Chapter 6: Defeated
Kion promptly left Fuli, Bunga and Ma Tembo and rushed back inside the cave where the other Pridelanders and Elephants were gathered around the motionless bodies of Simba and Nala. "Everyone, we have to go back now! The Pridelands are under attack!" he shouted in a panic, causing everyone there to look up and stare at him in surprise.
"Kion, what on Earth are you talking about?" Kiara asked in a small, broken voice, her face still stained with the tears she shed when she mourned the death of her parents.
"Don't you see what's happening, Kiara? Everything was a set-up! Janja held the Elephants hostage to lure Mum and Dad out here, and now he's used them to lure us out here so he can attack the Pridelands! Why do you think he put only Cheezi and Chungu to guard these Elephants?!"
The entire cave fell silent once again as the Pridelands Lions digested what their leader has said, murmuring amongst themselves as they discuss the sudden cunningness shown by the hyenas, of whom they've often regarded as nothing more than a bunch of pestering ne'er-do-wells.
"Kion, are you sure that's Janja's plot the whole time?" Kovu asked in a doubtful tone. "Don't you think that sort of plan is a little too… advanced for Janja and his crew? I mean, we all know the hyenas couldn't even capture a crippled gazelle despite their numbers, what makes you think that they'll have the capacity to take over the Pridelands?"
Kion didn't say anything but merely stared coldly at Kovu. "Just take a look beside you, Kovu. If they had the 'capacity' to do that to Mum and Dad, then we can't afford to doubt their capabilities of attacking the entire Pridelands. Don't forget, they have Mzingo and his parliament of vultures as allies on their side."
The Lionesses nodded and seemed to agree with Kion's reasoning. Kiara stepped forth, still bearing one important question in her mind. "If what you say is true, then we should head back to the Pridelands now. But Kion, what should we do with our parents? Are we really going to leave them here in this cave?"
Kion let out a sigh and gazed at his parents' motionless bodies. "There's no choice, we have to leave them. We'll come back for them and arrange a proper funeral once this is all over. Right now, Vitani and the other three Lionesses are the only ones defending the Pridelands, so we have to be quick and get there before Janja causes further chaos."
"I can help you all get there faster."
The Pridelanders turned to see Ma Tembo entering the cave with Fuli and Bunga at her side. "There's a shortcut not far from here that'll lead you all straight to the Pridelands. My nephew can show you where it is while the rest of my herd will take care of your King and Queen here."
Kion approached the elderly Elephant and gave her a small appreciative smile. "Thank you, Ma Tembo. We're very grateful for your help. We Pridelanders truly are very lucky to have you and your herd as our friends."
"You're very much welcomed, Kion. It's the least we could do for all the trouble you're going through," Ma Tembo replied, returning his smile. She then turned towards a much younger male Elephant, who was standing right beside Simba's body.
"Kijana, please lead them towards the shortcut behind our cave and then come back immediately so you can help me deal with the two unconscious hyenas outside our cave," she instructed to the young Elephant.
Kijana the young Elephant nodded and motioned for the Pridelanders to follow him towards the cave's exit. "This way everyone!"
The rest of the group followed behind him, not wasting any time. Kion was the last to leave the cave, taking one last look at his parents before catching up with the others.
You won't die in vain, Mum and Dad. We'll get those Outlanders.
Kijana led them south from the cave and towards a miserable, barren plain where no trees grew and strong winds blew the dust from the dirt ground into the animals' faces, causing them to constantly cough and gag as they rushed ahead. After about ten minutes of journeying, they eventually reached the beginning of a massive gorge that was formed between two rocky mountains with only a single dirt path that went through the middle of it.
"This is the shortcut my aunt was talking about," the young Elephant informed them, nudging his head towards the single narrow path. "If you follow that dirt pathway, it should lead you straight to the Pridelands, though you have to pass through Mbali Fields first. Be careful though, sometimes rocks and small boulders from those two mountains will fall onto the track, so you have to be quick and careful."
Kion smile at Kijana, glad that the juvenile Elephant was very informative and helpful. "Thanks, Kijana, we're very grateful for your help. Now you better get back to your herd and help out with your aunt."
Kijana nodded and headed towards the opposite directions, back to the Elephant Territories. "Will do, Kion! Good luck defeating those hyenas and vultures!"
Kion turned around and led the rest of his team through the narrow ravine. "This way, everyone! Stay close and run as fast as you all can go! You don't want to get struck by falling rocks or debris!"
