I introduced Simba to Ed and Banzai, formally. He did not seem as scared of them when we wanted to eat him, he must be getting use to being around hyenas, he even listen to their instructions during training. I was off to the side as Banzai was training the kid in weapons like swords and staff, right now he was using a bamboo sword to show him the right motions and stances. Watching Banzai it was hard to believe how good he was, it was almost unreal. Of course his teacher was my mother, practically the best in the lands.
A sigh escaped my lips while resting my head in my paw, those days were long gone when we were somewhat equal to the lions. I drifted off in my reminiscent daydream when Banzai shook my shoulder, Ed had taken over the kid's lessons.
"Whaccha' dreaming about?" Banzai sat next to me.
"Just, the old days."
Banzai nodded, he knew what I meant. "Some times I wonder," he trailed off. "Well you know how they say you can't dwell in the past."
"Oh come on, just a little longer," I joked a bit while nudging Banzai. For a moment we watch the kid perform some "magic" that Ed had showed him, it was taking some powder that he just threw together and tossing it. It would ignite causing a flash fire, might not be very useful in a fight but great in a getaway. We never really had to rely to much on these tricks, at least not when we knew someone would brought us meals.
Time had came to start heading back to the pridelands, the guys were going ahead of me to make it look less suspicious if they were caught walking out of here. Might cause a few rumors but would save the skin off our ass, Simba was ready to lay in bed and watch some tv but just as I was about to leave he had to ask, "what were you doing there?"
"What where?" I was a bit confused what he was asking me.
"At the gorge," the moment he said that my heart was starting to race. Now he has to start asking questions, after all of the training instead of before when he was weaker. "Why were you there, at the gorge?"
I was trying to get my tongue to work while just staring at him as those gears were going into overtime figuring out that mystery, "why would you want to know that?"
"Because..." his face dropped a bit, now my heart was in my throat knowing that the jig was up. "I miss my dad."
I was a bit stunned, not by him but by me. I should have been glad he did not figure it out, I should be happy that he thinks that he was still responsible. It would mean I was off the hook, that the kid won't turn against me. But this hurt a lot worse, I don't know why it did but it does. I moved to sit next to him, wrapping a comforting arm around him just as he was starting to cry on my shoulder.
"Simba, Simba, don't cry. It's okay, everything is going to be okay." I was trying to hush him, there was a lump forming in my throat and my gut was pretty heavy. I had not felt this bad since Scar was born, ironically both incidents were my fault.
All night long I was debating of tell him the truth, the truth about us murdering Mufasa.
For the rest of the night I just sat there, holding my little lion cub.
(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)
I slowly woke up as something was nudging me, actually it was someone. Opening my eye a bit I could see the kid standing over me with a smile, I guess he wants to start training early which is too bad cause I really don't. I rolled over trying to go back to sleep but Simba nudged me again.
"Can't you go back to bed?" I muttered.
"Come on, mom." he almost whined. "It gets boring here, especially with that tv."
"Well we can talk," it was something I can sleep through.
"Okay. I always wanted to know how you and my uncle met." Oh gods.
Rolling on other side so I can face him I saw he was waiting, with a sigh I just said; "our parents were important figures in the pridelands. My parents lead the clan while his lead the pride, we met when were both just kids. We got a long better then the rest of them."
"That it?"
"That's it, it was nothing special or unique." I was about to roll back on the other side when the kid just had to ask one more question.
"How did he get that scar?"
I rolled back to face him, I recalled that day pretty clearly. Closing my eyes for a moment it was not something I do not want to relive, "it was an accident." the kid nodded a little let down but had to keep asking some other, meaningless questions.
"How's Nala?" of course that is another touché subject, the young girl was being forced to learn to begin hunting so young after Sarabi's death. Normally something like that should not bother me, but something about it kind of got to me.
"She's doing fine, kid."
"Well I guess there's nothing else I wanted to ask."
I was thankful 'cause the questions were starting to get to me, too bad I'm up now. Taking a moment I stretch as I headed for the entrance of the cave, taking a seat I looked over at him. The kid seemed a bit down that I was going, of course me and the guys were possibly the only ones that ever visited the kid. But that is the price of everyone thinking you're dead, especially dangerous people.
"I'll be back," I said. "See you later, Simba."
"Goodbye, mom." I felt my heart sink a little, kid knows how to get to me.
Heading back towards the pridelands I noticed Scar and some lionesses standing around mingling about near the boarder of the graveyard, something did not feel right about the scene. Staying low and in the shadows keeping it slow and quiet I came close enough to hear some of what they were talking about; from what I heard it was not pleasant.
"She keeps going in," one lioness said. "Hours on end too, she could be up to something."
"I saw her with a cub," another lioness added. "I could not tell but I think she's teaching him stuff like how to fight and kill, scar. Too kill!."
