[A/N]-

Sorry about the wait guys! But here's the third part of episode one finally!

Happy reading,

Selena

~•{? ﾟﾦﾁ?}•~

Episode One: Never Judge a Hyena By It's Spots [3]

It was evident that Kion had not heard the slight footsteps from above them as she had, as his attention was still on her. However, when the young prince noticed the sudden change in his friend's upbeat demeanor he knew something was wrong. Sauda was looking up at the rocky ledges of the canyon walls on either side of them, ears and eyes alert, definitely searching for something.

"What's-" Kion was cut off abruptly when his female companion pushed a paw into his open muzzle.

"Hush," was all she said in response to the male's questioning gaze. As she did this she hadn't even taken her eyes off where the sound had come from.

"Hmm," the young prince said, turning his attention to the same direction that Sauda was alert to.

Raising his nose to the air and sniffing, another noise was then heard as a female hyena came bounding down towards them from the ledge above.

"Hello!" she exclaimed. "Surprise!"

Kion gasped in surprise and fell backwards as he tried to escape the unexpected hyena's pounce towards them.

"I knew that there was some animal up there following us!" Sauda exclaimed. "I just didn't know exactly what kind it was."

"Didn't know I was up there," the female hyena laughed. "Did ya?"

Kion got up from stumbling towards the ground and protested immediately, stuttering as he did so. "No, I...I knew you were there the whole time...Hyena."

Sauda sighed at her friend pointing out the blatant obvious status of her species, before looking back up towards the hyena above them.

"Yep, I'm a hyena all right," she responded, rolling her eyes. "You lions are so clever!"

The hyena then let out a short laugh before continuing speaking, "Especially you, Kion. Leader of the Lion Guard."

Kion growled lightly under his breath in annoyance at the female canine's obstinate glib. When the canine then looked to the prince's companion her demeanor changed slightly as she gained a glint of curiosity in her gaze as she continued speaking down towards them. Looking directly at Sauda she continued, "So the rumor running through the Outlands about a mysterious dark colored lioness prancing around with the lion prince is true!"

"Mysterious?" Sauda thought to herself. "Well, at least I'm actually being noticed for once..."

Kion then stepped forwards and asked suspiciously, "How do you know us?"

"Just by reputation," the hyena answered nonchalantly, "The mark on your shoulder's a giveaway, though."

As the hyena laughed and pointed at the male's guard member mark that stood out on his golden furred shoulder, Kion rolled his eyes. Eventually Sauda's curiosity eventually got the better of her and she finally spoke up and addressed the hyena properly for the first time, "Where'd you hear the rumor about me from?"

The purple canine blinked as the dark lioness spoke to her unexpectedly, "Well I heard from one of Janja's cronies about how there was a new lioness cub that had joined the king's pride who was also helping the lion guard."

At that answer, Sauda and Kion looked at each other and blinked, questions running through both of their minds. When the hyena spoke up again and asked a question that was directed towards Sauda they both turned their heads back towards the ledge above them. "Say, are you even in the lion guard?" she asked almost condescendingly.

Sauda who hadn't thought much about her place among Kion in her friends was now at a loss for words at the canine's question. "Well-" she started to answer, but was cut off by her lion prince companion.

"You don't have to answer her Sauda..." he stated before turning his attention back upwards. "So, you're not in Janja's clan?"

Kion's question was obviously hilarious to the female hyena as she began letting out a spiel of high pitched laughter, "Janja?!"

"Yeah, that's a good one!" she laughed again at Kion's question about her being in Janja's clan.

Instead of giving the two lion cubs a straight answer, the purple hyena bounded down to the chasm floor to speak to them face to face. When her paws touched the rocky floor, she asked them another question.

"What are you two doing in the Outlands?" she asked curiously. "It's not exactly your territory..."

Evidently, the king's son took this question in the wrong way and when he gave the answer he made sure to let the canine know, "We're going to Flat Ridge Rock, so we can get back to the Pride Lands."

