Rafiki finally came out after a few hours, very bloody and cleared tired and an soft and painful frown were on his face, that the three girls did see.
Already knowing what they were going asked, the mandrill beat them into speaking. "De Prince have lost a lot of blood." Rafiki told them. "What shock me was dat Mufasa fallen into a gorge but die and Kion is still somehow breathing."
"That means he's going to be up soon?" Zuri asked with clear worried and concern in her voice that her friends haven't ever seen before.
"Afraid not." Rafiki replied. "He is in a very deep coma. He may not survive." His eyes seem to fallen saddened, having remembered when he first saw Mufasa's dead body.
The fact that Kion have resembled Mufasa's death greatly. The mandrill hated this had happened to his friend that he have knew back when he was younger, now this is happening to merely a cub.
"What about Huduma?" Tiifu wondered.
Rafiki closed his eyes and shook his head regretfully. He wished he was able to save the bird but the bird had died in his hands when he started working. "I'm afraid dat he have lost too much blood and his neck was tore out, he have completed his journey in de Circle of Life."
"No-" Kiara whispered tears scrolling down her eyes with a bunch of sadness. "Kion and him were close. It would devastate him."
"He was innocent," Zuri states. "He was too young to die."
The fact that Huduma basically saved their lived unintentionally and wanted to play with them. Kiara, Tiifu, and Zuri couldn't hold back the tears to escape their eyes and down their cheeks.
"You can see him, but be careful." Rafiki said as he walked lifted the leaves and revealed a body. "His bones are crooked. I dink dey would return to place one day, but for now, his bones are very delicate."
"Rafiki, Kion would likely want his friends here right now," Kiara choked out. "Can you retrieve them?" Rafiki gave them a funny and unsure look. "We know, watch out for the bones, we just wanted a moment with Kion."
Rafiki finally nodded submissively and the mjuzi walked off. The three glanced at him for a second before turning their gaze to Kion who seems to have atleast heal wounds. His claws though seem to be broken, but if he survives they will be rebuilt.
"Kion," Kiara said softly. "Thank you so much for what you have done for us." She went up to his face and place an paw on the scarred shoulder that still bared the Mark of the Guard. "You deserve that title more than anyone." She licked him across the cheek softly and affectionately.
Tiifu walked up and stared at Kion's seemingly lifeless face. "I know you're annoying at times, but at the end of the day you still care for your friends. You sacrifice yourself before and you did so now. You're a good lion and is like a little b-brother figure that I-I know I can turn to." She stammered, nuzzling against the golden cub softly.
Kiara and Tiifu stood back and shot an glance towards Zuri, who seems to be lost for words at the minute. She is actually crying which shock the two considering she never cried before, her tears seems to be bouncing off his fur.
"Thank you so much," Zuri thanks. "You have jumped into the gorge and in a stampede to grabbed me and get me up to safety. I'm really, really sorry. If I had just ran to the ledge you wouldn't be in this coma. It-It's my fault." Zuri nuzzled against Kion's higher neck and his face.
She nuzzled against him for a few seconds, surprising the two girls since she never been big on nuzzles and hugs. Is it possible Kion had woken a seed into Zuri that have just needed to be expose?
Finally, Zuri pulled away and smiled softly yet sadly at the golden cub. "I-I l..." Zuri couldn't finished that for she begin crying so Kiara and Tiifu begin nuzzling against each other.
"Kion." a familiar usually exciting but actually concern voice exclaimed. Just then, the three saw the Lion Guard members along with Rafiki. Kiara had guessed her parents weren't back yet, considering they weren't in the mob. Bunga leap up and jumped on his friend's body, hearing an slight crack. "Opps."
"Bunga!" the three cubs snarled.
"Watch it!" Zuri boomed, knocking the honey badger back off of Kion which really didn't hurt him but it did stunned him. "He is in pain and you foolish honey badger is jumping on him!"
"Hey, you better watch it." Bunga snapped. "I am Kion's friend as well and if I remember you three didn't want anything to do with him - especially you, spoiled crybaby lioness."
