Wenet's Cousin

With a burst of speed, you charge towards the hyena cub that has wandered into your path. It yips at you with curiosity in it's eyes, unmoving as your paws pound the earth. You spring, ready to crush it underpaw- and get punted sideways, hitting the ground with a hard thud.

Hot breath sweeps across your exposed throat, a set of yellow fangs grazing the fur there. The stench of hyena fills your nostrils. Before you can be bitten, you roll aside and kick out hard, throwing your assailant; they hit the earth with just as hollow a thump as you did. A deep snarl rumbles next to your ear and your crane your neck to look over.

A hyena? No - this thing is bigger than a hyena. A long, tufted tail lashes from the back of a coarse, striped pelt.

"Mine," the creature growls.
The hyena cub chuckles, backing behind the larger animal's legs. Baring your teeth, you resist the urge to snap at it. The animal's eyes flash with savage fury, and you back a step away as it laughs hoarsely, trying to imitate the whooping of it's child. Hissing, you crouch lower to the ground, getting into a defensive stance - waiting for a crushing blow.