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.
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 to lurk, 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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Shenzi's POV
Shenzi gulped.
The silence was deafening.
Ironic, really.
"And who might you be?" Asked a voice from amongst the delegation in front of her, but the tone didn't sound angry. If anything, it sounded amused even! In fact, as Shenzi searched the faces of the creatures, none of the, looked put off. Most of them were smiling, or at least looked calm. They did not look as if they had just been insulted
Shenzi turned towards the voice to answer.
"Who am I? I'm a hyena! And a Matriarch at that!" She replied, unsure of who exactly had addressed her.
"A Matriarch? Impressive! Which clan did you lead?" Asked the voice. Shenzi saw a lion standing at the very front of the assembled animals, with a smile on his face. She frowned.
"Uhh…. The one formerly of the Pridelands area." She answered.
"Oh…. You're Shenzi then, aren't you?" Asked the lion, as his happy expression soured a bit. But not unkindly. He turned back towards the assembled cloud creatures, and motioned them to leave. With a few loud whooshes, almost of all the animals had disappeared, except for the lion, and a female hyena who stood next to him. Shenzi stood expectantly.
"Hello Shenzi. I've been watching you as of late." Said the hyena, as her form hardened, and she stepped forward onto the hill, no longer made of clouds. The lion did the same, so Shenzi was faced with a lion and a hyena.
"You've been watching me, huh? And what's your unwanted appraisal of my life?" Replied Shenzi, sarcastically. The lion shifted his stance a bit.
"Perhaps unwanted, but unnecessary. Actually, I need you to tell me something." Replied the hyena.
"And what might that be?" Asked Shenzi.
"How did you die?" Asked the hyena.
"And why might that be relevant to you?" Demanded Shenzi, growing suspicious of the random hyena and lion.
"Shenzi, as I said, I have been watching you for a while now. I am what you might call… A representative of our species, the hyenas. As Mhandisi here is a representative of the lions." The hyena gestured at the lion next to her. The lion nodded, smiling.
"And what's your name then?" Asked Shenzi, looking at the hyena.
"Ura. I was a Matriarch myself, hundreds of years ago." Replied Ura. "And as you of course know, it isn't an easy job."
Shenzi snorted. "Not an easy job? Why, what did you have to do, sit around in a lush paradise, while herds lollygagged through your lands?"
"What we did in life is hardly relevant, it happened so long ago." Answered Mhandisi. "However, if you would in fact like to know, her clan, and my pride, were locked in bitter combat, over a scorched, dry piece of land in the desert. The area was called bladespire, and the battle was mostly centered around two megaltih structures, whose origins we never really found out. They were like giant triangles. There had recently been a flood larger than anything we had seen before, and we took refuge atop the structures, along with every other animal in the area. Being on top of the pyramids allowed us, and many other animals, to survive the flood. Once the waters cleared, some of us left bladespire, and struck out to find a new home. However, some creatures did stay. Anyways, lions and hyenas, after months of searching, found the pridelands, and there we created our home. Nearly all other animals, from cheetahs to wildebeest, came with us. Over time, we spread out across the new world, but the Pridelands were the beginning. So you see, I and Ura are the eldest of the Pridelands, and so we serve as the representatives to our respective species." Explained Mhandisi.
"Is that an origin story?" Asked Shenzi, unsure whether or not she had absorbed any of that.
"You could call it that. It is after all, our origins. But you Shenzi, are the last remnant of our relationship between lions and hyenas in the Pridelands. I suppose it had to happen eventually, one race kicking out the other, but it did last a few hundred years. Anyways, that made you interesting. And so, he and I watched what happened to you. And before we continue, I must say…. You certainly didn't have it easy." Said Ura.
"I didn't have it easy? Well, you suck. That statement is as obvious as statements get! I was fucking blinded, crippled, and then, when things started to get better, Scar had to fucking go ahead, and screw everything up! And now, I'm dead. So no, I didn't have it easy." Said Shenzi, summoning as much sarcasm as she muster.
"Perhaps not. But that is what heaven is all about. The reward for suffering." Replied Mhandisi.
