The Triumph of the Roar
It had been a week since Kion realised that his scar was not what made him him. Makucha's army had struck back yet again, hell-bent on taking over the Tree of Life. The Night Pride ran to confront them, realising that they had already cleared the mountain pass. Ullu flew over to them. "Ullu, what happened?" Rani asked. "Sorry," Ullu hooted. "I dosed off,". Baliyo let out a yawn. "Dosing sounds nice," he said, exhausted. "That's the fourth day in a row they've attacked at sunrise," Surak mused. "Well, that's why we're here," a voice declared.
At that moment, Kion and the Lion Guard appeared and ran to fight Makucha's army. "Beshte, you take Ora," Kion ordered. "Fuli; Chullan,". "Leave Mama to me!" Bunga declared cheerfully. "Ono, Anga; you know what to do," Kion told them. The rest of the group went to carry out Kion's command. A ready grin appeared on the young man's face as he unleashed his sword from its scabbard, metal flourishing. "That just leaves the two of us, Makucha," he announced as he brandished his sword. Makucha pointed his pistol at Kion, with the intention of killing him. The second the bullets came out, Kion blocked the attack, and the bullets ricocheted off the metal. In almost no time at all, the Lion Guard had defeated Makucha and his followers and sent them packing once again.
"Woo-hoo!" Bunga cheered. "The Lion Guard's fiercest is back and better than ever!". "Bunga..." Kion smiled modestly. "Actually," Nirmala stepped forward. "Bunga has a point. This battle proved that you know how to be focused. It looks as though you are healed, Kion,". This news pleased the Leader of the Lion Guard greatly. This meant that the venom in his scar was no more. Apart from becoming focused once again, Kion's skin had returned to the natural pale it had been before he got his scar rather than the off-white it had been when he first arrived at the Tree of Life.
"That means we can go back to the Pridelands now, right?" Fuli inquired. The Queen was devastated at the prospect of the Lion Guard, though mostly Kion, leaving the Tree of Life. She had only realised that she loved him a week ago, and she hadn't yet confessed her feelings for him. "You're leaving? Right now?" she asked him. "Don't worry, Rani," Kion gave her an assuring smile as he took her hand. "The Lion Guard promised to patrol the Tree of Life during the day, and so long as the threat of Makucha and his army lingers, that's exactly what we'll do,". "Thank you, Kion," Rani smiled, overcome with relief. After this, the Night Pride went to rest.
"So, if you're healed, does this mean that you're ready to use the Roar again?" Bunga asked Kion excitedly. "Not just yet," Kion replied. This surprised Bunga "Say what?". "Fuli, if you wouldn't mind taking charge of the Lion Guard for a bit, I need to go somewhere,". With that, Kion ran as fast as his feet could carry him. "But you're healed!" Bunga called out to him. "Nirmala said so!". His friend didn't hear him though. "He's hiding something," Bunga suspected. This earned him a glare from the rest of the group and them all rolling their eyes, saying "Bunga!".
Before going to meet with Askari, Kion had stopped at the jewellery shop and bought something there (this will be important in the next chapter). When he arrived at Chkha Escarpment, the ghost of Askari appeared before him. "Hi, Askari," Kion smiled pleasantly. "Good afternoon, Kion," Askari responded. "I'm ready to continue my training," the young man declared. "That's good to hear," Askari stated. "You've made great progress so far, but, as I said to you when we first met, only one who is willing to let go of the Roar completely can truly master it,". "I understand, sir," Kion nodded. "But I still want to give the Roar up; I don't need it to lead the Lion Guard,". "Excellent," Askari beamed. "And soon, you will learn everything the Roar can do,".
Meanwhile, near the mountain pass, Chullan, Ora and Makucha, battered and bruised from their most recent battle, were sitting on some rocks. "So, we lost... again," Ora muttered. "Is it me, or is the Lion Guard getting better?" Chullan asked. "It's Kion," Makucha scowled. "He's even tougher than he used to be; nothing gets passed him now,". "And the others obey his ever command," Ora added. "I don't know about you, but I feel like I'm ready to give up," the white-haired Russian woman sighed. "Give up?" growled a voice. Mama Binterong jumped down from the tree she had been hanging from and clenched her fists. "Mama Binterong never gives up, and neither do you!". The other members of the army quickly in agreement, apart from Ora, who solemnly admitted that he did... sometimes.
