Chapter Thirteen:
The Cool Night
Shenzi laid there on the warm sands of the desert and stared up at the sky. It was filled with bright orange colors as the sun begin to set. It's been a day after she yelled at her friends and she chuckle to herself because they were behaving now. She turn her head to see Banzai and Ed lying down in the dirt and staring at the sky as well.
(Shenzi's log: Day Eight) She said in her mind (You know when you're losing it when you're talking to yourself in your head. Anyway, it's been eight days and there is still no sigh of land. Just dirt) she chuckle again (I'm so hungry and very thirsty and I swear Banzai is losing it as well. Lately, he's been staring at Ed like he was food and I think he planning on eating him.)
Banzai flinch in pain when his stomach growled (stupid hunger, at this point I'll eat anything) he thought then stared at Ed, who was sleeping soundly in the dirt, mumbling things about coffee (look at him, how he can be sleeping at a time like this, stupid moron. I can't believe Shenzi wanted him to come along. What does she see in him I'll never know.) His stomach growled again and he sigh as he turn over to see Shenzi in deep thought. Right now he was too afraid to talk to her when she's angry.
(Oh why can't my life be easy, why can't I have a normal family with a father and a brother who loves you and normal friends with a normal home) Shenzi whined in her mind (But no, I only have a mother and a brother, who reminds you everyday about you being to biggest pain in his life and two idiots, who can't get along and you're going to die at ten weeks old in some crummy desert)
Shenzi turn to the left and suddenly she noticed something green a few miles away. She had to focus her dry eyes to see if her mind was playing tricks on her again. But the big green thing started turning out to be large trees and she could have sworn she smell water. She quickly stood up and took a few steps closer to the get a better look.
"Either it was that cactus I ate or I'm losing it or that is really land!!!" Shenzi shouted causing Banzai to quickly stand up.
"It is land, we are saved" Shenzi shouted then ran over to Ed "wake up, Ed"
Ed awoke from a rough shaking "huh"
"Good, you're awoke" she said, dropping him to the floor "get up, there's land a few miles away"
"But I'm tire and my paws hurt" Ed whined
"Do what she said Ed, we don't want her getting angry again" Banzai said getting a little nervous about that
Ed got up and stretch out a bit and put on a tired smile. "If we run we can get there before the sun goes down" Shenzi said
Using all their strength they had left in their little bodies, they begin to run towards the patch of green.
It was nightfall when they enter the thick trees of the jungle, already a small cool breeze blow in to their messy sweat-soaked fur.
"Wow, what is this place? It's so big and green and cold" Ed said, looking around the scenery.
"It's call a jungle, Ed, it's like your home expect with trees and grass and no humans" Shenzi said.
"Oh, but it's still a neat place" Ed smiled
"Can we find a place to sleep my paws are killing me" Banzai asked
"What do you think I'm doing, Banzai" Shenzi said
It only took them a couple of minutes to find a small patch of grass that was surrounded by thick tall trees that covered up the dark sky. Banzai sat down on the cool grass which was a pain to his paws. Walking in the hot desert sand burned them a bit so it hard to walk. His fur still felt hot and crispy and his eyes were red from the bright sun. He looked across to the other side to see Ed staring back at him with a large grin.
"Shenzi, when can we have our turn with the lake" Banzai shouted trying to ignore Ed's stupid grin
"Keep your fur on, man, I just got in here" Shenzi shouted from behind the bushes
"Please, it doesn't take me that long to take a bath"
"Shut up, I haven't bathe in a week and my fur smells like dirt and sweat and I still have a few blood stains on my arm" Shenzi shouted reminding him that she had to help Ed with his nose bleed that he cause.
"Just hurry up" Banzai shouted back
"Stop whining" Shenzi said
Shenzi sigh as she began to wash her hair with the cool water then her fur. It took awhile to get the blood stains and the smell of sweat that seems to cling onto her fur out. The lake was small and very deep so she had to stay at the edge to take her bath. With her pounding headache finally gone and the soreness in her paws fading away she smiled as she relaxed in the cool water. And for the first time ever in four weeks she finally had some "me-time" without any morons fighting over everything. She took one last dunk in to the water before getting out.
"That hit the spot" she said shaking off the water to dry up
Before she was about to leave Shenzi noticed her reflection in the water. First time in weeks she was able to see what she looked like. She certainly had grown a couple of inches and her black mane was almost covering up her forehead.
"Momma" She whisper to herself realizing how much she misses her.
She got out of her deep thought when she heard Banzai hollering at her again to hurry up.
"Ok, you bunch of whining babies, I finish now it's your turn." Shenzi said as she exit from the bushes.
"It's about time" Banzai said then ran over to the lake. Shenzi heard him jumping in to the water then screaming from the cold.
"I forgot to tell you the water cold" Shenzi laughed
"Thanks for reminding me" he said in a sarcastic way
"Come on, Ed" Shenzi said
"I don't need a bath" he whined
"Yes, you do, your fur is cover in blood from your nose bleed the other day"
"Wasn't my fault" Ed said as Shenzi got him off the floor
"Well, that's what you get for not finishing Banzai's "favorite" song" She laughed
"But I'm too tire and I'm hot"
"I know but it's a good way to cool down after spending a week in the desert" Shenzi said
Ed smiled because it felt real nice to have someone to care about him "fine"
He followed Shenzi to the lake when Banzai was floating in the water on his back. He open one of his eyes and sigh "hey, I gave you privacy, why can't you do the same thing" he said
"I will, but Ed will be joining you" Shenzi said
"Fine, just don't let him bothered me" he said
Ed took a few steps in the cold water, already he shiver from the coldness; he was so use to taking warm, bubbles bath that Molly would make.
