Note: *Cracks knuckles* Alright! This is going to be a long addition! I
swear! I owe it to you guys! *Grins* Okay... here we go:
"Man, I can't believe this," Banzai huffed. He frowned at the piles of bones around them, useless and not a scrap of meat left on them. He sighed and looked toward his companion, who just sat there with his tongue hanging out of his mouth. "Where the heck is Shenzi?"
He didn't get an answer from the other hyena—he didn't expect one. Ed hadn't said a word since... well... ever. He just sat there, without a care in the world and panting perpetually.
Banzai heaved another breath and bowed his head hopelessly. "Man, without Shenzi, we ain't nothing! We got nothing! No food, no fun... no action!"
Suddenly, they heard a loud roar and both hyenas stood to attention. Banzai shot his friend a nervous look before saying in a high pitched voice, "Okay, so I take the last part back."
"Where is he?" a loud voice demanded and the hyenas turned to watch Simba walk into the graveyard, followed by the warthog. In union, both hyenas swallowed hard at the sight of the mighty king, suddenly too shocked and scared to reply. "Well? Where is he?" Simba asked again.
"Heh, I... I didn't know it was gonna be a party!" Banzai replied nervously, lowering himself close to the ground as to not look threatening. "I'd offer you something to eat or drink, but we are, ah..." he gave the piles around him a pointed look before adding, "BONE dry."
"Where is Timon?" Simba growled.
"Well, ah..." Banzai began, and then frowned. "Timon?"
"Yeah, my BESTEST best friend!" Pumbaa spoke up through clenched teeth.
"I, ah... don't know what you're talking about," Banzai replied, taking a step back from them.
"Shenzi has him," Simba snarled, advancing toward him. "Where has she taken him?"
"Shenzi?" Banzai repeated, then his eyes widened. "Shenzi! She took that hula-rodent?" He shot Ed a look of horror, whispering, "She probably got alteethifallobia!"
"Alteethifall-whatta?" Simba and Pumbaa both asked, exchanging a look.
"Oh no!" Banzai exclaimed, slapping both paws to his face and Ed began to whimper behind him. "Poor Shenzi! We must DO something!"
"We need to find her," Simba declared, narrowing his eyes.
* * * *
Timon stared up at the sky, watching as the clouds slowly slid by. He frowned and tucked his paws underneath his head, trying to rid his thoughts of any worries, but failing miserably. He should return to Pride Rock to settle things with Pumbaa and Simba; he should find Shenzi and make things right; he should... he should...
Growling in frustration, Timon abruptly sat up. "Too many 'should's,'" he mumbled to himself. "Not enough 'could's' and 'would's.'"
He sighed and looked off toward the waterhole, frowning at the memory of them there less than an hour ago. She had played with him—they had laughed. And when things got out of control, there had been a moment where she was actually concerned for him.
"I just don't want to be alone either!" he heard her voice echo in his head. "I make a lousy friend, but, I'm all you have right now."
He dropped his head miserably, realizing that there was a lot more to Shenzi than what he cared to admit—that there was a lot they had in common: being an outsider, feeling alone... not having anyone understand you.
But, he had Pumbaa... Who did she have?
Life was hard on the outside.
Just then, he heard someone yell from far away, "Hyena!"
"Hyena?" he repeated, perking up.
He turned his head and stared at the jungle behind him, straining his ears for any further sound. When he started to hear shouts and cries, he jumped to his feet and darted for the jungle. He pushed through the leaves and leaped limbs, running as fast as his short legs could carry him to the sounds that were making his heart heavy with dread. He finally broke through to the clearing and stopped dead in his tracks, his breath catching.
The colony all stood there, half-circled around a large lump of gray. In their paws they held sticks and rocks—anything that they could get a hold of. They were silent now, their faces flushed and horror-stricken, and they looked up at Timon, meeting his wild and confused gaze.
Timon panted, looking from face to face, before turning his eyes to the still gray body on the ground. Willing his feet to move, he pushed through the crowd to the silent creature and his heart dropped to his feet.
"Oh no," he whispered, lowering to his knees by her nose. "Shenzi..."
"We brought the hyena down!" Uncle Max hollered and the entire colony cheered.
Timon looked up suddenly, watching the crowd rejoice with shock. He shook his head, before shouting angrily, "What have you done?!"