Bunga have caught everyone by surprise at his words. He have never seem so mad, living on the phase of Hakuna Matata and now he just snappish. Well, he and Kion are best friends and despite his foolish lifestyle he did care for him.
"Hey! For the first thing, this isn't about claws or dirt!" Zuri snapped, her voice rising so loud. Kiara and Tiifu were sure if she had been grown, a roar would have came out instead of her yell. "Second of all, Kion is my friend as well!"
Seeing that Zuri and Bunga were getting a little close and look like they were going to fight each other, Beshte used his big hippo body and got into the way of the furious friends. "Woah, calm down." Beshte said.
"Plus, Kion wouldn't want us to argue..." Fuli added surprisingly calm considering the solution. Perhaps she is just too much in shock considering what had hapoen to her lion friend.
"Wait, what did exactly happen?" Ono questioned the mjuzi from the ground.
Rafiki frowned for a second before motioning to Kiara, who laided out the events to the Guard; from swimming into the water and having great fun, the attack from the hyenas and being lure to the gorge, than the stampede, and all that have happened.
"Than we brought Kion and Huduma back..." Kiara finished painfully. She didn't want to recall and relieve those events but they deserve to know since they're all Kion's friends.
"How did Kion survive a fall like that?" Ono wondered. "I mean like a 200 degree fall should atleast kill him by an headsnap and the Stampede! He should be dead with all of that. Common knowledge, really."
"I don't want to know why and all those details," Tiifu perked up from behind Beshte who still is standing between Zuri and Bunga. "I am glad that he did atleast for now."
"I believe your parents will be returning soon." Rafiki said. "His body must stay here atleast since it would be too riskful to carried him back to Pride Rock."
"I'm not leaving his side, despite with my parents say." Kiara chimed in, her eyes holding that strong gaze that Rafiki have seen many times in Queen Sarabi. He is sure that if she was right here and not with the Pride in that meeting, she would have been proud of her granddaughter.
"Neither am I." Tiifu added.
"Same." Zuri said.
"You bet your spots I won't leave him." Bunga put in.
"Yep." Beshte nodded.
"Affirmative." Ono said.
"You got that right." Fuli deduced.
Looking at the determined, Rafiki knew that despite what their families say... well the ones who is raised by someone(s), will not be able to convince them since they look so determined.
"Very well." Rafiki nodded, before walking off slowly.
Just as Rafiki disappeared an cruel laugh was heard. Frowning, Zuri stormed up to the entrance of the cave to see her cousin, Giza. "Giza, what do you want?" Zuri asked bluntly.
"You better not try anything to my little brother." Kiara warned.
"Yeah, or you gotta mess with us." Tiifu hissed.
"Oh please," Giza lets out a cruel laugh towards the three cubs. "I'm not here to mess with him since karma caught up with him. He is now in a coma and now I would be the toughest male cub in the Pride again."
"Leave," Zuri said with clenched teeth unsheathing her claws and getting more angry. The dark tan cub suddenly felt something burning into her that she wanted to released onto him.
"Oh no can do." Giza laughs cruelly. "The Pride Lands is a free habitat so I stay merely right here! I bet that fool won't last another week and will be dead by tomorrow-"
Before Giza could have continued his laugh, what happen next surprise and shock the group. "I'm going to kill you!" Zuri barked and at the same time advanced onto Giza and begin hacking away at him, not being at all merciful in her strikes and continued striking at him.
Zuri punched at random places to his body; face, shoulders, paws, chest, stomach, she didn't care! A little shock herself that Kiara wasn't doing this with her, but than again Kiara's maturing after being trained as future Queen.
She hacked away at him for a minute until animals try to separate them! Kiara and Tiifu jumped in and try to grabbed their dark tan friend, while Zuri shows no signs of stopping! Zuri continues to hack away at him before grabbing his arm with her teeth and biting down harshly and blood actually appeared, as her claws held him down, making him, albeit involuntarily, pinned underneath her.
Kiara and Tiifu try to separated her friend, knowing from seeing Kion fighting skills that Zuri is in a position where she can break Giza's if she pulls too hard.
