The Lion Guard was on their usual patrol through the Pride Lands like they would often do as they are committed to protect the Pride Lands, no matter what it takes to keep the Circle Of Life at peace it so rightfully deserve.
Looking over at what kind of help or task there was, Ono used his very keen sight to look at the valley below him as he flew in the sky.
"Ugh, Janja and his little posse are attacking a roan antelope herd." Said the cattle egret.
Everyone, including Ono, sighed in irritation. "This is getting a little annoying." Fuli remarked. "Doesn't Janja And his crew ever learn to give up or call it quits?"
"I'm just as annoyed as you are, Fuli." Kion agreed. "But you know the motto: Till the Pride Lands end,"
"Lion Guard will defend!" They all said in unison togrther boldly and bravely. they all stepped up boldly on front of Janja, Chungu, and Cheezi, looking quite fierce at them to let the hyenas know mean business.
"Oh great. That's what we need, the Lion Guard ruining our feast." Janja remarked sarcastically. "Why don't you little runts just go on and best it while me and my boys have our lunch?"
"Because it greatly upsets the circle of life." Beshte answered sternly. "Have you no concern for it?"
"Bah, the Circle Of Life Mumbo jumbo is a bunch if crazy talk." Cheezi Said.
"Yeah, we should be able to eat whatever we want." Said Chungu.
"That's right, boys." Said the leader with a mischivious smile on their face. "We might be outnumbered by you guys right now, but that don't matter."
Kion stepped up to them, and remarked "we'll see about that!" And a full-scale right brike out between the two groups again. However, Kion noticed something odd while fighting the sneaky hyenas.
He saw Bunga just sadly sighing to himself, picking the grass with his mighty claw. Kion was a little distracted by this, as a matter of fact, he felt himself by Janja, who was as quite bigger than the Lion cub himself.
"Gotcha, Kion!" He Said while pinning the son of Simba to the ground with his big paw. The cub was trying with all his might, but he was too small to shake Janja off of him. Kion decided that now was the time to pull out the big guns, and use his infamous Roar of the Elders against the troublesome scavengers.
It was so loud and powerful, that it cashes Janja, Chungu, And Cheezi to stagger to the ground on impact.
Obviously frightened by that rise they all hated so much, they were yelping like dogs and decided to retreat.
"Alright! Alright!" Janja negged. "We're done, but mark my words, Kion; this is certainly not over. Ho ho, i'll see to it you suffer from my flaws and teeth, you'll beg for death to come and save ya."
"Dream on, Janja." Kion doubted him. "As long as we're together, nothing can stop us. besides, aren't you getting tired of doing this over and over agai?" He raised an eyebrow at the three hyenas unamusingly. "Now, get out!"
making a small growl of frustration, Janja and his boys went back to their home in the outlouds, leaving the Lion Guard alone in their moment together. The others went up to Bunga, who still looked pretty sad and concerned about his believed parents. "Bunga, are you okay?" asked Fuli.
"i'm Fine." Said Bunga. He said he was alright, but the cracking sound in his voice told all of them differently. "I... just need to be alone for a while." and he was about to walk alone in a different direction. Before he could walk any more steps, his own best friend gently put a hoof on his right shoulder.
"Bunga, please," Kion begged him. "You've been looking so downhearted for a while now. You didn't even help us fight off Janja and his friends."
"Alright." the honey badger sighed. "I was just thinking about my parents. I mean, who are they?" the rest of his best friends were silent for a moment and didn't know what to say to him.
Finally, Kion said. "Bunga I... I honestly don't know who they are." the honey badger turned around to look at his closest friends. "Why do you ask?"
"I had a dream about them, or what I thought was them. We were on a field of honeycombs, something every honey badger like me can possibly dream about, or call heaven. I want to know who they are, or if they are even still... you know the rest of that."
Kion, and his friends couldn't help but give him a sympathetic look. "You really don't know who they are?"
Sighing sadly, Bunga replied "No. I did see them once when I was just a little kit, but then they suddenly went away for some reason, and never came back." he let two tears escape his eyes. "That was when Timon and Pumbaa found me and took me in as their own."
"Bunga, I'm sorry if you feel this way." said Fuli. "I wish I can help you find some answers."
