A/N: This is what happens when a random bout of inspiration comes along and smacks you in the face to get your attention. It's also known as the sort-of-second-part to my other Lion Guard fanfiction Sunset's Promise. You don't have to read that one to understand this one, but it would be decent of you to read it, too:)
Disclaimer: Do I look like Mickey Mouse to you? Of course I don't own the Lion Guard!
The wind wasn't blowing anymore. A peaceful quietness had fallen over the savannah, as if the earth had breathed a final sigh of relief as the sunlight faded and night spread across the sky. Stars speckled the vast expanse of indigo, pulsing with warm energy.
Azaad tilted his head back as far as it would go, squinting until the stars became tiny pinpricks. "What are they?" he asked, waving his tail behind him in the thick grass.
There was rustling as the older cheetah beside him rolled over. "They are stars, Azaad," he rumbled, his green eyes glowing yellow in the darkness. "They watch over the night."
Azaad had to place a forepaw on his tail to keep it from twitching with impatient excitement. "But Father, what do they mean?" he asked. "How do they get all the way up there?"
A smile tugged at the corners of the older cheetah's mouth. "Many stories are told about the stars," he replied. "The lions say they are the spirits of great kings long past."
Azaad rolled to his paws as his father spoke then clambered onto the older cheetah's back for a better view. His narrow frame, smaller than cubs his age should be, fit neatly between his father's shoulder blades.
"What do you say they are, Father?" he asked.
"They are the spirits of noble cheetahs who have roamed these lands," his father replied.
His voice rumbled like the sigh of a gentle breeze. Azaad rested his muzzle on his father's head. A question was worrying at the back of his mind, and he hesitated. Should he ask? He wanted to know, and Father would answer, even if he didn't want to.
"Will Mother be up there one day?" he asked quietly.
Azaad felt his father's pelt ripple as the muscles in his shoulders tightened. But when he spoke, his voice was calm and even.
"I do not know," he said. "Your mother has chosen her path, and where it will lead in the end, we cannot guess."
The only sound now was the faint call of nighttime insects. Azaad let the stillness linger, turning over his father's words in his mind. Should he want to know where his mother was? Or at least where she would be after she completed her journey in the circle of life? He wasn't quite sure.
He didn't particularly want to see his mother again, and she certainly didn't want to see him. She had made that perfectly clear. As the runt of the litter, she had told him that he had no right to the care that his healthier siblings needed, not if he was just going to waste away anyway. Azaad was fortunate that his father had stepped in when he did, taking him away to roam freely across the savannahs.
But what if his mother did join the stars one day? Would he see her there?
Leaning forward, Azaad grabbed the tip of his father's ear between his teeth, mostly to get his attention, but also because he felt more secure that way. As if, through the physical connection, he was keeping the older cheetah close forever.
"Will I be a noble cheetah?" he asked through the spotted fur, never taking his eyes off the stars above them.
His father's shoulders vibrated as he made a noise somewhere between a laugh and a purr. "My son, you will be the most noble cheetah this world has ever seen," he said. "I do not doubt that."
"We're both noble, aren't we, Father?" Azaad asked, settling deeper into his warm fur. "Because it is the way of the cheetah?"
"That is correct," his father said. "It is the way of the cheetah, Azaad."
It was the smell of pine needles that woke him. Azaad inhaled deeply, letting the tangy, foreign scent wash through his senses. He cracked an eye, half expecting to see the yellows and purples of sunrise. But the light filtering in through the forest was pale and watery, painting the tree trunks with a silvery sheen. Clearly, it was still night.
Rolling to his paws, Azaad gave his pelt a hard shake, trying to dislodge the fogginess that clung to his brain. It had been a long time since he had had that dream. Azaad closed his eyes, trying to picture his father more clearly. Seasons had passed since he had completed his journey in the circle of life. Some days it felt like that long; some days, Azaad still woke up expecting to find his father curled nearby.
Giving himself one last, hard shake, Azaad padded forward through the trees. The stillness of night hung heavy in the air, cold and lonely and quiet. Too quiet. Pine needles crunched beneath his paws, a harsh sound against the silence.
