[PRIVATE: DGFone & Thewhistlerify]

[DGFone]

Sanders watched as his partner tossed both Muroki and Lin off the side of the gorge, disappointed that he didn't feel the same satisfaction in seeing their deaths that he hoped. However, it was just Muroki and Lin after all, so he wasn't as interested in getting them out of the way. They were... secondary targets. Walking over to the side, he peered over, but didn't see either of them. However, that didn't concern him: the fast flowing water below would make sure that those two won't say a word to anyone else ever again. "Goodbye, Muroki and Lin," he said as he turned around and began to walk off, "it was nice knowing you two."

Somehow he doubted that his partner was actually done with those two, though. Much like Sanders was going to enjoy going after Delano, there was something about Muroki and Lin that the chief wouldn't simply settle with tossing them over the side of the cliff. While Sanders wasn't sure exactly what else the chief was going to do here, he could tell by looking at his partner that he wasn't exactly wanted here at the moment. "I'll be waiting for you at our usual meeting point," he said, "and make sure not to take the usual route to get there. Just in case." With a chuckle as he remembered Muroki's face as the lion was tossed to his death, Sanders walked off.

---

Now walking slightly faster, Delano moved along the edge of the gorge, scanning the bottom for anything unusual. This became harder to do as the ground steadily rose in comparison to the water below as the gorge started to become the proper canyon that runs along the border.

Ever concerned that he really did hear something, not seeing anything for a long time was starting to drive Delano mad. Perhaps he really did just imagine it, and they should abandon the search and resume actually going after Sanders. A large part of him did want to do that: the more time he and Hatari spent going along the edge here in search of what could easily be nothing was time Sanders was being allowed to walk free. After some more pointless searching, he decided to call it quits. "There's nothing down there, let's get on with it." he announced randomly, and picked up the pace now that he decided not to constantly scan the river below.

However, a part of him was still unsure about it, so he still stuck close to the edge, glancing down every now and then. And it was during one of these quick glances that he did see something unusual. "Wait, Hatari, there's a lion over there..." He pointed ahead of them, where sure enough, a lone lion was next to the cliff. "What would someone be doing there so close to the edge?" While it did briefly cross his mind that a lion could simply be there to see the view, Delano was certainly paranoid enough right now to immediately assume foul play, even though he couldn't recognize who it was they were seeing from this distance. It didn't look like anyone he knew, which normally would cause him to dismiss them as just another random lion, but not right now... "Come on, let's go," he told Hatari, "something's not right."

Making sure to stay out of sight of the lion, the two of them made their way until they got close. Now having a better view, Delano wasn't sure if he had seen this lion before or not... "Stay here," he said, and before Hatari could stop him or even say anything, Delano put on a casual face and approached the lion. "Hello there, what are you doing here?" To talk like he was just passing someone really strained him, but Delano knew better than to approach with open hostility right away.

---

By the den, Umeme was laughing at seeing Kato getting easily taken down by nothing more than three cubs. "I thought you were good with little ones," she teased when he finally came over to her, "or are these three so different than what you're used to?" However, she then sobered up when he asked her how things were going on. With the three cubs right here, she wasn't even able to fully explain what was going on. "Things are all right," she said after a while, "Lina had a rather tough night last night, so I'm watching over the cubs while she's resting in there," she motioned with her head at the den entrance, "and Muroki and Delano went off to do something on their own." She didn't really like lying to Kato, but she didn't dare say that Delano had ran off, with Muroki chasing after him because of it, while the cubs were still within hearing range. She could only hope that soon, the young ones would get tired from all the "grown up" talk, and go off to play again, giving her the opportunity to actually tell Kato what really was going on. "So how are things going on by your end?"

[TheWhistlerify]

"Don't let me hold you up." said the Chief in an almost light hearty manner, still staring into the gorge. "You get on. You get that finished." He then stayed where he was as Sanders walked off, not paying much attention to the passage of time until he heard that familiar voice he's been waiting for. Chuckling oddly, he turned to face Muroki's brother who, unlike Hatari, didn't seem to be recognizing him. "Well now..." He looked at the former member of the underworld. "Aren't you way past your boundaries?" Then, almost playfully, he added "Must I place you under arrest? That would be very much unfortunate..."

