"The, uh… the tourney is next week," Danso began weakly. Meeca only nodded, bringing up the faintest of smiles.
"So… Timon hasn't really improved, has he?" continued Danso in a resigned sort of voice.
"He's trying, Dan," answered Meeca, paws folded over her stomach, looking down to the floor of their burrow.
"And where's it gotten him?" asked Danso with sudden energy, smacking his paw lightly against the dirt wall. "Nowhere. Nowhere except in the dark. What's going to happen to him, Meeca? He's got nowhere to go, nothing to do!" He turned towards the lower tunnel. "I'm going to have a word with him."
"No, please, he's had it hard enough with Max…" Meeca stepped forward to block his passage, and Danso rounded on her again.
"Well, blast it, what am I supposed to do? What is he supposed to do? He's almost halfway to adulthood! Nothing he's done has gotten him anywhere! Whether with sentry duty, or tunneling crews-!"
"Danso, he'll hear you!"
"The boy's just thrashing around, and not moving, Meeca! What's he to do when his sixth month rolls around? He'll be nearly grown and he's hardly ready to make his own burrow, let alone take care of himself. All his life so far all he's done is roll about from one thing to another!" He ran a paw through his headfur.
"I'm seeing him begin to turn to adolescence, and he's not even close to the mark."
"Danso, how can you say that?" said Meeca sharply, her voice a harsh whisper."Whose mark are we judging him by? The colony's? Or yours?"
Danso raised his head to look his mate in the eye.
"Don't say that, Meeca," he said, suddenly feeling tired. "I love him, by the great kings, I love him more than anything. But…" He fell short quickly, grasping for words. But what? He couldn't answer. He feared the answer, because deep in his heart of hearts, he knew it was true.
"I don't want to judge him, but the rest of the colony isn't going to be so forgiving!" he said quickly to avoid the issue.
"Why do we need to care about the rest of the colony, Danso? This is our son. He still has time."
"Time for what? The hyena attack a month back came out of nowhere. What are we going to do, just keep him stuffed down into some dark construction tunnel so he doesn't hurt himself or anyone else?"
"What we need to do," said Meeca, keeping her voice patient, "is keep a close eye on him, and try to get the rest of the colony to understand that he's just different."
"You make it sound like he's broken…" muttered Danso, but Meeca heard it plainly. She folded her ears back and stiffened slightly.
"I'm sorry," answered Danso, too quickly to be entirely sincere. "I didn't mean it like that… but what are we going to do?" he asked, this time completely honest. He held his paws out, his whole body pleading for an answer. Meeca stepped forward and wrapped her arms around him, and he returned the gesture.
"He has a place here. Everyone does. That's why it's a colony and not a labor squad. We just need to find it… and we will."
It was almost frustrating for Danso how optimistic his mate could be.
Neither of them noticed the slight scurrying noise that signaled an exit from the burrow.
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Timon slumped against a tunnel wall he had been to only twice before, putting a paw over his eyes. This was getting serious. Two full weeks of nothing but training, and he hadn't gotten a single lesson right. There were only a few things he hadn't tried yet, and he already knew that he was definitely not going to be any good at those. Dad had been right. All he was doing was kicking around, looking for something, searching… but he hadn't even come close to figuring out what it was.
He looked sadly up at the figure of Fearless Buzz. It had since lost some of its luster when he had first gazed upon it… now it was just a fancy dirt wall. Still, it didn't make fun of him when he tried to talk to it.
"I wonder if you ever had the same problems as I do," he mused. He threw up his arms and sat down beneath the mural. "Pfft. As if. You're Fearless Buzz. You didn't do anything wrong… all you did was try to be different. Like me. I want to be different. But… there's nothing… nothing for me. Not here at least. But what is that supposed to mean? That I'll run away? I wouldn't last ten seconds out there… even the best wouldn't last more than a few minutes. At least that's what Max tells me. And I got Ma and Pop to worry about. Ma would let me go anywhere, long as she knew I wasn't crazy when I said I would… but Dad…" He sighed and put his head in his paws. "I've let him down since the day I was born. Ma said he was so happy when he saw me… but now I've driven him to get his throat ripped out in the tourney next week. He is doing this for me, after all," he said, sounding as though he was convincing himself more than the drawing above his head. It didn't work either way.
"I've got such a long way to go, and I'm scared… scared of going it alone. Because more and more that's how things are turning out… nobody's even come looking for me, and it's been an hour at least…"
"Timon?" The kit's head slowly lifted, peering down the tunnel where the voice had come from. It sounded like Dinari. What was he doing way out back here?
"I'm back here!" he called in return.
