Inoa's Choice

The group nearly gasps as Inoa walks forward to her choice for third-in-line. There are only 3 females eligible, Maila, Dundy, and Hahela. Inoa touches noses with her choice. DUNDY is greatful that Inoa has chosen HER. Most of the group cannot believe it. Inoa stands back and watches their expressions. Dundy may be young, inexperienced, rebellious, and formerly low ranking, but she is Kapepe's daughter, and full of energy and promise of a good adult. Kapepe looks at Inoa, then Dundy, then nods her head in acceptance. Dundy is unsure of what to do now. She looks around. Inoa goes and sits next to Kapepe. Dundy follows and sits on the other side of her. Suddenly, Eikawaii chirps in agitation. He sees a pup walking around, 50 feet away. Kapepe stands up, and leads the group over to it. Kapepe sniffs it. It smells like Neemi? She sniffs Nui, the female pup, again. Sure enough, Neemi's unmistakable scent is etched into the pup's fur. How did Neemi escape attention in a pregnancy? Kapepe picks up Nui and brings her back to the burrow, settling her down next to Kal'Kaua, Ulani, and Aolani.

Sorry for the shortness!

Family Tree

A written family tree of the Hawaiis:

Iwahine's mother and her sister were evicted from their mob. Iwahine's mother formed the Hawaiis, while her sister formed Hoahanau's old group and moved away from the Hawaiis' area. Iwahine's mother led the group for 5 years before she died of old age, at 12 years old. Then, Iwahine's older sister Maunu took dominance. Iwahine then had a litter of her own, who may be Kapepe's litter, and she was evicted. Iwahine got back in, though. Soon, Maunu died, and Iwahine's only remaining sisters were Marigha and Inoa. Iwahine became the dominant female and had several litters, who may be the rest of the group, before Kapepe, now a two year old female, asked for the position. Wise old Iwahine gave to Kapepe and Mahalo and Kapalo joined from a rival group. Kapepe had never had a successful litter for a year, but finally she had Hahela and Dundy, then, more recently, Kal'Kaua and Ulani. Maila, Kapepe's sister, also had pups, but only Aolani is alive. Thus, all of the group except for the 3 pups, the teenagers, Mahalo, Kapalo, Inoa, and Hoahanau are Kapepe's siblings.

Next post coming soon, continuing the story! There's some surprising twists, and Inoa's choice shocks everyone.

The Stranger

The group can't stay grieving for Iwahine long. Kapepe is reluctant to leave, though, and does not hurry. Suddenly, Mahalo stands more alert, watching a dot in the distance. The dot grows gradually closer and closer. Its a lone male, Hoahanau. Iwahine's mother's sister formed a group, thus making Hoahanau the cousin of the Hawaiis. Mahalo is still nervous, though. Hoahanau is the last remaining member of the Hawaii's cousins. The rest of the group died out. Hoahanau gets low on his belly, approaching the grieving Hawaiis around Iwahine's body. Kapepe bats an eyelid for a second, but doesn't pursue a chase. That's up for Mahalo to decide. Mahalo approahces Hoahanau nervously, then scent-marks him, giving him place in the mob. Hoahanau is grateful. He stands up, peeking over the grieving meerkats around Iwahine's body. He approaches it slowly. He sniffs the air and buries his nose into Iwahine's fur. It smells like his mother. He breathes the sweet scent for a few moments, the scent of love, the scent of pups, the scent of kindness, the scent of sacrifice. Hoahanau is suddenly alerted by a chirping, arising from Mahalo, Kapalo, Kapu'a'notting, Malamalama, and Malama. Marigha quickly has to decide who is third in charge. If she should die in this battle, then Kapepe would be left with a huge burden. She goes over and bows to Inoa, her last sister and the youngest of the Iwahine-Marigha-Inoa generation. Inoa is surprised, but regains herself quickly. Kapepe and Maila grab Iwahine's body and retreat to the burrow. The rest of the group launch an attack. Kal'Kaua, Ulani, and Aolani hide in nearby bushes. If the Hawaiis lose, then they could be killed. The fight drags on. Finally, the Shellos are defeated and sent running back to their territory. After the dust settles, the carnage is revealed. Neemi, Monee, Marigha, Omba, and Gumba are all dead. Hahela is seriously injured and seems about to die. Hoahanau is horrified. Behind a bush, the pups chirp. The group gravitates toward them. Another body is discovered. Kapu'a'notting. A brave warrior has been lost today, along with 4 other loyal Hawaiians. The group gathers up the bodies and the pups, dragging them on their way home. At home, Kapepe and Maila are horrified to see their friends, their mobmates, their family dead. The whole group, with Hoahanau, gather in a circle and grieve. Even the pups feel sober, and Kal'Kaua is in one of his truly calm moments. The group now contains:

