Zoe was a very peculiar little creature, with an interesting defense mechanism against a predator who wants to eat her. "Listen Lion Guard." Said the zorilla. "I really appreciate what you are doing for me. And, I really apologize if my... scent is bothering you all. Like i have mentioned before: I can't really control it in moi."
"Don't worry. We said will help you try and get to know Maurice, didn't we?" Said Kion. "We will help you, no matter what it takes."
"Yeah, we're always there for an animal in need!" Bunga added. "If we can find this Maurice, wherever he is."
Zoe made a small laugh from herself. "Do not worry. I know exactly where he lives, and we're not far from his home now." The kids all followed the zorilla to where Maurice was at, and he was sitting in his burrow in the fields. "Maurice? Are you in there?"
An adorable, skunk-like head appeared from the ground and he looked to and fro with his beady eyes. It was Maurice himself, and he smiled to see Zoe. "Ah, Zoe. A pleasure to see you around here again," he also had a French accent, and he recognized the kids behind his soon-to-be mate. "And ze infamous Lion Guard. A real pleasure to meet you here as well."
"Hello, Maurice." said Zoe, a little shy to even speak to him. Still, she wanted to be with him and spend the rest of eternity, and the Circle of Life through time. "I was wondering how you are doing today."
"Oh, just fine. And yourself, ma cherie?"
"Doing alright for myself. It was... quite hot yesterday."
"Ugh. Tell me about it. I have never seen a day so chaud than yesterday. Good thing I was near a river." Maurice made himself a small chuckle. "So much more water than I would bargain for, hehehe."
"Nice to see you, Maurice. And, to be fair," said Kion. "I thought you guys prefer to go out at night?"
"Oh, we prefer to hunt at night, sweetie." said Zoe. "Scorpions come out here at night, along with beetles, and some other insects that we love to eat."
"Oui, your father certainly has no rule about us coming around during the day." Maurice added.
Kion made a small chuckle. "Good point. I wasn't judge you guys."
"I didn't say you were." said Maurice. Then he turned his attention back to his potential lover. "So, was it hot in your burrow yesterday?"
"Oh," Zoe made a bashful look on her face. "Well... it was actually. I slept in my burrow all day until the sun was completely below the earth and then, I could hunt and look for food then. You wouldn't believe how much water I needed after dusk came over ze horizon." Suddenly, she felt so nervous, she accidentally let out her pungent, awful odor out of her other end, and it was like a small stink bomb just erupted, except, it was the worst thing the Lion Guard had ever smelled in his life.
The smell was so nasty, that even Bunga couldn't take it. His face turned green and passed out, along with his friends, minus the Zorillas, of course. The kids have never smelt something so vile, pungent, and nasty in all their lives. It was something even worse than Pumbaa's farts. "Pardon me, I... I don't know what came of me."
"It's quite alright. Is something wrong, Zoe?"
"Oh, no, no, of course not. I mean... I..."
Maurice gave her a confused and concerned look at her, and she didn't know what else to say, so she ran off in a distance, leaving her potential lover confused. "Zoe! Wait!" he called out, but the female striped polecat fell on dead ears, and continued running away from him. "What was zat all about?" he wondered to himself.
Kion and the kids got back up from passing out, but still smelled the horrible odor that Zoe had admitted. "I'll tell you." said Kion "Gah! Sorry. just... trying to get use to that kind of smell.
"What is it? Does she not like me?"
"Quite the opposite." said Beshte.
"What do you mean?"
"What he means is that... she likes you, Maurice." said Kion
"No, she loves you." Fuli added. "She's trying so hard to talk to you, but... she's a little shy, and she doesn't know what to say to you."
Maurice was a little silent at first, but, his face slowly turned into a smile, and he looked very flattered and touched to hear that. "Really?" he said. "Well, I really don't know what to say about that."
"Yeah, she really loves you." said Ono. "Can you blame her for being shy?"
The male zorilla made a small chuckle. "No. Of course not. I actually... have a confession to make for all of you."
"Go on." said Bunga.
"I... really like her too. I didn't have the courage to admit it to her myself." the kids sounded surprised to hear that, and they were glad to hear that Zoe was not the only one to have so many butterflies in her stomach to admit her true feelings for him.
Kion smiled, and he said: "Wow. I never knew that."
"Me neither." his friends added.
"So, why don't you just admit to her how you really feel?" Kion urged him. "She'll understand, and she really loves you."
Maurice smiled, and he replied: "You're right, Kion. I should just go right up to her, and express how I feel." he inhaled his chest, looking quite noble, and walked over to where Zoe ran off to from him, and he hoped she didn't run too far from him.
