Part Six
The clumsily etched tunnels held squeezed meerkats, many still trembling from the vibrations above. Silky sands poured into the entrances, leaving many to scoot and scurry into a closed chamber. Two scouts dug away their exits while the rest chattered.
“I say we ditch him!” Fred exclaimed, “He insults us. Leaves us behind. What other wake up calls do you guys need? We’re meerkats. This is probably the farthest any of us has gone out for a walk. Look where that’s gotten us!” Fred raised his hands, sprinkling towards the onlookers. Many nodded. One pushed through with puffed cheeks.
“Sure, yeah, let’s just leave behind Ma behind too. Great idea.” A short, lean meerkat scoffed.
“I mean, what can we do with buzzards? They fly!” Fred responded. Many grumbled, their voices more distraught as echoes rung through the chamber. Suddenly, two meerkats bolted into the hideout. One gasped as he landed while the other approached Uncle Max, gloomily sitting near the younger pups.
“Sir, hyenas! They’re after the elephants. They looked right at us!” Felicia exclaimed.
“What? Hyenas?! Where is Timon?” Max leapt and grabbed a hold of Felicia’s shoulders.
“They stayed behind, I thought they’d follow us!” Trengu replied, clutching his chest and patting it between nose breaths. Max glanced at both scouts, the ones digging tunnels and turned to the crowd before him. He maintained his composure, sniffed, and took in the dusty air.
“Alright. We can’t wait. We are digging through and going after her.” Max winced as the colony gasped in unison. 
“You’re kidding! How? Where do we even look. What do we do if we find her? They’ll just fly off, if she’s even still…” Fred was suddenly closed shut as Max squeezed his muzzle.
“We don’t know that. We do know that Neema Tree is east. Our colony digs. Sentries keep watch. We fetch her.”
“But how do…” Fred fell as Trengu bonked his head with one swift fist. Max nodded and approached two meerkats. They were holding their tunnel exits steadily.
“You two could use a rest. Go out and help us dig straight back to Ma.” Max pointed above. The meerkats looked at each other and then to the colony. The older members smacked their lips and leaned against the dirt ridges. Mothers patted their pups, holding back arm shivers; They stared into their eyes. A mother meerkat sheepishly walked to the center amid the group. 
“I know Timon said those things. They hurt. But I can’t imagine what I’d say if I lost my daughter.” She tightened her eyelids for a moment and faced her family with a half-smile.
“She’s right! We dig tunnels to keep us safe. We’re all still together, right? Timon’s friend…uh, Boombah, he led us out there. We stuck it out in the open. I mean, Ma is out there. We stick together again and we’ll save her, right?” Felicia spoke, tightening her grasp on the walls. The colony slowly stiffened, stretching their tails to elevate themselves from the ground. They stopped, turned to their neighbors and smiled in approval.
“That’s right. The warthog showed we could walk. Not afraid. Timon might not be here, but I think saving his Ma is what he’d want.” The mother meerkat joined with the rest and gave a jittery nod. She clutched her small daughter’s shoulders, bracing for the travel. Max nodded right back and shrugged.
“Home is where your rump is. Hmm. I guess he’s right.” Max clapped twice, “Pick him up. We’re digging straight to Neema!”
Fred rose with a gag and dazed, rhythmic head bob.
“Oh…what I miss?” 

Part Seven
The sun set in the horizon. Sand blankets, orange with dust, settled with the wind. Slowly, the sands eased, hard rock plain on the ground. 
Atop a hill, Timon and Pumbaa stood. Behind them, three elephants raised their trunks. They reached out to their fleeing herd. Sullen hoots followed. 
Below the hill, two hyenas approached. Each snarled. The lead elephant bellowed, aiming tusks to the intruders. 
“You are responsible for this!” Aminifu stomped. The hyenas turned to each other. They then glanced at Aminifu. 
“Oh no, no, no” One snicked, “Mm-mm. Don’t point those at us. Start with those two sweet things. They were kind and let us follow them. Buffet was way bigger than they said it was gonna be!” She began cackling once more.
“Us?! We thought you were history! You fell into the trap. You were goners, Shenzi!” Timon exclaimed.
“History? Ha ha ha! Honey, did you actually think you got rid of us? You?! Ha ha! Oh, you’da loved that wouldn’t you? Naw. We did our thing. We lived.” Shenzi sneered.
