Rhea adored the newest fawns of the forest, she really did. She’d only known them a day, yet simply because they were Pandora’s, she cared for them.

Something gave her pause though… Some kind of feeling she couldn’t ignore or suppress.

The cub felt jealously, the likes of which she had never felt the depths of before. She was jealous of the twins for having something she never would: parents. Jealous they would always have love no matter what they did, because they had family. Jealous they would never have to question their own value.


Who was Rhea after all? What did her own life amount to in the bigger scheme of things?

Jealousy was such a powerful emotion that it troubled her down to the core of who she was. She loathed the feeling and wanted nothing more than to escape it.
Gritting her teeth, she darted into the depths of the forest, as if she were fast enough to run away from herself. The cub had no destination in mind, she just needed to get away.

They didn’t need her after all. Pandora had her own babies to worry over now. And Pig… She was sure she’d amount to nothing to him compared to Pan’s children. Had she really thought she even meant anything in the first place?
What had she thought anyway? That she’d be able to have her own family one day? Foolishness. She was an outsider looking in and always would be.

Deep down, the cub knew this feeling was wrong. This self-loathing would get her nowhere; yet, she couldn’t shake it. She needed to get away, to figure things out and sort her own self out. She couldn’t stay and wallow in her self-pity. She needed to go, to either find or lose herself somewhere out there.

And so she ran, cursing the forest in its endless nature. And she ran, as her legs burned and her sides heaved with the effort. And she ran, until she slammed straight into the legs of a large stag.

Rhea yelped and jumped back, looking up with tired eyes that fought back stinging tears. It was a huge bongo, with deep eyes that looked ancient, as if they had seen a millennia of hardship and trials. He stared down at the cub, his antlers towering and twisting over head.
The hyena hybrid thought he smelled tired. Tired and very worn. She tried to get out an apology, but not a sound left her jaws. She was made speechless by his looming presence and, even more so, the fact that he seemed awfully familiar.

“What are you running from, little cub?” he asked, his voice calming, yet commanding.

Rhea squared her jaw and looked him straight in the eye, “I’m not runnin’ from anything.” She was tough, or so she thought at least. She wasn’t scared. Things should run away from her, not the other way around. Right?

“Oh,” the giant said with a pause, “Then where are you running to?”

“Dunno…” she said quietly, not as much confidence lacing the word. “Away.”

The bongo nodded slowly, regarding the small creature below him with a steady gaze. “Ah, so you are running away.”

After a short pause, Rhea nodded. Running away… She supposed that was what this was.

The stag hummed, lowering his head down to the cub’s level, “That’s a hard thing to do in a forest such as this.”

Rhea’s ears flattened against her neck and she looked to the ground, as if she’d find answers written in the dirt. She really couldn’t escape; she was forced to remain here and watch the beautiful lives she could never have.
With a heavy sigh, the hyena lowered herself to the ground. A little tear fell then, against her will. She felt so lost, confused, and alone. Now, she couldn’t even solve her own problems.

The bongo stag sat down before her. “You know, Child, if you really have a desire to go.. away.. I can take you there.”

Take her away.. Maybe that was best. At least for a little while.
Rhea didn’t know this stag, not well at least, but she felt as though she had no other option. Who else would ever offer to take her away?
She couldn’t stay around like this, full of jealousy and pity. She needed to go and cull it from her life; it was something she knew she just couldn’t do here.
After all… Would anyone even miss her? How long before they noticed she was gone? How long before they forgot about her completely? She was insignificant.

Finally… Rhea looked up, her expression determined and unwavering. “I want to go away.”

The bongo heaved himself upwards, motioning to the cub with his massive head. His eyes were sad, but knowing, and there was the smallest, tired grin on his snout. “Come.”

Rhea stood with a sniff on shaking legs. She felt numb now.
She looked back into the forest one last time. Lifting her snout, she took a deep breath, capturing the mingled scents of those close to her. She wanted to hold onto that at least.

So Rhea followed the bongo. Followed him into a portal that lead her far from everything she thought she knew. The hyena stepped into another world. He had in fact taken her away.