The inhabitants of the Pride Lands panicked when they heard some elephants had been not only attacked, but also killed. Elephants were large and very hard to bring down, if it was even possible, so naturally the idea that there was one animal that could do so scared them. Simba had immediately rushed to the scene, and though it wasn't really his business, Makuu tagged along, curious about the power of this new predators.

Of course, it took him a while to catch up to the lion king, due to this shorter legs. But when he did, he noted there were lots of herds gathered around the 'crime scene', Ma Tembo's herd among them. The vultures were circling around in the sky, and other minor scavengers were walking around, waiting for Simba's signal to let them feast. He managed to pass through the taller animals and emerged just in time to see the scene.

Two elephants were lying on the ground, unmoving. There were no visible wounds on the body, but there was a small trail of long-dried blood that rolled down their heads, from a tiny hole embedded in their foreheads. Said river had formed a pool on the ground, which had also dried.

But the biggest shock was that the two males' tusks were gone: they hadn't been broken off, rather it looked as if they had been cut off somehow.

Currently, Simba was speaking with Ma Tembo, who was still shaken by the sight.

"They came out of nowhere." She explained visibly upset. "Those two males were looking forward to mate when the two-legs attacked. They tried to fight them while the rest of us ran away, but those beasts were too fast. Then we heard it; a brief but loud sound. I came back to see what had happened, and I found the two-legged creatures cutting off those males' tusks."

"How did they look like?" Simba asked.

"That's the strange thing. At first I thought the beasts we saw first were the predators, but when I came to see I noted there were smaller creatures around the bodies. They stood on their hind legs, their coats were brownish, and they were smaller than an elephant."

"Well, since they only took the tusks and left the rest of the body, they clearly did not hunt to feed."

Meanwhile, Kion and the rest of the Lion Guard were taking a look at the predator's trail. They were the strangest paw prints they had ever seen. The ones closer to the body were tiny, about the size of Rafiki's feet, but slightly bigger, and with the impression the creature had no fingers.

Then there were the bigger pawprints. They almost looked like the trail of a slithering snake, but thicker and going mostly straight lines, except at the parts where they assumed they had made turns.

"This guy's certainly heavy." Bunga pointed out as he stepped on one of the long trails.

"He might be heavy, but he looks like he's pretty fast too." Fuli added, examining the parts where the creature had turned. "Otherwise he wouldn't have been able to make this turns without slipping."

Beshte thought. "Speaking of which, where do you think he came from? Nobody's ever seen anything like it, at least not anyone that's still alive."

Ono flew down to the group after following the pawprints for a few meters ahead. "Did you manage to find its den?" Kion asked.

Ono shook his head. "The trail heads out of the Pride Lands, I couldn't see anything farther. Sorry."

"That's okay, Ono. At least now we know these animals are outsiders, just like my dad said."

Meanwhile, the rest of the herds were whispering amongst themselves about what just transpired. They were afraid they would be next, and the threat these new predators posed. Some thought the hyenas were behind this, but others dismissed it; these attacks were too well-coordinated for Janja and his cronies to be behind it. Then the blame was pinned on the Outsiders, but those pawprints didn't belong to a lion, so the idea was quickly discarded.

But if it hadn't been the hyenas, or the Outsiders, then who was responsible for this?

Once he was done speaking with Ma Tembo for the time being, Simba asked all the present herd leaders to step forward for an emergency discussion about the new predators. Said animals, Makuu included, did as told just as Kion and the Lion Guard approached.

"Did you find anything?" Simba asked them.

"From what we could deduce, it seems like a sort of cooperation between two animals." Kion explained. "It would explain the different prints."

"The bigger one does the chasing, and the smaller one does..." Bunga tried to find a proper, but non-offensive word for the bodies' state, but in the end he merely signaled at the two fallen bodies. "...Well, that."

"If it's a predator, then why did he leave the bodies behind?" Bupu inquired. "I mean, I seriously doubt they were doing charity for the scavengers."

"Perhaps they saw Ma Tembo approaching and fled." Twiga suggested.

"If they could take down two male elephants, it wouldn't make sense they'd be scared of Ma Tembo." Besthe pointed out. "It was more like they fled before they could get caught."

"Even if they were caught, what makes you think they wouldn't do whatever they did to you too?" Thurston stated matter-of-factly.

"From what we've learned so far, they use tiny black stones as weapons." Simba explained. "Somehow, they go through flesh and bone, gets stuck inside one's body, and doesn't allow the wound to heal. Eventually the victim dies of bloodloss."

Bupu scoffed, however. "A tiny rock? Seriously? How is a little rock supposed to hurt somebody-Ouch!" The antelope yelped in pain when a small stone struck his flank, and he glared at Ma Tembo.

"You were saying?" She merely said with an annoyed look.

"For now, it's best not to engage them until we've found a way to deal with those projectiles." Simba said.

For once, all the leaders agreed in something.

"What's taking him so long?"

"Perhaps they haven't reached an agreement about little Kitwana yet-"

"Shut your maw! Don't say that in front of the chick!"

"He's asleep."

Akina glared at the other crocodiles, telling them to be silent with her gaze alone. They did have a point, though, Makuu was taking long in returning. She wondered if he was still discussing with Simba.

