Author's Notes:
Perhaps for the first time since the beginning of my career at FFnet, I have nothing to say. Maybe a form of encouragement to leave a review...? Nah, it wouldn't change a thing.
Simply enjoy!
"Well, there you are."
Four words was all it took for T to know she's in deep trouble. Well, she knew that from the beginning, but only after hearing Shenzi's tone did it become obvious there was no hope for any preferential treatment. The younger hyena may have not known her leader for long, but she could already discern the moments when Shenzi was really angry. She would not scream then, just speak in a stern tone… which somehow only made it worse.
"I can explain everything," she said boldly, fully aware she wouldn't be granted a chance. Not yet.
"You better do," Shenzi answered. "'Cause from my point of view it looks almost as though you were gonna change sides any moment now. I suppose you know your misdoings?"
"I do," T replied calmly. Cowering or apologizing wasn't going to help her in this situation.
"Let's hear it then," Shenzi demanded. Banzai and Ed, both present in the skull, looked at T attentively, also interested in her explanations.
She looked at Shenzi, determined not to let her see any hesitation.
"I left our skull in the morning, and as I had told you then, I went to visit Abeni and Kamau, hoping they would help me find Gituku. Before I could speak with them though, I met him-" she was going to say more, but Banzai's question cut her short:
"Did 'e wait for you somewhere? Or was he stalking after ya?"
"He wasn't ambushing me, I believe we met by accident. I was just starting to talk with Kamau and Abeni when Gituku entered their den too; I think he just wanted to pay his friends a visit," she stated.
"Sounds believable," Banzai conjectured, looking at Shenzi for confirmation, but instead of commenting, she formed another question.
"Did ya see any weird things happen there? Or were Abeni and Kamau doing something unusual?" she asked.
"Well, for one, something was wrong, but from what I've seen, it was just a bad dream Abeni had. But I didn't have much time to find out, Gituku came almost immediately after me," T explained.
This time Shenzi glanced at Banzai; he and Ed simultaneously nodded.
"Go on," she instructed her investigated friend.
"Seeing Kamau and Abeni needed some time for themselves, me and Gituku left. When outside, I asked him where I could meet him, seeing as that was the purpose I went there for…"
"Why?" Shenzi asked simply. "Why didn't you simply walk away to find him later?"
"At the moment, I was overwhelmed with the whole situation and I've just done the first thing that came to my he-"
"That's what I would expect to hear from Banzai, not from ya," Shenzi interjected. "Must I tell you I'm disappointed?"
"No, but looking at it from-" T tried to defend, but was not given a chance.
"Did ya forget you were supposed to speak with him with Bongani present?"
"No, I just-" T stated, now somewhat irately, barely stopping herself from snorting as she was interrupted once more. Shenzi, however, didn't seem to notice the effect her rapidly asked questions had on her friend.
"Then why did you agree to talk with him without supervision?" she asked.
"NO!" T yelled suddenly, surprising Banzai and Ed and evoking a smile devoid of joy upon Shenzi's lips.
She breathed angrily, taking in the astonished glances from her male friends and an inscrutable one from her leader. Quickly reminding herself it wasn't exactly wise to throw a fit during such interrogation, she did her best to regain her composure.
"I'm sorry," she said, before continuing, "but I didn't have much time for thinking about the whole situation back then. Nonetheless," she added, stressing the word to make it clear she wasn't done talking, "I believe the decision wasn't all that bad. Gituku came in almost at the same time I asked Abeni and Kamau about his whereabouts, it's highly possible he had heard my question. If I had just escaped, how would I have persuaded him the meeting wasn't official afterwards?" she ended, proud of her deduction.
"You wouldn't," Shenzi simply stated. "It may not have seemed official, but I gave you your duty for the good of the whole clan. I didn't say you should keep it secret from Gituku either."
"But he wouldn't act naturally if he knew I'm visiting him officially," T defended herself.
"Yeah, like he would ever," Banzai snickered.
"And how are you gonna go there with Bongani without seeming official? You'll say you're afraid of him?" Shenzi inquired.
