His first instinct was to run. That was good, because she immediately tore after him, only slowing down when he ran into the jungle.

Timon knew he couldn't outrun her for long; she was a predator, capable of running faster than he could ever dream of. But she was unfamiliar with the terrain, and that was to his advantage.

He ducked underneath the grass, hoping to lose her, but Shenzi could see the trails he left of disturbed underbrush. Panting, Timon decided on what seemed like his only option: climbing a tree.

He had the sense to zigzag to the nearest one, temporarily confusing the hyena. He scrambled up the tree and perched on the first branch he came to, which was high enough to ensure his safety but low enough that she could still see and hear him.

Shenzi looked up when he reached the branch. Internally, Timon groaned, wondering why she had to show up now, just when he had finally managed to get her out of his head.

She surprised him by calling up to him in an eerily calm voice. "Listen," she said. "You and I both know you've gotta come down eventually, and I can stay here all night. So what'll it be? Now or later?"

He froze. Normally, when predators hunted down prey, no talking was involved. The fact that both parties could understand one another only made the situation more uncomfortable. But now... Shenzi was speaking to him, almost as though she recognized him.

Did she? His heart gave a little jump at the thought, but he silenced the idea, cursing himself.

Deciding not to answer the question, Timon replied, "Do you have something against me in particular, or are you just hungry?"

"Of course I do," was the response. "Did you really think I'd let you off the hook that easy?"

She was talking about the marriage proposal. Of course. Timon pinched the bridge of his nose, thinking. He felt frightened, yes, but also a bit giddy. All that thinking he had done about her, and now, here she was... No. He had to get back on track, and figure out some way to get out of this situation in one piece. He wasn't a monkey; he couldn't move from tree to tree. Calling for Simba and Pumbaa was out of the question; they probably couldn't hear him, and even if they could, he really didn't want them to have to deal with another hyena encounter. Not when they had gone for so long in a (formerly) predator-free environment.

Ultimately, Timon decided to wait it out. No matter what Shenzi said, she couldn't possibly stay there all night. Eventually, she'd have to get some real food and go back to the graveyard, and then he'd be able to climb down safely.

But as the hours passed, he began to doubt that logic. She hadn't moved, and neither of them were talking. Timon had actually stopped looking down at her, because each time he did, she was staring back up at him, smiling so widely that he could count each one of her - very sharp - teeth.

When he'd had enough of the silence, he called down to her, "So, uh... why does what I did warrant this level of revenge, exactly?"

There was no answer.

Nervous, he leaned over the branch. "Shenzi?"

She wasn't there. Had she finally given up and left? Or was she trying to fake him out?

Deciding not to risk the latter, he looked at the bushes below, trying to detect any trace of the predator. He couldn't see anything, through, and when he craned his neck to look out over the far side of the tree, he lost his footing, slipped, and -

"It's because you embarrassed me in front of my entire pack, runt. Made me look ridiculous."

Timon was on the ground, still in quite a bit of pain from the fall, and was in a total panic. Here he was, alone, defenseless, about to be eaten by the hyena he'd somehow developed a crush on.

"Oh, come on," he scoffed, trying to beg for his life without it seeming like that was what he was doing. "Surely none of them thought that. You were just caught off guard, was all."

Shenzi approached him until they were nose-to-nose. She had come out of the exact bushes that he'd been trying to look into when he fell. "Exactly. You caught me off guard. No one's ever done that before." She paused. "I have to ask, though, before I eat you... why did you have to do that? Why me?"

Timon looked at her narrowed eyes, then at her mouth full of sharp, sharp teeth. And after a few seconds of silence between the two, he realized the only suitable answer to her question. He closed his eyes, leaned forward, and kissed her.