So, I apologize for not updating in six months. In my defense, half of that was because I was traveling. I honestly have chapters of this story written, but after I printed the pages (for a friend) I couldn't access the file. So, I have to rewrite about three chapters, and I've been lazy about it.

Anyway, after this chapter, I'll be introducing the rest of the groups. I'll also keep up a helpful guide of who is what species, and who leads each group. I'll keep it up in this area before each chapter, and will keep adding as new characters are introduced.

I own nothing you recognize as canon.

One: The Hyena Named Leo

In the midday sun, a cackle of hyenas were resting in one of their rock pile spots. It was the best place for pup and elder defense, with many sharp rocks as an outer layer protecting the flat rocks and smooth grass. Most of the hunters (plus the matriarch) were out—well, hunting. It was a final assessment for the eldest pup Harley. If he passed his solo hunting assessment, plus at least looked good during group hunting, Harley would officially be a member of the cackle as a junior hunter.

The best of the hunters—mostly the females—were lying around, lazily sunbathing. The elders and pup-mothers (with a few young pups still suckling) were also snoozing. The only one actually doing something was an elderly female.

Her name was Esperanza. She was a lovely dark color, her spinal fur curly and greying. She had been the previous matriarch of the main cackle, but her age had weathered her bones. She had relinquished her leadership to a younger female, Nyssa. Nyssa wasn't her daughter—generally, that was what happened; the matriarch was the daughter of the previous matriarch. However, Esperanza had tried many times to have cubs, with many different males. Her only living cub was a male, so Esperanza's matriarch line would end with her.

That male cub just happened to be the best non-female hunter and one of the higher ranking hyenas. He wasn't accompanying Harley's assessment, so Nyssa had put him in charge. No one argued that; he was respected in the cackle and well-liked, especially among the elders and pups. Esperanza couldn't be more proud of her only cub.

At the moment her tongue was gently rasping over her son's head. He was currently dosing while she did this, his eyes half-closed. He yawned.

"Tired, sweetie?" she asked.

He sneezed. "Nah, I'm fine," replied her son.

"Leo," she warned.

Yes, her son was named Leo. A hyena named Leo. Not after the lions! Because it meant King somewhere, and Esperanza knew her only cub was destined for greatness.

"Okay, fine," he said. "I may be a tiny bit sleepy."

"Surprise, surprise," grunted Hephaestus, the eldest of the Hyenas and Leo's father—and the father of many in the cackle, including Nyssa and Harley. Under his patronage, lucky, lucky, the cackle had more than doubled in size. He was laying nearby. "A male who is lazy."

"Says the old fart with the big 'elder belly'," Leo growled.

Esperanza tugged on his ear. "Show respect."

"But he was harassing me," he whined.

She tugged harder. "Quit acting like a pup. You're a grown member of this cackle that should show respect to his elders."

Then, she whipped her head towards the elder male. "And you," she growled. "Stop harassing our boy."

"Nope," Hephaestus huffed as he turned his head away from the two.

"I'll kick your bum leg," she warned.

Hephaestus shifted position, putting his limp leg underneath him. He'd gotten into a fight a long time ago, which had crippled him horribly.

Leo snickered.

Esperanza nibbled on his ear. "Stop that and hold still. Your curls are really dirty again."

"Mom," he whined, pawing at his tuft of curly black fur on top of his head. "Why do you fuss over that?"

"If you had a mate, I wouldn't have to fuss over it! Now, hold still!"

She swiped her tongue over his head. After a while, Leo began to dose again. Watching the cackle was easy work. Some lower rank hyena would keep a lookout and alert him if something (like a rogue lion or a stray leopard) wandered too close. Then, Leo would lead a party to go after them.

Leo didn't know how long he had slept, but when he opened his eyes again, the sun was much lower. Esperanza's head was laying on his back. Leo shuffled out from underneath her and stretched.

Leo shook himself to wake up a little more, then silently padded over to one of the sentries at the edge of the cackle's rock pile.

"Anything to report?" he asked the sentry, whose name was Jake.

Jake shook his head. "Nothing. There's a herd of zebra that's pretty close, but I figured Harley and Nyssa's group might bring something nice back."

Leo shrugged. "Might. Harley's young. Even at his best he might only be able to provide enough for the elders and pup mothers."

Jake looked a little crestfallen. "Oh. I guess I should have woken—"

"Nah, it's okay," Leo said with a grin. "I don't think anyone is up for hunting today anyway. Look at all the lazy females down there."

One of them raised her head. "I swear I will chew your head off, Leo," she growled.

Leo grinned. "You know you can't resist the Leo charm."

She snorted and lowered her head down again. She didn't give him the satisfaction of an answer.

Jake's ears pricked and he snapped his jaws. "I think we have an intruder."

"You think or you know?"

Jake grinned. "Hmm…take a look over there and let me know if you see what I see."

Leo looked out and saw a rogue lion stalking a herd of zebra that Jake had mentioned. The herd knew they were close to the cackle, but paid the hyenas no mind. If there had been a threatening atmosphere, they wouldn't have gone close.

Apparently, the lion either didn't know or didn't care that there was a hyena cackle in the vicinity.

Leo grinned. He looked back at the females and yapped, "Get up, lazy bones! Some lion thinks he can waltz up and take prey!"

Four females shot to their paws. "Where?" shouted the same female who had previously growled at Leo.

