Chapter 7: When Worlds Collide
So Jasiri and Kion have been caught in the Pridelands together by Kiara. Let's see what will happen.
Enjoy the chapter!
An aura of shock radiated between the two species. One was surprised to see another lion before them, while the other was stunned to see the hyena on their land, and much more so with the fact that their younger sibling was talking with them. The rigidity between them broke for a moment when the cub started talking.
"H-hey Kiara. I-I, um, d-didn't see you there. S-so, how was your day," he stuttered out, trying to erase the sheepish expression from his face. Now Kiara over the years had not been so good at keeping a level-head in situations like these, but with the increased time put into her lessons as of late, she had enough patience and self-restraint to answer him in a calm voice and manner.
"Mm, just fine. I finally managed to catch something, though it's not large enough to reach the requirements of completing my hunting ceremony. It honestly has been hard to meet the full standards as a huntress in the pride, but I'm definitely showing signs of getting there." She paused for a moment before giving him a friendly smile to ease up his nerves. "So Kion, how was your day?"
His tense muscles loosened just a bit and he let out a shaky sigh before replying. "Oh, you know, just fine. I, uh, trained with the Guard today. Yeah, that went well." His eyes were looking everywhere but her as he spoke and his paws rubbed up and down his legs while the uncomfortable truth sat upon his shoulder. Eventually, he could take it no longer and he threw his gaze up to meet with the tranquil stoic gaze of his sister.
"So, um, y-you're probably wondering what I'm doing here with a hyena in the Pridelands. Well um, y-you see-"
Finally the pressure became too much for the young cub to bear. He charged towards his sister, forelegs quickly wrapping around her paw and face burying into the fur on it.
"P-please sis! Please don't tell dad! Jasiri isn't a bad hyena. She saved me from the other hyenas in the Elephant Graveyard. She didn't have to save me, but she did and now I'll I want to do is pay her back with some food and please don't tell dad," he begged, howling at the end, all while gripping onto her tighter as his body shook. After a moment she sighed and placed her other paw on his back.
"Easy Kion, I'm sure Jasiri is really nice and it was very kind of her to save you and bring you here. The only thing I'm mad about is not that she's here in the Pridelands, but that you were on the Elephant Graveyard after dad said it was forbidden to go there. What were you thinking," she asked, making him pull away and look up at her before wiping his moistened eyes.
"It wasn't my fault. I never meant to go into the graveyard, I was just distracted and I got near to it and I was going back home when suddenly the ground broke and I fell in and I had to go through it to get out when I got attacked by the bad hyenas and Jasiri had to rescue me. I never wanted to go into the graveyard, it was just an accident. Honest. Please don't tell dad," he cried out, putting on his best pleading expression up at her. She shook her head, rolled her eyes, and patted his head in reply.
"You can put those eyes away Kion. I won't tell dad, just promise me that I'll never hear you've been in the graveyard ever again," she replied. He nodded his head furiously.
"I promise sis."
"Good," she said, smoothing back his hair out of his face. "Now then," she looked back up at Jasiri and smiled politely at her, "thank you Jasiri for saving my brother. It was very kind and noble for you to do so, despite the bad blood between our two species." Jasiri smiled back and nodded.
"It was my pleasure, your grace," she replied, bowing her head in respect before Kiara lifted her paw up.
"Please, call me Kiara. I'm not 'your grace' or 'your majesty' or 'your highness' just yet," she replied, eliciting a small chuckle from Jasiri. Just then, Kion tapping her leg brought Kiara's attention down to him.
"Kiara, since Jasiri saved my life, can we give her something in return," he asked. She looked mildly surprised for a moment before leaning down to his level and smiled.
"What did you have in mind, Kion," she asked.
"Really it's no trouble. You don't have to do anything to pay me," Jasiri said, but her words fell upon deaf ears.
"Could we maybe get her some food? There isn't much food in the graveyard and she looks rather thin and hungry," he replied.
"I do not look.. ugh, just forget it," Jasiri said, realizing her arguments were pointless between the two. The pain in her stomach was also making her lose the will to continue.
"Mm, I've got just the thing. Wait right here," she ordered. Making her way towards the boulder, she leaned behind it and returned shortly with the carcass of a dik-dik. She came close to Jasiri and dropped it before her.
"As a token of my gratefulness for keeping my brother safe, I present you with this freshly hunted dik-dik. Please accept it along with my thankfulness," she announced.