Hatari, already growling dimly as he came over to Delano's side, was about to start questioning the Chief about Delano's suspicions when something caught his attention. That scent... Was it Muroki's? There were 2 others as well, but it had to be his... "Aww... The Chief chuckled at the confused look on his face, easily able to determine that Hatari was aware of Muroki's recent presence there. "Your brother was really scared-" he looked at Delano. "-it's classic!" Then, looking at Hatari again as the former member of the underworld's expression changed from confusion to shock and disbelief, he smiled. Did he..? Was Muroki... gone? No, that couldn't be... "Have you got anymore friends I can play with?"

●●●●●●●●●●

Playfully rolling his eyes at Umeme's teasing, Kato went ahead and settled down in front of the lioness after making sure that neither one of the cubs inconveniently happened to be running around underneath him. This, of course, made him a much easier target for the tiny hairballs, allowing them to be all over him without as much as a little bit of effort. But he didn't mind. They were very small at the end of the day and, if it entertained them so much, why not?

The prince also didn't think much of what Lina's sister told him, for it sounded like nothing was wrong aside from Akili's mother needing to catch up on some sleep, which wasn't a very big deal in on its own. "Oh, things are okay in general..." he pointed out, not feeling like discussing what was on his own mind with the little ones around either. He'd actually come there hoping his friends could give him some advice. Perhaps Umeme remembered from when he'd first brought it up, but that conversation was cut short when she went into labor.

[DGFone]

Delano hadn't caught onto Muroki's scent yet, so he was rather confused when he heard Hatari growling at this lion. "Wait, do you two know each other...?" He was about to ask Hatari what was going on when he froze, having just heard what the lion said about Muroki. How did he know that he even had a brother?

"What would you know about him?" Delano asked, this time letting out his own growl of warning. While he hadn't any real reason to suspect anything before, the way this lion talked when he mentioned Muroki being scared, if he really was talking about Muroki, put Delano on edge. When the lion didn't say anything, Delano raised his voice, letting out a more threatening growl to make sure that the lion got the point. "I'm asking you, what do you know?" Muroki? Scared? of what?

The last time he had seen Muroki was just earlier today, when he had ran off. Surely Muroki remained at the den with Umeme and the cubs? Even if he hadn't, what would Muroki have been doing here? There was no reason for him to have been here. No, this lion is bluffing. He has to be.

---

For some reason, Umeme got the feeling that Kato wasn't here just to talk pleasantries either. But, just as she was prevented from saying what she really wanted because of the cubs, so apparently did he. To make things worse, it didn't look like the trio were going to leave any time soon, still happy to climb all over Kato. "Cubs, get off Kato, he needs to keep his fur clean for today," she said, her tone not angry, but still firm enough so that they did get off. She allowed a small grin to herself, knowing that without Kato to play on, they would soon get bored and resume chasing each other.

[TheWhistlerify]

The Chief genuinely couldn't keep the smile off his muzzle no matter how hard he tried (for the sake of then failing on purpose a second afterwards, that is). This was going to be just too entertaining and amusing, especially given the fact that Delano was bound to notice his brother's scent any moment now. "Your unlikely partner in crime seemed to have figured it out all by himself." he said with a grin, unable to tell what he was enjoying more; the horrified look on Hatari's face, who had figured it all out, or the knowledge that soon Muroki's brother will come to the realization as well.

The truth was that the former member of the underworld really had put the pieces together. "I told him that he hasn't lost his old ways..." said the Chief. For someone like himself or Hatari, it was right there; in front of their eyes. Muroki's scent, as well as that of blood, was clearly around them. However, the smell of blood wasn't all that strong, indicating that nobody nearby has suffered too severe an injury. Then, by looking at the crushed grass around them, Hatari could tell that Muroki must have been restrained and the trail of the damaged grass went closer to the edge of the gorge from the spot of the quarrel, meaning that Delano's brother had been forced there before...

