Hyena

Location: Forest Adoption Agency

Its picture day at the orphanage. Its a big thing for all the little tikes and pups. The kind older creatures come to visit from faraway lands. they bring their cameras, their goods, and possibly parents to lost kids, but that is far rare than expected. so the kids don’t think much of the possibility of being returned or adopted. who wants a rascal after all?
They spend the entire day celebrating another year in the forest together after being abandoned.
After they get the picture taken, they celebrate with food and ceremonies.
The younglings that are coming of age, they speak with the visiting Elders, one by one saying what they want to do or explain what they are good at.
Missy, wants to take care of the garden being a field mouse. She can see the root problem of some plant isnt growing well. Her fur pattern helps her blend among the grass when she goes exploring, which saves her from being spotted.
Bean, wants to learn to ferment drinks/food with honey. He’s gathered alot of bees from the forest and built each one a hive from recycled wood from Moneky’s broken piles.
The grounds have so many kids that are ready to start their live jobs, but there’s one that hasn’t found something that they’re “good at” yet. The returning Elders are very familiar with this child and are hesitant to speak with him. They find him on his own, carving lines in the dirt with his claws. He stands at attention when they walk towards him.
When the older Elders get to Hyena, they ask, what is he good at? His ears droop and turns slightly away and mutters: all I’m is good at making is messes. and that’s not even good. They look at the teen hyena, now with big braces to help straighten his teeth that are going sideways and out of his mouth. His very long neck makes him stand out in any of the pictures, and has for several years now.
“What do you mean?” the elder asks quietly after one of the glaring caretakers walks by.

Flashback to all the times Hyena “helped”: paws too big to open small doors that end up in splinters. Teeth breaking through plates. Rolling over in the den and breaking someones leg. His braces pulling on the curtain after sneezing from dusting the tops of the cabinets.

The Yeen remains silent and eyes his freckled covered pawbs
There’s a bell as the celebratory cakes are brought out by a different elder, and the birthday names start to get listed. There’s a rush to get a piece of the once a year treat. It’s one of the things the visiting elder creatures bring, is a delicious cake. The orphanage is in the middle of the northern forest and therefore hard to make any bread things.

[??][really its wheat that is traded with the orphanage and the caretakers bake the cake and other delicious goods on the days leading up to the arrival.][somehow the temperature effects the way baking happens that only when the elders arrive is it the right temperature so baked goods can happen?][picture day is kind of the start of the season festivity and they, the forest creatures, believe it brings good life and celebrate hard and respectfully as much as they can. right of passage? growing a new leaf]

And there’s a crash as Hyena tries to step over a table and lands on it instead. His siblings were crowding and he didn’t want step on them or hurt them with his awkward limbs. He saw an opening that no one was in but near the cake. He flinched midair as Missy unobservantly walked into that space last second. All the tikes and pup eyes silently follow Hyena to the ground as his land on the large table breaks it into sharp pieces. Hyena slowly removes splinters from his thigh without a sound or whimper and gets up. None of the kids move until one of the caretakers rushes over.“Oh look what you’ve done now. Mr Monkey is going to have a hard time fixing this mess” says one of the lanky caretaker. Dog. He’s the hardest working caretaker of the place. He’s the one that has tried to keep the mischievous pup in line. He’s done just about everything he could to teach the pup to behave. Usually a caretaker at this agency cares for several lives, Hyena’s caretaker became a special corner case since Hyena needed more care than others and is a big handful.

Series of Flashback to all the times this caretaker saved, cared for Hyena: A rare Rainy day in the forest resulting in pup-hyena covered in mud and tracking it inside. Hyena falling out of a tree after the other siblings had climbed it so easily and ended up spraining his elbow. Hyena being stung a thousand times after finding a beehive for Bean. [Hyena stayed behind to let the other kids escape fyi] Having to apologize to the local beaver?badger after hyena tried digging for good soil to improve the gardens…

