Pumbaa: What's spoiled?
Timon: Not spoiled, it's SPOILER. It's when you discover something early before it happens. Leaves no surprise.
Pumbaa: Ohh... Is that why Zuri isn't with us?
Timon: Uh...
Kari: Stop talking and I'll give you the new Mud & Bugs Pop Tarts.
Timon & Pumbaa: :zip their lips, receive their treats.:
Kari: Heh heh... OK, that being said, I'll have to put the author's note at the end. In the meantime, read on! UPDATE: Removed Grazin' In the Grass lyrics.
Chapter 12:
A week had passed. The colony had returned to the oasis and had resumed their Hakuna Matata life. Timon was lying in his hammock over the stream, still depressed about having to leave Zuri behind. Needless to say, Pumbaa and the others were growing more concerned with each passing day.
Pumbaa paced in front of Ma and Uncle Max, who were both sitting on a log. "What are we gonna do about Timon? We can't just tell him to forget Zuri."
"We can tell him... he just won't listen," Uncle Max said, folding his arms in front of his chest. "That's the problem with that pup. He doesn't listen."
Ma tapped her chin a few times, and then slid off the log. She walked to the edge of the stream and called over to Timon, "Timon, would you get out of that hammock and let someone else have a turn?"
Timon turned over onto his stomach to look over at her. "I didn't know you liked hammocks, Ma."
"I don't. I want you out of that thing and do something constructive to forget about that girl. Do you want to do it yourself, or do I have to send Pumbaa over?"
Timon sighed and rolled over again, landing into the water. He waded back to the shore, shaking himself off. "Happy? I'm out. The tree hammocks have better views anyway." He started to walk away.
"Come on, Timon. Why don't you cheer up?" Pumbaa began to follow him.
Timon, now annoyed, pulled Pumbaa down his level. "You tell me to cheer up after I had to leave the girl of my dreams back in the Pit of Shame?"
"Well..."
Timon growled and climbed the nearest tree. "You'll never understand, Pumbaa." He climbed to one of the high branches and laid in one of the vine hammocks. He looked out towards the desert, and then noticed some movement. "Pumbaa, we've got company."
"Mirage?" Pumbaa called up.
"How are we to know unless you go see?"
Pumbaa grimaced and walked towards the desert to see. He turned back to announce, "Simba's coming!"
"Good. Tell him I said hi."
"You're not coming down?"
"Not unless he brought interesting company." Pumbaa grimaced again and walked away from the tree.
Timon laid back and sighed. He closed his eyes and tried to relax. He grunted and covered his ears when the colony began to create music. He growled, and then he looked down towards the group that gathered by the stream. "Hey, keep the volume down! I'm trying to sleep!"
"Get down here, Timon!" Ma called up to him.
"What, now you want me to give someone else a turn in the tree hammock?"
"We have company!"
Timon laid back on his back and closed his eyes. "Yeah, I know, but I'm not in the mood to see Simba right now!"
"It's not Simba I want you to see!"
Timon's ears twitched slightly when he heard a voice singing.He sat up when he recognized it. "Zuri?" He grabbed a vine and climbed down. He ran past his mother towards the stream. When he arrived he noticed the colony dancing along to the beat the voice was singing. Simba was lying nearby, bobbing his head to the rhythm. Timon pushed his way through until he saw the source.The meerkat singing did a small dance and continued. She suddenly stopped when she noticed Timon. Everyone turned to see what she was staring at.
"Finally showed up, eh, Timon?" a meerkat asked.
Timon ignored the meerkat as he walked up closer to the singing meerkat. "Zuri?"
"Hey, Timon." Zuri cowered her head a bit and looked away from him. "I guess I hitch-hiked to the right oasis. It's beautiful." Simba and the colony decided to part, to let the two talk.
The two stood there for a few moments. Timon finally furrowed his brow at her, turned away and folded his arms in front of his chest. "What are you doing here? Did your ball and chain get tired of you?"
"'Ball and--'?" Zuri shook her head. "Timon, I didn't marry Makali."
Timon made a silent 'yes!' motion, but kept his back to Zuri. "Why not?"
"I don't know... Papa didn't say."
"Does he know you're here?" Timon gulped when Shomari suddenly walked up in front of him. "I guess he does." Pumbaa and Ma walked into the scene. "I'm guessing Simba brought you here?"
"He did," Shomari grunted.
"Why?"
"I wanted to tell you personally that Zuri is still unavailable. I have chosen a new fiancé for her."
Zuri walked up next to Timon. "Oh, Papa, after all this, I'm still in an arranged marriage?"
"Really, Shomari, when are you doing to get with the times?" Ma demanded, stepping up to him.
"You keep out of this," Shomari growled. Ma returned the growl and stood behind Timon.
"Please tell me it's not one of the uglier meerkats in the colony!" Zuri pulled on her ears. "Those guys are real nerds!"
"Well, he's not the handsomest meerkat in Africa--"
"I'd rather marry Makali in that case," Zuri said, folding her arms in front of her chest.
