Rise of Kion

Encounter with the Guard

When the cry for help sounded, no one heard it. All the Pridelanders were asleep in their homes. The Outlanders as well. Why, the sound didn't even carry that loudly to Pride Rock, and no one heard it. No one, that is, except Kion. 

Ever since the fight with Scar, Kion's senses had been heightened, and he'd been displaying abrupt mood swings. He'd be all nice and kind to someone one moment, but whenever someone made him mad, he'd turn on the poor person in a heartbeat. He'd done it to everyone, from the hyraxes to Queen Kiara herself. But while the mood changes were a pain, his heightened senses were a good thing. Now, Kion could hear, smell, touch, and taste things better than he could before the battle. 

So when the scream resonated across the Pride Lands, Kion's head quickly perked up. He leapt to his feet and raced inside the Lair. Fuli was the only one still living there. "Fuli, c'mon!" Fuli jumped up and the two raced out of the cave's mouth. 

"Till the Pride Lands end, Lion Guard defend!" Unlike in the past, the only one there to finish his cry was Fuli. The others had abandoned him long ago. Bunga to Hakuna Matata Falls, Beshte to his pod, Ono to his egret flock. Only Fuli had stayed with him as a member of the Lion Guard, out of loyalty to her oldest friend.

"Fuli, run ahead and tell me what you see," Kion said.

"On it. Huwezi!"

Fuli raced ahead of the stready lope that Kion was doing. She sprinted to a small dry hill up ahead. Her eyes swept over the savannah. They landed upon a zebra, alone and surrounded by hyenas. Muuaji, she thought. She turned and ran quickly back to Kion, who was still a quarter of a way to her. "Muuaji and his clan are attacking one of the zebras. It's alone and separated from its herd."

"Thanks, Fuli. Lion Guard, let's go."

Fuli sprinted back towards the zebra, Kion loping behind her. As they ran, they passed Muuaji and his crew going the other way. Kion and Fuli skidded to a confused stop.

"Muuaji," said Kion in confusion. "Why are you here? Weren't you attacking the zebra?"

Muuaji looked back at Kion as he ran. "You're no match for the new Guard, Kion. They're more powerful than you ever were, and especially now. Kion, you're old news, and you're weak. Vitani, you don't mess with her. Not if you want to keep your body unharmed." Kion growls at this lousy attack on him, and Muuaji whimpers and continues out of sight, heading back to the Outlands. Kion kicks the dirt in anger, and Fuli looks at him with concern and sympathy. "Kion, don't worry. Muuaji was only trying to beat you down." Kion sighs. "I know."

The pounding of running feet behind them, and they turned to see Vitani and the supposed new Lion Guard lope up to them. "Kion, Fuli," Vitani says, nodding her head. "Vitani, Lion Guard." Kion says the last words with a growl.

"What are you doing here?"

"We're patrolling," Vitani responded. "Queen Kiara ordered us to. We're the Lion Guard, after all. What are you doing here?"

Kion's throat rumbles threateningly. "We're following that attacked zebra."

"Well, you don't have to. We took care of it. Now, if you'll excuse us, we need to get back to our patrol. Tazama?"

One of the lions loped away from them, with the others following, and then Vitani left, glancing back at Kion with a smug grin on her face.

Kion groans as they leave. "Vitani and the Lion Guard. I hate them. They're the source of all my problems, them and Kiara." Fuli nods. "I know. They took over our job. We're the Lion Guard, not them."

Kion nods. "I wish we could do something about it. But we can't." He pauses, and waits for Fuli to agree with him, but she stays silent. "Fuli? We can't do anything about it, right?" Fuli is so quiet he thinks she hadn't heard him. Right before he's going to ask again, she answers. "I don't know yet, Kion. But I might have an answer to your problem. Let me think for a while." Kion nods, and says "Let's get back to the lair." Fuli nods, and the two of them turned and raced back to the lair.

