"I hate you," Shenzi declared, sitting so miserably across from him.
Timon looked up from the beetle he was munching on. "It was only a baby!"
"It was only my LUNCH!" she shot back. "And you scared it off with your whining."
"Good," Timon said curtly, giving her a quick, confident nod. "All that raw meat is bad for you anyway. You'll have a heart attack. Now, eat up!"
Shenzi frowned down at the insects that scurried around her feet, trying to fathom how he could possibly consider them as a meal. But, the more she stared at them, the more they looked appealing to her rumbling stomach. She finally decided to swallow her dignity and a large centipede, which went down so horribly slow. All Shenzi could do was grip her neck and gag.
Timon just grinned at her around a mouth-full of creepy-crawlies. "Delicious, huh?"
Shenzi coughed, "Disgusting."
"Nah," he said with a fan of his paw. "You like it, you just don't want to admit it."
She recovered slowly from the gruesome gulp and looked at the meerkat with watery eyes. "I should just eat you."
"Now, now," Timon said, waving a finger at her. "You don't want to get alteethifallobia, now do you?"
Shenzi just rolled her eyes. She stood up and tossed a look around her surroundings, mumbling to herself, "There has to be something around here to eat."
Timon looked up while chewing, watching as her eyes lit when she saw a lone mongoose roaming in the distance. Timon followed the creature's movement for a moment, before shooting a worried look at the hyena. "Shenzi..."
"Don't you even dare stop me," she whispered, before carefully advancing toward the creature.
Timon quickly swallowed the last of his bite and stood up tall on his hind legs, peering off after her with a horrified look on his face. He was about to open his mouth to call out to her, but was too late. He flinched and turned away, covering his face with his paws.
The poor animal didn't even know what hit him.
* * *
Timon wisely kept away from her as she ate, and when she had finally had her fill and they continued on their journey, he made sure he was two steps behind her at all time. She kept shooting him looks; looks that were filled with confusion and curiosity. He knew she sensed the awkwardness in the air and it was only a matter of time before she'd ask what was up. Until that time came, he'd just have to figure out what to tell her.
She was a hyena after all; she had to eat. And what she ate was meat. But, why did she have to go after a creature so similar to him? He could have passed that mongoose one day—he could have gotten to know him. He could have been his friend.
It might as well have been HIM that she ate.
Timon stopped dead in his tracks.
Realizing he wasn't following anymore, Shenzi stopped as well and shot him a look. "What?"
Timon glared at her, suddenly very angry and hurt. "Why don't you just eat ME and get it over with?"
"Excuse me?" she asked, slowly turning around to face him.
Timon sighed and sat down on the ground dramatically, pulling his knees up to his chest. "Just get it over with. I mean... you eat mongooses, so why not eat meerkats too!"
"What are you whining about now?" Shenzi griped, walking over to him. "I was hungry and you had chased off my last meal, remember?"
"It was only a few hours ago. I'm not an idiot," Timon snapped back, childishly.
"Then get up off the ground, Stooge, and let's keep walkin'." Shenzi turned and started off toward the horizon.
"Was it quick?"
She stopped and tossed an exasperated look over her shoulder. "What?"
"His death... his MURDER," Timon added. "Was it quick?"
"Quicker than your DEATH is going to be if you don't stop your whining."
"I knew it!" Timon exclaimed, jabbing a finger at her. "You DO want to eat me!"
"Nonsense," she quickly replied with a roll her eyes. "I don't want to eat you. You know why?"
Timon let his paw sag as his face drooped with confusion. After a moment, he asked, "Low in fiber?"
"Because you asked me a very important question a while ago," Shenzi purred, her demeanor completely changing. She slowly turned and advanced toward him, batting her eyes. "A question I hadn't really got the chance to answer to my best ability."
Timon stiffened, surprised by the change in mood. "Huh? Wha--?"
"And well," she sighed, sitting down next to him and leaning her head down close to his. "The answer is... I do."
Timon just stared at her, his eyes as large as ostrich eggs. "...Huh?"
Shenzi fluttered her eyes some more, looking at him with as much adoration she could muster.
But she finally let loose the laughter and elbowed him in the side, sending him to the dirt. "I'm just kidding, Squirt!" she chuckled. "I just wanted to see the look on your face!"
Timon laughed uneasily as he sat up and rubbed the back of his neck. "Yeah..."
"I'd rather marry Ed than you!" she went on.
Timon's face soured. "Hey..."
"Marrying you would be wrong in so many ways!" she laughed, beating the ground with her paw and shaking her head. "I can't believe you asked me to marry you that night! How did you ever think that plan would work?"
"Well, it did..."
Shenzi quickly sobered and she looked at him with a straight face. "Oh yeah."
Timon grinned and stood up. "Sorry about the whole... hole thing..."
"Yeah, well, sorry about that mongoose fellow."
"No more eating my distant cousins, okay?"
Shenzi gazed at him before giving a tremendous sigh. "Fine," she relented. "If it stops you from whining."
Timon grinned and continued off toward the horizon, with Shenzi at his side. After a while of walking, Timon turned to her and mumbled, "You'd really marry Ed over me?"
