[PRIVATE: DGFone & Thewhistlerify]

[DGFone]

Delano stared at Lina like she had said something very silly. "I know that," he replied, "but it doesn't mean that I am not his favorite." He was then interrupted by Lina's hug, which he returned.

When they split apart, he got an idea. "Hey, Lina, since we still have some time, how about we go and I dunno... go run for a bit together? Not as a race. Just a slow cruise across the savanna." He grinned at is mate. "What do you say?"

[TheWhistlerify]

Lina chuckled at the grin her mate gave her. "Sounds great." she said, giving him a quick lick across his muzzle. A "slow cruise" sounded like a lovely way to end their day before they went to pick up Akili. There would be no murder attempts or competitiveness to potentially ruin the calm mood. Supposedly. "Just don't pass by any waterholes!" she warned playfully, giggling at the annoyed look he then shot in her direction.

[DGFone]

While Delano was glad that Lina accepted his offer, he couldn't help but get slightly annoyed at her joke. "Come on now, Lina. Be reasonable!" Ignoring her giggling, he lead her up the slope of the oasis away from the water. Walking over the top of the small ridge that hid the waterhole from the rest of the savanna, he began to slowly jog, Lina quickly taking her place next to him.

"See?" He asked her playfully, "Not so bad like this, without you trying to murder me or cheat or anything like that." In reply, Lina attempted to trip him, but he was able to narrowly avoid falling for her trick, and wisely chose not to retaliate.

Taking the lead, he ran on wherever he felt like, and soon found themselves near the border. "I didn't know our waterhole was this close to the edge," he commented, and not feeling like crossing into unfamiliar and potentially dangerous lands, figured that now would be a good time to slowly start making their way back to Akili. If they will take their time, they won't arrive too early.

[TheWhistlerify]

It was literally impossible for Lina not to giggle uncontrollably when Delano pouted cubbishly and asked her to be reasonable. That little comment made it even more impossible for her not to attempt tripping him shortly afterwards when he mentioned how nice it was to not try murdering or cheating and what not. "Sorry!" she remarked playfully. "You were just asking for it..." What did he expect; constantly bringing that up again and again? "Yeah, I suppose it really is close to the border."

[DGFone]

As the two of them ran along the border, Delano spotted a lone lion wandering in the distance. At first, he thought nothing of it, figuring that it was simply a rogue wandering about. However, as he glanced at the lion again randomly, something about that stranger gave him an uneasy feeling.

Slowing down to a stop, he tried to get a better look while also trying not to be spotted himself if possible. "Lina, see that lion?" he asked his mate quietly, "something about him looks familiar... almost if - almost if..." He was at a loss for words, trying to figure out what he was feeling. But as he strained to get a better look, he felt both more confirmation about what he was feeling, as well as confusion because of it at the same time.

"...He looks like Sandars..." Delano concluded eventually. "But that can't be right. I mean, he's dead, isn't he? But this guy looks identical..." At the back of his mind, he was telling himself that he was being foolish and paranoid, but at the same time, his eyes weren't exactly deceiving him. The lion they were looking at had a very uncanny resemblance to the one whom he swore was executed before Akili's birth. So who was this lion? Delano glanced uncertainly at Lina, hoping that she might be able to clear up his confusion.

[TheWhistlerify]

Lina had to admit that, while not fooling around with Delano as they ran about wasn't as fun, it certainly was quite a change of pace. Therefore, while not as entertaining, she was enjoying herself quite a bit, and the calmness of it all was very nice as well. It certainly did feel as if the day had passed and gone by very quickly. Way too quickly for her liking. But she was certain that they wouldn't take two months before going on a day off together again.

She took no notice of the lion in the distance, on the other side of the border. In fact, she only realized he was there when Delano came to a halt and pointed the stranger's presence out to her. Something about him really did seem uncomfortably familiar the moment she laid her eyes on him. "H-He does look very much like him..." she said quietly. But that horrible lion had been sentenced to die... The lioness really didn't want to come closer and see whether it was the former leader of the underworld or not.

