#saw another cute hyena loaf

[saviorfoxowlis]

N:Era: Call of the Wild Part 2: Orange Sand Town

Cyras entered the edge of the forest while having curved away from any path smelling of Ryvoh, as she hadn’t wanted to encounter the protective, stern vixen.

She trampled some daisies as she came a clearing, but kept her figure low. Sniffing the wild grass, she ascertained where Lilu and Ahmond’s scents were. No one was present, nor were they standing upon the hills overlooking the plains.

Stalking, Cyras lurched onto a log, only to see several rectangular drawings. One depicted a being made of igneous rocks, with veins of lava. The giant lizard wielded a ferocious expression, which attracted Cyras, as she read the writing.

Lava Wyrm

Ability: At the end of each turn, both players lose 5000 SP.

As she picked up the picture, she found several more stacked beneath. Cyras' brow furrowed, as she fanned out the cards.

Were these images drawings of ancient heroes? Or villains? There were various symbols, but nothing with “SP”.

Wanting to collect these drawings, Cyras snuck around until she found a sufficient holder, a pink pouch. Life seemed pretty easy as she held the bag around her neck.

The fox resumed sniffing the fields until she saw structures over the horizons. At first, she thought they were weird rocks, until she came closer and saw planks formed these boxes. Actually they smelled like wood somewhat. Wood and something flowery sweet, but this scent must come from a flaky substance that was tearing away. This sheen covering the boxes provided the smell then.

However, there was a more transparent material, almost like ice. She hopped onto a small platform, and sniffed this material, only to see some wolves.

And one wolf stared out at her, growling.

She gasped and scurried away. This place must be that wolf's territory.

She ran down a path of dirt, and bumped into a tall lizard monster.

"Greetings," the monster said but Cyras jumped away. The purple lizard held their arms up, but Cyras kept running. While she wanted to ask her questions about the cards, she figured she'd be safer with Lilu. Just follow the scent to Lilu. Lilu must have known where the food was.

However, more and more beings wandered the streets. None argued over their own land, so they all must belong to a pack. To avoid their sight, Cyras clung to the structures. Anytime no one was looking, she burst forward into another alleyway.

She lost her breath and fell in front of a larger white building.

"Are you okay?"

Cyras jumped back, to see a brown foxwolf. The foxwolf stepped back from her reaction, but she brought her nose to Cyras.

Would she be chased from the territory? No, the foxwolf was calm, courteous, and kind, but maybe that was a ruse?

To be honest, she was kinda cute. A little tuft of fur over her face like a deer's tail kinda like Ahmond had.

Cyras’ nose twitched. Speaking of, that Coywolf’s scent was pretty strong.

"Not really. I'm lost," Cyras admitted.

"Come into my shop," she said with a nod. "We'll help you out."

Cyras perked up, and she followed her into this "shop". The foxwolf's slender, long legs seemed stilt-like as she advanced into the internals.

She heard a ding and stared at the source - a yellow piece of metal. Her gaze revolved around the area. Rocks made the floor. Rocks made some platforms. Rocks were underneath the backsides of a familiar hyena and coywolf.

The Foxwolf went into the back of the "shop", and shouted, "Ahmond, take care of our guest. She's lost, and new."

Ahmond and Lilu stared at Cyras, tilting their heads.

Cyras laid down in a loaf-like position as she covered her face with her brush.

Ahmond jumped onto the floor, her claws ticking before she went up to Cyras. She sniffed Cyras several times, her cold nose tickling.

"Is that really you? Kyra?"

"Cyras," she corrected and ventured her nose to sniff at Ahmond's neck. She wasn't going to sniff lips since she wasn't comfortable enough with Ahmond yet.

Lilu narrowed her eyes. "Are you here to finish the job?"

Cyras shook her head, and said, "I'm trying to learn about society and eat bread, and anything else." She hopped onto the platform Lilu was on, causing Lilu to scoot away. “So… Where is this bread, where do I have to go hunting?” She saw more drawings on the table like she saw. “Great, this will add to my collections.”

