Wow, got a lot of reviews since I posted Chapter 10... and they weren't all from 10. I'm glad I can amuse you guys with surprises (Timon punching Makali) and fun lines ("No one calls my father an idiot except my mother."). ::Giggle.:: Now, you notice for this chapter, Timon, Pumbaa, and Zuri aren't here with me. Cuz I wanna keep you guys guessing whether or not Zuri lives. I know, I'm evil. I love it! ::Cackle.:: Ahem, OK, where was I? Oh yeah, intro. Let us begin.
PS, I'm not the best at writing action sequences without my muse, so I'm sorry if it disappoints. ::Sniff:: I miss my muse. Wish her computer was fixed.
Chapter 11:
Timon climbed out of the tunnel and looked around. He noticed Pumbaa padded over to him.
"So, where is she?" Timon asked as he dusted his fur off.
"The tracks go that way," Pumbaa motioned with his head.
Timon sniffed the air. "Good news. I don't smell blood yet." He motioned for Pumbaa to follow him as he followed the tracks. There were meerkat tracks covered over by hyena tracks, the size of them making Timon shiver. He stopped a moment, and put a paw to his chin.
Pumbaa didn't notice as he walked over Timon. He noticed Timon was no longer in front of him and looked back at him. "What is it, Timon?"
"We're in the Pride Lands... and the last time we faced hyenas solo, you and I both got knocked into a rock."
"Yeah... so?" Pumbaa wasn't quite understanding where Timon was going.
"So, Pumbaa, we're in the neighborhood. Why don't we get help from Simba and the others? They're bigger and better and more successful at fighting hyenas than us!"
"Oh, I get it! But what about Zuri?"
"I'll look for Zuri, you go get the lions."
"What if the hyena is with her?"
Timon thought for a moment. "I'm very good at running away." Pumbaa arched a brow. "Pumbaa, would you just go? I'll be fine, trust me." He pulled Pumbaa down to his level. "Just, uh... try not to tell my mother I volunteered to do this."
"If your mother finds out I left you alone--"
"She won't if you don't tell her!" Pumbaa grimaced as he nodded and started trotting towards Pride Rock. Timon gulped again and continued to follow the tracks. "Here, Zuri, Zuri, Zuri..." He stopped and ducked behind some tall grass when he saw the backside of a hyena. The hyena was growling and started digging near the bottom of a large rock. Timon gulped a third time and slowly came out from behind the grass. He snuck up to the hyena and sank his teeth into the hyena's back right leg. The hyena howled in pain and started kicking his back legs to get him off.
Zuri poked her head out from under the rock to see what happened. "Timon?"
Timon dropped from the hyena's leg and ran over to Zuri. He turned his head to the side to spit out the hair. "Yuck! Nasty aftertaste."
"Timon, you made it!" Zuri wrapped her arms around him, suddenly forgetting the situation.
Timon forgot about the situation himself briefly, but then snapped back to reality. "Sorry, Zuri, but we'll have to continue this later!" He grabbed onto her arm and started to run with her. They skid to a halt when the hyena jumped in front of them.
"Boo!"
"Yah!" both Timon and Zuri yelped, Zuri getting behind Timon. Timon looked up at the hyena and gulped again.
"You..." the hyena growled as he approached them. Timon and Zuri backed away.
"Oh, of all the hyenas I had to run into, it had to be you..." Timon said, noticing the scars on the hyena's nose.
"You know him?" Zuri asked.
"He was part of the pack of hyenas that killed my father." He turned back to the hyena with a nervous smile. "You're looking good, uh... gee, I never did get your name."
"Mataka. And you're looking good... enough to eat."
"Do you always have to be hungry whenever we meet? And consider your age. Is it a good thing to eat meat? Don't you need dentures yet?"
"Timon, what are you doing asking such stupid questions?" Zuri whispered into Timon's ear.
"Waiting for help to arrive, I'll bet," Mataka said. Mataka looked behind the two meerkats and grinned. "And here's my help."
