[PRIVATE: DGFone & Thewhistlerify]

[DGFone]

Delano felt himself being nudged awake once more. Groaning from fatigue, he finally opened his eyes to find Lina staring at him. He had to look away from her gaze, because she woke him up from another dream, different from the others, and one that he didn't want to talk about. He had to dry his eyes again, and took the opportunity to look around. Muroki and Umene were already up, and even the king and queen were in the den as well. Next to them, Kato and Desta stood together.

"How are you feeling, Delano?"

Turning around towards the sound of his uncle's voice, Delano looked up to see both his aunt and uncle, watching at him with concern. He instantly bolted into the open arms of Laini, shaking slightly as he fell into her embrace. "Aunt Laini," he mumbled weakly, "it's good to see you again." From within the embrace, he saw to his surprise that they brought Kasi along too. Then he remembered that today, it was the trial. That's why they were all here.

[TheWhistlerify]

When Lina woke up the following morning she was surprised to discover that she'd slept from right after Delano's breakdown in the afternoon and throughout the whole night. It was an even bigger surprise to see that her brother in law was already awake and watching Delano. Muroki looked quite tired. Did he stay up all night in order to keep an eye on her mate? When he saw that she was awake he offered her a small smile of greeting before getting up and walking over to Umeme.

Realizing that it could not be helped (but making sure to remember to thank him later) she went ahead and woke Delano up, knowing that he wouldn't want to miss the trial. It wasn't a sight for sore eyes to have him immediately look away from her, but that probably couldn't be helped either. As he took comfort in his aunt's presence, Lina went ahead and smiled up at Kasi. "Hey..." It's been a while since she'd last seen him. "How are you?"

~~~

Laini looked quite concerned in light of what she was seeing of her nephew. The last time she'd seen him was a few days ago, and it didn't look like his situation had gotten any better. On the contrary, it looked like he was even worse. "It's good to see you, too." she said softly, embracing Delano. "Still the same as when I last saw you?" she asked with some hesitation, already knowing what the answer would be. After all, it was hard not to notice the clawmarks on his side and his injured paws.

