I got this idea from a story called 'A Light for everyone' by Alex Draco. The beginning of this story is similar to the beginning of his. However, my story goes in a bit of a different direction. But it was inspired by that story! You should go check it out, it's very well written in my opinion. One more thing. I am using some of Tearthgrrl OC's, just because they really add to the story. Tearthgrrl hasn't added anything to her profile for three years now, so I figured it would be okay to use some of her OC's. But credit where it's due!
Tearthgrrl OC's:
Maumbu- Eds big brother, a healer, sort of like Rafiki.
Hasina- Maumbu's mate
By the way, whenever you see : ()()()()()()(()(())(), it means the point of view is changing. Also, I did some research and it turns out that even if a person is totally blind, they will still be able to see random lights and colors, those lights and colors just don't correspond to what is actually in front of them. But for the purpose of this story, total blindness will mean that all the person will be able to see is darkness. No lights or colors, just a black void. To clear things up, 'Macho' means 'vigilant' in swahili. And the name is pronounced 'maco' don't pronounce the ch sound.
Anyways, on with the fanfic!
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Banzai's POV
Banzai and Shenzi walked back up and out of the cave. Banzai kept up his humming, making sure Shenzi could follow him. Despite the fact that he knew that Shenzi was feeling a bit depressed, Banzai himself felt as happy as he could be. He had never, ever gotten that close to her before!
He had seen that Shenzi was frowning, so he decided to rub his side next to hers, in an attempt to try to get her to calm down and get her to cheer up. Whenever he had tried to do something like this before, Shenzi had always pushed him away, and then whacked him upside the head for it. Of course, affection in that more extreme form was not Banzai's current goal, but just a little bit for the hyena he had always admired seemed fine to him. Shenzi had probably permitted it this time because she had recently lost her sight, which was scary for any animal, even for a strong willed hyena like Shenzi. Amid that confusion, some affection from her childhood friend hadn't gone amiss.
After a few more minutes of walking, they finally reached the mouth of the cave. To Banzai's dismay, it had started to rain.
"Hey! It's wet out here. I guess it's raining?" Asked Shenzi.
"Yeah. It's been awhile since it's rained in the Graveyard, hasn't it?"
"Too long. You know, it's weird. Even though we get near constant cloud cover, it's always the Pridelands that gets the refreshing downpour. Hopefully this will help somewhat. This place is as dry as the desert. Probably because we border the desert of course, but that shouldn't mean we get so little rain. We also border the Pridelands."
"Well, you can't have everything in life."
"Huh. Don't I know it Banzai. Speaking of things we don't have, how about you go off and try to find us some food!"
Banzai sighed. He had hoped to spend more time with Shenzi. But an order was an order.
"Okay then. I'll go and find Macho's hunting party." Banzai turned to walk away. Then he remembered, how was Shenzi supposed to get back?"
"Hey Shenzi, you don't need someone to guide you back?" Shouted Banzai. Shenzi, who had been standing next to the cave mouth, scratching herself, froze in realization. She sighed, then turned towards him.
"Ugh! Fine, fine. Hurry up!" She shouted, once again agitated.
"Okay then." Responded Banzai. He walked past Shenzi, and began his humming again. He heard Shenzi following him, and they proceeded to walk through the Graveyard in silence, absent Banzai's humming. Eventually they reached their elephant skull, and Banzai walked inside.
"We're here!" He called. Behind him, he heard Shenzi flop down onto the floor.
"Okay. So we're here." Replied Shenzi. "Are you going to help Macho hunt or what?" She demanded.
"Oh right! Sorry, I'll get to it." Said Banzai, as he left the skull. He looked behind him to see Shenzi lying down, continuing to scratch herself with her hind leg. Banzai ran off into the rain to find Macho.
He saw in the mud some footprints, presumably from a hunting party. Hunting parties were the only time they were allowed aboveground, since Shenzi wanted to limit any exposure to lions. The lions didn't know there were still hyenas in the Graveyard, and Shenzi wanted it to stay that way. Of course, those two lions who had helped Shenzi when she needed it now knew, but they hopefully wouldn't elicit a war against them.
The problem was, it wouldn't be a war, or even a battle. It would be a slaughter.
Banzai ran over a hill covered in the ribcages of long deceased elephants. Up ahead, he saw Macho's hunting party. It didn't look like they were having any luck. They were dripping wet from being in the rain, and they hadn't yet caught anything. Banzai approached them.
"Hey Macho!" At his words, Macho turned around to look at Banzai.
"Hello Banzai. What brings you out here?" He said.
"Matriarch Shenzi ordered me to assist with the hunts. I see it's going as well as normal."
