Well, that was a bad weekend.  Internet died on me.  OK, title status:

Out of the Blue: 2

With the Wind: 3

His Brother's Keeper (suggested by nachonaco): 1

Chapter 21:

Timon finally recovered from the shock after seeing Zuri suddenly hug the meerkat he was fighting against minutes before. He sputtered a few unintelligible words until he finally managed to shout, "HEY! WHAT'S GOIN' ON HERE?!!"

All eyes turned away from Zuri and Sly to Timon, who was red in the face and, though it didn't show, terribly confused. Zuri cleared her throat and pulled herself away from Sly's arms, brushing the tears from her face. Sly only blinked and looked at Timon. He kept an arm wrapped around Zuri's shoulders. No one said a word for that long moment.

Jina glanced over at Pumbaa, who was still frozen in the previous shock. "Umm... I think there's too much of a crowd here. So, uh, why don't we start looking for Titus?" Jina said as she closed Pumbaa's dropped jaw. "Pumbaa, Bango, let's go." Recovering from the shock, Pumbaa allowed himself to be lead away from the group of meerkats, though very confused.

Bango started to follow after them, but then looked back at Morake, who was still sitting there, watching. He walked back over and shoved against him. "You can help, too, Morake."

"Aww, do I hafta?" Morake protested as he was lead away.

"If I hafta, then you hafta."

Kito was about to sneak away with them, but Timon bent over and grabbed the end of his tail. "Uh-uh, not yet. I need you for reference." As soon as the larger animals left Timon marched over to Sly and Zuri. "I know you and I have had a disagreement going on lately, but hugging the guy for beating me in a fight?" He sneered at Sly, "He even cheated!" He eyed Sly's arm on Zuri's shoulders and smacked it off.

"Hey! What was that for?" Sly asked as he rubbed his arm.

"Ever heard of 'look, but don't touch,' Mac?"

"Timon!" Zuri frowned.

"Oh, well, excuse me. I just thought you were a rogue trying to get into the colony when you started the fight," Sly growled in a sarcastic tone.

"I started the fight?! That was your wrestling fan friend over there who started the fight!" The meerkat in question innocently whistled as he walked away and entered the cave. "Oh, and while we're on the subject, just because a meerkat wonders into new meerkat colony territory, you mark him as a rogue?" He dryly looked at Zuri, "Lemme take a wild guess: he used to be a member of your colony?"

"Uh, yes, actually," Zuri said as she tapped her fingertips together nervously.

Timon blinked, surprised that he got it correct. "Really?"

Sengbe stepped up to the group and put a paw on Sly's shoulder. "We both used to."

"Wow. Your dad kicked a lot of guys out, didn't he?" Timon asked Zuri. She furrowed her brow at him.

"You seem rather familiar with this rogue. Zuri, aren't you going to introduce us?"

Zuri nervously smiled and chuckled. "Uh... gee, how do I do this?" She reached over and pulled Sudi over. "Sudi, you know all these guys. Why don't you introduce them to each other?"

"Scardey-kat," Sudi frowned. He then cleared his throat and stood between the group and gestured to the meerkats he named off. "Timon, Sengbe, Sly. Sengbe, Sly, Timon."

Zuri smacked her brother's shoulder. "I meant a more descriptive introduction, little brother."

Timon pointed at Sly with a surprised look on his face and asked Zuri, "Your Sly? This is the guy you said I remind you of?" Timon took a quick look at Sly, looking at him from head to toe. He folded his arms in front of his chest. "I just don't see it." Zuri put a paw to her lips and stifled a giggle, to which Timon furrowed his brow.

"See? Timon knew who Sly was," Sudi gestured with a paw to his sister.

"Fine, then would you do a better introduction for Timon to Sengbe and Sly to Timon?" Zuri asked with a paw on her hip.

"Fine." Sudi cleared his throat and gestured a paw to Sengbe. "Timon, this is Sengbe, Sly's father. He was thrown out of the colony after challenging Dad. Sengbe didn't appreciate him throwing his son out."

"My sympathies," Timon nodded to him.

"Thank you," Sengbe nodded to him.

Sudi then gestured a paw to Timon. "Sly, this is Timon, the son of--" He blinked when Zuri slapped a paw over his mouth.

"Uh, the son of a rogue!" Zuri blurted out with a nervous smile.

"What?!" Timon asked with a wrinkled nose and a furrowed brow.

"That's what he was gonna say. I know that much." Zuri pushed Sudi aside. "Sorry, you know Sudi's always been some kind of kidder." She gulped and said awkwardly, "Timon's actually... my mate." Yasmin looked relieved and let out a relieved sigh.

Sly looked less relieved. He pointed at Timon with a surprised expression, "Your mate? So Shomari decided against Makali?"

"At least until Timon saved us from a hyena. Sort of a token of his gratitude."

"That's right. Great Timon they call me," Timon said with a puffed out chest.

"He's so terribly humble, isn't he?" Zuri said with a grin and a roll of her eyes.

"Odd. I don't remember a Timon," Sengbe spoke up.

