Timon: ::as he reads Chapter 1, his eyes bug out.:: WHAT?! Shomari was part of my colony?!
Zuri: Oh, the irony!
Kari: Yeah, I'm surprised the readers haven't expressed their reactions. Oh well. I'll live. In the meantime, let's get started! ::Reaches for the bag of cookies she got from SunRise, but finds it's not there.:: Hey! Where are my cookies at?
Pumbaa: ::takes a bite out of a cookie, then coughs.:: Hey! There aren't any bugs in these!
Kari: ::grabs the other bag, opens, then looks at the creepy crawlies baked inside.:: Eww... I think we grabbed the wrong bags. Oh well. Read on, faithful readers!
Chapter 2:
Still 6 1/2 years ago...
The following morning brought excitement to the young meerkats of the colony. Everyone was preparing for the night's event. The females were busying themselves gathering flowers and grooming while the males were practicing their fighting skills. Well... most of the males were.
"Hey, Buzz, aren't you going to toughen up?" Pete called up to Buzz, who was up in a tree picking berries.
Buzz looked down at him, and then went back to picking. "We've got until sunset. What's the rush?"
"Don't you want to father pups?"
"Of course, but--"
"There are only three meerkats who'll be given the right, and before that's decided, all the males have to fight with each other and eliminate the weaker ones until the final six are decided. Then through elimination of the three weaker meerkats, the stronger meerkats are given the right to mate and take their first pick of the females."
Buzz bit into a berry as Pete told the story. He licked the juice off his lips and looked back down at Pete. "Why are you telling me that, Pete? I already know the rules."
"Because you have to take this seriously. If you wait til the last minute, you'll get cramps." Pete then grinned. "Besides, you don't want Shomari to get further up the ladder than you, do you?"
Buzz coughed, padding his chest to work the berry he was swallowing down. He swallowed and panted when it made its way to his stomach. He looked down at Pete and growled, "Watch what you say while I'm eating!"
"Well, it's true, Buzz-Boy. He'll be competing to mate, too. If you don't start practicing, he may be in the final three instead of you."
"Oh, really?"
"Yeah, so--" Pete looked up at him and yelped as Buzz dropped down onto him and started to wrestle with him.
"So, mind if I start praticing on you, Pete?" Buzz asked as he put Pete in a headlock.
"If it gets you to take this seriously, be my guest!" Pete growled as he pulled out of Buzz's grip and leaped onto him.
Meanwhile...
Panya was gathering flowers with another female. She was humming to herself and partaking in the smell of one. She smiled to herself.
"So, who are you hoping for, Panya?" the female asked.
"Please. I'm not even sure I'm going to be watching, let alone hope someone picks me," Panya scoffed.
"How could you not go? If you're not there, you won't get a husband."
"It would save me some humiliation being the last one picked," Panya said as she continued picking flowers.
"What makes you think you'll be the last one picked?"
"Hasina, if you were male, would you pick me?"
Hasina put a paw on her hip, then rubbed her chin, looking Panya over. "Well... I would if I was one of the stronger males."
Panya blinked, surprised. "Really?"
"You do have the pup-bearing hips."
Panya blushed, then growled, "Hasina! Do you have to be so blunt?"
"It's not my fault your favorite grubs are the big, fat ones." Hasina's shoulders sunk when she noticed Panya's saddened expression. "Aww, c'mon, Panya. I've never been a male. I don't know what they like!"
"We know enough that they like pretty faces and curves," Panya said, making curve motions in the air.
"OK, yeah, but you have a pretty face. Really. And you've got a great personality. You'll get a great guy."
"I'm still not going, Hasina."
"You'll be missing history for our generation!"
"So?"
Hasina grinned and leaned closer to Panya. "You'd be missing Buzz fighting for the right to mate. And I know you secretly like him."
Panya blushed. "I do not."
"Then why are you blushing?"
Panya sighed, "All right, all right... I'll go, but as soon Buzz is finished trying to show he's top meerkat, I'm leaving."
"Great." Hasina took Panya by the arm and started to pull her away. "OK, that's enough flowers."
"What are you doing now?"
"Well, if we're going to be seen by every male in the colony, we have to look good! I want you to do something with my hair. You're good at that."
