Circle of Love

Chapter One

It was a peaceful day in the Pridelands, and the members of the Lion Guard were hanging out in the Lair. Ono flew back to the iconic hangout spot to report that there had been no trouble.

"It's been quiet in the Pridelands today, huh?" said Kion.

"Yeah," Beshte agreed. "I guess even the Outlanders are taking a break today."

Suddenly, the five animals heard a high cackling sound. Hyenas.

"Aw, you jinxed it!" complained Bunga.

"Here we go," Fuli sighed.

"Till the Pridelands end..." Kion began.

"Lion Guard defend!"

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"Mmm-mmm, I do love me some stripes," Janja said, grinning. He watched the startled herd of zebras panic and run until he heard a chorus of voices.

"Till the Pridelands end..."

"Lion Guard defend!" The Lion Guard.

Uh-oh, Janja thought. He tried to, but it was too late. A force pushed him to the ground. Kion.

"I thought I told you to stay out of the Pridelands, Janja!" Kion yelled. Janja squirmed under his grip, but Kion didn't let go. Then something unexpected happened.

Maybe it was because Kion had been in a good mood, or because Kupatana was right around the corner, but he suddenly saw Janja in a different light. He looked scared. More than scared. Terrified. And... was he shaking? The shock of Janja's reaction to simply being pinned down made Kion release his grip a little. Janja seized the opportunity and got up.

"Come on boys, we're outta here." Kion watched the clan leaving with a bewildered look on his face. Fuli walked up.

"You okay, Kion?

"It's... weird," Kion replied, still staring at the hyenas. "Janja, he seemed... scared of us."

"Well, that's a good thing, right?" said Bunga. "He's supposed to be scared of us! He's Janja, we're the Lion Guard. He doesn't stand a chance against us!" Bunga crossed his arms over his chest proudly.

"Yeah, I know, but..." Kion sighed. "I don't know. I just feel like he shouldn't be that scared."

"Don't worry about it!" Bunga exclaimed, putting his arm around Kion. "He was probably bluffing so you would let him go. And it worked."

"I don't know, it looked pretty real," Kion replied. "Meet me in the Lair, guys. I'm going to see what's going on.

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In the Outlands, Janja happily chewed on a bone. His wolf-like ears picked up footsteps coming from the left. He abruptly stopped chewing and looked at his friends.

"It's probably nothing," Nne reassured him.

"Yeah, probably nothing," Janja repeated nervously.

"Janja?" called a voice the hyena knew all too well.

"I need to talk to you." The golden lion cub came into sight. Janja whimpered and hid behind Cheezi.

"Janja, can we please talk?" Kion repeated. He looked around at the clan. "Alone?" Janja came forward with his head down, ears drooping, awaiting his fate.

Kion led him to a deserted spot in the Outlands before sitting down and looking at him. Janja immediately defended himself.

"I wasn't even doing anything! I was sitting in the Outlands, minding my own business, and then you come and start barkin' at me!"

"Whoa whoa whoa, relax!" Kion said in alarm. "You're not in trouble."

"I-I'm not?" Janja asked, looking up.

"No, I just want to talk."

"Then talk."

Kion took a deep breath. "Why are you so afraid of me?"

Janja laughed. "Why am I afraid of you? Lion cub, have you forgotten who you are? Who I am? I'm a hyena. You're the leader of the Lion Guard. I'm supposed to be afraid of you!"

"I swear you and Bunga share a brain."

"Huh?"

"Never mind. It just seems like you're more scared than you should be."

"Well, I have good reason! Nothin' good ever comes when we have an encounter! You kick our tails outta the Pridelands and we're sore for days!" Janja lost his usual bravado. He hung his head, looking exhausted. This surprised Kion. He had never thought about it that way. Never thought about how the hyenas felt, how kicking them out of Pridelands all the time affected Janja. For a minute he felt a tiny bit of sympathy towards his rival. He sighed and softened his tone.

"Janja, we don't have to be enemies. If you respected the Circle of Life, things could be different." Kion paused, realizing something. "I want you to respect the Circle of Life."

To outsiders it might sound like they were talking about the Circle of Life, but both animals knew the meaning ran far deeper than that.

"I want to," Janja said, breaking the silence. "I really do. But hyenas are always hungry. And believe it or not, I actually care about my clan." For a moment, a glimmer of hope glowed in the lion's heart. Janja wanted to be good! Maybe things could really change! Encouraged by this, Kion gave a tiny smile to the hyena.

"I can help you. Please, let me help you!" he begged. Janja thought about it for a moment. Maybe it can work, he thought. Maybe I can be happy! I can be friends with the Pridelanders. And Kion! The idea of it warmed his heart. The hope was so intense he couldn't refuse. He said the one word that would change his life forever:

"Okay."

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"First rule of the Circle of Life: Don't take more than you need." Kion said as he walked Janja back to his den.

"You mean don't take more than my clan needs," Janja said, leaping on a rock. "I meant what I said about caring for them."

Kion smirked and shoved him playfully. "You know what I mean."

Janja was so happy! He never thought this day would come. The day he finally got along with Kion.

"Number two," Kion continued. "I assure you: Hyenas absolutely can live on leftovers and not go hungry." Kion stared deeply into Janja's eyes with a serious expression. "Your whole clan. I promise. Jasiri can do it and you can too. And if for some reason you ever do go hungry, come to me and I'll get you some food." Now that the hyena was reforming, Kion was starting to care about him. A lot. The feeling had always been there, but he had pushed it down deep inside him. Because he couldn't care about bad guys. He and the Lion Guard, they weren't allowed to care. Wait. The Lion Guard. Kion's content expression turned to horror.

"Oh no, I've got to go!" he exclaimed. "I've been gone way too long." He turned and ran.

"Wait!" At the call, Kion turned back. Janja laughed nervously. "Could we... um... keep this between us?"

Kion rolled his eyes. Only Janja would be embarrassed of others finding out about his reformation. "Don't worry, Janja. I won't tell anyone. It'll be our little secret."

Fuli, Bunga, Ono, and Beshte were waiting at the Lair when Kion got back.

"There you are!" Fuli exclaimed.

"What took you so long?" asked Bunga.

"Did you find out what's wrong with Janja?" Beshte said. Kion racked his brain for a response. He had promised he wouldn't tell after all. "Uh, yeah!" he finally said. "Janja was, uh, bluffing! Just like you said, Bunga." No one but Ono noticed that Kion didn't answer the honey badger's question. And was it his imagination, or did the lion smile a bit when he said Janja's name? Something was weird, but Ono wasn't going to say anything about it.

Yet.