Zuri looked back and gulped. "Uh, Timon..." Timon held Zuri close as he looked to see five hyenas approaching them.
"Are you so afraid of one meerkat that you need a whole pack to kill him off?" Timon nervously asked.
Mataka pressed his nose against Timon's fur and bared his teeth. "You're more trouble than your worth, so I'm going to make sure this is our last meeting."
Timon shook his head, "Tsk tsk tsk. You'd think after two meetings, you'd learn..."
Mataka blinked, "Learn what?"
Timon swiped his paw across the hyena's nose, "Never put your nose down to my level unless you're looking for another set of scars!" Mataka reared his head and yelped. Timon grabbed Zuri's arm and ran underneath the hyena. The other hyenas ran after them.
"What were you doing outside anyway?" Timon asked as they continued running.
"Now isn't really--" Zuri began.
"It could be the only time! Why?"
"I panicked. I didn't wanna marry Makali and it was apparent my parents weren't going to get to know you and approve of you. So I was gonna go to Pride Rock to ask for directions to your oasis."
"You actually disobeyed your father... to be with me?"
"Yeah..."
"I'm flattered." Timon looked ahead, seeing the tunnels in view. "Get ready..."
"For what?!"
Timon didn't answer. When they were close enough to the tunnels, Timon held his breath and threw Zuri forward and down into one of the tunnel entrances. Before Timon could jump in, a hyena blocked the entrance. Timon scrambled to the other side and started running again.
Zuri tumbled down, grunting loudly. The meerkats in the central meeting tunnel rushed to see what that was. They stopped in their tracks when they realized it was Zuri.
"Zuri!" Dalila rushed over to her daughter and hugged her. "Oh, sweetie, are you all right?"
"Yes, but Mom, lemme go!" Zuri pulled away from her mother's grip. She looked up towards the entrance. "He's not coming... We have to go up there and help Timon. He's still up there facing the hyenas!"
"Why should we help him? He's not of our colony, so he's none of our concern," Makali, who was rubbing his swollen jaw, said.
"He's right, Zuri. If he's truly the son of Fearless Buzz, he can take care of himself," Shomari nodded.
Zuri stood and dusted herself off as she walked towards him. "But Papa--"
"He's not a member of our colony, so he doesn't count. So why don't you--?" He was interrupted by a strong slap on the cheek. He was in shock, only dumbly putting a paw on his red cheek as his daughter Zuri waved her paw in the air. The rest of the colony stood there, stunned.
"Ow, that hurt," Zuri mumbled to herself, kissing her paw.
Shomari seemed to regain his senses, because his face grew angry. "Young lady, how dare you--?"
"No, Shomari! How dare YOU?! If you even cared about me, you would've been outside looking for me like Timon! Don't I have a right to slap you for being a poor father?"
"YOU'RE the one who left the tunnels when I told you not to! Before that rogue you didn't have any problem obeying me! I thought it might teach you a lesson!"
"At least if I was eaten, it would've been better than being forced to marry someone I DON'T love!"
"Zuri..." Dalila sounded surprised.
Zuri's expression softened. "I don't like this life, Papa. I didn't want to marry Makali and try to grow to love him over time. Please... if you care for me at all, at least help Timon."
Shomari looked at her for a few moments. "To say such things... am I to assume that you love him?"
Zuri was silent for a few moments, and then she nodded. "I do. So please, Papa?" Shomari turned to look at his colony.
"We can't tell you what to do, Shomari. She's your daughter," a meerkat said. The others nodded in agreement. Shomari grunted, and then looked down at his feet.
...
Up above Timon was being chased by the pack of hyenas. He was keeping them away from the tunnels to keep the colony safe. As the hyenas nipped at his heels Timon kept asking himself--
"What's keeping that warthog?!" He skid to a halt when he reached a yawning canyon. He gulped when he noticed the darkness below. "What's going on here? There's suppose to be a dam here! Those lazy construction workers didn't rebuilt it yet!" He turned around to walk back, forgetting about the hyenas, and found himself surrounded by them. "Yipe."
