[PRIVATE: DGFone & Thewhistlerify]

[DGFone]

Umeme smiled and licked Muroki across his nose. "Don't worry, it's not an illusion," she replied, "just I am better at not being spotted when I stare at you, Mr. Irresistible." She grinned as Muroki turned red beneath his fur, no doubt imagining her staring at him when he wasn't looking.

Hearing pawsteps once more, she separated away from Muroki and found Kato as he finished his run next to them. "Oh, well good morning to you too," she greeted, feeling, unlike Muroki, rather embarrassed at being caught like this yet again this morning. And then - "Delano? When did you get back?" She didn't hear him, but there was no way that he had arrived just now, he wasn't fast enough yet to do so.

Delano wasn't sure how to respond. Was he supposed to tell her that he stopped because he felt jealous of her and Muroki? "Well, I, err... was just on my way back," he stammered out, and deciding to flee before he was asked more questions, pushed himself off the wall and limped back to where Lina and Akili were asleep. Using his nose to push one of her paws up, Delano crawled under one of her paws and lay it around his body as he snuggled up close to her side.

Not thinking much of Delano's strange behavior, Umeme realized that now was the very opportunity she and Muroki had been waiting for. "Hey, Kato, now that you're here, how do you feel about watching over Marini and Ubawa?" She hoped that he wasn't going to be busy with other duties, because if they can leave now knowing that someone was supervising the cubs, she would do so in a flash. But there was also a very high chance that Kato won't have the time for that either.

[TheWhistlerify]

Muroki, despite really not wanting to give Umeme the satisfaction this time, felt his cheeks heat up yet again as she revealed to him that she was simply better at being discreet about her stares. Although, thinking about it, he might end up more embarrassed than her if he was to catch her doing that. Or perhaps her own embarrassment would help him feel less awkward? Eh, who knew. It's not like he was going to spot her while she was at it. She probably chose to act whenever he seemed flighty.

Well, it seemed that Kato's arrival could not have had better timing. Although Muroki would have probably taken longer in getting to the point and asking the prince if he had the time or the will to watch over two troublesome hairballs. He knew Kato was quite a natural at cubsitting and, since he lived right there in the very den they were all temporarily staying at, this all easily turned him into the best possible choice for keeping Ubawa and Marini under supervision. Also, it meant there would be no need to waste time looking for someone else to do it...

Kato, meanwhile, simply smiled and shrugged his shoulders. "Well, I'm free today." he said. There were no lessons planned or having to join his father on something. "And Desta's going to be with my mother all day learning about herbs and what not..." This meant that his love interest was going to be very close by, but... "Mom doesn't like it when I constantly show up when she's teaching Desta. She always tells me to go be like my father somewhere else..."

Muroki couldn't stop himself from bringing a paw over to his own muzzle in order to hold back his laughter as a grumpy frown appeared on Kato"s face. "The mouth on that lioness, geez..." Rolling his eyes, the prince didn't seem to notice how entertained the couple in front of him was at what they were being told. "But Desta always thinks I'm cuter when there are cubs around." he added with a grin. "And I won't see much of her today, so sure!"

[DGFone]

Umeme really hadn't expected Kato to accept the offer, so when he finally did, she couldn't help but rush over and hug him quickly. "Thanks, Kato! You're a real help!" Realizing that she was hugging the prince right in front of Muroki, she separated, feeling her turn to get red all over beneath her fur. "Sorry, got carried away..." she muttered sheepishly.

Figuring that Kato would like to know why they had asked him to look after their cubs, she felt like a basic explanation was in order. "Muroki felt much better today, and we've been planning on having a day off for the two of us for a long time now, but then there was the whole fight.." She leaned her head on Muroki's, hoping that she wasn't about to make him feel bad. "after that, well, you just saw how we were now, so today really feels like the best opportunity."

Grinning at Kato foolishly, Umeme pressed her luck as she asked then, "and, well, would you mind if we left now? We don't want to wake the cubs, but we also don't really want to wait for them to wake up either..." When the prince shook his head, smiling all the while, Umeme let out a sigh of relief. "Thanks, Kato!"

Quickly rushing over to the sleeping Marini and Ubawa, Umeme gently nudged her daughter gently until the cub groaned at being woken. "Marini? Your father and I are going to be gone for today. Prince Kato's going to watching over you two, so behave, okay? I don't want to hear Kato complain about either one of you when we come back." Giving Marini a quick lick across her nuzzle, Umeme smiled fondly at the cub. "Okay, you can go back to sleep now. Remember that I love you both!"

