Chapter 1
Paranoia

"Y'know what, Zazu?"

"What?"

"I regret not having resigned."

"Why so?"

"Because here I am, standing guard near the entrance to the royal den underneath the scorching sun. I never did this when Mufasa was in power."

"It's the king's order, sir. Resigning right now might not be the best option since the king already suffered loss. He would definitely feel betrayed if someone he trusted since birth left him at his lowest point."

It was 9am in the morning but the sun was already scorching over the Pridelands. Typically the human would've been in his Dome monitoring the border with the aid of an unmanned drone on loan from Magnum Security, owed by his good friend Dixon. But after the death of Chaka, things weren't the same anymore. Simba grew more concerned for his family's safety, so much so that some might consider paranoia.

He implemented several changes to the security shifts and put Dornaus, who used to be the chief security officer, on lowly guard duty outside the entrance from seven in the morning, only leaving his post to provide escort for the king whenever he wanted to tour the kingdom. The human really wanted to resign but felt he couldn't, for the only purpose he was here was to protect the king. If he did resign, there was a good chance he would be forced to leave.

And in the process, he would also lose the opportunity to study lions and lose the large payments he took for gathering research data. But it wasn't all bad news for the human, for there came a formal letter from the United States Navy. They wanted him back in DEVGRU. A shift of power happened in the US and the new president wanted a person like him to lead the nation's elite in the fight against terror.

Dornaus was conflicted. One side of him wanted to go back since he was an American and a warrior at heart but the other wanted to stay. He has grown attached to several members of the pride during his time with Mufasa, most notably the current king himself. If he resigned his post, he would be sent back into combat, only coming home momentarily. And there was also the aforementioned chance of being banished from the Pridelands for "abandoning Simba".

"Dornaus." The king spoke as he emerges from his den. "It's time."

"For what?" he asks. "Patrol? Escort?"

"The presentation of Kiara."

"You do realize there is no need for me to move, right?" The human gestures towards the tip of Pride Rock, which was ahead of them. "Pride rock is right there."

"I'm just reminding you to be extra cautious of any… Unwanted visitors."

"Look, it would've been a lot easier if you allowed me to stay at my security dome to monitor the border, your honor."

"And leave my family vulnerable to attack?"

"What has gotten to you, Simba?"

"Remember the laws. No one refers to the king by name unless…"

"That's not the point. You've gotten so paranoid ever since Chaka passed away. I don't want to bring that tragedy up but this is unacceptable."

"Resign then."

"Actually I'm contemplating that. The Navy wants me back."

Already having blew his head, the human angrily storms off. While he felt sympathetic towards the king for the loss of his son, he felt it was too much. Being mandated to wear tactical gear under the scorching sun and be armed with a M60E4 machine gun at all times was simply too much. Not even the Navy put this much restrictions on him; he could pick and choose the equipment he carried on mission, same goes for his men.

He returns to his dome and sits down at his desk. A bottle of whiskey could be seen on the desk along with a filled shot glass. Within arm's reach to his right was his Colt Delta Elite, which he just unholstered. The human switches his laptop on and proceeds to chat with a good friend of his in the Navy, who favored that he return since he was quite possibly the only one with the balls to break "common sense logic" and put real logic into the fight.

Despite the human's absence, the presentation went on as planned. Rafiki presents Kiara, the new queen, to the Pridelanders, who erupt into cheering before bowing. After the end of the presentation, the shaman marks the cub's forehead and returns her to her parents, who nuzzle her affectionately. Suddenly, a human emerges out of nowhere, pointing a M16A1 at the king.

"Well well well, never have I expected to get this close to you, Simba." He spoke. "Where is your bodyguard now?"

"Right here." A voice came from behind.

Without warning, a fist flies through the air and slams right into the gun armed foe. Dornaus had been tailing the gunman ever since he saw him sneaking around his dome. He quickly disarms him of his rifle and tackles him to the ground. He then puts some distance between himself and the gunman before drawing his pistol.

"Uh uh." He spoke. "Unless you want a 10 mil to the face."

"So, you're the one they talk about." The killer said. "The one who killed Scar."

"Zira sent you, didn't she?"

"You have a problem with that?"

BANG

"Not when you're dead." The human coldly states before holstering his pistol. "That's for killing Chaka."

"Thank you…" Simba spoke.

"Don't sweat it. And sorry for storming off earlier, I was a little cranky."

"It's kinda my fault for placing you there every day from seven till dark."

"I guess."

"Do what you must, human. I'll find someone I can trust to guard the entrance."

"So its reconnaissance and border patrol again?"

"Yes."

"Right away, sir."

The human salutes his commander-in-chief and heads back home. Finally he had his old job back, well sort of. It might not be as action packed as when deployed to a warzone but flying a drone in an air conditioned dome definitely beats standing out in the sun on guard duty without any form of action.