The Judgement of Paris/Lion King crossover version by me! But unless you've read or at least know the plot of "The Judgement of Paris", you won't have the slightest idea what I'm writing about. Oh, and a warning: NUKA/T fluff. Don't like, don't read.

The update you're about to read is just something I made for fun, the two chapters before were genuine to my actual storyline, but this is only for laughs. This takes place sometime after "Not another Lion King Story". Wonder what a fic would be like if The Lion King was crossed over with The Judgment of Paris?

Warning: Unless you've read or at least know the plot of "The Judgement of Paris", you won't have the slightest idea what I'm writing about. That is, unless I explain the plot for you;

Plot of story- The king of the lions (gods) throws a big party. But Zira (Eris) is uninvited. In a fit of rage she brings down an appetizing carcass (apple), which she says can only be devoured by the most beautiful female predator. Eventually, Shenzi, Nala, and Sarabi (Aphrodite, Athena, and Hera) get into a fight over who is the most beautiful of the three of them. They ask the king (Simba) to decide, but he prefers not to get in the middle. Instead, his advisor (Timon) suggests they go ask a commoner to decide for them. (In the story the king actually suggests that but I didn't want Simba to look OOC so I made Timon do it)

The three females eventually come upon a young male named Nuka, and ask him to decide. At first he's surprised…then intrigued when they start offering him gifts. At the mention of Shenzi's gift, Nuka picks her. And let the chaos ensue…

The Judgment of Nuka:

Cast:

Paris (main male character)- Nuka

Helen (main girl character)- T

Eris (goddess of chaos)- Zira

Aphrodite (goddess of beauty)- Shenzi

Athena (goddess of wisdom)- Nala

Zeus (king of gods)- Simba

Hera (queen of gods/goddesses)- Sarabi

Menelaus (Helen's husband)- Some males in Shenzi's clan with fondness for T

"Whyyyyyyyyyy?" Came a whine so great, all the flora in the Serengeti could've withered.

"Ugh!" Was the reply. In a more verdant area inside of the Pridelands, just past the waterhole, two rival carnivores were seen having a spat. Not a typical quarrel between a young lion and, a slightly older but still young, female hyena though. Albeit he did pursue her the minute they first locked eyes, there was no grudge; he gave it all the strength he had to keep on her as she fled away to the Elephant Graveyard, but harm was not the intent; and she, the one trying to lose him in the midst of her wasteland home, could have injured him plenty of times to get the message across that she wanted to be left alone, yet she did not. She did however, after an agonizing chase, whirl around to face the lion, who barely had enough time to screech to a halt. Their noses pressed against one another's, he tried to placate her with a coy, toothy smile; her maw wrinkled in disgust. The reason why these two ordinarily rivaled predators were even seen together…

"I will tell you why I won't go out with you Nuka,"

These two, were having a love spat.

"Aside from being a whole different species from me, you're clingy, cowardly, three years younger than me, which you lied about-"

"It was only by a year; when your love is 19, 17 seems to have more of a chance than 16. I thought you wanted someone mature!" He retorted, before scratching impishly at a flea, chasing it up his foreleg until it jumped to a spot on his disc—T lowered her eyelids at the sight of him trying to reach said location, by futilely trying bite at it, only to moan every time he bit air.

"You're also way too fixated on gaining favor from your mom and a guy who was dead," she went on, "sort of a pessimist, and for some reason you're obsessed with lighting fires. And lastly; you squeal like a girl!"

"I do not!!" Replied the adolescent lion…just before a geyser went off underneath his tail. The girlish screams that followed would've made nightingales envious, had they not come in contact with the unnaturally airborne creature which was making them as it leapt about ten feet in the air

"AHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!" While the unfortunate lion screamed out of pain, T rolled her eyes and instead of taking off from him again, simply walked away from the pitiable situation.

Eventually he did fall back to earth, and with his tail still smoldering his eyes searched the grounds for his beloved Tana, but the fact soon soaked in that the female hyena was long gone. Still, in all his persistence and tenacity, he blew away the remaining burnt hairs from his tail, and was rapidly trailing after her again. "Tana! Tana wait! Tana! …Er, Tan'? No wait…T! Yeah, T! I remembered it!"

That evening…

"Yeowch!"

Every step repeating today's painful last attempt at receiving T's attention—following her into a chasm he'd never been in, how was he to know which cracks were methane vents?—Nuka hissed in agony as he struggled to get to the place he slept, just far enough from the Elephant Graveyard to be within the sanctity of the Pridelands, but close enough to see T whenever she emerged from her desolate home to get breakfast.

Growling in reaction as his claw nearly punctured a sensitive blister, he tried to curl up and heal for the night.

The next day…

Zazu perched in front of Simba at the entrance of the den at Priderock. All the lionesses, Nala included, had departed for a hunt, so the two saw no better time to finish planning a secretive celebration for the whole kingdom.

"All preparations have been made, sire. The Prideland festivities should be well under way." Zazu announced.

"Great." Simba smiled. "All we have to do now is invite everybody."

The hornbill looked away uncomfortably; from the king's tone, he could tell when he said everybody he meant everybody. "Er, sire, before we begin this event, are you sure you want to invite…" He trailed off, flying up to whisper into the lion's ear. Simba glanced at him in a diligent manner, "Zazu, they paid their debt fair and square. So if they can agree to only eat what's served at the party, they can stay."

The majordomo groaned, taking flight out of the den. "Very well. But I do wish we didn't have to integrate ourselves with hyenas."

That afternoon…

"So lemme get this straight," Shenzi elaborated, "he wants us, all of us, to come to Priderock for a party?"

"Correct." Zazu muttered almost regretfully, perched atop a tusk to avoid any possible attacks.

"The occasion being…?"

"Just because." He told them, just as begrudgedly. Rubbing her chin in consideration, the matriarch turned to her three companions. "Whadda you think?"

"Sounds like fun." T smiled.

"There gonna be free food?" Banzai asked. Judging by the anxious body language after his friend's question, Ed wanted to know the same thing.

"On the grounds that you eat only what's served at the festivity, the king will permit all of you to feast as any other guests would—and no illegal hunting. The lionesses have taken care of everything, so it won't be required anyhow."

The three lesser-in-rank hyenas glanced at their matriarch for her final judgment. Shenzi pondered a moment, oblivious to the way Zazu fearfully reacted as she tapped her claws in thought.

"…Eh, what the heck. We'll be over in an hour." She decided. Ed laughed in excitement, while T looked up at the majordomo.

"Should we bring something?" The youngest of the quartet asked.

Zazu carefully took notice of their surroundings, and firmly replied, "No."

"Simba," Nala began, stretching her faintly sore muscles, "I know our pride has mouths to feed but, we've hunted nearly triple what we need for a week!"