"Oh yeah? And what about punishment? Just back there, I saw Ahadi, the biggest douchebag in history! And now, he's here, never paying for his crimes? What the fuck is that about?" Blustered Shenzi.
"Shenzi, everyone gets what they deserve. Ahadi didn't get off scot free. Follow us." Said Ura, as she and the lion turned around, and walked down the hill. Shrugging her shoulders, Shenzi followed.
Ura and Mhandisi walked through the soft grass, with Shenzi behind. And Shenzi was rather confused. So apparently, these animals were the first Pridelanders?
Wierd.
"So, uh…. Where we going, anyways?" Asked Shenzi, as she trotted up next to Ura.
"You asked us what the punishments were. We'll show you." Replied Ura.
"You're not going to…. Punish me, are you?" Said Shenzi.
"Oh of course not. You're not a wrongdoer. Now, doing wrong is relative, and what an animal does to survive may prove morally questionable, but nonetheless, we tend to classify wrongdoing as an evil act done without remorse or any manner of reasonable vengeance. It's a little more complicated than that, but don't worry, you aren't in trouble." Said Mhandisi.
"Well…. Umm…. That's good to know, I guess." Conceded Shenzi.
"Indeed. No one likes to feel pain, that's what the punishments are. Now, down here." Said Mhandisi, as he turned sharply into a little cave leading down below ground. Shenzi cocked her eyebrow, unsure whether or not she should enter an ominous hole in the ground, where punishments apparently took place. But if Mhandisi and Ura were going down there, how dangerous could it be?
She walked into the cave, following the tunnel down into the depths. It got rather dark, but no matter how deep they went, there was just enough light for them to be able to see. That was probably a quirk of the afterlife.
"How far is this place?" She asked, as they walked through a smaller part of the tunnel. Mhandisi had to crouch.
"Just a little bit further. Another minute or so." Replied Ura. And she was right. They turned left, and suddenly the area opened up into a gigantic cavern, lit from an unseen source.
"Holy cow. How big is this?" Said Shenzi, as she tried to stare at the edge. It went on as far as she could see, disappearing into the darkness.
"This is only a small fraction of our afterlife. There are many entrances down here, but the only attraction are those holes." Said Mhandisi, as he gestured towards the expansive pits that Shenzi only had just realized were there. Indeed, there were holes covering the floor, and all of them were at least a few feet wide.
"What are the pits for then?" She asked.
"Go up to one, and look down. It'll become clear." Answered Ura. Shenzi approached the nearest one, and peeked over the edge.
Immediately, she heard a scream of pain, and rage. She jerked back her head, caught by surprise.
"What the fuck was that?" She said, turning back to Ura.
"What you heard was the cry of a depraved soul, who couldn't keep his darker side in check. That particular one is actually a leopard, called Makucha." Explained Mhandisi.
"Yeah? And what did he do?" Asked Shenzi.
"He committed murder, ended up killing his own cubs. Not a very pleasant sort." Said Ura.
"So…. All of these holes have an evil creature in them, suffering?" Said Shenzi.
"No, currently, many of these holes are empty. They are dark stars, as black as it gets. There are very few permanent residents. It would be unfair for many to suffer for all of eternity, so what happens to most is that there are days off. If their crimes were of lesser consequence, they may only get a week during a moon cycle in these dark stars." Said Mhandisi.
"And Ahadi's punishment….?"
"One week off. The rest of the month is spent in a dark star. He truly loved most of his family, but what he did to his other cub, Taka, was wholly unforgivable. And as such, he reaped that reward." Explained Ura.
"Ah, nice. It's good to know he got something, that dirty bastard." Muttered Shenzi, feeling somewhat elated. "So, this hole here is empty because the animal is not up for his turn?" Asked Shenzi, as she approached another hole, one that she could see the bottom of.
"Actually….. That one is rather difficult. There is supposed to be an lion in it, but somehow…. He escaped. It happens every so often, someone is able to escape it, and leave the afterlife in the form of a spirit. They're what are called nightmares. That particular hole belonged to Uraziel, a lion who killed both his parents, and…. Did things….to his sister. Very, very unpleasant. His stay would have been permanent." Said Mhandisi.
