I really appreciate all your reviews! They've all been great so far, and I hope you like this next chapter.
(Oh, and just a little request though, in your reviews for this chapter, I'd like to know who your favorite character(s) is/are. Just wondering is all.
Simba woke up in the skull and looked out one of the eye sockets; it was dark and the moon was already out.
Rafiki was expecting them for another meeting that night. He said he had something planned there that the four would like.
But Shenzi and Banzai thought it was just another plan to get a whack on the head.
Simba looked over to see Ed, snoring quite loud. Then he saw Nala curled up with T, both looking a little tuckered out, but smiling.
He could see T shudder in her sleep but didn't know it was an involuntary reflex after crying.
Simba quietly walked over to Nala and pushed her a little on the shoulder.
"Nala." he whispered to her. She still slept.
"Nala." he whisperd a little louder, tapping her on the shoulder. Nala groaned, opened her eyes and looked up to him.
Simba looked confused because he could see that her eyes were slightly red.
"Something wrong?" he asked her, forgetting to whisper. They froze when they heard Ed make a grunt in the middle of a snore, then switch positions to his side.
They calmed down when he started snoring again, back to sleep. Simba looked at Nala. She just looked at him.
"Is something wrong?" he asked again, whispering this time.
"What?" Nala said.
"Your eyes, are you ok?" Simba asked her. Nala realized her eyes must've looked red from all that silent crying.
"Oh, oh, I'm fine." Nala said, wiping her eyes. Simba still looked unsure.
"Well, c'mon. Rafiki said to come back to his tree tonight." Simba said, walking towards the exit.
Nala slowly stood up from under T. Then so her still sleeping body wouldn't fall to the ground, Nala put her head underneath her.
Then slowly pulled it out from underneath, gently putting T back on the sleeping spot, which was still warm from their body heat.
Nala smiled and gave her a soft nuzzle before following Simba out of the skull.
Nala was quiet the whole walk to the tree. Simba looked behind his shoulder to see her looking at the ground, both still headed towards the tree.
Now fed up with Nala's sudden change in behavior, he turned around to face her.
"Ok, say it. What happened?" Simba demanded.
"What are you talking about?" Nala said.
"Nala, back at the skull you were curled up tighter than a cheetah's hold on a gazelle's neck with T.
And when I woke you up, your eyes looked like they sprung a leak that lasted five hours.
Then when you got up from underneath T, you handled her like she was some kind of cub from our pride!
And you haven't said a word the whole time we've been walking. Now what's wrong?" Simba demanded.
Nala looked to the ground and was quiet for awhile, then she raised her head up to him.
"Rafiki couldn't have been more right when he said that T was more than what Shenzi and Banzai told us." she said, tears starting to swell up in her eyes again.
Simba saw this and walked up and sat beside her.
"What's the matter?" he asked, now looking worried.
"Hey, about time! Where were you two?" they heard a female's voice say.
"Yeah, we were waitin' for almost five minutes!" they heard a male's voice say.
Simba looked up to see Shenzi and Banzai walking towards them.
Nala looked up at them, her eyes shining in the moonlight. Shenzi and Banzai looked surprised.
"Whoa, what happened ta you?" Shenzi said. Nala just stared at them for awhile, then smirked. She stood up.
"You two are really a piece of work." she said, then walked past them to Rafiki's tree. All three of them watched her go.
Shenzi and Banzai looked at each other, puzzled, eyebrows cocked. They looked at Simba. He just got up and followed Nala.
Shenzi and Banzai looked at each other again and followed. All four animals stopped short when they saw an antelope herd in front of them.
Shenzi and Banzai hadn't had a chance to eat due to Timon and Pumbaa interrupting all their meals, and licked their lips at the sight.
Simba and Nala looked at them worriedly.
"What are you staring at?" Nala said.
"Me and Banzai just haven't eaten in awhile." Shenzi replied.
"And I'd say that a midnight snack wouldn't be too bad right about now."
"Yeah." Banzai agreed with her. Then Simba and Nala saw them staring at a young gazelle that had wondered off just a little too far from the others.
"Y'know, gettin' that thing wouldn't be all that hard." Banzai said.
"Wait a minute!" Simba said.
"Shenzi, Banzai, no! Even if it is food, it's so cute!" Nala lightly objected.
"Dinner time!" Banzai said as he and Shenzi ran towards the herd. Simba and Nala looked horrified as they saw them getting closer.
"Shenzi! Banzai! Don't!" they said running after them.
A few minutes later...
Simba and Nala watched, relieved, as the gazelle herd leapt to another part of the grasslands.
Then they turned around to see an angry Shenzi and Banzai.
"Did we mention we hate you?" they said in unision.
"Oh but guys, have a little heart." Nala said.
"It looked barely even a month old! And it was so cute."