"So do I." said Ono.
"Me three." Beshte added.
"It's okay, guys." Bunga said. "I... just need to be alone."
"What? But you're the bravest of the Lion Guard." the hippo said. "You can't just walk out on patrol."
"It's okay, Beshte." Kion said. "Go ahead, Bunga."
"Will you be okay without me right now?"
"Of course. It's only one member not with us at the moment." Ono said.
"Yeah, we can take care of the rest of the patrolling. We did just take care of Janja and his posse." Fuli added. "Go on ahead and be alone if that's what you want."
"It is." Bunga replied. "Thanks guys, but if it's urgent like a volcano about to erupt, let me know."
"I don't think there are any volcanoes here. And Kilimanjaro is not active, and hasn't erupted in like thousands of years." Kion said. "But sure, we'll let you know if there is something you can help us with."
Bunga made a sad smile before he replied "Thanks guys. I just hope I don't leave when there is something terrible going on." and he went his own way for a little while
After a long walk, there was a small knoll with a dead tree on top of it. Bunga decided to take a little rest and sat on hill. The honey badger was wondering aimlessly into the Pride Lands, deep in his thinking space. The young honey badger was curious to know who his parents are, or who they were. He sighed sadly and looked over at the horizon, a small herd of hartebeest was seen migrating down below on the hill he was standing on.
"I bet those hartebeest down there have calves with them." he thought to himself. "I just wish there was some way for me to know about my parents, or who they were."
He sat there for a little while, looking at his surroundings from the sky, to the trees, to many other animals that were passing by, including birds flying away from his direction. "Oh, why the long face?" said a sinister voice. The honey badger sadly looked over at his direction, and saw Ushari, the red cobra that was supposedly Bunga's arch-nemesis.
"Leave me alone, Ushari, I'm not in the mood." said Bunga.
"I know, and that's why I'm going to kill you and make you suffer for harassing me!" he bared his fangs and hissed. He lunged at Bunga, and try to penetrate his fangs, but they didn't even hurt him. His fangs did absolutely nothing, for Bunga was like a living tank with his thick skin. He tried it again and again, but his fangs had little affect on his skin at all.
It was just at this moment, Bunga grabbed him by the neck with his mighty hand, and his expression hadn't changed one bit, no, he still looked depressed and troubled. "Maybe another time, Ushari." he said glumly. And he threw the venomous cobra into the air with great force.
"CURSE YOU BUNGAAAAAA!" the cobra screamed as he was rushing through the sky.
Bunga continued sighing sadly, and looked at the beautiful blue sky. "Bunga?" said a familiar voice. A figure suddenly jumped down. It was Rafiki, the wise old baboon who had been friends with Mufasa when he was alive. "Why the long face, little one?" he asked.
"Hello Rafiki. I was just thinking about my parents, and who they are? and if they're even still alive." the honey badger greeted him.
"Your parents?"
"Uh-huh. I just want to know who they are, and if they're not dead. And if they remembered me and all that."
"Hmmm, well, perhaps I can help you with that." the monkey offered.
"You can?"
"Of course. I can help you see who your parents are."
"How?"
"Come with me in my tree and I will show you." and the young honey badger followed the wise old baboon.
In his large, baobab tree, Rafiki was pulling out one of his spiritual fruit, and broke it in two with a loud crunch heard. "Will this even work?"
"Of course, my little friend." Rafiki replied. "Now, I am going to try and enter your mind and see any memories for any evidence about your parents, or their whereabouts." He dipped his first finger into the juice and it looked completely orange at the tip.
He carefully laid his first finger on Bunga's forehead and it took a little while before he and Rafiki mentally teleported into the memories. They were both in an open field in the middle of the afternoon. Wind was blowing and the grass was rustling in the savanna.
there, a small honey badger baby was sitting on the dirt, sucking on his claws with his mouth. "Oh, I remember this!" Bunga immediately recognized him. "It's me!"
"Oh Bunga." Said a female voice. The real Bunga looked to see who it was, and it was a beautiful female honey badger coming up to his last self. She had a much more darker fur than her own son, and the white back on her was more whiter like the color of bone. Her eyes were a very dark green color, and she looked rather slender.
