OK, I'm back again, a little late than past work, but this time I had an excuse. I heard the demo of Proud of Your Boy on the Aladdin soundtrack, and thought it sounded just like Timon and his mother. I wanted to wait to see what the storyboards looked like before I did anything, so that's why I waited a week for the DVD before I did anything. Woulda continued outside of the dream sequence, but didn't wanna make this chapter too long. Anyway, I rather like this section... hope you do, too! UPDATE: Had to remove Proud of Your Boy lyrics. Sigh.

Chapter 9:

The sun was rising over the oasis, but Timon refused to be awake yet. He stayed up late waiting for Zuri to return to the nest, so he expected himself to sleep later than normally. Also, the sooner he would wake up, the sooner he knew he would get lectured by his mate about the "L" word, or think up an excuse as to why he should avoid talking to his mother.

But why should I avoid talking to her? She's my mother. She supported me when no one else did... when no one could stand being around me because of my clumsiness.

He felt the wind brush against his fur, as if it were trying to wake him up. He grumbled as he shifted in his nest, "Five more minutes, Dad. I'm not done with this dream."

The dream... The sun had begun to set. Timon was two years old. He walked down the tunnel, passing by a line of meerkats passing rocks to each other. He stopped, and took a few steps backwards to glance at the last few meerkats standing in the line.

"Doesn't anyone believe in sleep anymore? I mean, in-between times we dig to hide and hide to dig, sleep's gotta fit in there somewhere, right? I mean, correct me if I'm wrong here."

"We quit after the sun completely goes down, you know that," the meerkat at the end of the line said.

"Yeah, right. How can you tell when the sun goes down from down here?" Timon asked as he started to walk away. He then began to mumble to himself, "Maybe I should put a skylight in." He continued to mumble to himself as he walked down the tunnel, and then he slowed when he heard his mother's voice nearby, but could yet make out what she was saying. Guess I'll see if she wants to have supper with me. He started to walk towards the sound of the voice, but stopped before turning the corner when he heard another voice.

"Panya, we don't need him breaking his current record," Uncle Max said to Timon's mother. "If you tell him to take the day off, maybe spend some mother-son time together, we can actually finish the current project." Timon leaned against the wall to listen to them.

"I don't want to lie to him," Ma said.

"And I don't want to repair the tunnel because of your son's two left digging paws," Max said, poking her in the shoulder.

Timon furrowed his brow as he looked at his two paws. I've got one left paw and one right paw like everyone else. What is he talking about?

"You can't blame him for trying. Ever since Buzz died he's tried every possible way to be appreciated in this colony."

"He's trying too hard trying and not enough time doing."

Ma interlocked her fingers together and bit her lower lip. "You can't do unless you try, Max. He just hasn't gotten that far yet."

"Well, my patience has worn thin. Tell him his presence at the construction site will not be necessary."

Ma furrowed her brow. "Remind me why I'm the one who's suppose to tell him instead of you."

Max poked Ma's shoulder again. "Because you're the pup's mother. He'll listen to you if he knows what's good for him. He doesn't listen to me."

"I think that's because he's still scarred from when you slapped him as a pup," Ma said, folding her arms in front of her chest.

"He had it coming and you know it, Panya!" Timon winced at that. "Because of his stupidity I lost a nephew that day!" Timon rubbed his left cheek, remembering the sting he received that day.

"And Timon lost his father. I'm all he has left."

"You were so busy cuddling him, you forgot to teach him how to be a meerkat!"

"Yeah, and unfortunately, I left that to you."

"I had nothing to work with! I mean, come on, I'm not a miracle worker!" Timon wrinkled his nose and growled softly. "Aside from the fact that he's your son, I hardly even know why you like him. He hasn't done anything worth mentioning besides holding the record for Most Tunnels Collapsed in a Single Week." Timon's shoulders sunk as he realized his great-uncle had a point.

Ma sighed, "I admit, he hasn't exactly made a name for himself like Buzz did, but I know we'll find a place for him in this colony and he'll find a way to make me proud; make us all proud."

Timon took a few steps back away from the wall, as it sounded close to the end of the conversation and he didn't want to make it look like he was listening. "Maybe, but I'm not holding my breath. You just be sure to give him the message."

