Kion headed back into the main den at Pride Rock as soon as his Lion Guard was dispatched. He needed to see Rani and ask why the pain in his scar had returned. He noticed that Kopa was dashing off somewhere, but he didn't care where his brother was going, so long as he stayed out of the Lion Guard's way.
Rani and had Mohatu between her front paws, while Nala had Uru. Rani turned her head to Kion while Nala nuzzled her granddaughter, trying to comfort herself as much as the young cub. She knew that one day either she or Simba one would have to face life without their mate, but she had not expected that day to come so soon or so without warning.
"Kion?" Rani asked.
"The pain in my scar is back, Rani. I thought it was cured."
"Ushari's venom will always be inside you, Kion." Nala turned her own head toward Kion when her daughter-in-law said this.
"At the Tree of Life, it was able to be made dormant, and it should still be. Tell me again, how did your father die?"
"Kovu," Kion said angrily, "Or Kopa's dad…one of them…bit my dad in the throat."
"Oh Simba," Nala said before turning her attention back to her son.
"Your father died a violent, unnatural death, and you are both sad and angry as you should be," Rani continued. "This is wasn't a normal passing, which would be hard enough, but its pain would heal in time. What you need is to be able to grieve your father, but right now, you are so angry at whoever killed him and afraid of what they will do next, that you're not giving yourself time to grieve. You are acting as the leader of the Guard."
"How could I grieve when the fact that he actually is gone is only now starting to sink in?"
"You were still in shock. It's sinking in now. Now you can start grieving."
Kion's hard face began to soften. "I'm still angry and afraid," He said weakly as his eyes began to water.
"I know," Nala finally said to her son before his mate could say another word. She got up and walked away from Uru toward Kion. "I know," she repeated nuzzling his neck with her cheek.
Kion exhaled and deeply, the tears finally beginning to fall.
"Mom," he said, his voice breaking.
"I'm here," she said. This time her comfort was truly for her adult son rather than infant granddaughter. He actually knew what they had lost, unlike the cubs whose shear youth was shielding them from most of the pain.
Thank the Great Kings for small mercies, Nala spared one more thought for her grandcubs as before giving her full attention to her son.
Rani gently pushed Mohatu toward his sister and put her paws and mouth to three sides of them.
As Kion wet his mother fur with his tears he lost notice of the pain in his scar. Then he heard the voice of his sister.
"Mother, how are the cubs taking it?"
Kion looked back to see Kiara…and Kovu was still only one paw behind her. Kovu who might be a murderer…who was raised by a murderer and whose sister had stolen the Lion Guard. Kion's scar began to ache all over again as the anger boiled within him.
"He can't come in. Family only!" Kion said to Kiara.
The females all stiffened.
"I am family," Kovu responded, "They are my cubs!"
"Would you like to be the one who explains to them why their dad killed their grandpa?"
"Kion!" Kiara and Nala said simultaneously, but the younger lioness paused for her mother to finish. Nala instead gave Kiara a glance that said, You are the queen now. Keep them from fighting.
Kiara nodded, then said to Kion, "Kovu didn't kill Daddy. That's what you sent the Lion Guard to verify, remember?"
Kion, paused. He had sent the Guard to verify that. He did not truly know if Kovu or Kopa's crocodile father was responsible this time.
Still, none of that changed the fact that Kovu was obviously intent on seizing power for himself, guilty or not. He glared menacingly at his brother-in-law.
"Maybe he didn't kill Dad, but he still wants power. That's what his family has always been after."
"Look at me, Kion," Kiara said. "I'm Simba's heir, not Kovu. He is merely my mate. Or did you take Rani's throne from her?"
Kion hastily moved his eyes from Kovu to Kiara, and then pleadingly to Rani. His mate looked back to him with…suspicion in her eyes?
That couldn't be! Rani trusted him, didn't she?
"Well, you did want access to the Tree of Life to heal your scar. You did want to keep your Lion Guard under your command together. Now as my mate, you have unlimited access to the Tree of Life, and you still have your Lion Guard for the purpose of defending it. I'd say our marriage got you exactly what you wanted. Did you use me?" His mate asked.
Why was Rani, the one who should trust him most, doubting him now?
"Rani, you know I've never used you.."
"But it does look that way…" That statement hurt. He did not need to hear it now of all days.
Then, Rani's face softened, "But I do trust you, Kion. Because I know you and don't care how things look." She smiled at him.
Kion felt a weight lift. His mate did trust him. He should've known that.
"I trust you and you trust me. Can you really say Kiara and Kovu are any different?"
"I still don't trust him." Kion said defensively.
"Do you think your sister is more gullible than I am then? Because you and Kovu did exactly the same thing. You know how long it took Baliyo to trust you."
"But," Kion started and cut himself off. If he was fair about it, he had to admit that Kovu had done nothing he had not done himself.
Feeling ashamed of his actions, he addressed his brother-in-law.
"Kovu, you can see your cubs."
The Nyembamba River
Although Kion had only dispatched Fuli, Ono, and Anga to the Nyembamba River, Bunga, Beshte, and Azad had insisted on coming as well, with the result that whole Lion Guard minus Kion was there.