"Yes dear," Sarabi gently added, "the parties can only do so much."

The three of them were trying to wind down in Priderock's largest den. Behind them, other Pridelanders, mostly hunting party lionesses, were trying to relax and rest off yet another long and extended—though successful—hunt. For the past week King Simba had been asking the party to bring back as much prey without doing any damage to the delicate Circle of Life as possible. It was a request, not an order, and anyone who saw it fruitless could discontinue hunting the minute the party had enough for the pride.

But, like all the Pridelanders, the lionesses had gained utmost respect for their king and obliged to what he asked for; believing it must've served some purpose. And as of this very moment, their king was about to reveal precisely what.

With a smile, Simba announced, "Well, there's a good reason for that."

"What?" The present and former lion queens asked. Sarabi watched her son leaned to his wife and whispered something in her ear…

"A party!?" Nala exclaimed, nearly jumping out of surprise and enthusiasm.

"A party?!" The rest of the lionesses echoed.

"Every good king knows when to be generous to his subjects. And I know that if anybody deserves this more than anyone, it's all of you. Without your hard work this wouldn't be possible…well, it would, but not nearly be as much fun." He chuckled. "So think of it as my reward."

There was praise and excitement echoing all throughout Priderock. All the lionesses were chattering hysterically.

"Who should we tell?!"

"Who is there to tell?"

"Everyone's been informed," Simba stepped in, "Zazu should be coming back from inviting guests any minute now."

"You were planning this the whole time?" Nala asked.

"The whole time." He nodded.

"Who's invited?" Inala asked.

"Everyone." The king plainly answered.

"Everyone who?" Another lioness asked.

"Anyone who can make it—Pridelanders, Timon, Pumbaa, the grazers, the scavengers, the hyenas-"

"THE HYENAS?!!" Every lioness piped up. Simba expected as such.

"I know what you're thinking, but I've thought this through; they can stay only if they abide by our rules."

"And how often do they ever obey rules? The only thing they understand is force." A lioness stated.

"She's right," Another one admitted, "and they outnumber us by the hundreds, so what're we going to do if they turn rebellious?"

"Didn't I say that everybody was invited to the party?"

"That's why we're having this little chat." A party member plainly replied.

"So you think the hyenas can outstand a herd of rhinos, or elephants, or-"

"Ohhhhh…" The others echoed in comprehension.

He smiled. "So we're in agreement?"

"Yes!!" They all replied.

Not long after…

"Now THIS is what I call a party!" Timon exclaimed, tilting his head back to drop in a centipede. Pumbaa chewed a mouthful of many other creepy crawlies nearby. "I'll say!" The warthog agreed.

The Prideland celebration was excelling, everyone was enjoying themselves, and having a great time—even the hyenas were on their best behavior. In fact, if one looked closely enough, they could slightly make out a pair on the edge of the group; a lioness sitting by a large rock, and a hyena, chilling out behind the small boulder, leaning against it.

"Having a nice time?" Inala asked him shyly.

"Yeah." Bongani replied. "Kinda surprised me though, to be honest." He chortled.

She laughed pleasantly, "You're not alone."

Not far away, T and Shenzi were paired off themselves. Not exactly by will though, Banzai and Ed were engaging in a small fighting ring; nothing serious--hardly bloodshed—just a circle of male hyenas surrounding two challengers to see who'd win in the minor brawl. Sometimes a few other species would join in too; two male cheetahs had recently faced each other in a match—both came out unscathed, and even got a few roots from the male hyenas.

"Happy you came?" T asked her matriarch, nibbling a piece of antelope the lioness party had caught.

"Eh, it'd be better if they had better decorating skills."

Meanwhile…

"Hmph." A certain, repulsive lioness grunted, observing the festivity in the distance. She arose from the dirt-packed mound she'd been sitting on to glare at the Prideland celebration, and turned away, growling in hatred.

"He insists hyenas attend the royal celebration," She sneered, walking away from the disgustingly cheerful site, "but what of I? Forgotten here, to waste away redundantly?"

She crushed a dry, old branch in her path, now clawing the ground while she walked on. "Who does that brat think he's fooling? They'll be laughing at him again as soon as they return to the Graveyard once the party's over.

"And they should—Scar never needed use of such wasteful affairs, and he was ten times the king Mufasa was. To compare him to that little runt would be an insult to the dead."

Much as the Prideland festivity enraged her, a slight, uncaring glimpse nearby—quickly getting her attention—proved most annoying to the irate lioness. There was her son, Nuka, carefully peering over a small, rugged border, and smiling in the direction of the Pridelands. Her eyes narrowed.

"And just what are you doing?" She hissed.

"Agh!" The 16 year-old lion jumped in surprise, promptly whirling around to face his mother. "Uh, mother," Nuka chuckled nervously, "you scared me."

"Humph, like everything else." Zira derided.

"I was um…just uh-"

"You were watching that despicable nuisance occurring in the Pridelands! You even seemed to be taking enjoyment in it."

"N-no mother! I wasn't watching the Pridelands, I was-"

"Don't try to dignify your actions with an excuse. I should put your head in a termite mound for-!"

Before she could finish, something dark and plump on the ground caught her eye. Turning her head, she observed a fresh, young, surprisingly unscathed carcass not that far away. Nearly in awe that his mother could distracted enough to break off in mid-threat, he followed her gaze and noticed the clean kill as well.

"How did this get here?" She said, not taking her eyes off of it.

"Oh uh…that died there. Natural causes…don't know why it chose near my spot." Her son replied, awkwardly glancing at the fresh carrion.

Zira stared, it was a completely untouched prize—there were no breaks or tears in the skin, making the meat undoubtedly clean, and tender; the tiny water buffalo was so young it had to have been scrumptious. Even its appearance was delectable; soft bristles of fur, cute stubs of horns, and a face so innocent it'd make a looming predator cry. …Well, except for Zira.

…They only question was, why would it just drop dead all of a sudden? She turned back to her son.

"Was it acting strange before it died?"

"Uh, sorta," He answered, "I think it mentioned eating some bad berries, kept saying its 'tummy' felt bad. …Poor kid, it was a really sad site to-"

Zira had no time for her son's unnecessary compassion, "I don't need to hear a commentary!" She turned back to the carcass, almost in disbelief at its perfection. It would've been a meal fit for a king…if not for the likelihood of getting poisoned yourself once consuming it.

Then an idea struck the begrudged lioness:

"A meal fit for a king…"

…And soon, a malevolent grin breeched across her face.

"Um, mother?" Nuka spoke up timidly, very uncomfortable at the way she stared at the deceased calf. "I'm…sorry for staring into the Pridelands." He fearfully finished; she never forgot anything he did to upset her, and the punishment was always worse if he never apologized beforehand. …Albeit the party wasn't exactly what he was staring at. Nuka was more occupied at gazing off at someone else.

