Simba walked out of the cave and paused, furrowing his brow at the sight he
saw. Pumbaa sat in the rain at the edge of Pride Rock, his ears drooping to
his head. He looked completely devastated. Carefully, the lion approached
the warthog and sat down beside him, peering at him in the corner of his
eye.
"Maybe I was too harsh," Simba said quietly.
"Oh, poor Timon," Pumbaa exclaimed, bowing his head and letting the drops slide off his snout. "Out there all alone."
Simba sighed and shook his head, before justifying, "Well, he made a choice."
"He'll come back," Pumbaa replied. His lower lip trembled and he looked up at the lion sitting before him, asking, "He'll come back, won't he?"
"Sure he will," Simba smiled weakly. "He'll find out that Shenzi can't be trusted." Simba's eyes grew large slightly and he shot a look out toward the plains. "And we left him alone out there... with HER! She could turn on him! She could..."
"But, he said she was his friend."
"She must have brainwashed him or threatened him..."
"Simba..."
With a sigh, all the tension flowed out of him and he slumped down. "I just can't believe he would defend her."
"Me neither," Pumbaa replied, shaking his head. "It is not like Timon to trust easily."
"I shouldn't have yelled at him," Simba whispered, lowering his head.
"Timon will come around," Pumbaa said confidently. "Just give him a while to cool down and realize that WE are his friends."
"Yeah, I just hope he's okay with his OTHER friend," Simba replied sourly.
* * *
"Ahhhh!" Timon screamed. "Help me!"
"Would you hold still?" Shenzi griped, pressing her paw down on him and flattening him to the muddy ground.
Timon clenched his teeth and covered his eyes, preparing himself for the pain. "How bad is it?" he asked carefully.
Shenzi grinned a little, eyeing the cactus needle stuck in the end of his tail. "Oh, it's bad," she said in mock fear. "Real bad."
"Eh?" he said, lifting one paw to peer up at her. But, before he could say anything coherent, he let out a curdling shout when she ripped it from his fur.
She turned her head and spit the needle away, before lifting her paw up from him and taking a step back. "There, all better."
Timon sat up and immediately grabbed his tail, rubbing it tenderly. Shenzi just rolled her eyes at him and turned to continue walking. Seeing her leave, Timon dropped his tail and got up to run after her.
"Where are we going, anyway?" he asked as he fell into stride with her.
She shrugged. "Somewhere away from here, that's for sure."
Timon frowned and looked around helplessly. "Well... ah... I don't know..."
"Well, what do you suggest, Stooge?" she asked, looking down at him.
"I don't know," he said again, stopping to lean against a rock. "But I'm not used to all this walking." He blinked and looked up at her, but she was already shaking her head.
"I ain't gonna carry you around like some camel. No way." She paused and then added, "Besides, you are in my debt now."
"We are keeping score?" Timon asked, raising an eyebrow.
Just then, they heard a shout, "Shenzi!" and both looked over to see two blurs of gray running toward them.
Timon's eyes grew large to see it was Banzai and Ed. "Uh oh."
"Maybe I was too harsh," Simba said quietly.
"Oh, poor Timon," Pumbaa exclaimed, bowing his head and letting the drops slide off his snout. "Out there all alone."
Simba sighed and shook his head, before justifying, "Well, he made a choice."
"He'll come back," Pumbaa replied. His lower lip trembled and he looked up at the lion sitting before him, asking, "He'll come back, won't he?"
"Sure he will," Simba smiled weakly. "He'll find out that Shenzi can't be trusted." Simba's eyes grew large slightly and he shot a look out toward the plains. "And we left him alone out there... with HER! She could turn on him! She could..."
"But, he said she was his friend."
"She must have brainwashed him or threatened him..."
"Simba..."
With a sigh, all the tension flowed out of him and he slumped down. "I just can't believe he would defend her."
"Me neither," Pumbaa replied, shaking his head. "It is not like Timon to trust easily."
"I shouldn't have yelled at him," Simba whispered, lowering his head.
"Timon will come around," Pumbaa said confidently. "Just give him a while to cool down and realize that WE are his friends."
"Yeah, I just hope he's okay with his OTHER friend," Simba replied sourly.
* * *
"Ahhhh!" Timon screamed. "Help me!"
"Would you hold still?" Shenzi griped, pressing her paw down on him and flattening him to the muddy ground.
Timon clenched his teeth and covered his eyes, preparing himself for the pain. "How bad is it?" he asked carefully.
Shenzi grinned a little, eyeing the cactus needle stuck in the end of his tail. "Oh, it's bad," she said in mock fear. "Real bad."
"Eh?" he said, lifting one paw to peer up at her. But, before he could say anything coherent, he let out a curdling shout when she ripped it from his fur.
She turned her head and spit the needle away, before lifting her paw up from him and taking a step back. "There, all better."
Timon sat up and immediately grabbed his tail, rubbing it tenderly. Shenzi just rolled her eyes at him and turned to continue walking. Seeing her leave, Timon dropped his tail and got up to run after her.
"Where are we going, anyway?" he asked as he fell into stride with her.
She shrugged. "Somewhere away from here, that's for sure."
Timon frowned and looked around helplessly. "Well... ah... I don't know..."
"Well, what do you suggest, Stooge?" she asked, looking down at him.
"I don't know," he said again, stopping to lean against a rock. "But I'm not used to all this walking." He blinked and looked up at her, but she was already shaking her head.
"I ain't gonna carry you around like some camel. No way." She paused and then added, "Besides, you are in my debt now."
"We are keeping score?" Timon asked, raising an eyebrow.
Just then, they heard a shout, "Shenzi!" and both looked over to see two blurs of gray running toward them.
Timon's eyes grew large to see it was Banzai and Ed. "Uh oh."