The Lion Guard: A Dark Secret

Chapter 31

A shiver rippled through Kion as he stood out on the cold with the Guard. The others didn't look any better.

"H-h-how a-are w-we g-go-gonna s-s-sur-survive th-the n-ni-night i-in th-this c-co-cold?" Makini asked, shivering and teeth chattering.

"I-I d-do-don't kn-know," Ono squawked in reply.

"H-how a-ab-about w-we h-hu-huddle t-to-together f-for w-war-warmth?" Kion suggested. The coldness of the night pierced through his body, sending chills down his spine. Could this night get any colder?!

"S-sure," Makini agreed.

"F-fi-fine b-by m-me," Ono replied.

"O-oka-okay," Fuli mewed, also shivering in the cold.

"P-poa," Beshte said. "Th-that sounds like a g-good idea."

"I-I n-n-nor-normally w-wou-wouldn't t-t-tol-toler-tolerate a-an-any c-contact w-wi-with a-an-any-anyone l-li-like h-hu-hug-hugging, b-bu-but r-ri-right n-now I-I m-mi-might m-ma-make a-an exc-except-exception." Anga's words came out so broken, it'd take one to pay a lot of attention to understand.

"Okie dokie!" Bunga replied, giving a thumbs up. He doesn't seem cold at all.

The Guard all scooted next to each other, pressing against each other for warmth. Suddenly Anga called out: "Hey! Who pushed me?"

"Hey, you're squishing me!" Bunga called back in reply.

Kion felt something hit him in the head. "Hey! Who hit me?" He asked.

"Sorry!" He heard Makini call out. Then she yelped: "Ah! Someone kicked me!"

"You're sitting on me!" Ono squawked.

"You're pecking me!"

"Hey stop rolling on top of me!"

"He pushed me aside!"

"She hit me!"

"She shoved me!"

"He rolled onto me!"

"Enough!" Kion called out. Everyone went silent. "This isn't going to work."

"Well we have to huddle together," Makini protested. "We'll freeze if we don't!"

"That's why I've got a plan," Kion told them. "We'll all sleep in pairs. Ono with Anga, Bunga with Makini, and Beshte with Fuli.

"That sounds great, but-"

"What about you?" Fuli asked, finishing Bunga's sentence.

"I'll sleep alone," Kion told them.

"But you'll be so cold," Fuli protested.

"I'll be fine," Kion told her, trying to reassure her. Fuli didn't look convinced.

"I won't let you sleep in the cold all alone," Fuli told him. "At least sleep with me and Beshte."

"I'll be fine," Kion told her. It wasn't that he wanted to sleep alone, he very much wanted to sleep together with Fuli, feel the warmth of laying beside her. It was that he couldn't let himself get attached to Fuli any more. It'd only put her in danger...

He walked to the other side of the cave and laid down. The cold, rocky floor pierced coldness into his body. A very cold breeze washed over him. He curled up tightly, praying to the Great Kings and Queens for the cold to go away. Please... cold go away. Why can't the cold go away... it's freezing. So cold...

The chattering of Kion's teeth seemed to echo throughout the cave. He dug his claws into the ground as he shivered. He was so cold, it stung almost. He so desperately wanted to curl up next to Fuli and the others, but he couldn't. If they cuddled together and kept each other warm, he would get more emotionally attached to her by spending time with her.