The Lion King: Dawn of the Nations

Episode 62: Shadows

Janja woke up slowly from his peaceful dream, returning to reality gradually, looking at the cozy and rocky walls around him while blinking and yawning, nuzzling Jasiri and licking her cheek lovingly. "Good morning, sweet."

Jasiri yawned and smiled at him then licked his snout. "Morning."

"How did you sleep?" Janja laid his head against hers.

"Honestly...I don't remember the last time I had such a deep and calm rest." Jasiri looked at the cubs, who were sleeping among Jaira. "It seems we all needed this."

"Yes." Janja sighed. "It feels strange, though. After all that's happened."

Jasiri nodded. "I think he's really back."

Janja raised an eyebrow. "Who?"

"Kion. The Kion we know and love." Jasiri got onto her paws and stretched, followed by Janja

"Yeah, I guess." Janja added, then he walked towards his cubs, Jara and Jaye. "They are finally safe." He nuzzled Jara tenderly, then did the same with his son. "It's all that matters to me."

Jasiri approached him and nuzzled him, looking at her cubs as well. "The Outlands were their home, and ours. But those days are gone."

Janja looked at her with doubt. "Are you really sure?"

Jasiri nodded. "The jackals are its rulers now and our kind is greatly scattered. It's only us now, this is all we have." She looked at her mate. "And we must take care of it."

"What do you mean?" Janja inquired. "I have always taken care of you, of our cubs."

"I know, it's not that. I mean we have to embrace our new lives here, and I'm glad you convinced me to come." Jasiri nuzzled his chest.

Janja stroked her head with his lower jaw as he let out a sigh. "To be honest, I thought it would be a more...hostile welcome."

Jasiri had her gaze lost on the rocky ground. "We underestimated Kion and his family. They have changed, all of them."

Janja nodded. "Yeah. I just wish we could also take over the Outlands and just...make everything as it was before."

"I'm afraid that's impossible, my love." Jasiri kept nuzzling him. "The Pride Lands and the Outlands are united now, thanks to Kion and Dogo, and...maybe it needed to happen, everything."

"Good morning, may I come in?" Nyumbani said from the path that led to the entrance of the cave.

Jasiri and Janja turned and walked towards the entrance. "Yes, Nyumbani." Jasiri said.

"Thank you, how was your night?" Nyumbani asked with a smirk as she walked in.

"It was great." Jasiri gave her a smile of gratitude. "We couldn't be more thankful."

Nyumbani bowed at them. "It's our pleasure. The hunters just brought zebra, would you like some?"

"Oh, yes." Janja said as his stomach growled. "Uhm, please."

On the meantime, Kion and the Lion Guard, Emba, Faeze, Usu and Chikere, were gathered near Pride Rock, with an intense sun and a light wind welcoming them. "I remember my first day as clear as water." Kion told them with a nostalgic tone. "There was excitement, courage!" He chuckled as he looked into their young and expectant faces. "But also fear and doubt." Kion shook his head and looked into the clear and blue sky for a moment, then switched his gaze back to the young animals. "Don't let those two last feelings invade your heart, they only cloud our minds and take us to the worst places." He walked before them continuously, examining their looks. "You'll fight for what's right, you will defend the Circle of Life, with bravery and might." Kion said with a firm and loud tone. "Is that clear?"

"Yes, my king!" Chikere exclaimed with enthusiasm, getting raised eyebrows from his teammates.

"Glad to hear that, Chikere." Kion looked at the rest. "What about the others?"

"Oh, yes, of course your majesty!" Faeze expressed abruptly.

"Yes dad." Emba said casually. "Or uhm, king."

Usu gave Kion a thumbs up. "We get ya, chief."

Kion nodded at the four members of the Guard, then locked his gaze on his son's. "You take it from here, Emba." He winked at him with a smirk.

"Oh! Alright, uhm...how was it?" Emba took a moment to think. "Uhm, when the Prid…"

"Till' the…" Kion helped him a bit my mumbling those words.

"Ah, yes! Till' the Pride Lands end..!" Emba turned around, looking at the horizon with great hope and excitement.

"Lion Guard Defend!" All the members of the team yelled in unison.

"Chikere, try to fly higher and stay alert for any trouble!" Emba commanded.

Chikere nodded as he flew right next to them. "Got it, uhm, boss!" He flew upwards with grace, getting at a much greater height, with the whole Pride Lands at his sight.

Faeze had already outrun the rest of the guard. "Could you guys move your tails a bit faster?" He chuckled arrogantly.

Usu was holding onto Faeze's back, then he carefully stood on it by getting on his hind paws as usual, adopting a surfing position as the wind caressed his face continuously. "Woo! Look Emba, I'm surfing on a cheetah!" Faeze just rolled up his eyes as he kept running.

Emba just chuckled. "I can tell, Usu. Just stay alert for any trouble!"

