Cast
Hyenas
Sal: Mary's partner. Father of Kim and Micky. Brother of Louie.
Tries to crack the murder-case because it makes him feel less insignificant.
Mary: Sal's partner. Mother of Kim and Micky. Younger sister of Agathe and older sister of Malaika. Second in line for Matriarch of the clan.
Since she serves as the clan's second in command, she ends up doing or delegating most of the hard work.
Kimbiza (Kim): Sal and Mary's older daughter.
Micky: Sal and Mary's younger son.
Louie: Sal's brother.
Likes long walks.
Agathe: Mother of Chenga. Older sister of both Mary and Malaika. Matriarch of the clan living in the Clanlands (which are presently part of the Pridelands).
What's there to say, she's the Matriarch! You just shut-up and listen to what she tells you.
Chenga: Agathe's daughter. First in line for matriarch (although barely of hunting-age yet).
Makamu (Maka): Malaika's partner. Usually subordinate to Sal.
Dislikes work.
Malaika: Makamu's partner. Younger sister of both Mary and Agathe.
Cheetahs
Tibu: Represents hyena authority among his own kind.
Considered awkward and timid.
Shahidi: She lives next door to the dead guy.
Dead Guy: A cheetah with a broken neck Sal found dangling up a tree.
Leopards
Mgomo: He lives next door to the dead guy. Aki's brother.
Aki: Mgomo's hot-headed brother.
Others
Rafiki: Baboon. Shaman for the nearby prides and clans.
Zuzu: Hornbill. Specializes in law and protocol among the Pride and Clan-lands, along with Mary – they often work in tandem.
Four
"Excuse, miss, but... you gonna eat that?"
"Huh? Oh that... no, it's all yours. Cheetahs can't eat bones anyway..."
"Good point," Sal conceded, starting to crunch down on the femur offered to him. In a matter of minutes, nothing remained. For all his whining about not wanting to go face the cheetahs alone, Sal's visit actually started of on a positive note: he had the luck of coming across a female cheetah who had just finished hunting a small antelope. While the big cat finished her meal, Sal explained his situation to her, and she agreed to help him almost instantly.
"Again, thanks for agreeing to help me out – and for the snack."
"Please, don't mention it," the cheetah smiled, "It's the least I could do for that poor Wahanga..."
"You knew him well?"
"Not as well as I would have liked; we only met a couple of times. But he was so polite! A real gentleman – not like my other neighbors..."
"I see... But you didn't really know him then? So there's nothing you could tell me about him?"
"No, not really. I can't remember anything peculiar about him – mind you, he was new around here; it's only been a couple of months since he took over old Ovyo's land, most of it anyway..."
"Yeah, about that," the hyena suddenly interrupted her; for some reason, he couldn't get Tibu's talk about cheetah territory out of his mind, "I heard there were some shifts in territory right after eh... what's his name... after O... eh..."
"Ovyo?"
"Yeah, after he died. You know anything about that?"
"Nothing out of the ordinary... some of his former neighbors took over parts of his territory right when the old man died, that's all. Not me though; profiting of the poor soul's death is in really bad taste, I think..."
"One animals tragedy is usually another's meal," Sal smiled, "Come to think of it, that would make a good slogan for hyena life in general... Anyway, about that territorial transition... didn't Wahanga complain about that or something, being stuck with only a shrimp of a domain?"
"Well, no. You have to remember, those claims had already been made between Ovyo's passing and Wahanga's arrival. Those lands weren't his to start with, and he accepted that readily."
"And weren't Ovyo's neighbors peeved Wahanga got to his land before they could claim it whole?"
"No, they had already marked the best bits. Claiming more territory would have made their realms to big too patrol, so they didn't really care when Wahanga occupied what little there was left..."
"I see... So I guess the murder didn't have anything to do with territory, huh?"
"I can't imagine why – everybody seemed happy with theirs. Wahanga's was exceptionally tiny, though – I don't understand how he could have ever survive there..." The cheetah seemed to have reached the same conclusion as Tibu had with regards to the size of Wahanga's land. Sal couldn't help but notice it seemed to have at least the appearance of being an important detail. So maybe, just maybe, it actually was important. Wouldn't that make sense?
