The Lion King: Dawn of the Nations

Episode 57: Contrition

"The Lion Guard?" Usu inquired with great intrigue. "But…I'm not a lion."

"Neither am I." Faeze shrugged.

Usu chuckled. "Yeah you're right, but…I don't know, all of this sounds like…work, you know?" He scratched his nape. "Patrolling, protecting the Pride Lands, fighting the forces of evil…kicking tail every day hmm…" Usu thought for a brief moment. "Let me see, alright I'm in!"

"Yes!" Emba celebrated. "Thanks, Usu, we'll be a great team!"

"Yeah, yeah. Now, where do I sign?" Usu inquired.

"Uhm, well…" Emba got out of the pool, shaking to get some water off him, then he approached Usu. "As the leader of the Lion Guard, I name you 'The Bravest', so you defend the Pride Lands with your bold and firm heart." He placed his paw on Usu's shoulder, then bright and dazzling shines of light revealed the Guard's mark, to Usu's astonishment.

"Woah." Usu chuckled with excitement while glaring at the mark and rubbing it. "That's sick!"

Emba smiled and looked at Faeze. "Only two left to find."

The three now friends and teammates went back into the water, swimming and relaxing among the other young animals. They passed through a tunnel that led to a set of caves, water dripped from their rocky ceiling, covered with creepers and colorful fungi, insects and flowers. "Usu, your home is so awesome." Emba's voice echoed all inside that place.

"I know." Usu boasted.

They continued swimming through the caves, until they reached a bigger and taller cave, with a small cascade falling into a pool, surrounded by thick, colorful plants and glowing fungus. "Woah…" Faeze expressed as he swam towards the edge of the pool and got out of the water, shaking off and laying down on the wet, rocky ground, sighing as he looked up, admiring the colorful and bright vegetation.

"Tired of the water, Faeze?" Emba inquired.

"Yeah, I don't like it that much." Faeze yawned.

"It didn't look like that to me." Usu chuckled. "I guess I'm…" He also swam towards the edge and got out, stretching and letting out a long yawn. "…I'm taking a quick nap here."

"Oh come on, boys, can't we explore a bit more?" Emba inquired.

Faeze yawned. "Maybe later." After a few minutes, Emba joined them in their nap time, which was deep and peaceful.

It was just fun and bliss in the Hakuna Matata Falls, where the cubs and calves kept playing and cleaning themselves in the water, the majority of the cheetah cubs did so briefly and just kept having fun and relaxing outside of the pools, as Faeze did. After a couple of hours, Koca stood up and stretched, letting out a yawn and jumping off the high rock he had been laying on. "Alright, younglings, fun's over! Let's go back home."

"Aw, can't we stay here a little bit more?" One of the lion cubs pleaded.

"No." Koca replied coldly, then looked at the rest of the young animals. "Out of the water you all."

Emba, Faeze and Usu were walking near the edge of the pool, Usu was laying on Faeze's back. "Your fur is soft as heck, pal." Usu praised.

Faeze chuckled. "Thanks, it's…just the way it is."

"Do you want to come with us, Usu?" Emba inquired. "We can go check out our new lair!"

"Oh, a lair…you bet I wanna see that, buddy." Usu yawned and kept resting on Faeze's soft back. "Tell me when we arrive."

Koca took all of the little cubs and calves back home, when they returned, Koca gathered them in the cave assigned to them, where three zebras and three antelopes laid on the center of the cave. Two lionesses were standing by the recently hunted animals. "We just hunted these for the kids." One of them said.

"We also gathered some grasses for the rhinos." They headed to the cave's exit, passing by Koca and the young animals.

"Thanks Zuri, Tiifu." Koca looked at the cubs and calves, gesturing towards their meal. "What are you waiting for?" The younglings hurried towards the food and started to eat, along with Emba and Faeze. Usu just sat down on a corner of the cave, resting his back against the rocky wall and looking at the little animals enjoying their meal. "They didn't even bother to bring some insects at least."

