(A/N: hey, guys. Gonna make this quick- I'm taking a break from this story over the Christmas break to focus on assignments. Hope you can understand. Thank you all for reading, and enjoy!)
Elsewhere in the Pride Lands, King Simba was leading the lionesses on patrol in her absence of the Lion Guard, only a couple of them remaining at Pride Rock to take care of the young. So far that day, things had been quiet, though the king knew better than to let his guard down- the Outlander attacks had been more frequent since the Guard set off on their mission, and while no Pride Landers had been lost because of them, it had meant they had to arrange two simultaneous patrols to cover the Pride Lands in the event of another attack, with the second patrol currently being taken care of by Makuu and his float.
As they walked through the plains, Simba turned to his wife, and saw that she was giving him a concerned look. "What?"
"You have that look on your face again," she told him. "That lost look in your eyes gives it away. You're worried about Kion still, aren't you?"
He gave a small scoff. "And you aren't worried?"
"Of course I am, I'm a mother, but I have full faith in our son and his team. They will be back before the day is over, and everything will return to normal. Besides, this journey will be good for them."
"You say that so easily," he countered. "We know nothing about this Kushangaza that they've gone to, and only Fuli knows anyone from there-"
"Which is more than enough we need for us to trust them." She rolled her eyes- she loved her husband's concern, but she couldn't help but feel like he was going slightly overboard with this. "You and I both know why Fuli was willing to trust her, and you also know why a Kion and the others went with her."
"Because they trust Fuli," he answered, a slight groan in his voice at his wife's blunt yet nonetheless correct statement. "It's not Fuli I don't trust, nor is it her mother. It's everything else I'm cautious about."
Nala stopped walking, prompting Simba to do the same while the rest of the lionesses walked ahead. "Simba… I'm not saying you shouldn't be concerned. I'm just saying to trust our son, and wait for him to come back, which he will. His Guard have done things far greater than we could ever have anticipated he would. This is nothing in comparison."
He took a second before he replied, a smile appearing on his face. "I'm glad I have you by my side, Nala."
"Well, who else is going to keep things from going to hell?" They both shared a chuckle, then started to nuzzle each other. "Now, come on. Until the Lion Guard get back, we have to help with patrol."
He nodded, and they started to jog ahead to catch up with the lionesses, when they saw a figure appear in the sky. As the figure neared them, they were able to see more clearly that it was Zazu who had approached them, an alert expression on his face. "Sire! The jackals have been spotted attempting to hunt the zebras!"
"Lead the way, Zazu!" Simba replied, the hornbill giving a nod before flying in the direction of the invaders. "Everyone, with me!"
No one dared argue with the king, knowing that time was of the essence as they followed the major-domo leading the way. They were fortunate in the fact they didn't have to travel far to find the infiltrators, quickly seeing Reirei and her pack- pups included- terrorising the zebras of Muhimu's herd, sending the panicked equids running any and every direction.
"Get 'em kids!" Reirei cheered on, nipping at the heels of one of the male zebras that she was chasing.
"Uh, honey?" She heard Goigoi call out, making her eyes roll slightly. "We've got company!"
She looked over her shoulder and saw that the lions of Pride Rock were indeed advancing on them, but she was prepared. "Keep chasing the zebras, and make sure to spread them out! We have greater numbers than them!"
As the rest of the pack followed out her orders, Nala was quick to observe what their plan of attack was. "They're attempting to spread us out!" She called out.
"Everyone! Gather them together!" Simba ordered. "They may have greater numbers, but we have greater strength, so as long as they don't surround us, they can't defeat us!"
"AYE!"
So, the Pride got to work- anywhere the jackals chased the zebras, they would attempt to herd them away so that the herd could get to safety. The pups weren't really an issue, with any lioness able to to stop them in their tracks, and the adults weren't exactly difficult to deal with due to the lack of nourishment they got in the Outlands. The real issue was the numbers game- while they weren't as strong, they were crafty and nimble, so any time the jackals were stopped, they would just run around them and lead them somewhere else, meaning that the lions were effectively sent on a wild goose chase.
"How long are you going to keep running?" Nala called out as she chased after Reirei. "The zebras are gone, there's nothing for you here!"
"Oh, isn't there?" The jackal laughed back. "Get her, kids!"
"What?" Before Nala even realised it, she felt something bite into her hind leg, causing her a noticeable amount of pain, but not enough to stop her from shaking off the pup that had caused it. She looked over her other shoulder and saw another pup trying to bite at her other leg, but she jumped away before they could only to notice a third pup had surrounded her with its siblings. "I'm not going to hurt these kids, Reirei, so face me like a woman!"
'But that's too easy,' the jackal leader thought to herself as she skulked around, using the chaos as a way of masking her position. She had known from the vultures' scouting report that the lionesses would be patrolling, and that they would be the first on report when they advanced on the zebras, so she had instructed her followers to keep the king and queen distracted above all else. 'With no Lion Guard, and none of the other herd leaders about, we can take them down, and once they fall, the rest of the Pride Lands will fall with them!' She would've laughed at the sheer joy she felt from it, but it would give her away. Shaking that thought away and focusing on the mission at hand, she moved towards the distracted queen, but just as she was starting to pick up speed and prepare to pounce, she heard something in the distance… something that sounded oddly familiar. "What was…"
"HUWEZI!"