"Say, you're under the impression Wahanga's territory was a bit on the puny side – did you actually go out and measure it, or something?"
"Measure? Oh, no, not at all; that would have required me to go out and check every scent-mark he made," the cheetah explained smilingly , "No, I just presumed it, after hearing all the neighbors talk about how they expanded their realms after Ovyo died..."
This territory-idea Tibu planted in my mind is obviously going nowhere... Wait... Unless...
Sal had a little stroke of genius there. Or rather, a bout of annoyance at Tibu's negligence – chances were the cheetah hadn't actually bothered to research the true size of Wahanga's land, he probably jut heard it from some neighbor bragging about his new acquisitions, and let his imagination fill in the blanks, after which the information got passed on to Sal.
"Wait – you're telling me you just know about Wahanga's territory by hearsay?"
"Yep. Sorry, I didn't know that was a problem..."
"Oh, no, don't worry," the hyena quickly moved to reassure his most useful new acquaintance of the day, "No, you've been incredibly helpful already – thanks, by the way. Thing is... can I ask you for another favor? I know I've already taken up a lot of your time..."
"No, I'm always glad to help – it's the least I can do to help your kind. I mean, what you hyenas – and the lions next door too – have done for this land is really incredible! I was raised in a place where every animal was on it's own; a lawless hell – this place is like a paradise in comparison. I hope we can keep it that way – and solving that murder is probably going to be an integral part of that effort..."
"All right, that's the spirit," Sal grinned, regaining some of his good mood he had when he woke up. Finally, some corporation! "I wish more animals had your attitude..."
"I guess they don't realize just how well we have it here..."
"My thoughts exactly. Now, what I'd like you to do is come with me, and tell me which territory Wahanga marked as his own – I can't tell one cheetah-marking from the other, so that'll be up to you. And we best get to it right away, before night falls – I know cheetahs don't really dig that..."
And so the unusual couple set out, closely examining the borders of used-to-be-Wahanga's-territory. At first, they uncovered just what they expected: the late cheetah's land was incredibly tiny, only a fraction of his predecessor's. Just about when dusk set in, however, the cheetah accompanying Sal suddenly backed away while investigating what she believed to be a scent mark.
"Yuk!"
"Wow, what happened? You're all right?"
"I'm fine... I just didn't expect to smell this here..."
"What?"
"Fresh leopard markings, on top of an older cheetah-scent..."
"So?" Sal shrugged, "What do leopard marks have to do with this? I thought we were looking for..."
"No, you don't understand – this was supposed to be the border between my land and Wahanga's. But now, I'm living next to a leopard..."
"Wait – you're saying you can't have both at the same time?" Sal suddenly realized.
"What, you didn't know? Cheetah land and leopard territory can't overlap!"
"But... why not? It can overlap with hyena-territory, right? I mean, your land is right in the middle of my clan's..."
"Yes, but leopards and cheetah relations are different from cheetahs and hyenas – it's like lion and hyena territory; those can't overlap either..."
"Ah, right... Damn, that was stupid of me..." Sal sighed. Of course, it all made sense now; Wahanga was killed by a leopard, a leopard took over his territory... "So you're saying a leopard just took over Wahanga's land?"
"Some of it anyway... starting here..." the cheetah reasoned, "That's strange... There were no leopard markings where we came from – that must mean only a part of Wahanga's territory got taken over. Then there must be some other markings splitting his territory in two..."
"So what does that mean?"
"Wait, let me check something..." the cheetah mumbled, after which she slacked of, away from the line that defined the border between her land and Wahanga's. Arriving at a seemingly random bush, she stared sniffing around.
"Strange..." she mumbled, "There are leopard markings here too, and a very faint cheetah scent... wait a minute... I think I remember this one... it's old Ovyo's mark – what's left of it anyway..."
"Wait – so that means Ovoyo's territory only came to here? But you said your border with Wahanga's land continued over there, for who knows how far, now overwritten by a leopard..."
"Strange, huh?"
"Yeah, quite... I think I just realized how Wahanga could survive on only so small a portion of Ovyo's land," Sal mumbled – finally, he had an epiphany! Maybe this little investigation wouldn't be all this hard after all, "It's pretty obvious, really – he added someone else's land to his, beyond that of Ovyo. And now that someone – a leopard, as it would seem – has taken his land back... That's why all these fresh markings are lying around here."
