Here's a fic for any of you who are interested in such things. And it's going to be about Simba! Yeah, my first fic starring Simba. Kinda strange for me, I know. But you can't not love Simba.
Also, if anybody thinks they have a good idea for a tlk fanfic, be sure to PM the idea, and if I like it, I'll put it on my 'to do' list, and eventually, I'll write it! And if you're just a guest, leave a review on any one of my stories with the idea.
Anyways, be sure to leave a review! And enjoy the fic.
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Simba's POV
"Did you guys say you were stuck?" Asked the hyena, leaning over the hole. It had a wide grin on its face, as if it found their situation amusing!
"No!" Said Simba quickly, glaring at it.
"I don't know, I saw you guys panicking. It looks to me like you two are stuck!" It jibed.
"We aren't stuck!" Retorted Simba. "We're just…. uh…. figuring our way out of here!"
"Yuh- yeah!" Stuttered Taka.
"Sure about that?" Asked the hyena, grinning as its tail waged behind it.
"Yes." Said Simba flatly.
"Sure, sure. Well, have fun! I'll just sit here and watch then." It said, smiling, clearly amused. Simba growled and turned back to the hole, looking around for another time. This second sweep turned up no results, the hole looked just as unclimbable and sheer as ever.
"Uhhh…. what do we do then?" Asked Taka, whispering as he glanced up at the hyena nervously.
"I don't know, just let me think." Muttered Simba, also casting a quick peek at their unwanted spectator.
"What if we really are stuck?" Whispered Taka, anxious.
"I don't know! And come on, I thought you were the smart one! Think of something, but do it quietly!" Said Simba.
Taka backed away a few steps, and turned around, still nervous.
"I didn't think there were actually hyenas here." He said softly.
"Well, there are. Like I told you." Simba replied.
"But…. what if there's more of them than just the one?" He wondered. "I mean…. what if they…. eat us?" He whispered fearfully.
"They won't eat us. I know that because they haven't already. And I think there's only just one, otherwise we'd hear the others laughing in the background." Muttered Simba.
"I've never met a hyena before….. that one up there sounds mean." Taka said, as Simba continued feeling the walls for a clawhold. He glanced up, seeing the hyena grinning down at them, finding their situation a source of quiet amusement. It didn't move, but only stared at them like some sort of vulture.
"Oh believe me, they're all mean." Simba replied.
"Okay….." Said Taka, turning back to the task.
They circled the interior of their little hole, searching for something, anything they could use to climb up. Minutes slowly, ever so slowly, began to stretch, combining into long, increasingly desperate hours. The sun sank ever lower into the sky, wreathing their hole in shadow, even darker ones than the eternal shadow over the Graveyard.
And through it all the hyena stared at them, unmoving in its vigil, never losing its smile.
Simba hated that creepy grin.
"It's…. it's no use!" Whined Taka, lying down on his back. Simba glared at him, his nerves nearly frayed. They had been here for hours, and there seemed to be no way out, none at all. There were no rocks to be piled, to cracks to seize hold off.
"We'll find a way out!" Barked Simba, sheathing and unsheathing his claws stressful.
"But….. we haven't yet, and it's been hours. There's nothing to get us out!" Exclaimed Taka, frowning anxiously. Just then, the hyena broke its silence.
"There's me." It said shortly, smiling. Simba grimaced.
"You don't count."
"And why not?" It asked, smiling.
"Well…. you're a hyena."
"And why would that be a problem?"
"We can't trust you." Snarled Simba.
"You can't- trust me? Well, I say, I'm rightfully ashamed. You can't trust me, even though you know nothing about me? Truly, it must be my unlawful charisma, perpetrating an air of untrustworthiness."
Simba frowned at the sarcasm, he didn't appreciate being mocked.
"You're right, we can't trust you. Especially if you're going to sit there and harass us all day." Replied Simba. The hyena grinned.
"But that's exactly what I'm going to do! From where I'm standing, you have to options. Option number one. You accept my help and I get you two out of there, and then everyone's happy. Option number two. You don't accept my help, and you stay stuck down there, with no food, and no water. You'll be dead within a week, and I'll be here watching you two as you slowly die. Then, once you're dead, I go down there myself and have a feast! I've never tasted lion before, but there's a first time for everything! And I'll get back out of the whole the same way I'd help you two out, but so far you seem too boneheaded to accept my help. So, what will it be? Will I get a feast, or will you accept my help?" Stated the hyena.