"Cute enough ta eat!" Shenzi said. Banzai laughed a little from the comment, Shenzi smirked at him.
Then they all looked up to see a wilderbeast herd a few feet away.
"The fun never stops, does it?" Simba said, looking at Nala.
"Yeah, and this looks any better than any gazelle herd." Banzai said.
"And don't even think 'a tryin' ta stop us!" Shenzi and Banzai said in unision to Simba and Nala.
The two fomer lions looked uneasy. Then they watched as Shenzi and Banzai went after an injured wilderbeast that was limping a little far from its herd.
Simba and Nala then cringed as Shenzi and Banzai met their mark; the suffering wilderbeast barely even knew what hit it.
A few more minutes later...
Simba was looking away while Nala was watching Shenzi and Banzai eat the wilderbeast they had caught.
Simba couldn't stand the sight of his body actually eating and enjoying meat.
"Are they done yet?" Simba asked Nala.
"Almost." Nala said, looking back at him. Simba took a chance and looked over to see a few bare bones on the wilderbeast carcass; mostly its legs.
Simba put his hand over his mouth to keep himself from doing anything unpleasant.
Then Simba and Nala looked over to see Shenzi and Banzai's (originally their) muzzles, drenched with blood.
"Uh, Shenzi, Banzai." Nala said. They both looked at her. Nala pointed to her own (Shenzi's) muzzle, to show where they had blood.
Shenzi and Banzai looked in a puddle and saw their mouths covered in blood. Shenzi rubbed her wrist across her muzzle, getting the blood off it in one stroke.
(A/N kind of like that scene in Brother Bear when Kenai did the same thing to clean off his mouth)
Banzai wiped his mouth off with his paw. Then they both looked at Nala, who nodded.
"Let's just get to the tree." Simba said. They all walked off to Rafiki's place.
"You four are probably wondering why I asked you here tonight." Rafiki said.
"Not really." Shenzi and Banzai said in unision. Rafiki hit them both over the head with his stick.
"Ouch!" Shenzi and Banzai yelled.
"I knew it." they said, through gritted teeth, rubbing their heads in pain. Rafiki turned to Simba and Nala.
"What would you like out of dis switch?" Rafiki asked them.
"What?" Simba and Nala asked him.
"De reason I asked you all here tonight is to grant you whatevah you wanted from 'dis switch." Rafiki replied.
"Can you be just a bit more specific?" Nala asked him.
"You four may have anyting you want, so long as you're switched." Rafiki replied, saying the last part a little slowly.
"Anything?" Nala said.
"Anyting." Rafiki replied.
"Well I know what I want." Simba said. Rafiki got out a bowl he made from half a coconut.
"Go on." Rafiki said. Simba looked at Banzai.
"As long as we're switched, Banzai can't eat meat as long as he's in my body." Simba said.
Banzai's jaw dropped. He looked at Shenzi, who shrugged.
"If dat is what you wish." Rafiki said, putting powder in the bowl.
"Whoa whoa whoa, wait a minute!" Banzai said.
"Hang on a sec." Shenzi said, sliding a paw in front of him.
"I'm guessing these things are non-changable?" Shenzi said. Rafiki nodded his head. Banzai looked mad.
"Well in that case," he began, "kingy over there can't chow down on any bugs as long as he's in my body!"
Simba's eyes widened. He looked at Nala, who just gave him a 'you should've saw that coming' look.
"Ain't it just typical for you ta waste a wish like that?" Shenzi said to Banzai.
"But yeah, I want somethin' outta this." she continued, then looked at Nala.
"I wanna change that whole law about hyenas havin' ta be killed if they's caught in the Pridelands." she said.
Simba and Nala looked surprised. Then Simba looked angry.
"Absolutely not! I won't allow it!" he yelled.
"I'm afraid dat you have no choice my king." Rafiki said. Simba looked at him confused.
"I said dat de four of you could have anyting you wanted. And I meant, anyting you wanted."
Shenzi looked pleased with herself after hearing this, Banzai just gave her a look like he could've predicted this.
Nala stared at Shenzi hard, then said;
"I know what I want." she looked at Shenzi.
"I want you to tell me why you want to change the law." Nala said looking at Shenzi. Shenzi looked surprised, then looked at Nala hard.
"I'm not tellin' you anythang!" Shenzi yelled at her.
"Like I said to de king, you have no choice." Rafiki said. Shenzi growled and looked away, mad.
She really didn't want to say why she did, fearing they'd all think she'd gone soft. Banzai of course knew why she wanted to change the law, but didn't say anything.
Finally, Shenzi looked at Nala. Her eyes burning into the former queen's.
"T almost got killed today because of your stupid law." Shenzi said quietly but firmly, then looked away.
Banzai looked in the opposite direction Shenzi was looking in.
Nala looked horrified.