"Wow! Kitwana certainly has a knack for wrestling!" said Hodari with a heavy sigh, falling unto his back a few feet away from Akina.

"You seem happy to have a wrestling partner." Akina said, smiling.

"Well, yeah! I mean, wrestling by myself gets boring, eventually. Sides, it was fun!"

"How did it go with the tail spin?"

"Well, he noted he didn't have a tail, so he used his neck instead."

Just then, she saw her mate approaching, and went towards him. "Makuu, what took you so long? What did Simba say...?"

"Where is Kitwana?" Makuu responded with another question, but the look on his face was serious.

"He's asleep, but don't leave me hanging! What did he say?!"

"Not here." He muttered. "That chick might be asleep, but I swear, he has ears like that of jackal."

Now she was certain something had happened. Akina followed her mate towards a formation of trees a few meters away, while Hodari stayed behind near the reeds, where Kitwana lay sleeping on his belly, his body stretched out, and with a small smile on his beak.

Once he was certain they were alone, Makuu spoke. "There was another attack today."

"What?" Akina asked.

"The creatures that killed Kitwana's mother took two more lives, two male elephants."

Akina paled slightly. She never thought any animal could take down an elephant, except perhaps a pride of well-trained lions. "Is what why you took so long? Did they die in the same manner?"

"Yes, except this time the stones were aimed to their heads. King Simba declared that we shouldn't engage them until we know how to defend ourselves against those stones."

"And what did he say about Kitwana?"

Makuu sighed. They had been interrupted, but he wanted to come to an agreement regarding the little chick before coming back here, at least to be properly prepared for when the time finally came. "In two days, we have to take Kitwana to Pride Rock, where Simba will officially pass his care to Bakshi's flock."

"Only two days? But that's too soon-!"

"We have to tell him."

That was the most uncomfortable part of the conversation. Makuu had been dreading it, mostly for Akina's sake, but he himself was reluctant to reveal the secret to Kitwana out of genuine... concern for the chick's emotional state. But he had no time for sentimentalisms, he knew from the beginning this would happen eventually.

Akina, however, was a different story.

"Tell him? Makuu, that chick adores you! You can't do that to him!"

"I'm not his father." Makuu repeated. "Even if he sees me as such, I'm not. I'm a crocodile, and he's a bird."

"He believes he is a crocodile himself-!"

"That's more of a reason to tell him at once!" Makuu snapped at his mate unintentionally, but he had to make her understand. "Even if we do not like it, Simba is right! He must behave like his own kind, and the only way he'll learn is by living with them, and learning their ways!"

"You said we." Akina pointed out, frowning. "You spoke in plural."

Makuu cursed himself. "So what?"

"You don't want to do this either. You don't want him to go either!"

"It's not a matter of what I want or not, Akina!" Makuu raised his voice, but he did his best to calm down. After a few deep breaths and a sigh, he continued. "I have to think of the welfare of all the float before myself, and that includes... him. Because he's my responsibility, I have to think of what's best for him."

Akina knew it all along; he did care for Kitwana. He will never admit it oudloud because of his pride, but rather tried to mask that concern with another type of motivation.

"What about your promise to his mother...? You said you'd..."

"Teach him how to fly, I know. And precisely, he won't fly if he believes he's one of us, and what would a crocodile know about actual flight, Akina?"

Akina couldn't respond to that argument. He was right in everything he was saying. But she had gotten so attached to Kitwana... And Hodari had too, he was happy to have a friend his own size, for a change.

"When will you tell him?" she said in a whisper, closing her eyes shut.

"I wanted to tell him now, but he's sleep." Makuu said, sighing.

"Could you at the very least wait until tomorrow?"

"Akina, did what I just say go through your ear and come out of the other?"

"You said we had two days. If we're really going to tell him the truth, shouldn't be enjoy his company for a little longer at the very least? He might grow mad and not want anything else to do with us..."

He had to admit, she did have a valid point there. He sighed. "Very well. I will tell him tomorrow, not a minute later." As he walked away towards the lake, Akina called out to him one more time.

"Makuu..." she said, worried. "Just... Please don't be so hard on him." Akina knew perfectly her mate didn't sugarcoat anything, not even to diminish any emotional blows he might deal with his words.

"...I'll see what I can do."

Kitwana had a bad feeling.

Ever since Makuu returned from speaking with Simba, he was acting strange. He was distant towards Kitwana, more than he usually was, and looked absent-minded, as if his head was somewhere else. He wasn't the only one acting weirdly; Akina looked sad, and she spent the rest of the day with Kitwana, trying her best not to cry. The only one who was acting normally was Hodari, who was also confused as to why the leader and his mate were so... sorrowful.

The next day, the sky was gray and cloudy, almost matching with the mood. It would rain soon, but unlike most animals, crocodiles did not look for shelter. On the contrary, for them, the more water, the better. Kitwana had never seen rain before, so naturally he was curious.

"How often does it rain?" he asked.

"Well, it depends on the time of the year." Hodari explained. "In the Pride Lands there's a Wet Season and Dry Season. There's usually lots of rain in the Wet Season, but on the Dry season there's no rain at all, and some waterholes dry up, so animals must save water."