"I…" T let it hang in the air for awhile.
"You've got to be kidding me," Shenzi looked at her with disbelief.
"What?" Banzai said, unable to comprehend what they meant. Ed dubbed him.
"She wants to have her meetings with Gituku alone," the matriarch explained, her tone clearly indicating disregard.
For a moment, an awkward silence ensued.
"…and I thought Ed was stupid," Banzai stated.
"Why is it so hard to believe he's changed?" T asked, as Ed attacked Banzai without warning.
"If I didn't know them, I wouldn't believe Banzai and Gituku aren't brothers… or even clones," Shenzi replied. "So I would know. And have ya fahgotten all the things Gituku's done not so long ago? Do ya need more proof he's dangerous?"
T didn't answer, instead just staring at her stubbornly. As they silenced, Banzai and Ed's fight became the only source of sound.
"You know what, fine," Shenzi said emotionlessly. "Do as you please."
She walked over to the scraping males and slapped Banzai on the head so hard his and Ed's skulls smacked against each other with a loud thud.
"OUCH! What was that for?" Banzai yelled as Ed lay down, holding his cranium with two paws and yelping in pain.
"For being the two idiots you are," Shenzi scoffed, prior to exiting the skull.
"Where ya goin'?" Banzai asked quickly.
There was no answer, his friend simply left.
"Shenz'!" he called, but to no avail.
That evening…
Kapuki quickened her pace as world around her started to get darker. She had been on a rather long walk around the graveyard with Azula – and as much as she had wanted for it to last all night, she had also known there was no reasoning with her father when it came to getting back early.
"I'm never gonna impose so strict curfews on my cubs," she silently vowed, having caught a glimpse of her family's place straight ahead. "Good thing Azula had something to do, saves us one awkward scene."
Several more paces and she entered the den, prior to announcing, "I'm home!"
No one answered, so she looked around her perplexedly.
"Well c'mon! I'm forced to come back so soon only to sit here on my own!" she yelled, lying down in the back of the den. "It's not like I can go and do anything now," she muttered, then lay her head on her paws.
Next thing she knew, it was much darker around and her mother was silently grooming herself nearby. Kapuki yawned and stretched her limbs, drawing Hasina's attention.
"I'm sorry, dear, did I wake you up?" she asked softly, stopping her activity.
"Not really," her daughter answered, standing up and coming over to her. "Where're dad n' Hasani?"
"Dad was teaching Hasani on how to hunt in the Pridelands today, they should be back soon."
"Figures I could spend two more hours with Azula after all," Kapuki moaned under her breath, turning away.
"Pardon?" Hasina asked, coming closer to her with a concerned look on her face.
"Oh, nothing," she moaned. "It's just so frustrating that I have to be home this soon every day! Will you ever give me any freedom?" she added accusingly.
"But you are free," Hasina responded. "We only try to make sure you use your possibilities wisely."
"You're treating me as though I was a small cub," the younger hyena whined, never looking up. "But I'm not!"
"Kapi…" the mother-hyena started affectionately, but was quickly cut short.
"I told you I don't want you to use that baby-ish nickname!" Kapuki protested angrily, jerking her head upwards and casting an icy glare in her mother's direction.
"It's for your own good," Hasina said.
"How does a nickname… Oh, you meant the rules," her daughter sighed. "I'm not even asking you to change them, seeing as how pointless it'd be, but tell me something beside the »my own good« theory, mom. The graveyard's protected day and night, and it's not like there's a murderer running around!"
"Honey…"
"Yes I know, save the repartee. What I mean is, I'm almost all-grown-up, I can handle myself… And Gituku's not here to kill anybody, he's seeking forgiveness. Just how would attacking me help him?"
"Like you said, you're a beautiful, adolescent hyena-"
"Fine," Kapuki grunted. "Never believed I could persuade you anyway."
"You take so much after your father…" Hasina said with a smile.
"Yeah, right," she replied sarcastically, prior to sullenly going back to her sleeping place and lying down.
It was not long after that she spoke up unexpectedly without even turning around to face the one she was addressing, "Why would you even marry him?"
