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 POV
Banzai, Macho, and Fahama sat alone in an unused den. It had been a week since since Shenzi had appointed them as senior officers, and so far, things had been going well. The lioness Kiara had given them both an antelope and a gazelle yesterday, but for the life of him, he couldn't tell the two species apart. They both tasted the same, they both had horns, and they both had hooves. That was all that really mattered. Especially the taste. That was important.
What was vexing the three of them was that the rain hadn't let up all week. It was starting to pile up, with the deepest valleys of the Graveyard being flooded. All of their cave entrances were on higher ground, so even if the rain continued for yet another month, they weren't threatened by it. What was worrying, however, was the size of the river. By this point, it had swelled up to nearly the size of a lake, all along it's length. Normally a lion or hyena could wade across it, but it was much too deep right now. Kiara probably wouldn't be able to come with more food again until the river went down, and that might not be for a while yet.
"Well! I am open to suggestions!" Said Banzai, starting the meeting.
"Course you are. Cause you got no ideas yourself." Replied Fahama.
"Well, I don't hear you with ideas either." Retorted Banzai.
"There's no need to fight comrades, our situation is not that dire yet." Interjected Macho.
"And why is that? Without our helper lioness bringing in food, we're right back to where we started. Starving." Said Banzai.
"But we haven't all starved yet have we? We survived three years on our own hunters, I think we can can continue to rely on them until the river levels go back down."
"The river poses no threat to us, but we will need it to go down if we want some more free food." Said Fahama.
"Well, that's settled. We just will order extra hunts. Macho, I believe that's your job." Said Banzai.
"Indeed it is. Is there anything else left to discuss, now that we are all here?"
"Actually, yeah, there is. Maumbu has ran out of the herb that he uses to cure headaches. He asked me if we could retrieve some from the river bank next chance we got." Replied Fahama.
"How about right now? You and Banzai will go and get what our healer needs, and I will go and organize the hunts."
"Good idea Macho. Okay then Banzai, you ready to go hunting for a plant?"
"Well, I got nothing else to do. Come on Fahama, we'll get it quickly before we get soaked in the rain."
"Agreed." Said Fahama. Banzai and Fahama left their little alcove to go to the surface, while Macho left for the living dens. It was always dark in these caves, but a hyena's night vision was rather well developed. As they went through the tunnels, they sometimes encountered random stalagmites, with water dripping down them. Eventually, they reached a cave mouth, and stepped outside.
"Hey look, it stopped raining!" Shouted Banzai. Indeed, as he exited the cave, he saw the clouds had cleared up, and the sun bore down on them.
"That took long enough." Added Fahama.
"Yeah, it's been raining all week! At least it's done. It was rather annoying to have to hunt with lower visibility."
"Well, that makes our job easier too! Now we don't have to worry about getting soaked whenever we step outside."
"To the river then. Let's find ourselves that plant and get back to the dens."
Banzai and Fahama ran through the multitudes of puddles on their way to the western border. The rain still left behind several ravines and valleys in a flooded state. But those were easy enough to avoid. As the sun came out, and a cooling breeze blew through the Graveyard, Banzai couldn't help but be in a good mood. It felt as if it was a new day. Although, it technically was, since it was still morning.
As they crossed yet another hill covered in the bones of eaten animals, they came into a view of the river. Banzai and Fahama stopped, taking in the impressive view. The river really had swelled, it was wider than Banzai had ever seen it before. Before, in the rain, he never had gotten a good look. But now he saw the extent of how much the rain had added to the body of water.
"That's a rather big river." Commented Fahama.
"No kidding. Do you think the plant Maumbu wanted is drowned at this point?" Replied Banzai.
"It can't hurt to check. Maumbu does need it for headaches. I know I would want to get rid of a headache as soon as possible."
"Down we go!" Shouted Banzai, as he jumped and slid down the hillside. Some of the bones provided excellent runaways. When he made it to the bottom, he found himself staring at the ridge that officially marked the boundaries of the Graveyard. Fahama slid down next to him, abruptly stopping. Fahama looked at Banzai, then continued on her way.
"Come on then!" Said Fahama, as she ran up to the ridge. She jumped onto the slope, digging her claws into the dirt, and began her climb up. Banzai, shaken out of his reverie, gave a start and followed her onto the top of the ridge.
"Well, the riverbank sure is closer, isn't it?" Commented Banzai, when he reached the top.
"A bit of an understatement Banzai." Replied Fahama, who was currently dipping her paws into the water, checking the depth. This side of the river had swelled so much that it's edge came almost up to the edge of the ridge.
"Thank goodness it stopped raining huh? If the river grew any more, it would have flooded into the Graveyard!"
"Indeed. Good thing we don't have to worry about that. It would have been a disaster. Now, I'll go this way, and you go down that way. If you find Maumbu's plant, bring it back here, and come get the other."
"Sounds good to me." Said Banzai, as he turned around and began to walk along the riverbank. "Watch out for any lions!" He called back. Fahama yelled something in reply, but by now, he was already too far away to hear what was said. He shrugged, and continued on his way.
