Rani's Trickery

Lies.....

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Kion had stood by the flowing river that had flown through the kingdom for many years. He had learned of its history from his new family. He had been living at the Tree of Life for so long, that he had learned pretty much everything there was to know about this place he now called home.

Even as a cub, this lion had shown clear signs of ferocity. He had never given up on his friends, and had always defended his and their honor against those who had threatened them. And now that he was a king, he would have to put that bravery to good use. But whenever he had thought of how his reign had begun, his ears had drooped low.

He could well remember how much he hurt Rani by saying what he had said. He was not thinking clearly when he said that he did not love her. He hung his head as he contemplated everything that he said to her. At first, he was not in love with her. But when time went on, during that fateful and useless trip back to the Pridelands, he realized that things were different.

He may not have felt anything before, but after a talk with Kiara on Pride Rock, his mind soon changed. Changing for what must've been the better. He may not have been a protector of the Pridelands anymore, but he was something even better now. He was a king. And what was better, he still retained his roar. The gift he was given by his beloved Grandfather. Everything was just fine now.

Suddenly, his happy thoughts were interrupted by the sound of rustling leaves. There was an animal running around in the woods nearby. He saw the shape rush by in the shadows cast by the shade. He lowered his head as he growled, approaching the undergrowth.

The attack came so quickly, the animal came as fast as a cheetah. He heard a yell of fury, and it hit him like a charging Buffalo. It had knocked him back a few feet, near the edge of the water. Once he shook the dust off of himself, he looked to see who it was that had attacked him.

Baliyo?

"Baliyo, what're you doing?!"

The Night Pride lion merely growled and gave his solemn oath. "With strength and respect, Night Pride protect!" He then pounced forward and chomped down on Kion's front leg.

Kion roared in pain and tried to shake him off. The brown lion refused to let go. There was something about him that seemed off. Unlike anything Kion had seen in him before. Baliyo usually wasn't this angry. There was something going on here that Kion could not comprehend. He could only swipe his paw and smack it across Baliyo's face in self-defense. He watched as his brother-in-law was knocked aside.

H had gotten back up in a flash and attacked again. The two had begun to clash again. Before Kion could ask him again what it was that had triggered him, his opponent merely struck him again. It was a brutal battle between the two, and as they both thrashed about, the two adults fell into the river beside them.

This had not stopped Baliyo, however. Being trapped outside of his element, Kion had not grown accustomed to fighting in deep water like this. But apparently, Baliyo had. It had impressed Kion at how dedicated he was to defeat him for this unknown reason. If the roles were reversed, Kion would have swam back to safety. But no, here he was, still fighting him for whatever it was that he had done wrong.

He saw Baliyo's maw open wide, ready to bite him through all the splashing. But then, something had zoomed down from above and knocked him underwater. A white blur with a bit of orange. Ever did the Egret of lesser sight fly, and now did he prove his worth. Ono flew between him and Kion.

"Baliyo, calm down!" Ono yelled. "It's not what you think!"

As Ono struggled to hold Baliyo at bay, Bunga and Makini had showed up to help Kion out of the water. Baliyo roared in fury and pushed Ono back to climb onto dry land.

"How can you all defend him!? After what he did! Don't you know what he's been doing?"

"You don't understand, Baliyo." Makini stayed calm in all of this. "Rani's been lying to you."

"Liar!" Baliyo screamed. "Rani told me everything! He's the liar!"

"Baliyo, what're you talking about?" Kion asked.

"Don't talk to me!" Baliyo growled, only to be stopped by Bunga, showing him his bottom.

"Don't make me use this." He warned.

"Baliyo, Shwari." Makini said soothingly. "You cannot believe everything you hear. Think rationally on this now. It is Rani who is the liar here."

"Makini, now I have to ask you, what're you talking about?" Kion asked while Baliyo was held in place by Bunga.

Makini sighed. "Rani has been lying to you, Kion. She's been lying since day one. She never loved you. She only wished to marry you so that she could be queen of the Tree of Life."

Kion's eyes widened at this, but he quickly shook his head. "No, no, that's impossible. Rani said that she does love me, she's always said it."

"Kion, it's the truth." Ono said regrettable as he climbed out of the water. "Me, Bunga, and Makini all heard her say it. She's lied to you. She's lied to all of us. I saw her make a suspicious look during the coronation. Ever since then, she's done nothing but avoid interactions that involve those she didn't trust. She may be carrying your cub inside of you, Kion, but it doesn't mean she had any love for either of you. I'm really sorry Kion. I really am."

Now if you readers out there have watched the show, you will know that Kion has gone through many hardships in his life. And if the Night Pride Series had ever become a thing, I'm certain there would be more to come. But at this moment, these things from the past paled in comparison to those of the present. Kion stood there, staring at Makini. Then Ono. Baliyo. And Bunga. Baliyo had seemed calmer, but panting heavily. His friends had never steered him wrong in his life. They were as trustworthy as they were true and blue. However, he could not have believed his ears when he and heard all of this.

He could feel his heart start to break in one small, fell swoop. He was a tough lion, there was no doubt about it, but he had never taken love for granted in his adult years. Neither of his loved once had ever gotten him into trouble. Good friends will help you, bad friends will lead you into trouble. His stomach had felt a twinge of pain as it flopped about as he tried to deny what they had told him. But as hard as he tried he had to have admitted that Rani had been spending a lot less time with her family, and her duties as queen ever since he had come back. He only stood there in silence until finally, he snapped himself back.

Makini and her two companions had never seen this face of Kion's before. It was a face of cold seriousness. He looked as if he were a hardened war general, coming back from a grizzly war. The only look that had matched this was the face of Baliyo's. The two of them did not need to give any words to tell the three bystanders what it was that they were implying. These looks were saying one thing:

Rani had a lot of explaining to do.

Oh! Kion now knows about what Rani is doing! What will he do?