~~~

Muroki and Umeme meanwhile stood a small distance away from the others. As Muroki became aware of the fact that his cousin was there, he couldn't help but wonder whether Hatari was also responsible for the death of Kasi's friend or whether Kasi was there to support his parents. "Wow..." he said weakly, noticing that other lions and lionesses were entering the sort of hall they were in. "Big crowd, huh?" There was no doubt that many if not the majority of them were there not just because of Sanders but because of Hatari as well, and Muroki knew that their reactions during the trial would directly effect the king's verdict.

~~~

Kato meanwhile was off in his own little world and thoughts, snapping back into reality when his mother approached him and Desta. "Now, dear, if you suddenly feel uncomfortable during the trial or feel the need to leave for whatever reason then I want you to know that there's no shame in it." She smiled reassuringly at him. "You can change your mind if you want to."

"Thanks, mom, I know..." replied the prince with a smile, trying his best not to blush beneath his fur as his mother shot a small wink in Desta's direction before going deeper into the den with his father. "Er..." He chuckled nervously, clearing his throat. "Anywho... I wanna thank you again for coming here, Desta..." He smiled, nuzzling her for a brief moment. "I know how much you want to just put this whole incident behind us. It means a lot to me that you're here with me in spite of what's going to happen today... Thank you..."

[DGFone]

Kasi smiled at Lina. Unlike Muroki and Umeme, they still slept in the same den, however, the time he actually spent back home meant that he hadn't seen either Lina nor Delano in many days. When he had finally got back at a time which he knew they would be there, he was told to his surprise by his parents that they were away. This meant that today he was finally able to see them again. "Hey, Lina! How's it going?" His smile faded slightly. "Mom and Dad told me about Delano," he said quietly, "how is he doing?" He glanced at his nephew. "He doesn't look all that good... What about you? Are you alright?" He didn't know that Delano had proposed to Lina yet, but he knew that the two of them were very close. If one was suffering, the other one would as well, he was sure.

---

Delano hesitated at answering his aunt's question. Could he just tell her that he was doing worse? What would she think if he told her about what he did to get his wounds? Too afraid to tell her anything, he leaned his head against her, shaking slightly. He felt Dakari's paw on his shoulder, but didn't respond. He didn't want to leave his aunt's embrace, but knew that he would soon have to.

---

Umeme grinned at Muroki's awe at the crowd coming in. "Yeah," she replied, "good times!" She quickly nuzzled her mate. "Now that we're all up, you ready?" With the trial upon them, she was starting to feel both quite nervous, as well as even somewhat excited. While she didn't want to see anyone be destined to die, this could also be the end of their troubles, especially for Delano and Lina.

Blushing slightly, Desta gave Kato a quick lick in return. "It'n nothing, really!" she tried to explain. "Think of it this way: I get to be with you." It was even somewhat true. A large reason why she wanted to go to the trial was to be with the prince. If he wouldn't attend the trial, she sure won't as well. Kato was about to say something when the king cleared his throat, followed by a noisy, but gentle growl to get everyone's attention.

The trial was starting.

[TheWhistlerify]

Lina smiled as Kasi gave her a response, he smile also disappearing when he mentioned Delano. "He could be better..." she admitted quietly, knowing that it was pretty much easy to figure out just by looking at him and without her saying it. "Me?" Normally she would just say that she was fine, but that answer has recently become a lie. "Could be better..." Nevertheless, it felt great to see Kasi again. It seemed like he was doing okay, which was good to know as well.

---

Laina would have honestly preferred to hear her nephew say that his situation hasn't gotten any better (or even that it's gotten worse) rather than just have him avoid her question and start shaking like that. That, in a way, was more worrying than any vocal response would have been. Still, she decided not to push Delano for an answer, and when she realized that the trial was about to start she figured it would be best to stay with her nephew until it was her. Lina appeared to be thinking the same thing, having stood up and sat down next to the two of them.

---

Muroki's reaction to the crowd was more out of nervousness rather than awe. He'd barely spoken in Hatari's favor in front of the king and the queen before or in front of his aunt and uncle before, how was he supposed to do that in front of an entire group of lions and lionesses who'd been hurt by Hatari in the past? "No..." he admitted with a sigh. Even those who had nothing to do with Hatari could very possibly resist to the idea of him being pardoned or given a lesser punishment.

The trial was beginning. Everybody inside the den took their places, with all the lions and lionesses sitting together in a group in one side of the den. Kato and Desta sat somewhere in the front and the queen soon joined them while the king remained on the other side of the den. Sanders and Hatari were soon led into the den (accompanied by quite a few guards, to say the least) and ordered to sit by the far wall in front of the crowd. While the crowd growled, frowned and said quite the unpleasant things to each other when Sanders was brought in, the reactions to Hatari were a bit less harsh but still not very good either. It was more of a mixed and uncertain reaction.

[DGFone]

Kasi placed a paw on Lina's shoulder in a gesture of support. "Don't worry. I think both of you will end up fine, and in no time at all, you will be able to forget about this entire thing." He gave her a reassuring smile just as the king's growl announced to everyone to take their places.

Sitting down between Lina and Dakari, Kasi watched as everyone took a place around the cave, and then as the guards brought int two lions. He frowned, thinking. One of those two were most certainly directly responsible for the death of his friend, and the other indirectly responsible. He felt his father's paw grip his shoulder, but he didn't know if he needed the support or not. If anything, he felt confusion over seeing the two lions for the first time. What were their names? Oh right, Sanders and Gakuru... But which one was which?

