Trouble With Galagos
(Special Guest Star: Jack McBrayer)
The Lion Guard happily relaxed at Hakuna Matata Falls after their uneventful morning patrol. Beshte stood in the small lake, while Kufu rested on a slab of rock far away from the water. Ono was perched on the branch above Kufu and near the water laid Kion and Fuli. Meanwhile, Bunga was showing off the many dives he's made since living at the falls.
The honey badger jumped off the high branch near the waterfall and did two flips in the air before breaking the water in a cannonball, splashing the two felines.
"Ha, nice dive, Bunga," Kufu laughed.
"Yeah, nice," Fuli said dully before shaking the water off her fur.
"Yeah," Kion agreed, spitting out some water. "What's next?"
The honey badger resurfaced and climbed back up the same tree to do another dive. "Oh, you're gonna love this one!" Bunga laughed, jumping on his diving branch. "I call it the splash-less triple spin-a-rama dive." He ran to the edge of the branch and dove off, shouting, "Zuka Zama!" as he did three flips then dove into the water, this time no splashing.
"You barely made a splash," Ono noted with a laugh.
"Nice one, Little B," Beshte complemented, swimming up to the honey badger once he resurfaced.
"Yeah," Fuli agreed, tapping her tail on the stone. "That's one dive even I can appreciate."
Bunga shrugged his shoulders. "What can I say? When ya got it, ya got it." He boasted. "You want me to teach ya?"
"That's OK," the cheetah declined.
Bunga gave a half-content sigh before he climbed up the tree, rubbing his palms together in preparation for another dive.
Kufu stretched out, rolling onto his side. "Now, this is nice." He sighed, tapping his tail on the ground. "So peaceful, calm and no trouble happening whatsoever."
"Lion Guard!" a high-pitched, panic stricken voice called out. "Lion Guard! Help!" More voices screamed. Then, seemingly out of nowhere, a small group of brown-furred primates ran right for the Guard members.
"Me and my big fat mouth," Kufu muttered as a pair of infant galagos jumped on his side, shouting "Help! Help!" in his ears.
"What in the Pride Lands?" Fuli blinked, getting to a sitting position.
Kion jumped to his feet. "Hevi kabis..." he was cut off when Laini, the galago leader, jumped onto his muzzle.
"Please say you'll help us, Kion!" Laini shrieked. "Please, oh, please, oh, please!"
Two more of Laini's group came running towards Bunga, knocking him into the lake, which splashed Fuli, much to her annoyance. Adding insult to injury, two more infant galagos jumped onto her head and clung to her ears.
"Hey, hey!" the cheetah shook her head, "Easy on the ears!"
Bunga climbed out of the lake, holding two more galagos. "Hey, there, little gally-ally-go." He grinned down at the small primates.
"Laini, what's the kerbubble?" Beshte questioned, swimming up to shore. "What's gotten all you galagos so upset?"
"Oh, nothing," Laini gave a nervous chuckle. "Just that...a leopard moved into our trees!" She screeched, clinging to Kion's muzzle.
"A leopard?" Beshte repeated, the two galgos clinging to Kufu's shoulders nodded their heads in confirmation while getting a tighter grip on his fur.
"Owowowow! For tiny little galagos they sure have a tight grip," Kufu said as the two galagos kept their grip on his shoulders.
"What?" Fuli yelled. "What did she say?"
Ono flew down from the branch he was perched on, landing next to Kion's paws. "But, Laini, you have seen a few leopards in the Pride Lands." He informed.
"Not this one. He climbed up into our tree this morning," Laini informed them. "And he wants to eat us! So will you help us, Kion? Huh?" She asked, looking right into the prince's amber-brown eyes. "Speak up!"
Kion tried to speak, but it came out muffled.
"Uh, Laini, he can't really speak up since you're on his muzzle," Kufu told her, leaning in closer to the female galago.
"Oh," the furry primate blinked, climbing up the bridge of Kion's nose to the top of his head, sitting on his mane, "Sorry."
The golden-furred cub let out a sigh. "Of course we'll help you." He agreed.
"Yeah, we'd never let a rogue leopard eat you guys," Beshte added.
"Eating flies?" Fuli blinked, her voice still louder than everyone else's. "Who's eating flies?"
Kion looked upwards at the galago on his head. "Stay here." He ordered. "We'll go get the leopard out of your tree, sound good?"
"Oh, I don't know," Laini shrugged. "We were hoping we could stay with you. Nothing can hurt us if we're with the Lion Guard."
