Hello, I'm new in Fanfiction. Hope you enjoy!
Chapter 1
~~~
"Quick, before anyone got hurt!" Jasiri heard Kion say as they and the other guards raced for a herd of oryxes. Just earlier, Ono informed them of the herd somehow getting messed up while patrolling. Now they needed to calm the herd down so no unwanted injury happen.
While on their way though, a whining moan got the hyena's attention. She stopped, looking between her friends' shrinking figures and a quite thick grove of trees behind her, from which the sound was coming. The moan continued. Her common sense finally won over and she found herself looking for the source of the distressed voice. It was revealed to her in the form of one male elephant calf, stuck in tree vines and hung in the air, upside-down. He didn't take notice of her. A few other animals his size around him though, most probably his friends, saw and took the chance to bolt away as fast as they could.
"Where are you all going? I need help here!" the calf tried to call his friend but was ignored.
"Um, hello? I can help," Jasiri neared him. His eyes went wide the moment he saw her.
"Aah, hyena!" The reaction she got was surprising, but not entirely entirely unexpected. He moved his feet and trunk about, trying to get away while being stuck. The tree he was hanging from just shook slightly. The act brought out a laugh from said hyena's mouth, which further encouraged him to do so.
Jasiri did her best to contain her laugh. "Now, now, I'm not going to eat you. I'm already full," The elephant was definitely not buying it. Even if he did, he must still be freaking out, afraid she will eat him once her stomach emptied itself. "Okay, listen here. I'm not going to hurt you, or eat you, or do anything to harm you. I'm going to free you. Am I clear?" The elephant nodded quickly.
"Alright, how do we do this," Jasiri examined the vines. She clearly couldn't release him just by claw, as the vines were thick and somehow fully enveloped him. "This may take quite a while. Can you wait?" The elephant just nodded, this time slowly.
Jasiri looked for some leaves for soft landing once he was free and found a bush big enough for his size. It would be some time before she fully set him free, so she would give some friendly comments and teases once in awhile just to push away the silence.
"So you thought it was a good idea to use the vine to get to that branch with your friends' help, but somehow got yourself stuck instead?" the hyena asked after he told her the reason he got into this condition. She was obviously amused, but could not laugh as both her claws and teeth were being used to cut the vines.
"It's not funny! It was just an accident," The elephant furiously defended himself, to which she just laughed over, as much as she could.
"Really? Did this accident happen because you didn't listen to your friends' advice even though they most probably had a point by any chance," she guessed, her teeth now aching a bit.
The elephant sighed. "I'm sorry. I just want to know what it feels like to be up there," He looked down, more like up in his case, apologizing. "But how do you know? I've been stuck here like forever! Well, maybe just since this morning," he looked into the hyena's eyes with his head still upside-down.
Jasiri didn't think long for the answer. "Trust me. I have a friend who was just like you. In fact, I think he still is." She chuckled a bit. "He's probably got himself into trouble by now. Just yesterday he fell into a mud for not listening to my advice while we were 'rescuing' Zuri's fur. I told him it was slippery, but no. Being the stubborn cub he was, he ignored my advice and keep on moving forward. In the end, his fur is the thing that needed to be 'rescued'. Luckily only his mother had to do it. I don't think my tongue could have handled doing that," Jasiri finished telling her story and found a pair of innocent eyes looking at her in awe.
"What? Do I have something on my face?"
"You're not evil,"
"What?" Jasiri said, not comprehending.
"You're not evil like what they said about you," he explained.
Jasiri was taken aback and stopped freeing him for awhile. "Of course I'm not evil. Why would you think so?"
"Well, my parents told me to never go near you. My friends too said the same thing. Those hyenas that kept causing problem," the calf said before realizing what they had done earlier. "My friends! They left me behind," He groaned, putting his hoofs in his face.
