Author's notes: This is getting monotonous but I apologize again for the delay with this extremely long chapter. I hope you all understand – Christmas and all, you know how it is. Anyway, so here's this long, rather risky chapter that I hope you'll all enjoy. Please review if you have the energy to do so. Here comes the inevitable character list.

Simba – Adult male lion, King of the Pride Lands

Nala – Adult lioness, Queen of the Pride Lands, wife of Simba

Kiara – Adult lioness, Princess of the Pride Lands, hunting party leader

Kovu – Adult lion, Prince Regent of the Pride Lands, husband of Kiara

Vitani – Adult lioness, half-sister of Kovu

Amaryllis – Adult lioness, foster mother of Amabi, former loner, wanderer, former loner

Nadhari – Adult lioness, mother of Alyssa and Kelt

Sharhal – Adult lioness, a member of Kiara's hunting party

Aetti – Adult lioness, a member of Kiara's hunting party

Tumai – Adult male lion, competitive, aggressive, mocking

Juvi – Adult male lion, quiet, thoughtful young male

Salama – Adult male lion, old and wise but not as wise as he thinks, condescending

Lokanneoro – Adult male lion, Tenzer's father, veteran survivor, powerful

Maradi – Adult male lion, attractive and pleased with his appearance

Haya – Adult male lion, young, curious about the world

Tenzer – Half grown male lion, loner, quiet character but gentle with cubs

Ryana – Half-grown lioness, talkative and besotted with Tenzer

Amabi – Male lion cub, adopted son of Amaryllis, cheeky, inquisitive cub

Alyssa – Lioness cub, daughter of Nadhari, more reserved and careful cub

Kelt – Male lion cub, son of Nadhari, slightly insecure cub

Zazu – Adult hornbill, Simba's majordomo

Timon – Adult meerkat, Simba's friend

Pumbaa – Adult warthog, Simba's friend

Rafiki – Adult baboon- Simba's friend, shaman and advisor

Shenzi – Adult female hyena, leader of Graveyard Clan

Banzai – Adult male hyena, leader of Graveyard Clan

Ed – Adult male hyena, leader of Graveyard Clan

Ridikill – Adult male hyena, hunting pack leader, extremely aggressive and antisocial

Burudi – Adult male hyena, scarred face, Ridikill's 'lieutenant', less vicious, member of Ridikill's pack

Groco – Adult male hyena, weakling, low-ranking scout trying to improve his social standing, member of Ridikill's pack

Agiza – Adult female hyena, hunting pack leader, one of Shenzi's favoured, high-ranking

Sarkil – Adult female hyena, sarcastic huntress, member of Ridikill's hunting pack

Kapungu – Adult male hyena, fearsome hunter with a lust for blood, member of Ridikill's pack

Babaka – Adult male hyena, always hungry, member of Ridikill's pack

Shungi – Adult female hyena, rookie leader of small hunting pack

Cauron – Adult female hyena, currently heavily pregnant

Mali – Adult male leopard

Mamacala – Adult male crocodile

Kachero – Adult male rock python

Oocheva – Adult male plover bird

Simba walked home. His beloved family, Nala, Kiara and Kovu, were not far behind him. All walked in silence, heads hanging low, lost in thought. The stars shone above them and a pleasant night breeze rushed through their fur, but they took no notice.

Everybody was thinking about the result of the negotiations. The hyenas had total access to the Pride Lands at Simba's permission. It was something that weighed heavily on his mind. Had he made the right decision? He knew that most of the pride thought he hadn't. What he wanted to know was whether or not his family thought he had. But he was too mentally exhausted to question them now. He just wanted to get home and sleep on it.

Further behind Nala, Kiara and Kovu came the rest of the lions in a disorganized group. Some of them were talking in hushed tones. Others weren't being so subtle.

"Like a damn martyr…" Simba could hear Tumai saying, "I don't know what his problem is…"

Simba sighed. He was too tired to defend himself. He just wanted to go home.

Kachero the python slung his long body through the water, heading towards the far corner of the waterhole. At night the tranquil waterhole was a remarkably different place – fish skimmed along the surface of the water, the crocodiles were more prolific, the noisy hippos gathered on the banks and all kinds of strange visitors came and went.

As Kachero knifed through the water he bumped into something. A crocodile rose from just below the waterline, glaring at him. Its eyes shone in the reflected moonlight and its teeth glinted like stars.

"You watch where you're going", it rumbled, "You're not off my menu, you legless lizard. Not all crocodiles are afraid of annoying Mamacala by eating his lackey".

As soon as the words were out of its jaws the water between the python and the croc seethed and Mamacala rose to the surface, his great bulk shoving the smaller crocodile aside.

"You'd tempt fate by annoying me eh?" Mamacala snarled at his fellow croc, opening his mighty maw, "Well, mission accomplished: I'm annoyed".

Instantly the smaller crocodile dived and with a few lashes of its tail powered away, plunging into the depths to escape Mamacala's wrath.

"Miserable creature", Mamacala growled, then turned in the water to face Kachero, "You have news?"

"Yes, but first allow me to thank you for aiding me against your brethren, Mamacala, Lord of the Rivers".

Mamacala said nonchalantly "Don't mention it. Now, what news -"

"I live to serve you, Lord Mamacala".

"What news, you fool!" Mamacala snapped.

"As you command, Mamacala. The negotiations are over. King Simba has granted the hyena clan access to the Pride Lands".

"Hah! I knew he would. Not permanently, surely?