As Cyras went to take the cards, Lilu scooped them. When Lilu glared, Cyras sunk back. Maybe those were hers?

"These are our Towers cards," Lilu told her and pushed on her shoulder so she'd take a step away. "Anyway, why'd you come here of all places?"

"I followed your scents," Cyras said, "since after all, I'm sure we've squashed all our problems."

Lilu shouted, "You're the one who attacked us, and you're the one who ended my run away into the wilds!"

Cyras said, "Only in the territory. Ryvoh ended the rest."

Lilu pouted at her. “Hmph, well I suppose there’s some use for you.”

The foxwolf walked back in. "Alright dear, where do you live so we can contact your parents?"

Cyras said, "Oh, I'm from-"

"Sandrun, right? Mosor, she lives in Sandrun." Ahmond asked, winking.

Cyras understood immediately. "Yes." Cyras nodded. "I'm in the territory over from Lilu."

Mosor raised a brow. "Territory?"

Lilu shook her head at Ahmond, as Ahmond dug further into the trench of lies. "She comes from somewhere else. She moved last week, so, like, she says some weird things sometimes."

Cyras nodded again. "Yes."

"I'll walk her home later," Lilu said, faking a smile.

Mosor grinned at Cyras. "Well, how about I get you some ice cream for free? What flavor would you like?"

Cyras said, "Um... How about bread ice cream?"

"Well, I’ve never heard of that, but we have strawberry?" Mosor smiled, making Cyras blush.

"Yeah, strawberry is good," Cyras said and stared at Ahmond for assurance. The coywolf shrugged at her.

"Though please know that Ahmond is still in trouble for the stunt she pulled yesterday-" Ahmond puffed her cheeks. "-though I'm sure you weren't there. Was just these two, and some foxes." Mosor pressed her paws against Ahmond's cheeks and squeezed the air out.

Lilu burst into laughter as Ahmond deflated, while Cyras giggled.

"So," Mosor said, "she won't be able to leave." Mosor walked away again.

"Why can't you leave?" Cyras asked the mopey coywolf.

"Because I'm grounded, for running away."

"You look pretty good for someone who's been made into fine substance."

"No," Ahmond said with a sigh. "I'm basically not allowed to leave or do anything fun, so Lilu has to come here to play Towers with me."

"We all get punished from time to time," Cyras said, "but that's how stuff works. And if you're good, you get rewarded, and this equals out. This is known as Karma."

Lilu said, "Karma doesn't always work, Cyras. You don't always get rewarded. Sometimes you do good things, and you get punished."

Cyras said, "You did something wrong though."

The hyena snorted, and put her snout in the air. "So you're saying no one's ever done something right, and gotten punished?"

Cyras said, "Don't get me wrong. Sometimes bad things happen to people for no good reason, but that's just a task for an adventure. We all get affected eventually by something negative, because that energy is out there, but we need to exude better karma to make sure that happens less, and that's how good karma spreads. You absorb karma, you spread karma."

Lilu rolled her eyes. "You think we're just here to spread karma?"

"Maybe. Karma's just energy. You need to make bad karma into good karma."

"So you have all the answers, don't you?" She looked over to Ahmond, and said, "She has all the answers. She's been everywhere."

Lilu brought out a second deck, which she slid over. "How about you have a game? This is the ultimate denial of karma - luck, where bad things happen okay. In card games, bad things happen for no real reason, and things are out of your control. So we're going to play this game, and you're about to learn just how unfair life can be."

Cyras grimaced as they went over the rules. The explanation was long-winded, and Cyras zoned out repeatedly. Not that she didn't get interested in the ideas of the game, but as Lilu talked, she found herself thinking about something else. Seemed actually weird that Lilu was offering to play a game with her until Cyras figured the conditions - this was a competition. A fight with cards and Lilu sought to dominate her.

This ignited the fervor in Cyras, as she began the game.

