It had been a few days since Kion and the guard left the Pride Lands after there supposed 'Death' and they finally reached the Backlands. Kion's scar has been bothering him a lot lately, but he tried to hide it. He fooled everyone except Fuli.
"Kion, your scar is bothering you." Fuli said concerningly.
"I'm fine." Kion responded defiantly.
"Kion I-" Fuli started but was interupted.
"I'm fine Fuli!" Kion growled making Fuli flinch and catching everyone else off guard. "Ugh. Sorry Fuli, I-"
"It's fine Kion." Fuli said reassuringly. Despite Fuli's reassuring tone Kion still didn't feel any better and just kept walking.
"Woah! Sandstorm!" Anga screamed to the Guard.
"Everyone find shelter!" Kion roared.
"Over there!" Anga squacked. "Follow me"
The guard was following Anga to the shelter that she said she saw when the storm hit. Suddenly Kion was swept up in the wind and roared in an attempt to gain the attention of the rest of the Guard but the win was muffled by the strong wind. Suddenly Kion felt his hind legs fall as he put his claws out to try to gain traction but his efforts proved futile as he fell into a canyon,
"Agh" Kion groaned as he stood up. Kion then looked up and the winds were starting to fall into the canyon.
"This way!" Kion looked up and saw a male cheetah who looked to be a little bit older than Kion but not by much. Hesitantly Kion followed the cheetah into a cave and escaped the strong winds.
Back with the rest of the guard they had finally made it into the shelter Anga had spotted before the storm.
"whew. Ok, Kion what do we do now?" Fuli asked only to find that Kion wasn't with them. "Kion?!"
"Hapana, he must have gotten taken away by the winds..." Ono said worriedly.
"I'll go find him!" Bunga stated. "The sand doesn't affect my skin." Bunga then started towards the entrance to the cave.
"Bunga wait!" Fuli roared racing to get infront of Bunga. "The sand might not do anything to you but the winds will. It was strong enough to carry Kion away, and need i remind you he's four times your size? If it swept him away it'll sweep you away." We'll just have to wait it out."
"Wait out a harmattan?" A voice came from the other side of the cave.
"Makucha!" Fuli growled as she looked at the leopard.
"Very intuitive." Makucha sarcastically retorted.
"Get out!" Fuli roared.
"Get out? Ha. We were here first." Makucha growled.
Fuli only started to growl more. With makucha following the example.
"Hey!" Makini yelled. "Kion isn't here. We need to find him."
"I can help you find that Lion." But after that you have to leave my territory." Makucha growled.
Fuli and the other looked at eachother then nodded.
"Alright let's go" Fuli said.
Makucha turned to a tunnel in the cave and began walking down it. "Follow me."
The Guard save Kion started walking down the tunnel behind makucha and his leopards.
Back in the cave that Kion was in.
"Who are you?" Kion asked the cheetah.
"My name is Azaad." The cheetah revealing himself as Azaad said
"Thank you for helping me Azaad, my name is Kion." Kion said thankfully.
"No problem, but I thought Lions traveled in prides, not by themselves." Azaad said curiously.
"I got seperated from my friends in the storm, the wind blew me off the ridge and into the canyon." Kion explained.
"Hmm. The winds must have been particularly strong today to lift a Lion of your stature." Azaad said quizically.
"Of my stature?" Kion asked.
"Yea, you are very large for a lion your age. Maybe even bigger than a Tsavo lion your age. Wait, are you a Tsavo?" Azaad explained then asked.
"Uh no. I reign from House Plantagenet of Pride Rock." Kion said proudly.
"Woah" Azaad said surprised. "Im in the Prescence of royalty."
"Azaad, can you help me find my friends?" Kion asked.
"Indeed, follow me." Azaad replied.
The cheetah then started walking into a tunnel as Kion followed.
Back with the rest of the guard.
"Once we find Kion we can start heading toward the tree of life again!" Bunga exclaimed nearly shouting.
"Bunga!" Fuli growled, motioning to Makucha and his leopards.
"Oh right, sorry." Bunga responded.
"Tree of life?" One of the leopards with Makucha asked quietly so the guard wouldn't here.
"I've heard of it. Every kind of rare animal you could think of is just sitting there for the picking." Makucha explained with a mischievous grin on his face. "And Tamaa. Separate the cheetah from the group, don't make it obvious." The leopards slowly started to separate everyone from Fuli until it was Fuli, Makucha and two of his other leopards.
"Where is everybody?" Fuli said confused.
"Don't worry about them, worry about yourself. Your going to take me to this tree of life." Makucha growled.
"Never!" Fuli snarled.
"Au-contraire, young cheetah. Your going to take me to the Tree of Life so that i can get all the Tamaa I want." Makucha demanded.
"Tamaa?" Fuli asked.
"Yes, Tamaa. It's a flower that fill's you with the best sensation. In-fact i have some here" Makucha said grinning as he walked over to a hole in the wall. "sadly, Tamaa only grows in abundance at the Tree of Life." Once Makucha stopped talking he threw some to Fuli who got a whiff of the flower and suddenly couldn't stand.
