Whoo-hoo, new and newer reviewers! Haven't had some of those in a while! I have a few things to say.
TookBaggins: Not terribly much to say to you, but... Yay, I haven't seen you review since Someone Like You! Best of luck on your works, hun.
I Be Guest: Haven't seen you for a while either. Yay! I'm not totally sure how to pronounce Morake's name. To be honest, I was having the hardest time trying to find a good name for him that didn't sound like a girl's name or didn't sound like gibberish. It almost used to be Chase. Ech... So I eventually just used Lebo M.'s last name, which is Morake. I'm assuming it's pronounced Moh-rah-kay. And you'll just have to wait to see if the lions show up. I know, I'm mean that way. I love it.
And lastly... Son of Fearless Buzz has finally reached its 100th review! Thanks to Kiara32 for putting the reviews in the three digits! OK, now to work...
Chapter 15:
When the sun completely set, dark clouds rolled in. The low rumble of thunder signaled that lightning was not far off. Rain began to pour down hard. Timon was perched high on top of Pumbaa's head, using what little light he had to see the open spaces of the Pride Lands. He shielded the rain from his eyes with his paw, but he still squinted from the sudden intense gust of wind. He held onto Pumbaa's ear to keep himself from falling off.
"Timon, we need to find shelter!" Pumbaa shouted to be heard by Timon through the wind.
"Not until we find Kito and Bango!" Timon shouted back.
"But we won't get anywhere in this storm! All the animals out here have already taken shelter! I'm sure the kidnappers have, too!"
"Yeah, and all the good shelters are probably taken!" Timon growled. He yelped and ducked down when lightning struck a tree nearby. He grabbed onto Pumbaa's mane as the warthog ran blindly forward with the direction of the wind, hoping a good place to hide from the storm was in sight. Timon then suddenly pulled on Pumbaa's ears, forcing the warthog to stop. "Stop!"
"Why?" Pumbaa asked, looking up at him.
Timon didn't reply right away. He had his eyes closed and his brow furrowed. The wind had suddenly changed direction, but that did not change the ferocity as it continued to whip against the meerkat and warthog. After a minute, Timon opened his eyes. "I could've sworn I heard something." He regained his grip on Pumbaa's ears. "Come on, the wind's going this way now!"
Pumbaa nodded, turned in the direction the wind was blowing, and ran along with it. With the wind at their backs it was easier to run in the storm. They eventually arrived at a familiar spot, to which they both were surprised to see. The wind changed direction again.
"Hey, wasn't our home by the watering hole destroyed during that big musical number?" Pumbaa asked.
"Some elephants might've rebuilt it. Who cares? It's shelter! Come on!"
Pumbaa ran around the edge of the watering hole and squeezed into the small cave. Pumbaa panted and shook himself dry as Timon jumped off. Timon, dripping wet, only walked to the mouth of the cave, staring out into the storm. Pumbaa was busy glancing around the familiar place. "Hey, our old beds are even here! It's like we never left!" He knelt closer to the nests and inspected them. "OK, maybe they've aged a little..." He looked over to Timon, and then decided to try to make him feel better. "They're all right, Timon. I know it."
"You can't know it, Pumbaa. We don't even know who kidnapped them, or why. Our boys are out there, cold, hungry, and scared." Timon leaned against the wall of the mouth, still looking outwards. "Be honest, Pumbaa. Have I changed?"
"What do you mean, changed?"
"Since I met Zuri and had the pups. Have I changed?"
Pumbaa pouted his lips out, thinking. "Well, you've had to lessen your Hakuna Matata lifestyle, but no, I don't think you've changed."
"I thought so... I'm still a screw-up. I let my son get kidnapped."
Pumbaa gulped, "No, I didn't mean it like--!"
"Why couldn't I have been the perfect father? Then we wouldn't be here looking for our sons. They'd be home with us right now."
"Timon, there's no such thing as the perfect father," Pumbaa said, shaking his head.
"Yes, there is. You."
Pumbaa blinked. "Me?"
"Yes. For one thing, you were raised knowing how to keep your kids happy and behaved. Granted, that's a strange thing for a male warthog who came from a long line of bachelors. Your mother was odd in teaching her son to be raised that way. No offense."
"None taken."
"And for another, your tongue doesn't dry up, so you can easily tell your kids that you luh--ly--" Timon grunted loudly at his difficulty to say love again.
"Love them?" Pumbaa asked as Timon leaned forward out of the cave with his mouth opened.
Timon swallowed some rain and ducked back in, clearing his throat. "Yeah. And you never have to go around the oasis looking for them, like Zuri and I do."
"And because of all that, you think I'm the perfect father?" Pumbaa asked, arching a brow.
"Of course."
"So explain to me, Timon, why the 'perfect' father is away from home in a raging storm?" Timon went to open his mouth, but then he instantly saw what Pumbaa was getting at. "And you said so yourself, the perfect father wouldn't be out here looking because his kids would be safe at home." Pumbaa grinned at Timon's stunned silence. "No such thing as the perfect father."