Leaving the two cubs to continue sleeping, Umeme eagerly returned to Muroki and Kato. "Thanks again, Kato. It means so much for us," she said excitedly, "ready to go, Muroki?" She herself was already so eager to just start running that she just about forced her mate to get up quickly, but somehow was able to stop herself from doing that. Bidding the prince one last goodbye, she lead Muroki out and headed quickly towards the waterhole, eager to get a drink so that she won't be interrupted during the day by thirst.

[TheWhistlerify]

Muroki didn't think much of it when Umeme gave Kato a hug of gratitude, although he did feel slightly amused to see her get all embarrassed because of this out of all things. He knew that she, much like him, considered the king's son as a close friend, and this definitely wasn't the first time she'd hugged him. Although, thinking about it, Kato was definitely no longer the adolescent he and Delano had randomly come across months back and quickly befriended. While there really was no helping it if his mate was feeling awkward about this, the important thing was that he knew there was no need to get any wrong impression (if that was what she was thinking could happen, that is).

He continued to say nothing as Umeme then went ahead and gave an explanation because he didn't really feel like being the one to give it seeing how the fight was pretty much the reason why they haven't taken some time for themselves yet and were practically pouncing on the first opportunity they had instead of waiting a little until they went back to live in their own den and maybe asking their in laws to lend them a paw instead. Kato didn't ask any questions, though, so it seemed like what Umeme was satisfactory enough.

With her quickly dashing inside (despite having mentioned not wanting to wake up the cubs), Muroki found himself left alone with the king's son and, in a matter of perhaps a few seconds, started to feel a little bit awkward. It was the younger lion who spoke up first. "You really do seem a lot better." he said. Muroki sure remembered being pretty much out of it, but this was still Kato's home at the end of the day. The prince had no doubt seen him numerous times.

"I feel better, too..." said Delano's brother quietly, looking at his friend. "Look, I'm sorry if this seems a little sudden-"

"Don't mention it." said the latter with a smile. "Relax and have a good time. It can only do both of you good."

Smiling back at the prince, Muroki slightly nodded his head. "Thanks..." Then, as if right on cue, Umeme came running back outside. Her mate wasn't going to say that to her, but their son and daughter just might forget being informed of their parents planned absence if they were told of it while being half awake - half asleep. But Kato would be there, so he wasn't worrying. Smiling at his mate to let her know he was ready to leave, as well as bidding Kato goodbye again, Muroki followed her as she led the way.

[DGFone]

Once outside, Umeme could hardly contain her excitement. She had been waiting for so long for this, for a day when she can just be herself with Muroki. Combined how he had not been himself lately, it felt all the better to be out here with him, ready for just a day for the two of them alone. Seeing how no one else was around, Umeme purposely moved her body flirtatiously as she waited for Muroki to catch up to her, knowing that the rising sun only emphasized her looks, and would have a greater effect on her mate.

Smiling at Muroki as he approached her, Umeme flicked her tail beneath his chin as he arrived to her side, waking him from the trance she placed him under. "Kato's run gave me an idea," she whispered softly, "there's a certain little oasis we know off... well hidden from outsiders..." Of course she was referring to the waterhole that Delano and Lina found and showed them, but Umeme didn't see a reason why she and Muroki can't go there. Delano and Lina didn't exactly own the place, they simply were the ones to find out of of the four of them.

Not only was that waterhole a great place to be, Umeme was also rather looking forward to running there with her mate. And based on how Muroki was looking like right now, she was certain that he was having similar thoughts. Deciding not to wait for him to answer, she began to trot in the direction they needed to go, slowly picking up speed so that Muroki won't be left behind suddenly. "What are you waiting for? Come on!"

[TheWhistlerify]

As he and his mate moved further away from the royal den, where they have been staying with their cubs for quite a while already, Muroki couldn't help but feel a rather strange sensation come over him. There he was, leaving what was probably the safest place anyone could stay at at the moment, and he wasn't experiencing what could only be described as total dread. He knew the cubs were okay and that Kato was keeping an eye on them, but he wasn't worried about having Umeme leave and go somewhere that wasn't as well protected, even if he was with her.

Or, to put it in other words, he was experiencing a small sensation of concern, and there was also this small voice inside his head that was telling him there was always a chance, even if very slim, that something bad would happen. Despite it constantly voicing its opinion in an almost harassing way, Muroki was able to get himself to ignore it. He didn't want to keep upsetting Umeme by being paranoid, and he definitely wasn't going to suddenly speak up against their going and actually relaxing for a change. This was something both of them really wanted, and he wasn't going to let anything come in the way of it.