"It's amazing, isn't it Cheetah." Makucha claimed.
Suddenly Makucha heard a loud roar come from behind him. When the Leopards looked they saw Kion and another cheetah.
"another cheetah?" Azaad asked. "You never said one of your friends was a cheetah, and a beautiful one at that. Vivi na med" Azaad proclaimed as he raced over to the two leopards surrounding Fuli.
"Ahh, Kion. You've grown since we last met. Here have some Tamaa." Makucha growled as he threw some Tamaa Kion's way.
"Tamaa?" Kion asked before the Tamaa made it over to him. When it did Kion collapsed from the pure pleasure that the flower brought.
"You want it all now, don't you Kion." Makucha said evilly.
"You want is Kion, itssss yoursss for the taking, you're powerful enough to take whatever you want." A voice hissed.
"No! Ushari you'll never get me!" Kion growled in his head.
"Hmph. Now for the cheetahs." Makucha growled as he turned to go fight Fuli, who is now standing back up and fighting, and Azaad.
Makucha was able to land a powerful paw strike on Fuli sending her to a wall as she collapsed, while the other two leopards were able to send Azaad over to the wall with a body slam as Azaad also collapsed. Makucha looked back over at where Kion had been only to find that he wasn't there.
"What?" Makucha growled.
Suddenly a deep growl came from Makucha's right as Kion came from the darkness and pounced onto Makucha. Then Makucha's other two leopards pounced toward Kion. Kion swung his paw at the first leopards face as he went flying into the wall and whined. The second leopard found better success as he was able to land on KIon and bite him in the back. Kion roared out in pain as Makucha join in and bit Kion on his leg. Suddenly the rest of the guard appeared and saw Fuli and another cheetah collapsed by the wall and a leopard unconscious near them. Then they heard whining as Kion was able to bite down on Makucha's neck and throw him over to where the first leopard was laying unconscious. When the guard looked up they saw Kion fighting a third leopard. Kion and the leopard exchanged paw blows but it was obvious that Kion's were more devastating.
"We have to help him!" Bunga said as he stated to run towards Kion.
"Little-B wait!" Beshte bellowed. But it was too late.
As Kion bite the last leopard in the back he threw him but instead of hitting the wall he hit Bunga. This cushion allowed the leopard to keep fighting but as Kion smacked the leopard with one powerful paw strike he went flying and hit the wall falling onto Makucha as they were all unconsious.
"Bunga!" Kion growled.
"Woah sorry Kion." Bunga said regretfully.
'uhg, it's fine" Kion said while rubbing his scar.
"Fuli!" Makini shrieked as she went over to examine her and the other cheetahs injuries. However, both cheetahs got up perfectly fine.
"Uh, thanks for helping me, uh" Fuli started.
"My name is Azaad, and you are?" Azaad stated.
"Fuli." Fuli answered.
"So I'm guessing you all are the friends Kion mentioned?" Azaad asked.
"Yes this is them." Kion answered. " The honey badger is Bunga, the mandrill is Makini, the hippo is Beshte, the egret is Ono, and the eagle is Anga, and you already introduced yourself to Fuli."
"It is nice to meet you all." Azaad said while slightly bowing his head to shwo his respect.
"You know Azaad, it would be nice to have someone i can race with." Fuli said timidly.
"Are you asking me to go with you guys?" Azaad asked.
"I mean Fuli's right you would be a big help." Kion said.
"I mean, i guess." Azaad said while glancing over at Fuli.
"Alright so now there's seven of us." Beshte said.
"Yes there is. Uh, now how do we get out of this place?" Kion asked himself.
"I know these caverns like the back of my paw. Follow me, Vivi na med!" Azaad said before racing off.
"Hey! Wait for me!" Fuli shouted before racing off behind him.
"Well guys i guess we should follow them. Let's go." Kion said before following the two cheetahs with the rest of the guard.
When Kion and the rest of the group, save Fuli, and Azaad made it out of the cavern they saw the two cheetahs sitting on rocks. Fuli and Azaad then noticed the group.
"What took you guys so long?" Fuli asked jokingly, Azaad laughed at this. However the rest of the group just stared at her.
"Sorry guya," Fuli said.
"It was not you alone, i raced off first. I am also to blame. Sorry, my friends." Azaad said.
"It's fine, cheetahs run, we get it." Bunga said.
"Oh, if you don't mind me asking where are you guys headed?" Azaad asked.
"We're headed for the Tree of Life, my scar has venom in it and Ono's eyesight is damaged." Kion explained.
"Ohh, the Tree of Life. I thought that place was just a myth." Azaad said confused
"Well most of us had't even ever heard of it." Fuli said. "Makini is the one who told us about it"
"Yep." Anga said.
"Affirmative" Ono added.
"It sounds unbungalievable!" Bunga shouted.
Back in the cave where Makucha and his leopard were.
"I need to find that Tree. I need that Tamaa." Makucha growled.
"Your desires are so lowly, you can have your Tamaa and so much more." A voice said.