I'm back at this fanfic deal! Man, I love writing these! Anyhow, this a sequel to two of my stories, 'Scars of Redemption, and 'One Last Try.' The events of both shall be explored further here. But if you didn't read any of them, it doesn't matter, because anything relevant shall be explained here.

If you see this: ()()()()()()()() it means the POV is changing. Don't worry, I'll say to whose POV it's changing to. Fun facts: Shenzi's name means pagan or uncouth, Banzai's name means brash, Ed's name means…. Well…. Ed, Macho's name (pronounced Maco, don't pronounce the ch sound) means vigilant or loyal, and Nafasi's name means chance. All these are in swahili.

Well, on with the fanfic! And please, do leave this humble author a review.

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Banzai's POV

"So which way does her scent lead?" Asked Banzai.

"Further down the river. She must have gotten confused, and gone the wrong way." Replied Fahama, as she stared along the beach.

"Well, we'd better hurry then!" Said Banzai. Fahama nodded, and took off running the way she had pointed.

"I'll scout ahead!" Shouted Fahama. Banzai turned to Ed.

"Ed, help me sweep the area. We can't miss her." He said. Ed nodded, his tongue swinging back and forth.

"We're coming Shenzi." Muttered Banzai, as he too set down the river.

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Scar's POV

Scar walked out of the den to Nafasi, who stood waiting for him in the sand.

"She's been hurt so badly…." Muttered Scar, feeling helpless.

"She has. But she'll heal. Those wounds aren't necessarily permanent." Soothed Nafasi

"The broken leg is. Those things are almost impossible to heal properly."

"Almost impossible. Not completely impossible." Said Nafasi.

"And her breathing! I damaged something inside of her, something that shouldn't ever be touched. How are we supposed to heal that? We can hardly cut her open to examine the damage!" Snorted Scar sarcastically. However, he he did not feel like joking.

"She'll survive. It's clear she's taken things just as bad before in her life. I don't think she's the type to give in to her troubles." Answered Nafasi.

"But her side, all along her side, speaking of cutting her open, I did just that! I probably scratched her ribs when I did it!" Said Scar.

She didn't lose too much blood. She'll make it." Said Nafasi.

"And her black eye, and the welt on her head, and the scratches on her shoulders…. All because of me!" Fretted Scar, extending and retracting his claws in frustration.

"Scar…. Listen, I know you feel guilty about all this, but remember, it really isn't your fault." Said Nafasi.

"No, it's all my fault. I couldn't control myself! I felt myself slipping away, getting angrier and angrier, and I didn't try to stop it! I was too upset about…. about our cub." Said Scar.

"The cub isn't dead yet Scar. And maybe I overreacted when I told you about it. There is still a chance it's going to make it." Said Nafasi. Scar looked up at her.

"You think so?" He asked.

"Yes. Scar, I've almost been a mother three times now. If I gave up hope now, I might as well be killing it. There's always hope, you know that." Said Scar.

"I know… It's just that so far, I've squandered about half my life on foolish things like the throne, or bitter squabbling with my brother. Now, I want to have a cub. I want to give it a childhood that neither of us had. Your mother left you at six months old, and my own father tried to kill me. I want to be there when our cub catches its first mouse. I want to congratulate it when it says its first words. I want to tell it wonderous stories about the world, and give it something my father never gave me. I want to give it hope, happiness, and contentment. But if they keep dying, I'll never have that chance." Said Scar, with a sad expression.

"Scar, I want to have a cub too. But that's what I'm trying to tell you! You want to give your cub hope, but if you have none yourself, you have none to give. So take heart!" Nafasi urged.

"It's not just that. I didn't tell you about this Nafasi, but a few days ago, I had a dream, and my brother was in it." Started Scar.

"Mufasa? The one you threw into a gorge?" Said Nafasi.

"Ahhh….. Yes. That's the one. Anyways, he came to me in a dream, as his conscious self. He said he'd come from the stars, to give me a message." He paused, and looked at Nafasi for her reaction.

"Really? What did he say?" Asked Nafasi.

"Well, he told me that there were two events coming up, two events not of his own design, but ones that would test me nonetheless. And…. I think one of those tests was Shenzi." Scar swallowed.

"Oh…. You think so?" Replied Nafasi.

"Probably. And if it was one of the tests he described, I guess I failed. I failed miserably. And even worse than that, I don't know what the second test is. How am I supposed to complete any sort of test without preparation?" Said Scar.

