DarkEcoOttsel: Yaay, I'm back with another chapter! Thankies to those who
reviewed or just plain read the story. Now on with chapter 2! By the way,
while I wrote this I was listening to the Lion King soundtrack. It inspired
me a little so I send my thanks Disney Records!
Summary for Chapter Two: Not much happens in this chapter except Timon and Pumbaa take Mira to Rafiki to see if anything can be done about her memory back. Plus, a horrible cliffhanger! Suffer slowly!!
Disclaimer: I don't own anyone except for Mira.
Chapter Two ~~ Past Revealing Dreams
"So you can't remember anything but your name?" Kovu asked once things settled down a bit.
"I'm not even sure if it's my name," Mira said sadly. "But, yes, that's the only thing I remember."
"Do you even know where you are?" Timon asked.
Mira gave him a tired glance. "What part of ' I don't remember anything' do you not understand?"
Everyone except Timon snickered.
"Well, Mira, maybe we can help you," Kiara smiled.
"How?" Mira asked eagerly.
"There's Rafiki—" Pumbaa started but Timon quickly cut him off.
"That loony monkey?! He sent me off on a crazy mission of chasing metaphors!" Timon cried angrily.
"Yeah, but it paid off, didn't it?" Kovu asked, a small grin escaping.
Timon was about to reply but he couldn't think of anything to say so he sighed instead.
"Fine, get the monkey over here and we'll see what happens," Timon said in defeat.
"Sorry, but you're gonna have to get him," Kiara said. "We have to go check out the Pride Lands to see if anything's wrong."
Timon sighed again as he turned to Pumbaa. He leaped onto his head and turned to look at Mira, who was looking out at the Pride Lands, which was slowly drying out under the harsh sun.
"You coming?" Timon asked her and she looked at him. She eyed the warthog wearily but silently got on behind Timon. She held onto him as they trotted off towards Rafiki's tree, just barely visible over the horizon.
Kovu looked at Kiara with suspicion once they were out of earshot. "Why'd you send them off? Simba and Nala already took the lionesses out."
"I know," Kiara grinned. "Just let them go. Trust me."
+++
Once they were a distance away from Pride Rock, Pumbaa looked up at Timon, who had his sights set out on the horizon.
"Hey, uh, Timon?" Pumbaa asked. "Is Miss Mira okay? She's been awfully quiet."
Timon looked over his shoulder and saw that she was asleep. He turned back to Pumbaa and replied, "I think she's sleeping. Just keep your mind on getting to the monkey's place."
"Okay," Pumbaa said quietly. He was silent for the rest of the trip.
Timon sighed and he blinked when he felt Mira tighten her grip around his stomach. He thought she must be dreaming.
Mira was indeed dreaming but it was not a pleasant one.
~~~ Mira's Dream ~~~
"Mommy! Daddy! Where are you?!"
"Zuki! Take Mira and run back to the tunnels! Hurry!"
"B-but Mum—"
"Hurry, the hyenas are coming! GO!"
A young male meerkat was running with a younger female meerkat's paw in his. He was obviously older than she was.
The male, Zuki, gasped as a hyena growled nearby. He only tightened his grip on his little sister's hand and ran faster.
"Zuki, stop! I can't run as fast as you and my feet hurt!" the female complained.
"We have to make it back to the tunnels, Mira!" Zuki responded as he continued to run.
Mira, a lot younger than she was now, screamed as a hyena stepped in front of them, blocking their path. Zuki stood protectively in front of her.
"Alright, the two for one special!" the hyena laughed. "Let's see, which one should I eat first?"
"How about none?!" Zuki shouted as he grabbed Mira and ran between the hyena's legs, quickly making a break for the tunnel. It was only a few feet away. They could make it—
His thoughts were cut off as the hyena lunged at them, ready to eat. Zuki quickly shoved Mira into the tunnel opening and shut his eyes.
"Zuki!!" Mira screamed from inside the tunnel. All she heard as a response was snapping of jaws and the tearing of flesh. At last came a sickening snap and then silence.
~~~ End of Dream ~~~
"Choking...not breathing!" Timon gasped as Mira suddenly tightened her grip around his abdomen very tightly. Then she screamed and opened her eyes.
