AN: Hello all! I missed out on writing for a couple weeks since I was in a production of Sweeney Todd. The show was a ton of fun, but also challenging and kept me busy. But anyway, thanks to both pinksakura271 and Juster of Rivia for your suggestions to add TLG characters as it did give me an answer to a problem I had, but the only characters I will likely use from TLG are Kion and Jasiri because I haven't seen many episodes of the show and don't want to use characters I am unfamiliar with too much. Anyway, I hope I kept those two in character, but keep in mind that they would have grown up and are adults in this story.
pinksakura271: I always thought Nuka was an interesting character, I wonder what would've happened to him if he hadn't died sometimes... and thank you for the word play mention! I try to swap more human things to fit the animalistic point of view.
Juster of Rivia: Thank you very much! I'm glad that you've enjoyed my story enough to leave a review!
Additional Disclaimer: I do not own The Lion Guard either.
The next day it was decided that Simba's son and the leader of the Lion Guard, Kion, would go to speak with Shenzi's pack. He would also be accompanied by Jasiri, who, despite her rivalry with the other pack, would be best suited to take him there and get Shenzi to talk to him.
"Are you sure about this, Kion?" Simba asked hesitantly. He trusted his son, of course, but that didn't mean he wasn't worried. He'd never been a fan of his son befriending a hyena either, but she seemed to be good and have a greater understanding of the Circle of Life than Shenzi's pack, and Simba could appreciate that.
"Of course! We'll be fine, dad, and we'll be careful. Don't worry about us!" Kion grinned before bounding down the rocks to go meet Jasiri.
Simba sighed and watched his now grown son leave. Kion and the rest of the Lion Guard had missed all the trouble with the Outlanders. Well, they'd been around, they just had been dealing with the hyenas most of the time. Eventually Shenzi's pack had been convinced to back off and Janja's pack had joined her. Jasiri's own pack remained friends to the Pridelanders and were welcome in the Pridelands. Simba knew that unfortunately the two packs still viewed each other as rivals, but he hoped that Shenzi would be able to continue to keep her pack under control as she had since Scar was killed while also taking over Janja's pack.
"Hey, Kion! Zazu came by to tell me what was up. You ready?" Jasiri grinned, head butting her lion friend before leaping away in the direction they needed to go.
"Of course I'm ready! Let's go!" Kion laughed before following her towards where Shenzi's pack lived. "Are you sure you should be going though? You and Shenzi don't exactly get along, and Janja-"
"Eh, Janja shmanja. I'm not worried about him, and Shenzi and I may not get along but we can at least respect each other as leaders. Besides, Janja doesn't have any power anymore!" Jasiri replied, not slowing down.
"I hope you're right…" Kion sighed, speeding up to catch back to her. "Hey!" He exclaimed when she ran through a shallow area of the river they were crossing and splashed him. Jasiri laughed and he raced after her, managing to splash her back as they left the water.
"Hey yourself!" She slid to a halt and spun to face him. "I win by the way."
"Win what?" Kion stopped in front of her.
"The race to cross the river. We're almost there now." Jasiri replied with a smile before turning around and starting to walk.
"I guess it's time to be serious then." Kion nodded, walking beside her.
The two walked until they entered Shenzi's territory and conveniently ran into Shenzi herself.
"What now, Kion? We've stayed out of the Pridelands like we said we would." Shenzi sighed, stopping along with the other three hyenas accompanying her and turning to face them. One of the other hyenas was her daughter, Hila, who growled at the sight of Jasiri. The two had a long lasting rivalry. While Shenzi at least seemed to understand the Pridelander's views despite not agreeing with them, Hila believed she and her pack should be able to take anything they could get. Jasiri disagreed, and since she was the leader of the only other pack while Hila was set to take over her mother's pack eventually, the two weren't fond of each other.