"So... you think that's why he was murdered?"
"Yep – you got a better explanation?"
The cheetah, however, seemed far from convinced. Strange, really; with all the animosity between cheetahs and leopards ever since that little war of theirs – the "Water Conflicts", which took place shortly after the end of the "Rogue Wars" – you'd think she would go ahead and accuse the leopard instantly: "But that doesn't make sense! Why murder someone over a bit of territory? I mean – not here! If you've got a problem with someone here, you go talk to a hyena, or a lion, and they set things straight..."
That's the idea, anyway...
"... But you don't resolve things like this by going out and killing someone! That's what would have happened in my old place, but not here..."
"What can I say, animals do stupid things sometimes..." Sal shrugged, rather surprised at the cheetah's unshakable belief in a just world, "Well then, I guess it's time I had a chat with the resident leopard... And it's just the right time too; he'll be waking up right about now."
He again turned to the cheetah.
"Anyway, I think I know all I needed to know now. Thanks for your help; if it weren't for you, I'd still be running on empty..."
"My pleasure, I guess... But I still don't quite buy into this..." the cheetah mumbled.
"Time will tell. By the way, don't wander of too far – if this leopard is really who I'm looking for, chances are I'll be sending someone to come get you tomorrow, so you can tell my matriarch all you told me. You know, like a testimonial."
"Will do."
"Great. All right, again, thanks for the help, and see ya!"
And now to find that leopard...
In a surprisingly upbeat mood, considering he was about to confront a possible murderer, Sal trotted of into the leopard's territory. Then again, he had ample reason to be cheerful: he was about to apprehend the first murderer this land had seen in years; quite the achievement, really – even if it had taken him almost no effort. Now the only hard part would be to locate the leopard; that task should certainly prove to be feasible for a hyena. Only problem was it, it could take a while.
I don't suppose trying the ol' "Marco – Polo"-trick will be of any use here...
Seeing as how it wasn't exactly nighttime yet, Sal figured his best bet would be to scan the trees for any sleeping feline. Or he could just follow his nose to the nearest smell of a rotten carcass; if it hung up a tree, chances were a leopard would be snoring right next to it. Such turned out to be a pretty solid idea: before long, the hyena found what he was looking for: a leopard lying spread out across a couple of branches, sleeping blissfully.
Not really content to wait for the big cat to wake up on its own, Sal let out a loud yelp. As was to be expected, it proved to be such a startle the feline almost tumbled right out of his tree.
"Aah! What the hell? Who... Wha – what's... what's going on?" the leopard mumbled, disoriented and still a bit sleepy, until he noticed Sal, "Whoah, man, what's the matter with you? You crazy or something, stupid ass..."
"Now now, no need to get all belligerent on me..."
"Screw you man, I was sleeping! Why the hell did you wake me up for?"
"I was just wondering, 's all," Sal grinned provocatively, "Do you live here? Is this your eh... your territory?"
"Uh – duh! Of course it is! Couldn't you see me sleeping here, just now?"
"All right – so we've established that you live here. Now, I think we've gotten off on a bad start here; let me introduce myself. I'm Sal, and I'm from the hyena clan that administers your little plot of land here. I'm sorry I had to wake you up like that, but I'm here for a matter of utmost importance – I hope you understand my position..."
"I guess," the leopard yawned, seemingly a bit less agitated now, "Mgomo 's the name, by the way..."
"Well nice to meet you, Mgomo. You might have guessed I'm not here on a social call; I'm here because I needed to ask you some questions..."
"All right..."
"... involving your neighbor, the cheetah Wahanga."
"Sure, no problem," the leopard shrugged. He looked quite at ease, maybe even too much so. And he was still sitting up in his tree, forcing Sal to look up while addressing him. The hyena decided not to mention it yet, though.
"First of all, do you realize he is dead?"
"He is?" The big cat's expression didn't change one bit from before. He wasn't even trying to look surprised.
"Yep. But at least you don't seem to mind, though..."
"Meh. Didn't really know the guy. He was new around here, you know."
