Chapter 3:
Uncle Max went around with the straws again to see who would share the next memory. The winner this time was Pumbaa.
"Oh, boy! I get to share a memory now!" Pumbaa cheered as he looked at the long straw.
"Finally, something new. Finally, we're going to learn something new about Pumbaa," Timon said to himself.
Pumbaa was mumbling to himself about what memory he would like to share. "Let's see... no, not that one... uh, oooh! No, no, no... hmm..."
"Is it so hard to pick a memory, Pumbaa?" Ma asked.
"Well, not a lot of interesting stuff happened in my life before I met Timon."
"Why not tell us about that tragic event then?" Timon, dying to know how that happened, asked.
Pumbaa frowned, "Timon, is that all you're thinking about right now?"
"Honestly? Yes."
"Hmph. Well, you're not going to hear it yet. I'm going along with the theme of happy memories at the moment."
Timon furrowed his brow. "You call embarrassing myself while learning scurry-sniff-flinch a happy memory?"
"I didn't think it was so bad..."
"That's because it didn't happen to you," Timon turned around and folded his arms in front of his chest.
Pumbaa grimaced, and then he perked up. "Ooo, ooo, I know of a happy memory! One where you're not embarrassed!"
"Oh? And what is that? Where I dress in drag and do the hula to distract the hyenas?"
Pumbaa furrowed his brow. "What are you complaining about? I had the apple in my mouth."
Zuri had a paw to her mouth, giggling. "Oh, the things I wish I could've seen..."
"Oy..." Timon said, blushing.
Pumbaa also blushed, and then he cleared his throat. "Actually, the memory I was referring to was the night we first met."
"Ooo, I haven't heard that one yet," Ma said as she sat next to Zuri and her grandchildren.
"Me, neither," Zuri said.
Timon put a paw to his chin, thinking. "Well... I guess that memory isn't too bad..." He then turned around to face Pumbaa. "Unless you were there when you watched me do that song and dance number, too."
Pumbaa cowered back a little bit. "Well, I might've heard a little bit of it..."
Timon smiled and then walked back over to Pumbaa. "Then you'd better let me tell that part."
"Really?"
"You bet!" Timon leaned his weight on Pumbaa's tusk. "You do a lousy job describing song and dance numbers, especially when you didn't hear it all. You missed all the good stuff."
"You had another song after you left the colony? And at night? That's a sure-fire way of attracting predators!" Uncle Max said.
"Yeah, but it attracted Pumbaa, my future bestest best buddy, too." Timon then cleared his throat. "Well, I guess Pumbaa and I will be sharing this memory. I had just run into a magic blue-faced monkey--"
"Rafiki," Pumbaa interrupted.
"Right. Rafiki. Anyway, he told me about Hakuna Matata and how to find it..."
4 years ago...
"To find it, you must look beyond what you see," Rafiki said, who appeared deep in meditation.
"What the heck is that suppose to mean?" Timon asked.
Rafiki suddenly appeared behind Timon, pressing his finger against the back of Timon's head. Timon turned around quickly, and then the finger was instead pressed against his nose. "It means, look beyond what you see."
Timon turned to face the direction the baboon had gestured to. "Beyond what I see. Heh. Get a load of the monkey, getting all existential on me." He decided to take this seriously, because although Rafiki seemed strange, he also seemed awfully wise. He began to look beyond what he saw, until his eyes settled on Pride Rock. "Oh, wait a second! It's coming to me! It's either that slug I ate or I'm having an epiphany! I'm going to the big, pointy rock!" He turned to Rafiki... "Right?" ... Only to find he was no longer there. He scratched his head, wondering, "Who was that strange monkey?" He quickly shrugged it off. "Oh well. Dream home, here I come!" He then marched off.
Rafiki was back up in his tree as he watched Timon walk off. He laughed a bit, and then he spied a warthog wondering by his tree. The warthog sighed and sat at the base of the tree. Rafiki dropped down by the warthog, who barely noticed his entrance. Rafiki grimaced slightly and smacked him on the head with his stick.