Fuli continued to swat at the two babies on her ears, getting annoyed. "Will someone get these galagos off my ears, so I can hear what's going on?!" She yelled. A second later, Bunga yanked one of the galagos from her ear,
"You didn't miss much," the badger informed the cheetah. "They want to stay with us."
"Please?" the infant galago pleaded, looking up at the cheetah with wide eyes.
"No way," Fuli shot down, using her hind leg to knock the other galago off her right ear.
"Oh, come on, Fuli, they're not so bad," Bunga chuckled.
Kufu lowered his body so the two galagos on his shoulders could easily jump off, Kion doing the same for Laini.
"You and the other galagos will be safe here," the Guard's Slyest noted. "A lot safer than if you're with us, when we take on the rogue leopard."
"Oh, good point," Laini agreed.
A wailing in the distance caught everyone's attention.
"Now what?" Kion sighed heavily and rolled his eyes, "Ono."
"On it," The Keenest of Sight saluted and took to the sky, following the sound of the wail. He had to take a few seconds longer than normal to comprehend what he saw, before reporting back to the Guard.
"There's a giraffe stuck in a tree," Ono reported landing in front of Kion.
"A giraffe stuck in a tree?" Kufu repeated, blinking. "Did I hear that right?"
"Are there still galagos on my ears?" Fuli questioned, exchanging a confused glance with Kufu.
"That is what I said," Ono replied. "It's... He's… Oh," he stuttered, taking flight once more. "You've gotta see it for yourself."
"Lion Guard, let's go!" Kion ordered, looking to the rest of his friends.
"But the leopard!" Laini squealed. "You promised you'd get the leopard, Kion! You promised!" She tugged on her ears, her eyes wide.
"And we will, right after we help the giraffe," the lion prince assured. "Then we'll come back here for you."
"OK," the galago leader grinned. "Thank you, Kion."
The Guard's Fiercest gave a nod before taking off with the rest of his team. "Till the Pride Lands' end...Lion Guard defend!"
The Guard rushed across the grasslands towards the Acacia Savannah, all of them skidding to a halt when they saw what Ono had reported.
"I can't believe what my eyes are seeing," Kufu blinked, his jaw falling slack.
Fuli let out a giggle, standing beside the lion. "It really is a giraffe stuck in a tree."
"Like my dad says..." Beshte followed. "Live long enough and you'll see everything."
Shingo tried pulling himself free when he noticed the Lion Guard approaching him. "Oh, uh, hi." He greeted, embarrassed.
"Shingo?" the Guard's Strongest questioned. "What happened?"
"I was just trying to get to the last of the acacia leaves," the male giraffe answered. "They're so good." He stuck out his tongue to try and get a small patch of leaves a few branches above him, which ended up getting it stuck as well.
"Don't worry, Shingo. We're on it." Kion told him.
"How exactly do we go about this?" Kufu asked.
"Hmm," Kion quirked her brow, his tail swaying behind him. An idea popped into his head and he glanced down at the Guard's Bravest. "Bunga, you'll need to climb up there and help pull Shingo free." He told him with a half-smile.
"With pleasure," Bunga smiled back at his lion friend, jumping on his back before jumping into the near-bear acacia tree. The honey badger easily removed the giraffe's tongue from the branches, then removed the smaller branches trapping his neck.
"Help us!" screamed the galagos as they came running towards the Lion Guard. Laini jumped on Kion's muzzle once more, the four infants latched onto Kufu's legs, and two adolescent ones ran up Shingo to lunge into Bunga's arms.
"Hey, gally-ally-go," Bunga greeted the galagos.
"I'm free. Thanks, guys," Shingo thanked the Lion Guard before spotting something. "Ooh, is that another acacia tree?" He wondered as he walked off
"I thought we told you to wait at Hakuna Matata Falls," Kion reminded them, staring down at Laini who had jumped off him. "What happened?"
"Everything was fine at first, but then we heard this sound," the lead galago replied.
"Was it the rogue leopard?" Beshte asked, worriedly.
"No, it sounded like this," Laini demonstrated the sound by blowing a raspberry.
Bunga hopped down from the tree, still holding the two adolescent galagos. "Yep, that'd be my Uncle Pumbaa." He chuckled.
"And then there was this horrible smell," Laini added, covering her nose with her small hand.
"Definitely Pumbaa," Ono agreed, perched on Kufu's back.
"Well, don't worry, little guys," Kufu said with a smile. "Pumbaa's not gonna hurt you."
"Kufu's right, Laini," Kion nodded. "You and the galagos should go back to the falls. It's safer there."
"Oh, we have to stay with you, please," the female galago's eyes widened as she clasped her hands together, begging.
