Dinner in Denial

There are many different responses people can have to grief. Sudden and extreme negative incidents can lead to one lashing out at others. It can lead to constant crying and a seemingly permanent state of sadness. It can leave one afraid and in a constant state of paranoia. But for others, upon learning of something awful that has happened, their main reaction can be to go into a state of denial. Simply and purely refusing to believe what they have just heard is true. That the truth can be so horrible, one perceives that it must be a lie.

Such was the case for Nala, a young lioness cub in the Pride Lands. She was best friends with Simba, the crown prince. They had played together often and were even betrothed to be married when they got older, but then tragedy had struck. Simba's uncle/Mufasa's brother Scar had informed everyone that the king and his son had been killed in a wildebeest stampede, and that he had to assume the throne now. The fact that hyenas were now running amuck in the Pride Lands barely entered Nala's mind now. The thought of her best friend being dead….she just couldn't accept that! She wouldn't!

It was Nala's new daily routine to run around the kingdom, looking for some trace of Simba. It had been less than a week since she heard the awful news, but no matter what the adults told her, she wasn't giving up. Her mind wouldn't let her. Results kept not happening, until one day, she could swear she smelled a familiar scent.

"Simba…..is that him?" she said in desperate hope. She followed the trace as fast as she could until she reached the top of a cliff. When she looked down, she saw what looked like…

Simba! And he was next to Shenzi, one of the top ranked hyenas working for Scar. Nala was still in shock, she couldn't call out to him, but she was able to overhear what they were saying.

And it sounded like…he wanted this hyena to eat him?! Shenzi happily obliged, as she began gulping the lion cub up whole. Nala was in total shock as she was witnessing her friend descend further and further into the female hyena's belly. After just a few moments, the last bit of Simba disappeared into Shenzi, and the hyena licked her lips.

"No…NNOOOOOO!" Nala cried as she took off, once again unable to accept the horror, even if this time she had seen it firsthand.

….

Shenzi had enjoyed her lion cub snack very much, and had no intention to share it with Banzai or Ed. The Pride Lands was their buffet now, no need to share. But she had overheard the cry of Nala as she was finishing up her snack and realized what needed to be done.

"Guess I'll be having a second course today," she cackled in her hyena way, "It's like Scar always says: One thing there can never be too little of in this world is witnesses." A fierce hunter, her nose was able to lock onto Nala's scent in just a matter of moments.

She took her time going to find the lioness cub. Having a rounder belly didn't feel quite as pleasurable if you had to run right after.

"I'll be even fatter before nightfall. I should take a nap after this next one…." Shenzi lamented. She kept on trotting along until she started to hear Nala's crying become more audible. "Good…she didn't tell the pride," Shenzi smirked. Nala was resting by a small enclave of rocks, tears still dripping from her eyes.

When Shenzi saw her, she paused. Seeing how much in despair Nala was almost made the hyena have second thoughts about eating her. Almost. A hyena's stomach ALWAYS won moral arguments. You think brain vs. heart is what guides people in debates? The brain and heart have nothing on the stomach. So she pressed on forward.

….

What happened next was a surprise for Shenzi. When she poked Nala's face, the cub looked up at her. As she did so, Nala's tears began to drop less frequently.

"You know what I'm gonna do to you now…." Shenzi grinned bluntly.

Nala's response took her completely by surprise. "I know, and I'm ok with it."

"You are?" Shenzi questioned, raising an eyebrow. She understood how Simba had come to willingly let her eat him (even if that involved deceiving him), but this girl? "May I ask…..why?"

Nala wiped her paws over her eyes to dry her tears. "It's because I've finally accepted what has happened to Simba. I get that I will never see him again. I get that you wanna gobble me up. I know my destiny in the Circle of Life now…is to be hyena belly fat."

Shenzi could not have been more shocked than if Banzai had said something smart. But she was never one to turn down a meal, certainly not a willing one.

"Well then, I'm glad you know your place, cub….." she declared, opening wide.

…..

Nala grew a smile as she looked into the gaping abyss that was Shenzi's maw. This is where she would meet her fate. "Shall I climb in?" she asked sweetly.

"Go ahead, girl," Shenzi encouraged, figuring a happy meal could be just as tasty as a scary one. As Nala stepped onto the hyena's tongue, Shenzi's taste buds were practically singing a gospel choir tune in delight. Lion cub was really one of the best snacks she had ever had!

Nala was able to push herself further and further inside. "I'll bring myself down your throat," she offered, and Shenzi's moans of pleasures were easily determined to be an acceptance. Se rolled around for a few moments to allow Shenzi to lick her form all over.

A few minutes later, Shenzi lifted her head to help Nala slide on down. SLUUURRRCCCHHH! She grinned in delight, slurping down the lion cub's tail with a SCHLLLRRRRRPPPPP! For the second time that day alone, the female hyena had a lion cub in her stomach.

"This is where I belong…." Nala mused, relaxing in the belly.

"Girl, you got that right!" Shenzi agreed.

…..

Shenzi took the self-promised nap after her second meal. She loved her even more bloated belly, feeling over every roll of flab and fat that was now a permanent part of her form. "Lovely…so lovely…" she moaned. She just had two of the best meals she had ever eaten in her entire life, all in the span of just a single day!

And that was something that no one, be they predator or prey, could ever possibly deny!