[PRIVATE: DGFone & Thewhistlerify]

[DGFone]

As the voice identified itself, Delano did get the feeling that it was familiar, especially as it mentioned his imprisonment. However, what the lion continued to say placed him even further on the edge, still not liking that the lion was somewhere through this rock and not here where he can tell him to his face that compromising the plan was a good idea.

The thing was, Delano didn't remember much of the trial he was in. Not only was he barely functioning by that time to begin with, it was also something that he had tried so hard to forget afterwards. So apart from the fact that the voice was familiar, he didn't know whether to treat this lion as a friend or foe. However, looking at the king, Delano did not see any signs of confusion on the lion, nor for that matter, were there any on Kato. Whoever this voice belonged to, these two trusted the lion enough.

So with this in mind, and knowing that he really didn't have much else to go on, Delano tried to force his annoyance and anger down as he spoke again. "So you think that removing all surprise... from a plan that entirely depends on it, is a good idea?" If that was the case, Delano might as well jump off a cliff for all the good it will do, as at least then he won't give the lion they were after the satisfaction of being the one to finish him off. "Care to tell me exactly how that is?"

His anger rising again, Delano found himself shouting at the wall again. "The only way I will be able to survive this is if he won't know what's coming! How do you expect me to do that if he will know about the plan? Answer me!"

[TheWhistlerify]

Whoever that lion was on the other side of that small hole in the wall and wherever on earth he was, he didn't seem at all fazed by Delano's hard-to-miss temper. "It's already been worked out." he said. "You see, the former Chief of Police is childish and he hates losing."

Muroki looked around in confusion. "Just what do you mean?" asked Lin, who was still in the exact same position as he and his brother.

"Well... I'm also immature and hate not having things my way." said the voice, sounding somewhat awkward. "That's how I know..."

"Would you mind being a little more specific for us?" Of course, Lin was still planning to demand answers as to just who he was talking to, especially because Kato and his father clearly knew him. But he wanted to know why he thought ruining Delano's idea was going to benefit them more first.

The voice then sighed, followed by the sound of what was probably him scratching the back of his head. "Well, somehow he managed to do the impossible and sneak Sanders past that death sentence even though he never intended for him to survive for very long. Otherwise he would have stuck with him and both you, Delano, and Hatari would have died. He could have had you and your families done and dealt with on that day but did he do it? All of that effort, simply so that we would all acknowledge that remarkable accomplishment."

"Also, when he threw your brother into the gorge he expressed pure delight in Muroki having lost and being unable to change his fate." a brief paused followed. "Then he rubbed it in your face but he didn't kill you even though it is his intention. He wanted to see his victory, in a manner of speaking, sink in. You see, he likes the feeling of being in control by having all of us run around like fools trying to find him and not knowing what he'll do next."

"Now, what do you think would happen if someone like that found out that he might have been really close to falling into an anything but elaborate trap and being caught?"

[DGFone]

While the lion's argument made some sense to Delano, he wasn't quite ready to accept it either, not before he got some more information. "There's only one small problem with your idea," he replied when the lion finished talking, "if he will find out, who is to say that he won't get some help? If he won't know, then all the advantage will be with us. But if he will know, all of that advantage will be eliminated, and I don't know if I can simply accept that risk."

With the knowledge that Lina was already so against the plan to begin with, Delano had a strong feeling that if she knew that the plan was going to be spoiled on purpose, that she might even try something drastic just to keep him out of it.

Then as he thought about it some more, the idea of ruining the secrecy of the plan seemed like a worse and worse idea to Delano. "Besides, if he likes being in control so much," he added, "then not allowing him to have the information is all the better. If we catch him off guard, he won't be ready and therefore more vulnerable." Glaring at the hole in the wall, Delano felt like the lion was going to tell him exactly why allowing their target to find out about the ambush was a good idea. "So without any riddles or games, you better have a good reason why that is apparently not the best idea."

[TheWhistlerify]

"Well, the likelihood of actually pulling this off isn't very high to begin with, is it?" asked the voice. "First he'll need to happen to be there at the right time to see the bait and then he'll have to fall for it too, not to mention that he can either already be there and be the one to notice all of you first or somehow manage to figure out it's a trap and leave. Don't even get me started on the ridiculously low amount of time it will most likely take for the fact that we're setting up one ambush attempt after another to find its way to his ears."

