Night had fallen, and Banzai was still gone. Ed had given up pacing long ago, choosing instead to rest curled against Shenzi as she lounged in the skull. Sighing, she rested her head on her paws, wishing Banzai would hurry up so she could stop worrying. Struggling to keep her eyes open, she found herself slowly drifting off to sleep.
"Hey guys, I'm back," called Banzai, sulking into the cave. He was disappointed to see both his friends asleep, cuddling closely for warmth. Growling softly to himself, he carefully crossed into the skull, pointedly sleeping away from the other two, even though the skull was on the chilly side. He licked his raw back a few times, trying to take the sting out of his wounds. The burrs had not come out easily, often taking patches of fur and even bits of flesh. Sighing, he laid down, attempting to find a comfortable position that didn't irritate his wounds. Before long, he fell into an uneasy sleep.
Large, red-eyed beasts surrounded him, and he could feel them stomping and kicking, biting and tearing, into him. Whimpering in pain, he struggled to escape.
Shenzi, hearing the noise, woke with teeth bared and ready to leap at the intruder. Relaxing when she saw it was only Banzai, she watched him twitch in his sleep, whimpering pitifully at his nightmarish visions. Getting up, she slowly approached him, surveying the damage he had incurred.
Large, ugly black and blue bruises had formed from his earlier encounter with the buffalo, not mention a few nicks and gashes that he received from who knows where. But the damage from the thorns made her cringe. Large bloody patches of skin showed, still oozing blood. Entire of patches of fur were missing, and Shenzi knew it might be a couple of weeks for the fur to regrow. Overall, he was a pretty pathetic looking creature.
Settling carefully next to him, Shenzi cuddled as close as she dared, not wanting to rub against the exposed raw patches. She licked his cheek softly, causing him to shudder in his sleep. He lifted one paw as if to wipe away her kiss, but then seemed to think better of it, instead cuddling closer into her. Grinning, Shenzi laid her head over his, and his whimpering stopped. She could feel his body gradually relax. She knew he was deeply sleeping when she heard his ragged snores. Sighing, she settled against him, trying unsuccessfully to ignore his snores.
A slight pressure on her back startled her. Turing, she found a still sound asleep Ed cuddling near her, a contended smile on his face. Banzai kicked him twice, but that only made Ed snuggled in closer still. Relenting, Banzai allowed Ed to snuggle against him to form a living blanket around him; Shenzi cuddled near his head, and Ed covering his back, slightly touching Shenzi. Rolling her eyes, Shenzi yawned, drifting off to sleep once again.
Just wanna to write a quick little scene showing the softer side of the hyenas. Review or not. I like getting reviews, but I won't hold a gun to your head. Hopefully, this weekend will mean I can finish the other two TLK fics I started, not to mention the Batman fic I started months ago! Busy, busy little me!