"Dad lied to me. Blood's death wasn't Scar's doing!" Damu exclaimed, happy to be back in the Realm of Time again. Neither he nor Kion were sure if they could handle much more at once, but it was Damu whose mind put it all together first. "Damu, it wasn't just Iago who lied. Grandmother went to her grave sticking to her story, but we've just seen firsthand proof that hers was not all there was to it." Kion said, though this was clearly an awful truth he still didn't quite want to accept.

Mudai simply answered the questions on their minds. "If Kumari or any other member of Scar's faction or their allied Pride had their way, there wouldn't have been a clever plot or misdirection. Nor would Mufasa have gotten a quick death. If left to the hyenas, Simba's death would have been assured, as well as Sarabi's and maybe even more. Scar actually saved more lives, and futures, by ironing out the details of Shenzi's plan." That much Kion had gathered, but it would be Damu who asked the real question.

"So, Mom was right? The hyenas really are the true enemies?" Kion had heard that before, and not just from Simba and Nala. However, Damu saying it made him really think about what that meant. He had seen firsthand that every other hyena outside of Shenzi's clan weren't necessarily evil; it is unfortunate that these were the ones most members of the Pride think of when the idea of a hyena is brought up. However, Kion also knew full well that it was the natural order of things for hyena and lion to never truly get along. The One Above All never intended for these species to be aligned.

With that said, Kion also remembered that a previous Lion King had brought the hyenas under his crown. "But, Jasiri and Asante both respected the Circle of Life, and never let any member of their clan disrespect it on their watch." Mudai followed without having to hear any more. "Every animal is their own; an entire species should never be judged solely on the actions of a few. That said, it would help if the derelict few didn't always tout themselves as the beacons of their species…" Mudai said this almost as if she had personal experience to draw from.

Damu, however, could empathize with her meaning. "It's not that we think all hyenas are culpable, even if that's the implication of my words. However, Mom and the rest of the Pride have had nothing but trouble from hyenas. So has Moyo and his Pride, and even Kion's family can agree that hyenas aren't to be trusted." To that, Mudai's eyes seemed to glow with anger. "Yet, Simba trusts deviants like Mega and Leo in his kingdom." Now, that one made Kion wonder. As far as he knew, Mega was as compassionate and wise a lion as they came, second only to a King of the Past. However, Kion then stopped and thought about what he just sent through his brain.

As far as I know, and right now I'm seeing just how little I actually do.

Mudai's voice sounded in both Kion and Damu's heads as she spoke; she wanted no other distractions as she told them this. "Neither of you know much about his past, but he makes Scar and Miran look fair and level-headed in comparison. At his worst, Mega was almost as bad as Iago and Blood were in their reigns." Damu had suspected as much; even before being told any of this, life in the border lands between kingdoms had taught the smaller of the lions that all should be treated with at least a modicum of respectful caution. To Kion, however, the idea of a fatherly lion such as Mega being anything like Iago was nearly incomprehensible, and Mudai sensed that almost before Kion formed the sentence of objection. "But… Mega hasn't so much as put a paw out of line, much less given my Dad a reason to be suspicious of him." Kion said this fact as if it was relevant, and perhaps it would have been in any other case.

However, Mudai's power over time also brought with it a firsthand view of any history she wanted. And Kion saying this really irked her to no end, due to what she witnessed herself. "Of course, Simba knows only what Mega has shown him. Ever noticed neither he nor Sarabi ever so much as mention his time as King of the Breezelands? Well, the old lion was also smart enough to tell Simba that some things are best left in the past, and that he was simply a reformed rogue looking for his second chance in life. Now, credit where it is due: he's made good on his word to reform. He's a different lion than he was in the Breezelands, and even as a rogue. But it doesn't erase the crimes he committed, especially the ones towards his own family and then towards Lana."

Damu knew this story well; he had heard it from Adanna and Rani, but he also made it a point not to listen to everything those two vapid, arrogant princesses had to say. In fact, he had simply dismissed their gossipy stories as simply extensions of the arrogant assumption that all males at least secretly wanted to mount them. Not that they were entirely wrong to think that; Damu just wished they'd shut up about it and stop flaunting it all of the time in front of lions like him. For lions like him would be laughed at for thinking they had a chance to be anything more to them than subjects.

"So, Mega was basically like every other lion Lana ran across that wasn't related to her. Hardly means he's as evil as Scar or Miran. It just proves Rani gets her way with males from her mother." Give Kion credit: he'd always stand by his inner circle, even if doing so wasn't logical and was in fact a detriment to his cause or his comfort. Damu could relate to that, though that perhaps was the thing that infuriated the smaller lion more than any of their differences.

For what it was worth, it seemed to irk Mudai as well, for she opened another portal into presumably the timeframe she had been referring to. "Perhaps you need to be convinced further, Kion. Move. Now." Her voice was so forceful, at once seductive and commanding, that the bigger lion had no choice but to do as he told. He almost mindlessly walked into the portal, while Damu had a bit more to think about before realizing that perhaps he should also follow. However, Mudai's voice sounded in his head just before he entered.

Be prepared for what you are about to see. At least one of you should be.