He was so worried about the bird dying, and saddling him with her senseless request, that he had completely forgotten Akina was still waiting for him, mad about him avoiding their 'talk' again. She had already moved the float out of the water so the Hippos could return to it, and they were waiting for him to go back to their own territory. "Makuu! Where did you run off to?! We've been-!"

"Akina, you can yell at me all you want later, but right now there's a situation and I need help!"

"You?" Akina sounded surprised. Her mate never asked for help, even if he did need it. "Who are you and what have you done with Makuu?"

Makuu rolled his eyes, annoyed. "Well, it's not for me, but there's an injured bird in those trees and-"

"Seriously, you're freaking me out!"

"ARGH! Forget it, I have no time for this! She needs helps now!" With that he ran off, leaving his very confused mate, and float, behind.

He moved as fast as he could across the Savannah, looking for a certain group of animals… He never even thought of going to ask them for help when they tended to offer their aid to him, which he always declined, but what other choice did he have? They could take him to Rafiki, and the old baboon might be able to save the ibis, and he wouldn't have to keep those silly promises.

Much to his luck, it wasn't long before he spotted one of its members, the flying one, flying above him.

"Hey!" he called out as loudly as he could. "Over here!"

Ono heard someone calling from down below, but when he looked down he spotted the animal he last expected. "Makuu?" He flew down and hovered a considerable distance above him. "What are you doing here?"

"Long story short, someone needs urgent help back in the grove trees near Big Springs!" he added quickly with a growl. "And don't act like it's something out of the ordinary, not right now!"

Thankfully for him, the words 'urgent help' did the trick, and Ono took the matter seriously despite being… appalled that Makuu of all animals was both asking for help, and actually worried about someone else that was not part of his float. "What happened?"

"An ibis crash-landed on top of me, but when I got closer to her I noticed she had a strange wound. She will die if we don't hurry. I need the old baboon to save her!"

"Rafiki?"

"Yeah, whatever-his-name is!"

"Follow me!"

Ono led the crocodile back where the other members of the Lion Guard were, but he had to remind himself Makuu was not as fast on the ground as he would on the water, so he had to slow down considerably. Makuu was getting tired from so much running, but he dare not take a break and risk the ibis mother dying. Soon they spotted the rest of the Lion Guard.

"Guys!" Ono cried out, landing a few feet away while Makuu caught up, panting heavily. He might have stamina, but having to keep up with a bird by foot did take its toll on him. "We might have a problem!"

However, the others were staring at Makuu in surprise. "What's he doing here?" Bunga asked with a suspicious glance.

"I swear, if I hear that tone one more time…" was all Makuu said, recovering his breath.

"He says there's a dying ibis near Big Springs that needs urgent help!"

"What?" Kion stepped forward. "How?"

"She said her flock was attacked with projectiles, but when I tried to find it I found nothing on her." The crocodile responded after recovering a little more.

Bunga didn't buy it. "And you care because…?"

"Bunga, I think he's serious…" Beshte said. "He doesn't sound like he's making it up. He wouldn't have come looking for us just for a prank."

"I wouldn't have come for you for help even if my life depended on it!" Makuu thought bitterly at the distrust displayed by some of the members, particularly Bunga. "Are you going to help or not?! I don't want to waste precious time arguing with you!"

"Do you think you could lead us to where you found her?" Kion asked him.

"Yes!" Was the reply, though he was dismayed at the idea of having to run all the way there. "

Kion turned to Ono and Fuli. "Fuli, you and Ono go get Rafiki and meet us there!"

"Got it!" the leopard nodded, and with a burst of speed she was off, followed closely by Ono.

Kion turned to face Makuu. "Alright, lead the way."

He was tired, but nevertheless he turned around and ran all the way back towards Big Springs, followed by the other three members of the Lion Guard. Again, he ignored Akina and the other members of his float when they tried asking him what was going on (especially when they saw he was accompanied by the Lion Guard) and disappeared through the trees. His stamina was almost depleted, but nevertheless soon he found himself in familiar surroundings, a few second later emerging into the same clearing as before.