"Woah!" Pumbaa, shocked by the scream, came to a stop.
"W-what's the matter?!" Timon cried once she released him from her death grip. "What's wrong?!"
Mira clenched her fists and tried to steady her beating heart, which was going a mile a minute. Ignoring Timon's question, she tried to focus on her dream but it had vanished from her memory when she woke up quickly. Now she could only hear the terrifying sound of the hyena's laughter ringing in her ears.
"Hello, Timon to Mira!" Timon cried, waving his hand in front of her face. She blinked and looked at him through her emerald eyes, which were quickly filling with tears. Timon instantly regretted snapping at her.
"Miss Mira, what's wrong?" Pumbaa asked her.
"N-nothing," she replied as she quickly wiped the salt tears away. " Mister...uh, I never got your names."
"I'm Pumbaa!" Pumbaa grinned. He nodded towards Timon and said, "This is my buddy Timon."
"Nice to meet you both," Mira nodded and forced a smile. "Thanks for taking me to this monkey person, too. Who is he anyway?"
"Uh, he's Simba's family's friend," Timon said slowly, obviously trying to register this. "He can be kinda weird and he talks in metaphors."
"Ah."
"Speaking of him, we're here," Pumbaa said, staring up at the huge tree where Rafiki lived. He sat down to the two meerkats could slide off.
"Okay, so now what?" Timon asked, staring up at the tree as well.
"You two are gonna have to go up there," Pumbaa said. "I'm not good at climbing trees."
"Oy," Timon sighed. He looked at Mira and asked, "Are ya up to the challenge?"
"I live for challenges," Mira grinned as she cracked her knuckles. She began scrambling up the tree, sinking her claws into the thick bark. Timon quickly followed and soon they were both inside the tree looking around at all the neat stuff.
"Wow," Timon said in awe. "So this is where that crazy monkey hangs out all the time."
"Who are you calling crazy, huh?" Rafiki cried as he landed next to the two. The yelped in response.
"Ah!...hahaha," Timon chuckled weakly. "Look, ah, she needs your help." He pushed Mira towards him. "She can't remember anything. Can ya help her?"
"Hmm," Rafiki stared hard at her until he whirled around and grabbed his stick. He waved it over her head and whacked her on the head with it.
"OW! What's your problem?!" Mira shouted as she rubbed her head.
"There's nothing I can do."
"What?" Mira and Timon said in unison.
"Memory loss is something that must return on its own," Rafiki replied.
"But what if it doesn't return?" Timon asked quietly.
Mira gulped. How would she spend the rest of her life not knowing who she truly was?
"It will return eventually." Rafiki smiled a little. "It will take time and patience."
"Thank you, sir," Mira muttered as she turned to leave. Timon quickly caught up with her and stopped her.
"You're just gonna leave like that?" Timon asked quietly, snapping his fingers.
"He said there's nothing he can do," Mira replied. "What else can I do?"
Timon hesitated. He tried to think of something—anything that might help her. A thought popped into his head, although it wasn't really one that would help her memory.
Timon smiled and said, "I've gotta idea. C'mon, we need to get back to Pride Rock."
"What—" Mira asked, raising a brow. "Why?"
"Well, if we're gonna say goodbye and all," Timon said as he began to climb down the tree where Pumbaa was waiting at the bottom.
"Huh?" Mira asked. She began to climb down quickly and soon she was back on Pumbaa's head with Timon. She looked at Timon and asked, "Why're we gonna say goodbye to everyone?"
"Until you remember everything, you won't have anywhere to go, right?" Timon asked. "So you can stay at my colony until then."
"A-wha?" Mira stuttered. "B-but—"
"So I take it Miss Mira didn't get her memories back?" Pumbaa asked.
"Naw," Timon said. "Just take us back to Pride Rock, pal, and we'll figure the rest out then."
"Okay!" Pumbaa said as he turned around and began to trot back towards Pride Rock.
"But, Timon, what if I'm not accepted?" Mira asked quietly.
"Aw, Ma will love ya." Timon shooed the question away with a wave of his paw.
"But what about the alphas?" Mira said in a small voice. "Won't they—"
"Ma is tha alpha female," Timon said and rubbed his chin. "I think."
