[PRIVATE: DGFone & Thewhistlerify]

[DGFone]

Umeme agreed with Muroki about coming here. "I was hoping that it would," she said, "I didn't exactly want to bring only the cubs here, to be honest. I think this was very important for Delano and Lina as well." She had seen how early on, Delano was very jumpy. She hadn't said anything because Muroki was always there, but she was really glad that through the day, her brother in law was able to calm down and not overreact to everything.

Sometime later, Ubawa found himself waking up. Letting out a very long yawn, the cub blinked in confusion at the change of scenery. He remembered falling asleep on top of Kato's mane, but now he was next to his parents on the ground. Not to mention that the prince himself is gone. However, is yawn grabbed Umeme's attention, because the next thing he knew, he was being held down as she began to give him a bath. "Mom! Come on! I'm clean!"

Umeme just smiled and continued to clean her cub. "You're not as clean as you think," she replied simply, "and when the others will wake up, we'll get going back home. But since you're awake, I can clean you here," and then for the added touch, "or I can wait until we get home, where I can really make sure that you will be clean."

Ubawa instantly ceased his complaining, knowing that his mother had very strict standards of cleanliness, so he might as well endure it now rather than suffer even more later. Although... it did feel very tempting to wait.

[TheWhistlerify]

Muroki once again nodded in agreement. While they'd both agreed that it was very important for their cubs to get to know Hatari for who he was now before finding out who he'd been in the past, he was glad that Lina, Delano and Akili came too. "Yes, I think so as well." he said with a chuckle. "Not only for Akili's sake. It looks like both Delano and Lina are not as hesitant about this as they'd been in the morning. It's a start." Smiling, he nuzzled her gently until he heard the sound of rustling grass as Hatari very slowly walked over to the two of them.

As a matter of fact Hatari looked like he was being so careful with Marini on his head that it was almost laughable. But Muroki knew that the lion simply didn't want anything bad to happen to the cub so he remained quiet about it (even if Hatari was taking his caution a little bit too far). "Kato was supposed to deliver the message to you," said Hatari with a chuckle as he slowly lay down next to them. "but I guess he forgot, so congratulations." What he said next made the cubs' father blush a little. "Marini looks so much like you, Muroki..."

Eventually Ubawa woke up, causing his father to smile warmly as he yawned loudly and stretched his tiny limbs. His son was just so small and adorable, especially while complaining about getting a bath from one of his parents. At least the cub was learning to make smarter choices whenever Umeme bargained with him over the matter. "Come on, son..." he said with a grin, bringing his head closer to Ubawa as his mate continued to bath him. His frowny face was simply too cute. "Is a bath really that bad?"

[DGFone]

Umeme nuzzled Muroki back as Hatari came over. She smiled at what he told them, blushing a little, much like Muroki. "Thanks, Hatari," She reached out and picked Marini off his head so that he can be free again. "I think we will get going soon," she told him, "but I think that now we will be able to come over and visit you more often."

She motioned at Delano and Lina. "They really warmed up to you today," she added, "Delano didn't want to come today, but I think that he is much more comfortable now." She didn't know how much the lion had noticed hesitation on Delano's part, but she knew that her brother in law would most likely not be so afraid to come back here. Looking down at Ubawa, she resumed his cleaning.

Ubawa groaned as his father asked if a bath was bad. "Yes it is!" He hated baths: they ruined his fur and je also strongly suspected that it prevented his mane from growing.

[TheWhistlerify]

Hatari's head felt rather strange when Umeme went ahead and retrieved her daughter, placing Marini down next to Muroki's paws. "I was very surprised to see them both here." he said, even though he doubted it wasn't obvious. They haven't said a single word to him all day, so it was kind of hard for him to feel as if they were warming up to him, but he did feel as if they weren't as reluctant about him anymore. "I'll be really happy to see you more often." Getting to interact with the cubs reminded him of when things were not crazy and psychotic. He liked that. "I think Ubawa, Marini and Akili are all in capable paws."

Muroki, meanwhile, continued conversing with his son about baths. Part of what made his cubs so adorable was the fact that they could complain all they wanted but, at the end of the day, were completely helpless against the decision of their parents. While Marini didn't have a problem with baths, there were other ways to tease her that were just as effective. As if knowing that his father was thinking about her, the little cub in question stirred a little before opening her eyes half-way, letting out a small yawn. She looked around sleepily, unable to recall where she was for a few moments because of the rather unfamilliar scenery.

When she was tired it was like she was a completely different cub. She wouldn't run around or squeal loudly or laugh at everything that moved. The first thing she did recognize was one of her father's paws. "Daddy?" she asked softly, smiling and purring as the lion nuzzled her affectionately.

"Did you have a good time today, 'Rini?" he asked, getting a few nods and anoher yawn in response. "I'm sure we'll be able to come here again some time soon. Would you like that?" She nodded again, resting her head against Muroki's paws as he carefully lay down as well and began to bathe her. Umeme would most likely carry on a little bit in his place later, since he never seemed to be able to clean their cubs as well as she could, but this should save her the majority of the effort.