Shenzi just sighed and shook her head.
Timon looked up from the beetle he was munching on. "It was only a baby!"
"It was only my LUNCH!" she shot back. "And you scared it off with your whining."
"Good," Timon said curtly, giving her a quick, confident nod. "All that raw meat is bad for you anyway. You'll have a heart attack. Now, eat up!"
Shenzi frowned down at the insects that scurried around her feet, trying to fathom how he could possibly consider them as a meal. But, the more she stared at them, the more they looked appealing to her rumbling stomach. She finally decided to swallow her dignity and a large centipede, which went down so horribly slow. All Shenzi could do was grip her neck and gag.
Timon just grinned at her around a mouth-full of creepy-crawlies. "Delicious, huh?"
Shenzi coughed, "Disgusting."
"Nah," he said with a fan of his paw. "You like it, you just don't want to admit it."
She recovered slowly from the gruesome gulp and looked at the meerkat with watery eyes. "I should just eat you."
"Now, now," Timon said, waving a finger at her. "You don't want to get alteethifallobia, now do you?"
Shenzi just rolled her eyes. She stood up and tossed a look around her surroundings, mumbling to herself, "There has to be something around here to eat."
Timon looked up while chewing, watching as her eyes lit when she saw a lone mongoose roaming in the distance. Timon followed the creature's movement for a moment, before shooting a worried look at the hyena. "Shenzi..."
"Don't you even dare stop me," she whispered, before carefully advancing toward the creature.
Timon quickly swallowed the last of his bite and stood up tall on his hind legs, peering off after her with a horrified look on his face. He was about to open his mouth to call out to her, but was too late. He flinched and turned away, covering his face with his paws.
The poor animal didn't even know what hit him.
* * *
Timon wisely kept away from her as she ate, and when she had finally had her fill and they continued on their journey, he made sure he was two steps behind her at all time. She kept shooting him looks; looks that were filled with confusion and curiosity. He knew she sensed the awkwardness in the air and it was only a matter of time before she'd ask what was up. Until that time came, he'd just have to figure out what to tell her.
She was a hyena after all; she had to eat. And what she ate was meat. But, why did she have to go after a creature so similar to him? He could have passed that mongoose one day—he could have gotten to know him. He could have been his friend.
It might as well have been HIM that she ate.
Timon stopped dead in his tracks.
Realizing he wasn't following anymore, Shenzi stopped as well and shot him a look. "What?"
Timon glared at her, suddenly very angry and hurt. "Why don't you just eat ME and get it over with?"
"Excuse me?" she asked, slowly turning around to face him.
Timon sighed and sat down on the ground dramatically, pulling his knees up to his chest. "Just get it over with. I mean... you eat mongooses, so why not eat meerkats too!"
"What are you whining about now?" Shenzi griped, walking over to him. "I was hungry and you had chased off my last meal, remember?"
"It was only a few hours ago. I'm not an idiot," Timon snapped back, childishly.
"Then get up off the ground, Stooge, and let's keep walkin'." Shenzi turned and started off toward the horizon.
"Was it quick?"
She stopped and tossed an exasperated look over her shoulder. "What?"
"His death... his MURDER," Timon added. "Was it quick?"
"Quicker than your DEATH is going to be if you don't stop your whining."
"I knew it!" Timon exclaimed, jabbing a finger at her. "You DO want to eat me!"
"Nonsense," she quickly replied with a roll her eyes. "I don't want to eat you. You know why?"
Timon let his paw sag as his face drooped with confusion. After a moment, he asked, "Low in fiber?"
"Because you asked me a very important question a while ago," Shenzi purred, her demeanor completely changing. She slowly turned and advanced toward him, batting her eyes. "A question I hadn't really got the chance to answer to my best ability."
Timon stiffened, surprised by the change in mood. "Huh? Wha--?"
"And well," she sighed, sitting down next to him and leaning her head down close to his. "The answer is... I do."
Timon just stared at her, his eyes as large as ostrich eggs. "...Huh?"
Shenzi fluttered her eyes some more, looking at him with as much adoration she could muster.
But she finally let loose the laughter and elbowed him in the side, sending him to the dirt. "I'm just kidding, Squirt!" she chuckled. "I just wanted to see the look on your face!"
Timon laughed uneasily as he sat up and rubbed the back of his neck. "Yeah..."
"I'd rather marry Ed than you!" she went on.
Timon's face soured. "Hey..."
"Marrying you would be wrong in so many ways!" she laughed, beating the ground with her paw and shaking her head. "I can't believe you asked me to marry you that night! How did you ever think that plan would work?"
"Well, it did..."
Shenzi quickly sobered and she looked at him with a straight face. "Oh yeah."
Timon grinned and stood up. "Sorry about the whole... hole thing..."
"Yeah, well, sorry about that mongoose fellow."
"No more eating my distant cousins, okay?"
Shenzi gazed at him before giving a tremendous sigh. "Fine," she relented. "If it stops you from whining."
Timon grinned and continued off toward the horizon, with Shenzi at his side. After a while of walking, Timon turned to her and mumbled, "You'd really marry Ed over me?"
Shenzi just sighed and shook her head.