[PRIVATE: DGFone & Thewhistlerify]

[DGFone]

Umeme and Muroki hid the leftovers and returned to where before. Umeme looked up quickly to see the scavengers already dispersing. "Yeah, that's right!" she taunted them, "Get out of here!" She turned back to Muroki, grinning. "There isn't a lot of daylight left, let's go an do something fun!" She motioned at the savanna behind her, and prepared to run from him, just in case. She spotted a tree and made sure to run towards it should Muroki chose to chase her.

Delano opened his mouth to say what he felt, but nothing came out. He tried to explain that he was afraid of the coming night, specifically about the darkness that would soon come, but the harder he tried to say this, the more silenced he felt. Eventually, he gave up trying to say what was wrong with him. "Please sty with me," he whispered, reaching out and hugging her tightly, "don't leave me..." He looked up at the sun, his heart falling a seeing how low it was. It was only a matter of time before he would be once again be trapped in darkness.

[TheWhistlerify]

Muroki was also quite satisfied when he saw that the vultures were already losing interest, only that he didn't taunt them like Umeme did because he didn't feel like even talking to those creatures, doubting whether they would even understand if he did ever try to talk to one of them. "Something fun?" he asked, looking at her with a grin. "Like what?" he wasn't clueless though and, knowing Umeme well, he knew that she was probably about to break into a run.

Lina waited for Delano to finally tell her why he looked so troubled all the time, hoping that by knowing what was the problem she'll be able to help him. His answer was rather disappointing since usually talking about things made one feel better about them. "Of course I'll stay with you, I'm not going anywhere." she might not be able to help him directly because she didn't know what the matter was, but if being there with him would calm him down then she would be there.

[DGFone]

Umeme shrugged, a little disappointed that Muroki didn't start chasing her right away. "Come on, let's go," she said instead, "We'll figure something out." She then got an idea, and started to walk towards the tree where she was thinking of hiding from him in a chase. Maybe she can show Muroki how to climb quickly as well.

Delano grinned slightly when Lina reassured him that she won't go anywhere. As he looked at the setting sun again, he decided that it would be a good idea to tell her how he was feeling. She needs to know. "Lina... when I was away, I was trapped in a dark cave, and I..." He hung his head, feeling ashamed for feeling so weak and scared. "I became afraid... I didn't want to be trapped in the darkness..." His eyes traveled to the ground, unable to continue looking at Lina. "I'm scared," he finally admitted, "I don't want to be surrounded by darkness again. I'm not ready for it..."

[TheWhistlerify]

Muroki held back a chuckle as he sensed Umeme's disappointment, having expected it. But as he walked alongside her he realized that it didn't matter, since he knew her well enough to know that she will decide to have him chase her at some point. "Alright." he never minded it whenever she felt like running around, whether he chased her or whether they just ran at the same pace in order to do something together.

Lina listened carefully as Delano finally explained the reason of his discomfort to her, not wanting to miss a single word. She tried to imagine what he was feeling like but all she managed to was simply imagine herself in the den during nighttime when it was dark, and that was obviously not the same thing. "But now you're not alone." While she couldn't understand exactly how Delano felt and would probably never be able to, she could be there for him and support him.

[DGFone]

Umeme and Muroki reached the tree, and stopped next to it. "Remember when I jumped down on your back from a branch?" She asked. Umeme knew that Muroki wasn't that fond of that memory, and she wasn't planning to do it again. But there was something she wanted him to do. "Think you can get yourself up there?" Lions are not good tree climbers, and Umeme even had some doubts that Muroki would be able to hoist himself up. They weren't leopards, after all.

Delano hugged Lina. "I just hope it will be enough," he said, "but... even if it won't be... thanks." He leaned over and gave Lina a long lick. "I won't be here without you," he smiled, "but I think you will be enough. I think that I can get over this with you." He nuzzled her, purring slightly, once again feeling better.

[TheWhistlerify]

Muroki looked at Umeme with a raised eyebrow when they stopped next to the tree. "Yes, I remember." he said, the discontent clear in his voice. He even thought about taking a step away from the tree but figured that it wouldn't be necessary unless Umeme climbed it. "Me? Climb the tree?" he remembered when he and Delano went to look for the black rocks during their training that he got stuck in that pit and was unable to climb out. "I don't think I can."

Lina giggled when Delano licked her. It must have been a long time since she felt absolutely fine about being around him, but now that she knew why he was always so upset the small doubts that were always inside her were gone. "You will get over it, I promise." now that he wasn't alone she doubted that things were going to be as tough as before but what she was sure about was that Delano would eventually get used to everything again, even if it might take some time.

[DGFone]

Umeme heard a small amount of doubt in Muroki's voice, as though he was even seriously considering trying to climb the tree. "So are you going to try or not?" she teased, "you will only know if you can or not by trying." But Muroki had a reason to be doubtful: even Umeme wasn't sure that she would manage getting up higher than the very lowest of branches.

Delano had told himself many times that he would get over this, and that there was nothing to worry about. But now that it was Lina who was telling him that, for the first time, he even started to believe those words. "That... that actually helped," he said, letting out a small chuckle, nuzzling Lina again, "thanks."

[TheWhistlerify]

Muroki looked at Umeme and playfully raised an eyebrow. "I don't really want to..." he admitted, letting out a chuckle as she said that he would only know if he could climb the tree or not if he tried, "Do I have to?" he didn't feel like climbing a tree, but he wouldn't mind doing it if she really wanted to him to. Heck, he would do just about anything for her and it wasn't like climbing a tree was something extreme. Still, he was curious to know whether she had any reason as to why a lion should know how to climb trees.

Lina smiled and returned Delano's nuzzle, happy to finally sense some genuine calmness in his tone and to feel his body less tensed. "You're welcome." she said, returning Delano's earlier gesture by giving him a big lick across his muzzle. She couldn't help but giggle as she saw the look on his face shortly afterwards; a rather blank from surprised yet cute expression. "You're so cute when you're taken by surprise." she said, licking him again.

[DGFone]

Umeme grinned. She really wanted to see Muroki try and climb the tree, but only from his own free will. It won't be the same if she told him to hurry up and get up there. "You don't have to," she said instead, "but do you want to walk away, and forever not know if you could or could not climb this tree, or will you instead remove this doubt?" She sat down next to the tree. "You don't have to climb up, it will just be interesting to see you try."

It took Delano a moment to find his voice again after Lina's lick. Slowly, his muzzle transformed form the shocked, blank expression, to a solid grin. "I- I..." He struggled to find something coherent to say. "That was... amazing." He smiled at Lina, wrapping a paw around her body. "You're cute too," he told her, rubbing his head on hers, "all the time."

[TheWhistlerify]

Muroki couldn't help but snicker at the way Umeme made it sound like not climbing the tree would be a decision he would regret for the rest of his life. "How do you even come up with those questions?" he didn't really expect an answer, but sometimes the way she said thing was amusing. "Alright, here we go..." to be honest he didn't even know how to start. The lowest branch was surely too high for him to simply jump and reach it, but when he tried to grip the body of the tree with his claws he fell onto his back after only a few seconds. He gave Umeme a fake frown when he saw the amused grin on her face.

Lina smiled and giggled at Delano's compliment, fully leaning herself against him as he wrapped his good foreleg around her. "Go on." she said, not minding at all to hear some more. It must have been a long time in which they had spent time together like this without either of them being upset because of one reason or another. In fact Lina couldn't really remember one time in which she felt better to be in Delano's company.