Kari: Lessee... yeah, this'll probably due... Pumbaa, could you go get Timon and Zuri? I need them for this chapter.
Pumbaa: OK! ::trots off-screen... comes back a few minutes later with Timon and Zuri.::
Timon: ::walks in with Zuri.:: Oh, are we finally in this story?
Zuri: Sure took you long enough.
Kari: I know, I know... but Pumbaa, Ma, and Shomari needed some attention... besides, you liked hearing more about your father, right, Timon?
Timon: Yeah, well... lemme guess, this is probably the last chapter, right?
Kari: Unless I put another epilogue on it, yeah.
Timon and Zuri: WHAT?!
Timon: But the last two had at least 10 chapters! This is only Chapter 7!
Kari: Oh, chill. I said from the beginning this fic probably wasn't gonna be as long. Live with it. I'll probably find something to inspire me... maybe something that'll get more reviews than this one did.
Timon: Yeah, I guess... ::sits with Pumbaa and Zuri::
Kari: ::aside to the readers:: Geesh, you give the guy the spotlight for two of your fics and he thinks he wrote them himself. Anyway... start reading!
Chapter 7:
5 1/2 years ago...
A hornbill landed right next to a meerkat who was standing high on a rock. The meerkat turned to him. "You're not here to attack, are you?" the meerkat asked.
"Hardly. You would not believe the story I have just been told. Being a meerkat I thought I might share it."
"Unless it's about a meerkat--"
"It is."
...
The meerkat rushed down into the tunnel and yelled so he could be heard, "Everyone to the central meeting tunnel! I've been told incredible news!" When everyone was gathered together, the excited meerkat told the tale. "You wouldn't believe it! A meerkat actually fought a hyena back!"
"A hyena?!"
"That can't be!"
"And he's still alive?!"
"Well... no. Hyenas hunt in packs after all. He went out fighting though," the meerkat said.
"So, who was he?" Dalila asked.
"You won't believe this either. But he's now known as... Fearless Buzz."
"Fearless Buzz?"
"Wasn't he that meerkat that Shomari--?"
Shomari cleared his throat. "I'm right here, you know."
"Right, sorry."
"So, he's pushing up daisies now, eh?"
"Yup."
"Hey, without Buzz, we can take over their colony now!" a meerkat said.
"Hey, yeah!"
"Just give the order, Shomari, and we'll get going."
Shomari took a brief look around, then his eyes settled on Dalila and two meerkat pups that were standing by her, a male and female. His expression softened slightly. "We're doing just fine here. There's no need try to take over their colony."
"What?"
"You heard me. Meerkats will be singing the praises of Fearless Buzz, and maybe even think of standing up to a hyena, training hard to be strong enough, and getting themselves killed trying. I don't want that to happen to anyone in this mob, especially my own pups."
"But we're going to be training hard anyway to win the right to mate, aren't we, Dad?" the male pup, Sudi, asked.
"You're right..." Shomari put a paw to his chin, and then he slammed a fist into his paw. "I've decided. From now on, we will no longer hold the competition for mating rights."
"What?! But we need to reproduce!"
"We will continue to reproduce, but only the current alpha couples and their pups will be given the right. The alpha parents will pick suitors for their pups."
"Arranged marriages?" Dalila asked.
"But Papa, that's not romantic," the female pup, Zuri, said.
"Now, now, Zuri. You're not going to marry until you're at least 5 years old," Shomari said with a wave of his paw.
"Shomari, you can't keep her a pup forever. Pups are full-grown when they're a year old," Dalila said with a roll of her eyes.
"Who says I can't? When I see that my pups are of the appropriate age, they'll marry. By that time, Sudi and Zuri will grow to love their fiancés. Now then, back to your tunnels!"
"Yessir!" The meerkats disappeared into various halls to resume their digging.
Shomari stood there in the empty tunnel for a moment, then he walked to the wall and leaned forward against it, sighing. "You idiot, Buzz, facing a hyena..." He put a paw over his eyes and let out a shuddering sigh. "What were you trying to prove anyway? You were already strong enough. You always were..." He sniffled and then lifted his head up, wiping his eyes with the back of his arm. "I won't attack your colony again, Buzz. You let me live so I could care for my mate and pups. I see now that's the real reason you didn't kill me. My debt is repaid." He shook his head and walked out of the tunnel.
