Hey guys, it's me!

Man, I can't believe how long it's taken me to get this chapter up DX DX DX It shouldn't be that hard to sit down and type up a chapter, but it has been. I feel like I've just been sleeping the days away when I'm not working because looking at my last post, there's only a little under 9 weeks left before baby is here O3O.

Holy muffins just where did the flipping time go?

And this actually would have been up a couple weeks ago, but I caught a pretty nasty cold. Since I still have to be very careful with what I take, it lasted a lot longer than it would have T_T. Feeling much better now, but I'm still waiting for the lingering soreness in my throat to finally go now.

Well enough of my excuses, before I let you guys off to read, let me take this opportunity to thank those who left their sweet reviews...


alucardgal: *presents the new chapter* Here ya go hun, sorry it's so late ^^;

fanalis1995: Yaaay! I'm glad to hear that you're enjoying my stories :D:D:D And thank you so very much! I'm still pretty excited, and I can't wait until he's here!

Lucinda Silver: Aww, thank you, I'm glad you like it X3 X3 X3. I think I've actually seen a couple stories that introduce a human character in it when I had enough free time to efficiently browse stories. I don't know if they're still up, but if you happen to find them I hope you enjoy them too :3 :3 :3.

And I really appreciate that, I tried really hard to do a good job with this and try to treat it kind of like a movie in a sense of what would I expect to happen for me to like it. X3

NatNicole: Lol, thanks, I'm glad you like it, I was hoping that I managed to do something fun that Simba, Timon and Pumbaa would do with him. Yeah, I think it would be hard for anyone to move on after losing such an amazing friend like Sarabi, but at least he has other amazing friends that he can count on too :D

leopard23jose: I do plan on putting just a few minor characters that we see from 'The Lion Guard' in it, but as much as I love Kion and the other members of the guard, I don't think any of them will be making an appearance because of personal preferences.

I-Love-Trunks1: You're welcome hun, I'm just sorry it took so long for me to post it XP. Lol, I couldn't just not use Hakuna Matata, especially since it would have been to perfect way for Simba, Timon and Pumbaa to get Ryan into better spirits and a great bonding moment between the four of them.

Thank you so very much for your review! I'll try my best to get more up!

Steelcode: Lol, You very welcome! :D:D:D

That's good, I really wanted Simba to relax a bit more now that he's back at the Oasis, give him a well deserved break from all the kingly duties for a bit and really let Hakuna Matata back into the picture X3.

Aww, thank you X3, I'll try to have more typed up as soon as I'm able!

Dave Bennett: Thank you, I'm glad you liked the chapter :D:D If anyone could cheer Ryan up, it would definitely be those three!

Thank you so very much again!

Jason Chandler: Thank you so much! Really looking forward to having him here. There's only 12 wees left, but now that it's so close it feels like it's starting to drag on forever XP. And I'm glad you enjoyed the story!

Jestalnaker94000: I'm so glad that you enjoyed the chapter! :D :D :D. And thank you so very much, getting pretty excited over here! XD

Just A Vistor: Well hello there! :3:3:3 Lol, I'm glad to hear that you look forward to new chapters, though I'm sure it would be better if the updates were a bit more frequent ^^; Aww, thank you so much! That's so sweet of you to say such nice things about my stories! X3 X3 X3

I'll try to get them posted, I know for sure I'm gonna be working on the next chapter for 'The Healing Path' after this, so hopefully that'll be up within the next few days.

And thank you so very much for your review, I truly appreciate your kind words :D:D:D


Thank you again for your reviews guys, I'm glad to hear that you still enjoy the story, even though I've been slacking in progress XP. But, I still hope you like the new chapter!


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Chapter 13: Of Crocs and Hippos


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"Guys, again, are you sure this is the best way to do this?" Ryan ground out for what felt like the twentieth time as he wobbled on the branch he stood on, trying to steady Pumbaa on his shoulders while the red warthog balanced Timon on his head as he looked through the thick leaves from the branch over their heads.

"Hey keep it down, I'm tryin' ta concentrate here!" Timon shot back before he resumed his search. "Besides, you said you'd help us find fruit beetles."

"Well yeah, but I didn't know I'd end up becoming the bottom of a tower!" Ryan said, grunting uncomfortably as Pumbaa's hooves dug into his shoulders before he shifted a bit to relive the pressure. "Isn't it easier to just climb up on the branch and look for them like normal?"

"What, and scare them all away?" the meerkat asked before he gave a laugh that made it sound like Ryan had just said something completely stupid.

"Fruit beetles get startled very easily, Ryan." Pumbaa explained helpfully. "They're not as rare as utamu, but they're just as hard to catch because they'll fly away."

