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The Lion King - Darkest Before the Dawn VIII

~~~~~~~~
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Taka would return happily to the Graveyard every few nights, bringing along a piece of meat to his new friends who lived there whenever he could manage it. Sometimes it would be a small gesture, like zebra flank, or a water buffalo leg. But as Taka and the hyenas grew so did their appetites, and so did Taka’s skills and take downs. The hyenas Shenzi, Banzai, and Ed relished Taka and the food he brought with his visits, and the four bonded rather quickly. Of course, both parties agreed to keep their meetings a secret. The lions shunned the poor auburn prince when he only came NEAR the hyena. What would they do if they found out he was TALKING to them? And the hyena trio had reason to hide their secret from their clan mates as well, for that thought all lions were-not only dangerous-but pompous, haughty, and overly self-righteous creatures. After all, they claimed THEMSELVES royal! A hyena being friendly with lions was unheard of in these times, so everyone decided it would be better if it all remained in the shadows. At least for now.

But that didn’t bother them one bit! Despite the whole smoke-and-mirrors business, they had more fun together than Taka had ever had in his pride with the other cubs! They raced around the bones, kicking up dust and dirt, played games for both Hyena and Lions, and even play fought without problems! Taka especially loved his Graveyard playtime because he normally was the one who won. He claimed victory in almost every race, every game be it Hide-and-Seek, Tag, or X’s-n-O’s, and every play fight they engaged in. The lean young lion learned how to use his wits to outsmart the hyena and ultimately made him near impossible to beat! His companions were not dumb, no, not at all! They were simply unused to Taka’s method of playing. Hyena praised brute strength over cunning, since brute strength and spiteful battles often determined one’s ranking in their clan.

Taka learned all about the hyena’s way of life, as well as every inch of their territory. He learned that they all lived together a huge social structure called a Clan that is led by a single matriarch. In the Clan, females are higher ranked than males by all standards. Sometimes they broke down into subdivisions called ‘packs’ and would hunt off the Graveyard land for smaller game like gazelle. Shenzi shared a story where her mother, who was one of the lower ranking females of the Clan, managed to take down two vultures feeding on bits and pieces of an old elephant carcass. Taka soaked up every piece of knowledge they gave him, and remembered all of it.

It became a sort of habit to slink off to the Graveyard whenever he got the chance. Being around the hyena improved his mood and made him feel better when he was sad or lonely. Especially now, when Ahadi would whisk Mufasa away and Sarafina and Sarabi would participate in hunting lessons. Taka was often left alone, and refused to be confined to Pride Rock. It seemed to make no difference to any of the other lions. They all assumed he had gone on a solo hunt, or was off sulking somewhere.

Taka rarely sulked as of late, unless of course the loneliness got to him. Then he would visit the hyenas. One particular day, Taka stalked quietly to the Graveyard, doubt weighing heavily on his heart. He was so filled with sorrow that he didn’t even bother to hunt anything, knowing that his hunt would fail with the mood he had. The less he could lower his self-esteem, the better. So he just sat his haunches down on the border and said nothing, shoulders hunched and head hung low, trying to push the aggressive distress from his mind.

“Hey, Taka!” Shenzi greeted when the trio arrived, padding up to him. She noticed his position and knew something was wrong. “Taka?”

“Hey, where’s our food?” Banzai asked, but was quickly corrected with a glare from their female companion.

“What’s wrong?” She asked.

Taka took a deep breath, then yelled. “Everything!”

“What do you mean?”

“Ever since last season everyone has changed! Mufasa is even more of an arrogant Daddy’s-Boy, and Sarabi will barely say two words to me! My father is always with Mufasa in some remote part of the Pridelands and my mother is hunting all day with the girls… I’m always alone.”

“Well, you can always come see us, right Ed?” Banzai came up on Taka’s other side, accompanied by the frantically nodding Ed.

“I can’t some see you all the time, Banzai! Don’t you remember? The rest of my pride will get suspicious if I disappear EVERY day.” The lion snapped. “I dunno… Sometimes I wish that I didn’t have to hide you guys from the pride… Especially my friend Sarafina.”

“Your friend Sarafina?”

“Well… Yeah. She means a lot to me. She’s the only lion who really talks to me anymore, y’know? We’re… close.”

“Close, huh?” Shenzi laughed. “Well, Taka, if she’s important to you… Why not introduce us?”

Taka blinked. “Oh… Oh I dunno. That’s really kind of you to offer, but… She’s from my pride and I… Well… I’m afraid of what she might say. She’s different from the others but… She means a lot to me and I don't want to lose her.”

“Worth a try.” She responded. “But you don’t have to if you don’t want to…”

Taka thought long and hard about this one. True, he was tired of hiding his relationship with the Hyenas from Sarafina. He cared deeply for her, and hated lying with her. So perhaps including her in this part of his life was crucial? He had already involved her in every other aspect. She knew almost everything about him, how much he hated his family, how bored of Pride Rock he really was… Taka wanted Sarafina to be his mate for the rest of his life! The secrets had to stop.

Starting with this one.

“No. You know what, guys? I’ll bring her. She’s not like the rest of the pride. She’ll understand.” Taka got up and slowly headed toward Pride Rock again. “Next time you see me, I won’t be alone!”

And with that, the prince headed straight to the peach-cream female with a bounce in his step and only the best intentions in his heart.

