Luna's POV
"Thanks Josh" I said as I walked out of the convenient store. I got in my car went to go pick up my kids from school. My son Leo is ten and my daughter Stella is seven. And their favorite show is The Lion Guard on Disney. And when I say it's their favorite, I mean they watch that show every single day, from the first episode of season one to the last episode of season three. My son's favorite character is Kion the lion and my daughter's favorite is Fuli the cheetah. In fact, they actually dressed up as them for Halloween last year.
Oh, did I mention that they also play instruments as well? Leo plays drums and Stella plays guitar in sings. I also play guitar too. We also have our own music room that I helped build with my family before my kids were born. It has a drum set, guitars and bass guitars and keyboards among other things. Music runs in my family. And all the instruments were given to me by my family members, both on my mom and dad's side.
My kids are also totally into video games. They both play a variety of Lego games as well as others such as Minecraft. But thankfully they tend to do more physical activities like playing basketball outside or with their toys inside.
But right now, I had to get my shopping done and pick up the kids. Thankfully I didn't have to get a lot. And as an added bonus, my boss gave me the week off. I stopped by the local Trader Joe's and got some milk, eggs, meat sticks and yogurt.
With my shopping finished, I drove to the school my kids go to. When I got there, I saw them outside playing with their friends. I than heard their teacher call out their names and tell them that I was here to pick them up.
"Mom" they both yelled happily as they ran over and hugged me. "Hey you two" I said as I hugged them back. We then walked over to the car and I put both their backpacks in the back while the kids put their seatbelts on and we headed back to the house.
When we got there, I got out the backpacks, gave them to the kids and unlocked the door as I locked the car.
Once inside, the kids went upstairs to their room to unload their backpacks so they could show me what they'd been working on today during school. They were both Lion Guard themed of course. My son's had Kion on it while my daughter's had Fuli on it.
I meanwhile set my purse and my keys down onto my desk in my office which had a picture of my late husband Danial or 'Danny' as I liked to call him. He joined the army back in early 2011 where he was deployed to Afghanistan and I'd already given birth to Leo at the time.
Unfortunately, a year later after Leo had turned one, I got the news that he was killed in an IDB explosion while his best friend and interpreter suffered serious injuries.
I was heartbroken. I felt like the entire futures of me and my kids had been taken from us. And my kids would have to grow up without a father in their lives. I thought about finding another man, but no man I knew could replace Danial.
I sighed as I placed my hand on the picture. I of course told my kids, albeit in a way that they could understand, about Danial. And if only he was still alive today and saw what magnificent kids that I'd brought into this world, our lives would have been a lot better. Bought deep down, I knew that he was still watching over me everyday.
I was soon brought out of my thoughts by the sounds of my kids coming back down the stairs with a piece of paper in Leo's hand.
"Mommy mommy. Look what me and Leo drew for you" Stella exclaimed as she and Leo showed me the picture.
The drawing was of me and the kids standing triumphantly alongside Kion and the Lion Guard with Priderock in the background.
I smiled at my kids as I admired their picture. They'd been doing well in art class, I could tell.
Anyways, after I'd changed into my normal house clothes, and finished helping the kids with their homework, we had leftovers for dinner.
After a few hours had passed, it was night so we started getting ready for bed. Once I'd gave Leo and Stella their goodnight kisses and sent them off to bed, I myself climbed into the bed that Danial and I used to share together when he was still alive.
Pushing any negative thoughts behind me, I fell asleep.
Kion's POV
I didn't know where I was or what was happening. All I knew was that I was still alive. I slowly opened my eyes only to be met with a slightly blurred vision and a strange feeling throughout my body. I was able to sit up but something still didn't feel right. I'm not sitting like I normally do.
My vision cleared well enough to where I could see better. Then I saw my problem. I had hands and feet instead of all paws. I mean I still had my fur and all that but my body felt like it was structured differently. I tried not to freak out and told myself, remember, Rafiki walks on two legs most of the time. I'll just try that. Only issue was, there was no support that I could use to help me stand up.
And even worse, I was in the middle of what looked like a…desert? What in the Pridelands? Since when did I end up in the middle of the desert? Last thing I remember was I was in the Outlands. I called out for my friends, my dad, my mom, Kiara, anybody. I even looked at the sky and tried calling out for my grandpa. But there was no response, nothing. No one was around to help me. That's when I felt something appear in my eyes and fall down my cheeks. I was crying.
I don't normally do this either. I'm usually calm and collective, but I was lost, scared and clearly in a different part of the Pridelands. Or if this place even was the Pridelands. I started whipping my head around, left and right, trying to look for anyone or anything that I could run to for help, but instead I kept getting views of the empty desolate land that I was standing in. I than brought my knees close to my chest and wrapped my arms around my legs and cried some of it out.
But I knew I couldn't stay in this spot forever. It was hot, I was lost and I didn't know where to go. So taking a deep breath after drying away my tears, I pressed my paws into the rocky earth and pushed myself off the ground. I couldn't believe it. I was literally on two legs instead of four. However, as soon as I put one foot forward, I fell and collapsed on the ground. I didn't know if I could do this much longer. The heat was to much, there were no trees anywhere that I could use for shade and I felt like I was going to perish. And that's exactly what it felt like as I stared up at the clear blue sky before darkness overtook me.
Cue dream sequence
Kion
I didn't know where I was but all I knew was that I was surrounded by darkness, lying down on a singular rock platform.
Kion
I heard a voice. It sounded like my grandfather. And sure enough, there he was. His brilliant face shining through the darkness.
"Grandpa, what's going on? Where am I? Am I dead? I shouted clearly scared as to what was going on.
Patience Kion. And no, you are most certainly not dead but very much alive. Once you awake from this dream, arise and go north to the land of a thousand lights. It is known as Phoenix, Arizona, in the kingdom known as America. There you will find hairless beings called humans that walk on two legs and use sticks that shoot thunder.
My eyes widened. I'd heard mostly stories and legends about the race known as humans. I was told that they apparently hunt animals and sell their furs for profit.