"Where?" said Dinari.
"Here!" shouted Timon in answer, getting up in slight annoyance and walking down the tunnel.
"I can't see you!"
"I'm right here!"
"Where's 'here?'" Dinari scratched his head as he stalked up and over some roots that had grown into the old tunnel. He popped out several tail lengths behind Timon, but both of them were facing away from each other.
Timon stopped walking and sighed, rolling his eyes.
"Never mind!" he yelled back in what he thought was Dinari's direction, which was opposite to where the younger kit was. "What is it?"
"Me n' Sauda were looking for you!" answered Dinari, cupping his paws around his mouth.
"Why? Wait, Sauda actually wanted to find me?"
"Uh… well, no, I did, she just kinda came along. We knew your classes were done an' thought you could use some company! Trip an' Daren got invited to a get-together with a buncha' other guys and Trip said I couldn't come because I don't know what a cullion does an' my brain can't fit all the big guy stuff they were gonna talk about!"
"Well what about me!" answered Timon, sounding extremely perturbed. He was four months and one week old! Shouldn't he be entitled to some of this?
"I dunno! They didn't really mention you! Well, Gamba said it didn't make a difference anyway because you wouldn't know the difference between a support strut and your own-"
"Are you two done?" said a new voice, female, from between the two of them, making them both jump and twist in midair. Sauda stood between them, glaring at them equally by looking back and forth between them, paws on her hips.
"I swear it'll be a wonder if you two ever find someone who's willing to be your girlfriend, let alone your mate."
"Right, right, we're hopeless, I know," said Timon sharply. "Believe me; I've gotten more than enough proof of that the past two weeks…"
Sauda watched him carefully, folding her arms across her chest. "Sorry," she said in a clipped tone. Dinari, innocent as he was, simply giggled at how silly he and Timon had acted.
"Gee, I guess that's why we don't score high marks as sentries, huh Timon?" he said with a smile as he closed the distance between the other two. "Anyway, Daren wanted to be here, but Trip was all on about how important getting to be an adult was."
"So Daren dumped you on us," finished Sauda. "The others would kill us if we didn't give you a shoulder to cry on, so… here we are. Well… here's Dinari at least. Obviously, you don't look like you've been having a good time all by your lonesome."
"Oh, trust me, being on my lonesome all I ever wanted for the past month now…" said Timon, hanging his head. Dinari touched him on the arm.
"But then there'd be no time for us, Timon. Everyone needs friends." Timon looked skyward and sighed.
"If you say so," he said. "But I can't depend on friends to make up my shortcomings. My dad's already got that position filled," he said with the slightest amount of venom in his voice. He clenched his paws into fists and held them in front of his face. "Just once I'd like to be able to take care of things myself. One time where I could do something right by own paws, and not just-"
"Yeah, okay," interrupted Sauda. "Before you start waxing poetic on us, I think it'd be a good idea to get your mind off of all that hard work."
"Yeah, yeah!" agreed Dinari with enthusiasm. "But what are we gonna do in the meantime? Everyone's busy, and Trip and Daren are at that meeting…"
"Whatever it is, it better not be something important," remarked Timon, rather disappointed that he didn't get to break into song about his future or the like. "I just wanna sit down and be where nobody else would ever think to find me right now…"
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"Uh… this isn't really what I had in mind," said Timon with a raised eyebrow, looking at Sauda with a critical gaze as he tried to keep the one month old kit in his lap from squirming off and hurting himself.
"Oh, calm down Timon," said Dinari, coming up beside him, just finishing slurping down a small worm. "We get free food here!" Timon only rolled his eyes and glared daggers at the younger kit, attempting not to move at all and gain as little attention as possible.
"Dinari, when I said I wanted to be where nobody else would find me, I never said that could include the nursery!" he hissed in a loud whisper. Sauda grinned at Timon's obvious displeasure (some said she was rather sadistic) and sat down to entertain several of the very young with a flower attached to a vine.
"Timon, you just need to lighten up. This isn't nearly as hard as you thought it would be, is it?" Timon snorted and stood up, holding his charge at arm's length. This proved to be a bad idea, since the little one grabbed onto a tree root and tried to swing on it.
"Are you insane? There's hardly anyone here besides us, the kits, and the caretakers. And they're all females!" he whined, trying to pry the kit from his perch.
"There's a few males here as well, Timon, you must have seen them," said Sauda with a shake of her head, but Timon's imprecations were just a pinprick on her thoughts right now. She didn't really know why, but being here was one of the few things that made her feel happy. If only the annoying buzz she had brought with her would quiet down…
"Yeah, I did," answered Timon, now dealing with another kit who was trying to nibble on his tail. "And I realized I never want to look them in the eye again! They're the biggest losers this side of… well, me!"