~~~~~~~~
So I got this out in a timely manner, huh? Like I said, before, only short installments until my grades improve. I hope you all enjoy this little part! Taka’s relationship with the hyenas grows, but what will it do for his relationship with Sarafina? Stay tuned!
I’d also like to personally thank each and every one of you who has decided to watch me! You have absolutely no idea how much it means to me when I get a new watcher, so thank you so SO much! I love all you guys, you guys are fantastic, and I probably would’ve dropped this project if it wasn’t for all of you!
So once again, thank you so much!!

Description
The Lion King - Darkest Before the Dawn VIII

~~~~~~~~
Next: jayartemiswolf.deviantart.com/…
Prev: fav.me/d5mxp9l
First: jayartemiswolf.deviantart.com/…
~~~~~~~~

Taka would return happily to the Graveyard every few nights, bringing along a piece of meat to his new friends who lived there whenever he could manage it. Sometimes it would be a small gesture, like zebra flank, or a water buffalo leg. But as Taka and the hyenas grew so did their appetites, and so did Taka’s skills and take downs. The hyenas Shenzi, Banzai, and Ed relished Taka and the food he brought with his visits, and the four bonded rather quickly. Of course, both parties agreed to keep their meetings a secret. The lions shunned the poor auburn prince when he only came NEAR the hyena. What would they do if they found out he was TALKING to them? And the hyena trio had reason to hide their secret from their clan mates as well, for that thought all lions were-not only dangerous-but pompous, haughty, and overly self-righteous creatures. After all, they claimed THEMSELVES royal! A hyena being friendly with lions was unheard of in these times, so everyone decided it would be better if it all remained in the shadows. At least for now.

But that didn’t bother them one bit! Despite the whole smoke-and-mirrors business, they had more fun together than Taka had ever had in his pride with the other cubs! They raced around the bones, kicking up dust and dirt, played games for both Hyena and Lions, and even play fought without problems! Taka especially loved his Graveyard playtime because he normally was the one who won. He claimed victory in almost every race, every game be it Hide-and-Seek, Tag, or X’s-n-O’s, and every play fight they engaged in. The lean young lion learned how to use his wits to outsmart the hyena and ultimately made him near impossible to beat! His companions were not dumb, no, not at all! They were simply unused to Taka’s method of playing. Hyena praised brute strength over cunning, since brute strength and spiteful battles often determined one’s ranking in their clan.

