"I'm telling you Pumbaa. This jungle starts to resemble a water park if this storm keeps going and going."

"Perhaps...but it means all the delicious bugs will be gone! You know how they hate too dirty grounds!"

"Great...then what do we eat?!"

"Don't ask me..."

Timon and Pumbaa sat at the entrance of a little cave which the group was able to find. It was abandoned when animals escaped, so offered a perfect place to stay and wait until it was safe to go out again.

"I hope this stops soon...I hate thunder!", Pumbaa shivered. "And I'm hungry!"

"For once, I can't blame you for that", Timon held his stomach. "But the only thing I was able to find was some dead caterpillar shells. They are not much, but if we make a fire and cook them, oh boy what a taste!"

"Well, that's better than nothing. Hey Mufasa! Do you want some? There is for you too!"

"No thanks, I'm not hungry", Mufasa replied quietly as he lay in the corner.

"Jeez, he looks blue", Timon said.

"I'd say reddish brownish-cold", Pumbaa answered.

"No, I mean he's depressed."

"Oh", Pumbaa muttered, then walked to Mufasa. "Hey, pal what's eaten ya?"

"Nothing, he's at the top of a food chain! Hah Hah! Good one isn't it?!"

But Mufasa just sighed. Seeing that this didn't work, made Timon shut up.

"Okay, that didn't work...so my cat. What's bothering you?"

"Nothing..."

"Oh come on Mufasa! Don't lie to me! Are you worried about Simba?"

"Yes...I'm starting to lose my hope. It's been days since we last saw him! I lost him the second time by now!"

"Don't worry about it! I'm sure every parent has lost their kid sometimes", Timon leaned against Mufasa's paw, only receiving staring from his both friends.

"Umm...I think I'd better start making food! Pumbaa, you're on!", he stepped back. Shaking his head, Mufasa put it back down.

"Mufasa, is there anything I can do to help?", Pumbaa asked.

"Thanks, but you are already doing more than I could ever ask. Without you, I would just wander headlessly all over the jungle."

"I'm glad we are useful", Pumbaa smiled. "And we will find Simba before you even know it."

Despite his friends tried to encourage him, but Mufasa was deeply depressed. This was not true. Simba was lost, again...and all because of him. He and Sarabi actually argued about this before.

"Where is our son Sarabi?!", Mufasa demanded to know.

"I think he is playing with his friends", Sarabi answered.

"Playing?! How many times I have told him to come home before the sunset? I bet he is exploring once again!"

"What bad is having a little adventure? We were cubs once as well honey."

"But he gets lost! He always does!"

"And when was the last time you actually spent some time with him?"

"I have my duties, you know it."

"And the kingdom is more important to you than our son?"

"I didn't say that!"

"Then stop being so negative! Simba will be fine."

"If you say so..."

Mufasa missed his beloved wife dearly. If Sarabi would have been here, she would eat her mate alive. Simba's safety was the most important thing to her. She was brave enough to throw her duties aside if it was needed. But Mufasa (back then) was more responsible. Of course, Simba was the number one priority to him as well, but the kingdom needed their king. And he knew very well that when Simba grows, he would want to hang out with his friends as well and not spend all the time with his parents. But that wasn't possible anymore.

"Mufasa! Hey Mufasa!"

"Oh?", Mufasa snapped back to reality.

"Are you sure you are doing okay? You aren't as confident as before."

"You are right...I'm sorry", Mufasa apologized. "But I'm slowly starting to lose my hope. No matter where we look, we can't find him..."

"Nonsense! Everything will get better when you eat", Timon nodded. "Here, take some!", he offered a roasted caterpillar. Standing up, Mufasa walked in front of the fire and lay down again.

"Well, perhaps one will do..."

"Awesome! And if you need more, Pumbaa and I can share one. You are our only hope to stand a chance against those idiots."

Watching how his sillier friends started eating, made Mufasa realize how kind they were. Despite their fear, they took two stranger lions in and dragged themselves into this mess with their own will. Maybe they had some disagreements in the past, but now, they had become a real family. As a matter of fact, Timon and Pumbaa reminded Mufasa of Zazu and Rafiki. Timon was a lot like his former majordomo. Strick, proud and a bit selfish. Pumbaa and Rafiki were wise in their own way but had weird habits.

They have done so much for us...I need to tell the truth. They deserve it.

"Uh Timon, Pumbaa?", Mufasa began. His friends turned to him.