"If your mother is the alpha female then your father is the alpha male," Mira pointed out. "Right?"
"Yeah, my dad WAS the alpha male," Timon said with a hint of bitterness and sadness in his voice. "But he's dead. He died when I was young."
"Oh," Mira said, inwardly smacking herself for bringing up sad memories. " Sorry."
"Feh, it's no biggie," Timon said without looking at her.
"I was just wondering...since your father is gone, wouldn't that make you the alpha male?"
Timon blinked. Him—an alpha male? He never though of it that way before. Does that mean he's some sort of king like Simba and he'll have to take up certain duties like Simba? What would happen to his freedom? Then a sudden thought entered his head that he remembered Uncle Max saying a while back.
"Sorry, but I'm technically not the alpha male yet," Timon couldn't help but smile. "I have to find someone I want to be with for the rest of my life first. Until then, Ma's still in charge."
"Oh. I see," Mira said and she also cracked a grin.
"That's why you'll have to take it up with Ma. I doubt she'll say no."
"I see," Mira said and nodded. "Where do you live?"
"In an oasis called Hakuna Matata."
"Hakuna Ma-WHAT-a?"
"It means no worries," Pumbaa began to sing.
"Pumbaa, stop living in the past," Timon said and sighed. Of course he would have that song stuck in his head for the rest of the day now.
"I wish I could remember my past," Mira said quietly as she looked out over the savanna.
"Ah, don't worry, Miss Mira," Pumbaa said politely. "You'll remember eventually."
"Sure, but ' eventually' could mean forever," Mira said in a dull, flat tone. Then she said in a higher tone, "I don't think I could go on forever not knowing who I truly am!"
Timon staid silent. He didn't know what to say, really. He was never too good at comforting someone, even his mother. Besides, knowing him, he'd say something stupid.
+++
Half an hour later, Timon was suffering from fatigue. He was just nodding off when he thought he heard something. It was soft at first, and then grew a little louder. Mira was humming a song quietly but her melody was just as soothing even if she was shouting it.
After the humming trailed off, Timon opened his mouth to ask her a question. Pumbaa beat him to it.
"That's a nice song, Miss Mira," Pumbaa said. "Is it from your past?"
"It must be," Mira sighed. "How else would I know it?"
"Are there words to go with it?" Timon blurted suddenly.
"I don't remember," Mira said finally. "I wish I knew."
"Well, maybe if you try to remember," Timon started.
"Don't you think I've tried?" Mira asked, her tone rising steadily. "Do you know how frustrating it is not to know who you are or where you came from?!"
"Jeez, sor-ry!" Timon muttered. "I was just gonna say that maybe if you thought about smaller things, your memory will come back slowly."
Mira thought this over and realized Timon was right. It was worth a shot. Then she remembered some sort of dream she had. She remembered hyenas laughing and then—
"Oh!" Mira yelped as small parts of her dream came flowing back inside her head.
"What? What is it?" Timon stiffened.
"I-I remember!" Mira cried as she put a hand to her head.
"Great! Remember what?" Pumbaa asked.
"The dream I had," Mira answered.
"Oh," Timon's smile disappeared. "So?"
"It was about my...family I think," Mira scratched her head and a look of confusion crossed her face.
"Ohh," Timon said as he looked over his shoulder.
"Would you like to share it with us?" Pumbaa asked.
"I only remember parts of it," Mira began. "But...I had a mom and dad and an older brother. I dunno where I lived—probably underground—but there were hyenas. I think...my brother died. I-it was my entire fault. I wasn't fast enough!" Mira was becoming spastic now, tears flowing down her cheeks as she continued, "He-he saved my life by sacrificing his! He-he's dead!!"
Timon saw how frustrated she was becoming and the fresh tears flowing down her face. He wanted to tell her to stop but every time he tried, she would continue. He did the only thing he thought of: he grabbed her and held her tightly in an embrace.
Mira stopped. She blinked as the tears continued to flow down her cheeks and drip onto Timon's chest.
"T-Timon?" Mira whispered.
Timon pulled away and looked her in the eye. He said sternly, "Mira, if you don't wanna tell us something, then you don't have to! We're not making you do anything! Just tell us when you don't wanna do something! We're not THAT evil and heartless."
