[PRIVATE: DGFone & Thewhistlerify]

[DGFone]

A sudden coldness due to Muroki's leaving woke Umeme up from her sleep. Blinking and looking around sleepily, she saw him walk outside, then stop only to return inside. Watching as he came back and settled back down by her side, she couldn't help but notice that he seemed to be staring intently outside, which considering it was Muroki, was odd to say the least. Deciding to use the time while the cubs were still asleep to talk to him alone, Umeme chose to stop pretending to be asleep. Especially because she also couldn't help but notice that Muroki didn't exactly look all right, which was not what she had hoped of him after a full day's and night's of rest.

"Muroki? Are you all right?" He looked at her suddenly, as though not realizing that she was there. Umeme frowned at this, worried about her mate's unusual behavior. "Muroki? What's going on? You haven't been yourself lately. Is it because of the fight?" She didn't see why it could be: Sanders was dead, and Muroki escaped relatively unscathed. "He's gone now you know. We both saw that. There's nothing to worry about anymore, so why are you like this?" Trying to get Muroki to feel better, and perhaps to even return to normal, Umeme sat up and nuzzled her mate. He didn't feel any unusual, so that also left out a possibility of any illness.

[TheWhistlerify]

Muroki went back over to Umeme's side and settled back down next to her. Looking at the entrance of the cave, he was about to place his head down comfortably on his paws before his mate's voice reached his ears, causing him to avert his gaze onto her. Being so out of focus, he'd easily failed to notice that she was no longer asleep. He must have woken her up with the way he'd hurriedly exited the den just now.

His ears dropping against his head at her questioning, he started to wonder just how he was going to explain himself to her. From the looks of it his mate was completely unaware of the still present threat and he didn't know just how she was going to react to it. So while the fight was something that he was still greatly upset about, the future was far more concerning in his opinion.

"It's... It's not over..." he said quietly, letting out a heavy sigh. Sanders was finally dead, yes, but to Muroki's dismay that didn't mean that they could finally forget about all the hardship. "That lion who helped Sanders survive... He's still out there..." Delano's brother didn't know just how much Umeme was aware of the details. "He tried to kill me... and he enjoyed every second of what he was doing..."

Horrifying as it was, this lion was probably even more twisted than Sanders himself. "I'm not going to let him catch me off guard again... Not this time..."

[DGFone]

Umeme simply stared at Muroki, unsure of what to say. Well, that... certainly explained his unusual behavior, as well as Delano's as well from what she had been able to see of him. But at the same time, she wasn't really able to express properly the shock that she felt, as well as just how unexpected this news was. "But... you said it was all over," she finally managed to stammer out, "after Sanders was killed, you said that... that it was all over..."

Not meaning to, she glanced over at their two cubs, still fast asleep nearby. Will they have to constantly watch them close now? And how close of an eye will she need to keep on them? For how long? There were so many questions she wanted to ask Muroki, that Umeme didn't even know which one to ask first. Finally, she simply said, "Who was it? That other lion?"

Thinking about it some more, she did think herself slightly foolish for thinking that it was all over. There was no way for Sanders to have escaped on his own, so he must have needed help from someone else. And with only Sanders gone, it meant that this someone else was still loose as well. It also explained the extra patrols that the king constantly sent out...

[TheWhistlerify]

Muroki didn't answer his mate at first. Even though he was about to just go ahead and say that he hadn't said that, he honestly didn't remember well enough to know if that would be a lie. And, either way, it's not like he believed that things were finally going to be okay. After having made that mistake more than once, the lion was clearly not excited about doing that yet again, especially when considering what had happened just a few days ago.

Shaking his head ever so slightly, Muroki placed a paw around Umeme and held her close, pressing his head against hers while trying to draw comfort from the contact. "Not someone we know or have ever met before..." he said quietly. That was kind of what made it all the more absurd. "But he used to be Sanders's replacement as Chief up until he was exposed recently..."

Making his mate so uncomfortable by revealing this information was making Delano's brother feel even worse than how he's been feeling for the past few mostly sleepless days. "I'm sorry..." He sighed, licking the top of her head once. To think that he'd let that lion get past him and away... He was being as alert as ever now, yes, but what would he do once the danger really came? "I-I understand it might not be much, after what happened," he was still feeling very much ashamed of himself and useless, "but he'll have to get through me first..."

[DGFone]

Umeme thought about what Muroki had told her. "Do you think Hatari might know some more?" she asked quietly, "and... I want to make sure that he's safe, you know, living alone out there." She felt slightly better as her mate licked her, and she grinned slightly.

However, she then turned sober quickly, wanting to get Muroki to reconsider his attitude. "Listen, Muroki, I don't want you to be like this," she placed a paw on his muzzle, rubbing it slowly, "you don't have to constantly guard us like this, I can do that too." She let out a sigh, knowing that talking to him yesterday had failed as well. "I just don't want you to exhaust yourself worrying over this. I fear that... that you might be the end of you, not someone else. So please, Muroki, try to calm down. For me, and for them." She motioned with her head at the two sleeping cubs. "They need their father now. Please be there for them."