Scar held up a paw, silencing the lionesses. "Now now, I am sure there is a very good explanation behind all of this, I'll go in there and find Shenzi, she can straighten all of this out." he stepped a head of them all, but stopped for a moment. "But just in case you better go in and kill everything you find."
Every muscle in my body had tighten when I heard it, carefully but quickly moving I head back into the graveyard. I took every short cut I could think of, trying to get to the cave before the attack squad got there first. If Scar found Simba alive... I do not want to think about it, it would be horrific.
Bursting a frail rib cage of a long dead animal I slid to a stop as I stared at a set of paw, looking up a bit I seen the legs and chest before coming face to face of an angry lioness. Working my tongue to speak I put on my famous 'don't kill me' smile, "hey there, you, how's it hanging."
"Why are you here, Hyena bitch?" the lioness growled as she was beginning to ready to pounce. My expression had gone south, did she say what I thought she said?
"You should really learn to respect your elders," my tone was sharp and hard. My fear of being torn to shreds was replaced by sheer anger, without really thinking I grabbed one of the many skulls that laid around the area and swung fast the thing had came in contact with the lioness' temple. Needless to say she was knocked senseless which allowed me to run passed her, it won't win any brownie points with Scar but I was trying to save my skin here. Turning the corner I stopped, all around there was lionesses just waiting, all of them seemed very fit and very, very dangerous.
"What should we do?" one asked another.
"Orders are 'kill anything we find'," the other grinned while stepping forward.
Taking a step back I felt something warm against my back, turning my head I saw that lioness that I had hit in the head. Speaking of which I could see some blood trailing down her face from her temple, if she was not already pissed enough to tear me apart. Sliding into the middle of the forming circle while trying to figure out how to get out this I knew there was no talking to them, and in truth I am a pretty crappy fighter one on one much less several against one. Generally speak though, I am a dead hyena.
A lioness to my far left was gearing to jump, ready to attack. Swallowing hard all I could do was to get as many as possible when I go down. She pounced with fangs exposed and claws ready to tear apart, it was all over for me.
Suddenly she fell to the ground, skidding a few feet while screaming out in pain while rolling over. For a moment we all stood there staring at her before I looked at the direction the lioness was, in her place stood a small figure on hind legs dressed some pretty dark clothes and a mask. It took a second but I realized the mask, a kind of plain and white, was one of Ed's old Halloween costumes when we were pups. And that was in the cave, so it only meant one thing. "Kid?"
The masked fighter nodded before ducking under the flying claw of an angry lioness and delivering a solid punch to the sternum, he kicked a second lioness quickly as he moved to the center of the group. Two advance on him, with high and low swipes. Blocking the higher pouncer while kicking the lower pouncer's paw and holding it on the floor I watched the kid punched the lioness' then elbow the other's back head and finished off with a sharp kick to them both, behind him one of them were trying to get the drop on him only to get a back kick to the stomach, he spun on his heels while catching the lioness' arm then bending it into an impossible angle until there was a sound crack and a yell from her. The remaining lionesses, which were three or so, were stepping away really thinking about the situation thoroughly. I got behind Simba, amazed that he could do so much. But that amazement was replaced by anger, but it was something parental in me worried if these lioness were more skilled and more experienced they would have killed him.
"So this is what you have been hiding here."
My mouth had gone dry as my heart stopped when that voice was heard, and from the look from Simba I could tell it really got to him. But I kept an eye on the lionesses and Scar, who was emerging from a near by entrance. All of the lionesses that could quickly joined behind him, he stood there proudly while looking over the kid. The kid just stood there, I could tell from his stance he was a bit hesitant and lost. "A pet project of your's?"
"That is my business," I quickly snapped.
"You should treat your king with more respect."
"And you should not rape anyone." I had realized what came tumbling out of my mouth but it was too late, it was out.
Scar chuckled, the lionesses just muttered something behind him or giggled, he smiled at me. "Shenzi, you do not know your position you are in. You, a lowly hyena and mere peasant compared to me, a royal lion and your king," he stepped up to me to place a paw under my chin. "And if I demand your physical being, if you are willing or not I am the king and what I want is what I get."
He moved in for a kiss despite me resisting, he held my face in place just as his tongue was about to try to enter my mouth. Closing my eyes I was hoping something would stop him, that something came in a scream and the feeling of something speckling my face. Opening my eyes I saw Scar falling back, holding his own face while screaming. Simba was standing to my side, arm out stretched and his paw was covered in some blood. It did not take much to figure out what happened.
"Come on!" I grabbed his paw as I ran from the scene, Simba followed close by as we gone out an exit that only we could fit through. I could hear Scar's cursing, screaming and ordering our deaths.
I ran with the kid, we exited the graveyard into the outlands but never quiet stopped even as the rocky cliffs slowly gave way to flat, desert lands. When we finally did stop I saw our home was nothing more then a speck to us, I stood there while catching my breath and thinking to myself; what now?