"No. The hyenas have been granted a six week 'trial period' to prove themselves to the King. After that they will review the matter of extending the hyena's stay in the Pride Lands".

"I see. So where are the hyenas now?"

"When Oocheva left they were still at the sight of the negotiations".

"Celebrating no doubt", Mamacala mused, "Although I imagine dear little Ridikill is a little sore he didn't get to see any action".

"Oocheva gave some specifics this time on your protégé", Kachero hissed, and there was just a hint of resentment in his voice.

"My my, what's this, Kachero? Jealous of Ridikill?" Mamacala boomed.

"Of course not".

"Don't waste yours and my time by lying to me".

Kachero knew it wasn't an idle thing to say. Mamacala always knew when you were lying. Lies sang out to him. Masters of deceit were rarely fooled themselves.

"Of course. Yes I am a little resentful of the hyena", Kachero admitted.

"Why?"

"Because he has your favour, Lord Mamacala".

"But so do you. Also, consider this: Ridikill knows nothing of the existence of you or any of my other agents. As far as he's concerned I'm just a strange old crocodile without a single companion besides him. He doesn't know the truth about me, yet I let you and the others know it".

"Yes Lord Mamacala", the python paused, pensive, then ventured, "May I ask, My Lord? Why do you not keep Ridikill informed if he is one of your favourites? And indeed why do you favour him at all? He is, after all, one of them. A mammal".

"You may not ask. I have my reasons for keeping Ridikill in the dark about the true level of influence I command. And as for why he's one of my favourite followers…well, that's not your concern".

Kachero bowed his head, unsatisfied with the lack of information but recognizing that to press Mamacala further was to push his luck. He was genuinely perplexed by the crocodile's interest in the hyena Ridikill. Ridikill had never seen Kachero but Kachero had seen Ridikill: he had in secret from the hyena but with full awareness from the crocodile observed many of their meetings. He had an intense dislike for the hyena due to his coarse manner, the cheek Mamacala allowed him to get away with for reasons Kachero didn't understand, and of course his mammalian blood.

Mamacala glared at Kachero, reading him like a book. He knew of Kachero's hatred of Ridikill. It sprouted mostly from jealousy: Mamacala allowed the impudent hyena far more leeway than his other charges and the always-loyal but often-scorned Kachero resented that.

The reason Ridikill was allowed to get away with his relative insolence to the Lord of the Rivers was because Ridikill was important in Mamacala's schemes. Far more important than a mere functionary like Kachero, but Mamacala wasn't about to tell the python that. He needed Kachero's unwavering loyalty at the moment and so resisted stinging him with his acid tongue.

"Have patience and you'll discover why Ridikill is one of my favourites", was all he said, and the python nodded.

"At any rate, now that the hyenas are starting to make themselves comfortable in the Pride Lands, I daresay I can find a way to turn this to my advantage. Already I've made crude preliminary plans, but plans nonetheless. I see the path to what I want forging in front of me. Stay alert, Kachero, and remember, your loyalty will be repaid if you follow me".

"Yes my Lord of the Rivers, the mighty Mamacala", the python bowed again, and knowing he was dismissed, he turned about and cruised back across the waterhole.

Mamacala watched him go: this time no lesser crocodiles hassled the python. Mamacala began to sink beneath the surface, at last disappearing without even a ripple revealing his presence, just beyond the sight of all.

Ryana the half-grown lioness sat looking out over the plains, perched on the very pinnacle of Pride Rock. The sky was still dark and the stars still shone overhead, but the first hints of the sun rising were just beginning to show, tinting the horizon pink.

Tenzer, herself, the other adolescents, the cubs and Timon and Pumbaa had tried to stay awake for as long as possible, desperate for news of the battle their mothers, fathers, brothers, sisters and friends were fighting. None came, either in the form of the pride returning victorious or Zazu arriving to tell them to flee Pride Rock and head south. One by one the youngsters fell asleep, despite trying to keep each other awake.

However, Ryana had been unable to doze off and so had come to sit and wait for news of the battle or any sign of the returning pride. She found when she slept she dreamed of the hyenas tearing into her.

She turned to look at her shoulder. The scar was still hideous despite the baboon's treatment: the hyena's attack had nearly torn the skin off and the matted and worried fur that was there now showed patches of bare skin beneath.

Ryana shuddered involuntarily at the thought of the hyenas, the memory of their slashing bites, hideous laughter and hot, stinking breath. The thought of the adults, including her own mother, going off to fight an army of the brutes filled her with dread.

"Ryana?" a little voice said from behind her, startling her.

She turned and saw young Amabi tottering up towards her, his eyes half-closed and his steps sluggish. He was obviously very tired.

"Amabi? What are you doing up? You should be asleep".

"So should you", Amabi replied.

Ryana smiled, "True. But why are you up?"

"Can't sleep", the cub replied and sat down next to her. The night was cold despite being the dry season: Amabi cuddled up to Ryana's leg.

"I wish we'd hear something", the cub said suddenly.

Ryana nodded, "Yeah, I know what you mean. It's the hanging around and waiting that's getting to me. I just wish we could know, one way or the other, what's happened out there".

Amabi looked up with wide eyes, "You think they might lose?"

Ryana realized her error and hastily tried to cover it, "No no, of course not. The tension's just getting to me. Of course they'll win. The hyenas will be limping back to the Graveyard by now".

"You think so?"

"Yup", Ryana said, trying to sound convincing despite her own doubts, "Come on, King Simba's not the type to lie down and let his enemies walk all over him".