Caretaker Dog has a face of disappointment, tiredness and soothes into calm as the other caretakers surround the commotion in angerly scolding voices with Hyena’s caretaker in the middle. “can’t we have one day where your dam pup doesn’t disrupt our peaceful life?!” the voice echos among the older beings. The Caretaker Dog starts to apologize to the visiting elders to try and excuse his pup’s behavior, a script he had almost perfected with the many days he’s spent with Hyena.
Hyena silently walks away as the commotion of cake picks up again in the mess hall as the other elders and pups arrive for celebration. When he reaches his chambers at the far end of the grounds, he shuffles his bedding shreds and flops once he’s sure there’s no creature hiding in it. He chuckles sadly at remembering his pup times that he woke in the middle of the night, caught in nightmares and his “many times repaired” sheets. And quickly panicking and ripping the fresh stitches with his claws after not being able to untangle himself alone, again. Many of those nights he’d cry himself to sleep, knowing in the morning he would be sat down in his worn down boulder at the behavior space about destroying his things again. How this orphanage has limited resources and his only home etc. Hyena struggles to fit in his childhood bed even though he out grew it seasons ago. One of his personal projects just last week, he removed the too small bed frame and repurposed the wood into tall shelves in his tiny room. His basket and toy sits on there. Its what they found with him in ages ago, now tattered and only suggestive of a past family. His only clue to what his heritage was before living his days in the orphanage. He closes his eyes and shushes his hungered body and soul to sleep.
As the sun drops past the snow covered forest tops, and the stars shine over the dented bell tower. The Voices start to rise and fall in well-practiced versus, as the siblings and caretakers sing their thanks for all the gifts that year’s harvest brought and helped them survive the cold together. The Elders join in with their verses of blessings and wisdom they had gathered from their travels and harmonize with love. Hyena fully wakens by the time the mid-words are sung and ring through the darkness. Knowing that the time for his voice is approaching and takes off running on all fours to the Center room. He stands at the entrance way, breathless, to see that the Elders had gone with Bean for the deep final Earth call. This voice has to be strong to wake the Earth, to wake it from the cold slumber so that it can provide again. Bean’s voice rumbles down the halls and the bell hums above. Not even Hyena has ever been able to do that. The ceremony ends with his best buddy being lifted and given the snuffer to sleep the fire for another year. The Center’s fire has been part of the grounds for many generations at this time, and is part of the underground heating system that helps the place survive in the tundra village. An invention that was brought by a strange vagabond eons ago, suspected to be from a lost magical civilization. He’s described with fur adorn with colorful stars and his laugh would shake the snow covered trees nearby. He wandered from village to village sharing his knowledge in hopes to find his family that got separated in the Great Stampede. [Great Stampede was at the end of a tyrant reign from the carnivores horsemen of the sea, where everyone fled northward and in land. Much chaos ensued as new deadly encounters severed the once united animal kindom at the sea.] But he went into hiding after the Flightless ones appeared. Or at least, that’s what the Old Elders say to the kits and pups in the following nights of the Wakening celebration. The fire that is suspended in the Center room is only a symbol to indicate the start of the longer days. Re-igniting the fire is a separate celebration done later in the year when the days shorten and the need of light returns.
Even without the light of the fire, Bean’s smile is so bright, the room fills with laughter and cheer, the lack of fire has no effect in darkening the mood. It is now the time to pass out the warm honey apple ciders as the younglings get carried to bed that fell asleep near the hearth. The supposed purpose of The Voices is to help settle the cranky long night spirit and welcome the coming sun, and it always puts young hearts to sleep. Hyena hums to himself some of his favorite verses as he walks back to his room. With those warm memories of being carried to bed, well, more like tugged and dragged soon after he outgrew the others. He always tried his best to stay awake in this ceremony as a pup, he taught himself the earth call as a way to stay awake knowing he had a purpose and to join the others. Though the last couple of times he tried, his voice would always break out in the middle of the growl/howls, into cackles disrupting the rhythm briefly. Furthering the distraught/distance between him and the others.