"How did he escape?" Asked Shenzi.
"No one knows. If we did, we would be able to plug the holes they leave through. But the occurrence is rare enough that we don't need to worry about it too much." Replied Ura.
"Now then, we've answered your question, so please answer ours. How exactly did you die?" Said Mhandisi.
"Yes. As I said, I have been watching you, and you were supposed to survive the ordeal. I am simply curious as to why you did not. What did I miss?" Added Ura.
"Why do you want to know how I died?" Asked Shenzi.
"Curiosity." Replied Mhandisi.
"And if I say I don't want to answer you?"
"Then it would be unfortunate." Answered Ura.
"Is that a threat?" Snarled Shenzi, as she glanced towards one of the pits.
"No, I can assure you, there is no threat being made." Said Mhandisi, acrong rather genial.
"Oh yeah, there is no threat, you and your smug face. Well, fuck you. All there is to how I died is that my mother killed me during a dream when I asked her for help. Are you happy now?" Shenzi said.
Both Ura's and Mhandisi's eyes widened.
"Hatari! Why did she do that! She knows it's not appropriate!" Muttered Ura, as she waved her paw, and with a little whoosh, Hatari appeared next to Shenzi.
"Shenzi! I found you! There you are, I've been looking for you!" Exclaimed Hatari, when she realized her daughter was standing next to her.
"Hatari! Tell us, did you really take her soul out of her body!" Yelled Ura, looking put off.
Hatari coughed into her paw.
"I guess I might have…." She replied tentatively.
"You know you're not supposed to do that! Shenzi's time wasn't done yet!" Said Mhandisi.
"What do you mean, not done yet?" Blurted Shenzi, suddenly extremely interested in the conversation.
"It doesn't matter, we've got to put you back!" Said Ura, and she waved her paw. Shenzi felt herself get dizzy, and before she lost consciousness, she heard her mother whisper something into her ear.
"My one last gift to you…"
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Scar's POV
Scar shifted the dirt aside, completing the hole. He had dug the grave in the clearing, next to his cubs. He figured it would be the best spot, putting her in a special place. Hopefully, it would be some sort of recompense for his horrible mistake.
"Is the grave done yet?" Asked Nafasi, her voice sounding strained.
"Yes, it's done. Now all we have to do is to go get the body." Replied Scar, as he walked over to Nafasi.
"Okay then…. Okay, let's do that." Said Nafasi, as she turned around and began to walk back towards the beach. Scar followed her from behind slowly, since she herself was going slowly. In fact, she sounded short of breath….
"Are you alright?" He asked trotting up next to her.
"Fine…. I'm fine. Just keep going." She replied, not meeting his eyes. Scar nodded, and the two of them continued through the forest. As they walked out onto the beach, Nafasi suddenly started moaning.
"Nafasi! What is it?" He asked worriedly, as she grimaced.
"Scar! I think it's….. I think it's starting to come!" Gasped Nafasi, as she collapsed onto the sand, grimacing.
"The cub! The cub is coming now?!" Exclaimed Scar, caught completely off guard.
"Yes!" Gasped Nafasi, digging her claws into the sand.
"Well… Uh…. Ummm… What do I do?" Stuttered Scar.
"Go get….. Go get the herb for pain!" She replied, grimacing.
"Right!" Said Scar, as he turned around and ran down the beach.
Nafasi was having the cub!
He had to hurry, he had to be fast! He couldn't let her down! If there was any chance for the cub to make it, he had to hurry!
Scar bounded down the beach, running to the spot he knew held the herb he seeked. This herb could dull pain, and made the birthing process significantly easier, according to Nafasi. And since she was the one who had given birth three times previously, she probably knew what she was talking about.
Scar skidded to a stop, searching the forest edge. It had to be here somewhere! He took a sniff in the air, hoping to catch the scent of the plant.
Instead, he felt his heart jump into throat.
He knew that scent, he knew it too well.
Hyenas.
Lots of them.
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The hyenas are on their way! And right as they chose to do so, Nafasi goes into labor. Heh heh heh, timing.
Leave a review!
Also, I know nothing of how lion pregnancies work, so bear with me in upcoming chapters.