Mataka strolled up to Timon. "No way out except down, so we end this now."
Timon panted as he looked around, panicking. He backed away from the approaching hyena, until he felt he ran out of room to back away. He looked down at the canyon, then back at the hyena. He panted a bit more, then held his breath and jumped backwards into the steep canyon.
"What?!" Mataka growled and peered down into the canyon, expecting to see Timon disappear into the darkness. Instead he saw Timon clinging to a thick root at the edge of the wall. Mataka grinned, "Out of the frying pan and into the fire. Someone go get him!"
"He's your enemy. You get him," a female barked.
"I can't reach that far with my bad back," Mataka retorted.
"But you're the biggest out of us..."
While the hyenas argued back and forth, Timon was fighting to keep his grip on the root. He couldn't get a proper foothold, so he was relying on his arm strength, which had begun to fail. "Hey, would you guys mind if I scream for help?" Timon called up to the hyenas.
"Eh? Oh, sure, scream your head off," Mataka mindlessly shrugged.
"Thanks." Timon inhaled and screamed, "HELP!!!"
As if on cue, the hyenas started yelping out some pain as several meerkats launched themselves onto the hyenas biting and clawing them.
"Ow! Get 'em off!" a hyena yelped, trying to turn his head to nip at the meerkats.
"No, YOU get 'em off!" a second hyena growled.
"Wow, it worked," Timon blinked. He forced what little strength he had left in his arms to climb to the base of the root. He panted, and then swallowed. "Hey, can anyone up there help me back up?!" he called. To his surprise, Pete and Shomari both appeared above him. The two exchanged slightly dirty looks, and then nodded. Pete held onto Shomari's ankles as he lowered him down to Timon. Timon grabbed onto Shomari's paws as Pete pulled them back up.
"Are you all right, Timon?" Pete asked, dusting his paws off.
"Yeah, but... what are you guys doing here?" Timon asked, dusting himself off.
Pete grinned, "Your little guilt trip worked."
"I was only doing my daughter a favor," Shomari snorted.
"Gee, and here I thought you were starting to like me, Shomari," Timon said flatly.
Shomari then turned to the attacking meerkats. "We got him! Let's go!" The meerkats jumped off of the hyenas and started to scramble back to the tunnels. The hyenas gave chase.
Timon looked back, then widen his eyes as one of the hyenas prepared to pounce on him and Shomari. "Shomari, duck!" he shouted, pulling Shomari and himself down as the hyena jumped right over them. "OK, now we're even." The two meerkats helped each other back up and ran around they fallen hyena.
Shomari looked back to see Mataka was suddenly closing in on them. "We're dead!"
"Not unless help comes right about--"
"Hakuna Matata!" Pumbaa arrived and slammed into Mataka, knocking him over. Timon and Shomari stopped to see Mataka roll over a few times.
"Pumbaa! What took you so long?"
"We couldn't leave until I told your mother what was going on," Pumbaa sheepishly replied.
"You told her?!" Timon looked around nervously. "She didn't come, did she?"
"She did." Pumbaa pointed to Ma racing to the tunnels and jumping in.
Timon sighed, "I'm gonna get an earful from her when this is over." Shomari ducked when he saw Simba jump over them, followed by Kovu and Nala to attack the pack of hyenas.
"Where'd those lions come from?" Shomari asked.
"They're with us," Timon said as he took Shomari by the arm and continued to run to the tunnels. Shomari dropped down into the tunnel first. Timon was about to drop in when Mataka slammed into him, knocking him away from the tunnels.
"Timon!" Pumbaa shouted. Another hyena then attacked Pumbaa, keeping him occupied.
Timon pushed himself up, rubbing his head. "Oy... at least I didn't hit a rock this time." He felt hot breath on the back of his neck, making him stiffen up. "Lemme take a wild guess... Mataka?"