"But what if they try and skin me while I'm asleep"
Then my grandfather said,
Fear not Kion, as you will encounter a gentle, kind, widowed mother with a heart full of love whose mate was tragically killed in battle years ago. Her two children will know who you are and they will give you shelter.
"Ok. But, what about my friends, my parents, my sister. What if they start getting worried about me. What if they start thinking I'm dead?!" My voice was cracking as tears were threatening to fall from my eyes.
My grandfather gave me that reassuring smile that he always does.
Do not worry my grandson. Rafiki already knows about it and Simba will know soon enough. As for your friends, they will eventually join you. When it will happen, I do not know.
"Well 'eventually' is good enough for me. Thanks grandfather." I said feeling a little better.
You're very welcome Kion. Be safe. And remember. I will always be with you.
End of dream sequence
A few hours later I woke back up, not knowing if I was now dead or alive. Sure enough as I sat back up, I was still in the same place as the same hot sun beat down on my head. I knew I had to find at least someone, or something who could help me figure out where I was. I couldn't stay in this desolate place. I had to do something. I had to try. With some self confidence, I got myself up off the ground again. This time, I used focused on trying to walk. But this time I was actually doing it. I was walking on two feet instead of all fours like I'm used to. I smiled. Now all I had to do was find shelter. Than I remembered what grandpa told me. The land of a thousand lights and I needed to go north. But which way was north?
I was about to start walking before I noticed some rogue leaves flying around in the wind. They were going on front of me. I figured that it was grandpa telling me where to go, so I started following the leaves towards this land. After a few hours of following the leaves, they led me over a rocky area and further downhill where I came across this long black line in the ground. Maybe it was a path of sorts. I noticed that there was also a consistent pattern of white lines and dots in the middle of it. I also noticed just how hot it was. HOW HOT IT WAS!?
"YEEEEEEOCH!!!" And I thought it was hot in the Pridelands. I didn't even realize that the surface felt different too. So I simply decided to stay off the path but walk on the softer smoother side just to be safe. Im glad I did, cause all of a sudden I saw something in the distance. I couldn't tell what it was but it looked like it was coming right at me. Wanting to avoid being detected, I spotted a nearby rock and ducked behind it hopping I wouldn't be seen. But I slowly poked my head up just so I could see what it was. Thankfully it passed me. I couldn't even tell what it was, but it wasn't an animal that's for sure. It was massive and had 18 circular looking things on the bottom of it that were making it move and a giant rectangular object on top of it. I watched as it disappeared in the distance and continued onward. That moving thing must mean there's life I thought in relief.
And sure enough, after another long hour or so, I spotted a sign up ahead. It said, 'Welcome to Phoenix, Arizona'. Phoenix? Arizona? The land of a thousand lights. This must've been the place grandpa told me about, I thought. And there it was. And it was bright too. There were structures that rivaled Pride Rock in height, there were trees everywhere and there was enough grass that could sustain every grass eating animal in the Pridelands for years. "Hevi Kabisa" I said in awe. This place was huge. Feeling confident, I headed towards the village.
Back in the Pridelands
Bunga's POV
"He's been gone for an hour." I said as we looked around the Pridelands to find Kion. It had been at least an hour since our leader and my best friend mysteriously disappeared when we were in the Outlands. "Don't worry Bunga, I'm sure he's around here somewhere" Fuli assured me. "Maybe we should see Rafiki. Maybe he knows where Kion is" Beshte suggested. "Good idea Beshte" Ono added. With that we headed towards Rafiki's tree.
Kion's POV
As I got closer to the village, I started wondering how I was going avoid getting detected. I couldn't have any of the strange creatures seeing me and start to freak out, or 'panic and run' as the zebras always said. Luckily for me by the time I entered the village, the sun had already set and the moon was up in the sky. I took a minute to look around at my surroundings. This place was so much different than the Pridelands. There were these huge structures, big and small, the trees were bigger and greener, and there were these odd looking polls with a light on the top that shown down on the surface. I figured I'd probably need to disguise myself somehow, or at least just try and use my best stealth abilities. Suddenly, I heard what sounded like a loud wail.
It just kept repeating over and over and over again, and it was coming from behind me. I didn't know what to do so I just took off running. Then I saw a white wall-like structure in front of me but it didn't look to tall. There were creases in between so I looked through it. I saw a massive patch of grass and there was a den in the center in it. I soon heard that same wailing sound from earlier so I quickly climbed over the barrier and landed in the grass.
As I got up, I saw two lights pass by. One was red, the other was blue and they were both rotating. Thankfully it disappeared in the distance as the wailing faded. Sighing in relief, I turned to face the building in front of me. I wasn't as big as some the others but it was still a decent size. I though about going through what I assumed was the door but I decided not to as I didn't want to wake whoever was sleeping in there. However, I noticed that other smaller structure and figured I should hide in there until morning. I didn't feel like I had any other choice. Thankfully the door was opened so I slowly opened it and peeked inside. It was so dark, I could barely see but I noticed there was a long piece of cloth hanging from the wall. Might as well use it as a blanket, I thought. I took the cloth and draped it over me as I lay on the uncomfortable wooden floor and closed my eyes. I just hope I find this widow. Whoever she is.
I woke up on what felt like grass. Grass? I thought it was wood. The cloth was also gone as well. And it was…daytime? And I was back on all fours again. That's when I realized, I was back in the Pridelands.
"Kion" a familiar said. I looked up and saw my friends. I couldn't believe it. They were here. I couldn't have been more happy or relieved. "Guys"
"KION!"
I got up and ran as fast as I could. I was mentally praying that this wasn't a dream and that I was actually home.
However, just as I got to them, I noticed something was off. They were just standing there, still as a mountain. They weren't even running to me.
"Uh, guys, are you all ok?" I asked as I furrowed my brow.
They didn't say anything and just continued to stand there with smiles on their faces.
"C'mon guys say something, your my friends."
That's when something stated to happen. It looked like they were…disappearing? No NO! It couldn't be!
