Summary: Memories kept the hyenas away from the Pride Lands and the Outlands. The hyenas decide to return to the Outlands, but will they be able to rebuild what was lost—including the peace between lion and hyena? Rated PG for mild language. Drama/Romance.
Untainted Souls 3: Back to the Outlands
By: DarkEcoOttsel
Chapter One
Six months passed since the battle at Pride Rock. The hyenas had moved east and settled at the base of the mountains. It was better than the graveyard, but not by much. Food was still scarce but there was plenty of water.
Shenzi yawned and opened her eyes. She raised her head up and looked at Banzai, who was sleeping quietly beside her. She smiled. She and Banzai had been together ever since that fateful night six months ago. Even though they were still rough and tough, they couldn't deny their love for each other.
Shenzi gently licked Banzai and his eyes fluttered open. He raised his head up and nuzzled Shenzi warmly.
"Morning, Shenzi," he said with a smile.
"Good morning," Shenzi said softy, putting a paw on a large scar on Banzai's chest. Today was the anniversary of the fight at Pride Rock and the day Zira nearly killed Banzai. On a lighter note, it was the day Banzai and Shenzi proclaimed their love for each other and defeated their enemy.
The two of them walked out of the small cave that they lived in and discovered that most of their clan was awake and moving about.
"Shenzi, we should call a meeting," Banzai said, scratching behind his ear with his leg.
"Why?" Shenzi asked.
"Don't you hear the complaints?" Banzai asked her. "Everyone wants to go back home."
"That'll never happen." Shenzi shook her head sadly. She looked up at the gray sky and muttered, "Great. Looks like rain again."
Shenzi was right. It stormed that very afternoon, raining hard and thundering loudly. The hyenas were used to storms like this, but they retreated to the caves within the mountains anyway.
As Shenzi and Banzai entered their cave, Ed came up behind them.
"Hey, Ed." Banzai sat down next to Shenzi. "What's up?"
"Nuthin," Ed replied. "Its so boring around here. I wish somethin' would happen."
"Well, why don't cha get a girlfriend?" Shenzi suggested.
Ed looked a little horrified. "No way, man! I'm still too young for that stuff!" With that said, he ran out of their cave.
"I thought he had grown up a bit since he slammed his head on that rock." Banzai snickered. "I guess not."
Shenzi snickered as well and lowered her head into her paws, though she didn't close her eyes. "Everyone's changed a lot since the Pride Rock incident. Ed learned how to speak common savanna tongue, which was a huge surprise. We've changed, too, for the better. Even the clan's changed."
Banzai looked outside and muttered, "I wonder what it's like in the Outlands."
"Who knows?" Shenzi murmured. She said slowly, "But every night I've been having the same weird dream."
"Another dream?" Banzai asked, looking back at her. "What was it about?"
"My mother. She keeps telling me the same thing over and over until I wake up. In the middle of the dream, my father comes in and starts saying the sentence my mother tells me."
"What is it?" Banzai asked, interested.
Before Shenzi could reply, Ed ran back into the cave and said frantically, "Guys, you gotta leave the cave. Mud's comin' down from the mountain an' it's gonna block the entrances."
Banzai and Shenzi quickly got out of the caves and stood with the rest of the hyenas out in the pouring rain.
"Man, this sucks," Banzai said, huddling together with Shenzi.
"Tell me about it," Shenzi said, shuddering. "I hope this clears up by tonight."
"It will, the clouds are moving fast," Banzai said absentmindedly. He blinked and looked at Shenzi. "Why?"
Shenzi grinned and said, "It's our anniversary. We should do something special."
"Like what?" Banzai asked a large smile on his face.
Shenzi opened her mouth to reply when a loud crack of thunder interrupted her, followed by a loud scream. The two turned to see Pyro, a young female, cowering a few feet away, her paws over her eyes in fright.
"Hey, Pyro, you okay?" Shenzi called to her.
"Huh? Oh, Shenzi." Pyro sat up, shaking the water from her unusual red bangs. "I'm okay, just a little freaked."
Shenzi nodded. Pyro's father had been killed by Scar—he had been the one that Scar practically pushed into the opening crack in the ground—and her mother was struck by lightning on the same night. Both Shenzi and Banzai understood how she felt since their parents had been killed by Scar, too. Just thinking about it made Shenzi shudder. Luckily Banzai was there to comfort her, as she was for him.
Ed, who was standing nearby, rolled his eyes as Banzai and Shenzi nuzzled affectionately. He wasn't against their romance, he just found it boring. While they were off on a romantic evening together, he was stuck sitting around doing nothing. Sometimes he wished they could go back to just being friends.
An idea popped into his small mind and a grin creeped onto his face. He crept silently over to a pile of mud and grabbed a paw full. Grinning even wider, he hurled it at Banzai and Shenzi. It smacked Banzai in the back of the head and sprayed all over Shenzi's face.
Ed and Pyro laughed hysterically, pounding their fists on the wet ground. They only laughed harder at the sight of Banzai and Shenzi's angry, mud covered faces. They laughter came to an end; however, when Shenzi and Banzai began pelting them with mud, scoring direct hits.
Soon more mud was flying and the rest of the pack joined in, screaming:
"Mud fight!"