After finishing their meal, Emba and Faeze, accompanied by Usu, exited the cave and headed to the old Lion Guard's lair. They walked through the hanging vines that covered the entrance, taking slow steps as they looked around with great expectations, glaring at the ancient paintings that the sun illuminated through the large opening at the top of the cave. The light of the sun reflected dazzlingly on the large inner pool. Usu whistled in awe as he walked between the cubs. "Not bad, I don't understand the paintings but they look good enough."

"I like it." Faeze said. "Good place to plot against bad guys."

"And to sleep, it's nice and warm." Usu added.

"Yeah, that too." Faeze chuckled.

Emba's ear twitched. "Stop." He mumbled, making his comrades adopt cautious poses. "What was that?"

Usu thundered his fingers. "You're busted, intruder, show yourself or face the wrath of The Lion Guard!"

The animal began to come out of the shadows, right from a corner in the bottom of the cave. "Oh hi, sorry I was just…chilling here." Zale smiled at them, walking by the pool and approaching them.

Emba sighed with relief. "It's just you."

"I like to be here, sorry." Zale looked at Usu, noticing the Guard's mark on his shoulder. "Hello, let me guess…the strongest?"

Usu crossed his arms and looked at Zale with a straight face. "Very funny." He pointed at himself with his hand. "I'm Usu, the bravest member of The Lion Guard."

Zale chuckled. "Alright, nice to meet you, Usu. I'm Zale."

"He is my cousin." Emba added. "Just pretend he isn't here." He chuckled and hit Zale's shoulder playfully while walking past him, followed by Usu and Faeze.

"And I'll pretend I didn't hear that." Zale replied. "Where's the rest?"

"The rest of what?" Emba inquired.

"The rest of the Guard, the strongest and the keenest of sight." Zale said while walking up a high rock that was over the pool, yawning and laying down.

Emba was taking a close look at one of the paintings, one that depicted the first Lion Guard, with Askari and the other four members. "Uhm, we still have to find them."

"Hmm, I mean I could volunteer but…I'm not strong, and I don't have a very good sight." Zale thought for a moment. "Average sight, I guess."

"I know, Zale." Emba turned and looked at his cousin. "You could help keeping our lair nice and tidy, though." He winked at him.

Zale yawned again, laying his head between his paws. "You're the leader, that's your responsibility. You may consider me…a guest or something."

Emba chuckled. "Or you could be the doorkeeper". Emba kept studying the paintings along with Faeze. Usu just wandered around, exploring and looking for spots of his liking.

Later on, in sundown, Kion, Kovu and Kiara walked outside of Pride Rock, passing by the trees and the small rivers and ponds that covered the terrain around them. Kiara was glaring into the eyes of her brother, seeing hope and nostalgia in them. "How was Emba's first day in the Guard?"

"Good, overall." Kion replied as they walked up a grassy mound that led to a hollow. "They have a lot of training left to do, but I'm sure they will become a great team." He chuckled. "They already found their bravest."

"Oh, another honey badger?" Kiara inquired jokingly.

Kion let out a nostalgic chuckle. "No, not this time." He looked at his sister. "Usu, Timon's grandson…quite charming, if you ask me."

As they walked through the hollow, Kovu approached Kion to join the conversation. "Zale is very excited with this, he stayed in the lair with the Guard tonight."

"Zale will be of great help for the team, that's for sure." Kion said.

Kovu raised an eyebrow. "Really? How?"

Kion looked away for a moment. "There's a…light in his heart, it gives hope and quietude." Kion glanced at Kovu with a smile. "The Guard will need that, Kovu." Kovu thought about his cub for a moment, looking at Kion with a grateful smile.

"Kiara, could you start taking Ari to your hunts? I think she's ready." Kion asked.

"Oh, sure! I'll take her tomorrow." Kiara replied with a grin.

"Thanks, sister." Kion smiled back at her.

Kovu sighed. "My Keru…I don't…" He just stopped talking.

"Kovu?" Kion inquired with worry.