Mira sniffed and wiped away her tears. Then she smiled at Timon and whispered, "Thanks."
"W-well, enough of that!" Timon said, turning around and blushing a deep red. "I'm getting WAY outta character."
"Ha! You think I cry on a daily basis?" Mira joked.
"Couldn't tell by lookin' at ya there," Timon teased. Mira whapped him on the back of his head playfully. Then there was a loud growl.
"What was that?" Mira asked. Timon shrugged and looked around.
"Sorry," Pumbaa apologized. "I haven't eaten for a while."
"Yeah, now that I think of it," Timon said, leaping off Pumbaa, "I'm kinda hungry, too."
"Me too," Mira said as she slid off Pumbaa. "Any grubs lying around?"
"Let's see," Timon said as he lifted up a rock and grinned. Instead, he found a scorpion.
"Ahh! Scorpion!" Pumbaa shrieked.
"Yum, scorpion!" Mira grinned as she approached it. In one swift moment, she slashed the tail off it and took a bite out of the head. She offered the rest to Timon, who eagerly ate it. (A/N: Yes, meerkats do eat scorpions.)
"Can we find some other grubs?" Pumbaa asked weakly.
"Sure," the two meerkats said in unison.
"What about under that log?" Mira asked, pointing to a dead log not too far off. "There's bound to be lots of bugs and stuff under there."
Timon quickly inspected the log. Pumbaa came over and lifted it out of the way with his tusks, revealing a smorgasbord of bugs.
"Woo!" Timon smiled as he eagerly stuffed himself.
"Lunch is served!" Mira said happily as she popped a grub into her mouth. There was a loud gurgle and everyone looked at her. Mira dropped the grub she was holding.
"Uh..." Timon started but yelped as she keeled over and began to vomit. Everything that went down came right back up.
"Maybe we better get ya home," Timon said as he put a paw on her back.
"I guess that I didn't get all the water out of my stomach," Mira managed to say after she had finished.
"Water and scorpions don't go," Timon said. "I gotta remember that."
"You two finish," Mira said. "Than we can go."
"You guys ain't goin anywhere."
The three spun around and gasped.
~~~ to be continued ~~~
DarkEcoOttsel: Ooh, unusually long and a cliffhanger to top it all off. Please review!! TTFN!
Summary for Chapter Two: Not much happens in this chapter except Timon and Pumbaa take Mira to Rafiki to see if anything can be done about her memory back. Plus, a horrible cliffhanger! Suffer slowly!!
Disclaimer: I don't own anyone except for Mira.
Chapter Two ~~ Past Revealing Dreams
"So you can't remember anything but your name?" Kovu asked once things settled down a bit.
"I'm not even sure if it's my name," Mira said sadly. "But, yes, that's the only thing I remember."
"Do you even know where you are?" Timon asked.
Mira gave him a tired glance. "What part of ' I don't remember anything' do you not understand?"
Everyone except Timon snickered.
"Well, Mira, maybe we can help you," Kiara smiled.
"How?" Mira asked eagerly.
"There's Rafiki—" Pumbaa started but Timon quickly cut him off.
"That loony monkey?! He sent me off on a crazy mission of chasing metaphors!" Timon cried angrily.
"Yeah, but it paid off, didn't it?" Kovu asked, a small grin escaping.
Timon was about to reply but he couldn't think of anything to say so he sighed instead.
"Fine, get the monkey over here and we'll see what happens," Timon said in defeat.
"Sorry, but you're gonna have to get him," Kiara said. "We have to go check out the Pride Lands to see if anything's wrong."
Timon sighed again as he turned to Pumbaa. He leaped onto his head and turned to look at Mira, who was looking out at the Pride Lands, which was slowly drying out under the harsh sun.
"You coming?" Timon asked her and she looked at him. She eyed the warthog wearily but silently got on behind Timon. She held onto him as they trotted off towards Rafiki's tree, just barely visible over the horizon.
Kovu looked at Kiara with suspicion once they were out of earshot. "Why'd you send them off? Simba and Nala already took the lionesses out."
"I know," Kiara grinned. "Just let them go. Trust me."
+++
Once they were a distance away from Pride Rock, Pumbaa looked up at Timon, who had his sights set out on the horizon.