Not seeing another choice, and because the rest of the galagos repeated Laini's expression, the Guard agreed to bring the galagos along with them back to Ndefu Grove.
"OK, galagos, we'll be right over there at your tree," Kion informed, motioning to the tree where a leopard was currently sleeping in, "Stay here."
"Be careful, Kion," Laini warned. "The leopard is fierce, really fierce."
A smirk crossed the prince's muzzle. "Don't worry, so am I." He replied.
"After all, Kion is the fiercest animal in the Pride Lands," Kufu reminded them with a chuckle, lightly bumping his shoulder to his.
The galagos hopped off Beshte's back and hid in the bushes nearby as the Lion Guard slowly approached the tree, the leopard snoring loudly.
"Yep, this leopard is not from here," Fuli said, not recognizing the leopard.
"And let's hope this rogue leopard is a lot easier to handle than the last one we faced," Kufu said, remembering when they dealt with Makucha a few weeks ago.
"Surround the tree," Kion whispered, glancing at each member of the Guard. "When he wakes up, we want to be ready."
The leopard let out another loud snore as the Lion Guard surrounded the tree, Ono perching himself on the branch just a foot or two away from the leopard. On Kion's order, the egret let out a loud squawk, causing the spotted feline to roll off the branch with a gasp and hit the ground, letting out a warning growl.
The rest of the Guard closed in around him and he quickly cowered down, "No, please don't hurt me!" He wailed, covering his head with his paws. "I didn't mean to growl. I thought you were baboons."
"Baboons?" Bunga repeated, scratching the back of his head.
"Yes! They were chasing me in my dream," the leopard added, "Hundreds of them."
"Ooh, I've had that dream," Fuli shuddered. "It's bad."
Ono flew down from the tree and landed in front of Fuli. "Hang on, are you the big, scary leopard?" He inquired.
"No! I'm Badili," the leopard introduced, "The big, friendly leopard."
Badili was an average sized leopard with pale cream-colored fur, dappled with brown rosettes outlined in black, a small tuft of brown hair on his head. He had pointed ears, with dusty brown inner coloring, rimmed in darker brown, thick, dark eyebrows and almond-shaped brown eyes, and a dull taupe-brown nose.
"If you're so friendly, why'd you scare away the galagos?" Fuli questioned with a quirked brow.
"Galagos?" Badili repeated. "What are galagos?"
"They're the animals who live here," Beshte informed.
"You took their home," Kion added, motioning to the little primates hiding in the bushes.
"Oh, they are so cute! Hi there," Badili greeted them with a smile and waved at them, they shrieked in fear at his sharp claws.
"They're a little scared of you," Kion informed him.
"Oh, they shouldn't be," Badili replied, his ears flat against his head. "I didn't mean to take their home. I just didn't have anyplace else to go." He looked down at his paws.
"What about your home?" Kufu raised his brow. "You're a leopard. And even though the Pride Lands has a few leopards don't you have your own territory?"
Badili nodded. "Yeah, it's in Mirihi Forest." He answered.
"Mirihi Forest?" the Guard's Keenest of Sight repeated. "That's way out in the Back Lands."
"Yeah, but I really like it here in the Pride Lands," Badili grinned, chuckling nervously. "The trees are more comfy. Say, I've got an idea!" He perked up, "Maybe the galagos and I could share the tree?" He suggested. "We'd have all kinds of fun together, right?"
The galagos let out another terrified scream, seeing Badili's sharp fangs. "The leopard is not staying in our tree!" Laini said sternly.
"The galagos are right, Badili," Kion agreed. "You need to go back home."
Badili let out a low sob. "Do I really have to?" He cleared his throat. "I mean...are you sure you don't wanna keep me around? I'm lots of fun." He chuckled, turning towards the female cheetah and bird. "I'm great at games! Wanna play tag?"
Fuli jumped back. "Not with those claws," she and Ono muttered in unison.
The brown-furred cub locked eyes with the leopard. "Badili, is there a reason you don't want to go home?" He asked.
"What? No, don't be silly. Of course I want to go home," Badili chuckled nervously. "It's my home. I just, you know, uh, wanted to try a new home for a while." He gulped.
"And you did. But now, it's time to go back where you belong," Kion noted.
"We'll even walk you there," Beshte volunteered.
"You will? Oh, that's great," Badili grinned. "'Cause I definitely wasn't going to wait until you left and climb up that tree again." He chuckled nervously. "That would be as silly as an elephant trying to squeeze into a meerkat hole!" He forced more laughter, which just made the rest of the Guard exchange confused glances with one another.
