An hour had passed since Rafiki had first seen to Kion. Bunga had headed back to Timon and Pumbaa, and Kiara, after getting her parents' permission, returned to the Watering Hole to let her friends know what was happening. Everyone else was waiting nervously, no one wanting to talk simply out of not knowing what to say. Because, what do you say in a situation like this? It would be inappropriate to try and make light of what had happened, but no one wanted to get even more depressed.

Except, maybe, Fuli.

Beshte had noticed that his friend had been quiet the whole time. She was in no way chatty like Bunga was, but her silence had concerned him. It was an emotionless silence, as if her soul had left her body. She had remained in the same position she had been in since she had brought Kion here, and given that she was the fastest, that truly was strange. He knew that what had happened was plaguing her mind; he just didn't know how to address it.

He looked over at Nala and saw that she was getting up- maybe for a walk, or to go get a drink- and he thought, 'maybe she'll have some insight.' He decided to ask her.

"Excuse me, Nala?" he asked. She gave him a small smile.

"Yes, Beshte?" she asked back. "Is something troubling you?"

"It's Fuli. She's been so quiet since she got here, I think what happened has really gotten to her. I tried to ask if something was wrong earlier, but she just shunned me, and now I don't know how to get through to her. The only one who was ever any good at that was Kion."

"Ah, I see. To be honest, I noticed this as well. Don't worry, I'll try and speak to her." She walked up to Fuli and gave her a smile, but the cheetah would not turn her head to the queen. "Is something the matter, Fuli?"

"I'm fine, Nala," she practically whispered back.

"You haven't moved an inch, and you're really quiet. Have you eaten at all?"

"Not since this morning, but I don't tend to eat again until a few hours after now, anyway."

"Hmm," Nala knew that she was getting nowhere, "alright, dear. Just know I am here if you want to talk about anything."

"Okay."

Nala frowned at the cheetah- Fuli had been friends with Kion for a few years now, but Nala had never seen her so down. She looked at Beshte as she walked back over to him. The hippo looked at her, hopeful, but his head dropped when she sadly shook her head.

"I'm sorry, Beshte," she told him with a sigh, "I don't know. I think it might just be the shock of everything. Just give her time, she'll come around."

"I hope so," he responded, "but thanks for trying, though."

It was just then that Ono joined in on the conversation. "Sorry to intrude, but I really think she's feeling guilty about what happened."

"Guilty?" Nala tilted her head, a mixture of confusion and intrigue in her mind. "Why would she feel guilty? This was because of the hyenas, wasn't it?"

"Well, it's probably because-" Beshte cleared his throat, shaking his head at the egret. "Beshte, they need to know what happened, Kion is their son."

"Know what, exactly?" Simba asked. Ono looked at Beshte, who sighed and nodded. Ono then described what had transpired down at the gorge, starting with how they cleared the rockfall, then the confrontation with Janja and the hyenas, and then the stampede and subsequent rockfall that had caused the accident. "I see. I can understand what she is feeling- it was what I felt when Scar killed my father and I fled out of guilt."

"You don't think she's going to leave, do you?" Beshte asked, the idea worrying him.

"Of course not, Beshte. But she will need to deal with this, and at the moment, that means on her own."

"Okay. We'll give her some space."


Another three hours had passed. Rafiki had let them know on a couple of occasions that Kion's condition was still the same- while they were concerned that he wasn't awakening, at least he hadn't gotten worse. As the time had passed, Beshte and Ono had to leave. This left Simba, Nala and Fuli to wait.

"I'm getting really concerned, Simba," she told her husband, "what if he doesn't wake up?"

"He will, Nala," he reassured her, "he has to. He's been in tough spots before- he'll be fine."

"I hope you're right." She looked over at Fuli and frowned. Four hours, and she still hadn't moved. Looking past the cheetah, she saw the sun was starting to get low. "We should get Kiara before the sun sets."

"Hold on a second." Simba walked over to Fuli. "Fuli, could you do us a really big favour? It's starting to get a bit late, and Kiara is still with her friends. Could you get her to come back?"

"Huh? Oh, erm, I guess so." She stretched her legs, which had stiffened after being sat still for so long. "I'll be back soon." She set off for the Watering Hole.

"Are you sure that was a good idea?" Nala asked. "She isn't in the best mind set at the moment."

"It will help her if she gets some air and stretches her legs. If she just sat there all the time, it would allow her worries to get the better of her- the walk should distract her a bit."


Fuli made quick time in getting to the Watering Hole. She saw Kiara lying next to the water with Tiifu and Zuri, so she approached them.

"Kiara?" She asked, her voice low. "Simba asked me to fetch you."

"Oh, right. It is starting to get late." She stood up. "See you tomorrow, girls."

"See you, Kiara!" they replied.

So, Fuli and Kiara walked back to Rafiki's tree.

"How's Kion doing?" she asked after about five minutes of silence.

"Nothing's changed," she explained flatly. "Ono and Beshte have left, so it's just your parents over there."

"I see. Are you planning on staying too, or will you leave when we get back?"

"I think I'm going to stay. At least for a while, that is."

"I see." Kiara stopped for a moment, and when Fuli noticed, she stopped as well. "I haven't had the chance to thank you yet for bringing him to Rafiki."

"How did you-" she stopped herself. "Bunga?" Kiara nodded, and Fuli groaned. "I could kill him. Oh well. It was my fault this happened. If nothing else, I had to at least try and help."

"Fuli, how could it be your fault? I guarantee Kion doesn't think it's your fault, and even if he did, he wouldn't care."

Fuli let a low, dry, almost dark laugh escape her. "I doubt that."

"Fuli." Fuli didn't turn around. "Fuli!" She turned around. "Kion cares about you, and I know you care about him, so believe me, this is not your fault." She gave a light smile. "You're like a sister to me, I wouldn't lie to you."

Fuli didn't respond. She stayed silent for a second, as if mulling it over, before turning back around and beginning to walk again. "Simba's waiting for us, so we should head back."

Kiara sighed- she wasn't going to get through to her right now. They went back in silence, and when they got back, Fuli sat back down where she had before.

"Hey. You don't need to worry about Kion, he'll be fine. He's too stubborn to stay down for long." She laughed, but Fuli didn't reciprocate it. "He'll be awake before you know it. Just you wait."

Fuli went quiet again. Kiara knew she was stubborn, so she began to walk away.

"Hey," Fuli replied, albeit quietly. "Thanks. For, y'know, trying to cheer me up."

Kiara smiled at her, saying "sure" back, before returning to her parents.