Anga, being an eagle, saw Simba's body lying at the riverbank first. The ground next to Simba's head was red with blood.
"We're here and its bad," she said.
Fuli arrived at the king's carcass first, flanked by Azad, gasping "No," as she got closer. Azad, more of a stranger, said nothing, but even his face contorted, appalled. Beshte stopped moving and Ono landed beside him, both animals inhaling sharply at the unpleasant site.
Bunga stopped only for a few second, as the site became too much to take in, whispering, "King Bro," before racing toward the body.
Ono closed his eyes tightly and then looked up to Anga, flapping her wings to stay in the air but not moving. "Come on," he said. "We've got a job to do."
The two birds landed next to Simba, whose head Fuli pushed onto its left side with her own. The wound was on the right side of his throat, or what had been the right side of his throat. Now there was only a massive blood-stained gash covering the entire length of the throat.
Ono looked at the tooth marks for a moment before concluding, "These gashes are too large to be made by a lion's teeth. This was the work of a crocodile."
"So Kovu is not the killer," Fulli said, feeling a bit relieved that the Pridelands would avoid a civil war.
"So, you think that Kopa knew?" Bunga said.
"I don't know," Ono said. "You have to remember that he was raised by this Dhaifu and inherently trusts him. He could be as much a victim of this deception as the rest of us."
"Come on," Fuli said. "We have to tell everyone at Pride Rock and—ow!" She exclaimed in pain. She looked down at her front paw to see a brown button spider. It had just bit her.
"Fuli!" Azad said before feeling the same sting. Anga saw both spiders and attempted to fly away , but she felt something tickling her leg before she could get airborne. Bunga, Beshte, and Ono all felt it too.
Minutes of dizziness and wobbling ended with the Lion Guard and Azad falling into a deep state of unconsciousness.
"You only used enough venom to make them sleep?" The one closest to Ono said.
"I only have enough venom to make this one sleep," Beshte's spider said.
"Do we retreat now?" asked the one by Fuli.
"No, we stay here and keep them sleeping until Vitani's Guard arrives," Ono's spider said, before looking back to the egret. "The small size of the egret and honey badger worry me. I don't know how long the venom will last but any more might kill them. Let's get out of sight."
Getting out of sight should be easy enough in the Pridelands—the larger animals here rarely paid arachnids and insects any attention. It was different in the Swamplands. The crocodile royals paid attention to all their subjects no matter how small, especially Prince Dhaifu.
Pride Rock—Just before nightfall
Kiara, Kovu, Kion, Rani, and Nala all stood on the promontory of Pride Rock gazing off into the distance toward the Nyembamba river. All were uneasy, and Kion's scar was beginning to ache again.
"They should've been back by now," the red-maned lion said in irritation.
"Patience, Kion," his mother said, but she felt his unease. They all did.
"Should I dispatch Vitani's Lion Guard to check on them?" Kovu asked.
Kion was about to give his reluctant approval when Kiara pre-empted him.
"That would be best," the Pridelands' current queen regnant said to her consort.
Kovu started to bound off toward the den of the Lion Guard when Rani cleared her throat. Kion knew this was his signal.
"Kovu, wait!"
Kovu stopped and turned to face Kion quizzically.
"When I came back from the Tree of Life, Vitani forced me to challenge her for leadership of the Lion Guard."
Kiara's eyes opened wide and Kovu stared open mouthed at Kion. When he regained the ability to speak, he said, "I thought you peacefully decided on the challenge."
Kiara responded, "Me too."
"Only to settle it when she wouldn't back down."
This news was very disturbing to both Kiara and Kovu. The two exchanged looks.
"She told us that the two of you worked it out," Kiara said.
"Only after the challenge."
Kovu then began to understand where Kion's distrustful attitude of him came from. But did that give Kiara a reason to doubt him as well.
The mates looked into each other's eyes.
"Kiara, I didn't know. If I had, I would have words with Vitani myself."
"I know Kovu. Her forming a temporary guard was Daddy's idea, remember?"
"It was Dad's?" Kion asked.
"You had been gone for months, Kion," Nala said, causing all four younger royals to look at the Queen Mother. "We needed a Lion Guard and Simba thought Vitani was the most capable."
Kion struggled to believe that.
"Your father and I thought it would help reunify the pride after the schism. Kiara and Kovu were shocked we considered her."
Kion just stared at Kovu. His scheming, power-hungry brother-in-law had nothing to do with his sister getting appointed to the second-most important job in the Pridelands.
"It surprised me too, and I never expected her to fight you for the job when you came back."
Had Kion seriously misjudged Kovu?
"She can't wield any power without my say-so," Kiara cut into her mate and brother's discussion, "But her Lion Guard is still the best bet for getting yours back safely. It will be dark soon and they'll need Tamaza's eyes."
"All right," Kion conceded. "Send them."
Kiara, Rani, and Nala exchanged relieved looks. With any luck, the War of the Three Princes could be averted by the Counsel of the Three Queens.
