Ok, just to clarify, the story isn't taking place in the pridelands but it's not far away from them, and thanks to the two people who have reviewed.
Chapter 2:A new friend
It had been several years since Shargra was born and he was now a young cub. He was sitting at the entrance to his prides cave trying to think of something to do, when a young female cub wandered up to him, and he groaned inwardly. 'Oh great, not her again!' he thought.
"Hi Shargra," she grinned, "Got any food?"
"No I don't have any food!" he shouted, "why do you always ask me that?"
"Because I'm always hungry," she replied coyly, her voice becoming more and more cheerful. Shargra couldn't help but shudder - how he had come to loathe that cheerfulness.
"If you're hungry why don't you go and catch something?" he said, beginning to laugh.
"And what is so funny? I could catch something if I wanted!" she said angrily.
"Look Shanika, I can't even catch anything and I'm a year older than you."
"Ok, ok, I see your point." She suddenly brightened up and grinned maniacally, exposing teeth that matched her stomach: abnormally large. Shargra winced. He knew what was coming next. "Do you want to come and explore again?"
"What, again? You nearly got us killed last time and the time before that and t..."
"Ok, I get the message but it was an accident" Shanika looked up with mournful eyes.
"Oh don't look at me like that," Shanika continued staring. She had got the innocent look down to a tee - no one could resist those big blue eyes.
"Ok, ok, we'll go. On one condition. You don't talk about food, and you don't sing again."
"That was two, and what's wrong with my singing?"
Shargra just growled.
"Fine, I won't sing. Can we go now?" Shanika said.
Finally smiling, Shargra said, "Ok let's go".
The two cubs started walking into their lands when a voice from behind them spoke "And just where do you think you're going?"
Shargra sighed and said "Hi mum". Both cubs turned and saw Isua standing behind them, tail swishing in a slightly amused way.
"So where do you think you're going?" Isua repeated.
"Just exploring, Mum." Shargra said, trying to look innocent.
"Oh no, I know what happens when you go exploring. It ends up with either me or your father having to come and rescue you and whoever you went with." Isua said sternly.
"Please mum we wont get into trouble" Shargra pleaded.
"Oh ok, but this is your last chance, got it? Oh, and stay away from the river. It's dangerous." Isua said firmly, one eyebrow raised.
"Yes, we've got it, bye mum." Shargra said swiftly, and the two cubs turned to leave.
"And watch out for Hyenas." Isua shouted to them.
Shargra looked back and said, "Mum, there aren't any Hyenas around here. They're not even allowed in these lands."
"That doesn't mean there won't be any. Just be careful, ok?"
"Ok, ok, bye now." With that, both cubs ran off.
Isua stood there, watching them with a faintly bemused grin on her face, before shaking her head determinedly and stalking back into the coolness of the cave. She would never understand that cub of hers.
The two cubs walked out in to the Savanna, in the direction of the river. They had only been walking for five minuets and Shanika had already started to sing.
"It's the circle of life and…"
"What did I say about singing?" Shargra shouted at her.
"Can I whistle?" she asked.
"No!" Shargra shouted back.
"Well can I hum it?" she asked.
"Ok" said Shargra seeing that she couldn't be stopped.
For the next ten minuets, Shanika hummed the tune to 'Circle of life', off key. Until Shargra lost his temper and started shouting at her.
"Stop humming, it's driving me insane and where did you get that tune anyway?"
"It just came into my head." Explained Shanika patiently.
"Well get it out of your head then!" Shargra shouted.
"Ok, ok, there's no need to shout, and I'll have you know that that'll be a famous song someday!"
"That, a famous song? Yeah, right."
"It will be! You never appreciate me!" she screeched, bursting into pretend tears.
"Oh, honestly, Shanika...Shanika, I'm sorry…Sorry!"
She grinned maliciously. "Fooled you."
"Did not."
"Did too. And can you stop being so rude about my singing?"
"Sorry but that tune was driving me mad, if you have to hum at least do it on key" Shargra said.
"Hey I don't hum off key!" Shanika said angrily.
"Let's just forget it, ok?" Shargra said trying to avoid another argument that would end up with Shanika singing even more just to annoy him.
"Ok, so where are we actually going then?" Shanika asked.
"What?" Shargra exclaimed, "I was following you".
"Oh. Course, I knew that." Shargra groaned. This cub would never admit she was wrong. "So, where shall we go then?" Shanika asked hurriedly.
"To the river." Shargra said firmly.
"But, but your mother said to stay away from there!"
"Yes but she meant stay away unless your careful" Shargra explained.
"Oh, ok then let's go!" she grinned.
She walked off singing some ridiculous song called 'Hakuna Matata'. Shargra rolled his eyes and followed. Two minutes later… "Are we there yet?".
Shargra gritted his teeth. "No…"
"Oh, okay. Are we there yet?"
"Not yet."
"Are we th-"
"Shanika, it's been two seconds since the last time you asked."
"I know. Are we there yet?" Shanika whined.
