[PRIVATE: DGFone & Thewhistlerify]

[DGFone]

Umeme saw just how hard of a time Lina was having telling what she saw. She reached out and placed a paw on Lina's, hoping that the small gesture would be enough for Lina to continue talking. When it looked like Lina still needed some time, Umeme chose to talk as well.

"Lina told me about it last night, and I don't believe it myself, but Lina... and Delano too... from what I saw this morning, both really think that they saw him, so is there any way to..." Umeme had to pause to think of what she wanted to say, "is there any way that you can tell us for sure that Sanders is really gone? Did you watch over the execution, or afterwards?" She was hoping that the king would say yes, that he saw with his own eyes, for both Lina's and Delano's sanity.

[TheWhistlerify]

Lina had been meaning to get to asking the king whether there was any way for him to know for sure that his verdict had been carried out az ordered, that Sanders really was gone, so she was grateful towards her sister for speaking up and saving her the need to do so herself, thus also allowing her to take a longer break from talking in order to recollect herself. However, the king's answer wasn't of much help.

"I didn't watch over it." he said, causing the lioness's heart to sink. "While I believe there was no other way, we still used to be friends and I couldn't get myself to be there. It felt inappropriate." Kato's father paused for a brief moment. "I rarely ever do view these things... No matter who we're dealing with, they're all lions or lionesses like you and I." He didn't like not being able to calm his subject down by giving her this obvious assurance that the former leader of the underworld was dead, but he wasn't going to lie to her.

He was about to say something else when Lina suddenly spoke up again. "We think that maybe your new Chief of Police might have been involved..."

The king stared at her with a rather blank expression. "That is a very serious accusation." he said, a little sternly. "And on what do you base it, young lady?"

"I, uh..." Lina knew that Umeme wasn't going to be of any help because she and Muroki haven't met the new Chief. "I dunno... He just seems a little, er, nuts..."

The king sighed, rubbing his head with a paw for a brief moment. "Lina, I hardly think it is of your place and position to criticize such a highly ranked individual let alone accuse them for treason based on just a short meeting or what not."

[DGFone]

When Lina finally blurted out her opinion over who she thought might be responsible, even Umeme was caught off guard. "Lina! You can't simply blame someone like that! What's gotten into you?" While she wanted to support her sister, Umeme had to agree with the king, especially since she never met this new lion.

Well, if Lina was saying that the new chief of police was... nuts... Umeme had no reason to think that Lina was simply making things up - it wasn't like her. But still, it was a very serious accusation to make, and Umeme hoped that Lina didn't offend the king by saying her mind. Perhaps Lina got less rest than she thought, and was more scared than she was letting out? That was always a possibility.

[TheWhistlerify]

Lina was already feeling uncomfortable about what she was saying as it was, even before the king replied to her opinion. So, when Umeme too stated the obvious, it naturally didn't make her sister any more calmer than she already wasn't. To her even greater discomfort, the king suddenly stood up and left. Had she angered him? Before she could give it much thought, though, Kato's father returned, this time with that lion he was talking to earlier.

"Let me make a brief introduction." he said. "This is Lin, one of the Assistant Chiefs in our police force. You see, there are three of them." he explained. "Each is in charge of managing a major part of the police's tasks or forces, to help the Chief keep better track of things. There's the commandment of the actual cave system, the patrol division and all outer activity and then there's Lin here." He patted the other lion's shoulder. "He's a... vice Chief, if you want to call it that. He works with the Chief more than even I do."

Lina blinked a few times. This was the Chief's second in command? He looked... normal, and friendly, too... But what if he was in on the whole scheme too? How was she to know that the nice looking demeanor wasn't all an act? Did that mean he used to be Sanders's second in command too? Or had that role belonged to the current Chief? After quickly introducing Lina and Umeme to the other lion, Kato's father carried on. "I'm sure you remember a lion called Delano, Lin."

"Can I not?" asked the latter, looking a little uncomfortable.There was Sanders's trial, which he had attended and, of course, Delano's own imprisonment. "I was the second in command of the Assistant Chief in charge of the cave systems at the time..." Well, that cleared the mystery over whether he'd answered directly to Sanders or not. "How a framed lion, let alone one with practically no evidence against, was held there for so long without me or my superior seeing the ridiculousness behind it is still beyond me..." Talk about unprofessional...

"My dear chap," said the king, "Lina is not here because she's harboring any hard feelings." He looked at the lioness in question. "Lina, perhaps Lin can lend you a paw in this little misunderstanding. Lin, Lina and Delano were out by the border yesterday. They saw a rogue who she says looked a lot like Sanders and the two of them believe it was him. She also thinks that the Chief might be involved on account of a meeting with him giving off the impression that he's... What was the word you used, crazy? he asked, a little sarcastically.

Lina stared down at her own paws. The actual word had been nuts, but that didn't matter. Not only was this situation embarrassing, what with the Chief's personal assistant hearing such things, but what would happen if her suspicions got to the Chief himself, assuming he really was involved and, well, bad? Besides, how could a lion she didn't know, let alone one that could be just as involved in helping Sanders survive, possibly be reliable? He could easily lie to her for all she knew.