"Have fun you two and try not to drown him, Banzai, please" Shenzi said as she walked away
"Dammit" Banzai muttered to himself. As he was floating around the lake he watched Ed washing up his face and staying close to the shallow end.
"Why don't you come to the deep end" Banzai said trying to nice since he knew if he got in to a fight with Ed again Shenzi will go berserk. He hate to admit it, but she looked kinda cute mad.
Ed started walking to the deep end and stopped when the water went up to his chin. "I can't swim" he said
Banzai looked at him "you're joking, right?" but Ed shook his head
"Come on, everybody knows how to swim, it's easy" he said
That saying just made Ed feel much worse about it and tried to walk back to the edge when he felt something swimming around his legs.
Shenzi just barley closed her eyes to sleep when she heard Ed screaming at the top his lungs then a huge splash then Banzai shouted " get off of me." She calmly sigh, got up and walked over to the lake. She found Ed holding on to Banzai and trembling in fear.
"He's choking me" Banzai coughed since Ed had his arms wrapped tight around Banzai's neck.
"Ed, get off of him, what's going on"
"There's a monster in there" Ed said pointing to the water "it was swimming around me"
Shenzi walked in to the water and dunked her head under water, even through there was very little light she was able to see what the "monster" was.
She pulled her head out of the water "Ed, it's just little fishes swimming around"
"Fish" Banzai said dropping Ed in to the water "Fish sounds good"
Shenzi was tire to do anything but when her stomach growled she might as will "do any of you know how to fish" She asked but realized Ed hasn't resurfaces up from the water yet.
"Shit, is he drowning" Shenzi panicked
"Oh, I forgot he couldn't swim" Banzai said like it was no big deal.
"Do something!!" Shenzi shouted
Banzai calmly dived under the water and pushed him to the edge of the lake next to Shenzi. Ed gasp for air and cough up some water. "You ok, Ed?" Shenzi said patting his back as he continue to cough up water.
"Wow, I saw my life past before my eyes" Ed said
"It's call a near death experience, Ed" Banzai said swimming around again
"Does that mean I'm dead" Ed said, ready to cry
"No, he's just saying that to scare you" Shenzi said giving Banzai a very cold stare,
After Ed's near drowning experiment, the pups decided to go to bed. They laid down in their own little spot in the patch of grass.
"Listen guys, tomorrow morning we'll tried to get some food, but for now, let's gets some sleep" Shenzi yawned
"Fine by me" Banzai said curling up in to a little ball.
"Good night" Ed said before closing his eyes.
Shenzi smiled as she nuzzle her cheek against the soft grass, oh, how she misses the smell of the outside world. After a couple of minutes she finally fell asleep. An hour past when Ed woke up from hearing all these strange noises around him. He wasn't use to sleeping in the jungle, it was a lot easier in the desert and at the human's home since they were quiet and it wasn't as cold as this. He curled up in to a tighter ball and shivered in fear when he heard the wind blowing through the trees making a scary noise. He looked around, Shenzi saw sleeping soundly on the side of their spot and Banzai was sleeping in a piled of leaves, kicking in his sleep from a dream.
(This place seems a lot scarier at night) Ed thought as he buried his head in his arms because for some reason he believed something was watching him. The wind blew again making another scary noise causing Ed to jumped up. He begin to tremble in fear and tried to call Shenzi to wake her up. "Shenzi?"
"Shenzi?" she heard someone calling her name but wasn't sure it was in her dream or not. "Shenzi?" Shenzi heard her name again then something tapping on her head.
She opened her eyes to see Ed staring down at her "Ed?" she said as she sat up and wiped the sleep out of her eye "what is it" she whispered.
"This place is scary, there's so many weird noises around me" Ed cried
"Shut up, Ed and go to sleep" Banzai said, opening one of his eyes
"Hush, Banzai, he's just scared" Shenzi whispered.
"What's there to be scared of, he's just a big baby" Banzai chuckle till he felt a small pebble hitting his head.
Shenzi gave Banzai an angry stare then looked at Ed "Ok, don't cry, that's the last thing we want you to do."
Ed tried to calm himself downs but it looked like he was about to burst.
"What does your mom do to calm you down in theses situation" she asked believing Baylou probably gone through this a few times.
"My mom always hold me till I fell asleep" He said
Shenzi made a embarrassing face expression "you're serious, huh?" and Ed nodded
Banzai turned his head to see Shenzi holding Ed in her arms, rocking him gently for comfort. She was blushing from this awkward situation, but if this will help him go back to sleep she'll do anything.
(This is new) Banzai thought
"Listen Ed, we all get scare at some things, you're just not use to living out here that's all"
"But it's so scary out here" Ed cried
"I know, but you'll get use to this place I promise" Shenzi whisper, she heard Ed making a high squeaky yawn then the next thing she knew he fell asleep.
"What was that all about" Banzai asked "was holding him necessary "
Shenzi gently placed Ed down next to her "hey, it put him to sleep"
"Yeah, but holding him" Banzai asked again
"Just go to sleep" Shenzi snapped back at him still blushing from the whole thing. She was never going to do that again.
Banzai tried to get comfortable but he couldn't for some reason he didn't like seeing Ed all cuddle up against Shenzi as they slept. For some reason he felt alone and left out of the group, not to mention the hint of jealousy.