"Ow! Hey, that wasn't very nice!" the warthog, Pumbaa, said as he rubbed his head.
"It's not very nice to sit next to Rafiki's tree when you do not ask either," Rafiki said, now leaning his weight against his stick.
"Oh, I'm sorry. Could you tell Mr. Rafiki I'm very sorry? I'll be moving off his property soon. I just need a little rest." Pumbaa sighed again, looking terribly pitiful.
"Sakes alive, boy. What is the matter?"
"I'm lonely. No one wants to be around me because of my sensitive digestive track."
"Sensitive digestive track?" Pumbaa motion Rafiki down and then whispered in his ear. Rafiki stood up straight. "Oooh, I see. Hmm. That is a problem."
"So most animals give me a pretty wide berth. I know male warthogs are suppose to be loners, but..." Pumbaa suddenly started wailing. "All I really want is friends!"
Rafiki pat Pumbaa on the head. "Tut, tut, tut, my smelly friend. There is hope, and don't ask me how I know."
"Why not?" Pumbaa sniffled. He suddenly perked up. "You mean you'll be my friend?"
"Rafiki-man does not have time for friends, I'm afraid."
"Oh. Well, what about you?"
Rafiki grimaced slightly. "You are very slow, aren't you?"
"No, I'm actually quite quick on my feet. All warthogs are."
"... Right. But if you seek friendship, I did see someone wonder by here a few minutes ago, all alone. Something tells me he is looking for friends as well."
"Really? Who? Another warthog?"
"A meerkat, actually."
Pumbaa wrinkled his eyebrows. "A meerkat? You mean those digging animals near the bottom of the food chain?"
"The very same."
"Gee, I don't know, Mr. Baboon. A meerkat and a warthog? That just doesn't sound like a good match."
"Maybe not, but you are not a typical warthog, and I sense this meerkat is not your typical meerkat. You know meerkats usually stick with their own kind, yes?"
"Yes," Pumbaa nodded.
"No other meerkats near here."
"Gee... do you think he's lost?"
"Maybe... why not go find him? Then he'll be found."
"Good idea. Thanks, Mr. Baboon!" Pumbaa started to run off in the direction Timon went.
"But do not tell him I sent you to him!" Rafiki called after Pumbaa.
"Got it!"
Rafiki watched Pumbaa run off, and then shook his head. "Rafiki needs to put a sign up. 'No visitors after moon up.' That's what he should do." He then climbed back up into his tree.
By this time Timon was getting hungry. He stopped to look under a rock and snatched the few grubs lying underneath. He packed them into his mouth, chewed, and swallowed. He then licked his fingers. "I guess that'll hold me until I can reach the big, pointy rock." He looked out towards Pride Rock. "I can't believe it's really gonna happen. Dad, I'm finally gonna find the perfect home." He found a larger rock to climb on top of to see Pride Rock better.Suddenly overwhelmed with emotions, he began to sing in a gospel melody to the song he sang earlier. He jumped off the rock and started to march forward again.
Pumbaa was walking in the direction Rafiki motioned, and then he heard someone singing. "What's that?" He trotted ahead, but stopped and ducked down below the tall grass when he saw a meerkat singing to himself. "That must be the meerkat that baboon mentioned." He watched the meerkat continue to sing for another minute when he finished. Pumbaa blinked a moment as he watched the meerkat finish his song and march forward into a patch of grass. "Wow... he really likes to sing and dance... in the middle of the savanna at night... that's not a good thing. He could draw attention to himself and then attract a predator. Little guy like him shouldn't be out here all alone." He nodded to himself. "Other than that, I think I like him. Yup!" He padded off in the direction Timon went. He watched Timon, not noticing he stepped on a twig. He ducked behind some thicker grass when he saw the meerkat face the direction he heard sound come from.
Timon saw the grass sway, but felt no wind. He nervously backed up onto a rock, looking around. "Ah... oh... hello? Strange, but wise monkey?" He jumped when a bird cawed, and a flock of birds flew overhead. Timon began to pant, expecting there's a predator nearby, stalking him.
