The Lion Guard: Without Him ✔️

eleven

The morning sun slid through the cracks in the cave, streaming inside in light beams that reflected throughout the cave. The lioness princess continued to sleep soundly, finding comfort from the sun in the chilly morning. The cheetah male, too, remained fast asleep, content in his own warmth he gained beside the cheetah female.

Fuli was the first and only one disturbed by the sun. She groaned softly in her sleep and blinked her eyes open, taking a moment to process where she was. It was warm, if not for the little bit of wind that swept in through the entrance of the cave, and she felt more relaxed than she had in a longer time than she could remember.

Her thoughts started returning of the last weeks: the prophecy, the threat of Uchafu, their journey to the Temple of Life and the cheetah male sleeping soundly beside her.

Wait.

Suddenly very awake, Fuli jumped six feet into the air and scampered backwards against the wall, her fur puffed out and her breaths uneven. Millions of thoughts raced through her mind, and even she could not keep up.

Meanwhile, Azaad's head hit the ground with a thud, startling him awake. He was very displeased with what he found when he opened his eyes.

"WHAT THE HELL WERE YOU DOING?!" Fuli screamed in anger and embarrassment.

"I-I-" The cheetah male stuttered for words, trying to remember the story Kiara had provided him the previous night. "W-what d-do you mean?"

"YOU KNOW WHAT I MEAN!" Fuli continued to yell, waking up a sleepy princess.

Kiara groaned and rolled over, covering her ears with her paws.

"TELL ME!"

Azaad glanced between his female counterpart and the princess, stressing. "I- It was in my sleep!"

"Sure." Fuli said sarcastically, her nose flaring with fury. "TELL ME THE TRUTH!"

"Fine!" Azaad gave in, standing up quickly. "You were cold and-"

"NEVER-" Fuli stomped up to his face, glaring at him with eyes that could cut a hyena's vocal cords loose. "-EVER. DO. THAT. AGAIN."

Azaad nodded quickly, biting his lip. "Sorry." He murmured.

Fuli huffed angrily and turned around, slapping his face with her tail. "KIARA GET UP!" She yelled. Even Kiara listened to an angry Fuli.

And so, their hike to the top of the mountain began.

***

They had been walking up a slippery ice slope for a little over an hour now. The snow was melting enough to make their journey even more difficult in the rays of the sun. Even so, the trio were glad for the bit of warmth and the absence of the icy wind. Although Azaad was covered in a pile of snow which had fallen from above them. That was Fuli's only amusement.

She could not stop thinking about that morning; how she woke up so content and warm next to Azaad, and she tried to push down the buzzing feeling in her stomach that came whenever she thought of it.

Fuli was so distracted by her thoughts that she didn't notice the scenery change until Azaad said, "Hey Fuli?"

The cheetah rolled her eyes, "What?" She snapped.

"Look at this." Kiara added.

Fuli huffed and turned around, walking back to where the two of them had stopped a few feet back on the path. She followed their gazes and her jaw dropped. "Is that...?"

"Yes." Azaad said factually, all sense of jest missing from his features. To be honest, it quite disturbed the young cheetah, as she had grown used to his constant banter. "That," Azaad continued. "Is a papaya."

Fuli shook her head and glared at the ripe fruit that grew from complicated vines and brambles in the side of the mountain. How was it growing?

"How?" Kiara asked, voicing her friend's thoughts.

Azaad answered in a whisper, "We're getting close. The Temple's energy must be affecting the life around it. It... it works."

***

Hours later, and the top of the mountain was coming into view. It was almost sunset and the cold winds had returned, burning the trio of animals through their thin coats. Rest assured, animals like them were not meant for the cold.
Each of their own thoughts raced.

When they finally reached the peak of the snow land, they were awed and stilled into silence by the stone temple crafted into the mountain, as though it was a part of the Earth itself. It was like a gift from the Great Kings.

Azaad was the first to draw his eyes away from the monument itself. He looked at the doors towering over them, each carved with intricated details of lines, suns, paw prints and other shapes.

Kiara gulped. This was a chance to have her brother back, for him to be returned to the world of the living. When she was a cub, she took her cub brother for granted, always teasing and often belittling or making fun of him with her friends. She couldn't remember ever properly telling him that she loved him, even in his last hours. She wished she had. Perhaps now she could. Even if she could just get a glimpse of him, she would pray to the Great Kings every day for her whole life.

Meanwhile, Fuli was struggling to get her lungs to breathe and her legs to move. Something was holding her back, but she could not fathom what. At the same time, all she wanted to do was see him -Kion- and tell him... tell him what? She had dreamed of this happening for years, even when all of the odds were against it ever happening, but now that she was here, she was hesitating.

"Come on," Azaad's husky whisper slashed through the wind, calling the felines from their thoughts. He stepped ahead first, taking care to watch his step as he neared the giant doors. Kiara and Fuli exchanged looks before following.

Azaad stopped in front of the doors, looking up at them. He was sure he saw a carving of a meerkat, warthog and lion walking on a log in front of the moon. How odd.

"We have to get the doors open." He said, looking over them once again.

"How?" Kiara asked, also looking. There was no way visible to their eyes.

"Push it." Fuli said quietly. The other two looked at her, confused.

"How do you know?" Azaad asked cruiously.

Fuli grinned and gestured to the floor. The snow at their feet had melted, revealing words in an ancient language which they all recognized as: "Push to enter."

"Oh." Azaad said shortly.

Fuli burst out laughing. Why, even she didn't know. Perhaps this adventure was finally the one which would send her over the edge of madness and sanity.

She cleared her throat, her laughter drowning out quickly. Kiara and Azaad both smirked in both confusion and relief at hearing the cheetah laugh. Actually, Azaad thought, this was the first time he had heard her laugh at all. It was beautiful, like... the cat version of a swallow's song. Okay, that sounds weird but anyone could get what he's trying to say.

Fuli took the lead. She pushed herself up on her back paws, pressing against the wood with her front paws and started pushing. The doors creaked.

Kiara broke out into a grin and joined her friend, pushing herself up into Fuli's position. The doors gave another crackly creak.

Azaad shrugged and smiled. Despite what this victory would mean, he would never put his own desires before what another wanted. Especially if that someone was Fuli. Even in the face of all her flaws and broken pieces and angry outbursts, Azaad was sure that it would not change.

So, he too pushed with all of his might. The doors scraped against the stone floor with deafening squeaks, causing the felines to flinch. However, they kept going until the doors had been opened wide enough for them to fit through one at a time.

"Well?" Kiara asked, out of breath. "Ready?"

***

Heyy!! Update!!
We're going on 7.8K soon!! I'm so happy!! Thanks beautiful people ❤️❤️