The river bank sloshed water along Banzai's path. It felt more like He was walking next to a lake than a river. He hoped the water would drain away soon.
"Where is that darned plant?"' Muttered Banzai as he scanned the ground for any sign of the herb.
The plant in question was probably a short, stubby plant, with fuzzy leaves. Banzai knew exactly what the leaves looked like. He used to visit Maumbu for them, every time Shenzi smacked him over the head for doing something stupid. Which happened rather often.
Behind him, Banzai suddenly heard a sputtering laugh break the silence. He turned around to meet his childhood friend, Ed.
"Hey Ed! What's up?" Banzai asked, wondering what Ed was doing out here. In reply, Ed started to giggle, and sputtered out the answer. For whatever reason, only Banzai and Maumbu ever understood what he said. Maumbu was Ed's brother, so that was understandable, but Banzai didn't meet Ed until late puphood.
"Actually Ed, I'm looking for the plant that cures headaches. Maumbu needs more." Replied Banzai.
Ed sputtered again.
"Yes I know what it looks like! Ya think I came all the way out here without knowing what I'm looking for?"
Ed have another series of laughs and snorts, then pointed at an area behind Banzai.
"Yes, I already checked that area for it." Said Banzai, rolling his eyes.
Then, Ed grinned, and with another snort, he bounded over to where he had previously gestured. Banzai watched with eyes half closed of boredom. Then, Ed leaned down, and grabbed a bunch of flowers in his mouth. He turned around, and trotted back to Banzai with the yellow flowers. He set them down in front of Banzai and gave another giggle.
"I don't think that's the plant I'm looking for Ed." Replied Banzai, as he eyed the flowers.
Ed snorted.
"Well, actually, these leaves are fuzzy, maybe they are the ones Maumbu needs." Banzai picked up one of the leaves and put it in his mouth. Immediately, he spat it back out in disgust.
"Blaugh! Yeah, it tastes just the same as what Maumbu gave me. I don't know how you can stand putting it in your mouth though." Said Banzai, as he gargled river water, trying to get the taste out. Ed simply gave a small laugh, then scooped the flowers back into his mouth. Once Banzai was done, he set off back the other direction to retrieve Fahama. Ed followed close behind.
After some minutes of silence, absent Ed's giggles of course, Banzai saw Fahama sitting next to the river.
"Hey! Fahama! I got the herbs we needed!" Called Banzai, as he trotted up to Fahama. She turned her head, and stood up to receive him.
"You got that plant?" She asked.
"Yeah, it was just a bit farther down that way. You want to get back to Maumbu then?" Said Banzai, who was eager to get his task over with.
"Yeah, sure. If we got what we needed, we can go back. Just one question though." Said Fahama, who turned back to the river.
"What is it?" Replied Banzai, curious to find out what the question was.
"Do you… Think the river level has gone up since we got here?" Said Fahama, who pointed at the river's edge.
"The river? No. I think it's stayed the same. The rain stopped! There's nothing to cause it to swell anymore." Responded Banzai, quite confidently.
"I guess so. It's just that… I don't know, somehow I think it's just a bit closer than when we first looked at it."
"Probably your imagination. Come on Fahama! I want to return to the dens!" Banzai turned about, and began to walk to the ridge. "You too Ed!" He called back. Banzai slid down the slope, and looked behind him to see Ed, just in time before he smashed into him. Banzai sprawled onto the ground, and he spat out the dust in his mouth.
"Hey! Watch it Ed! Geez, why is it always me that people run into! Yeah, first Shenzi pushed me into a methane vent, then it was thorn bushes, then it was that waterfall.. The list doesn't end." Banzai continued to grumble to himself as he dusted himself off.
"Now you're the one who isn't coming Banzai! Hurry up!" Called Fahama, who was standing further down the hill.
"I'm working on it!" He retorted, as he ran to catch up.
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Kovu's POV
Kovu and Kiara were on another patrol, this time on the eastern border, when the rain stopped. It had been raining all week, and Kovu was really getting tired of having to hunt and patrol while being drenched. So when it finally stopped, Kovu felt like celebrating.
"Yes! The rain has stopped!" Yelled Kovu, as he bounced up and down in joy. Kiara, who was next to him, started to smile.
"It did take a while, didn't it?" She said, grinning at Kovu.
"Ahhhh….. Yes, it did." Replied Kovu, as he stood up and gazed around him.
"So Kovu, you going to stand there forever, or are you and I going to finish our patrol?" Said Kiara, as she walked by Kovu.
"Oh yeah… Right." Said Kovu, who bounded after Kiara to catch up to her.
"Well, the rain may have stopped, but my paws still get wet!" Complained Kiara, as she shook of her left foreleg of water.
"That can't be helped Kiara." Said Kovu, as he rubbed up against her.
"Perhaps not, but I bet some animals don't have to deal with this." Said Kiara, as she shook her right foreleg.
"Yeah, like birds!" Responded Kovu, who grinned and looked at the trees. He and Kiara proceeded to walk through the the wet savannah. Earlier that day, He and Kiara had tried to go hunting for the hyenas, but Simba had caught them trying to sneak out, and had set them on patrol instead. So far, Kovu didn't think Simba suspected a thing, but they would have to be more careful about when they hunted from now on.