"Well, just keep in control of yourself, and always do the right thing. That way, you can't go wrong." Suggested Nafasi, as she looked into Scar's eyes, serious.

"Well, I suppose so." Replied Scar.

"And if you need any help, ask me. I like to think I'm good at advice." Added Nafasi.

"Don't worry, I come to you for nearly everything anyways." Said Scar.

"You didn't tell me about Mufasa's visit."

"I guess I didn't. Maybe this could have been prevented if I had. But it's too late now. At any rate, it's much too late for Shenzi. Much too late." Scar sighed. "Well, come get me when Shenzi wakes up. I'll be in the forest." Scar then turned around, and walked into the foliage.

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"Hey Scar! Come here!" Shouted Nafasi, as Scar turned to look. He was sitting next to his cub's graves, trying not to further contemplate the events that had taken place. However, all he had done was further depress himself. It was at least a few hours later.

"What is it?" He asked.

Well….. She's awake." Nafasi responded.

"Oh. I'm coming." He said. He walked over to Nafasi, and the two of them began to make their way back through the forest.

"All right. Don't expect her to listen, or even act like she hears you. Try not to use any harsh words, because those rile her. And use a soothing tone of voice, to calm her down." Advised Nafasi.

"Got it." He replied, as they entered their den, grimacing.

Shenzi was once again curled up into the fetal position, her head between her paws. She was shivering, and the sound of her wheezing breaths could be heard from across the den.

"Hey Shenzi!" Nafasi said cheerfully, as she approached her. Immediately, Shenzi's breathing picked up, and she started to whimper, shaking from what could be presumed as either cold or fear.

Probably the latter.

"Don't worry, you're all right!" Said Nafasi, her voice falsely happy.

"Oh god….oh god…. I smell him… He's near!" Whimpered Shenzi frantically, her unseeing eyes open wide.

"He won't do anything bad to you, no one will. You are safe. Safe from all danger." Soothed Nafasi.

"He's near!" Repeated Shenzi, ignoring Nafasi.

"Shenzi, that's just the wind blowing in some old scent. Trust me, you're fine." Said Nafasi.

"Please don't let him hurt me…. Please don't let him hurt me!" Sobbed Shenzi.

"I won't let him touch you. Come on Shenzi, think happy thoughts. How are you feeling?" Asked Nafasi.

"Everything hurts… I can't breath….. The lights gone! Who turned the lights off? Who stole the sun?" Asked Shenzi, whimpering.

"The sun will come back." Said Nafasi.

"It's gone! The light, the sun, the stars….. They're gone! And it's… I smell him! He's gonna hurt me!"

"I won't hurt you." Blurted Scar suddenly, trying to help the situation. Unfortunately, it did the exact opposite.

"Oh god! Oh god, stay away! Stay away!" Shouted Shenzi, as her breathing increased further.

"No, Shenzi, I won't hurt you!" Repeated Scar.

"Stay back!" Yelled Shenzi, frantically, as she sudden began to move. Shaking, Shenzi started to get up, once again forcing her broken leg back into place best she could. As they watched, she let out a cry of agony, trying to back away from Scar.

"Don't move, you'll hurt yourself!" Exclaimed Nafasi, as she stepped forward to try to help. However, Shenzi didn't listen, the sound of her broken leg grinding unnaturally filling the cave.

"Shenzi please, lie back down!" Pleaded Nafasi.

"Don't hurt me!" Screamed Shenzi, her eyes shut.

"We won't!" Replied Scar, though the answer was ineffectual.

"Please don't…." Shenzi trailed off, as she reopened the wounds on her side. Blood began to flow out again, hitting the stones. Shenzi still stood however, gasping from the pain.

"Shenzi, lie down!" Demanded Nafasi.

"god! Stop it! Stop him from hurting me!" Pleaded Shenzi, apparently to no one in particular. Then, she slumped down, whimpering and crying. Scar and Nafasi could only watch as Shenzi lay on the ground, wheezing and otherwise reacting poorly to the pain. The pitiful sight of the broken hyena was made worse due to the fact that he could do nothing about it.

Then, he heard a gasp of horror, coming from the cave mouth.

He turned around in surprise, only to be greeted by an even larger surprise. There, staring at her Matriarch in horror, stood a female hyena, her eyes wide as she absorbed the scene.

Then, she saw Scar turn to look at her, and immediately, she bolted.