"Yeah, you're right. And besides – my mom's with them, they can't go wrong!" Amabi grinned, "I…wait…is that them?"

Ryana peered into the dark below them, "Where?"

"There! Just coming past that patch of thorns down there?"

Ryana squinted, "I can't see anything".

"Right there!" Amabi pointed with his paw to emphasize: Ryana still looked clueless, "Oh, come on, just follow me!"

With that he bounded down Pride Rock's winding path. Ryana followed him, stopping now and again to peer down at the plains to try and spot the pride. She could still see nothing.

As they passed the cave where everybody was sleeping, awaiting news of the battle, Ryana stopped and considered waking them but decided against it. After all, Amabi might have just been imagining things and she didn't want to wake them needlessly. She continued down the path after Amabi.

After a few minutes of half-trotting, half-tumbling down the pathways, they came to the slope that marked the ascent to Pride Rock. To Ryana's surprise and everlasting delight, she saw Amabi was right. The pride was padding in their direction. Ryana checked their numbers – yes! It seemed as if all of them had come home!

But as she approached them, Ryana could see something was wrong. The lions all had their heads down, and the foremost such as Simba and the rest of the royal family were silent while there seemed to be bickering and whispering in the rear ranks.

Amabi however was oblivious and leapt forward, looking for his adopted mother.

"Mom! Mom! Where are you?" he called.

Amaryllis trotted out of the crowd and headed for Amabi, "Here, honey. I'm over here".

"Mom!" Amabi grinned and bounded towards her, filled with joy, but then he saw the weary look in here eyes and realized something was wrong, "Mom? What's wrong?"

"Nothing sweetheart. I'll explain to you later. Come on, let's head back up and get some rest".

"Mom?" Amabi looked at his mother, confused, but then followed her up Pride Rock's path.

Ryana watched as Simba approached, head down, "King Simba? What's happened?"

Nala looked at her with exhausted eyes, "We'll explain later. You're going to need to sit down to hear this".

The first thing Shenzi noticed as she woke up was how indescribably comfortable she was. She had spent nearly ever day of her life for the past five years sleeping on hard rock. Even when the clan had taken over the Pride Lands with Scar they'd slept in Pride Rock, which was still coarse stone. Evidently Shenzi had been missing out on something all her life – soft, luxurious grass forming a welcome, springy cushion beneath you as you slept soundly.

Her eyes fluttered open and also for the first time in a long time she was greeted by the glittering sun, not volcanic gases, bubbling geysers and greenish smoke. A myriad of pretty birds flew overhead as opposed to the eerie bats she was used to.

She could have lain there forever, enjoying the warmth and comfort, but she yawned, showing her big teeth, stretched and got up. She shook herself and looked around.

The clan were lazing around on the open plains and relaxing in the shade of the nearby acacia tree grove. After the negotiations and celebrations last night the hyena clan had decided to sleep where they were, too tired and some too weak after the long march to go anywhere else, and so they had fallen asleep on the edge of the scrubland.

There were no herds in sight, but that didn't surprise Shenzi. This spot would probably be avoided like the plague by the Pride Landers for as long as the hyenas chose to make their home here.

Shenzi looked at the sun in the sky. It was mid-morning. She yawned again and looked around. Some of the hyenas were wandering around, some were chatting idly, some were running around and playing, and many were still sleeping.

"'Morning", a voice said from behind her.

Shenzi turned to see Banzai grinning inanely at her, "Sleep well?"

She nodded, "Yeah, you?"

"Best night's sleep I can remember. Man, talk about easy street!"

"You said it", Shenzi looked about, "Anyone check on Cauron yet?"

"Who?"

"Cauron. You know, pregnant one, gave birth last night in the middle of the negotiations".

"Oh right yeah, she's fine, and her cubs. Four of 'em, three females, one male".

Shenzi nodded, "Good. We're gonna have to do some hunting today, feed everyone after yesterday's march".

"And who's gonna be allocated to do that, eh?" a deep voice growled.

Banzai and Shenzi looked up and saw Ridikill approaching at the head of a group of the hunting chieftains and a collection of the other highest-ranking hyenas, twenty in total. Ed was following them. Evidently he'd sought them out and instructed them to assemble before the leader trio to address some issues.

These high-rankers were a collection of the hunting chiefs, the most physically desirable hyenas, the wisest hyenas, the fiercest hyenas, the most popular hyenas. The elite of the clan.

Ed went to Banzai and Shenzi's side. Shenzi looked at him.

"Couldn't this have waited? I'm tired".

Ed shook his head.

"I gotta question", one of the group snapped and gestured at Ed, "Since when can he talk?"

Shenzi waved a paw dismissively, "Never mind all that".

"Hey come on, we wanna know –"

"I said knock It off! Anyway, now that we're all here, I think we can agree the negotiations last night were a success, yeah?"

The group replied with a resounding cheer. Despite the clan's doubts about entering diplomacy with lions and their own matriarch misleading them regarding the purpose of the march, any misgivings had quickly been wiped out by their freedom to live in the Pride Lands, regardless of the imposed time limit.

Only Ridikill didn't cheer. He grunted and looked indignant.

"Well, we need to lay down some ground rules for our stay in the Pride Lands", Shenzi went on, "You guys need to pass this on to the rest of the clan. First of all, remember that we need to make a good impression on 'His Highness' so we can get to spend more time here".

"Yeah, so we don't want ya to do nothin' stupid", Banzai warned, "No-one's to go picking fights with our pussy cat neighbours, got that?"

