[PRIVATE: DGFone & Thewhistlerify]

[DGFone]

Delano waited rather impatiently for Kato to come back, but still found himself caught off guard when the prince finally did return, the king right behind him. For what felt like the tenth time that day, he found himself explaining once more what he, and now also Muroki, wanted to do. As he explained the plan, Kato remained silent, nor was Delano unable to tell from the king's expression what the other lion was thinking about the plan. Combined with how hesitant Kato had seemed to try and talk with his father about it, not to mention that Delano didn't know if the two had talked about it just now before Kato brought his father back out, and it all left him feeling rather nervous and worried that it will all end here.

Finally finished up with his explanation, he stared at the king, not liking how uncertain he felt. "We have to do something," Delano added quickly, "if not this... then something else. But we will have to do something!" Even though it was the king he was talking to, he knew that he wasn't much in the mood to be told that the only action to be taken will be to sit back and think about it. With the lion out there, something had to be done, and done now.

[TheWhistlerify]

Kato had actually decided to leave the entire talking to Delano and hasn't told his father anything about what the lion wanted to talk to him about. Nevertheless, the king wasn't surprised when the subject of the former Chief of Police came up yet again, but he did not expect Muroki's brother to say this. In a way, with how paranoid he probably was, perhaps he should have seen it coming.

"Delano..." he eventually said. Of course Muroki's brother wanted his family to be safe, even at the cost of his own safety of maybe even life. Regardless of that... "That idea is-" he sighed briefly, "out of the question." Next to the king, his son didn't seem surprised in the slightest.

[DGFone]

At first, all Delano was able to do was stare at the king in shock. After all that, and the answer was just... no? "But- but something has to be done!" He stammered, not willing to give up just yet. "And it has to be done soon! If we just wait... we can't just wait! So unless you already have some other plan.." His gaze fell on Kato, who looked like he was trying to silently communicate the idea that arguing with his father was not a good idea.

"And you- you like the idea!" Delano added, horrified to see that the prince wasn't helping him. "What made you change your mind, huh?" Despite knowing that he really shouldn't, he was starting to feel himself get angry, frustrated that most likely, he would have to go back to Muroki and tell him that all they can do is sit around, wait, and hope not to be attacked while the king spends ages thinking of something else up.

[TheWhistlerify]

The king found Delano's concern to be quite understandable given the risk that clearly existed, so it wasn't hard to not let the younger lion's agitation to get to him. "I understand that." he replied calmly. "But the main reason something has to be done is so that you and your family will be safe. Putting you or your brother at an even greater risk is out of the question."

Looking at Kato, who was in favor of that plan according to what Delano was saying, his father frowned. "Kato, you of all lions should know that we need to protect our subjects, not endanger them." They've gone over this so many times, and hearing that his son agreed with what disregarded that principal directly was somewhat disappointing.

"I do think it's a good idea." said the prince, not looking all that phased by his father's reaction. "But that is true." The king was about to say something else, but his son cut him short. "That's why I think I should be the one to act as bait."

[DGFone]

When he had told Muroki about the plan, a part of Delano had expected his brother to insist on going with him, if not in replace of him. So while he had initially tried to get Muroki to change his mind, Delano eventually relented and allowed his brother to accompany him. With Kato, though, he never thought that the prince would decide that it would be better for him to be the bait instead.

So while Delano was struggling to figure out how to explain to the king that he and Muroki were more than willing to accept the risk of being bait, he was completely caught off guard by Kato's announcement. "You-.. what?"

Perhaps it was partly due to the fact that they grew up outside of a pride, or perhaps it was nothing more than the desire to be there and see with his own eyes when the lion's threat was done with, but Delano wasn't about to let Kato simply replace him. "You- you can't do that!" he stammered. "That lion wants to go after Muroki and I. He's looking for us!" His eyes glancing back and forth between the king and prince, he finished with a simple "not you."

[TheWhistlerify]

Despite Kato's expectations of having his father immediately voice his inevitable objection to the suggestion, Delano was actually the first one to respond. "Yes I can." It was true that the lion in question was after Muroki and his brother, but they most likely weren't the only ones. "Remember that Sanders wanted to get his revenge on my father by having me killed." He doubted that Delano has forgotten.

Something made the prince feel as though his father has never really been a target himself. As much as Sanders would have loved to get his claws on the king, the protection around him made it next to impossible. But the young prince who always liked to wander off to pretty much everywhere? Now that was far easier. "You're not the only one he'd kill if the opportunity showed itself. I'm surprised Hatari hasn't seen any sign of him yet." Not that Muroki's brother cared much about that...