Seeing Kiara and Tiifu need help, Fuli, Beshte, and Bunga jumped in, with Bunga trying to calm her down by rubbing at her shoulders in a comforting way trying to released the steam, and Fuli trying to back her up by a few albeit gentle shoves, while Beshte finally fix himself through.
Most of them in the cave knew it was tempting to help Zuri after what he had said about Kion, especially Kiara and Tiifu, but they knew Kion probably won't want them to fight because he always handle his own battles.
"Woah! Woah! Chill Zuri!" Kiara exclaimed, rubbing against her friend's shoulder trying to calm her down by a massaged of some sort along with Bunga since her father use it with Kion and it worked. She also used it when Kion has a nightmare. She never seen Zuri actually fight anyone before like that, but at that moment it was liked she saw a new much more stronger lioness. Secretly, she thought she'd saw the female version of Kion in her best friend.
"Zuri, calm, calm." Tiifu tried to calm her friend's as well, so Zuri soon came to a stop with Giza standing up on shaky legs glaring at Kion looking like he was about to lung forward, when Zuri gave him a glare silently daring him to try it.
"If you ever say that again about my friend or any of my friends again! Kings above!! I will break your freaking arm!!!" Zuri snapped, her claws still revealed as anger, fear, pure hatred burning from her eyes.
Kiara and Tiifu gasped at never hearing Zuri's swore. That's a new one. Kion seems to have a major influence onto her, because she's not big on claws that much anymore and seems to focus on being a good lioness.
Another wise yet firm voice came in abruptly. "Alright, what's going on?" They all turn to see the newcomer coming in. It was of course the former Queen Sarabi standing there. "Woah, what happen?"
She gazed at the cubs after seeing the tension and glares being shot at Giza, followed with glances at Zuri. "He wished death upon Kion," Zuri replied harshly. "So I sure did taught him a lesson."
"What me?" Giza asked, trying to seem innocent infront of the former Queen. "I will never."
Sarabi gazed at the dark tan cub and saw the truth on her face by the way she was holding her head up with pride. Than back at the other cub to see he had a problem of keeping a straight face. She knew when cubs lie by already having one and he lied at times but finally told the truth after.
"Giza, I know you're lying to me." Sarabi said simply after a minute of tension silenced. Giza opened his mouth to protest to the former Queen's words but she beated him into talking. "I already had a cub and I know when they lie, I'm going to talk with your mom and grandmother about this since me and them are good friends."
"Ok! Fine! I did it!" Giza confessed with a cocky smile coming onto his face. "Not like my parents will believe you! I would tell them that I didn't-"
He was interrupted by an harsh voice. "Infact, Giza, I heard everything." Just then, a brownish tan lioness, blue eyes, and black nose came in, her eyes glaring right at her cub. "Giza, you are grounded. Now let's go home, we're going to have a very long talk."
Kiara had guessed that most of the Pride Landers are back, like her grandmothers and her friends mom. The dark golden Princess bended her head down in shame. "Dear, what's wrong?" Sarafina asked.
"Grandmas, can I stay here with Kion?" Kiara questioned, hoping that her grandmother would say yes and talk to her parents.
"Sure, my dear," Sarabi said with a smile glad that her granddaughter would not abandoned Kion in his time of need. "I will have a word to your parents if they protest, however I find that unlikely."
"Also," Rafiki chimed up. "I would be sure to keep Huduma's body safe for Kion atleast deserve to see him one last time before we decide to bury him."
"Asante, thank you Rafiki." Kiara smiled softly yet sadly. Her little brother seems to not be moving and while she didn't want to admit it he may not survive. Rafiki had said that Kion may get better in a few days.
The dark golden Princess set herself beside him and with her head on top of his, she went to sleep holding her brother softly and affectionately.
Tiifu look at Zuri and shrugged and walked over to her sleeping friends and set herself beside them and went to sleep as fast she could.
Zuri smiled sheepishly, deciding she would sleep somewhere else then Pride Rock tonight. She set herself by Kiara and Tiifu but laid on Kion's chest, nuzzing against him. It is shock because she swear she could have felt his heartbeat picking up at her touch.