"That's right", Shenzi said, "We stay away from Pride Rock and we don't do nothing to provoke them. Second: nobody runs riot and slaughters as much prey as possible just for the hell of it. Like I said, we gotta make a good impression. Hunts have gotta be authorised by you lot", she pointed to the hunting chieftains, "Or us three", she indicated herself and Banzai and Ed.

"And finally, we obey all of Simba's orders. That gets under my fur too, but it's gotta be done. We gotta act like perfect little Pride Landers to impress him and win him over".

Ridikill chuckled between clenched teeth, "Don't have the gall to stand up to him a second time, eh Shenzi?"

"Don't push your luck", Shenzi glared at him, "You made it clear last night your intentions to replace us as leader. Mistake number one. You're lucky we don't rip you to pieces right now".

The chieftain snorted, "Then why don't you? I wouldn't let no-one threaten my leadership – just one of many reasons why I'd do a better job than you".

"The reason I don't get rid of you is because you ain't no threat to us. You ain't popular enough to get followers and what's the use of leading if no-one's following you? There's more to leadership than just scaring everyone to death. You don't even understand leadership but you try to get your greasy paws on it – mistake number two".

Ridikill scowled.

Shenzi shrugged, "Anyway, we're done here. Just one more thing, everyone. Take a look at that!"

She gestured at the southern horizon. A herd of wildebeest were just visible, plodding mindlessly in the direction of the hyenas. Several of the hyena's jaws dropped open and tongues lolled out.

The trio took a step in the direction of the waiting feast and Banzai growled, "It's time…to chow down!"

"Wait…wait…Simba did what?" Tenzer shook his head in disbelief.

"It's true, kid", Vitani said bitterly, "He's opened the gates of the Pride Lands to the hyenas".

"The…the hyenas?" Kelt gaped in disbelief. His coat was still bare on the shoulders from where Ridikill had seized him with his teeth just a few weeks ago.

The lion cubs and adolescents were listening attentively to Vitani, who had taken it on herself to deliver the bad news to them. Amaryllis was standing next to her, hunched over. The youngsters had been eager to know what the result of the 'battle' had been all night, since nobody seemed even scratched, but the adults had refused to tell them until the morning. Now in the cave they'd spent the night in they listened with bristled fur, wide eyes and pricked ears to Vitani's grim news.

"But what will happen to us? We can't leave Pride Rock if the hyenas are allowed in our lands! It'll be too dangerous!" Alyssa, ever practical, reasoned.

"Uh-huh. Well, you tell that to Simba", Vitani grunted.

Amaryllis looked up, "That's not fair. Don't bury the poor guy before he's dead. Things could work out. Besides, you're a member of his family. You should stand up for him".

"What, you mean like you stood up for the hyenas at the negotiations last night?" Vitani sneered, "You helped them out. What were you thinking?"

"It wasn't that bad", Amaryllis shot back, seeing the shocked look in the cub's eyes, particularly her own Amabi, "I just made an unbiased point. I told the truth. I was fair. I didn't do anything wrong".

Vitani's glare intensified, then she shot a friendly grin at the youngsters, "Excuse us a moment, kids. You, come with me", she snapped at Amaryllis and marched out of the cave.

Amaryllis looked at Amabi and smiled wearily. All she got in return was an uncertain look. Great. So now even her own son thought she'd done wrong. She headed after Vitani.

Fifty yards down the path Vitani stopped and looked at Amaryllis. It wasn't a look Amaryllis had ever had directed at her by her best friend. Vitani's ears were lowered, her eyes narrowed and wild, her lips curled back in a grimace and her canines showing.

"Listen up, sister!" Vitani snarled, "You think you were 'fair', do you? Fair! Well, here's a newsflash for you. There is no 'fair' when you're fighting for your livelihood against a ruthless enemy who'll do anything to win! 'Fair' flies off over the horizon and it all comes down to one thing - winning!"

Amaryllis was disturbed by Vitani's level of anger but she was otherwise unmoved, "Oh come on Vitani. I've heard the whole 'survival of the fittest' speech hundreds of times. I never expected to have to hear it from you. It's lame".

"Well if you've heard it so many times it's amazing you never took it in. By being 'fair' last night all you did was lay the welcome mat down for the hyenas".

"You're exaggerating. All I did was help the debate along".

"Exactly - you helped. You were part of the whole sorry chain of events that's got us into this mess – saying that not all hyenas were as bad as that lunatic that lost his temper last night. And anyway, how the hell do you know that hyena, or do you not really know him and you were just lying to be even more 'fair' to them?"

Amaryllis was sorely tempted to strike out at Vitani but she wasn't a naturally violent creature and she controlled the urge, "No I didn't make it up. I've bumped into that hyena twice before in the north. It was a bit strange…"

"Oh, so now you're best pals with a hyena too? Just great, Amaryllis. What next? Are you secretly a hyena in disguise or something? Are you just looking after Amabi so you can fatten him up and eat him?"

Amaryllis' vision blurred and adrenaline surged through her body. She wasn't even aware of what she was doing: all she could see was hot white fire in front of her. She was vaguely aware of a dull thumping noise, rapid, regular and loud. She was also aware she was moving but she didn't know what she was doing, as she was so blinded by rage.

She didn't know how much time passed before the white light in front of her eyes began to fade but it must have been quite some time because as her vision came into focus she was in a completely different part of Pride Rock. She was on the main rock that thrust out across the plains. She was surrounded by ten or so lions and lionesses, all peering at her with bewildered expressions. She looked directly in front of her.