"Besides," Mama stated. "This time, we've got help,". She opened her handbag, and she took out a book. "During my time as "Granny Ginterbong", I went into Mrs. Page's bookshop and bought a book that I think will come in handy,". She handed it to Makucha, who read the title. "Vurugu: The Rise and Fall of King Malik's Evil Nephew" "Oh, why would we care so much about some Indian royal who was overcome and destroyed by his own ambitions?" Chullan scoffed. "For your information, Russian," Makucha snarled. "This "Indian royal" single-handedly killed three members of the Tree of Life's royal family, and he would have succeeded in becoming King had Surak and Nirmala not stopped him. He made his presence known in the Tree as Life and established himself as a force to be reckoned with as soon as he murdered King Malik with a poisoned sword. In fact, the people of the Tree of Life feared him so much that there was a conspiracy theory for several years that he had faked his suicide and went back into hiding, hell-bent on getting both his revenge and the position of King. Eventually, Queen Janna had enough of these rumours and put Vurugu's dead body on display, making sure that the point where he had cut his own throat was visible, proving that the man responsible for the deaths of the King, Prince Sahasi and Princess Ananda had indeed killed himself,".
"So, in conclusion," Mama went on. "What we can take away from Vurugu's story is that, in order to win, we must create as much chaos as possible; people must fear us,". She then turned around. "Which is why I've brought some reinforcements,". As if on cue, a little boy that Mama had custody of came running up to her. "Mama!" he shouted. Makucha couldn't help but raise an eyebrow. "One little boy?" he questioned. "Hello, there," Mama addressed the boy soothingly. "You did get the others like I asked, right?". "Oh, yes," the boy nodded. Three more little boys arrived. "I'm still not impressed," Chullan said. "Wait for it," Mama smirked. Out of the shadows came some of Makucha and Ora's friends. "Now you're talking!" Makucha declared. "We're now a much bigger army than the Lion Guard and the Night Pride can handle," Mama laughed sinisterly. "And with the black soul of Vurugu looking down on us, we shall take over the Tree of Life!". The villains all cackled.
While Kion was practising his Roar with Askari, Bunga had decided to go to the palace to speak to the Queen, convinced that Kion was in trouble but wasn't telling the rest of the Guard. However, when he got to the palace door, a grumpy guard blocked his way. "May I please see your identification, sir?" he asked. "Say what?" Bunga questioned. Just then, Makini came over. "It's alright, sir," she said. "Bunga's with me,". "Of course, Mjuzi," the man replied. Makini led Bunga inside. "Bunga, if you don't mind, would you please come back later?" she asked politely. "But, Makini, it's an unbungalievable emergency!" the Lion Guard's bravest protested. "Bunga, Her Majesty is resting, and she needs her rest," the Mjuzi informed him. "Can't she rest some other time?" Bunga asked at the top of his voice.
Bunga was being so loud that Rani woke up from her nap and got out of bed. "It's alright, Makini; I'm awake now," she yelled before looking at the bed. "Hopefully, this will become a bed for a King and Queen in a short while," she thought as a smile spread across her face. Rani then opened her drawer to get a bobbin with which to braid her hair... only to discover a drawing that she had created when she was about ten. "I remember that day," she thought. "My teacher asked me to draw a picture of what I would be when I grew up. Well, I'm terribly sorry, ten-year-old me, but I don't look like that at all,". "Your Majesty!" Bunga yelled. "Alright, Bunga; I'm coming," Rani groaned as she quickly combed her hair and got dressed before opening the door. Bunga ran in.
"Queen Rani, I need to talk to you about Kion," Bunga insisted. "What about Kion, sir?" Rani inquired. "Have you noticed that he's been acting off lately?" he asked. "For your information, young man," Rani scowled. "There is nothing off about Kion, and if you think that there is, you are severely mistaken,". "Oh, I bet Kion's working on the Roar!" Makini exclaimed excitedly. "What do you mean by "working on it"?" Rani asked curiously. "I'll be right back; I just need to get something from the royal library," Makini declared before leaving. After a minute, she came back with a dusty, old book in her hands. The book was called "Askari and the Original Lion Guard". Makini turned to a particular page in the book. "According to this eyewitness account," she explained. "Askari would often go to Chkha Escarpment to practise the Roar of the Elders until he learned everything the Roar could do,".