Jasiri took the moment to reach her paw to his slumped shoulder, or at least to the vines that was in between the shoulder and her paw. "Hey, don't worry. They will come back. If not, well… They did try to stop you from climbing earlier, didn't they? They will surely come back," she kindly told him with a smile. "I can accompany you in the meantime, not that I have any other choice," Her comment, despite being slightly sarcastic, brought out a thankful smile from the calf.
Meanwhile on another part of the Pridelands, the remaining members of the Lion Guard had found out the cause of the herd's problem.
"Hyenas, I told you to stay out of the Pridelands!" Kion shouted to Janja, Cheezi, and Chungu.
"Did you now? My stomach keeps forgetting," Janja joked. Chungu laughed at that.
"His stomach forgets! That's a good one,"
"Go!" the lion cub roared, causing those hyenas to flee. He turned. "Lion guard, calm down the herd! I'll take care of these guys,"
"You got it!" Fuli told him as he began his chase.
Sometimes, Kion wondered whether hyenas really had no brain as they had been rumored. It was literally--figuratively actually--the hundredth time he warned them to not step into the Pridelands, and yet, they kept coming back for more of his roar. But still though, Jasiri herself was a hyena but she proved herself to be quite smart and had many times suggested ideas that made improvements for the guard. He guessed that it was only males, hyenas of course, that were stupid, such as the ones he was chasing into the Outlands.
The three crossed an old, rotting log bordering between their home and his with a river below, its current being strong. "That's it, back to the Outlands. Now!" Somehow, the lion cub stupidly decided to stop halfway on the log without considering the consequences should it break, and break it did. Kion fell into the river and only submerged with the help of a part of the log, coughing water.
Ono, who had just along with the others calm the herd down, saw the lion cub after being told to check on him. "Hapana! Everyone, everyone, Kion's in trouble. Come on," He went first since he knew where his leader was.
Kion meanwhile had a hard time being pushed by the water current. A rock stood on his path and he almost fell. "Woah!"
"Hang on Kion! We're coming," Bunga and the others followed along the river bank. The honey badger decided to jump in.
"Little B, don't! The current's too strong,"
Fuli ordered Ono to keep following Kion while she and Beshte helped Bunga. The hippo took advantage of his weight and managed in bringing his friend back to the ground. "Thanks, big B,"
"Hang in there, Kion," Ono dived closer to his leader. Another big rock stood on the lion's path. "Oh no, Kion, look out! Rock, straight ahead!"
After some more hitting, diving, and being pushed, the river current brought him close enough to the bank for him to climb to the dry ground. He coughed and collapsed.
"Kion, are you alright?" He heard Bunga shouting from the other side. He managed enough strenght to stand and reply back.
"A little wet, but I'm okay,"
"But Kion, look. You're out here," Ono said after landing beside him, fear evident in both his voice and gestures. "...in the Outlands,"
Kion laughed. "I can see that Ono, and it looks like I could take that trail upriver," He looked over the structures of rocks of the Outlands, stacked upon each other. "Don't worry Ono, we'll be fine. Besides, I definitely can't cross the river here. The water is way too rough,"
"Lion Guard!" he shouted over to the rest. "Meet me at Flat Ridge Rock. I can cross the river there," Then he noticed something, or more accurately the lack of something, in this case someone.
"Before I forgot to ask, have any of you seen Jasiri? I didn't hear her say anything about my mane since earlier," he said, just as Bunga was about to say something.
Fuli groaned at the mention of their currently missing member. "Ugh, that girl! She must have heard some other animal asking for help on our way for the herd,"
"Well, that's Jasiri for you," Kion chuckled, recalling his friend's antic. "Now go and find her. She'll know where Flat aridge Rock is. And Ono, I'll need your help,"
And with that they separated, all the while Ono kept himself as close as possible to his leader.
~~~
"You're in the Lion Guard, aren't you?" The elephant asked after noticing the mark on Jasiri's shoulder while she still worked on the vines.
"Of course, what do you think this mark is for? Most loyal servant of Priderock?" She turned and looked dreamily at the mark, remembering the time she received it. She didn't hear what the calf said. "What again did you say?"