"You're better than me, then. You knew first thing that Bango was missing. I didn't know Kito was gone until you mentioned you couldn't find either of them. I should've known my son was going to be kidnapped," Timon said.
"... You're right, Timon. You should have," Pumbaa said dryly. Timon blinked, thinking Pumbaa was serious. "If you learned to sleep with your eyes wide open, then Kito would be safe at home right now."
"Hey, now," Timon growled as he looked back at Pumbaa. "No one can sleep with their eyes wide open! And how was I suppose to know a kidnapper was going to come into a hidden oasis in the dead... of..." Timon slowed his speech down when he realized what he was saying.
Pumbaa grinned again as he walked over to Timon and sat down next to him, looking out into the storm. "See? You couldn't have known this was going to happen, so stop blaming yourself, saying you could've done something to prevent this. No one could've known it was going to happen. Not even Kito or Bango. You're already a good father. If you weren't, you wouldn't have left home to find Kito and make sure he's safe."
"I guess you're right... for once."
Pumbaa arched an eyebrow again as he looked down at the meerkat. "For once?"
Timon glanced up at him. "Don't push it." A rumble of thunder brought their attention back to the storm outside, showing no sign of letting up. Timon sighed, "As much as I hate to say it, I don't think we'll be going anywhere tonight in this weather."
Pumbaa exhaled as Timon turned back into the cave. "You should stop worry so much. You'll make yourself sick."
Timon was about to climb into the bigger nest, but stopped and blinked. "Sick? You can't get sick by worrying! You get sick by--by--ah--ah--ah-choo!"
"Getting wet?" Pumbaa asked as he arched an eyebrow again.
Timon sniffled and rubbed his nose. "One of many ways, yes." He finally shook the water out of his fur.
Pumbaa shook his head and climbed into the larger nest. He then rolled onto his back. "I guess we'd better turn in." He noticed Timon looking back out towards the storm. "We'll find them, Timon. I know it."
"I hope you're right," Timon said as he climbed up onto Pumbaa's stomach. He laid on his back and looked up at the ceiling.
"Good night."
"Sleep tight."
"Dream of bed bugs tonight." As usual, Pumbaa instantly fell asleep and began to snore.
Timon grinned and rested his paws behind his head. He turned his head back out to the storm as thunder was once again heard. Strange weather, the way the wind kept changing directions while we were out there. He exhaled, "Good night, Kito." He then closed his eyes and continued to listen to the rumble of thunder and whistling wind as he tried to allow sleep to take over.
To be continued...
TookBaggins: Not terribly much to say to you, but... Yay, I haven't seen you review since Someone Like You! Best of luck on your works, hun.
I Be Guest: Haven't seen you for a while either. Yay! I'm not totally sure how to pronounce Morake's name. To be honest, I was having the hardest time trying to find a good name for him that didn't sound like a girl's name or didn't sound like gibberish. It almost used to be Chase. Ech... So I eventually just used Lebo M.'s last name, which is Morake. I'm assuming it's pronounced Moh-rah-kay. And you'll just have to wait to see if the lions show up. I know, I'm mean that way. I love it.
And lastly... Son of Fearless Buzz has finally reached its 100th review! Thanks to Kiara32 for putting the reviews in the three digits! OK, now to work...
Chapter 15:
When the sun completely set, dark clouds rolled in. The low rumble of thunder signaled that lightning was not far off. Rain began to pour down hard. Timon was perched high on top of Pumbaa's head, using what little light he had to see the open spaces of the Pride Lands. He shielded the rain from his eyes with his paw, but he still squinted from the sudden intense gust of wind. He held onto Pumbaa's ear to keep himself from falling off.
"Timon, we need to find shelter!" Pumbaa shouted to be heard by Timon through the wind.
"Not until we find Kito and Bango!" Timon shouted back.
"But we won't get anywhere in this storm! All the animals out here have already taken shelter! I'm sure the kidnappers have, too!"
"Yeah, and all the good shelters are probably taken!" Timon growled. He yelped and ducked down when lightning struck a tree nearby. He grabbed onto Pumbaa's mane as the warthog ran blindly forward with the direction of the wind, hoping a good place to hide from the storm was in sight. Timon then suddenly pulled on Pumbaa's ears, forcing the warthog to stop. "Stop!"
"Why?" Pumbaa asked, looking up at him.
Timon didn't reply right away. He had his eyes closed and his brow furrowed. The wind had suddenly changed direction, but that did not change the ferocity as it continued to whip against the meerkat and warthog. After a minute, Timon opened his eyes. "I could've sworn I heard something." He regained his grip on Pumbaa's ears. "Come on, the wind's going this way now!"
Pumbaa nodded, turned in the direction the wind was blowing, and ran along with it. With the wind at their backs it was easier to run in the storm. They eventually arrived at a familiar spot, to which they both were surprised to see. The wind changed direction again.
"Hey, wasn't our home by the watering hole destroyed during that big musical number?" Pumbaa asked.
