It was a sunny day in the Pridelands. Jasari woke up early, and so did Anana. They tiptoed out of the cave so they wouldn't wake the grownups up, then ran to the savanna.
"You can't catch me," taunted Jasari.
"Wanna bet?" asked Anana.
The two cubs tumbled through the grass for a while. Then, Anana pinned Jasari. "Hah. I caught you, and even pinned you," Anana said happily.
"That's cause I wasn't ready," protested Jasari.
"Sure," said Anana as she rolled her eyes.
"Anana, Jasari, breakfast!" It was Simba. The cubs rushed to Pride Rock and saw zebra meat waiting for them. They said thank you to the lionesses, then began to eat. Simba and Nala went
off and talked about Mufasa. Sarabi went with them. Everyone thought about how lucky they were to be alive on that magnificent day.
After talking with Nala and Sarabi for a little bit, Simba walked off by himself. He began to think about how the hyenas had killed Scar, and how they hadn't been seen since. He and the lionesses had figured that the hyenas wouldn't attack. They knew that they would lose. He was glad, because he didn't want his pride to break up because of a war.
***
Meanwhile, in the Elephant graveyard, Shenzi was talking to her
council. "We need to attack pride rock," a hyena called out.
Several others agreed. Shenzi looked at them and rolled her eyes. "You stupid hyenas! You think we can just barge in there? We can't! There's not enough of us!" she said. "Meeting is over," she added.
After everyone had left, Shenzi went to her throne. It had been made of elephant bones by a few of her subjects. She began to think. She remembered killing Scar, and knew that their forces were getting stronger. Scar had been easy. Only a small amount of the hyena force had been needed to finish him off. She thought of what a very large force could do. They could probably take all of the Pridelanders prisoner. Make them slaves. That sounded good. Her own Pridelander servants. "Hmm," she thought. "I should've kept Scar. He would have made a good enough servant. "Oh well, too late." She smiled to herself evilly. At that moment one of her brothers, Banzai, walked in.
"Shenzi, can I have some food?" asked Banzai.
"No, you don't get any today because you don't show me respect. Now get out!" Shenzie yelled angrily.
"Okay, okay," Banzai muttered as he ran out of the room.
"Stupid idiots, my brothers are," Shenzie grumbled.
***
Taka, who was angry, paced around in the middle of a hot, sandy desert, plotting. He was glad because he was healed, but still, he was angry. He knew the hyenas thought they had killed them, but he had survived. He had somehow snuck out from the pile of hyenas without being seen, and managed to drag himself out to an abandoned oasis in the desert. Having suffered before, he had been able to survive on his own. It had taken him a while to recover, but now he was fine. Taka knew that no one would take him in. Simba's pride would most definitely be angry with him, and the hyenas would try, once again, to devour him. He knew roughly what was going on at Pride Rock, but not in the elephant graveyard. Taka decided to go to the elephant graveyard. He knew that to plan revenge on the stupid hyenas he needed to know what they were up to. He immediatly set out to the graveyard.
***
At Pride Rock Simba was having a meeting with all the adult animals except for the hyenas, insects, and vultures. They talked about food supplies, and how peaceful it was. Then it was time for complaints. An antelope came and said that a wildebeest had purposely broken his leg, but the wildebeest denied it. Rafiki came and examined the antelope's leg. He found that it had been broken by a rock. The antelope looked surprised. "Oh yeah," he said. "I did. Sorry I blamed you," he apologized to the wildebeest, who excepted his apology. Simba smiled and asked if anyone else had any complaints. A hornbill said that the vultures were eating all the fruit. Rafiki came and said vultures eat carrion, and the hornbill admitted he just wanted to get vultures in trouble. Everyone looked at him. Simba thought, then said that he owed the vultures an apology. Simba called out for the vultures, and some came. The hornbill apologized, then they left. Simba dismissed the meeting, and knew all was fine.
***
Taka was nearing the elephant graveyard. He didn't know what he was going to do there, but he knew he'd think of something. Soon he was at the border of the graveyard. He saw a guard standing by an elephant skull, and walked up to him.
"Get out, and go away," the guard barked fiercely.
"Oh, I quiver with fear," Scar laughed.
The guard started yipping and circling Taka, who was tired of wasting time. "Amateur," Taka mumbled as he hit the guard over the head, completely knocking him out.