Usu put his paws around his eyes simulating a pair of binoculars. "Aye, captain!"

On the meantime, Kovu was walking with Keru and Anya in Ndefu Grove, surrounded by the green trees where the galagos lived. "Thanks for letting me sleep in your cave." Anya told Kovu.

"It's nothing, if you don't feel comfortable with the rest of the cubs, there is no reason for you to stay with them." Kovu replied with a warm smile. "I know how it feels to...not belong." They passed under a group of trees whose crowns were so close together that they made a homogeneous shadow that refreshed their senses. "When you finally find a place you can call 'home', it is just the best feeling in the world." He let out a sigh. "And it's something you can take for granted very easily as well."

"I've never had anything like that." Anya lowered down her gaze.

"You do now!" Keru got closer to her and nuzzled her cheek, making her chuckle.

"Thanks, Keru." Anya took a deep breath and exhaled with great peace and temperance. "And thanks again, uhm, 'Bwana' Kovu."

Kovu chuckled. "Just call me Kovu, alright?" The three lions kept walking, enjoying their company and the calmness of the day.

Among a pair of bushes, a hare was eating a bunch of green leaves she held with her small paws, savoring them bite by bite. Her ear twitched when hearing a twig breaking, and just when the thought of getting out of there came to her mind, a strong pair of paws crushed her chest thanks to Ari's heavier weight, Ari then pierced her throat with her claws, pressing tightly against it, ending with her life rapidly. She let out a sigh and chuckled by her success, along with Kiara, Tiifu and Zuri, who approached her from the surrounding grass and bushes. "You got her right on time, Ari." Kiara got close to her and nuzzled her, making her purr and smile. "Well done."

"Thanks, Aunt." Ari looked at Tiifu and Zuri to get their feedback.

"It was good." Zuri said while studying the hare's corpse. "A bit sloppy maybe. Seven out of ten, I'd say."

"Come on, it was an eight at least." Tiifu patted Ari's head.

Kiara looked into Ari's eyes. "I am so proud of you."

Ari let out a chuckle of great bliss as a tear ran down her face, then she nuzzled her aunt's chest, crying on her warm fur as she placed a paw on hers. "Thanks…"

"Oh, sweet…" Kiara looked at Tiifu and Zuri for a moment, they just gave her looks of confusion. Kiara then looked back at her niece, having an idea of what she could have been feeling, so she nuzzled her tenderly with her lower jaw, then she licked her head with great love and care. "...I'm sure she's very proud of you as well." Ari's crying became more intense, Kiara kept comforting her, giving her tender nuzzles and licks, protective and reassuring. Tiifu and Zuri looked at each other with hesitation, then they just walked towards Ari and sat down next to her, Zuri began to pat her back while Tiifu did so with her arm.

On the meantime, the Lion Guard kept walking on the savannah while looking around to watch over. "I thought this was going to be fun." Usu yawned as he laid on Faeze's back.

Emba sighed. "It is not supposed to be fun." He looked up at Chikere. "Do you see anything, uhm, interesting or...problematic up there?

Chikere yawned. "Not really, just peace."

"That means we're doing a good job." Faeze told Emba jokingly, making him and the others chuckle a bit.

"I guess so." Emba kept walking until his ear twitched as he heard the sound of hundreds of footsteps approaching. "Do you guys hear that?"

"Yeah, sounds like a…" Faeze was interrupted by his flying comrade.

"Stampede!" Chikere managed to spot the approaching animals when the cloud of dust dissipated a little. "It's the zebras, and they are heading for the anteaters' dens!"

"Finally!" Usu adopted a riding position, then he slapped Faeze's lower back a couple of times. "Go! Go!"

Faeze groaned and growled a bit. "Hey! I go when I want to go, Usu!"

"Focus, guys!" Emba looked back at Chikere. "Go ahead and tell the zebras to stop, Chikere. We'll help you out in a second."

"Got it!" Chikere flew rapidly towards the running herd.

Emba looked at Faeze as they ran while following the young eagle. "Faeze, take Usu to the homes of the anteaters." He looked at Usu. "You'll take them out of there in case we can't stop the zebras."

"What if they don't want to get out?" Usu inquired while thundering his fingers. "Should I force them?"

Emba sighed. "Just get them out of there." He looked back at Faeze. "Go back with the zebras after you leave him."

Faeze nodded, then he turned towards where the anteaters' houses were and rushed with an increased speed, making Usu to grasp the skin and fur of his back tightly to prevent himself from falling. "Ah Faeze, Faeze maybe go slower this tim..!" As he was talking, an insect managed to get in his mouth, which he swallowed right away. "Yum."

"Zebras! Stop!" Chikere flew barely above the panicked herd of zebras. "You're gonna hurt someone if you don't stop right now!" The striped animals brayed with great fear.