"My lady," said Lin, smiling a soft smile. "I was one of the lions who restrained Sanders and that little helper of his after the trial. I also led them not only into our tunnels but straight to where they'd been held until the execution. While I'm afraid I can't say that I'd witnessed the execution itself, I can assure you that our headquarters have officers of all ranks moving about at all times, not to mention that the imprisonment areas and entrances to the tunnels are always guarded."

"I find it rather impossible that Sanders had not only been kept alive let alone escaped without anyone knowing of it. Does that make sense to you?" Lina nodded her head slowly, causing the Assistant Chief to smile. "Good. If it'll make you feel any better, I'm willing to order our patrols to scan the area beyond the borders." That would mean that more than just a few lions who might be double agents will look into the matter, meaning that any discovery won't be kept hidden. That, he believed, was ought to calm her down.

"Would you like for that to happen?" he asked, getting a nod in response. "Consider it done." Lin began to walk towards the entrance, gesturing for Lina to come with him, which she did. "Why don't you go home? You look like you could use a rest."

The king chuckled as he watched the two slowly walk away. He looked at Umeme. "Splendid fellow." he said. "He's always had a way of talking to civilians."

[DGFone]

Umeme was left behind with the king and Lina and Lin left, but she felt like the explanation given was good enough. "Yeah, he really does," she agreed, feeling rather foolish though, after what her sister had tried to explain. "Please... I don't think Lina really meant what she said... I mean, I don't think she got much rest last night, so she's not entirely... there..." Umeme found herself staring at the ground, not sure if she was getting her message across properly.

"I err... well, thank you for the help. I'm sure Delano would also want to learn what we were told here..." Umeme wasn't sure if she wanted to go and get Lina and take her back home, or to give her some more time to talk with Lin. It might be better for him to really get all doubt removed from Lina's mind, otherwise coming here could prove pointless.

[TheWhistlerify]

Briefly watching as Lina and Lin slowly made their way towards the exit of the royal den, the king turned his attention back to Umeme when she apologized for her sister's behavior, saying that she hasn't slept much last night and that she wasn't thinking clearly. "That's quite alright." he said, having realized as much on his own. Kato's father knew he couldn't blame the lioness for being scared as a result of believing that a lion who would try to kill her entire family was alive.

Leaving the smaller, inner den with Muroki's mate, the two followed Lin and Lina outside. "After you get some sleep," said Lin with a friendly look on his face, giving the guards outside a nod when they saluted him as he and Lina left the royal den. "perhaps you could play with your cub a little." Noticing the confused look on her face, the Assistant Chief quickly added. "Kato told me he's quite the adorable little fella."

Lina blinked a few times. She knew Kato couldn't stand the Chief but, from the look of things, he was probably rather close to his second in command. Mentioning the young son of friends to someone surely inclined something of that sort, right? "I know that playing with my two daughters always lightens up my mood." continued Lin with a chuckle. "They're probably the two sneakiest cubs in the whole of Africa, but they're good girls at the end of the day."

[DGFone]

Walking with the king outside, Umeme felt like this was a good of a time as any to part ways. He was most likely busy, so she didn't want to force him to wait any longer than he needed to. "Well, uh, thanks for all the help. I think it really helped Lina. We'll just tell everything to Delano as well as soon as we get home."

Walking over to her sister, Umeme was able to see that Lina looked noticeably calmer than before they came here. "Well, let's go home?" Bidding a farewell to Lin as well, they started to walk back to Delano's and Lina's den. "So, Lina, did he tell you enough?" Umeme asked as they walked, "Whoever you saw, it's not Sanders, was it?"

[TheWhistlerify]

Bidding farewell to Lin and the king, Lina went ahead and began to walk away with her sister. "I know what I saw." she said, briefly looking at Umeme in the corner of her eyes as she did. Regardless of that, she looked like she was calmer than before.

No matter how many police workers were double agents or what not, surely not all of them were bad. And, since Lin had made his promise in front of Kato's father, it was bound to really happen, meaning that anything suspicious would most likely be reported to Lin and, eventually, to the king as well. The patrols were bound to pick up the scent of whoever was lurking there, be it Sanders or just a random rogue.

[DGFone]

While Umeme was glad to hear Lina sounding better, the fact that her sister still said the exact same thing as what she said before the meeting was still of concern. Perhaps Lina simply needed some time to rest and recover from the shock.

"I don't know if Delano will be up when we get back or not," Umeme said instead of trying to get Lina to abandon the idea that she saw Sanders for good, "but I think you wouldn't mind to get some rest. Muroki and I can watch over all three cubs." Grinning, Umeme added, "I don't think they will mind."

[TheWhistlerify]

Lina saw no urgency in telling Delano of her and Umeme's little trip to the royal den so she nodded quietly at her sister's offer. Now that she was much calmer about the matter, she felt as though she'd be able to fall asleep and get a proper rest. That sounded terrific, seeing how tired she felt. Akili was probably awake already, the lioness thought, but he had his cousins to keep him company and his aunt and uncle to keep an eye on him.