The colony grew silent at his outburst and stared at the distraught meerkat with puzzlement.
"Timmy...?" Ma asked, stepping out of the crowd. "What..."
"Help me," Timon said, looking back down at Shenzi and touching her nose. "She's badly hurt. I need help."
Ma furrowed her brow and stared at her son. No one moved.
Timon looked up, looking from face to face desperately. "Someone please help! She's hurt!" Timon pulled his eyes away from the unmoving crowd to his mom, staring at her with all the desperation he felt. "Ma... please!"
"Timon," she said carefully. "That's a hyena."
"She's my friend!" he hissed back.
A gasp rolled through the colony and shocked looks were exchanged. Ma turned her head over her shoulder, staring at the disbelieving crowd before slowly looking back at her son with wide eyes. "I don't understand..." Ma began.
"You hurt her!" Timon shouted angrily at the crowd, sliding his eyes across each face. "How could you?"
"Timon?" came a soft whisper.
Timon peeled his heated glare from the colony to the hyena on the ground and his eyes widened to see her weakly lift her eyelids. "Shenzi," he replied, touching her nose again.
"Hey Squirt," she whispered, barely audible.
"I'm sorry," Timon replied, shaking his head. "They... they didn't..."
"Nah, I can get a hint," she smiled weakly. "Besides, I deserved it."
"No," Timon said quickly. "No, you didn't."
"I'm sorry," she whispered, closing her eyes for the effort of keeping them open was too great. "I just came back to... to say that."
Timon nodded and then bowed his head, letting a few tears escape down his cheek. He sniffed, and looked back at her, surprised to find her eyes open again.
"Whoa, whoa," she said softly. "Squirt doesn't cry. He never cries."
"Oh, don't think you have me all figured out," he mocked her with a small smile.
She returned the smile, but it soon faded as her eyes closed again.
Timon's lower lip trembled and he looked up sharply when he felt a paw on his shoulder. Ma looked down at him, giving him a small, reassuring smile, before she turned around and yelled, "Get me a healer NOW!"
Note: *Twiddles fingers nervously* Long enough? Still too short? Too serious of a chapter? *Gulps* Tell me what you think...
"Man, I can't believe this," Banzai huffed. He frowned at the piles of bones around them, useless and not a scrap of meat left on them. He sighed and looked toward his companion, who just sat there with his tongue hanging out of his mouth. "Where the heck is Shenzi?"
He didn't get an answer from the other hyena—he didn't expect one. Ed hadn't said a word since... well... ever. He just sat there, without a care in the world and panting perpetually.
Banzai heaved another breath and bowed his head hopelessly. "Man, without Shenzi, we ain't nothing! We got nothing! No food, no fun... no action!"
Suddenly, they heard a loud roar and both hyenas stood to attention. Banzai shot his friend a nervous look before saying in a high pitched voice, "Okay, so I take the last part back."
"Where is he?" a loud voice demanded and the hyenas turned to watch Simba walk into the graveyard, followed by the warthog. In union, both hyenas swallowed hard at the sight of the mighty king, suddenly too shocked and scared to reply. "Well? Where is he?" Simba asked again.
"Heh, I... I didn't know it was gonna be a party!" Banzai replied nervously, lowering himself close to the ground as to not look threatening. "I'd offer you something to eat or drink, but we are, ah..." he gave the piles around him a pointed look before adding, "BONE dry."
"Where is Timon?" Simba growled.
"Well, ah..." Banzai began, and then frowned. "Timon?"
"Yeah, my BESTEST best friend!" Pumbaa spoke up through clenched teeth.
"I, ah... don't know what you're talking about," Banzai replied, taking a step back from them.
"Shenzi has him," Simba snarled, advancing toward him. "Where has she taken him?"
"Shenzi?" Banzai repeated, then his eyes widened. "Shenzi! She took that hula-rodent?" He shot Ed a look of horror, whispering, "She probably got alteethifallobia!"
"Alteethifall-whatta?" Simba and Pumbaa both asked, exchanging a look.
"Oh no!" Banzai exclaimed, slapping both paws to his face and Ed began to whimper behind him. "Poor Shenzi! We must DO something!"
"We need to find her," Simba declared, narrowing his eyes.
