Hunting was an art. You had to be patient, and you had to smell fear. Tabaqui loved the taste of it. Whenever he sensed a scared little animal, he just had to savor the moment. And oh what a moment it would be. He would just have to pounce, sink his claws and teeth into the flesh and fur, and savor that blood basted meat. It was all going well until…
"Hi Uncle Tabaqui!"
That voice nearly made him bite down on his tongue. The sound, an upbeat peppiness of youth. Dreading the moment, the hyena slowly turned around and gave a dour look. Standing before him was a young hyena cub. A female, and once he knew all too well.
"Hello Aashi." Tabaqui said greeting his niece.
The little cub practically hopped up towards the larger hyena with an ever present smile on her face. "What are you doing?" She asked.
Tabaqui drew a blank face upon his face. "Hunting."
This provoked a series of giggled out of the pup that sent a shiver up Tabaqui's spine. "Silly Uncle Tabaqui! We're scavengers!"
"Well sometimes...dear...I make an exception for something especially tasty."
Once more, the child burst into giggles. "You're so funny Uncle Tabaqui!"
Tabaqui let out a low growl. Of all the creatures in the jungle, why did he have to run into Aashi? The "Uncle" title wasn't out of affection. The cub was the daughter of his older sister, so they were related by blood. Honestly, Tabaqui wondered why his sister had to procreate? Quite frankly, Tabaqui felt his niece was the most annoying creature in the jungle. The one thing she made clear was that she adored her maternal uncle. She followed him around whenever he was near. Honestly he had half a mind to nip at the cub, but knew that would only provoke tears from her. And with tears she would run to her mother, and Tabaqui didn't relish that. His sister could be rather...temperamental. Especially if anything ill befell her children. So, he had to play the role of a loving uncle, at least for the time being.
"So Aashi, what brings you all the way out here?" Tabaqui asked.
"Exploring!" Aashi beamed.
"All by yourself?" Tabaqui asked suspiciously.
"Yep! Mommy let me because I'm a big girl! But she told me if I ever met a stranger I should head straight home."
"Sound advice." Tabaqui said blankly. "Now why don't you head home?"
"But I want to stay with you!" Aaishi cheered.
Gritting his teeth, Tabaqui practically spoke through them. "And why is that?"
Then, Tabaqui felt something against his leg. Looking down, he shivered as he saw his niece rubbing up against his leg. "Because you're the best uncle in the whole wide world! I love you Uncle Tabaqui!"
Tabaqui felt a rage building up inside him. The syrupy sweetness of this child made him utterly sick. He had to get away from this moment, needed something to keep her preoccupied. And then it hit him.
Forcing a smile, Tabaqui looked down at his niece. "Say Aashi? Would you like to play a game?"
"A game? Oh yes! I like games!" Aashi exclaimed.
"Oh well I have a great game in store for you! it's a game your mother and I played when we were cubs."
"What is it? What is it?"
"Hide and Seek!"
Aaishi let out a loud gasp. "Hide and Seek? I love that game!"
"Well you go hide, and I'll come find you."
"Okay Uncle Tabaqui! I'm a real good hider!"
"Well now you best hurry along. I'm going to count to ten." Tabaqui said shooing her away with his paw. One, two, three," As soon as he started counting, Aashi took off running. "four, five, six, seven, eight, nine…ten." He finished. He could see no trace of the child, so he knew he was in the clear. Snickering to himself, Tabaqui took off in a bound. "Brat." He muttered.
A/N: This anime was pretty much the first anime I had seen as a kid, and it holds a special place in my heart. And next to Lala, Tabaqui was my favorite character.