Following his orders, the rest of the Pridelanders and Lion Guard followed close behind him and rushed through the narrow track, keeping an eye out for any falling stones and crumbling debris along the way. Though no-one realized it at first, one of the Lionesses eventually noticed several set of fresh paw prints were imprinted on the dirt path that they were journeying on.
"Kion, look at the ground! I think those paw prints belong to the hyenas!" she cried out to him.
Kion looked closely at the path as he ran, noticing the hyena tracks and even picking up their foul scent that seemed to linger in the air around them. "You're right! If they used this shortcut too, then I'm afraid it's safe to assume that they've already arrive at the Pridelands."
The others remained quiet, fearing that they're already too late to defend their home from the Outlanders. Kion frowned and desperately tried to think of a tactical strategy to delay the hyenas and vultures from causing further chaos in the Pridelands before his team could arrive and fend the Outlanders off themselves. He looked to his left and saw Fuli running beside him while Ono was flying overhead just above her. That's when his mind finally came up with the much-needed tactical plan to help give them the upper hand.
"Fuli! Ono! I've got an idea!" he yelled at them. "Kijana said that we'll be passing through Mbali Fields before reaching the Pridelands, I need you two to speed ahead and gather as many animals over there as you can to help us battle with the Outlanders! Fuli, gather the bigger land animals; rhinos, hippos, buffaloes and so on. Ono, gather your entire flock and prepare them to face off with Mzingo and the Vultures. All of you will then go to Pride Rock and engage with the Outlanders first, and the rest of us will join in the fight the moment we reach the Pridelands! Is that understood?"
"You got it, Kion!" Fuli replied and zoomed ahead down the path while Ono kept up with her in the air.
Kiara ran ahead to match her brother's speed. "Kion, are you seriously involving the civilian animals in all this? They've got no fighting experience whatsoever and you're bringing them into our battle with the hyenas and vultures?! They're just gonna get themselves killed!" she exclaimed with worry.
Kion let out an exasperated sigh and faced her. "Yes, I know that, Kiara. But I'm afraid we're gonna need all the help we can get. Together, they've got the strength, size and numbers, and not to mention Fuli and Ono on their side. I just need all of them to hold off the Outlanders long enough until the rest of us can get there. And besides, there's not much of a choice. If we don't go on with my plan, then the entire Pridelands would've already been overrun and destroyed even before we get there."
Kiara saw the logic behind her brother's tactical strategy but was still rather doubtful of it. "I hope your plan works, Kion. For the civilians' and the Pridelands' sake."
Kion let out a sigh as he ran ahead. "I hope so too, Kiara."
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The Pridelander Lions along with the rest of the Guard tore down through the narrow ravine, miraculously without being struck by any falling rocks or debris from the surrounding mountains. It took them about twenty minutes before they made it through the gorge and onto the grassy grounds of the Mbali Fields.
As they raced through the lush greenery, they all noticed that the Fields were completely deserted of the animals that usual grazed and hung around in that particular area, indicating that Fuli and Ono had followed Kion's instructions and were probably already at Pride Rock along with the civilian animals, fending off the Outlanders.
"Grandfather Mufasa… if you're still up there looking after me, please give us the strength to defend our home," Kion silently prayed to his grandfather, gazing towards the sky as he and the others rushed through the deserted greenery of Mbali Fields.
After several minutes of running, they could eventually see the very tip of Pride Rock slowly looming ahead within the horizon. Their hearts were racing as they anxiously prepared themselves for what could be the most violent battle they'll have to face in their entire lives.
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The moment they descended the last hill of Mbali Fields and into the vast meadows that surrounded Pride Rock, the entire team were all stunned by what they saw. Right in from them, a massive battle had ensued between the Pridelands' animals and Janja's hyena crew. Rhinoceroses and buffaloes clashed head-on with some of the hyenas while several other hyenas were sent flying into the air with a single kick from an enraged zebra. Another group of hyenas were knocked out cold when an entire troop of screeching baboons barraged them with several coconut fruit from the cover of their trees.
Kion grinned, silently thanking Fuli for doing her part. Though he was overwhelmed by the sight of the other Pridelands' animals fighting the hyenas as a unit, he knew they won't last long if his team didn't provide assistance to them. "Everyone! Split up and help these animals fight off the hyenas while I take care of Janja!" he ordered the others.
The others wasted no time to obey his instructions as they all rushed together towards the battlefield. The Lionesses furiously began pouncing and attacking any hyenas who were unlucky enough to cross into their paths while Beshte used his enormous body to ram through a group of hyenas who were about to clash with several zebras.
"Twende Kiboko!" the hippopotamus cried out his signature catchphrase as he watched the hyenas lay defeated in a heap and were immediately surrounded by the entire herd of angry zebras.
