I. Evening in Meerkat Metropolis...

The hyena moved through grasses of the jungle with her head down low; she had to prove her competence, there was no room for error. If her uncles thought she couldn't handle this, they would take over and Asante's thin hold on the ravenous, unpredictable clan would be over. She had to maintain whatever control she had over them, or else they'd bring the entire Circle of Life to pieces again.

Night had fallen over the jungle and swooning meerkats were all hanging about in the treetops like monkeys. The late fall made it the wrong time for fireflies, but that didn't stop the meerkats from plucking up all other flying insects.

The ones who weren't smart enough to fly away, anyways.

"Pass the grub!" Pumbaa said in between a tree divide.

"Why do the fireflies always go up there to the sky at the end of every summer?" Timon lamented, stuffing his face.

From below them sat Kion, blinking, wondering in his quiet muse what he could have done to make Kopa hate him so much. He sighed and lowered his head in dejection just as Bunga leapt on top of it. This time, Kion didn't humor him.

"Okay," the badger got off of him. "What's with the face?"

"I don't know…" Kion shook his head as he stared off into the trees. "It's just that Kiara, Kopa and you had so much fun today. And… I really wanted him to like me. He's like this happy, easy-going guy and he's fun, and cool and he has time to do stuff with you. I just wish he could like me."

"That sounds like my uncles." Bunga volunteered. "Well… when I was younger. Since we've been in the Lion Guard, we hardly ever get to do stuff like this anymore," he added.

"I don't mind that," Kion told him. "I know Dad doesn't think I understand how important things are, it's just, sometimes I wish I had a cool, fun dad like other kids do and Kopa…"

"Hey!" Bunga whacked Kion on his lion-embossed forearm with the back of his paw. "At least whatever happens to us we'll always have each other, right?" Kion smiled at him in appreciation. They wrapped their arms around each other.

On the lowest, forested plateau Kiara and Kopa watched the slow-moving stream and the dark shadows rotating in deep blue catches of night light. The lioness remembered a long time ago her mother had brought her to visit Kopa in this great, wide jungle. Kopa had caught fireflies while she had watched along this same, dark stream. Once in awhile, Kiara would wonder how she remembered all this.

"Remember-,"

"You're lucky." Kopa told her as they lay watching.

"Huh?" Kiara turned to him.

"You're lucky you and Kion have each other," he met her confused eyes with a smile, "I know you don't see it now, but it's a great thing you're both together, Kiara." The lion gazed with a speculative look up higher into the trees as he seemed to think about something. Kiara sighed a little.

"I wish you could've known Dad when I did," He met her eyes again, trying to relate. "I see how serious Kion is and how much it's affecting you. But, man, Dad used to be so much fun. He taught me Hakuna Matata." Kopa let his light eyes wander to his paws. "I don't understand why it all had to change or why he never comes here or why he left m-,"

Kopa noticed her nervous look and sighed softly.

"Well…" He tried reassuring her. "It's good you have Kion. He's kind of a stick-in-the-mud, but he's your little brother."

"Dad loves me, even if he's one too." Kiara told him. She tried to defend who she knew he was talking about. "Dad can be really strict sometimes, but he just cares about us."

Her big brother nodded. "I know," he agreed wistfully.

Kopa noticed her starting to mope and ruffled her head with his paw, "Hey, we still have the rest of the night, sis. I'll show you my underground sand castle before you go."

"Really?" She perked up.

He chuckled. "No."

Kiara smiled up at him as he looked out at the stars and then nuzzled into his side. The lion blinked at her unsurely and then brought her in close for a hug. A familiar warmth was there as he held her by his side, like she was feeling it in a soft haze. For once Kiara felt protected, not sheltered.

Asante picked up the uncommon smell of lion cub. No… two lion cubs! They were masking a young but presumably formidable lion's scent. Most of what the hyenas picked up were meerkats. Her Uncle Banzai growled at her hungrily as the rest of the clan joined them in a thinned-out forest.

"A lotta trees, not a lotta FOOD!" He got in her face.

"Trust me," Shenzi's daughter turned to lead the way.

"Hmph! Why?! Why should we keep listening to you? It's been three days and if it weren't for your mother, you'd-,"

"We'll eat soon. We just have a ways to go," Asante cut him off and continued to lead her mother's clan onward.

To be continued...