Simba had been sat in the same spot for nearly an hour since Kiara had returned from the patrol. To say that he was now worried would be an understatement- he had a troublesome feeling in the pit of his stomach that said something was wrong.

'They can't have taken this long,' he thought, his worries working him up, 'surely they would be back by now!'

He was thinking about going to look for them, prepared to head down to the gorge if necessary, but he spotted Ono headed to a tree near his position. This gave him a brief moment a relief, as no sooner had Ono reached the tree, he headed back in the other direction.

"Ono!" Simba called out, despite the fact he was too far away to be heard. "Where are you going?" The egret was soon out of sight, which made Simba's worries return tenfold.

'Something must have happened! He was in a hurry, so whatever happened, it was serious! Is one of them hurt? Or trapped? Or kidnapped? I should go, they might be-'

"Simba!" he heard Bunga call, the honey badger clambering up Pride Rock. Simba turned and hoped to see the rest of the Guard, but no such luck. "You gotta come quickly!"

"What's going on, Bunga? And where's Kion?"

"He's hurt, Simba! He got hit by a rock, and he's out cold! The others should've got him to Rafiki by now."

The feeling in Simba's stomach grew stronger, his eyes widened, he felt a lump form in his stomach. His biggest fear had come true, and it hit him harder than he could possibly imagine.

'No… no! I shouldn't have sent them there! Or, I should have gone with them!'

"Uh, Simba?" Bunga asked, seeing Simba was stuck in his train of thought. "Hellooooooo!" He waved his paw in front of the king's face, which got his attention. "We should get going, Simba."

"Yes, of course. My apologies." He cleared his throat. "Go on, I know the way, I just need to get Nala and Kiara."

"Alright, Simba!"

Bunga then rushed down Pride Rock, leaving Simba at the top.

"Nala!" he called into the cave. A moment later, the cream coloured lioness emerged from the cave. Her blue eyes instantly formed a frown, sensing his worry. "We have to go! Where's Kiara?"

"She's at the watering hole with her friends," she told him, nervous. "What's going on?"

"Kion got hurt in his mission, he's unconscious. Rafiki is looking at him right now."

She gasped, her heart sinking. "Oh no! You head straight there, I'll get Kiara!"

"Okay." He nuzzled his mate, before heading off to see how his son was doing.


Not far from Rafiki's tree, Fuli was still carrying Kion with Beshte next to her. Her legs were about ready to give out beneath her, but still she persevered. Beshte had suggested numerous times that he should carry him, but she flat out refused each time.

"Fuli," he said, deciding to try one last time, "let me take Kion the rest of the way. You're about to pass out, and we don't want to have to take care of you both!"

"Beshte, it's- it's fine!" she snapped, even though her need to catch breath during that sentence contradicted her words. "The tree is- right- up- there!"

"Fuli, you're going to overdo it again! Don't you remember, when you nearly passed out and the vultures attacked? Kion was worried sick about you then, and he would be now too."

She stopped for a second, her tired voice giving a low growl. "Don't you dare try and guilt trip me!"

"I'm just looking out for you, Fuli! I'm your friend, remember? I don't want you to push yourself too hard- none of us do!"

"I told you- I'm fine, so- drop it."

They walked the rest of the way in silence. It didn't take long to reach Rafiki. Bunga and Ono were already there. When they entered, Rafiki looked over at the knocked out lion on the cheetah's back.

"Thank you, Fuli," he told her, taking Kion from her back, "I will do what I can now."

He took Kion into the other room, and began to work. While he did that, Fuli sat in the entrance, staring outwards. Beshte saw this and walked over to the others.

"Guys, I'm worried about Fuli," he told them in a hushed voice. "I think she was pushing herself too hard to get Kion here."

"Wait. She carried him the whole way?" Ono asked, surprised when Beshte nodded. "Wow! I didn't think she'd manage it!"

"Yeah, and whenever I asked if she wanted me to take over, she'd refuse- sometimes harshly at that!"

"That's just her pride, Big B!" Bunga suggested. "It doesn't mean anything, relax!"

"Maybe. But why was she so determined to carry him the whole way?"

This was the question that none of them could fully answer. They took a moment to look at Fuli- they had all come to know of Fuli as a fairly solitary animal- sure, she hung out with them a fair amount, but when she wasn't with them, she apparently spent most of that time alone. It was possible that it was just because it was her friend, but that didn't feel like the right answer.

"Do you think she's feeling guilty?" Beshte suggested.

"Guilty? About what?" Bunga asked.

"Well, Kion DID get hurt after pushing her out of the way," Ono pointed out.

"But it wasn't her fault!"

"I know, Little B, but I don't think that she agrees."

Bunga would have argued further, but Simba had just entered, with Nala and Kiara arriving not long after.

"We're here," Simba spoke first, "where are Rafiki and Kion?" As if on cue, the mandrill hobbled out with his staff. Simba walked up to him. "How is he, Rafiki?"

"I have applied something to disinfect de wound, and covered it with de vines Ono brought me. He is still out cold for now, though, so he won't be able to take de painkillers until he awakes. His head is rather warm, but that could pass with time. If not, it could be something more serious."

"Thank you so much, Rafiki!" Nala praised him, receiving a hug. "Do you know how long he will be out?"

"I am afraid I cannot tell. All we can do is wait."

"I see," Simba sighed, "well, my family and I plan to wait here." He turned to Ono, Beshte and Bunga. "Will you be staying?"

"I'm gonna go and tell Timon and Pumbaa how Kion's doing," Bunga replied.

"Me and Ono are staying, for a while, at least" Beshte answered. "Are you staying, Fuli?"

They all turned to the cheetah. She didn't turn around- she just gave a weak nod and kept staring outside of the tree.

"Alright, then. Let's just wait and hope for the best."