Hello, everyone! I'm so sorry this has been forever since I last updated! But here it is! I WILL try to hurry the next chap for you guys! Thanks to all my supporters! You are all amazing!
Chapter 10: Parenthood part 2
Nightmares
Run away and never return….
What would your mother think…
Nooo!
It's all your fault….
Simba jerked awake, tears rolling down his face. Wiping them with a paw, he looked over to see Iggy's bed was empty. He spotted the little meerkat, sitting on the same ledge he had his first night with him, Timon and Pumbaa.
"Iggy?" He asked padding softly over to sit near him. Iggy moved his feet back and forth, but didn't answer. Simba tried again. "What's wrong?"
"Nothing." He said sadly and Simba saw the little meerkat had tear streaks down his cheeks.
"Did you have another nightmare?" Iggy nodded.
"Wanna talk about it?"
"No." Iggy, turned away from the brightly lit moon and walked back to the nest. Simba frowned.
"Did I do something wrong?" He asked catching up to Iggy's side.
"Nevermind." Iggy, climbed back into his nest and turned away.
"Iggy." Simba then sighed and went to the other side to look him in the face. "What's up?"
"You don't care about me anymore." The meerkat stated folding his arms across his chest.
"What?" Simba was appalled. "What are you talking about, Iggs?"
"You're getting older. You don't care about me anymore. I'll still be smaller and younger than you, when you grow up." Simba's face fell slightly at Iggy's monotone.
"I'm sorry, if I've been hurting you're feelings. I really am sorry." Simba nudged Iggy's side. "But that doesn't mean I don't care. Iggy please tell me what's wrong." The little meerkat turned to face him then.
"…Marko." He whispered and Simba felt a chill go down his spine. Ever since, Iggy had told him the whole story Simba couldn't help but relate to Iggy's situation. He was constantly bombarded with painful memories and Simba could match the meerkat's feelings.
"It's okay, Iggy. He's gone remember?" Simba said and the little meerkat nodded slowly.
"I know…I'm just…." He trailed off slightly embarrassed.
"Scared?" Simba supplied and the meerkat nodded.
"Y-yeah."
"Don't be. I'll protect you." Iggy grinned as Simba nuzzled his side.
"You mean it?"
"Definitely."
"Why are you awake?" Iggy asked curiously and Simba shifted. "Did you have a nightmare too?" Simba nodded sheepishly.
"I think I'm okay, now though." Iggy nodded at Simba. "I'm going to try and go back to sleep." He got back into his nest and tried to shut his eyes.
"Simba?" Iggy said after a few minutes and the lion opened an eye.
"Yeah?"
"Um, I can't sleep." Iggy admitted and Simba nodded.
"Me neither." Both had the same idea and wandered both wandered over to the sleeping meerkat and warthog. Pumbaa and Timon both were snoring lightly.
"Timon?" Simba whispered loudly no one moved.
"T-Timon?" Iggy asked tentatively and finally got a reaction.
"AAH!" Timon snapped awake, his eyes bloodshot from lack of sleep. Seething he turned, patience starting to wear thin. Timon looked up at Simba and Iggy in slight annoyance and asked angrily, "What have you got against the concept of a good night's sleep, huh?" Both looked at the ground and Timon's expression softened a bit.
"Actually, I, uh... I had a bad dream," Simba replied in a small voice and he nudged Iggy who wasn't meeting Timon's eyes. "So did Iggy." Simba supplied seeing that the small meerkat wasn't going to answer. Iggy found his toes suddenly interesting and didn't look anywhere else.
"Oh. Well, uh..." Timon began feeling bad for snapping at them and he elbowed Pumbaa in the ribs.
"Uhh! It wasn't me," Pumbaa mumbled, blinking sleepily.
"Junior one and two had a bad dream." Timon informed Pumbaa and the warthog took in both of the kids' sad expressions and made one himself.
"Aww...Why don't you sleep over here with us?" Pumbaa suggested smiling and Simba beamed.
"Really?"