"No! Wait!" Yelled Scar, as he bounded outside in pursuit of the hyena. He rounded the cave's entrance just in time to see the hyena jump into the forest, disappearing between the bushes.

"What was that?" Asked Nafasi, as she hurried out of the den. She had not seen the hyena.

"Something bad." Muttered Scar, as he stared at the spot the hyena had disappeared.

Something very bad indeed.

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Shenzi's POV

Shenzi was dreaming.

It was a much needed breath of fresh air. Being awake was awful, one of immutable pain and fear. Most of the time, she didn't know what was going on, and gave herself up to her instincts. Of course, that meant mostly whimpering while curled up into a little ball. Doing anything more, like controling her bodily functions, required concentration, and that eluded her completely.

But when she was asleep, she was in control of herself through her dreams. Not that things were much better here. Dreams were often affected by the state of the waking mind, and in her case, that didn't bode well.

It meant nightmares.

She was sitting in the Elephant Graveyard, and it was night. Once again, she was in control of herself, but this time it did her little good. She was tense, just waiting for something to pop up somewhere.

"Damn this entire setup." She muttered, as she got up, and walked through one of the ravines. Any second now, something would happen, and it certainly wouldn't be pleasant.

"Shenzi! Shenzi, where are you?" Came a pleading voice from behind her. Shenzi jumped, and whipped around to see Taka coming through the ravine behind her, searching for her. She gritted her teeth, and tried to mentally prepare herself.

"Hey Taka." She said as she approached him, scowling. Taka was clutching his eye, blood flowing down from it.

"Shenzi! There you are! I've been looking all over for you!" Replied Taka, starting to smile, as he limped toward her.

"What is it?" She asked.

"Well…. I don't know, I just wanted to talk to my best friend!" Answered Taka. "You know, cause I'll be staying here awhile…." Taka trailed off, his expression souring.

"We'll take good care of you, no problem." Said Shenzi, the words like salt in her mouth.

"Shenzi… Do you think I'll ever see mom again?" Taka asked quietly.

"Uru? Sure, we'll sneak into the Pridelands soon, and you can talk to her. So long as Ahadi doesn't catch scent of us, we'll be fine." Replied Shenzi, doing her best to not be sarcastic. Taka frowned sadly.

"I hope so…. She probably misses me already. And I miss her." Said Taka.

"Uru misses you, that's for sure. It's not your fault Ahadi exiled you." Said Shenzi.

"Yeah, it's Mufasa's! He's the one that blabbed to Ahadi that you guys were my friends! It's his fault! Well, I hope he feels bad about it!" Muttered Taka, scratching the ravine floor in frustration.

"I'm sure he does. He didn't hate you, he just didn't know that Ahadi would get so angry." Replied Shenzi.

Taka was silent for a moment, so silent that Shenzi could hear the blood dripping from the wound that would one day become his scar. Then, he turned back to her.

"Shenzi…. You'll help me, won't you?" He asked quietly.

"Of course Taka, we'll always be there to help." Replied Shenzi.

Then, Taka's sad frown suddenly turned into a leer.

"Hypocrite." He whispered, as he extended his claws. Shenzi's eyes widened, and she backed away.

"Oh shit." She muttered.

"I heard you say it! Those exact words as the ones all those years ago. You said you'd always help me, and yet, fast forward this scene to that day on Pride Rock, and you'll do the opposite! You'll try to kill me, and renege on your promise! Well, we all know how that worked out." Sneered Taka.

"Fuck you! You're the traitor, not me!" Yelled Shenzi, as she continued to back away.

"That hardly matters! I think it's time to make things interesting!" As Taka spoke, the ravine began to undulate, shaking in an earthquake. Shenzi turned around and ran, as fast as she could.

"Stupid nightmares." She muttered to herself, as she jumped over widening holes beneath her feet. The sinister laughter grew louder, and as she glanced behind, Taka had changed form, and was now Scar, burned and bloodied. A seemingly infinite amount of blood seemed to pour from the gashes all over his body, as he laughed maniacally.

"You can't get away! I'm coming for you!" Yelled Scar, as he jumped through the air faster than ever would have been physically possible. He landed right in front of Shenzi, forcing her to skid to a stop.

"Leave me alone!" She demanded, as she stood on one of the few pillars of stone that hadn't yet fallen over.

"Too late for that!" Yelled Scar, as below them the red liquid began to rise, fueled from an unseen source.