"What…no no no. Guys? GUYS!" I yelled.
But it was too late. They were gone. My friends that I'd known for years were gone, right before my eyes. I lowered my head and felt an intense wave of sadness and anger wash over me. Tears were forming in my eyes and I didn't know what else to do. So with that, I flung my head up…and roared. I roared as loud as I could releasing all the anger that was inside me. Once I'd stopped, I collapsed on the ground again and started to sob. I put my paws over my head as I wept. I didn't realize that now the land was dissolving too. Rocks, trees, everything was gone.
My eyes shot open as I woke up. I was breathing really hard and my eyes were stained with my tears. Come on Kion, calm yourself. It's just a dream, I thought. I moved my head but I banged it up against something in the den I was in which caused something behind me to fall. I cringed at the sound as I rubbed my head. And the sun was out too, but it didn't feel like it was morning. How long was I asleep? That's when I let out a gasp. All around me were objects and contraptions of all shapes and sizes, some sharp others not. Suddenly, I heard a noise coming from the door. I looked every which way, trying think of something, but it was no use. I then saw a figure enter the den. It was small but I couldn't make out the rest.
That's when it stepped a little closer, that bright light in its hands before it stepped into the sunlight that was shinning through. I didn't have much time to react so I started backing up until my back hit the wall behind me which made me groan. That's when I saw the figure shine the light right in my eyes. I put my paw in front of my face to shield myself from it but quickly lowered it. I than found myself face to face with one of the weirdest creatures I'd ever seen.
It was small in stature, definitely smaller than me, had multicolored skin and an odd looking muzzle and ears, as well as a pair of beautiful and innocent blue eyes that seemed to sparkle with curiosity. She also had no fur except on the top of her head. At last I found my voice and said "um…hi?" That's when the girl let out an extremely loud scream which than caused me to scream as well. She then dropped the strange light as well as the other object she was carrying and ran out of the den without a second thought.
Stella's POV
Earlier
I was playing in the backyard with my dolls when I heard a noise coming from the garden shed. Curiosity getting the better of me, I put my dolls down, put on my shoes, walked over to the shed and slowly opened the door. I really wished my brother or mommy was with me cause I was scared. That said, I grabbed a nearby flashlight so I could see better and got the small shovel mommy got me for my birthday that I would use whenever she and I would add new plants to the garden so I could at least defend myself if the thing tried to attack me.
I know mommy doesn't let me go into the shed without her permission, since there's obviously a lot of tools in there, some of which could hurt me, but I had to be brave and face this thing, whatever it was. I didn't know if it was just a squirrel or a straight up wild animal, cause if it was a wild animal, then I don't what I'd do. But that's not what I saw. Instead I saw a fast moving set of legs and a tail. I also heard a groaning sound. It sounded human in a way, which surprised me. It sounded like it came from a boy.
I than moved the flashlight upward
It was a male lion cub. Be this one was different. He had a golden pelt and mane as well as a tuff of red fur on his head and tail and pretty brown eyes. One the thing that stood out to me was the fact that he walked on two legs instead of four like a normal lion, and that he had what looked like a lion faced symbol embedded onto his fur. That's when it hit me. It was Kion, from the Lion Guard. My brother's favorite animated character.
And he was here in our shed, clearly in a state of shock. I didn't blame blame, but I was still curious as to how exactly he was transported into this world, and why he was on two legs like me. "Um…hi?" I heard him say, breaking the silence. I than let out a high pitched scream which caused him to scream in turn, dropped the flashlight and the shovel, and sped out of the shed to go get mommy not wanting to be eaten by the lion.
Kion's POV
Maybe it's going to alert its pack about me, I thought. I wanted to use to roar so badly but I refrained from doing so. I instead pulled the cloth over my face and hopped that they wouldn't see me even though I knew my cover was already blown. Was this it? Was this how I die? I'm still so young. I can't die. Not now. I just squeezed my eyes shut and held my breath. But than, after a minute had passed, there was a voice coming from the entrance of the den. "Mommy mommy mommy come here. Look what I found" it said. I had a feeling it was the same creature that found me earlier.
It sounded like a little girl. Than another, more older voice, that I assumed was the mother's spoke. "Baby, what are you talking about? Besides lions don't live here, they live in Africa and at the zoo." The zoo? I didn't even wanna know what that was. The girl groaned at her mother. "But mommy, I saw him. I really did. I saw Kion from the Lion Guard" she pleaded earning a chuckle from her mother. I was mentally screaming right now. How in the Pridelands does she know my name!? Than the girl piped up again. "It's ok Mr. Kion, you can come out. We're not gonna hurt you." I still didn't say anything. I saw the silhouette of the mother move to the side and put her paw on something on the side of the wall. All of a sudden, a big blinding light, at least to me, flooded the den. "Come on baby, Kion can't possibly be in…" she paused as I was revealed in the light.
"Here."
Her eyes went wide as they landed on me. I looked up at the figure in front of me. She was a lot taller than the girl but had about the same facial features as her daughter minus hat aged face and her longer, darker hair. "See mommy. See. I told he was real" the girl said proudly before her mother put her paw to her mouth and then turned towards her daughter. "Baby, what's happening? How did he get in here?"
"I don't know mommy. I just heard a noise coming from the shed so I went to see what it was and that's when I found him" the girl answered. The mother than looked back at her daughter. "Ya know what, why don't you see if Kion will talk to you and I'll go get your brother."
"Good idea mommy." the girl replied.
The mother exited the wired looking den, leaving just me and the girl, who was looking at me with quite possibly the biggest eyes I'd ever seen. She than started walking forward as she reached her paw out towards me. I wanted to back up more but my back was already up against the wall so was just sitting there staring at her. Than the girl broke the silence.
"Hi there Mr. Kion." the girl said with a soft smile. I hid my face again. But not even a second later I froze when I felt something on my head. It was the girl. She was gently stroking my head with her paw, or 'hand' as they were called. To be honest, it felt really nice. I had no idea why, it just…did. I know I've gotten plenty of nuzzled from my parents and even my sister, but this felt different. She wasn't just stroking my head for nothing, she was giving me a sense of comfort and affection that I haven't felt in a while. And I loved it. It felt good. Sooooooooo good.
