Damaged
Two Years into the future
Kion carried his injured friend on his back as he sprinted back to Pride Rock.
How.
How could someone manage to kill three of the Pridelands best hunters, while simultaneously remaing undected by the lands keenest of sight? How did they manage to set fire to one of the outer borders, yet have it go unnoticed for more than three hours? Better yet, how did they manage to sneek passed Kion? He had helped to patrol that very spot twice today.
The more he thought about it, the more questions arose from the depths of his mind. He could only be sure of one thing. He needed to warn the Kiara and the others, and quick.
The lion raced to the mouth of pride rock, with his friend on his back. He didn't stop running till he made it inside of the den.
"Kiara!" he yelled. "Move, Move! Everyone out of the way!" He pushed passed the crowd of lion and lioness, until he reached the king and queen.
"Kiara, Kovu!" the red manned lion gasped for air. "You need to come with me, now. We need to find the rest of the guard."
"Kion is something wrong? Is that...Ono!" Kiara gasped. "Great Kings, Kion what happened?" The queens voice went from confusion to shock in mere seconds.
"Kiara I can't. Not right now. You need to come with us, now. Please?" Kions eyes were wide. She had never seen her brother so afraid before. The queen knew he wasn't messing around. She shook her head in agreement and motioned at Kovu to follow them. Even Kovu was confused, but nevertheless, they speedily ran off to the the Lion guard's cave.
Once they had made it, Kion carefully set Ono down and ventured deeper inside the base to see who made it back.
To his relief, Fuli and Beshte were waiting around patiently for the other guard members to finish patrolling in their assigned sections.
"Kion whats the matter" Came Fuli's voice. It only took Kions horrified expression to get her to notice that something was terribly wrong.
They followed Kion back down and were greeted by the unsettling picture of their feathered friend. The two gasped as they saw what happened to Ono.
"Ono! What happened, is he okay?" Beshte asked worridly.
"I've looked him over. Other than his leg and the fact thats he is coverd in ash...I think he'll be okay. Although, it might be a couple of weeks before your leg is fully healed." Kovu's voice sounded reassuring.
Ono explained to everyone what had happened.
"It all happened so fast" He said. "First the fire...then the bodies...then him." The last sentence rang eeriely throughout the cave.
"And your absolutley positive that this was all caused by one guy?" Fuli asked. There was no way that anybody could pull something like that off single-handedly.
"I...I'm not sure...He was the only one to make an impression. If he has any accomplices, they weren't there."
"Did you get a good look at him? Maybe we can narrow down some possible suspects." Kiara suggested.
Ono shook his head.
"Does it matter?" everyone looked at Kion. "Look, the guy said he was bringing war to Pride Rock. We don't need to know what he looks like. This isn't some...murder mystery. He's gonna reveal himself sooner than we think."
The group hated to admit it, but he was right. They didn't need to know who they were up against, they just needed to know how to win.
Beshte remembered something. Something very important
"Uhm...Kion? Jasiri and Bunga are still out on patrol."
"Okay...?" Kion gave him a confused look.
Two crucial details hit him.
Jasiri and Bunga were assigned to patrol sections A and C. The smallest sections of the Pridelands.
They should have been back hours ago.
And his parents. He hasn't seen them at all today.
Kion gasped, his eyes widened with fear. The thought of what could have happened to them race rampidly throughout his mind. He needed to find them and quick.
"Kiara...Where's mom and dad?"
Without a word Kiara and Kovu ran out of the cave. Usually Kion would have argued with his sister, and told her to stay here. Especially now that she was the queen, he couldn't risk letting anything happening to her. But he knew they needed to find everyone and fast. He knew deep down that she would be alright.
"Fuli, Beshte, stay here and watch over Ono. I'm going to find Jasiri and Bunga. If you see or hear anything out of the ordinary, ANYTHING suspicious, come find me or Kiara and Kovu." He left the cave like a bolt of lightning.
He spent hours searching.
Nothing.
Not a single clue to the whereabouts.
He heard a laugh behind him.
"Wow, you really are just as weak as he said you were. It's dissapointing really, I was expecting more of a challenege." The voice said.
Kion turned around, expecting to see a fimilar face. But he didn't recognize who it was, just the fact that it was a cheetah.
Kion let out a low growl. "Who are you. What are you doing inside the Pridelands."
The cheetah laughed. "You've never heard of me? Kasi, fastest of the Grasslands, ring any bells?"
Kion gave him a confused look.
The cheetah laughed again. "It doesn't matter really. After we're done with this place, everyone will know who we are... who I am."
"Im not here to play any games. You, and whoever else you are here with, are not welcome. Get Out. Now." The lion said with cleched teeth.
The cheetah and the lion slowly began walking closer to eachother.
Kion readied himself to use his roar. As he opened his mouth he saw another figure on the top of a hill, out of the corner of his eye.
A panther.
At her feet was a bloody, beaten, tired Bunga, and next to her on the ground was Jasiri, in the same condition as their badger friend.
It made Kion freeze, and in his moment of hesitation, Kasi had pinned him, teeth bared and snarling.
"Kasi." the panther said. "Let him go. You know what will happen if he finds out you hurt him."
The cheetah slowly let Kion up, angry that he couldn't just kill him there and now. It would have been too easy.
"What are you doing Hamya?" Kasi said unamused and angry.
"There's been a change of plans." began the panther. "Boss wants him instead."
"Why?"
"Says he makes a better barganing chip. Makes sense though, this ones roalty." The panther said looking at Kion.
"Listen up kid. Our leader is willing to let these two go if, and only if, you are willing to come with us." Hamya said.
Kion stood his ground. Not moving nor speaking.
"Okay then. Our boss also wanted me to let you know that he has your parents aswell." The panther added.
Kion's worlds came crashing down. His breathing became uneven and rushed. His heart pounding like crazy.
He stood there for minutes, not knowing what to do. Nothing has ever happened since he became leader of the lion guard to prepare him for this.
Kasi let out a very impatient and frustrated groan. He raced on up to his partner and popped his claw from his index finger. He held it against Bunga's throat and slowly drew it across. A small stream of blood could be seen dripping from the top right corner of the badger's throat.
"...Kion.." the long drawn out words came from his friends mouth.
"Stop!Kion shouted. "Just stop. I'll go." he stated.
"Hahaha." The cheetah laughed. "Good Boy." Kasi said, he stopped cutting at the badger and let him go.
Kion raced up the mound and checked his friends. Jasiri was uncouncious, but still breathing. Bunga on the other hand was awake, but just barley.
"Bunga I have to go. You need to wake Jasiri up and warn the others when I'm gone. Find Kiara and Kovu, tell them to go back to Pride Rock. They'll need to tell the lioness." Kion began.
"Kion wait... Im not leaving you..." Bunga tried to stand up.
The two were interupted by the pantheress. "We need to go." she said with little emotion.
"Bunga, you will listen to your leader." Kion was serious. "I'll be fine, you need to warn the others. Please."
Bunga shook his head. He hated everything abkut the situation. Especially seeing his best friend make this tough a decision.
"Lets. Go." Kasi said through his teeth.
And with that, Kion began walking away with the two. He turned his head back towards his friend and nodded reasuringly.
But deep down, Bunga knew everything was only gonna get worse from here.