"Is the Dry Season that bad?"

"It's terrible! There are years where the Wet Season comes, but it doesn't rain, like when Scar was in power!"

"Scar?"

"King Simba's uncle and the previous King... Or rather, usurper. I hadn't been born at that time, but my father's father said Scar plotted against his brother Mufasa, and killed him to seize the throne. Then Simba returned and..." Hodari made some wrestling moves. "Pum! Bam! He dethroned Scar and claimed his rightful place!"

"And the no rain...?"

"During Scar's reign, he let the hyenas into the Pride Lands, where they overhunted and reproduced, completely altering the balance of the Circle of Life. As such, the rains stopped coming, and there was a drought that forced the herbivores to flee, both from starvation and the hyenas. Shortly after the other predators followed..."

"Even the crocodiles?"

"Yeah." Hodari sighed sadly. "But crocodiles need water, shade and food to survive, especially water. It was a hard time for the float..."

Kitwana blinked in surprise at the gecko's knowledge. "Hey, Hodari, can I ask you something?"

"What is it?"

"If you're a gecko, how do you know so much about crocodiles?"

"It's a funny story. Since I was a little gecko I liked to see crocodiles wrestling, and my dream was to be part of a crocodile float."

Suddenly, they heard Makuu's voice. "Kitwana." When they turned, the crocodile was a few feet away, looking serious and... if Hodari didn't know him, he'd say he was bothered by something. "I need to talk to you."

There was something about the tone of his voice that sent shivers down Kitwana's spine. Nevertheless, he stood up and went to him, followed by Hodari.

"Alone." Makuu said impatiently.

"Oh." Hodari stopped in his tracks. "Well, I'm going to catch some crickets!" he said cheerfully and headed towards the reeds again.

Makuu led Kitwana away from the float, sensing the other crocs' eyes, including Akina's, following him apprehensively, worried about the what would happen between them.

When they were in some bushes, and out of earshot, he stopped, prompting his charge to do the same.

"What did you want to tell me?" Kitwana asked.

"There's... something I need to tell you. Something I should have told you..." Makuu responded, rather reluctantly. Usually he had no qualms about going straight to the point, but now he wanted to avoid it the topic altogether. It was just like every time Akina asked him 'why he didn't want a clutch'.

"What is it? You're scaring me..."

Realizing he was only delaying the inevitable, he turned to Kitwana with a serious expression. "...You're not a crocodile."

Kitwana blinked in surprise.

"You're actually a bird. I had to look after you after your... mother was killed."

There were a few moments of silence from Kitwana, who just stared at Makuu with wide eyes. For a moment, the crocodile thought he was processing the information and would explode at any minute...

...Until Kitwana burst into laughter.

"Hahaha!" the ibis fledgling struggled to talk while laughing. "That was...! You nearly got me there, Makuu! Very funny!" But the laughter died down when he saw Makuu's expression remained serious, and now showed annoyance.

"Do I look like I'm joking?" Makuu said with a deep frown, impatient at his charge not taking this seriously.

Kitwana felt his stomach dropping. "You can't be serious...! I am a crocodile! "

"Your mother was injured by something, she didn't make it alive... Before she died, I promised her I'd look after you, and I did. However, I'm afraid its time we part ways-"

"Wait, what?" Kitwana felt his heart skipping a beat. "W-What do you m-mean?"

Despite his annoyance at being interrupted, Makuu responded. "King Simba believes it's time for you to be with your own species."

No, no, it couldn't be what he was imagining!

"My species is you! I'm not a bird, I'm a crocodile! Like you, like Akina, and the others!"

"Kitwana-"

"Is it because I don't have any teeth?! I'll grow them eventually, and I'll be bigger, Hodari said crocodiles take years in growing to adult size-!"

"You're NOT a crocodile!" Makuu snapped, his patience coming to an end. "Use your common sense, Kitwana! Not only you lack teeth! You lack scales, you lack a tail, you're not even green! You've seen your reflection so many times you should have already the plainly obvious difference between us!"

"That's because I'm still a hatchling-!"

"You're a BIRD! You're covered in feathers, you have a beak, and wings! Just face it, kiddo! You were never one of us at all! If the circumstances had been different, you would have been my prey!"

The word prey made something in Kitwana's brain snap. He stood there with tears in his eyes, shocked, heartbroken, but another feeling made its way into him, something he had never felt towards his parental figure before.

Fear.

Suddenly, Makuu's much more larger size became intimidating, his teeth send shivers down his spine, and a voice in his head screamed at him to run before he was eaten.

But Kitwana didn't move, not even as the rain finally started falling.

Makuu hadn't meant to be too hard, he hadn't meant to say such a thing either; in fact, he didn't even realize what he said until he saw the tears rolling down Kitwana's cheeks. The scene was so familiar it made his chest ache, and a feeling of guilt overcame him.

"Kitwana..."

"You're wrong..." The fledgling said in a voice that was almost a whisper. "I can be as much of a crocodile as you! I will show you! I'll show all of you!"

With that, the fledgling ran off into the storm.