Stella's POV
I heard Kion start to softly purr as he closed his eyes and leaned into my touch. But as soon as I began scratching him behind the ears, his purring got louder and his leg was slightly kicking a bit. I giggled a little. He was so adorable. After another minute or so, I stopped petting him and held out my hand. "My name is Stella" I said. He tilted his head a little. Oh that's right. He doesn't know what to do, I thought. "Oh you're supposed to shake it" I told him. He slowly reached out, put his paw in my hand and we shook.
Kion's POV
Stella, that's a pretty name, I thought. "Um…nice to meet you Stella. And you can just call me Kion" I replied as I shook her paw. At that moment her mother came back from the bigger den. "Well I told your brother, but he says gonna have to see it to believe it" she explained to her daughter. "Ok mommy. C'mon Kion, my brother is gonna love to meet you. He's your biggest fan" she said gleefully. She took my paw and carefully walked me out of the den. "By the way, what kind of den was I in" I asked the mother. "Oh…that? That's just our shed and that taller one is our house. I'm sure it wasn't very comfortable in there."
"Oh believe me. I'd much rather lay down on a flat rock then in that place any day."
Stella giggled as she and her mother led me to their larger den, or their 'house' as they called it. I was amazed at how advanced it looked. They opened the back door and as three of us walked into the house, I felt the smooth wooden surface on my feet. I began examining the interior of this place. It was big.
There were objects of every size and every shape. "Woah" I said in awe. "What is this place?"
"This is our home Kion. Ya like it" Stella asked. "Are you kidding? I love it" I answered.
Just than, a voice came the upper part of the house. "Mom, is he here yet?"
"Yes sweetheart. He's here" the mother replied.
That's when I saw a young boy. He was about my height, (if you account for the fact that I was walking on two legs) shorter hair and also had blue eyes like his sister.
He ran down the stairs but stopped when he saw me. His eyes were wide with wonder and his mouth was open.
"M-mom. I-I-is that..." "Yes sweetheart. It is. It's Kion." His mother answered.
Fuli's POV
Once we got to Rafiki's tree, the old mandrill was already waiting outside for us. "Ahh. Greetings my friends. I was hopping dat you'd come" he exclaimed.
"So...i assume you're aware of Kion's disappearance." I said. He sadly nodded his head. "Oh yes. But you mustn't worry for he is safe"
"SAFE?! How can he be safe when if we don't even know where he is" Bunga yelled out in frustration.
Rafiki put his hand up in a calming gesture. "Patience young Bunga and I shall show you where he is" the mandrill replied. With that, he went up to the wall and began one of his many paintings. And it was a big one too. There were so many yellow dots I couldn't even count them all.
Then Rafiki described the painting in detail as his staff brought it to life. "Young Kion is in what Mufasa calls, the land of a thousand lights. In a faraway land known as Phoenix, Arizona. In the kingdom called America."
Arizona? That's an odd, but interesting name for a place, I thought to myself before Rafiki continued as he did another painting. "Right now, he has found shelter in the home of a widowed mother and her two children."
This painting was even weirder than the last one. Yes Kion was in it but I noticed there was something off about him and the three figures that were standing next to him. Kion was standing on two legs and so were the others in the painting.
"Um Rafiki. Why is Kion standing on two legs in that painting" Ono questioned. Rafiki laughed a little. "He is simply adapting to the world he is in right now. The creatures his is with are called humans. He will be able to do what they do and eat what they eat"
I however was getting tired of this and spoke up. "Ok Rafiki, not trying to ruin your mystical paintings, but how exactly are we supposed to find him"
"Simple. Go to the Outlands. There you will find the same door that young Kion went through" he answered.
"Ok. But how will we know what it looks like" Beshte asked. "You will know find where to find it. Go to the last location that you all were at when Kion was with you."
We nodded, bid goodbye to Rafiki and made our way back to Priderock, that painting still fresh in our minds. Once we got back to our hangout spot, we were all still very concerned for our leader and friend.
"Tell you what. Bunga and I will go to the Outlands. Beshte and Ono, you guys stay back a further away. If we don't come back in ten minutes, go and report back to Rafiki and Simba about what happened."
"What about Janja and his clan" Beshte piped up. "Don't worry. Last time I saw Kion, we were near the entrance so we should be fine" I said with a smirk.
"Alright. We'll do it" Ono said. With that Bunga and I made our way into the Outlands. However not even a few minutes later I turned my head and to my right, I saw an opening within some rocks.
"Bunga look" I said. He too saw the rock opening and we sprinted over to it. When we reached it, we took some time to examine it. This must have been the same place where Kion disappeared.
"This has to be the one. I'm sure of it" I said before we saw a light coming from the bottom of the rocks. I got bigger and bright until we could barely see anything. Then it engulfed the two of us and I blacked out.
Kion's POV
The boy approached me slowly as if he expected I'd do something. But I didn't. I just calmly stood there as he made his way over to me.
Once he got close enough, he moved his hand up, closed his eyes and gently touched the red tuff of fur on my head.
That's when he slowly opened his eyes and stepped back a little. "I don't believe it. You really are real" he said, clearly shocked. "Uh y-yeah. I guess I am" I answered.
"Wow" he breathed before his sister blurted out, "can he stay with us mom? Pleeeeeease?" She than gave her mom pleading eyes. "Well I don't see not" she answered causing both of her kids to jump up and down in excitement.
"Wow. They must be fans of me" I told the mother. She look down at me with a smile. "Oh yes. There're huge fans." I paused for a second, than I asked her, "how do you guys know who I am anyways"
"Oh well there's this tv show called the Lion Guard which is about you and your friends" she replied. I was perplexed by her statement. I had no idea what a 'tv show' was but I wanted to know more.