"There's no shame in wanting to bring up the next generation, Timon," answered Sauda, but really she was barely listening. "They're the ones that give us hope. Or so Nanau tells me. Kits are a blessing. The more you have, the luckier you are." All of this she said with a warm smile, watching the kits in front of her tug on the vine and try to eat the entirely tasteless and inedible flower.
Timon yanked his tail away, beset by several very curious youngsters and having a hard time keeping up with what limb was getting pulled in which direction. The first kit that had unceremoniously been plopped into his arms was yanking on his ears. These little guys were heavy.
"Yeah, not for me. These guys are a headache. Dinari! Help me out here!"
Dinari glanced up from the food stockpile, several different bugs crammed in his small mouth.
"Oh… uh… sorry! I can't hear you over my eating… please do not pass 'Go'?" he said with a shrug, then resumed his activity of staying as far away as possible. Timon groaned, sincerely trying to resist the urge to throw down the bundle in his paws and stalk out. Eventually, one of the other caretakers distracted the kits long enough for him to get a word in edgewise.
"I didn't know you liked kits so much," he said absently to Sauda, who snapped her eyes back to his with raised brows.
"Maybe if you didn't spend so much time pouting in your nest, you'd know everyone a bit better, Timon. You're such an ostrich when you're in danger you'd think you were blind," she said quietly. Timon felt embarrassed and chagrined all at once. He was about to formulate a biting reply, and that his eyesight was perfectly fine, and his neck was in no way as lanky and skinny as an ostrich's, when someone said something about leaving for a few minutes, and needing someone to entertain the others with a story. Suddenly Dinari was at Timon's side, tugging on his arm.
"Did ya hear that, Timon? We get to tell a story!" Timon yanked his arm out of the kit's grasp.
"Ohhh, sure, as if I'd ever make a bigger idiot of myself in front of a bunch of google-eyed pipsqueaks. That's the exact wrong accomplishment I wanted to make! I am not gonna be the guy who couldn't even handle a day in the nursery!"
"But Timooon! It'll be fun! And think! We can just get up there, make up a bunch of stuff, and when everyone sees what a good job we did, we can get out quick, and you'll even make a good impression for later! I mean, if nothing else works out, you know."
"I've got it!" said Timon, snapping his fingers. "We'll tell them a story, Dinari! We just volunteer like the brave, upstanding citizens we are, make up a bunch of junk for the kiddies, and then when everyone sees how great we are, we take a few ovations, and I'm in good for a part-time job! It's perfect!" Dinari blinked, then decided Timon's idea was better, and shrugged nonchalantly.
"Well okay!" Sauda clapped a paw over her eyes.
"No, guys, please, don't disturb the peace-" But Timon was already waving his paw at one of the nearby caretakers.
"Hey! We'll do it! Yeah you! With the crusty face! Storytellers, right here!" He turned to his shorter partner.
"Okay, now, here's what we're gonna do…"
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Soon, the two were set up in front of the small audience they had gathered. It consisted mostly of the kits that were too young to leave the confines of the nursery, and couldn't be alone at their burrows. Sauda was sitting in the back, looking like she was wishing that she wasn't here. Timon was looking rather pleased with himself; this was the first time anyone, even if it was just kits, actually paid much attention to him. Maybe this really would be fun… maybe he could make a career out of it! Yes, indeed, this just might be his salvation! It wasn't much, but… it would have to be something for now.
"Okay, okay, everybody just simmer down, now… thank you. Ahem," declared Timon, as he started the story with dramatic flair.
A long time ago, in a colony far, far away…
"Mister Timon?" said a small, round-ish kit up in front, who was waving his arm insistently.
"… Yes?" answered Timon testily, but with a forced smile.
"How far away was it?"
"Just what I said. Far, far, away."
"But how far is that?"
"Farther than as far as you can see when you look outside."
"Then is it over that hill?"
"No."
"Under that big rock?"
"No."
"Around the-"
"Look, kid, it's not that hard! It's not just far, not just very far, but far, far…FAR…away. Okay?"
"So… it's… farther than far far?"
…a very special meerkat had been born on a certain day of a certain season. Nobody quite knew what to make of him, and he was nothing special to look at. However… great things were in store for this certain meerkat.
Timon suddenly stood up straighter, and thrust his arm out with a dramatic flourish.
