"What the ******** were you thinking?!"

A crash; another good skull pulverized against the ground. The Alpha's rage was consuming her, and all who were nearby were terrified....all but the red hyena Dath. He was amused at her outrage, and merely shrugged his shoulders at her. He was tickled that his disinterest in her rage only pushed her on further. If she wasn't careful, he wouldn't be surprised if her heart burst.

"Frankly, Masuko, you thought you had your slave under better control, but you didn't. Don't blame me for the murder that he committed. Isn't that what you raised him to do?"

"I am not a ******** fool, Dath," she snarled at him. "You ordered him to do this. Jasi was there as a witness," she threw her claws at him, narrowly missing his face. "One of your sons is traumatized and useless, Jasi is trying to get the healers to set him straight. I have another untrained slave that will cause more misery than she is worth, and now I have to set extra guards on all the slaves because of it!" She was starting to realize that her hyena were growing stronger, especially the brood sired by Dath. But to have to divert their attention away from the border and onto the slaves was bullshit. She needed more recruits, but it seemed like the hyenas left in the rogue lands were flower lovers, lion lovers, and absolutely useless to her. She had even found one that was disgusted by bones! A heretic.

Dath shrugged again. "Another slave to break, and she'll be wonderful once she's broken. Why don't you have Ruslam finish breaking her? She's probably abso-lutely terrified of him," he grinned, feeling his tail curl upwards. "And who knows, perhaps you can finally have more of your precious slave-babies to raise perfectly obedient."

"Get out. I have enough to worry about. Go...back to whatever useless task you were doing," Masuko commanded. Dath did not always listen to her commands, but his unusual strength made it hard for the Alpha to impose her will on him. Thankfully, he left, chuckling all the way out of her area.

Masuko sighed, throwing herself onto the ground. She knew that rage was one of her greatest allies, paired with the strength she had inherited from her family, but for the bone's sake, it was exhausting. "Jasi...? Oh." Jasi was with Jehanum, trying to heal the traumatized boy, and she was no where nearby. Her eyes wandered around the various forms that were nearby, though still terrified to get too close to her. "K'dima," she ordered. The small cheeton ran up obediently, having had been a slave in another hyena colony since birth. "Go fetch Eir, or Fupa, or somehow who has a relatively fresh catch."

With the slave gone to carry out her order, the alpha waited, and stewed. There was always something about Dath that bothered her, but he was true to his word (usually). He had brought in some new strength to the stalled pack, and it seemed like Chora's brood were all touched with visions. She wasn't sure how he did it, and she didn't want to ask. Some sort of poison, or an herb, or black magic? Maskuo wasn't above using dark means to keep her pack safe, and to chip away at the unchecked power of the Pridelands. But for him to fulfill it so thoroughly did worry her. Chora wouldn't dare try to tip the balance of power to gain the rank of alpha, would she?

Eir had appeared, her piebald face always a stark contract to the rest of the pack. "Yes, my Alpha?" the healer asked with a bow. "I have brought a small meal as requested, and if you prefer, I would like to check your body for any signs of strain."

Masuko waved an agreement to this, diving into the meal while Eir worked away.

(tbc)