"Uh, also a token of my father's gratitude, granting Timon membership to our colony," Zuri mumbled. Timon arched an eyebrow, wondering why she's lying so much.

"So he is a rogue," Sly said out loud to himself.

"Was, thank you," Timon growled.

Kito spoke up and tugged on Timon's arm. "Come on, Dad, be nice. Mr. Sly saved me from some monsters last night."

Zuri looked at Kito, and then to Sly. "Monsters?"

"I couldn't tell what the first one was because it was storming last night, and there was very little light. But I do know the other was the Nunda," Sly nodded as he bent over to Kito and ruffled his hair up a bit. "He fainted as soon as he saw it. I was out getting a snack and I found him there."

Timon pulled Kito away from Sly and ruffled his son's hair back to how it normally looked. "Nunda?"

Yasmin stepped up to the group and leaned her weight against Sly. "It means Beast of Prey. It's larger than a lion, louder than a herd of elephants, and hungrier and more bloodthirsty than the biggest meat eater. We also believe it to be faster than a cheetah. Strikes so fast you're dead before you hit the ground."

"That roar I heard earlier...?" Timon thought out loud.

"Its call. Probably calling out to its clan." Yasmin smiled and offered a paw to Zuri, ending the spooky mood. "I'm Yasmin, Sly's fiancé. I've heard so much about you, Zuri."

Zuri blinked and shook it. "Charmed. I'm glad Sly managed to move on."

Yasmin looked down at Kito. "We've never been properly introduced either. What's your name, cutie?"

"This is our son Kito."

"I thought I felt something special about him," Sly said. He took a good look at Kito, and then to Timon. "Good news, Timon. He doesn't look a thing like you."

"Why, I aughta--" Timon growled as he began to roll his 'sleeves' up. A glare from Zuri stopped him. Timon then cleared his throat. "OK, nice to meet you, Sly, but we need to getting going." He shot a look to Kito, "We have some things to discuss, among them includes a serious grounding." Kito gulped.

Zuri was silent for a moment, as if thinking. "Aww, Timon, can't we stay for a while?"

"What?" Timon asked flatly.

"You know, a little vacation away from paradise, live on termites for a few days?"

"Yeah, and get reacquainted with your old boyfriend too, I'm guessing?"

"Well, it has been over three years. But aside from that, you have a brother out here in the Outlands somewhere. I just thought you'd wanna stay here instead of walking all the way to Pride Rock and back." She grinned and stepped up to him. "Otherwise, Great Timon, I want to know how trusting you are of me."

"Trusting?" Timon nervously asked with an arched brow.

"Oh, you know, make sure that if we stayed here..." She turned around and glanced at him as she started to walk away from him, "You wouldn't act jealous."

Timon gulped, straightened up, and pretended to look insulted. "Me? Jealous? Ha! Good one, Zuri. He's got his girl, you've got your man. What's there to be jealous about?"

"I ain't touching that one," Sudi said, rolling his eyes.

Kito nodded, "And maybe you'll think of a way to repay him for saving me."

Sly watched them talk for a moment, and then he turned to Sengbe. "You wouldn't mind, would you, Pop?"

Sengbe glanced at the group for a moment. "There will only be four meerkats in your group?"

"That's right," Sudi nodded.

"And I'm assuming the warthogs and the cheetah cub are with you as well?"

"Yeah, but Morake only eats bugs," Kito spoke up.

"Even if he only ate dirt, they would attract the Nunda's attention."

"I'll run it through with my father later when the warthogs and cheetah come back. Right now, why don't we all go inside?" Yasmin asked as she took Sly's wrist and pulled him into the cave.

"I have my own feet to walk on, Yasmin," Sly said as he disappeared into the cave. Sengbe shook his head and followed after them with the other three meerkats.

Zuri was about to follow in suite, but Timon pulled her back. "Why did you lie to them about me?"

"Because Sengbe was there in the fight between our colonies. He has a deep hatred of Fearless Buzz maybe a little less than my father did. If he knew who you are..." She made a swiping paw motion at Timon's throat.

Timon put a paw over his throat and gulped. "OK, I'll buy that. What about Sly?"

"Eh, he feels the same way as the rest of us born after that fight. He was raised to hate the colony of Fearless Buzz," Sudi said with a slight shrug.

Timon grimaced and folded his arms across his chest. "You, too, Sudi?"

"Well, that's why I came along. I can't grow to like you staying home while you're off on some hair-brained adventure all the time."

"Gee, thanks."

"Am I done being a reference, Dad? I'm starving!" Kito pulled on Timon's arm.

"That sounds like a good idea, actually," Zuri said as she patted her stomach.

"All right, all right. Let's see if the breakfast buffet is still open," Timon said, and then he walked into the cave.

Kito looked up at Zuri as they followed after Timon. "Mom, do you hate me for trying to make Dad happy?"

Zuri looked down at him and smiled softly. "Of course I don't hate you, baby. You've already made him happy by staying safe, and finding out his brother is alive." She exhaled softly as she looked ahead. "But I wonder how happy he will be when he finds him?"

To be continued...