An Alternate take on the Hyena Pit that I'm not sure is a prologue or an incomplete oneshot.

Working title: Matriarch

Willow trailed just behind her friends as they marched into the Hyena Exhibit, Buffy just a step ahead of Xander as they approached confrontation. It didn't take them long to find their targets, two boys and two girls pushing a smaller teen around with cruel laughs on their lips.

Buffy took the lead and their attention, "Hey, jerkwads, back off!"

The bullies swirled at her voice, forgetting their would be victim who had gotten too close to the exhibit edge for comfort. He scurried away with barely a glance from any of his tormentors. "What you want Summers?" Tor, the appointed leader of the lunkheads said as he struted towards her. As if her were actually a threat.

Buffy almost found it cute. She had seen scarier things on the way home from school, just the other day in fact.

"For you to stop acting like a giant pile of-"

"Kinda hard for him to do when he smells like one, I mean, peyew." Xander mocked from behind her, waving his hand dramatically in front of his nose.

Tor grit his teeth and stepped towards them, "You better watch your mouth or-"

Buffy interrupted, taking a step forward getting in his personal space and looking him right in the eye."Or what?"

Tor's friends had creeped up behind him, showing silent support but they were all wary. They had all heard rumors about her, about what she had done, about what she could do. And frankly the fact she was staring them down with only a couple of geeks to back her up was unnerving.

Enough so that Tor found himself edging himself back before he even realized it, "Tch, whatever."

Buffy grinned at the back of the fleeing bullies even as Xander pouted, "Well, that went well."

"Ruined my macho moment there Buff."

"Oh, don't be like that Xan." She said, slapping him on the back. "Better to make them run then get in a fight right?"

He still pouted, "... Still."

Someone giggled, jarring the two from their conversation. The two friends turned to look at Willow who was quick to wave away the acquisition. "It wasn't me."

"Then who?" Someone giggled again.

The three twisted their heads around as one, facing towards the source of the sound. Looking right into the Hyena Pit and into the eyes of three Hyenas. As human eyes met animal iris' all flashed the same unnatural green.

And then Buffy Summers collapsed.

-0-0-0-0-0-

She was the first of her kind, the prognator. The spiritual essence of which all others have sprung from. She was where warrior after warrior was chosen and Slayers were empowered.

And she had been challenged.

Some new fledgling spirit was trying to out her from her latest host. She would usually allow spirits to puppet her host body for at time with no real issue, it was a lesson for them to be more careful in the this time it was different.

This was a direct intrusion. A clear attack.

So she answered in kind. Crushing the creature with her bare hands as she had done to countless monsters over the eons. It had hardly been a challenge, a task done with ease but gained a fairly generous reward.

Not only had it been a while since she had made a kill with her own hands, so to speak, but it had been even longer since she had such a feast. She could feel essence grow stronger with every bite of the carcass. But as she savored her meal she could hear a pair of piteous whines coming from nearby.

Looking up from her meal, her face red with blood, she stared at the two remaining hyena spirits who were milling hesitantly closer to eyes flickering between her and the corpse at her feet, their chops licked as they looked at the latter.

After a moment of thought she scooted to the side, making some room for the two to which the excitedly occupied. Running to her side with giggles and savage hunger as they tore into the their former leader.

She didn't mind sharing her meal, as long as they remembered their place and stuck to their own meat. Besides, she could use the company.

The centuries could get so lonely.

-0-0-0-0-0-

AN:

Slayer boosted by Hyena spirit and keeps the pack, no way this could possibly go wrong!

Trying to think of divergent points, one of the most obvious is that I don't think Buffy would die or the Slayer line would twin. Probably have to bring the Mayor in earlier to keep good level of conflict.

... Probably have a lot of fluff scenes.

Any thoughts?