Logging an AIM RP between Thal and myself

Fakhir: This was stupid...very, very stupid. Fakhir knew. He told himself over and over that this little trip very well could result in, at the very least, some trouble for himself. However- he couldn't stand the waiting anymore. The troupe had trained him since he was able to stand. Speed, strength, and tact. He had mastered each of them...in a few weeks he'd have his adult mantle and the title of 'elite guard'. This couldn't wait. If anything, it would prove to himself -and the troupe- that he had mastered their teachings.

Alone though...
He glanced over his shoulder. His siblings would come with him if he asked. That was the problem. Jero and Je'Ome were perhaps the best trained of the lot, he worked best with them, and the three of them had worked out several tactics with one another. However- this was a solo mission. If the tyrant of this pack had any honor in her, she'd accept his challange to a duel.

The young male drew in a deep breath and loped forward, paws moving easily and quietly over the damp ground. The grass had long since died. The smell of the open grassland soon became the damp stench of death and decay. The territory was marked- this had to be the place.

His movements were slow, calculated, and silent. His pelt gave him the ideal cover amongst the dirt and half-decayed bones. There would be guards...lower members who the tyrant felt she could spare. Then perhaps stronger members closer to the ruler...

Mafa: If there was trouble to be found, the elephant graveyard wasn't essentially the place to be. Ever since the invaiding lions had been driven out, it seemed as if the land and its inhabitants had breathed a deep sigh and settled down. However, times of no conflict always found a way to be very brief, it seemed. At the present, the air in the graveyard was still, it seemed deserted. Dust settled on old bones and hung in the air, blocking much of the intense African sun from shining in. The atmosphere of the place was always thick with an eerie tension; one never had a way of guessing what behind the next corner.

The dusty gloom didn't seem to have much of an affect on the hyenas living here. Somehow, some way, they thrived here in these meager conditions. Many had drfited away over the years, but many remained; those fiercely loyal to the land. One of such was the pack leader herself. Known for a cold stare and an even colder heart; she was hated by animals everywhere, but all that mattered to her was the respect she'd gained here in her home. She'd put her whole being into her pack, and it was all that mattered. Gods be damned if she was to care what the rest of the world thought.

The present time found this leader in the midst of her routine nap. Most of the time, the female didn't have anyone to worry about but herself. Not unless someone came crawling to her with a problem, which was seldom an occurance. Thankfully. However, it didn't seem like her tired bones would be able to rest today. Somewhere from a distance a light breeze blew, barely noticable in most conditions. But not to her. As the puff of air floated by the large animal, immediately a stocky head shot up. Cold, aqua eyes narrowed as the female's mind churned, trying to decipher the scent she'd just been presented with. Another hyena... Not one of hers. Slowly, she rose to her feet, dust falling from the top layer of her fur as she did so. She didn't bother to shake it off, and a small cloud of dust trailed behind her as she trotted to see the source of this intrusion. Around here, there was no need for guards. Mafa was the leader of this pack, and she was eager to deal with problems on her own.

F: 'So strange...there's not a guard to be seen.' Fakhir mused to himself quietly, pausing more frequently than was perhaps nessicary to scent the air. It couldn't be this easy...he'd heard stories. Fierce hyenas keeping other creatures as slaves, keeping their kith and kin as servants. Leading by envoking fear rather than respect.

He snorted quietly and pressed on. He took time to assess the area. Taban had mentioned a raid on the graveyard. The bones, he said, could come in useful with a little creativity. Armor perhaps? Weaponry even. Cheetahs had weak fangs compared to lions and hyenas. Their claws, too, were pathetic for a cat. Fakhir often wondered if they could even be called cats. Even servals had claws that could tear..retract and remain sharp.

Distractions.

He snapped himself upright. Something was coming. A quiet sound and a subtle scent, barely breaking the musk of the thick dust infesting the air.

Fakhir raised his head and bared his teeth. Where...

He took a slow look around....he wasn't in a good position. Too low- he needed to get to higher ground if he was to have the advantage- but anything could be waiting above his line of vision.

M: A low voice echoed out as a murmur, the still air carrying any kind of sound to quite a distance. Mafa continued onward, not pausing to analyze the sound. The closer she got, the more of a read she got on this sudden intruder. It was another hyena, a young male. Immediately she'd labelled this as not a threat. The large female kept onward, even if this was a threat, there was nothing in this world that scared her. She'd take on anything. Anyone. Years of experience and wisdom perched upon Mafa's shoulders. But it wasn't just that, that gave Mafa her edge. It was how terribly bull headed she was. Never would she be the one to back down. She'd die first.