Timon patted Pumbaa's side gesturing them over and saying, "Mi Pumbaa, su Pumbaa." Iggy looked up now and both kids looked at one another. Simba beamed wider and Iggy smiled back.
"All right!" Simba said, bounding over to the group with Iggy close behind. Simba, Timon, and Iggy curled up on top of Pumbaa and settled down to sleep.
"Nighty night." Iggy stated happily as Timon tucked an arm around him. Both were lying next to Simba's warm belly.
"Goodnight," Simba whispered.
"Sleep tight," Timon replied.
"Dream of bed bugs tonight!" Pumbaa said brightly before falling asleep immediately and letting out a long snore. The rest laughed quietly and then started to drift off. Timon woke when Simba's paw landed on him lightly and opened both eyes in alarm. But then he relaxed, pulling the lion paw closer like a blanket and Iggy smiled with his eyes closed.
"Timon?" Iggy whispered and the meerkat looked down.
"Yes?"
"I'm sorry." Timon sighed and ruffled Iggy's head.
"Me too, Iggs." Iggy hugged Timon and the older meerkat smiled patted Iggy's back before falling asleep.
Snail Slurping Contest
Morning rose slowly and the sun started to come over the high jungle treetops and a young lion yawned as he stretched out careful not to wake the animals sleeping near him. Simba was a teen now almost a full adult with the beginning of a long mane starting to grow. Iggy was still the same, just a year older since his birthday was a month ago. That was the difference with meerkats and lions. They aged differently and Iggy was now eleven whereas Simba was thirteen.
"Whoa! Watch where you aim that morning breath. That should come with a warning label. Whoo, what a wake-up call!" A slightly teasing voice called waving a hand at Simba's muzzle. Iggy opened an eye to look at them as he yawned a bit.
"Heh heh heh. Looks like someone woke up on the wrong side of the warthog. What's the matter, pops?" Simba asked in a patronizing voice a smug grin on his face. "Had a little too much Hakuna Matata?"
"Pops." Iggy sniggered and Timon shoved him playfully.
"Ooh. Sonny boy, I invented Hakuna Matata," Timon said smugly and Iggy grinned.
"Oh, yeah? Well, I perfected it." Simba retorted and by this time Iggy was sitting up to watch the banter.
Timon was not about to let any of this go so he replied, "Sure you did, sure you did. Pumbaa, who holds the record for the world's longest bug belch?" Pumbaa woke up and yawned making his belly jiggle and Iggy almost fell off him.
"Uh, that would be Simba." He said in another yawn and Timon looked surprised.
"All righty then. Who's the champion at slug swallowing?"
"Simba again," Pumbaa replied. Timon sat up now trying to think of another contest.
"Cricket crunching?"
"Simba."
"Grub gulping?"
"Simba."
"Maggot munching?"
"Still Simba." Timon was starting to sweat and very desperate to find something that Simba hadn't beat him at. Iggy was starting to worry that Timon was going to combust as the older meerkat's eyes bugged out.
"Snail slurping?" Timon shouted and Pumbaa looked puzzled.
"Oh, uh, nobody. We never had a snail-eating contest before." He told then and Timon beamed.
"I challenge you to a snail slurping contest!" Timon declared pointing out at Simba. Simba grinned lazily and winked at Iggy.
"Whatever you say, Pops." Simba murmured and Iggy laughed.
An hour later they were setup for the contest. Simba sat at one end of the table and Timon sat at the other, both grinning smugly. Pumbaa and Iggy stayed back in case things got out of hand and sat to watch and Iggy sat on Pumbaa's back to see better. Beside the contesters was a large pile of snails and Iggy looked up the pile and then at Pumbaa.
"I don't think this is a good idea." Iggy murmured and Pumbaa nodded.
"I don't think so either."
"Do you think we should tell them this is a bad idea?"
"You know them, Iggy, they don't listen." The little meerkat nodded. He did know.
Timon and Simba narrowed their eyes at each other and then both started the contest. Pumbaa was biting his hooves nervously and Iggy was watching them with wide eyes both looking from one end of the table to the other. Simba started by slurping a snail right out of its shell and then leering at Timon with a smug look. Timon dramatically slurped down a snail of his own before crossing his arms defiantly and beaming at the young lion.