***
Shenzi, who was sitting on her bone throne called "Ed, Banzai, come here!" The two brothers entered and asked her what they did. "You are hereby exiled from my hyena clan." Shenzi said.
"What!" asked Banzai. Ed looked confused.
"You were found out of the graveyard when you weren't supposed to be. That is not allowed. You also ate when you weren't supposed too. I don't care how hungry you are. The lions might catch you and hurt us. There are also many other reasons. Now leave, before I call the guards," warned Shenzi.
"But, but…" stuttered Banzai.
"No buts. GET OUT!!!" Shenzi shouted. Ed and Banzai walked out, and Shenzi shook her head.
***
Banzai was upset. Why was he kicked out? They really hadn't done a thing wrong. They were out of the graveyard because they were hunting, and it was at midnight, in the dark when there is never a Pridelander on guard at the border. Also, they had eaten because they were almost starved. His sister had gotten too much power, he decided. He hoped she wouldn't get the Pridelands, he hoped she couldn't. He hoped the other hyenas would rebel. Anything! Oh well, he thought. Life's not fair. For them. For vultures, for mice, and for Scar. He and Ed had really liked him. They hadn't killed him. In fact, they had tried to help him, but only succeeded in getting punished by Shenzi. He knew that that was one of the main reasons that they had been exiled. Well, he thought, in the words of someone, somewhere, the way things are, is the way things are.
***
Ed was also mad. True, he wasn't extremely smart, but he didn't need to be kicked out. What would him and his brother do? There wasn't another hyena clan for miles and miles, and he knew that they would take the two brothers in. "Oh well," he thought. Then he began to think about bones. Big, chewy bones.
***
Taka snuck into the dismal graveyard. He had only seen one hyena, the guard he had knocked out. Soon he heard someone. It was Shenzi. Taka followed her voice to a rock ledge above her throne room. He crouched down above her throne, where she wouldn't see him, then he sat down to listen in on her conversation with herself. Shenzi was grumbling about how her brothers had been so dumb. She would never tell them the real reason why they had been kicked out, and didn't know that they had figured it out. "They were so stupid," Shenzi said out loud. "They tried to help Scar get away, not hurt him. Geez. You'd think they would have figured out that Scar was fast food, but no."
Taka felt his muscles tense, and was about to pounce on the arrogant hyena when the big rib cage doors to the room opened and Shenzi's council entered and sat down at a long table made of, of course, bone. Taka realized a little bit, because he was outnumbered, and knew that there were many hyenas that could go to Shenzi's aid.
"Time to get to business," Shenzi announced. "I've been thinking, and talking to (before eating) many animals you brought me. I have found that it is going to rain soon. Very soon." Most of the council looked confused. "You see, when the weather is cloudy and rainy, we fight best. It's also easier to sneak if it's darker. So now we know that we are going to attack the Pridelands soon."
Taka was getting fidgety. He didn't want to be where he was, it was too dangerous, so he jumped off of the rock and right in the middle of the council. They were stunned, and didn't move. Taka ran before they came to their senses.
"Who was that?" one hyena asked.
"Ma'am, would you like us to go chase the intruder?" asked another. There was no answer. Their queen had fainted.
***
When Shenzi came too, she asked who it was. No one knew, so they couldn't answer them. Shenzi told her council to remember that the attack would be soon, and that they were dismissed. Then she started to think. The animal was most definitely a lion. There was something about that particular lion, though, that sent shivers up her back. Something scary. She just couldn't put her paw on it.
***
In the Pridelands, Rafiki was pacing in his tree house. He was worried. He had seen that a big storm was coming, and with it, something bad. Something that had the potential too destroy the Pridelands and it's inhabitants. He didn't know what that something was, and he didn't really want to find out.
***
Simba looked out of his den. There were big black clouds coming. Rafiki had told Simba what he had seen, and the king was afraid. He had gotten all the lionesses ready for battle, but he was still afraid. He saw Jasari and Anana and smiled. They were playing at the foot of Pride rock. He hoped that if there was a battle, they would be fine. Losing them would be a tragedy. He had lost his father, and didn't want to lose his offspring, or, for that matter, his wife and friends.
