Son of a Legend

Part 15: We Need a Leader

The Lion Guard is sitting there in shock. Koda starts shaking his head.
"I can't believe he's gone. I remember thinking that he was immortal for as long as I can remember." The rest of the Mkali's guard nodded in agreement.
Vitani sighs, "You guys made it back in time for the funeral. It's tomorrow morning."
The next morning, all of the Pridelanders gather at Priderock to say their final good-byes to the fallen hero. It is a closed casket because Kion has fur burnt off in multiple places. Everyone places flowers on Kion's casket. After everyone has said their goodbyes, they sing a song to give Kion a final farewell.

"Thank you for coming, everyone!" Makini says, addressing all of the Pridelanders. (For the sake of the story, I'm going to skip the majority of the funeral. I will be making another story in this universe where you can see all of in between the scenes stuff such as Kion and Vitani meeting, Kion and Mufasa heart to hearts, more detailed fights scenes, and as I said earlier, Kion's funeral.)
Simba pulls a cover off of Kion's headstone. It says on the front, "Kion. Beloved son, brother, husband, father, and friend." On the back is the mark of the guard.
Vitani sees this and sighs. "We're going to need to find someone else to lead the Lion Guard."
The royal family and two Lion Guards look at Vitani. "Why can't you just keep doing it?" Kovu asks his sister.
"Now that the new Lion Guard is back, they'll need a leader. One from their own generation. And since someone decided to exile their leader," she glares daggers as Kovu. "I think that the next best choice is Kopa." She turns and looks at Kion's younger brother. Kopa perks up.
"Me!? Why me!?" Kopa asks, very shocked that Vitani thinks she can step into the role that was once filled by his brother and nephew.
"You were no slouch during the Pridelands vs. Outlands War. You had what, 5 kills? So we all know that you can fight, and you are the brother of Kion, so let's hope that you can lead like him."
Before Kopa even gets a chance to respond, Kovu says, "She's right. You might not be Kion, and we're not asking you to be, but the Lion Guard needs a leader."
Kopa thinks about it for a second. "Worth a shot, I guess." He finally says. The guard stands at attention and salutes their new leader. Little did they know that it wouldn't last very long. The next day, they go in patrol, and there is a rockslide. The guard is able to make sure everyone is safe, but a rock falls on Kopa's leg. This shatters his Tibia, effectively giving Kopa the shortest stint as a member of the guard in Lion Guard history at just 17 hours (the previous record was 70 hours, the name of this lion isn't important). They try having Laika at leader next, but she isn't ready for the mental challenge that the job demanded. There was a mudslide that happened near the edge of the Pridelands.
"Alright, boss. Your call." Koda says to her.
Laika sees that there is a group of about 20 hiraxes in the way of the mud slide. "I-i-i don't know! I wasn't ready for this!" She starts to have a panic attack.
Koda looks and sees that the mudslide is starting to pull some of the hiraxes under. "Kasi! Grab the hiraxes that are in the deepest mud! Misuli! Take a boulder and use it to block the mud! Kushona! Keep watch and make sure that Kasi and I successfully evacuate the hiraxes!" He says, taking the lead for this mission. The guard nods and does as Koda demands. They somehow walk away from the mudslide with 0 casualties. "Laika, are you alright?" Koda asks.
"N-n-no. I-I-I'm not." Laika stammers. They all go back to Priderock.
"Mom? Dad?" Koda asks when he gets back to Priderock.
"What is it, Koda?" Kovu asks his son.
"Laika's not fit to lead the guard. That's her own words. We had to save hiraxes from a mudslide, and she froze." Koda explains to them.
"So, are the hiraxes okay?" Kiara asks.
Koda nods his head.
"It sounds like there is only one option left for you, Kovu." Vitani says as she walks in after comforting her daughter.
"And, what would that be?" Kovu asks his sister.
"Unbanish, my son." Vitani says sternly.
Kovu scoffs. "Vitani, not this again. He attacked royalty and said that he wished that he wasn't a part of this family."
"First of all, you're just mad because he beat you with three hits. Second, he didn't mean it when he said he didn't want to be a part of this family. How many times did I tell you and Nuka that I didn't want you as brothers?"
Kovu sighs, realizing that Vitani is right. "What's the point in unbanishing him if he doesn't even know that he's unbannished?"
"Kovu, Mkali is my son. I can find him. Plus, do you know any other lion that knows the Outlands better than I do?" Vitani asks her brother, desperately wanting to go find her son.
Kovu sighs again. "If you can find him and convince him to come back and lead the Lion Guard, then I will lift his banishment."
Vitani rushes to her brother and hugs him. "Thanks, Kovu!" She grabs a water canteen and fills it. Before walking out of the cave, she asks Koda what it means when Mkali's scar glows. She knew that there was a chance that she might have to fight her son.
"When his scar glows, that means that his hand-eye coordination and strength is nearly doubled." She then goes to the spot where she accidentally denied her son and his guard entry into the Pridelands a few days ago. She looks around and finds a set of footprints that go in a different direction than the other footprints do. She follows this trail for about 4 hours. She comes around a bend and sees her son lying down on his stomach. He is unconscious.
"Mkali!" Vitani screams.
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That is it for Part 15! I will try to upload at least 2 more parts today, but no promises. I will upload at least one more today, but I will do 2 if I can. Thanks for reading, everyone!