Next, Simba raised a paw with four snails in between each claw and slurped them down one after another without a pause. Timon stared at him in amazement just a minute before trying to slurp down four snails of his own with a crazed smile on his face and Iggy blinked at them both.
"Timon looks scary." Iggy murmured and he didn't have to wait for answer from Pumbaa. The warthog thought Timon looked scary too and was hiding in the bushes unable to look.
After several more minutes and slurps, the contest was at an end and both contenders were lying on the table top stuffed and tired. One snail apiece was left and Timon and Simba hadn't moved yet. Finally Simba reached across the table and grasped the snail on his side, pulling it over slowly. With a shudder of slight disgust Simba groaned and slurped down the last snail, belching loudly afterwards.
He beamed at Timon who was watching him with a smug grin. Timon grimaced and grabbed his pulling it over to his overly large gut. Shaking he lifted it up and stared at it. He thought he saw Pumbaa's head appear on the snail.
"Iggy and I told you this wasn't such a good idea." The snail-Pumbaa said and Timon gagged. Feeling overstuffed and on the verge of vomiting, Timon tossed the snail into the air and fell back. He hit the ground as the snail hit the table and let out a groan of defeat. Simba winked at Iggy, before swaggering off into the trees and Iggy shook his head before going over to Timon.
"Are you okay?" Iggy asked worry on his face and Timon patted Iggy's cheek halfheartedly.
"I'm okay, Iggster." Timon then got a green glow on his face. "On second thought." The bloated meerkat ran into the bushes and tossed out the contents of his stomach.
Brothers
Timon whistled as he strode through the jungle happy as he could be. He was walking along when he heard a loud huff from the bushes ahead. Curious, Timon walked over and peered into the bushes. He was met with an odd sight.
Iggy was attempting to jump up on a vine that was dangling from a tree branch overhead. But every time he tried it moved. Timon's eyes wondered up and he spotted the culprit. Simba grinned lazily at the little meerkat below.
"Jump, Iggy, jump!" Simba taunted the teenager's laughter echoing as Iggy fell again.
"Hold it still, that's not fair!" Iggy retorted and he jumped up again. Simba laughed as the little meerkat slammed into the tree as he missed the vine. Simba yawned then.
"I'm getting tired of this game." Iggy looked up at the tree. "See ya later, Iggy." Once Simba was gone, Iggy sighed.
"Hey, Iggy." Timon walked into the clearing and sat down next to the little meerkat. "Whatcha doin?"
"Nothing." Iggy stated and then he looked up at Timon. "Timon, when will I get bigger?" Timon chuckled and tucked an arm around the smaller meerkat.
"What's the hurry? Enjoy being a kid."
"But I can't play with Simba. He's bigger than me and I can't keep up." Timon smiled sadly.
"Ah, come on. I'm sure that-"
"I can't." Iggy said unhappily and Timon rubbed his neck.
"You know, you can always spend the day with me."
"Really?" Iggy seemed delighted and Timon beamed back.
"Whaddya say?"
"Okay!"
For the rest of the day, Iggy and Timon spent time together doing whatever they wanted and later that night Iggy was much happier.
"Timon?"
"Hm?"
"Do you ever think about your mother?" Timon stiffened and looked down at Iggy the little meerkat's blue eyes were watching him.
"Err, do you?"
"Yeah…I keep thinking about her a lot. I miss her."
"I, miss mine too." Timon said rather reluctantly. "Sometimes." He added quickly. "She was always nagging me and trying to run my life."
"Oh. Isn't that what mother's are supposed to do?" Iggy asked and Timon blinked.
"I suppose…"
"Timon, will you play with me again tomorrow?" Iggy yawned and rolled over to his side. Timon smiled.
"Sure."
"You and Simba are my best…brothers." Timon looked down in shock and saw that Iggy was already fast asleep.
"Thanks…little brother." Timon grinned and pulled Iggy closer.
Review! I'll try and update really soon!