For the first time in a long while, the solitude was uncomfortable.
These feelings, Azaad mused, weaving an aimless path between the trees as he thought. I had forgotten them.
Was this what it felt like to want company? To miss the sound of another set of paws, never more than a few paces away? Azaad had never had any traditional friends in his lifetime, but now that he was here at the Tree of Life…Well, the prospect didn't sound too bad anymore.
Ahead, the moonlight suddenly grew brighter, and Azaad glanced up to see that his paws had carried him to the edge of the pine forest. Beyond the towering trunks was the Tree of Life, arching regally against the night sky. Stars twinkled across the cloudless darkness, as if each was vying for a chance to stare at the tree's mighty presence.
Azaad sat beneath a pine tree on the edge of the forest, sweeping his tail around to shield his paws from the cold air. The clearing was deserted now. It was difficult to imagine that, just a few hours prior, the same clearing had been vibrant and noisy with animals celebrating the marriage of Queen Rani and King Kion.
It was even harder to imagine how recently Azaad had walked through those same pine trees with Fuli. His ears twitched of their own accord as the rosette-spotted cheetah entered his thoughts. Azaad hadn't met many cheetahs, and none of them, save for his father, had genuinely liked him.
But all of that changed when he met Fuli, and now, when Azaad thought of returning to his canyon territory many, many miles away, an odd, empty sensation opened in his chest. It wouldn't feel like going home, that much he knew.
Homes can change, whispered a tiny, brazenly hopeful part of his brain. I have witnessed that here today.
It was a bit embarrassing to call what he had felt pure joy, but Azaad couldn't think of another why to describe his emotions when Fuli decided to stay at the Tree of Life and not return to the Pridelands.
Perhaps I would cause the same feelings for her, should I decide to stay.
Azaad dug his claws into the soft dirt. Ever since his father died, he had never once considered sharing territory with others, let alone moving into a territory where others already lived. But if he did stay at the Tree of Life then the lonely feeling would disappear. And of course, there was Fuli.
We would cross paths every day, he realized.
A purr involuntarily rose in Azaad's throat. He swallowed hard as his heart began pounding. The life of a loner…maybe it didn't need to be his life anymore.
Azaad stood. He would need to speak with the king and queen about staying. This was their land, after all. He gazed up at the sky, and his eyes snagged on one particularly bright star.
Do you see me tonight, Father? he wondered, staring at the star until his eyes hurt. Do you agree with this decision?
Twinkle, twinkle, shimmer, twinkle. To an outside observer, the star only flickered, but Azaad had the sudden, uncanny feeling that it was smiling at him. Warmth flooded his pelt, and he momentarily forgot the crisp night air.
I will uphold the way of the cheetah in this land, Father, he thought, swishing his tail as if some part of him wanted to be certain he had his father's attention. And Fuli…I am certain you would have loved her.
A flicker of movement diverted Azaad's attention away from the sky. Across the clearing, a set of shadows shifted at the base of the Tree of Life. Azaad lifted his muzzle and inhaled, trying to pick out any scents in the stillness of the night. A warm, sweetly familiar scent bathed his tongue, and a feeling like the crack of a lightning bolt sizzled through his fur.
Fuli, he thought just before she stepped out from beneath the massive tree. Moonlight gave her yellow fur a silvery platinum hue, and her spots seemed to darken in contrast. How she could be so effortlessly beautiful was beyond Azaad's reasoning.
As he watched, Fuli turned around and began speaking with someone in the shadows behind her. Azaad scented the air again and picked out the scents of King Kion and Queen Rani. For a brief moment, he wondered what could be keeping the new royals and Fuli awake at this hour. Then he remembered.
Ah, yes. They are the Night Pride. It is their way to be awake in the night.
Well, then maybe this was his chance to ask for acceptance. The three felines across the clearing didn't seem to be talking about anything serious. Azaad scented no tension on the air, and a few soft laughs brushed past his ears. Perhaps it would soon be his duty as well to stay awake alongside them. No, no, it would be his honor.