Zira never took her eyes off the carcass, an evil glint in her eye. "Well, I suppose I can forgive you this once—seeing as how we're about to contribute my own appeal at the get together."

Guests and bystanders all gasped in surprise; some alarmed, some frightened, the rest—mainly lower food chain members—trying not to soil themselves. All backed away as a pair of Outlander lions carelessly made their way to the heart of the celebration, carrying a dead water buffalo on their backs.

T in particular, was most discomforted at seeing one of them.

"I'm not here." She abruptly told Shenzi, prior to darting away from the entire get together. Her retreat was poorly hidden beneath a forest of long-winded grassland. The Kenyan matriarch stared at the single channel of grass making its way to the Elephant Graveyard.

The Pridelander lionesses looked to their king for orders as the Outlanders grew nearer; Simba gave no commands, but stood firmly in the center of the gathering as Zira and Nuka approached. The king looked none-too-happy.

"Good afternoon your highness." Zira almost sneered, as if oblivious to the stern look on his face.

"What are you doing here?" Simba demanded.

Nuka was not naive to the glares and death-looks he and his mother were receiving. Now very uncomfortable, all he wanted to do was get out of here; but his mother would not allow him to abandon her in a parade consisted of happy-go-lucky Pridelanders. Even hyenas were giving them death stares, and unfortunately the one he sought most didn't seem to be at the party at all.

"Why we came to join the celebration." He heard his mother reply.

"This celebration is invitation only." Zazu spat, standing aside the king as he'd done Mufasa so many times before.

"Is it? Well I assumed it was inclusive judging by all your," She purposely smirked at all the irritated Graveyarders nearby, predominantly a certain trio, "less fortunate guests."

Zira looked back to the king, enjoying the chorus of growls in her direction. A particularly incomprehensible growl was clearly given off by Ed, who stood on the left side of Shenzi, who—much unlike her clan mates—showed no reaction to the lioness' insult. "Let's ask kingy if we can get a piece of the action once his girls take her down." She heard Banzai whisper to her.

"I even came with an offering to the occasion." Zira went on, signaling for Nuka to assist her in placing the carcass in front of Simba. He glanced at it indifferently.

"How considerate," It was rare for Simba to be sarcastic, but not unheard of, "but as you can see we have plenty as it is."

"Ah yes," the Outlander lioness examined the piles of deceased herbivores, "certainly enough to sustain your fellow carnivores. But are they nearly as flawless as," she gestured to the calf, "this?"

Simba stared at it perplexedly, tilting his head at examining it, "…How did you find it without so much as a scratch?"

"Simba," Zira began.

"King Simba. "He firmly corrected her. She darkly chuckled, sending a chill up many of the attendee's spines.

"And not only as king, but—from my understanding—an outspoken insectivore, you would not know the numerous methods of bringing down prey?"

"I know enough," He replied, "as king I must also defend my home."

"Fair enough. But did you know there are ways to kill prey without laying so much as a claw into its flesh?"

"Whadja do, make eye contact?" Shenzi cut in. Earning laughs not only from her clan, but from interspecies guests as well—even the royals—Zira almost cut in her direction to lash at the matriarch's throat, but held her violent desires back…for now. Instead, she pretended to chuckle along with the joke.

"No. I held it down and smothered it." From the way her listeners reacted, including a few other predators, they were extremely discontented at her technique of choice. She was aware of the grunts and groans of disapproval, as well as the moans of sickness. "Well, it was a very small calf, so it was easy to handle. Besides, the poor thing seemed to be in misery from a broken bone." She pointed to its back leg, for the first time the partygoers noticed the lone flaw of the carcass.

Nuka held his tongue about his mother purposely breaking the bone after formulating her plan of action. And by the smoothness of its course, it wouldn't be long until its chaotic results had ensued; not that he was very eager about it, he was just glad a certain female wasn't here to be disgusted by his mother's story of smothering a helpless juvenile buffalo.

"But making it smother is better?" A lioness stepped in, this one looking familiar to Zira, though she couldn't recall her name. Whoever she was, she didn't seem to mind being abnormally close to one of Shenzi's male clan members, one of the many onlookers giving her a revolted gaze.

"You haven't heard the rest of my story though." Zira explained. "Before I could tear into its flesh, it asked me to fulfill a last wish…"

The sinister glint in her eyes evident to only her son, who looked away in unease, the scheming lioness continued on with the final part of her statement, trying her best to hide her malicious grin. "As you all dearly know, I hold no importance to such matters. That is, until, it told me a tragic tale. Of how in life it'd only been taunted for its delectable appearance. In an effort to prove itself to his herd, and to show its countenance worthy, it asked to be killed in a way that would not harm its pleasing flesh, so that it may be devoured only by the loveliest predator."

"Which obviously ain't you."

"That's enough Shenzi." Simba kindly told her, after yet another multitude of laughter proceeded. Zira almost rolled her eyes.

"Even if it is true, and we all know it ain't-"

"My son can be of witness." The lioness intervened, feeling some relief at for once cutting the hyena off. All eyes turned to Nuka, who glanced at the massive horde, then at the royals, and began wondering just how deep he would get himself into this; he started to doubt if involvement in this scheme was really worth the downfall of Simba's reign…

Then took a good look at his mother and decided anything was better than facing her wrath. He nervously cleared his throat, feeling his abdomen curl in, and began to proceed.

"It was struggling its way past our home, and I can definitely say it was in pain. And I can really say it was awful to watch. So…the kid's better off now that it's…y'know."

"…And the promise it made Zira keep?" Simba asked him. Nuka took another glance at his mother, whose fiery, piercing eyes bore a hole into his face, that cold, heartless scowl freezing his body to the earth, and the most unmerciful claws she used to punish him sheathed out for anyone who looked—which they didn't—to see.

"Yeah. Yeah my mom's been saying nothing but what happened to you guys."

The crowd only calmed about ten percent more, and soon all eyes were turning to gaze at Simba for his declaration. "…If what you say is true then, give the calf to Nala."

Nuka looked away; the spark in his mother's eyes was too frightening to take in large doses. "Well my king," she grinned, "I never said it called for Nala."

Thus began a divergence among species so great, it is said to have been audible all the way up to the Great Kings of the Past. Many ranks and groups of animals began conversing amongst another, some confused, some in agreement, all getting a bad feeling about this.

"What do you mean?" A lioness, this time not standing near a hyena, asked. "Nala's beauty doesn't even go unnoticed by rival predators."

A few cheetahs, leopards, and even hyenas, looked away.

"Sarabi was quite popular back in her day." Another spoke up. This caught the former queen's attention. "What do you mean, 'back in her day'?"