"OK, but I don't work cheap."
To be continued...
Zuri: Oh, the irony!
Kari: Yeah, I'm surprised the readers haven't expressed their reactions. Oh well. I'll live. In the meantime, let's get started! ::Reaches for the bag of cookies she got from SunRise, but finds it's not there.:: Hey! Where are my cookies at?
Pumbaa: ::takes a bite out of a cookie, then coughs.:: Hey! There aren't any bugs in these!
Kari: ::grabs the other bag, opens, then looks at the creepy crawlies baked inside.:: Eww... I think we grabbed the wrong bags. Oh well. Read on, faithful readers!
Chapter 2:
Still 6 1/2 years ago...
The following morning brought excitement to the young meerkats of the colony. Everyone was preparing for the night's event. The females were busying themselves gathering flowers and grooming while the males were practicing their fighting skills. Well... most of the males were.
"Hey, Buzz, aren't you going to toughen up?" Pete called up to Buzz, who was up in a tree picking berries.
Buzz looked down at him, and then went back to picking. "We've got until sunset. What's the rush?"
"Don't you want to father pups?"
"Of course, but--"
"There are only three meerkats who'll be given the right, and before that's decided, all the males have to fight with each other and eliminate the weaker ones until the final six are decided. Then through elimination of the three weaker meerkats, the stronger meerkats are given the right to mate and take their first pick of the females."
Buzz bit into a berry as Pete told the story. He licked the juice off his lips and looked back down at Pete. "Why are you telling me that, Pete? I already know the rules."
"Because you have to take this seriously. If you wait til the last minute, you'll get cramps." Pete then grinned. "Besides, you don't want Shomari to get further up the ladder than you, do you?"
Buzz coughed, padding his chest to work the berry he was swallowing down. He swallowed and panted when it made its way to his stomach. He looked down at Pete and growled, "Watch what you say while I'm eating!"
"Well, it's true, Buzz-Boy. He'll be competing to mate, too. If you don't start practicing, he may be in the final three instead of you."
"Oh, really?"
"Yeah, so--" Pete looked up at him and yelped as Buzz dropped down onto him and started to wrestle with him.
"So, mind if I start praticing on you, Pete?" Buzz asked as he put Pete in a headlock.
"If it gets you to take this seriously, be my guest!" Pete growled as he pulled out of Buzz's grip and leaped onto him.
Meanwhile...
Panya was gathering flowers with another female. She was humming to herself and partaking in the smell of one. She smiled to herself.
"So, who are you hoping for, Panya?" the female asked.
"Please. I'm not even sure I'm going to be watching, let alone hope someone picks me," Panya scoffed.
"How could you not go? If you're not there, you won't get a husband."
"It would save me some humiliation being the last one picked," Panya said as she continued picking flowers.
"What makes you think you'll be the last one picked?"
"Hasina, if you were male, would you pick me?"
Hasina put a paw on her hip, then rubbed her chin, looking Panya over. "Well... I would if I was one of the stronger males."
Panya blinked, surprised. "Really?"
"You do have the pup-bearing hips."
Panya blushed, then growled, "Hasina! Do you have to be so blunt?"
"It's not my fault your favorite grubs are the big, fat ones." Hasina's shoulders sunk when she noticed Panya's saddened expression. "Aww, c'mon, Panya. I've never been a male. I don't know what they like!"
"We know enough that they like pretty faces and curves," Panya said, making curve motions in the air.
"OK, yeah, but you have a pretty face. Really. And you've got a great personality. You'll get a great guy."
"I'm still not going, Hasina."
"You'll be missing history for our generation!"
"So?"
Hasina grinned and leaned closer to Panya. "You'd be missing Buzz fighting for the right to mate. And I know you secretly like him."
Panya blushed. "I do not."
"Then why are you blushing?"
Panya sighed, "All right, all right... I'll go, but as soon Buzz is finished trying to show he's top meerkat, I'm leaving."
"Great." Hasina took Panya by the arm and started to pull her away. "OK, that's enough flowers."
"What are you doing now?"
"Well, if we're going to be seen by every male in the colony, we have to look good! I want you to do something with my hair. You're good at that."
"OK, but I don't work cheap."
To be continued...