"Okay, so first I try to get tower," Cyras said as she stared at her opening hand. "So I put down this card known as Burning Tower, and I get six Fire Tower to my repertoire?"

"Yeah," Lilu said. "Though that's not called a repertoire, just your Tower."

Cyras nodded, and put down six glass pieces that represented Tower. "Since I have six Fire Tower, I can trade that in to play this card, known as Salamander, right?"

"Yeah," Lilu said. "You only have to trade three Fire Tower. Are you going to put him up front, or in back?"

Cyras thought about her options. Putting in front apparently meant the fighter was vulnerable to attack, but putting in back meant the fighter could not attack. She had two Salamanders, so maybe a mix and match would work. "I'll put this one in front, and put a second one in back, so I have no Fire Tower left. I end, and both Salamanders give me one Fire Tower, right?"

"Yeah, at the end of each turn, you gain tower from your cards." Lilu drew a card. "I'm going to play Venom Tower, and I gain 6 tower. Next I'm going to play Paralysis Panther with 5 Tower."

As she placed a card with a purple border, Cyras' eyes gleamed. "That purple border is beautiful."

Lilu raised an eyebrow, unamused.

"And I love that bright purple fur," Cyras said, hoping to gain her favor.

"Right. So, I'm going to use Paralysis Panther to attack your Salamander. Salamander inflicts 3000 damage to both of us, but Panther deals double damage on attacks. Since Panther had 5000 Strength, and Salamander has 2000 Shield, you take 6000 damage total. Also, I play the Spellcraft Card, 'Reverser', so all damage I'd take is instead given to you. Now you take 9000 damage total this turn, so you have 51000 Soul Points."

"Good move," Cyras said.

Lilu shrugged. She put down a card face down. "I'm putting this in the instant slot. During your turn, as long as I reach the cost, I can play that card."

"Yeah, okay."

The game went on, and Cyras kept up with her Fire burn deck, which kept inflicting damage to both players. Quickly, within only a couple of turns, both were under 10000 Soul Points. Also, Mosor brought out the ice cream and a spoon, but Cyras politely refused when she realized that ice cream smelled nothing like strawberries. She almost told Mosor the food was rotten, but maybe Mosor wanted that taste.

Ahmond told Lilu, "Wow, she's really good at this game! You're getting your butt kicked by her."

"I'm gonna punch you in the nose. Anyway, my Poison Element Viper Piper, and my Dark Element Kaiser Vanguard, Combination Card. I unveil Princess of Fangs."

Lilu placed down a beast with two heads, a chimera. Sharp fangs weren't just on the mouth, but also the stomach of the fighter. "Now I unveil my Instant that I've had down, since I still have the conditions met."

"So you can play an instant on your turn?" Cyras asked.

"You can play an instant on any turn. But anyway, there's no way for you to win."

"Okay." Cyras shuffled the cards into the deck, leaving bemused expressions on the onlookers. "So what's next?"

"I was just saying you couldn't win, that didn't mean you had to surrender, but okay." Lilu shrugged. "I guess I've got to head home now, so see ya. Wouldn't want to be ya."

As she jumped off, Cyras jumped off with her.

"Are we going to see your territory next?" Cyras asked, wagging her tail.

Lilu stared back at her, and said, "...Sure."

***

Apparently, Cyras was supposed to “acclimate” to ice cream instead of going gung hoe. Dires weren’t meant to eat creamy treats with all that lactose, so Cyras spent thirty minutes of the walk hunched over, about to vomit.

Also during the walk, the hyena explained to her some basic terms, like how instead of territories they had houses or shops.

Houses became different as they entered the realm of Sandrun. Instead of the wooden cabins of Sunnyvilla, these were whiter with tarps to keep the sun rays away, lest the residents be exposed to blistering desert heat. Wind kicked up warm grains of sand, as Lilu came upon a golden gate.

Lilu’s house.