"Bingo," a familiar gruff voice growled.
"OK, it's obvious you're not gonna let me into the tunnels, so..." Timon grabbed a handful of dirt and threw it into his face. "Catch me if you can!" Mataka coughed as Timon got up and ran.
Mataka rubbed the dirt off and growled, "You're dead meat!"
He ran after Timon, snapping his teeth at him. Timon yelped when Mataka nipped the tip of his tail. The sudden taste of blood on his fangs made Mataka all the more determined to catch Timon. Timon sped up the pace, leaving a fair amount of distance between each other. When he couldn't run anymore, Timon stopped, put a paw to his chest, and panted. He swallowed and looked back, noticing Mataka was running straight at him. Timon stood straight up, as if he was struck by lightning, staring at the hyena with wide eyes. The hyena began to skid to a halt to devour him when Timon suddenly jumped out of the way. That's when Mataka realized Timon had stopped by the edge of the canyon again. Unfortunately for Mataka, he had poor brakes and he fell down the steep canyon with a howl.
Timon looked over the edge, seeing nothing but darkness. He heard a thud, and then he grinned. He cupped his paws to the sides of his mouth and yelled, "Watch out for that first step!" He laughed and strolled back towards the tunnels. He screamed and ducked down as the other hyenas ran over him, being chased away by the lions.
Pumbaa came over to Timon and nudged him with a hoof. "Timon, are you OK?"
Timon lifted his head up to see who it was, and sighed in relief. "Yeah... I just need a nap and a bandage." He picked his tail up and winced. "That'll be a nice color in the morning." He stood and stretched. "I'd better see if the two mobs are getting along."
...
Down below, Timon entered the central meeting tunnel, where both colonies had gathered.
Ma rushed over to him. "Timmy! Are you all right?"
"I'll be fine."
"Good." She whacked him over the head. "What did you think you were doing trying to fight that hyena alone?!"
"I was saving Zuri. Pumbaa wasn't suppose to take so long getting the lions," Timon said, rubbing his head. "She's all right, isn't she?" He looked over to Zuri, who was standing behind Dalila and Makali.
"Yeah, I-I'm OK, Timon," she said.
Timon was about to approach her when Shomari stepped in front of him. "I want you out of these tunnels," he said.
Timon couldn't believe this. "Oh, come on, Shomari. I thought you were starting to like me. I kinda saved your life out there."
"Which I'm grateful for. But I only went up there in the first place to show my daughter I cared for her. That doesn't mean I like you any more now than I did then. It was because of you my daughter went outside in the first place."
"Maybe you're just tired and sore... maybe if you slept on it, you'd think about liking me better?"
"Timon..." Zuri stepped out from behind Dalila and Makali and stood next to her father. "I can't take this anymore. Look at all the trouble we caused trying to be together. Maybe we should rethink about continuing this..." She tried thinking of a word. "This..."
"This...?" Timon tried prompting her.
"... This relationship. Our families don't like each other and they won't give each other a chance. So... why should we try if not everyone can be happy?"
"Zuri... are you saying...?"
"I'm sorry, Timon, but... if our families can't agree, I don't think we should be together."
Timon softly gasped, then shook his head. "Zuri, if you're being told what to say--"
"I'm not."
Timon looked at the two colonies, then lowered his eyes. "I see. But..." He turned back to Zuri, smiling. "At least it wasn't a waste getting to know you."
"Timon?"
"Yeah?"
Zuri walked up to him and threw her arms around him. Timon blinked a moment, and then returned the favor. "Thanks for adding a little excitement to my life."
Timon nodded and slowly dropped his arms from her. He turned to leave, but stopped when Shomari spoke up, "Timon." Timon turned to look at Shomari. "I thank you for saving my daughter."
"I wouldn't have done it if I didn't care for her." He turned to his mother. "I'm going back to the oasis. Stay here and visit with the lions if you want." Timon turned back around and walked out of the tunnel.
