[PRIVATE: DGFone & Thewhistlerify]

[DGFone]

Umeme didn't mind that Muroki was nuzzling her. However, she wasn't about to have used hers and Lina's energy on hunting down food for all of them just for it to go to waste because Muroki was distracted while it was still fresh. So despite enjoying the contact with her mate, she broke it off and cleared her throat, making him understand that they got the gazelle for a reason, so he better start eating.

With Muroki grabbing a large portion of meat, Umeme tore of a much smaller one for herself, not so much that she was still hungry, but just so that she won't simply remain there simply waiting for him to finish eating. At least this way, he won't feel as pressured to eat faster and less than he wanted too. Or for that matter, needed to. The last thing his shoulder needed right now was for Muroki to go on a diet simply because he ate at a different time than Umeme.

Delano glanced at the meat briefly before turning his head away and resting it on his paws. "I'm not hungry," he muttered, avoiding Lina's gaze. It was a lie, and both of them knew it, but Delano didn't even know if he could get himself to eat right now, considering how badly he felt. The smell coming off the meat was very enticing, but he didn't dare to look again, stubbornly refusing to give in to his hunger. He heard Lina take in a breath to say something, but he cut her off. "Forget it, Lina. I said I'm not hungry. Did I not just say that?"

[TheWhistlerify]

Muroki began to eat and, like Umeme thought he would, didn't eat too quickly when he saw that she was eating as well. The meat was very delicious and obviously fresh, which somehow reminded the lion that it's been some time since he and his mate had last hunted together or since he had last hunted on his own for both of them. "I wonder when I'll be able to hunt again." he said after a while. "Maybe the queen will be able to give me an answer." He didn't notice his brother and sister in law and continued eating.

While Lina had a hunch that Delano was lying when he said he wasn't hungry and that he knew it, she knew it didn't matter. "I didn't ask you if you were hungry." she said, despite him cutting her off. The last thing Delano needed in his condition was to start losing weight. "You haven't eaten in at least two days. It's not healthy, especially when you're so tired because you're barely getting any sleep."

[DGFone]

Umeme grinned at Muroki. "I don't care what she will say," she replied to Muroki's comments, "You ain't hunting 'till I say so!" She chuckled a bit. "Don't worry though, I won't make you wait for too long. Just long enough to when I am only slightly uncomfortable with letting you hunt." She then gave him a glare. "But not before that. Got that, Muroki?"

Delano grumbled under his breath and unsteadily rose to his feet. "I don't care." He found himself getting angry at Lina, and wanted to get away from her before he went into a fit. He knew that she was only looking out for him. That was all pushed out of his mind, though, by anger at basically being ordered to eat. He had enough of others telling him what he could or couldn't do, and his control over himself was already at an all time low. If Lina knew what was good fer her, she would leave him alone. Noticed Lina getting up after him, and let out a low growl at her, warning her not to get close. Turning away, he began to slowly escape towards the entrance of the den.

[TheWhistlerify]

Muroki chuckled at the way Umeme was talking. They would often end up having these types of conversations, but he never minded joking around. Since she was only looking out for him, he didn't have a problem with waiting longer in order to make her not worry that he was taking risks. "Yes dear." he said with a fake pout, nodding his head once. By then he had already eaten his fill, and by the looks of it there was still enough food for almost two other lions or lionesses. Noticing that she wasn't really going to finish that small scrap of meat she'd extracted for herself, he pushed it aside with a paw, grinning at her as he did. "Where were we?"

Lina found herself frowning as Delano said that he didn't care. There she was, spending nearly every moment looking after him, and he didn't even care about his own well being? She was about to head over to him and try to persuade him again but was quite discouraged, to say the least, and even shocked when he growled at her. The few occassions when he'd said that he was worried about being a danger to her briefly flashed through her mind, but she pushed them aside. He would never hurt her.

"Fine." But that didn't mean she was going to argue with him over something so basic if he didn't bother to even pretend to care about himself. He'd probably get hungry eventually, and he definitely needed to calm down because, fear and what not, there was also quite the great annoyance at being growled at as if she was a hyena or something. After watching him leave, she walked over to Umeme and Muroki, not realizing that she was interrupting. "So what's up?" And even if she had noticed, she probably wouldn't have cared (as rude as that would have made her).

[DGFone]

Umeme was about to reply to Muroki, when she heard her sister as Lina came over to them. "Lina?" Umeme removed her attention from Muroki to her sister, and noticed right away how hurt and even angry Lina looked. "Lina? What's wrong?" Looking around, she didn't see Delano anywhere, and grew worried. However, she withheld her tongue, waiting for her sister to explain what was going on.

Delano fled the den, not knowing where he was going, but not caring. Not noticing one of the guards follow him, he walked along the rocky edges of the dens, finding it hard to breath as he began to realize that he had nearly lost his temper at Lina. He stopped, leaning against the rocks as he felt tears fall from his eyes. "Lina," he whispered, "I'm sorry..." He looked up at the sky, where despite the daytime, he was sure that the stars were still up there.

"What do you want from me?" he screamed up at the sky. "Just leave me alone!" His anger flaring up again, he screamed as he slashed at the grass in front of him. Instead of helping him, though, it only made him angrier. Delano was unable to keep himself under control anymore, and he let go of his anger...

