Chapter 2:
Night became day, as it normally did. But today it was a rainy day in the oasis. The occupants didn't take mind to it much. The warthogs especially loved it because it would make more mud holes. The only sound in the oasis was the quiet rain and occasional thunder, until...
"Whoo-hoo-hoo!" a three-month-old meerkat pup cheered as he swung through the trees on a vine. He barely missed Uncle Max, who was relaxing in one of the hammocks.
Uncle Max screamed and clung to the hammock. He glared after the pup. "Kito!"
"Sorry, Uncle Max!" The pup, Kito, landed on a branch, right over the stream. He looked down and saw Timon was in his hammock, relaxing and drinking from a coconut shell. "Cannonball!" Kito screamed as he jumped off the branch and down towards Timon.
Timon heard this and blinked, "'Cannonball'?" He looked up from his drink and saw Kito coming down towards him. "Kito!" He dropped his drink, stood on the hammock, and reached up to catch him. He did catch him, but fell over from lack of balance into the water. He resurfaced, coughing. "Funny, I don't remember teaching him to jump from high places without a vine." He looked around quickly. "Kito! Where are ya?"
Kito's head broke the surface of the water, the coconut shell on his head. "Whoo-hoo! What a blast!" Kito laughed as he swam over to the bank. He shook himself off and removed the shell as Timon muttered to himself and walked to the bank. "I got you good, Dad!"
"Heh, heh, yeah. Did you have anything sugary this morning?" Timon asked, shaking the water out of his fur.
"How'd ya guess?"
Timon heaved a sigh and rolled his eyes. "Lucky guess." He pulled a leaf off a low-hanging branch and pulled Kito over to him. "Come here, you hyper-active little--"
"Daaaad! Why are you drying me off? It's not like I'm gonna stay dry today!" Kito squirmed to get away from Timon as he dried him off.
"True, but the day's young, and if your mother saw you soaking wet--wait, where is your mother?"
"I dunno," Kito shrugged.
"Wasn't she watching you?"
"Uh-huh, but I guess I'm too fast for her."
They both looked over as Zuri ran over to them. She stopped a moment to pant. "Is everyone all right?"
Timon pushed Kito over to her. "Yes, but your son almost killed himself jumping from the high branches."
Zuri feigned disbelief as she put her paws on Kito's shoulders. "My son, Great Timon?"
Timon nodded. "Yes, Zuri."
Zuri put a paw on her hip. "Really? I seem to remember you had something to do with him. I seem to recall you even wanted to name him Buzz."
Kito looked up at Timon. "You wanted to name me after a bug, Dad?" Zuri laughed as Timon nervously smiled.
"No. I wanted to name you after your grandfather, Fearless Buzz." Timon arched an eyebrow at Zuri. "But your mother thought other pups would make fun of a kid named after the noise their breakfast makes."
Zuri spoke up, "And lunch and dinner and midnight snack and--"
"Picky, picky, picky."
"Well, wasn't your father teased about his name?" Zuri asked with a shrug.
Timon opened his mouth to answer, and then closed it, blinking. "No idea, actually. I'd have to ask my mother." Timon blinked again. "Wait a second... if you're here, and I'm here... where's Shani?" Zuri stood there for a moment, tapping her chin. She then gulped. Timon slapped a paw over his eyes. "Oy."
Suddenly Ma came over. "Don't worry, Timon, she's just fine. I left her with Pete," Ma said.
Zuri nervously chuckled as she came over to her. "Thanks, Mom. Kito was running off acting like the king of the vines again and I had to make sure he didn't kill himself."
"Aww, you worry too much, Mom," Kito said.
"Yeah, because she has you for a son," Timon said, ruffling Kito's hair.
"Come here, you," Zuri said, pulling Kito over to her. "Let's go see your Uncle Sudi. You know how much he loves you."
As Zuri walked away with her son, Timon stepped next to his mother. "Those two are lucky."
Ma looked at him. "Hmm?"
"Well, nothing you could've done, Ma, but I would've liked to have had a brother or sister when I was growing up. You know, someone my age to play with."
"Timon--"
"Like I said, nothing you could've done."
"Mm, I guess not," Ma said, nodding.
