone, he could take the time to reflect, as he so often did, that the hyena truly was the most magnificent and noble creature existing on the planet. The island and the Empire were all that Zev had ever known, but the law of the matriarchy had been well engraved into his bones. He lived to please, and he sure hoped that this humble homage of meat would suffice to his superiors, the females. Oh he could almost hear their praise already and it sent tickles through his footpads which delighted him to no ends. A merciless, warm wind swept across his heaving body and the 'yena's bushy tail flicked. "Oh the glory that is mine, to serve the queens of surely the greatest species to walk this planet," he said drolly to himself. He was obviously not very much of a conversationalist. Soon Zev would up and commit the rest of the journey towards the central packlands.. Well, as soon as he got his god damn breath back