A Change of Plans [PRIVATE: AC & The Whistlerify]

[AustralianChaos]

Sarabi now openly gaped at Marini. "Tanga...he actually offered his own life...for your safety?" she asked, thinking on the matter hard. If he had, then Sarabi knew that Tanga's feelings for Marini ran deeper than the young lioness...and possibly Tanga himself, had known.

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Nala hesitated, managing to bring her blush somewhat under control, before she looked back up at Simba, managing an awkward, half-hearted smile. "Yeah...yeah, I'm fine," she managed to say, although her thoughts were spinning out of control as she began to consider the possibility that she was falling in love with Simba.

In the end, with great difficulty, she forced her thoughts aside...but the revelation, and the awkward moment caused by it, had ruined her adventurous, playful mood. "Come on, we should probably get back now," she said, noting that the sun was moving lower, and even though they had plenty of daylight left, the afternoon was wearing away rather quickly.

[TheWhistlerify]

Marini felt kind of stupid at this conversation, even though she enjoyed talking about it with someone at Sarabi's age. "Yes..." she said with a slightly happy sigh. "I'll never forget that."

Simba looked at Nala, who took a few moments before turning back to him. Even though she said she was fine, something seemed to be troubling her. He remembered it started while he was pinned by her a few seconds ago. Could it be possible? Maybe Nala was starting the see their friendship in a different way like he was? However he noticed she didn't want to play anymore and decided not to talk about that. "Okay... if you want to head back." he said, thinking whether Nala was seeing that in a good way or a bad way.

[AustralianChaos]

Sarabi might have expected Marini to answer that way, but it did not stop the shock from hitting her. Taking a moment to make sure Tanga was indeed fast asleep, and not simply pretending, she looked back at Marini. "For a lion his age...sacrificing himself for you, Marini, is a very big deal. Do you know what that means? That means, Marini, that Tanga cares about you more than he cares for himself...what he feels for you is far bigger than any simple crush."

She knew that this might be a lot for Marini to take in, since she was barely an adolescent, but Sarabi felt she deserved to know the truth...Tanga would never come out and say it himself anyway. If Marini was ever going to learn just how much Tanga cared about her, she was going to learn it from someone else.

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Nala fidgeted, her paws playing with the grass beneath her for a few moments as she collected her wild thoughts, before finally getting up. "Yeah...come on."

But as they left the rock maze behind, she felt a little guilty for ruining Simba's fun. "Simba...I'm sorry about...just then. I just...I don't know, I didn't feel like playing any more." It did not take Nala long to realise that she was afraid. Afraid of revealing her feelings to Simba...because she was afraid of how he would react, and whether their friendship would be in danger if he did not return her feelings.

In the end, as they made their way back to the cliff, and the cave that was their home, Nala decided that she would most likely call it a day after this. She was rather tired, and she really needed some time to collect her rather shocked and confused thought before she decided what she was going to do. She was finding it difficult to believe that, not two days ago, she had teased Tanga and Marini about this exact thing, and she was falling into the same situation, only now the roles were reversed. She was the one falling in love, and Tanga and Marini, if they ever found out, were the ones that would tease her mercilessly.

[TheWhistlerify]

Marini took some time to think about what Sarabi had just said. She never thought about that. She looked at Tanga, thinking about it even more, she realised what Sarabi was saying is true. Tanga cared about her more then he cared about himself. This was alot more bigger then a crush. As much as it was very sudden to hear this, she felt like this was the bext news she ever received in her life. She then looked at Sarabi, not knowing exactly what to say after hearing what Sarabi had said.

Simba was trying to figure whether Nala was scared of telling him what he thought this was about, or whether she just didn't feel the way he did about this. "It's okay. We all need some time to get used to this place." he said as reassuringly as he could, even though he was almost 100% sure that wasn't the problem.

[AustralianChaos]

Sarabi's attention was diverted from the romance between Tanga and Marini when she saw Simba and Nala returning. Neither appeared to be hurt in any way, although both of them looked troubled by something, Nala particularly so.

"Excuse me for a bit...you stay up here with Tanga if you want," Sarabi said, getting to her feet and heading back into the tunnels, back towards the lower entrance to the cave, fully intending on finding out what had left the two of them so troubled during their exploration.

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Nala just nodded, happy that Simba did not seem to have guessed the true nature of her problems...for now. she knew that sooner or later the truth was going to come out, just as it had with Tanga and Marini...but she wanted some time to work things out first. Whether that time would be a few minutes are months was not known to her.

Finally getting back to the cave, she found a spot a little deeper inside the cave than the grass reached, not that she minded, she had slept well on the rocky floor of the den in Pride Rock just fine, so to her, this would be no different. "I think I'll just rest for a bit...maybe even call it a day and get some sleep, Simba," she said distantly, before curling up against the wall of the cave, finding sleep elusive as her thoughts chased themselves around in circles.

[TheWhistlerify]

Marini just nodded at Sarabi and watch her leave, not feeling interested on what has driven her attention. But she then looked at Tanga, feeling completly overwhelmed by emotions. She was really confused by everything that she had just found out. She didn't know what to say to him when he woke up. Was she to tell him what she had realised or just wait for it to come up. She didn't know whether she was beginning to feel the same way, but she knew she'd find out when the time came.

Simba just looked at Nala and sighed. He decided to let her have her rest and lay down by their new den's entrance and enjoyed the sun

[AustralianChaos]

By the time Sarabi got down to the den's entrance, Nala was already sleep off in a corner, and Simba was sitting just outside, in the afternoon sun, still looking fairly troubled. Deciding she had to help her son with whatever was haunting him, she came out and sat down beside him, looking at the afternoon sun, now beginning to close in on the western horizon.

"Simba...what happened out there?" she asked. "When you left, and when you went into those rocks, you were as happy as I've ever seen you. But when you came out...what's troubling you son? And what's troubling Nala?"

[TheWhistlerify]

Simba was enjoying the sun when Sarabi appeared from the cave. He knew she was probably going to show up at some point after seeing them come back so early. "We were playing and suddenly Nala wanted to go back." he said and looked up at his mother, "I'm feeling fine." he said after a short silence, the sunbath has caused him not to think about anything besides trying to rest. "But I think something is bothering Nala. She didn't tell me though." he said and sighed, suddenly remembering what he was thinking about while they were walking back from the maze

[AustralianChaos]

Sarabi frowned as Simba spoke...he was normally not this quiet, and Nala definitely was not one to turn her back on an oppourtunity to play. "Did something happen between you two...did you fight?" she asked, giving her son a gentle nuzzle. She did not believe the two of them had fought, but right now, it was the only explanation she could come up with.

"You know you can tell me anything, Simba...anything at all, whether it's about Nala, yourself, or anything else."

[TheWhistlerify]

Simba looked back up at Sarabi again as he received the nuzzle, "No... we were playing and she was winning, but suddenly she wanted to head back." he said and moved into a sitting position. He thought about what he thought was the reason for Nala behaviour, but he didn't feell like bringing that up infront of anyone yet