Chapter 33:
A bit of movement under his arm disturbed Simba's dream, causing him to wake up. He lifted his head up and yawned deeply. He raised his front leg up to see what was rubbing against him. When the leg and head were both lifted he could see Timon, sleeping in a slumped position, mostly because the meerkat was leaning against the lion's head when he fell asleep. Timon, without opening his eyes, sleepily felt himself as he felt he lost cover. He mumbled something as he curled himself up in a ball to keep himself warm. Simba tilted his head, wondering what his friend was doing there. He stood, careful not to disturb Nala's sleep, and carefully picked Timon up into his mouth, carrying him outside.
When he walked far enough outside he gently dropped Timon onto the ground and nudged him with a paw. "Timon. Timon, wake up."
Timon was still half-asleep as he felt the paw nudging him. He grabbed onto the paw and pulled it onto him, covering him like a blanket. "There's my blanky. Don't ever leave me again," he said in his sleep, wrapping his arms around one of Simba's big toes.
Simba grinned as he lifted that paw up, finding Timon was still holding onto it. He held Timon up to his face and asked, "Who are you calling a 'blanky?'"
Timon finally opened his eyes, which widened at the shock of giant eyes staring at him. He almost screamed until Simba used his other paw to close over his head, muffling the scream. When he stopped, Simba removed the paw and saw Timon's annoyed glare. "What's with the rude awakening? Don't you know what time it is? Is this how you treat guests these days?"
Simba placed Timon back onto solid ground. "To the guests I don't invite, yes." He looked around briefly, sniffing the air. He turned back to Timon. "Where's Pumbaa?"
Timon waved a paw to Simba dismissingly. "Ah, who cares? He's not important right now." He cleared his throat. "Can you do me a favor?"
"Of course, Timon. What do you want?" Simba asked as he lowered his face down to Timon.
"Well..." Timon leaned forward on Simba's nose, looking at him straight in the eye. "Can you eat someone for me?"
"What?" Simba raised his head up, a bit taken aback by that question, and accidentally causing the meerkat to fall flat on his face. Timon lifted his head up and furrowed his brow at the lion. "Sorry. What's going on?"
Timon sat down at the edge of the Pride Rock cliff and rested his chin in a paw. "Marriage troubles. Zuri ran into an old boyfriend and she's fallen for him again." He pulled on his ears in frustration. "Oooh, I could just kill myself for letting her talk us into staying there!"
"In the Outlands?"
"Yeah, see, Sly and a mob have been staying in the old Outlanders' caves and--" Timon blinked a moment and released his ears. He looked up at Simba. "How did you know we went to the Outlands?"
"Rafiki came earlier tonight and told us that strange roar was coming from the Outlands, and that you and Pumbaa were there looking for your brother Titus."
Timon stared at Simba for a moment, and then he furrowed his brow. "You mean he was here while Pumbaa and I was looking for him at his tree?! He's avoiding me on purpose!"
Simba chuckled slightly, "Relax, Timon. He seems pretty confident that your brother is in that meerkat colony. I've never known him to be wrong."
"Tell that to my mother." Timon then tapped his fingers together as looked at Simba in a scheming manner. "So... can you eat Zuri's old boyfriend for me?"
Simba's face cringed slightly before he answered, "That's not the answer, Timon. Don't you trust Zuri to--?"
Timon turned back around and rested his chin in his paws. "I did trust her, before I saw her lip wrestling with that punk."
Simba's face softened a bit. "Timon..."
"Even told each other they loved each other," Timon continued as he lowered his eyes.
"Right in front of you?"
"Well, I was looking for Zuri and I overheard a lot of the conversation between her and Sly. They didn't know I was there."
"Then how do you know they weren't talking about something different before they got to the part you came in on?" Simba said as he lowered his face down next to Timon. "Have you considered all of the possibilities before accusing her of going back to Sly?"
Timon turned his eyes to Simba, and then rubbed his chin, blinking. "Well, no. It happened so fast. I guess it is possible I misunderstood some things..." He then sighed. "But when two people exchange the 'L' word... well, that's hard to misunderstand."
"You mean love?" Timon nodded. "I thought it was obvious to everyone that there are different kinds of love. How do you know when they said it to each other it wasn't some kind of friendship love?"
"I--" Timon began, but then closed his mouth, considering.
"I love her, but not in the way she wants me to love her," he remembered Sly saying earlier.