Leo led the females and Jake in a charge. The zebra scattered. The lion was mid-chase when the hyenas came close. The lion abandoned the zebra and fled. Leo noticed the zebra the lion was chasing was already injured. It was limping around, but didn't run from the party of hyenas. Leo trotted up and sniffed the zebra.

The zebra looked Leo in the eye. "Just get it over with, already," it pleaded.

Leo bowed his head. "Thank you. We respect your decision, and I'm sorry that lion hastened your end."

The zebra's eyes sparkled. "At least you hyenas respect us better than the rogue felines."

The herd looked in another direction as Leo made the killing bite.

The rest of the cackle returned when the sun had sunk lower. The elders and pup mothers had already eaten the zebra from earlier, so the wildebeest the hunters had brought was shared with everyone else. Some of the pups were able to share the few rodents that Harley had caught on the fly.

Leo was proud of his little brother. Harley was now a full member of the cackle. He was placed at the very bottom, but if he was as good as the females said he was today, he would rise quickly.

Harley pranced around Leo, his jaws red with the blood of his prey. "Nyssa said I did awesome!"

Leo licked his brother's snout. "You've got a long way to go before you challenge me for top hunter," he informed Harley.

Harley head-butted his shoulder. "Gimme a year and you'll be begging to take your position back!"

"Deal, squirt."

That night, the cackle rested with full bellies. It was midnight when Leo woke up. His left flank was colder than before.

"Harley?" he whispered.

His brother had been lying next to him when they lay down to sleep earlier. Where had he gone?

Leo pushed himself on to all fours and gently padded out into the grass. The sentry wasn't looking his way, so he trotted away without trouble.

"Harley," he called once he was far enough away. "Harley, where are you?"

He sniffed the ground and picked up his younger brother's scent. It was headed toward the Jaguar territory, for some reason.

"He's not old enough to have a crush on a female," Leo noted aloud. "But still…if someone catches him too close to the border, even if he's visiting a friend, they'll kill him for sure!"

Hyenas were not welcome among the rest of the groups. It was more a prejudice thing, really. A stereotype that hyenas were cruel killers and scavengers that stole other hunters' prey. Not many creatures chose to mate with a hyena, let alone make friends. It was a large reason why the groups of united canines and felines had placed the hyenas in land the human creatures frequented, hoping the humans would get rid of the hyenas eventually.

Leo wasn't very bitter about it. He got along with his cackle well enough, but making friends was a little hard for him. He was very hyperactive, and his imaginative streak and curiosity towards human creations led to some outcast situations.

Speaking of humans…

Leo sniffed the air. He smelled the nasty tang of the sticky black stuff humans called oil. It was a smell he knew well. A human automobile was nearby. Off, but nearby.

Leo's mind whirled. What if they ran over Harley? Humans can't see well in the dark. They might have killed him!

"Harley," he called. "Please answer me!"

A searing bright light entered Leo's vision, blinding him. "Gah!"

Suddenly, a world of noises hit his ears. Barks, roars, braying…creatures of every shape and size were calling for him to run. All of them were in cages on a large human transport—a truck, he remembered.

Leo spotted a dingo amongst the throng of caged animals. It was large, and trying to break out. "Run, hyena! Run and get help!"

Leo froze. That was the leader of the Dingo pack, Will! The humans had invaded the group territories? They'd never done that before!

A dart landed in Leo's shoulder. The world began to spin. He collapsed in a tired heap onto the cool ground. Leo heard a human voice growl, "Tag and bag it. Put it in the top cage. And hurry up, we're running late."

A sharp claw stabbed his ear. Leo was dragged toward the cages, but he couldn't find the strength to resist. It felt like a bad dream. He'd wake up any moment, and Harley would be next to him. After all, he could smell Harley somewhere. He was also in the cages, though Leo would lie to himself and say he was right next to the younger hyena. It helped him sleep quicker.

The truck started up. The cage was slammed shut, but not locked or bolted down. For some reason, the humans were in a hurry and had forgotten safety.

The truck screeched through the grasslands, the cages in the flatbed rattling and shaking and rolling. Will the dingo was still trying to get loose. His cage was directly below Leo's.

Will looked up and noticed the unlocked cage above him. He tried to stir the drugged hyena, but Leo was still reeling. The moving truck wasn't helping his condition any, either.

Will looked to the still unconscious form of Artemis the wild dog. She was locked in a cage near him, but she would be no help. That same night she had been taken by the hunter Orion, same as Will. The drugs had worn off quickly for him, so that was why he was struggling so hard.

"I apologize for the rough ride, hyena," Will muttered. "But someone needs to warn the packs and groups. I hope they trust you. I certainly do at the moment."

Will started bucking in his cage, near the rear. Leo's cage hopped every time Will hit the top of his own cage. He timed it well, and hit the top right as the truck bounced over a bump. Leo's cage tumbled and fell out of the flatbed into the dust.

The truck didn't stop. Leo tumbled out of his cage and lay there. His foreleg was sprained, but Leo wouldn't be able to feel it—or fix it—until he woke up and returned to the cackle, which wouldn't be until dawn.

By then, the humans would be long gone, taking the animals they'd captured with them.

A/N: I will update quicker. I promise. I love this story, it's just a matter of getting on my own case about it.

Next up is a meeting between the animal leaders (well, the carnivores, at least)

If you have a question, please refer to the seven points in the previous chapter's AN before asking. Chances are, the answer might be there. Otherwise, feel free to ask in the reviews, and I'll try to answer via PM.