Kapepe, dominant female
Mahalo, dominant male
Ke Ali, male
Malama, male
Malamalama, male
Kapalo, male
Inoa, female
Maila, female
Eikawaii, male
Hahela, female
Dundy, female
Hoahanau, male
Aolani, female
Kal'Kaua, male
Ulani, female

Only 15 members, three of them pups. They are now not gaining on Shellos, but falling back to Palace strength. There's another matter that has to be settled. With Marigha now gone, Inoa, placed upon such a huge responsiblity, now has to decide who is third in charge, as she is now second in charge. She considers for a moment. Minutes pass by, the group silent, awaiting her decision. Finally, she walks forward to a female.

Who has Inoa chosen? How will the Hawaiis get along without much-loved members? And will Hoahanau fit in? Find out next post!

The Death of a Hero

Its been several days since Aolani and Kaikala emerged. Maila has keeped Kaikala close to her and not gone out foraging for several days. Starving and nearly out of milk, Maila's predicament is passed onto Kaikala. She is horribly weak and showing signs of a strange sickness. On this particular morning, Maila emerges first. Kaikala drags herself up soon afterwards. The Hawaiis are still sleeping. Maila grabs Kaikala and trods over to the Hawaiis' burrow. Kapalo, Mahalo's brother, is up first at the Hawaiis. He flirts with Maila a bit, comforting her and Kaikala. Mahalo himself is up next. He has no worry about Maila or Kaikala. Soon, Kapepe, Iwahine, and Kal'Kaua emerge. Kapepe sniffs Maila and Kaikala closely but allows them to stay. Maila starts to spread around, foraging around the burrow, desperate for sustinance. Slowly the Hawaiis get up. Despite Kal'Kaua's injury, he is still feisty as ever and tumbles around with Ulani. Aolani joins their games though she is slightly smaller than them. Kaikala is too lethargic and weak to play at all. The Hawaiis now number 23. The Shellos are still larger at 28, but Palaces only number 14. Iwahine keeps a close watch on the rough and tumble games of the pups. She is the oldest female in the group and may even be Kapepe's mother. Iwahine has always loved pups. Marigha, her younger sister, is quite antisocial. Iwahine is second in charge, as enforced by Kapepe, and Iwahine thus appoints her sister Marigha as third in charge. Maila soon stands up and looks around, starving and eager for Kapepe too send the foraging party out. Today, Aolani will be foraging, but Kaikala will not. Instead, Iwahine will babysit her. Kapepe chirps lead calls and sets out. Maila keeps close by her. Dundy in turn keeps close by Maila and Malamalama. Malama stays near his brother also. Mahalo is in position next to Kapepe, and Kapalo is off from the group a little ways. Its like this nearly every day. Meanwhile, at the burrow, Iwahine lactates for Kaikala and she soon starts to gain a little strength. However, the Shellos are arriving. Iwahine, scared for her and Kaikala, grabs the tiny pup and brings her deep underground. The Shellos swarm the burrow. They work amazingly quick and enlarge the entrance. Iwahine seems doomed. Iwahine keeps Kaikala behind her, ready to defend her at all costs. The Shellos are just too much. They drag old Iwahine out of the burrow and viciously maul her. Kaikala is killed almost instantly. Finally, the Shellos claim the burrow as their own by scent-marking it. Iwahine struggles and limps off to find the foraging party, her life hanging by a thread. Finally, Iwahine finds them. Kapepe rushes up to her, the group surrounding her in concern. Everyone grooms her. The three tiny pups cuddle in Iwahine's fur. Dundy grooms her. Mahalo keeps a somber watch. Kapepe hangs her head, comforting the older female, who might be her mother. The Hawaiis are at 22, it would be a horrible loss if it went to 21. Tears seem to be slipping out of Kapepe's eyes as Iwahine's breathing slows. Iwahine coughs once, leans over and cuddles the pups a last time, and stops breathing. The great Iwahine has gone.

R.I.P. Iwahine, faithful Hawaii female.

((I cried while typing this. Iwahine was my favorite and it was a tough decision to kill her off.))

