"Pumbaa," Timon whispered urgently, coming around to his friend's side. "Do
you think you can get up?"
"I... I might be able to..." the warthog replied groggily.
Timon frowned at him for a moment, before he looked up and watched as the human approached. Gulping, Timon dropped his gaze to his friend's and said, "I want you to jump up when I tell you to. Can you do that?"
Pumbaa took a breath and nodded.
"Okay," Timon replied, hunching down a little.
The human furrowed his brow, looking confused as to how the meerkat had gotten out his cage and into the warthog's. He bent down and reached for the latch on the door, cautiously opening it to retrieve the stole-away meerkat.
"Now!" Timon shouted and Pumbaa sprang to his feet with impressive force, throwing the door open and knocking the human to his rear.
"Yay!" Chelsea cheered.
Timon leaped onto Pumbaa's back and together, they hurdled over the fallen human, heading straight for their only exit. But, just as they reached the opening, the female stepped in and Pumbaa rammed right into her legs. Pumbaa bounced back, hitting the dirt and sending Timon tumbling off his back.
The girl shouted in alarm at having the warthog lose, but wasted only a second before she reached down and tried to grab at the animal. Pumbaa snorted in surprise and quickly evaded her grasp, darting backward to the other side of the tent.
Timon lifted his head up from the ground, but was too fazed to move when he saw a hand come down on him. He let out a surprised yelp when he was picked up by the back of his neck, the grasp seeming to paralyze him as he was lifted to the man's sneering face.
"Timon!" Pumbaa exclaimed after looking desperately around.
"Run Pumbaa!" Timon shouted, withering in the human's painful grip. "Make a break for it!"
Pumbaa's face dropped for a moment, unable to move from his planted spot in the corner. But, with a low snort and his ears pinned to his head, Pumbaa shot off toward the pair of monsters and collided with the man's knees so hard it sent both he and the warthog through the opening. The man fell to the ground, but still managed to keep his hold on the poor meerkat. Timon hissed when he was whipped around, the skin on his neck surging like fire.
"Let him go!" Pumbaa cried, climbing up off the ground and running at the man again. His tusks hit him good in the side and the human howled, dropping Timon onto the ground with a thud.
Timon groaned and rubbed the back of his neck, but he had no time to recover before he was being scooped up by his friend's snout and carried away.
"Wait! Wait!" Timon said, turning his head to look back at the tent. "We have to go back and get Chelsea."
"Who?" Pumbaa asked, slowing a little and shooting the tent a look.
"She's a ferret. She was in a cage next to me."
"Oh, Timon," Pumbaa wined, frowning. "I don't want to go back there."
"We'll come back at night," Timon replied, looking down at his friend. "We have to try, Pumbaa."
"I know," Pumbaa sighed, turning and trotting away.
"I... I might be able to..." the warthog replied groggily.
Timon frowned at him for a moment, before he looked up and watched as the human approached. Gulping, Timon dropped his gaze to his friend's and said, "I want you to jump up when I tell you to. Can you do that?"
Pumbaa took a breath and nodded.
"Okay," Timon replied, hunching down a little.
The human furrowed his brow, looking confused as to how the meerkat had gotten out his cage and into the warthog's. He bent down and reached for the latch on the door, cautiously opening it to retrieve the stole-away meerkat.
"Now!" Timon shouted and Pumbaa sprang to his feet with impressive force, throwing the door open and knocking the human to his rear.
"Yay!" Chelsea cheered.
Timon leaped onto Pumbaa's back and together, they hurdled over the fallen human, heading straight for their only exit. But, just as they reached the opening, the female stepped in and Pumbaa rammed right into her legs. Pumbaa bounced back, hitting the dirt and sending Timon tumbling off his back.
The girl shouted in alarm at having the warthog lose, but wasted only a second before she reached down and tried to grab at the animal. Pumbaa snorted in surprise and quickly evaded her grasp, darting backward to the other side of the tent.
Timon lifted his head up from the ground, but was too fazed to move when he saw a hand come down on him. He let out a surprised yelp when he was picked up by the back of his neck, the grasp seeming to paralyze him as he was lifted to the man's sneering face.
"Timon!" Pumbaa exclaimed after looking desperately around.
"Run Pumbaa!" Timon shouted, withering in the human's painful grip. "Make a break for it!"
Pumbaa's face dropped for a moment, unable to move from his planted spot in the corner. But, with a low snort and his ears pinned to his head, Pumbaa shot off toward the pair of monsters and collided with the man's knees so hard it sent both he and the warthog through the opening. The man fell to the ground, but still managed to keep his hold on the poor meerkat. Timon hissed when he was whipped around, the skin on his neck surging like fire.
"Let him go!" Pumbaa cried, climbing up off the ground and running at the man again. His tusks hit him good in the side and the human howled, dropping Timon onto the ground with a thud.
Timon groaned and rubbed the back of his neck, but he had no time to recover before he was being scooped up by his friend's snout and carried away.
"Wait! Wait!" Timon said, turning his head to look back at the tent. "We have to go back and get Chelsea."
"Who?" Pumbaa asked, slowing a little and shooting the tent a look.
"She's a ferret. She was in a cage next to me."
"Oh, Timon," Pumbaa wined, frowning. "I don't want to go back there."
"We'll come back at night," Timon replied, looking down at his friend. "We have to try, Pumbaa."
"I know," Pumbaa sighed, turning and trotting away.