Days were gloomy and times were hard in the barren lands of the Elephant Graveyard; but to those that called it home, this was no hindrance. Life went on as it usually did, hyenas scampering around, scavenging for food as best they could. Ever so often, the slim shadow of a wild dog could be seen; a slave of the pack trying to hide from more abuse. Such was the case with young Iti. A lone juvenile wild dog stood hunched behind a pile of broken bones; her orange and brown hide contrasting starkly with the dull grays of the land. From first glance one could tell the animal’s status in the pack. She was nothing. Her form was small for her age, and rather thin as well. Scars dotted her skin, though fur was starting to grown back over many of them. Around the young female’s neck a rib cage ‘collar’ of sorts was tightly pinched into her skin, a sign of her standing.
Not much farther away a much more formidable creature roamed. One of the hyenas of the graveyard was out, scouting the territory. The female was an adolescent, yet significantly larger than most her age, taking after her father. Unlike the aforementioned dog, this female blended in flawlessly with the environment, though she didn’t make an effort to not be seen. Micah was proud of her home; proud of herself. Her family had lived here for generations and they weren’t going to leave. Mafa, the pack leader, was her grandmother, and as far as the arrogant Micah was concerned, that made this place hers too. It was in her blood. Screw her cousin, the heir of this pack; the b***h had been missing for months. It was hers. Everything was hers.
In the distance came the boom of bones being tossed aside. Iti froze with green eyes wide. Slowly, the small creature removed her nose from the hole she’d been rooting around in, there went her dinner. Her long neck carefully craned out behind her hiding spot, watchful eyes trying to spot the source of the disturbance. Iti’s heart was beating faster than could ever be healthy; she knew what could be coming, and she didn’t want to be hurt.
In the breeze there floated a light, new scent. Micah’s blueberry eyes narrowed in suspicion. With her head held high she huffed loudly out her nose, testing the area. Soon, it was clear to the hyena that the scent was not that of her own kind. A light scowl appeared on Micah’s maw. Slave. Prowling further, Micah found herself investigating for the source of the scent, fueled by her tenacious nature. She had been granted a slave of her own a few moons ago by her grandmother; a pup from the litter of the head slave. Micah had been beside herself and took it upon herself to mold the animals into something as cowardly and obedient as she saw fit. Little did she know what was just around the corner…
Heavy footfalls grew closer and closer, Iti was starting to feel her chest just seize up. She didn’t handle her anxious manner very well and suffered from frequent panic attacks. With a gulp, she tried to hide herself away from whatever was coming, but as she tried to wedge her skinny frame back farther and farther, her rump hit something. The top layer of bones that had been teetering on the pile she’d been next to came crashing down to Iti’s paws. A large cloud of dust rose up as the bones clattered down to earth, creating quite a ruckus. Iti’s eyes were wide, her breathing constricted. She was done for.
Micah lashed around as a sudden wave of sound engulfed the usually quiet air. A trickle of dust floated over her paws and she followed the trail. After sniffing around for a few seconds, the cause of the disturbance was clear. The female let out a low growl as an orange pelted animal came into her view. What’re the odds? That she’d run into her little servant just as she was thinking about it. Little Iti. Micah had named her herself. The name meant ‘with me’ and the dog certainly was hers, and usually not far behind. As much as Micah adored frightening the creature and beating her up, she appreciated the company. Ever since Baal, her twin brother, had found a life of his own, Micah had felt a little lonely. Now she had someone new to rough up.
“Well, well, what have we here, hmmm?”
Iti was so scared she almost puked. Bile came up in the dog’s throat and she quickly swallowed it down, looking up to stare Micah in the eyes. It was a face she knew well. A face she did not like. Yet a face she could do anything for. Every muscle in Iti’s body was violently quivering, a common reaction from her at the sight of any hyena, her master especially.
“H-hello, Micah…”
Micah snorted, trotted up closer to Iti and blowing a puff of air into her air, cackling as the dog crouched down in fear. Shaking her head, she ruffled the drab fur on Iti’s orange head with a dusty paw.
“Iti, you useless little t**t. Grow a backbone someday now will ya?!”
With a loud growl Micah nudged the bony wild dog in the ribs roughly. Iti fell over from the force, whimpering lightly as she hit the ground with a thud. It seemed like the Miss wasn’t in a terrible foul mood. The relationship between the two teetered from day to day. Sometimes Micah was violent. Sometimes she was playful. When they were both young, their relationship had been a brutal play. However, it was starting to evolve to just brutal.
Micah swooped down, grasping Iti by the scruff of her neck, teeth clenching hard enough to draw blood. With a tug, she pulled the young creature away from the pile of bones and into a clearing. Letting her go, Micah licked her chops to clear her teeth of the blood and fur she’d taken with her. Spitting on the fallen figure, when she spoke again her tone was rough,
“Let’s go Iti, get your a** up. We’ve got some work to do, I think Baal might want to play.”
Iti went limp as she was dragged around, used to such treatment by now. It was a great relief when Micah let her go and she responded to the hyena’s words with a quick nod. Shakily, she rose to her feet and looked to Micah, dodging her glance all the while. Micah had already started to back up to leave, however the hyena’s strong gaze had never left Iti.
“Yes Micah, yes, lead me.”