Emba rushed hurriedly towards the herd. "Zebras, stop!" Emba let out a roar, which made the zebras run even faster, braying with a greater fright.

"Ah, lion!" One of the zebras in the herd exclaimed. "Keep panicking and running!"

"No!" Chikere grunted and looked at Emba. "I think that didn't work!"

"Oh really? I hadn't noticed!" Emba replied angrily, then he quickened his pace, running to get right in front of the herd, inhaling and exhaling rapidly and deeply.

On the meantime, Usu was arguing with a family of anteaters inside a big burrow under the ground. "Come, get out! Do you wanna be flattened by a bunch of scared zebras?!"

"Nice try, but you won't take over our burrow with that lie, meerkat. Now leave!" The father anteater said.

"I'm not lying!" Usu sighed and showed them his shoulder. "See this? I'm from the Lion Guard!"

"But you are not a lion." The mother said, raising an eyebrow as she looked at him with disbelief.

"And?" Usu grunted. "Look, if I don't get you all out of here right now, we're going to be killed by a herd of zeb..!"

A loud growl was heard inside the burrow all of a sudden. "W..w...was that a cheetah?" One of the younger anteaters said while trembling.

"Yes! And he's gonna kill you all if you don't get out of here!" Usu pointed towards the exit at the other end of the burrow.

"Run, run kids, come on!" The father exclaimed, and one by one, the anteaters exited the cave in a hurry.

Usu let out a sigh of relief, then he exited the burrow as well through the opposite opening, meeting with Faeze on the surface. "Thanks pal, that worked like a charm!" He approached him and mounted him quickly.

Faeze nodded as they saw how other families of anteaters got out of their burrows as they had also heard his growl. "Like a charm indeed." He turned and stretched out for a second. "Now let's help Emba and Chikere." Faeze ran towards the approaching herd.

Emba panted heavily as he ran, he had managed to outrun the herd, so he stopped running right before them and roared at them, expecting them to panic and run in the opposite direction, but they just kept running towards him. "Emba!" Chikere flew towards Emba and right before the zebras could ran over him, the young eagle pushed him with his head, managing to get him out of the zebras' way.

"Ungh!" Emba groaned as he fell on the ground, looking at Chikere while struggling to get onto his paws. "Thanks…" Emba sighed. "I thought they'd deviate." Emba breathed in and out in a quick pace as he was already exhausted. "Have Faeze…and Usu managed to get them out?"

"Let me see…" Chikere narrowed his eyes, looking at the burrows. "Can't te...oh wait, the anteaters are running away from there, they are already quite far away."

Emba sighed. "Great."

Faeze and Usu arrived. "We did it, Emba, but the zebras are still running." The cheetah informed.

Usu got off Faeze, dusting off his hands as he approached Emba. "So, mission accomplished?"

Emba shook his head. "They could still hurt someone if we don't stop them."

"Or themselves! They're heading to a hollow!" Chikere said as he flew above the rest of the team.

"Then fly and warn them!" Emba commanded with great worry. "You too, Faeze!"

"Got it!" Chikere flew as fast as he could towards the running herd.

"I'll catch up with you." Emba told Faeze. "Go!"

"Alright, alright!" Faeze rushed rapidly towards the zebras. Emba sighed and started to walk as fast as he could towards the situation, followed by Usu.

"Uhm...you alright?" Usu inquired as he saw the exhausted countenance of Emba.

"This is a disaster." Emba lowered down his gaze.

Usu kept looking at him for a moment. "They'll figure something out."

"I hope so." Emba replied. "Let's just keep moving."

"Zebras! There's a hollow ahead, you're gonna fall if you don't stop running!" Chikere warned as he flew above their heads.

"Yes! Please, stop!" Faeze exclaimed as he rushed right next to them.

"But the purple thing will come after us!" One of the zebras replied with great fear.

"The purple thing?" Chikere inquired while raising an eyebrow.

Faeze's eyes widened as the hollow was dangerously close already, so he just stopped running, drifting a bit on the ground before stopping right on the edge of the hollow. He turned to keep warning the zebras. "Stop! Stop now!"

"Zebras!" Chikere exclaimed from above, watching how the herd of equids fell on the hollow violently, braying loudly by the pain. Emba and Usu arrived, grouping on the hollow to check on the zebras, followed by Faeze and Chikere. "Is anybody hurt?"

"No…" A male zebra got onto his hooves while groaning by the pain. "...not me at least, uhm…" He looked around with paranoid eyes. "The purple thing didn't follow us, did it?"

"What purple thin..?" Emba's got interrupted by a sudden bray of great despair.

"Pembe!" A zebra cried next to the corpse of her little son, his head had crashed on a large stone that protruded from the ground inside the hollow. Emba gasped as his eyes widened, stunned by the amount of blood that came from the zebra's open head. Chikere, Faeze and Usu were also astonished and wordless in the face of the tragedy. The rest of the zebras gathered around the mother and her dead child with great sorrow.

