The test of hunting
A young and proud lioness must pass the test of hunting before being accepted by her pride's huntresses circle. If not, she'll not be allowed to hunt with them, and also to mate and have offsprings.
Characters: anthro hyena, anthro lioness
Settings: tribal Africa, Savannah, Rite of Passage
Note: This short story is intended as an idea for a longer story or a hint for a drawing. Pleas feel free to use it, modify and comment it, as you wish, I'm very curious to see what you'll do with it. If you make a drawing or a longer story out of this, please make me know!
A young and proud lioness must pass the test of hunting before being accepted by her pride's huntresses circle. If not, she'll not be allowed to hunt with them, and also to mate and have offsprings.
The test consist in tracking and hunting one of the many hyena males the hyena matriarchs send in the no-one land between the hyenas' and the lions' territory. This is also a test for the hyena male, to go there alone and survive the huntresses' assault. According to tradition, both the lioness and the male hyena must go naked but some tribal amulets and trinkets, a ritual knife or spear.
So the young huntress goes in the no-one land, and using her ability and strength she mercilessly kills more than one male. Some of them prove to be a worthy match, fighting with cunning and strength to their last, and giving credit for her victory before falling under her victorious body. She then uses her ritual obsidian knife on their bodies, to take their maleness as a sign of respect and of having accomplished her mission. Some others she meets are inferior males, clearly sent out by their matriarchs only to get disposed off. They fight back weakly and often beg for their life: she kills them rapidly, clearly disgusted. She'll not taint her ritual knife on them, leaving their exposed maleness to whatever scavenger might pass around.
But no matter how many males she kills, no matter how many trophies she brings back: the elder females only say: "You're strong and proud, young one, but you're not yet ready to join us".
What is it she is doing wrong? She always had great confidence in herself, but now she starts to feel insecure. And one day, this insecurity nearly costs her her life.
One day in the no-one land, while she's overthinking on what she's missing, she is assaulted by a hyena male. The fight is intense, but in the end the male manages to pin her down under his body, despite being smaller, and points his knife at her throat. Then time seems to stop flowing.
Instead of killing her quickly and claim his victory, the male look into her eyes; she feels the warmth of his young, strong body over her, his hasty breath on her neck, his pouncing hearth, his hand over her naked breast. The strange sensation of his malehood pressing on her belly.
- You're so brave and beautifull... I can't kill you - he says softly, closing his eyes.
The huntress understand it is now or never: she attacks him, beats him on his back and point her dagger at his hearth.
- This is how things must go - says quietly the hyena, still under her body. - I'm just a male, one of the unwanted many. No one will miss me. Take my life, become a great huntress, and have an offspring strong and proud as you.
Some days before, she would have done as he had just said. But now she is the one who's hesitating. This male is as proud as she is, and he spared her life. Her hand is shaking, then she throws the knife away.
The male look at her, her beautiful breasts rising atop him while she sits firmly on his belly. - Why are you doing that? - he asks, incredulous. He know well that lionesses, especially the young ones, have no mercy for hyena males.
She shook her head. - I... I don't know why - she says. - You... you are not an unwanted male. And you would be missed.
She moves her hands over his furry, muscular chest, then she grabs his throat. - Be quiet now. I want to test something on you... something we both never did. - She then takes his balls with the other hand, fondling them roughly. She's now in control again, both of him and of her own feelings.
Male hyenas are naturally dominated by females, and now his erection is instantaneous, even explosive: in a matter of hearthbeats his malehood becomes hard and stiff as stone. He groans, she purrs, now wet, both totally lost in those new sensations they never felt. Then she takes him and puts him inside her with a moan, and starts mounting him wildly. He endures all of this, raising his hands over her muscular sides to finally grapple her breasts while she firmly pins him down.
Minutes? Hours? Who can say? In the end they both come together, crying loudly. A sensation so new and strong they both arch their back in ecstasy. This is too much for the hyena: after a weil of pleasure, he exales a deep breath and then pass out. Then she lays down on of him, and another eternity seems to pass while she hugs and cuddles him while he sleeps deeply.
But, minute after minute, the awareness of what she did starts to scare her. She could kill him while he is sleeping and pretend all of this never happened, but the idea disgusts her even more.
-What have I done? I wanted all of this with all my body and soul, and now I am lost. Clearly, I'm not worthy of being a huntress. I'll come back to my pride and I will admit my failure to the elder huntresses.
With a sense of death within her heart, she leaved the beloved hyena under the shadow of a tree, still asleep, putting her ritual knife in his hands as a sign of his victory. His matriarch will recognize him as a male worthy of mating, and he will become a full member of his clan, not one of the disposable males.
Then she heads home. Once she's in the huntresses circle's hut, she knee before the elders and explained all what happened.
- I ask not for mercy. I tainted my body and lost my honor. I betrayed my pride and my race. I failed my test. If you will not kill me out of mercy, I'll do it myself and I will go willingly into oblivion.
Then something strange happens. The elder ones watch at each other, smiling softly, then the eldest says: - You passed the test right now. Because you now understand what it means to take a life, the value of mercy, the power of lust. You are not a youngling anymore. You are now one of us.
And so both the hyena male and the young lioness passed their test, became true members of their prides, and lived a long and adventurous life. Did they meet again? Maybe... but that's another story.