DarkEcoOttsel: Weee!! Happy New Year!! Feliz ano Nuevo! Hey, I'm typing in Spanish. Cool, I actually learned something in Spanish class! Sorry, I started rambling again. Here's chapter six and I'm sorry for the long wait, but it's the holidays! Merry Xmas and all that stuff!!

Untainted Souls 3: Back to the Outlands By: DarkEcoOttsel Chapter Six

Shenzi's stomach grew bigger with each passing day. She ate more and more and had frequent mood swings, but Banzai and Ed were there to help her through it.

On the final day of their trip back to the Outlands, Banzai received some horrible news.

"Shenzi, I got some bad news." Banzai walked up to her when the pack had taken a break from walking.

"What is it?" Shenzi became worried.

"W-we can't get back to the Outlands…" Banzai murmured, his ears dropping sadly. "From the angle we've been traveling in, we'd have to cut through the Pride Lands."

Shenzi looked down at the ground and whispered, "I knew it was too easy."

"Tell me you're just having a mood swing."

"Banzai, it's over. Someone's trying to tell us something."

"And who is that 'someone' and what is he trying to tell us?"

"Someone up there is trying to tell us that we aren't meant to return to the Outlands." Shenzi shook her head.

"But what about what your mother said?" Banzai asked. "What about our visions?"

"Well, what are we supposed to do?" Shenzi snapped.

Banzai became silent; thinking. His eyes locked onto hers and he said slowly, "We could always—"

"Oh, no!" Shenzi cut him off. "We are not going through the Pride Lands!"

"But what if we ask permission?"

"How could we do that? We'd have to go through the Pride Lands to ask if it's okay."

Banzai sighed and muttered, "So we're screwed. What are we gonna tell the others?"

"Tell them to pray for a miracle."

&&&

"What? You spoke with them?" Nala asked Zazu back at Pride Rock. Everyone else was either sleeping or hunting.

"Yes." Zazu nodded. "They seemed different in a way. They've changed. They were also very happy to hear that Zira's dead."

"I see. Did they try to eat you?"

"Actually, no. They didn't try to stop me at all."

"That's good." Nala smiled. "I guess they're back in the Outlands by now, huh?"

"Well, as I was flying back, I discovered a problem," Zazu said. "To get back to the Outlands, the hyenas would have to go through the Pride Lands."

"On, no!" Nala gasped. Thinking quickly, she stood up. "Zazu, if Simba asks, tell him I went for a long walk."

"Er, as you wish," Zazu hesitated as he watched Nala run off, wonder what she could be up to.

&&&

Nightfall came and the whole clan was waiting anxiously to get moving again.

"Shenzi?" Banzai came up to her. She was sitting on the ground, her face contorted in pain. "Shenzi!" he ran up to her, very worried.

She raised her head up and muttered, "I'm okay, just a little sick. Must be a pregnancy thing."

"Can you stand?" Banzai asked, still very worried.

"Yeah." She stood up shakily. "I'm not on my death bed, Banzai. I just feel a little nauseous."

"Okay, well, I came to tell you that the clan is waiting to move," Banzai told her. "I'm guessing that our prayers for a miracle went unanswered?"

"Yep." Shenzi nodded sadly. "I guess we better tell them the truth."

The two hyenas turned and were about to leave when a voice rang out:

"Wait!"

Shenzi and Banzai turned around and gasped.

Nala came running up to the stunned hyenas, a small smile on her face.

"Long time no see," she said quietly. "Shenzi and Banzai."

Shenzi squinted hard at the lioness and said slowly, "N…Nala?"

Nala nodded, her smile growing. She stood a few feet away from the two hyenas.

Banzai and Shenzi's pupils visibly shrunk to tiny dots and they began to shout frantically:

"Oh, crap! What did we do this time?!"

"Did we step into the Pride Lands?! Oh, man!"

"Please don't murder us!"

"I didn't do it, I was framed!"

"Wait, wait!" Nala cut the spastic couple off. "I'm not here to prosecute. I came to talk."

"Ohh." the two sighed in relief.

"So, uh, what did you wanna talk about?" Banzai asked, once he had relaxed a little.

"You want to get back to the Outlands, right?" Nala asked.

"Duh," Shenzi replied lightly. "But we can't. We'd have to go through the Pride Lands to get there."

"How desperate are you to get back there?" Nala asked suddenly.

"Heh, Nala, I'd give my life to see that the ones I love are back in the Outlands living a good life," Banzai stated.

"Likewise." Shenzi nodded.

Nala smiled and said, "Okay. I can help you."

"What?" Shenzi snorted. "You can get us through without getting in trouble?"

"What are you—the queen or something?" Banzai laughed.

"Well, I'm married to Simba, so…yeah." Nala blinked.

Banzai's jaw dropped and Shenzi's eyes grew bigger.

"Don't freak out!" Nala said quickly. "As I was saying, I owe you."

"You don't have to—"

"No," Nala interrupted. "You helped me and now I'm going to help you. Gather your clan. I'll go with you all the way through the Pride Lands."

"You'd do that for us?" Shenzi asked quietly.

"What are friends for?" Nala asked, catching the two off guard.

"F-friends?" Shenzi whispered the word like she never said it before.

"Yes." Nala said and smiled. "If we hurry, we can get there in less than an hour."

"Right." Banzai nodded.

&&&

"Zazu!" Simba called.

"Yes, sire?" Zazu landed before him.

"Where's Nala?"

"Nala?" Zazu froze. "Er, um, I believe she went for a long walk."

"What? There are hyenas out there!" Simba jumped off Pride Rock and shouted over his shoulder, "Get Kovu and the lionesses!"

Zazu hesitated but nodded. As he flew off to get them, he hoped that Nala knew what she was doing.