***
Taka had left the elephant graveyard behind him. He was thinking of what would happen if Shenzi ruled the Pridelands. Probably something worse than what had happened when he had ruled. He hadn't meant for everything to die. He really hadn't. No one had trusted him though. He also knew why the animals had left. Shenzi had talked about it at council. Her and some other hyenas had either killed or driven away all of the animals, then told him they were in their caves. He looked ahead of him, and saw two hyenas on a rock. He growled, then pounced.
Two hyenas whimpered and one said "Please let us go. Please!"
"Why should I?" asked Taka. After all. It was hyenas that tried to kill me, you know."
"Scar?" asked the hyena.
"Taka," Taka corrected him.
"Please trust me when I say this. We didn't hurt you! In fact, we tried to save you!"
Taka got off the hyenas and they sat up. He recognized them as Banzai and Ed. He told them he believed them. They saw that he believed them and explained that Shenzi had said that they got in trouble for it. Banzai explained that they had been kicked out and hadn't really known why. Now they did. Then Taka and Banzai talked, while Ed nodded or shook his head. They talked about what to do. Then Taka thought of something.
"I've got an idea," he declared. "When the hyenas attack Pride Rock, we follow them. Then, we can defeat a couple enemies at one time."
The hyenas agreed, so the trio set out for Pride Rock. When they got near it, they found a bush and hid in it, waiting for the hyenas.
***
Shenzi looked over her army. There were many hyenas. Over two hundred. She would defeat the Pridelanders! "All right troops, lets move out," Shenzi called. The army of hyenas marched out of the Elephant Graveyard and into the Pridelands. Their trail of dust could be seen for miles.
***
Simba was standing on Pride Rock, looking out to the horizon. He had his lionesses assembled behind him. He knew if a fight occurred, they would be at a disadvantage, because they didn't fight as well in a thunder storm. Suddenly, he saw the army of hyenas advancing quickly. "All lionesses prepare for battle," he cried out. The lionesses went to the base of Pride Rock (where fog was beginning to form) and got ready.
"Daddy, what's happening?" asked Jasari and Anana.
Simba looked at the horizon and saw that the hyenas were getting close. "Go into the cave and wait," he told the cubs. They obeyed. Simba, along with the lionesses, hoped that everything would be okay.
***
Taka, Banzai, and Ed also saw the advancing troops. They were getting ready for the attack, while not being seen. The misty fog covered them perfectly. "Well, you two, I hope this works," said Banzai.
"Oh, don't worry. It will," Taka said.
Ed smiled and nodded his head.
***
Shenzi saw the lionesses at Pride Rock. There are so few, was what she kept thinking. She was sure that this would be easy. And why, after taking over the Pridelands, should she stop? The army could easily overcome other lands. This made her happy. They were almost at Pride Rock. Just a little closer . . . "Attack!" she yelled.
***
Simba saw the hyenas charge. "Now!" he yelled. The lionesses and Simba charged. The hyenas and lions met in the middle, and the fight began! Simba saw that the Pridelanders were losing, and he told Nala to draw back and up onto Pride Rock. Nala told the other lionesses, and soon the battle was on Pride Rock! Taka, Banzai, and Ed charged after the lions and hyenas, all knowing that the odds were definitely against them, but all wanting revenge. They each went a different way. Now the battle was really heating up!
***
Banzai charged at a hyena and knocked him over. Then he saw a cave and heard whimpers coming from it. He went in, and found Jasari and Anana. Banzai grinned and picked up Anana, who screamed loudly.
"Leave my sister alone, you bully," Jasari exclaimed and hit Banzai with his paw, leaving a scratch. Banzai looked at the young male cub and hit him hard. Jasari, who had been trying to help his sister, had been knocked down, but not out.
"Mama!" screamed Anana.
Banzai hurried out of the cave with Anana in his jaws. Suddenly he ran smack into Nala, who yelled, "Give me my daughter!" Banzai didn't put the cub down, so Nala knocked him out, then picked up Anana, told Jasari, who had gotten up, to follow her, and hid them under a rock. After that she went to help the other lionesses.
***
Ed was running for his life. A lioness was chasing him close at his heels! He cried out as he ran, but no one cared! He was really scared. Then he saw a cave! He dove in, and the lioness ran past him! He was safe! Suddenly he saw a hyena laying on the floor of the cave. Ed realized that it was Banzai, and walked cautiously over to him. He went over and knocked him on the head. Banzai got up, and the two left the musty cave together.
