Yay! I actually made someone cry! I haven't lost my touch! ::hands Jedi some tissues.:: But I have a feeling when I do the death scene I'll make more than just Jedi cry. Don't worry, Buzz is sticking around another chapter... or is he? ::evil grin, then gets out the Oreos Tash gave her.:: ... BTW, Tash sweetie, if you're going to give me cookies for good chapters, the authoress needs milk to dunk the 'em in. ::really hates those 'Got Milk' commercials... or at least the early ones...::
Chapter 5:
Hours that seemed like days had passed by as the sun finally rose over the savanna. Timon, ever the late sleeper, relied on Pumbaa's shadow to block the sun from beating down on him early in the morning. Pumbaa was sleeping on his back by this time, mumbling "grubs, grubs" every now and again. Ma was already awake, but she was off looking for breakfast. She had almost forgotten the harder life outside of Timon's oasis when it came to gathering bugs. She pushed a few blades a grass aside, looking for a good spot to start digging for bugs. As she pushed a few more blades aside, she came across a very large, furry, and pink nose. Her eyes widen and she screamed. That woke Timon up quick.
"Ma!" Timon got up and ran to where he heard his mother scream. "Ma! Ma! Are you all right? Speak to me!" Timon tried to get her to talk, trying to confirm she was still alive. His heart leaped into his throat when she didn't respond. "Oh please, no..." He ran faster, practically screaming, "MA!" He skid to a halt when he finally found her, lying on the ground. Fearing the worst, he panted and slowly approached her. If you're dead, it's all my fault for letting you come with me out here... he thought to himself. As he drew closer, he slowed his stepping, clutching his chest as his heartbeat quickened so fast it out-beat a hummingbird's. When he was finally within an inch of her, he let out a very relieved sigh when he heard her breathing. His heartbeat returned to normal, then he kneeled down to her. "Ma? Did you just faint?" He stiffened when he heard the grass rustling. He lifted his mother up a bit, and held her against him, protecting her best her could. "OK, whoever's out there, you've got a lot of nerve sneaking up on a woman! I've got a warthog, and I'm not afraid to use him!" Of course he knew how well Pumbaa could sleep. Even if he screamed, Pumbaa would probably be too late to save him. He heard the rustling again, this time behind him. He turned to look, watching the grass sway with no wind. He panted, and then lightly slapped Ma's face. "Ma, Ma, would ya get up? I can't carry you!" He heard a growl, and then gulped. "Simba and-or Nala, if that's you, this isn't very funny!" The growl softened, but sensed it was growing closer. Timon began to sweat, "OK, but you're gonna be in big trouble with the king when he finds out you've eaten one of his best friends and his best friend's mother! Just make it fast if you do!" He closed his eyes tightly and clutched his mother closer. He shuddered as he felt an animal breathing on the back of his neck.
"Timon?" Timon opened his eyes, then exhaled, now looking more annoyed than he was scared.
"Pumbaa! What's the big idea scaring me and Ma like that?" Timon looked up at Pumbaa, who had a questionable look on his face.
"What do you mean? I just got here." The hair on the back of Timon's neck stood on end.
"You mean that wasn't you growling and moving through the grass like some scary growling-moving-through-the-grass thing?"
"Nope. I woke up when I heard you screaming 'Ma!' Is she all right?" Pumbaa leaned over to look at her.
"Yeah, I think she just fainted... but if you were over by the water hole... then... who...?" Just as Timon was about to finish his sentence, they heard a roar behind them. That woke Ma up, and then the three of them let out a few screams.
"Mommy!" Pumbaa whimpered as he bowed down to the ground and covered his head with his hooves. Timon clung to his mother, who in turned clung to Timon. They eased their grips when they heard a familiar laugh behind them.
"I may be king, but that doesn't mean I don't know how to have fun," the large lion grinned as he lowered his face down to their levels.
Pumbaa peeked out from under one of his hooves. "Simba?"
"Simba! When are you gonna act your age?" Timon stood and dusted himself off. Ma stood and looked up at the lion.
"You've beefed up, sire," she said. Simba grinned. He had grown some extra muscles since he became king. With the muscles, he resembled his father Mufasa that much closer.
"Simba, you remember Ma," Timon gestured.
"How could I forget? When we first met at the oasis, she did something weird with your hair," Simba grinned as Timon pushed a paw through his hair. "So, what are you doing here?"
