[PRIVATE: DGFone & Thewhistlerify]

[DGFone]

Umeme smiled slightly as she watched Lina allow herself to also get some rest. With everything going on, Umeme did not want Lina to start suffering from a lack of rest as well, just because she was too stubborn at watching over Delano to watch over herself as well.

Hearing Kato behind them, she turned her head to face the prince. While the previous time he stumbled upon them, it was indeed a bad time for them, now everything was much calmer. "It's okay, Kato," Umeme reassured him, "you didn't know. Non of us did." She motioned for him that he can come closer, which he did, eyeing Delano and Lina with caution and worry as he did so. "So what's up?" Kato knew this time what was going on, so he wouldn't have come here if he didn't have a reason to.

[TheWhistlerify]

Upon getting Umeme's approval, in a manner of speaking, Kato went ahead and slowly walked over to the four young adults, watching Delano as he did. "I heard you were still around so I thought I'd day hi..." he said, sitting down next to Muroki. "Is Delano alright?" he asked. "Mom looked really worried when she left just now... I don't think I've ever seen her this worried..."

"Delano's okay." Muroki assured him with a smile. "Just a few bruises. Nothing too bad." he knew that the reason the queen was concerned was not the severity of his brother's injury but the fact that he kept losing control and hurting himself in the process. "And what have you been up to? Besides tricking your dad?" he asked with a grin, poking the prince in the shoulder with a paw. "What about your big announcement?"

Kato raised an eyebrow, obviously confused."What big announcement?" he asked, obviously clueless.

[DGFone]

Umeme looked down at Delano when he moved and whimpered something quietly in his sleep. She thought of waking him in order to wake him early from whatever he was dreaming about, but decided not to when he fell quiet again. He really did need all the rest he can get, even if it did mean that they would risk having him experience more nightmares to do so.

Turning her attention back to Muroki and Kato, she grinned as well, guessing what her mate was talking about. "Don't tell us yo don't know," she joked, grinning as much as Muroki was, "Or are you going to force Desta to wait forever?" With everything that was going on lately, it was fun having something to poke fun at, even if it was at poor Kato's expense. But the inexperienced prince was simply too much of a good target as to not make fun of.

[TheWhistlerify]

At first Kato really had been clueless as to what Muroki and Umeme were talking about, but his oblivious innocence was what made him an even better target to tease. His cheeks turning completely red, the prince frowned. "N-no!" he protested, causing the couple to chuckle in response. "I simply haven't found the right opportunity!" Truth be told, he was actuslly delaying because he was too nervous.

"You said that waterhole we showed you would do." Muroki stated with a shrug of his shoulders. "Just ask her to accompany you there."

The prince rubbed the back of his head with a paw as he realized that he didn't have a good excuse. "Well, um, I would, but..." he had to think of something quickly. "But she's not here right now!" Really? Was that the best he could come up with. "Yeah! So I can't." He forced himself to grin, feeling like he was triumphant to a certain degree.

[DGFone]

Umeme had to cover her mouth with a paw in order to keep herself from bursting out loud with laughter. "Okay then, smart guy," she taunted when she got her amusement under control, "what are you going to do when she shows up? By your argument, as soon as that will happen, you will have no other option but to take here there."

She stared back at Kato with an amused look, daring him to challenge her. "You're simply so nervous about it that you don't want to, Kato. Am I right?" She remembered how nervous Muroki was when he had finally gotten around to asking her. She imagined it would be worse for Kato, because the prince is younger and less experienced than Muroki was.

[TheWhistlerify]

Kato's blushing only became worse when Umeme actually had to cover he mouth in order to not laugh in his face. At least Muroki wasn't as bad (if only the prince knew that Kuroki was finding it twice as funny but was simply having an easier time controlling himself). The young lion frowned knowing that, from what he'd said, he really would have no other option if Desta showed up all of a sudden.

Refusing to let Umeme win their little arguement, he continued to protest. "Am not!" he exclaimed, rising to his paws. "In fact if she were here right now, I'd show you just how wrong you are!" It was a lie, in a way, because he really was completely nervous about this and would not necessarily be able to pull that off. But he couldn't let the lioness get the last laugh.

[DGFone]

This time, Umeme did burst out laughing. It was simply too funny, and she wasn't able to keep herself calm anymore. "If you want to make that into a bet, then I accept!" She almost wished that Desta was indeed here, just to find out whether or not Kato was indeed too nervous or not to ask her to go with him to the oasis. In fact, more of to let Kato know that she is right in insisting that he's too nervous. But Desta wasn't here, so Umeme simply had to be content with knowing that she was right, and he was wrong.

He smile faded when next to them, Delano began to whimper loudly and shake in his sleep. Lina looked over at Muroki, her gaze asking him whether to wake the lion up or not. Kato also looked rather afraid, no doubt this being his first time next to Delano at a time like this.

[TheWhistlerify]

Kato knew that it was most likely a mistake, but his pride simply refused to allow him to give in and admit defeat. "Fine! Then it's a bet!" Part of him wished that Desta really would show up just so that he could show Umeme that he could do it, but another was hoping for the exact opposite. He was about to say something else when Delano began to show the signs of yet another nightmare, causing the prince to grow worried and forget about their arguement entirely.

Knowing Delano, Muroki could tell that it was only a matter of time until his brother would wake up screaming because of his nightmare. Next to him, Lina was still peacefully asleep. Since he was aware of what a heavy sleeper his sister in law was, he knew that it was up to somebody else ro wake Delano up. Giving Umeme a few slow nods, he slowly walked over to Delano's side and lay down next to him, gently nudging him with a paw while wrapping a foreleg around his shaking body in case Delano would wake up in a fright and try to run off or something.

[DGFone]

Wanting to flee from his dreams, Delano wasn't even fully awake yet before he was already trying to get up and run, only being prevented from doing so by two things. As soon as he applied even the slightest pressure on his paws in order to run, a sharp pain tore through them, and he toppled back to the ground, whimpering in a combination of pain, fright, and anguish. As his senses slowly came back to him, he also felt Muroki's grip on him as his brother prevented him from escaping. "Let go of me! Let me go!" He protested weakly, but was already giving up on fighting his brother's restraints.

His eyes darting around the cave, he saw that Umeme and Kato were next to him as well, while Lina lay sleeping nearby still. The nightmare still fresh on his mind, he collapsed against Muroki, sobbing hard into his brother's shoulder. "It was mom and dad!" he sobbed, trying to explain what he saw, "Sa-Sanders was killing them! I was... was right there, and couldn't do anything!"

With Muroki busy, Umeme placed herself next to Kato, knowing that the prince didn't know what to expect to happen. "It's going to be okay," she explained quietly, "he's awake now. He won't do anything." From what she could recall, Delano was worse when he would still be partially asleep, however lately, that wasn't exactly the case.

[TheWhistlerify]

Keeping Delano under control was easy for two main reasons. The first one was his injured paws and the second one was the fact that he was exhausted because he hasn't gotten a good night's sleep in a long time. Muroki quietly listened as his brother explained his nightmare to him, allowng him to cry into his shoulder. "It's okay. It was just a dream." he assured him, holding him close. "Sanders's trial is tomorrow and then he'll be out of our lives forever."

As he watched the scenario in front of him unfold, Kato couldn't help but feel bad for Delano because of what the lion was going through. True, the prince was still scared of Delano, but that didn't at all mean that he wanted him to suffer. "But..." he started quietly, knowing that Umeme was trying to reassure him about his own safety. "Will he be alright?"