"And I ain't gonna let that happen if I can help it!" Timon added firmly. "We'll even bring Simba some, and you're gonna try too! You won't say 'no' to having some grubs this time! Now move up a little more, would ya?"

Ryan rolled his eyes, more than highly doubtful that was ever going to happen if he managed to find them, but he gave a sigh and did as Timon asked as he took a couple of slow and careful steps further out along the branch. But the moment he stopped he was suddenly aware of a rather unnerving buzzing sound that filled his ears.

He looked left and saw nothing, but looking to his right, he almost missed it because of a cluster of leaves that fell over it, and immediately froze as his eyes widened to see that hanging in another neighboring branch across the way from them was the biggest nest of bees he had ever seen.

"Guys?" Ryan started, but they didn't seem to hear him.

"Fruit beetles are amazing, crunchy and juicy!" the red pig stated excitedly with a lick of his tusked chops.

"Guys..." the young man tried again, a bit louder, but again his voice fell on deaf ears.

"I know I saw some crawlin' around here the other day..." Timon said, mostly to himself as he pushed back more leaves.

Below them, Ryan stiffened when he saw that one of the black and yellow insects suddenly broke away from the other after it took notice of them, flying over to inspect this curious spectacle.

The raven haired young man pursed his lips tightly together as he fought the urge to let out a whimper, that old childhood fear of stinging bugs came back as the little bug flew so close to him. He gently began blowing at it with the hope that it would urge the bee into going away back to the hive. Unfortunately, that just seemed to irritate it and it let out an angry buzz before it suddenly surged forward at his face which made Ryan gave a loud gasp and instinctively leaned back, completely forgetting that he was still currently holding up Timon and Pumbaa on his shoulders.

A bad move on his part as it took his friends by total surprise and Ryan was left trying to desperately right himself to keep them from falling. It was in vain, however, as they finally toppled off the tree branch with Timon smacking his head painfully against the beehive before they crashed down in the thick foliage below.

The big leaves and greenery had managed to cushion their fall, but only slightly as it still hurt a great deal. And while they sat up with pain filled groans, Timon shot Ryan an indignant glare.

"What the heck was that, Ryan?!" He demanded angrily.

But Ryan didn't answer as he looked back up, sucking in a breath that cause Timon and Pumbaa to follow his gaze before they tensed worriedly as they watched to hive swing back and forth above them. But after a few seconds, they all exhaled long sighs of relief when it finally came to a stop still hanging on the branch...

SNAP!

The beehive came barreling down, making the trio jump a little as hit the ground with a heavy thud! between them and they stared at it for just a moment before exchanging horrified glances with each other.

"RUN FOR IIIIIT!" Timon yelled, prompting them to scrambled to their feet and dash out of there just as a swarm of thousands of enraged bees came spilling out of the hive before they gave chase to the ones responsible for knocking down their hive.

Timon and Pumbaa were practically screaming without taking any sort of breath off as they tore through the jungle with Ryan trying his best to stay right behind them. Though no matter how many twists and turns they made, they couldn't seem to shake the bees as they steadily began to close in on them.

Just when Ryan began to think that they weren't going to make it out of this unscathed, he suddenly noticed a break in the trees and bushes where he saw the sparkling surface of a river or maybe some kind of pond. He hesitated for a moment because, as he couldn't swim, he had no idea how deep it would be. But looking over his shoulder at the angry buzzing horde which was hot on their heels he decided that maybe, just maybe, drowning was a much better alternative than getting stuck all over by millions of stingers.

So without giving much warning, Ryan made himself run faster while scooping up Timon and Pumbaa right off their feet before he took a sharp turn and dashed through the shrubs towards the water.

"What the heck are ya doin'?!" Timon demanded.

"Hold your breath!" Ryan ordered.

"What?" the meerkat asked, flabbergasted.

"They're getting closer!" Pumbaa stated nervously.

He was right, any second now and they would be completely swarmed with bees. So without another thought, he yelled again for his friends to hold their breath before he made himself run faster and then jumped, sailing over the tall grasses and out as far over the water as he could get.

Feeling time slow down some as he stared nervously as the flowing river underneath him before he too sucked in a breath and the three of them splashed in beneath the surface.

To his surprise, he stopped much shorter than he expected as he felt himself slap against something, it wasn't the floor...maybe a boulder? But it felt strange, while it was hard and round like he expected rock to be, it seemed way too smooth...and kind of warm. The river was a bit too dark for him inspect what it was exactly, but when a muffled buzzing reached his ears and he just decided to cling to it so none of them would end up breaching water in any way.

