Thanks everybody for the awesome reviews! I don't want to spoil anything in this chapter but in this one shows just how much Shenzi cares for T. After all, she was the first one to be won over. Then came along Ed. Now that just leaves Banzai. Will T earn his friendship? Keep reading the story and find out!
"WHAT?!" Shenzi and Banzai screamed in unision.
"You mean to tell us that unless we learn ta get along with you, we ain't never gonna be in our own bodies again?!" Shenzi said.
"That's right." Simba said. The four animals walked away from the tree, Simba was probably the only one who wasn't moping the whole time.
"Well, at least it can't get any worse." Nala said. As soon as she finished saying it, there was a boom of thunder, a flash of lightning, then suddenly all the animals were soaked with rainwater.
(A/N and it kind of looks like that scene in Tarzan when Jane mentions things can't get any worse, and then it starts raining on her)
"On the other hand-" Nala said, hanging her head.
"Look let's just all go back to where we were, then we might be able to figure this whole thing out tomorrow." Simba said.
"For your sake honey, you better be right." Shenzi said, walking away with Banzai along side her.
Simba and Nala turned around and went back to the gravyard.
When Shenzi and Banzai got back to Priderock, Shenzi wasn't exactly in a happy mood.
"What's with you?" Banzai said after they shook the water from their fur, like the hyenas they used to be.
"Nala's body doesn't like water!" Shenzi answered back, shivering and annoyed.
"Oh." Banzai said. They walked up to where the lionesses were sleeping, then looked for a small cave to their right.
Before they left to go back to Priderock, Simba and Nala had told them they slept in a cave right to where the lionesses slept.
Shenzi and Banzai's eyes widened when they found it. For them, it was a little too close for comfort.
Plus, there was a space in the middle for sleeping, just big enough for two.
"I am NOT sharin' a sleepin' rock with you!" Shenzi said to Banzai.
"Well I ain't sharin' one with YOU!" he said back.
"Well somebody's gonna have to deal with the rain tonight." Shenzi said.
"Sure ain't gonna be me." Banzai said. Shenzi gave him a 'is that so?' look.
A few minutes later...
Thunder clapped again as Banzai tried to cover his head from the rain. Shenzi, like always, got the better of everything, and the dry sleeping area.
"And here I thought bein' a king was gonna be easy." Banzai said.
"You just wait 'till tomorrow." Shenzi said, lying down on her side, facing away from him.
"There's gonna a few changes around here."
Simba and Nala arrived back at the skull, soaking wet. They shook their heads back and forth to get the water off like the lions they used to be.
"That's a funny way to dry off." They looked up, startled to see T looking at them. Simba and Nala looked at each other.
"T, what are you doing up?" Nala finally asked.
"I got thirsty and went for a drink, then when I came back I found out you guys weren't here so I waited." T answered.
"Well we're here now." Simba said. "Let's all just get some rest." he said, lying down in Banzai's spot in the skull.
Nala went to Shenzi's spot and got comfortable. Then like she did the other morning, T went up to Nala (who she thought was Shenzi) and curled up beside her.
Nala looked surprised and raised her head up to see T sleeping, her body leaning against Nala's.
Nala and Simba looked at each other. Maybe there was some good in Shenzi and Banzai, there had to be after what they just saw.
The next day was comfortable, still a little muggy from the rain last night, but the sun warmed the place up.
Simba and Nala had told Ed and T they'd be going out for awhile.
Nala even gave T a quick nuzzle before she left, for some reason Nala had grown to like her.
So T and Ed just lied around the skull, waiting for them to come back.
"Hey Ed, ya hungry?" T asked him. Ed nodded his head yes.
"In that case, sit tight! Be right back!" T said as she got up and ran out of the skull.
T never said much about her old home or her parents, but where she came from lions and hyenas lived in the same area, and hunted on the same land.
To the hyenas, the lions were just higher links in the food chain that found them all annoying, especially T.
She had been like a Dennis the Menace to all the hunting parties; on some occasions as some lionesses were about to pounce on a zebra, or some other game, T jumped out and snapped at its heels, scaring it over to her old clan.
Unfortunately for the lionesses she always did it right as they were starting to pounce, so when the zebra moved out of the way, they all ended up with mouths full of dirt and dust-coated fur.
Then they'd yell her name in anger as she ran, laughing, to her family to enjoy the meal with them.
T smiled as she thought of the good ol' days, but she was incredibly grateful to the three hyenas who helped her up on her feet again, even if at first she didn't want them to.
Of course she knew her stay was just temporary; sooner or later she'd get better and have to leave them. Plus, the clan still saw her as the new girl.
But deep down she knew she'd never forget the trio who possibly saved her from getting mauled and ripped apart by lions.
Especially the leader who spared her life. Some even noticed her amazing resemblance to their matriarch, and gave her the nickname 'mini Shenzi'.
T and Shenzi were probably the only ones who failed to notice their similarities, and just ignored the other hyenas when they'd make up theories like 'separated at birth' or 'long lost twin' because like those two, a lot of them barely even made sense.
T came out of her daze when she saw an injured zebra a few feet away from her, it would be more than enough to fill her and Ed.
And there would even be enough left when Shenzi and Banzai returned. T crouched down and waited for the right moment to strike.
But her hunt was suddenly interrupted by a loud roar.
Shenzi stretched her legs before coming out of the cave to see Banzai.
"Sleep well?" she asked, looking down at him, knowing his answer.
"Not really." he answered, looking up at her. He got up and both went up to an area of Priderock where they could see the entire savanna.
"So, what should we do first?" Shenzi said, lying down on a rock above Banzai's.
"How 'bout a guest cave?" Banzai said, shaking the water from his fur.