"I said leave me alone!" Begged Shenzi, struggling to keep her balance atop the rocks. Scar only kept laughing, finding the whole situation hilarious in an exceedingly grim fashion. Shenzi looked around frantically. It didn't seem as if there was much of a way out. Steeling herself, Shenzi jumped of her pillar, and plunged into the red liquid.

For a few seconds, everything went dark.

Then, she opened her eyes to find herself sitting on the savannah, on a sunny day. Off in the distance, there were herds of wildebeest grazing peacefully, the evil laughter now gone.

"Where am I?" She asked herself.

"In a dreamscape, my dear sweet Shenzi." Responded a voice from off to her side. Shenzi turned to look, and to her surprise, saw her mother standing there right alongside Mufasa.

"What the hell!" She exclaimed.

"Don't worry my dear Shenzi, this isn't another nightmare. I just wanted to talk to you." Said Hatari, Shenzi's mother.

"Mom! Are you…. Are you real?" Asked Shenzi.

"I can assure you hyena, we are quite real. And like your mother said, she wanted to talk to you, and so here we are. I'm simply supervising." Answered Mufasa.

"In the stars, species live in much greater harmony than on the earth." Added Hatari.

Shenzi felt her legs grow weak.

"Oh mom! It's so good to see you!" She gushed, as she ran forward into her mother's embrace.

"It's nice to see you too my sweet." Soothed Hatari, as she stroked her daughter's fur. Shenzi looked up into her mother's eyes.

"I can't believe it's really you!" Said Shenzi, as she nuzzled Hatari, like she had done when she was a pup. Shenzi was so happy, she began to cry, but for the first time in years, they were tears of joy. Her mother was here! She would help her, she would know what to do!

"Shenzi…. I love you, my daughter." Replied Hatari.

Then, a horrible thought occurred to Shenzi.

"Mom, does this dream have to end? Are you going to leave?" She asked.

"All dreams end Shenzi." Replied Hatari.

"But are you going to leave?" She repeated.

"When this dream ends, yes." Answered Hatari.

"But… No! You can't leave me, I need your help!" Exclaimed Shenzi.

"Shenzi, you are one of the strongest hyenas I've ever seen. You've endured such hardship, more than nearly anyone else. You've given up so much to ensure the clan's safety, and yet you never ensured your own. That's a sign you're my daughter."

"But…. Why are you going to leave me?" Asked Shenzi.

"It isn't her choice. We try not to interfere too much with those who still live, so they can chose their own destiny." Explained Mufasa.

"But I need help! Mom, tell Mufasa you're going to stay!" Shenzi turned to her mother.

"He's right. I can't stay. But I came here to bolster you, to give you courage. So listen to what I have to say." Said Hatari

"Is it important?" Asked Shenzi.

"Yes." Replied Hatari.

"Well…. All right then." Said Shenzi.

"Like I said Shenzi, you are very strong. You've had to endure more than most animals. But know that your current situation will end eventually. Everything ends. And once your predicament is over, you'll need to be able to draw strength from more than just yourself." Explained Hatari.

"What do you mean?" Asked Shenzi.

"Your friend, Banzai will be able to explain, once he's ready. Just trust him. There are more feelings in this world than hate, and he'll be able to show you them."

"Is that it?" Asked Shenzi.

"Yes. Remember what I said, and you'll do fine."

"Are you going then?" Said Shenzi.

"Not if you want us to stay a bit more." Replied Hatari.

"But….. I want you to stay forever! Mom, I need you! I can't do it! You say I'm strong, but everything is becoming too much! How am I supposed to go on? I need you mom! I need you!" Pleaded Shenzi.

"My sweet, you can do it. Don't give in to your doubts." Although by now, Hatari was frowning sadly, despairing at the sight of her daughter floundering under the wieght of her burdens. Shenzi began to cry.

"I can't do it! Mom, it's too much! Everything gets worse and worse, and I can't even see the light at the end of the tunnel!" Sobbed Shenzi.

"Shenzi, please don't cry. I want to take care of you, it's just…" Hatari trailed off, looking guilty, and torn.

"Mom! When does it all end? When do the problems and the pain end?" Begged Shsnzi, as tears hit the grass below.

Hatari looked at Mufasa, who looked indescisive. Then, he nodded. Hatari turned back to Shenzi.

"Well….. How about now?" She said.

Then, she waved her paw.

And the dream ended.

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.

.

.

.

.

But she didn't wake up.

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I'll let this speak for itself. Leave a review! Guest reviews work great too! It helps meh confidence to write. Well, what are you waiting for?