Looking back at his mate, Delano's brother was just in time to see her once again slightly move her body around in an attempt to get his attention. He blushed ever so slightly, but smiled all the while as he slightly picked up the pace and came over to her side, unable to take his eyes off of her as he did. Umeme was really the most beautiful lioness in his eyes, and he doubted that that was ever going to change. Her tail flick sure got him to snap out of it and listen, and there was no denying that the hidden waterhole would be a great place to go to.

It was private, quiet, a very romantic spot in his opinion and it also had water, meaning that they could stay there for as long as they liked without having to move. He liked the sound of that. His mate didn't really wait for him to say that he agreed on going there, so she must have realized what his answer was going to be based on how she was urging him to hurry up. Grinning, the male also picked up the pace until the two of them were running side by side towards their destination. It's been a while since the last time he'd gone outside not for the sake of making a quick scan for any potential threat and then retreating back in. The feeling of the wind blowing through his mane was something he really missed.

**********

Meanwhile, back in the royal den, Kato chuckled to himself as he watched his friends take off before turning around and going back inside, silently greeting the guards as he walked past them. Marini and Ubawa were there alright, snuggled closely to one another in a really adorable manner. While her brother was still soundly asleep, the female cub seemed to be awake, even if barely. Perhaps it was a little difficult for her to fall asleep again without her parents to help her stay warm. That could be the case, seeing how a den could be rather chilly at nights and early mornings.

So, deciding he might as well help the little one out (he couldn't say no to that cute little face), the prince went ahead and settled down closely to the two cubs, gently pulling them against his chest and placing his forelegs on either side of them. Sure enough, the feeling of Marini's soft purrs were an indication that she wasn't cold anymore. "How are you?" he asked softly as he ran his paw through her fur, chuckling as she let out a tiny yawn.

"I'm sleepy..." Figures.

Deciding to let the little ball of fluff go back to sleep, Kato didn't say anything else. Instead, he looked at the two cubs' uncle, who seemed to have already settled back down next to Lina and Akili, who was sleeping soundly between his mother's paws. It didn't seem like Delano was able to go back to sleep again. "So how are you doing?" he asked, again quietly so to not disturb anyone. Not that he was some sort of expert in that field, but Muroki's brother seemed to be getting much better in regard of his healing process. After all, he'd managed to go to the nearest waterhole alone.

[DGFone]

Running side by side with Muroki, Umeme initially thought that it would be fun to race with him, but she found that simply running with him was already fun enough. Plus, she didn't want to rush things too quickly, so while she made sure that the pace was a rather fast one, she didn't go full out. Next to her, Muroki also looked like he was enjoying the run just as much as her, if not even more.

Eventually though, it was only a matter of time before they reached the oasis. Spotting the tops of the rather well hidden trees, Umeme grinned as she identified their destination. As they got closer, she didn't slow down, having something else planned in mind. Despite the fact that they had set out fairly early, and therefor it wasn't the hottest part of the day yet, the run definitely warmed her up, and she somehow doubted that Muroki was cold as well. "Come on, Muroki, follow me!" She challenged, picking up the pace as they got over the last bump and began the descent to the water's edge.

Now running as fast as she could, Umeme tried not to slow down as they ran straight into the water, creating a huge splash as both penetrated the surface roughly at the same time. Surfacing for air, Umeme laughed at the exhilaration of the sudden end to their run. Gently splashing Muroki with her paws, she grinned as they both struggled to regain their breaths. As she regained some energy, she swam out closer to the center of the waterhole, enjoying how the cool water removed all the excess heat from her fur, as well as that Muroki was now closely following behind her.

Letting him reach her, Umeme wrapped her paws around the lion, although doing so did make staying above the surface harder. "That was fun," she said with a wide smile, "don't you agree?"

---

Despite still being awake, Delano didn't notice Kato walk over to him, so he was somewhat startled when the prince spoke to him. "Wha-? Oh, it's you..." Letting out a sigh, he glanced at the sleeping Lina next to him before crawling away from under her paw so that he can talk to Kato better. "All right I guess," he replied, but with some hesitation. "I can even start to pretend that I can walk again, so I guess that's good news..." At least he won't have to rely on others for mobility, because even though everyone knew why he hadn't been able to walk, it didn't make needing help any less painful to his pride.