Zuri watched after him with sorrowful eyes. She then turned and ran out of the tunnel towards her nest with a sob. The two colonies watched after the two younger meerkats, and then looked at each other in silence.
To be continued...
PS, I'm not the best at writing action sequences without my muse, so I'm sorry if it disappoints. ::Sniff:: I miss my muse. Wish her computer was fixed.
Chapter 11:
Timon climbed out of the tunnel and looked around. He noticed Pumbaa padded over to him.
"So, where is she?" Timon asked as he dusted his fur off.
"The tracks go that way," Pumbaa motioned with his head.
Timon sniffed the air. "Good news. I don't smell blood yet." He motioned for Pumbaa to follow him as he followed the tracks. There were meerkat tracks covered over by hyena tracks, the size of them making Timon shiver. He stopped a moment, and put a paw to his chin.
Pumbaa didn't notice as he walked over Timon. He noticed Timon was no longer in front of him and looked back at him. "What is it, Timon?"
"We're in the Pride Lands... and the last time we faced hyenas solo, you and I both got knocked into a rock."
"Yeah... so?" Pumbaa wasn't quite understanding where Timon was going.
"So, Pumbaa, we're in the neighborhood. Why don't we get help from Simba and the others? They're bigger and better and more successful at fighting hyenas than us!"
"Oh, I get it! But what about Zuri?"
"I'll look for Zuri, you go get the lions."
"What if the hyena is with her?"
Timon thought for a moment. "I'm very good at running away." Pumbaa arched a brow. "Pumbaa, would you just go? I'll be fine, trust me." He pulled Pumbaa down to his level. "Just, uh... try not to tell my mother I volunteered to do this."
"If your mother finds out I left you alone--"
"She won't if you don't tell her!" Pumbaa grimaced as he nodded and started trotting towards Pride Rock. Timon gulped again and continued to follow the tracks. "Here, Zuri, Zuri, Zuri..." He stopped and ducked behind some tall grass when he saw the backside of a hyena. The hyena was growling and started digging near the bottom of a large rock. Timon gulped a third time and slowly came out from behind the grass. He snuck up to the hyena and sank his teeth into the hyena's back right leg. The hyena howled in pain and started kicking his back legs to get him off.
Zuri poked her head out from under the rock to see what happened. "Timon?"
Timon dropped from the hyena's leg and ran over to Zuri. He turned his head to the side to spit out the hair. "Yuck! Nasty aftertaste."
"Timon, you made it!" Zuri wrapped her arms around him, suddenly forgetting the situation.
Timon forgot about the situation himself briefly, but then snapped back to reality. "Sorry, Zuri, but we'll have to continue this later!" He grabbed onto her arm and started to run with her. They skid to a halt when the hyena jumped in front of them.
"Boo!"
"Yah!" both Timon and Zuri yelped, Zuri getting behind Timon. Timon looked up at the hyena and gulped again.
"You..." the hyena growled as he approached them. Timon and Zuri backed away.
"Oh, of all the hyenas I had to run into, it had to be you..." Timon said, noticing the scars on the hyena's nose.
"You know him?" Zuri asked.
"He was part of the pack of hyenas that killed my father." He turned back to the hyena with a nervous smile. "You're looking good, uh... gee, I never did get your name."
"Mataka. And you're looking good... enough to eat."
"Do you always have to be hungry whenever we meet? And consider your age. Is it a good thing to eat meat? Don't you need dentures yet?"
"Timon, what are you doing asking such stupid questions?" Zuri whispered into Timon's ear.
"Waiting for help to arrive, I'll bet," Mataka said. Mataka looked behind the two meerkats and grinned. "And here's my help."
Zuri looked back and gulped. "Uh, Timon..." Timon held Zuri close as he looked to see five hyenas approaching them.
"Are you so afraid of one meerkat that you need a whole pack to kill him off?" Timon nervously asked.