Vitani looked back at her, blood staining her nose. With a start Amaryllis realized what had happened. She had gone into a frenzy and started smacking her best friend across the face, driving her all the way from the path by the living quarters to where she was now. That was at least one hundred yards. And all the while she'd been pummelling a startled Vitani. At last they'd been separated by several onlookers – to her intense shame Amaryllis saw the royal family were some of them.

Amaryllis was breathing hard. She couldn't feel any physical pain though – apparently Vitani hadn't struck her back. She dared another look at Vitani. Her friend was touching her snout and staring at the blood that marked her paw in disbelief. She was trembling slightly, the tell-tale signs of someone who'd just taken an unexpected beating. Amaryllis felt like rushing over to embrace her and telling her she was sorry until Vitani looked back at her. The expression of frightened confusion of someone who'd just been attacked by a friend was replaced by a savage glare of violent intent one would normally reserve for an enemy.

With a deep growl Vitani loped away. Kovu went after her, closely followed by Kiara. A befuddled Simba turned to Amaryllis.

"Amaryllis…I had not expected this from you. You've been nothing but a model pride member. You know fighting on Pride Rock is strictly forbidden".

Amaryllis tried to answer but she was cut short by a sneer from one of the other lionesses, "Guilt get to you eh, traitor?"

Simba raised his voice at the offender and shouted something but Amaryllis didn't hear it. She was galloping down the path that led down from Pride Rock and away to the North.

Amaryllis managed to discern the clear ring of Nala's voice, "Wait, don't go out there alone! It's too dangerous! There's hyenas out there!"

And according to most of you it's my fault, Amaryllis thought bitterly as she burst out onto the savannah grass and darted away.

Perhaps the wildebeest herd were audacious enough to assume that the hyena threat that had invaded the Pride Lands was exaggerated, and they were flaunting convention by heading boldly in the direction the hyenas were last seen to show they were not about to be intimidated by upstarts.

Or more likely they're just stupid, Shenzi mused. She grinned and snapped her teeth at the heels of one cow that was wheezing and puffing heavily, trying desperately to pull away from the hyena bitch.

Shenzi zigzagged in amongst the big creatures, keeping her eye on her target, which proved tricky as her topknot of mane hair kept flopping in front of her face and obscuring her view.

The plains had been thrown into total chaos. The wildebeest herd had approached and Shenzi, Banzai and Ed had quickly rallied all the hyenas who were in the mood to hunt and were fit enough to do so. Some eighty or so hyenas now rampaged across the savannah, pursuing the luckless wildebeest herd without mercy. The clan leaders had issued only loose instructions – bring down as many wildebeest as you can.

The exhausted wildebeest were running about with no one direction to head for because hyenas hemmed them in on all sides. Through the dust and swirling bodies Shenzi could briefly see one wildebeest with a dozen hyenas clinging to its flanks, tearing at it savagely.

With her lust for food at its peak Shenzi surged forward and sank her teeth into the right rear thigh of the wildebeest cow she was pursuing. The herbivore bleated in pain and terror. Instantly a dozen more hyenas that Shenzi hadn't even realized were following her charged in and began to tear the wildebeest apart.

The dust rose in a towering cloud and time passed. Vultures circled overhead. The wildebeest finally secured an escape route and the herd fled south. The dust cleared. At last it was over.

Once the thrill of the kill had died down and she was composed again, Shenzi stood up, her snout smeared in blood. She looked around and saw many other kill sites in the area, marked by a concentration of swirling ginger-grey bodies. She made a quick count. Fourteen kills. More than she'd ever seen in one day, even during Scar's reign. But then again the clan was bigger now than it ever had been, and many hadn't eaten for a while. Such slaughter had been necessary.

The leader lowered her head and made the rallying cry, "Oooooo-whup!" one by one the heads popped up to look at her, "Alright everyone, good job but don't start chowing down just yet! We gotta take these back for the weaklings otherwise there'll be nothing left for 'em! So let's get going!"

Hyenas were strong but it took several to drag each bulky wildebeest any length of distance, but they absolutely refused to leave any carcasses behind for the vultures – or worse, the lions – and so they began hauling the mutilated bodies to their temporary home, muttering and cursing all the way. Shenzi didn't shirk her share and helped tug her kill towards the waiting clan members.

Once back at the grove they dropped the carcasses in a clearing and summoned the 'weaklings'. Soon enough the pregnant mothers, the cubs who'd been weaned, the elderly, the sick and the tired came bounding or at least hobbling out of the scrub, drooling and licking their chops.

The hyenas tucked into the wildebeest carcasses. There was no fighting: everyone was too hungry and too eager to waste precious feeding time by so much as snapping at their fellows, even Ridikill. Nobody spoke either. Everybody just fed, creating a hellish cacophony of cracking bones, tearing flesh and cackling hyenas.

It was pure heaven for the clan. Their stomachs seemed to fill up too quickly. After fifteen minutes some of the clan began wandering off with full bellies. Over the next fifteen minutes the rest finished as well, breaking away one after the other. In the end only a few individuals picked amongst the leftovers.

Groco shoved his neck into the now hollow upturned ribcage of one wildebeest; he came out with a few stringy pieces of meat. He snapped them up greedily, "Aww man! Just scraps left! I'm still hungry!"