"Yeah?"

"I...I need to tell you something."

"Okay, what?"

"Well, since you have been so helpful...I'm ready, to tell the truth about me and Simba."

"Really? But you said..."

"I know what I said. But I changed my mind. So, are you willing to hear it or not?"

"Sure", the duo moved closer. Clearing his dry throat, Mufasa started.

"Well...I'm not sure how to put this anyway. But shortly...Simba and I had to escape from our home. We had no choice. Otherwise, we would have been killed."

"Okay...", Timon said. "Killed by who?"

"By my evil brother. You see...very far from here lies a kingdom, called The Pridelands. It's a place where every animal lives in harmony with each other..."

"The Pridelands?!", Timon and Pumbaa said at the same, much to Mufasa's surprise.

"Y-yes...you know about it?"

"Of course! That's where we come from! Right, Pumbaa?"

"Oh yeah, I guess..."

"I see. Well, then you must know Pride Rock and the royal family living there."

"That stinky old rock? Nah, I don't go near that thing! Too big for my taste."

"Right...", Mufasa grunted. "But anyway, now comes the most important part. I...I'm the king of The Pridelands. And Simba is the crown prince as well as my successor."

Silence settled down the cave...until Timon and Pumbaa burst out laughing.

"HAHHHAHHH!"

"What...?", Mufasa stared. "What's so funny?"

"Hehe...can you imagine Pumbaa?! We are sharing the cave with a real king here! What a joke!"

"Indeed!"

"But I'm not joking! You have to believe me!"

"Hehheheh...sorry Mufasa, but we ain't that stupid...", Timon rolled on the ground, but stopped when saw the lion's serious face.

"Or maybe he's not joking...", Timon stood up, approaching his bigger friend.

"So, let me get this straight. You're the king...that king?! The one we have heard rumors about?!"

"I guess..."

"Oh dear...!", Timon said while Pumbaa stopped rolling.

"Look, I know this sounds insane. But I'm telling the truth!"

"Wow...wow...", Timon rubbed his head.

"King...? Your majesty! I gravel at your feet!", Pumbaa began to kiss Mufasa's leg. "Smooch, smooch!"

"Umm, would you please stop it?", Mufasa yanked his paw away. "Please."

"And it's grovel, not gravel", Timon smacked Pumbaa's head, then turned to Mufasa again. "Okay, so let me just think about this for a sec. So if you're the king, shouldn't you be in your kingdom? What are you doing out here?"

"We had no choice but to escape. As I told you before, Simba and I are in great danger if our whereabouts are discovered."

"But why?"

"Listen carefully, I can't repeat it over and over again", Mufasa pointed the duo lean closer. "But shortly the story goes like this. I have a brother, Scar. He is younger than me, so I inherited the throne from my father. But Scar wasn't happy about it, not at all. Instead, he was jealous, wanting to be king more than anything. And when Simba was born, he got between us in the line. It made him even angrier."

"Hrr...what a bad person!", Pumbaa shivered.

"Yep. So, what happened next?", Timon asked.

"Well, unfortunately, I didn't see how angry Scar actually was before he..."

"He, what?"

"He...he arranged a wildebeest stampede to kill me and Simba. I was able to save my son, but Scar threw me down into the herd...but luckily I avoided getting trampled. And like that's not enough, but he had hyenas under his control...and they surrounded our home. Our pride, Simba's mother...everyone is there. We had to escape, otherwise Scar would have killed us", Mufasa closed his eyes.

"Jeez, that's really nasty! So you fooled your bro by playing dead?"

"Yes. But it was a really close call."

"You poor things...I can't even imagine what it is like to lose a home!", Pumbaa said.

"That is a very sad thing", Timon agreed.

"You have no idea. So now you know why we had to leave. I promised Simba that someday, we are able to return...but to tell the truth, I'm not so sure about it anymore. This jungle has shown me its true colors. It's not a paradise, not at all. And the main reason why I hesitated to take you in wasn't actually trust...but because I'm sure Scar would not hesitate to get rid of our potential allies, thanks to his paranoia. So you are in danger as well..."

"Great...", Timon muttered. "But I can't really blame ya. You have been through a lot. And now you both are outcasts. Oh, the irony!"

"If you only knew. But now you know the truth. I'm not blaming you if you want to leave. No one should ever go through the same we did...", Mufasa sighed.

