Chapter 54:
That afternoon Barika raced along the oasis floor, looking up the trees as Shani jumped from branch to branch. "Find any ripe fruit yet?" she called up to her meerkat cousin.
Shani stopped at one branch, looking at the fruits it contained. She inspected the colors and pushed against one fruit, checking how soft it was. "Hmm... nope, not yet!" She leaned downward to look at Barika. "You shouldn't have mentioned you wanted a smoothie! Now I'm frustrated!"
"Sorry!" Barika nervously grinned. She noticed some movement in the tree coming towards them. "Looks like Pete's finally catching up!"
Shani looked, seeing that Pete was indeed leaping from tree branch to tree branch, a little slower than the young pup. "Shani, don't move until I get there!" Pete called to her.
"That's an awful lot to ask for a girl my age, Pete!" Shani giggled as she jumped to the next tree branch.
Pete stopped at the branch Shani was previously on, and panted. "I'm getting too old for this." He swallowed and jumped to the next branch, just as she jumped to the next one, closer to the oasis' edge. "I'm done with playing keep-away with you, pup! Now don't do anything until I get over there!"
"Not even breath?"
Pete rolled his eyes as he prepared to jump to the next branch. "Of course you can breathe, but just don't jump over anymore branches!"
"Aw, you're no fun." Shani pouted and looked towards the desert. Some movement caught her attention. "Hmm?" She jumped onto the neighboring tree branch just as Pete jumped across.
"Shani!" He mumbled under his breath as he leaped over to the next branch. "That's Buzz's granddaughter, all right..." Shani was about to jump to the next branch until Pete grabbed her by the tail. "Gotcha!" He lifted her up and held her up by the tail, looking at her right in the face. "Now, what part of 'don't move' did you not understand?"
"I understood it all, but there's someone coming."
"Don't chance the subject."
Barika heard and looked where Shani was looking, and tilted her head to the side. "I see someone, too, Pete! Though it could be a mirage."
Pete rolled his eyes slightly and looked where Shani was pointing. He squinted and took a few steps closer to see. "Well, I'll be Rafiki's uncle... There is someone out there." He set her down and put a paw over his brow, shielding the sunlight.
"Who's coming? Who's coming?" Barika asked, wagging her tail.
Pete squinted a little more. He could make out four large figures walking towards the oasis. As they came closer he could recognize three of them and could see smaller figures riding on them. "It's Pumbaa and Jina! And Bango's with them! They're back; they're all back!"
"Kito!" Shani cheered as she grabbed a vine and climbed down and dropped onto Barika's back. Pete grabbed a vine and swung ahead to spread the word.
Barika raced into the desert towards the approaching figures. "Bango, Bango, Bango!"
"Rika!" Bango shouted as he ran towards his sister with Kito on his back. The two met and rubbed against each other.
"I was so worried about you! Are you hurt? Did you get tortured?"
"No, but Kito kept coming up with ideas and made me a part of them, and that's just as bad," Bango replied as he briefly rolled his eyes.
Kito climbed on top of Bango's head and frowned. "Hey, they worked, didn't they?" He puffed out his chest and grinned, "Because fortune favors the brave."
Bango looked up at Kito with a slight glare. "We're home now. That old saying's no good around here."
"Crud." Kito grimaced and un-puffed his chest.
"Kito! You're still in one piece!" Shani climbed on top of Barika's head to meet with Kito and hugged him. He returned it. "Did you find Uncle Titus?"
A look of realization spread over Kito's face, and then he slapped a paw over his eyes. "D'oh! I knew I was forgetting something!" He sighed as his sister released him. "Well, I guess we'll just have to wait 'til the next time we go to the Pride Lands."
"What, you mean we're not going back right away?" Morake asked as he stepped up to the group.
"Not after all this. I'm still waiting to see how big our grounding's gonna be for leaving the oasis by ourselves in the first place," Kito sighed again. Bango gulped.
Barika noticed Morake and yelped, running behind Pumbaa and Jina. "Cheetah!" Shani ducked into Barika's mane. Barika lowered her head and covered her eyes. "Save me!"
Pumbaa turned around and nudged her with his snout. "It's OK, Barika. This is Morake. He won't hurt you."
Barika lifted a hoof from her eyes. "Promise, Daddy?"
"Promise."
"OK..." She walked back over to Morake and offered him her hoof to shake. "Hi, I'm Barika."
Morake blinked at the hoof and then held his own paw out in front her. "I'm Morake."
Barika blinked and grabbed onto the paw, and shook. She turned her eyes to her mane, where Shani was hiding. "Don't be rude, Shani. Introduce yourself."
Shani poked her head out from the mane, which had a flower in it. When she lifted her head the flower was resting on top. "All right, all right..." She removed the flower and then climbed onto Barika's snout and offered her paw to Morake. "I'm Shani, Kito's sister."
The cheetah looked at the paw, and then licked the pup from bottom to top. "Nice to meet you."