"You have, but I've come to ask you about any involvement with Vitani or Zenara concerning a plot against the Pridelands." Kion replied calmly. Jasiri was attempting to ignore Hila, but he could tell that she wasn't happy to see her rival.
"Zenara came by once months ago asking for help with something, but I don't want anything to do with that anymore. We've found a better home since we left the Elephant Graveyard anyway, there's no reason for me or my pack to go against you or your family anymore, Kion. I never met Vitani." Shenzi replied, rather annoyed to be accused but also hoping to avoid a fight. She growled at Hila who had been acting like she might attack Jasiri. Hila glanced up at her mother and backed off reluctantly.
"And you're certain that none of your pack was involved?" Kion checked.
"If they were, it was not my decision and they acted against orders to stay out of it. So if you happen to find out any of my hyenas were involved with this, let me know."
"Will do, Shenzi. Thank you for your help." Kion smiled, turning to leave.
"Hold on, Kion. Hila, where'd you get that cut? It looks pretty fresh." Jasiri said, nodding towards a wound on Hila's shoulder.
"Wrestling." Hila replied dryly. "With my friends."
"Can your friends vouch for that?"
"Yea, but they aren't here right now and since I don't know where they are, I doubt ya wanna wait around for me to find them." Hila rolled her eyes.
"No, not particularly." Jasiri sighed.
"Hila, would you escort them to the border?" Shenzi asked, glancing at her daughter.
"Of course, mother." Hila sighed, brushing past Jasiri and starting towards the border, clearly expecting Jasiri and Kion to follow.
"Um, thank you again" Kion said quickly before following the hyena. Jasiri was in front of him and didn't look back, intent on not letting her eyes off Hila. She didn't trust the other hyena.
The trio walked in tense silence. Hila didn't like being outnumbered, but she hadn't wanted to seem like a coward and ask someone to go with her. Jasiri simply didn't trust Hila, and Kion was really hoping he wouldn't have to break up a fight. He paused briefly thinking he'd caught Zenara's scent and frowned. He shook his head. He must be imagining things. This whole ordeal was making him second guess everything.
They finally reached the border and Hila stopped, watching them irritatedly. "If you ever come back, make it about something good instead of accusing us of causing trouble. Keep your problems to yourself." She growled.
"Oh yeah? Then maybe you should pick some better friends." Jasiri replied. The wound on Hila looked to Jasiri like it hadn't been made by a hyena, and also like a serious battle wound, not just something from a playfight. She didn't have any proof though, unless Hila was stupid enough to fess up. One can dream.
"Says you. You turned your back on your own kind!" Hila snapped.
"Because I respect the Circle of Life and my place in it! You don't."
"The Circle of Life is just nonsense the lions made up to make it sound ok for them to be in charge!"
"Even if it is, their way works!"
"Not for us! But you're too blind to see that. At least I-" Hila stopped abruptly.
"You what?" Jasiri growled.
"Nothing," Hila snapped. Jasiri would never understand. Zenara had a similar plan to Scar's old plan. That lions and hyenas could live together and rule. Hila agreed, and Zenara said she'd fixed the flaws in Scar's plan. One of which had been that Shenzi didn't control her hyenas enough. But many of their numbers since then had been killed, and even with Janja's pack it would be easier. Especially because not all of the hyenas would go with Hila. She knew some would choose to stay with her mother, assuming the plan worked, but that would be fine.
"C'mon Jasiri. There's no reason for us to stay longer." Kion said, moving to stand between the two. Both hyenas growled again before turning and going their separate ways. Kion sighed and followed Jasiri. He was just glad that at least the two hadn't started fighting.
Meanwhile, back at Pride Rock, news had spread throughout the lionesses about Zenara's version of what happened. Even the former Outlanders were shocked by what she said. They couldn't believe Vitani would turn on one of her own, especially a friend.
"She's brought the hyenas back into this? Not even Zira could have managed that! She's worse than her mother!" One of the former Outlanders, Doa, exclaimed.