"Mufasa, Mufasa, Mufasa. How many times we have to tell you this? We are friends. Stop pushing us away! We truly wanna help you and that's the end of that. Got it?"

"Very well. But one thing I must ask."

"Go ahead."

"Well...how can you be so calm after what you heard?"

"I'm...I'm still trying to put this all together. But I'm really shocked, really am", Pumbaa nodded.

"Mm-hmm. Let me tell you something", Timon leaned against Mufasa's paw once more. "Look, I get it that your past is horrible and you are still coping with it. I'm not saying your bro did the right thing, but that's in the past now. You can't change it, so you have to move on. You and Simba are here, with us, right now. Well, not literally but you get my point."

"And...?", Mufasa raised his eyebrow.

"And, you have to focus on the future. Think about what the world has to offer! Now, you can be without rules and duties! Instead, you can be a good father to Simba!"

"Of course, but my whole life is tied up to Pride Rock. I can't just throw it away."

"But you said yourself you aren't sure can you return. Or do you have a plan to take your brother down?"

"No..."

"See? So you have to stop worrying about it. I sound maybe harsh, but wallowing in your misery is not helping. I learned that back at home."

"You did?", Mufasa and Pumbaa were surprised.

"Yes...I have lost a family member too. It was one of those days when I had to keep a watch. But I...fell asleep. And during that, we got attacked. Several meerkats were hurt...but my little cousin was nowhere to be found. So..."

"Oh god. You haven't told me anything like that before", Pumbaa wondered.

"We all have our secrets pal. And I still blame myself for it. But I can't change what happened, no matter how I would want to. That doesn't mean I don't care, sure I do. But at some point, you have to forgive yourself and let it go. That's what my Ma told me."

"Oh dear...I'm very sorry to hear about that", Mufasa said sadly. "And yes, you are right. As hard as it is, I have to keep myself together, for Simba. He's the most important thing to me which is left from our home. And I promised his mother, Sarabi to always protect him."

"Now you get my point. And we will get through this. All four of us", Timon smiled. But Pumbaa was thinking differently. He was so sensitive soul, that couldn't keep his emotions in check.

"Oh, you poor things...such a tragedy! And because of my clumsiness, little Simba is out there all alone...WAAAHHHHH!", he began to cry.

"Pumbaa, please!", Timon ran to Mufasa and grabbed his tail, covering himself.

"But I can't help it! I'm sorry!"

Mufasa stared at his friend. Finally, he lifted his paw and patted Pumbaa's head.

"There there now Pumbaa. It's not your fault."

"But it is! What if something happens to him?! WAAAHHH!"

Mufasa was unsure what he should do. Now, he felt ashamed of how he snapped at his warthog friend earlier. It wasn't his fault what those predators were planning.

"I...I swear I didn't mean to...", Pumbaa kept sobbing, when suddenly found himself leaning against Mufasa's chest as the lion had embraced him. Looking up, the unsure king stared back.

"Uhh..."

It was a bit awkward at first, but then Mufasa just closed his eyes and smiled. Looking at each other, Timon and Pumbaa shrugged and embraced their big protector.

*Fire crackling sounds*

This was the moment when the relationship between these three changed. The last remain pieces of alienation were now gone. They weren't strangers to each other anymore, but a family.

They were bonding.

*Later*

"Uhh", I need to have some fresh air", Timon stood up.

"But it's still raining pretty bad", Pumbaa said.

"Oh Pumbaa, I'm not made of sugar! But this smoky air makes my eyes burn. Just a moment", the meerkat headed outside. His friends kept staring the fire in complete silence, when...

"HELLPPPP!"

Jumping up, Mufasa and Pumbaa ran to the entrance, where they met a flock of vultures. One of them held Timon upside down.

"Timon!", Pumbaa gasped.

"Put him down, right now!", Mufasa commanded.

"Hah, in your dreams! This little one here is coming with us", vultures cracked back.

"No, he won't! I'll give you ten seconds! One, two...", Mufasa began, but Pumbaa cut him off.

"Mufasa, look out!", the warthog pushed the surprised king out of the way as big rocks landed in front of the entrance, trapping them inside.

"Hah hah ha! Well done fellows!"

"You sick chickens...was this part of your plans?!", Timon yelled.

"Correct. And now, we are gonna have a little trip", the flock flew into the storm, leaving Mufasa and Pumbaa in deep trouble...

TBC...