Thinking about all of this, the Queen had an epiphany. "I need to speak to Kion," she declared before thinking. "And while I'm at it, I can confess my feelings for him,". "Zukazama!" Bunga declared. "Let's go!". Understandably, Rani did not want Bunga to be there to interfere with the conversation between Kion and herself. "Er,... don't trouble yourself, Bunga," Rani blurted out. "Trouble? Are you kidding?" Bunga questioned. "This is going to be awesome! Here, let me lift your dress up for you, Your Majesty,". "Bunga!" Rani snapped. "I don't need anyone to hold up my dress, and even if I did, I would get a woman to do it. That's why it's called a lady in waiting, not a gentleman in waiting. Anyway, I need to speak to Kion alone, if you please,". "Okay," Bunga smiled. "I'll go alone with you,". Realiaing that he wasn't going to budge, the Queen folded. "Alright," she sighed. "Let's go,".
As the two of them approached Chkha Escarpment, they could feel the presence of the Roar nearby. Whenever Kion used the Roar of the Elders, his ancestors appeared in the form of clouds. "Your Majesty?" Bunga asked. "Do you think that if I had the Roar of the Elders, all my ancestors would Roar with me, shouting "Zukazama!" and "Unbungalievable!"?". "Who knows?" Rani sighed. "And do you think that it would come in handy for finding more grubs?" he asked. "I've no idea," she groaned before thinking. "God, he's irritating. In fact, the only right thing Mama Binterong ever did was get annoyed at him,". Bunga looked at the frown on the Queen's face. "Hey, you're making a Fuli face," he declared. However, Bunga forgot about this and she about his antics as they saw a rock fly in mid-air and shatter into pieces.
"Well done, Kion," Askari smiled after Kion had completed that skill. "You mastered that skill quickly; stay calm, focus and roar,".
Askari: Here you stand on the edge of earth and sky. You can command them both if you try. Look within; you may find even more.
Kion prepared himself, the words of his mentor echoing inside him Stay calm, focus...
Askari: As you learn the power of the Roar!
And... roar!
Askari: The power of the Roar; the power of the Roar! It dwells inside you and all around you in ways you've never seen before.
The power of the Roar; the power of the Roar! Once you think you've found it all, you'll find there's still much more.
Free yourself from anger and from fear. The control that you seek will be clear. Though the Roar goes far beyond wind and south, it can impact everything all around!
The power of the Roar; the power of the Roar! It dwells inside you and all around you in ways you've never seen before.
The power of the Roar; the power of the Roar! Once you think you've found it all, you'll find there's still much more. The power of the Roar!
Before you could say "lickety-split", Kion was able to conjure up whirlwinds, create lightning bolts and many more things besides. Just as the ghost of Askari disappeared, Kion heard Rani's voice. "Kion, it's Rani," she declared. "Rani" Kion thought happily to himself. The mere mention of her name was enough to put a smile on his face. When she appeared, he was about to give her what he had bought at the jewellery shop, but when he saw that Bunga had come as well, he decided against it. "Hi, Rani," Kion smiled pleasantly before adding. "Hi, Bunga,". "Kion, might I say that I'm astonished to say the least; that was... amazing. How did you do it?". Rani asked. "Why, thanks," Kion blushed. "The trick is to stay calm, focus and roar,". Kion went closer to Rani as they locked eyes with each other... only for Bunga to ruin the moment. "Two questions," he said. "First of all, Kion, why are you looking into Rani's eyes? Secondly, Rani, why are you looking into Kion's?" As if the two had read each other's minds, they glared at him and uttered an exasperated "Bunga!".
Meanwhile, Makucha's army were making their way down the mountain pass. Ullu noticed them. "Better warn the Night Pride," she hooted. "You better not!" Mama Binterong snarled as she grabbed the owl by the leg and brought her down to a snowy path as her boys surrounded Ullu. "Watch her boys; we can't have her warning the Night Pride!" Mama bellowed as she ran off to join the rest of the army. However, Ullu managed to convince the boys to let her escape after turning her head all the way around. The owl subsequently warned the Night Pride, who went to the palace to look for the Queen. However, Makini explained that Rani had gone off to talk to Kion. When they tried to leave, however, they discovered that somebody (cough, cough, Makucha and Ora, cough, cough) had put a boulder in front of the main entrance to stop them from escaping.
Ullu subsequently warned the Lion Guard, who made their way to the surrounding areas of the palace. It was complete and utter chaos. There were bullets flying around and horror etched onto everyone's faces as Makucha's army terrorised them. "At long last, the Tree of Life is ours," uttered Mama Binterong with glee. As he was chasing a woman, Makucha thought to himself "Vurugu killed Princess Ananda by shooting her in the head, so that's what I'll do here,". He grabbed the woman by the neck. Thankfully, she managed to fight Makucha off by punching him in the nose. The Lion Guard knew that they stood no chance against an army this big. "Let everyone know that the reign of King Makucha has begun!" Makucha cackled.