At the surface, Ryan could just barely make out the dark cloud of their angry pursuers from the murky water as they hovered over the spot where they had seen them disappear. Under him, he could feel Timon and Pumbaa begin to squirm, and he didn't have to wonder why as his own lungs were beginning to burn painfully.

But while those bees still waited above them, all he could do was close his eyes and silently urge his friends to hold on just a little bit longer...

Finally, after what almost seemed like forever, the buzzing faded away. And when Ryan looked back up to see that nothing was over them anymore, he took the chance and flung himself and Timon and Pumbaa up to the surface, still sitting on the boulder beneath him while the three of them were coughing and inhaling air like there was no tomorrow.

"Wow, I thought we were goners for sure!" Pumbaa stated.

"Are you nuts?!" Timon snapped, looking at his soaking wet fur before fixing Ryan with a glare. "That was the best you could come up with?"

"I didn't hear you throwing out any idea's!" Ryan defended. "At least it got us out of trouble now, didn't it?"

"Uhh, Ryan?" Pumbaa suddenly began before Timon and Ryan could argue any further. "I'm not exactly sure we're out of trouble just yet..."

Concerned that the bees might have been coming back, Ryan looked back and forth to see where they might be coming from. He was confused at first to find nothing around them but some logs on the water, until he realized that they weren't logs, but a float of big, green and mean looking crocodiles.

Talk about out of the frying pan and into croc infested waters!

Chest deep in water while sitting on the big rock, Ryan knew they were more than easy pickings. But as he turned his body towards the shore with the intent to stand up and jump as far and as fast as he could back to land, he saw that there was another crocodile there waiting for him with an almost malicious, toothy smile.

He wasn't as big as the others that were slowly closing in on them, he might have still been a juvenile, but even a young croc like him was still big enough to rip Ryan's arm off if given the chance. Though instead of immediately attacking them like he thought, the crocodiles suddenly paused their advance while the young one lifted up his head and gave them another unnerving crocodile grin.

"What's the trouble, friend?" he asked them, but his tone didn't seem all that friendly. "That was a mighty big splash you made."

"I...we were getting chased by bees." Ryan explained hesitantly, his hazel eyes leaving him for only a second in order to check on the distances of the other crocodiles. "Sorry, I had no idea this river was occupied."

"Oh, no need to be sorry. In fact, me'n my float was just wondering what we were gonna have for lunch today." the croc stated, the smirk on his toothy maw widening. "Thanks to you boys, I think we finally figured that out..."

Chuckles from his float made Ryan swallow at the lump in his throat while Timon and Pumbaa trembled in his arms. And when the others started to close in on them once again, He frantically tried to think of ways he could possibly get them out of this bad situation. But it was looking pretty hopeless as nothing came to mind the riverbank was too far to make a jump for it, and the crocs would be on him in seconds if he tried to wade away.

Incredibly, he didn't really have to do anything as the boulder he was sitting suddenly on gave a shudder, making him let out a loud gasp before he felt himself get lifted right up out the water until he saw that he was sitting on the back of a huge, gray hippopotamus. And upon hearing a series of more splashes, Ryan looked all around and saw a whole pod of hippos rising out of the water as well that made the other crocodiles fall back, looking surprised as well as annoyed by these turn of events.

"I don't think eating these three would sit all that well with Simba, Makuu." The hippo the Ryan still sat on finally said, after what felt like an extremely long standoff, as he stared down at the young crocodile with a disapproving look. "Don't tell me you didn't already take that into consideration."

"Feh, what do I care about what that lion would like or not?" the croc, now named Makuu, scoffed. "Anything that jumps headfirst in our turf is fair game, Basi!"

"Well, you might have been right about that if we were still in the Pridelands." Basi the hippo stated. "But ever since that fire, this jungle is neutral ground for everyone and they need to know that they can find a drink anywhere without the worry of danger; besides, plenty of fish pass through this river to feed you and your float two times over until it's safe to return home."

"Well, maybe we're hungry for something other than fish!" Makuu growled threateningly.

Ryans heart began to race as his ears were filled with crocodile hisses and agitated grunts from the hippos. If these guys got in a fight with each other while Timon, Pumbaa and himself were stuck right there in the middle of it, they were going to be in quite a pinch.

Thankfully, before anything could escalate further, a voice shouting out made everyone immediately stop what they were doing.

"What's going on here?!"

Looking over his shoulder, Ryan saw a few crocodiles making their way over to them, a bigger and older looking one taking up the front. He must have been the leader of this float from the way the crocs, who tried to attack him and his friends, quickly cleared a path for him to go through.

"So there you are Pua." Basi greeted, turning around to meet him, smiling as though he was seeing an old friend. "Good to see you."