"What's a tv show" I asked the mother. "Me and the kids will show that to you tomorrow. We try not to rush things in this household." I was ok with that and smiled at her. She was very nice. She was definitely a good fill-in for my mom. That's obviously not to say I don't love my own mom anymore, it just meant that this mother was giving me a place to stay and I appreciated that. Also I can understand. Sometimes you just have to take thing one step at a time.
Which reminded me. I looked back up at her as she led me into another part of the house. "I never got your name by the way."
"Oh. My name's Luna, Luna Gonzalez and my son's name is Leo" she answered. While her kids were still running around the house in joy, the room Luna took me to looked to be the biggest room in the entire house.
There was a lot of space, there were a few 'sofas' as they were called, and there was a big object hanging from the ceiling with what looked like blades attached to it. I believe Luna said that it was called a 'ceiling fan'.
But what really stood out to me was this other object that was sitting on to of a wooden platform. It was black, rectangular in shape and was propped up by four legs.
"Please, have a seat I know you've only seen part of our house but we'll give you the full tour tomorrow." Luna said as she gestured to another chair in the room. There were a few of them but I saw a three-seat one and sat down on it. It was comfortable. Heh, I could get used to this, I thought as I started to relax.
Leo's POV
My sister and I were probably the happiest we'd ever been in our lives. The one and only Kion from our favorite show The Lion Guard was here in our house. And I just got to touch his mane. I got to touch the mane of my favorite Disney character.
I was so busy celebrating, I didn't notice that mom had led Kion into the living room and he was relaxing on the sofa.
Me and Stella rushed over to the living room where mom and Kion were at. I saw that Kion was sitting on the three seat sofa so we went and sat down one the left side and Stella sat on the right. "Hi Kion" I said with a smile. He snapped out of his thoughts. "Oh h-hi Leo. Hi Stella. I didn't even know you guys were sitting next to me" he said. We both laughed when we saw him blush a little.
"It's ok. So, what were you thinking about" my sister asked him. "Huh? O-oh uh n-nothing. Just how I'm gonna get used to this new world" Kion answered.
Kion's POV
I felt Leo wrap his arm around my shoulder. "Don't worry Kion. My mother, sister and I are gonna make sure that you learn everything there is to know about this world. I'll even show you my room later" he assured me.
"Thanks. But where I don't know where to start." The three of us stood up from the couch. "Well for one thing-
Leo was cut off by his mother calling from another part of the house. "LEO, STELLA, DINNER! AND BRING KION WITH YOU." "Yes mom" they both called back. Wait, did she just say dinner? That means there's food. My ears perked up and I licked my lips. I hadn't eaten anything for a whole day and I was starving.
Leo and Stella took me to where Luna was. This place was just full of surprises. When we entered the room, I looked up and down at my surroundings before Leo explained where we were.
"This is the kitchen. Its where we do all the cooking, baking, etc" he explained. So I guess they don't eat their meat raw, I thought. But then again, how did they eat their-. Oh right. Cooking. But how exactly does that work?
My question was answered when I saw Luna standing in front of a marble colored platform with a sculpted piece of wood in her hand. She was moving it around a big piece of metal with two handles on the sides.
I didn't know exactly what it was but it smelled really good.
"I assume your probably hungry" Leo asked me. "You better believe it. I haven't eaten anything all day" I said. "Don't you worry Kion. We're gonna treat you to something so good, it'll taste better than anything you've had in the Pridelands."
I smiled at his enthusiasm as we took our seats at the table. I was once again in between Leo and Stella while Luna sat across from me.
"So what's for dinner" I asked Luna as she got out four white bowls.
"It's my abuela's famous Beef stew." I tilted my head in confusion. 'Abuela?' What does that even mean?
"Hey Kion, you ok" I heard Stella ask, having noticed the change in expression on my face. "Oh, um, yeah Stella. I was just thinking"
"About what" Leo questioned. "That other word your mom said." "Oh, you mean the word 'abuela'" he asked. I nodded my head. "Oh, it just means grandmother in Spanish" he said. "What's Spanish" I asked out of curiosity. He and Stella chuckled at my question.
"We'll tell you about it later" he answered. That's when I noticed Luna using the wooden object to put the stew into the bowls. I honestly couldn't wait to try it.
When she finished filling the bowls in equal amounts, she brought them over to the table, two at a time, and set them down in front of us. The first two were for Leo and Stella and the last two were for me and her.
Once she'd brought my bowl over and set it down in front of me, I immediately took in the amazing aroma of the stew. It was mostly liquid in appearance with pieces of meat and vegetables in it. I was so invested in trying it so I dug in. The only thing was, I was using my tongue like I always do. That's when I heard snickering and suppressed laughter coming from around me.
It was of course Leo and Stella. They had both hands over their mouths, trying to stop themselves from laughing out loud. Even Luna was trying not to laugh herself. I was blushing so badly. My cheeks turned redder then my mane.
I didn't know what to do or say. I was absolutely embarrassed. I honestly felt like I was gonna cry again. But I didn't want to start sobbing in front of my hosts.
I then felt a gentle hand on my shoulder and the laughter die out. I turned my head to see Luna looking down at me with a warm smile. "We're sorry Kion. We just weren't expecting you to do that is all"
I smiled back at her. "Thank you Mrs. Gonzalez" I said. "Please dear, you can call me Luna. Here. I can show how we humans eat" she said.
She then moved her hand and picked up a thin metal stick like thing that was next to her bowl, put the round front of the metal stick in the bowl, brought it back up and ate of the stew. "Now you try. And this is what we call a spoon. And then you have your fork and your knife" she said as she held up the other utensils.
I nodded my hand and attempted to copy her action. It was actually really easy. Once I put the spoon in my mouth, I instantly stopped and savored the amazing flavors of the stew. It was warm but not to hot and this beef tasted fantastic.
I guess Leo was right. This really is better then what I've had in the Pridelands. "Mmm. This is really good. Thanks Luna."
"My pleasure Kion. That reminds me. Would you like anything to drink" she asked. "I'll just have water. Thank you." She flashed me a smile and got up to get me some water.