“Not all of us.” The second hyena faced his companion. “You’re good friends for the meal, though. Couldn’t have found it without you.” He said, now facing his onlookers.
“You’re no friends of ours either. Believe us Aminifu! They’re the reason we needed your help. Why King Si…” Pumbaa explained.
“Our help? To what, feed our herd to them?” Ma Tembo asked. Aminifu stomped the ground once more.
“Enough of this! You two, leave. Your ploy will not be forgiven.” Aminifu said. Pumbaa began to protest, but Aminifu stomped once more, then facing down the hyenas. 
“We’re helping our herd whether you’re in the way or not! Step aside, scavengers!” Aminifu and his two followers prepared to charge. The hyenas laughed with feverish pitch.
“Oh, by all means. Try and catch up! We’ll deal with our good friends here!” Shenzi and her friend stepped aside. The elephants charged down the slope. They stopped at its base, looked to the hyenas with warning bellows, and soon trotted off after the diminishing dust cloud in the distance.
“Don’t forget, we’re from the Pride Lands!” The hyenas shouted back. They cackled once more and jabbed at each’s shoulders. Timon fell to his knees.
“No…” He began.
“Now then. You’re still here. I’ll handle this, Banzai.” Shenzi cleared her throat, audibly parched with ignored thirst.
“Now, we go way back, you and us. I figured I’d catch you someday. Eat up. That’d be the end,” She began “Didn’t happen. No. It got pretty hot that night. You, me, everybody running for their lives.” Shenzi pushed Banzai’s rump, still scarred with burns. He yelped and chomped at her. She held a paw to his snout and shoved.
“We barely made it thanks to that little hole of yours. Perfect for fires let me tell you! We hunted what we could out in the Outlands after. Then I get to thinking. Why did you two show up at Pride Rock? Me and Banzai dared go back to our little hiding spot. Guess who we listen to coming outta Pride Rock? You two! Here I hear that you’ve been keeping Simba, the Simba, alive all this time!”
“You little cretins. We’ve been itching to get back at you since.” Banzai slashed at the air. Shenzi inched closer to the two friends.
“We did just that. Heard your plan. Rounded up what was left of us. Followed you here and chased those elephants away for good. Too big to eat anyways. Oh, I forgot, where is she? Hmm? Ha, ha. She ain’t with you?” Shenzi was not climbing up the slope as Pumbaa steadily backed away. Timon stood his ground.
“You!” Timon bolted towards her but was swiftly held back by Pumbaa. He clutched his friend’s tail.
“No Timon!” Pumbaa exclaimed. 
“Tell me where they took her!” Timon shouted.
“Now the elephants aren’t so important, huh? He, he, he!” Banzai replied. 
“Tell me.” Timon now freed his tail and stared Shenzi down, unwavering. Shenzi sighed.
“I shoulda said yes to you. Look at you! All brave and rugged. Well, she’s at Neema Tree. You mighta guessed. They won’t eat her yet. No, no. Our work here’s done though. Your Pride Lands stay dead. Your lion friends starve. We have our last laugh.” Shenzi now stood directly in front of Timon at the hill’s peak, Banzai beside her.
“Your colony is more appetizing. We’ll celebrate our success with a feast here! The others should be back soon after giving those big dolts the slip.” Banzai said, now leering over Pumbaa.
“Eh, he, he, no, I don’t think you will.” Timon reached to the ground and sprayed the hyenas with a gust of sand. The hyenas yelped as they rubbed at their eyelids. Timon climbed atop Pumbaa and pulled at his ears.
“Go Pumbaa!” The two retreated down the hill’s opposite slope. They descended and scanned for tunnels.
“There!” Timon exclaimed. Pumbaa skidded across the sands, letting Timon peer into a collapsing hole. He pushed aside the piled sands.
“Uncle Max! Anybody?!” Timon shouted. No one replied. Pumbaa stared back at the rapidly approaching hyenas.
“We ain’t through with you!” Shenzi cried out. Pumbaa tapped his friend. As Timon attempted to look, a hand reached out from under. Timon was pulled down as a meerkat jolted out from the ground’s entry.
“Timon!”
“Fred?!”
“You’re alright!”
