Vitani sniffed the air, catching a scent.

"Tani? What is it?" Kion asked.

"What, you can't smell that? Zebra, a thick one!" Her mouth began to water. "Seeing as you're in charge here, you don't mind if I have a snack, do you?"

Kion snorted. "There's always going to be another one asking me for something the next day. Go fill up. But hey..." he stepped closer and nuzzled her cheek to Vitani's surprise. "Stay out of sight until I clear things up."

"Don't do that." Vitani mumbled. "We're not supposed to like one another. Predators like nothing." Her mother always said that love was the fatal flaw of the Pridelanders, they just got too attached to focus. She'd make sure Kion didn't fall into it.

"What's the point of anything then? Vitani, I get it, you're a survivor, but you have to survive for something, don't you?"

Vitani snorted. "For my pride. But I don't have to like them. They're my family, we help each other out, that's just the way it is."

"I guess I have to teach you a few things too." Kion remarked. However, the conversation had distracted them both and they hadn't noticed Thurston the zebra slowly making his way towards them. "Why, hello there!" the leader loudly said. "You wouldn't, per chance, know where my party was, would you?"

Kion and Vitani looked at one another and turned back to Thurston. "Sure, Thurston. We'll take you to your party." Kion said.


Ono sighed and dashed back to the Lion Guard. It was fortunate that he had been blessed with such eyesight, as it allowed him to stay far enough so that even a hungry Outsider couldn't smell him.

"It's not good, Fuli!" he said. "They're still together, with Thurston."

The cheetah groaned. "Great, now we have to rescue him and deal with those two at the same time. Who came up with this plan anyway?"

"You did, Fuli." Beshte pointed out.

"I think that was a rhetorical question." Ono said in an apologetic tone.

Fuli motioned for the Lion Guard to follow him silently as they pursued Thurston by his tracks.


Kion and Vitani led Thurston to an empty clearing before a sharp cliff, which led to nothing, but empty air. "I say! There doesn't seem to be any party here. You must be mistaken."

Vitani chuckled. "We're not mistaken." She moved in front of Thurston, making him stop in a huff.

"Please, get out of the way. This is no way to treat-"

"-prey?" Kion finished.

Thurston's eyes began to bulge as he recognised the look of a hungry predator in Vitani. He began to back away towards the cliff as Vitani extended her claws and slinked closer. "Kion, as leader of the Lion Guard, I believe it's your duty to contain any and all threats to the herds likerightNOW!" The zebra rambled, one of his feet going over the edge.

"Gah! I could've fallen! Kion!" he pleaded.

Kion's mouth widened in a friendly smile. "I'm hungry too, Thurston. It's the end of the road... literally."

"Ahh! Panic and run! PANIC AND RUN!" Thurston tried to leap over their heads, but the two cubs had been expecting it. They couldn't have attacked Thurston on the cliff anyway for fear of falling over, so this was the perfect oppurtunity. As he landed on his hooves, they pounced onto his back and bit into his neck, causing Thurston to fall over in pain, screaming. Kion quickly put an end to that by neatly cutting through the zebra's larynx with one razor-sharp claw.

Vitani was almost about to tuck in, but stopped. "We should find a way to get this carcass to the Outlands. There's enough meat on him to feed our- I mean, my pride for a month."

"Well, I don't see how you're gonna move him without getting the entire Pride Lands on our backs." Kion countered. "Besides, it's not like they depend on you to survive. Eat up. That's an order."

Gratified, Vitani took a large bite out of Thurston's shoulder. Suddenly, a loud shriek pierced the air. The Lion Guard emerged, horrified to the core at the sight. The screamer had been Fuli, who was actually shivering in a mixture of revulsion, dread and fury.

Kion spat a little bit of zebra blood out of his mouth and faced his subordinates. "Hold up, hold up, this is not a buffet!" He joked. "Finders keepers, as they say."

"Kion." Fuli whispered. "Please, this isn't you. You're not a murderer, you can't be."

"No, I'm not. I'm a hunter. You of all people should understand that. After all, you love taking down animals all alone. Do they ask for mercy, or do you pick 'em off like berries?"

Fuli avoided his blazing amber eyes, once soft and inviting, now feverish and malignant.

Beshte tried to reason with him. "Just come with us to Pride Rock. That's all we ask. You're still our friend, aren't you?"

"That's why I'm keeping you around, isn't it?" Kion mockingly asked. "All you ask! You're asking me to betray everything that I've come to believe simply because my daddy thinks he knows better." He shrugged. "But that's what you get for following the ghost of a lion who couldn't tell his brother from his foes."

The insult to Mufasa was their final straw. Fuli crouche down and scowled. "Kion, we're not mucking around. It's the Lion Guard's duty to protect the Pride Lands, from its own members if necessary. You are coming with us, whether you want to or not."

Vitani dived in between them. "Touch him and I'll snap your bird neck." she snarled.

Kion's smug attitude dissipated. "If any of you touch her, I won't be responsible for my actions. You know what I'm capable of!"

"Kion!" Ono gasped.

"That's right. The Roar."

Beshte just shook his head. "No, Kion. I know you're very upset with your father for making the decision about the waterhole for you, and with us for supporting him, but you're still the leader of the Lion Guard. I don't believe for one second that you could use the Roar on us. Let's go home, all of us. I'm sure we could explain this to your father... even Thurston, maybe. Come on!"

Kion wavered. Beshte was indeed one of his oldest friends and his faith remained unshakable. It touched Kion to the core.

"AAARGH!" Vitani screamed as a pesky honey badger attached himself to her face.

"Don't worry guys, I got this rascal covered." Bunga gave everyone a thumbs-up. Kion's face contorted into a scowl again.

"ENOUGH!" he roared, sending everyone, except Vitani flying towards a large, mossy pile of boulders. Ono was pierced by a sharp end, immediately killing him. Beshte's skull hit the rocks with a gutwrenching crack, and he crushed Fuli underneath his body and a rubble. Only a red puddle emerged from underneath. As for Bunga, he slammed into an edge, tearing his little body in two.

Kion and Vitani both simply stared as the meat flopped sadly to the ground. Then the former began to howl in terror.


Author's Note: I do apologise, it seems I forgot to respond to your reviews the last time around!

*FanficFan920 - To say the least.

*travass99(Chapter 7) - I hope the show makes Kion a bit more independent, since his extreme loyalty almost seems a bit out of character.

*Gracekim1(Chapter 7) - I'd love to collab with you. I haven't done it before, so it'd be something new as a writer. But it couldn't be on a large project, as I'll be going on a year-long break in a few weeks.

*dale . cameronii . 9 - Working on it.

*STR2D3PO - The show resolved it a little more nicely in the Udugu episode.

*LunarWolf0 - That would be reserved for a sequel to this that I'm planning.

*TiifuxKion FAN - Sorry to hold you up so long.

*Faith - Indeed he is...

*moanafan - Nasty, to say the least...

*ArizonaSivy - Davy Jones was an awesome villain. Shame they brought him back though, that's just weird.

*travass99(Chapter 8) - Now you find out.

*Cyonix - That's very nice to hear, I hope the character development is organic.

*BuckJohnson - I totally agree with you. Really hoping that the writers take some cues from the fans and turn Vitani into a more important character, because she is extremely popular in the fandom.

*Gracekim1(Chapter 8) - Aren't we all... :D