"Don't be so pathetic, runt", Ridikill admonished, although he was chewing on a piece of mangy hide himself, "If I had it my way you'd be starved until you had enough guts to hunt for yourself!"

"You got too many guts, that's your problem!" Groco gestured at Ridikill's visibly swollen belly, and he emitted an ear-piercing, shrieking laugh.

"Garn! Maggot!" Ridikill lurched at him but the little hyena skipped away, pleased with himself. The chief was too full of meat to pursue him. With a grunt Ridikill turned away and walked away from the clan, going on one of his unannounced walks.

Resting alone in the shade of an acacia tree on, Shenzi watched him go. She was interested in finding out where Ridikill went in his spare time. Not out of casual interest, but because Ridikill's threats of taking leadership from her had her wary if not actually nervous. It was possible Ridikill had contact with foreign hyena packs and he was planning to overthrow her with force.

"Yo Shenz!" Banzai called.

She turned and saw the male trotting towards her, head held high and tail pricked. Banzai had an impressive ability to find her, even in a crowd. She gave a somnolent smile.

"Hey, good hunt eh?" Banzai grinned from ear to ear.

"Yeah. Feels good to hunt some big game again eh?"

"Uh-huh", Banzai peered at the wildebeest blood that stained Shenzi's snout, "Hey, you have a little something on your…"

"Huh?" Shenzi rubbed her snout with her paw, "That get it?"

"Uh…no…it's kinda…everywhere", Banzai giggled, "Here, I'll get it".

He licked his paw, then leaned forward to scrub her face with it. Shenzi recoiled.

"What are you, my mother?"

"Someone's gotta look after ya".

"Look after me? I'm the one who has to hold yours and Ed's paws everywhere we go", she retorted.

Banzai took advantage of the moment to leap forward and scrub Shenzi's snout. Shenzi wriggled to get free, protesting loudly. Banzai laughed.

"Would ya hold still? This is for your own good! You wanna smell like rotten meat?"

"I don't wanna smell like a zebra's butt either, but I will if you don't get your stinky paws off me!" Shenzi was laughing too: she didn't really know why. For a while she struggled to get free while Banzai scrubbed her face free of blood.

Shenzi eventually managed to squirm free. She fell over on her back and rolled with laughter. Banzai did the same. Neither knew why they were laughing really but they couldn't stop.

Until they heard a familiar noise, "Uh?"

They both sat bolt upright and saw Ed staring at them with an unusually sly look on his face. Instantly they both felt acutely embarrassed for some reason and they scrambled away from each other. They both tried to speak but nothing came out. What were they trying to say anyway? Trying to…make excuses? What for? They'd done nothing wrong. But the way Ed was leering at them certainly made them feel uncomfortable.

"What are you staring at, you creep?" Shenzi snapped eventually.

Ed laughed quietly and made a peculiar face, then turned about and wandered off, chuckling to himself. Shenzi was after him immediately, furiously demanding to know what Ed thought was so funny.

Banzai watched them go, then shook his head. What had that been about?

Ridikill wandered leisurely across the savannah, heading north-west. He had a mind to quench his thirst after such a good meal and he was heading for what he thought of 'his' waterhole. There were many closer sources of water, but he wanted to be alone after having to spend such an unbearably long time in the company of the rest of the clan. He hadn't been on his own since Shenzi told him to rally the clan for the march days ago. The secluded little waterhole was the only place he knew of where he was pretty much guaranteed seclusion.

So he drifted north, musing on the clan's state of affairs. He had to admit to himself he was pleased Shenzi had won access to the Pride Lands, even if he fiercely disagreed with her methods. The thought of having to accept a lion as their King and thus bow to not only his clan leaders but also a big pussy cat made him want to spit.

It occurred to him that was why he wanted to take over the clan – not because he had any innate desire for leading his followers, far from it, but because he was sick of taking orders. It was nothing personal against Shenzi, Banzai and Ed, he thought they were usually a pretty effective leadership, but being bossed around really got under his skin. The only creature whose authority he didn't question was Mamacala's, of course.

As Ridikill walked off his meal he passed a small group of topi. The tall, elegant antelope watched him carefully, eyes wide as if they couldn't believe what they were seeing. Ridikill was already stuffed full of wildebeest meat but to amuse himself when he walked past them he suddenly switched about and charged a few paces towards them. They fled in terror. The hyena sniggered and resumed his trek north.

Ridikill was strong and physically fit but at the moment weighed down by his meal and so it took nearly two hours for him to come within sight of 'his' waterhole, marked by the tall elephant grass rising around it like stalagmites in his old cave home. As he approached he noticed a scent – it reminded him of that accursed lioness whom he'd encountered twice before here and had recognized him in the negotiations the previous night.

Ignoring the scent Ridikill slipped between the fronds of sharp-edged elephant grass and approached the waterhole. He stopped suddenly with a growl.

The lioness was right there, sitting on the opposite side less than twelve feet away. She hadn't noticed him as he'd entered, but when he growled instinctively she'd looked up and seen him. She lay on her front, staring up at him with bloodshot eyes.

The hyena's natural inclination was to tell the lioness to get lost. He was getting fed up of bumping into her at 'his' waterhole. What was she doing here, anyway? The very sight of a lion lounging around by his waterhole made him furious. But he remembered his last encounter with her – when she had shown an unexpected burst of cold, deadly power. It had shaken him somewhat. So he approached more cautiously than he was used to doing so.

That said, he was still far from tactful, "What are you doing here, maggot? I told you to stay away from my place!"

