Hello friends. I hope that you're doing well :)
This is my response to the Freewrite prompt, a daily writing exercise that I am really enjoying doing. Thank you @mariannewest for hosting these.
I’ve been challenging myself to make most of the freewrites I do match a particular theme. So far, I have made many of them about wild animals that tend to get a bad reputation, and am finding it to be a very enjoyable challenge. I’d be curious if anyone else had any other suggestions.
https://steemit.com/freewrite/@mariannewest/day-502-5-minute-freewrite-wednesday-prompt-let-s-eat
Prompt: “Let’s eat”
The pack of hyenas ran through the night, approaching the city. It was pitch black on the outskirts off the city, but even inside, there were few lights to beat back the shadows. As the hyenas started there foray past the walls, the city was hushed, as though in anticipation of something to come.
The hyenas kept up a steady trot, their path through the twisting alleyways and poorly lit streets keeping them away from more populated regions. To a casual observer, it would seem like the hyenas were following a GPS, so sure were there steps. They did indeed know where they were going, and almost were there. They were heading to a feast.
Some of the younger hyenas started to get a little anxious, being amongst all of this urban sprawl, but followed the older ones. Soon enough, they came to where they were going.
The smell of blood hung heavy in the air. This was a place of death, of killing. But to the hyenas, it was a place of food. For they were at a butchers shop. The owner of the shop was sitting outside, calmly waiting for their approach. As had become their ritual, the owner started handing out scraps of meat to the hyenas, who accepted the food and the petting happily. Some of the older hyenas even nuzzled up against the owner of the butcher shop, trying to display their affection and gratitude for their provider.
Soon after they finished their meal, the hyenas departed again, traveling through the darkened city back to the wild. There they would enjoy the rest of their night and day, confident that they would be able to return again for easy food.
These hyena are becoming tamer. Perhaps they will someday in the distant future become the next wolves. Who can say?
This freewrite comes from a real life scenario. In the Ethiopian city of Harar, hyenas have been coming into the city for the last 500 years to feed on waste and occasionally get fed. You can find out more about it on this Wikipedia page here.
I found out about this phenomenon from Planet Earth 2, and was quite surprised. I think it’s an incredibly fascinating story. From what I have learned about the domestication of dogs, it was very similar to this. Could this eventually lead to a new domesticated species? Possibly. I have no idea what a domesticated hyena would look like, but if it follows standard physiological changes from domestication, it would likely start to look a lot more like a dog.
I'm thinking I may change from my animal theme to do either super heroes’ daily lives, or sci-fi. Any opinions?
I am looking for a partner for the we-write contest if anyone is interested. You can find details here.
If you’re interested in writing with me, please send me a message on discord, my username is nmcdougal#1503, or on Telegram.
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