"Let's face it, you aren't exactly an eye-catcher anymore." A female hyena piped in.

"Shenzi on the other hand…" A male mused, earning a few suggestive sniggers from his friends. A low growl from Banzai was more than enough to put an end to that.

"Beauty is only skin deep." Sarabi defended.

"That's what they all say." A female hyena snickered, two of her companions joining in.

It was not long until disagreement sprouted amongst every cluster of animals like an outbreak of infective weeds. Even herbivores themselves were in heated discussion—some of them scorning the entire situation, some of them questioning the animal kingdom's sanity, and even a number of them actually debating over whom was most appealing—but nonetheless they were arguing; proving the authenticity of Zira's story to the carnivores.

"WAIT!" Nala shouted, putting an end the squabbling downpour. Oblivious to the inquiring stares she was getting, and ignoring the resentful glares, the present queen turned to her husband.

"Simba, please put an end to all this." She asked. Her husband was shocked.

"You want me to choose between my wife and mother, AND a hyena?"

"Who else has better judgment?" She asked.

"That's not fair!" A lioness piped in. "He's YOUR husband, so it's easy to expect who he'll choose."

Another breakout of pandemonium was at risk now, and Simba feared unless something was done to please all three sides of the commotion there would be disastrous consequences. He thought of everything he could do to cool the animals down, but what options did he have? If he chose his queen or his mother anyone could declare the verdict unfair, and they would end up where they started. If he chose the matriarch then…well, he would just be branded crazy, and it'd be unlikely they'd associate with the Pridelanders again. He was now beginning to regret throwing this whole party in the first place until a tiny, two-legged voice of reason spoke into his ear.

"Pssst, hey buddy," The lion king glanced to his shoulder to see Timon leaning into the curve of his neck, "ya wanna little help out of this?"

He gave a nervous scoff. "The battle for my kingdom wasn't as chaotic."

"I think I can get you in the clear." The meerkat grinned, before whispering something into his friend's ear.

Meanwhile, Nala was trying to restrain two opposing lionesses from leaping at one another, when only a few moments later, her husband settled the dispute for her; multiplied by hundreds.

"EVERYONE!" He paused, expecting the crowd to divert their whole attention. And yet the hectic debate still went on. "YOUR ATTENTION!" No better luck than before. Finally, after a tiresome decision, the mighty lion king deeply sucked in and…

Roared.

One of the easier ways to get the attention of a large, bickering crowd, all eyes fixated on Simba as he gave his decision.

"I choose…" He began.

Lionesses held their breath, other animals kept on their toes, Sarabi and Nala waited in curiosity, hyenas…didn't really expect much. Nuka blinked in anticipation, and Zira didn't bother to hide that malevolent smile; she'd been merely sitting there comfortably, taking it all in—every one of her dastardly fruits of labor. There was no way the great King Simba would get out of this.

"I choose to let the females decide who to judge them: Nala, Shenzi, and my mother, it's their choice."

The crowd, needless to say, was stunned. All three females stared; unsure of what to do next. If it was their choice to pick whoever judged between them how would they find the right candidates? Nala and Sarabi hardly knew any male lions beside Simba, though Shenzi knew many male hyenas. Even if the three could find some willing males how would they decide which was the one, vote?

And if they picked a final participant how would he know how to decide? It was evident you couldn't make a lion consider a hyena, and maybe they could find a male hyena willing to contemplate the attractive potential of a lioness, but even then the odds were still very slim.

Finally, after a moment of having her tongue in her cheek, Nala glanced over at Zira and asked, "You said your son was a witness?"

"I did." She verified, still not bothering to hide the grin on her face.

"…In that case," Nala decided, "we'll ask Nuka to choose."

"What?!" Zira shouted.

"What?" Nuka exclaimed.

"WHAT?" Everybody else reacted.

Zira was speechless; she had intended her plan to cause mass chaos and violence amongst the animals, but never had she formulated it would ricochet into something like this. The circumstances of her own creation were beginning to exceed beyond her power and she knew it. Uneasy about the predicament, though trying her best to seem collected, Zira stepped toward the three main reasons of this dispute.

"W-well surely the other two females in question object?"

Shenzi and Sarabi exchanged glances, until the matriarch turned to the present queen, raising a brow. "I don't exactly recall voting on this."

"Things aren't run quite the same here as a matriarchal society." Sarabi told her.

"You sayin' I dunno how ta be diplomatic?" The hyena said to the other queen.

"But I do wonder why you'd pick without consulting me." The elder lioness asked her daughter-in-law, ignoring the matriarch.

"Hey, if I wanted to have a one-sided conversation I'd talk to Ed!" Shenzi cut in.

"Just trust me." Nala told them.

"I barely know you!"

"Why a child Nala, why not an adult?"

"I gotta go with ya mom-in-law—boy might have ragin' hormones."

"For a hyena?" Nala raised a brow.

"Think you'd have a better shot if we chose a male 'a my species?"

"Will you three stop?" Bongani stepped in. "This is what she wants." He gestured toward Zira.

Shenzi darted her head to the male clan member. "Clamp it."

The three females came to a stand still; locked eyes with each other in a silent, inquiring trice. Any animal with tusks or claws could've easily sliced the suspense in the air. Simba, Zira, Nuka, Banzai, Ed, along with every single animal present, all looked upon the three with anticipation.

Finally, Shenzi looked away for a moment, then with a shrug said, "Fine by me."

"…I suppose I can trust the child's judgment." Sarabi decided.

Simba and Banzai both heaved in relief. Ed began chasing his tail, and Timon wiped his brow as Pumbaa relaxed against a rock. And the once arguing partygoers in the crowd seemed either pleased or relieved by the females' agreement.

…All of course, except Nuka.

"Wait, you three want me to choose who's the hottest out of you?" He took particular note of Sarabi. "But you're old enough to be my mother!"

Glancing at the other two, he said, "And you're married, so why does it matter if you're hot? You already caught one!" Taking one look at Shenzi he stated, "Oh and I know your boyfriend's gonna beat me up!" Shenzi crooked a brow at him.

"Nuka, we're just asking you to do a simple task." Nala assured him.

"It seems a lot more than a simple task, when two thirds of the kingdom are gonna hate you for your decision anyway ya choose!"

"No," The queen firmly stated, then raised her voice loud for all as she glanced about the crowd, "There will be no dangerous consequences for making your choice."

That didn't really help ease the nervous tension boiling in Nuka's stomach—neither did the fact that possibly every single animal in the kingdom had their eyes glued upon him. And albeit there were no scowls and the death looks had quickly disappeared, transformed into fervently waiting expressions, the teenage lion felt very uneasy. Not to mention he had no idea which choice wouldn't infuriate his mother, who would surely disregard that this was all her plan in the first place if he did anything wrong.

