Welcome back to chapter seventeen. Thanks for the reviews and enjoy.

The night African wind blew softly through the savannah. In a tall baobab tree Jaja was doing the finishing touches of Torrent's mane and Sherise's painting.

"Oh, Simba...every day Torrent and Sherise grows more handsome and beautiful, into a King and leader that will make us all very proud."

She sighs as paints a mane on the lion painting, next to Sherise and the finished touches to a lioness painting that was next to Torrent.

"But these cubs Elena and Barton grows stronger. And Alyssa fills their hearts with hate. I am very worried Simba. Things are not going well."

Then the winds starts to blow, rattling Jaja's gourds.

"Hmm? You havea plan?" asked the middle age baboon.

One of the gourds falls, splitting in half. Jaja then holds up the two halves against the painting of Torrent and Elena, and brings them together.

"What? Elena...Torrent...together? This is the plan?"

Then it hits her.

Rafiki's niece starts yelling "Are you crazy? This will never work! Oh Simba, you been up there too long. Your head is in the clouds!"

The winds starts to blow hard around Jaja, which make her have a second thought.

"Okay, okay, okay! Okay! All right-okay!" Jaja yells.

The winds clam down, but Jaja did not. He began to continue shouting at the sky.

"I don't think this is going to work...but I trust you. I just hope you know what you are doing!"

In the Pridelands

Blaze watched from a far as Anders pounced around and keeping the fruit in his dark muzzle, away from Sherise as they continued on with their game. It was normal, of course even if they're teenagers now. But Blaze saw what the others had yet to see, minus Oni and it would be his edge in catching Anders off-guard.

"Anders! I need to talk to you!" he called. Anders either didn't hear him or didn't care, and the teen light yellow cheetah sighed. They had a big responsibility like they did now, but they all still managed to be so carefree.

He ran from his perchto in front of Anders, snatching the fruit from the teen hyena's jaws.

"Hey!" Anders cried, glaring at his other feline teammate. Sherise skidded to a halt, looking at Blaze as well.

"Blaze, did you need something?" a teen Sherise asked.

"I want to talk to Anders." he said, clear and simple as that. Anders shrugged.

"Okay. What is it?"

"Alone...Anders."

Sherise seemed surprised by that.

"Okay, fine. Let's find somewhere private." Anders said, not seeming worried in the slightest.

Blaze let the fruit roll from under his dark gray paw and followed Anders, they soon found such a place, and Blaze perched himself up on a rock, while Anders stood there, seeming impatient and somewhat bored.

"You have a crush on Sherise."

It wasn't a question.

"So? What're you gonna do about it?" Anders asked. He didn't seem bored anymore, but he was certainly not surprised. Maybe if it had been someone other than Blaze, perhaps.

"Why don't you tell her?"

Anders looked at Blaze as if he'd gone insane.

"Why would I do that?"

Blaze seem speechless for a moment. Anders wasn't scared, not just because he was never scared, but Blaze could tell in the way he was acting now. He wasn't scared to tell their leader.

"Why don't you want to tell her, then? What's stopping you?"

Blaze watched as his teen hyena friend seemed to weigh his options. He couldn't tell if he was trying to decide whether or not to tell Sherise, or whether he should even stay here to talk to Blaze.

"I know you're not scared, Anders. So why don't you tell him?"

The mere mention of the possibility of him being scared made Anders scoff.

"'Course I'm not scared. But I'm not stupid, either"

Blaze watched Anders carefully. Since the hyena didn't tend to think things through at first glance, he knew that he had to have felt like this for a while. Blaze wondered if he had missed some signs before.

Anders took Blaze's silence as a sign to keep talking.

"I like Sherise, okay? I'm not scared to admit that to anyone, not even Sherise. But I also know that someone else likes her."

"So you're going to give up?"

Anders sighed. "What more can I do? Besides it's most likely a phase."

"But what if your feelings last?"

"I'm not gonna take that chance. If Kiara finds out that I like-like Sherise, she might get mad at me and he won't let me be around Sherise anymore! I might not get to be on the Lion Guard, even!"

Blaze seriously wondered when Anders had thought this much about his feelings. Did he tell someone, consult someone?

"So you don't want to risk your friendship with Sherise over feelings that will probably just be temporary?"

"Yep. I'm not scared, okay? I just don't like the idea of not getting to be around Sherise again!"

Blaze nodded his head.

"That's fair. But if your feelings turn out to be permanent, will you tell her?"

"Maybe. I'd have to wait and see what happens with this other guy." Anders said. He seemed to be considering it, at least.

Anders nodded to the young cheetah before running off to return to Sherise, and Blaze watched, something still nagging in his head.

Anders' list of reasons hadn't included Sherise not returning those feelings. Blaze just sighed, he hoped that Anders don't get hurt or that might tare their team apart.

TLKTLKTLKTLK

The sun was setting and Torrent was finishing up his patrol when the silence finally made the goldish teen look at his companion. The light golden teen was looking out into the distance as the evening's breeze blew through his brownish mane.

"Kipawa. Is something wrong?"

Kipawa sighed before turning to face his best friend. "I'm in love with your sister."

Torrent's orange eyes widen as his unique but attractive golden mane ruffled in the breeze. "But you..."

Kipawa turned his head in shame. "I know. I always bullied her but the truth was I been in love with her since she became the leader of the guard."

Torrent really didn't know what to say. "Are you going to tell her?"

Kipawa thought about it but shook his head. Before giving a small smile. "Nah. But let's finish up patrol. I don't want to be out here later than necessary."

Torrent nodded before following his friend and cousin.

Further in the Outlands

Nalini hit the ground hard, the cracked ground dug into her slightly scared fur. As the hot surface burn her fresh wounds. The whitish-beige lioness hissed from the sting of the burn as eight claws dug into her shoulders.

"Very well Elena."

The tawny beige teen moved her paws before stepping to the side. Elena took a deep breath before looking to the side lines where a bulky dark gray teen lion with a black mane stood with a russet beige pre teen lioness. The dark gray teen male smiled at Elena causing Elena to smile back. Therefore the tawny beige teen didn't see her mother nod to her brother. So she was easily pinned when Barton pounced. Alyssa walked over and growled at her son.

"Never lose focus. As you may have killed Kiara there are Kopa, the prince and the pride."

"Not to mention the Lion Guard." Vito added after walking over.

Elena grunted before sitting up after the cold beige lion got off. Alyssa dipped her head in dismissal to her two oldest cubs.

"Barton, Nalini you're both dismissed."

The two siblings bowed before going their own way. Alyssa snarled before turning to her youngest child.

"You know what to do! A hundred laps on dessert border!"

Elena sighed before galloping towards the dessert.