Let me spin you a story, my little friends, a story of grand adventure, and high danger! A story that began on an ordinary day, for an ordinary meerkat, and for an extraordinary hyena matriarch… the vile… evil! And diabolical… Mordel…mart. Dark ruler of the lands surrounding the peaceful colony, her plans were about to be set in motion for an evil, evil day…
There was a concerted gasp from the audience as Timon, who was playing the handsome, powerful, suave, and intelligent meerkat hero, clashed sticks with Dinari, who very frightfully played the part of the Witch 'Kat of Hang-far, cowardly servant of Morfumax (the name was changed halfway through act 3 due to confusion on the part of the actors). They growled and shuffled and dueled across the small space they had set up as their stage, with all the drama they could muster. The eyes of everyone was upon them, and they hung on the edge of their seats with wide, wondrous eyes. This was, in fact, the third time the hero and the Witch 'Kat had clashed in their little play, but each time was certainly as exciting as the last.
Timon suddenly gasped theatrically as his stick was flung away to the side, and Dinari slapped him lightly on the paw to signify he had rendered it useless. Timon yelped and fell to the ground, snarling up at Dinari, who smirked triumphantly.
"Surrender, Hero!" said the Witch 'Kat, his eyes glowing like evil stars as the freezing rain fell about them, and lightning crashed from above. "You are beaten by me, the all-powerful Witch 'Kat! Give up to Morfumax, and join our quest to take over Everything And More!"
The hero shook his head still bravely defiant to the last.
"Never!" he shouted, baring his teeth. "I know what you did! You helped Morfumax take over my home! You imprisoned my father and sent my mother to exile!"
The Witch 'Kat grinned an evil grin, and stared deeply into our hero's eyes. The words he spoke would forever burn into our hero's heart!
"No, hero… your father was never imprisoned. For I am your father!"
"NOOOO!"
End scene IV.
Timon and Dinari hopped up, grinning hugely as the audience erupted into cheers and "Encores!" and wild applause.
"Well," said Timon, "sorry to cut that short, but I think we've told enough for today. You've been wonderful! Thank you! Thank you!" Timon drank in the raucous cheers and applause from the crowd, bowing deeply and grinning from ear to ear. Finally he was getting the appreciation he had so craved. At last he was doing something that nobody looked down on him for. At last he-
"Timon," said a voice next to him, poking him insistently on the shoulder.
"Not now, Dinari, I'm appreciating the audience!"
"Timon…" said the voice again, sounding annoyed.
"Thank you, thank you so much…"
"Timon!" someone shouted, giving him a hard shove.
"Gah! What!" said Timon, stumbling back as he finally opened his eyes. Sauda stood in front of him, arms crossed. She nodded at the kits.
"Take a look at your wild adorers." Timon looked over her shoulder.
Every kit in the nursery had fallen asleep. The caretakers had long since left, or busied themselves with other activities nearby.
"What the-" Timon stalked forward and looked down at the front row. The kits had all fallen over each other and were sleeping soundly, like their mothers had just sung them lullabies rather than told them frightening epics. Timon sputtered and waved his paws in the air.
"But th-… I thought-! Wh-… why didn't you tell me?" he snapped, turning back to Sauda and putting his paws on his hips. The female shrugged, smirking.
"Well, I have to admit, you did keep me guessing about what was going to happen next…" she said, with clear sarcasm pervading her tone. Timon growled and whirled on Dinari.
"What about you?" The younger kit shrugged.
"I was just having fun. I didn't want to disturb you." Timon slapped a paw to his forehead.
"Oy… how long has it been?" he asked Sauda.
"They fell asleep an hour into it," she answered. "I think it was during that exchange with you and the 'stork princess.'"
"And how long have we been going?"
Sauda broke into a grin. "Including the first hour? Three and a half. You guys were really into it."
"But they missed the best parts!" whined Timon. Sauda put a paw around his thin shoulders.
"Well, look at it this way. You did impress the caretakers… nobody else has ever put the kits to sleep that fast before!"
Timon looked skyward and shook his head. "I need to go lie down..." Before he could do that, though, Daren suddenly appeared at the entranceway, mouth open as though he was about to shout. Noticing the kits were asleep, he calmed himself and tip-pawed over the curled balls of slumbering fur.
"Timon," he said in a quiet voice. "Duty calls… or, Max does, at least." Timon, exasperated, threw up his arms.
"Oh, what? Did he finally notice I'm missing?"
"Well, no… he says we're gonna learn synchronized tunneling."
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A/N: Next up... Timon finds out just how badly he works in groups.
And I'm sorry; I haven't thanked my reviewers yet! Thank you so much! You like me! You really like me! It's true… I love reading reviews. You guys help keep me writing. hands out digital technochocolate