North and the others stormed through the doors to the main office in the lobby. They went over to Mattias's desk, who came around behind it, wasting little time looking up the video feeds from the security cameras of the Night before. While he may be a guide at the Resort, North and Tooth had placed Mattias in charge of security. As a former member of the Reserve's Anti-poacher squad, he was experienced in maintaining the peace for the animals and guests, not just on Safaris but also on the grounds of the Resort.
Over his computer monitor, she pulled up several video feeds whose times seemed to match that of the Night Before.
"Alright, here's the feed from last Night. Tooth, do you remember when you last saw them?" He asked.
Tooth nodded.
"Yeah, back at the Cafe. They were headed back to their cabins for the Night," she insisted.
"It was a quarter past nine."
Mattias turned back to his computer. He checked for the feed from the camera near the Cafe and found a file with that exact time.
"Hang on, I think I found it. Let's see what we got," He said, tapping on the file with his mouse.
The video feed appeared on the screen. Then, they saw a picture of the cafe's main entrance, where the seven teens emerged for a moment before walking out of view. Mattias pointed at the monitor.
"Here they are. It looks like they are heading to the Resort's west wing," he insisted.
There was a sense of relief within the room itself. Jim and Kate glanced at one another, their worry far from quelled. Though, at the very least, they knew it wasn't because of Lucky's rebellious nature. Mattias brought up the feed from the camera along the walkway. They saw them walking toward the camera.
"Alright, so they were heading back to their cabins. Just as I said to do," Tooth said.
"So what happened? Why weren't they there?" Brandon asked.
Mattias turned back to the monitor. Suddenly, they stopped. Darius held out his arms, and the others looked around nervously as if they had heard something. Something that was not meant to be heard. No, here on the resort premises.
Mattias squinted his eyes.
"Wait, hang on," He said.
North and the others came to peer at the monitor as well. Seeing the seven teens' terrified glances, they looked on puzzlingly. With no sound coming from the feed, they wondered what that said to them. That was all except for Ingrid. Many things could put that look on a child's face, but she was certain that it could not be a mistake for anything else. No doubt, this was when the attack must have happened. When whatever animal responsible had wandered onto the Resort.
"What's going on?" Brandon asked.
"I don't know. But something tells me it has something to do with our uninvited guest," Mattias insisted.
"Tooth?"
Tooth came up, glancing down at the time of the footage. It was about two minutes past fifteen. That was when she heard a lion-like roar coming from that same direction. She nodded her head.
"Yeah, he's right. We heard it from the Cafe," Tooth insisted.
"Did you try to look for them?" Jim asked.
Tooth narrowed her eyes.
"I was going to look for them, but the lion went after the other guests," Tooth insisted.
"So I came back here to the office for North's pistol. But... "
North cocked his head to his wife.
"Lion? Did you say lion?" North exclaimed.
Tooth paused for a moment.
"I- couldn't be sure. It was moving so fast," Tooth insisted.
"But from what I saw, it looked one."
North turned back for the monitor, squinting his eyes wearyingly. He then directed his glance at Mattias, who turned to meet his. The mention of the lion having grasped his attention with a robust and tight hold. He turned back to the monitor.
"Mattias, check other cameras! See what you can see," North said.
Mattias turned back to the monitor and proceeded to check several of the security feeds. However, when he pulled up each one, they saw only smoke and some guests running in fear. That was until they came across one in particular. Just as Mattias was about to fast-forward, something came into view.
"Wait, go back!" Nort said, gesturing down at the monitor.
Mattias rewinds the footage several seconds before, returning to what North expected to be the dangerous animal that came onto the Resort. There, the two men come to gaze upon what they can faintly make out as the lion.
The two eyes suddenly widened in realization.
No...
That wasn't just any lion they were seeing. It was the rouge! The very one they suspected to have returned after all this time. The one that no doubt had attacked the village's cattle. And now they were here attacking their guests.
Elsa, Simba, and Nala led the seven Teens back into the den below. The wild woman then approached the old cave paintings of the Lion Guards. She took a long, further look at the many lion Guards of the past. She wrapped her arms around herself, thinking. Each Guard consisted of five members.
The Fastest. The strongest. The keenest of Sight. The Bravest. And finally, the one who has the supposed Roar of the Elders.
Yet there were seven of this supposed new Lion Guard had Seven. None of these five parts of the play seemed to fit any of them. Especially seeing that they were just cubs. However, that alone was not the only reason she doubted they were the perfect choice for such a responsibility. Glancing back at them, she could see the immature nature of Kenji and the easily startled Ben, who gasped upon seeing Simba standing close to him.
As Nala had said, she was willing to give them a chance, but she still had many doubts about this.
Nala came up to her.
"What is it?" She asked.
"All of the Guards looked to have only ever had five members. But there's seven of them," Elsa said.
"And I don't think some of them fit the roles of the previous Lion Guards."
Nala knew the ones she was referring to. She also saw it in the two young males in the group. Despite this, she continued to have much faith in what she had said. They had only just met these seven teens; they still did not know much.
