Two years after the disappearance of the hyenas that once resided in the Outlands…

Book 2: Return To The Outlands

Chapter 1: Wake Up Call

Childish laughter echoed from tree to tree, disturbing the silent serenity that often enveloped the Shiverglade Jungle. Watching as the birds scattered from their place of quiet, a small hyena cub hopped from stone to stone, only stopping to gaze at her rippling reflection in the steady stream that surrounded her. She squealed with innocent delight as she dipped her tiny paw below the cool surface and felt the droplets collide against her black fur. The hyena cub pulled her paw from the water and gave it a good shake before continuing her leaping until she was fully across.

"Mister Butterfly!? Where did you go," she cried out as if expecting the small short lived insect to answer. She glanced around at her surroundings which now seemed far more menacing than they had a second ago. She quickly spun around with her little heart now racing as she slowly began to realize that the small stream was the only thing she recognized. Panicking, she called out. "Mommy!? Madoa!? Anyone," she cried out hoping that someone would come to her rescue.

She got ready to cry out again when her small nose caught a scent that filled her with hope. Given how little she was allowed to explore, she only knew a few scents but this one was all too familiar. It was a hyena. Hoping that maybe it was someone from her clan, she cautiously allowed her small wet nose to lead the way. She wiggled her way through small clearings in the lush green foliage until she came across a dark opening in what looked like the side of a cliff. Despite her desperately hoping that her nose was going to point elsewhere, the scent continued on into the cave.

"Hello? Is anyone in there," she squeaked before listening to her own voice echo back towards her. For a moment there was nothing but silence until she heard what sounded like something lazily moving around inside of the darkness. The cub dug her paws into the dirt and did her best to put on a brave face as she fought the growing desire to run. She could hear the sound of something moving closer towards the entrance with the occasional clicking sound. Images of a beast unlike any other filled her mind. One with large frightening claws that were no doubt behind the clicking sound.

A threatening cackle echoed from the darkness. The cub jumped and spun around as a nearby bird flew threw the leaves of a nearby tree with a loud screech. A ray of sunlight began to illuminate the entrance of a cave and to the fright of the poor girl, a face that seemed anything but friendly. As the scent and cackle had led her to believe, the stranger had indeed been a hyena. However, even from a quick glance, he wasn't someone she recognized.

"Go away," he muttered sternly as he stared down at her with his only remaining eye. His face was covered in scars with his right eye being something akin to a white marble. The stranger took another step towards her, allowing her to see how beat up he looked. His brown fur was torn and uneven in some places with scars covering his sides and no doubt his back. "I said scram kid," he ordered before letting out a rather unflattering cough. After regaining his composure he turned and studied the cub with his weary yet admittedly curious brown eye. "Where are your parents," he asked, this time with a more neutral tone.

"My mom and my sister are with the rest of the clan," the cub finally squeaked. The older hyena tilted his head slightly.

"Your clan? There's more of you," he asked seeming a little taken aback by the kid's response. The cub nodded before lowering her head and whimpering.

"We were passing through on our way to the Outlands but I got distracted by a butterfly and now I'm lost," the girl sniffled as tears began to well up in her eyes. The hyena perked up at the mention of the Outlands and without saying a word, turned to go back inside of his den. "We're near the weird hill with the paintings! Please, I just want my mom," she begged which caused the hyena to stop in his tracks for a moment. He let out a sigh and turned to face the whimpering cub.

"Fine, but if your mom isn't there then you're on your own," he grumbled as he thought about how he could still be asleep and free from the nightmare that was his life. The cub looked up at the stranger and weakly smiled. "Follow me and stay close. I'm not gonna waste anymore time looking for you if you wander off," he added before motioning for the girl to follow after him. "You have a name, kid," he asked despite not actually caring.

"I'm Jasiri! What's your name," she asked as if to try and get the hyena to like her a little more by showing off her manners. The hyena hesitated for a moment before responding.

"Askari".

A/N: Here it is! Book 2 of Askari's journey! I have some pretty fun twists and turns in this one so please feel free to share any theories or thoughts you might have. As I stated before in Book 1, AO3 is where I'll update first and it's also where I have everything meshed into one trilogy collection. I hope you guys enjoy what's to come and thanks for stopping by!