So, clawing the ground in agitation, he turned to the three and said,

"Can we take this thing somewhere private?"

Having Simba order some lionesses to guard the young calf's carcass while the three were absent, Nala sat before Nuka, along with Sarabi and Shenzi, in a vacant, remote cave Shenzi had proffered when their reluctant candidate requested a private conference.

The uneasy teenage lion tapped a claw on the rock floor in uncertainty, then glanced up at the awaiting three. "So…do we do this by category or is it a personality thing?"

"We await here patiently with poise and composure, and you will have as much time as you need to think this over so you can assuredly make your choice. Then we can put this whole dilemma behind ourselves." Sarabi kindly explained.

"Bragging rights is also a perk." Shenzi added.

"Well obviously, I'd pick somewhere between the two females of my species."

"Is that right?" The matriarch rubbed her chin, looking up in mock thought, "Now from what I remember, just yesterday you were chasin' a certain someone through my graveyard-"

"SHE is a special exception!" Nuka firmly announced. "Though if she WAS one of the females they were fighting about this whole thing would be over by now."

"No need to rush," Sarabi calmly told the young male, "as I said, you have all the time you require."

"'Course there's nothin' wrong with a little…persuasion." Shenzi invisibly smirked.

"Persuasion?" The two lion queens questioned.

Nuka backed away uncomfortably, "Alright, I know where this is going—I've seen my mom do it enough to scar the warning signs into my head—and I gotta say, you're not my type."

Shenzi huffed. "You wished I meant that. I'm talkin' 'bout personal benefits."

"…That still sounds like-"

"I MEAN BRIBERY YA MORON!!"

"Ohhhh. That sounds much better than what I was thinking. …But it depends on exactly what benefits you ladies have to offer."

Sarabi stepped forward. "I do have much connections being the former queen."

"Sarabi!" Nala exclaimed. "You're consenting to this?"

"It's for the sake of the calf, dear."

"By the time we're done decidin' though that kid's gonna be half-rotten." Shenzi mumbled.

Nala bit her lip for a moment, until sighing, "Alright."

"Well…whatcha got?" He ventured.

"I'll let you rule…one acre of the kingdom." Nala told him.

"One acre? I don't think so." Nuka replied.

"I'll teach you wisdom beyond your farthest assumptions." Sarabi offered.

"…Nah, I hear chicks can be intimidated by a smart guy at times." The lion said.

"In that case," Shenzi offered, "I'll give you any girl you want."

Nuka paused…"Any girl?" He asked.

She nodded. And almost at once, he abruptly cleared his throat, then turned to the pair of queens.

"Well ladies, I hate to crush anybody's hopes but, Nuka knows beauty when he sees it. Shenzi, at least out of these two, you're the hottest."

"I told you we should've picked Simba's warthog friend." Nala whispered to her mother-in-law.

"I would've agreed, had it not been for his odor." Sarabi replied, rising to all fours. She nodded to the adolescent lion, smiling with dignity. "Well it's clear where you've set your decision. And seeing your reasons for making it so, I truly hold no resent to you Nuka. May this lead your heart to bliss."

Her daughter-in-law smiled as well, then glanced at the matriarch, "We'll meet you in the east plain with the carcass ready to go." Without another word the two fellow lion queens departed. Nuka didn't waste a second in turning to the matriarch.

Before he could say one word she spoke, "Alright, now it may be difficult finding any lionesses willing to spend time with you, but I think maybe if we tweaked some of your faults you could have a slim chance. …That mane for instance…and that scrawny figure won't do…smile definitely needs work-"

"I WANT TANA!" He yelled. The matriarch was dumbfounded, "Wha…?"

"You said you'd give me any girl I want, and I figure since you are her matriarch, you could get her for me!"

"Her?" Shenzi asked.

"Yeah!"

"Uh, wouldn't you like a different one? One with less…hyena in her?"

"Hey, I figure I could spend all my life looking for a same-species female counterpart, but even you can agree that a lot of lionesses are a dime a dozen,"

"No argument." She shrugged.

"Tana on the other hand-"

"She prefers to be called 'T'. I suggest you learn that if you want a slim chance if any."

"Look, she's smart, she's funny—and yes I know, no need to make a pun—she's also caring, and understanding and," he gave a dreamy sigh, "just plain perfect. …Plus, and I'm sure I'm not the only one who thinks so, she's kinda…pretty…really pretty."

"Looks like I got my work cut out for me." Shenzi mumbled.

"What's the hold up?" Nuka demanded. Shenzi sighed.

"Well, there's just one problem, besides the fact that she's a hyena."

"I know she'll be reluctant but you her matriarch aren't you? Can't ya just order her to date me or something?"

"…Look kid, you ain't exactly the only male who's got 'is heart set on that girl. You're just the only one who's a lion." Shenzi told him. Nuka scoffed.

"How many other hyenas could I have to compete with?" He shrugged.

"I'd say about 10; and those are just the ones willing to fight."

"…Fight?" Nuka mumbled uneasily. He'd never been much of a scrapper, regardless of his opponent; the main reason he never hunted anything less than a quarter his size. The outlander lionesses never allowed him to accompany them, not unless he'd done something to irritate one of them and said lioness wanted vengeance—actual hunting accidents were very rare with Zira's parties' skills, but ploys to get someone killed during a hunt weren't unheard of.

…Truth behold he was a downright wuss. Not that it was his fault mind you—if there was positive recognition for doing a great job of neglecting to provide basic necessities for your child, such as food, water…love, Zira would be a duchess of Priderock.

But, he knew what he wanted, and the scare of fighting for somebody he loved, made him realize he was tired of always being submissive. Fed up being known as meek, or the "wimp" or the guy everybody—including herbivores—could push around. And, being firm for perhaps the first time in his life, he looked at the hyena and stated,

"Hey, you promised me a girl. And if I don't come out of it unscathed the deal is off—no carcass. Comprende?"

"Alright, alright." Shenzi sighed. "But we're gonna need some assistance."

A few minutes later…

Shenzi snickered as she brought the meal into the skull, balancing the kill on her back with little effort. "Boys, guess who raked it in?"

Banzai and Ed, who'd been previously lying around in the back, bolted upright. When they saw their matriarch had the carcass in possession their jaws dropped.

"No way," Banzai gaped, "whadja do? Beat it out of 'im?" She glowered.

"I guess unlike you, that kid just has good taste."

She let the meal fall to the ground and immediately dug in; the kill's faultlessness did it no justice—the meat was more savory than she'd ever imagined. If not for its scarcity it would've replaced zebra as her personal favorite. She didn't even bother to hide a delighted groan from Banzai and Ed, who were too busy exchanging glances to notice anyway.