Kovu shook his head, Kiara began to nuzzle him as they walked under the reddened sky, purring comfortingly. "Your son has found his purpose, Zale…he's on his way, I can see that. But Keru, I don't know what will be of him, he just…" Kovu let out another brief sigh. "I love him so much, I just want him to be someone."

"Kovu, he's still very young, and there are many great things he could become, things to be proud of." Kion said reassuringly. "He'll find his place in the Circle of Life, don't worry."

As they kept walking, listening to the singing of the crickets as the first stars began to appear, Kion detected a particular scent in the air, gasping slightly while adopting a defensive position. "That scent…"

Kiara sniffed and after a brief thought she look at her brother. "Janj…" She got tackled by Janja, who had jumped from behind a nearby bush.

"Kiara!" Kion groaned as Janja jumped at him and brought him down.

"Hello, Kion." Janja said menacingly as he pressed his chest with his front paws.

Kion growled at Janja and threw a blow at his snout, making him screech and jump away from him. Kovu rushed towards Janja but Jasiri got on his way, growling at him. Kiara got behind Jasiri, also snarling at her. "What do you want, Jasiri?" Kiara inquired with a frown on her face.

Kion looked at Janja and Jasiri with caution as they surrounded them. "So you are alive…where have you been all this time?"

"On exile, Kion." Jasiri said as she walked slowly with her gaze locked on Kion's, always facing him as he walked around her. "From my own kind, and from you, remember?"

"You made a promise!" Janja approached him, not minding the menacing growls of Kiara and Kovu. "You promised to let us live in the Pride Lands!" Janja said with anger and a lump in his throat. "What happened to…'Si Simi Sawa'? We've been struggling and starving our whole life! We helped you fight Scar! We were friends!" Janja shook his head. "And still, you didn't hesitate to deny us the very thing you promised Jasiri back on the day."

"Didn't hesit…?! You have no idea how hard was for me to decree that! It was th…" Kion sighed. "…It was for the safety and survival of the Pride Lands, the herds were big, the food was scarce and those damn clans almost destroyed the kingdom of my father! I had to do something!" A tear traveled down Kion's face. "But…" He looked away and closed his eyes. "It was a mistake." Kion looked into the sky, more tears fell from his eyes to the grassy ground. "I lost everything." He sobbed. "My Rani…"

Jasiri gasped. "What?"

"Baturu…he took her away from me." Kion got lost in his memories for a moment. "I lost good friends as well, Fuli, Azaad…you…" He looked back at Jasiri.

A deep silence was present between them. Jaira, along with her cubs, Jakir and Jenuk, and the offspring of Janja and Jasiri, Jara and Jaye, walked from behind a rock. "King Kion." She approached him and sat down before him, bowing her head. "My name is Jaira, I've been living with Jasiri and her family since we left the Outlands. We've gone through cold, thirst and hunger, as well as these little ones."

Kion looked at the hyena cubs, noticing their thin bodies. "I can see that well." He lowered down his gaze slightly. "These two have your eyes, Jasiri." He glared at Jara and Jaye, who were standing together next to Jaira. "And they got your nose as well, Janja."

"Can the King of the Pridelands forget about the past and let these cubs sleep safely tonight?" Jaira looked at him with pleading eyes.

Kion kept gazing at the tired eyes of the four little hyenas, same as Kovu and Kiara. "Kovu." Kion looked at him. "Bring Nyumbani." He glared back at Jasiri and company. "She'll take good care of them." Kion just walked away from them and sat down while lowering down his head and closing his eyes.

Kovu headed to Pride Rock, in order to look for Nyumbani. Kiara just sat down, looking at the hyenas with cautious yet repented and compassionate eyes. After a few moments, Jasiri walked towards Kion, standing next to him. "I'm sorry for your loss." Jasiri said, Kion just looked at her very briefly before returning his gaze to the dark and grassy ground.

Janja walked towards Kion hesitantly, approaching him and standing next to Jasiri. "I'm sorry too, Kion."

Kion remained thoughtful for a while. "What's happened cannot be changed." He looked at them with guilt. "But what's to come, that depends on us." A small smirk formed on his face.