[DGFone]

While Delano did remember how Kato was also targeted, but truth be told, he was so concerned for himself and his own immediate family, that in a way, he did forget that fact. Now that he was brought up, he knew that the chances of him being allowed to go were now suddenly all that much smaller.

"It's just that... I guess I still feel like I should be the one doing it, because I came up with the plan," he finally said, "it won't feel right to have someone else go instead, even if it is you..." He then motioned at his still healing wounds. "And also, I just don't know if I can simply wait this out. So many times we had thought that we can finally calm down, that it was finally all over... Only to be proven wrong. I don't know if I can handle more disappointment like that... And neither can Lina." He looked at the king, his gaze just about pleading. "I- I have to be there."

Simply put, he wasn't about to be forced to wait it out just because someone else thought that it was too dangerous for him to go. He was told that it was too dangerous to go after Sanders, but he still did, and frankly, he was glad that he had. After all, if he hadn't... Delano didn't want to think about what might have happened in that case.

[TheWhistlerify]

Having had some time to recover from the initial shock of his son's suggestion while listening to what he and Delano had to say, the king looked at Kato and shook his head. "I can't let you do that." he said. "If anything-"

"You should do it?" asked the prince, completing the older lion's sentence for him. "We both know that will never work, dad. The only times you're ever by the borders is when you go on a patrol and even then you're never by yourself. If anything, if he spots you alone all of a sudden, he'll see right through it and figure out it's a trap. He won't fall for it unless he's stupid, which we all know he isn't. He was crazy, yes, but that was another story.

"But as for me," the prince continued, "I visit Hatati often and I'm almost always by the border whenever I go running. Even if he never saw me even once ever since he went into hiding he's still aware of these habits from when he served as Chief." A short silence followed. "We both know you're strictly against letting someone innocent put themselves in danger, so why not me?" He was to replace his father sometime in the future so it was up to him to help ensure the safety of their subjects too. It's not like some random member of the police would be a good enough of a bait in order to lure the lion they were after out of hiding.

[DGFone]

For some reason, the king seemed like it was going to be impossible to change his mind. While Delano would normally try to argue some more, the fact that it was the king who he was talking to, he was about to simply give up and leave when Kato tried to convince his father about the idea some more.

Rather impressed by Kato's argument, Delano simply waited for the king's reaction. Perhaps there was even a slight chance that he would also be allows to go on with the plan, as unlikely as it was. After all, if the king was going to relent and allow Kato do it it, why not Delano as well?

[TheWhistlerify]

Listening to his son as he spoke, the king had absolutely no doubt that Kato had thought this all through. What the young adult was saying made sense; the chances of the former Chief falling for a literally too-good-to-be-true bait were very low indeed. The idea of trying to lure him out of hiding has already crossed the king's mind and, unless he were to put the life of one of his subjects on the line for the sake of it, Kato was the only suitable candidate.

But his own son... It sounded just as crazy... "Dad, I'm not a cub anymore..." said Kato after a short silence. True, he could be a cub at heart, but that was an entirely different story. "I'm not an adolescent either... I'm old enough to become king if something were to suddenly happen to you. With how involved you're making me in helping you take care of things recently, the safety of every lion, lioness or cub here is of my concern just as much as it is yours."

Another silence followed. "We know it's only a matter of time until he decides to make the first move, and I want to do this." The prince continued. "Aside from Delano and Muroki, I'm the only one who can." Kato sighed. "That's what I've decided. So..." He took a deep breath. "I can either do it relying only on Hatari, Muroki, and Delano and a few determined friends to act as the ambush, or you can help me as well and greatly minimize the risk of something going terribly wrong."

The young male blinked a few times. This had to be the first time he's spoken to his father like this. Not as in disrespectfully, as far as he was aware at least, but as in not really asking for permission but basically just going ahead and letting the king know what he was going to do.

His father did seem quite surprised to say the least. There could be no mistaking just how much the prince wanted to do this despite the danger, which he was clearly aware of given the way he was looking at all the details. Well, perhaps the way he was practically demanding the assistance without hesitating was a sign that he really was grown up. Kato certainly was taking the initiative.

Of course, it wouldn't be a problem making sure that his son was constantly followed so that he wouldn't do anything his father didn't want him to do... "Very well." he said eventually. "We'll set up ambush."