The ibis was still on the ground.

"Birdie, I brought help!" he called out to her.

There was no reply.

"Miss? Hello?" He approached her warily, but she didn't move an inch. He touched her wing with the tip of his claw, but she didn't react. On a closer look, he noted her chest wasn't raising and falling from breathing.

She had completed the Circle of Life.

Makuu just stared at the body in utter shock and a hint of sadness, ignoring Kion and the others as they came out of the bushes and encountered the scene. Bunga was the first to approach, and gently shook the ibis's shoulder with a claw to see if she was still unconscious, but as he did so the bird's body rolled unto her back revealing a small white egg.

Makuu stared at the egg with a blank expression.

Beshte approached the body. "Bunga? Is she…?"

Sadly, he shook his head. "We're too late." He noted the blood on her feathers and the tiny wound on her chest, like Makuu had said, but he could see nothing which could have caused it.

"Makuu?" Just then, Akina came out of the bushes. She had a bad feeling when she saw her mate coming inside followed by the Lion Guard, and decided to see what he was up to. However, she stopped when she saw the scene, and her mate standing a few inches away. "What happened…?"

"Look." Kion approached the bird's egg. "She managed to lay an egg before she died…"

"Maybe we should take it to Simba, maybe he'll be able to find somebody who could look after it." Beshte suggested.

"I think it will be best…" But as Kion approached the egg to pick it up, suddenly Makuu stepped forward, baring his teeth and blocking his path.

When they said the words 'take to Simba', he finally snapped out of his shocked state. "Keep your paws away from that egg, cub!" he snapped. "I gave my word to that bird I would look after her child, and I intend to keep it!"

Kion, Beshte and Bunga stared at the crocodile in shock, but the most surprised of the group was Akina as she stepped forward.

"What do you mean?" she inquired.

After getting over his outburst, Makuu felt embarrassed about what just transpired, but he had no other choice but to tell them what had happened, and the promises he had to make to the dying bird.

"I might not be altruist, but that doesn't mean I'm heartless." He said, glaring mildly at the looks of disbelief he got.

Akina, however, was smiling proudly. "I always knew there was a heart underneath that scaly rough façade!"

Makuu merely looked away, his cheeks red of embarrassment. "Shut up."

"How do you plan to teach a bird how to fly if you're a crocodile?" Bunga pointed out matter-of-factly. "I mean, it's not like you can sprout wings and fly."

"That's the least of my worries right now, kid. What I have to worry about is to make sure the chick actually hatches first, then I'll worry about that."

"We should start by incubating it." Akina said, approaching her mate and the egg.

"Not your usual way to incubate, though." Beshte explained. "Bird eggs don't depend on the temperature for the gender, all you have to do is to… Sit on top of it to pass it warmth."

"And make a tortilla?" Bunga stated.

Akina sighed. "That's a good point, we can't incubate it like a normal bird would."

"Then what do you suggest?" Makuu asked her.

"You tell me, you're the one who promised her you'd look after her child."

Touché. "First of all, we should really get going back to our part of the river. The others will be wondering what we're doing here…" Now came another problem. How would they move the egg without breaking it? Crocodiles moved their offspring with their teeth, but bird eggs were much more fragile.

"What are you going to do?" Kion asked warily.

Without bothering to answer, Makuu carefully got the egg closer with his tail and then, as gently as a crocodile could, he picked up the egg with his teeth and into his mouth; he did not swallow it, instead keeping it inside the throat pouch which one day would house his own children(not too soon, hopefully).

The bad thing about carrying kids this way was that he couldn't speak as long as they were in there, lest he risk swallowing them by accident or crushing them with his teeth.

Seeing the Lion Guard's stunned expressions at what just transpired, Akina decided to explain. "Don't worry, the egg is fine, but sometimes it's safer to carry our hatchlings in there."

"Makes sense…" Bunga whispered. "Who'd want to go near that mouth?"