Timon rubbed the back of his neck for a moment. "I've been meaning to ask you something."
"Yes?"
"Well, ever since Bango and Barika were born, I've been having this dream. I've had it every night for a while, then it stopped for a while, and I just had again it last night. And I was wondering if there's something you're not telling me."
"W-What do you mean? What was the dream about?"
Timon thought hard, trying to recall everything in his dream. "I was young... you brought me outside with another meerkat pup. We wondered off... you found me, but not him. And you called after him by name." Timon looked directly at his mother with a furrowed brow. "So, would you mind telling me who Titus is, really?"
Ma gulped and tapped her fingertips together. "Titus?"
Pumbaa started to walk by, but stopped when he heard Ma speak the name Titus.
"Don't play dumb with me, Ma. You know whom I'm talking about. He's been in my dreams ever since you mentioned his name during that memory day. Why would I dream about him if he wasn't important?"
"Would you believe suggestive thought?"
"No, Mother, I would not."
Pumbaa's patience, which is usually a great deal, has just about run out. He padded over to the two meerkats. "Mrs. Ma, I'm sorry, but I've had enough of this hiding!" He pressed his snout against Ma's fur, looking her straight in the eye. "Either you tell Timon about Titus, or I will!"
"What, you mean Pumbaa knows something I don't?!" Timon asked, looking offended. He then put a paw to his chin, considering this. "Must not be that important then..."
Pumbaa glanced at Timon for a moment, and then furrowed his brow at Ma. Ma looked at Pumbaa, and then sighed. "All right, Pumbaa, I'll tell him."
"Right this very minute?" Pumbaa arched a brow.
"If we can be alone. This is a mother-son issue," Ma nodded.
"Aww, can't I stay? I really wanna hear about Titus again."
"This is a mother-son issue, and though I'm starting to consider you a son, I'd like to have a private moment with my real son. You can read about how he takes it later in the Gossip Column."
"Aww, all right..." Pumbaa said as he turned to walk away.
Ma sighed as Pumbaa was out of earshot, and then led Timon in the other direction. Timon watched her as she lead them away, wondering what was going through her head.
To be continued...
Night became day, as it normally did. But today it was a rainy day in the oasis. The occupants didn't take mind to it much. The warthogs especially loved it because it would make more mud holes. The only sound in the oasis was the quiet rain and occasional thunder, until...
"Whoo-hoo-hoo!" a three-month-old meerkat pup cheered as he swung through the trees on a vine. He barely missed Uncle Max, who was relaxing in one of the hammocks.
Uncle Max screamed and clung to the hammock. He glared after the pup. "Kito!"
"Sorry, Uncle Max!" The pup, Kito, landed on a branch, right over the stream. He looked down and saw Timon was in his hammock, relaxing and drinking from a coconut shell. "Cannonball!" Kito screamed as he jumped off the branch and down towards Timon.
Timon heard this and blinked, "'Cannonball'?" He looked up from his drink and saw Kito coming down towards him. "Kito!" He dropped his drink, stood on the hammock, and reached up to catch him. He did catch him, but fell over from lack of balance into the water. He resurfaced, coughing. "Funny, I don't remember teaching him to jump from high places without a vine." He looked around quickly. "Kito! Where are ya?"
Kito's head broke the surface of the water, the coconut shell on his head. "Whoo-hoo! What a blast!" Kito laughed as he swam over to the bank. He shook himself off and removed the shell as Timon muttered to himself and walked to the bank. "I got you good, Dad!"
"Heh, heh, yeah. Did you have anything sugary this morning?" Timon asked, shaking the water out of his fur.
"How'd ya guess?"
Timon heaved a sigh and rolled his eyes. "Lucky guess." He pulled a leaf off a low-hanging branch and pulled Kito over to him. "Come here, you hyper-active little--"
"Daaaad! Why are you drying me off? It's not like I'm gonna stay dry today!" Kito squirmed to get away from Timon as he dried him off.
"True, but the day's young, and if your mother saw you soaking wet--wait, where is your mother?"
"I dunno," Kito shrugged.
"Wasn't she watching you?"
"Uh-huh, but I guess I'm too fast for her."
They both looked over as Zuri ran over to them. She stopped a moment to pant. "Is everyone all right?"