[DGFone]

Delano frowned, thinking hard. There was simply no way that the lion they were looking at was Sanders, and yet, they were looking at someone who was resembling that lion way too closely for comfort. While they were still far enough away that he could simply be imagining things, the fact that Lina was saying that she was being reminded as well was not making things look good.

Unable to find answers, Delano felt himself start to get angry. "This is impossible. It can't be!.." He hissed, trying to understand what he was seeing.

"... Hatari! He will know." Considering what had happened the last time the two of them met, Delano did not want to see the other lion at all. And yet, he was the only one who Delano could think of who might have an idea about if Sanders was really dead or not. Starting to back off so that they won't be seen, he turned around to figure out the fastest way to Hatari's home. "I'm going over there to find out what is going on," he told Lina, "and if he will lie, I swear, I'll..." Not finishing his own sentence, Delano broke off into a run.

[TheWhistlerify]

Lina was finding what they were looking at to be just as impossible as her mate was and she was just as puzzled and unsure by it as he was as well. Delano's rising anger wasn't very calming or helpful in any other sort of way and his sudden, random decision to head over to Hatari and demand answers seemed rather unrelated and possibly very foolish. Before she could find the words to try and get the lion to relax, he was already running away, leaving her with no choice but to follow. She clearly wasn't going to stay where she was on her own.

Just what made him so certain that Hatari would have even the slightest clue as to whether Sanders was still alive? He'd begun his exile immediately after the trial and before the execution... And, in Delano's unstable mood, having the two males talk was an even worse idea than it was on normal occasions... Hopefully her being there would prevent her mate from doing anything stupid.

The lion they (or Delano, at least), were looking for was dozing off sleepily on his favorite branch near the very top of the tall tree near his little den. It was a peaceful, fine looking evening and, as always, Hatari didn't have anything better to do. His ears perked up as the noise of rustling grass as well as two familiar scents indicated that someone was coming.

Since he wasn't all that good with scents, for a moment he thought they belonged to Muroki and Umeme. But at such an hour? Without the cubs? An evening jog, possibly? A quick look confirmed though that it was said lion and lioness's brother and sister respectively, however. "Oh, it's you." he said, perhaps a little bluntly. Why was he there? Again forced by his mate or brother? Well, Hatari had already given this whole thing a go and, frankly, he wasn't in the mood at he moment. "Sup?" The sarcasm was clearly there.

[DGFone]

Spotting Hatari resting on his favorite branch, Delano was in no mood to be playing around, and Hatari's sarcasm wasn't making things better. "Get down here right now!" he growled, "don't make me get up there and force you down!" He waited impatiently as the other lion took his time getting down from the branch, obviously not in the mood for another confrontation.

As soon as Hatari was on solid ground, Delano rushed forward right up to his face. "You knew it was going to happen, didn't you?" he hissed, "you knew that he was going to live, didn't you?" In his anger, he was very much losing his ability to think clearly, and so couldn't understand why Hatari was looking back at him so confused.

[TheWhistlerify]

The only reason Hatari actually came down upon being ordered to do so instead of telling Delano to stick something large where the sun doesn't shine was because any actual attempt to get up and force him down would clearly result in the angry lion falling down and getting hurt, something he was obviously not aware of because his head was in the clouds. As amusing as the sight might be, the former member of the underworld knew how much an injury of any gravity would upset Akili, and he'd promised Muroki and Umeme he wouldn't do anything stupid.

Not withdrawing his own head by even a single inch or showing even the slightest hint of fear or submissiveness as Delano stood right in his face, Hatari soon found his own agitation replaced with confusion as he listened to what Muroki's brother had to say. "I am normally unable to determine just what it is you want," he replied, "but now I'm not sure even you have the slightest idea." He raised an eyebrow. "So why don't we sit down and talk about this in a civilized manner?" Behind Delano, Hatari could see Lina with a worried look on his face.