"Hey, uh, Timon?" Pumbaa asked. "Is Miss Mira okay? She's been awfully quiet."
Timon looked over his shoulder and saw that she was asleep. He turned back to Pumbaa and replied, "I think she's sleeping. Just keep your mind on getting to the monkey's place."
"Okay," Pumbaa said quietly. He was silent for the rest of the trip.
Timon sighed and he blinked when he felt Mira tighten her grip around his stomach. He thought she must be dreaming.
Mira was indeed dreaming but it was not a pleasant one.
~~~ Mira's Dream ~~~
"Mommy! Daddy! Where are you?!"
"Zuki! Take Mira and run back to the tunnels! Hurry!"
"B-but Mum—"
"Hurry, the hyenas are coming! GO!"
A young male meerkat was running with a younger female meerkat's paw in his. He was obviously older than she was.
The male, Zuki, gasped as a hyena growled nearby. He only tightened his grip on his little sister's hand and ran faster.
"Zuki, stop! I can't run as fast as you and my feet hurt!" the female complained.
"We have to make it back to the tunnels, Mira!" Zuki responded as he continued to run.
Mira, a lot younger than she was now, screamed as a hyena stepped in front of them, blocking their path. Zuki stood protectively in front of her.
"Alright, the two for one special!" the hyena laughed. "Let's see, which one should I eat first?"
"How about none?!" Zuki shouted as he grabbed Mira and ran between the hyena's legs, quickly making a break for the tunnel. It was only a few feet away. They could make it—
His thoughts were cut off as the hyena lunged at them, ready to eat. Zuki quickly shoved Mira into the tunnel opening and shut his eyes.
"Zuki!!" Mira screamed from inside the tunnel. All she heard as a response was snapping of jaws and the tearing of flesh. At last came a sickening snap and then silence.
~~~ End of Dream ~~~
"Choking...not breathing!" Timon gasped as Mira suddenly tightened her grip around his abdomen very tightly. Then she screamed and opened her eyes.
"Woah!" Pumbaa, shocked by the scream, came to a stop.
"W-what's the matter?!" Timon cried once she released him from her death grip. "What's wrong?!"
Mira clenched her fists and tried to steady her beating heart, which was going a mile a minute. Ignoring Timon's question, she tried to focus on her dream but it had vanished from her memory when she woke up quickly. Now she could only hear the terrifying sound of the hyena's laughter ringing in her ears.
"Hello, Timon to Mira!" Timon cried, waving his hand in front of her face. She blinked and looked at him through her emerald eyes, which were quickly filling with tears. Timon instantly regretted snapping at her.
"Miss Mira, what's wrong?" Pumbaa asked her.
"N-nothing," she replied as she quickly wiped the salt tears away. " Mister...uh, I never got your names."
"I'm Pumbaa!" Pumbaa grinned. He nodded towards Timon and said, "This is my buddy Timon."
"Nice to meet you both," Mira nodded and forced a smile. "Thanks for taking me to this monkey person, too. Who is he anyway?"
"Uh, he's Simba's family's friend," Timon said slowly, obviously trying to register this. "He can be kinda weird and he talks in metaphors."
"Ah."
"Speaking of him, we're here," Pumbaa said, staring up at the huge tree where Rafiki lived. He sat down to the two meerkats could slide off.
"Okay, so now what?" Timon asked, staring up at the tree as well.
"You two are gonna have to go up there," Pumbaa said. "I'm not good at climbing trees."
"Oy," Timon sighed. He looked at Mira and asked, "Are ya up to the challenge?"
"I live for challenges," Mira grinned as she cracked her knuckles. She began scrambling up the tree, sinking her claws into the thick bark. Timon quickly followed and soon they were both inside the tree looking around at all the neat stuff.
"Wow," Timon said in awe. "So this is where that crazy monkey hangs out all the time."
"Who are you calling crazy, huh?" Rafiki cried as he landed next to the two. The yelped in response.
"Ah!...hahaha," Timon chuckled weakly. "Look, ah, she needs your help." He pushed Mira towards him. "She can't remember anything. Can ya help her?"
"Hmm," Rafiki stared hard at her until he whirled around and grabbed his stick. He waved it over her head and whacked her on the head with it.