[DGFone]

With Marini awake, Umeme decided that it would be a good time to start getting ready to go. While waiting for Muroki to finish bathing their daughter, she walked over to Delano and Lina, who were still asleep. She looked over the two of them for a brief moment before nudging them gently awake. "Wake up you two, we're going to go back soon."

While Umeme had woken Lina and Delano, she made sure that Akili was left alone. As the youngest cub, he would get tired the soonest, and she figured that it would be a good idea if Delano and Lina would simply carry him home. Even Marini and Ubawa would most likely not last the entire way back as well, so it was even far less likely that Akili would. Umeme returned to Muroki's side as she waited for everyone to get ready.

Delano blinked away his fatigue as he was woken up. "Umeme? Go back?" It took him a little bit of time before he actually figured out what 'go back' meant. Sitting up, he noticed that Akili was still in between his paws, so he made sure to move them away carefully so that he wouldn't disturb his son. "Hey, Lina... I think I'll carry him back," he told his mate, who was also busy trying to wake up, "I don't want to push him too hard right now."

[TheWhistlerify]

Hatari fell silent and said nothing as Umeme began to wake up her sister and brother-in-law, simply looking on with a smile as Muroki bathed Marini. The cub seemed to have fallen back asleep in the middle of her bath, which was rather cute on its own. It looked like her parents were going to have to either wake her up again if they insisted on having her walk some of the way or to just carry her home. He once again didn't say anything to Delano and Lina, not only because he still felt a little awkward around them but also because he had no idea as to what he could possibly have to say to either one of them.

Lina was actually sleeping very peacefully (bringing their location into consideration) when she found herself being nudged awake by her sister. It took her a few moments to remember where they were because she'd only been to Hatari's place once before, and back then she hadn't really paid any attention to the scenery. As she slowly came to, she managed to comprehend what her mate was saying to her. Looking down at Akili, who was sound asleep, she nodded her head in agreement. There seemed to be no reason at all to wake their son up.

A small attempt to wake Marini up on her father's part proved that she was far too tired to walk or just too tired to want to try, so Muroki decided to simlly leave her be. After another minute or so, the four parents were all set for their departure. Marini was sleeping in Muroki's mane while her cousin was doing the same thing in Delano's mane. Ubawa was still awake, most likely not feeling too tired just yet because he was still grumpy about his bath.

[DGFone]

Based on how tired Lina still looked like, Delano decided to keep Akili on top of his head. Walking will be more uncomfortable compared to if their son was on his back, but not by much. "Guess now is a good of a time to get going as any," he muttered quietly. With her joining him by his side, the two of them started walking slowly in order to give Muroki and Umeme plenty of time. Perhaps it was rude to walk off like that, but he simply couldn't bring himself to actually bid Hatari goodbye.

With her sister and brother in law walking off, Umeme decided that it was time to leave. "Come on Ubawa, let's go home." Despite being the only one of the cubs to be awake, Ubawa took one quick look at Marini sleeping on Muroki's head before jumping on Umeme's back.

"What? It's so that I won't get dirty and need another bath when we get home," he argued as he settled down.

Beneath him, Umeme just chuckled. "If you say so, Ubawa. If you say so." Although, she did find it quite funny and cute how he thought of an even somewhat believable excuse in order to avoid walking. Still, a good time for a lesson as any. "But you will fairly soon get big enough that I won't be able to carry you around, and you will need to learn how to walk without getting dirty as well."

Walking over to Hatari, she smiled warmly at him. "Today was great, and you were very good with the cubs," she told him, "I think they will enjoy coming back here soon, as I think you will too." Knowing that Delano and Lina would most likely not say goodbye, she added, "don't worry about them. They just need a little more time to warm up to you. Compared to this morning, they have come a long way. It won't be long until they will start talking to you." Grinning at him, she finally said, "Well, goodbye for today. I think we'll come back soon. Definitely much sooner than since last time." From on her back, Ubawa also bid a rather excited goodbye.

Umeme returned to Muroki and they too started the walk back home.

[TheWhistlerify]

With Marini on his head, Muroki chuckled to himself as he watched Ubawa quickly hop onto Umeme's back. His son was clearly not as tired, but at least he'd thought of a good excused to ride on his mother's back. After all, the cub was known to completely detest baths. Deciding to let the cub enjoy his little victory, his father also looked at Hatari. "I also think that Lina and Delano just need a little bit more time. But the cubs like you already." True, Kato had helped him out quite a bit, but the outcome was the most important thing in this case. "We'll see you again soon."

Hatari smiled, nodding his head. "I'll be looking forward to it." he said happily, chuckling at the rather excited farewell the two's son was giving him. He made sure to bid the cub farewell seperately, of course, before watching Muroki and Umeme as they both went ahead and began to follow Lina and Delano. At some point he decided to climb onto his sleeping spot on the tree, which provided him with a better view and made it longer until they were all out of sight.