The two males stared at each other; trying to comprehend that Nuka—a lion—had chosen Shenzi—very obviously not a lion—as the most beautiful female predator, out of the two other options, Nala and Sarabi, who were both FEMALE LIONS.

Then the fact soaked in that Nuka was also the same lion who had a not-so-secret affection for their friend T, especially at recalling how he'd nearly burnt himself alive the other day trying to pursue her through a methane vent-infested chasm.

Banzai turned to look at Shenzi, still indulging herself in the meal. "…I'm beginning to think we got the same taste Shenz', if you know what I mean."

Meanwhile…

T sighed somewhat disappointedly, fiddling with an antelope bone—white with youth, sticking out amongst its yellowed colleagues—recently cleaned off after sneaking away from the party. She truly wished she could've stayed longer; besides having fun, she hadn't been able to talk to Nala, who she greatly befriended ever since arriving in Kenya. But being one of the animals considered "beneath them" in nearly everything—never mind nature—made contact between them less than acceptable. This party would've been her best chance…

"Oh Ta-…erm, T!"

She groaned; unfortunately there were some things being a "lower" species couldn't safeguard against.

"Nuka, get this through your head," She scowled, turning around to see him happily prancing up to her, "I don't like you!!"

His mood was unaffected as he playfully leaned against the same skull she was in front of. "There's a thin line between love and hate." The teenage lion purred, moving close. T pushed him away.

"One—I didn't say hate, I said 'don't like', and two—no there isn't!"

"I think there is." He plainly stated, and without another word pushed her up against the skull as he ardently kissed her. At first T was surprised, and for a moment sat there—dumbstruck—while Nuka pressed his lips gently, then tenderly onto hers. …Then the second she realized what was going on struggled intensely, and in to time landed a blow to the bold lion's ribcage that knocked him right off. Nuka cringed and held his ribs, but much to T's perplexity managed to grin back up at her.

"…What's with the creepy smile?"

"You'll see." He chuckled.

Not far away, in a familiar looking tree standing within the Pridelands, an old shaman tossed a few transparent pebbles into the air, catching them without incident and repeating the process again. More than just some pretty-colored rocks, these pebbles—when in capable hands—could be used for far practical remedies in potions; such as curing illness, mending wounds, anything a proper workman could form them to do.

Unfortunately these pebbles could only be formed by the right mixture of heat, pressure, and moisture. Therefore they were a rarity in the Pridelands…but not the Elephant Graveyard. Shenzi had seen plenty of those see-through, appealing rocks near many of the geysers in her home. And had exchanged them with the monkey in return for a favor…

Not far from the baboon, was a strange assortment of ingredients, sitting near a drying out turtle shell; abnormal colored droplets sliding into the bottom, formed a round puddle.

"You have one accident, and you ah set for life!" He cackled, holding the rocks to his chest.

Nuka waited, gazing to see what T would do. To his befuddlement, she didn't stop glaring at him. In fact, she seemed to be coming closer, as if…STALKING him. His eyes widened in fear, and he quickly started asking questions in hopes of stalling her until the magic worked.

"T?! Um, hey, you look nice today! Feel any different yet? No? Ok! Noticed the weather lately?"

It was a simple plan; Rafiki made Nuka a potion specifically prepared to win T's heart. He even gave the teenage lion the opportunity of distributing it to his liking, which—much to the shaman's slight disgust—involved swathing an antidote onto his lips, then the love potion on top of it; so that he could make T fall in love with him with a kiss, without succumbing to the potion's affects.

Desperate, now that she was getting closer, the adolescent lion conjured up a crafty tactic to immobilize her until the spell took effect.

"How 'bout a game of freeze tag? YOU'RE it!"

Reaching out to her was a mistake; she grabbed his paw—claws unsheathed—and dragged him to her as he tripped over himself trying to get away. He writhed, scraping the ground as she brought him closer.

"Please, T, sure you're not feeling any different?!"

"The only thing I'm about to feel is YOUR-!"

Nuka stopped being dragged across the ground, paralyzing him with fear; this was it, the potion had failed, and now T was going to wreak her unmerciful fury on his meekly defenseless body. Much to his perplexity though, he couldn't feel any punches—he wasn't fearful enough to be numbed of pain, so he cautiously peeled an eye open to see what the matter was.

He saw T had not moved an inch, but something was reasonably different about her: she didn't move. She just…stood there, frozen with a blank gaze on her face, focusing on nothing in particular. Then, much to his slight panic, he felt her claws retract, just before she began pulling him to her once again.

"T?! T please, I'm sorry!!" He fearfully glanced up at her once he had stopped dragging…only to see her smiling down at him tenderly.

"Something wrong?" She asked him. He blinked in surprise, almost in disbelief than at expression so furious as hers had been, replaced with a fond and affectionate disposition. Then even more to his surprise, she felt him cutely playing with his mane.

A moment passed before it finally clicked for the teenage lion that the potion had finally sewed its "lovely" magic. "It really worked…" He thought, amazed. Seeing that kind look she was giving him not faltering for a second, he warily asked her,

"Tana?"

Then hit himself for his own idiocy. "Argh! Stupid! I-I'm sorry, I meant to call you-"

She gently put her paw on his mouth. "It's ok," She giggled, "you can call me whatever you want."

Nuka was speechless; T despised it when anybody called her by her true name. She always hated it whenever Shenzi or someone else who wanted to rag on her used "Tana" in their sentence—be it an insult, playful tease, or polite formality. Recently he'd found out exactly what "Tana" meant, and what

he couldn't figure out was why a couple of hyenas would want their child to be called "bananas", as he doubt T was raised by monkeys. But he could now see why she stressed the use of her nickname.

So for her to permit him to use it was…downright unbelievable.

"…Really? Honest? You won't mind?"

T grinned, "Nope."

He raised a brow. "Even if I come up with some dorky nickname like 'Lovy-kins'?"

The slightly older female giggled again, "You can make up all the names you like, lovy-kins." And, stunning him to no end, she sweetly pecked him right on the nose.

He gaped up at her, his jaw falling to his…lower neck. Then realizing he was still on the ground, the teenage lion immediately got to his feet. He sat up and turned to look her at face-to-face. "You're…you're really happy with me?"

T smiled lovingly, "Of course."

Nuka felt his heart soaring, almost in disbelief at what she told him. "I've…I've waited too long for you to say that."

He moved close, she never stopped looking at him with that cute, affectionate smile. And ever so gently, he stroked his face into her forehead, feeling her bangs brush against his scruffy, black mane. He felt her lean into him, as he wrapped a forepaw around her body.

For the first time, he experienced romantic love.