"Not so fast!" a voice called. Members of Makucha's army turned around and discovered that Kion, Rani and Bunga had arrived. "A few pieces of steel won't save anyone this time," Chullan stated. "No, but I bet this will," Kion declared before turning to Rani. "If you don't mind, I think I can handle this," "I trust you," Rani replied. Kion could not only hear it in her voice, but he could see it in her eyes; he couldn't let her down. "Stay calm," Kion thought. "Focus and roar,". Using what he has learned from Askari, Kion beat Makucha's army beyond repair (and Mama Binterong was in desperate need of a bath after getting hit by one of Bunga's stink bombs) and subsequently freed the Night Pride by summoning a lightning bolt to break the boulder into pieces. "What happened?" Baliyo asked. "I don't know," Surak stated, examining the scene before them. "But it looks like we've won,".
Kion knew that simply telling Makucha and his army to never attack the Tree of Life again would never work, so he turned to his friends and said "I'd like to convince them never to attack the Tree of Life again,". With one final, mighty roar, Kion conjured up a gigantic whirlwind. The villains were sucked into it and taken far away, never to be seen or heard from again. Rani stared in both admiration and disbelief. "I've never seen anything like it," was all she managed to say. "Me neither," Kion replied, resulting in both of them laughing.
"I don't know what to say, Kion," the Queen stated. "Thanks for getting rid of them,". "It was the least I could do," Kion sighed. "After all, I was the one who led them here,". "Not to worry," Rani said as she put an hand on his broad shoulder. "Now I know why Queen Janna was so happy to see the Roar return to the Tree of Life, and now that it's here,... you should stick around,". It was Kion's turn to be at a loss for words as he took one look at his friends, who were also shocked, and another look at Rani.
Later on, Kion went to talk to his grandfather about what Rani had told him. "It is a difficult decision," Mufasa admitted. "It is," Kion replied. "I've got a duty to the Pridelands; my whole family is there. On the other hand, I still have more to learn about the Roar, and the Night Pride could use our help. Not only that, but Queen Rani wants me to stay, and, grandfather, I think I'm in love with her,". "And what do you want to do?" Mufasa inquired. "What do I want?" Kion questioned. "Yes, my dear grandson," Mufasa smiled. "You must choose the path that's right for you,".
Meanwhile, Rani was in her bedroom, looking at the drawing she had created when she was ten. She rubbed out the sketch and decided to redraw it. She did it landscape instead of portrait, and on half the page, she drew herself on her throne with her Queen dress, cape and tiara, much more mature than her ten-year-old self had made her out to be. With a smile that could've blinded someone, she drew on the other half of the page another throne. On it, she drew Kion in his own regal attire, complete with a cape and a crown on his head. Kion and Rani were looking lovingly at each other. Rani drew a giant pink heart around them, symbolising their love for each other. She drew some smaller hearts around the giant one. She took her gold marker and drew a wedding ring onto Kion's finger and then one onto her own. Lastly, she took her pen and wrote at the bottom of the page "I'm his Queen; he's my King,". Rani smiled at her finished product, kissing the paper. At that moment, she decided that she could keep her feelings for Kion a secret for no longer. She opened her bedroom door and asked the first person she saw "Do you think you could find Kion please and tell him that, if it suits him, I wish to speak to him?". "Of course, Your Majesty," the man bowed as he went to carry out the Queen's wishes.
Kion had just finished speaking to Mufasa when the man that Rani had sent approached him. "Hello, Kion," he said pleasantly. "Hello," Kion replied. "Queen Rani said that, if it suits you, she'd like to speak to you right now,". Kion could feel butterflies fluttering in his stomach upon hearing this. He couldn't wait to speak to her and confess his love for her. "Yes, it suits me," he nodded. "Thanks, sir,". With that, he followed the man to the palace. There could be little doubt that Kion and Rani had both come a very long way from where they first met, and we know by now that they're in love with each other. The Roar had triumphed over evil in the form of Makucha and his army. However, given that Kion and his friends still have a duty to the Pridelands, will his and Rani's love for one another triumph over all else? We shall have to see in the next chapter, which, mind you, I'm extremely excited to write about.
To be continued...