[PRIVATE: DGFone & Thewhistlerify]

[DGFone]

Delano hardly registered that Lina loved the idea before she was out the den. "Hey, wait up!" he called out and rushed after her. She was waiting for him just out the den, albeit rather impatiently. Delano frowned, "Now, Lina, I just want you-" and she was off again, shouting at him to keep up.

Grumbling about making sure not to keep his promises in the future, Delano ran after her, joining her side quickly enough. He was really feeling the long time recovering where all he did was lie around, for Lina looked like she was out on a leisurely stroll, and he was barely able to keep up. "This is so unfair," he grumbled, straining himself just to stay by her side.

---

Umeme grinned at the opportunity to change the subject. "You should have seen him when the queen didn't allow him to walk free after she allowed Delano to do so. My parents said he was more annoying with his complaining than Lina and I when we were cubs." She glanced at Muroki, smirking as he looked down at the ground in embarrassment. "But he got over it soon enough and today finally he was let loose."

[TheWhistlerify]

Lina ran on, unable to not giggle as Delano complained at barely being able to keep up with her. Just like how cute he was when he was nervous he was also cute when he was grumpy."Don't worry!" she said with a smile, slowing down a little in order to give him an easier time to catch up. "You'll get your fitness back soon enough!" Making sure to remember not to run too fast until that happened, she giggled once more. "You know, there are plenty of ways to work on that.."

~~~

Muroki shoot his mate a playful frown as she compared his complaining to her and Lina's when they were cubs. "Well they may be only my parents in law, but they're some sort of parents. It's only fair." He grinned, nudging her shoulder with his own. "You better hope our cubs get only my quietness or else we just might team up against you."

Hatari couldn't help but chuckle as Muroki and Umeme teased each other. He so badly wished he could get the chance to experience what they have and still were going through. But what lioness in her right mind would even try to get to know someone like him? Heck, Muroki and Umeme becoming his friends was mostly (if not entirely) due to the fact that they'd gotten to know him before finding out who he was.

[DGFone]

"Yeah," Delano panted out as he struggled to keep up, "like right now..." Unable to keep talking and still keep up with Lina, he had to fall quiet just not to make an utter fool of himself by being outrun by Lina. He knew that soon enough, they will finally get to the waterhole, but his legs were already feeling like they are about to fall off. He wanted to ask Lina to slow down, but knew that it wouldn't help that much. Besides, he really didn't want to have to ask her to slow down.

---

"If you'll try that, you'll be kicked out of your home," Lina threatened playfully, "so better watch yourself, hunny." Remembering that Hatari was next to them, she cleared her throat. "So Hatari, do you think you'll continue living here? It's not a bad place or anything, but we don't know how much trouble you get here." She hoped that he liked this place enough not to consider moving.

[TheWhistlerify]

Still giggling to herself, Lina gave Delano a reassuring smile. "That's the spirit!" she said. "Keep going, we're almost there!" Soon enough the trees concealing the waterhole came into view and the two ran past them. When they came to a stop near the waterhole, Lina chuckled as Delano simply flopped down to the ground and began to drink. "You'll be back to normal in no time!" Unable to help herself, she snuggled up against him and licked his cheek. "Who's my big, strong lion?"

~~~

Muroki chuckled heartidly, obviously enjoying the exchange of teases with his mate. "I don't think the children will allow that, sweetheart. Hell might break loose." Unlike her, he didn't seem to mind Hatari being there (mainly because the lion wasn't teasing him alongside her). If anything, having a crowd was what made his and Umeme's silly battle all the more entertaining.

The more Hatari watched the two of them tease and flirt, the more he was kind of fascinated by the fact that they weren't parents yet. But he wasn't going to tease Umeme and Muroki about it because it obviously made them a little uncomfortable. "I think some either don't know I'm here or are too scared to try and chase me off..." he said. In all honesty, it wouldn't bother him much as long as he was left undisturbed. "I really like this place. And it's not like I have other options..." If only he had somebody to share it with...

[DGFone]

For Delano, the water couldn't have come at a better time. He was literally about to give up when he saw the tops of the trees that grew by the water's edge. Somehow finding the energy to get himself to the water's edge, he allowed himself to collapse as soon as his paws felt the soft wet ground of the shore. He just about shoved his head in the refreshing water, gulping down the cool water as quickly as he could. "That lion is gone right now, Lina," he replied between pants and gulps of water, "that was too much."

Having enough water, he lay himself on the soft ground, desperate to let his aching legs get some rest. That hurt far more than it should have.

---

Umeme knew that technically, Hatari had another option, and that was to run away very far, but she didn't want to tell that to him. "It's good to know that you're enjoying it here as much as you can," she said after a while, noting how he let his loneliness slip through, "we'll always know where you are when we will want to come and visit. I don't think you'll mind."

