Chapter Ten:
The Plan
It was two days after the coffee incident and Shenzi was extremely bored. For the last two days she had an upset stomach and pounding headache. Drinking nothing but caffeine and sugar, her little body wasn't use to that type of liquid. Being in three separate cages from her friends also made the days go by slow, Banzai was always sleeping and Ed was always with his mother most of the time. So without them fighting she has nothing else to do but lie here and think.
(How am I going to escape from here) She thought (If the cage is lock and we need a key to open it and how am I going to get the key when I'm stuck in here?)
She looked over at Banzai and Ed who were sleeping as usually. (And if I do escape how would Banzai react if I let Ed follow me home) She thought.
As she continues to think more and more question were popping into her mine. (And if I do find my home, what about the others, Banzai has a clan of his own to return to and I don't think my mom and especially my brother wouldn't allow Ed to stay with me)
Shenzi felt guilty about what Baylou told her and she was too scared to tell Ed about his mom going away and never coming back. Shenzi rolled over on her back and stared at the ceiling. She thought about her family and how were they doing, memories of her picking on her brother and what's his name friend. And more importantly she thought about how she is going to get home.
(That's the main thing you need to worry about Shenzi, how to get home then you can worry about other things) her brain said
(It's not that easy, I'm stuck in here without any ideas) she thought
She dozed off after a while and woke up to find herself outside again. She stood up to see Molly shouting at Shelly about keys.
"Shelly, will you please talk to me" Molly begged
"I'm still not speaking to you" She said "after what your coffee freak pets did to my radio"
"I just want to know where the keys are that will open their cages"
"How the heck would I know, dad's the one who keeps all the keys and he's not home" she said
"But the hyenas haven't been outside in days"
"Will there's nothing we can do till dad gets home with the keys" Shelly shouted
Molly pouted and sat down in the dirt staring at her stubborn sister, her friend Amber and her smashed up radio.
"I don't know how a bunch of hyenas could break a radio" Shelly said frustrated as she tried to clean the coffee stains from the inside of the radio.
"Don't you think your being a little too hard on your sister, it wasn't like she did it" Amber asked.
"You would be too if your radio was the only entertainment in this boring place" She said looking at all the pieces she had to put together "And she just making my bad mood even worse by complaining about the keys that aren't here"
Then it hit Amber, " I got an idea"
Amber got up from the small table they were sitting at and walked over to Molly.
"I know how to get your pets out without the key" she said
"You do" Molly asked
Shenzi watched as the teenager bent over to her cage, pulled out a bobby pin from her frizzy, red hair and began to jiggle it in the lock. Shenzi heard a click and her cage was open.
"There you go, you little disgusting thing" Amber giggles.
Shenzi ran out of her cage and waited till the teenager unlocks the other two cages.
"Wow, Amber, how did you do that with a bobby pin" Molly asked
"It takes practice" she said
(She unlocked the cage with those things called a bobby pin in her hair) Shenzi thought and that's when her idea begins to grow. She was just about to gather up her friends to share her idea on how they might escape but sadly, she watches as two males went their separate ways. She sighed and decided to go talk to Chinchin and Baylou.
She spotted them talking to each other and noticed something attach to their ears. "Morning, Mrs. Baylou and Chinchin"
"Morning Shenzi, so how was the coffee experience" Baylou laughs.
"Don't remind me I still have a pounding headache from it"
"Well, this isn't the first Ed got into the coffee" she said "let me guess he surprised you that he can open his cage"
"Yes, after I told him how much I wanted to leave this place" Shenzi frowned
"What's wrong little one" Chinchin asked
"Well, it's been hard lately, Banzai and Ed are still not getting along and when I want to talk to Banzai about it he won't say anything and now I think he's mad at me now since I kinda blew off the only chance we had to get out of here when Ed wanted me to try the coffee. And top of all that I really missed my family" Shenzi said
"I wish you wouldn't put so much stress on yourself" Chinchin said "I'm sure your friend just mad at himself"
"I don't know he won't talk to me" Shenzi said "why would you said that"
"Because he had that chance to escape but instead he followed you in to trying that coffee" Chinchin explain
"Yeah, I think it's best to let him blow off some steam, yet I don't how a pup his age has so much anger in him"
"It's hard for Banzai to blow off steam when there's something . . . or someone that keeps bothering him" Shenzi said pointing over to Ed. They watch as Ed was sneaking over to Banzai who had his back turn and was staring at the other animals or the outside world.
