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

[AustralianChaos]

As they made their way through the forest, Sarabi noticed Simba was deep in thought, and could tell it wasn't about Tanga. She quickly guessed what Simba was thinking about. "You're thinking about Nala, aren't you? What happened while I was watching over Tanga, exactly?" she asked, curious. She had noticed that Simba seemed to be showing an interest in Nala, but had not spoken up because she was not entirely sure. Normally Sarabi was able to read her son's emotions well...but whatever feelings he had for Nala, he did a good job of covering up.

[TheWhistlerify]

Simba got nervous. His mother always seemed to know what he was thinking about. He didn't know what to say exactly, what will Nala say if he told some one what she told him a few hours earlier? "Nothing special." he said and tried to sound as if he was telling the truth. He didn't want anyone to know about how they both really felt towards each other, even though he hadn't really told her that he loves her too. He felt nervous about talking about it to anyone, even to his mother

[AustralianChaos]

Sarabi smiled knowingly at Simba. Reading the tone of his voice, she could tell he was trying to conceal something...and with his new leadership skills he had been taught, there was only one subect that he would deliberately try to evade. "You love her, don't you?" she finally asked, although she posed it more as a statement.

[TheWhistlerify]

Simba looked at his mother surprised. She always noticed when something was disturbing him, but how did she find that out; he didn't know. But he knew that making his mother think other wise was literally impossible. "I do." he admitted finally and sighed

[AustralianChaos]

Sarabi smiled as Simba admitted his secret...she had suspected it for a couple of months now, but having it confirmed gave her a warm feeling. "And...did you tell her on the way to the den, is that what's got you looking so thoughtful?" she asked, smiling at her son to let him know she approved of his feelings.

[TheWhistlerify]

Simba was a little relieved, one reason he didn't want to tell Sarabi was because he didn't know how she would react to that. But he was glad that she accepted that he had feeling for Nala. "Actually... she told me." he said, it sounded really wierd now that he thought about it

[AustralianChaos]

Sarabi raised her eyebrows at this, although the smile remained plastered on her muzzle. That part she definitely had not expected. "Really?"

She refrained from saying anything else as the two of them finally reached the spot where Marini and Tanga were still resting, cuddled up next to each other. Tanga looked up as she came back, and Sarabi got a glimpse of his wounds. Marini's care from before seemed to have actually had a small effect, and the wounds, whilst still fresh, had clotted over well. He looked rather scary with half his face and most of his chest covered in his own blood, but some he did not looks so weak and exhausted anymore, and with his wounds nicely sealed, and healing faster than Sarabi had anticipated, she decided it might be worth risking moving him.

"Hey, Tanga...you think you're up to coming back to the den now?" Sarabi asked. She got a nod from Tanga in reply, before both he and Sarabi looked to Marini to see how she reacted to all this.

[TheWhistlerify]

Simba was about to say something is respond but then they approached Tanga and Marini, who seemed quite calm despite today's earlier events. He just nodded at her saying 'yes' before he looked back at his two friends.

Marini smiled slightly after Sarabi examined Tanga's wounds and said that they could move him back to the den. She rose to her feet and looked at Sarabi, "So... how are we moving him?"

[AustralianChaos]

Tanga smiled as Sarabi mentioned that they were going to risk moving him, but when Marini asked how he was going to move, he was already in the process of answering that. Rolling onto his belly, ignoring the flashes of pain from his chest wounds, he put his legs under him and hauled his battered body to his feet, growling in pain and pulling weight off his injured foreleg as it protested.

Before anyone could respond or stop him, he was standing on his tree good legs, breathing hard from the pain in his wounds as he leaned against a tree, quickly feeling his chest to make sure none of the cuts had re-opened. "I'm walking," he said, panting, but the determination in his voice was unmistakable.

----------

"Tanga, what are you doing?" Sarabi cried as the young, black-maned lion rose unsteadily to his feet, before leaning his side against a tree. "No, Tanga, I'm carrying you...it's safer." She admired Tanga's determination to look after himself, and knew that he could walk with little risk of reopening his wounds. But she knew Tanga was still weak from losing so much blood, and he would be hard-pressed to make the journey.

[TheWhistlerify]

Marini quickly walked over back to Tanga as he leaned against the tree, "Tanga, please don't." she said and looked at Sarabi. She knew she wouldn never be able to forgive herself if one of Tanga's wounds re-opened. "Please listen to Sarabi before you hurt yourself." she pleaded and turned back to Sarabi