"OW! What's your problem?!" Mira shouted as she rubbed her head.
"There's nothing I can do."
"What?" Mira and Timon said in unison.
"Memory loss is something that must return on its own," Rafiki replied.
"But what if it doesn't return?" Timon asked quietly.
Mira gulped. How would she spend the rest of her life not knowing who she truly was?
"It will return eventually." Rafiki smiled a little. "It will take time and patience."
"Thank you, sir," Mira muttered as she turned to leave. Timon quickly caught up with her and stopped her.
"You're just gonna leave like that?" Timon asked quietly, snapping his fingers.
"He said there's nothing he can do," Mira replied. "What else can I do?"
Timon hesitated. He tried to think of something—anything that might help her. A thought popped into his head, although it wasn't really one that would help her memory.
Timon smiled and said, "I've gotta idea. C'mon, we need to get back to Pride Rock."
"What—" Mira asked, raising a brow. "Why?"
"Well, if we're gonna say goodbye and all," Timon said as he began to climb down the tree where Pumbaa was waiting at the bottom.
"Huh?" Mira asked. She began to climb down quickly and soon she was back on Pumbaa's head with Timon. She looked at Timon and asked, "Why're we gonna say goodbye to everyone?"
"Until you remember everything, you won't have anywhere to go, right?" Timon asked. "So you can stay at my colony until then."
"A-wha?" Mira stuttered. "B-but—"
"So I take it Miss Mira didn't get her memories back?" Pumbaa asked.
"Naw," Timon said. "Just take us back to Pride Rock, pal, and we'll figure the rest out then."
"Okay!" Pumbaa said as he turned around and began to trot back towards Pride Rock.
"But, Timon, what if I'm not accepted?" Mira asked quietly.
"Aw, Ma will love ya." Timon shooed the question away with a wave of his paw.
"But what about the alphas?" Mira said in a small voice. "Won't they—"
"Ma is tha alpha female," Timon said and rubbed his chin. "I think."
"If your mother is the alpha female then your father is the alpha male," Mira pointed out. "Right?"
"Yeah, my dad WAS the alpha male," Timon said with a hint of bitterness and sadness in his voice. "But he's dead. He died when I was young."
"Oh," Mira said, inwardly smacking herself for bringing up sad memories. " Sorry."
"Feh, it's no biggie," Timon said without looking at her.
"I was just wondering...since your father is gone, wouldn't that make you the alpha male?"
Timon blinked. Him—an alpha male? He never though of it that way before. Does that mean he's some sort of king like Simba and he'll have to take up certain duties like Simba? What would happen to his freedom? Then a sudden thought entered his head that he remembered Uncle Max saying a while back.
"Sorry, but I'm technically not the alpha male yet," Timon couldn't help but smile. "I have to find someone I want to be with for the rest of my life first. Until then, Ma's still in charge."
"Oh. I see," Mira said and she also cracked a grin.
"That's why you'll have to take it up with Ma. I doubt she'll say no."
"I see," Mira said and nodded. "Where do you live?"
"In an oasis called Hakuna Matata."
"Hakuna Ma-WHAT-a?"
"It means no worries," Pumbaa began to sing.
"Pumbaa, stop living in the past," Timon said and sighed. Of course he would have that song stuck in his head for the rest of the day now.
"I wish I could remember my past," Mira said quietly as she looked out over the savanna.
"Ah, don't worry, Miss Mira," Pumbaa said politely. "You'll remember eventually."
"Sure, but ' eventually' could mean forever," Mira said in a dull, flat tone. Then she said in a higher tone, "I don't think I could go on forever not knowing who I truly am!"
Timon staid silent. He didn't know what to say, really. He was never too good at comforting someone, even his mother. Besides, knowing him, he'd say something stupid.
+++
Half an hour later, Timon was suffering from fatigue. He was just nodding off when he thought he heard something. It was soft at first, and then grew a little louder. Mira was humming a song quietly but her melody was just as soothing even if she was shouting it.
After the humming trailed off, Timon opened his mouth to ask her a question. Pumbaa beat him to it.
"That's a nice song, Miss Mira," Pumbaa said. "Is it from your past?"
"It must be," Mira sighed. "How else would I know it?"
"Are there words to go with it?" Timon blurted suddenly.
