[PRIVATE: DGFone & Thewhistlerify]

[DGFone]

Delano sank to the floor, his spirits and energy drained from the new information. "Three days?" He repeated. What made it even worse was that what felt like a full day was only an hour according to Muroki. Delano didn't know if he would survive waiting for that long. "You have to get me out," he told Muroki, "you have to get me out..." His voice faltered and died.

His breathing increased as Delano fought to control his anxiety. Muroki was right about him having to not give up and falsely confess, but the prospect of being shut in the cave for another three days was almost too much. He rose again, seeking the comfort of feeling his brother next to him. "I- I'm scared," Delano whispered. He felt like a small cub again, when nothing was in his control. And with this feeling, he said something which he didn't want to. "I want mom and dad back... They would have known what to do." He gripped Muroki harder, not wanting to let go.

[TheWhistlerify]

Even with how much Muroki was confused right now he didn't expect Delano to say what he did about their parents. "I will get you out, I promise." And if not, they'll have to go through him if they wanted to execute his brother. He didn't move away from him so to not cause him an actual mental break down. In the back ground he could hear the muffled voices of the guards and knew that they could probably hear everything he and his brother were saying, but he didn't care. Maybe it will make them realize how wrong they were.

Back at the den, Lina was growing more and more upset by the second. "Where is he? He should have been back by now..." Muroki should have been back, back with Delano, but no matter how long Lina stared at the horizon neither of the two came into view. "How does something like this even happen?" she asked quietly, leaning against her sister once more.

[DGFone]

Now Delano understood why Lina felt so bad after he would give her such a promise. "But what if you won't?" he asked, "... what if they go after you as well?" His mind was starting to create implausible scenarios that scared him even more. "Take Lina and Umeme," Delano said urgently, "take them and go somewhere far away. Hide somewhere. Where they can't get to you... because if you won't..." He started sobbing, unable to hold back his emotions anymore.

---

Umeme glanced quickly at her sister before wrapping a paw around her. "I know it's hard, but it will take time," she said, "if you want to know how I really feel..." she hesitated, unsure if Lina would take her opinion well. Eventually, she decided that it will help more. "I know Muroki will be able to get Delano out. If they really thought that Delano did something, they would have killed him already," she felt Lina tense at this, but ignored it, "and the fact that Muroki is taking so long means that Delano is still alive. And that means that he will be able to get him out." She sighed. "But I don't think it will be today."

[TheWhistlerify]

Muroki sighed, holding his brother close, "I will, I have to." How would he look Lina in the eyes if he didn't? How would he look at his own reflection if he didn't? "If I only knew this was that bad I would have taken all three of you away before they even brought you in here." he could again hear the guard's muffling voices. He knew that trying to run out will get them both killed. "It's too late for that now though..." he let out another sigh, "Look, you're innocent ad we know it. We'll find a way out of this."

---

Lina, while somewhat assured at the first part of Umeme's opinion, was still feeling horrible. "But why? Why whenever we're together something else happens to break us apart?" she didn't know how long she'll be able to cope with this. What if he'll never come back? "I can't... I just can't deal with this anymore... Sometimes I wish that this will all end for me..." it was like the universe itself was causing trouble to keep her and Delano from each other all the time.

[DGFone]

Muroki's soothing voice enabled Delano to calm down a little. "You really think that you will be able to get me out?" He asked, his voice still unsteady but much more calm now, "because if they kill me... I don't think Lina will be able to get over it." He rested his head on Muroki's shoulder, trying to stop his sobs. "We were finally able to be together again," he muttered, "and then... we just got over that argument, and I got taken from her... What will I tell her when I see her again? If I even do..."

He waited a little, thinking. "Tell her I'm sorry... Tell her to go and find someone else. I can't... I keep causing trouble for her. I'm not good enough for her." It hurt Delano to say these words, but he meant every one.

---

Umeme brought Lina closer to her. "Don't talk like that," she said, "yes, it does seem like one thing gets in the way after another, but after each one, the two of you are inseparable." She smiled at her sister. "And once Delano comes back, we will have to wait until the two of you will be starving before we can lure you away from wherever you will meet again."

Umeme looked at the horizon and saw the outlines of Moto and Fadhili walking towards them. She felt a knot form in her stomach as she realized that she didn't know how to tell them about what had happened.