"What's he doing" Chinchin asked.
Both Shenzi and Baylou sigh "Ed sneaking over to Banzai" Shenzi explains
"He going to bite him on the ear hard" Baylou added
"Banzai will scream and chase after him till one of them gets tire or Ed would come over to me for protection." Shenzi ended
They heard a scream then Ed laughing and looked to see Banzai chasing after Ed.
"This will last for about a couple of minutes." Shenzi said
"Oh well, as long it is making Ed happy I'm not complaining" Baylou said
"May I ask what's on your ear" Shenzi asked
"It's just a tag the humans put on me in a way to identify the humans at the zoo I'll be going to"
"Yeah, I got one on my ear to and I heard we'll be leaving sooner then we thought" Chinchin said
"How soon," Shenzi asked
"In . . . two days" he said a little shameful
Baylou made a tiny sigh and kept staring at her son trying to avoid getting pounded by the other little male. Her eyes grew wide when Ed started to run over to her.
"Momma!" Ed shouted.
Shenzi backed away a bit letting Ed run over to his mother for safety. Banzai nearly crash into Shenzi when she put out her paw to make him stop running.
Banzai, who still didn't Baylou was Ed's mother, still tried to go after him but Shenzi kept holding him back.
"Excuse me" Shenzi said, dragging Banzai away from the others. Ed smile and stuck his tongue out at Banzai.
"Banzai, why do we have to do this almost ever single day" Shenzi said
"You saw him, he keeps coming over and trying to bite my ear off and you're taking his side." He shouted
"I was saving your butt because you were about to beat up Ed right in front of his mom, its common sense, Banzai"
Banzai went pale "that was his mom"
"Yeah, you dummy, she might attack you and tear you into pieces"
He flops to the floor "I'm never going to beat him up"
Shenzi gave him a cold stared "why can't you two get along"
"It's hard to like someone when he's bothering you"
"Well, at least try to get along with him since it seems that you and I are all Ed has left when the humans are going to sell his mom away to some zoo"
Banzai looked surprised about the news but said nothing. He pouted and just sat there. Shenzi smiled and sat next to him. "All I'm asking is for you to lighten up a bit because lately your temper is getting the best of you and it seem you're putting all your rage toward Ed."
"Fine, I'll try, but I'm not promising you anything" he said
Baylou hugged Ed tight in her arms and nuzzle closed to him. "Ed, do you like this place"
"It's ok, it's home, right" he said
She smiles "do you like hanging out with the other two pups"
"Yeah, they're fun, why"
"Well . . . um . . . mommy is going to a new place to live"
"Cool, so where are we going" Ed asked, excited
"You're staying here with Molly and the others, only me and the other animals are going"
"So when are you coming back"
"I don't know how long I'll be gone but I want you to be a good boy when I'm gone"
Ed nodded "ok, momma"
"Also, whatever happens, I want you listen to Shenzi and follow her wherever she goes. She's smart so she knows what she's doing and make should you help her out when she needs it"
"Ok, I will" Ed smiles
Baylou smiled, holds back her tears and hugged her son one last time.
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"Say good-bye to mommy, Ed" Molly said.
Holding Ed in her arms, Molly let him look out the window to watch Baylou being pack up in the van with the other animals.
"Your mommy is going to be free now"Molly said
Standing behind her was Shelly and Amber holding the other two cages that had Shenzi and Banzai in it.
"Are they really going to let those animals free" Amber whisper
"No, that's just what my dad say so he won't upset Molly." Shelly said
"Bye momma, see you soon" Ed smiled
"Poor pitiful fool, he has no clue what's going on" Banzai chuckle
"Shut up Banzai, I don't want you to rub this in his face"
Banzai rolled his eyes and said nothing. They stood there til the humans took off with the animals.