He and Kiara had resolved to do the hunting later, while on this very patrol. That way, Simba wouldn't ever know where exactly they had been, other than where he told them to be. So, as they strolled through the grass, Kovu kept his eyes out for any packs of animals they could snare.
The clouds continued to fade away, and the sun came out. The blue sky opened up, and a light zephyr blew through Kovu's mane. It was a rather beautiful day, especially since the trees and rocks glistened from the water.
"Hey Kovu, look over there. A herd of zebras!" Said Kiara, as she gestured toward the striped animals of prey.
"Yeah, zebras will do just fine." Said Kovu. Zebras weren't a challenge to hunt, if you knew how to sneak and to pounce.
"Come on Kovu, you want to catch two zebras, or just one?" Asked Kiara.
"How about just one, except we'll race for it." Suggested Kovu, with a playful gleam in his eye.
"What do you mean?" Asked Kiara.
"We both chose one zebra, and the first one to catch their own zebra will win." Responded Kovu.
"Okay then slowpoke, your on!" Replied Kiara. Kovu watched kiara trot off. He smirked, then turned around and ran towards the zebra herd. As he got closer, he slowed down, and crouched low in the grass. He saw ahead of him a young colt, who was unstable on his legs. That would be a perfect one to take down.
He put on paw in front of the other, as he advanced towards his target. The oblivious prey munched happily on the grass, soaking in his food. Now that Kovu thought about it, every time he ate an animal, he was also eating what that animal ate. So he ate grass too he supposed.
Gross.
Suddenly, all the zebras ears perked up. Over on the other side of the herd, he saw some movement. Kiara jumped up in an attempt to snare an adult zebra. She missed her pounce however, and the herd bolted. Right in Kovu's direction!
Kovu crouched even lower, and got out of the way of the stampeding zebras. As they ran around him, he jumped up, and slit the throat of one of the panicking animals. It stumbled for a bit, until it fell over and hit the ground with mundane finality. Kovu walked over to his prize.
"Okay okay, I guess you win. I was never much good at pouncing." Said Kiara, as she walked up to Kovu.
"The best part was, I have you to thank for the easy kill!" Responded Kovu, grinning at Kiara.
"Well, I guess I'm more of a teamwork person." Replied Kiara, acting aloof.
"Well, I guess we better haul this beast over to the hyenas. I'm sure they will want it, we didn't get them anything yesterday." Said Kovu, as he grabbed the Zebra with his claws. Kiara grabbed it too, and they slung the meat over their backs, carrying it together. It was much easier than dragging it, they were more mobile this way.
As they advanced across the savannah, they went straight for the Graveyard. Kovu didn't want Simba to think they were being lazy on their patrols, so he wanted to get this done quickly.
Eventually, they reached the hill that overlooked the western border. Up ahead, the size of the river astonished Kovu.
"Holy wildebeest! That river certainly has swelled from all that rain!" Exclaimed Kovu.
"No kidding. It's almost quadrupled in width. Looks a bit more like a lake at this point." Said Kiara, as she gazed at the body of water.
"How are we supposed to get across? Normally, we could just wade across, but that looks way too deep for anything other than swimming."
"Swimming will be pretty hard while carrying a dead zebra."
"Indeed. Well, I guess we have to figure it out somehow."
"Wait a minute, look over there, at the other side of the river, what is that?" Said Kiara, as she gestured at an area across the swirling watercourse.
"Where is it?" Asked Kovu. He squinted, as his gaze swept over the landscape. Then he spotted what Kiara was pointing at.
"Yeah I see it, and,, oh wait… That's bad." Said Kovu, suddenly realizing what he was looking at.
"That's really bad."
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Macho's POV
Macho was running as fast as he could, as fast as he could to find Matriarch Shenzi. He had to tell her what he had just seen! She had to know, she had know quickly!
As he sprinted over the hills of bones toward the Matriarch's private den, he spotted Shenzi and Banzai making their way toward the living dens, where the rest of the hyenas lived, ate, and slept. He ran over to her, panting from exhaustion. Banzai and Shenzi heard him arrive, and they turned toward him.
"Shenzi! Banzai! Listen, there's a problem!" He yelled. Banzai frowned, and so did Shenzi, as they waited for his next sentence.
"What is it Macho? Asked Shenzi, impatient to hear the news.
"Listen! The ridge, the one that's holding back the river, it's, It's…." Macho was suddenly struggling to articulate what he had to say.
"Yeah? What about it?" Said Banzai, also impatient.
"The ridge, the one that holds back the river.,,,, It's collapsing! And the waters flooding in!"
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Yeehaw! Cliffhanger! And yes, the river is going to flood the Graveyard. Just wait and see how that plays out in the next chapter. I'll try to make it a long one. Anyway, if you liked it, leave a review. It's a fanfiction crime to be following a story and not leave reviews you know. So anyways, cya in the next chapter! Constructive criticism accepted. No flaming!