Bunga then joined at Kion's leg. Fuli then joined at his abdomen. Beshte lay where his head was but had to be careful due to his hippo form. Ono laid at Kion'e side.
With that, the group of young animals went to sleep, without leaving their friends side. Each had promise to always be there for Kion, especially Kiara.
She had nearly lost him, he was so precious and so adorable. The fact that this could have been Zuri, her friend since she was born, afraid her. Zuri could have not gotten lucky as Kion is atleast for the moment, because he is a strong lion and have much muscles and survive falling off the edge of the cliff. His power, strength, and wisedom seems to be growing each day.
A few days passed and Kion's treatment seems to be paying off. He seems to be getting better. To the very least, he moves though quite a lot, but it was better than the first day he was place in his deep coma. His back seems to be getting back to its normal state and his scars also seems to be healing as well.
What's sad is the fact they can't relocate his body to Pride Rock. Right now, Kiara, Tiifu, and Zuri were basically assigned... by themselves to watched Kion in his time of recovery. Kion and Kiara's parents wanted to watched him as well but they have duties, however come by all of the time, so they can feed the girls and check over Kion.
And as overprotective Simba is of his daughter, he knew she can't be argued with for she is too persistent and too commanding. He just wanted things to go back to normal, but he's glad what happen to his father didn't happen to his son.
Kiara ran an paw through Kion's mane. He be moving around a lot, so she has to do this quite frequently. He still moving and tries to swirm to get out of his small problem.
"Dang, he must be having a nightmare," Tiifu noted walking up and sitting down and ran three herbs through a few of his wounds. Rafiki had told them that they can put a few herbs gently onto him.
They mainly be focusing onto his back because most of the injuries are there. Although it was a risk, Rafiki had told them that if they heal most of his wounds they could pushed against his broken back when he's up to make sure it ain't permanently broken.
"Yeah," Kiara sighed, her paw still moving through his mane softly. To think when she was young, she didn't even wanted Kion around because she thought he was annoying. Him getting captured by Zira and force to suffer those months brought them even closer then before.
Zuri felt bad for what she had done. If she was just fast enough and managed to outrun the stampede then Kion wouldn't be in this pathetic deep coma. He didn't deserve what happened to him, even though she tried to keep her feelings deep down inside.
"I'm sorry, Kiara," Zuri was meant to apologized in her thoughts but yet she said it outloud. Once her two friends turned to her with frowns, Zuri turned her back onto them. "I mean I got food!" Zuri grabbed onto a zebra's leg and gave it to Kiara and Tiifu.
"Oh no," Kiara stood up and got into the way of her dark tan friend with an soft glare in her eyes. "You're not getting off the hook that easily, you."
"Oh come on," Zuri rolled her eyes. She didn't like when Kion does this and doesn't like things drop. But then again Kion have to face that all of the time when he was awake. It was kind of funny thinking about it now.
"You're going to stay right there and talk to us." Kiara states. Zuri groaned and clutched her head. Why must Kiara be this so damn determined? It is utterly annoying and sometimes frustrating.
Luckily, her aid came by the unconscious golden cub moving around and trying to get out of something. He hitted his back and seems to be out of control. Instantly, Kiara and her two friends ran over to him and try to flipped him over back to his stomach position.
In a deep purple hole, a golden cub tried to reach three cubs who were clutching onto a tree, but his legs weren't fast enough and the three lost their griping and struggles they were having.
Just then, he saw an bloody familiar female hyena. Beginning to walk to her, the golden cub whispered with little strength in his voice. 'Jasiri.'
Just then, deep murderous blue eyes were infront of him. A barely audible golden lion jumped onto the female hyena and latched onto her neck. Jasiri's eyes widened into a dying black and her mouth hissed opened as her body hit the ground, followed by others.
Unlike before, he didn't see Zira anywhere. Due to the clearly much bloodshed, she may be dead. It is a strange atmosphere and all he saw was strange animals, consisting of all type of animals and predators. As much as Kion tried to defend his home, the predators outnumbered him.
