The Back Lands look the same as the Pride Lands, except, there were some differences compared to them both. The rulers of this plain, the Night Pride, were in front of Kion, his friends, and princess Rani, who led the group to her family and friends within this intriguing group. The lions in this kind of pride were a little different compared to Simba's Pride, for one thing; there were some lionesses with some similar marks compared to Rani's, some darker, some lighter than Rani.
As for the Cubs, they had more spots than the ones in Simba's Pride, although not all of them looked like that had spots. Some of these lions looked at Kion and his friends and stated as they walked by.
It was as if they were the outsiders that came back to the Pride Lands after Zira's death, and it almost made Kion feel like he was the outsider of this group, something that would cause this group of lions to be something they would hate.
Still, he and his friends didn't know that for sure, and they still haven't met Rani's parents just yet. In a short distance, there was a lion who had a much thicker and blacker mane than Simba's, like the color of Scar's, but far thicker than that dead lion and he was as muscular as Mufasa, along with a face as broad as the late king of the Pride Lands.
The queen of this very pride was more slender than Nala, and had her daughter's colors, but, a little darker fur on her body. The pair was having a conversation and it was beyond the kids guess. That had to be Jinjin and Maya, they looked the most majestic out of this pride of lions, and when they saw Kion, his friends, and their daughter, they were surprised.
Kion kept a blank face, trying to look as professional as possible, and so did his friends, although, Ono was the one struggling the most when keeping a blank and professional face.
"Ah, there you are, Rani." said the king. "Welcome back." his voice sounded almost as low as Mufasa, but a little higher.
"And I see you have brought some new friends with you." said Maya. She sounded a little lower than Kion's mother, and it sounded beautiful like a calm, seductive type of voice. The daughter stopped in front of her parents, and the Lion Guard sat down behind her.
"Mom, dad," Rani said, clearing her throat. "These are my new friends I told you about, from the Pride Lands."
"So this is the new Lion Guard?" asked the king. "Not what I have expected it to be. I thought it was supposed to be made of all lions?"
Kion didn't say anything in reply, and kept his cool with Rani's own parents. "And you must be Kion," said Maya with a motherly smile on her face. "Rani told us quite a lot about you."
"Come closer, boy." said Jinjin. The cub did exactly that, and took a few steps forwards, in front of the Night Pride's king and queen, and bowed to them in respect. "We have both heard so much about you. The Roar of the Elders, how you and your friends protect the Pride Lands, and your father, King Simba."
"Yes, your majesty." Kion replied at last. "And you are the rulers of the Back Lands, right?"
"That we are, dear." said Maya. "Me and my mate are the protectors of the Back Lands. We do everything we can to follow the Circle of Life and keep everything in line from any danger. And yeah, this is my guard."
"I'm Bunga," said the Honey Badger.
"Fuli,"
"Name's Ono."
"And I'm Beshte."
"A pleasure to meet you all." Said the king.
"Well, this is quite a pride you have." Kion said.
"indeed. The Night Pride is a special type of Pride that dwells in Africa." Maya said. "This is our family, and every one of them means so much to us." she looked on at the other lions going about their businesses, from the cubs playing to the few males besides the king himself, sleeping in the shade of an isolated tree.
Jinjin stood next to Kion as he looked on. "Every one of these lives mean so much to us, and not just lions, but the other animals that dwell upon the Back Lands." he added. "Often, we would have a few... problems in these lands."
The Lion Guard looked puzzled by what he said. "What do you mean by problems?" asked Fuli
"Well, we have a number of animals out here that only care and think about themselves, instead of the well-being of others." said Maya. "One of them is a leopard named Makucha." That very name struck the Lion Guard like some imaginary object just hit their brains.
"Makucha?" said Kion. "You're not the only one who knows him."
Jinjin and Maya looked a little surprised by what Kion said. "You know that awful leopard?" asked Jinjin
"Yep. He gives us quite a lot of grief in the Pride Lands." said Fuli
"He is bad to the bone." Bunga added.
"You can say that again." said Maya. "That leopard is very crafty. We are always able to stop his meddling and intervene in his little affairs. Although, we lost about two lion cubs to him." she gave a sad look on her face
"We're very sorry for your loss." said Beshte.
"Thank you." said the queen of the Night Pride. "But, it wasn't all your fault."
"We all know very well who is to blame for those tragedies, and I just wish he would stop all of this, and just leave us alone."
"Believe us," said Beshte. "Makucha is a thorn in our side at times. Along with a family of jackals, and a clan of hyenas that are such a pain to deal with in the Pride Lands."
"I see. I just wish that he would leave well-enough alone."
"Why can't he just die?" Bunga said. His friends, and the king and queen looked at him surprised, like he was a killer or something similar to a killer. "What?" he said.
"That sounds... like you're going too far, Bunga." said Kion.
"Oh. Sorry, I mean, I just wish he would stop tormenting animals for fun." the young honey badger clarified. "I mean, he's mean, vicious, and he'll do anything to get a meal, same with Mpishi."
