We Are The Same. We Are Together

Chapter 1

Every morning, the sky is blessed with red hues and soft light. Mother Nature awakening its daytime children from slumber with the pleasant warmth of the sun marking a new day. A gentle touch of light and a pleasant serenade from a flock of birds brings forth the new day to all mammals, aquatic creatures, avian sleepers, and cold-blooded scales alike. Most love to be awaken from their Mother Nature, but a young lion cub, with a red mane slicking back down his neck, was not as fortunate.

His eased breaths and soothed body was quickly subdued by an unpleasant, rough surface. It was sliding up the back of his neck to the top of his head, in which he went from stirring to yelping in anguish. He squirmed, twisted, and pushed away from the offender that had awoken him, but he was trapped under a paw much too heavy to lift. He finally decided to cry out in a desperate voice.

"Mom! Stop it!"

"Kion, quit fidgeting. You have to go through this every morning," the large female lioness continued to clean her son with the sandpaper texture that was her tongue, "I do not understand why you are not use to his by now. Kiara knows to hold still."

"Yea, Kion," another female lion, though much smaller than her mother, smirked at her struggling brother, "You better listen to mom. You do not want to get on her bad side. Besides, we're royalty, and royalty should always be a good role model for others."

"Well excuse me, princess," Kion snarled at Kiara, but, knowing he was defeated, he slumped to the ground, "But I find this unnecessary and embarrassing, especially as the leader of the Lion Guard. I'm just going to go out there and get dirty again defending the Pridelands."

"Which is why you better be prepared for another cleaning when you get back. We have to make an appearance at the Zebra's performance this evening. It would be rude to show up filthy," their mom took her restraining paw off of Kion, sitting down and licking the dirt off of it, "Alright. You may go, Kion. Please be careful."

"I will, mom," Kion rolled his eyes, but smiled back to his mother, getting ready to leave their den, "Bye mom. Later Kiara."

"Goodbye, Kion."

"And try not to get 'lost' on the way back," Kiara said, knowing full well that Kion would rather be anywhere but the Zebra's theatrical performances.

"I will be back on time," Kion's grumbling tone said otherwise while he was bolting out the entrance.

He followed the path down from Pride Rock, reaching the base and out into the Pridelands. The Lion Guard, a team of the finest protectors in Pridelands as well as Kion's personal and best friends, were going to meet out by Flat Ridge Rock to start patrol around the borders of Pridelands. Working their way in along the way.

"Zuka Zama!"

"Huh," Kion looked up to see what was making a honey badger shaped shadow on the ground. It was his best friend, Bunga. The dark blue, bug-eating adventurer had flipped out of a tree Kion was passing by, landing onto the lion cub's back.

"Hey, Kion. Mind giving me a lift," Bunga laughed, gripping onto Kion's orange neck.

"Sure thing, Bunga," Kion said, increasing his strides into long prances, covering hundreds of yards in seconds, "Better hold on though."

"Is that a challenge," Bunga grinned, wrapping his arms around Kion's neck, "Go ahead, try to shake me."

"Ha! You boys are turtles compared to me!"

The two looked over at the sleek, agile body of Fuli the spotted cheetah. She gave a taunting yawn as she easily kept up with Kion's strides, "This is a jog for me. Huwezi! Race you to Flat Ridge!"