The Lion Guard: Without Him ✔️

ten

The trek was growing harder as the days went on. The trio made of a young princess and two cheetahs had traveled away from the Pride Lands, across a portion of the desert, over a desolate grassy savannah and were now finding themselves at the edge of the snow lands. They were close, but it had taken too much time.

Fuli worried over the Pride Lands; it was her duty to protect the land in Kion's place and yet here she was on a likely pointless journey while a savage could be slaughtering the animals she swore to protect, torturing her friends and capturing the throne for himself. And none of them would know until they returned.

Fuli stared up to the top of the mountain; she could not even see the top as it was covered in fog and icy mist. It was freezing here and coat of a saharan animal did little to comfort her in the cold.

"We should rest for tonight," Azaad said as he too looked up the mountain. "We need our strength to make it up there."

"But we're so close!" Fuli protested vainly. "It can't be that far up!"

Azaad raised a cocky eyebrow, "And yet we cannot see the top."

Fuli rolled her eyes, sick of his sarcasm and ignorace and just -- him! Who did this cheetah think he was anyhow? Joining their excursion by guilt-tripping her and Kiara, making himself the "Big Man" as Fuli described it. She was just sick of him!

Fuli set her jaw in determination. "We are going, now."

"Fuli," Kiara piped up softly. "I know you want to get there -I do too!- but Azaad is right. We haven't stopped in hours and without rest we won't be able to get to the top in one piece."

Fuli grumbled incoherent words under her breath before finally nodding. However, she sent a glare in the other cheetah's direction; he had Kiara wrapped around his claw. "We leave at dawn." She said with finality. The other two agreed.

"Great!" Kiara then said. "I'll try to find us some food. You two can find a cave close by and wait."

Fuli tried to protest but the princess -with a smug grin- had already disappeared around the mountain side. Fuli growled under her breath.

"Well then Fuli," Azaad said in his annoying accent, coming to her side with a bounce in his step. "It looks like it is just you and me for a while!"

Fuli rolled her eyes, her ears dropping slightly, "Great."

***

They managed to find a deserted cave in the side of the mountain, sheltered from the wind by the rocky covering which acted like a door of sorts. Fuli lay close to the wall, curled in on herself in search of warmth.

Azaad sat a few feet away, watching the lady cheetah out of the corner of his eye. She was very beautiful indeed; although, Azaad found, she denied her strengths too often. Fuli was closed off to anyone she didn't already know which made Azaad's attempts at conversation and friendship more and more difficult.

The cheetah was not entirely sure why he asked to travel with them in the first place. Indeed, he was lonely, but there was more to it than that. When he first laid eyes upon the cheetah who had caught his heart despite everything, he had felt his heart swell. Azaad would admit that at first it was her beauty which caught him but over the week they had spent together, he found himself admiring her more for her strength, self-resilence, personality and her determination. And even though they were traveling to resurect the one Fuli truly loved from the dead, Azaad would not change a thing.

"Cold?" He decided to ask, nonchalantly of course.

Fuli shot him a glare. "No." And yet, her teeth were chattering.

Azaad cocked an eyebrow, "Are you sure about that? It is cold. It is not as though we were made for snow and ice." He wasn't lying; he was also extremely cold.

"I'm fine!" Fuli snapped. "Just- just leave me alone!"

Azaad sighed. That went well.

"I'm going to find Kiara," He decided and got up quickly once the tension became too much. "See if she is alright."

He walked out of the little comfort the cave provided into the wind. He wandered around for a while until he discovered Kiara heading in his direction.

"Did you find anything?" He questioned as they began walking back to the cave.

"No," Kiara sighed. "I knew I wouldn't. What could live here?"

Azaad looked at her curiously, "Why did you go then?"

Kiara gave a small smile, "I know I shouldn't but... I can see you like her, Azaad. I just wanted to give you some time alone."

Azaad was surprised to say the least. The guy they were saving, Kion, was Kiara's brother. Why would she be smiling and leaving for Azaad to attempt to make a connection with Fuli?

Finally, his curiosity got the better of him, "Why?" He asked dumbly.

The princess sighed, "Azaad, Fuli has been alone for a long time. She was abandoned as a cub and spent most of her cubhood alone. Then, she met Kion and the rest of our friends. They became her family. Kion was Fuli's best friend. She blames herself for what happened to him. She refuses to let anyone else in, fearing that she will be the cause of their deaths too."

Azaad was shocked by the new information. She was abandoned? She blamed herself?

"But... why does she do that?"

Kiara shrugged, "Fuli is a mystery only one animal was able to figure out. And he's dead."

"But," Azaad wondered why he had so many questions. "We are about to save him. Why let me try now?"

Kiara looked down, her ears folding, and even stopped walking. Realization dawned on the cheetah male. "You do not think it will work." He stated rather than questioned.

The princess sighed and shook her head. "I want it too." She whispered. "Believe me, I do. But... it goes against everything I've ever been taught. Besides, the dead," She gulped. "Their journies in the circle of life are complete, and they should stay that way. I'm here to protect Fuli, hope this works, and guide us back home before it's too late to stop Uchafu. But if this does not work, she will need someone to lean on... someone to love."

"Love?" Azaad asked, even more surprised. "Me?"

Kiara looked up at him and smiled, "Perhaps. Just give her time."

***

When the two arrived back at the cave, they found Fuli fast asleep, shivering in the cold.

Kiara smiled cheekily and nudged the other cheetah towards her. Azaad's eyes widened.

Kiara shrugged, "Just pretend you rolled over to her." Without another word, the princess curled into her own ball and closed her eyes.

Carefully and very nervously, Azaad lay down beside the cheetah female, their fur touching, and closed his eyes, hoping he wouldn't wake up to a slit throat. It didn't take him long to fall asleep by Fuli's side.

As the night went on, the two moved closer to one another in their sleep until their bodies were touching. They kept each other warm throughout the night, without a single shiver or a scary dream.

***

Hey guys! So... a chapter! It's short but it's progress, right? XXX