And that's how Nuka lived his life for the next few weeks—more happy than he'd ever been in his life. T by his side, just the two of them; it was spectacular. The pair of carnivores were living in an area someplace between the Graveyard and the Pridelands, in the shelter of a curved-over rock forming a den-like haven for the happy couple.

Moreover, with his long-sought after love finally here to take care of him, he saw no use for his mother to be part of his life anymore, so another perk of this was no more abuse from Zira…who was nowhere to be found anyway. Not that he cared.

Nuzzling closer to her, he gently brushed T's bangs out of her eyes to gaze into her pretty face. "I liked that antelope you caught for us today. You were the prettiest one in the hunting party."

She looked away bashfully, "Well I wanted something special for-"

"Our two-week anniversary." He finished with a smile, extending a forepaw to hold her. T happily leaned against his shoulder disc, sighing in content.

"I hope it leads to more than just two weeks, Nuka." She told him dotingly.

"Who knows? Maybe we might convince somebody to marry us. The shaman here is pretty eccentric, but I don't think he'd swing for something like this." He reassuringly stroked her cheek. "But don't worry, I'm sure there's somebody out there who doesn't find the unlikely amorous relationship between two rival predators both appalling and revolting. Even if we have to trek through three or four different kingdoms we'll find someone."

After that statement however, he looked at her carefully. "…But I don't want you to be lonely. I mean, three or four kingdoms is pretty far away. The nearest one to here is almost a month-long trip. Plus there's always the chance you'll get depressed from missing too much of your home and friends."

T smoothly raised her head up to look him in the eye. "You're forgetting my home is with you now; I could never be lonely. And you carry your friends in your heart; Nala, Ed, Shenzi, and everyone else I know will still be right here when we get back. …We are still going to live here, right?"

Nuka grinned at her and nodded, "Yeah, I don't think I could feel more comfortable anyplace else."

The two smiled at each other before cuddling up for the rest of the night. Nuka wrapped his paws around T as her head laid below his neck. Once the teenage lion thought they were finally settled down, he heard his love say, "Besides, I don't think Shenzi would miss me much anyway."

Prior to resting his head on hers, Nuka simply rolled his eyes; he just hoped Shenzi got whatever she needed from that over-valued carcass.

…Little did he know she received a whole lot more than they bargained.

The next morning…

Ed's ear twitched at the sound of someone gagging. Struggling to get on all fours, he let out a deep yawn, casually scratching an ear with his back leg. Clicking his tongue a few times to get the morning taste out of his mouth, he turned around to see what all the noise was…and gawked at Shenzi hunched over, clasping her stomach. She retched another time, then started gasping as if she hadn't taken a breath in hours. She struggled to hold herself up with her free paw, the one that didn't disappear into her stomach folds each time she had to puke.

Instinctively he raced over to her, looking for any sign of Banzai, who, much to his appall, was nowhere to be found.

Shenzi managed to compose herself, and as if reading his mind, brought her head up and said, "Banzai already went for help, Ed." One second prior to vomiting up…blood. The male hyena's eyes widened as he tried to figure out what he could do to aid his friend. But all that was possible was to wait for Banzai's return, with whatever help there was to be found.

He spent the rest of that morning holding his friend's mane back as she involuntarily threw up on the cave floor.

That afternoon…

"Hey, if it weren't for me you wouldn't even have the dang rocks! So since you owe me I suggest you fix this now!" The irate Shenzi commanded, prior to immediately cupping her paw over her mouth as another gag threatened to make affairs more messy. Banzai and Ed ducked out of the way just as Rafiki rushed over with a large hollowed-out fruit skin. Shenzi forced it back down and waved it away.

The shaman shook his head, leaving the hollowed fruit near the hyena. "Be at ease—you're more ill dan you tink." He shook his head again, this time groaning. "Much more."

Shenzi didn't look it; but from the way she nearly vomited herself inside-out, something was terribly wrong with her. Banzai found Rafiki and informed him of his matriarch's unknown, yet serious, condition. Though unsure of what he could do, the primate reluctantly agreed to have her brought to him. Now the trio stood before Rafiki, Shenzi looking worse by the minute. Her cut-throat manner was the only thing un-deteriorated by her illness, as well as the sole thing keeping her decently able-bodied.

"Well what's wrong with me?" She demanded, leaning over the emptied-out skin—just in case.

"What you ah feeling is a serious ailment; it is caused by ingesting a highly toxic species of berry." The primate told her, gathering a few herbs and ingredients in his arms.

"We're carnivores," Banzai spoke up, "we don't eat berries!"

"Leading me to believe it was something your prey ate. Which, if I'm correct, would've caused it to suffer a fate…you yourself may endure."

"N' that's what?" Banzai demanded to know.

"First, you get equal sensations of both chills and fevah. Next—de stage you ah in now—sadistic vomiting of every meal recently consumed, causing trauma to de esophagus, derefore forming an internal injury, making you spew your own blood. Some herbivores experience a terrible stomachache, and skip de next stage. However—depending on your physical endurance—you could experience dizziness, hallucination, and, as it's been known to happen, fall unconsciousness. …And den…" He trailed off uncomfortably.

Banzai and Ed exchanged uneasy glances. The 2nd-in-command turned to the shaman and asked, "You can fix it though, right?"

Rafiki paused, stroking his beard in contemplation. "…Dere might be a chance to help her if we treat it early on." He turned to the ill matriarch. "Now tink clearly, did you eat anyting dat seemed untouched for an unknown reason?"

Untouched…why did that word ring a bell? She knew she heard it before—and not that long ago. Soon other familiar sayings began to resurface into her conscious: a prize; flawless; delectable; perfect; not a scratch on it; only the most beautiful-

…And then, it hit her.

"THE CALF!" She unexpectedly sprang up to her feet, near-giving all three males each a heart attack. She turned to the Pridelands shaman, currently gripping the place where his heart would be. "I ate a darn-near perfect water buffalo calf sometime back!"

"Dat would be de reason." The primate scratchily replied, trying to re-catch his breath.

"But I ate that thang weeks ago!"

"De illness can lingah even aftah you've passed on its carriah." Rafiki stated. "Now, how many weeks exactly?"

"Uh, two? Maybe three."

"No time to lose den." He then set to making a concoction which would cure the hyena's ailment. The seriously ill matriarch observed the primate grinding some rocks and mixing them together in another hollow fruit, along with some unknown leaves and powders. She of course knew those same rocks were the valuable pebbles she'd given Rafiki in exchange for the love potion to afflict T. She knew very well just how much they meant to him and why—they were powerful ailment-healers.

Only now did she see the error of her ways, as well as just how "valuable" that carcass really was. One half on her mind was focused on compensating this for T, the other half—the larger half—was focused on one thing as well: vengeance.