The moonlight was soft against his pelt as he strode across the clearing. His shadow leapt ahead several paces, as if it too was eager to speak with the king and queen. And to be closer to Fuli.
Queen Rani was the first to notice his approach. The sable lioness lifted her muzzle, blinking curiously. King Kion followed her gaze, but Azaad barely noticed, for in that moment, Fuli turned around. Her green gaze, almost blue in the silver light, instantly lit up like a thousand suns.
"Azaad!" she exclaimed, curling her tail in greeting. "I didn't know you were still awake."
Azaad swallowed a purr as she spoke his name and settled instead for a smile. "Fuli, Your Majesties," he said, dipping his head to the three felines. "I hope I have not interrupted anything of great importance."
Queen Rani returned his smile. "Of course not," she reassured him. "What brings you here so late at night?"
Azaad had hoped for a more subtle way to approach his question, but then again, why prolong it? "Azaad has been deep in thought," he said. "And he would like to present a request."
In the back of his mind, he wondered if other animals found it strange that he referred to himself in the third person. It was an old habit, one that started not long after his father died. Back in Azaad's canyon territory, it was nice to hear a voice saying his name, even if that voice was only his own.
But that can change, he thought. I can have…friends now. Friends who can call my name.
"A request?" King Kion echoed. He flashed a questioning glance at Fuli, as if for some reason he thought she would know what Azaad was talking about.
Azaad bit back a chuckle. "Yes," he said. "Your territory here at the Tree of Life is quite…welcoming, shall we say. I have witnessed its merits, and I believe it to be unique."
Queen Rani's fur fluffed up with pride. "My grandmother was an exceptional ruler," she said with almost cub-like devotion. "I will always try to take care of the animals here as well as she did."
Kion smiled as she spoke, shifting a subtle step closer to his mate. Azaad flashed a glance at Fuli, suddenly wondering how close he could sidle without being too obvious. He blinked a few times to clear his head before continuing.
"Azaad has no doubts that you are capable," he said. "And I am wondering if, perhaps, your territory would benefit from the presence of another cheetah?"
Fuli reacted first. "You mean you want to stay?" she asked, both ears instantly erect. "You want to live at the Tree of Life?"
Fighting to keep his attention from deserting him completely, Azaad lowered himself into a sweeping bow. "If it pleases Your Majesties," he said, looking up at the two lions and summoning every ounce of humility he could muster. "I humbly ask to reside in your lands."
One glance told Azaad that he had completely won over the king. Kion was now grinning, his golden eyes locked on Fuli with what could only be described as a smugly knowing expression.
Azaad looked hopefully at the queen. Rani was gazing back studiously, as if she was trying to analyze his very core with the force of her eyes. For a moment, Azaad's confidence faltered. Rani was the crowned queen; if she didn't want him in her lands permanently, there was nothing anyone could do about it.
Just as Azaad was wondering how to handle himself should she refuse, the queen smiled.
"I remember when you were here before, for your fall injury," Rani said. "You were always kind to the other animals." She paused then added, "Besides, my grandmother really liked you. It's fine with me if you want to stay."
Thank the cheetah spirits for Queen Jana! Azaad lowered his head in another bow, mostly to give himself a moment to swallow his shaky sigh of relief. "I am honored," he said, and as the words left his mouth, he suddenly realized how deeply he meant them. "And I am grateful." The crisp wind was still blowing, but its bite had all but disappeared. Azaad turned to Fuli as he stood. "Quite grateful, indeed."
"We're grateful, too," Fuli said. "It'll be nice to have someone else to race around here." She flicked him with her tail, her smile teasing, but something in her gaze was undeniably soft.
Her eyes reflected the night sky, and Azaad thought he saw his father's star there, too. He puffed out his chest and smiled back at Fuli. It was time to move beyond the life of a loner. But that was okay; after all, moving was the way of the cheetah.
The Tree of Life will be my territory, he thought. And these animals are now my friends. Azaad has found where he belongs.