The tunnel was still. Too still for the hyena pups liking- He wanted to go somewhere where there was hustle and bustle- And perhaps someone to talk to? There was the slight echo of claw scrapes, but Aki assumed that those paws steps and the slow scraping sound was all him— Dragging his hind leg in one of the many grooves that lined the floor of the cavern. As he hobbled along, a small squeal caught his attention, and a small, red furred creature viewed him from across the cave. It was a mouse of sorts. Three eyes stared, unblinking, before the small mammal raised its fore-paws and ran its little hands through its whiskers. With another annoying squeak, the small thing turned tail and started shuffling away slowly.

Aki stared, intrigued, watching the mouse walk away. He ignored the scrapes on his hind leg as he set off at a long, loping run, after the creature, that— with a frantic call— picked up speed. The thing was far too fast for Aki, and, realizing he wouldn’t be able to catch it, he slowed and strutted farther down the tunnel, with no destination in mind as the small critter ran off.

“Bye bye, mouse..”

He said rather wistfully as he plodded along. His voice wavered slightly as he turned his head to the side, his eyes catching an intricately carved scene etched into the cavern wall. Aki’s paw-steps paused as he stared at the artwork, his mouth slightly agape.

“Wow.”


"speaking" and thoughts
Trashy code by ✨ ME ✨

There are other sounds, beyond the scraping, the mouse, Aki's voice. There's a chiming sound, coming from down the tunnel. Survivor would pass the mouse as it disappeared into a crack in the wall, but it didn't hold its attention for long.

The voice of a Greater Gembound was far more interesting. They would slowly approach Akicheka on all fours, calling out to him, "Hello? Are you friend?"

This is my chance to prove myself. Gain allies. Please Mother. But it doesn't let itself worry about failure. Mother has bundled all of those pesky worries away, replacing it with confidence.

"This one is friend, if you are as well."

@Akicheka