Being born into a hyena clan wasn’t always easy. Certainly not as a pup, and it didn’t get any easier as you grew. You had to fight tooth and nail to the top if you wanted to be top dog. Of course, in hyena society, it’s a matriarchy. The women lead. The women dominate. However, that doesn’t mean EVERY male is going to respect EVERY female in the clan. Just the leader. If you’re a male, it’s likely you’ll be pushed around more by the older females. But even if you’re a female, you’ll probably get pushed around by the males unless you assert your dominance over them.

You couldn’t stay by your mother forever for protection either. Every child has to part ways with their mother eventually, or at the very least stop depending on them. So, what are you going to do? Let yourself be seen as a doormat and get pushed around by everyone in the clan? Or will you assert yourself over the lower ranking members of the clan? Fight for a spot at the top where you can get first serve when it comes to dinner time? Tick-tock, little pup.