A mighty roar was heard from the Pride Lands, echoing over the Outlands and making the jackals look up from chewing the dry and meatless bones lying around. As she recognised the sound, a smile came across Reirei's face. "Alright, everyone! Make some room!" She ordered. "Looks like we're having company!"

The jackals all moved to one side, leaving an open space in the desolate area. The roar heard overhead faded away, and in its place were a series of screams, starting faintly before getting louder as the sky suddenly became filled with a bunch of figures. As the screams grew louder, the figures in the sky became bigger- or, rather, they became closer, revealing themselves to be Janja and his cronies, the pack of hyenas hurtling towards the area that had just been cleared. As Janja hit the ground first with a heavy impact, he groaned from pain before feeling his lackeys land on top of him one by one, making him take the brunt of their impacts while cushioning their falls until they ended up in a literal dog pile. While the other hyenas were dizzy from the Roar of the Elders being used on them, Janja was increasingly angry.

"Get off me, Furbrains!" He yelled, trying to stand up but falling back onto his gut when he didn't have the strength to shake them off.

Cheezi, confused about the sudden voice, looked around, then looked down and smiled widely when he saw his leader. "Janja! What are you doing down there?"

"What am I- get of me, dung for brains!"

"Sure!"

Like that, Cheezi got out of the dog pile, with the others staggering off one by one. Once he was free, he shook off some of the dirt that had amassed in his fur, before hearing a familiar laugh that made him snarl. "How was your trip, Janja?"

He snapped his head upward, eyes staring daggers into the cocky eyes of Reirei. "You've got a lot a' nerve, Reirei. You knew that the Lion Guard were back, but you didn't say anything!"

"Oh, really? I thought I had! Must've slipped my mind."

"You just wanted us to look like idiots!"

A scoff came from the jackal as she admitted, "I'd be lying if I said that isn't appealing."

"Is that true, Reirei?" They both heard a booming, fierce voice say from behind them, making the jackal and hyena gulp, turning to see that a fire had emerged near them, that fire forming the shape of a lion's head, with a reddish black mane, glowing yellow eyes with a scar over one, and a currently unamused smile. "Did you really forget to tell me and Janja that the Lion Guard have returned?"

"Uh… y-yes, of course, Scar! I would never hide that from you!"

"I see… well, then, let me ask you this." His brow furrowed tightly as sharp, fiery fangs appeared through his smile. "WHAT KIND OF IDIOT DO YOU TAKE ME FOR?!" Both the hyenas and the jackals backed away in fear, seeing the flames erupt some more. "I knew the SECOND the Lion Guard stepped foot in the Pride Lands that they were back! I HEARD Kion use the Roar to get rid of you!"

"I'm sorry, Scar!" Reirei pleaded, bowing down and begging. "I forgot, I insist!"

He stared pitifully at the jackal, his glare lessening slightly. "If that's true, then make sure you don't forget in the future. If it's a lie…" He narrowed his eyes sharply. "You'd better hope I don't find out." Reirei gulped, nodding furiously to the ethereal lion. "Now, get out of my sight, and take your jackals with you."

She nodded again, turning to her followers. "Y-you heard him! Move it!"

No one dared argue, the jackals all turning tail and leaving the area, leaving Scar to turn his attention to Janja. "I take it, by this turn of events, that the Lion Guard caught you by surprise?"

"Uh… yeah, I'm afraid so, Scar. We were literally about to attack the gazelles, when Fuli came in and took me out. Then Ono came in and-"

"I don't need a full tale of events, Janja!" The hyena gulped, ducking his head slightly. "Now, since you were given a false report on what to expect, I suppose I can forgive this… unfortunate outcome."

"Y-yeah! Thank you, Scar!"

"Don't grovel, Janja. Now, tomorrow, I'll be sending the crocodiles in. It's clear that the Lion Guard's recent excursion hasn't inhibited their ability to fend off our forces, so I'll need time to plan their attack. For now, you're dismissed."

