A/n: This takes place after the episode; 'The Search for Utamu'
Darkness descended upon the Pridelands as the Sun had sunk below the horizon and the sapphire sky was now replaced with a myriad of stars that dotted across the vast blackness of the night sky. Animals of the vast African savanna below have all retired into their respective homes and were all curled up for the night after surviving the entire day in the wild.
Over at Pride Rock, the Royal family of Lions lay in their respective corners and were seen to be peacefully dozing away undisturbed, as they recharged themselves to prepare for the day ahead. All of them, except for one. Kion was at his corner of the den, tossing and turning on his back and forcing his eyes shut, trying to desperately to fall asleep but his efforts proved to be futile. Finally giving up, he got off his back and stood on his fours and began observing around his home.
He could see his parents cuddling each other in their sleep a few feet in front of him while his sister, Kiara was right next to them on her side, peacefully sleeping away with a noticeable smile on her lips. Kion let out a sigh, envious to see that he was the only one who seemed to be insomniac that particular night. He decided to head outside, hoping a little walk will wear him out. He stealthily crept past his parents and sister before walking outside towards the pinnacle of Pride Rock, where he eventually had an unobscured view of the entire Pridelands, illuminated by the brilliant light of the full moon.
As Kion sat on the Rock and admired the view, he found himself helplessly thinking about a particular friend of his in his mind; Fuli. Just a few hours ago, Kion and the rest of the Lion Guard had very nearly watched Fuli get devoured by Mzingo and the other vultures, had they not intervene and fend off the winged predators from their Cheetah comrade. Though Kion was mildly angered with her for ending up in such a dire situation as a result of going against his advice to not tire herself too much, he found himself consistently worried about her well-being every other minute for the rest of that day.
Now he knew why he just couldn't fall asleep that night; he was still worried about her. From where he was at the top of the Rock, he could see the tall grass of the grazing grounds where Fuli usually sleeps alone, just several yards away from Pride Rock. After debating and pondering with himself on his next course of action, Kion finally decided the only way he was going to put his mind at ease and be able to sleep was to drop by on his Cheetah friend and make sure that she was safe and sound. Not wasting another second, he got up and started making his way towards the grazing grounds.
Using only the moonlight to aid in his navigation, Kion traversed through the tall grass of the grasslands to search for his Cheetah friend. But after several minutes of searching and trekking, he could find not even a whiff of Fuli, not even after trudging through the vast pasture for a second time.
"Fuli? Fuli, are you here?" he whispered as he desperately searched for the young Cheetah cub.
Kion's heart was now pounding rapidly as he was sure that something undesired had happened to his best friend. His animal senses were now on full alert as he began searching the outer edge of the grazing grounds area. Sticking his nose close to the ground, his sharp sense of smell finally picked up a familiar sweet scent that he instantly recognized as Fuli's. Not wasting another second, Kion followed the scent trail, all the while hoping and praying that his Cheetah friend isn't in any danger. The trail lead him away from the grazing grounds and towards the Watering Hole, which was the primary source of water for most of the animals living in the Pridelands. As he approached the embankment surrounding the Watering Hole, he instantly let out a sigh of relief when he saw the silhouette of his Cheetah friend drinking at the water's edge.
Fuli had been taking her time drinking the refreshing water, all the while replaying the events that had happened that day in her mind. She let out a startled gasp when she suddenly heard a familiar voice softly calling out to her from behind.
"Fuli?"
She turned around to see Kion meekly standing behind her with a relieved look in his eyes.
"Kion? What are you doing all the way out here… and in the middle of the night?" Fuli asked, genuinely curious and concerned about her friend's sudden appearance.
"I um… I went to the grazing grounds earlier, where you usually sleep and saw that you weren't there. So, I started looking for you and picked up your scent along the way and... well, here I am!" Kion replied, managing to flash a last-minute smile at her.
"Yeah, I can see that, Kion," Fuli laughed good-humouredly. "But why were you looking for me in the first place? Is there something wrong?"
Kion let out a sigh and decided to be confess the reason why he was there. "Well, I err… I seem to have some trouble falling asleep tonight. To be honest, Fuli, after the incident between you and the vultures earlier today, I just couldn't stop worrying about you. And… well, I just couldn't fall asleep because my mind was constantly wondering if you're alright or if you're being ambushed by the Hyenas or the Vultures or… something worse than that."