Leopards make excellent liars, mostly because their facial expression never changes. Never. But this guy still had a lot to learn; Sal detected a hint of emotion in that statement, which lead him to believe that Wahanga and Mgomo did actually know each other, they knew each other pretty well.
"Uh-uh. The thing is... he was murdered..."
Again time to gauge for some kind of a reaction. Would the leopard drop the ball? Would he keep his cool? Or would he just react with utmost shock and surprise, as he well should... Neither, it seemed.
"Say what?"
"Wahanga was murdered. Killed, slain, offed, whatever."
"Oh... that's... pretty bad," the leopard mumbled, "I don't really remember anything like that happening before..."
"That's 'cause it never did."
"Yeah... That's pretty awful... I eh... Sorry, I don't really know what to say..." Mgomo shook his head, "Awful situation... But... what's that got to do with me? I know the guy was my neighbor and all... but I don't think..."
"Your neighbor he certainly was, with emphasis on the "was"," Sal interrupted, "And you're right to suppose that simply having the misfortune of living next to a guy that happened to get murdered should in no way implicate you in given affair..."
Sal paused for a moment, suddenly yawning. All this investigating was awfully tiring, little work as it might have been.
"... but that's not exactly why I'm here. See, I happened to find out – through meticulous research..."
Being lucky enough to bump into a cheetah who knew more about leopard-cheetah territorial relations than I did, that is.
"... that there have been a couple of rather conspicuous territory transfers recently, between you and
Wahanga."
Sal paused again, hoping for some kind of response. It didn't come. Mgomo just seemed to be trying to stare the hyena down.
"You wouldn't want to elaborate on that?"
"No," the leopard grunted.
"So nothing on how Wahanga took your land, and you took it back?"
"That's between me and Wahanga – that's got nothing to do with..."
"Yeah, sure," Sal smirked sarcastically, "Whatever you're selling, I ain't buying it. You're telling me you just happened to take back your territory the moment Wahanga died – without even knowing he was dead, by your own account?"
"Yep. Nothing illegal about that is there?"
"No. Just highly improbable. Certainly not as likely as you going out and getting rid of Wahanga because he had the nerve to take over your territory..."
"You're barking up the wrong tree, hyena," Mgomo suddenly growled.
"Only because you're too big a pussy to come down from yours..." Time for some provocation; the best substitute to decent investigative work. Plus, having to look up at Mgomo all the time was giving Sal a sore neck. And would you look at that: the leopard willingly took the bait, and hopped down from his tree.
"You were saying?" Mgomo growled as he encroached on Sal, who tried his best not to appear intimidated.
"You smell an awful lot like cheetah – you been close to one recently? You don't have a cheetah girlfriend, do you? Or is that Wahanga I smell, still all over you after your duel?"
"Please, you woke me up for that?" Mgomo smiled viciously, "So there's been a bit of a territory back-and-forth between me and Wahanga. It happens. We sorted it out on your own, no big deal. That's all you have to convince your matriarch of my involvement in the matter? Oh, right, that and some odor you supposedly picked up – there's a laugh for you; a hyena picking the smell of a dead cheetah from a leopard. You ain't got bollocks. Hyenas can't identify cheetahs by smell, buddy; you know it, and your matriarch nows it... "
"But other cheetahs can," someone suddenly shouted, taking both Sal and Mgomo aback. From the darkened brush surrounding them suddenly appeared the female cheetah that had escorted Sal around Wahanga's land. This was surprising for two reasons, the first being the late hour: cheetahs don't stay up late, they use their nights to sleep, in contrast to other big-cats like lions or leopards. It was also a curious appearance because she didn't really have anything to gain by appearing there at that time, not personally anyway.
"What the..."
"I knew Wahanga. I didn't know him that well, I admit, but I did know him. I know what he looked like, I know what he smelled like," the cheetah continued, brazenly lumbering towards Mgomo, "And you have his smell all over you. You could have just has well been living with him for the last month, and it still wouldn't be that flagrant..."
"Uh... Yeah! What she said," Sal nodded, half surprised, half delighted with the cheetah's appearance, "Killing 's a messy business, you have to get real close... some cross-contamination is bound to happen eventually."
