New Angles

Episode Eight: The Race To Tuliza

~Episode nine: The Race to Tuliza~

(after events of Journey of Memories leading into The Race To Tuliza; continued)

Gold turned brighter as the sun's rays stretched down to create it's warmth again.

"*loud yawn* haahh! What a night!!" Bunga groaned.

"Shh, Bunga!" Fuli hissed, then turning back to something amongst their friends, the honey badger leaned forward to peer past her at it.

Kion lay, somewhat, how and where they'd left him.. The only differences that were plainly evident, were the way he lay on his side with his top foreleg draped over his face to cover his eyes. The leaf from Makini's staff lay a short distance from his head, which the mandrill picked up to find it dry and secured it back onto her staff where it came from.

"You think he's ok?" Beshte wondered, softly.

"One way to find out, Beshte.." Fuli answered, turning to the hippo earnestly. "But,.. we'll know for sure when he wakes up.. on his own." The emphasis on this last part, shot a glance over to Bunga suggestively.

"What?" The honey badger shrugged, unaware of her meaning. But again, this thought was put on hold, when a groan from their leader encouraged their attention to return to him as he began to stir.

"Kion? Are you awake?" Ono addressed him softly, hopping quietly toward the young lion's head.

"Ugh.. am I?" Came a muffled response, as he pressed his eyes into his foreleg.

"Not very, I'll bet.." The egret guessed, running his wings over the corresponding shoulder. "Take your time.. How do your eyes feel? Better?"

"I.. think they're ok.." Kion replied uncertainly, holding his position.

"Ok, then slowly let some light shine on your face." Ono instructed. "So your eyes can adjust, then you can open them and tell us what you see." The young lion's paw began to drag off his face and as he did so his eyes remained closed, clenching tighter in response to the light shining on them.

After a time, Kion shifted his weight off his one side so that both paws braced to the ground, and his chin rested between his forepaws.

Another amount of time went by before, he became brave enough to try and open his eyes. And as the amber of his irises found the light in more detail, he realized that he actually registered the legs of feet, paws, and claws quite clearly.

"Woah!" He breathed, sitting up rather quickly which only threw himself off slightly, as a very small shock to his other systems of the abrupt action.

"You ok?" Fuli asked worriedly.

"Yeah,.." Kion answered, his gaze wandering down. "Better then ok.." He added with an optimistic smile coming back up to meet her gaze. "I can see.. better now."

"*deep sigh* Hoh,.. good." Ono sighed, pressing a wing to his own chest with a sigh. "I'm glad to hear that." He said, flapping up to hover at eye level with the Lion Guard leader.

"Yeah,.. and now we can keep going.." And they set off again, Kion leading the way as their journey continued across the dry, sandy earth that surrounded them. Though it wouldn't be long before, the beating heat would bring back that horrible effect on his vision. Which he knew now was, in this case, for another reason entirely..

XXXX

(during the Guard's conversation and after Kion's fall)

"Kion!" Fuli gasped, turning quickly toward her leader, as he sat where he'd landed in a daze, facing away from her.