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

[AustralianChaos]

Sarabi smiled at Sarafina...amazed and proud of what her friend was willing to do for all of them. "If you're struggling to get Scar to let you take Simba alone, remind him of the way he exiled Tanga and Marini...that should help convince him."

With that, she pulled her friend into a warm embrace. "Take care of yourself, Sarafina...I'm going to miss you. Thank you for everyone you'd done, not just for me, but for Simba and the rest of the pride, too."

Sarabi then pulled away, looking at her friend, managing a small smile. "I'll see you in a few months...and that's not negotiable," she said with forced humour, before slowly walking away towards the south, looking back and giving one last wave to her friend, knowing that, despite the fact she was heading into exile, Sarafina was the one who was worse off in this exchange, having to pretend to be Scar's partner-in-crime for months on end.

But as she walked away, her worry for Sarafina was minimal. The lioness had always been strong-willed and level-headed, even in the most dire of situations. She would make it through, Sarabi was sure of it.

----------

Tanga smiled, and let Marini clean his shoulder a little longer before gently moving her away. "Alright, Rini...I think you've done more than enough," he said, before heading to the mouth of the den, finding a patch of grass that was in the sunlight, before flopping down onto the grass, exactly like he had the night before, meaning his hurt shoulder was facing up, and not contacting the ground, where it would just sting endlessly.

He sighed, feeling the suns rays striking his fur, keeping him warm and comfortable as he looked up at Marini. "You can still head off if you want to, Rini. Don't keep yourself from playing and exploring just because I'm hurt."

[TheWhistlerify]

Sarafina smiled and turned back to Pride Rock, knowing that if Scar got there without finding her in the den will get him suspicious. "I'll see you soon Sarabi." she said, not wanting it to be harder then it was already.

Marini felt like staying but Tanga's side for ever, but her mood turned down a bit as he shoved her away gently, saying that she'd done enough. She walked over to where he lay and lay closer to him, "I'm staying with you, and that's final." she said with a grin before laying her head down by his. She felt really warm by the sun and by Tanga's fur. "So..." she said all of a sudden, "...anything we can talk about?"

[AustralianChaos]

Tanga smiled at Marini, showing his appreciation for her loyalty towards him, and her desire to stay by his side. As much as he wanted her to go off and have fun, he really liked it when she was beside him like this.

When Tanga heard Marini's question, he was looking back into their den, wondering what the dark tunnel held further in. "I wonder what's down there," he said, gesturing to the tunnel vaguely. "Sarabi said there was a maze of tunnels that even stretched beyond this hill...I wonder where they all go."

Normally, having such a vague, pointless conversation would leave Tanga feeling awkward...but with Marini, everything seemed natural, he felt like he could talk with her about almost anything without worrying about embarassing himself...almost.

----------

Sarabi wandered to the south, keeping up a brisk pace. She knew that the longer she stayed in the Pridelands, the higher the odds of her being caught.

But as she got close to the river bordering the souther edge of the Pridelands, she stopped as she noticed a half-eaten body of an antelope lying in the grass, which still looked fresh...no vultures had descended upon it yet, suggesting whoever had taken it down had left it only recently. Stopping, she smiled as she decided to grab a quick meal from the young antelope.

The body was a sign...she knew that this meant that Tanga and Marini had successfully reached the cave she had told them about, and that they were still alive.

Satisfying her hunger, Sarabi continued for the river, moving a little faster now she knew she would find some company at her destination.

[TheWhistlerify]

Marini smiled back at Tanga. "I don't think we should go there, it's too dark to see anything." She then began to nuzzle Tanga again, "Besides I'm find with being her by your side." she said, her tone sounding more calm and satisfied.

After a short walk Sarafina could see Pride Rock. She noticed Scar wasn't returning yet, and decided she would tell Simba and Nala what happend and what's her plan before Scar came back and she couldn't talk to Simba without him suspecting.

[AustralianChaos]

Tanga grinned at Marini's misunderstanding. "I wasn't saying that we should go down there...I was just wondering where the tunnel could possibly go, that's all. I don't want to get up, either," he added, giving Marini a quick nuzzle, before staring at her, biting his lip as he thought of posing a rather...awkward subject for him.

"By the way, Rini...another thing I've been thinking about is, well..." he hesitated, but ploughed on...he had to break the subject at some point...might as well be now. "...after yesterday, and last night, and...well, right now, where do we stand, you know...relationsip-wise?" he felt so stupid, talking like this...but he was too nervous to directly mention the idea of where their relationship was going. And with his near-complete lack of knowledge and experience, he honestly had no idea where their relationship stood.

----------

Sarabi crossed the river, leaving the Pridelands behind for the first time in years, before making her way towards the den. She was about to round a corner that would put the cave in view, but stopped at the sound of voices. Recognising Tanga and Marini's voices, she decided to stay out of sight, unable to resist listening in just a little on what they were saying.