Timon pushed Kito over to her. "Yes, but your son almost killed himself jumping from the high branches."
Zuri feigned disbelief as she put her paws on Kito's shoulders. "My son, Great Timon?"
Timon nodded. "Yes, Zuri."
Zuri put a paw on her hip. "Really? I seem to remember you had something to do with him. I seem to recall you even wanted to name him Buzz."
Kito looked up at Timon. "You wanted to name me after a bug, Dad?" Zuri laughed as Timon nervously smiled.
"No. I wanted to name you after your grandfather, Fearless Buzz." Timon arched an eyebrow at Zuri. "But your mother thought other pups would make fun of a kid named after the noise their breakfast makes."
Zuri spoke up, "And lunch and dinner and midnight snack and--"
"Picky, picky, picky."
"Well, wasn't your father teased about his name?" Zuri asked with a shrug.
Timon opened his mouth to answer, and then closed it, blinking. "No idea, actually. I'd have to ask my mother." Timon blinked again. "Wait a second... if you're here, and I'm here... where's Shani?" Zuri stood there for a moment, tapping her chin. She then gulped. Timon slapped a paw over his eyes. "Oy."
Suddenly Ma came over. "Don't worry, Timon, she's just fine. I left her with Pete," Ma said.
Zuri nervously chuckled as she came over to her. "Thanks, Mom. Kito was running off acting like the king of the vines again and I had to make sure he didn't kill himself."
"Aww, you worry too much, Mom," Kito said.
"Yeah, because she has you for a son," Timon said, ruffling Kito's hair.
"Come here, you," Zuri said, pulling Kito over to her. "Let's go see your Uncle Sudi. You know how much he loves you."
As Zuri walked away with her son, Timon stepped next to his mother. "Those two are lucky."
Ma looked at him. "Hmm?"
"Well, nothing you could've done, Ma, but I would've liked to have had a brother or sister when I was growing up. You know, someone my age to play with."
"Timon--"
"Like I said, nothing you could've done."
"Mm, I guess not," Ma said, nodding.
Timon rubbed the back of his neck for a moment. "I've been meaning to ask you something."
"Yes?"
"Well, ever since Bango and Barika were born, I've been having this dream. I've had it every night for a while, then it stopped for a while, and I just had again it last night. And I was wondering if there's something you're not telling me."
"W-What do you mean? What was the dream about?"
Timon thought hard, trying to recall everything in his dream. "I was young... you brought me outside with another meerkat pup. We wondered off... you found me, but not him. And you called after him by name." Timon looked directly at his mother with a furrowed brow. "So, would you mind telling me who Titus is, really?"
Ma gulped and tapped her fingertips together. "Titus?"
Pumbaa started to walk by, but stopped when he heard Ma speak the name Titus.
"Don't play dumb with me, Ma. You know whom I'm talking about. He's been in my dreams ever since you mentioned his name during that memory day. Why would I dream about him if he wasn't important?"
"Would you believe suggestive thought?"
"No, Mother, I would not."
Pumbaa's patience, which is usually a great deal, has just about run out. He padded over to the two meerkats. "Mrs. Ma, I'm sorry, but I've had enough of this hiding!" He pressed his snout against Ma's fur, looking her straight in the eye. "Either you tell Timon about Titus, or I will!"
"What, you mean Pumbaa knows something I don't?!" Timon asked, looking offended. He then put a paw to his chin, considering this. "Must not be that important then..."
Pumbaa glanced at Timon for a moment, and then furrowed his brow at Ma. Ma looked at Pumbaa, and then sighed. "All right, Pumbaa, I'll tell him."
"Right this very minute?" Pumbaa arched a brow.
"If we can be alone. This is a mother-son issue," Ma nodded.
"Aww, can't I stay? I really wanna hear about Titus again."
"This is a mother-son issue, and though I'm starting to consider you a son, I'd like to have a private moment with my real son. You can read about how he takes it later in the Gossip Column."
"Aww, all right..." Pumbaa said as he turned to walk away.
Ma sighed as Pumbaa was out of earshot, and then led Timon in the other direction. Timon watched her as she lead them away, wondering what was going through her head.
To be continued...