That was when he heard somebody speak up. "Aren't they all just one, big, happy family..." Surprised, Hatari scanned the ground below him and spotted the Chief of Police standing there and looking in the direction the others had walked off in. From where and when exactly had he arrived? And more importantly, how had he managed to come this close without Hatari even noticing him?

A quick look around informed Hatari that this lion, who he didn't recognize right away, was there alone. "Who are you?" he asked, feeling quite weary because of the way this stranger had snuck up on him and because of the way he was talking.

The lion then looked up at him with a blank expression. "Is he friend or is he foe, he wonders..." he said, in as just as disturbing manner.

That was when Hatari realized why this lion looked so familliar. "Oh, it's you..." He recognized him from the trial.

Spoiler: show

I'm going to split their conversation into a few parts.

[DGFone]

As Umeme walked, she felt Ubawa lie down on her back, and soon enough, she began to hear him snore quietly as he fell asleep as well. She took the opportunity to walk little bit quicker and catch up with Lina and Delano. "How did it go for you two today?" she asked, wanting to know what they thought of visiting Hatari. "It wasn't too... unnerving, was it?"

Delano glanced at Umeme. "Well, it... it was initially," he admitted, "I really didn't want to come, but Lina convinced me that it was for the better. Because of Akili." Saying this, he was all to aware that the cubs were well within earshot, and hoped that they were all still asleep. He could see that Ubawa was, and as far as he could feel, Akili was too. "I nearly... overreacted a few times at first, but I was able to calm down by the end of the day." He glanced at Lina slightly nervously. He didn't know if she had seen when Muroki had to intervene. "But I guess that Akili should have met him in the end, so uh... thanks for inviting us to come along." It was no leap of wisdom to know that he would not have thought of doing this on his own, even if he had known where Hatari lived.

Umeme blushed a little. "Don't mention it. The cubs enjoyed it, and that's all that matters." She returned to Muroki's side, giving him a quick lick as she did.

[TheWhistlerify]

Lina looked at her sister with a smile. "I had my doubts too, but this wasn't bad at all." She turned her attention to Akili, who was peacefully curled up in Delano's mane. "It's important that Akili gets to know him, so I'm glad we came over." She also felt like she herself was far less reserved about Hatari now. There didn't seem to be any reason for either her or her mate to regret having gone there. As Umeme went back over to Muroki's side, Lina smiled at Delano. "I'm proud of you for the way you've dealt with everything today..."

Smiling as Umeme made her way back to his side, Muroki would have licked her back if it weren't for the fact that he had Marini on his head. Instead, he quietly responded by flicking his tail and running it across her back, making sure that it wouldn't touch Ubawa on the way. "You know, it's kind of hard and embarrassing to go at each other's throats when we're surrounded by cubs and other adults, mainly your sister." he said with a chuckle. They did have to take advantage of every opportunity they found, however, so they didn't care as much. "I swear, she sometimes surpasses your mother when she teases..."

~ ~ ~

Hatari had to do his best not to look as agitated as he was feeling. He was safe on his tree, but having the Chief of Police there could only mean bad news for him. Especially when the lion who was in possession of the title was such a creep. "Would it be too much to ask what all of this is about?" he asked eventually, feeling as if the lion was just going to continue to stand there forever unless he said something. "I have been following the king's orders and keeping out of the territory within the borders."

"Oh, I don't know." said the Chief with what sounded like a chuckle. "We all tend to slip up every now and then..." He then proceeded to walk about a little, examining the small area Hatari called home. "Funny how just one, small mistake can cost one his or her life. No." He came to a halt by the waterhole. "It's fascinating." He picked up a small rock. "Everything around loses its balance when somebody dies." He tossed the rock inside, causing the water to stir unevenly. Eventually the surface of the water regained its former stillness. "And then there's nothing left but the emotional scars that are unseen, slowly eating away at you from the inside."

Hatari couldn't help but feel ten times more uneasy as the Chief of Police began to snicker. "Surely if you believed that I'm still a threat" he said, keeping a straight face, "then you wouldn't have come here to face a trained assassin on your own." The lion once again looked up at him. "So why don't you tell me why you're really here?"

The Chief, despite getting a slight urge to frown, kept his face empty and void of any emotion. Hatari was smarter than he thought. "One grows tired of fooling around, Hatari." he said. Hatari didn't know whether there really was that hint of venom in his voice when he said his name or whether he'd imagined it. "One grows tired of everything." Like the Chief had been told, Hatari would not be an asset to his plan. He was no longer the loyal killer he'd once been. But perhaps that wasn't necessarily a bad thing. "Except power..."

"What's the prince doing here?" the Chief continued after a short silence, causing Hatari to squint his eyebrows in annoyance. It was obvious that he didn't like the way the Chief was talking and the things that he was saying, even if he had no idea what to make of his words.

"Kato's been keeping my company." he said. This was only partially true, but he'd promised Kato he'd keep the rest a secret. "He's been coming here willingly. I think that the fact I've had plenty of opportunities to end his life during his visits in the past 6 months is proof enough that I mean nobody any harm.