Meanwhile, Kion was having a rather tough time navigating through the battlefield, desperately trying to locate the elusive Janja. A couple of hyenas tried to ambush him along the way, but the Lion managed to effortlessly paw-swipe the two Outsiders away, sending them crashing into several nearby Lionesses. Kion promptly left the scene and continued navigating through the meadow as screams from the two hyenas echoed behind him before they were cut off just a few seconds afterwards.
Everywhere he looked, Kion could see the hyenas were losing to the Pridelands' animals, giving him hope that they stand a strong chance of defeating and getting rid of the Outlanders from the Pridelands once and for all. But his hopes were unfortunately short-lived when he heard several cawing noises that echoed across the skies above the battlefield. Kion looked up and saw Mzingo and his entire vulture parliament taking off from Pride Rock and swooping down towards the battlefield below, using their talons to claw and slash at the Lionesses and every other animal who were hostile towards the hyenas. Roars of agony could be heard from the wounded Lionesses who came under heavy fire from the vultures' aerial attack.
During the midst of the chaos, Kion suddenly caught sight of Kiara, who had successfully pinned down a defeated hyena to the ground but was unaware of a vulture that was rapidly swooping down straight towards her. "KIARA! BEHIND Y-"
Before he could finish his warning, another vulture had lunged itself straight towards him, knocking him off his paws and onto his back. Kion groaned in pain and tried to swipe the vulture off of him in order to get back on his fours, but the winged predator had wrapped his talons tightly around the Lion's neck, pinning him to the ground and preventing him from being able to move. Kion snarled angrily when he realized that the vulture was none other than Mzingo himself.
"Well, well, well… wot 'ave we got 'ere?" the vulture smirked at the struggling Kion, tightening his talons around the Lion's neck. "You Lions never cease to amuse me with your- ACK!"
Mzingo's taunting was cut short when a Lioness leaped into the air and pounced on the Outlander, knocking him off of Kion and pinning him to the ground. "What's the matter, Mzingo? Lioness got 'yer throat?" Kion heard her sardonically mimic the vulture's British accent as she gripped her claws tightly around Mzingo's slender neck.
"Vitani?!" Kion cried out in surprise, recognizing the Lioness' voice. Vitani looked over her shoulder to face him. Kion let out a gasp and was momentarily shocked when he saw the three bloodied scars that slashed linearly across her left eye, all the way downwards toward her muzzle and ending just above her upper lip.
"It's okay, Kion, I'm alright," Vitani assured him in a soft voice when she saw him staring at her with a look of horror in his eyes. "I'll handle Mzingo. You do what you have to do."
Kion didn't want to leave her behind but he knew he had to or he'll risk losing Janja. He gave her a brief nod before getting up and continuing on his way, passing by Kiara and Kovu along the way as they both pinned down the vulture that tried to swoop down towards Kiara earlier.
As the battle raged on, it became apparent that victory seemed to have shifted towards the Outsiders, as many of the Prideland's Lions and other animals were badly wounded as a result of the Vultures' aerial attack. Kion's instincts were on full alert as he searched for his arch-enemy amidst the chaos.
"Kion! Over here!" The Lion heard a familiar feminine voice calling out to him.
"Fuli!" Kion cried out as the Cheetah quickly approached him. "Have you seen Janja?!"
"Yeah, I have! I saw him running back towards the Mbali Fields!"
"Okay, then that's where we're going! We can't let him- LOOK OUT!"
Catching Fuli unaware, a vulture had attempted to swoop down towards her with every intention to sink his talons into her flesh in an aerial attack, but Kion spotted him and was able to paw-swipe at the winged predator before he got too close to Fuli.
Fuli gasped in surprise when she saw the grounded vulture lay unconscious just a few feet away from her. Had Kion not spotted the winged Outlander, she would have been killed for sure. "Thanks for that, Kion." She thanked him in a small voice and flashed him an appreciative smile.
"Don't mention it. Now come on, we have to find Janja!"
The pair had to turn back and race towards the Mbali Fields, dodging and fending off any hyenas and vultures that tried to get in their way. "Kion, the vultures are taking out the Lionesses one by one! We can't hold the Outsiders off much longer!" Fuli informed him as they passed by several of the downed Lionesses.
"Where's Ono?! We need him to take care of those vultures!" Kion responded, slightly worried that something bad had happened to the Egret before he could bring in the reinforcements.