Simba growled, looking down at his paws. Unfortunately, that looked like their only options, and it looked rather….. grim.
"Let's accept its help! I don't want to be eaten!" Whispered Taka.
"Well…. well….. all right." Muttered Simba. He turned up to the hyena, grimacing. "All right! All right, help us get out!" He shouted.
"Took you long enough." It replied, backing away. Simba watched it go, his eyebrow raised.
They waited a few minutes in silence, casting worried glances at each other. Where did the hyena go? Another few minutes past, and they heard grunting coming from somewhere above them. Then, they heard a crashing noise, the sound of things smashing into another
There was a bang, making them jump in fright. A cloud of dust swooshed over the mouth of the hole, and a pile of bones clattered in with the dust. A shadow descended over them, and Simba and Taka crouched down with their paws over their heads. A loud boom nearly shattered their eardrums, and then everything became silent.
"There you guys go. Now climb on out!" Shouted the hyena. Simba opened his eyes to see bones all around him and Taka, and a gigantic rib cage stood propped up in their hole. Simba whistled in amazement, how had the hyena gotten such a massive arrangement of bones into here? Well, it didn't matter. Now they had their way out.
"Yes!" Gasped Taka, jumping up onto the ribs like rungs on a ladder. Paw over paw, they dug their claws into the bone and scrabbled up to the surface. Heaving with effort, Simba jumped off the shaky arrangement and out of the prison.
"There, you see? I told you you could trust me." Said the hyena, who sat on rock next to them. For the first time, Simba got a clear view of their rescuer. Like all spotted hyenas, it had black dots on its sides and a hunched back. Black paws and yellow eyes and a small black mane of sorts on the spine. And….
It was a pup!
"You're- you're just a pup!" Stuttered Simba, as he and Taka faced the tiny hyena.
"So what if I am?" It asked, smirking. "Didn't expect someone as small as me to be able to help you?"
"Well, no I guess not…. but at least you aren't a threat. And…. you're really skinny."
It was true. Simba could see the pup's ribs poking out of it's skin, like it hadn't seen a meal in weeks. Simba had never seen such a hungry creature, but it certainly didn't act like it was starving.
"What's your name?" Chimed Taka.
"My name is Shenzi. I'm a female, which means I'm infinitely superior to you males." She said with a sly grin.
"Yeah, phooey. That just applies to male hyenas."
"I don't know, I wasn't the one that got myself stuck in a hole." She retorted.
"That was a mistake." Replied Simba brusquely.
"A pretty bad mistake, I'd say." She glared.
"Hey, hey! She helped us, I think she's a nice hyena." Interrupted Taka, sitting down next to Shenzi.
"Taka! She's a hyena, we can't trust her!" Hissed Simba.
"She helped us just now, I think we can trust her."
"Yeah fuzzball. I helped you just now, I'd say I'm pretty trustworthy." Said the hyena, grinning.
"What she said." Added Taka. Simba snorted, not believing his eyes. Taka was getting friendly with a slimy hyena?
"Well, she isn't, and neither are any others of her species. That's just how hyenas are, a bunch of stupid morons who look out for themselves and no one else."
Shenzi raised her eyebrow, her jaw agape in an upset expression. She drew herself up, which was not impressive at all, given her small stature.
"That's not true." She said.
"Yes. It. Is." Replied Simba.
"No it isn't."
"I'd say it is." Scoffed Simba.
"That's not true, and I can prove it to you!" She shouted, stamping her paw.
"What proof could a hyena offer in its defense? You're all a bunch of filthy, slavering creatures, who probably bathe in their own shit!" Snarled Simba.
"Well how about I show you then?" Challenged Shenzi, her muzzle caught in a growl.
"I'd like to see you try." Retorted Simba.
"Fine!" She shouted, jumping off the rock. Shuffling her feet, she began to walk away from them, facing the interior of the Graveyard. Taka glanced at Simba, then at Shenzi, and then trotted up to the hyena.
"So are we going to see more hyenas?" He asked excitedly.
"Yeah, I'm going to show you how we really live, not your buddy's perverse views." She muttered.