Pumbaa had stumbled upon a group of birds, startling them, and sending them flapping into the air and over Timon. The warthog mumbled his apologies, and then looked towards Timon, whose back was facing him. Pumbaa was so nervous, thinking after all this time, he may have finally found a friend. He tried to speak, but instead of a greeting he let out an odd grunt.
Timon jumped around to face the sound of the grunt, now afraid. "Uh..." Pumbaa couldn't find the strength to actually speak, so he began to trot towards him. Timon could only see the shape of something rushing towards him, so he jumped off the rock and blindly ran forward. Pumbaa tried to call him to stop, but only released another strange grunt. Timon only looked back briefly, and then continued running. Pumbaa finally decided to get in front of him, so he went around Timon and ended up meeting him in a little clearing. Pumbaa released a snort, scaring Timon out of his skin. "Aaaaaah!"
That scared Pumbaa, who also screamed. "Aaaaah!"
The two screamed back and forth for a round or two, until Timon finally stopped, dropped to his knees, and clasped his paws together in a pleading manner. "Just eat me now, and please make it fast. I've got a low threshold for pain!"
Pumbaa blinked, and then found his normal voice to reassure Timon, "Easy, easy there, little guy. I'm not gonna eat you."
"What? You're not?" Timon got up and stared at the warthog, now looking more annoyed than he was scared. "Then why were you stalking me?"
"Well, gee, I saw you go by and figured a little fella like you shouldn't be out here all alone."
"Hey, what about you? You're all alone." Timon suddenly looked around, nervously. "You are all alone, aren't you?"
Pumbaa sadly nodded. "Yeah. Most animals give me a pretty wide berth."
"... They do? Even the hungry ones?"
As Pumbaa talked Timon examined Pumbaa's front hoof, playing with it like a pair of scissors. "Yeah, I drive almost everyone away. People see me coming and they run for cover. They can't get out of the way fast enough."
"You don't say, you don't say. Must be the gleam on those vicious tusks, huh? Strikes fear into their hearts."
"Actually, they say I wreck their appetites."
Timon suddenly rubbed his paws together in a scheming manner. "Wow. It's like you have this--this... special power."
Pumbaa nervously backed away from him. "Special power?" He looked back at his rear. "Well, it's pretty powerful all right."
"Perfect! You're hired!"
"Great! ... Uh, for what?"
Timon motioned Pumbaa towards Pride Rock. "To get me to a little worry-free haven out by that big, pointy rock."
Pumbaa seemed even more nervous, so he wanted to confirm what Timon was thinking. "And... you want me to come with you?"
"Ha ha! Do you see any other big, lovable chunk of warthog here, who also happens to have razor-sharp tusks and the ability to repel predators?" Timon flashed a big, sparkling smile to the warthog and batted his eyes.
Pumbaa smiled, "I'm your pig."
Timon climbed onto Pumbaa's snout. "You and me, I can tell we see eye to eye."
Pumbaa smiled and asked hopefully, "You mean... like friends?"
"Whoa, easy there, big fella. I'd say more like..." Timon jumped off Pumbaa's snout and made quotes with his fingers, "Acquaintances."
"Oh." Pumbaa was a bit disappointed, but then he said in a brightened tone, "Well, it's a start."
Timon offered his paw. "Put 'er there, acquaintance." Pumbaa gave him his hoof, and shook his paw. "I'm Timon."
"Pumbaa!"
"No, really." He paused a moment to see Pumbaa smiling at him. "All righty then. Let's hit the road!"
"You got it... acquaintance." Pumbaa was happy to actually have someone be with him, even if it was only temporary. He trotted after Timon, and then walked beside him.
"So... clear up one thing for me. If you weren't going to eat me, what kind of a wacky wild pig are you?"
"I'm an insectivore."
Timon smiled. "Oh ho! A bug eater! Well, me too. I just never had a name for it. I'm kinda partical to the crawly critters myself. How about you, big boy?"
"I prefer the ones with wings."
"Pumbaa... this could be the start of a beautiful... acquaintanceship."
To be continued...