Why the Hyena Follows the Lion

In the beginning, the Hyena was a proud hunter, second only to the Leopard. He was also very wasteful. He would kill an animal, eat only the best parts, and leave the rest to rot. Mawu, the Creator, saw this waste and was displeased. One day, the Lion, who was the king, announced a great hunt and declared that all the meat would be shared among the animals. The Hyena refused to join. "I hunt for myself!" he declared. That day, the Lion and the other animals worked together and brought down a huge buffalo, and there was a great feast for everyone except the Hyena, who had caught nothing. Hungry, he crept to the edge of the celebration, drawn by the smell of the meat. The Lion saw him and said, "Because you refused to share your work, you will not share our feast. But because I am a generous king, you may have the bones and the scraps that we leave behind." The Hyena was so hungry that he agreed. From that day on, he was cursed with a hunger that was never satisfied, and he lost his pride as a hunter. He became a scavenger, following the Lion's trail, forever laughing a strange, mad laugh at the memory of the feast he was too proud to join.