"Mom?" He thought.
"Shh, I want to see what happens." Rafiki gently silenced him.
"Come on, sweetie. We need to teach you how to hunt for food.9
"Okay mommy!" Said baby Bunga. The mother gently picked him up with her mouth and took him to his father, who turned out to be a very muscular honey badger in the blackest black possible, and he had big brown eyes and a rather broad face.
"Alright son," said the father. "The key to hunting for food is planning and patience. And don't be afraid of facing a cobra, for our skin is very tough. Not even a full grown lion can kill us as long as our skin is very thick. You understand what i'm Saying?"
Baby Bunga was still for a second, and then continued ducking his claws with his mouth again.
"Oh, Bunga." The dad remarked with a smirk on his face. 'You're a strange child."
"Come now, dear." Said the mother. "He is only a baby."
"Yeah, you're right." And the parents smiled warmly at their son warmly. "Come on son, we'll look for some food for ya."
"Wow, that's them? I'm starting to remember now." The Himey Badger thought.
"More will unfold now." Said Rafiki. As the memories progress. They suddenly encountered a small pack of spotted hyenas coming up to the honey badgers. There were four of them, and they looked menacing, even more menacing than Janja and his crew.
"Uh-oh, hyenas." Said the father. He and the mother stood in a defensive stance. "What do you want Kengu?"
"Relax. We don't want to hurt you." Said the leader in a low voice. "We just want your son as our snack." Then he and his small lack snarled and licked their lips, obviously wanting to eat Bunga without question.
"The only way to eat our son is over our dead bodies!" The mother shouted defensively.
"Our plan exactly." The leader said coldly.
"Bunga, get out of here!" Said the father. Baby Bunga was unsure, but he decided to run away from those hyenas in the speed of light like no honey badger has ever ran before. He gave one last glance back at his parents who were both doing their best to thwart the bloodthirsty scavengers away.
Baby Bunga was running and running for miles, and finally stopped near a stream. And it was exactly when Bunga met Timon and Pumbaa before they both decided to take him in as their own while searching for Utamu.
It was just then Bunga and Rafiki exited the memories of the honey badger's past, and Bunga understood what just happened.
"Well, That was certainly a wild ride." Rafiki remarked. "Your parents risked their own lives to save you from those horrible hyenas in your memories."
"Wow. But... why didn't they come back?" Bunga Asked.
"Hmm, Perhaps the hyenas must have overpowered them." The baboon noted. "Sure, their teeth might not be as powerful, and a honey badger!s skin m is tougher than a rock, but it is not the sharpness of the teeth that do it. No, it's the bite force that counts."
"I did hear that hyenas do have a strong bite force." Bunga admitted. "I... just wish I could have been there longer to know them."
"There was nothing you could have done to stop the hyenas. You would have been dead, and end up as their snack."
Thinking deep in his head, Bunga admitted "That's true. I was as only a baby when that happened. "Did... did they survive?"
"I do not know, Bunga." Said Rafiki.
"Okay. Thanks anyway."
"Oh but do not be sad, young one. Timon And Pumbaa have been good parental figures for you."
"That's true."
"Do not worry. Everything will be alright. You still have a family."
Bunga made a small smile and said "you're right."
"Bunga!" Called a voice. It was Timon's voice. Peeking from above the branches, it was indeed Timonand and Pumbaa waiting for him. "Are you up there?"
"Yeah guys. I'm coming. See you later Rafiki."
"And I Say the same for you. Do take care, and may Mufasa guide your path." Then the honey badger climbed down the tree with his powerful claws and went up to Timom and Pumbaa.
"Are you Alright?" Asked the red warthog. "Me and Timon were very worried about you, Bunga."
"Oh. Thanks guys. But i'm Alright now." Then he hugged them both. "I'm so glad to have you guys as a family."
Timon and Pumbaa were touched to hearnthat, and hugged him back. "Thanks kid, and we're lucky to have you as a nephew." Timon remarked. "Me and Pumbaa found a big log full of grub if you want to come back with us."
"That would be fun. Zuka Zama!" The badger exclaimed in joy.
"That's the Bunga we all know in love!" Pumbaa Said proudly, Then the three went back to their little jungle together to have a feat of grub.
