The savannah was quiet today, the barest amount of clouds in the sky with the gentlest of winds brushing its occupants. A nearby herd of gazelle grazed peacefully beside a small copse of trees, seemingly content and unconcerned. It was helped, perhaps, by the lack of any predators, or at least, HUNTING predators. After all, a tan colored leopard lay within view of them, lounging quietly across a sun-warmed boulder. Said leopard was clearly dozing though, and wholly uninterested in the prey animal nearby.
Prydet had finally managed to leave the questionable circumstances she’d found herself in before. Hoping to keep that experience in the past, she had gone hunting earlier that morning and was now sleeping off the small meal she’d caught, a fat bird that had strayed too low to the ground. She wasn’t greedy enough to go for more so soon.
Soft snores could be heard coming from her as she slept, oblivious to anything else that could be happening. Which was unfortunate for her, as at that very moment, a very different creature was making its way towards her.. with their own bird problem.
The brown hyena huffed as she ran, trying to be careful with her find while dodging one very angry mother ostrich. Her ears were swiveled back to listen to the indignant cawing, and all the while, her paws scrambled back and forth to weave out of the way of a shark beak. She didn’t have to look behind her to know that the ostrich was right on her tail. The smart thing to do would be to drop her catch and ideally appeal to the bird before it tried to behead her, but Kesi had never been one to do what she should. And besides, if the mother hadn’t wanted one of her chicks to get snatched, it shouldn’t have wandered so far away, right? Besides, it had long since stopped moving in her jaws. What would the mother gain from this?!
Kesi grunted as she stumbled slightly, having to duck to avoid being brained, and then slipped out to the side. As she side stepped, she kicked out a leg in an attempt to trip up the ostrich. She had only mild success, with the bird letting out a squawk as it fell sideways, but it was quick to continue its chase of her. The canine grunted as she ran up a ledge, intent on getting away. A nearby boulder with a sleepy occupant atop it caught her eye, and, an idea forming, she smirked and dove up and over it, ‘accidentally’ stepping on the feline in the process.
Prydet snapped awake at that, a high pitched yowl escaping her throat which quickly morphed into an angry snarl as she whipped around to try and find the culprit. As her tired eyes adjusted to her surroundings, her gaze fell on the mother ostrich who had skidded to a stop before her. She hadn’t even noticed the brown form tucking itself beneath the rock below her.
Eyes narrowing and teeth bared, Prydet let out a menacing roar at the bird, causing it to stumble backwards before it seemed to regain its confidence and squawk back at her. She wasn’t having it though. Someone had ruined her nap and disturbed the gentle peace that had fallen over the area. The nearby gazelle scattered at the loud noises, leaving dust clouds in the air.
Bracing herself against the rock, the leopard lunged forward to swipe at the ostrich, who let out a bellow as claws barely missed its neck. Eyeing her for a moment, the ostrich glanced around the leopard to try and find the thief, and they seemed to wilt just a bit when they realized that the hyena was nowhere to be found.
With a baleful glare at the leopard, the bird carefully gave the feline a wide berth as it tried to move past her. Prydet snarled, eyeing it up, before letting out one more low growl. That was enough to get the bird moving. The ostrich squawked one more time before taking off, hoping to catch the hyena before she’d gone too far.
Tail lashing behind her, Prydet weighed the option of giving chase before deciding it wasn’t worth it. Instead, her head tilted just slightly in thought as she wondered what was wrong with that bird. Such a strange creature. With a shake of her head, she flopped back down and began cleaning her back in an attempt to soothe her nerves.
With her head turned, she didn’t notice the brown eyes peaking out at her. Kesi considered what to do now, realizing quickly that if she left the safety of the shadows, the leopard would probably turn her ire on her. With a soundless sigh, the hyena quietly laid down. A quick glance down at her catch made her smile though. She’d gotten her meal, and while she wouldn’t be able to eat yet without attracting the attention of other predator above her, she at least HAD IT for when she was free to slip away.
Tucking herself and her kill down into the dirt, the hyena settled in to wait. How long would it take for a cat to fall asleep? Probably not long. Her ear flicked up as she realized that the leopard was muttering angrily under her breath, which in turn made Kesi’s face fall into a deadpan expression. This was going to be a long wait, wasn’t it?
What felt like hours later, but had really only been maybe an hour, Kesi could hear quiet snores from above her. A careful look out confirmed that the leopard had gone back to sleep. Perfect!
Quietly, she slowly maneuvered herself out from under the boulder before leaning down and picking up her kill. With one eye on the feline, she took a step back, then another, and another, until she was finally able to turn and start tiptoeing away. A smirk growing on her maw once more, she took one more look back at her unknowing accomplice and then, with a flick of her tail, trotted away.
Word Count: 1021