Thinking about it, Muroki couldn't help but agree that the chances of actually catching that lion with an ambush at some random location were low. But if it really was only a matter of time before he would find out in case they continuously failed to locate him, shouldn't they at least try while they still had the element of surprise, like Delano was saying? "Besides, by the time he finds out," the lion continued, "he can already make a move of his own and we don't want that, do we? We want him dealt with as soon as possible, and the longer we chase our own tails the more likely it is that something bad will happen." Of course, there was a chance that Delano's plan would work, but just a chance wasn't enough.

"Instead, I'm going to be dictating just when it is he'll make his move."

"By letting him know what we're up to?" asked Lin.

"What will be more satisfying for him than to find out what we're up to and deliver a blow of his own before we so much as get to try your plan out for the first time?"

"Did you not wonder just what the bored yet confident attitude was about while those two were here?" asked Kato all of a sudden, getting their attention. Muroki really did recall finding that a bit weird on the prince's part. "That lion never took me seriously and, funny enough, I doubt he'll think of me as a threat even if there were guards restraining him and forcing him to expose his throat. As for that one guy who stayed quiet during the entirety of our conversation, I noticed the very slight change in his expression when I said I'd be there to beat the former Chief at his own game."

"No doubt he'll relay my words to him because, being on his side, he probably thinks very little of me as well. So our target is going to see it as a direct challenge from me of all lions and, as someone who hates to lose as well as believing we're confident he doesn't know anything, he'll feel anything but hesitant about taking some kind of drastic action so that he can strike at me before I even start looking for him. Again, the chances he'll just try to take me out are slim to none. It'll be no fun if I don't get frustrated at failing, after all."

"Exactly." said the hidden lion. "I think you've put on an excellent act just now, Kato."

"Amazing..." muttered Lin quietly. It all made a lot of sense.

"Wait, so what now what?" asked Muroki, feeling eager to hear the rest. Whoever this lion was, he seemed to really know his stuff.

"That one lion of the duo who hasn't said a single word is now gone." said the hidden lion. "My guess is, roughly a second or two after separating from his partner back at the station, he'll go to the former Chief of Police and tell him everything. He'll want to get at us before we even try to get at him."

"So... before tomorrow morning?" asked Muroki. "Today?!" He woke up thinking they were going to discuss the plan; not go and try and find that lunatic in a few hours!

"Yes. He'll want to do something that will devastate his challenger and, if possible and as an added bonus, you as well." A brief pause followed. "Now you, Delano, I'm not so sure but you, Muroki, will certainly react just as badly."

Muroki hesitated. This guy seemed pretty confident about what the former Chief was going to do now, and something was telling him that his hunch, whatever it might be, could just turn out to be true. "Badly to what?"

"His most convenient option will be to kill Hatari." said the voice. Then, almost dismissively, he added, "Having said that, I'll admit that I'm only 86% certain..."

[DGFone]

Delano hated it, but he knew that what the lion, and Kato, was saying was true. He hadn't though of how they were actually going to find and ambush the lion they were after, only that they had to go after him. However, what really caught his attention was what the lion behind the wall said about what it meant that the plan was spoiled.

Ever since the fight with Sanders, Delano had meant to talk to Hatari, however his wounds had prevented him from doing so. Especially now, he felt much more confused about how he felt about the lion that was once an enemy, now turned friend. He still found it hard to simply remove his previous hatred towards Hatari, but now, more than ever, he found far easier to believe that he was wrong about the lion all along.

So hearing that Hatari was most likely now a target just to get at him and Muroki was too much for Delano. "Then - that means that we have to go. Now! We have to stop him!" It only made sense that Hatari would be targeted: he lived outside of the perimeter and had no help from anyone else, and was therefore the easiest target.

Feeling much like when he went after Sanders, Delano feared that they might already be too late. They didn't know where the ex-chief was, nor how quickly he would get the news. For all Delano knew, the lion could already be on his way towards Hatari's waterhole.

[TheWhistlerify]

Muroki was about to just sprint out of the den as soon as he connected the dots himself and realized just how much sense this stranger was making. "No, not just yet." said the voice, this time causing him to frown and finally get agitated like his brother.