Shani glowered as she stood there, dripping in saliva. Kito fell onto his back, laughing. "Oh, man, that's so much funnier when it happens to someone else my size!"
She shook some of the saliva off as she furrowed her brow at her brother. "Laugh it up, Kito. You still owe me for covering up for you while you were gone."
"Put it on my tab."
Pumbaa and Jina walked over to the children with the meerkats on their backs, receiving their welcomes and hugs from the girls. "There's no place like home," Jina happily sighed.
Sly looked ahead at the oasis, completely in awe. "Wow... it really is beautiful." He cleared his throat and turned to Timon. "But before you give me the tour or introduce me to the rest of the family, I want to meet this Panya I've heard so much about."
Kito spoke up, "You'll like her, Mr. Sly. She's really nice."
"She was at her nest, the last time I saw her, Daddy," Shani said.
"Great! We'll go grab a bite and then we'll go see her," Timon said, clapping his paws together.
Sly inhaled and started to march forward. "I'm losing patience, so let's go meet her now, no distractions." After marching a few steps, he stopped and marched back towards Timon with a nervous smile. "Uh, why don't you lead the way, since you know where you're going?" Timon smirked and started to walk ahead, using his cane as a support. Sly began to follow.
"Mr. Sly?" Sly stopped and looked back when Kito said his name. "I never got to thank you for saving me from Bintaka the other night." He coughed briefly, "I-I mean, that was you who blew the Nunda alarm, wasn't it?"
"Yeah, it was me." Sly grinned, walked back over, and ruffled the pup's hair. "And don't mention it, Kito. I'm just glad I could help." He then turned and ran to catch up with Timon. "You've got some kid there, Timon."
"Yeah... he's a pain in the neck sometimes, though."
Sly grinned again as he elbowed Timon in the side. "Tell me one kid who's never been a pain in the neck at least once in their life."
Timon rubbed his side as furrowed his brow slightly. "The pup takes off without even leaving a note and because of that we think he's been kidnapped."
"That's just how kids are, Timon; they don't think and they don't know what's best for them. And that's why they have parents; to teach them right from wrong."
"Oh, and suddenly you're a child-rearing expert?" Timon asked with a dry expression.
"You mean compared to you?" Sly arched an eyebrow. He grinned at Timon's annoyed expression. "It's just common sense, Timmy-boy. Anyone with half a brain and parental instincts would know that."
"Yeah... like Dad always said, 'Instinct will kick in.' Who knew he'd be right?"
Sly was silent for a moment, and then looked right at Timon. "You will tell me about him... right?"
"Sure. What are brothers for?"
"Well..." Sly looked down at his feet. "I'm not too sure if I want a brother just yet. It'll take some time for me to think of you as one."
"Not sure yet, huh? Well then, in the meantime, how about as a friend?"
"A friend..." Sly looked back up at Timon and smiled. "I guess I could think of you as one. Sure."
A few minutes later...
Ma was sitting in her nest, staring at Timon's old meerkat pup doll sadly. Time seemed to have stood still. She didn't hear voices behind a nearby tree whispering. "OK, I'll talk to her and then I'll introduce you. Wait here," a voice whispered. Ma returned to reality when she heard a familiar voice. "Ma?"
She softly gasped and shook her head to clear it. She looked up and saw Timon walking towards her. She smiled. "Timmy. You're finally home." She placed the doll back into her nest and rushed over to Timon, hugging him. He returned the favor. Sly peeked out from behind the tree, watching. "Did you find Kito and Bango?"
"Yeah, they're safe. Uh, there's someone I want you to-" he began, but noticed his mother had noticed the cast on his right foot.
"What happened to your foot?" she asked.
"I tripped and broke my toe, but that's not important right-" He suddenly found himself being pushed into his mother's nest. Ma pushed some leaves over him for use as a blanket and carefully lifted his right foot up, pushed a rock in place, and rested his foot on it.
"Not important? Don't you remember what happened to Uncle Louie when he broke his toe? He refused to stay down, continued working, and soon that foot became limp. I will not have the same thing happen to my son."
"I understand, but-" He grunted when Ma stuffed some leaves and straws behind him to prop up his head a bit more.
"I know, I know, he didn't want to have a cast on and that was part of the problem. But even with a cast on you should take it easy when you're hurt, sweetie." She rolled a coconut over to the nest and opened it up, putting a straw in it. "Now, I want you to get plenty of rest, drink lots of liquids, and stay off that foot until the bones knit, do you hear me?"
"Yeah, I know, but-" He blinked when she pushed his old doll into his paws. Sly saw that and put a paw to his mouth, holding in a laugh.
"I'm your mother, dear. I know what's best for you. Now I'm going to go see Kito and see how he's doing, and you stay here, understand?" She smiled as she pinched his cheek and began to walk away. Sly saw her coming towards him and ducked back behind the tree.