While she was getting my drink Leo spoke up. "So Kion. Whats it like being the leader of the Lion Guard" he asked after he ate some of his stew. "Well, it's a tough position to be in, I Can tell you that. But at least my friends and I know how to get the job done" I said. He seemed satisfied with my answer. Then it was Stella's turn to ask me a question.
"Can you do the roar sometime?"
The roar?
Now that one I was not expecting.
"Well, I'll think about." I told her. She smiled at me and went back to her dinner.
After Luna had got me my water, we ate mostly in silence with an occasional questionnaire from either Leo or Stella. I was mostly just about either the guard or the Pridelands.
I don't suppose I could them a question in return, I thought. Thought I actually decided to ask Luna. "Luna?" "Yes, what it Kion" she said with a smile. "Why exactly do you cook your meat"
"That's a good questions. We humans can't eat raw meat or else we might get sick. So that's why we cook it. And it tastes better too" she answered.
"By the way, looks like you enjoyed the stew" she said while looking at my near empty bowl. I glanced down at my bowl before looking back at her. "Uh, yeah. It was good, really good. Thank you Luna."
"It was my pleasure Kion" she replied. Then Leo got up from his chair. "Hey mom, can I go show Kion my room" he asked. Luna took a few seconds to think about it, then asked, "are you done with your food" she said with an 'are you fibbing' look on her face.
"Yes yes I am, see?" He then proceeded to show his mom his empty bowl. Luna nodded her head and Leo quickly placed his bowl down on the counter.
He then ran over to me, grabbed my paw and took me upstairs to his room. "Come on Kion. You're gonna love this" he exclaimed. I then heard Stella call out, "wait for me."
Once upstairs, he led me past more doors until we came to one at the end of the hallway. "Here we are. My bedroom" Leo said with a hint of pride in his voice.
When he opened the door, my eyes were bombarded with colors of brown, red and orange. Pieces of furniture littered the place. But there were a few things that caught my eye.
One was a poster of me standing on the ledge of Priderock using the roar with the orange sun in background. And at the bottom was a red background with a golden outside. And in white letters, it read, 'Disney, The Lion Guard.' Interesting, I obviously recognized my team's name, but who was this Disney? I divided to ask Leo about that tomorrow.
Oh, but that wasn't all. Another thing that struck me was, sitting on Leo's sleeping spot, or 'bed' as he called it, was me. Now this made me curious. I slowly walked over to the bed and studied the smaller version of me.
This didn't make sense. How could I somehow exist in a world I knew nothing about but that seemed to know everything about me.
"Hevi Kabisa" I said in awe. However, my thoughts were interrupted by the sound of faint giggling coming from two different directions. The first one was Leo who had his back to me but still heard what I said. The other was from Stella, who I'd completely forgot was even there, standing in the doorway, facing me with her hand over her mouth.
"Um what's so funny" I asked them slowly while not trying to be mean. I knew they meant well but I also didn't want to upset them.
"Oh nothing. It's just that's it's one of you signature catchphrases" Leo said after he'd calmed his laughing. I tilted my head at him. Catchphrases? But I soon figured it out and smiled at him. "Oh, I get it."
I mean if I'm honest, I did say that a fair number of times. I think there're right. I guess that is one my 'signature catchphrases.' I turned my attention back to the mini me.
Leo's POV
I saw Kion looking at everything around him in amazement. He obviously didn't know about human technology or furniture so he was pretty new to all of this. I couldn't blame him either.
I figured he'd need some sort of covering, even though he was a lion. So I went to my closet to find some clothes that would fit him since he and I were about the same height.
That's when I glanced over and saw him staring at my Kion plush on my bed, just looking at it with sheer fascination. I smiled. He was staring at himself. It was too adorable.
At same time, I didn't know how he'd react to literally seeing a miniature plush version of himself. But I also knew that he wasn't gonna make it on his own in this world.
After I'd told Kion about everything that was in my room and my sister had gone downstairs to ask mom something, I gave him the clothes from my closet that I didn't wear anymore and showed him how they should be worn, while keeping my own clothes on of course.
"Just try them on, and if they fit, I'll let my mom know so that she can make holes in the backs of the pants so that your tail can fit through. Just let me know when you've finished putting them on so you can show me" I told him.
He nodded and I closed the door, but kept it slightly open so that way I could hear him. While I waited for Kion, Stella came back up the stairs.
"Leo!"
"What is it Stella?"
"I just asked mom if Kion can stay in the guest bedroom and she said yes." my sister said happily. "Ok, good. I've already got him some clothes from my closet that he can wear."
While we waited for Kion, Stella and I stood outside my bedroom door. "Leo." my sister said again, breaking the silence. "Yes?"
"It's just that, I'm worried about Kion. What if one moment we're not looking and he gets captured, strapped down to a table and experimented on, or even dissected?"
Her lip was slightly quivering and I could see her eyes glimmer. I brought her in close and held her tight. "Don't worry sis. We'll make that he's safe and taken care of." I assured her.
She nodded in understanding and I gently wiped her eyes. Then we both heard Kion's voice coming from my room. I assumed that meant he was done putting on the clothes so I slowly opened the door and me and my sister were met with an actually pretty cool looking sight.
Kion was standing there with the dark green cargo pants and navy blue dry fit shirt I gave him. Honestly, he looked even better then before as I thought the clothes helped improve his look.
"Aww, you look even more adorable than before." my sister beamed causing Kion to blush again. However I shot a glare at her for embarrassing him. "Well Leo, how do I look?" he asked me.
"I think you look like your ready for an adventure." I replied. He seemed to agree with my statement before I continued. "Ok so at least now know the clothes will fit you. Sis, why don't you go let mom know that the clothes I gave Kion fit and I'll show him the guest room, ok." I didn't need him to try on the other clothes since they were all the same size anyways.
She nodded and went back downstairs. While she did that, I told Kion to follow me, which he did. We went down the hall past the bathroom and my sister's room before we got to the guest room.
"Here we are Kion, this'll be your room." I said as I opened the door for him.