He wasn't sure if he wanted to tell Kato anything else, but as the silence after he spoke prolonged, Delano began to feel rather foolish simply lying there and not saying anything. "Well, there's also... I have trouble sleeping again. It's not as bad as before, I didn't wake up screaming or anything," he probably didn't need to mention how he also hadn't yet lost control and hurt himself like last time, "but I still have trouble falling asleep..."

Looking at the exit of the cave, he noticed that Umeme and Muroki were already long gone. "I um, felt rather jealous of them today, you know. They really looked like they were having fun. Sounded like it too..." He looked back at Lina, who no doubt hadn't heard a thing through her sleep. Still feeling rather lousy, he crawled back under her paw, wrapping himself with it like when Kato had found him.

[TheWhistlerify]

Continuing to run with Umeme, Muroki was really enjoying the feeling of the slightly cold air around them, which was quite refreshing to say the least even if a little harsh because they were moving so quickly. However, the running soon made them feel less and less cold, so it all quickly turned from nice and maybe slightly too chilly to just nice. The fact that they weren't racing and were just taking their time was a very welcome factor as well. Seeing how it's been a while since he'd last run simply for the sake of doing it because he could, not pushing himself to the limit by forcing himself to go faster than Umeme was perfect.

Sprinting or no sprinting, it didn't take the two of them a lot of time before the trees that hidden their destination finally came into view. Since he was really eager to get there as well at the end of the day, Muroki didn't protest and ran even faster when his mate did the same, also not stopping when he realized what she was planning and ending up right inside the waterhole with her. Running all the way from the royal den sure caused their bodies to heat up, so jumping into the cold water certainly felt great.

Resurfacing for air, Muroki slightly shook his head in an attempt to get his wet mane out of his eyes before giving up and doing it with one of his paws instead, shooting Umeme a playful glare when she gently splashed some water at him. Because he felt like resting a little first, he didn't splash back at the lioness, but he did swim after her when she began to head towards the center of the waterhole. Even though they were inside the water, their bodies were still radiating heat because of the physical effort they went though running there, so he purred softly as he returned the gesture by wrapping his own paws around his mate's back and pulling her closer to him.

"It sure was." he said with a smile, touching the side of his muzzle against hers. Now that they were there, just the two of them, he was really starting to feel as calm as he'd hoped coming there would make him. "This is really nice..." Gently licking her forehead, Muroki really felt like he wouldn't mind staying as they were a while longer because it was very relaxing, but it was also starting to get a little hard staying above the surface of the water like that. So, making a slight motion with his head in the direction of the shore while maintaining the eye contact between them, he slowly freed one of his paws so that they could swim towards the more shallow part of the oasis.

**********

While it seemed like a good thing that Delano was aware of the improvement in his own physical condition and that he acknowledged it, Kato was able to tell from the hesitancy in his tone that the older male had something on his mind which was making him feel down despite the process of his recovery being there as something to take comfort in. It was also evident from the look on his face that he wasn't just tired and was upset because of something, and the prince felt as though being unable to sleep properly again could be just the thing.

So, in light of that, it didn't surprise him when Muroki's brother said that he was having difficulty getting a proper night's rest, however he was slightly surprised at finding out that he was feeling jealous of Muroki and Umeme on top of that. Now that Kato was thinking about it, though, he did remember Delano being there and staring at his brother and sister-in-law upon finishing his early morning run just a few minutes ago, even if he hadn't thought much of it at the time.

"Yeah, they sure looked like they were." The king's son slightly nodded his head in agreement. "But why shouldn't you be able to do the same thing with Lina?" he asked. While he was no expert when it came to sleeping issues and doubted he could offer Delano any help in that regard, what he'd just said to Akili's father seemed logical enough. "If it makes you feel any better, I sometimes feel a little envious of them too because Desta and I don't have many opportunities to spend a lot of time together."

He smiled. "If you'd like, I really wouldn't mind keeping an eye on Akili as well today." It really wouldn't be that much of a bother. Kato was very used to handling cubs and, thinking about it, Marini and Ubawa were probably going to spend the majority of the day playing with their cousin anyway. Also, with Akili being younger, the prince knew more than well that all that was required would be to keep the older cubs under control. Since the smaller hairball was going to be goofing off with the two of them either way, he was bound to behave if his cousins weren't up to any devilish mastermind plans either.

[DGFone]

Umeme allowed Muroki to carry both of them towards a shallow area so that they won't have to continue to fight the water to stay above the surface. Feeling her paws come in contact with the ground below them, Muroki guided them over to where they were able to lie down side by side, but still be partially in the water. Grinning at her mate, she ran a paw through his soaking mane, brushing it gently to get it a little more orderly after their run and splash in the water.