"Relax, you get the cave this time tonight."
"Yeah, when it isn't raining." he said, getting water out of his ear.
"Man you wouldn't believe how heavy his mane gets when it's wet!"
"Quit bein' such a boy." Shenzi said to him.
They both just looked out on the horizon, not hungry for once in their lives.
They laid their heads on their paws, bored and too focused on the fact that these bodies could be permanent if something wasn't done and fast.
Of course they knew what had to be done. But how could they learn to get along with the lions?
They knew that after their alliance with Scar hyenas were considered lower than dirt.
Their thoughts were interrupted when they heard a lioness yelling;
"Hyena in the Pridelands!" Then they raised their heads up as they saw a couple of lionesses who heard it run down to the savanna.
"Hm, maybe it's somebody we know." Shenzi said. Both looked out to see the two lionesses chasing something.
Whatever it was, it was too short to be seen above the tall grass. Shenzi and Banzai just watched until they saw what the lionesses were chasing.
Shenzi and Banzai looked shocked when they saw the hyena they were after was really T!
Shenzi didn't know what she was doing here, probably hunting she figured, but she didn't want those lionesses to lay a paw on her.
Banzai suddenly looked up when he heard Shenzi growling, then get on her feet. And before he knew what was happening, she went racing after the lionesses.
Banzai got up as fast as he could to try to follow her.
"Shenzi! Shenzi wait up!" he called running after her. But Shenzi was too focused on getting to T before those lionesses did.
T was running for what she knew was her life. She managed to keep a distance between herself and the two lionesses that were after her.
Shenzi was gaining on both lionesses with amazing speed, while Banzai was all the way at the end of the chase, struggling to keep up.
Finally, T realized she had run into a dead end, and tried to turn around and run. But it was too late because the lionesses had her trapped.
T backed up from them as far as she could. The lionesses began to close in on her until they all heard roaring.
Then T saw one lioness suddenly get pulled back and swung away from her by a third lioness.
Then the same one lunged, roaring, at the other one and scared it running towards the one who had been pulled away.
Then T saw a male lion, breathing very heavily, walk up to them, and stop a few feet to her right.
"Why do--girl lions--have to be--so--fast?" he said, gasping for air. T looked to see the two lionesses cower before the third one, who was now standing her ground in front of her.
"What do you two think you're doin'?!" Shenzi yelled at them. The two were confused and silent.
"WELL?!" Shenzi yelled, growing impatient. One lioness, the one Shenzi didn't pull away from T, spoke up.
"W-we were just p-punishing this hyena for c-coming into the Pridelands." she stuttered out, scared.
"Did I say you two could go after her?!" Shenzi yelled at her. The lionesses were quiet.
"DID I?!" Shenzi yelled. The lionesses cringed from the noise.
"N-no your majesty." the same lioness said.
"I didn't think so." Shenzi said.
"Now you two best get outta here before I tear up both your hides!" The lionesses just stood there.
"I SAID NOW!!" Shenzi yelled and the lionesses gave small shrieks and were sent running off.
T was surprised and confused; from the way Shenzi, Banzai, and Ed (sort of) always talked about them, she thought all the lions here hated hyenas.
But this lioness had just saved her life and her mate had even tried to come help her. T saw the lioness turn around to her, no longer angry.
"You ok, kid?" Shenzi asked her. T nodded her head yes.
"Oh yeah, you really acted like the queen back there babe." Banzai said to her sarcastically. Shenzi growled at him, he backed off.
"What are you doin' in the Pridelands anyway?" Shenzi asked as T got up.
"My friend and I were hungry so I went hunting. He can't go because his jaw's hurt." T replied.
Shenzi and Banzai looked surprised, they knew she was talking about Ed.
"How?" they asked in unision.
"Some monkey came over to the graveyard a while ago and whacked him over the head with a stick."
"Well that figures." they said in unision again, under their breath though.
"Y'know, you shouldn't be hangin' around here, kid. In case you haven't noticed, it can get a little dangerous for a hyena like you." Shenzi told her.
"Hey, I got a name. It's T." T said, tired of being called kid.
"Thanks, we never woulda guessed." Banzai said, looking at Shenzi. Shenzi then looked at the grasslands and saw an antelope carcass nobody was tending to.
"You wait right here for just a second honey." Shenzi said to T.
"Watch 'er." she said to Banzai and walked over to the carcass.
"So, why aren't you two ripping me apart right now?" T asked.
"Probably because hyena isn't one of the things on the menu for us." Banzai answered.
They both looked to see Shenzi dragging the carcass over to them. Then she dropped it at T's feet.
"Here. If you're gonna go back to the graveyard, take this with you." Shenzi said.
"Yeah, and while you're at it, share it with that friend 'a yours. He needs ta eat more." Banzai said.
Shenzi gave him a look and T looked at him, confused.
"Or, so I've heard!" Banzai said quickly. T grabbed the carcass with her teeth and started dragging it towards the graveyard.
Banzai looked over and could see Shenzi was still nervous; she was looking all around the grasslands making sure it was safe.
Banzai looked at T again and then nudged Shenzi on the shoulder. She looked over at him.
"Y'know, if ya want, we could walk 'er over ta the graveyard ta make sure nothin' else happens to 'er. " Banzai said.
Shenzi looked surprised at Banzai.
"Really?" she asked, still surprised but not smiling.
"Why not?" Banzai answered back, shrugging. A smile came on Shenzi's (Nala's) face.
"Banzai honey, I'd kiss you if it didn't gross me out because you're a lion right now!" Shenzi said and went over to T.
Banzai looked completely surprised from Shenzi's comment. Then disappointed.
"Dang." he said under his breath and went to help Shenzi out.