Although unable to talk, Makuu did give Bunga an annoyed growl as he started to walk away, only stopping momentarily to glance back at Akina, asking her with his gaze if she was coming. She had known him for long enough to tell. Akina glanced at Kion. "I'm afraid we must lead the float back to our territory. Will you stay here?"

Kion nodded sadly. "We still have to wait for Ono, Fuli and Rafiki. We might have not been able to save her, but… We at least must place her body in a place the scavengers might benefit from what she has left behind."

Makuu grunted-it would have been a 'I wouldn't care less' if he could speak the words- and he turned his attention back forward, walking away from the scene, this time followed by Akina.

"Wait!"

He looked back questioningly at the lion cub, frowning.

"Aren't you coming? You're the last animal she spoke to, after all, and the one she entrusted her child to."

He was going to shake his head in denial (he had no time for that, he had to figure out how to incubate the egg, after all), but before he could even react, Akina spoke. "Yes he will." He gave her a shocked stare, but she continued. "But first we must put the egg in incubation, if you don't mind."

Kion nodded. "I understand."

Akina returned the nod politely, ignoring her mate's glare when she caught up to him. "What?" She shrugged, asking him innocently.

As they came out of the trees, the float was still waiting, and approached as soon as they spotted Makuu.

"What happened there?"

"Is everything okay?"

"What was all that about?"

However, they felt confused when their leader didn't utter a single word, and instead motioned them to follow. Seeing their confused faces, Akina spoke up. "It's a long story. We'll explain it when we're back at the river." She walked after her mate after this, soon being followed by the rest of the float.

The walk back to their usual part of the river was a long one, but since they had been able to feed beforehand, most of the float could keep up. On the way back, they wondered what had happened back there, and why Makuu was so silent. The elder ones, however, did notice his throat pouch was swollen, which meant he was carrying something in there.

While the crocodiles' main territory was Lake Matope, they were granted a certain territory located in the deeper part of the river that ran across the Pride Lands. During the Wet Season, the herds had to cross this part of the river to come back to the Pride Lands after the rains returned, but since this part of the river was deep, they had no other choice but to swim across. This left them defenseless against the crocodiles' jaws.

After the migrations ended for the year, the crocodiles would return to Lake Matope, where they would prey on the herds that came to drink, but only if they were within the boundaries of their territory, and by law they could only target the old and sick individuals to end their suffering.

Instead of heading towards the water like most of the float, however, Makuu instead headed towards the area where the reeds grew out of the water. This caught the curiosity of some of the other crocodiles, who swam closer to see what was going on. He might not be able to bury it or sit on it, but was more than one way to kill a wildebeest, right?

Once he picked a good spot, he flattened some of the reeds with his tail and started plucking some dead reeds with his claws. Akina realized what he was up to, and went to pick up some fallen leaves and dead grass. When he was satisfied with the improvised 'nest' and made sure the egg wouldn't roll out of it and into the water, Makuu carefully brought the egg out of his throat pouch and then out of his mouth, placing it on top of it.

Unfortunately, the other crocodiles grew a bit too curious, and one of the younger ones named Balozi approached. "Is that an egg?"

But as he tried to sniff it out, suddenly Makuu's tail came into contact with his snout, making Balozi step back with a whimper of pain.

"Keep your claws away from it!" Makuu growled at him, then he directed his words to the float. "Listen, all of you! I gave my word to the mother of this unborn chick that I would look after it, I want all of you to make sure it stays there!"

Like he expected, they were confused as to why he was looking after a foreign child, but like always they did not question him. They never doubted of any of the decisions he took, they had never done so since he became the Leader, and they never would in the future, especially after what happened with Kiburi.

"How do you plan to incubate it?" another older male with scars on most of his body, Ghubari, inquired out of genuine curiosity.

"I will worry about that. All you have to worry about is to keep any threats away, am I clear?"

