Isha gaped at him momentarily. "Leaving? What do you mean, you're leaving?"
"What do you think I mean?" Nato sighed, running a paw over his head. He saw the confusion in her eyes, and sat down, gesturing for her to do the same, then began. "Look... I know you enjoy this roaming, and wandering, and exploring. You're strong, stubborn, independent... You're used to being alone. I should be. I should be used to being left out, of being the outcast. But I'm not. I'm just a meerkat, all I ever was, all I'll ever be, and I'm okay with it. I have nothing to prove." She opened her mouth to speak, but he silenced her by holding a paw up. "I don't like traveling. I want to settle down someplace I can rest easy, not having to worry that a hyena or anything else is going to come out and get me. I want security, safety. Or, relative safety, anyway.
"I failed to find that snake, Isha, because I was hungry. I was hungry beyond the point of cautiousness. I knew it smelled funny, and I knew I should check it out before I came and got you, but... I didn't. All I saw was a rotten old log, full of grubs. Had an older, more experienced 'kat been there, he would have pointed out immediately that there was a snake living in that log, and that we should go nowhere near it. I'm a coward, I know. I just... I want a home. I don't want a den for the night. I want to have a place that I can feel loved, needed, and useful." He took a deep breath, finally getting his feelings off of his chest and out of his head. "So... I've decided to try and find a mob to join. It'll be work, I know, but at least I'll do something useful, and I'll be protected, and I'll help protect the colony."
When he talked like that, mob life really didn't sound all that bad. Isha quickly shook that feeling off; colonies weren't worth it. Sure, you got to have a place to stay, a purpose, and friends. But if you mess up, they hardly forgive you. If you get eaten, they miss you for a moment, then go back on digging. They hide, and if you don't hide with them, you get thrown out. Instead of voicing the thought, she simply nodded. "I understand. Where ya gonna go?"
Nato blinked, seeming surprised at how calm she was now, but shrugged. "I think I heard that there's a mob up in the scrub lands, further north, I'll go there. I'm sure they'll need another set of digging paws, another pair of eyes to be sentry."
"When'll you leave?" She decided to ask, and was somewhat shocked at how quiet her voice was.
He looked up at the sky. "I probably wouldn't get very far today, even if the sun's almost overhead. I'll wait until morning, that way I can rest up." He looked back at her, a pleading look in his dark eyes. "Why don't you come with me?"
She almost laughed. "Me? In a mob? You're kidding. No way. Besides, I still have to find Chiku."
"Iesha, please," he still tried, ignoring her glare as he said her name. "You won't survive on your own. You need a mob just as much as I do."
She scoffed, her paws on her hips. "Oh please. I most certainly do not need a mob." She resumed her glaring. "Look, I'm okay with you going. I'm okay with you needing to join a mob. Perfectly fine. But do not try to get me to go with you."
"Why not?"
She sighed, wishing he would just drop it. "Mob life just isn't for me. I'm better off on my own."
"What? Isha, that's like saying - "
"Like saying what, Nato?" She glared defiantly at him, daring him to continue. "That I want a life that's exciting? That I don't want to hide in deep, dark, cold tunnels at the flicker of every shadow?"
"Now you're starting to sound like a free-thinker," Nato warned, his own eyes narrowing. "You're putting yourself in unneeded danger -"
"What's so wrong with free-thinkers?" Isha interrupted, growling. "Is it that they believe life can be fun? That we can live longer than ten minutes without our heads stuck in the sand?"
"Watch your step, Iesha. Free-thinkers never prosper, or succeed in their search for a better life. Just look at 'Fearless' Buzz. See where thatgot him." Nato growled right back.
"Don't call me that!" Isha snarled, shoving Nato backwards. "And don't evertalk about Buzz that way. What he did only proved that meerkats can stick up for themselves. That there's more to life than the food chain!"
"Oh really?" Nato shoved her back. "Then explain to me, oh wise one, why didn't he succeed in this act of bravery?"
"Because those stupid other 'kats wouldn't help him!" Isha exclaimed, her eyes glinting with rage. "They were too focused on cowering in their tunnels to see that they could have had a chance against those hyenas! They could have won!"
"Yeah, but they didn't, did they?" Nato snarled. "Isha, you're brave. To a fault. You need to accept the fact that you're a meerkat and move on!"
"And why should I?" Isha shot back. "What has that mode of thinking ever done for me? Nothing, that's what! Now listen; I don't care if you want to go stick your head in the sand and hide from the world of wonder around you. I don't care if you want to go hang out with a bunch of cowardly strangers and sleep in a system of closed-in tunnels instead of sleeping out under the sky where you're free. But I would never fit in with mob life. Yes, I'm brave. But that's more than not having any fears. Matter of fact, I have several fears, contrary to what you may believe, but I don't let them rule me or my life. It's more than being brave, Nato," she shook her head, a low growl rising up from her chest.
"Fine." Was all he had to say, dropping the subject completely like he should have probably done a while back. "So I'm to believe you'll go to Pride Rock as planned?"
"Yes. That's exactly where I'm going to go." She nodded her head. "And I plan on leaving right now. I'm not getting any further behind, otherwise Chiku may be too far gone to find." She stood up, smoothing her head fur. "And I'm to believe you'll stay here until morning?"
"Yeah, that's what I'm gonna do." He nodded in return, standing up and holding a paw out to her. "Then I guess this is where we part company."
"Sounds like it to me," she took his paw and shook it. "Good bye, Nato. It's been... interesting. Thank you for sticking with me this far, and thank you for... well, everything, I guess."
"And thank you for giving me hope, and freedom as well," Nato nodded his head. "Good bye."
Isha rolled her eyes, but left the tunnel, eager to be on her way. She hadn't wanted to give him the benefit of her looking back, so she simply waved over her shoulder as she began walking away, her eyes set on the direction that the sun was slowly heading. She wished him the best, really, she wasn't going to wish he would be killed or anything. He was a decent 'kat. He deserved to have a family.
Too bad she didn't.
Nato watched her go, regretting that he hadn't made her stay with him and join the mob. She'd most likely be dead before the week was out. But she'd have fought him tooth and claw, so he let her go. He also regretted that he couldn't have been more... friendly to her. She needed a friend, not a nagging 'kat that followed her around, trying to get her to give up the hope that she would find her friend. So he watched her go, softly muttering under his breath.
"Good luck."
so, what did you think? i didn't want a mushy goodbye, as they weren't really close, and they were fighting to top it off... but still. hope you guys enjoyed it, cause after this is when the fun begins! I'll try and get the next chapter up maybe tomorrow or Sunday, I'm not sure, but i'll try to have it up soon. and before anyone asks: Timon and Pumbaa WILL be in here, along with a bunch of other familiar faces. they'll end up being in the stories from this one on, so while you'll have to wait until closer to the end of this story for some good old T&P (that sounded a little weird...), from here on they'll be regulars. review, please? it makes me feel i have to get the chapter up faster, so maybe, if i get a lot, you won't have to wait long at all!
ugh, long a/n's are back. sorry guys.