***
Simba was being attacked by seven hyenas! It wasn't too hard to fight them, because the ones fighting him weren't good fighters, but he knew that his pride was suffering. He knew the only way to stop them would be to get to their leader. "Leave our home!" he cried and flung a few hyenas away from him.
***
Shenzi was looking for Simba. If she could get him, she figured that the whole pride would fall apart. While searching for him she saw two hyenas who she recognized well. They were Banzai and Ed, and they had each knocked out one of her hyenas! She growled and pounced. Ed and Banzai were pinned. They knew they couldn't take on Shenzi. Shenzi knew this too. She was the smartest, most agile hyena in the pack. She smiled. "So, you're fighting for the Pridelanders, eh? Well now you'll get what you deserve!" she exclaimed.
"We're not fighting for the Pridelanders," Banzai said in disgust.
"Oh, really? Well you aren't fighting for me, you seem to be against me. So who can you be fighting?" Shenzi asked.
"Well . . . " Banzai hesitated.
"Took too long, sorry. Now face your punishment!" Ed and Banzai shivered. Just as Shenzi was about to give them what she thought they deserved, a lion came through the flames!
***
Taka smiled. He had found Shenzi, and she looked stunned. Ed and Banzai took this moment to look at Taka, who told them to go work on destroying some others. Taka walked over too Shenzi and smiled. "Well, well, well, what have we got here?" he asked as he circled her. "Scar?" Shenzi asked. "No. I-it's not you! It c-can't be! Y-you're dead!"
"You're right Shenzi. It's not Scar. It's Taka. Can't you get it right? And no, I'm not dead, apparently. Now it is time for my revenge, Shenzi," Taka exclaimed. He hit Shenzi over the head with his paw and knocked her out, hard. Then he bit her ear. There was a loud crack as he broke a leg bone. Taka was about to inflict more damage, when another lion jumped through the flames and right in between him and Shenzi!
***
Simba had seen a lion he didn't know. When he jumped through the flames, he recognized him as Scar! But wasn't he dead? Maybe he had survived! Not this time, this time he will be banished, but not attempted to be killed. Simba walked over and said, "Leave, Scar. Don't ever come back. Your cruel hyenas are losing, because the animals have come."
***
Taka was worried. The Pridelanders now had a big advantage, and he knew that he had to find Ed and Banzai and retreat with them. He wouldn't tell Simba that the army wasn't his. It wouldn't matter. Simba was giving him a chance to get out alive, and he would have taken it. Then he remembered his past. So, he jumped. Simba jumped back though and Scar missed! Suddenly, a circle of lionesses was surrounding him! He looked all around. "Simba, the hyenas all retreated. All except these two," Nala said and pushed two hyenas into the ring.
"Good, now we'll deal with them," said Simba. "Now!" he commanded the lionesses. Then the lions attacked. Taka saw Ed and Banzai worm their way out. He followed. The three left Pride Rock with lionesses on their tails. The lionesses soon came back, saying that they had definitely retreated.
***
At the elephant Graveyard, Shenzi was lying on her bed, being attended to. Two of her messengers had taken her back to her kingdom before the lionesses could get her. The attack had failed! She was disappointed, but knew that they could attack some other time. Oh, well, she thought. It won't be for a while. The she went back to yelling for her attendants to care for her.
***
Taka, Ed and Banzai made it safely back to Taka's lair. There, they decided that they needed more recruits if they wanted to attack. They knew this would take a long time. Taka was gravely disappointed, and so was Banzai. Ed just started to chew on the leg bone of a wildebeest.
***
At Pride Rock, everyone was happy. No one was dead, and no one was severely injured. Simba assembled all of the Pridelanders and held a ceremony where he awarded some animals for bravery. Then, it stopped raining and the sun came out. Mufasa looked down at Simba and smiled. Everything had turned out all right. The animals were still alive, and the cubs were busily running around. All the wounds were easily healed by Rafiki's medicines. After the award ceremony, Simba looked over his kingdom, smiling. He knew that his rule would last peacefully, because Scar had left again. All lions know that you can only fight so many times, right? "Well," he thought, "The circle of life is still here, and that's what matters."
Kiara's Sahifa