"Ok Molly, we watch Ed's mom leaving now can we please give these monsters their bath, Amber and I have other plans to do"
"Yes, quit whining" Molly said then looked at Ed "are you ready for your bath" Ed nodded and smile.
While they were walking down hallway to the bathroom, Shelly was explaining the instruction to Amber.
"There can't be that many rules just to wash the pups"
"With these pups there are" Shelly said "and you got to wear gloves, and not to keep you hands clean but to keep them from biting your flesh off"
Amber went pale "which one's the biter"
"Let's see, Andrew's the scratcher, Ed's the one who drools and Marie is the biter and she bites hard"
"I think I'll wash Andrew" Amber smiles.
Banzai watch as Molly fill up the tub, he shivers "I hate water"
"Cheer up Banzai, I have a feeling this bath day is going to be interesting" Shenzi smirks
"Why would you say that, it's just the same hot water with the same bubbles with the same teen girl who tries to drown us"
Shenzi ignored him and focuses her concentration on Amber's hair. In all that frizzy red hair laid nothing but bobby pins. (If I can just get one, I'm sure I can pick my cage's lock) she thought.
Once the hyenas were out of their cages and into the bathtub, Shenzi was just waiting till the time was right. She was shock that Ed was enjoying the bath and popping all the bubbles that were floating around him. She couldn't figure out if Ed was that dumb or in denial about his mother being gone and never coming back, but as long as she didn't bring that up everything would be just fine. Banzai was giving Amber a hard time by struggling to get out of the tub.
"Is Andrew afraid of water" Amber asked.
"No, he's just being difficult" Shelly said trying to get Shenzi to stop biting her.
Shenzi was slammed into the water to wash off the soap. Already she was losing her air supply and she struggles to get out of Shelly's grip. She manages to slip out of her hands and swim over to where Banzai was at.
"Where did she go" Shelly asked.
"How can you lose a puppy in a bathtub." Molly asked, letting Ed swim around the tub.
Suddenly they heard Amber scream when Shenzi flew out of the water and landed Amber's shoulder.
"Get her off of me" Amber screams
She stood up quickly, trying to shake off Shenzi. Shenzi held on tight and managed to crawl up on top of her head. Banzai watched in amazement and so did Molly and Ed while Shelly tried to get Shenzi off Amber's head.
"Amber hold still you're just going to make things worse" Shelly shouted
The next thing Amber knew she felt Shenzi yanking out her hair "make her stop, I think she's trying top pull my scalp off" Amber said
Banzai grew uneasy "something's telling me I should get out of this bath tub. Banzai jumped out of the bath tub and tried hard not to get stepped on by the teenagers.
"Amber, watch out you're going step on Andrew" Molly shouted
Amber made a sharp turn and slipped on some soapy water that Banzai brought out form the tub. Molly scream and grabbed Ed out before Amber fell backwards into the bathtub. Shelly shriek when Amber made a huge splash causing water to splash everywhere.
"What's going on in here" Alex shouted but stared at his sisters who were soaked and wet and Amber who was trying to get out of the tub. Banzai was curled up in a little ball when he was trying not to get stepped on and Shenzi crawls out from under Amber's hair holding something in her mouth.
"What happened here" Alex chuckles, "I thought you were giving the hyenas a bath"
"Get out of here and get some towels" Shelly shouted
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It took an hour to clean up the hyenas and the bathtub. While Shelly was dealing with Amber's new small bald spot, Molly was putting the pups back in their cages.
"I'm so glad to have you guys as my pets, seeing that look on my sister's face was so funny." Mollies giggle as she got up and went to the door. "And just think we'll be together forever" she said and turn off the lights and closed the door halfway.
As soon as Molly left, Banzai and Ed went right to sleep "good night Shenzi" they said almost at the same time.
Shenzi's eyes begin to water and she spat out locks of Amber's hair she kept in her mouth for over an hour. She ran to her water bowl and tried to get rid that awful taste of cheap shampoo out of her mouth. A little dizzy, she scrambles though the hair and found three bobby pins.
"What damn luck" She whispered, (If that human could pick a lock with these, I'm sure I can) she thought.
The dizziness over come her and Shenzi decided to take a little nap. She smiled in her sleep knowing by tonight she was going to escape . . .