"Indeed it is. Not a single mouse or rodent yet. I hope other hunting parties have better luck. Anyhow, we were about to split up into groups of two to cover more ground."
"Good idea"
"Right then. We all have partners, except for me. I was going to go alone, but since you're here, that makes an even number." Macho turned around again to face the assembled hyenas. "Kojo and Leka, go south, and search the ravines for animals taking shelter from the rain. Fahama and Ritzo, go west, check the skulls for rats and other small animals. Lorato and Zaire, go east, and check the riverbank for reptiles. Make sure you stay hidden. Me and Banzai shall go north, and search the geysers. Be back here in a few hours, but if you caught something, take it straight to the hyenas that need it. Now move out!" Called Macho. The hyenas went off in their respective directions, and Banzai and Macho went in theirs.
As the rain poured down, visibility started to decrease. Banzai had to squint to keep the water out of his eyes. So when he and Macho entered a ravine, he was glad for the cover over his head. Unfortunately, it all put him in a bad mood. Being wet and hungry did that to you.
"Hey Banzai! You go over there, there might be some creatures warming themselves next the geysers." Banzai grunted an affirmative as he shook water from his fur coat. Even down here, there was still some rain making it's way through. The red geysers were plenty warm though, and they still belched colored steam.
Banzai always wondered why certain geysers were green, or red, but their steam always stayed the same color. That meant that certain ravines were painted a permanent red, and were not very easy to hunt in. You had to crouch low to be able to see clearly. Which was what Banzai was doing now, as he searched for any sign of edible entrees.
A few hours of crouching underneath the steam yielded nothing. No food had been found. Bitterly, Banzai called out to Macho.
"Macho! I think that's it. There's nothing down here." From further within the ravine, the voice of Macho came in reply.
"I suppose you're right. I can't find anything either. I hope the other had better luck."
"I hope so too, I'm starving."
"Aren't we all." Muttered Macho as he approached Banzai. Banzai looked at Macho. Normally Macho was more stoic than this, and yet it seemed he was actually in just a bad mood as Banzai.
"What's wrong Macho?"
"Banzai, the food situation is the problem. If our hunts keep going as badly as this, we're all going to starve, but it seems it's happening faster that I had originally predicted."
"I wonder where all the little animals went. There used to be a lot more rodents in the Graveyard than this."
"They probably died off actually. I fear we may have over hunted."
"Over hunted! But we're barely feeding ourselves as it is!"
"Which is the problem."
"Well, this sucks."
"No kidding."
Banzai and Macho started their walk back to the caves they lived in. The rain kept coming down, and the lack of food in their stomachs only drove home the problem they had. Of course, Banzai was a bit more worried over how Shenzi was doing than how the rest of the clan was doing.
For personal reasons of course.
Just as Banzai was thinking of Shenzi, Macho spoke up.
"So Banzai, how is Shenzi? She seemed fine after the fight, but she got scratched up real bad."
"Oh don't worry, Matriarch Shenzi is doing fine. Becoming blind didn't take away her confidence." Banzai replied.
"That's certainly her defining attribute. She won't let anything get in the way of her and her clan."
"She's certainly the leader we needed when we got kicked out of the Pridelands."
"She held us together and saved us from the vengeful lions. For that alone, I don't think any Matriarch has ever had a more loyal following."
"Except for Mabaya, she isn't part of that loyal following ." Added Banzai.
"Mabaya is nothing but a troublemaker. She's been sorted out more than once. Shenzi won't let her do any real damage." Affirmed Macho.
"Indeed." Macho and Banzai the arrived at the cave mouth that lead to the living quarters of the hyenas. They entered, and picked up their pace when they heard excited shouting coming from up ahead. When they reached their clan, they saw they were all crowded around the carcass of a dead antelope.
"Hey, where did the antelope come from? Asked Macho.
"Hey lieutenant Macho! Lorato and Zaire from your hunting party brought it in a few minutes ago. They said they found it stuck in the mud, so they slit it's throat and dragged it back here!" Responded a upbeat hyena called Reezo.
"That's great! Have we touched it yet?" Said Macho.
"No sir, we are still waiting for all the pups to get here. You know how Shenzi decreed they eat first." Replied Reezo.
"Excellent! And it seems there comes the missing pups now!" Said Macho, as he gestured to three pups excitedly running toward the carcass, with big smiles on their faces. All the hyena pups gathered round, and began to dig into the antelope with glee. Banzai supposed this was their first taste of real meat, not just the tough stuff from rats and birds. It seemed they were enjoying it too.