Kion's POV
"Here we are Kion, this'll be your room" he told me. When he opened the door, I was greeted with a very pretty sight. The floor was tan colored and soft, the walls were a beautiful mahogany color and there were pictures all over the walls.
But what really stood out to me was the bed. And it was big. I immediately rushed over and collapsed on the bed in happiness. This felt just as good as the couch. But most of all, it was comfortable, very comfortable. This was probably the best thing I've ever laid down on in my life.
"I see you like it already." Leo said. "Are you kidding? I love it. I'd rather sleep on this then on a rock or some grass any day." I said as absorbed the soft cotton sheets.
"Looks like someone's enjoying himself." came the voice of Leo's mom who was standing outside the room with Stella looking down at me with smiles all around.
"I love it. Thank you Luna. Thank you all." I said from the bottom of my heart. I'd only known these people for a few hours. And in that course of time, they'd given me food to eat, clothes to wear and a proper bed to sleep in.
Only thing was, what could I do for them in return?
"You're very welcome Kion." Luna replied. She then looked at the piece of metal around her wrist. "Well it's getting late. Leo, why don't you and Stella show Kion the bathroom and start getting ready for bed."
"Sure thing mom. C'mon Kion." he said as he grabbed my paw once again and led me to the bathroom.
After Leo opened the door to their nicely cleaned bathroom, which by the way was connected to the guest room, he proceeded to explain to me the basics of human hygiene such as hand washing and keeping yourself clean. He also showed me the various objects throughout the bathroom and how to use them.
Some of them included the toilet, shower, and sink as well as what humans used to keep clean and smell nice such as shampoo and body wash and also towels to dry themselves off. But the one thing that caught my eye was this odd device called the 'toothbrush' and this stuff called 'toothpaste'. I figured that it had something to do with keeping your teeth clean which if I'm honest, I did do pretty well, only difference is, I use my tongue.
Luckily, Leo show me how to do it when he started brushing his teeth. After two minutes had passed, he swished what was in his mouth and spit into the sink which caused me to cringe in disgust. But he said explained why he did it. He said that if you swallow to much of it, you could end up getting poisoned.
I nodded in understanding before he cleaned the brush, and set it down for me to use later. "I'll go get you some pajamas for you to change in. In the meantime, just brush your teeth and you can take a shower if you'd like. Oh and if you're gonna take shower, you need to take off the clothes I gave you but don't worry, I'll just hang up the pjs on the door hook and leave you to it." he said before he exited to room and closed the door.
With that, I removed every present article of clothing that was on me, stepped into the shower and closed the certain. I looked down and saw the knob and dial on the wall that Leo had showed me and gave it a gentle tug.
Suddenly I felt cool drops of water touch my head. I pulled the knob a little more and soon water came pouring out of the shower head. Smiling, I turned the dial left to make the water warm and soon started to relax as I felt the warm water coat my fur.
To be honest, I felt all the loneliness that I felt wash away. I wished I could just stand there and enjoy the feeling of the water on my fur, but Leo had told me not to use all the hot water as he and Stella needed to take their showers as well.
Thanking his words into consideration, I reached down, picked up the bottle of 3 in 1 that Leo showed me, squeezed some into my paw and started cleaning myself.
Not even a lioness tongue felt this good, or even smelled this nice for that matter. Anyway, once I was done, I turned off the water, opened the certain, and stepped out onto the mat.
I then looked up and noticed the pair of pjs that Leo had told me about earlier. He'd probably hung them there while I was in the shower but I was too busy to notice but I didn't care.
Having dried myself off with a towel, I took the pjs and chuckled when I saw the pattern on it. It looked like Rafiki's painting from our lair, but it was just me, Bunga and Fuli.
I also noticed that there was a hole in the back so that my tail could fit through. Smiling, I put them on, brushed my teeth, cleaned off the brush when I was done, and walked out of the bathroom.
Stella's POV
As I saw Kion exit the bathroom and Leo went in to take his shower, I followed Kion to his room, while I waited on my brother. "Oh hi Stella, I didn't even see you were behind me" he said.
"It's ok. I just figured you could use some company while my brothers in the shower."
He smiled and nodded his head. After I'd put his clothes in the hamper for him, which he greatly appreciated, we both sat on his bed together.
"So Kion, how exactly did you end up here in the first place" I asked him. He sighed and shrugged his shoulders.
"To be honest Stella, I don't know. We'd just stopped Janja and his clan from chasing the zebras and were about to head back into the Pridelands when I heard something coming from my right so I told my friends I'd catch up with them and went to investigate. When I got there, I saw an opening in the rocks near the entrance of the Outlands. I figured that's where the sound was coming from but as I got closer, I saw a light coming from underneath the rocks. Next thing I know, I'm engulfed in a white light and here I am."
I was intrigued by his story. But then I remembered. His friends and family were probably looking for him. If anything, Simba had already sent out a search party to the Outlands.
Feeling bad for him, I wrapped my arm around him and leaned my head against his shoulder. "Don't worry Kion. We'll take care of you and make sure that you're safe. I promise."
To my surprise, Kion wrapped his arms around me and brought me in for a hug. I smiled and returned the gesture. I could feel his soft, warm fur against my skin. His whiskers seem to gently tickle my neck as we embrace and a gentle purr vibrates from his chest.
And I swear I could feel his breath hitch as he stated to slightly shake. I could tell he was trying not to cry, but I'd seen him do it in the episode 'Long Live the Queen' after Rani's mother dies.
I almost wanted to tell him about what was going to happen in his future but I just couldn't, mainly because our of fear of how he'd react. Not to mention, his voice sounded like it did in season one. So I decided to stick with my gut and not say anything about the future. At least not right now.
My heart went out to the lion cub. He was in a completely different world that was completely parallel to his own, and his family and friends weren't by his side to help him. But luckily, we were. And I knew that we weren't gonna let him end up on some dissecting table.
"You're welcome Kion" I whispered into his ear. We pulled away to the sound of the water in the bathroom going off signaling that Leo was done in the shower.