"I don't remember," Mira said finally. "I wish I knew."
"Well, maybe if you try to remember," Timon started.
"Don't you think I've tried?" Mira asked, her tone rising steadily. "Do you know how frustrating it is not to know who you are or where you came from?!"
"Jeez, sor-ry!" Timon muttered. "I was just gonna say that maybe if you thought about smaller things, your memory will come back slowly."
Mira thought this over and realized Timon was right. It was worth a shot. Then she remembered some sort of dream she had. She remembered hyenas laughing and then—
"Oh!" Mira yelped as small parts of her dream came flowing back inside her head.
"What? What is it?" Timon stiffened.
"I-I remember!" Mira cried as she put a hand to her head.
"Great! Remember what?" Pumbaa asked.
"The dream I had," Mira answered.
"Oh," Timon's smile disappeared. "So?"
"It was about my...family I think," Mira scratched her head and a look of confusion crossed her face.
"Ohh," Timon said as he looked over his shoulder.
"Would you like to share it with us?" Pumbaa asked.
"I only remember parts of it," Mira began. "But...I had a mom and dad and an older brother. I dunno where I lived—probably underground—but there were hyenas. I think...my brother died. I-it was my entire fault. I wasn't fast enough!" Mira was becoming spastic now, tears flowing down her cheeks as she continued, "He-he saved my life by sacrificing his! He-he's dead!!"
Timon saw how frustrated she was becoming and the fresh tears flowing down her face. He wanted to tell her to stop but every time he tried, she would continue. He did the only thing he thought of: he grabbed her and held her tightly in an embrace.
Mira stopped. She blinked as the tears continued to flow down her cheeks and drip onto Timon's chest.
"T-Timon?" Mira whispered.
Timon pulled away and looked her in the eye. He said sternly, "Mira, if you don't wanna tell us something, then you don't have to! We're not making you do anything! Just tell us when you don't wanna do something! We're not THAT evil and heartless."
Mira sniffed and wiped away her tears. Then she smiled at Timon and whispered, "Thanks."
"W-well, enough of that!" Timon said, turning around and blushing a deep red. "I'm getting WAY outta character."
"Ha! You think I cry on a daily basis?" Mira joked.
"Couldn't tell by lookin' at ya there," Timon teased. Mira whapped him on the back of his head playfully. Then there was a loud growl.
"What was that?" Mira asked. Timon shrugged and looked around.
"Sorry," Pumbaa apologized. "I haven't eaten for a while."
"Yeah, now that I think of it," Timon said, leaping off Pumbaa, "I'm kinda hungry, too."
"Me too," Mira said as she slid off Pumbaa. "Any grubs lying around?"
"Let's see," Timon said as he lifted up a rock and grinned. Instead, he found a scorpion.
"Ahh! Scorpion!" Pumbaa shrieked.
"Yum, scorpion!" Mira grinned as she approached it. In one swift moment, she slashed the tail off it and took a bite out of the head. She offered the rest to Timon, who eagerly ate it. (A/N: Yes, meerkats do eat scorpions.)
"Can we find some other grubs?" Pumbaa asked weakly.
"Sure," the two meerkats said in unison.
"What about under that log?" Mira asked, pointing to a dead log not too far off. "There's bound to be lots of bugs and stuff under there."
Timon quickly inspected the log. Pumbaa came over and lifted it out of the way with his tusks, revealing a smorgasbord of bugs.
"Woo!" Timon smiled as he eagerly stuffed himself.
"Lunch is served!" Mira said happily as she popped a grub into her mouth. There was a loud gurgle and everyone looked at her. Mira dropped the grub she was holding.
"Uh..." Timon started but yelped as she keeled over and began to vomit. Everything that went down came right back up.
"Maybe we better get ya home," Timon said as he put a paw on her back.
"I guess that I didn't get all the water out of my stomach," Mira managed to say after she had finished.
"Water and scorpions don't go," Timon said. "I gotta remember that."
"You two finish," Mira said. "Than we can go."
"You guys ain't goin anywhere."
The three spun around and gasped.
~~~ to be continued ~~~
DarkEcoOttsel: Ooh, unusually long and a cliffhanger to top it all off. Please review!! TTFN!