"Come on Simba, we're going to see more hyenas!" Called Taka as he smiled. Grumbling, Simba ran to catch up to the duo.
"So where are we going?" He asked Shenzi.
"We're going to see my den, and the other pups. Then you'll see, and correct your stupid ignorance." She said, grinning confidently.
"We'll see about that." Grunted Simba, as Taka bounced along happily next to him.
"I can't wait to see more hyenas! Are they friendly too?" Asked the orange cub.
"They'll be friendly if I tell them too. They don't know about lions very much yet, so I think we'll be fine in the grudge department. We'd better avoid adults though, I'm fairly certain they'd eat ya." Explained Shenzi.
"Yeah…. I suppose we wouldn't want that."
"I supposed that too. Now come on, here's a shortcut." Shenzi lead them through a small ravine, more of a trench. It breached through two tall hills, with steeped side and even more bones scattered across them.
The bones disturbed Simba. Where had they come from? Had the hyenas really dragged this many prey animals here that the landscape should be covered in the white corpses? The Elephants that came here to die only accounted for so much of the bones.
They excited the trench, and Shenzi slid down over the rocks, going down to a large elephant skull. Simba and Taka followed her, and they skidded to a stop at the bottom.
"Mzazi's just in here." Said Shenzi, as she walked into another den. Simba and Taka followed her in to find a small cub, looking just as hungry as all the others they had encountered so far, taking a nap. Shenzi set her paws on the pup's shoulders and shook him.
"Huh? What?" Squeaked a small voice as Mzazi opened his eyes and looked around. When he spotted Simba and Taka, he gaped in wonder. "What are you guys?" He whispered.
"Uh…. we're lions." Explained Taka.
"Yeah…. well, lion cubs." Added Simba.
"I'm showing them around the Graveyard, and I thought you'd like to meet them Mzazi! Want to stand up?" She asked.
"Oh, yeah. Uh, thanks!" Squeaked Mzazi. Simba raised his eyebrow, he had never heard such a small, frail voice. Only from a newborn, and this could not be a newborn.
"Come on Mzazi, stand up. You can do it." Said Shenzi encouragingly. Simba leaned in, wondering why the pup hadn't stood up already. Was it lazy?
"I know, I know…. I'm trying." He replied. Simba saw Mzazi's legs shaking something terrible, and Simba frowned in confusion. Mzazi's face was scrunched up in concentration, and he grunted as he attempted to stand up. A few seconds later he puffed out loudly, sighing in defeat. "I can't do it." He said disappointedly.
"Well, do you need help?" Asked Taka, padding up to him.
"Yes please." Replied Mzazi. Taka set a paw underneath the little hyena, and pushed up, Mzazi's legs straightening. Taka removed his paw, and Mzazi stayed standing, his little legs shaking beneath him as they tried to support his weight.
Mzazi grinned happily, overjoyed. "I did it!" He cried happily.
"Good job!" Said Shenzi, sitting down. Simba leaned in next to Shenzi.
"What's his problem?" He whispered, as Taka gave Mzazi a high paw, knocking the little pup back over.
"We're not sure, but we think his bones underdeveloped while he was growing in his mother." Replied Shenzi. "That's all the healer can figure anyways." In the background, Taka helped Mzazi back, a little embarrassed.
"Underdeveloped? From what?" Asked Simna.
"Take a guess buddy boy. Just one." She answered.
"He didn't get enough nourishment?" Concluded Simba.
"Right in one. If a pregnant mother doesn't get enough food… well, things happen to the pup. Nasty things….."
"But… surely the mother would have been able to-"
"Nope. It's as I told you, there just isn't enough food around here. His mother could not eat enough, and Mzazi paid the price. Unfair, isn't it?"
"Uh, yeah, I'd say so-"
"But then, whose favor is it more fair to? Huh?" Said Shenzi, staring at him with a knowing smile. And it wasn't a warm smile either, it was a creepy, unsettling smile that made Simba shiver.
He wasn't going to acknowledge her.
"Little one! We're back!" Came a voice from outside the den.
"Mommy! Daddy!" Squeaked Mzazi happily. Simba turned around to see two adult hyenas enter, both carrying a lizard in their jaws. The hyenas stared at their group for a moment, surprise freezing them.
Then, realization came over them, and the female, the larger one dropped her lizard and began to snarl.
