"Alright Kion, if you wanna be a great king, you need to stick around with us." Timon said. "Simba wouldn't be the great king today if we didn't raise him. And Kiara! We babysat her, you know, and that shaped her into the great princess she is now."
Kion playfully rolled his eyes. Timon and Pumbaa thought they had a bigger impact on their lives, than they actually did. He'd heard the stories. Most of them were from his big sister Kiara, whom always told of having to run off to get some alone time.
His father had some fun stories though. His life with them was usually carefree, but sometimes Timon acted pretty proctectively and parental.
"Alright Kion, repeat after me: Hakuna Matata." Timon said.
"Hakuna Matata." Kion repeated. "It means no worries."
"Wow, you're a smart kid." Pumbaa said.
"Well, I've heard a lot of stories from dad, remeber?" Kion asked.
"Still, we're flattered you remebered!" Timon said. "We couldn't get it to stick with Kiara."
Kion chuckled a bit.
Suddenly a huge vuluture landed beside them. "Timon!"
"Mjumbe?" Timon asked.
Kion's eyes widened and his ears folded down. He'd never seen a vuluture that big and was terrified. He hid behind Pumbaa, remebering the story he'd heard where Kiara got grabbed by a large bird.
"Hey, kid, it's okay." Pumbaa said. "He's not gonna hurt you."
"Yeah, he's just the messanger." Timon said. "He's our link to my meerkat colony in the jungle."
"Yes." Mjumbe nodded,his eyes sad.
"Let me guess, Ma wants her little boy to visit." Timon lightly joked.
Mjumbe shook his head. "No. I-I'm really sorry to bring you such news on such a beautiful day, but...your Uncle Max...has passed away."
"What?" Timon asked in disbelief.
"Timon..." Pumbaa sniffled, his eyes tearing up.
The meerkat sobbed into his warthog companion's stomach. Pumbaa held him to his chest and stroked a hoof against his back in comfort.
Mjumbe cleared his throat uncomfterbaly, signaling that he had more to tell. "The funeral will be the day of the next full moon. On behalf of the meerkat colony of the jungle, we'd like to invite you, and your Pride Land family, to his funeral."
Timon faced him, his cheeks damp with tears, eyes still wet. He sniffled and nodded.
"Very well. I will see you then." Mjumbe nodded once and flew off.
"Timon..." Kion called. He'd never gotten to meet anyone in Timon's family, but he felt a great amount of sympathy for him. He leaned to Timon's level and licked the tears from his cheek.
Timon hugged him. "Thanks kid."
For a while the three of them sat there, comforting each other.
Kion looked towards Pride Rock. "Hey, we should probably head home and tell dad."
Pumbaa carried Timon on his snout as they headed back to Pride Rock.
The Pride was relaxing inside of Pride Rock. Kiara was laying with Kovu and nuzzling against his neck. Kovu in return purred and rubbed his cheek against the top of her head.
Simba and Nala were enjoying the cool breeze Mufasa brought them, Nala laying on Simba like a pillow, her face in his mane. Simba's breathing was calm and relaxed.
Even Vitani was enjoying the nice weather and taking a nap.
"S-simba?" Timon sniffled.
"Timon?" Simba asked, worried by his friend's tone
As he got up, Nala opened her eyes to see where her pillow was going. She looked over and when she caught sight of what was going on, she joined them. Kovu and Kiara looked at each other for a moment before also heading over. Sensing movement, Vitani woke up and stretched. She let out a roar like yawn and headed over, curiously.
"What's wrong?" Simba asked with a gentle voice.
"U-uncle M-max is d-dead." Timon sobbed.
"No…" Simba breathed out.
He'd met Uncle Max a few times. The first time was after the defeat of Scar, and at first Max was scared Simba would harm him. When he heard Timon had raised him for half of his cubhood, he was super proud. Simba had visited the jungle a few other times for diplomatic purposes due to declaring the meerkat colony an ally to the Pride. Now with Mjumbe they didn't need to go there as often.
The last time they'd seen each other face to face was when he and Ma came to see Kion after he was born.
"He was a good merkat." Nala sighed.
Kiara's ears folded back. "Yeah...he had a strong heart."
"The funeral is the day of the next full moon." Timon sniffled. "T-they want us all to come."
"Of course we'll come." Simba said. "He was your family Timon, so he was ours too."
Timon hugged his muzzle. "Thanks Simba."
...
Simba,Nala,Kion,Kiara,Kovu,Timon,Pumbaa,Vitani,Zazu,and Rafiki started their journey to the jungle early in the morning, the night the moon would be full.
"You gonna be fine not patroling?" Vitani joked.
"Yeah, I asked Fuli to lead again." Kion said.
"Fuli's a nice cub." Nala complimented. "She's very kind,brave, and strong hearted."
"She's a good friend to have." Simba added.
"Yeah, and I love to play with her!" Kion said.
Simba smiled and started to look around. This desert gave him such strong memories, although he wasn't sure if it was good or bad he was feeling. Sure he'd ran here after his father's death, but he'd also ran back to claim his place as king of Pride Rock.