"I probably would, too," Timon muttered. Zuri laughed, but stopped when Shomari gave them both a warning stare.
"Let me finish. He's not the handsomest meerkat in Africa, but he is brave and worthy of my daughter."
Zuri sighed, now looking a little defeated. "Who?" Shomari arched a brow at Ma, who nodded to him. They both took hold of their children's shoulders, and turned them to face each other. They looked at each other, a bit confused.
"Your arranged fiancé for Zuri... is Timon?" Pumbaa asked. When Pumbaa said that, both Timon and Zuri gasped and looked to their parents.
"Really?" Zuri asked.
Ma stepped next to Shomari. "Your parents and I talked it over. We never saw our children happier before they met each other."
Shomari nodded. "Both colonies agreed to put the past behind. We'll be moving them to this oasis later in the week."
"Yay! Now the two colonies will be one!" Pumbaa cheered.
"Oh, Papa!" Zuri ran to her father and hugged him. "Thank you!"
"You've been planning this since I left the Pride Lands?" Timon asked his mother, almost in disbelief.
"We wanted to surprise you. That's why we waited a week," Ma said.
For the first time in a week, Timon smiled and hugged his mother. "Thanks, Ma."
"Let's celebrate!" Pumbaa said, wagging his tail. On that note, the rest of the colony appeared out of various hiding places and cheered.
As the colony created their own music, Ma turned to Timon. "You know, Timmy, I'm still upset with you for leaving to meet Zuri."
"Aw, c'mon, Ma! It was love!" Timon slapped a paw on his forehead.
"I know, but that's still no excuse."
"And that goes for you, too, young lady," Shomari turned to Zuri. "You disobeyed me several times."
"Papa, it was love!" Zuri pouted.
"Yes, but you still have to pay. But you know..." Shomari turned to Ma. "I think I know what our children could do to make it up to both of us." He bent over to her and whispered into Ma's ear. Ma smiled and nodded. Ma then wiggled a finger, signaling Timon and Zuri to come closer to her. They bent down, and she whispered something to their ears.
Timon and Zuri blushed and stood up straight. "Grandchildren!"
"By next spring, at least," Shomari said, nodding.
"And we mean meerkat pups, not lion cubs." Shomari took Ma's arm and they both walked away from them, grinning.
Timon and Zuri looked at each other, blinking. "Grandchildren..."
Zuri grinned and leaned against Timon. "I guess I could warm up to the idea."
Timon blushed again. "Yeah... me, too."
Pumbaa sighed as he watched Timon and Zuri. "Gee, I'm the only bachelor left in the original Hakuna Matata group. I'm never gonna find a girl." He suddenly stood to attention as a female warthog padded by him, and winked at him. He watched her walk by, and grinned. "Then again..." He got up and trotted after her.
Timon blinked as Pumbaa followed the female warthog, and then he looked at Zuri. "You really do have a warthog for a friend?"
"Yeah, that's Jina. Quite a coincidence, huh? Two meerkats have warthogs for friends?"
"Nah... I'd say fate."
Zuri grinned and took hold of Timon's arm, "Let's get away from the crowd for a while..."
"Mother warned me about girls like you," Timon said as she pulled him away. They walked far enough from the celebration where the sound of the music was weakened.
Zuri smiled and hugged Timon. "Ha ha! I knew my plan would work!"
Timon returned the hug. "Whoo-hoo! The mother of all guilt trips, baby! That was great!" He then held her out. "But I was starting to worry when you didn't come after a week."
"Yeah, I was afraid it didn't work until Papa came up to me and said he wanted to speak to you. He didn't tell me why. I was really worried when he said he was still doing the arranged marriage." She exhaled and ran a paw over her hair. "But I'm glad everyone can be happy now... except Makali."
Timon shrugged, "Eh, he'll bounce back. A guy with his looks will probably end up beating the girls off with a stick. By the way that was great acting when you said we should rethink about the relationship. I believed it."
Zuri tapped Timon on the chin. "Well, of course you believed it. That's because I didn't tell you about it until I whispered it into your ear as we hugged."
"Genius. Pure genius."
"Hey, when you wanna get something, you gotta put on the mother of all guilt trips," Zuri giggled.
"Baby, you're the greatest." Zuri giggled and hugged Timon again, rubbing her head against his chest.
"Let's try to keep this from our colonies, OK? They'd never forgive us for that."
"'Colonies'? Zuri... it's 'colony' now. C'mon. I'll give you the tour." Timon put a paw on her back and guided her away from the area.
The End
Surprised, aren't you? OK, everyone, I doubt I'm gonna put an epilogue on this one, so this is the last chapter. Lot of fun writing this stuff, and I wish I had more inspiration to go on! Gives me something fun to do. Maybe someday I'll write a prequel with the competition between Fearless Buzz and Shomari's mobs. Maybe I'll give the meerkats and warthogs kids. We'll see what comes to mind. So, here's hoping you haven't seen the last of me! And don't forget, I've got Son of Fearless Buzz still up! Hoping I can get the reviews up to the 100 mark on both stories. Later, gang!