"Mpishi?" said the king and queen.
"You know her too?" asked Jinjin.
"Not as much as Makucha, but yes." said Ono. "She's very fierce when it comes to fighting. I once had a fight with her, and she almost killed me!"
"She, herself, can also be a problem." Said Rani. "Still, She's afraid of us. Mpishi knows that we would stop her wne beat her any time. We'd always thwart out her attacks, too. We can get some couple of hyenas jackals, and those venomous snakes I tend you guys about."
It was silent for a moment, but Jinjin cleared his throat before beginning: "you know, Kion. I was once close to your grandfather when he was still alive." A small smiled appeared on his face. "Mufasa was the most noble lions I have ever met."
"You knew grandfather Mufasa, your highness?"
"Oh Yes. He had a pure heart made of gold, and he understood the circle of life as much as I did." Jinjin then looked up in the sky with a few clouds passing by to the east. "I was... only a cub when I first met him, but, we were close together."
"Wow. I did not know that." Bunga admitted.
"He also told me about the troubles with Taka and how corrupt he was becoming corrupt year after year."
"And he was becoming more ruthless when he was living." Maya added. "Poor Taka was a rather jealous soul, and a growing evil was rising in him, along with a resentment towards Mufasa.
"Taka?" Asked Fuli.
"Of course, Taka was his younger brother." Said Jinjin.
"Taka was Scar?" Kion realized. In his head, he thought: "Mufasa never told me that before." he was certainly brainstorming over this subject of Scar's true name."
"Scar was a name that Taka decided to be called from the accident involving a herd of Cape buffalo when he and Mufasa were teenagers." Said Maya.
"Wow. That's quite a story of someone's life." Kion remarked. "I know I should feel sorry for Scar because of that, but, he did starve many animals to death, and killed my grandfather."
Jinjin and Maya had sympathetic looks on their faces. "We have heard." Said Jinjin. "When Scar took charge over the Pride Lands, many animals that live over in that part of the savanna moved here to have food and water. Right after Simba killed him, they all moved back to the Pride Lands and celebrate Simba's coronation as the new king."
"We were more than happy to have many antelope and buffalo, and rhinos, and other animals live here in the Back Lands when Scar was king." Maya added. "It was not easy, but, we would help them in any way we can."
"Do you get hyenas attacking here?" Asked Kion
"Not as much as Makucha and Mpishi." Said Rani. "Hyenas are easy to handle and take care of, the same with jackals, but those two I mentioned before; those two are bad news."
"And there is a lion that was once a part of our family." The king of the Night Pride said: "he was... a proud lion, but, he grew so cocky and aggressive, that he would fight for any reason and with anyone."
The kids were silent and Maya said: "his name was Ramses, and he was known to be... mentally unstable."
"Unstable how?'" Asked Bunga
"He is highly unpredictable and it is like I have mentioned before," the king continued. "He would fight with anyone he would come in contact with. Always angry. Always wanting to put himself before all others. One day, he was on a rampage, and he was about to kill our daughter."
The kids looked at Rani next, looking a little uncomfortable and a little disturbed by what her father said.
"I stopped him before he could cause any more mayhem to the whole pride. For almost killing our little girl, me and Maya exiled him from the Pride and never come back."
"Aren't you worried that he will come back and have revenge?" Asked Beshte.
"We do not have to worry about him. We have always thwarted his attacks as well, and we would stand tall and together against Ramses. We are a large Pride against only one of him."
"Yes, we appreciate you having concern about us, but you need not worry." Said Maya. "We are strong lions and we can take care of our own."
"Yeah, you just worry about the Pride Lands." Said Rani. "This is our home. The Pride Lands are your home."
"Good."
"Just look at the land around us, Kion. Our kingdom is a prosperous nation under my and Maya's leadership. It is thanks to us that everything is peaceful in the Back Lands. We do everything we can to protect the Circle of Life and all around us."
"No matter how big or small, we are there for our subjects."
"I like the sound of that." Kion commended. "Sounds just like my grandfather Mufasa." He smiled. "And, I know this isn't exactly... the new Lion Guard, and I know the old Lion Guard has always had lions only but, they are my friends and we all have a connection." He looked at his friends and said, "until the Pride Lands end,"
"Lion Guard will defend!" Said the kids."
"Ooh, catchy." Rabi admired. "I'll have to remember that."
"It is quite a pleasure meeting you, Kion." Said Jinjin. "You have a noble heart and you are selfless. I deeply admire you for that. You are Mufasa's grandson and his blood courses through your veins."
"Thank you, your highnesses." Kion said. "We're obliged to be in your company. It's nice meeting you. If you ever need something from us, let us know and we'll help you."
The rulers of the Night Pride smiled gratefully at the club's offer. "We will, sweetie." Said Maya. "Just be careful out there and may the kings of the past watch over you."