Eventually they made it to the jungle.
"Timmy!" Called an excited voice. An aging plump female meerkat hugged Timon.
"Hi Ma." Timon greeted, hugging her back tightly.
"Hi." Kion greeted, smiling.
"Oh ,Kion!" Ma started stroking his head and mane tuft. "I haven't seen you since you were a baby."
She squeezed his cheeks. Kion giggled awkwardly.
"Ma!" Timon said,pulling her hands away. "You're already clingly enough with me, don't kling to Kion."
Ma smiled and pinched his cheek. "Okay, Timmy."
She looked at the others and smiled. "Thank you for coming."
"He was Timon's great uncle." Simba said. "So he was our family."
"Are you hungry?" Ma asked. "We have plently of grubs."
"Do you have the real slimy ones?" Pumbaa asked excitedly.
"No, no, Ma. What he really means is crunchy." Timon said.
"Slimy!"
"Crunchy!"
"Slimy!"
"Crunchy!"
"Less filling!"
"Tastes good!"
"Timmy..." Ma scolded.
Timon and Pumbaa stopped aruging.
"We have plently of slimy and crunchy." She said, smiling gently. She lead her son and the warthog to the grub pile.
Pumbaa grabbed a worm and slurrped it up. "Slimy, yet satisfying!"
Timon grabbed a crunchy one and crunched right in.
He looked at the other meerkats at the pile of bugs, snacking away.
One of the merkats in the group was Buzz, named (ironically) after, Fearless Buzz: The bravest merkat there ever was, who while on gaurd duty had beaten and chased a hyena with a stick, forgetting they traveled in packs. This Buzz was a rather nervous fellow, who'd rather avoid conflict when possible. This wasn't a bad thing, as it was good for a meerkat to want peace. The meerkats respected him and gave him space when he needed it.
Vitafunio enjoyed snacks a lot. Usually if the colony found something new to eat, she'd offer to taste test it for them and say if it was good or not. She'd also perfected the art of mixing certain kinds of bugs together for a strong,rich,flavor.
Aina found the best grubs in the pile and shared them around. He didn't care much for the taste like the other meerkats did, he liked the ones they considered bitter. Sweet wasn't really much of Aina's thing. If he ever found another meerkat with his taste in grubs though, he'd be happy to share.
"Timon?"
The voice was so soft,gentle, and angelic in Timon's ears. He looked up in disbelief.
"Tatiana?"
The blonde meerkat smiled and embraced him. "I've missed you so much, Timon."
Timon inhaled her sweet scent, and nuzzled into her hair. "I missed you too."
"I-I wanted to come with you, but,...my father." She sighed. "He said I'm needed here for when he passes on."
"I understand." Timon gently stroked some hair that was in front of her eyes.
Tatiana smiled gently. "We have a lot of catching up to do."
She lead him away from the bug pile, to a private place. They both sat on rocks across from each other, looking into each other's eyes.
"I give you my condolences." Tatiana said.
Timon sighed. "Thanks. I can't believe he's gone. He's always been a father figure to me."
"You two seemed to argue a lot." Tatiana said.
"Well...yeah...but, we had our moments."
Tatiana looked to the sky. "All of them thought you'd die on your own."
"I figured." Timon sighed. "What about Ma?"
"Well...she worried." Tatiana said. "Her work suffered from it; she wasn't as productive at making tunnels as she usually was. We had her do guard duty a few times to give her fresh air...it didn't help. Finally she talked to Rafiki and was pretty upset at what he'd told you."
"Why would she be upset?"
Tatiana smirked. "Something about you taking everything literally."
"Hey I looked beyond what I saw, and everything went fine!" Timon.
Tatiana giggled. "Oh, the services are starting soon, come on."
...
The meerkats and others gathered around a stump. The Duke meerkat stood on it and looked at the others. "We are gathered here today to honor the life of Max, one of the eldest meerkats in the colony."
Next to the stump stood Tatiana, who occasionally gave sad glances to Timon and Ma.
Ma was hugging her son tight and sobbing into his chest. Timon gently stroked her back in reassurance.
"He was a hard working meerkat, who always kept the colony in line and on task." The Duke continued. "He showed bravery and strength. Max was one of the three brave meerkats who helped King Simba retake the throne. He will live on through his niece Ma, and his great nephew, Timon...the other two meerkats who helped Simba."
The Duke gestured for them to join him on the stump. He put his arm around Ma. "Ma will be a great meerkat for his name to live on through. She is a diligent worker and a great mother. After her mate died, she raised her son Timon by herself. She is an inspiration to all of us."
Ma blushed and her ears folded back at the compliment.
The Duke turned to Timon. "And Timon...Who we all thought was foolish for wanting to go off and experince more out of life. The one we all assumed would be back in the colony before sunset the next day. His bravery helped our closest ally Pride, and gave us a new home, safe from the hyenas."
"Now, we have to remeber who this ceromony is for." The Duke cleared his throat. "We will never forget Uncle Max, his dedication,his brave calls when the hyenas were attacking...Truly he will be missed."
