Gluttonous Hyena
A common story told to the children of the Firadas Prairie, it warns them of both being too greedy and of the dangers of the Cackling Hyena.
Summary
There once was a hyena as lazy as can be, who wanted to eat but not work for it. Birds flew away, and the pangolins were too tough. Rhinos were very scary and antelope were too fast. One day while looking for food she came across some humans burying another human in the ground.
'Such a waste' she thought "Why bury such good food when you can eat it?' The young hyena waited until the humans left before tucking into her meal. Full and relaxed she took a nap.
When it happened again she couldn't believe her luck, 'More food for me? How lucky can I be?', and she ate until she could barely move. As days went on the Humans buried more and more of their dead, and the young hyena forgot what it felt to be hungry. 'This is a delight' she thought 'All this food just for me, and no hunting needed, I shall never go hungry.'
Good times never last, and the humans slowly stopped bring their dead, leaving the poor hyena hungry. How dare they not feed her and make her hunt for her own meat. Perhaps they started burying their dead closer to their dens? So one night the hyena went into town, looking for a easy meal. The dead she did not find, but something else, a young human girl playing on the trail.
So very hungry the hyena didn't think twice, and she gobbled the child up with delight. So soft and tender, much better than corpses, perhaps this town would be better. Very night she came, and gobbled up kids, and they started hiding in these strange dens, That would not stop this young hyena however, and she always made her way in, ignoring the shouts and attacks from the adults so she could focus on the young ones.
One night she found three young ones all tangled up together outside, their cries only getting louder with time. 'What luck I have finding these three, I shall eat my fill and then perhaps nap under a tree.' As she approached the humans she felt a sudden pain, and then another, and another. Her strength faded and as she collapsed, some adult humans crossed her path. Her very last thought as the humans started their attack, 'Perhaps I shouldn't have pushed my luck.'
Historical Basis
Old or sick Cackling Hyenas have been known to stalk cemeteries, digging up fresh graves for an easy meal. They are also common around mass graves during times of war. Often these hyenas would move on to attack living humans, especially kids,
Related Species
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