This was one of the rare moments where Fuli was genuinely touched. She never really knew just how much Kion had truly cared about her until he confessed it to her that fateful night. In fact, the only other person whom had shown such concern for her well-being was her own mother, whom had left her to be on her own when Fuli was still an infant of only a few months old.
"Gee… Kion, I… I really don't what to say," she admitted, holding back her tears. "I'm really grateful that you care about me, but… you didn't have to come all the way out here in the middle of the night-"
"No, I had to, Fuli. My mind will never be at ease until I know that you're safe," Kion cut her off while gazing intently into her emerald eyes.
Touched, Fuli slowly got closer to Kion and gave him a small lick on the nose, causing him to blush intently under his orange fur.
"Thanks for that, Kion,"she said with a genuine smile. She pinched her lips to the side and instantly got an idea on how she could put her friend at ease. "Hey. If you're still worried sick about me, why don't you and I sleep together at the grazing grounds for the night?"
Kion hesitated, not at all expecting her to make such a proposal. "Err… well… sure, I guess. If that's okay with you."
"I look forward to it," Fuli replied, giving him a brief smile before leading the way back to the grazing grounds.
Kion followed behind, all the while wondering how their night together will play out. Once they reached the tall grass of the grasslands, Fuli led him towards a spot right in the centre of the vast pasture.
"Here we are, home sweet home," she announced with a grin as she stretched herself before settling on the grass.
Kion followed suit and settled down next to her. "Huh. Is there any particular reason why you always sleep at this very spot of the grazing grounds?" he inquired, as he had occasionally spotted her sleeping in that exact same spot while he was at Pride Rock.
"Sure. The ground's softer here so I can sleep comfortably… and the grass here are much taller, which I can use as camouflage. The last one is a precautionary step I usually take since I'm always sleeping out here by myself," Fuli explained.
"I see," Kion replied, though her last sentence triggered him to ask his next question. "Fuli, if you don't mind me asking, don't you feel lonely sleeping out here by yourself?"
The young Cheetah let out a long sigh at his question. "Sometimes, I guess. But I don't have a choice. I'm a girl cheetah, and that's what girl cheetahs always do."
She paused and turned to see Kion's expressions fell, as if he regretted asking her such a sensitive question.
"But at least I know that I won't be feeling lonely tonight, now that you're here with me," she continued with a comforting smile, as she laid on her side so her back was resting against Kion's body.
Kion responded by gently rubbing his muzzle against her forehead and whispered in her ear,
"You're my friend, Fuli. And that's what friends do; stick with each other so none of us will ever feel lonely."
His kind words seemed to have a comforting effect on Fuli, as she couldn't stop herself smiling and purring at the same time. "Thanks for that, Kion. I can't tell you how much I appreciate having you as my friend."
Her gratitude and the feel of her purring body against his was more than enough to put Kion's mind at ease, and for the first time that night, he felt his eyelids become heavier by the second and he was finally feeling the need to get some sleep.
"You're… you're very much welcomed," he yawned drowsily before snuggling his muzzle against the soft, plushy fur of her back. "Good night, Fuli."
A soothing sensation instantly overcame her when she felt Kion's firm and sturdy build gently rested against her slender frame. "Goodnight, Kion," she managed to reply with a smile, before her weary eyes started feeling heavy and so she closed them and prepared herself to fall into a peaceful slumber.
A few minutes later while she was half-asleep, Fuli could suddenly feel Kion subconsciously slide his left paw across her back and eventually placed it on her chest, all the while he was still obviously fast asleep. Normally, Fuli would have felt uncomfortable with such an embrace, but this time, it provided her a sense of warmth and assurance that he was keeping her safe while they slept together for the night.
With a smile, she held his paw closer to her chest and nuzzled her forehead against the underside of his muzzle before closing her eyes and resumed her peaceful slumber, with Kion intimately cuddled against her for the rest of the blissful night ahead.
The End
A/n: Hope you guys liked it! Do read, enjoy and review :) Have a great day ahead, everyone!