Sal slacked over to the cheetah, all the while keeping his gaze fixed on Mgomo, making sure the leopard understood he was done for: "And I'll give you my word on this: cheetahs sure can identify other cheetahs. I know it, my matriarch knows it..."
For a moment there, it seemed as if the otherwise rather well-composed Mgomo would loose his temper and go into a fit of rage: he started skulking towards the female cheetah menacingly.
"Why you dirty little..."
"Wow there, hold your horses, partner," Sal tried his best – all right, maybe not entirely his best, but at least he tried – to shush Mgomo, taking up position in between him and the female cheetah, "You don't want to make this any worse now – don't make me have to kick your ass..."
"Please, spare me the tough-guy bullcrap, Sal," Mgomo spat, appearing a bit calmer again, though also strangely personal when addressing Sal. Like he knew him, or had at least heard a lot about him from someone else, "I know what kind of half-baked wuss you are; why don't you go crawling back to the misses, and leave me alone? I mean, what else are you going to do? Apprehend me? Drag my ass back to your clan's central den?"
Sal took a deep breath, trying his best not to zap Mgomo trough the mean look he had in his eyes. Mgomo's description had been a bit too close to the truth for comfort, for what Sal was concerned. On the other hand, with the sudden reappearance of the female cheetah to help link Mgomo to Wahanga, his mission had pretty much been accomplished. A great success, really, so no need to get worked up all of a sudden and mess it all up somehow.
"You know what? You're right. That's exactly what I'm going to do; I'm going to crawl along home, cuddle up with the misses, get some sleep. And then, tomorrow, I'll be back. And being the little wuss that I am, I'll bring friends. Then, I'll drag you back to the matriarch. How does that sound?"
"Lovely. Bring it on," the leopard replied stoically.
"All right then," Sal nodded, after which he turned to the still present cheetah: "Miss, I think it's best we left now – both of us at the same time. It might not be all that safe for you going around on your own right now..."
"Hey, wait a minute – are you just gong to leave him here?" the cheetah asked, as Sal was preparing to leave the area.
"Huh? Who?"
"The leopard! Shouldn't you be apprehending him, or something? What if he, you know, makes a run for it overnight?"
"Oh, by all means, I hope he does," Sal grinned, turning back at Mgomo, who was still watching him with a hateful stare, "Because if Mgomo over there all of a sudden were to decide to run off and not be present in his own territory tomorrow when I come for him... well, that's a confession of guilt, ain't it? That's how we see it, anyway. Then he'll be banished from these lands, risking death if he ever shows his face again. If, on the other hand, he decides to just be a good boy and wait here, he'll be brought before the matriarch. And she might decide he's free to go – or she might banish him for murdering Wahanga. Either way, it's in his best interest not to run; he might get off the hook, and the worst that could happen is getting banished – on the other hand, if he runs, banishment is the only possible outcome."
"Banishment? I thought you were going to have him executed..." the cheetah whispered, trying to make sure Mgomo didn't hear her.
"Nah, our previous matriarch gave up on that – wasn't all that keen on killing other predators. And she devised that whole theory about making it advantageous for animals to show up at their own trial voluntarily, eliminating the need to waste time and effort on detaining or apprehending them. And that theory doesn't work if the ultimate punishment is worse than banishment."
"Thanks the history lesson – I'll make sure I remember it..." Mgomo grumbled cynically.
"My pleasure entirely – I hope I see you again tomorrow, for your own sake..."
The female cheetah and Sal started walking away again, of toward her territory. All was said and done, so no need to waste any more time, really. Plus, both of them were feeling like taking a long, quiet nap by now, the non-nocturnal cheetah most of all.
"I guess I owe you my gratitude – yet again," Sal mumbled to his companion after they had already been walking for a while, "Good thing you were able to pick Wahanga's scent off the leopard – that's about the only solid testimonial I've got..."
"Hey, no problem – I'm sorry I snuck up on you like that, by the way. After we met, I was kind of curious about what you might find out..."
"Yeah, it'd have been a better idea to just ask me if you could come along, probably... There's one thing I don't get, though: why all the help? What do you stand to gain? I mean, coming out against Mgomo like that is likely to make him rather..."
