All Mud and Motor Mouth

All Mud and Motor Mouth is a magazine story inspired by The Lion King. It was published in three issues of The Lion King: A Nature Fun and Learn Series as part of the Hakuna Matata magazine series.
==Synopsis==
===Part 1===
All Mud and Motor Mouth begins by introducing Simba, the king of the Pride Lands, and his two best friends, Timon and Pumbaa. At the start of the story, Simba is wondering how Timon and Pumbaa came to be friends. In answer, the story transitions to Pumbaa, who is wandering the desert alone, lamenting how since birth, he has been shunned by society due to his flatulence and unnatural attraction to mud. In order to escape the pressing demands of his fellow animals, the warthog leaves behind his family and takes up residence in the desert, where mud is rampant and plentiful. However, in recent times, a drought has shaken the land, and Pumbaa is left with nothing but a humble mud pool to call home. Greatly saddened as well as depressed, Pumbaa sinks into the mud, wishing for a friend.
Meanwhile, Timon is on sentry duty for his colony. Notorious for being a motor mouth, the meerkat proceeds to report everything to his fellow colony members, from the rising sun to a passing butterfly. After a long day of tireless reporting, Timon sees true danger strike, an eagle descending on the colony. The young meerkat attempts to warn his friends, but the other meerkats ignore him, as they dismiss his comments as nothing more than useless talk. When the eagle attacks and the meerkats barely escape with their lives, they blame Timon for the incident. Intent on escaping their accusations, Timon decides to forge a life of his own in the desert wilderness. While wandering the savanna, the meerkat falls into a mud pool, a mud pool which happens to be shared by Pumbaa. In this way, the friends meet for the first time.
===Part 2===
As Timon falls into the mud pool, a rainstorm sweeps the savanna, turning the dry earth into a swirling bed of muddy water. As the meerkat flails in the water, screaming for help, Pumbaa questions his urgency, as the warthog is enjoying the muddy turn of events. Timon spouts an angry answer, landing the two in a heated debate, during which Timon finds himself stuck in the mud. In a fit of desperation, the meerkat dives for Pumbaa, only to snag the warthog's ear in his small hands. Together, the two go tumbling down a steep embankment of mud and water. As the muddy river sweeps them through the dry savanna, Timon and Pumbaa thrash desperately, searching for a way out. The two manage to spot an island of vegetation floating in the midst of the river and clamber aboard in an attempt to flee the mud.
After settling down on dry land, Pumbaa checks on his companion, the first animal he's communicated with in a long time. The two introduce themselves, though Timon immediately proceeds to blame Pumbaa for all the trouble they've been through. The meerkat goes on to say that Pumbaa stinks, a comment which ultimately pushes Pumbaa over the edge, past the hope that the two will ever become friends. The island of debris floats on, eventually reaching a lush jungle paradise. Relieved to be rid of each other, the two start to part ways, Timon going off to search the undergrowth for bugs while Pumbaa sniffs out a new mud pool. Unknown to the two, a giant python watches them from above, its hungry eyes fixed on Timon.
===Part 3===
At last, Timon and Pumbaa part ways. In an attempt to show off, Timon swings away on jungle vines, only to accidentally mistake the python for a tendril of ivy. Trapped, Timon backs away from the advancing snake. At the last second, Pumbaa charges into the clearing and spears the snake with his tusks, tossing it away into the undergrowth. Timon watches in amazement, for once viewing the warthog as a friend rather than a source to tease. The meerkat follows Pumbaa back to his new mud pool, suggesting they be a team, but Pumbaa is not keen on the idea. Giving up, Timon turns away and starts back toward his meal of bugs.
At this moment, Timon spots a rhinoceros lumbering toward the mud pool. Knowing full well that the rhino will not be keen on sharing, Timon grabs two stones in his paws and slams them together on Pumbaa's tail, sending the warthog in a flurry out of the mud pool. At first, the warthog is angry, but when he realizes why Timon had hurt him, he becomes grateful. Together, the two agree to become a team, with Timon depending on Pumbaa's brawn and Pumbaa depending on Timon's brains.
==Trivia==
* This depiction of Timon and Pumbaa's first encounter conflicts with The Lion King 1½ as well as the Timon & Pumbaa episode "Once Upon a Timon."
* Timon is said to have a "motor mouth" on the official Disney website.
==Gallery==
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==References==
Category:Magazine stories
Category:The Hakuna Matata Magazine Series
Category:The Lion King magazine stories
Category:Real world