Amaryllis gazed up at him, "I needed to be alone" she said in a croaking voice.

It was clear from her hoarse voice and her raw eyes that she'd been crying. Ridikill nearly spat. What a pathetic display of frailty. He was surprised to find he was somewhat disappointed – the strength the lioness had shown the other day had somewhat intrigued him. He was annoyed to see she had reverted back into what he suspected she was – an emotional weakling.

"Well, this is my waterhole and I ain't leavin'" the hyena spat, "So if you want to be alone I suggest you get lost. You're lucky I let you live. This is the third time I've caught you invading my private spot".

"I don't want to leave. It's nice here. Quiet".

Ridikill growled, "Quiet? Well I can make it unquiet very quickly. I'll sit here howling my head off if ya don't move it!"

Amaryllis stirred and shifted a little to look directly at him, "Listen, I'm not moving until I'm ready. Stay here if you want. Do whatever it is you're here to do. I'll be gone soon enough".

"Grrrr…what if I attacked you? Chomped my fangs into your hide? Wouldn't be so happy to just sit and share my company then, would ya?"

"Go ahead and try, but I'm really not in the mood", the lioness hissed, and for an instant Ridikill saw that strength in her clear green eyes that he'd seen the other day. He recoiled. But then it was gone and she was the same, weary, teary-eyed lioness.

"Alright, fine. You win", the hyena grunted and threw himself down in the dirt to lie down, "I don't say those words often. Consider yourself blessed".

"I will", the lioness replied.

The two of them lay in silence at opposite ends of the small pool. Amaryllis looked listlessly at the water, seemingly happy to just lie there. Ridikill however was agitated. He didn't like sharing such close quarters with his despised natural enemy. But on the other hand he didn't want to leave either. He was curious about this strange lioness who seemed to be more than met the eye.

"So, why you wanna be alone then?" he grumbled after a few minutes of silence.

She looked up, surprised, "Oh, you wanna know? What was it you said to me the other day? You said talking to me was just 'exchanging pleasantries with a witless female with delusions of grandeur'. That was it, wasn't it? And now you want to know why I seek solitude?"

"Garn, if you're going to be like that then forget it!" Ridikill snapped.

"No, I'm sorry", Amaryllis sighed, "I've had a bad day".

Ridikill groaned, "And now I suppose you're going to tell me about it?"

She looked at him, vaguely amused, "Well, I wasn't planning to. I don't usually confide in strange hyenas who threaten to kill me. But if you're offering to lend a sympathetic ear…"

"I wouldn't say sympathetic, more apathetic".

"Apathetic? That's still more than I've come to expect from you", she smiled, "I was expecting hostility".

"You haven't seen hostile yet", Ridikill bared his teeth; the lioness was apparently deriving amusement from his attempt to learn more about her and it annoyed him.

"Okay, okay, I'll stop teasing you. Jeez, you get riled up really easily. It's kinda funny to watch".

"It is not!" Ridikill barked angrily, then realized he'd played right into her paws. The lioness burst out laughing.

"See? It's like poking a bee's nest. Or like yanking on a buffalo's tail. Or like…"

"Like testing the patience of an exasperated hyena?" Ridikill snarled.

"Sorry. I'll stop now", Amaryllis found she couldn't help teasing the hyena. After her somewhat distressing day she found herself in need of a good laugh. It wasn't usually in her character to find amusement by poking fun of others, but the hyena was so high-and-mighty with such a vulgar streak of aggression that it was hard not to resist tripping him over and watching him work himself into a state trying to reaffirm his authority.

On the other hand, she also found the hyena interesting. He had shown nothing but antagonism towards her but now he was grudgingly allowing her to share his space and seemed to be trying to learn more about her. So she figured why not let him? She needed something to distract her from the day's events, and it might as well be this strange creature.

She went on, "Anyway, I was going to tell you about my day. Well, for a start, everyone seems to be blaming me for you hyenas being allowed in the Pride Lands…"

"What? Why?"

"They say I 'helped along the negotiations' by helping to reassure Simba that not all hyenas were as bad as you, actually. Incidentally, you made quite a scene last night, getting into a fight with your leaders".

"Yes, well, they annoyed me. They wanted to negotiate! Negotiate! What a joke!"

"I think the negotiations were a good idea", Amaryllis replied, "Surely you do now? I mean, you guys got what you want. Access to the Pride Lands".

"Maybe, but it still goes against one of my key principles – talking to the enemy".

"You mean like you're doing now?" she grinned at his enraged face, "Oh, relax. Take it easy for a change. You can't keep reacting like that to everything that bugs you".

The words were remarkably familiar to Ridikill. They echoed the words of Mamacala, who was always telling him to control his temper. He remembered now – anger was an emotion too, and therefore a weakness that had to be controlled. He took a deep breath to calm himself. He would do what Mamacala would do – be calm and patient, try to learn everything he could.

"Well, anyway, the idea that you're responsible for the negotiations' success is stupid", the hyena grunted, "That's a very minor point. I'll tell you why everyone is blaming you for the negotiations".

"Oh, why?"

"They're looking for someone to blame. And they're too afraid to outright blame that big softie King of yours, so they're taking it out on you. Everyone needs someone to scapegoat. I do it all the time. When I'm in a mood I take it out on members of my clan".

Amaryllis looked surprised, "You really think that's why everyone's blaming me? Not because they really think it's my fault?"

"Of course, you moron. It's in the nature of angry creatures to look for someone to take it out on".

"Wow, thanks", the lioness grinned at him, "Thanks for you help. That's very kind of you".