---

From where he was, Delano did not get a very good view of Sanders and Hatari, but he didn't really want one anyways. Even the small glimpse of them that he got was enough to cause him to shrink back into Laini's embrace, grabbing on to one of Lina's paws for support. Forcing himself to look away, he started at the ground with wide eyes as he tried to accept the fact that he was in the presence of the two lions who had recently made life life just about unbearable to live.

He felt his eyes start to water as he remembered all the times he saw one or both of them murder his parents right in front of him in his nightmares lately. His parents... what would they say if they saw him now? How would they react to what he was thinking? Would they approve of what he wanted to happen? Will it even help him deal with his dreams?

Recalling the latest dream he had, Delano forced himself to look up at the two condemned lions. Whatever would happen today, he would have no other choice but to accept the outcome. He hoped that it wouldn't be too difficult to do so.

When everyone stopped fidgeting around, the king started the trial.

[TheWhistlerify]

Looking as if he hadn't the patience the wait any further, Kato's father began to speak, immediately addressing the two accused lions who, to Muroki's great relief, were sitting at a safe distance away from each other.

"The two of you have been brought here to face trial for your crimes." He looked at Sanders with a frown. "You are charged with abusing your position as Chief of Police and forming an organization in an attempt to take over this kingdom - therefore treason. You're responsible for every action of the underworld which includes an endless list of murder cases as well attempted murder cases."

He then looked at Hatari, his expression softening a little. "You are charged, first of all, with ever returning here after your first exile. What you did while tresspassing here makes it even worse. You're behind quite a lot of the murders that have been committed, most of which are the ones that shook the confidence of my oride the most." Muroki felt himself tense up as he noticed Hatari look down at the floor, looking quite unsure of himself. "Do any of you deny these charges?"

To this question Hatari immediately shook his head, still staring down at his own paws. "No, your majesty."

[DGFone]

Sanders glared at the king. He had many reasons why he had wanted to dispose of this lion as head of the kingdom. A gain of personal power was ironically enough low on the list, but not out entirely. Still, when he was asked if he wanted to deny any of the charges, he stood up straighter, making him look more imposing and as a real show of force. "I do not," he said decisively, "your majesty," he added with a sneer.

Despite the uproar of protests at his demeanor, Sanders ignored all the others assembled. He couldn't care less what they thought of him. All of his attention was focused on the king, as though daring him to continue the trial.

---

In the crowd, not everyone were vocalizing their hatred for Sanders. Umeme sat with Muroki, worried for Hatari as well as quite shocked at Sander's attitude. The lion was almost certainly about to be executed for what he has done, and he still was acting as though he didn't care. As though... he couldn't be bothered with a simple thing such as death to get in his way.

Delano in the meantime, found the sudden noise to be too much, as it caused his head to hurt. Desperately covering his ears, he tried to hide beneath Laini and Lina, wishing that he could run out and be done with the trial. But at the same time, he knew that he had to stay here and wait it out until the end.

[TheWhistlerify]

Muroki also felt quite uncomfortable by Sanders's attitude. Even though there were guards everywhere and even though this was pretty much going to be the end of the road for the former leader of the underworld, he couldn't help but get this this feeling of anxiety as if something wasn't right. It was also a little confusing to see Sanders look so sure of himself.

The king didn't seem to bother much with Sanders's behavior. After all, there wasn't much Sanders could do at this point. Even if either one of the two defendants had denied the charges, proving that they were guilty wouldn't have been a problem, so asking them whether they denied them was just part of the usual process of a trial, though without much of a purpose.

"You both have a right to speak up for yourselves." he said after a short silence, looking directly at Sanders. "I'm sure everybody wants to know just why you did what you've done." Every defendant had the right to defend themselves and to have others defend them. The king was actually quite curious to hear what they would say to that, especially Sanders. Just what could possibly justify going on a killing spree and murdering innocents?

"I have nothing to say, your majesty." said Hatari, much to Muroki's annoyance. Wasn't Hatari going to even try, even if probably nobody would listen to him? "Nothing I might say would justify anything I've done." Although, on a second thought, perhaps that was a good answer.

[DGFone]

Sanders was not impressed by Hatari's lack of a response to say the least. What happened to the ambitious lion who listened so closely to everything he said? Not that it matters. Ignoring the pitiful excuse of a lion next to him, Sanders took in a deep breath to say what he wanted to. Turning to the crowd, he began to speak.

"If you want to hear me beg, I may suggest that you get up and leave now, because otherwise you will be severely disappointed." He waited to see if anyone would actually get up and leave despite their angry faces, but no one did that. With a shrug, Sanders continued. "I do not regret what I have done," he announced, "to the contrary, I am rather pleased with it-"

A sudden uproar silenced him, but he simply waited patiently for the crowd to quiet down again before continuing. "Everything I have done, I did it for you: for this pride." Ignoring the death glares he was receiving, he continued as though nothing was wrong. "As many of you know, I was put in charge of the police force for this pride. It was my duty to protect the pride and its territories. What did I find? An inefficient and corrupt system that all to often punished the innocent and let the guilty walk free. Not enough evidence here, all the wrong evidence there... For a force that promised to serve and protect, we hardly did exactly that. We needed to change."