"We've met before, don't you remember?" he then asked, looking at Delano. "Right before your precious little hairball was born..." This was the good part. "You see, your brother was just so worried about you. Then, very briefly worried about his own safety, and then..." He chuckled. "Let's just say he's not worrying about anything anymore." Hatari growled once more, feeling absolutely disgusted. How could someone be so cruel? How... How could he have been just as heartless? "Maybe if you take a peek into the gorge you'll be able to see him, but I doubt it..."

••••••••••

Unable to not chuckle heartily at the Ubawa, Akili and Marini's adorable noises of disappointment as they either stepped, slid or rolled off of him in their silly, cubbish way, Kato waited for the three adorable fluffs to go away and resume their pointless game of tag before looking at Umeme. "Uh... Do you happen to remember what we spoke about a few months ago?" he asked, even though he doubted she could recall. "Right before Marini and Ubawa were born?"

The prince sighed, deciding he might as well give her a brief recap of their conversation at the time. "You see, the thing is-" he said at some point, "-that Desta and I aren't adolescents anymore..." The two of them were already young adults. "Her parents still disapprove of us being together, and I, well..." He felt his cheeks heat up a little. "I want to ask her to be my mate... Really badly... But the tradition says that the parents on both sides have to give their blessings..."' It was yet another reason why he often wondered what it would have been like if he wasn't the heir to the throne. "Even if it is a stupid tradition, I don't want to come in between her and her family..."

Letting out another sigh, he raised his gaze from the ground and looked at his friend. "What do you think I should do?" This helpless, lost feeling was really starting to get to him. Not only was the whole thing surrounding her parents becoming a bigger cause for him to worry the more time went on, but there were also his own feelings for his love interest. He loved her so very much. Just being boyfriend and girlfriend while going out on dates wasn't enough for him anymore... Also, she was bound to notice he was upset sooner or later...

[DGFone]

As he started to connect the dots in his head, Delano could only glare at the lion. "Yes, I remember you now," he muttered quietly, also recalling how he wasn't all that impressed by their first meeting either. That was when he finally caught Muroki's scent, and froze. His brother was just here! But there was no sign of Muroki anywhere...

Delano was only able to stare at the lion in horror as everything started to clear up now. Muroki must have followed him when he ran away from the den, but then what? What was it that the lino said about taking a peak down into the gorge? "No!" Delano let out a furious growl and lunged himself at the lion, pinning him to the ground. If the lion was able to fight him off, he didn't seem to even try, simply sneering up at him.

"What did you do to him?" Delano shouted, his voice cracking as he began to fully realize what the lion implied. As much as he now wanted to claw this lion to death, he needed answers. "What did you do to Muroki?" For reply, he only got chuckling from the lion, who was obviously enjoying the situation. Unintentionally letting out a whimper of fear, Delano jumped off the lion, unable to bear waiting for the maniac to start talking while Muroki was dead somewhere below here.

Before Hatari could stop him, Delano scampered off the side of the gorge, nearly falling off several times himself as he made his way down towards the water. "Muroki! Answer me!" As he got lower, the shear noise of the water drowned out his desperate cries for his brother, and Delano began to rapidly lose hope of finding him. His legs began to feel weak as his strength left him, overcome by grief. Muroki couldn't be dead! He simply couldn't!

Desperately scanning the area around him for any sign of his brother, Delano was about to give up and simply collapse where he was standing when he thought he saw something that looked like fur in the distance. "Muroki!" Hope flowing through him, he ran forwards, nearly falling into the raging water in his haste. Eventually though, he reached the bend where he thought he saw the fur.

Delano's breath caught in his throat as he got a better view. It was Muroki all right, and his brother wasn't moving, half submerged by water, and the other half washed up on a large rock. "Muroki..." Crossing the last bit of distance between them, Delano stumbled over and just about fell next to his brother's body. "Muroki, please, you can't be..." Dragging his brother fully out of the water, Delano began to desperately shake his body. "Muroki, wake up! Come on!" Tears were blurring his vision to the point where he was effectively blind now, but Delano didn't need to see right now. He could feel the cold and soaked body of Muroki, still trying with the faintest of hopes to shake some life back to his brother. "Muroki! It's me... Delano, your brother! You have to get up!" Quickly glancing up at the walls of the gorge around them, he screamed for help as loudly as he could, before returning to shaking Muroki, refusing to believe that his brother was dead.