"And to turn on me… I helped raise her. I should have known she would turn on me. On us. On all of us." Zenara shook her head.
"You couldn't have known, Zenara, it made sense to trust her. It made sense to all of us." Mahali, Doa's sister, said softly.
"I can't believe you lot! Vitani has always wanted what she thought was best for us, she meant well! And I don't believe you, Zenara." Nuru snapped, standing and turning to leave the den. She didn't want to stay with the others anymore. They were wrong. They didn't know what she did.
"Nuru, please, stay away from her. She'll just hurt you too." Doa pleaded, looking up at Nuru.
"Doa, if you really think that then you're the same as Zenara. Vitani wouldn't hurt us." Nuru growled, stalking out of the den.
"Nuru!" Doa protested, getting up to follow her.
"Don't bother, she's upset, she's not going to listen to us." Mahali sighed. The two sisters settled back down on either side of Zenara to keep her company.
"This is ridiculous, I can't believe they actually think you would do this!" Nuru exclaimed, entering Vitani's cave. Itanya had been sitting there with Vitani trying to get her to talk. It hadn't been going well.
"There's no proof that I didn't. No one believes me except you two and Kovu. Unless the hyenas say anything, which I doubt they would, then there's no hope for me." Vitani sighed, laying down and resting her head on her front paws.
"There's always hope!" Itanya insisted.
"Not for me…. But if they won't believe me and it comes down to it…. I'm taking her with me."
"What do you mean?" Nuru frowned.
"I mean that if Simba decides I'll be exiled or killed, then I'm taking Zenara down. I won't leave you all in danger. Even if it means the pride hates me. She can't be here. You were right Nuru, we should never have tried to go through with that plan. It was always her plan. She just used me."
"But Tani you can't-"
"I will if I have to."
"But, but maybe you won't! I remember waking up and hearing you two talking! The hyenas were her idea. You didn't want to hurt the cub! She talked you into it!" Nuru remembered suddenly.
"That's it! Nuru you have to tell Simba and Nala. It could save Vitani!" Itanya looked up.
Vitani shook her head. "But it won't. They'll think that we made it up, that I talked you into telling them that. They won't believe you."
"But it's worth a shot, Vitani. Please. Let me try."
"If you cared so much then you would have told them sooner! You could have talked to me before we left! There's so much you could have done, Nuru and you didn't. You knew, and you did nothing to stop this. And now it's too late. They won't believe you and you'll only get yourself in trouble! Just-" Vitani snapped, jumping to her feet and baring her teeth.
"Tani, please calm down. Nuru just wants to help. We both do. The worst that happens if they don't believe her but at least she can try." Itanya said gently.
Vitani glared at both of them before growling and sitting back down with her back to them. "Do what you want."
Nuru and Itanya looked at each other sadly before padding to the entrance of the cave. Nuru left to find Simba and Nala while Itanya sat back down by the cave's entrance. She still needed to keep an eye on Vitani, but she figured she could give her friend some space to think.
Vitani glanced back as they left and then flopped back to the ground, letting her paws land wherever they decided to land. She didn't really care anymore.
How could I let this happen? How could I have been so blind? And now my friends….. they aren't safe. They won't be safe as long as Zenara is here. But I'll wait. There's time. She won't try anything until the cub is born, and that won't be for a while yet. I can figure this out. I will stop her.
AN: As always thank you for reading! Oh, and fun little thing I've tried to do that I'll mention now, is many of the characters I've added have names from Swahili that mean something. Doa and Mahali both mean "spot" and are a reference to the two lionesses that fans have named Spotty and Dotty (I think were their names), I just felt Doa and Mahali added a little more of an African feel like many of the original Lion King names. Hila means "trick" and Nuru means "light." Additional fun fact, Jasiri means "brave."
Anyways, enough of my rambling. As always any constructive criticism is greatly appreciated and reviews make me smile! Thanks for reading!