Present...
"So... that's why you never attacked us again?" Ma asked Shomari with a surprised expression.
"Yes... for letting me live after the battle."
"Wow... and I thought you always hated him," Pumbaa said.
"I was angry at Buzz for overpowering me at the competition. I didn't want to believe someone could be stronger than me. That's why I bit him and forfeit the fight." Shomari sighed and shook his head. "I was angry at Buzz instead of being angry at myself for not admitting defeat."
Ma's expression softened. "Shomari..."
"I was young, stubborn, and angry back then. I wasn't thinking clearly when I thought of finding an army and forcing his colony to submission. But after five months of training, he still beat me. Even though I was using Dalila as motivation, he still beat me. Though he felt a sort of hatred towards me, he let me live, so I could take care of Dalila."
"Why's that? No one else could take care of her?" Pumbaa asked.
"She was about 10 weeks along when we had that fight. Look, I know Buzz and I had a bad history, but I wasn't completely heartless. Of course, I was still bitter against the survivors for defeating us."
"Wow..."
"I could tell that when we met again years later when Timon snuck off to the Pride Lands to meet Zuri." Ma looked to where she saw some movement at the corner of her eye. "Well, that's all in the past now. Let's just try to look to the future, OK?"
"Agreed," Shomari nodded.
"Hey, what are you guys doing?" Timon asked as he and Zuri walked up to the group.
"Uh... nothing," Pumbaa innocently answered.
"Pumbaa just wanted to hear some more stories. That's all, Timmy," Ma said.
"So how was the babysitting?" Shomari asked.
"Nerve-wracking," Timon said as he dragged a paw over his face.
"Sudi's pups are not that bad, Timon," Zuri said as she poked Timon in the chest.
"Easy for you to say. He's your brother. You've known his pups longer."
"You look so tired, Timon. I'll tell you what, I'll carry the next litter, OK?" Zuri said flatly, patting Timon on the back.
"Very funny."
Shomari shook his head and walked over to them. "You look tired, Zuri. Let me take you to your nest."
"Thanks, Papa." Zuri allowed her father to lead her away.
When they left, Timon let out a long, "Oy..."
"What's wrong, Timon?" Pumbaa asked.
Timon sat down on a root and rested his face in his paws. "I dunno... my nerves are starting to get to me. I see how big Zuri's getting and keep thinking I'm actually gonna be a father." He ran a paw through his hair. "I don't know if I can do this."
"Uh, Pumbaa, do you think you could leave us alone for a while?" Ma asked.
"Why?" Pumbaa asked, blinking.
"Uh..."
"If it helps to get rid of you for a while, Jina's back. Last place I saw her was the mud pits," Timon said, nothing looking up.
"Jina's back? Mud pits? Yay!" With that the warthog ran off, leaving mother and son alone.
Ma sat down next to Timon and started to play with his hair. "Sweetie, every father-to-be is a nervous wreck before their first litter comes."
"Well, most fathers-to-be had their father teach them how to raise pups."
Ma scooted closer to him and wrapped an arm around his shoulders. "Just remember... your father died so you could live."
Timon sighed and reached a paw back to put it over his mother's. "I know... I guess he was expecting Uncle Max to teach me... or at least instinct. That's what he was always telling me. 'Instinct is gonna kick in.'"
"Instinct will kick in, Timon. I know it. You'll be a good father."
Timon nodded a moment, and then he looked at his mother with a concerned expression. "But what if they don't like me?"
Ma softly chuckled. "They will."
"But--"
"Timon. They'll like you. If you treat them good and love them, they'll love you back."
"Thanks, Ma." Timon cleared his throat and ruffled his hair up the way it normally was, just in case his mother fixed it up weird. "So... what have you been telling Pumbaa?"
"He wanted to hear some stories about me and your father, the competition we used to hold, when Shomari's colony tried to take over... you know, that kind of thing."
"Could you tell it to me sometime?"
"I've got time now. Wanna hear it?"
"Sure."