"I said you left the guard to look for me, is it not? I heard Ono shouting something about oryxes," he looked down, in the sense of emotion.
"Now, don't do that. I just figured the guards could do a day without me. Besides, even Fuli and Beshte alone are enough to calm the herd," Jasiri chuckled. "By the way, what's your name?"
"Mtoto," he answered, still looking down. She then had an idea and put on a smirk on her face.
"Wanna hear how I came to the Pridelands?" He looked at her almost immediately after hearing that.
"Really?" Jasiri nodded. "How?" Mtoto said, excited. His eyes was glued to the hyena, ears only focusing on her. Jasiri thought of a word to begin her sentence. Along with that came the memories of the day it really happened.
"Well, it all started the day when some certain stupid lion decided to get lost in the Outlands while I was searching for food..."
~~~
The Outlands, the darker half of Pridelands, stood in stark contrast to the greenish scenery of the latter, being in a more barren state as if the dry season had chosen to arrive earlier than it was expected to be. Bones and remains of dead animals were scattered all over the earth, sticking and protruding through the ground. One of them, a lizard's spine to be precise, almost got stepped by Kion's paw before he slowly pulled it back. There were hundred others such as this. He faced the sky.
"How's everything Ono?" Kion asked the Keenest of Sight. He had ordered the egret to look around them to see if they could reach Flat Ridge Rock sooner. "Are we any where close to the rock?" The sun had only moved a little towards the west since they began their journey, so no such luck had come.
Ono, who alighted from above onto his leader's back, shook his head in no, not considering that his leader had the back of his head towards him. The lion turned it to look at him in the eyes, as comfortable as he could in their position.
"I'm not seeing anything, Kion. The Outlands is more of Jasiri's specialty. I would need some more time to find where it actually is,"
"And Janja?" Kion asked, another reason ordering the bird to check around.
"Negative, Kion. After you chased them off today, and taking the time since then into account, it is highly unlikely we'll be encountering them soon. Plus, we know they only really trespass the border a few times a week. It's not unreasonable to assume they might just be in their dens,"
Kion thought over Ono's word as he turned his back on the path, continuing their journey. "Keep on guard though. We can't be too careful," As if on cue, a heavy weight suddenly pushed him to ground. Above him was a growling hyena pinning him down, fangs showing.
"Kion!" Ono called for him, but wasn't able to help because of size differences. But of course, only the egret couldn't. He on the other paw was a lion, and a trained one at that.
"Back off!" He pushed. And so it began. Two animals, circling each other slowly, eyes narrowed. Ono was safely watching things from above from Kion's point of view.
"We are not here for trouble," the lion calmly reasoned.
"Yet you dare trespassing my territory!" the hyena, female, responded with an even louder growl. "State your reason for coming into the Outlands, and you may be spared," she commanded. They had stopped circling, but their eyes were still deep glaring into each other's.
Kion started first. "My name is Kion. The bird above you is Ono and you're not harming him. We're on our way to Flat Ridge Rock," The narrowing was lost from the hyena's eyes, though still retaining its vicious glare.
"Do explain,"
"My leader fell and was brought by the water current here when he was chasing Janja. He wasn't able to cross, so we had go through the Outlands," Ono landed on said lion's head. "We apologize that we have trespassed your territory, but we must move fast," The tense air soon was replaced by a more calmer one, no longer having the threatening feel to it.
"Lion Guard..." The hyena stumbled back, clearly shocked after noticing the guard's marks on the both of them.
"You know us?" Kion stepped forward carefully. He could see that the hyena was just defending her home, though he still couldn't find any smell that marked the place as her territory. Perhaps almost being drowned had made his sense go crazy.
"You're quite the celebrity 'round here... and your roar," she said with every words being closer to a silent whisper. Her head was hung low, as if intimidated by their presence.