Jasiri wasn't really paying attention to Kiara's words, rather the meal before her. Her eyes misted and she felt her mouth begin to water at the anticipation of fresh meat. Her stomach growled, begging her to start eating it, yet the little voice in the back of her mind refused her urges. She instead leaned down to take a bite before gripping the animal's neck in her teeth.
"Thank you," he mumbled through a full mouth before turning around to go.
"Wait! Aren't you going to eat it," Kion asked. When she began speaking through her full mouth, he tilted his head in confusion. "What?"
Jasiri set the creature down before turning back towards him. "I said no. My clan needs it more than me."
"Your clan? You mean there's more then one hyena pack in the graveyard?" Jasiri sighed, but nodded.
"Janja's pack is just one of the two. They're the ones invading the Pridelands and trying to upset the balance of the Circle of Life, not mine. My clan respects it and we do our best to scavenge what we can find in the Outlands. I was only in the Elephant Graveyard to search for food for my clan. I appreciate this gesture of kindness because it means that my clan doesn't have to scrape together what we can find to feed today," she replied.
The two were silent as they took in the weight behind Jasiri's words. It was a tale of sadness and starvation, fueled by the loyalty one hyena had to her clan and the respect she had for the power above her that moved them all in life.
"Jasiri, how many are in your clan," Kiara asked after a bit. She gave a small exasperated huff, obviously a bit ticked at being held on to for this long.
"Seven, including myself. Five adults, two pups."
"And you say... Janja's clan are the ones coming into the Pridelands and attacking the herds?"
She nodded. "Mm hmm. He and his pack have no respect whatsoever for the Circle of Life. Want is one thing driving them to attack, but also greed and hate towards you lions for putting them there."
Kiara's face grew a thoughtful expression and she remained silent for a couple of seconds before looking up at her again. "Jasiri, how would you like for you and your clan to live in the Pridelands?"
The hyena's mouth dropped and she stared numbly at the princess. "W-what," she managed to stutter out in a shaky, quiet voice.
"I'm asking you whether or not you and your clan to live here, in the Pridelands. You're not like the ones who have hurt the Pridelands now or in the past and if you respect the Circle of Life I see no reason why you should live in places that are not so beneficial to you back. You see the Circle of Life isn't just a set of rules to follow to make sure the balance is upset, but it is also there to make sure all those living by it are happy and healthy while everything and everyone else around them are the same too."
Kiara paused for a moment before smiling. "Besides, with the surplus of herd animals as of late, there is bound to be an increase in predators and thus an increase in carcasses for scavengers too. So what do you say? Do you want to live in the Pridelands with your clan?"
The hyena stood stunned before them, frozen in thought. Here she was standing before the princess of the Pridelands, a creature of noble birth and royal blood, someone who she had never met before today, who was now offering her the chance to get out of the poor, insufferable state she and her clan lived in. She was being given the opportunity to live a better life here, and for the rest of her clan to be released from the painful reality they had to survive in.
"Y-yes. Yes. Yes! Yes! Thank you! Thank you so much," she cried out, falling onto the ground in gratitude before her.
"You're most welcome. Of course it will take time to settle it all out with my parents and of course all the Pridelanders. It might have to wait until I have taken up the throne, which isn't too far away from now. Anyways, we will make sure you'll clan will be part of the Circle of Life here in the Pridelands."
"Y-yes, yes, of course. My goodness, thank you so much," she replied, crawling closer towards her. Kiara smiled and softly tapped her shoulder.
"You're very welcome, Jasiri. Now I can't guarantee that it will happen right away, but I promise you that I will try to make things better for you, okay? Good, now you'd better get out here before my dad or Kovu see you. We don't want them getting in the wrong impression before they hear about you."
"Right. Thank you so much again. Bye you two. Bye Kion," she said before snagging her prey and disappearing quickly into the tall grass.
"Bye Jasiri," Kion called out as he watched her go. Once she had vanished from sight, he turned towards his sister with a wide grin. "That was a very kind thing for you to do, sis." She smiled before playfully ruffling his head.
"Well it was the right thing to do. My duty as queen means I need to think of what's best for everyone, even those who are not part of our kingdom... yet." She then stood up and stretched. "Mm, now then, what do you say we start heading home, 'cause I am beat."
"Sure. Oh, and I can tell you about what happened today," he replied excitedly.
