Author's note: Wow, I can't believe this is the last chapter, but don't go away yet, there is an epilogue coming up.

This is a short chapter.

Enjoy.

Chapter Twenty-Four: The Pouring Rain

The glow and heat of the fire started to disappear and were replaced by the dark and coolness of the rain. The whole clan smiled, lifted their heads high in the air and opened their mouths to catch the cold rain.

Info and Gossip were still trying to wake up Silet "Come on Silet, wake up" Info said, slightly tapping her cheek.

Finally, after a few minutes of the rain falling on Silet's face, she slowly opened her eyes and stared at her two friends.

Info sighed in relief while Gossip helped her up "you all right Silet" Gossip asked

She nodded "but I thought we were back at the rock and wasn't it on fire"

"We were but you fainted and one of the clan members bought you back" Info said

Then something clicks in Silet's head causing her to jump onto her feet "ED, Oh my god, he talked, he actually talked. Where is he, is he ok" Silet screamed and ran around in circles a bit in the mud.

Info grabbed her by the shoulder and force her to sit down. "This is not the time Silet" she said.

"Sorry" she said

"And we don't know what happened to him or Shenzi and Banzai. They, along with a few others, are still up there at the rock" Gossip said

Silet wiped her soaked mane out of her eyes and stared at the mud, hoping they made it out ok. Suddenly they heard the sounds of footsteps and turned around to see two male hyenas tumbling down the small hill at the border and crashing to the muddy ground.

Balean was the first to run over to the pair, hoping it was Shenzen, followed by the all female trio. Their eyes widened when they realize it was the exhausting Ed and Banzai, who seems out of it.

Silet nearly fainted again but kept her composer and ran over to Ed and hugged him tight. Stunned at first, Ed smiled in relief and hugged her back. Info smiled at the happy couple, Gossip just rolled her eyes but Balean was the one who spook up "Where's Shenzi and Shenzen"

Banzai just sat there, remembering that last second he saw her before the flames took her away from him. He buried his head in his paws and the mud, telling himself she wasn't dead.

Shenzen opened his eyes to a cold, dark world with rain pouring down on him. Before the fire engulfed him and Shenzi, he protected Shenzi by wrapping his body around her then all went bright for one minute before everything darkens.

The cool rain rolled down his burns and ease the pain a bit as he crawled under Shenzi again and lifted her up onto his back. The rain was pouring so badly that he couldn't see anything five feet away from him.

He slowly walked by the remains of Scar, so badly burned and torn up you wouldn't even tell if it was a lion or not. He took his sweet time walking down the rock since the cold rain made it slippery.

"Hang in there Shenzi" Shenzen said, when he couldn't feel her breathing.

He looked to his left and spotted all the lioness gathering over at the bottom of the rock and waited from Simba to come down. He ignored what was going to happen next and made his way back to the Graveyard.

The whole clan shivered from the coldness as they sat there in the mud, waiting and wondering what to do next.

"What are we going to do" Gossip asked

"Beats me, without a leader, where are we going to go" Info said

"You're talking like Shenzi and Shenzen are dead" Belean shouted

"Well hello, if they were still alive, they would've been here by now" Info said

"Yeah, it's obvious they were burned to a crisp by the fire" Gossip said

The females heard someone growling from behind them and turned around to see Ed and Silet trying to hold Banzai from attacking "You stupid idiot, quit saying she is dead, she is not dead. Shenzi wouldn't give up so easily like that Blathatha!" Banzai shouted.

Belean and a few other hyenas' jaws dropped when Banzai said the name Blahatha.

Gossip growled and stormed over to him "you little bastard" she muttered to herself and was about to attack, but Info holds her back.

"Guys, please this is no time to fight" Silet shouted

"Let me go so I can shut that mouth of hers permanently" Banzai shouted, struggling to get his paws on that annoying female.

"Like you can ever fight me! I'm a top alpha" Gossip said

"And you're just bluffing from what I heard!" Banzai laughed.

While Ed, Silet, and Info hold the two hyenas back, Balean noticed the clan looking over at the borders lines of the Graveyard and saw someone sliding down and crashing into the mud. Her eyes widened when she realizes whom it was and ran over to them "They're alive" she shouted.

Banzai stopped struggling and slowly turned around to see Shenzen, panting from exhaustion, putting Shenzi down on the ground. She wasn't moving. "Shenzi!" Banzai shouted and ran over to her, not caring about the fact that he pushed Ed and Silet away.

The clan surrounded their unconscious leader, but left enough room for Banzai to check on her. Banzai placed his head on her chest to see if she was breathing. Her breathing was extremely weak and her heart was beginning to slow down.

"She inhaled too much smoke" Shenzen said, coughing a little.

Banzai started shaking her a little "Come on Shenzi, breathe, you need to breathe" he said.

"Is she?" Silet asked

"No, she is not dead!" Banzai shouted and started shaking her again "Shenzi, please, don't leave me like this, after all we been through, don't leave me now!"

He still didn't get a respond and most of the hyenas lowered their heads, thinking it was too late to save her. Tears started to form in his eyes as he buried his head into her chest, he couldn't believe she would just leave him like this.

The rain drops mixed with every hyena's tears as they cried for their fallen leader. Info and Gossip had too much pride to cry so they looked away while Silet comfort Ed. Banzai was sobbing harder then the others, but that stopped when he heard a cough that made Shenzi's chest to bounce.

Banzai slowly lifted up his head when more coughing was heard and looked over at Shenzi. Everyone went silent that only the rain could be heard and stared at their leader. Shenzi slowly opened her eyes and lean over on her side to cough up black saliva.

"Shenzi?" Banzai called in a low voice

Shenzi coughed a few more times before looking over at him and smiled "you know, I'll never leave you"

Banzai smiled from disbelief before embracing her as if there was no tomorrow. "You're alive, I can't believe you're alive" he said, then kissed her on her cheek. Ed took a deep breath in relief while Silet nuzzled him and smiled.

Banzai let Shenzi go to breathe but that didn't last long when Shenzen hugged her and she hugged him back. "I thought you were a goner" he said

"I would've been if you didn't save me," Shenzi said "thank you"

While the two siblings were hugging, Balean went up to them and asked "so what now?"

"What do you mean" Banzai asked as Shenzi and Shenzen parted.

"Where do we go?" A male hyena asked

The others around them were all agreeing to the male hyena's question and waited for an answer.

"Yeah, where do we go from here" Info asked

Shenzi looked at Banzai then remembered about the river he had taken them too when they defeated Alzon. There was something across the river and behind those thick trees. "I know a place we can go" Shenzi said

"Really, where" Shenzen asked

With the help of Banzai, Shenzi got up from the mud and looked at the clan "There's a river, miles away in the desert, if we start walking we can get there before sunrise" She said "so whose with me"

Shenzi started walking through the crowd, with Banzai, Ed, Silet, Shenzen and Balean following her. Soon, once the others started to follow her, ignoring their wounds, pain, mud and rain.

"I told you, you'll be a great leader" Banzai said

Shenzi looked back and saw the clan following her then back over to Banzai "Well someone has to watch over you and the others for now on" she said

He smiled and gave her a nuzzle "I love you Shenzi"

"I love you too Banzai" Shenzi said

Shenzi started to pick up the pace so she can get out of this Graveyard once and for all. The clan picked up the pace as well and followed their leader out of the depressing land while laughing and hollowing from the freedom.

In the background, the last thing they heard from the Pride Lands was Simba's roar...