"I see it, too. And yes, it does seem somewhat odd. But as Rafiki said, we never had a Guardian and the Guard simultaneously," Nala insisted.
"Maybe it's just a new change."
"Hmm, very interesting prediction, Nala. However, there is only one way to be certain," Rafiki insisted.
"Is it not time for you all to patrol the Jungle, Elsa?"
Elsa nodded her head.
"Yes, I suppose it is," Elsa said.
"Perhaps it is the perfect time to see for yourself," Rafiki insisted.
Elsa narrowed her eyes for a moment. She wasn't sure it would be a good idea to take them along while she patrolled the jungle. Especially with Zira now lurking within the Pride's Territory, awaiting the moment to claim them as the prey she sought to have. The Hyenas were another matter. As well as all of the Jungle's many dangers.
Though they were another she, Simba, and Nala could not handle, they should be safe as long as they remained close to them. And if they were the lion guard, this would be the opportunity to prove it so.
She turned back to them before nodding her head.
"Okay, let's do it," She said.
Rafiki smiled and nodded back to her. Elsa and Nala approached the seven Teens, who turned to her curiously.
"So, now what?" Darius asked.
"Now, we determine whether you all are the Lion Guard," Elsa proclaimed to them.
"How do we do that?" Brooklynn asked.
"Well, it is time for me to Patrol the Jungle. And you all will be coming with us," Elsa insisted.
"Okay, how is that supposed to determine whether we're this Lion Guard?" Yaz asked.
"Your duty as the Guard is to protect the jungle. Just as it is my duty as well," Elsa proclaimed.
"And this way, we will see just which of you fit the five positions of the Guard. Who's the Fastest, Strongest, Bravest, keenest of Sight, and who leads the Guard ."
The seven teens glanced confusedly at each other. Like Elsa, they had taken notice of the number difference between them and the actual members of the Lion Guard.
"Uh, there are seven of us," Ben told her.
However, Lucky was the most excited about that prospect. She came up before anyone could say anything more, nodding to her.
"What are we waiting for?" Lucky said eagerly.
Elsa also gestured a nod of her head, smiling at Lucky. She couldn't help but admire just how eager she was.
"Glad to hear it. Come, let's get moving," Elsa said.
Elsa turned and walked toward the cave's entrance. Lucky, Simba, and Nala followed quickly after her. Darius and the others followed after them, with an annoyed groan uttered by Kenji.
"Damn it!" North cursed in his language.
North turned away, growling in anger, earning the awe of the others, who were startled by his sudden outburst.
"North, what's wrong?" Ingrid asked.
"The Rogue! It was the Rogue!" He exclaimed to them.
"The Rogue was here! On the Resort and right under noses!"
Tooth knew it to be true. She knew deep down that it was the Rogue lion. After all this time, it was back. Though she didn't wish to believe it. She hoped they would never see it again, not after what happened.
"Rogue?" Kate said.
"North, what are you talking about? What's going on?" Jim asked.
North turned back to them, pausing for a moment before speaking up.
"It is long story. But... while you were gone, the village was getting attacked by a rogue Lion," North insisted.
"A Rogue Lion?" Jim said.
"Yes, but it was so long ago. There hasn't been an attack on the village since," Tooth insisted.
"We thought the local Rangers put it down. Or at the very least, that it had gone elsewhere."
North shook his head.
"HeT! HeT! It never went away!" North proclaimed.
"I knew it was still around. I felt it in my belly!"
Both Ryder and Honeymaren shared a bewildered look at the large Burley Russian Man.
"Looks like it wasn't the only unwelcomed guest we've had," Mattias insisted.
The mention of more uninvited guests caused North to cock back at him. He came up to view the monitor, as did Jim and the others. There, they saw the footage of what looked to be three Hyenas chasing some of the guests. It was as if a lion wasn't already bad enough, but now there were Hyenas. North shook his head, squinting his eyes in disbelief.
"What is this?" North said.
Ingrid stepped forward, peering down at the monitor with intrigue. To a zoologist like herself, the thought of a lion and hyena working together was fictitious. A more rational outcome would be that the two would attack each other, seeing they were rivals of the Serengeti. Yet here stood video evidence of the two coordinating while hunting.
People, no less. A species that only rarely ever hunted.
Ingrid shook her head.
"No, this isn't right. Lions and Hyenas wouldn't collaborate like this," She insisted.
"Not to this extent."
"A lot of strange things have happened since we met Elsa. I'm starting to think we don't know as much as we thought," Mattias insisted.
Honeymaren turned back to them.
"Is there any footage of Lucky and the other kids?" She asked.
Mattias brought up some of the other feeds from the security cameras. Most of the footage around the Resort's west wing was shrouded in smoke from the fires. None of them showed Lucky, Darius, or the others where they had gone. Mattia shook his head.
"Damn it. I can't see anything with all that smoke," Mattias said.
"Oh, you got to be kidding," Brandon said.
"So what do we do now?" Jim asked.