Timon rubbed his cheek, and then realized she was walking away. "Wait a second, Ma!" He kicked the leaves off and hopped out of the nest, grabbing his cane and walking towards her. In his other paw he still held his old doll.
She sighed and put a paw on her hip. "What did I just say?"
"Yeah, I know, Ma, but you'll have plenty of time to baby me later. I'm trying to tell you I want you to meet somebody."
She blinked. "Oh? Why didn't you tell me sooner?"
"You wouldn't let me."
She waved that reply off. "Excuses, excuses. I'll meet him when I see Kito. Now get back in that nest." She began to walk away again, but found Timon had stopped in front of her.
"He's right here, Ma!"
"He is? Then why hasn't he come out to meet me?"
Timon looked to the tree he came out from behind and grimaced. "He either died laughing or he's afraid of you." He smiled politely, "Excuse me." And then he walked to behind that tree. "What are you doing? She's waiting for you to meet her! She's gonna think you don't like her!"
"I-I don't think I can do this yet," Sly said from behind the tree.
"Hey, you're the one who said you were losing patience to meet her!"
"I know, I know! But I don't know how to approach her. It just doesn't feel right."
"Don't know how to approach her? Doesn't feel right? I'll help you to approach her and show you what shouldn't feel right!"
Suddenly Sly jumped out from behind, followed by Timon's left foot. "Yeow!" Sly rubbed his backside, turned back to Timon and growled. "That's a tender area, you know! Do that again and I'll break your other toes!"
"Excuse me?" Ma spoke up.
Sly gulped, and then turned to Ma, nervously smiling. "Uh, I mean... hi?"
Timon, still behind the tree, slapped a paw over his eyes and shook his head. "Oy... He's making such a good impression already."
Ma furrowed her brow slightly as she looked at Sly, but then it softened with each passing second. It was as if she sensed something from him. He seemed familiar to her in so many ways...
Timon then stepped up between the two of them and put an arm around Ma's shoulders. "Don't let his temper fool ya, Ma, he's actually a decent guy. He just has a short fuse."
"Yeah, especially when you kicked me in an area that's still tender from falling from about thirty feet onto a hyena's back and landing on my-!" Sly began.
"See what I mean?"
"Who is he?" Ma managed to asked.
He smiled. "From your shocked expression I thought you'd never ask. Ma... I'd like you to meet Sly."
Ma's eyebrows jumped and she gasped. She looked to Sly again. "Sly? Zuri's Sly? The same Sly Shomari banished?"
"Same Sly Shomari. Try saying that five times fast," Timon said to himself.
"Uh, yup. I'm that Sly," Sly said as he rubbed the back of his neck. "I guess you've already heard of me then."
Ma stared at Sly in disbelief for several moments. She regained herself, ducked from under Timon's arm, and pressed her paws together as she faced Timon. "Timon, there's something I need to tell you. I tried to tell you before you left to find Kito, and-" she began.
"If it's about Titus," Timon motioned to Sly, "I already know."
Ma paused for a moment before responding. "What?" She looked to Sly, who nodded. She turned back to Timon. "You know he's...?"
He nodded, and then suddenly blinked. "Wait a second... you mean you knew?"
"Only because Shomari told me about Sly the day before you left. I would've told you right then, but you were still angry with me for not telling you about Titus and I wanted to wait until you came to me."
"Sounds like we're the only ones who went through the headache of figuring it out ourselves, Timon," Sly said as he unhooked the meerkat doll from his vine belt. "But at least now..." He offered the doll to Ma and looked into her eyes. "I finally understand where I got these eyes." Ma softly gasped and took the doll slowly from his paws, looking at it. "I uh... hope you don't mind that I fixed it up."
Ma took the doll Timon was holding and compared the two dolls, together for the first time in six years. The one she was given was dirtier, but had newer vines connecting the pieces. The one she took from Timon was cleaner and the vines holding it together were worn slightly. But aside from the differences, they were the same. She'd never forget that face. "I... I never thought I would see you again..."
Sly leaned over to Timon. "Is she talking to me, or to that doll?"
Timon shrugged, "Probably both."
Ma looked up from the dolls and handed Timon's to him. She stepped up to Sly and looked at his face carefully. She went to touch his face, hesitating only once before she touched his cheek. She smiled weakly as tears began to well up in her eyes. "You look so much like your father..."
Sly softly mused, "That... actually makes sense now." He was taken by surprise when he was pulled down to her level and hugged. He recovered and returned the favor. "Nice to meet you, too... Mom."
Ma slowly pulled away from Sly, brushing the tears from her eyes. She then looked to Timon. "I can't believe you've actually found him."
Timon coughed slightly as he placed his doll back into his mother's nest. "Uh, Kito found him, actually. Or Sly found him... whatever." He stepped up between the two and put an arm around their shoulders. "The point is, he's been found, he knows who he is, and we brought him home. Now we just have to introduce him to the rest of the family."
"Just... how big are we talking here?" Sly asked with an arched brow.
To be concluded... really this time!