Lilu casually walked up the brick path as Cyras basked in the shadow, she could tell this house was bigger and more grandiose than normal. A house that was several houses fused together. A building made of sand should crumble and fall away, gone with wind, but this house was compact.

“How is the sand… The sand is....”

She wanted to put her paw on a pillar but was afraid she’d knock the entire structure over.

Lilu knocked on the column, making Cyras gasp. “Sandstone.” She came under the shadow of an overhang. “Night is coming in like thirty minutes, and this place will freeze over. Hurry up.”

However, as they came to the double doors, a hyena guard said, "Halt."

Cyras tilted her head at the guard, wondering if he would chase her off. However, Lilu said, "I am the Princess Lilu, and this is my new ally."

The hyena regarded both coolly. "I've been instructed to not let Lilu bring friends, under imperial orders." He sat.

Lilu growled. "Well I also outrank you, so how about you let us past, Karv?"

Karv stayed stony silent.

“Wait, I got this.” Cyras walked around the edge of the palace to find more entrances, as the guard followed her. "Kid, did you listen?"

Sticking her tongue out, she blew a raspberry.

"Why you-" He sprinted after her.

Cyras ran around the street as the hyena guard kept pursuit, before she rebounded against a tree, and dodged between his legs. Upon landing, pillars of earth shot around the guard's legs, ensnaring him.

"I am so getting fired," the guard said.

Cyras shouted back, "But I didn't use fire!" And to make sure he wouldn't scream, she sent a pillar to hit his lower jaw with enough force to keep his mouth shut.

Lilu's brows furrowed, as Cyras ran through the door into the palace. "My mom is gonna beat me like a cake." Frowning, Lilu entered as Cyras kept running. "Cyras, slow down."

Cyras slid on her paws, and fell on her butt, before staring back. "We should run if a dangerous predator is after us."

"If Karv's a dangerous predator, then I'm an apex." Lilu came to Cyras' side, and poked her belly. "Rawr."

Cyras giggled at Lilu.

"Uh, so, haven't had a roommate in a while," Lilu told Cyras. “Last one was my brother.”

“Where is he?”

“Making the daisies bloom.”

“Huh?”

“He made mom mad, so, like, yeah. Stay close.”

Down a corridor, past a door, a room greeted them. Pink carpet, pink drapes, pink sheets.

"I love pink!" Cyras said, and sniffed the room. "Hm, I was expecting more of a flower smell, but I guess this works."

"I hate pink personally," Lilu said as she flopped on the bed. The sheets were well fit to the bed, and everything was well organized as usual. "Because I'm pink, my mom made the room pink. She says this is called 'color coordination'." She made the air quotes, while making a gagging face.

Cyras whistled and jumped upon the bed, before saying, "I haven't hunted in a while."

Lilu looked towards the door, with a sweat like sour milk. "You won't need to hunt for food around here. Lemme get us some sandwiches."

As Lilu left, Cyras realized she never met a "sandwich" before. Normally she'd follow, but she didn't want the guard attacking her, so instead, she occupied herself with a book from the shelf.

Ryvoh kept a bunch of old magazines. After teaching her little cousin about reading, Ryvoh read the same magazines several times, often finding no insight. Just something she wanted to do.

This book was different, being jewel encrusted instead of the normal leather bound or paper bound. She licked the tip of her paw, and opened a page.

Lilu's room was really nice, very neat, and relatively big. All three girls could sleep here, along with Ryvoh and Kryyk, although Cyras thought that was a hard sell. She wasn't sure why Lilu was keeping her.

Lilu came back, a plate upon her rump. "Okay, so I told the other guards to stay at their posts, so no one will check in on Karv... Stop reading my diary! Can you read?"

"I know how to read this scrawl," Cyras said, rolling her eyes. "Ryvoh taught me how to write and read, and I must say, these are some very dark writings. And very grammatically incorrect."

Lilu edged towards her bed, and slid the plate down, precariously on the bedside. "Guess I can forgive you, just stay away from that book."