Mattias turned back in his seat.
"Looks like we're going have to this the old-fashioned way," He proclaimed.
Lucky, Darius, and the others were sitting over some rocks in the open plains along with both Simba and Nala. All the while, Elsa was perched atop one of the ledges, staring out over the plains for the longest time. She seems to be looking for something but does not reveal it to the seven Teens. Only insisting to them that they wait for the time being.
However, that was no problem for some of them.
Upon glancing back at them, Elsa saw the seven teens biding their time as they waited. Darius and Lucky looked out over the vast wildlife around them. From overhead, Darius was observing a group of Zebras grazing in the grasslands, writing in a small book he had. He almost seemed fascinated by them, as did Lucky and Sammy, who were also watching the Zebras.
Elsa squinted his eyes at them. Their constant fascination with some of the animals continued to astound her. However, the same could not be said for the others. Glancing off to the side, she saw Kenji, Yaz, Brooklynn, and Ben lay over the rocks, binding their time as they waited. They seemed not to share their mindset about being surrounded by wild animals.
She saw Ben turn back to Simba and Nala, who looked at him, causing him to gasp and turn forward.
Elsa let out a sigh as she turned forward, shaking her head. She wondered how she could teach them if they were unwilling to see, especially when they were to be the new Lion Guard.
Sammy gave a slightly excited squeal.
"Oh, y'all, they look like the horses back home. My Neighbors got a ton of them on his farm," Sammy insisted to them.
"My sisters and I would often go over to ride them all the time."
Darius glanced up at her, shaking her head.
"I wouldn't get any ideas, Sammy. Zebras are not like horses," He insisted.
"They can be easily startled and have different autonomy and gaits."
"I know, but wouldn't it be so cool if we could? Plus, I bet Elsa gets to ride them all the time," Sammy insisted as she gestured toward the wild women.
The three turned back to Elsa, staring out over the plains.
"I don't think she rides Zebras, Sammy," Darius insisted.
Yaz nodded in agreement.
"Yeah, jungle girl doesn't strike me as the type," She agreed.
As Darius and Sammy turned back to gaze out over the Zebras, Lucky glanced at her for a moment. She then stood up and leaped down from the large rock they were on, walking over to where she stood perched.
"Um, Elsa?"s
The sudden voice caused Elsa to gasp, snapping her out of her thoughts. She turned and saw Lucky standing behind her.
"I'm sorry. You said to wait, but could I do it with you?" Lucky asked curiously.
Elsa paused for a moment. She lifted her gaze to meet Nala's, who nodded, encouraging her to allow her to. Elsa sighed.
"Alright," Elsa said.
Lucky gasped with anticipation. She came up to the top of the ledge with her. There, she glanced up at Elsa, who continued to gaze out over the Serengeti. Lucky pondered momentarily, trying to figure out just what to say. She felt she had just met one of her favorite celebrities. She wanted to make a good impression on Elsa so that she could teach her to be just like her.
"So... you're the white Lioness, huh?" Lucky said.
Elsa glanced at Lucky. She found what she had said to be amusing. Is that what the people of man were calling her?
"The white lioness? Is that what your people call me?" Elsa asked.
"Well, not you. I mean, yeah, but, uh..." Lucky said, trying to find the exact words to say.
Elsa gave an amused glance at Lucky.
"I mean, I thought you were an actual lioness. I heard all about you in my nature magazine," Lucky told her.
"They said there was a rumor of some White Lioness in the pains near Dikaya Zhizn Reserve. But no one had ever gotten a photo or anything."
Elsa listened to Lucky through most of her rambling, initially finding it cute. Only to then pause upon hearing her mention the supposed rumor of the white lioness. She glanced back to Lucky curiously. The mere thought that others tried to come to this part of the region flared much anger in the wild woman, especially at the mention that they were looking for a white lioness.
That could only mean that they were looking for...
Her mother, Diata.
She did not show it, but the wild woman was angry. As if their coming to her home wasn't enough, they also sought to have her mother. It would undoubtedly bring man to the jungle if they had learned the truth. Most notably, hunters who were no doubt come for her—something she could never allow.
"Is that so..?" Elsa said, trying to hide her anger.
"Yeah, there have been some attempts by some people. But no one has found it," Lucky insisted.
"Although, I guess it was just a rumor."
Lucky chuckled before turning to look up at Elsa. There, she was met with the Wild woman's stern glance to the side. The smile on Lucky's face faded from her expression, thinking she might have said something wrong. She glanced to the side.
"Uh, sorry," she said.
Elsa then turned to face the other before glancing down at her.
"Everyone, let's go. We are moving into the plains," She announced to them.
While Kenji gave his annoyed groan, Darius and the others seemed to oblige to the words of the wild woman. Simba and Nala stood up and leaped down from the rocks, too. Elsa turned to Lucky,
"Come, We should keep moving. There is more of the Jungle for us to patrol," Elsa insisted.
The two made their way down the ledge, unannounced that they were from within the cover of the long grass.