"Kion, what happened?"

King Simba's facial expression was stern, perhaps sterner than he'd ever looked before, and young Kion looked at his feet in shame.

"The zebras were stampeding at Chakula Plains, and then a wildebeest stampede started around the same time, near the gorge. While we were trying to get the herds to stop, Janja and his clan attacked." One guess as to who started those stampedes in the first place, Kion thought bitterly.

"Why didn't you call your mother and her lionesses, or me? Or, if you felt you couldn't leave the herds even with your friends working together, Rafiki was nearby, why not go to him? What made you think you could stop the stampedes and fight off the hyenas all by yourself?"

Kion's spirits sank even lower than before. His father was right. He should have realised he was up to his neck in trouble and gone to get help instead of stubbornly trying to control everything at once. Now, as a result of his stupidity, the herds had been practically slaughtered by the greedy hyenas. Only a select few members of the herds remained. This wasn't the way the Circle of Life worked.

Or is it? Prey eat plants, predators eat prey, said a nasty voice in the back of Kion's head. Kion shook his head to clear the thought away, also realising that he hadn't answered his father's question. "I - I didn't think - I'm sorry."

Simba scratched at his mane. "Look, son, I know being the leader of the Lion Guard is a big responsibility. Especially for a young cub like yourself, and with the Pride Lands' lack of a Guard for decades now. Before your time, it was customary for a previous Lion Guard leader to train their successor until they deemed him fit to take over."

Kion looked up at his father in surprise.

"I had hoped that with mine and Rafiki's guidance, that would be enough to assist you as leader. And when Rafiki mentioned that he had found a way to enable my father to speak to you, I was certain that you would be able to lead the Guard with little trouble. And for the most part, Kion, you did very well. But recently, you appear to have been struggling. First, you neglected to check the northern border of the Pride Lands on your duty, which resulted in a jackal attack. Secondly, the other day you lost your temper and attempted to slash Makuu with your claws. And now this. I hate to tell you this, but we cannot afford any mistakes, especially ones of this magnitude."

Kion nodded. "I understand, Dad. I promise this won't happen again."

"No, it won't, Kion. I have decided to disband the Lion Guard until further notice."

"What? Dad, you can't! Please!"

"I can, and I have. Please, try to understand. This isn't a game, and not only have many died today, but you and several of your friends got hurt. Look at your eye."

Kion touched the sensitive skin over his eye and winced in pain. Janja had slashed him in the face with his claws earlier that day. He hadn't had a chance to look at it, but it stung horribly, especially with the hot summer air hitting it. Fortunately, his eyesight hadn't been affected by the wound. "Is it that bad, Dad?"

Simba bent down and placed a paw on Kion's shoulder. "You are lucky that it wasn't your throat, son. Imagine if Janja had -" his voice trailed off, unable to say any more. "Look, we'll have to go to Rafiki to be sure, but there's definitely going to be scarring."

This day couldn't get any worse. First, he was booted from the Lion Guard, and now he was told he was going to have a scar on his face for the rest of his life. Just like… no, Kion did not want to think about that. He was never going to be like him.

"I need to take a walk, Dad," Kion said. Simba let him go, feeling worried and uneasy. He couldn't shake the feeling that something bad was brewing, and couldn't help but feel that this was only the start of it.