"Come here." She pulled Timon closer to him, then looked towards the setting sun. "This story takes place in autumn, about five months before you were born..."
Pumbaa: OK! ::trots off-screen... comes back a few minutes later with Timon and Zuri.::
Timon: ::walks in with Zuri.:: Oh, are we finally in this story?
Zuri: Sure took you long enough.
Kari: I know, I know... but Pumbaa, Ma, and Shomari needed some attention... besides, you liked hearing more about your father, right, Timon?
Timon: Yeah, well... lemme guess, this is probably the last chapter, right?
Kari: Unless I put another epilogue on it, yeah.
Timon and Zuri: WHAT?!
Timon: But the last two had at least 10 chapters! This is only Chapter 7!
Kari: Oh, chill. I said from the beginning this fic probably wasn't gonna be as long. Live with it. I'll probably find something to inspire me... maybe something that'll get more reviews than this one did.
Timon: Yeah, I guess... ::sits with Pumbaa and Zuri::
Kari: ::aside to the readers:: Geesh, you give the guy the spotlight for two of your fics and he thinks he wrote them himself. Anyway... start reading!
Chapter 7:
5 1/2 years ago...
A hornbill landed right next to a meerkat who was standing high on a rock. The meerkat turned to him. "You're not here to attack, are you?" the meerkat asked.
"Hardly. You would not believe the story I have just been told. Being a meerkat I thought I might share it."
"Unless it's about a meerkat--"
"It is."
...
The meerkat rushed down into the tunnel and yelled so he could be heard, "Everyone to the central meeting tunnel! I've been told incredible news!" When everyone was gathered together, the excited meerkat told the tale. "You wouldn't believe it! A meerkat actually fought a hyena back!"
"A hyena?!"
"That can't be!"
"And he's still alive?!"
"Well... no. Hyenas hunt in packs after all. He went out fighting though," the meerkat said.
"So, who was he?" Dalila asked.
"You won't believe this either. But he's now known as... Fearless Buzz."
"Fearless Buzz?"
"Wasn't he that meerkat that Shomari--?"
Shomari cleared his throat. "I'm right here, you know."
"Right, sorry."
"So, he's pushing up daisies now, eh?"
"Yup."
"Hey, without Buzz, we can take over their colony now!" a meerkat said.
"Hey, yeah!"
"Just give the order, Shomari, and we'll get going."
Shomari took a brief look around, then his eyes settled on Dalila and two meerkat pups that were standing by her, a male and female. His expression softened slightly. "We're doing just fine here. There's no need try to take over their colony."
"What?"
"You heard me. Meerkats will be singing the praises of Fearless Buzz, and maybe even think of standing up to a hyena, training hard to be strong enough, and getting themselves killed trying. I don't want that to happen to anyone in this mob, especially my own pups."
"But we're going to be training hard anyway to win the right to mate, aren't we, Dad?" the male pup, Sudi, asked.
"You're right..." Shomari put a paw to his chin, and then he slammed a fist into his paw. "I've decided. From now on, we will no longer hold the competition for mating rights."
"What?! But we need to reproduce!"
"We will continue to reproduce, but only the current alpha couples and their pups will be given the right. The alpha parents will pick suitors for their pups."
"Arranged marriages?" Dalila asked.
"But Papa, that's not romantic," the female pup, Zuri, said.
"Now, now, Zuri. You're not going to marry until you're at least 5 years old," Shomari said with a wave of his paw.
"Shomari, you can't keep her a pup forever. Pups are full-grown when they're a year old," Dalila said with a roll of her eyes.
"Who says I can't? When I see that my pups are of the appropriate age, they'll marry. By that time, Sudi and Zuri will grow to love their fiancés. Now then, back to your tunnels!"
"Yessir!" The meerkats disappeared into various halls to resume their digging.
Shomari stood there in the empty tunnel for a moment, then he walked to the wall and leaned forward against it, sighing. "You idiot, Buzz, facing a hyena..." He put a paw over his eyes and let out a shuddering sigh. "What were you trying to prove anyway? You were already strong enough. You always were..." He sniffled and then lifted his head up, wiping his eyes with the back of his arm. "I won't attack your colony again, Buzz. You let me live so I could care for my mate and pups. I see now that's the real reason you didn't kill me. My debt is repaid." He shook his head and walked out of the tunnel.