Mataka pressed his nose against Timon's fur and bared his teeth. "You're more trouble than your worth, so I'm going to make sure this is our last meeting."
Timon shook his head, "Tsk tsk tsk. You'd think after two meetings, you'd learn..."
Mataka blinked, "Learn what?"
Timon swiped his paw across the hyena's nose, "Never put your nose down to my level unless you're looking for another set of scars!" Mataka reared his head and yelped. Timon grabbed Zuri's arm and ran underneath the hyena. The other hyenas ran after them.
"What were you doing outside anyway?" Timon asked as they continued running.
"Now isn't really--" Zuri began.
"It could be the only time! Why?"
"I panicked. I didn't wanna marry Makali and it was apparent my parents weren't going to get to know you and approve of you. So I was gonna go to Pride Rock to ask for directions to your oasis."
"You actually disobeyed your father... to be with me?"
"Yeah..."
"I'm flattered." Timon looked ahead, seeing the tunnels in view. "Get ready..."
"For what?!"
Timon didn't answer. When they were close enough to the tunnels, Timon held his breath and threw Zuri forward and down into one of the tunnel entrances. Before Timon could jump in, a hyena blocked the entrance. Timon scrambled to the other side and started running again.
Zuri tumbled down, grunting loudly. The meerkats in the central meeting tunnel rushed to see what that was. They stopped in their tracks when they realized it was Zuri.
"Zuri!" Dalila rushed over to her daughter and hugged her. "Oh, sweetie, are you all right?"
"Yes, but Mom, lemme go!" Zuri pulled away from her mother's grip. She looked up towards the entrance. "He's not coming... We have to go up there and help Timon. He's still up there facing the hyenas!"
"Why should we help him? He's not of our colony, so he's none of our concern," Makali, who was rubbing his swollen jaw, said.
"He's right, Zuri. If he's truly the son of Fearless Buzz, he can take care of himself," Shomari nodded.
Zuri stood and dusted herself off as she walked towards him. "But Papa--"
"He's not a member of our colony, so he doesn't count. So why don't you--?" He was interrupted by a strong slap on the cheek. He was in shock, only dumbly putting a paw on his red cheek as his daughter Zuri waved her paw in the air. The rest of the colony stood there, stunned.
"Ow, that hurt," Zuri mumbled to herself, kissing her paw.
Shomari seemed to regain his senses, because his face grew angry. "Young lady, how dare you--?"
"No, Shomari! How dare YOU?! If you even cared about me, you would've been outside looking for me like Timon! Don't I have a right to slap you for being a poor father?"
"YOU'RE the one who left the tunnels when I told you not to! Before that rogue you didn't have any problem obeying me! I thought it might teach you a lesson!"
"At least if I was eaten, it would've been better than being forced to marry someone I DON'T love!"
"Zuri..." Dalila sounded surprised.
Zuri's expression softened. "I don't like this life, Papa. I didn't want to marry Makali and try to grow to love him over time. Please... if you care for me at all, at least help Timon."
Shomari looked at her for a few moments. "To say such things... am I to assume that you love him?"
Zuri was silent for a few moments, and then she nodded. "I do. So please, Papa?" Shomari turned to look at his colony.
"We can't tell you what to do, Shomari. She's your daughter," a meerkat said. The others nodded in agreement. Shomari grunted, and then looked down at his feet.
...
Up above Timon was being chased by the pack of hyenas. He was keeping them away from the tunnels to keep the colony safe. As the hyenas nipped at his heels Timon kept asking himself--
"What's keeping that warthog?!" He skid to a halt when he reached a yawning canyon. He gulped when he noticed the darkness below. "What's going on here? There's suppose to be a dam here! Those lazy construction workers didn't rebuilt it yet!" He turned around to walk back, forgetting about the hyenas, and found himself surrounded by them. "Yipe."
Mataka strolled up to Timon. "No way out except down, so we end this now."