The crocodiles gave snorts of agreement, and while most of them went back to their own business, a few stayed near the reeds, obeying their leader's orders. Akina soon came back with lots of dead leaves and dry grass in her maw, and she placed them on top of the egg, helping her mate accommodate it until it had covered the egg completely. It wasn't perfect, but it was something, as long as they made sure it didn't get too warm.

"I guess now we wait." Makuu stated in dismay, lying down next to the nest. He had no idea of how long it took for bird eggs to hatch.

"Are you going to stay here?" Akina inquired curiously. She thought he'd at least want to take a quick dip in the water first.

"Well, somebody has to make sure the monitors stay away."

Right. Despite the ideal conditions for feeding during the wet season, when it came to offspring, the crocodiles had it risky. After females buried their eggs, they still had to keep a keen eye on them: monitor lizards and snakes lived near the crocs' nesting sites, and when the parents were gone they would come to the nests, dig into them and devour some, if not all, of the eggs. Not even after hatching were their offspring safe; their tiny size in comparison to adults made them easy prey for snakes, herons, and many predators, which in turn were preyed on by the adult crocodiles.

Seeing he would not move from the nest for the time being, Akina decided to give him some space and started to move towards the water to join the rest of the float, not before glancing back at her mate once more. "You know, you could also ask me or any of the others to keep an eye on it if you need to take a break."

"I'll keep it in mind." He watched as she went into the water without him, much to his dismay, but this egg would be easier for the monitor lizards to grab, considering it wasn't hidden in a hole on the ground. "I guess it's you and me for now, chick." He whispered, wondering if the kid could hear him.

What a dumb question, of course it couldn't, at least not yet, it had just being laid.

At nightfall, rather reluctantly- in fact, Akina had to give him one of her famous 'glares' to convince him-he set out towards the savannah, while Akina stayed behind to keep an eye on the egg. It wasn't very far from the crocodiles' territory, but it was still a rather long walk for an animal that was used to moving around in the water.

In the Pride Lands, death was a sad, but necessary event for the Circle of Life. All living creatures had to meet their end sooner or later, either by old age, illness, or predation, but in the two former cases, the old animals who knew their end was near came to this prairie in particular to die of natural cause. When they finally passed on, the members of their herd would place white flowers near the body, both to pay respect to the deceased, and to signal the scavengers they could feast on the body. As soon as this was done, the herd left the body to the scavengers, mostly because they couldn't bear the sight of their deceased member's remains being eaten. The scavengers would leave the bones, which would be absorbed eventually by the ground to make way to more grass, which the herbivores would feed on.

And that's how the Circle of Life stayed in balance.

By the time Makuu got there, the Lion Guard, accompanied by Rafiki and the Royal Family(much to his surprise) had already placed the ibis's body on the ground, and Ono and Bunga had just placed their own white flowers a few feet away from it.

"Good night, Makuu." Simba greeted the crocodile first with a sad expression." We saved one of the Passing Flowers for you, in case you wished to pay your respects to her."

He wished to decline, but like Kion had said a while ago, it wouldn't look good on his part if he didn't pay any respect to her after she trusted him with so much in her last moments. "Thanks, Your Majesty." He said, his voice not as devoid of emotion as he thought it would sound. He gently picked up the white flower from Kion's paw, and then placed it tenderly with the others, before stepping back.

A great feeling of sadness overcame him as he stared at the ibis's remains. He felt sorry for her, she had been so young, and she had been close to becoming a mother… this sight brought sad memories of the last time he was present in one of these funerary rites, but he was quick to repress them.

The cause of her death still intrigued him, though; he noted the blood had been washed from her chest, but the small wound was still there.

"May you be at peace, friend." Simba spoke up, glancing down at the ibis in sadness. "And fear not, your child will be in safe paws."

Makuu couldn't help but feel a bit complimented with that commentary; at least it meant Simba did think he was responsible enough to look after a baby. When he saw approaching shadows in the distance, and heard the familiar growls and squawks, he knew it was time to go.

The group turned around, and as they started to walk away, the scavengers approached to finish the job…