"If that's okay with you, hyena..." he trailed off, his voice holding a light threatening tone.

Sauda who was slightly taken aback by the cub's blatant dislike for the hyena who'd done nothing to them, only made sure she knew who they were and why they were there in the Outlands. Even though she had just met this female hyena character she could tell just from their first encounter that she was nothing like Janja and his mangy cronies. "Kion, that's enough," she scolded her friend. "There's no need for us to be wary of her..."

Kion looked at his female companion with a slight look of surprise, "How so? She's a hyena!"

Sauda rolled her eyes and huffed indignantly, "Yeah and you and I are lions, what's the difference?"

"But-"

The dark furred lioness cub simply cut him off again by shoving her paw into his muzzle again to shut him up.

"She's not another Janja," she stated as if it were obvious.

No longer protesting but still curious, Kion asked, "How can you be sure?"

Sauda looked into the lion prince's brown eyes and simply shrugged in response. "I don't honestly know to be completely honest."

"I can just tell," she finished her statement, looking the female hyena in the eye and walking towards her slightly.

"I'm Sauda," the lioness cub shook her paw out in greeting.

"My dung-headed friend over there is Kion," Sauda laughed as she jerked her head backwards towards her companion.

"The name's Jasiri!" The hyena took the lioness cub's paw and shook it. "And if you are headed back to the Pride Lands, you're going the wrong way..."

"Uh-huh..." Kion butted in again. "And Sauda and I should trust a hyena because..."

"Because I want you out of my territory!" was Jasiri's only response.

"Good," the young male nodded. "We want out of your territory..."

Nudging passed their new acquaintance, Kion scoffed and called back to his friend. "Come on Sauda, let's go!"

Sauda followed him reluctantly before turning her gaze back to Jasiri briefly as she called out to them one last time, "Then you're going the wrong way!"

~•{? ﾟﾦﾁ?}•~

Back in the pride lands, the rest of the lion guard members were still walking to Flat Ridge Rock to meet up with Kion and Sauda. However, since Bunga had gotten them turned around lost with his poor sense of direction, Ono came to the save. Flying up and out of the canopy of trees and back to the ground, Ono landed on a small boulder as the rest of his companions came out of the forest exit.

"No problem," Ono shrugged, "But I don't know where to go from here."

The young egret looked up at the adolescent hippo, "I've never been to Flat Ridge Rock."

Both Beshte and Fuli then stated that they had never been to the meetup point either and all three of the lion guard members turned and looked at the honey badger who stood next to them acting as if he didn't have a care in the world. Seeing their gazes turned upon them, the mammal just shrugged.

"Well, it's probably around here somewhere," Bunga stated nonchalantly.

All I see are grass, trees and zebras," Beshte pointed out as they looked into the area just outside of the forest exit.

"Ugh!" Fuli groaned aloud, frustrated. "I can't believe we don't know where to go! We're the Lion Guard!"

"This never happens when Kion's around," the juvenile cheetah sighed.

"I bet Sauda wouldn't have a problem like this either," Ono pointed out.

Fuli growled at the mention of the dark furred lioness' name, "I told you, we don't need Sauda!"

Turning back around to face the rest of the guard members she continued, "She's not even a part of the guard!"

"Easy, Fuli," Beshte coaxed her to calm her frustration. "We just need to ask somebody for directions."

"Hello, Lion Guard," a voice interrupted them. It was Thurston the Zebra.

"I couldn't help but overhear. Do you need directions?" the herbivore asked.

"Yeah, we do!" Bunga said excitedly. "Do you know where Flat Ridge Rock is?"

"Flat Ridge Rock?" the zebra asked. "Oh! Is that near Ukuni Woods? Or Big Springs?"

"We don't know where it is," Fuli groaned in exasperation. "That's why we're asking you!"

"I , that's too bad!" Thurston stated. "I'm not sure where it is..."

A confused look then graced the animal's face, "Now, where was I going?"

"Uh, maybe back to your herd?" Beshte suggested helpfully.