Timon panted as he looked around, panicking. He backed away from the approaching hyena, until he felt he ran out of room to back away. He looked down at the canyon, then back at the hyena. He panted a bit more, then held his breath and jumped backwards into the steep canyon.
"What?!" Mataka growled and peered down into the canyon, expecting to see Timon disappear into the darkness. Instead he saw Timon clinging to a thick root at the edge of the wall. Mataka grinned, "Out of the frying pan and into the fire. Someone go get him!"
"He's your enemy. You get him," a female barked.
"I can't reach that far with my bad back," Mataka retorted.
"But you're the biggest out of us..."
While the hyenas argued back and forth, Timon was fighting to keep his grip on the root. He couldn't get a proper foothold, so he was relying on his arm strength, which had begun to fail. "Hey, would you guys mind if I scream for help?" Timon called up to the hyenas.
"Eh? Oh, sure, scream your head off," Mataka mindlessly shrugged.
"Thanks." Timon inhaled and screamed, "HELP!!!"
As if on cue, the hyenas started yelping out some pain as several meerkats launched themselves onto the hyenas biting and clawing them.
"Ow! Get 'em off!" a hyena yelped, trying to turn his head to nip at the meerkats.
"No, YOU get 'em off!" a second hyena growled.
"Wow, it worked," Timon blinked. He forced what little strength he had left in his arms to climb to the base of the root. He panted, and then swallowed. "Hey, can anyone up there help me back up?!" he called. To his surprise, Pete and Shomari both appeared above him. The two exchanged slightly dirty looks, and then nodded. Pete held onto Shomari's ankles as he lowered him down to Timon. Timon grabbed onto Shomari's paws as Pete pulled them back up.
"Are you all right, Timon?" Pete asked, dusting his paws off.
"Yeah, but... what are you guys doing here?" Timon asked, dusting himself off.
Pete grinned, "Your little guilt trip worked."
"I was only doing my daughter a favor," Shomari snorted.
"Gee, and here I thought you were starting to like me, Shomari," Timon said flatly.
Shomari then turned to the attacking meerkats. "We got him! Let's go!" The meerkats jumped off of the hyenas and started to scramble back to the tunnels. The hyenas gave chase.
Timon looked back, then widen his eyes as one of the hyenas prepared to pounce on him and Shomari. "Shomari, duck!" he shouted, pulling Shomari and himself down as the hyena jumped right over them. "OK, now we're even." The two meerkats helped each other back up and ran around they fallen hyena.
Shomari looked back to see Mataka was suddenly closing in on them. "We're dead!"
"Not unless help comes right about--"
"Hakuna Matata!" Pumbaa arrived and slammed into Mataka, knocking him over. Timon and Shomari stopped to see Mataka roll over a few times.
"Pumbaa! What took you so long?"
"We couldn't leave until I told your mother what was going on," Pumbaa sheepishly replied.
"You told her?!" Timon looked around nervously. "She didn't come, did she?"
"She did." Pumbaa pointed to Ma racing to the tunnels and jumping in.
Timon sighed, "I'm gonna get an earful from her when this is over." Shomari ducked when he saw Simba jump over them, followed by Kovu and Nala to attack the pack of hyenas.
"Where'd those lions come from?" Shomari asked.
"They're with us," Timon said as he took Shomari by the arm and continued to run to the tunnels. Shomari dropped down into the tunnel first. Timon was about to drop in when Mataka slammed into him, knocking him away from the tunnels.
"Timon!" Pumbaa shouted. Another hyena then attacked Pumbaa, keeping him occupied.
Timon pushed himself up, rubbing his head. "Oy... at least I didn't hit a rock this time." He felt hot breath on the back of his neck, making him stiffen up. "Lemme take a wild guess... Mataka?"
"Bingo," a familiar gruff voice growled.
"OK, it's obvious you're not gonna let me into the tunnels, so..." Timon grabbed a handful of dirt and threw it into his face. "Catch me if you can!" Mataka coughed as Timon got up and ran.