Mafa snorted heavily through her nose as she approached this stranger, making no effort to be sneaky. Her eyes jumped around at the scene; she was coming up right behind him. A couple hundred feet before her there stood a tense brown frame. Definitely not from around here, she noted to herself. Her curiosity was piqued, with what this young stranger could want in coming here. It definitely wasn't a vacation spot.

With a quick hop, Mafa landed upon the crown on a broken down elephant skull, a dull thud sounding out for the whole of the graveyard to hear. She tossed her head, holding it as high as her anatomy would allow, and peered over at this youngster. When she spoke there was no emotion to her voice, only a tone of confidence,

"What business do you have here, boy?"

F: Fakhir turned sharply to face the larger- and older -hyena. Young as he was, he had an air of confidence around him as well. Aside from his bared fangs, Fakhir held himself with a disiplined calm. His first guard? Perhaps an underling? No...

He locked eyes with the female. She was larger than even his mother, a former second. Either this was their equivilant of an elite guard, or it was the tyrant herself.

"Are you the alpha?" He answered. His voice quiet, controlled.

M: "Are you blind?"

A cold question shot back in response. What else could she be? Mafa was narrow minded in respect to her own status. The older she got, the more she felt everyone needed to know just who she was, especially if they were deciding to come wandering into /her/ lands.

Quickly, uncaring eyes glanced over the male; she scanned him like a laser, taking into account his markings, musculature, and posture. To her eyes, the male held himself in a cocky fashion, which caused Mafa to lightly scoff in his direction. Just what did he have in mind? Eventually, Mafa's unrelenting gaze found it's way to the male's muddy green eyes. A silence surrounded the pair as Mafa waited for him to answer her question. After a few moments, her patience was starting to wear thin, as usual. Mafa wasn't exactly blessed with social graces in any respect. When she spoke again there was a tone of acid laced within her words,

"Do my ears decieve me? I believe I asked you something."

F: Fakhir remained unphased by the veiled insults and roaring demands for respect. He was sizing her up as well.

A strong build, a few scars here and there. Older, perhaps as old as his own mother, and well-muscled. She was an experienced fighter, where as he had only battled against decoys and sparred against his siblings. Prey beasts hardly counted as opponents. Dangerous as they could be, it wasn't the same as fighting another predator.

"A duel." He answered simply and took a defensive pose. Hackles raised, head tucked inbetween his muscled shoulders, and legs planted firmly against the dusty ground, "Your tyranny has reached the ears of the firebringers- and we will no longer stand quietly while our brothers and sisters are subjected to a corrupted rule."

He threw his head upwards, teeth flashing in the dim light, "I, Fakhir, Son of Angaza, challange you!"

M: Mafa's first response was to laugh, which she did, though she supressed her amused chortle into a snort. Was this a serious request? A light amusement danced about in Mafa's usually stoic gaze. Well this was surely an uncommon resquest. Any feline that came here should come expecting a fight, not just from Mafa, but from any of the graveyard hyenas. But for another of her own kind to actually challange her? This youngster must've been severely chemically imbalanced.

"I'd urge you to reconsider."

Mafa tilted her head to one side as she spoke. It was obvious that she was completely entertained by this whole situation. Since her challanger was a hyena, she'd give him the chance to back out. Maybe once it got to his head just who he was dealing with he'd make a better decision. There was no change in her facial features as the boy continued to talk. Her tyranny he said? Reached other ears he said? Most excellent. Mafa couldn't be prouder at the moment. She stood up on her high horse, gloating inwardly, until the male spoke again.

Angaza, she knew the name. She knew the creature. Traitor. Angaza had fled with his tail between his legs. And what had he fled to? This?
Without another thought, without another word, Mafa jumped down from where she stood, a cloud of dust billowing out at her feet as she landed. There was no fear, no intimidation within her as she trotted to this Fakhir character, her head held low. She stopped a few feet from him, her previous words forgotten. Had his father sent him here for revenge? It wouldn't surprise her, Angaza had never had a backbone. Her own yellow teeth flashed as she spoke, her nose curled as if she'd just smelled something rotten,

"Ah weakness, it runs it the blood I assume. Have you come here to die in his place?"