It was not a myth the Roar of the Elders was feared by those in the Pridelands who had seen him use it. Kion never would have expected the Outsiders to know about it too. But then again, lions' head in the form of cloud roaring were really not that hard to not miss.
Kion stepped closer. "Janja deserved it for trying to disturb the Circle of Life. I know you're not of his clan, so there's no need to be afraid. Like Ono said, we're just passing through," he said, smiling. The hyena's eyes soon met his, fear forgotten, replaced by unhidden curiosity. A moment of calm silence followed.
"Do you know where Flat Ridge Rock is?" The question caught the guards off guard.
"W-well, I've only been here once, and Ono is still adjusting, so no, not at all. We're lost. Care to show us the way? Please," The lion cub grinned sheepishly. Ono too chuckled a bit. Though, the humour eventually died off as the two watched the hyena shaking silently, not uttering a single word. Her eyes were staring at the ground, while her paws clutched her stomach. "Are you alright, miss?" The question was answered with one loud, rock-shattering sound only a hyena could manage. She laughed.
"T-that's... -he funniest... -tion... -ver!" she managed to say between laughs. She was laughing so much to point on rolling on the ground. Kion was actually getting worried if she had enough air to breathe. Eventually though, the laugh ceased and she smiled the widest he had seen her have. "Come, Lion Guard. I'll show you the way!" And she sped off.
Kion and Ono shared a glance, shrugged, and followed. She was already up ahead when they heard her shout something. "My name's Madoa if wanted to ask!" They actually wanted to ask if her lungs need any treatment, but she was far too fast they could reach the rock in about a second.
~~~
"C'mon, c'mon!" Bunga excitedly walked in front of the other guard. He with what seemed to not be patience hurriedly told them to quicken their pace to the place their leader had ordered them to go to. "We don't want Kion waitin' up at Flat Ridge Rock, wondering where we are,"
The guards were currently passing through a thick grove in order to reach their destination. The oblivious honey badger however, or perhaps one who just didn't seem to care, appeared to have forgotten the exact words their leader had said right after telling them their place of meeting. Fuli decided it was the right time to ask him when they encountered a forked path; green, serious eyes into sheepish, coal ones, a reaction caused by Beshte asking if something was wrong.
"Bunga, may I remind you of how exactly Kion told us to find Flat Ridge Rock, you know, by the help of a hyena named Jasiri?" Fuli gave a sharp glare. "Do you even know where you're leading us to?" For all she knew, he was leading them to an abandoned part of the Pridelands, which of course didn't exist as far as she was concerned.
Bunga shrugged it off. "Pfft, of course I know!" Something in his high pitched voice told the cheetah it might be orherwise. "We don't need Jasiri. She's busy tending to those in need. Bunga the Bravest alone is enough to guide us there. It's..." he turned around for a bit looking lost.
"...this way!" He pointed to the left path. Fuli thought his words for over a fraction of a second and followed his lead, Beshte on her side. No use in arguing with Bunga when she knew he was not going to listen anyway.
They weren't that much further away from the entrance they took if her observation was accurate. They could if they wanted to take the time to turn back and follow a route they were more familiar with, though Bunga said that would make the journey longer. They needed to be fast, so she had to put her trust in him in this one. She just hoped she, along with Beshte, was not making a mistake in this.
It took some moment in their walk that Fuli finally realized how she was not familiar with her surrounding. It was not the normal unfamiliar, but more like never-once-saw unfamiliar. She though just pushed that thought to the back of her mind. Bunga seemed to really know where they were headed. As if to counter her argument, the honey badger without warning halted in his track.
Fuli bumped into her hippo friend, to which she had no time to apologize because Bunga cut her words. "Wait! No, no, no, no. It's this way!"
While the tiny creature had a headstart, Fuli took her place beside Beshte. "Sorry for bumping into you, Beshte," She said a little louder than she would if the others were around.
The hippo, who had been smiling all along all these time just shrugged it off his shoulder by looking at the scenery. "No harm's done, Fuli. You don't have to apologize. You know how Little B is. It's alright," They walked in perfect harmony, Fuli a little ahead because of her nature as a cheetah.
