"Are we almost there?" Zuri said, groaning as she followed along behind Fuli and Tiifu. "My paws are getting tired!".
Fuli sighed and turned back to face Zuri.
"No," she said bluntly, "and if you're going to whine the whole way to the Outlands, then you might as well just turn back now."
"Yeah, Zuri." Tiifu said nodding in agreement, "Kion & Kiara are in serious trouble, and we don't have time to let discomfort slow us down."
Zuri muttered something under her breath, but at least she stopped complaining, and that was good enough for Fuli. They still had quite a ways to go before they reached the Outlands, but thankfully they had taken a shortcut through a thickly wooded area, so at least they had some shade from the hot sun. In all honesty, Tiifu and Zuri were just about the last two animals Fuli would ever want to take with her on a rescue mission, but due to circumstances, she had no choice but to enlist the help of the prissy lionesses.
As the group continued through the forest, Fuli's thoughts turned to Kion. She couldn't imagine how afraid he must be. Janja and his clan were purely evil hyenas who hated the Lion Guard, especially Kion. As scared as Fuli was for her friend, she tried to stay focussed on the task at hand. Hastily, she turned her attention to Tiifu and Zuri.
"C'mon girls," she said in a commanding tone, "we need to pick up the pace."
Tiifu and Zuri nodded, and the three of them broke out into a run. They had been moving rather slowly because Fuli had run all the way to the Pridelands, and consequently this meant she had little energy left for another trip. Now, after a short rest, Fuli was ready to pick up speed again, her concern for Kion feeding into her drive and giving her strength. The world rushed by her as she began to run faster and faster. Her determination to reach Kion grew with every stride. It wasn't until she noticed that Tiifu and Zuri were no longer by her side that she finally skidded to a stop.
"Girls?" Fuli said confusedly, looking around for them, "Where'd you go?".
A few moments later, a very exhausted looking Tiifu and Zuri came running from behind Fuli.
"Slow down!" Tiifu said through heavy breaths, "We can't keep up."
Fuli blushed.
"Oh yeah" she said apologetically, "I forgot, you guys can't run that fast."
Zuri groaned.
"No kidding!" she exclaimed as she began to absentmindedly groom one of her well manicured paws.
All three of them continued on their way, agreeing to just walk for now. As much as Fuli wanted to run as fast as she could all the way to the Outlands, she really couldn't blame Tiifu and Zuri for slowing her down. Lions just weren't as fast as Cheetahs. "Common knowledge" as Ono would always say. But no matter how fast she ran, Fuli knew that Kion would always be right by her side. It was one of the many things she loved about him. He was always there for her, and now, she needed to be there for him. She sniffed the area, curiously. There was the distinct scent of volcanic ash in the air.
"I think we're getting closer," Fuli said, turning to Tiifu and Zuri, "I can smell the volcano."
The two lionesses stuck their noses out, trying to pick up the scent. Tiifu sighed.
"I don't smell anything." she said turning to Zuri, "What about you?".
Zuri sniffed the air once more.
"I can only smell your perfume." she said with a blank expression on her face.
Tiifu lowered her ears in shame.
"Oh yeah… sorry" she said blushing, "It smells good though, right? Do you think Kion will like it?".
Fuli let out a growl, beginning to get annoyed.
"Seriously?" she said as the three of them continued to walk towards the Outlands "Do you have to talk about Kion 24/7?".
Zuri sighed longingly.
"It's not our fault he's adorable." she said with a giggle, "You're lucky you get to spend time with him every day as a member of the Lion Guard."
"We hardly ever get to see him..." Tiifu added, her shoulders slumping a bit.
Fuli's eyes saddened. She felt sorry for the two lionesses, but it wasn't her fault Kion didn't have feelings for them. She decided maybe she'd try and show Tiifu and Zuri a little more compassion from now on.
"I'm sorry, girls," she said kindly, "but I bet someday you'll both find different lions to fall in love with."
Tiifu's ears perked up, and she smiled a bit.
"Thanks, Fuli," she said with a happy twinkle in her eyes, "But I'm still hoping someday Kion will love me back."
Fuli smiled and tried to act understanding, but on the inside, she was furious. Kion was HERS. She had waited so long for him, and she wasn't about to let anybody take him away from her. However, for the time being, she couldn't let her anger get to her. Saving Kion & Kiara was the most important thing, and it needed to happen FAST.
The smell of volcanic ash grew stronger as the three girls continued on their journey. Eventually, they came to the edge of the Outlands. All of them stopped, hesitant to cross the border into the decidedly unsafe territory.
"I don't wanna go into the Outlands." Tiifu said through a forced whine.
Zuri nodded in agreement.
"Yeah," she said slowly stepping backward, "It's really scary!".
Fuli groaned. She was just about ready to yell at them for being cowards, when she realized that maybe a little bit of kindness would be more helpful.
"Look, girls," she said sympathetically, "I know you're scared, but Kiara and Kion need our help. I'm counting on you guys to stick with me. I can't do this without you."
Tiifu and Zuri both looked at each other.
"Alright," said Zuri, hesitantly, "I guess we can be brave just this once, for Kiara"
"And Kion…" Tiifu added, dreamily.
To be continued...