* * * *
Timon stared up at the sky, watching as the clouds slowly slid by. He frowned and tucked his paws underneath his head, trying to rid his thoughts of any worries, but failing miserably. He should return to Pride Rock to settle things with Pumbaa and Simba; he should find Shenzi and make things right; he should... he should...
Growling in frustration, Timon abruptly sat up. "Too many 'should's,'" he mumbled to himself. "Not enough 'could's' and 'would's.'"
He sighed and looked off toward the waterhole, frowning at the memory of them there less than an hour ago. She had played with him—they had laughed. And when things got out of control, there had been a moment where she was actually concerned for him.
"I just don't want to be alone either!" he heard her voice echo in his head. "I make a lousy friend, but, I'm all you have right now."
He dropped his head miserably, realizing that there was a lot more to Shenzi than what he cared to admit—that there was a lot they had in common: being an outsider, feeling alone... not having anyone understand you.
But, he had Pumbaa... Who did she have?
Life was hard on the outside.
Just then, he heard someone yell from far away, "Hyena!"
"Hyena?" he repeated, perking up.
He turned his head and stared at the jungle behind him, straining his ears for any further sound. When he started to hear shouts and cries, he jumped to his feet and darted for the jungle. He pushed through the leaves and leaped limbs, running as fast as his short legs could carry him to the sounds that were making his heart heavy with dread. He finally broke through to the clearing and stopped dead in his tracks, his breath catching.
The colony all stood there, half-circled around a large lump of gray. In their paws they held sticks and rocks—anything that they could get a hold of. They were silent now, their faces flushed and horror-stricken, and they looked up at Timon, meeting his wild and confused gaze.
Timon panted, looking from face to face, before turning his eyes to the still gray body on the ground. Willing his feet to move, he pushed through the crowd to the silent creature and his heart dropped to his feet.
"Oh no," he whispered, lowering to his knees by her nose. "Shenzi..."
"We brought the hyena down!" Uncle Max hollered and the entire colony cheered.
Timon looked up suddenly, watching the crowd rejoice with shock. He shook his head, before shouting angrily, "What have you done?!"
The colony grew silent at his outburst and stared at the distraught meerkat with puzzlement.
"Timmy...?" Ma asked, stepping out of the crowd. "What..."
"Help me," Timon said, looking back down at Shenzi and touching her nose. "She's badly hurt. I need help."
Ma furrowed her brow and stared at her son. No one moved.
Timon looked up, looking from face to face desperately. "Someone please help! She's hurt!" Timon pulled his eyes away from the unmoving crowd to his mom, staring at her with all the desperation he felt. "Ma... please!"
"Timon," she said carefully. "That's a hyena."
"She's my friend!" he hissed back.
A gasp rolled through the colony and shocked looks were exchanged. Ma turned her head over her shoulder, staring at the disbelieving crowd before slowly looking back at her son with wide eyes. "I don't understand..." Ma began.
"You hurt her!" Timon shouted angrily at the crowd, sliding his eyes across each face. "How could you?"
"Timon?" came a soft whisper.
Timon peeled his heated glare from the colony to the hyena on the ground and his eyes widened to see her weakly lift her eyelids. "Shenzi," he replied, touching her nose again.
"Hey Squirt," she whispered, barely audible.
"I'm sorry," Timon replied, shaking his head. "They... they didn't..."
"Nah, I can get a hint," she smiled weakly. "Besides, I deserved it."
"No," Timon said quickly. "No, you didn't."
"I'm sorry," she whispered, closing her eyes for the effort of keeping them open was too great. "I just came back to... to say that."
Timon nodded and then bowed his head, letting a few tears escape down his cheek. He sniffed, and looked back at her, surprised to find her eyes open again.
"Whoa, whoa," she said softly. "Squirt doesn't cry. He never cries."
"Oh, don't think you have me all figured out," he mocked her with a small smile.
She returned the smile, but it soon faded as her eyes closed again.
Timon's lower lip trembled and he looked up sharply when he felt a paw on his shoulder. Ma looked down at him, giving him a small, reassuring smile, before she turned around and yelled, "Get me a healer NOW!"
Note: *Twiddles fingers nervously* Long enough? Still too short? Too serious of a chapter? *Gulps* Tell me what you think...