"About that," the cheetah hid her growing worries from showing in her voice, thought she wondered if Beshte could hear it. "Do you think Bunga is leading us in the right direction. I'm sure I have never been here before," She gestured to the surrounding trees and plants.
"Well, if you ask me, I would say he might just be leading us right to the rock, but on a more unused route. He's more than he acts to be. I have my trust in him," the hippo proudly told her.
"Let's just hope that trust of yours will not be the cause of ours end," Fuli lowly whispered to herself as Bunga yet again stopped suddenly, this time in front if a path covered by small trees' leaves.
The badger told his friends in sing-songy voice. "Nope! Gotta be this way!" He gestured to yet another forked path. "Well, it's one of these ways,"
Fuli and Beshte shared a look at that, but they both finally realized the one thing they feared, or at the very least Fuli did. "Too bad Kion's not here to lead us," the hippo said in a tone of all but losing the confidence in his voice from their conversation earlier. Though they needed a clarification from the honey badger, just to make sure.
"Bunga, where are we, honestly this time?" Fuli asked with her glare fixed upon the honey badger.
Bunga played a bit with the grass at his feet. "Uh... we're lost?" He showed his teeth.
The other two sighed, Fuli almost growling. "Great! Ono's with Kion, Jasiri's somewhere in the Pridelands, and we're lost in the middle of who knows where. Just great!" The cheetah lay down to handle her urges from just breaking the Circle of Life.
"Hey, what's that?" Bunga proved himself useful for once after noticing some animals moving towards them. Children actually.
Jasiri had never once in her life carried on her back anything larger than a lion cub. Even that single act caused great pain for a couple of days. Not anything Rafiki's healing herbs couldn't help though. Still, she might have did this once and could tolerate the pain better, but the huge weight difference between a lion cub and an elephant calf was never an exaggeration.
"Won't you get hurt?" Mtoto asked the obvious question as the spotted hyena placed herself right beneath the closed vines containing him.
"A lot, maybe. For a long time, nah, I don't think so," Jasiri kept her words reassuring to him, but also to herself, seeing as she might not be able to see the Pridelands' rising sun the next day anymore.
It had been sometime since she finished her story. Mtoto was content having someone to talk and ask questions to while the hyena did the work of releasing him. He seemed to regard her as 'the only friend he ever had', so he definitely wouldn't let her have him fall on her back, because that was what she was planning to do. "But I could crush you!"
Despite his not so reassuring replies, Jasiri remained true to her title by coming to the same resolution by rethinking her method. Mtoto, from her point of view, was too high above the ground. She doubted if the bush she picked was enough to soften his fall. Not to mention he was also on his back.
"Yet you won't, because miracle always happens to those with good heart," She held herself from touching him as to avoid unexpected extra weight on her body. She had cut half-through most of the vines around Mtoto's back, so they were kind of sensitive even with the smallest movement. She was sure he restrained any movement he might have wanted to do, at least until she moved away. "You are right now literally near to who Kion calls as the Kings of the past. I definitely don't want you go joining them under my care. I won't know what to say to your parents,"
After some more arguing, with Jasiri on the winning side, their voice lowered. They had scared some resident birds here quite apparently.
"Is that true?" Mtoto referred to her 'good heart' statement.
The hyena paused for a moment. "It's just something someone told me. I never thought much about it, but it sure could help well in this situation," She smiled. "Okay, big guy. I need you to dance around like you did earlier, just a little faster. Don't worry about me. Aside from being the Kindest, I'm also the fastest at healing,"
With nothing going to stop her anymore, she signalled for him to start and muttered one of her friends' most repeated catchphrase in a variation of her own. "Twende fisi..."
"Jasiri!" A weight was lifted from her before it even fell when voices from a group of three entered her ears. Fuli, Beshte, and Bunga all had the same exhausted look on their faces, plopping to the ground as soon as they catch what must be their first breath in hours. Even Fuli was exhausted to the core.