With that, the fiery lion's head dissipated, fading down to nothing but a mark of ash on the ground. Once he was certain Scar was gone, Janja turned to the other hyenas. "We got lucky. Any other day, Scar would've had our tails for that, so tomorrow, you boys better not screw around if Scar decides he needs us."

Kion and the others ran ahead to catch up to Swala and her herd, having calmed down after Ono helped to guide them away from the hyenas towards the Watering Hole. Once they saw Swala talking with Ono, they walked over to her. "Is everyone okay?" He asked, getting the attention of the herd's leader.

"We're all safe, Kion," she informed the lion cub. "Once Ono explained to me what was happening, I alerted my herd, and we all made our way here."

"Well, we're glad you're all okay."

"Have the hyenas attacked you a lot the past few days?" Beshte inquired.

"Actually, we were lucky. It seems the Outlanders- the jackals, the hyenas, the crocodiles- they never came after our herd. We saw them chasing the antelopes one time, but from what I've heard, it's mostly been the zebras and the wildebeest that's have been targeted."

"Did they attack often?" Fuli asked next.

"Not especially. There was usually just one a day, maybe two, but the herd leaders and Simba's pride always managed to take care of them."

"Well, now that they know we're back, they'll think twice before coming back!" Bunga boasted, striking a heroic pose that made Ono roll his eyes.

"That sounds optimistic…"

"What Bunga means," Kion said, turning his attention back to the gazelle, "is that, now that we're back in the Pride Lands, we're going to make sure that, any time Janja, Reirei, Kiburi or any of the Outlanders try to attack the Pride Lands, we will be there to stop them. You have our word that we will do whatever is in our power to protect every herd in the Pride Lands."

"I appreciate that, Kion," Swala told him with a smile. "My herd and I thank you for protecting us just now, and we appreciate everything you do for the Pride Lands."

"You're welcome."

"Do you need us to escort you back to your grazing grounds?" Beshte offered.

"Thank you, but we'll be okay now."

"Well, if anything else happens, do let us know."

"We will, Kion. Have a nice day." She turned to her herd and announced, "everyone! Let's head back to the grazing grounds!"

The herd didn't argue, following after their leader to return to their grazing grounds, leaving the Lion Guard by the Watering Hole. "Well, Lion Guard," Kion told his team, "I think it's about time we took a break anyway. Let's rest for a bit, and then we'll return to patrol."

"Sounds good to me!" Bunga said without thinking, leading to a bit of a chuckle from his friends.

Now that they were able to rest, the Lion Guard dispersed a little around that side of the Watering Hole. While Bunga and Beshte went into the water to bathe and splash about a bit, Ono saw some of his flock and decided to chat with them for a bit. As for Kion and Fuli, they both walked over to the edge of the Watering Hole, leaning forward to take a drink before sitting down together.

"Well, can't say that it's been a slow day," Fuli joked, to which Kion raised a teasing an eyebrow.

"We both know you'd hate one of those," he quipped back, which got a small giggle out of the girl that made him smile. "But, yeah. It's a typical day in the Pride Lands. While I wouldn't mind if Janja and the rest of the Outlanders stopped attacking the Pride Lands, it definitely makes the day more interesting."

"I know what you mean." She turned her gaze to their reflection in the water's surface. "It feels like it wasn't that long ago when you discovered that you have the Roar of the Elders, and you asked us to join your Lion Guard. We've come a long way since then, and as annoying as Janja can be, it's times like when we defend the Pride Lands against him and his hyenas that remind us of how much we've grown."

Kion nodded, impressed by the wisdom in his friend's words. "It's true. We've been doing that since before we even were the Lion Guard. And every time we face him, we show him why we're such a great team."

"That's exactly right." The two sat there for a few moments, watching in silence as Bunga and Beshte splashed in the water, before Fuli spoke again. "So, why did you pick us?"

He turned to the cheetah, confused by the question. "What do you mean?"