She put the book away. "So..." Cyras' tail waved, and she sniffed. "Sandwiches. Sandwiches."

Lilu explained, "This is bread. Two pieces of bread are used, one on top and bottom." Lilu mentioned bread back in the woods, and now she finally met the substance.

"And in between both are lettuce, tomatoes, turkey, and mayonnaise."

Cyras bit down on the bread, and chewed. Salty, wheaty...

Lilu said, "Stop." She grabbed Cyras' wrists, and placed them around the sandwich, in proper eating fashion. "Now bring to your mouth."

Cyras bit down on the sandwich and chewed. The mayonnaise was weird, but the lettuce gave a bitter crunch, which mixed with the tomato juice. However, the turkey, the juice filled around, with a salty taste like the bread.

"Very good," Cyras said. "Just that I hate the mayonnaise."

"Yeah, I don't know why we have mayonnaise," Lilu said.

Lilu flopped onto the bed, her rear in the air.

"Your butt still has the karma marks."

Lilu blushed. With a bared fang, "Your butt can have bite marks."

Cyras tucked her tail but still smirked as she kept eating. "Say, why are you keeping this cover? If you could get in trouble for this, why even try to help me out?"

Lilu said, "Because... I, uh..." Lilu stared at the ceiling. "You have a really good scent."

Probably a lie, so maybe if she read the diary later, she'd find other clues. Though, she had to ask why a diary was kept, if the only reason was to record secret thoughts. Seemed like a good way to lose access to secrets.

After the sandwiches, Lilu said, "Going to bed. Here, you take top bunk."

"What's a top bunk?"

"The bed on top of mine."

Cyras nodded, and climbed up a ladder, and into the top bunk.

Lilu said, "I always wanted someone to bunk with me. My brother did before.” She looked away. “Uh, in actuality he left. Hyena stuff.”

Cyras said, "Has to live his own life one day."

"Yeah..." Lilu flipped over. "Good night, Cyras."

Cyras asked, "Why do you sleep at night instead of during the day? Your species is diurnal?"

"I don't know what that even means," Lilu said. "Is that the opposite of nocturnal? Anyway, that's just how stuff works in Wysdom. We all stay awake during the day, and then we sleep at night. Just how business works. From about nine to five, all the adults go work."

"And the kids?"

"We focus on being kids. For the most part."

"How do you get sandwiches?"

"You get food from your parents. They're supposed to provide for you." Lilu groaned. "If only they were reasonable about this stuff. My mom is expecting a lot from me, she expects me to take her place."

"That's how that generally works," Cyras said.

Lilu growled.

The Wilder frowned. "Sorry." Ungrateful Civic...

Cyras fell asleep, while the whimpers of a hyena trapped in earth were whispers in the night.

***

Next day, Lilu showed Cyras to the shower. This bathroom had a miniature pool, known as a bathtub, along with a much smaller one known as a sink. There was also one more addition which Lilu felt excited to show Cyras.

Lilu got Cyras to jump on this metal surface, and said, "Now, turn around."

Cyras did as asked, only to get a spurt of water to the backside. She gasped and jumped off.

Lilu burst out laughing. Cyras narrowed her eyes, and asked, "What was that?"

"That's known as a bidet," Lilu said. "You use the bidet to wash off your bottom. Anyway, I'd rather shower in private, but basically, I turn on the nozzle, and water comes from this faucet." She pointed up to the faucet in the sky. "And then afterwards, I'll dry myself off with a towel. You may need one of these. You do stink."

Cyras knew she had a musk. Probably a strong musk too, but this musk projected her scent. Washing off removed the scent.

"I don't think I will."

"This is how society works," Lilu said. “Now get out.”

Cyras exited the room and overheard the sound of running water. A larger hyena came through, someone who looked almost exactly like Lilu.

[zackcrazyvalentine]

:3

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#random ramblings #saw another cute hyena loaf #had to share #twisted wonderland #ruggie bucchi #animals #spotted hyena #hyena