"Right," the lion prince nodded, looking back to the hiding galagos. "Laini, we're taking Badili home now. The grove is all yours." The galagos shouted a thank you as the Lion Guard escorted Badili back to the Back Lands.
"Mirihi Forest, just ahead!" Ono alerted, flying a little ways ahead of the others.
"Great! That's fantastic!" Badili exclaimed, although his expression was less than joyous. "Hey, is anyone else parched? We passed a watering hole a while ago. I say we double back and check it out."
Kufu jumped in front of his path, his eyes narrowed as he locked eyes with the older leopard. "OK, Badili, what's going on with you?" He asked, bluntly. "You keep making up excuses like you don't want to go home."
"Excuses? No way," Badili scoffed. "I can't wait to be home. Almost there. Yay!" he laughed, albeit unenthusiastically as they approached his tree. "So, thanks for the walk. Maybe we'll see each other again some time." The friendly leopard gave a smile and carefully approached his tree, scanning his surroundings.
"There we go," Bunga wiped his palms together. "Now, does anyone else think that watering hole sounded good?"
"Wait," Kufu halted. "Something's not right."
"What're you thinking, Kufu?" Fuli asked.
"I'm not sure yet," Kufu answered, crouching low in the bushes, watching Badili. The rest of the Guard did the same.
Badili hesitantly approached his tree, sharpening his claws on the trunk. Suddenly, another leopard jumped out and let out a roar.
"Mapigano!" Badili yelped, his ears falling against his head.
The other leopard known as Mapigano let out a cackle. "What's the matter, Badili?" He laughed. "Scare ya?"
"Um, maybe a little," Badili replied meekly.
"A little?" Mapigano glared down at Badili.
"OK, a lot," Badili said fearfully.
"Correct me if I'm wrong," Mapigano said as he crept up to the poor leopard. "But I thought I told you that this isn't your turf anymore!" He growled.
Badili nodded. "I know but..."
"Didn't I make myself clear?" Mapigano cut him off, "Was I speaking a language you don't understand?"
"Uhh… no," Badili said quietly.
"So why'd you come back, huh?" Mapigano asked with a glare.
"I… I… I…" Badili stuttered.
"You, you, you, you what?" Mapigano mocked. "You missed me? Forgot how bigger and stronger I am?" He asked with a glare.
"N-No, I remember," Badili said nervously.
From the bushes, Beshte shook his head. "That Mapigano is not a nice leopard." He noted.
"Yeah, but Badili can't just let him take over his home," Fuli added, her eyes still on the two leopards.
"I think he already did," Ono sighed.
"Now it makes sense why he was making excuses," Kufu concluded.
"Good call, Kufu," Kion praised, glancing to the lion cub beside him
"All of this is my turf now," Mapigano reminded him with a snarl. "So you need to scram... Again."
"I did go away," Badili nodded, still cowering down to the other leopard. "But this is my home. It's where I belong. So..." he gulped. "Maybe we can share it?"
"Seriously?" Fuli groaned. "Why wouldn't Badili stick up for himself?"
"Maybe, he needs someone to stick up for him," Kion suggested.
"Uh, Kion, that might not be the best solution," Kufu rebuked, meeting the prince's eyes. "What good could come of us fighting Badili's battle for him?"
"If we chase off Mapigano, he won't bother Badili again," Kion replied. "Come on."
"Share it? Ha! You make me laugh," Mapigano started laughing at Badili's suggestion, to which the paler feline laughed too. "Enough with the laughing, get out!" Mapigano snarled, "Now!"
"I've got a better idea!" Kion shouted, him and the rest of the Guard jumping out of the bushes. Even though he didn't agree with Kion's plan, Kufu still stuck to his right, his ears down and eyes narrowed. "You get out!" The lion prince growled. "This isn't your turf."
"Oh, yeah?" Mapigano challenged. "Says who?"
"Says the Lion Guard!" Kufu answered with a growl.
"Badili's our friend," Beshte stated, his eyes narrowed slightly.
"You mess with him, you mess with us," Bunga threatened.
"And believe me, you don't wanna mess with us," Fuli hunched her body low, stalking towards the red-eyed leopard.
"Why do you even care?" Mapigano scoffed. "Look at him." He looked towards Badili, who was still cowering in fear. "He's not even a leopard. He's a scaredy-cat!
"He is a leopard," Kufu defended, baring his teeth. "And this is his turf."
"That means you have to go back where you came from!" Kion added with a low growl.
"Or don't," Bunga suggested with a shrug. "But then, we'll have trouble."
"I don't think you'd like that," Ono guessed, hovering above the two lion cubs.