"Vengeful?" The cheetah paused for a moment, smilingly, "Yeah, it might. But I'm willing to take those chances; if that's what it takes to keep our little paradise afloat, I'm willing to take the heat. Like I told you before, I don't think animals realize how good we have it here; we have order, security, peace and justice. I think it's only fair I do my part to keep it that way – just like you do."
"I second that," Sal nodded grinningly, "It's a shame there aren't more animals like you..."
It was only now that Sal realized he had never asked for the cheetahs name.
"Heck, what's your name anyway? We never properly introduced ourselves..."
"Shahidi."
"Sal, nice to have met you."
"Likewise. So... what happens now? I go home, and..."
"Ideally, you'd go home, get some sleep, and by tomorrow-evening I'll come pick you up, along with Mgomo. Then, we go see the matriarch, you tell her everything you told me, and Mgomo is banished from this land, never to be seen again," Sal explained, "However, the situation we're in is not quite ideal. For one, I don't think it'd be a good idea for you to go home just like that. Mgomo knows who you are, where you are, and he knows you're likely to get him banned from this place with your testimonial..."
"What, do you really think he would..."
"Better to err on the save side," Sal shrugged, "I will sleep more soundly if I know there's someone looking out for you, so Mgomo can't get to you even if he wanted to..."
"So you're sleeping over?"
"Say what?" Sal yelped in surprise.
"Isn't that what you meant? I mean, you're not actually expecting me to leave behind my territory and tag along towards your clan's nesting place, are you?"
"Eh... yeah, kind of... I mean, don't you want to be somewhere safe, just for the time being?"
"Not really – I want to go home and have a nap."
"But what if Mgomo..."
"I'll take my chances. I can take care of myself pretty well, you know," Shahidi grinned.
"Oh... all right then. No use in forcing anything on you, I guess..." the hyena shrugged. He was a bit conflicted: part of him believed it was imperative that he stay behind and guard Shahidi, while the rest of him was only concerned with getting back home as quickly as possible. Eventually – and maybe rather irresponsibly – he chose the latter, if only because he had promised Mary he'd be back home before midnight, to spend some time with the family.
"So... I'll see you tomorrow then?"
"Yep – if Mgomo doesn't get me first, that is..."
"Not funny," Sal frowned, not at all at ease with the idea of leaving his only witness behind unprotected, at risk of having spent the last few days of investigation ultimately fruitlessly if she ended up dead as well. But since he didn't really have a choice in the matter, nor the personality that would incline others to obey him, he had to content himself with leaving Shahidi behind and just hoping for the best, really.
The trek back home turned out to be longer than Sal remembered it to be, and as such, he only reached his den way past midnight. A good time to go to sleep, sure, but it ruled out whatever other activities he might have had planned. And since he reached the clan's nesting area unexpectedly late, it turned out both Agathe, the matriarch, and Mary were already fast asleep. That meant informing everyone of his interesting new finds would have to wait until the next day too... oh well, so be it; no biggie.
Sal cautiously maneuvered himself into Mary's den, trying his best not to wake her up. His best efforts notwithstanding, however, he still ended up bumping into her, causing her to lift her head up and stare at him drowsily.
"Whoops – sorry," Sal whispered sheepishly.
"Get out."
"Huh? What? I said I was sorry..."
"I don't care. Get out," Mary smirked, obviously annoyed as she lay her head back down, trying to go asleep again.
"But what did I ..."
"I'm not arguing with you, Sal. I don't see you for an entire day, your kids don't see you for an entire day, and now you suddenly appear and wake me up? That's not how I roll. Now get about before I throw you out."
"But..."
"No "buts", just "Yes, ma'am!"... Now out."
"Eh... yes ma'am, I guess..." Sal mumbled as he backed out of Mary's den again. Talking 'bout a big time bummer... Then again, it wasn't that bad. Mary wasn't angry or anything; getting all hysterical wasn't her style. She showed Sal the door, and that'd be it; she wouldn't mention it again. Remind Sal who was boss. Good way of dealing with arguments too, really, but not quite fit for the meek of heart.
That said, Sal was still bummed out of his mind. It'd be one cold and lonely night for him.