Just then, an strange golden lion with blur eyes advanced onto him and knocked him back to the edge of a cliff, with him barely keeping on. The strange lion lunged his claws into Kion's claws, making him shout with pain. 'Long Live The King!!!'
At the moment, the golden Prince just won't stop swirming and continue to move wildly. The dark golden Princess and the tan creamish lioness tried to calm the golden Prince down, but he just continously move and is causing some problem.
"Kion, calm." Kiara whispered, rubbing his back into a comfortably manner. This coma may just be making things worse and may even kill him if he's not up soon. "Tiifu, find Rafiki!"
"I guess we need to try and calm him down now." Zuri walks over to her best friends and the unconscious golden Prince. She ran her front-paw through his mane and it's honestly kind of weird to the two others, considering she ain't Kion's sibling or related to Kion in any way whatsoever.
To their surprise, the second Zuri touched him, Kion just calmed and were back onto his back. "What?" Kiara asked, confused that her best friend had stopped and saved her little brother in his desperation.
"Zuri, how did you do that?" Tiifu questioned.
Zuri response to her question was a simple shrugged to her friend. "I don't know. I guess it was out of pure luck. Maybe he knows we're all there for him."
"Or..." Tiifu flashed an teasing eyebrow towards her. "Maybe the Prince is finding himself a future mate..."
Kiara cleared her throat, suddenly feeling the source of overprotectiveness. "Uh, Tiifu, you do realized that's my little brother, right?" Kiara said as if to remind them. She didn't want any cubs swirming around and since her brother is a male, most likely young females are bound to be attracted to him.
"Yeah, but just telling Zuri here," Tiifu smiled sheepishly at her friend. "You can't lie, Kiara. Kion and Zuri did spend a lot of time together when he was awake and they're kind of cute."
Kiara arched an eyebrow to that. It is kinda true that they're cute and romantic and seems to even love each other even in a young age. She had thought about how Kion grabbed Zuri and ran out of the Outlands, then he stood up for her and taught Giza a lesson, after he jumped into a gorge for her, and then he almost lost his life for her.
"Admit it," Tiifu smiled at her dark tan friend who didn't want to talk with you. "You like him."
"No!" Zuri blushed, her dark blue eyes brightened with embarrassment. She knew Kiara and Tiifu weren't going to drop it until she admits it. "He's just an friend!"
Kiara smirked brightly however teasingly at him. "A friend? Look like you are having something for him." She said, nudging the cloest thing she had to a sister since cubhood onto the shoulder.
"First, he's one month and a couple weeks younger then me which means he was a baby when I was reaching two months!" Zuri screeched.
"So? Age is just a number, Zuri." Kiara giggled teasingly at her dark tan friend.
"I didn't knew you had something for royalty," Tiifu said with a small teasing smile. She and Kiara were getting a kick out of this. "Beside with Kiara, you never talk to anyone in the Royal family. Now, you always spend time with the Prince."
"Oh yeah, prove it." Zuri challenged.
"Well," Kiara chimed in. "You freaked out when Giza talk about Kion. You have watched him closely. He always calm when you're around. And he jump in a Stampede for you."
By now Zuri was blushing completely at all those Kiara had mention. Kiara and Tiifu were mocking her and is saying everything he had done for her and she him. Something interrupted their conversation however.
It was groaning. The three looked at each other then turn to still see the unconscious form of the golden Prince who still laying down on his side. They simply shrugged and look like they were about to get back with their conversation.
They heard groaning again from his direction and turned once again, though they got closer to his body. To their shock, the suppose to be unconscious golden Prince opened one eye, and the three saw it was battered and extremely bruised up.
His other eye was still close, however it finally twitched and open, and like the other eye weakly. The three gasped, full of shocked that Kion manage to survive and wake up. How? Some had thought he was dead. Others thought he wasn't going to make it out.
"K, T, Z," he choke out weakly, only able to say the first letter of their name in his weak state. He tried to stand but it was hard for him to stand. The last thing he remember was running with the girls to the gorge, then it just all fade to black.
The three only manage to mutter out one word...
"Kion."