Faeze approached Emba. "I tried to warn them, many times, but they just didn't listen."

Chikere joined them. "Emba, I never lost sight of them but..." He sighed. "...well, scared zebras are hard to appease. I'm sorry." Usu was sitting on the edge of the hollow, looking at the scene in silence.

Emba turned and started to walk away, climbing the brief slope that faced the hollow, continuing his path crestfallen. His comrades followed him one by one, in silence, also with dismal and defeated faces. "This is your fault!" The mother exclaimed. Emba stopped his steps for a moment, grunting and getting his claws out of their sheaths, barely holding the lump in his throat. After a long moment, he made his claws return to his sheaths again, then he kept walking. Faeze, Chikere and Usu shared looks of concern before also resuming their steps.

Kion was walking with Nyumbani under the cover of trees, the singing of the birds and the sun rays entering through the gaps between the leaves harmonized the ambient. "I feel it was yesterday when they were born, they grow stronger each day and I'm very grateful to be witnessing that." He let out a sigh. "I wish their mother had received that blessing as well."

Nyumbani looked upwards. "She did." She looked at Kion with a smile. "I'm sure she's always checking on you all from up there." Nyumbani got closer to him. "As well as your parents."

"Yeah, you're right." Kion glared at her with a smirk. They walked down a sloping path that led to a small clearing, where amaryllis flowers abounded, of a deep and captivating red. "I hope Emba is doing well on his first day, I trust him, but…" Kion looked away with doubt. "...I don't know if I was hasty in asking him this now, to take care of my kingdom. And not only that, but the Circle of Life itself."

Nyumbani nuzzled his cheek. "Your heart told you he was ready, that's all the reassurance you need. You made the right choice, Kion."

Kion received her caresses with meekness and dubiety. "Yes, I guess so." He sighed and turned his face away a little, looking at her with eyes of doubt and guilt.

"Kion?" Nyumbani locked her gaze on his, one that showed confusion and worry. "Why are you doing this to me?"

Kion raised an eyebrow. "Uhm, what?"

Nyumbani sighed. "I...I just see it in your eyes, the guilt, the...rejection."

"Nyumbani, you know that I...respect you a lot, I don't know what you're talking about." Kion replied as it started drizzling.

"We both know it is more than mere respect, Kion, and...I feel the same way about you." Nyumbani placed a paw on his face, stroking his cheek lovingly.

"I…" Kion looked away, lowering his head while the little raindrops fell over him, sitting down while the silence suddenly reigned between them.

Nyumbani laid her head on his shoulder. "I know why you feel that way." She nuzzled his shoulder tenderly. "You just lost her, Queen Ran…"

Kion growled at her, making her rapidly back away from him as he stood up and looked at her with a frown. "Don't mention her, ever!" He exclaimed with great anger, also with a broken voice and tears on his face, that disappeared among the drops of the rain that had intensified. "Don't..." Kion burst into tears. "Please just…" He kept crying and laid down on the ground, defeated by his memories. Nyumbani just stood watching him with pity, moved by his crying and his vulnerable face. After a few moments, she approached him with hesitation, then laid down right next to him, embracing him with her front leg, resting her head against his. "I'm sorry...my king. I...wasn't prudent."

Kion continued immersed in his tears. "How would she…" Kion sobbed. "...see me?" A vivid image of her defunct mate was in his mind, all the memories and feelings flooded his heart with sorrow and yearning.

The night was just falling over the Tree of Life, the half moon and the thousands of stars illuminated the steps of the two monarchs as they walked on the soft grass of the green valley, with the Tree behind them. "These have been peaceful days, no intruders, no conflicts." Kion stated.

Rani chuckled. "Yes, Baliyo gave me the complaint." She shook her head. "He can't stand quietude, he needs action, battle, something to fight for."

"He's a born warrior." Kion added. "Just like you."

Rani looked at him while giggling a bit. "But I do like peace." She nuzzled him. "And you grant me that every day, every time I look at you." Rani licked his cheek.

Kion smiled and licked her snout. "Because I have you." He tackled her playfully, laying on top of her as he nuzzled her face tenderly, making her blush and chuckle. "Your voice, your smile, your scent…" He gave her snout a gentle lick. "...all of you, lets me know everything will be alright."

"A perfect union." Rani licked his snout while stroking his cheek with her paw. "Until Mungu calls us to his abode."

"For eternity, Rani." Kion nuzzled her face as he laid down next to her, embracing her with his front and hind legs, stroking her with his paws. "Beyond calamity...beyond death, my love for you will always prevail, no matter what."

Rani rested her forehead on his. "So will mine, Kion." She looked deeply into his eyes, then licked his snout again, with great love and abandon. "So will mine."