"Wow, the day Zimwi chased you or what?" Jasiri couldn't help but to input a dry joke in a serious moment like this. After all, she was in the middle of saving a Pridelander, and having herself buried underground.
"That's the hyena!" A zebra colt pointed at her. Jasiri recognized him as one of Mtoto's friends who had fled earlier. Beside him was the rest. "It's going to eat our friend!" Her ears fell for a second but she quickly raised them back before anyone could notice.
"What are you doing there, Jasiri? You're not strong enough to carry an elephant!" Beshte, as if his energy had been refilled, went to her aid below Mtoto, pushing her away.
Right on time, the branches holding Mtoto's weight broke. "Ah!" He landed safely on Beshte's back. The only thing to be considered now was the fact that he was still trapped. "What kind of vines are these?" Those words might came spontaneously, but Jasiri truly wondered if she could use them to make a bed for Rafiki.
"Are you alright, Jasiri?" Beshte came towards her and helped her up. Despite not meaning it, he had pushed her quite hard, fit for the fact that he was the Strongest. "Sorry about that,"
Jasiri shook her head as she dusted off her shoulder. "We'll talk 'bout that later. Mtoto still needs help," She gestured to the trapped calf on his back.
"Oh, right!"
Beshte kneeled down so she could lead Mtoto to the ground--well, more like making him fall. She made sure to do it in the most harmless way though. The calf left quite a hole. She then proceeded to tear off any remaining vines that were still intact.
Finally, the elephant who tried to climb a tree was again free. "I'm free! Thanks, Miss Jasiri!"
He surprised the hyena by giving her a warm hug, to which she almost immediately responded by one of her own. She was surprised at the warmth an elephant as young as him could give. The hug was shortlived however.
"Sorry for interrupting, Jasiri, but Kion is in the Outlands and we seriously need your help," Fuli approached, looking refreshed after having her breath steady once more. Jasiri had her ears perked.
While Bunga was left with the children to look after them, the rest gathered at a fair distance so they could discuss about their leader's order.
"So Kion got stuck in the Outlands and told you to meet up with him at Flat Ridge Rock?" Fuli and Beshte nodded. Jasiri felt uneasy. Kion was the leader of the Lion Guard. As such, he had more chance of being targeted, especially in a place such as the Outlands. "Ono's with him too, I suppose,"
"Yes. The only problem though is that we don't know where it is. Kion said you should know about it," The cheetah answered, looking at Jasiri in the eye.
"And he told you to find me right before he headed into the Outlands?" Fuli averted her gaze and nodded.
Beshte tried to explain. "We thought Bunga knew. Since you're busy we just assumed it would be fine,"
"...and we got lost," Fuli hung her head low before rising it and looked at her friend straight in the eye. "What were you thinking anyway separating from the guard? We have talked about this,"
Jasiri didn't answer straight away, so Beshte took the conversation. "Do you think Kion know where he's heading to? I doubt either him or Ono is familiar with the Outlands," His friendly tone betrayed the weight of the question.
"No he doesn't," The hyena shook her head, eyes now on the ground. "He has only been there when he was lost. Me and Kion used to play near Flat Ridge Rock and know our way there. But he only knows the direction from the Pridelands,"
"Ono might be able to locate it, but from where we were headed earlier, they are nowhere near Flat Ridge Rock at all," Jasiri's voice fade to a whisper.
Silence reigned between the animals before the Fastest shattered it with a soft voice unusually heard coming from her. "Jasiri, we know you hate encountering Janja and his clan, or go near the Outlands. But Kion and Ono needs our help now. We're the Lion Guard. It's our duty,"
She placed a paw on the hyena's shoulder, smiling softly. "Plus it would ruin your reputation as the Kindest. You shouldn't reject other's request," Jasiri though remained silent.