Struggling to Survive

Maila backs off. She looks up and spots the Shellos group. Because she is not part of the group, she runs off, not having to worry about the fight. Iwahine abandons Ulani in a bush. Luckily, the female pup stays there. Iwahine hears something. A cry. She looks around and spots Kal'Kaua, about 30 feet away, struggling to make it to the group. He is dragging his right back foot painfully, but for Iwahine that's not her problem. She sees a Martial Eagle about to capture the pup. Iwahine dashes forward, but the eagle is faster. Kal'Kaua is snatched...or is he? The eagle's talons are empty. Kal'Kaua gets up again. He layed down, his fur camouflaging him against the sand. That's what saved him. Iwahime manages to catch him, but the eagle is closing in on her. She makes a desperate dash back to Ulani and makes it there just in time. She sets down Kal'Kaua and sounds the alarm. The Hawaiis have retreated. The Shellos's are too large. Iwahine grabs Kal'Kaua and Inoa grabs Ulani. The Hawaiis make it home safely. Back at home, Gumba and Malama greet the Hawaiis. Kapepe bites Gumba's tailbase and shakes gently, a punishment for letting the pups go. Iwahine and Inoa set down the two pups. Kal'Kaua's leg is twisted back at a painful angle. Kapepe gently tries to nudge it into place. It heals some, but its clear that Kal'Kaua will be deformed for the rest of his life. While the group is caught in the struggles with the pups, Maila sneaks in on them slowly. She dashes down the burrow suddenly, but no one notices. In the burrow, Maila grabs one of her four pups and gets out a different exit. She sets it down in the entrance of a bolt hole. After doing this two more times, she comes back to get her last pup. But the Hawaiis are in the burrow and she's lost her chance with her last pup. Maila makes her way back to the bolt hole and brings her pups deeper into the tunnels. 2 weeks later, Maila has managed to keep herself fed and her pups alive, but she's still evicted. Her last pup is still living as well. Kapepe seems to realize that with one of their current pups deformed and the group relatively small, any number of members would help. But it seems as if she is not accepting Maila's other pups. The group has waited this long to allow Kal'Kaua to gain strength for the day ahead. Today, Ulani and Kal'Kaua will forage. The group emerges and lazily work on the burrow. Soon, Kapepe chirps and leads the whole group out. Without a babysitter looking after Maila's pup, Aolani, is serious trouble. When the group moves off, Maila approaches. She cautiously descends down the burrow and find Aolani. At the foraging party, the adults are making sure Ulani and especially Kal'Kaua are getting a good amount of food. Kal-Kaua's leg is making it harder for him to move, but he's just as pesky all the same. Soon, dominant male Mahalo, who's already eaten breakfast, spots danger. The Palaces, led by Pinky Pie. He chirps the alarm, and jumps off the stump he was watching from. Iwahine hides the pups under a bush, and twists Kal'Kaua's leg back so he cannot move. She can do nothing about Ulani. If she runs away, then she's in serious danger. The Hawaiis rush into the fight, pronking their legs high into the air. The Palaces see that they mean business, and Pinky Pie leads them into a hasty retreat. When the group gets back, Ulani and Kal'Kaua are still sitting under the bush. Malamalama twists Kal'Kaua's leg back into position, and the pups begin wandering around, harassing the adults for food. At home, Maila is keeping watch above the burrow. Its important for her to spot the Hawaiis quickly when they come back. In a few hours, the Hawaiis return home. Maila spots them coming and goes back to her little bolt hole. When she smells Maila all over the burrow, Kapepe is furious. She and Mahalo scent-mark the area. Dundy, the rebellious little teenager, goes into the burrow. She comes out in a minute, dragging Aolani with her. Kapepe attacks Dundy and Malamalama brings Aolani back into the depths of the burr0w. 1 week later, Maila has lost two of her pups and most of her weight. Her last remaining pup, Kaikala, is emerging today, as well as Aolani. Kapepe waits up at the entrance. Finally, Aolani pokes her tiny head into the sun. She is temorarily blinded, but gets over it quickly and crawls out. Kapepe leaves Kapu'a'notting at home to watch her. Then she sets off. Kaikala is late. Maila waits and waits. Finally, at noon, the pup creeps out of the burrow. Luckily, the shade keeps her eyes out of the sun. Maila cuddles her pup and looks around. She's made it this far, and she;s not about to back down now.