---

Umeme stared at Kato. "Well, I'm not sure to be honest," she replied, "Muroki and I... we didn't exactly have this problem. My parents approved from the start, and his... they couldn't exactly say no." She thought about what Kato could do, often coming up on blanks. "What if you had your parents talk to hers? He's the king and all, I know, but have him try to talk to them as a father, not as their ruler. Maybe you should go with them>"

Of course, another reason why she wasn't feeling like she was helping all that much right now was because she was constantly being distracted by worrying about Muroki and Delano. Logic stated that they are fine, and that they will be back soon, but that didn't say that she could worry anyways. Plus, she wanted to tell the prince about what was going on, but what was the point? At best, he will tell the king, who already knew. What can change if she started to tell Kato about what was putting her on the edge?

[TheWhistlerify]

Hatari prepared himself to come to Delano's help when he lunged himself and pinned him down, clearly furious at the realization of what had just happened to his brother. But, he soon realized that the Chief had no intention of retaliating, at least not for the time being, clearly enjoying the grief and rage Muroki's brother was exhibiting. Then, before he had the chance to so much as think of stopping him, Akili's father began making the very dangerous way to the bottom of the gorge.

At first he was about to follow him in order to help him search but he stayed where he was, keeping his eyes fixed on the Chief as the other lion rolled onto his stomach and then stood up. Looking very amused and happy with himself, he snickered in an almost juvenile manner. "Ask me." he said, sounding excited.

"Shut up!" exclaimed the former member of the underworld angrily, clearly not in the mood for the crazy lion's nonsense.

The latter simply rolled his eyes. "Ask me! Come on, you know you want to; you want to know what my plan is!" He couldn't keep the twisted smile off his muzzle as he began to circle Hatari. "You'd be surprised! I've got a gift for you! You know, I've been up and down all over this kingdom... meeting all silly individuals whose loved ones died and yet they decided to help keep you alive..." He made a dismissive wave with his his paw at the word "silly" and poked Hatari's chest at the word "you". "And you know what I worked out? What you really need..."

"For what?" Hatari hissed, clearly impatient.

"To know that you are still just like me! Ooh!" He suddenly grinned even more widely than before as Delano's shout for help was suddenly somewhat overheard above the sound of the roaring water below. "And now it begins!" Hatari raised an eyebrow. "Now, honey, I do believe you're on call!" he continued. "Some little hairballs need their daddies to save them from the big, bad lion!" The former member of the underworld's eyes widened in horror. "Who else would that be... if not the lion who should have been executed?" Sanders! He really was alive! "Woops!"

Ignoring the Chief's maniacal laughter, Hatari ran off at full speed.

●●●●●●●●●●

Back near the den, obviously still unaware of what was going on at the gorge or of what was coming their way, Kato stared down at his own paws once more. He's thought of that option many times before, but... "The thing is that our parents have been friends since cubhood... They get along famously!" He sighed. Did the two have anything personal against him or did they genuinely believe he wasn't capable of taking care of their daughter?

"I think I should just talk to them myself and get it all off my chest... Maybe... Maybe he really wasn't good enough for Desta? No. If that was what they thought then he was going to tell them a thing or two... But not now. "Well, forget about that for the time being..." The prince smiled. "It looks like the cubs are doing as great as ever!" He pointed out. What more cheerful way to change the subject was there than to talk about the adorable fluffs?

●●●●●●●●●●

On the bend by the river, Muroki suddenly coughed up a little bit of water and began breathing heavily. His head hurt like hell... Oh yeah, it must have gotten bashed by the rocks as he was tumbling down after- "No!" He opened his eyes and was up in a flash, only to immediately lose his balance and fall back down onto his stomach. The cubs! He had to do something, but his head suddenly became dizzy to the point where he couldn't move his legs.