[TheWhistlerify]

Muroki felt a small smile form on his muzzle as Umeme's paw rubbed it gently, but that soon faded away as he averted his eyes from hers while listening to everything else she had to say. "But..." he said hesitantly, "I can't get myself to calm down... I just can't..." It's not that he didn't want to, but there was this part of him in his head that constantly felt as though something bad was just about to happen.

It was still difficult to try and get himself to stop constantly thinking that day over again and again. "You don't even know what it was like..." he continued, not in an accusing tone, but in a tone that sounded more lost rather than anything else, really. "I couldn't stop them, and then it just dawned on me that I was going to die... That I was never going to see you or the cubs again..."

His voice was shaky as he spoke, but if there was anyone he could get himself to try to explain his feelings to, it was her. "But the worst thing was that I just felt so helpless... It was horrible! I just came to the realization me that here was nothing I could do to protect you..." Muroki placed his head on the ground, covering his eyes with one of his paws as he tried to get his sobbing under control. "I'm scared that I won't be able to stop him if he comes back... I feel so useless and pathetic..."

[DGFone]

Reaching out and hugging Muroki, Umeme hoped that she would be able to at least help him calm down for now. "I know, Muroki," she whispered to him, "Hatari had told us about it, and I was afraid... that's why I ran out to find you, because I wanted to make sure for myself before I truly believed him..." Licking him across the muzzle, she then said, "but that's all in the past. You're still here with us, and now we're no alone. The king must know what's going on, he's not going to ignore things like before. You got friends and family more than capable of looking out for each other"

Nuzzling her mate, Umeme was glad to hear him at least purr quietly from the contact. "Even Sanders didn't get far, and everyone thought he was dead, so no one was looking for him," she added, "but this lion, everyone know that he's alive, so they will be on the lookout. You just need time to get over the fight, that's all. There's nothing to worry about." Looking at Muroki in the eye, Umeme wanted to get it into his head once and for all that he was overreacting. "And if there is, you, and I, and Lina, Delano... there are so many of us and only one of him. This isn't something you have to take on by yourself." Grinning, she added, "I appreciate the gesture, but I don't think I need protecting. I can take care of myself. So can the others." Returning back to nuzzling her mate, Umeme hoped that soon, Muroki would be able to return to normal.

[TheWhistlerify]

Feeling his trembling cease as his mate embraced him, Muroki felt himself slowly begin to relax as he listened to what she had to say. He didn't know what it was. Her kind words, the way she spoke softly and in an understanding manner or the fact that what she was saying was just making sense. Perhaps it was all of these combined. Either way, he found himself realizing just how ridiculous his behavior was.

It was impossible for him not to smile and purr softly as she nuzzled him, and he eventually returned the gesture, placing a foreleg around the lioness and pulling her closer to him. "You're amazing, you know that?" he asked quietly, licking her once across her forehead as he hugged her tightly. "I love you so much, Umeme..." He licked her again and again, smiling even more widely when she giggled in response. He liked it when she giggled... "I'm really glad I have you..."

[DGFone]

Umeme still wasn't entirely sure if Muroki was now starting to get over his shock, or if she was simply helping him feel better just for now, but she was glad to know that she was having at least some sort of positive effect on him. "And I'm glad I have you too," she replied, "especially since otherwise those two won't be around." she motioned at the two sleeping cubs. Then just because she felt like teasing him, she also added, "But it is you that I married, so you don't need to get jealous."

Nuzzling him, she looked outside where the sun was starting to rise up over the horizon. "How about we watch the sunrise over here?" she asked, "we won't be far from the cubs if they will wake up." Plus, spending the morning with Muroki in the nice cool air was sounding a very nice idea. Since they will be within eyesight of the cubs, Umeme didn't see a reason why Muroki would decline the idea.

[TheWhistlerify]

Muroki couldn't stop himself from feeling his cheeks heat up a little upon hearing his mate mention their cubs as well as how the two little hairballs wouldn't be around if it weren't for him. It was just like him to get embarrassed whenever something as intimate as this was so much as indirectly mentioned completely out of the blue. So perhaps this very much natural reaction from him was actually an indicator that his head was at least partially out of the clouds.

The teasing comment Umeme then added into the mix also had its share in making his cheeks turn red, but he didn't seem to mind that at all as he returned her nuzzle, feeling really greatful for the help. The idea of watching the sun rising together immediately caused his smile to grow even wider than it already was. The cool air, quiet and just the two of them sounded like quite the relaxing treat.

What their distance from Ubawa and Marini would be in the mean time didn't so much as cross his mind as he quickly nodded his head in approval. "Alright." he said, chuckling when he received a quick lick across his muzzle. Still smiling warmly at Umeme as she stood up and began to walk outside, Muroki continued to lie there for a few seconds, simply watching as the thought of just how lucky he was to be with her once again went through his mind.

It was something he thought quite often, really, but it soon disappeared from his mind entirely when his mate stopped and turned around, clearly waiting for him to join her. He felt himself blushing furiously yet again and silently cursed just how easy it probably was to notice through his pale fur, feeling quite embarrassed that he'd been caught staring. The way the lioness then giggled didn't help him at all, but he forced himself to quickly stand up and walked over to her side, giving her a toothy, yet clearly embarrassed grin.