Eventually the pups ate their fill, and the mothers took their portion. The males, and females without pups took to gnawing on the bones with the nutritional food still on them. Banzai grabbed what was left of a haunch, intent on taking it to Shenzi. She was probably hungry.
Banzai trotted out of the caves, then ran as quick as he could through the rain. Eventually he reached the skull he had last seen Shenzi at. He went inside, and looked around, but to his surprise, Shenzi wasn't there. He turned around and left, running back to the cave he was just at. When he finally returned, he set down his meat and looked around here as well. But he didn't see his best friends amid all the hyenas. He walked up to a member of Macho's hunting party, Fahama. She was the only female in the Macho's group, and since females were higher ranking than males in hyena society, she was technically second in command of the hunting party. Macho was Shenzi's lieutenant however, so he still was higher in the hierarchical ladder.
"Hey, Fahama?" He asked her. Fahama looked up from the bone she was gnawing.
"Banzai? What is it?"
"Well, I was just wondering if you had seen Shenzi anywhere?"
"Matriarch Shenzi? You mean after her fight with Mabaya?"
Banzai nodded.
"Actually, I did. On my way back from the skulls, I saw Shenzi walking through the rain with Ed leading her. They were going east, towards the border. I don't know what she is doing there, but I suppose her business is her own."
"Why would she go out that way?" Banzai wondered aloud.
"Like I said, I don't know." Replied Fahama.
"Hey Fahama? Could I ask a favor of you then?"
"What's the favor? To help you go find the Matriarch?"
"Well yes." Said Banzai. Fahama finished off her meat, then got up and licked her lips.
"Okay then. But I don't relish being out in that rain."
"Thank you anyways."
"You're welcome I suppose." Fahama and Banzai trotted out of the cave, back into the elements. Fahama led the way, since she was the one who had seen Shenzi. They walked through some ribcages, and around some skulls that towered over them. Eventually, Fahama called out to Banzai over the sound of the pounding water.
"I saw them around here! Search for pawprints!" Banzai knelt down, scanning the mud for any sign of his friend's pawprints. After some time had passed, he called to Fahama.
"I found their prints! They Lead further east!"
"Alright then. Follow those pawprints!" Banzai and Fahama ran in the direction the Pawprints led, and the rain kept pouring down.
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Kiara's POV
Kiara, her mom Nala, and Kovu were both dragging the carcasses of a wildebeest. It was a big one, so it required a team effort. Since all three of them knew of the existence of the hyenas in the Graveyard, they all were helping Kiara get food to the starving animals. Her mom still showed apprehension at hunting for the hyenas in secret, but she had agreed not to tell Simba about it.
Earlier that day, it had begun to drizzle. By now however, it was a downpour. Kiara wanted to hurry this up so she could get back to her warm dry den with Kovu. She was sure her companions felt the same about the rain. As they walked over the savannah with the meat, Kiara glanced about. They were the only animals around. Kiara didn't blame them though. she wished she wasn't out here either. But a promise was a promise, and she wasn't going to break it.
After a half hour of dragging, and getting wet, she finally reached the border of the Graveyard. Kiara got up and squinted, looking for any sign of Shenzi, or any other hyenas. Shenzi had told her that she would be here to collect the food, no matter what. Kiara figured Shenzi just must have been late.
"Is this where we're supposed drop off the carcass?" Asked Kovu.
"I hope so!" Said Nala, some impatience in her voice.
"Don't worry, Shenzi said right here, this is exactly where she said we should out the meat" responded Kiara. "All we have to do is wait for her to show up, and then we can leave."
"Right, we're waiting for Shenzi." Said Nala, with some malice in her voice.
"Look mom, I don't know why exactly you hate Shenzi, but please do try not to attack her. She wouldn't even see it coming. Quite Literally in this case."
Kiara heard Nala snort.
"Hey! I see two hyenas down over there!" Said Kovu, as he pointed at two approaching figures. He was right. If Kiara squinted, she could make out Shenzi trailing behind another hyena coming toward them in the rain. The hyena leading her had his tongue sticking out, and he was laughing about something.
"Hey Shenzi! Over here!" Called Kiara. She saw the female hyena's ears perk up, and they picked up the pace to get to them. When they made it, The male hyena stopped dead, and sat down with an idiotic expression of happiness on his face. Shenzi of course, didn't see it and she bumped right into him.
"Ow! Watch it Ed! Next time, tell me when you've stopped!" Said Shenzi. The hyena called Ed simply sputtered in reply.
"Yeah whatever. Anyways, hello to you lions." Said Shenzi. She must have smelled us, thought Kiara.
"Hello to you too Shenzi. Anyways, we brought you the meat I promised, and we would be happy to drag it wherever you might need it. It's quite big." At those words, Kovu and Nala gave a groan.