"KASI YA HAKI!"
Before Reirei could even register what had happened, she felt a force tackle her to one side, disorienting her as she hit the ground with a groan. As she tried to get up, she was pinned to the ground, making her look up at an unfamiliar figure. "Who the heck are you?"
"Someone who has you beat," she heard the king cheetah say with a smirk. "Look around."
Doing just that, Reirei saw with a shocked expression as one by one, her jackals were tackled to the ground by an assortment of cheetahs, each one being pinned with ease. Not only were the lions astounded by the sudden assistance they received, but the three jackal pups that had surrounded Nala were now thrown off, which meant that when they tried to run, they were all caught further off guard when a yellow and brown blur began running around them, making them back up until one of them tripped and collided with the other two, all falling in a heap on the floor.
The figure that had been running around the pups slowed down, revealing the grinning face of Fuli, who turned to the surprised Nala. "Sorry we're late, your majesty," she told the queen, who blinked before smiling back.
"We're grateful you arrived when you did," she replied. "So, where are the rest of the Guard?"
"They should be here in about three… two… one…"
"Aww, man!" They all heard a familiar voice call, turning to see the rest of the Lion Guard approaching, a disappointed honey badger at the front of the group. "You couldn't save us any bad guys to beat?"
"There's always next time, Lil B," Beshte offered with a chuckle, to which Bunga shrugged.
Brushing off his friend's disappointment, Kion ran over to his mother, nuzzling her as soon as he was close enough to. "Are you okay, mom?"
"I'm fine, Kion," she replied, nuzzling him back before looking over to the young cheetah. "Thank you, Fuli."
"I can't really take credit for this, Nala," Fuli argued. "When Ono spotted the jackals and the lionesses, my mother was the one who suggested that we go ahead to help."
"Is that so?" She heard Simba inquire, the king making his way over to his wife and son. Looking at the different cheetahs, he realised that only one of them was a king cheetah like Fuli, so he directed his attention to her. "It seems that introductions and thanks are in order."
"It would seem so," Kasi replied, though the struggling under her paws made her remember that there was a more pressing issue. "What about them?"
"Leave that to me," Kion assured her, and with a nod, she instructed her cheetahs to get behind the cub. As the jackals scrambled to their feet, Kion's eyes instantly locked with Reirei's with an intense stare. "When you get back to the Outlands, let everyone know that the Lion Guard are back, and that no matter what you try, you will never take the Pride Lands from those that respect the Circle of Life! It's time you went back home."
"Run for it!" Goigoi yelled, alerting the rest of the jackals as they began to run. However, they didn't start running fast enough as they barely even got a few feet before Kion unleashed the Roar of the Elders, lifting them off of their feet and launching them back to the Outlands with all the power the cub could muster. The winds only died down when the jackals disappeared from the sight of even the Keenest of Sight, and Kion had let the Roar fade away.
"Hopefully that should keep them away for a while," Ono remarked.
"They'll be back before long," Kion acknowledged, knowing from experience that they were too stubborn to give up from this. "Still, now that this has been dealt with, we can deal with… everything else."
"Very true, Kion," they turned to see Kasi speak, the king cheetah approaching the royal couple of the Pride Lands. "King Simba, Queen Nala, my name is Kasi. I am the former queen of Kushangaza, and the leader of my tribe. It is an honour to meet you once again."
"We've met before?" Simba questioned, to which Kasi nodded.
"While this is the first time my tribe members have come here, the Pride Lands have previously been my home on two occasions- once during the reign of Scar, and once during your reign, though my former mate and I never spoke with you much." She turned her head to her daughter, her smile growing a fair bit. "Of course, you know my daughter better than you ever knew me."
Looking back and forth between the two king cheetahs and seeing the warm smiles they gave each other, Nala smiled as well. "Well, it is a pleasure to more formally make your acquaintance, Kasi."
"It's an honour, your majesty."
Simba nodded as he saw Kasi bow, which the rest of the cheetahs stood behind her replicated. "Well, Kasi, we welcome you and your tribe to the Pride Lands. Now, from what I gathered from your messenger a few days ago, we have a lot to discuss, but it is too late to begin to do so today. Instead, for tonight, I simply ask that you meet with the rest of the herd leaders. The Pride Lands are run by its sense of community, just as much as the monarchy."
Kasi nodded, responding with "that's a fair request, and I'm willing to do so."
"I appreciate your cooperation." Looking to the egret, Simba requested, "Ono, find Zazu and ask him to find the herd leaders, so he can ask them to meet at Pride Rock."
"I'm on it!" Ono replied, before taking to the skies.
"Sorry I can't help him, your majesties," Mjumbe spoke up, "but until I get these vines off my wing, I'm not flying anywhere."
"We can have Rafiki check your wing in the morning," Nala offered.
"Much obliged."
"Right now, we must head to Pride Rock," Simba spoke you once again. "If you will all follow us, we will head there now."
Kasi nodded, then gestured for her tribe to follow the lion pride. As the Guard began to walk as well, Kion looked over at Fuli, noticing that she was stood still with a smile on her face. "Fuli?" He asked. "Are you okay?"
Looking over at Kion, she waited for a second or two before telling him, "yeah. I'm okay."
As she walked away, Kion simply shrugged before following after her- though the journey was almost over, this was just the beginning.