"We're going... uh, we're going... say, where are we going exactly?" Pumbaa asked the two meerkats.
"The outer edge of the Kalahari, where our tunnels used to be," Ma said.
"Oh, boy! I get to see where Timon grew up!" The plump warthog jumped around a bit when he finally learned where they were going... up until now, he was just focused on hearing more about Timon's father Buzz.
"It's not the most glamorous place you've ever seen... simple surroundings where I grew up... with danger lurking around almost every bend," Timon acted dramatically.
Simba let out a chuckle, "Yeah, I'll bet."
"Danger as far as meerkats go anyway," Ma said.
"Would you like to come with us, Simba?" Pumbaa asked, then got elbowed in the side by Timon. "Ow! What was that for?"
"Pumbaa, Simba's a king now. He has better things to do than visit my father's grave," Timon said in a low voice and through clenched teeth.
"Your father's grave?" Simba listened in. Timon jumped when he heard Simba echo his last words. He grunted, now Simba knew where they were going.
"Oh, so that's what we're gonna see there!" Pumbaa smiled, then frowned when Timon was giving him a dirty look. Timon turned to Simba and smiled, then walked over to Simba and pushed on his front leg, trying to get him to move.
"Well, great to see you again, Simba. Too bad you gotta go. We'll come visit you and the missus on the way back!" Timon said, then fell flat on his face when Simba lifted his foot up.
"Aww, Timon, you just had a bath," Ma said as Timon lifted his face up from the dirt. Simba chuckled again.
"Yeah. I think I will tag along, for a while at least."
"Great! Heh heh, just great," Timon mumbled as he brushed the dirt off his face.
"Having a lion around may not be such a bad idea, Timmy," Ma said as she climbed onto Pumbaa's back. Timon sighed and followed in suit. Simba and Pumbaa began to walk away.
"You guys didn't run into anything with big teeth on the way here, have you?" Simba asked.
"Just you, so far," Pumbaa said.
"Yeah, but if I was out here all alone, like I started out," Timon said a little sternly, "then I'da been stalked by Martial eagles, hyenas, maybe a tailfor..."
"What's a tailfor?" Pumbaa asked.
Timon looked back at Pumbaa's backend as a few flies started buzzing around. "For swatting flies." Pumbaa's tail swatted the flies away and Timon started laughing, then found himself being the only one laughing. "Oy. Trying to lighten my mood here, people. Isn't that what you wanted? Ah, forget it." He laid back on Pumbaa's back.
Ma leaned over towards Simba. "Ever since he was reminded of his father, he's been less than cheerful lately." Simba noticed the saddened expression on Timon's face. He could read it like a book.
"How did his father die?" Simba whispered to Pumbaa.
"Hyenas," Pumbaa replied. Simba's face winced.
"So, how far of a walk do you think it is?" Simba asked.
"We should get there by the time the sun's directly overhead," Ma said.
"Great!" Pumbaa cheered.
"Yeah... great," Timon said as he lowered his eyes and turned over onto his stomach.
"While we walk, do you have another story you wanna tell, Mrs. Ma?" Pumbaa asked.
Ma put a finger to her chin. "Well, let's see... you want something with Buzz in it... well, maybe... no, the time Timon started babysitting was after Buzz. Hmm..."
"Timon? Babysitting?" Pumbaa thought of Timon with three or four meerkat pups pulling on his tail, climbing onto his back, basically being sweet little brats. He stopped in his tracks and started laughing. Timon blushed and then he growled as he leaped onto Pumbaa's snout, grabbed onto his tusks, and pulled him down to the ground.
"Hey! You're not being very supportive, Porky!" Timon grunted as he tried pulling Pumbaa by the tusks, actually trying to wrestle with him.
"Timon. Timon!" Simba picked Timon up with a paw, relieving Pumbaa of the sudden outburst. Timon panted, then crossed his arms in front of his chest. Ma hardly noticed as she continued thinking of an appropriate story to tell, then she noticed Simba holding Timon up.
"Aww, Timon, you're so cute when you pout," she smiled. Timon kept his hard look and hmphed with a light blush in his cheeks. Simba set him back down to the ground.
"What were you, Timon, a professional wrestler in your colony?" Pumbaa asked as he rubbed his snout.
"Nah, I just caught you off guard. That was play fighting," Timon said as he climbed back onto Pumbaa's back.