🌙

Not long after the last of the ciders were handed out, Caretaker Dog softly walks up to the broken door at the end of the furthest hall. There isn’t the usual response from inside the room, the impatient glee of chairs being pushed out and stifled giggles as his pup running out to embrace him in a wind knocking hug. The last hug like that was the time the door broke down for the umpteenth time, Hyena got a long scolding from Mr Monkey and got sat down to make a new door himself. The one Hyena made partially hangs in the frame, too big for the actual frame since its a larger piece of lumber, so it droops to the side. Seeing the door not being fully closed for the night gave the caretaker a moment of hope that tonight festivities hadn’t effected his tike. Caretaker Dog braces against the door with all of his might to open it long enough of a moment before slipping inside. Using the chance to catch his breath and to mentally prepares himself before wading into the stillness of the room with the heavier task at paw. He looks and sees his pup, no longer the snibbling chattery pup that came to him long ago, but as a young creature of intelligence and great heart that has been hurt for so long. Hyena’s sad soft eyes struggle to smile as he looks over at his caretaker giving away his deeper feelings. Dog drops his face out of the festive facade smiles that he’s learned to endure/hold up for the others. Dog momentarily bubbles out a trickle of happy blinks after looking around the room with no obvious changes. That soon corrects itself to a look of concern when Hyena lets out an elongated sigh.
They sit together in silence. Dog on the chewed desk chair and Hyena curled on the remaining bed fluff. Both letting the soft night caress them into suffocation to prolong the ‘conversation’.
“I’m sorry youngling.” Dog’s voice sounds dried out from the smoke of the center room. Its why the warm cider is handed out to those who stay for the night. He struggles to swallow enough to clear his throat but it doesn’t remove the growing lump in his throat. “It was the elder’s choice to have Bean be the Earth caller. Everyone recalls how much you struggle to growl loud and long for the Call-“
“He looked so happy.”Dog is startled into silence by the interruption, honestly expecting Hyena to rage out and break something. Being interrupted like that, Dog would be reactive-barking into a scolding, but he held himself back, his pup-Yeen has had enough of that already.
Hyena continues, “He actually got the Center bell to hum as well. Did you hear it?” His eyes lit up momentarily like the time he discovered he could break rocks down and find crystals. “I’m really proud of him, of Bean. He’s been very good at helping with. the. Everything.” Hyena’s voice cracks into small whimpers as he struggles to get his words out. Dog lets him pull himself together before moving on to the harder topic. Both for him and Hyena. See, Dog is an expert when it comes to falls and sprains, Dog got plenty of practice healing and stopping the tears from those. Right now, he felt so powerless seeing the tears escape his pup Hyena.
Dog hands Hyena the large container with many multi-colored decorated baked pieces that he was hiding under his jacket. “Here. I hope its the right serving size, I apologize if you find some of my furmarks in it.” Dog had gathered all of the broken and rejected pieces from all the other baked goods that were forgotten in the feast. Among the smushed cake were some lightly nibbled pieces, crumbled pies and licked muffins. Dog was held busy by the other caretakers when the rest of the pastries were being handed out before he could make a plate. He’s almost convinced it was on purpose, so that Hyena got nothing, but that didn’t matter now.
Hyena carefully takes the container and sets it aside. “Dog, I think. I need to go.”
The silence. Even the winds from the sea have stopped.
“Go where?”
“Somewhere that’s not here. As I’m coming to age I’ve learn alot of what I’m BAD at. It’s time I go learn what I’m actually GOOD at. To help out here.”
Dog waits in silence, further tightening his grip on the robes he wears. Hyenas words sting as the cold sleeping night. He attempts to find appropriate and supportive wisdom for this child, but his words fail him. The other caregivers have been telling him behind close doors that Hyena needs to go, sooner than later. They threaten if he didn’t do it soon, they would do so in a not so friendly way.
“I need to go learn what I’m good at. That’s why I need to go. I wont learn that by being scolded here from the bad stuff I do.” Hyena speaks downward to his anxious paws.

---

Shadows disturb the flow of the mists the next morning. Those with friendship towards Hyena and Dog walk them to the entrance of the grounds. Its little Bean and the cook Roger have come to say goodbye. The other caretakers smirk in evil success while still in their warm beds near the Center, listening to the pawbfalls in the quiet hallways outside. Bean yawns as he hands Hyena his honey covered treats as good lick charms. And to be sure to send updates of his travels to Elders on the road. Roger silently walks alongside to Dog to the entrance where he hands Hyena a specific set of knives that Hyena instantly recognizes.

flashback to pup hyena running around with a small knife in his muzzle.

That same knife and the matching set, fixed but still having the infant teeth marks permanently saved.
“Its a big world out there. Maybe thats where you’ll better fit in. But you always have a home here with us”

---

Many Awakenings and Slumbers pass by.

The size of the grounds have grown with the population as those tikes and kits have had children of their own. There’s now a little market square, where outside traders come and go. The Elders are less traveled, but that is because they have decided to let Bell to be their final home. Many of the memories of Hyena get lost in the shuffle of upgrading the grounds into a more livable village. The limits of the grounds go beyond the original wall in all directions, but under Dog’s request, Hyena’s room is still allocated for him and expanded. It becomes Dogs room after many fires, where he keeps the historical records of Bell and grows into an elder himself. Its been so long, the fears of the sea mean nothing to this generation. A mistake they soon learn to regret.
It was at the dawn of a hard slumbering night. The winds from the sea twisted and screamed.

They came. They came for the children. They came for the wine. They killed the Earth speaker. Ripped apart Field and wells. Dog shepherd the rest into his little shared lonely home, and blockade the door. The cries and fires outside raged, pawbfalls came close and stopped outside the door. The door moaned in pain as it held its attacker with its weight. The thicker lumber aged with weather had become the best defense Dog could ask, but it was not forever as the villains outside thrashed and tore at the loving door. Whispers of help and tears behind Dog gave him strength to hold on, even for just a little longer. Then he heard it. The impatient pawb-runs of his pup.
Hyena, saved Bell after a long and gruesome battle.
Many lives were saved. Precious ones lost.
The Old Caregivers, the ones that survived, fell at Hyena’s feet and begged for forgiveness for the many years they put his life through hell. Fires died down and the day slumbered.

It was now awakening day 32, Hyena taught at Bell in the early mists. A few lanky teens holding polearms and following along to Hyena’s calls. He taught with good strength, patience, and heart what it is to be a good protector.