"All right, I'll try to talk him out of going to work tomorrow."

Max growled, "Don't try. Do. Good night, Panya."

Timon began to walk around the corner as Uncle Max past him with a grunt. "Right... good night, Max," Ma said with a roll of her eyes.

"Hey, Ma. Did I... catch you at a bad time?" Timon asked with a blink.

"Oh, no, not at all, sweetie. Why?" Ma asked with a smile.

"Well, I was gonna ask if you wanted to join me for supper tonight. But I guess it's getting about that time to sleep and--"

"Don't be silly, Timmy. I've always got time for you," Ma said as she padded her son's cheek.

"Well, I haven't gathered them up yet, so it may take me a little--"

"I've always got time for you, if I don't fall asleep waiting, that is."

Timon shrugged as he began to walk away, "What are the chances of that happening tonight? I'll meet you back at your nest then."

"All right."

Timon looked back at his mother as she began to walk away, and lowered his eyes slightly. When his mother mentioned he's yet to make her proud, it reminded him of another time.

"I swear, no matter what, you and your father always seem to disagree on something. Why?"

"Well, I'm tired of doing everything his way, or Uncle Max's way. They're always picking on me."

"Oh, sweetie, you won't be a pup forever, and whether your father or Uncle Max like it or not, you'll be making your own way soon. Whatever you do, I know you're going to make me proud."

"You really think so?"

"Even Dad."

"Dad never did say he was proud of me before the hyena attack," Timon said to himself. He watched in the direction his mother went. "What if something happens to her before she says she's proud of me?" He sighed and continued to walk in the tunnel. "I know I can make her proud if I try hard enough." He climbed out of the tunnel to the surface and inhaled the damp night air. "I've been wasting all this time trying instead of doing. Guess it's safe to say I'm slow for my age."

He went over to some small bushes and dug at the roots, dropping some small bugs into a pile as he dug them up. He pouted his lips for a moment, picked up a rock, and then he ran over to the tree and rock sentry point and began to climb up the tree. "I know I can stop being so clumsy if I really set my mind to it." He made it to the top of the tree and threw the rock near a group of bird nests. The sudden sound surprised the birds, which took wing, abandoning their nests and flew directly over Timon's head. "Someday soon, I'll make you and Dad proud that I'm your son."

Hequickly climbed down the tree and ran over to the abandoned nests, surveying them to see which had the best eggs. He held them up to the moonlight--the best he could anyway--to see how fresh they were. "That's a good one..." He set it aside and picked up another. "OK, I'll admit that I've been extra lazy these days, but when Uncle Max sends me away so much I have nothing else to do. He keeps telling me I'm no good..." He sighed as he looked up at the sky. "But... that can't be all I am."

He shook his head and sighed. He ended up taking two eggs from two different nests and rolled them back over to his pile of bugs he dug up. He went back to the tree, climbed up it, and plucked several leaves from the branches. He nodded to his father's grave at the base of the rock and slid back down to earth. He gathered his bugs together into a makeshift bag he made out of the leaves and tied the ends around his shoulders. He then rolled the two eggs back towards the tunnel. He carefully carried the two eggs down, one at a time, and rolled them towards his mother's nest. He was about to announce he was there, but his mother was already asleep in her nest.

Though a bit disappointed, Timon smiled and shook his head. "Somehow I knew that was gonna happen. Oh well." He silently rolled the two eggs to the foot of her nest and undid the makeshift bag wrapped around his shoulders. He laid more than half of the load next to the eggs and set the rest to the side for himself. He took the extra leaves and laid them over his mother like a blanket. "I can't change what I've done so far, but I'll do my extra-very best to make good in this colony. And that's a promise."

Timon leaned forward and kissed his mother on the cheek, pulling the leaf blanket over her shoulders. "Good-night, Ma." He then took what was left of the bugs he gathered and quietly walked away towards his own nest.

Timon finally awoke from his dream. He sat up, stretched, and yawned. He noticed he was the only one in the nest, and sighed in relief. "Well, I can avoid talking to Zuri for a while anyway..." He jumped out of the nest and stretched a bit more. He yawned as he walked away, "I'd better straighten things out with Ma." No reason for me to avoid talking to her...

To be continued...