[TheWhistlerify]

Muroki said, "I will get you out even if it's the last thing I'll ever do." he frowned at what Delano said afterwards, "I'm not going to say that. You're going to get out of here, you'll see her once more, you'll be able to be together and start a family and be happy." he hated hearing Delano talk like that, since no matter what went on between him and Lina they always got through it. By this time, he knew that Umeme and Lina were waiting for him to come back, not to mention that it was probably starting to get late. "I have to go now." as much as he hated saying it, he pulled away from his brother. "Don't worry, I will think of something. I'll come see you first thing in the morning."

---

Lina was in too much distress in order to pay attention to anything else so she failed to notice her parents coming in their direction. "But what if we don't meet again?" she asked, not wanting to imagine what they were probably doing Delano there. It seemed like the odds of never seeing him again were bigger than the odds of seeing him.

[DGFone]

Delano started whimpering when he felt Muroki pull away from him, fearing being left alone in the darkness again. "Muroki, please... Don't leave me..." But even as he said it, he knew that his brother would have to go. So Delano lurched forward, and gave Muroki one more hug. "I'll miss you," he whispered. He felt his grip on Muroki lessen, and eventually his limbs fell from his brother.

---

Umeme patted Lina's shoulder. "You will see him again, I can feel it," she said, "and it won't be to say goodbye to him, too." She looked up at their parents again, and saw that they were really close. "Mom and dad are back," she whispered to Lina.

Just as they had planned, Moto and Fadhili had returned in time for the sunset. But right away, Moto was able to tell that something was wrong. Muroki and Delano were missing, and Umeme and Lina looked bad. Lina looked especially terrible. So instead of greeting his daughters, he went over to them and quickly gave them a reassurance nuzzle. "Umeme? Lina? What's wrong?" He asked, not knowing what the problem might be.

[TheWhistlerify]

Muroki sighed, "I'll miss you too." even if this goodbye was only for a few hours, Muroki felt terrible for having to leave his brother. But Lina and Umeme were waiting for him to come back, so he had to. "I'll come see you first thing in the morning, I promise." sighing, he left. The guards at first blocked his path but after verifying that he wasn't Delano they let him through. There was still the problem of getting Lina to face the facts, and he didn't know how she'll take it. Sighing yet again, he left the tunnels and began making his way back.

---

Lina let out a shaky sigh and rested her head on Umeme's shoulder briefly, only to raise it back when she heard that her parents were there. Fadhili was looking just as concerned. Did she and Delano end up arguing again or something? Lina had a really hard time doing so, but she went ahead and answered her father. "Some lions came here earlier looking for Delano..." she started, her voice shaky. "They arrested him... They think that he committed treason..." since Delano was gone and up to now she was able to hold the tears back, but now they were starting to come out.

[DGFone]

Delano listened to Muroki's footsteps for as long as he could before he was once again left on his own in the darkness. He crawled back to the far end of the cave and lay down on the cold rock. Placing a paw over his face, Delano began crying again from fear as he tried to fall into an uneasy sleep.

---

Moto sat down next to Lina and brought her close to him, motioning for Fadhili to sit on Lina's other side. He allowed Lina to place her head against his body and cry into his shoulder. Moto knew enough about how the police worked to know that they don't arrest others for treason without a reason. But at the same time, he knew that Delano was not a lion who would be guilty. "It's just a mistake, I'm sure of it," he said, "they will let Delano out soon enough." But already in his head, he was planning of how he can try and get Delano out as well.

[TheWhistlerify]

Lina accepted her father's and mother's hug, weeping into her father's shoulder as she tried to regain her composure. "Why would they even arrest him?" she asked, not knowing that the reason to that was actually hugging her right now. "What could have possible got them to think Delano would ever do something like that?" she had asked Umeme those questions a countless number of times until now, and she knew that her parents would probably have no answer as well.

Raising her head from her father's mane, she could see Muroki running towards them in the distance. What worried her though was that Delano was not with him. She broke out of her father's embrace and ran in his direction, not paying attention to the fact that her sister and parents followed behind her. She stopped in front of Muroki with a hopeful expression. "They think that Delano committed treason," began Muroki, "They'll hold him for three days, and then they'll decide whether he's guilty or not." he paused and Lina looked at him with a nervous expression. "If they convict him..." he paused yet again before getting himself to say it. "If they convict him he'll be executed." as he said it Lina collapsed to the ground and broke into loud sobs.