[DGFone]

When Muroki suddenly stood up, Delano froze, surprised from the movement. "Muroki!" As his brother fell back down, Delano quickly grabbed him and made sure that Muroki won't accidently fall into the water and get dragged off by the current. He pressed his head on Muroki's, as though he needed to actually feel his brother awake to be completely certain that he was alive and not simply imagining Muroki being alive. "You're alive... I found you here, and... I- I was so afraid..."

Even with Muroki awake now, Delano was still trying to overcome the fear of finding his brother's body, so he fell silent and simply held onto Muroki, both to try and calm himself down, as well as to make sure that his brother won't try to get up again. Feeling Muroki shiver in his grip, Delano moved closer to try and help warm him up.

"What happened?" Delano eventually asked, "I came across that lion above, and he told me..." his voice faltered, "he said he killed you... I ran down here, and I found you... Muroki, what happened up there?"

For some reason, it felt like Muroki was still trying to get up. Not sure how hurt he was, Delano wasn't ready to let Muroki up, so he still held on, making sure that his brother won't move anywhere for now.

---

Umeme felt that Kato was switching the subject on purpose, but she figured that if he wanted to, then might as well. "Yeah, they're doing well," she agreed. That was when she figured out how to tell him what she wanted to tell him, now that she had the opportunity. "If only Muroki and Delano were here to see it..." She noticed Kato look at her, confused. "Earlier today, Delano just suddenly left the den and ran off somewhere. Muroki followed him to make sure that he would be okay. That's why their not here." She let out a sigh. "I can't help but feel worried though."

[TheWhistlerify]

Muroki, who was pretty much anything but thinking clearly at the moment because of the shock, either did not understand what was being said to him most of the time or was unable to focus on his brother's words. The only thing he could think of was the great danger his son, daughter and nephew were in and that he had to get to them and keep them safe. But no matter how badly he tried to get himself to move, his legs just refused to respond to his will. He tried to at least warn Delano about what was going on (while continuing his efforts to rise, of course), but all that came out was an occasional, faint whimper.

It was still all so fresh... Yes, it had taken place about a few minutes ago, but still... He still remembered the dread and horror he'd felt when he realized that he not only couldn't stay alive but also would be unable to so much as try to protect his cubs. Muroki still remembered how, even though he'd believed Sanders was gone and dealt with at the time, he'd sworn to always be there for them no matter what. So much for that...

His attention was caught, surprisingly enough, when his blurry vision somehow allowed him to identify the figure of a lion slowly making his way towards them, walking alongside the river. At first he was about to panic, but he soon realized that it was his fellow victim, in a manner of speaking. Lin looked pretty beaten up from the fall as well, but perhaps not as much as Muroki himself was given the fact that he seemed to be able to walk normally.

"You're okay..." said the Chief's second in command, heaving out a soft sigh of relief.

Muroki easily felt his brother tense up at the sight of the stranger, and that was when he suddenly found his voice. "W-Wait, Delano..." he managed to stutter, his voice hoarse. "It's okay, h-he was attacked too... Listen to me, it's-" Another wave of dizziness hit him for a brief moment before he managed to regain his focus. "Y-you were right... Sanders... H-He's alive... We have to go back, he's a-a-after the cubs..."

••••••••••

His ears slightly dropping against his head as Umeme partially explained the situation to him, Kato doubted that it would help much if he went to see if he could find the two brothers (or at least one of them) anywhere nearby. The two of them could have gone pretty much anywhere. Besides, he felt quite certain that Muroki would find his brother and bring him back soon. "Any idea what made Delano run off like that?" he asked, unable to help himself. It really did seem very odd...

[TheWhistlerify]

Muroki, who was pretty much anything but thinking clearly at the moment because of the shock, either did not understand what was being said to him most of the time or was unable to focus on his brother's words. The only thing he could think of was the great danger his son, daughter and nephew were in and that he had to get to them and keep them safe. But no matter how badly he tried to get himself to move, his legs just refused to respond to his will. He tried to at least warn Delano about what was going on (while continuing his efforts to rise, of course), but all that came out was an occasional, faint whimper.