"Oh yes, of course!" the zebra exclaimed happily. "Thank you!"

"Zebras," Ono sighed, shaking his head. "They never know where they're going..."

"Hey! We could ask Mbeya the Rhino!" Beshte realized. "He knows the Pride Lands like the back of his horn."

"Great," Fuli stated, turning towards her hippopotamus friend. "Any idea where we can find Mbeya?"

Beshte nodded dutifully, "This time of day, Mbeya usually hangs out at the Watering Hole."

"Yeah! Watering Hole, here we come!" Bunga said excitedly.

"Ono, you lead this time," Fuli ordered.

"Affirmative!" the egret nodded, taking off into the air. "Follow me!"

"This way, Bunga," the spotted guard member called back to the honey badger who was trying to go back into the forest.

"I was taking a shortcut!" he said in protest.

~•{? ﾟﾦﾁ?}•~

"Kion, are you sure this is the right way?" Sauda asked her friend who stubbornly decided to continue walking in the same direction they had been going in before they met Jasiri.

"Trust me Sauda, I know my instincts and they're telling me we are on the right path," Kion stated stubbornly.

Sauda ran to catch up and walk beside him, "I don't know, Kion."

Looking down slightly she then hesitantly asked, "Maybe we should, I don't know...ask for directions?"

"We don't need help...!" Kion exclaimed, stopping his frustrated stride. "Just trust me, alright?"

Sauda stopped walking as well and looked her friend in the eye as he desperately seemed to want her to trust him and his decision to ignore Jasiri's suggestions and warnings of heading in the wrong direction. There was a moment of silence between the two lion cub friends as Sauda contemplated her answer to the young male's request.

"Alright, Kion..." Sauda eventually sighed in agreement. "But if we get lost, I am so blaming you!"

Kion smiled at his dark furred companion, happy she was trusting his judgement. "Come on then, we should get moving," he said, nudging her side with his front paw. Sauda smiled at Kion's attempt to get her to continue walking with him. Giggling happily, she then followed closely behind her friend as they made to keep moving down the chasm's rocky pathway.

Walking up beside Kion, the happy air about Sauda diminished slightly as she remembered the question that Jasiri had asked her about being a guard member. Mohatu had told her that night that her role was to prevent Kion from becoming like Scar and the ultimate destruction of good in their world should that happen. Now how she was supposed to do that was a mystery to her as Mohatu's ghostly form dissipated before he told her of that particular bit of information. She recalled from the week prior when Kion, Bunga, and herself had been told the story of the Lion Guard and it's purpose. Rafiki had mentioned all of the individual members of the guard and what they were chosen for along with their role. However, now that she stopped to think about it, the guard wasn't complete! There was a missing member that they still needed, the slyest.

Maybe it was her ticket to preventing the disaster the prophecy foretold.

Deep in her thoughts, Sauda was more silent then usual and Kion definitely noticed. Ever since their fight, the lion prince noticed a change in his friend. In the short time that Kion had known her, Sauda was always a more elusive character than his others friends, however she was always there for him when he needed it most. Her personality was different than what the young male was used to and he was definitely having to adapt to Sauda's almost rogue lion-like behavior. Kion did not know what had happened to Sauda in order for her to show up in the pridelands alone and without any parents, but he had enough respect for the young lioness to not ask unless she decided to tell him about it herself.

"She'll tell me when she's ready," Kion thought to himself.

"Hey, Kion?" Sauda's voice interrupted the prince's inner monologue.

"Yeah?" he asked, shaking his head from his thoughts.

She had stopped and was standing a few yards behind him on the path. When Kion noticed the look that adorned her face, he promptly trotted back to her as she looked at him. When he began to ask what the problem was she hushed him, ears flicking back and forth trying to find the direction from which she heard a sound come from. Kion noticed this and went quiet, becoming alert himself as well. When the noise came again in the form of pebbles being scattered across the chasm floor, Sauda turned around and addressed who had been following them once again.