----------

Nala paced up and down the promontory of Pride Rock, her nerves and fears refusing to let her sit still.

Her mother had not been gone that long...and Scar had not returned yet, but every second Sarafina spent out there caused Nala to grow more and more worried. Several times, she had been forced to stop herself from running headfirst towards the graveyard, reminding herself that she had promised to stay behind.

So when she caught sight of someone returning to Pride Rock, Nala was ecstatic. "Mum!" she cried, before turning back towards the main den, where Simba had most likely wandered off to...she actually hadn't seen where he had gone, she had become so lost in her worries. "Simba! Simba, come out here, mum's back! And she's..." Nala's voice, along with her jubilant mood, faded away as she turned, doing a double-take.

Sarafina was returning to Pride Rock...alone. "Oh, no..." Nala knew that, if Simba had heard her call, she could not stop him from seeing what she had just seen, and guilt coursed through as she though of how Simba would react, heeding her call, only to find out that Sarabi was nowhere in sight.

[TheWhistlerify]

Marini smiled at Tanga and began to nuzzle him again, "I don't know." she said and began purring again, "I don't think we should worry about that now."

Sarafina walked over to her daughter, who seemed worried not seeing Sarabi coming back as well. She looked inside, noticing Simba was asleep and haven't heard Nala's attempt to wake him up. She led her daughter a short distance away from the mouth of the den, where the pride members couldn't hear anything. "You were right. Scar did all of this." She then noticed Nala wanted to know about Sarabi. "Sarabi is okay. I pretended to have killed her so Scar would trust me. She went to hide with Tanga and Marini." she then nuzzled her daughter, trying to let her know everything will be okay, "Scar thinks I'm on his side now. I'll need you and Simba's help. We will stage his death, so he can grow up somewhere safer." She then sighed and looked down at her daughter, "and I will tell him that you ran away. You will regroup with Simba and the others." she said referring to Tanga, Sarabi and Marini, "It wont be pleasent around here once Scar has hold of the throne and I want you to be with your friends, somewhere safer then this place."

[AustralianChaos]

Tanga just nodded, quite willing to agree with almost anything Marini said right there and then. He snuggled just a little closer to her, and was about to drape a paw over her like he had last night when a voice made him stop, Sarabi's

"Simba told me Nala had caught you two together yesterday morning...now I see what they were on about."

Tanga turned to face Sarabi as she approached, his jaw dropping and eyes widening in both shock and embarrassment. Despite the burning blush forming in his cheeks, he did not move away from Marini, but rather turned to her, the same shocked expression on his face, as he waited for her to say something...he doubted he could speak right there and then, even if he wanted to.

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Nala was relieved that Sarabi was okay, and was hiding with Tanga and Marini. But when Sarafina mentioned pretending to be on Scar's side, Nala got confused. "But...why, mum? Why are pretending to be on his side?"

But when Nala heard the talk of staging Simba's death, and getting her to run away with him to join Tanga and Marini, she just stared at her mother in open-mouthed shock.

"But...I..." she finally latched onto one effect of Sarafina's plan, and took a step closer to her mother. "...what about you, mum? What will you do?"

[TheWhistlerify]

Upon hearing Sarabi's voice, Marini stopped nuzzling Tanga, completly shocked that Sarabi was there. "Sarabi, what..." she said blushing, "what are you doing here?"

Sarafina sighed, "I had to. It was the only way to get Sarabi out of there alive. He wanted to kill her. And it's either we stage Simba's death, or Scar gets to him. According to what I think he wont take too long about it." She then looked at Nala, remembering what Sarabi told her about Scar back in the gorge, but she wasn't going to tell her that. "I'll stay here I guess. If I run away with you, Scar will understand what happend and he will hunt us all down. I only want you to be safe." She noticed how worried her daughter was, "Don't worry, he wont hurt me as long as he thinks I'm on his side."

[AustralianChaos]

Sarabi smiled at the two young lions before her, fighting the urge to laugh at how embarrassed they seemed, considering the rather...close nature they had been caught in.

She eventually decided to respond to Marini's question. "I've unfortunately been put into the same position you have...forced out of the Pridelands under pain of death. The circumstances were a little different, but overall...i'm in exile, too."

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Nala fought the urge to break down again...she's already been through enough. "But...no! I don't...I don't want to leave you, mum!" she said shakily, feeling completely torn.

On one paw, if she followed Sarafina's advice, she would stay with Simba, and end up meeting up and staying with Marini and Tanga again...but one the other, she did not know what she would do without her mother by her side to her guide her.

[TheWhistlerify]

Marini looked at Sarabi, "Scar exiled you too? But why?" she asked, wondering what reason would Scar have of exiling Sarabi

Sarafina pulled her daughter into a warm hug, "It's not forever you know. And you'll have a better life there." she said and sighed, "Scar plans on rulling this place with the hyenas, and I want you to live in a safe place. Who knows what will happen to this place under his rule."