Crocutia

As a whole, the continent of Zebrica can be split up into one of five regions: the Savannah, the Riverlands, the Scorched Lands, the Jungle, and the Desert.

the Savannah region is home to a loose federation of various tribes, with a central dynasty of lions at the base of the Mother Mountains making up the closest thing to a ruling body for all the tribes.

Among these various tribes in the Savannah are the various Hyena clans, led by their Chieftain-Queens, scavenging and hunting for food, and occasionally being driven off from their kills by desperate or lazy lions.

Hyenas live a hard life from birth. While the sexes are somewhat equal, Hyenas are similar to changelings in that the females are the more dominant and aggressive gender. The Chieftain-Queens rule their clans with a fair but firm paw, but can be brutal. A Chieftain-Queen makes her rank known after birth, as Hyenas usually have twins. Rank is passed from mother to daughter, and the more dominant of the two pups will either bully or outright kill her weaker sister.

It's unknown why, but a certain sect of hyena clans chose to give up their ancestors' nomadic ways.

Choosing a spot along the northern coast of the Savannah, they built a small city, and thus founded the country of Crocutia.

Crocutian Hyenas, while still having the jaw strength of their nomadic cousins, are often slightly shorter and slimmer than the individuals of the free-roaming clans. They still retain their matriarchal society in the form of a female president and parliament, though the prime minister is usually male. The president is the head of state, directly elected to a five-year term and to a maximum of two terms. In addition to being the commander in chief of the armed forces, the president has the procedural duty of appointing the prime minister with the consent of the parliament, and has some influence on foreign policy. The government is headed by the prime minister, who has four deputy prime ministers and 17 ministers in charge of particular sectors of activity. The number of Parliament members can vary from 100 to 160, and they are all elected by popular vote to serve four-year terms.

Primary education in Crocutia starts at the age of six or seven and consists of eight grades.

Crocutia's main export consists of various Zebrican medicines, as well as mahogany and coal.

Crocutia is currently allied with a few countries, several of which are currently attempting to help the nation out of a certain predicament concerning one of its neighbors.

While not particularly war-like, the Hyenas of Crocutia are drafted against their will and are forced to serve as reluctant allies to the city-state of Carthoge, a neighboring country governed by Warthogs.

Carthoge

In Zebrica, there is no taboo against the eating of sapient beings. Most beings here will get along with some civility in day-to-day meetings, but when a predator is hunting, it's a different story.

At 3 to 4 feet high, the mostly herbivorous Warthogs, while having sharp tusks, mostly choose to run away from their enemies, and males usually are loners, only visiting the female's nomadic groups (sounders) during the late rainy and early dry seasons.

their city-dwelling cousins are different

Just as Crocutian hyenas are smaller and slimmer, Carthoge warthogs are bigger and bulkier.

They're also more aggressive. The Warthogs of Carthoge were at one time the most dreaded nemesis of Roama's ponies and her legions. Big and tough, these warthogs used brute force to plow their way through the shield wall formations of the legions. Nowadays, they are kept in check by both the combined efforts of Gaius Mareacus (current Consul of Roama) and the Black Prince (of the Sable Antelopes).

Carthoge, unlike Crocutia, is a war-loving nation, and has a fair-sized navy, but economically is a mess, as most of the money goes into the army, rather than in more important matters.