Present...
"So... that's why you never attacked us again?" Ma asked Shomari with a surprised expression.
"Yes... for letting me live after the battle."
"Wow... and I thought you always hated him," Pumbaa said.
"I was angry at Buzz for overpowering me at the competition. I didn't want to believe someone could be stronger than me. That's why I bit him and forfeit the fight." Shomari sighed and shook his head. "I was angry at Buzz instead of being angry at myself for not admitting defeat."
Ma's expression softened. "Shomari..."
"I was young, stubborn, and angry back then. I wasn't thinking clearly when I thought of finding an army and forcing his colony to submission. But after five months of training, he still beat me. Even though I was using Dalila as motivation, he still beat me. Though he felt a sort of hatred towards me, he let me live, so I could take care of Dalila."
"Why's that? No one else could take care of her?" Pumbaa asked.
"She was about 10 weeks along when we had that fight. Look, I know Buzz and I had a bad history, but I wasn't completely heartless. Of course, I was still bitter against the survivors for defeating us."
"Wow..."
"I could tell that when we met again years later when Timon snuck off to the Pride Lands to meet Zuri." Ma looked to where she saw some movement at the corner of her eye. "Well, that's all in the past now. Let's just try to look to the future, OK?"
"Agreed," Shomari nodded.
"Hey, what are you guys doing?" Timon asked as he and Zuri walked up to the group.
"Uh... nothing," Pumbaa innocently answered.
"Pumbaa just wanted to hear some more stories. That's all, Timmy," Ma said.
"So how was the babysitting?" Shomari asked.
"Nerve-wracking," Timon said as he dragged a paw over his face.
"Sudi's pups are not that bad, Timon," Zuri said as she poked Timon in the chest.
"Easy for you to say. He's your brother. You've known his pups longer."
"You look so tired, Timon. I'll tell you what, I'll carry the next litter, OK?" Zuri said flatly, patting Timon on the back.
"Very funny."
Shomari shook his head and walked over to them. "You look tired, Zuri. Let me take you to your nest."
"Thanks, Papa." Zuri allowed her father to lead her away.
When they left, Timon let out a long, "Oy..."
"What's wrong, Timon?" Pumbaa asked.
Timon sat down on a root and rested his face in his paws. "I dunno... my nerves are starting to get to me. I see how big Zuri's getting and keep thinking I'm actually gonna be a father." He ran a paw through his hair. "I don't know if I can do this."
"Uh, Pumbaa, do you think you could leave us alone for a while?" Ma asked.
"Why?" Pumbaa asked, blinking.
"Uh..."
"If it helps to get rid of you for a while, Jina's back. Last place I saw her was the mud pits," Timon said, nothing looking up.
"Jina's back? Mud pits? Yay!" With that the warthog ran off, leaving mother and son alone.
Ma sat down next to Timon and started to play with his hair. "Sweetie, every father-to-be is a nervous wreck before their first litter comes."
"Well, most fathers-to-be had their father teach them how to raise pups."
Ma scooted closer to him and wrapped an arm around his shoulders. "Just remember... your father died so you could live."
Timon sighed and reached a paw back to put it over his mother's. "I know... I guess he was expecting Uncle Max to teach me... or at least instinct. That's what he was always telling me. 'Instinct is gonna kick in.'"
"Instinct will kick in, Timon. I know it. You'll be a good father."
Timon nodded a moment, and then he looked at his mother with a concerned expression. "But what if they don't like me?"
Ma softly chuckled. "They will."
"But--"
"Timon. They'll like you. If you treat them good and love them, they'll love you back."
"Thanks, Ma." Timon cleared his throat and ruffled his hair up the way it normally was, just in case his mother fixed it up weird. "So... what have you been telling Pumbaa?"
"He wanted to hear some stories about me and your father, the competition we used to hold, when Shomari's colony tried to take over... you know, that kind of thing."
"Could you tell it to me sometime?"
"I've got time now. Wanna hear it?"
"Sure."
"Come here." She pulled Timon closer to him, then looked towards the setting sun. "This story takes place in autumn, about five months before you were born..."