The Lion Guard: Season 3 Reimagined

Chapter 6: The Night Pride

Author's note: When you see (XXX) the recommended soundtrack is Asphalt and Ablution from Halo ODST

Kion felt his breath grow heavier from a mixture of fatigue, restlessness, and the cold. Despite this, he forced himself to press on, even into night. The Lion Guard traversed this cold tundra for three long days, pressing on harder than before as Makini informed them the Tree of Life drew near.

The ocean of stars and silver moon with softer gleam lit their path through the fields of snow. While Kion showed no signs of wariness, his companions struggled to keep up, and panted.

"Kion, can we please take a breather!" Bunga muttered.

"Come on, we're almost there!" Kion growled, the Prince's anticipation mixing with the renewed burning sensation in his eyes.

"Kion, my legs are wobbling!" Beshte groaned as he struggled to keep pace.

The lion growled in frustration and bore his fangs.

"Fine! We'll keep our families waiting!" Kion growled, laying down in the snow as the others almost collapsed. Despite having an opportunity to catch their breath, the others received little comfort, especially as they saw Kion's deteriorating condition.

He'd been on edge far more than usual over the last few days, and even the tuliza wasn't helping as much.

Kion stared out at their path ahead with a deep longing and heard a familiar hissing in his ears.

"They're holding you back, none of them underssstand your pain."

Makini slowly approached Kion and opened her gourd.

"Here, have some tuliz-"

"I don't want any tuliza!!" Kion snapped, knocking it from her hand.

"I want this scar healed and I want to see my family again!!!" Kion roared, shaking the area slightly as the wind picked up. The Prince held his scarred eye and struggled to stay upright as the burning pain raged like an uncontrollable fire.

Makini backed up and trembled.

"He's getting worse, I've never seen him this short-tempered before." Beshte muttered with growing concern.

"You don't think the venom is starting to take hold do you?" Anga asked as she similarly looked towards Kion.

"No way, Kion's just anxious about getting home to his family and getting Ono his sight back." Bunga tried to assure them.

Fuli and Azaad, however, continued to watch their leader carefully.

"This isn't him." Fuli sighed with deep pain in her eyes.

"I haven't known Kion as long as you, but from what I have seen, he's more than the rage that's consuming him. This venom inside him-"

"It's not just the venom, Azaad. It's being apart from his family, they think he's dead,and every moment he's here is a moment he puts them through more agony. For the longest time I wouldn't have understood what that felt like, but after years with the Guard, I finally do. If Kion and the others thought I was dead, and I'd become separated from them." Fuli couldn't finish but felt Azaad comfort her with a nuzzle.

"I suppose that is the bond of a family."

After an hour of rest, the Lion Guard resumed their trek across the snowy terrain until at last they saw it, the entrance to a passageway flanked by rocky cliff sides.

"This is it! The entrance to the Tree of life!!" Makini cried in jubilation.

"It is, we finally made it!?" Ono squawked.