"I swear if I ever see Zira again…"

"Now I warn you," Rafiki began, holding out a greenish-looking mixture, "dis will cure all your ailments. Howevah, it has a…very pungent taste."

Shenzi observed the miniscule bits of pebbles bobbing along at the bottom of the liquid. "Yeah well, I'd rather force down rocks than that-"

She would've spewed another time, if not for all three males, grabbing her cranium, then the bowl, then dipping her head back as they poured the mix into her mouth.

A few minutes later…

"You feelin' ok?" Banzai asked, he and Ed watching Shenzi like a pair of hawks ever since they made it back to their skull.

"Yeah. I'd worry more about cleanin' the mess if I was you." She narrowed her eyes at the two of them, "And wouldja stop starin' at me?! I didn't need a babysitter when I was three, much less need two now!"

"You weren't puking your guts out at three." Banzai countered, earning a nod in agreement from Ed.

"The monkey says I'll be fine. I ain't even the worst of our problems anymore, anyway."

"Whaddya mean?"

"…You boys ever wonder why T's been missin'?"

"T's been missin'?" Banzai tilted his head. Shenzi rolled her eyes; Ed slapped a paw to his face and shook his head.

"Anyway let's just say she's been…indisposed lately. Fortunately that should clear soon too. And when that happens, my first priority'll be puttin' a price on a certain lioness' head."

Banzai growled. "An' I might hit a chick for the first time." Scowling, Ed nodded again.

"Wait, what about the kid?" The oldest of the trio suddenly realized. "If the guy's mom knew the stuff was bad, then he had to. An' I hear he ain't left the kingdom!"

Shenzi slowly moved her head upward to form a long, wicked grin, "Which is exactly why I sent a few males over his way. But not before tellin' 'em, oh…a few facts I believe they'd like to know."

Nuka laughed, playfully ruffling T's bangs.

"Quit it!" She giggled, covering them with both her forepaws.

"I can't help it, you know how many lionesses have a mane as cute as yours? …Granted lionesses don't have manes…and I've never actually made physical contact with one that wasn't painful, but still."

T chuckled, "You can be pretty cute too…in your own way."

He raised a brow impishly. "Oh? And what's that supposed to mean?"

She copied the way he raised his eyebrow, smirking playfully. "Maybe if you can catch me I'll let you know."

With the agility of a predatory cat she slipped away from him and darted off. Laughing, she could hear her love yell, "Hey!" and rush after her. T slowed the pace for his sake, as her boyfriend wasn't as gifted in the athletic department as she, and enjoyably let him pounce on her from behind; rolling her onto her back.

He looked so cute pinning her down joyfully like that. She chortled and let him peck her on the forehead. The teenage lion looked at her for a moment, not bothering to move off of her, before eventually saying, "Y'know, I've been thinking."

"Yeah?"

"…Maybe it'd be ok to get a little more…physical with the relationship. That sound good to you?"

She looked off thoughtfully, "I dunno, have we even been dating that long? …Hey!"

The hyena found herself being tickled by her love, right at the place below her neck, making her wriggle in response. "Nuka, quit it!" She laughed.

"Tana's ticklish." He said in a sing-song voice, maintaining his playful gesture.

"Wonder if you're ticklish." A masculine-sounding voice from behind cut in. Puzzling the two, Nuka and T warily glanced upward to see they were surrounded by a ring of tough-looking, adolescent male hyenas. …Ones about T's age.

Nuka froze; these couldn't have been the males Shenzi warned him about, the ones rivaled for the attention of his beloved Tana—or in their case, T, who gently pushed off her lion boyfriend to protectively get in front of him.

"And who're you guys supposed to be?" She growled.

Confirming the 16 year-old lion's suspicions, they didn't seem ruffled in the least when confronted by T. In fact, some of them appeared relieved at her presence. One, Nuka believed he was a hunting party member; not a leader, but a member, a decent-rate guy someone like T might enjoy company with.

"T, are you ok?" He asked, truthfully concerned.

"He didn't try anything, did he?" A second male growled in Nuka's direction.

"I was doing just fine until you all showed up. Why the heck would Shenzi allow this many of you to leave, anyway?"

"She sent us here." A third one spoke up.

"N' it's a good thing she did." A fourth one stated, taking note of the teenage lion.

So terrified by this unexpected occurrence, and so focused on protecting her would-be mate, neither Nuka or T saw a pair of males sneak through the crowd and suddenly grab her by the head and body.

"Hey, let go of me!!" She struggled and tried to bite at or scratch anybody in range, but quickly disappeared within the small crowd. Nuka wanted to rush forward after her but how could he? He was surrounded, outnumbered; by the looks of their anger and/or determination he doubted he could've beat these guys one-on-one!

The pack started to close in, claws scraping at the dirt, angry snarls and growls all penetrating into his brain; echoing so much in his mind he feared he would lose sanity before succumbing to these hyenas.

Then just as his hopes began to sink, a certain 19 year-old female emerged from within the crowd. Nuka's face brightened, and he turned to his love for badly needed assistance.

"Ta-"

But all that he received was a revolted slap to the face. He stroked the bruise from his injury, then looked up to see an irate T, baring her teeth at him. Not far beside her, an unknown male was intently looking at the defenseless lion with a wicked, toothy grin. Nuka believed he had some kind of gourd lying by his feet, crushed and with juices leaking out of it, and for some reason T looked drenched.

"…T?" He tried again. No avail, she approached him hostilely, a furious look in her eyes; a few males even stopped closing in on Nuka, just for the chance to watch, to eagerly await when she would rip into his flesh, tearing the lion to shreds. Nuka feared the worst when she came close enough to press noses, her eyes burning into his own.

"NEVER come near me again." Was all she told him, prior to walking through the tightly-packed small crowd, which allowed her to leave through a slight part they quickly closed in after she'd gone. The confused female hyena walked some feet away from the crowd, before dropping onto her back haunches, rubbing her mind-swirling head.

"What just happened?" T asked nobody in particular, not noticing the four or five males that tagged nearby for her own safety. One of them stepped forward.

"That jerk found a weird potion and made you his little hypnotized girlfriend."

"Fortunately we came to rescue you, and one of us cured you." Another grinned cooly at her, obstructing her view of the other male.

"Uh, thanks." She replied. "I…guess that could make sense. By the way, do I know any of you guys?"

At that question, for some reason, every pair of eyes in that solely-male crowd lit up in anticipation.

"Would you like to?" They all asked.

Meanwhile, with the remainder of all of T's nameless admirers—the more vengeful ones, Nuka was getting very uneasy. Mostly because he was circled in by about ten or fifteen bloodthirsty males, all of them each formulating some way to cause him permanent, if not fatal, injury; along with lasting multitudes of pain.

"Oh boy…"