In for trouble

In the morning, Maila is first up. Maybe Kapepe and the rest of the group did not discover her pups. But when Kapepe emerges next, she gives a harsh bite to the base of Maila's tail and runs her off. Maila is not evicted yet, but she is on the verge of being banished. Her four pups may have died within Kapepe's jaws. Soon, the whole group is up and digging, except for Ulani and Kal'Kaua. The new arrivals make their way up the sand slope and start chasing each other. Maila walks over and watches them, but Malamalama chases her off. Suddenly, Iwahine, Ke Ali, Inoa, Omba, Marigha, Kapu'a'notting, and Dundy chase Maila off. Kapepe joins in, and spits at her as she runs into the brush. Without a mother, Maila's pups, even if they are still alive, will die. Dundy is most at risk now, for she is a teenager-adult, and she is very rebellious. After work is done, Mahalo and Kapepe briefly groom eachother and then take the foraging trip out. They leave Gumba and Malama at home to watch the pups. Ulani stays at home, but Kal'Kaua attemps to follow the foraging trip out. Luckily, Malama grabs him and keeps him at home. Gumba goes underground for seemingly no reason. But crying is heard. Maila's pups must have survived. Maila attemps to get closer, but Malama chases her off. But he has left the pups alone. Kal'Kaua dashes out into the brush, following the foragers. Ulani follows excitedly. When Gumba emerges and Malama returns, they frantically search for the pups. When they cannot find either of them, they go underground to babysit Maila's pups. Maila herself tries to get back in through the foraging party, but Kapepe runs her off. Ulani is seen coming from the bushes, and she runs up to the group. But Kal'Kaua is not around. Iwahine keeps Ulani close to her. Maila manages to get close to the group, but Kapepe grunts and warns her from coming any closer. Maila is evicted, Kal'Kaua is missing, and Ulani is in danger. What will happen next?

Pups Galore

2 weeks after the vicious battle with the Hawaii's main rival, the Shellos mob, Kapepe's two pups are ready to emerge from the depths of the burrow. The feisty male Kal'Kaua struggles up the sand "dune" confidently. But his sister Ulani is less eager. She prefers it in the quiet of the burrow, out of the blinding morning sun. The teenager Hahela gently pulls her out. Mahalo scent-marks the burrow entrance. His jealous brother Kapalo sits by himself. Ulani and Kal'Kaua slowly gain confidence in themselves. But Kapepe can't wait forever. She has to eat, and so does the rest of the mob. So she leaves her two little pups in the capable hands of Iwahine and Ke Ali. But there's one more female staying home. Its Maila, and it doesn't look good for her. She went on a secret fling with a rover from the small mob that sometimes competes with the Hawaiis, the Palaces. The rover's name is Jon Greg. He is the oldest and most experienced guy in the area. He is probably the 4th best male in breeding, after the dominant males of all three mobs. This is not the first time he has come around to a Hawaii girl. In fact, when Kapepe was just a pup, young Iwahine got evicted for having pups with him. But now she is older and not so foolish. Maila soon emerges from the burrow and looks around. She is much thinner. It seems she is going to help Iwahine and Ke Ali in the babysitting duty. Meanwhile, Kapepe has lead the Hawaiians close to Palace territory. They discover that while the Hawaiians are away, the Palaces will play. Their territory is soaked in Palace scent. And the rival mob's babysitting burrow isn't too far away. Unluckily for Kapepe, the group is still at home. Pinky Pie isn't leading them anywhere for now. But Kapepe will have none of it. She starts a war-dance, followed by the other 13 foragers. The small Palace group with only 9 members quickly grab their three week old pups and make a hasty retreat. The group then scent-marks the territory until it is thoroughly reaffirmed that this is their territory and they will have no one stealing it. Then the Hawaiians begin the serious business of foraging. Back at home, the pups Ulani and Kal'Kaua are practicing their digging skills. Maila has kept the babysitters from investigating the burrow and managed to rub off her pups' scent before they could smell it and bust her. But Ke Ali's mad and snarling face is enough to send Maila running back to her pups. He lays in the shade of the burrow. Maila is in real trouble. Kapepe will soon find them and may kill them and evict her. Ulani takes a break from the hot midday sun and goes down the burrow. Ke Ali accompanies her. He leaves babysitting the feisty pup to an experienced babysitter like Iwahine. Eventually, they pass close to Maila's chamber. But Ke Ali, after sniffing a bit, decides its best to follow after Ulani. Maila cautiously comes out of her chamber, carrying her newborn. She moves it quickly into a deeper part of the burrow. She comes back for her others. After moving them all, she arrives back up at the burrow. She thoroughly rubs off her scent before emerging. Iwahine sniffs her, but cannot detect the pups' scent. Soon, Ke Ali and Ulani arrive up also. Back at the foraging party, loyal sentry Mahalo spots danger. Its a rover. Not just any rover. Its Jon Greg. He calls the alarm, but Jon Greg stays hidden. The group surrounds Kapepe. Mahalo jumps down from his perch and scent-marks Kapepe and the area around her. The males keep a sharp lookout for Jon Greg. After a while, Gumba spots him. He and the other males rush after him and Jon Greg makes a hasty retreat. Its getting late, so Kapepe returns home. She is pleased to see that her pups are OK and the babysitters did a good job. She gives them a quick feed and goes down into the burrow after the rest of the family. No telling what will happen down there between then and now...