Taka learned all about the hyena’s way of life, as well as every inch of their territory. He learned that they all lived together a huge social structure called a Clan that is led by a single matriarch. In the Clan, females are higher ranked than males by all standards. Sometimes they broke down into subdivisions called ‘packs’ and would hunt off the Graveyard land for smaller game like gazelle. Shenzi shared a story where her mother, who was one of the lower ranking females of the Clan, managed to take down two vultures feeding on bits and pieces of an old elephant carcass. Taka soaked up every piece of knowledge they gave him, and remembered all of it.

It became a sort of habit to slink off to the Graveyard whenever he got the chance. Being around the hyena improved his mood and made him feel better when he was sad or lonely. Especially now, when Ahadi would whisk Mufasa away and Sarafina and Sarabi would participate in hunting lessons. Taka was often left alone, and refused to be confined to Pride Rock. It seemed to make no difference to any of the other lions. They all assumed he had gone on a solo hunt, or was off sulking somewhere.

Taka rarely sulked as of late, unless of course the loneliness got to him. Then he would visit the hyenas. One particular day, Taka stalked quietly to the Graveyard, doubt weighing heavily on his heart. He was so filled with sorrow that he didn’t even bother to hunt anything, knowing that his hunt would fail with the mood he had. The less he could lower his self-esteem, the better. So he just sat his haunches down on the border and said nothing, shoulders hunched and head hung low, trying to push the aggressive distress from his mind.

“Hey, Taka!” Shenzi greeted when the trio arrived, padding up to him. She noticed his position and knew something was wrong. “Taka?”

“Hey, where’s our food?” Banzai asked, but was quickly corrected with a glare from their female companion.

“What’s wrong?” She asked.

Taka took a deep breath, then yelled. “Everything!”

“What do you mean?”

“Ever since last season everyone has changed! Mufasa is even more of an arrogant Daddy’s-Boy, and Sarabi will barely say two words to me! My father is always with Mufasa in some remote part of the Pridelands and my mother is hunting all day with the girls… I’m always alone.”

“Well, you can always come see us, right Ed?” Banzai came up on Taka’s other side, accompanied by the frantically nodding Ed.

“I can’t some see you all the time, Banzai! Don’t you remember? The rest of my pride will get suspicious if I disappear EVERY day.” The lion snapped. “I dunno… Sometimes I wish that I didn’t have to hide you guys from the pride… Especially my friend Sarafina.”

“Your friend Sarafina?”

“Well… Yeah. She means a lot to me. She’s the only lion who really talks to me anymore, y’know? We’re… close.”

“Close, huh?” Shenzi laughed. “Well, Taka, if she’s important to you… Why not introduce us?”

Taka blinked. “Oh… Oh I dunno. That’s really kind of you to offer, but… She’s from my pride and I… Well… I’m afraid of what she might say. She’s different from the others but… She means a lot to me and I don't want to lose her.”

“Worth a try.” She responded. “But you don’t have to if you don’t want to…”

Taka thought long and hard about this one. True, he was tired of hiding his relationship with the Hyenas from Sarafina. He cared deeply for her, and hated lying with her. So perhaps including her in this part of his life was crucial? He had already involved her in every other aspect. She knew almost everything about him, how much he hated his family, how bored of Pride Rock he really was… Taka wanted Sarafina to be his mate for the rest of his life! The secrets had to stop.

Starting with this one.

“No. You know what, guys? I’ll bring her. She’s not like the rest of the pride. She’ll understand.” Taka got up and slowly headed toward Pride Rock again. “Next time you see me, I won’t be alone!”

And with that, the prince headed straight to the peach-cream female with a bounce in his step and only the best intentions in his heart.

~~~~~~~~
So I got this out in a timely manner, huh? Like I said, before, only short installments until my grades improve. I hope you all enjoy this little part! Taka’s relationship with the hyenas grows, but what will it do for his relationship with Sarafina? Stay tuned!
I’d also like to personally thank each and every one of you who has decided to watch me! You have absolutely no idea how much it means to me when I get a new watcher, so thank you so SO much! I love all you guys, you guys are fantastic, and I probably would’ve dropped this project if it wasn’t for all of you!
So once again, thank you so much!!