"Excuse me?" the adult hyena asked, flabbergasted at the question. "You're pressing you luck, dear."
"No, I mean really-" she paused, then rolled around to look at her mother before explaining, "I'm sure you could have had anybody!"
"And what makes you think your dad was 'nobody'? Son of the third-in-command and a skilled hunter – does this sound like nothing?" she answered, smirking in expectation of inevitable victory.
Kapuki stood up before countering, knowing all too well how disrespectful it was to lie while speaking with somebody… whichever way to look at it.
"Not at all, I didn't refer to social position anyway… Look no further than Banzai to find a perfect example that aiming too high may be easily proven wrong," both females laughed quietly, though Kapuki did receive a half-warning glare. "But dad has certain… vices," she continued unsurely, dropping her ears as she finished, "Vices I probably partially inherit."
"Apology accepted," Hasina smiled proudly. "And as for the flaws of my mate… Have you heard what is the main characteristic of a perfect hyena?" she asked knowingly. Her daughter merely shook her head, causing her smile to widen. "It is naught," she said after awhile of building up tension.
Kapuki smiled understandingly, subsequent to widening her eyes in surprise.
"We're back!" came a voice from the entrance, soon to be recognized as Maumbu's. As he neared Hasina to share a loving nuzzle, Hasani approached his older sister.
"How'd it go?" she inquired casually, though having noticed a gleam in his eye she could already tell.
"Eh, not bad," he answered nonchalantly. "Almost bringed down a gazelle!" he boasted.
"Have you brought it with ya?" she asked, stressing the verb. "Y'know, so we could all awe at the sight of smallest grazer ever?" she snickered.
"Well, not really…" he replied, albeit not so proudly. "It managed to run away."
"Oh no, what will we eat now?" she said teasingly, mocking fear as she did so.
"Nothing," her father suddenly cut into their conversation. "Unless you have a good explanation for having disobeyed me today."
Kapuki turned to face her vexed father, trying as she could to think of best ways of avoiding argument. Mistaking it for stubbornness, Maumbu decided to rephrase his question, even more sternly.
"What were you doing sitting at the border, knowing perfectly well I disagreed to your participating in this whole stupid guarding idea?"
"I- I was just talking to Azula," she stated defensively, but suddenly her eyes lit up as she grasped something he had said. "'Stupid guarding idea'? I thought it was you who proposed the whole thing!"
"I did," Maumbu said unwaveringly. "I never claimed to have liked it."
"What are you trying to say?" Hasina asked, joining the discussion. "That there shouldn't be guards on our border?"
"That there shouldn't be a reason for their presence," he responded angrily. "That our leaders should defend their subjects, not put them into further trouble."
"If Shenzi's decided to do so, it's probably for the best of us!" Kapuki exclaimed all of a sudden. 'Who are you to question the matriarch's decisions?"
"Well, to begin with, a being capable of thinking for itself-" he began poisonously, but was cut short by his daughter.
"Are you saying Shenzi's not?" she demanded, her voice slightly shaking from the tension.
"Maybe; you certainly lack the ability as of yet," he answered harshly.
"So that's why-" Kapuki started, only to be cut short as Hasina suddenly exclaimed, "HONEY!"
Intrigued as to which of them was being addressed, both father and daughter paused to look at her.
"Could you please stop it?" she proposed calmly. "It's really not up to us to decide what decisions are made by our leaders. And until some point, it is not advisable to pry into it. And that means you too, Kapi."
"Whatever," Maumbu mumbled, before moving to the place he usually shared with his mate while sleeping and lying down. "I'm not hungry, don't wait for me with the dinner," he said, closing his eyes.
Hasina sighed, but joined her children as they helped themselves to a gazelle hunted by their father. For a moment, they ate in silence, but Kapuki soon muttered something about not having appetite either and went to sleep as well.
"It seems the rule is true after all," Hasani whispered after ha was left alone with his mother. "Like father, like daughter."
"Sometimes it's difficult, but I prefer to love them both," Hasina replied with a bittersweet smile.