Once she decided that she got Muroki's mane more or less to her liking, Umeme moved her head over to his and nuzzled him gently, purring at the contact. If anything, the damp fun made the feeling even more pleasant, and based on how her mate was returning the gesture, she thought that he felt the same.

"You know," she whispered slyly, "I don't really like being in debt to you, and now that we are all alone here..." Umeme herself was feeling rather excited, and considering just how much she was able to effect him this morning, Muroki must be too. Grinning, Umeme got up and walked out of the water, looking behind her at Muroki and making sure to move in a way that she knew would completely hypnotize him. Sure enough, he stared back at her with a goofy grin of his own as she settled down on the soft bank. "You're just gonna sit there all day or what?" Umeme teased, beckoning for him to come and join her.

---

Delano glanced at Lina, wishing that she were awake. Kato's offer was very tempting, but Delano knew that today was not the right time. "What's the point?" he asked, somewhat bitterly, "still have trouble moving around, remember?" Plus, he wanted to be feeling well both physically as well as mentally before asking Kato to watch over Akili.

"She doesn't know about the other lion," Delano added, tearing his gaze away from Lina and back to the prince, "the one who helped Sanders escape." Shuddering slightly, he shook his head in sorrow. "I don't even know if it's a good idea to tell her or not. I'm already worried enough that he might show up at any moment to try and finish what he started... And... I don't know if it's a good idea to let Lina know about him. What if she took it badly?" Motioning with a paw at Akili, Delano muttered, "he needs at least one of us to be able to take care of him... I can't do that yet, and if Lina finds out, she might..." Delano remembered how Muroki basically completely neglected his own family in his mission to protect them from that lion. While his brother now seemed much better, Delano was afraid that the same thing might happen to Lina, or as he sometimes felt and feared... himself.

[TheWhistlerify]

Arriving to the shallower part of the waterhole where their paws could reach the ground underneath them finally allowed Muroki to give his legs some rest now that he wasn't constantly moving them around in order to keep him and Umeme above the water's surface. Him wanting to give his legs a break was what gave his mate the time to organize his mane according to her liking. He didn't mind at all, and simply smiled at the lioness as she entertained herself with it. Boy, Ubawa sure was lucky he didn't have a mane yet. He kept whining about that, yes, but if he had one his baths would be much longer as his mother would have to tidy that up as well...

With that soon taken care of and over with, the couple was able to move onto other things. Muroki gladly returned his mate's nuzzle, and would have probably remained there just like that with her for some time longer before making his advance to one of the main reasons they were there to begin with because of how nice the contact felt, but Umeme had other plans. Not that he had a problem with that, obviously. Taking his time in watching her as she made her way to a more comfortable spot, he stayed where he was a little longer despite it being very difficult not to follow right away.

The lion was already feeling the anticipation course through his body, and the way his mate once again teased him with her movement only increased that. When she called him over he quickly stood up and walked up to her, licking her slowly from around the line of her shoulders all the way to the top of her head before kissing her deeply. There really was no need for her to explain what she wanted him to do anyway.

**********

Kato was about to tell Delano that the lack of mobility really wasn't the end of the world in this case and that he and Lina could simply enjoy each other's company just like Muroki and Umeme had been doing when Delano was staring at them in his jealousy. Before he had the chance to, though, the older male carried on talking, informing him that Lina was completely unaware of the still present threat. Sighing, the prince briefly glanced at the two sleeping cubs between his paws before looking back at Muroki's brother.

"If she does hear about it, it better be from you." he started quietly, understanding Delano's reasons for hesitating to tell her. At the same time, he wasn't going to try to influence him into choosing either option. "I'm not going to try and pretty this up with fake optimism." he continued. "I've disliked that lion the moment I met him. While the only times I've spoken to him were while he was still pretending, I know for sure that he's much more twisted and messed up than I originally thought he was."

As the prince paused briefly, it was clear that he was completely serious in comparison to his usual, carefree attitude. "I'm almost certain that he's not going to just disappear." In his point of view, the best thing that could happen was for the former Chief of Police to get caught before executing whatever it was he was plotting now. "Listen, Delano, what Muroki was going through these past few days... It's what he wants..." He slightly gritted his teeth. "I'll be damned if that psychopath didn't enjoy watching him lose his mind." The lion they were talking about wasn't there, but something was telling Kato that he knew what was going on within the pride. It would be unlike him to not know... "Don't let him get to you..."