"Who else is with you Kiara? Asked Shenzi, who had suddenly tensed up.
"Just my mom and Kovu. You already met Kovu."
"Right, Kovu. Who's your mom?"
"A lioness called Nala" answered Kiara. Nala took a step forward and offered a terse greeting.
"Hello hyena."
"Huh, hello to you too Nala." Replied Shenzi.
"Don't call me by my name. You haven't earned that right." Said Nala, with a scowl.
"Fine. You win. You never liked me much anyways."
"Hah! I have good reason to dislike you."
"Well, I guess you're right. I did try to eat you as a cub."
"That is just the least of the problems."
Shenzi paused. Then she sighed.
"Look Nala, I'm sorry about all that. I did it on purpose, but that was a long time ago. I wouldn't do it again if I relived my life."
Nala snarled, now clearly more angry.
"You're just saying that because I could tear your throat out right now, and you couldn't do a single thing about it!"
Kiara saw Shenzi tense again, then visibly try to relax again.
"Nala, I know we bled the Pridelands dry when we were there, but you have to understand, there was a reason for it!"
"And what reason might that be!?"
Kiara and Kovu looked at each other, clearly worried about this escalating.
"If you had to live every day of your life hungry, hungry without knowing when the next time you might be able to eat, you would be a glutton too." Responded Shenzi. "The conditions in the Graveyard aren't all fine and dandy! They never were! We never, ever, got enough to eat, so when we finally got the chance to gorge ourselves, we took it! You lions never have to worry about food, there are herds just waiting for you to come knock in their door! Heck, you have animals practically gift wrapped for you! You don't know what hunger is like!"
"You know Shenzi, that actually makes a little sense! But that still doesn't explain why you tried to kill me as a cub!"
"Nala, when that happened, we were told to do so by Scar! He gave us that order, it wasn't cooked up by us."
"You still carried out that order Shenzi, you still almost killed Simba and I."
"That was a long time ago! We were young, gullible, and lacked the vision to see what our actions would bring! Nala, I know you hate me, but trust me, I am not so hasty to make stupid decisions anymore. I'm the leader of my clan! I have to act for them now, not me! Believe It when I say that I want to save my hyenas over everything else! Nala, you don't like me, but I don't hold any contempt for you anymore."
"Shenzi, I'll believe it when I see it."
"Nala, I'm sorry. What else needs to be said?"
Kiara looked at her mom, who had just sheathed her claws again. Suddenly Nala looked thoughtful. As though she was reconsidering. After some moments of silence, Nala spoke up.
"Shenzi, you know, I never thought a hyena could change. But I can see it in your eyes that you're telling the truth. Ironic as that is, it is an animals eyes that can never lie. And yours weren't. So, apology accepted."
Kiara saw Shenzi with a surprised expression on her face. Then, she relaxed
"Ok. Thank you for that I suppose. Now, If we're all done talking, I would appreciate it if we hauled this wildebeest over to our dens, so we can eat it. Our pups need it."
"Alright then. Kiara, Kovu, help me." Said Nala, as she bit into the wildebeest again. Kiara walked over to her mom and bit into the animal too. Frankly, she was surprised that Nala was so quick to forgive too. The expression on Kovu's face told her he was thinking the same thing. Why did Nala forgive Shenzi so quickly anyway? She had made it clear she didn't like hyenas at all, and yet she now showed no malice to this one.
She had said it was because she knew the hyena was telling the truth, but even so, that was a quick mood change. She supposed Nala at least knew what she was doing. Kiara knew better than anyone that keeping grudges was bad. Her experience with Zira had certainly taught her that.
"Okay. Someone describe where exactly we are." Said Shenzi.
"Well, up ahead I see three Elephant skulls sitting on three different hilltops. Beneath those is one big crevice." Kiara supplied.
"Here is far enough then. I can't let you see exactly where we live. You know, for security reasons." Shenzi added.
"You'll be able to drag this all the way there?" Asked Kovu. He seemed doubtful.
"I can." Replied Shenzi. She seemed confident.
"All right then, Shenzi, goodbye for now." Said Kiara, as she and her companions turned away. They began to walk out of the Graveyard. As they exited the valley filled with bones, Kiara looked back at Shenzi. She saw that two more hyenas had entered the scene. So Shenzi could drag the carcass, just with a little help. Kiara smiled as they walked away through the rain.
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Nice! Another chapter completed! Well, it seems things are turning out well for our Characters!. Sorry if the second part of this chapter seemed rushed. Anyways, if you liked this chapter, leave a review. Guest reviews work too! Constructive criticism accepted. No flaming!