"No it isn't!" the hyena roared, losing his temper again for a moment before regaining it, "I'm not kind. Just truthful. I don't see no point in mincing my words. I tell it like it is".

"You know, that's actually kinda good thing. It means you're honest".

"Don't praise me, cat scum. So, what else went wrong with your day?"

Amaryllis hesitated but decided there was nothing wrong with telling him so continued, "Well, my best friend was blaming me for the negotiations as well. We got into an argument and I ended up losing my temper and…well, I hit her".

Ridikill stared, "What, is that it?"

"Yeah. Except I hit her…quite a lot. Other lions had to break us up. I don't think she's ever going to speak to me again".

The hyena threw his head back and laughed long and loud. It grated Amaryllis' nerves. He guffawed obnoxiously for a moment, then stopped, lowered his head to look at her and grinned a foul grin.

"Oh come on", Ridikill snorted, "You got into a scrap with your friend so you run away from home? That's pathetic. I'm always beating up my pack members. For fun, usually. It amuses me. And yet you run off and sob your little eyes out? Hahaha! How weak!"

"It's not 'weak' to feel bad for hurting a friend", Amaryllis snapped.

"Of course it is. It's incredibly weak. Shows you care about others besides yourself. Which is a weakness, hahah!"

He seemed pleased to have something to use against her, as if it was reassuring him of his superiority over her.

Amaryllis shook her head in disbelief, "You really believe that?"

"Of course. I'm above such emotions myself".

"Sorry, I don't believe you".

"What?" Ridikill snapped, "What do you mean 'you don't believe me'? I'm not asking you to! At any rate, it's true".

The lioness sighed, "I'm sorry if you think otherwise, but if you don't have any of those emotions then you're evil", Ridikill smirked and began to say something, but she cut him off, "Oh now I'm sure you're going to tell me how you're evil and so big and scary and tough and all that, and how you're so proud of being evil".

Ridikill glared. He had indeed been about to say something very similar to that.

"But I can't believe it", Amaryllis went on, "I don't believe anyone's truly evil. Everyone has feelings. Even you".

"Well I hate to mess up your little rationale about how things should work in this world, but that ain't the case. I'm evil. I know it. And I don't care", Ridikill snarled.

"I still don't believe that. Sorry if that bugs you", the lioness shrugged and repositioned herself so she lay on her side.

Ridikill fell silent for a moment, then barked, "How can you not believe that? I've been nothing but cruel to you every time I've had the misfortune of running into you. I demonstrated my malevolence to you when I tried to take over from my leaders and attack the lion pride. Oh, and let's not forget the time I nearly killed those precious little lion cubs. How can you possibly say I'm not evil?"

Amaryllis blinked quickly several times, as if she was getting tired, "Well, about the cubs. Most hyenas or lions would kill cubs of the other species if they found them alone or vulnerable. Doesn't mean I would do it or I agree with it, but I know almost everyone I know would do it, my friends included. Oh, and just so you realize that I do genuinely forgive you for your actions that night – well my own adopted son was there".

"Huh? Your son?" Ridikill look stunned.

Amaryllis continued, "And as for the scene you made at the negotiations, well, we all have disagreements with pack members, as my situations shows. And maybe you want to be in charge. Doesn't make you evil. There's a few lions I know who'd gladly kick Simba out if they thought they could take over from him.

"Your attempt to attack us…well obviously you've got a lot of pent-up aggression and a serious dislike of lions. Those are character flaws. Doesn't make you evil though.

"And finally, about how you talk to me – yeah you're mean and keep telling me to get lost. But I wouldn't say you're 'evil' or 'cruel'. More…insensitive. And callous. But no, I don't think you're evil, no matter how much you try to appear to be."

Ridikill was staggered by the lioness. Nobody has ever been so impudent as to analyze his behaviour to such a degree before, except perhaps Mamacala. And Mamacala had always told him the opposite of what he was hearing now – that he was evil, and that and his realization of this was what made him superior to others. Now he was being told by this lioness he'd only recently bumped into that he wasn't evil. The cold logic of Mamacala's training told him to ignore her and her ridiculous assumptions about him, but something else told him to at least hear her out.

Amaryllis smiled; she could see her words were astounding the hyena, but whether he was going to be angry or not when he overcame his shock she didn't know. She wasn't really sure why she was telling the hyena what she thought of him either. It was probably because the quick temper and arrogant aggression annoyed her and she thought playing these down would crumble the shield of ferocity the hyena was obviously keen to project.

She continued, "So yeah, you sure haven't been evil to me today. In fact, unless I'm much mistake, earlier you were subtly trying to learn a little more about me, and you even offered to hear my problems out. And you gave me some helpful insight into why my friends are acting like they are. So thank you".

"You are much mistaken!" the hyena bellowed, "Of course I wasn't trying to learn about you, or listen to your insignificant problems, or help you out! Who'd you think you are, assuming you know me like that?! Maggots and apes! I should crush your skull right now and…"

"Then why don't you?" Amaryllis replied.

Ridikill fell silent. He didn't have an answer for that, or at least not one he wanted to share with her. So with an angry growl he picked himself up and walked away.

"Hey, don't go! I could do with some company!" Amaryllis called after him.

The hyena cursed and swore so viciously that the lioness was taken aback for a moment. She managed a meek smile as he wandered away south.

"Well, maybe I'll see ya again?"

"Hell's bells and a bucket of blood you will!" the hyena called over his shoulder.