"Don't tell me you don't know." She turned to him with a bit of a smirk. "I know that we all have our roles in the Guard- fastest, bravest, strongest, keenest of sight. But I also know you, and I know that you would have picked us even if we weren't that stuff. So, what really made you pick us?"

He gave a chuckle. "That obvious?" When she nodded, he chuckled again. "Seems you're pretty keen of sight yourself." He moved his front paws forward, stretching his back a little, before answering his friends' question. "Well, Bunga really is the bravest animal I know, but not just when it comes to facing enemies. He's always able to look past the darker side of things, no matter how bleak, and see the light. It's easy to get caught up in that stuff, but he never does."

He then turned his sights to the hippo currently swimming in the water. "It's no doubt that Beshte's strong, the strongest animal there is in the Pride Lands, and he's only going to get stronger. That said, he's also the strongest of character I know. He's never hateful towards anyone or anything, and he's always compassionate. He only sees the good in everyone, even those like Janja and Reirei, and I rarely see him without a smile." His eyes then darted toward the egret talking with his flock members. "As for Ono, when it comes to his sight, it's not just how far or how well he can see, but his insight that makes him such a great member of the team. He just has such great vision."

"You really put a lot of thought into this, didn't you?" He nodded. "So, what about me?"

"Y-you?" She nodded, and he looked away slightly, his smile being almost… bashful. "Well… there's no doubt that you're the fastest animal in the Pride Lands- heck, in all of Africa!" She puffed out her chest pridefully, but allowed him to continue rather than boast. "But… you're also the most reliable animal I know. You're first to the fight, and… you've pretty much always been the first one to be by my side when I needed someone. Honestly…" He turned to look at her again, seeming quite timid but smiling as his eyes met hers. "I couldn't imagine not having you as a friend."

Her mouth dropped open, slightly agape as she blinked, her brain taking its time trying to process what he had just said. When she finally found herself able to speak again, she mirrored his timid smile, her cheeks slightly reddened. "Thanks, Kion. I couldn't imagine not having you as a friend either."

"Thanks."

Neither were quite sure what they should say next, but they didn't need to, as someone else had spoken instead. "Well, hello, you two!" They heard Kasi greet, turning to see the king cheetah approach, accompanied by the king and queen. "How goes patrol?"

"It's going good, mama," Fuli told her, her smile growing at seeing her mother. "What about you? How goes talking with the herd leaders?"

"I think it's going well so far."

"Your mother seems to be making the right impression with the other animals," Nala said to the cheetah cub. "We've spoken to five different herds so far today, and they all seemed to have a similar reaction to her."

"That being said, we can't guarantee that all of them will do so," Simba reminded them. "We need to take this as we go, and let them all make their own decision."

"Of course," Kasi agreed, nodding to the king. "You said it was the crocodiles we were going to see next, correct?"

"That's right."

"Ooh, good luck with that one," Fuli said, frowning slightly out of worry. "That could be… tough."

"Makuu is… a no nonsense kind of animal," Kion explained, being careful with how he worded it. "He doesn't tend to care about other's emotions as much as other herd leaders. He can be reliable as an ally, but he isn't exactly the kindest crocodile we know."

A smirk spread over the adult cheetah's face. "I appreciate your concern, Kion, but your parents already debriefed me on what to expect. I think I know how to connect with Makuu."

Nala gave a slight chuckle, finding Kasi's confidence admirable. "I'm sure you do." She then turned to Kion and asked, "we were going to see the gazelles next, but they weren't at their grazing grounds. Did something happen?"

"Let's just say that Janja knows we're back," Kion answered. "Thankfully, with Ono escorting the gazelles to safety, we were able to send them back to the Outlands."

"Sounds quite exciting!" Kasi sat down in front of the two cubs. "We came here to take a breather before moving on to see the crocodiles, so do you think you have time to tell us what happened?"

Kion looked to Fuli, then smiled and told the former queen, "I think we have time."