"Some elephants might've rebuilt it. Who cares? It's shelter! Come on!"
Pumbaa ran around the edge of the watering hole and squeezed into the small cave. Pumbaa panted and shook himself dry as Timon jumped off. Timon, dripping wet, only walked to the mouth of the cave, staring out into the storm. Pumbaa was busy glancing around the familiar place. "Hey, our old beds are even here! It's like we never left!" He knelt closer to the nests and inspected them. "OK, maybe they've aged a little..." He looked over to Timon, and then decided to try to make him feel better. "They're all right, Timon. I know it."
"You can't know it, Pumbaa. We don't even know who kidnapped them, or why. Our boys are out there, cold, hungry, and scared." Timon leaned against the wall of the mouth, still looking outwards. "Be honest, Pumbaa. Have I changed?"
"What do you mean, changed?"
"Since I met Zuri and had the pups. Have I changed?"
Pumbaa pouted his lips out, thinking. "Well, you've had to lessen your Hakuna Matata lifestyle, but no, I don't think you've changed."
"I thought so... I'm still a screw-up. I let my son get kidnapped."
Pumbaa gulped, "No, I didn't mean it like--!"
"Why couldn't I have been the perfect father? Then we wouldn't be here looking for our sons. They'd be home with us right now."
"Timon, there's no such thing as the perfect father," Pumbaa said, shaking his head.
"Yes, there is. You."
Pumbaa blinked. "Me?"
"Yes. For one thing, you were raised knowing how to keep your kids happy and behaved. Granted, that's a strange thing for a male warthog who came from a long line of bachelors. Your mother was odd in teaching her son to be raised that way. No offense."
"None taken."
"And for another, your tongue doesn't dry up, so you can easily tell your kids that you luh--ly--" Timon grunted loudly at his difficulty to say love again.
"Love them?" Pumbaa asked as Timon leaned forward out of the cave with his mouth opened.
Timon swallowed some rain and ducked back in, clearing his throat. "Yeah. And you never have to go around the oasis looking for them, like Zuri and I do."
"And because of all that, you think I'm the perfect father?" Pumbaa asked, arching a brow.
"Of course."
"So explain to me, Timon, why the 'perfect' father is away from home in a raging storm?" Timon went to open his mouth, but then he instantly saw what Pumbaa was getting at. "And you said so yourself, the perfect father wouldn't be out here looking because his kids would be safe at home." Pumbaa grinned at Timon's stunned silence. "No such thing as the perfect father."
"You're better than me, then. You knew first thing that Bango was missing. I didn't know Kito was gone until you mentioned you couldn't find either of them. I should've known my son was going to be kidnapped," Timon said.
"... You're right, Timon. You should have," Pumbaa said dryly. Timon blinked, thinking Pumbaa was serious. "If you learned to sleep with your eyes wide open, then Kito would be safe at home right now."
"Hey, now," Timon growled as he looked back at Pumbaa. "No one can sleep with their eyes wide open! And how was I suppose to know a kidnapper was going to come into a hidden oasis in the dead... of..." Timon slowed his speech down when he realized what he was saying.
Pumbaa grinned again as he walked over to Timon and sat down next to him, looking out into the storm. "See? You couldn't have known this was going to happen, so stop blaming yourself, saying you could've done something to prevent this. No one could've known it was going to happen. Not even Kito or Bango. You're already a good father. If you weren't, you wouldn't have left home to find Kito and make sure he's safe."
"I guess you're right... for once."
Pumbaa arched an eyebrow again as he looked down at the meerkat. "For once?"
Timon glanced up at him. "Don't push it." A rumble of thunder brought their attention back to the storm outside, showing no sign of letting up. Timon sighed, "As much as I hate to say it, I don't think we'll be going anywhere tonight in this weather."
Pumbaa exhaled as Timon turned back into the cave. "You should stop worry so much. You'll make yourself sick."
Timon was about to climb into the bigger nest, but stopped and blinked. "Sick? You can't get sick by worrying! You get sick by--by--ah--ah--ah-choo!"
"Getting wet?" Pumbaa asked as he arched an eyebrow again.
Timon sniffled and rubbed his nose. "One of many ways, yes." He finally shook the water out of his fur.
Pumbaa shook his head and climbed into the larger nest. He then rolled onto his back. "I guess we'd better turn in." He noticed Timon looking back out towards the storm. "We'll find them, Timon. I know it."
"I hope you're right," Timon said as he climbed up onto Pumbaa's stomach. He laid on his back and looked up at the ceiling.
"Good night."
"Sleep tight."
"Dream of bed bugs tonight." As usual, Pumbaa instantly fell asleep and began to snore.
Timon grinned and rested his paws behind his head. He turned his head back out to the storm as thunder was once again heard. Strange weather, the way the wind kept changing directions while we were out there. He exhaled, "Good night, Kito." He then closed his eyes and continued to listen to the rumble of thunder and whistling wind as he tried to allow sleep to take over.
To be continued...