He glanced at the king. "I brought this up to the king many times, and he kept insisting that there was no better way. Eventually, my patience ran thin. If the king refused to change the system, then he had to go. I found some lions who had their grievances with the pride, and I used them from there. For every one we lost, we found another two. My goal was to shake the pride enough to force action. Yes, I would say my goal was to become king. But not for personal gain, but simply so that I will have the power to do what needs to be done!"

He stared at the crowd, almost daring someone to speak up. "Get the power to do what I need to do so that I can fulfill my duty and protect you. Yes, sacrifices needed to be made, but only for those for the common good. I did not order anyone to be killed if I didn't think that it would force change to happen. And in a way, I am glad to see that my actions did force a change. Not in a way that I hoped, but yes, in a way, my goal has been accomplished, and this is why I absolutely do not regret anything that I have done. Kill me if you want, but know that everything I did was for the safety of this pride. Your pride. For you, your family, and your friends."

He sat down, signaling that he was done.

---

Within the crowd, Delano had curled up into a ball by Laini's feet. "It's not true..." he whimpered quietly. The death of his parents was not for their safety. "He's lying! It's not true..." He simply couldn't see how what Sanders was saying and what had happened could possibly be the same thing.

[TheWhistlerify]

Muroki found himself with a frown the entire time as he listened to Sanders. So what did the former leader of the underworld suggest? Killing everyone who was suspected for being dangerous? And what in the world made him think that simply murdering innocents, thus being just as bad as the ones he was supposed to stop, was the right way to change somebody else's policies? Kato meanwhile was getting more and more uncomfortable by the minute. He too couldn't see how Sanders found any logic in what he was saying. He felt Desta place a paw on his own and briefly looked at her, silently smiling to let her know that he appreciated her support.

The king remained silent throughout Sanders's little speech. He obviously did recall discussing these matters with Sanders in the past. Nevertheless, he wasn't at all impressed with Sanders claiming that all of his actions had been done in order to change things for the better. On the contrary, it seemed to disgust him. "Any accused is innocent until proven otherwise." he said, looking at Sanders with a frown. "Sometimes no evidence or not enough evidence means that you have the wrong guy. That's something we both know that you know."

"You can't just convict every suspect because you will end up mistreating those who have done absolutely nothing wrong. It is rather ironic that you are upset about innocents getting set up with fake evidence when you tried to do just that to a lion who got in your way just because he wanted to keep his friends and family safe." Yes, he was talking about Delano. "Even if he would have agreed with your opinion had you explained it to him, he knew nothing of it at the time. Therefore he was doing what he was doing out of self defense and instinct, making him as innocent as the word could mean."

"Your attempt to get rid of him is just one example of you being a vengeful lion. Another is attempting to kill my son and once again going after the lion who got in your way and even his family, acts which would have done nothing but get back at those you disagreed with or held a grudge against. Not to mention that you doing that after escaping when the underworld was disbanded, meaning that you could have gotten away with everything that you'd done by leaving but came back anyway, is another emphasis to that as well. I'm sorry that I do not agree with your 'kill a few and possibly save a lot' policy, but it's even more wrong than what you've been trying to change."

The king briefly looked at the crowd in the corner of his eye and then back at Sanders. "Look at them all." he said. "You're claiming to have done everything for the sake of their pride, their families and their friends. And yet I can assure you that this pride will never be the same because of you. It will never be the pride it used to be because it's missing so many of its members. Almost every single family in this pride is missing at least one of their own. Almost every single group of friends is no longer whole. Every single member of this pride has a hole in the heart because of those who were taken away from them."

"Your sacrifices" he said the words sacrifices in a voice that was almost a growl, "are orphans. They're lions or lionesses who are still scared to leave their dens or can't sleep at night. They're unborn cubs. They're lions or lionesses who will never get to know what it's like to have a family, cubs who have barely begun to live and will not even get to experience that moment where you realize that the world is more complicated than what cubs think it's like and yet at the same time understanding just how wonderful it can be."

A short silence followed. "I think you've said enough." The king looked at the crowd. "If there's anyone in the crowd who wishes to speak for this defendant," he said, once again following protocols, "now's your chance."

Surely enough, nobody stood up and walked over. He then looked at Hatari for a brief moment. "I'm sure you've all heard about the events at the gorge a few days ago." he continued. "Including this particular lion's... unexpected involvement. Because of what he's done to so many of you I cannot simply ignore his actions just because I'm grateful he helped out. My decision in his regard depends on you. This is the chance for every single one of you to either speak against him, talk to him or even speak in his favor."

Muroki tensed up as the king said that. Everybody in the crowd seemed quite hesitant as well as a little hostile towards Hatari. He had a feeling that, if he didn't walk up there before somebody else did, he would never find the guts to do so later. Slowly standing up, he hesitantly walked towards the other side of the den, first passing by the king. He made his way towards Hatari, doing his best to ignore the way Sanders was looking at him as he passed by him as well. On the way he tried to think of what he was going to say and how he was going to start, knowing how crucial that was going to be.