"Well, I guess I should go take my shower. I'll see you in a bit Kion" I said as Leo exited the bathroom with his pjs on.
Kion's POV
I watched as Stella entered the bathroom and Leo entered my room. To be honest, I felt better after that hug we shared as well as her kind words towards me.
All of a sudden, I started having this strange feeling inside of me. So many thoughts were racing through my mind, and they all seem to point to…Stella?! WHAT!? No! It can't be true. I haven't even known her for a whole day. But I quickly brushed it off as Leo sat down next to me.
"Hey Kion. You doin' ok?" he asked. I nodded and smiled at him. "Stella's really nice. And a good hugger." He chuckled a little. At least he doesn't know. Not yet anyways, I thought. "Yep well that's my sister for ya." He said before changing the subject.
"So Kion, you ready for the grand tour tomorrow?" he asked. "You know it. Im looking forward to it." We spent another few minutes in silence before Leo asked me, "Kion, what do you think of this world so far?"
I looked over at him. "Well for one, there's definitely a lot more things to see and do here. And there's also, if I'm honest, a lot better food, as displayed by your mom Luna's cooking."
"Yeah. My mom is quite a master in the kitchen. She's been cooking ever since she was 10 years old." Ten years? That got me thinking. How long do humans age? I decided I should ask him just to be safe.
"Hey Leo. Just how long do humans age?"
He thought about before he answered. "Well, from what I've heard, we humans can live anywhere from 70, 80, even 90 years old. Heck, I've even seen some people live up to 100. So it's definitely a lot longer then most animals.
I just sat there in shock. 100 years? "Wow! That's…incredible."
"Well, it really is an amusing thing, the lifespan of humans."
I nodded my head in agreement. These humans really were fascinating to me. At that moment, the water turned off in the bathroom meaning Stella was done.
"Well, sounds like Stella's done. I guess that just leaves mom. But she'll use her own shower." He said.
Leo's POV
"You guys'd better saved me some hot water." mom said jokingly causing us to laugh.
Once she was in the shower, Stella entered the guest room with the pinkest pair of pjs me and Kion had ever seen. Of course it was no surprise. I mean my sister does love pink.
Once she's sat herself on the bed next to Kion, we actually spent the next few minutes in silence, just staring a the dresser or thinking about what we were gonna do tomorrow.
I personally was thinking about the latter. Thankfully, it was summer time and even better, mom is gonna be off this week so that way we could all spend more time with Kion.
Anyways, after about a solid seven minutes of not saying anything to each other, we heard the water in mom's bathroom go off which meant that she was done.
Luna's POV
As I stepped out of the shower, dried myself off, got changed and went to go check on Kion and the kids, the first thing to cross my mind was how Kion was doing.
To be honest, I was starting to worry about him. But I knew that we were gonna look after him and make sure he's taken care of.
I promised that to my kids after my husband died, and that same promise applies to Kion. I needed to treat him as if he was a member of this household.
At the same time, it got me thinking. Maybe I could also teach Kion basic essentials in human learning like reading and writing.
I was walking upstairs to Kion's room since I figured that's where they'd be, but I stopped when I saw them standing in the hallway looking at pictures of me and the kids.
Kion was admiring them until he saw me. But I just smiled down at him. He did have a deep sense of curiosity about this world and it showed.
Once I'd finished showering, brushed my teeth and put on my night clothes, and gave my kids a kiss goodnight, I was about to go to sleep myself when I noticed Kion was still standing in front of the table with the pictures of me and the kids on it.
I walked over to him and put my hand on his shoulder causing him to look up at me with innocent eyes.
"Looks like you guys are a happy family" he said. I sighed. "Well, we'd be even happier if my husband was still alive" I told him.
His ears perked up almost like a spark just went off in his mind. "My grandfather mentioned him in my dream yesterday after I was sent here. What was his name" he asked making my eyes widen. How did Mufasa know about my husband? Putting that aside I answered, "his name was Danial. He meant the world to me. I'll tell you more about him tomorrow. In the meantime, I think you should get some sleep."
He nodded in understanding and went back to his own room and closed the door. I then laid down in my own bed and fell asleep myself.
Cue dream sequence
I was standing in complete darkness. Not knowing where I was. That's when I heard a low and authoritative but kind voice call out my name.
Luna
I turned around only to come face to face with the biggest lion I'd ever seen in my life. I screamed and fell backwards onto the ground as tears sprung from eyes.
"No! Please. Don't eat me. I have children." I cried out. I put my head into my hands and waited for him to kill me. But it never happened.
Instead I felt a massive paw on my shoulder and a chuckle come from the red maned lion.
"Now why would I do that dear one?" the lion asked as he lay down in front of me.
I recognized that voice. I looked up to see the lion front of me.
"Mufasa?" I gasped as I sat there speechless. He smiled warmly at me and his amber eyes sparkled with kindness. "Yes dear Luna. It is I. Do not be afraid." he said as he wiped my tears away with his paw. He sounded exactly like James Earl Jones.
"Now first of all, I want to say thank you for taking care of my grandson Kion. And secondly, I'd like to express my deepest condolences to you and your family. I'm sure Danial was a good man and a strong worrier."
"Thank you Mufasa. But I do have ask. How do you know about my husband? Kion told me that you mentioned him in a dream he had yesterday."
The great lion gave me a smile and a chuckle. "Believe me dear Luna. You'd be surprised just how much I know about this world."
I didn't say anything back but just stared in shock at his words. "Well. You're welcome about Kion. And I promise, I'll do everything I can to keep him safe."
Mufasa smiled at me as he wrapped his paw around my shoulder and hugged me. I reached out and griped his mane as I hugged the lion back. I remember first watching The Lion King when my parents first got for me on vhs and Mufasa and Simba were my two favorite characters.
"Thank you Luna. I know you will. Now rest. I understand you have quite a day ahead of you. But do not worry. You'll know what to do."
With those final words, we pulled away and I felt myself slip back into darkness, waiting for what tomorrow was gonna bring.