It was still all so fresh... Yes, it had taken place about a few minutes ago, but still... He still remembered the dread and horror he'd felt when he realized that he not only couldn't stay alive but also would be unable to so much as try to protect his cubs. Muroki still remembered how, even though he'd believed Sanders was gone and dealt with at the time, he'd sworn to always be there for them no matter what. So much for that...

His attention was caught, surprisingly enough, when his blurry vision somehow allowed him to identify the figure of a lion slowly making his way towards them, walking alongside the river. At first he was about to panic, but he soon realized that it was his fellow victim, in a manner of speaking. Lin looked pretty beaten up from the fall as well, but perhaps not as much as Muroki himself was given the fact that he seemed to be able to walk normally.

"You're okay..." said the Chief's second in command, heaving out a soft sigh of relief.

Muroki easily felt his brother tense up at the sight of the stranger, and that was when he suddenly found his voice. "W-Wait, Delano..." he managed to stutter, his voice hoarse. "It's okay, h-he was attacked too... Listen to me, it's-" Another wave of dizziness hit him for a brief moment before he managed to regain his focus. "Y-you were right... Sanders... H-He's alive... We have to go back, he's a-a-after the cubs..."

••••••••••

His ears slightly dropping against his head as Umeme partially explained the situation to him, Kato doubted that it would help much if he went to see if he could find the two brothers (or at least one of them) anywhere nearby. The two of them could have gone pretty much anywhere. Besides, he felt quite certain that Muroki would find his brother and bring him back soon. "Any idea what made Delano run off like that?" he asked, unable to help himself. It really did seem very odd...

[DGFone]

Too concerned for Muroki to notice Lina walking over to them, Delano didn't realize the other lion was there until he had spoken. Quickly looking up, Delano immediately tensed, recognizing Lin from his trial. What was he doing? Coming to finish Muroki off? Moving to cover Muroki protectively, Delano hesitantly relented when his brother found his voice. "But.... Muroki, you're not going anywhere like this..."

Now knowing that the cubs were in danger as well, he was already preparing to climb out of the gorge and run after Sanders. But at the same time, he knew that he wouldn't be able to live with himself if he simply left Muroki behind and allowed him to die. But if he dragged Muroki up? No, that would take too long...

Delano's eyes fell upon the third lion. As much as he distrusted him, much like with Hatari, the situation demanded that he put his feelings aside and get help from those who he might not necessarily ask it from. "Can you... I need to to get Muroki to a safe place," Delano asked, getting a quick nod, "and then... get help. I'll keep him occupied for as long as I can..." With Muroki here, he didn't dare mention that he knew just how outmatched he was compared to Sanders.

Instead, he turned his attention back to Muroki. "Where did he go? The cubs are in danger? Are you saying that he's heading..." his stomach felt like it fell through the ground. While he was already aware from Muroki that the cubs were in danger, the thought that Sanders was actively heading towards them had only crossed his mind just now. "...He's heading home, isn't he?" Delano asked quietly, getting a small nod from Muroki.

Immediately getting up, Delano hated to leave Muroki behind, but he had to move now. With a firm tone, he told Lin, "Get Muroki out of here.... To the king if you can. Get help, as much as you can... I'm going after Sanders." He was about to start climbing up when he froze just for a moment. Gripping Muroki for a final time, he brought his head close to Muroki's. "I'll see you soon. Don't go after me... Get some rest and stay safe." Feeling both the fear of knowing that he was about to confront a lion who could easily kill him, as well as afraid that he was already too late, Delano scampered up the rocky slope, and as soon as he got up to flatter ground, broke into a sprint as he rushed back to the den. The image of Akili and Lina urged him onwards, no matter how much his legs were complaining about his running without rest.

---

Umeme frowned at Kato's question, but she knew at least part of the answer. "I'm certain it's related to seeing a lion that looked a lot like Sanders yesterday," she replied, "both him and Lina are convinced that it was really him, well, Lina not so much after this morning. But Delano, he didn't look very well this morning, so I only took Lina to talk with your father. So Delano wasn't told the same thing as Lina. I'm sure it's all related. He doesn't normally run off like that."