"Uh... girls?" Both of them turned to look at Beshte pointing in the direction the children. They were arguing with a poor honey badger stuck between the argument, attempting to calm down the situation to no avail.
"You all left me! I don't want friends who don't care about their other friends," It was Mtoto, still upset over the fact that none of them stood by his side the moment Jasiri appeared. "Actually, I think I'm better off friend with Miss Jasiri. At least she won't leave me like you did,"
"But Mtoto, we've been friends since we're babies. You can't just say that," The zebra colt reasoned.
"Doesn't matter, Kwato! You guys left me," The zebra turned to his other friends for help.
"Don't look at me. I'm not the first one to flee," the little baboon said.
Before Bunga, who was apparently invisible the whole time, could say anything that might or might not worsen the situation, Jasiri stepped in. She saw Mtoto smile the moment he saw her. Though that smile melted into a frown, most likely because of the look the hyena gave him. "Is something wrong?" Jasiri, putting a scolding look a mother would have when she was disappointed, stood before him.
"I won't be your friend," she said simply and calmly, but with a result of shock from the calf's reaction.
"B-but you said--You told me you would be my friend!" He shouted but was silenced with one paw softly running down his head.
Jasiri sat down to be on his level since he too didn't seem to have moved from his spot since she and the guards minus Bunga left him and his 'friends'. "I won't be your friend, until you forgive them and apologize back. They are your friends, so you're the one who'll decide, but let me tell you. Breaking your friendship is the same as leaving your friends behind," For what seemed like the tenth time that day, she smiled at the elephant calf. "So what is your choice?" Kwato was the one to voice his thought.
"Look, Mtoto. We're sorry We left you. We were afraid at the time. But I don't want to lose any friend of mine. We're like a herd. We're dependent on each other,"
The next one is the baboon. "Yeah, I'm sorry too. Shouldn't have done it. Friends stick together, right?" He offered a hand. The next one to come was the ostrich, then lastly the mongoose, both with their own reasons.
All Jasiri could read from Mtoto's face was he was touched; touched by the sincerity of his friends and their words. He hung his head. "I... I'm sorry too. We've all been together for a long time. I shouldn't have yelled at you just because you're afraid. I would have done the same too," He raised his head back. "But we're friends and friends stick together no matter what!"
Another smile reached the hyena's muzzle as she watched them went for a group hug. The Lion Guard all stood on the sidelines letting the children have their own time.
"Thanks, Miss Jasiri! We are friends right?" Mtoto gave her one last hug before leaving with the other children. Jasiri just nodded and ruffled his head.
"No matter what,"
As he joined his friends, he halted suddenly and turned to look at the guards. "You're my hero, Beshte!" he shouted then ran together with four animals who would always be by his side. "Guys, I think I've got a new idea for a game that..." his voice was lost in whispers.
"I think my respect for you has just moved up a step higher," Jasiri was approached from behind by an equally smiling Fuli. "I could have never done that,"
"Yeah, you were like an angry mother hyena who then became a sweet sounding angel in a matter of second! I hope my uncles were more like that," Bunga leaned on Beshte's side. Then he stopped midsecond, face contorting into that of disgusted. "But then again, that would be weird. I think I'm good with how they are right now,"
"Come on, Kion and Ono are waiting for us at Flat Ridge Rock." Jasiri called, chuckling. "Don't want to let them wonder where we are," Bunga climbed his hippo friend's back as fast as a honey badger could.
"Zuka Zama, that's what I told them before! Let's go now,"
Before any of them could move further, Jasiri asked a question that brought both shock and funny reaction to all their faces. "By any chance, does any of you know the way out of here?" She grinned.
"WHAT?" The guards all except the Kindest yelled, scaring the chirping birds away. Jasiri laughed her hardest.
"Oh, just kidding! I know the way out. Race ya there!" The hyena sped ahead.
"Not a chance! Huwezi!"
"Hey girls, wait for us!"
~~~
So? Leave your thoughts. I'm open to constructive critiscm.