The next day, Fuli thinks of something. "I've got an idea," says Fuli. She and Kion are lying in their cave near the border between the Pride Lands and the Outlands, near the big ravine. "What," asks Kion, hopefully. "We could kill Kiara and Vitani?" Kion stares at Fuli in shock, then starts to laugh uncontrollably. 

"That's the funniest thing I ever heard! You and me, the upholders of justice and the protectors of the Pride Lands, murdereerin someone, no less the queen, who also happens to be my sister?!" He doesn't notice that Fuli isn't laughing until he looks to her for confirmation that that was a joke. She doesn't respond. 

"Fuli?" Kion asks, slightly alarmed. "That was a joke, right?" When Fuli doesn't respond, he says "Fuli! What are you thinking? We're not murderers! I understand your frustration at the Guard and Kiara, because I have it, too. But even though I do want to reclaim my position as Guard leader, killing people is not the way to do it. And besides, Kiara's my sister, and no matter how much I trust Kovu or Vitani, she does and therefore we must, as well." " "Right," Fuli mutters. "Sorry I ever considered it." And the two lapse back into silence.

"Kion," someone yells from Pride Rock. They sound angry. Kion sighs, and says "Lion Guard. Till' the Pride Lands, Lion Guard defend!" He and Fuli get up and run to Pride Rock. They reach the top quickly. Standing there are two lionesses, the Queen and the Lion Guard leader: Kiara and Vitani.

Vitani smirks at them as she turns and says "Thanks, Your Majesty. I'll bear that in mind. Hello, Kion. Fuli." Kion glares at her retreating form. "Kion," says Kiara forcefully. Kion turns to her. "Yes?"

Kiara sighs. "Kion, Vitani told me you've been interfering with her duties as leader of the Lion Guard. She says you're stopping her from helping the Circle of Life. As queen, I can't allow you to do that. You are not the leader of the Lion Guard anymore. If this continues, I'll need to send you away. You, too, Fuli. Stop causing trouble, you two."

Kion growls. "Yes, Your Majesty." Fuli glares at Kiara as the two turn and leave.

Kiara sighs, and looks at them, worriedly. Zazu lands ands says "Your Highness, the Morning Report." Kiara doesn't answer. "Your Majesty?" "Oh, sorry, Zazu. I'm just worried about Kion. He's never had a problem with me being queen before. But something's changed. I know it." Zazu thinks.

"Perhaps you should make him the leader of the Lion Guard again," he recommends. Kiara ponders that, then shakes her head. "No, I don't think so. I first changed the Guard to Vitani and her friends because they wanted to prove themselves. But then Bunga and the others stopped coming. So, I guess it just ended up with everyone excepting Vitani as the new leader. And he seemed fine with it, but now..." She trails off, and Zazu nods understandingly. "Your Majesty, perhaps he just needs some time alone." "Maybe," Kiara says worriedly. "Now, Zazu, tell me the Morning Report. I want to take my mind off of Kion for a couple minutes."

Kion stalks away from Pride Rock, still growling at Kiara and Vitani. The two had taken almost everything from him. After Simba's heroic death from the flood a year ago, and Nala's from an attack the year before that, he was alone with his sibling. Then she'd married Kovu and became queen, making Vitani the Guard leader. And he wouldn't even be king after Kovu and Kiara died, because their cub, Kubwa, would be king after them. He hated them. He hated them all. The only thing they hadn't stolen from him was Fuli, his sole friend. But how to get revenge? He thinks over Fuli's half-hearted suggestion from earlier. Should he kill them? But then he'd be now better than an Outlander. But, in reality, wasn't killing a part of the Circle of Life? Hadn't his father basically killed Scar by pushing him off of Pride Rock? Or Kiara with Zira off the cliff? Kion nods to himself. Yes, killing is a part of the Circle of Life. And isn't it a part of the crocodile way to challenge someone you think is doing a bad job of leading? Yes. He thinks over these things, and comes to a solution. Not a particularly pleasant one, but a nevertheless necessary one. He walks over to Fuli. "I know what to do."

"We're going to kill the Royal Family and the Lion Guard."