Leaving her old tribe behind, a female hyena embarks on a new chapter of her life with her beloved mate in continuing her own life. She stumbles upon a lion tribe in the initial part of her exploration where she meets and befriends the tribal chieftain, getting to know him and his wife better. This is my end of a trade with ZoeyHyena from ToyHouse!

New Beginning

(BGM: A New Beginning / Silent Conquest - Bejeweled 2 OST)

The savannah grasses billow softly from a soft breeze blowing through the air. It is a sunny, light atmosphere among the land providing a warm atmosphere. Walking along such a landscape is a lone female hyena. And for the time being, it appears she is the only one.

Her zebra patterned clothes swaying softly in the soft wind, Zoey lets the wind billow against her fur while she is out on an exploration of her own, having just recently left her tribe to strike out on her own. Although different from the others from her clan, Zoey did not let that stop her from outright being herself. She wanted to be different, she enjoyed being different, she enjoyed this.

While Zoey gently brushes her hands along the golden savannah grasses, she sighs gently to herself, free of her clan's traditional mauling ways. She isn't your typical hyena. Instead of being all scary and intimidating, Zoey is a nice, free-spirited, fun-loving girl. This is why she left her clan.

There is nothing else that Zoey has other than the zebra-patterned clothes on her form, but she also had some memories she did cherish. With no money or food, there was very little that Zoey could do now that she's by herself, but that's the least of her worries.

The female hyena begins to trek her way along the trail, her fur and clothes softly billowing in the wind. During her walk, the female hyena observes the horizon before her, taking in the sunny blue sky. Just seeing this makes her think of her old clan days, but those are long gone. Being the friendly hyena she is, Zoe isn't a killing machine, instead she is the exact opposite.

While Zoey continues to stare out at the horizon, she then notices a column of smoke arising from far away. Curiosity begins to overtake Zoey when she begins observing the smoke. Who is that settling in? Or rather, whose territory is she coming across?

Zoey's curiosity guides her to march directly towards the source of the smoke, wondering who is occupying this part of the land. But while she advances, she hears the soft trickling of water ahead. Upon making a bit of a journey inwards, she wiggles her ears, having paused while standing and watching a riverbank, muttering to herself, "This is so relaxing… someone must definitely live out here."

The female hyena is treated to a lush African pasture with a steadily flowing riverbank that is close by, where a few plots of farmland are stationed. There is a tent nearby in brown material, with darker brown waves enclosing the bottom. Thinking nothing of it, Zoey continues on her exploration along the territory she's stumbled upon, to which she can now see the source of the smoke she noticed earlier; a bonfire!

Seeing the bonfire ahead makes Zoey perk up in wonder, "Are these guys having a ceremony?? Bonfires usually serve that purpose!"

"There is no ceremony for now; what are you doing in River territory?" A sudden voice snaps Zoey back to attention and when she turns around to view the source, she comes face to face with a muscular white lion, decked out in all-blue; blue loincloth, blue sash, blue wristbands and footbands, even a sapphire studded necklace! Was this tribal lion royalty of some sort?

Her tail wagging in interest, Zoey frankly explains, "I'm just passing through in exploration. I'm Zoey, by the way! You seem to be of royal status; you look quite handsome, though."

Turning pink in the face from the compliment, the white lion lightly plays with his large mane while gazing back at Zoey, his turquoise eyes holding a calm, yet curious glint to them. He begins to explain and introduce himself in return, "I thank you for the compliment, Zoey; and although I am not a monarch, I am a chieftain. I am Juan Tivola, leader of the River tribe. I welcome you here."

Zoey finally sees how massive he is, compared to her size, with him being at least a foot taller! Most hyenas would flee upon encountering a lion, but Juan simply poses no threat. It is here when he opens his arms in a welcoming gesture that Zoey observes his muscular form. But before Zoey can even move, Juan is already advancing towards her, picking her up in an embrace.

In return, Zoey encloses her arms around his back to return the gesture, being settled back down to her feet. When she stares up at him again, she hums while tapping her chin.

"What is your business here, Zoey? Are you lost or are you searching for something?" Juan patiently demands. While the white lion brushes away his mane, Zoey begins to march towards him. Before Juan can even pick up on her motive, Zoey assumes, "Bet I can climb on your back."

Laughing heartily, Juan spreads out his arms, allowing the female hyena the chance to climb on him. "Go ahead, I'll carry you around until you're done!" He urges.

Once Zoey reaches the white lion and moves in behind him, the female hyena proceeds to climb her way atop the white lion, scooting up to his shoulders. With support from Juan himself, Zoey reaches his shoulders where she can finally relax, enclosing her arms around his chest. With a feeling of euphoria, Zoey proclaims, "I'm on top of the world!!!"

Juan just smirks at her while agreeing along, "You sure are. I'm impressed with your easy personality already. But there's someone else I believe you'll like too."

"Oh? Like who?" Zoey's ears fly up in interest while clinging to her new friend, having wrapped both arms and both legs around him. This is where he reveals, "You'll enjoy meeting my wife; she's the chieftess."

Although Zoey is curious about Juan's wife, she seems hesitant; female lions are more aggressive than males, which is why Zoey seems a bit unsure of whether or not to go with the plan. At the same time, the female hyena comments, "Y'know, you remind me of Ryan, my husband. He's like you, big and strong; he's a tiger though."