He turned to his daughter who handed him a pastel pink flower. He crumpled the petals and blew into them, causing them to sail through the air beautifully. The children giggled and scrambled to get a petal for themselves.
Kion's eyes widened in delight as he batted a petal with his paw. Kiara giggled at his innocence; he was a lot like her when she was young.
Well he was her son...brother.
Kiara shook her head from side to side to try and clear her mind. Where did she get the word son from? Maybe she still wasn't content with the fact she could never have cubs of her own, but...she didn't want to see Kion as just a place holder.
"Now...a moment of silence..." The Duke said.
Mother meerkats sushed their young who were still giggling away and chasing flower petals. Everyone bowed their heads in silence.
After a moment, The Duke spoke again. "We will now have the luncheon. We have gathered grubs,fruits, and leaves for your pallet."
The young meerkats, the most hungry rushed over to the grub pile to chow down and some grubs.
Timon had his arm still over his mother.
"Timmy, aren't you going to join them?" Ma asked.
"You need me, Ma." Timon said.
Ma looked over and saw Tatiana by the grub pile, and smiled to herself. She looked to her son, "Timon, you haven't seen Tatiana in ages, you should give her some company."
"Alright...If you're sure..." Timon said, hesitantly. He went over and joined the princess.
He picked up a grub and bit into it, before spitting it out in disgust.
Tatiana looked alarmed. "What's wrong?"
"It's rubber." Timon shuddered in disgust.
"Rubber? But...how?" Tatiana wondered.
To the sound of laughter, Timon turned around.
"Boy, I got you good!"
"Fred." Timon nearly hissed at the red nosed, blonde meerkat.
"What? You're not still mad about me tricking you and Pumbaa, are ya?" Fred asked.
"Yes. I am." Timon said, trying to keep his voice calm.
"But that was years ago, can't you forgive and forget?" Fred asked, putting his paw out.
Timon shook his paw and imedietly got zappped.
"Haha, good old joy buzzer." Fred chuckled.
"Right...good old joy buzzer." Timon said, unamused.
"Fred, now's not a good time to prank." Tatiana said. "This is a funereal."
"Oh come on, I think it'll help light up the mood." Fred chuckled
Tatiana glared. "I said it's not the time."
"But-"
"You will show respect for Timon. He is mourning his loss and you're making it worse." Tatiana said, attemping to keep her cool.
"I'm sorry." Fred said. "Will you accpet this flower in apology, princess?"
Tatiana smiled and grabbed the flower the meerkat had handed her. She sniffed it and was squirted in the face with water.
Tatiana screamed in anger and started Fred in the eyes. "I said stop! Don't make me tell my father to exile you!"
Fred gulped. "Y-yes your majesty..."
"Wow...w-we're you really gonig to exile him?" Timon asked.
Tatiana sighed and rolled her eyes. "As much as I would like to, practical jokes are not a valid reason to kick someone out of the colony."
"I'm sorry he pranked you." Timon said, grabbing a leaf to dry her off.
"Trust me, I'm used to it." She said. "He does this all the time."
"Wait...even to you?" Timon asked,surprised.
Tatiana nodded slowly. "Yes...he pranks everyone."
"But not The Duke, right?"
Tatiana let out a dry,humorless chuckle. "Not even dad is immune."
Timon smiled,glad someone else could relate to the annoyances Fred usually caused.
...
The stars and moon shined brightly in the sky. The full moon had never seemed so bright before.
Kion curled up next to his mother's side and closed his eyes. Despite it being a long and eventful day, he couldn't fall asleep. Maybe Rafiki had something to help him sleep.
As he got up, he was surprised to see someone still awake.
"Timon?"
"Hey kid." Timon greeted. "Why aren't you asleep?"
"I can't fall asleep." Kion said.
"Then you can watch the stars with your uncle Timon." He said, then patted the grass beside him.
Kion smiled lightly and joined Timon.
"Look, The Great Kings of the Past are twinkling for us." Kion said in wonder, his eyes wide.
"Kings? Are you crazy, there's-" Timon stopped when he saw the hurt look on the prince's face. "...There's gotta be some queens up there too,..right?"
"I guess so." Kion said. He looked to the sky again. "Hey, Timon?"
"Yeah?"
"I bet your Uncle Max is up there with the kings."
"What do you mean? He wasn't a king." Timon said.
"I think the animals that weren't kings become part of the moon...and all The Great Kings of the past act as lion guards to the moon, protecting them."
Timon smiled at his innocence. Kion yawned and rested his head next to Timon. Still smiling, Timon lifted Kion's paw and slipped under it. He rested his head on the cub's leg and nuzzled his face up to his cheek, sleep soon taking over.
In this fanfic universe Timon left the colony like in The Lion King 1 1\2, instead of being exiled like in the Timon and Pumbaa episode with Tatiana,choosing adventure instead of being her mate, instead of choosing Pumbaa's friendship over her. In fanfics I like connecting all the universes together somehow, because it's fun and I can give love to all the spin offs and such. Usually what I consider canon is all three movies and now The Lion Guard, but in fanfics it's a different story. Also remeber Petition to give The Lion King 2 Simba's Pride more attention on my profile.