"Likewise, Basi, but what's happened?" the old croc asked, concern on his long, leathery face. "Surely our having to share this river hasn't made your herd so less tolerant that you'd actually pick a fight?"

"Pick a fight?! He's the one keeping that guy from eating us!" Timon stated before Basi could answer, thrusting an accusing finger back at Makuu. Who was just quietly sitting there in the water with a very sour expression on his scaly face.

Pua's eyes narrowed a bit before he went around Basi and moved to be before Makuu. Not saying anything as he held the youngers glare with unwavering authority.

"Is that true?" Pua asked in a tone of voice that seemed soft, but also very firm at the same time.

"So what if it is?!" Makuu snapped angrily. "We crocodiles have a right to any food we can get!"

Upon hearing that, Pua gave a long sigh, almost like a tired father after hearing the same argument for the hundredth time from a rebellious son.

"I told you, all of you, we must do our part to maintain harmony during our stay." Pua explained patiently. "And that involves us staying our bite for the time being."

The other crocodiles seemed to avert their eyes, seeming somewhat ashamed, but Makku was the only one who didn't share the sentiment as he gave a scoff, holding his head up arrogantly as looked Pua in the eye with a disrespectful sneer.

"You know, sometimes I think you may be gettin' too old 'n soft to be leader..." he commented with a slight hiss in his tone.

A hush suddenly fell over the river after his jab, and Ryan could swear that felt the air tense. But instead of getting angry and leaping into a fight with the young croc to teach him a lesson for the disrespect he showed, Pua masked anything he might have been feeling save for mild annoyance.

"There is a big difference between being soft and being wise, Makuu." Pua said evenly. "But I welcome anyone to declare mashindano if they feel my leadership is in question...are you confident enough to challenge me this day?"

Ryan didn't know what this mashindano meant, but it must have been pretty serious as Makuus' attitude suddenly changed and he immediately backed down. Keeping his head low and grumbling to himself as he began swimming further upstream with the other members of his float behind him.

"Well, I'm sorry for the kurbubble, Pua." Basi apologized before Pua could follow. "I just didn't want Simba's friends getting gobbled up or your float to get in any trouble because of that headstrong youngster there."

"Don't be, my friend." Pua said with a smile before letting out a laugh. "Yes, Makuu is young and impetuous, but he strives to follow the crocodile way. No matter where the float goes."

He then looked towards Ryan, Timon and Pumbaa from their place atop Basis' back.

"Try to keep that in mind the next time you three decide to drop in on us in the future." He warned. "Basi won't always be there to save you, and there's no telling how much longer Makuu will choose follow me as crocodile leader."

And with that, the old croc made his farewell as he started towards where his float disappeared upstream. Leaving Ryan and his friends breathing a long sigh of relief as it seemed they were finally out of danger and making Basi let out a chuckle at their reaction before he turned and slowly started towards the riverbank.

"You live long enough, and you'll see everything." Basi commented, mostly to himself. "Well, I believe it's time you fellas' should be on your way.

"Um, yeah." Ryan agreed as he then felt a little embarrassed by all the commotion they had caused on their simple quest to look for bugs. "Listen, what you did for us back there...thanks a lot."

"Oh yeah, that was awful swell of ya to help us out." Pumbaa added in a friendly tone.

"Aw, don't mention it." Basi insisted as he climbed up to dry ground and let Ryan slide off his back before he put Timon and Pumbaa back on their feet. "Any friend of the king is a friend to me and my pod."

He turned back and nodded to the other hippos, signaling them to move on as well down the other end of the river before he turned back and gave the three of them a big, good-natured smile.

"Feel free to stop by and visit." The hippo told them. "Though maybe try and make an announcement instead of jumping on my back."

Ryan returned Basi's smile with a grin and they all waved goodbye as he went back into the water to take his pod somewhere down the river until they were on their own. And sharing glances with each other, they began to make their way through the jungle back to Simba and his pride in silence before Timon was the first to break it.

"So, what'dya guys say ta going back and lookin' for those fruit beetles?" he asked.

Pumbaa would have happily agreed to it, but after that whole fiasco, Ryan decided he wasn't gonna hear any more about it. Not now, or ever again.

"Oh no, no way!" Ryan quickly stated, picking up his pace and moving ahead of them with his arms waving defiantly. "Falling out of a tree, getting chased by bees, almost getting eaten by crocodiles, I can say with absolute confidence that I am never helping you two look for bugs again for as long as I live!"


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And that's a wrap for this chapter, finally, *faints* I hope you guys liked the chapter, and while I'd like to say that the next one will be posted sooner, there's just no way for me to tell at this point.

So in advance, I'd like to say how much I truly appreciate your patience with me, you guys are awesome!