Amazed at hearing this, Juan ascertains, "A hyena and a tiger are an unlikely couple." He begins to hold Zoey's legs while he starts to walk off away from the riverbank, commenting further, "Is he good? How did the two of you meet?"

"Ryan is an amazing guy; you'll see that once you meet him. And we met when I was alone; I left my own tribe in case you were wondering." Zoey elaborated while clinging to the white lion.

"Why was that?" Juan stops walking, still carrying Zoey on his shoulders.

"Because I was different from everyone else; a common stereotype, to put it frankly. I never liked the idea of being a bloodthirsty, savage killer. So I left. I decided to strike out and make a new change for my species." Hearing this from Zoey makes Juan impressed. Reaching up, he begins petting the female hyena on the head, affectionately remarking, "You're an interesting character, but you're very adorable."

Zoey turns beet red at the compliment, though her cheeks adopt a light rosy color; she squeaks in protest, "Hey! I'm not cute! Only my husband calls me that!"

Juan just grins at Zoey smugly, retorting, "Well you're gonna be having that thrown around at you at some opportunities, so it's best to accept and get used to it! Ha ha ha!!!"

"Juan, what are you doing with a hyena riding on your shoulders?" The cheerful moment is interrupted when the pair notice a lioness coming to meet them, having picked up on the conversation close by; she was finishing up on a patrol route through the territory, clutching a spear in her right hand.

"Amelia, this is Zoey. She is by herself for now, exploring at the moment. I took up the initiative to show her around the territory to get better acquainted." Reaching up to grab Zoey, Juan sets the female hyena down beside him, ruffling her head again. This draws a soft squeal from the hyena. Next, the white lion chieftain introduces Zoey to Amelia, "Zoey, this is my wife, Amelia. Together, we are the chiefs of the River tribe."

Zoey can already see the similarities and differences between the two. Both lions are white and muscular, and they both have their tribal garb representing their rank and status. But while Juan's attire is all blue, Amelia has an all-brown attire matching Juan's attire.

Presented with an eyeful of the tribal lioness, Zoey comments towards Juan, "You guys usually have body paint or makeup to reflect your status. I don't see any of that on you or your wife."

Hearing this makes Amelia indignant, "Hey!!!"

Juan simply chuckles at Zoey's comment and caresses her head, assuring her and Amelia, "Usually, it's the clothing itself that reflects one's status. And I never considered body paint. On a side note, women are fine how they are, with no add-ons to their figure." His last sentence he directs to his wife, gazing straight at her.

While Amelia gazes at her approaching husband, she trails her banana colored eyes down to Zoey, eyeing her curiously. Never mind the glint of a dangerous sword she is carrying in her right hand by the handle; she is more interested in Zoey herself. Eyeing the female hyena, Amelia secures her sword and comments jokingly, "You seem more like a morsel than a meal. Anyways, where are you from, exactly?"

Although Zoey pales at the comment, she shakes her head while responding, "I'm actually from a hyena tribe to the east of your land, I believe. Did something happen recently?"

"Oh nothing…" Amelia rolls her eyes slowly, directing them back at Zoey, "...except we had to chase out a couple of hyena intruders attempting to haul it out of our territory with some of our supplies."

"...which is why she left." Juan interjects in Zoey's defense.

Picking up on this, Amelia's suspicion about Zoey turns into outright interest and she changes her tune upon learning this from her husband. "Huh, now that I can definitely see. Well Zoey, I must say you are quite different from the average hyena; if my husband is fine with you exploring around, then so am I! Welcome to River territory!"

Seeing the change in Amelia's demeanor, Zoey remarks, "For a moment there, I thought you were going to bite my head off. But since you guys have welcomed me here…" Zoey suddenly rushes up to Amelia and tackles her to the ground in a hug. This draws Amelia's sudden surprise and Juan just begins laughing in amusement.

After being thrown to the ground, the lioness just sits up and rubs Zoey's head. "And to think I used to be like this when I was younger. You are too cute for words, Zoey."

Here we go again. Zoey once again becomes a cherry upon protesting, "I ain't cute!!!" And seconds later, she is lifted off the lioness by Juan, who simply places her atop his shoulders again; this allows Amelia to get up and shake her fur.

"You'll get used to it from others, Zoey. It's only a matter of time." Juan comments in passing. He grins at Zoey while he begins to walk off again, this time with Amelia following closely behind. However, he is put on pause again when Zoey asks a very basic question, "Any basic clothing that represents your rank?"

"There is, but we'll change into that later. Right now, my wife and I would like to show you around our land if she agrees to it." The white lion chieftain directs his turquoise eyes over to his wife, who gives a head nod in support. She delightfully obliges, "Fine with me! And Zoey, you certainly are different from the average hyena. I'm quite impressed!"

"Thank you, Amelia; you too, Juan. I am grateful for your hospitality." Zoey responds happily. She clings tighter to Juan while he and Amelia continue their trek, providing Zoey with a tour of their land.

~~~~~

Zoey belongs to ZoeyHyena from Toyhouse; Juan Tivola and Amelia Aldwin belong to me!