“No time, climb up!” Fred cried as Timon carried him onto Pumbaa. The warthog sprinted away from the hyenas. Fred gulped and grabbed Timon’s shoulders. 
“Long story short, they all went after your Ma. I stayed to tell you.” Fred explained.
“Whadya mean they went after her? Underground?”
“Yeah, yeah they went on ahead. You were a real jerk so I voted to high tail it outta here. They stood up for you though. Can you believe it?” Fred continued. Pumbaa grunted.
“Where to anyways? They’re gaining on us!” Pumbaa exclaimed. Timon looked back and turned to the horizon.
“Sun’s setting. We can lose ‘em. Pumbaa go left here! See the gorge?” Timon asked. Pumbaa turned and huffed. The hyenas were manically catching up.
“Yeah, what now?!” Pumbaa asked. Timon braced his fingers on Pumbaa’s mane.
“When I say jump, you jump for your life! You can do it buddy.” Timon said. Pumbaa ran faster. Fred grabbed hold of Pumbaa’s back, slipping by his hind legs. Shenzi and Banzai followed closely behind.
“We were gonna make you go after your mom with the rest of your meerkats for an ambush. Might as well eat you all now!” Banzai hissed.
“And…now!” Timon exclaimed. 
“Okay, Hakuna Matataaaa!” Pumbaa leapt far into the air. He landed on a slant of hard rock. 
The hyenas yelped. The three friends turned and spotted the hyenas, sinking into weakened sand pits.
“Fell for it again!” Timon cried out. Fred laughed at the sight. Shenzi’s attempts to claw at firm ground led to slashes onto Banzai’s rear. He lashed out to his companion as the sands above buried them further.
“You lousy…Ow!” Banzai exclaimed. Fred turned to Timon.
“That’s rich! Colony tunnels caved in. Nice thinking.” Fred said. The three continued their escape, away from the pit.
“You ain’t seen the last of us!” Shenzi yelled. Pumbaa continued along a gorge, filled with stacked rocks. Timon breathed in.
“So, Fred, they went off to save her?”
“Oh, yeah they did.” Fred replied.
“Hmm.” Timon huffed.
“Timon, you okay?” Pumbaa asked.
“Oy, I don’t know anymore. Hyenas are back. Ma’s gone. The colony’s gone. I drove them away. I’m sorry.” Timon scrambled with his words.
“Timon, you love your mother. You were scared for her. Like I was for us back there.” Pumbaa snorted, still running forward.
“Yeah I know! What am I gonna do about Simba now? He trusted us. Now I can’t let Ma go.” As Timon finished, Pumbaa stopped in his tracks.
“Timon, if you trust me like I trusted you now with the hyenas on our tail, I think Ma would want you to still go after the elephants.”
“What?! After all that mess?!” Timon exclaimed.
“That’s right, your ma cares for Simba and his family like she does with the colony. I’ve seen them Timon. They’re a wonderful family. Tough too. I think they can handle some vultures, especially Swifty.”
“I don’t think…” Timon started to protest.
“We’ll be honest with the elephants this time. I know they’ll listen when we bring up how our boy beat that jerk Scar and took back the Pride Lands. We won’t make it about us! This is bigger than us, Timon. Our Hakuna Matata depends on it.”
“Are you serious?” Fred asked.
“He is. And…he’s got a point. Ma would want us to move on with the plan.” Timon said.
“It’s funny, when we first met, I didn’t think we’d last long. Now…” Pumbaa began.
“We’ve got each other’s backs, through thick…” Timon said.
“…and thin” Pumbaa finished. Timon patted between Pumbaa’s ears.
“I’m sorry buddy. I’ve been a real jerk.” Timon confessed, glancing at the sinking sunlight. Pumbaa shuffled onto the sand, starting a trot.
“Save one for Aminifu too. I think that’ll help.” 
“I guess I’ll trust Uncle Max and the others. We have to be quick about our part if we’re to join up with them. It’s a long shot to do this alone, but it’ll work.” Timon declared. 
“You’re still as crazy as Max. And I’m crazy for listening to him. We sure make a great team then.” Fred said, shaking his head.
Pumbaa grinned and rushed on. They continued to travel onto the dunes. The sun finally slept below the desert grounds.
“Please be safe, Ma.” Timon muttered.