Mataka rubbed the dirt off and growled, "You're dead meat!"
He ran after Timon, snapping his teeth at him. Timon yelped when Mataka nipped the tip of his tail. The sudden taste of blood on his fangs made Mataka all the more determined to catch Timon. Timon sped up the pace, leaving a fair amount of distance between each other. When he couldn't run anymore, Timon stopped, put a paw to his chest, and panted. He swallowed and looked back, noticing Mataka was running straight at him. Timon stood straight up, as if he was struck by lightning, staring at the hyena with wide eyes. The hyena began to skid to a halt to devour him when Timon suddenly jumped out of the way. That's when Mataka realized Timon had stopped by the edge of the canyon again. Unfortunately for Mataka, he had poor brakes and he fell down the steep canyon with a howl.
Timon looked over the edge, seeing nothing but darkness. He heard a thud, and then he grinned. He cupped his paws to the sides of his mouth and yelled, "Watch out for that first step!" He laughed and strolled back towards the tunnels. He screamed and ducked down as the other hyenas ran over him, being chased away by the lions.
Pumbaa came over to Timon and nudged him with a hoof. "Timon, are you OK?"
Timon lifted his head up to see who it was, and sighed in relief. "Yeah... I just need a nap and a bandage." He picked his tail up and winced. "That'll be a nice color in the morning." He stood and stretched. "I'd better see if the two mobs are getting along."
...
Down below, Timon entered the central meeting tunnel, where both colonies had gathered.
Ma rushed over to him. "Timmy! Are you all right?"
"I'll be fine."
"Good." She whacked him over the head. "What did you think you were doing trying to fight that hyena alone?!"
"I was saving Zuri. Pumbaa wasn't suppose to take so long getting the lions," Timon said, rubbing his head. "She's all right, isn't she?" He looked over to Zuri, who was standing behind Dalila and Makali.
"Yeah, I-I'm OK, Timon," she said.
Timon was about to approach her when Shomari stepped in front of him. "I want you out of these tunnels," he said.
Timon couldn't believe this. "Oh, come on, Shomari. I thought you were starting to like me. I kinda saved your life out there."
"Which I'm grateful for. But I only went up there in the first place to show my daughter I cared for her. That doesn't mean I like you any more now than I did then. It was because of you my daughter went outside in the first place."
"Maybe you're just tired and sore... maybe if you slept on it, you'd think about liking me better?"
"Timon..." Zuri stepped out from behind Dalila and Makali and stood next to her father. "I can't take this anymore. Look at all the trouble we caused trying to be together. Maybe we should rethink about continuing this..." She tried thinking of a word. "This..."
"This...?" Timon tried prompting her.
"... This relationship. Our families don't like each other and they won't give each other a chance. So... why should we try if not everyone can be happy?"
"Zuri... are you saying...?"
"I'm sorry, Timon, but... if our families can't agree, I don't think we should be together."
Timon softly gasped, then shook his head. "Zuri, if you're being told what to say--"
"I'm not."
Timon looked at the two colonies, then lowered his eyes. "I see. But..." He turned back to Zuri, smiling. "At least it wasn't a waste getting to know you."
"Timon?"
"Yeah?"
Zuri walked up to him and threw her arms around him. Timon blinked a moment, and then returned the favor. "Thanks for adding a little excitement to my life."
Timon nodded and slowly dropped his arms from her. He turned to leave, but stopped when Shomari spoke up, "Timon." Timon turned to look at Shomari. "I thank you for saving my daughter."
"I wouldn't have done it if I didn't care for her." He turned to his mother. "I'm going back to the oasis. Stay here and visit with the lions if you want." Timon turned back around and walked out of the tunnel.
Zuri watched after him with sorrowful eyes. She then turned and ran out of the tunnel towards her nest with a sob. The two colonies watched after the two younger meerkats, and then looked at each other in silence.
To be continued...