He was dizzy, his muscles burning from exertion, and his paws felt numb. Delano wondered what was going on, and looked down, his face distorting into a look of horror when he saw that his paws were covered in blood, as were the rocks around him. "Wha-..?" He couldn't remember attacking the stones again, but it must have happened. It was the only thing that can explain the numbing feeling, and as he examined his forepaws closer with dread, the quite severe wounds on them. He struggled to keep himself from panicking from the damage he caused to himself. What would Lina and the others think?

Backing away slowly, crying out from the pain of having to walk on his busted paws, Delano only made it a few steps before a wave of dizziness overtook him. He collapsed on the ground, barely registering the feeling of someone picking him up by the scruff of his neck and pulling him back to the den.

[TheWhistlerify]

Lina knew just how impossible it was to hide the fact that she was upset, and the looks on the faces of her sister and brother in law made her realize that they were more than aware that something was going on. "Nothing." she said bluntly, looking down at the floor. It was a lie. Something had obviously happened. But telling them would only make her even more upset. "Delano went to calm down."

If anything, the decision to stay inside the den had been a wise one because she would have most likely paniced even more if she were to see the process of what her mate had done to himself rather than just the result. When the guard returned to the den with Delano on his back, she felt her heart sink. How on earth did it not occur to her that something like this was so likely to happen (especially when considering that it wasn't the first time)?

Feeling her lips quiver, all she could do was sit there as the guard slowly placed Delano down next to them, telling her, Umeme and Muroki what he'd seen when he'd followed Delano and admitting that he was actually a little scared about approaching the enraged lion before he collapsed from his dizziness. After he was finished he took his leave, saying that he would try to find Kato's mother and ask her to come over.

[DGFone]

Umeme looked at Muroki hesitantly. Something was up, but as uncomfortable Umeme felt about letting Lina pretend that nothing was wrong, they all knew that Lina was hurt by something. However, Umeme felt that for now, if Lina didn't want to talk about it, then she wouldn't press it.

When the guard came in with Delano, Umeme winced at the sight of his bloody paws. Knowing that the guard was now going to fetch the queen to help Delano, Umeme knew that there was someone else who needed help as well. She gently wrapped her paws around Lina's quivering form, embracing her sister in a hug. "It's going to be alright, Lina," Umeme whispered gently, "the queen's coming to help. Don't worry." She herself didn't really believe what she was saying, but she was content to hold on to her sister for as long as it would take for Lina to calm down.

With Muroki watching over Delano's still body, all they could do was wait for the queen to arrive and see what will happen.

[TheWhistlerify]

Lina continued to helplessly stare at Delano, not knowing what to do. When Umeme embraced her in a hug she had to resist the urge to break into tears right then and there. Sanders's trial was tomorrow and Hatari, whatever would become of him, was definitely not a threat anymore. So why was Delano's situation getting worse when it should be getting better? If 'getting rid' of the source of his nightmares wasn't enough, how long was it going to take until something worse than a few bruises would happen?

Muroki was obviously curious to find out just what had lead to, well, this, but he knew more than well that asking Lina to talk about it would only agitate her further. After what seemed like quite some time the guard finally returned. "Er... the queen has already left with the hunting party... It might take a while for her to come back. I'm sorry, but you're going to have to wait..." He then left.

When Kato came back into the den a moment or two afterwards, Muroki was hoping that his father would follow because the king might also know how to help. Unfortunately, the prince was on his own. He had his usual excited and somewhat cubbish demeanor about him, but it disappeared when he saw Delano. "What happened?" he asked, getting a look from Muroki which said that it was a long story and that this wasn't the time to talk about it. The younger male seemed to catch his drift.

[DGFone]

Umeme held on to Lina tighter when the guard came back to inform them that they will have to wait even longer. To make things worse, Kato came in as well. She normally liked the young lion a lot, but now she really needed him elsewhere, as long as it wasn't here. "Kato, please, not now."

The prince nodded and left, leaving them alone. Umeme was able to bring her attention back to Lina, who was shaking within her embrace. She knew that her sister was ready to cry, and couldn't blame her. "It's okay Lina. You can let it out." Sure enough, she felt her fur dampen from Lina's tears as Umeme held her sister's head close to hers.

The world sounded muffled and swayed side to side as Delano slowly came to. He felt sick to his stomach, and to add to his misery, his paws hurt terribly, like they were being torn off him at this very moment. He groaned and tried to sit up, but lacking the energy to do so. Finding the strength to open his eyes, he slowly got the others into focus from the fuzzy mess that he first saw.

"Umeme? ...Lina?" Delano was only able to let out a coarse whisper, and even that pained his throat. He squinted, trying to figure out why Lina looked so upset. "How... How did I get here? Lina... calm down... why are you crying?"

[TheWhistlerify]

Lina, feeling a little more comfortable after Kato had left, finally allowed herself to break down as she weeped into her sister's fur. True, the prince had the misfortune of showing up at a bad time and obviously did not mean any harm, but in the end she did not know him as well as Umeme and Muroki did. Muroki was a different story, being her brother in law as well as a lion she knew well.

Eventually Delano began to come to, but Lina did not know whether to be happy about that or not. Not only did she know that there was nothing she could do to help him, but she was also starting to fear that he'd end up hurting her or anybody else. And he didn't even remember what had happened! Great! Now he was also starting to forget things! Lina honestly did not know how long she'd be able to keep going like this. She didn't even bother to try to answer his question.