"You! You're both…. lions!" She shouted, her teeth bared as her entire body shook from a sudden, uncontrollable anger.
"Uhh…. yeah?" Replied Taka.
"Lions! You…..you! You're the reason my little Mzazi can't walk!" She screamed, the veins on her neck bulging. She rushed forward, a burning anger nakedly visible in her eyes. Shenzi jumped inbetween then, raising her paw.
"Stop!"
The hyena skidded to a stop, its eyes just about red with anger.
"And why would I listen to you, little pup!?" She shouted.
"Because I am Hatari's daughter! And these here lions are here with me."
"So you're the clan princess…. well step aside, that doesn't change that these lions should be punished! Killed!" She screamed.
"These lions are under my protection, and they won't be hurt! Or do you want to cross the Matriarch?" Challenged Shenzi.
"Ignorant little one… these lions are at fault! They did this to my little Mzazi! I want to kill them!"
"These lions are just cubs, how can they be at fault?" Asked Shenzi. The female leaned down, its teeth bared angrily.
"They eat the food that should be ours. That it how they are at fault."
Simba rubbed the back of his neck, trying not to look conspicuous.
"Right. Well…. come on you two, lets go." Said Shenzi, walking around the mother. Simba and Taka wasted absolutely no time following her out, as the hyena's glares chased after them.
"Bye!" Called Mzazi.
Once out, Simba breathed a sigh of relief. That had been incredibly close.
"She's right, you know." Said Shenzi, examining her claws boredly.
"Uh….. in what?" Asked Taka.
"That Mzazi's condition is your fault." She replied.
"It isn't our fault, what have we done?" Demanded Simba.
"Like she said, you gorge yourselves on the food that we can only dream of. That if Mzazi's mother only had been able to feed herself properly during pregnancy, he would be fine right now. It's the same reason my friend Ed is wacky, and it's all because you lions keep us out of the Pridelands." Shenzi was grinning, her smile unsettling.
"But…. we're only cubs."
"You still eat the food we need. Say, do you know what happens to most pups that are born with defects around here?" Asked Shenzi.
Simba and Taka shook their heads.
"Well…" Shenzi drew her paw across her neck and made a choking sound. They gasped in horror.
"You kill them!?" Exclaimed Simba, his eyes wide.
"Well, what would you suggest we do with them?" Asked Shenzi, smirking.
"Uh, do the same thing Mzazi's parents are doing! Take care of them!"
"That's the snag! A pup is an extra mouth to feed. One more mouth that takes away from how much you get. And if that pup is different, if that pup will grow up and not be able to hunt…..that's a pretty bad investment, I'd say."
"Pups aren't investments! They're living creatures that need help from their parents!" Replied Simba, horrified at her calllousness.
"This clan can't afford extras! We're only hanging on barely as it is! Too many extras, and we all starve! But an extra that will not grow up to be able to hunt….. get rid of it while it's young and newborn."
"But Mzazi's parents are taking care of him!" Retorted Simba.
"Mzazi's parents love him very much! Too much from a practical standpoint! They don't get extra clan rations for their pup, what they feed him has to be hunted on their own!" Shouted Shenzi, still smiling.
"That's not how it should work!"
"That's how it works if you don't want to starve! And do you know the reason Mzazi's parents were so angry with you?"
Simba shook his head.
"The reason she was so angry with you was because she know the exact time and date of their very own pup's death! In fact, so do I!" Shouted Shenzi, growling.
"What… what is it?" Asked Taka.
"Exactly one week after his parents die, whenever that is. Because once he loses his precious mommy and daddy, who will take care of him? Short answer, no one. He'll die from lack of water a week after his parents die. And his parents are already pretty old, in fact I'd say Mzazi only has about three years, tops before he bites the dust. And there is absolutely nothing he can do about it, because no one would take care of a defected cub."
"But… but….." Simba stuttered weakly.
"And it's all because of you lions! You fucking lions! So tell me then. Which of our two species is the vile one? The filthy one? The blasted stupid one that bathes in its own shit!?" Demanded Shenzi angry.
Simba didn't say anything.
"I see it in your eyes. You know I'm right, and you're wrong. So how does that feel, lion?" Taunted Shenzi, scowling.
Simba looked down at his paws.
He had nothing to say.
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