"Why not?" he asked, unable to understand just how this lion was so calm and collected. Whoever this was, he knew more than well that Hatari's life was in danger. No, he was the one to have arranged for the former Chief of Police to find out about Delano's plan while estimating that the revelation would cause him to target Hatari. He set this all up and yet, at the same time, didn't seem all that worried about the life of the one he was putting at risk. Something was telling Muroki that Hatari hasn't been informed of his involvement in all of this.

Who knew just how much help the lion they were after was going to bring with him? It would only make sense for that one spy who was on the way to inform him of their plan to tag along. At the very least. There could be others out there who were on his side. And just because the ex-chief liked to toy with his targets, did that mean they could just take it easy while Hatari suffered while fearing for his own life? It was also a huge risk that Hatari would actually be killed quickly instead of after some time; one that he wasn't really willing to take.

"Well, for one, the former chief isn't bound to get the news this quickly." said the voice. "And even when he does, it's not like he's had a backup plan for when he would discover ours. He's not going to go rushing there the moment he hears the news. Not to mention, there's nowhere to hide and set up an ambush where Hatari lives. His small den and waterhole are located completely out in the open."

[DGFone]

When hearing that they were to continue staying still, Delano groaned in frustration. "Well how do you know exactly when we will need to be there?" he asked bitterly, "what do you want us to do? Show up there instantly when Hatari will be attacked. That's impossible!"

He began to pace around the cave, frustrated at that he didn't know what to do. "We... we have to get close at least," he finally said, "it's too far to go if we stay here, so we need to get closer. But where?" Delano knew that they would need to stay hidden, and as much as he hated the thought, he knew that there wasn't anywhere really close where they could hide.

"We will need a way to know when it will be the right time..." If they were too early, their target might spot them and turn back before they can spring the trap. If they were too late, Hatari could die. "Whatever we do, we need to leave now." Delano finally said, somewhat quietly.

[TheWhistlerify]

The problem was that there was no way to get close enough without being easily spotted by anyone who was already there or by anyone who might approach the waterhole, which was completely out in the open. "It may sound impossible, yes," said the voice in response, "but it still needs to be done."

"Easy for you to say." said Muroki with clear annoyance, feeling his patience growing very thin. Nobody knew where this lion was, whoever he was, and he had a feeling that he wasn't taking part in the ambush team either. Just what part of this whole thing put him at any danger? "Just what is your part in all of this aside from setting things up so that Hatari was the one taking the biggest risk here?"

"I think you and your brother chose wisely to put an end to your training all this time ago and not join the police." he said. "You're easily overlooking the most important things because you're letting your emotions get the better of you..."

[DGFone]

Already frustrated as is, Delano had already stated his annoyance with the lion's games and riddles. "I've just about had it with you!" He couldn't tell if the lion was being sarcastic or not in saying that he and Muroki were wise to leave early, and the last thing he needed right now was to be insulted as well as having to try and guess what the lion was hinting at. "You say exactly what you mean to say right now or... or when I find you, I don't know what I'm going to do... But you won't like it!"

As far as Delano was concerned, the lion who was supposed to be helping them right now should be very glad that he had a lot of rock between the two of them. Considering that Sanders was also supposedly one of the 'good guys' at one point, it was all to easy for Delano to assume that their mysterious helper was actually in fact betraying them right now, and talking in riddles just to slow them down when they could already be moving.

[TheWhistlerify]

The lion somewhere on the other side of the back of the small den they were all in sighed, seemingly slightly annoyed himself. "You're forgetting that if we pull this off correctly Hatari won't die." he said calmly and in a way that could almost be described as bored. "Besides," the noise that interrupted him briefly was clearly a yawn. "As long as I stay here, where I can communicate with the specific cave you're all in, he and I share the same fate."

Muroki simply stared at the small hole in the wall, his own anger and agitation giving way to what could only be described as shock. So the hole on the other side of this thin tunnel in the wall was located in Hatari's den? "If your friend dies," continued the stranger, "so will I."

"Naturally, I'm very interested to know whether that guy will be distracted by Hatari talking to him outside long enough for me to not have to come help him or whether mr. grumpy over here will be too much of a snail, but... I don't mind waiting a little bit longer. I'm not that impatient... Should be ineteresting..."