"Play fighting? Well, it's not much to go on, but I can tell you about some play fighting between Timon and Buzz," Ma said.
"Well, better than silence," Simba said.
"Sigh," Timon said to himself as his mother began telling another story.
4 1/2 years ago...
Timon, now a taller five-month-old meerkat pup, climbed out of the tunnel, then inhaled deeply. He exhaled softly and smiled when he felt the sun warm his fur. He waved over to Pete, who was on sentry duty again. Since the Martial Eagle attack last month, Pete has recovered nicely... except he now had a talon-shaped scar on his back. But it didn't matter to him. "Morning, Pete!"
"Hey, Timon!"
"Do you know where Pop is?"
"Over on the north side," Pete gestured with his thumb. "Want me to tell him you're coming?"
"Don't you dare, Pete! I wanna get him today," Timon rubbed his paws together schemingly. Pete grinned a knowing grin and nodded. He gestured a "go ahead" motion with his arm, sending Timon on his way with a chuckle. Timon saw Buzz digging for bugs. He slowed down and waited for Buzz to come back up for some air. Timon grinned as Buzz came up and then he jumped onto Buzz's back with a yell. Buzz shouted and fell back down into the hole with Timon.
"Timon!"
"Got ya, didn't I, Dad?" Buzz climbed out of the hole with Timon clinging to his back. He pried Timon's paws off and then set him down in front of him.
"Yes, but you don't sneak up on someone when they're eating, pup. Bad manners. They could choke on their maggots."
"Aw, you're just sore that I surprised you," Timon pouted and folded his arms in front of his chest.
"I'm sore and not because you surprised me," Buzz said as he leaned backwards to pop his back back into its correct position. Timon grimaced.
"You're no fun, Dad," he said as he started to walk away. Buzz grinned and then launched himself onto Timon, causing the pup to yell in surprise. "Dad!"
"What's the matter, pup? I thought you liked surprises," Buzz said as he put Timon in a headlock. Timon growled and started to wrestle back, eventually managing to pin his father down. This continued for about 20 minutes until his father pinned Timon down to the count of ten. "Ha!" Buzz grinned as he got up, offering to help Timon help. Timon took his paw and stood up. "Timon, you have to work harder. Suppose I was a rogue meerkat or something trying to muscle his way into the mob and you were the only one around. I keep winning. Don't tell me you're afraid to hurt me."
"Kinda, yeah."
Buzz sighed, then bent over to Timon's level, and ruffled his hair. "I've told you before, it's just play fighting, not actual claw fights."
"I know, but you have more muscles than I do," Timon said, poking at Buzz's arm.
"Heh, guess so. Guess I don't know my own strength. Maybe you should try wrestling with the other pups, champ."
"I try, but none of the other pups wanna fight with me... at least in the play kind. They don't like me for some reason. And Mom... well..."
Buzz grimaced, "'Nuff said. What about Uncle Max?"
"He's still kinda upset with me for bringing down the west wall in the east wing," Timon quietly said as he twiddled his fingers together. "I have a feeling he'd rather real fight me."
"Yeah, but you know Uncle Max. He's like that all the time. Besides, he'd be hard to bring down... he's the direct definition of 'stiff.'" Timon and Buzz laughed a bit, then Timon sighed.
"I know. So I guess you're the only one who'll actually wrestle with me the way we both want... and you're like almost all muscles."
Buzz smiled and ruffled Timon's hair again. "Sorry, pal. I'll try to ease up next time you try surprise attack me. You're just a pup after all."
"I'll try, Dad. Really, I will."
"I know you will, pup. C'mon, let's go grab some more grubs," Buzz said as he led Timon away.
Present...
"Timon's father was quite the wrestler," Ma said when she finished her story. "Although Timon could never quite beat him."
"Eh, no one in the colony could beat him really," Timon said as he laid back on Simba's back.
"Why are you riding on Simba?" Pumbaa asked. Timon had his eyes closed, so he opened an eye to look over at Pumbaa.
"Cuz I wanna see your face when Ma makes story suggestions to make sure you're not thinking something funny."
"You don't trust me?"
"Oh, I do... I just don't trust your funny bone."
"It shouldn't be that much further, Pumbaa," Simba said as he looked up at the position of the sun.
"Great!"
"Yeah... great," Timon said softly, then he put a paw over his heart. He looked up at the sky, watching the clouds go by as the lion and warthog continued to walk closer to their destination.
To be continued...