As if on cue, several squawking noises could be heard echoing across the skies as hundreds of Egrets swooped down into the battlefield. "Incomiiiinnngggg!" Ono shouted in his raspy voice as he and the rest of his flock began flanking the Outsiders, grounding several hostile vultures and even pecking and driving off the hyenas along the way. The Pridelands' animals cheered as they watched the vultures fell off one-by-one from the skies after succumbing from the Egrets' offensive.
"Good job, Ono! You literally saved all our lives!" Kion complemented him with a grin.
"No problem, Kion! We'll take care of the Outlanders, you two go ahead and find Janja!" Ono replied as he hovered above, beaming at his leader with Pride.
Just then, Kion caught sight of a particular hyena running towards Mbali Fields and away from the battlefield.
"JANJA!" he yelled at the hyena before he and Fuli chased after him.
Janja peered over his shoulder and let out an exasperated growl when he saw the felines running after him. "Grrrr…. not you two!" he snarled before picking up his speed.
The three of them had left the battlefields and were already ascending the hill that led back to Mbali Fields. "You're not getting away, Janja!" Fuli called out, overtaking Kion and zooming ahead to get closer to the hyena.
Janja looked behind again and saw the Cheetah gaining on him. "Yeah…. we'll… we'll see about that!" he panted, the steep ascend up the hill was slowly draining what little energy he had left.
Behind him, Fuli had managed to catch up and was only a few feet away from being close enough to pounce on the hyena. "I've you got now!" she smirked.
But before the Cheetah could make her move and lunge at him, a sudden roar erupted from the very top of the hill, halting Janja and both his pursuers right in their tracks. Down below, the battling Pridelanders and Outsiders all paused in shocked when they heard the massive roar that resonated across the battlefield and all around Pride Rock.
Kion gasped and his jaw dropped when he saw two familiar Lions standing at the very peak of the hill and staring solemnly at the scene below them. "Mum…. Dad?!"
The Lion Guard and the rest of the Pridelands' animals were completely shocked to see Simba and Nala standing on top of the hill, both very much alive and appeared to be very angry at the scene of chaos that unfolded right in front of them.
Simba took one step forth and grimly glowered at the cowering hyena in front of him. "Hello, Janja." The mighty King said in a dangerously calm voice.
Janja was dumbfounded and completely frozen with shock as a scowling Simba along with an equally furious Nala approached him. "S-S-Si-Simba?!" was all he could stutter as both King and Queen of the Pridelands towered over him.
"How'd you two… how'd you two surviv- WHOOOOAAAHHH!"
Before Janja could finish his sentence, Simba delivered a powerful head-butt straight into his flanks in a fit of rage, sending the hyena flying off from the hill before landing hard on all the defeated vultures and his hyena cronies that lay in a massive heap.
The King and Queen descended from the hill and approached the pile of defeated Outsiders with Kion and Fuli following behind them. The Pridelands' animals all bowed down respectfully at the Royal Family as they walked past, eventhough most of them were injured during the intense battle. Simba calmly walked towards the Outlanders and observed intently at the defeated look on their faces.
"Janja. For many years, you and your cronies have consistently invaded and intruded our territories despite our numerous warnings not to do so," Simba spoke solemnly at the hyena and the rest of the Outsiders. "And throughout those years, the Lion Guard has had to chase you off repeatedly after your failed attempts to create havoc in our beloved Pridelands. I think they were being too lenient by simply letting you all go once you've retreated back to your territories in the Outlands. But today, I'm not letting you all off the hook that easily. Since you've conspired to kill me and my wife and then take over the Pridelands, both of which you've failed miserably to accomplish by the way, I think it's clear to everyone that there's only one solution to make sure that we won't be bothered by you and your cronies in the future. Kion!"
The hyenas and vultures all held their breaths as they watched Kion stepped forth towards them while the other animals began taking cover behind him, away from the line of fire. Janja's heart sank to the deepest pit as he instantly figured out what the leader of the Lion Guard was about to do. Kion smirked as unsheathed his claws and sank them into the ground, lifting his chin up and narrowing his eyes onto his target. Everyone noticed that several dark clouds had formed overhead and mysteriously began taking shape to form an entire pride of twenty different lions. Before the Outsiders could even react, Kion unleashed a much powerful version of the Roar of the Elders, as the hyenas and vultures were instantly swept off from the ground and were sent flying thousands of feet up into the air as if they were nothing more than mere pollen dust in the wind.
To be continued…
A/n: Hope you enjoyed the chapter! Next chapter will explain Simba and Nala's sudden 'resurrection' and will also primarily be focused on scenes between Kion and Fuli, so stay tuned. Also, please do leave a review of your thoughts on this chapter and I wish everyone a great day ahead!