"I'd very much to hear that as we walk home."
"So that's what happened. I don't know why my roar didn't work. I thought for certain that since I was in danger and I was protecting myself I'd be able to defend myself from the hyenas, but," he let out a dejected sigh before looking down at his paws, "I guess I still don't know how to use it just yet." His sister gave him a sympathetic smile from beside him.
"I'm sorry Kion. It's so weird that the roar didn't help you when you needed it most. It was rather fortunate however that Jasiri was there to swoop in and rescue you. Thank the Great Kings that happened." She took a glance at him and frowned when she saw that his expression hadn't changed much.
"Yeah, lucky," he said quietly, before looking away from her. "Maybe I'm not cut out to be leader of the Lion Guard after all."
His head lifted up when he suddenly bumped into a sturdy object. His eyes met with his sister as she gave him a stern look. Putting her front leg down, she walked around in front of him before laying down and placing her paws on his shoulders.
"Listen Kion, you might have not done so well today, but never ever dismiss yourself for who you are. Tell me, who saved Bunga from the hyenas?" He stared at her for a moment and sighed.
"I did."
"And who went right to work putting together the Lion Guard?"
"I did, but-"
"Yes, you Kion! You did all that. You set forward to do the task and role you were meant to do. You saved Bunga with the Roar, showing that you are brave and strong enough to take up the mantle of the Lion Guard's leader. Kion, you are ready, don't ever think you're not." Through her commentary his eyes had shut tightly, but now he opened them wide as he leaned forward and placed his paws on her face.
"But what if I can't amount up to it, Kiara? What if I won't be able to lead the Guard? What if using the Roar was a onetime thing?" He sighed and sat down. "I just... I just don't feel like I can live up to my role in the Circle of Life."
He flinched when a strong pair of forelegs wrapped around him, pulling him close to her chest. After squirming a bit to get comfortable, he returned the hug, gratefully accepting the warmth her body provided. A 'mmm' escaped from his throat as he rubbed against her fur.
"Kion, I know everything seems out of place, that it all seems unclear right now, but I know it will all make sense in the long run." She began gently grooming his head and face, brushing away the dirt and grime caught between the hairs. "No one said you had to be perfect coming into this position, you'll need to grow both mentally and physically to prove your worth as the Pridelands' defender. It will take time, yes, you will need to practice and train to get better, learning from experience and mistakes, but I know from the deepest part of my heart that you have the potential to be the greatest Lion Guard leader the Pridelands has ever known. All you need to do right now is to believe that as well. Am I making any sense to you?"
Kion had stopped nuzzling and was leaning against her chest while he listened. He finally gave a sigh before nodding and murmuring in reply. He flinched when her tongue stuck out to lick his hair tuft, causing it to become slightly frizzy. "Kiara," he groaned, pulling away from her and trying to smooth it out. She giggled before standing up.
"Hey, gotta make sure you were paying attention, little bro. All you need now is to have confidence in yourself and your abilities. That way you'll be able to develop more into the lion you want to be. Do you understand?" He paused for a moment before nodding.
"Yes Kiara. I understand."
"Good. Hey Kion?"
"What?"
She leaned down to his eye level and smiled. "I love you." Her sincere expression on her face and the compassion she had for him was hard to resist. He leaned closer and hugged her foreleg.
"I love you too, sis."
"Kiara! Kion!"
Their heads turned to the side where the emerald-eyed lion had suddenly appeared. "Hey Kovu. What's up," Kiara asked as he came over to them. He panted for a moment before focusing on Kion.
"Well you see a little birdy told me that today was your first day training. And so," his paw lifted up, a large green fruit in its grasp, "I thought maybe you'd want to take some time off to play baobab ball like I promised we would."
Kion's eyes lit up as he leapt away from Kiara's leg and up at the baobab fruit, giggling when Kovu's paw lifted it out of reach. Soon all three lions were laughing and romping about as they tried to get and keep away the ball from one another.
I feel that after Kion was born, Kiara would've taken on a more mature tone as a big sister. I like to see her as that fun-loving, supportive and compassionate big sister who's mature enough to handle situations when they get tough and looks for the civil, smart solution to them. Overall I think if she was as old as she was in the film in the series she'd be an amazing big sister to him, even more so of what we've seen so far.
Anyways, hope you enjoyed this chapter. Please leave a review and I'll see you next time. Sincerely, v.t.7