She then thought of something that she wanted to ask him on a related matter. "Speaking of visiting, we were thinking of perhaps taking Delano and Lina to see you if they wanted to. Do you mind if we did that?"

[TheWhistlerify]

Lina giggled at her mate's response, licking his cheek again. "No he isn't. He's right here!" Running like that seemed to have tired him out way more than she'd thought it would. But, if anything, seeing her mate go through the physical effort and make it only made only made her prouder of him. It was only natural. "I'm sure you'll be like you used to be in no time at all." She nuzzled into Delano's mane, wondering how long it was going to take him to stop panting and to return her affection.

~~~

Hatari slowly nodded his head with a smile in a thanking manner as Umeme told him she was happy to hear that he was enjoying the home he had. "Of course not. You two can come at any time!" Of course he was lonely. Even with Muroki back up on his paws Hatari was going to be on his own for the majority of his time. "Well, uh... if they want to come... I wouldn't mind..." It did sound like it could be awkward as well as unpleasant, but he wanted a chance to thank them both for their help.

[DGFone]

Delano returned Lina's nuzzle. "Thanks, Lina," he muttered and placed his head on her shoulder, trying to get as much rest as he could before the inevitable run back to... their new home. It really felt strange now that he thought about it, that they have finally moved into a new den together. Not only a few days ago, it still felt like something that would happen "in the future", but now it was finally in the past.

Raising up a paw to look at it, Delano found it amusing that it shook. "Wow, I must really have run to my limit," he said, "I can barely feel my legs." There was no way that he was going to run back today, for even a slow walk would still be a lot for him.

---

It didn't take long for Umeme to catch on to Hatari's nervousness. She understood why he was hesitant to want to see Delano and Lina again, after all, even she didn't know if they wanted to see Hatari again or not, especially Delano. "Alright then," she said, "we can ask them, and perhaps they will agree to see you soon. But I can't promise anything."

[TheWhistlerify]

Lina began to purr in content as Delano nuzzled her back and she inched even closer to him, placing one of her paws on his. "You must have..." she agreed, her voice a whisper. Finally being there with him again now that everything was back to normal felt absolutely amazing. "But the harder you work the faster you'll beable to run around like you used to." She definitely wouldn't mind joining him on a run every now and then, or perhaps Muroki would like that even more. After all they did use to run together in the mornings. "Maybe Muroki'll want to join you sometime..."

~~~

Muroki also smiled at Hatari. "Yeah. If they'll want to see you then there shouldn't be anything to worry about. If they won't then that'll be that. Nothing too out of the ordinary, right?" It was clear that Hatari wanted more company but, at the same time, he was also worried about seeing Lina and Delano in particular.

"I can't tell you how glad I am to have somebody come here..." said Hatari with a reassurred look on his face. "When you're not around I'm completely on my own... It's nice to have someone to talk to every now and then..."

"Don't mention it." replied Muroki with a smile. "I'm sure you'd have plenty of visitors if others gave getting to know you a chance."

[DGFone]

Delano remembered how easy it was for him to run before. How he would run with Muroki in the mornings, and they would end still feeling very much well enough to go and spend the rest of the day with Lina and Umeme without complaints. "Yeah, running with Muroki would be nice," he agreed, "after all, he's probably just as slow as I am right now." He grinned at Lina, "that would really be nice."

He leaned against her, closing his eyes as he relaxed. "But right now, I would like to rest. My legs are killing me."

---

Umeme found it very easy to agree with what Muroki was saying, but at the same time, she knew that it was at best wishful thinking. The only reason why they came here was because they met Hatari not knowing who he was. If they knew right away, they themselves would not have given him a chance either. Would Delano and Lina do so?

"I'm hoping that Delano and Lina will be able to set aside their past and do that," she said finally, "they are a great pair, when you know them, and I am sure you will get along very well with them."

[TheWhistlerify]

Lina smiled as Delano seemed to like her idea of him running with Muroki again. Him joking about his brother probably being as slow as he was was a good sign as well. "Well you can go ahead and try that sometime soon." she said, "But resting does sound like a good idea. I wouldn't want your legs to fall off, we both need them." She giggled as she ceased to nuzzle her mate and instead rested her head in his mane, using it as a pillow. "I think I'll join you..."

~~~

Hatari slowly nodded at what Umeme said, finding some reassurrance in her words. Even if it wouldn't work out with Lina and Delano, Hatari told himself, he would still have Umeme and Muroki. That was a comforting thought. "Alright..." he said, nodding his head. "It's worth a try, right?"

"Right." said Muroki with a smile. While a meeting with the two of them did have a small chance of taking a turn for the worse, other than Delano and Lina possibly changing their minds all of a sudden there was nothing to worry about as far as Muroki was concerned.