Anastasiya had been running. She had started running when that red lioness had snarled so savagely at her and she was still running what felt like a hour later. She wanted nothing more than to put as much distance between her and the scary feline as she could. Lions were so scary! She was no stranger to the beef her kind had with them, but she never meant any harm. She never meant any harm to anyone! Unless she was hungry, but circle of life, right? Though, if she could get a meal off an already dead carcass, that was always better than putting in the effort on her own. If it was a small animal, like a klipspringer or a calf, she could take it down, no problem. At least usually no problem. For one hyena by herself, sometimes her prey managed to get away. It was easier to just find an abandoned kill.
Finally running out of breath, Ana slowed down and came to a stop, flopping down hard onto the ground, panting hard. She felt like she'd run off everything she'd eaten for a week. She felt like her legs would never support her ever again. She felt like she'd sleep for a month. She felt....
Well, she felt exhausted and completely spent. But at least the encounter was a far off memory, now. With a vulnerable litter, at least the lion wouldn't have been chasing her this whole time. At least she was sure the lioness wouldn't have tried.
With a quick turn of her head, Ana looked behind her, tongue still lulling out the side of her jaw. She'd have breathed a sigh of relief had she any breath to do more than hyperventilate.
"Is there some fierce beast chasing you?"
The hyena wiped her head back around to the front. The very moment her green eyes fell upon the lioness in front of her, she found the strength to push herself back on her butt, scooting as far back as she could, until her lack of strength forced her to stop. Her front legs wobbled on her weight, but she kept them as straight as she could. Show no weakness in front of the enemy! Oh, hell. She was a goner for having run into another scary feline!
"Judging by your reaction...I would say yes." The lioness sat down, keeping what distance the hyena had put between them out of respect for the other's clear fear of her. "I'm no threat to you and you clearly are none to me, so you can calm down. I think you've had enough excitement for a day." Giving a big yawn, she lowered herself down further, curling her paws a little in front of her and just watched the hyena with a peaceful expression on her face. "I'm Mohini, by the way. You may give yours when you catch your breath, but it's not necessary."
Ana wasn't sure how to react to this. After a while, Mohini stopped staring at her and became more focused on cleaning her paw, picking the dirt out of it with her teeth and spitting it to the side. Now it was Ana's turn to just watch the other female as she forced her breathing to slow down and her heart to stop beating so fast. Her legs stopped wobbling and she could finally close her mouth and stop panting.
Should she run, again? She didn't feel like she could trust another lion, not so soon after that experience. This one could just be luring her into a false sense of security. This one could even be friends with the other one.
No. That was foolish, paranoid talk. She'd run too far away from the angry mother for this one to know what had happened. There had been no bird flying ahead of her with a message, no roars almost drowned by the pattering of her paws as she ran. There was no reason for this one to have a grudge against her. Just the mere fact that she was a hyena.
Mohini ceased in her picking and looked up to find Ana's green eyes staring closely at her. She gave a chuckle, a sweet sound. Everything about her had an aura of peace and serenity that Ana was finding it hard to fight against the more she was in this lioness' presence.
"I shall assume it was a lion that gave you such a fright." Chuckling once more, she tilted her head curiously a little. "The rivalry between hyenas and lions makes little sense to me. It could be beneficial, couldn't it? We should be sharing our meals, since your kind can eat what mine cannot."
"Yes," Ana nodded, finally finding her voice. Nothing about this lioness seemed untrustworthy. Quite the contrary. She was feeling more at peace in her company. "A lion. I...I don't wish to fight anyone. It was just a misunderstanding."
"I'm sure it was." Mohini offered a smile. Yes, she knew exactly what it was. During a walk a few days ago, she had smelled the unmistakable scent of a new litter not too far away. She'd been curious and wanted to give her congratulations, but was aware how protectively aggressive some mothers could be. Maybe even her presence as another female might not have been welcomed. This was the roguelands, after all. Not a pride where a majority of the members you knew could be trusted. Mohini didn't blame the mother her paranoia at all, especially towards a hyena. She'd known of cases where predators had killed the litters of their rivals. "You are welcome to stay with me if you wish. You seem to be as alone out here as I am. Maybe we should stick together. At least for the time being." Maybe the friendship of a hyena and a lion could help bridge the two species a bit more? It'd be nice to see attitudes changing. She didn't expect anything to change drastically in her lifetime. Or even many generations still.
"I would like that!" Ana responded with more enthusiasm than she had been showing. She gave a nervous giggle and quickly shut her trap on the sound, least she offend the other female with the noise. Not everyone appreciated her laugh. Mohini's smile never wavered. "I'm Anastasiya, by the way. Or just Ana."
Mohini bowed her head in respect, happy that her natural serenity could calm the nerves of this other creature. They seemed to be on the way for a splendid friendship.
----------
Wordcount: 1091