"That's the eighth-thousandth time you've asked," Shargra said gritting his teeth again "but yes, we're finally there".
Suddenly the cubs heard a scream coming from the river "Somebody help!"
"What was that?" said both cubs at the same time.
"Help!" the voice shouted again.
"It sounded like it came from in the river," Shargra said running to the bank, he looked over the edge and gasped.
"What? What is it?" Shanika asked worriedly, running to his side.
"It's a Hyena pup! It's hanging on to a root half way down the bank!"
"A Hyena? Shargra run!" Shanika said nervously
"Shanika it's hanging over the river, plus its only a pup what can it do, anyway We cant just let it fall in and drown; we have to help it."
"What! Shargra are you mad!"
Shargra just ignored her, lying on the bank he stretched his paw out to the hyena and said, "Here take my paw!"
"I.. I cant reach" the hyena shouted back.
"Shanika, come over here and take my other paw!"
"I don't think this is a good idea," Shanika said nervously.
"Just do it!" he shouted.
Shanika shook her head, dashed over to the bank and took Shargra's paw. Shargra lowered his paw down further and the Hyena grabbed it.
"Shanika, pull us back up!" Shargra shouted.
Shanika pulled as hard as she could, nipping with her teeth, and eventually managed to get both Shargra and the Hyena pup back on the riverbank. The Hyena pup got to its feet, drenched, looked at the two cubs and said "You, you saved my life!
"Yup, that's us! Heroes we are!" announced Shanika bravely, then realized that she was talking to a hyena and ran 2 feet away in one leap with a cry of "Aaaah!"
Shargra looked at her strangely, and then shook his head, deciding that he probably didn't want to know.
"But why?" asked the sopping hyena, dripping water everywhere.
"We couldn't let you fall in and drown could we?" Shargra said.
"But Lions hate Hyenas, don't you?" the Hyena said.
"That's not the point, if someone needs help and you can give it, you should no matter who they are. That's what my father taught me," Shargra explained.
" My father told me your all nasty creatures who steal food from us. Hmm... I can tell him he's wrong now! Well, thanks for saving me, my names Shenzi, daughter of Hafnine. My Ma's the leader." the Hyena said proudly.
"I'm Shargra and this annoying lioness here is Shanika," he said indicating Shanika who was now chasing her tail in circles, randomly. "Shanika, why are you doing that? You look stupid".
Shanika stopped for a second and said "It's fun." then she carried on. Shenzi just looked at her as though she was mad. "Is she…always like this?"
Shargra grinned. "Yes, it's a problem she's got. Ignore her, I do."
"Hey, Shargra, guess what?"
"What now Shanika?"
"I'm hungry."
Shargra sighed. "Excuse me," he said to Shenzi. "Oh, look, a shiny rock Shanika!"
"Where?" she screeched, darting off.
"So Shenzi, how did you come to be dangling over that river?" Shargra asked.
"Well this morning I decided to come and explore these lands, mainly because I'm not supposed to," she giggled. "I came to look at the river, and slipped on the bank. I just managed to catch the root before I fell in. I'd actually better go before my parents notice I'm gone."
"Okay, but don't let my Father see you in our lands," Shargra said, "He'll probably eat you"
"I'll try, and thanks again for saving me, I'll remember that!" And with that Shenzi ran off.
"See," Shargra said to Shanika, "I told you she wouldn't eat us"
"Shiny..." said Shanika, who was staring at a rock.
"Oi! Earth to Shanika!"
"Huh? Oh, yeah, alright, you were right, but you should always be careful".
"That's rich coming from you."
"And what's that supposed to mean?" Shanika snapped. "I am carefulness incarnate."
"Look, just forget it ok? And lets get going before we get in trouble."
The two cubs started to walk back.
"I'm gonna be a mighty king, so something dee da dee…."
Shanika started to sing 'I just can't wait to be king' which was bad, as she only knew half the words. Shargra tried putting his paws over his ears, but when he tried to walk like that he just fell flat on his face. Shanika found this so amusing that she actually stopped singing to laugh.
"Shut up Shanika, it's not funny and it's your fault!"
"How is it my fault, it's yours for trying to walk on your back legs!" Shanika shouted back.
"If you weren't singing I wouldn't have tried to cover my ears would I?"
Shanika was just about to shout back when Bafsta walked up to them.
"And what took you so long, you've been gone nearly an hour now?" he asked, one eyebrow raised. Bafsta and Isua shared a lot of characteristics, mostly due to their shared experience of Bafsta.
"We would have been quicker but someone decided to sing again" Shargra explained.
" So where did you go?" Bafsta asked.
"Nowhere interesting, we were just exploring." Shanika said innocently.
"I'll let that do for now. Let's go home and I'll ask you again what you did," Bafsta said.
"Why do you need to ask again?" Shargra asked.
"Because when you say nowhere interesting it means somewhere you were not supposed to go, but your mother wants you back so I can't ask you now. And Shanika, your mother's having a fit. Come on." Bafsta said. He then started walking in the direction of home. The cubs looked at each other and decided they'd better follow.