The Lion Guard went with him in case Janja and his friends, or Reirei and her family would try and ambush them all without knowing. Those guys hate the Lion Guard so much, they would try and do every opportunity to try and claw, maul, or tear their throats off to have their revenge on these kids. They found Zoe a few miles from where Maurice's burrow was, sulking on a rock, and when they were about to check on her, the sound of hyenas laughing was heard in the distance.
Kion knew that it meant one thing. "Oh no, not again."
"What is it?" asked Maurice.
Suddenly, Janja, Chungu, and Cheezi jumped out from the grass and tried to pounce on the kids, but they dodged, along with Maurice, and the three hyena troublemakers were ready for another fight with their most hated nemeses. "Nice to see you again, kids." Janja said with a smug look on his face.
"Well, at least it's just Janja." said Bunga
"What?" said the leader of this hyena gang of three. "What's that supposed to mean?"
"Nothing."
"Still trying to kill us?" asked Fuli
"Oh yeah. We won't stop until we gut ya like a bunch of pangolins." Cheezi exclaimed with a crazy laugh.
Janja just gave him an irritated and confused look on his face. "Like a pangolin?" he said. "You stupid little... anyway, ready for more pain and for your deaths? This time, we will kill ya all."
Zoe, still on the rock, panicked and she didn't want to get the kids to get hurt. At first, she foolishly didn't know what to do, and remembered that she had the greatest weapon in her this whole time.
Maurice went in front of the Lion Guard, and he gave a menacing growl, showing his sharp, jagged teeth. He did look quite intimidating, even if a Zorilla was smaller than a lion, hyena, or a honey badger. His attitude can make up for his size. "Leave them alone, you despicable scavenger." he gritted his teeth at them
"Ooh, look." said Chungu. "This weasel thinks he can take us on?"
"That's cute. Try and kill us, you little half-pint." Janja taunted
"You've asked for it." then Maurice snarled and latched onto Janja's left ear, viciously biting it with his sharp teeth
"Aaaaaahhh! get him off of me!" the leader shouted. "Get him off!" he was flailing around to try and pry this vicious zorilla off of his ear, and he latched on to him hard. Ultimately, he clawed Maurice's belly, and it made him yelp in pain and immediately let go of his ear.
It did hurt a little, but Maurice got back on his feet, and some blood was coming from Janja's ear. "Grrrrrr, now you're dead, you little runt!" he exclaimed in fury
"Not so fast!" said Zoe, coming to her lover's aid. "I won't let you hurt the zorilla I love!"
"You do mean it." said Maurice. "Kion wasn't lying about that. Not saying I thought he was lying."
"It's true. I do love you Maurice."
"Well, too bad we have to kill you lovebirds." said Chungu
"Get 'em boys!" Janja ordered. They all charged at the group in front of them, but then, the two polecats showed them their rears, and let out their pungent odor with all their might, making the three hyenas gag from the odor. "Gah! That is the worst thing I have ever smelled!"
"I can't even see where i'm going?" said Cheezi.
"Mommy!" Chungu shouted.
"Let's get the smell off of us!" said the ringleader before he and his friends retreated into the Outlands while yelping like a triplet of scared dogs. Once again, another battle has won for the Lion Guard, and with a pair of friends there to help them.
After the three cowards retreated into the Outlands, the zorilla pair looked at one another with hearts in their eyes. "That was a very brave thing you did." said Zoe.
"Merci beaucoup. Listen, Kion told me everything and... I'm very flattered that you love me, and... I always feel the same way about you."
"Really?
Maurice nodded his head a yes with a smile. "Of course. I... didn't really... have the courage to tell you about how I feel myself." he admitted sheepishly. "And, I love you."
"I love you too, Maurice." said Zoe. They both stared at each other in silence for a brief moment, and then, they cuddled one another like Simba and Nala would do to show their love for one another. To Kion, it was a nice sight for them to see.
"If Vitani was here," said Bunga to Kion's ear: "she would be disgusted by this."
"Nah, I think she would like this."
The two striped polecats looked at the Lion Guard with a warm expression on their faces. "Thank you Kion." said Maurice
"And the rest of you kids." Zoe added.
"You have no idea how much we can thank you for bringing us together."
Kion smiled, and he replied: "You're welcome, Maurice, Zoe. Come on, guys. Let's leave them alone for a while. They need it."
The kids said bye to the zorillas before leaving them alone to consolidate their love for one another. It was just then, the kids bumped into Kiara and Kovu, who were hunting together as a pair
"Ah, Kion. Didn't expect to bump into you guys." said Kovu. "How's your patrolling?"
"Janja again." said Ono in slight irritation.
"Why are we not surprised?" said Kiara. "Still, are you guys okay?"
"Yep. We just helped a pair of animals find love." said Fuli
Both Kovu and Kiara sounded a little surprised to hear that. "Really?" said Kovu. "That's good."
"Are they like us?" Kiara teased, giving Kovu a playful look.
"Ah, stop it, you." the future king smirked.