Her son nodded, reciprocating the expression. Soon, the both of them decided to turn in for the night as well and the whole abode fell silent.
Banzai sighed as he looked at T, lying solitarily in the spot she usually shared with Shenzi. Their friend and leader seemed to have disappeared right after she had left the skull. They had searched for her for several hours before giving up; Shenzi knew the graveyard like the back of her paw and if she wanted, she could probably shun for ever.
Now, a few hours after sunset, she was still missing and Banzai had a strong feeling this wouldn't end good. And now, he couldn't even blame T for the whole disturbance; all she did was showing some compassion to Gituku… even if that made him wonder about her mental health at first.
On a thought of his life-long rival, he barely stifled a loud growl that started to arise in the back of his throat. After all he'd done, the darn scumbag had the nerve to come back and had actually believed he would not get torn into pieces! It haven't even been two days since the return and it was already plain as savannah that Gituku's presence was troublesome to the vast majority of the graveyarders. Many were summoned to stand guard at the border, others were simply feeling uneasy because of the ominous hyena staying in their vicinity.
Plus, it has added several duties to the already overwhelming amount of those she had had to shoulder. If only there was a way of getting rid of Gituku, he would be more than willing to take it… But, to Banzai's dismay, it seemed there was a counterargument to any reason he could come up with to justify the disposal of his enemy.
Soon, he entered a shallow sleep, full of Gituku's faces, all laughing at him.
Darkness has long taken over the whole world as the king of the Pridelands climbed the ledges leading to the pride's sleeping den. There were several things gnawing at his thoughts, but he contentedly allowed himself to put those away for awhile, feeling a strong need to relax before the next day of similar problems and worries would begin. It was also well-deserved; amongst many jobs conducted that day there was none performed worse than perfect.
Although mentally rewarding, the process had also been truly exhausting, leaving Simba with no desire to admire the natural beauty of his home, wrapped in the dark embrace of the night. Everything he wished for was a nice spot beside his beloved mate and a good night's sleep, free from transforming into hyena… in either way.
As he entered the roomy cave, all seemed to indicate his dreams were to come true very soon. All the lionesses slept in various places and positions, tranquility dominating over their motionless bodies. At the sound of his pawsteps, however, one certain female raised her head and greeted him with a heart-melting smile. Having reached her, he gladly accepted an offered nuzzle and placed himself right next to her, getting ready to close his eyes and drift away, giving in to comfort emanating from her soft, warm side.
"Simba…" her delicate voice made him overcome the urge to fall asleep, open his eyes and turn to face her. Only after she said nothing more did anxiety arise in the king's heart, quickly pushing tiredness aside.
"Is something wrong, Nala?" he asked fretfully. There was no indication in her facial expression that could support this thesis, but she only spoke up after a long moment.
"Do you remember the task we've once given to the unexpected tenants of our bodies?" she asked silently, looking him in the eye.
"You mean… the hyenas?" he muttered after awhile of forcing his dozing brain to work. Suddenly, his eyes widened. "You don't mean…?"
"It's done," she smiled, confirming his suspicion and nuzzled gently into his frozen form. He returned the gesture without even knowing it, his mind completely wrapped around this single information that, he knew that, was going to turn his life upward down. Already, he was deliberating over several security measures that needed to be taken once his heir would come into the world. Present problems started to vanish from his mind as he tried his best to think of any possible leak in the Pridelands' defenses-
"Simba," his mate's voice snapped him back into reality, making the disputed matters disappear for now. He put on an honest smile and looked at Nala with love.
"That's truly wonderful," he assured her. "I couldn't possibly wish for any better news."
The two shared another nuzzle before Simba gave out a prolonged yawn, unable to keep it in any longer. Nala laughed silently and whispered, "If the cub takes anything after us, it'll definitely be a handful, so we'd better make out the most of whatever amount of peaceful nights we're given."
"You said it," Simba answered, stifling another yawn as he made an attempt at trying to clear his mind as he rested his head back on his paws. There was much to be done… but not before tomorrow.