"I guess I forgot about those. I've been focusing on the kind I feel towards Zuri lately, so I could say it to her face. I'm getting better at that."
"Good for you."
"Anyway, I saw flowers on her wrist. Who else would give her flowers besides him?"
Simba rolled his eyes slightly. "Anyone could give her flowers. How do you know Kito didn't give those to her?"
"Nah, Kito doesn't give her flowers unless he's in trouble." Timon tapped his forehead. "Oh, wait. He is in trouble for leaving the oasis. OK, OK, so maybe Sly didn't give her flowers." He lay back onto the ground and looked up at the stars. "Then maybe Zuri's tired of me. Her brother Sudi said I'm just a replacement Sly to her... and maybe I am, since she says I remind her so much of him."
Simba tilted his head to see Timon's face on level. "I've never seen you so jealous before."
"I am not jealous," Timon said with a hint of annoyance in his voice. He furrowed his brow deeper as he continued, "Just because Zuri's spending her all of her time with Sly instead of me, taking his side of conversations instead of mine, and insisted to stay there with his colony despite what I think it does not mean that I'm--" He blinked, shocked at what he was saying and how he was saying it. Simba arched an eyebrow as Timon sat up. He then folded his arms stubbornly. "OK, so I am jealous. Doesn't mean I have to like the guy."
"Really." The look of Simba's grin and the look in his eyes made Timon weaken his attitude. "Just what don't you like about him?"
"Well, he--" Timon paused a moment, thinking. "And then he--" He paused again, tapping his forehead. "And you haven't seen him when he--" He stopped himself again, and continued tapping himself on the forehead. "Think, think, think."
Simba lowered his face down to Timon with the same look and grin. "Aside from a few facts you don't know anything about him, do you?"
Timon nervously chuckled and rubbed the back of his neck. "I, uh, guess not. I guess that's why Zuri wanted me to get to know him and get along."
"I can't see why you wouldn't like him. You like yourself, don't you?"
Timon scoffed, "That's a stupid question. Of course I like myself! Most days anyway."
"Well then, I can't see why you wouldn't like Sly, if Zuri thinks you two are so alike." Timon's eyes widened slightly. He hadn't thought of it that way. "Get to know him and see."
Timon stood and stretched a moment. "Well, I guess if he saved Kito from that monster last night... Thanks for the talk, Simba." Timon began to walk over to where they normally descend Pride Rock when he found Simba had stepped in front of him.
"You've seen the monster that makes the roar in the Outlands?"
Timon blinked a moment before responding. "Not yet, but I heard it this morning. The mob there doesn't talk about it too much."
"It hasn't made much noise today. We usually hear it a few different times a day, instead we heard two or three within the same hour."
"Really." Timon began to rub his chin, thinking.
"Do you need my help? I won't hesitate to lead the pride there."
"Um... no thanks, Simba. Things have been pretty quiet over there today..." He sneered slightly as he added, "Since we arrived there today. I think Pumbaa and I can take care of things over there."
"Are you sure?"
Timon patted Simba's paw with a grin. "Don't you worry your royal head there, Simba. If you hear that roar again, then come running towards the Outlanders' caves. Right now, you get back to sleep."
"All right... be careful, Timon," Simba said as he turned to walk back into the cave.
Timon grinned as he puffed out his chest and began to descend Pride Rock. "I don't have to be careful. I'm the son of Fearless Buzz."
In the Outlands...
Zuri was away from the caves the Outlanders' cave and away from her friends and family. She was sitting at the base of a termite mound with her face in her paws. She felt ashamed of herself after talking to her brother, who brought some things to her attention. She was unaware Timon must have been watching and listening in on her and Sly's conversation, so she would say things she normally wouldn't say out loud. She was most ashamed that Timon might have heard her say she wasn't sure if he really loved her even though she loved him.
If I was just honest with them to begin with... if I just sat them both down and talked to them... Zuri thought to herself.
Sighing deeply she lifted her face from her paws and wiped her face dry. She looked towards Pride Rock, the closest location she was sure Timon would go to. She then looked at the flower ring on her wrist, rose to her feet, and exhaled deeply.
I have to set things right again...
She began to walk towards the Pridelands, unaware that she was being watched.
To be continued...
I was so tempted to have Timon sucking his thumb when he used Simba's paw as a "blanky." Think that would've been a little over-the-top? ::giggles::