"It's no use, Jasiri," the young lioness called out to the female hyena who was hiding behind the boulders about ten feet away from them.

"Oh I know," she responded, emerging from where she had hidden herself among the rocks. "I'm just trying to tell you you're going the wrong way."

She looked over to the lion prince standing next to the former human, and her eyes squinted slightly in accusation, "But your princely lion friend there has decided the opinion of the animal that lives in this territory is irrelevant."

Kion simply scoffed and rolled his eyes at Jasiri's jab at him.

Sauda sighed in exasperation at Kion's blatant stubbornness to accept the fact that just because a certain few animals of a species has a bad reputation, there are others who are not like them. Janja may be a royal pain in the ass and may not respect the circle of life, but that certainly doesn't mean that every member of the species is the same. Sauda was going to change his mind, even if it took years.

Kion continued denying the female hyena's advances to help, "Would you just leave us alone and stop following us?!"

"You're still ignoring my advice," Jasiri pointed out, ignoring Kion's demands.

"About going the wrong way?" the prince scoffed. "I'm pretty sure I'm heading towards Flat Ridge Rock."

"Maybe so, but you can't get there on this trail," Jasiri countered.

"Oh, yeah?" Kion asked, not believing a word of what she was saying but decided to humor her. "Why's that?"

They had started to continue walking down the path once Jasiri had emerged from the rocks and had reached a bend in the path that did not allow you to see what was around the corner until you had reached it. When Kion snootily had asked Jasiri his last question, he did not see the abrupt end of the path that led into a canyon of thorns.

"The trail ends..." Jasiri had stated airily. "Here!"

"What?" Kion turned his head around at the last second to ask before tumbling down into the canyon and into the bushes of scraggly, dead wooden thorns. "Ah!"

Sauda saw her friend fall over the edge of the drop and scrambled forwards in worry, "Kion!"

The former human's friend was tangled in the sharp, wooden barbs of the dead bushes below. Growling in anger for her Kion being hurt, Sauda turned angrily towards Jasiri who had come up behind her cackling like well...a hyena at the male cub's predicament. A slight snarl escaped the young lioness's muzzle when she noticed that the female hyena didn't seem concerned in the slightest about Kion possible being hurt. Finally voicing her frustration, Sauda lightly snarled out, "Why didn't you tell him that the trail ended there?!"

"Because!" Jasiri cackled out, "Did you see his reaction!? It was hilarious!"

The canine's guffaws slowed and she said evenly to the lioness cub next to her, "You also have to admit, he kinda deserved it..."

Sauda reluctantly had to agree with her on that fact, as Kion had been acting like a right royal prick. However that didn't completely excuse her actions towards her male friend. "Yeah, but now he's hurt and trapped down there!" she responded to Jasiri.

Gazing down at the lion prince trapped, Sauda called out to him below, "Hold on Kion, I'm coming for you!"

Carefully, Sauda braced her two front paws on the top of the steep hill that dropped downwards from the ledge that Kion had fallen from. Sliding down the hill to where Kion was stuck in the thorns, the dark colored lioness rushed over to her friend and carefully began attempting to removing the thorny branches that pinned him there. As she went to swipe at the branch holding his back paw, Sauda in return got a paw full of thorns sticking into her skin.

Letting out a gasp of pain, Kion grew worried himself. "Are you alright, Sauda!?"

Picking the thorns from her foot with her sharp feline teeth, said lioness cub shook the pain from her paw and went back to trying to free her friend. "Yeah, what about you?" she asked him, swiping and pulling at the branches surrounding his stomach. "Your the one who took that nasty fall down the hill."

Touched by her worry for him, Kion smiled despite the pain he was in. "I'm alright."

Sauda smiled herself as she continued working at the branches. "Good, I'm glad that you're okay".

Kion looked up at the path and yelled out when he saw who sneaking down the hill towards them, "Heyvi kabisa!"

"Suada, look out!"

Sauda barely had time to react as turned around before Jasiri lunged towards them, snarling.

~•{? ﾟﾦﾁ?}•~