Fuli chuckled. "But I might." She added under her breath, just loud enough for Mapigano to hear.
The pale-yellow leopard chuckled nervously, backing away from the approaching Guard. "Hey! We're all friends here, right?" He chuckled. "I wasn't gonna stay. I was just visiting my old pal, that's all. Great to see you, buddy. We'll do it again sometime." He turned-tail and ran, leaving Badili alone with the Lion Guard.
"That was amazing!" Badili exclaimed, jumping into the air before landing in front of the Guard with a sigh. "How can I ever thank you guys?"
"You don't have to thank us at all, Badili," Kion replied with a smile. "This is what we do." He glanced at Kufu and Fuli with a slightly raised brow.
"But why didn't you just tell us a mean leopard kicked you out of your territory?" Beshte asked.
"I was embarrassed," Badili admitted, sitting down. "Leopards are supposed to be fierce and fight for their turf… But I get too scared."
A smile crossed Kufu's muzzle. "Hey, it's OK to be scared." He said softly, getting Badili to look at him. "You don't have to be embarrassed."
"Actually, Mapigano's the one who's scared now," Ono informed, watching as the other leopard ran deeper into the forest. "He's already far away."
"And he's gone for good," Kion added, standing tall. "He knows the Lion Guard has your back."
"Thanks, guys," Badili smiled at his new friends. "You're the best."
Kion returned the smile and tipped his head, him and the rest of the Guard turning to head back to the Pride Lands.
"Maybe, we'll see you again sometime," the prince called over his shoulder as the rest said various goodbyes.
The next day...
"All clear on this side of Embamba Canyon," Ono informed as he perched himself on Beshte's back.
"Great work, Ono," Kufu smiled.
"Well, guys, it looks like we'll finish our patrol early today," Kion noted as the rest of the Guard made their way out of the canyon.
"That's what happens when we don't have to deal with panicked galagos," Fuli chuckled, "Like yesterday."
"Yeah," Bunga agreed. "They sure were cute though." Beshte nodded in agreement. A distant shout for the Lion Guard echoed in the distance. The Guard's Bravest let out a sigh. "I can almost hear them now.
"Lion Guard!" Laini's voice echoed, becoming more clear. Ono flew off Beshte's back just enough to see Laini and her galagos running right for the Guard. "Lion Guard!" she shrieked, her eyes wide with fear.
"Oh, no," Kion sighed, with a roll of his eyes. "Don't tell me..."
"The leopard!" Laini screeched. "He's back in our trees! I'm sure he wants to eat us this time!"
"Badili?" Bunga questioned. "No way, it can't be him."
The Guard ran to Ndefu Grove and sure enough, Badili was back sleeping in the tree. Kufu lowered his muzzle, and shook his head.
"You have got to be kidding me," Kufu muttered.
"Badili!" Kion yelled, trying to wake up the sleeping feline, "Badili!"
"Beshte," Kufu said, looking at said hippo.
"Sure thing," the Guard's Strongest gave a nod, charging right towards the tree, throwing all his weight into it, shaking the branch.
Badili let out a yelp as he rolled off the branch and landed on Beshte's back, flat on his own.
"Oh! Hi, guys!" Badili greeted, rolling off the hippo's back. "Great to see you again. Thanks for dropping in."
"Badili, you're supposed to be back home," Fuli stated. "What happened?"
Badili looked down at his paws and sighed, "Mapigano."
"The mean leopard?" Beshte questioned. "But we chased him off."
"I know. You were amazing!" The leopard grinned. "It was so peaceful and nice with him gone." He sighed, his ears falling to the sides. "But then he came back."
Kufu gave an 'I-told-you-so' glance towards Kion. "Guys, we made a big mistake." He said to the rest of the Guard before looking to Badili. "We never should have gotten rid of Mapigano for you."
"What? No, you should have," Badili rebuked. "In fact, I was kind of hoping you might do it again?" He batted his eyes, giving a pleading smile.
"Sure!" Bunga agreed. "We'll take care of..."
"No!" Kufu cut him off, "We're not helping Badili by scaring that other leopard away for him." He looked the leopard right in the eyes. "We need to teach you how to stand up for yourself."
"You mean, teach me to fight?" Badili gulped. "I don't know if I can do that."
"You don't have to," Kufu shook his head. "We didn't have to fight Mapigano when we scared him away."
"But you're the Lion Guard," Badili pointed out.
"Yeah, but Mapigano didn't know anything about us," Fuli reminded him, stepping up to stand on the right of Kufu. "He just saw we wouldn't back down."
"But I will back down," Badili admitted. "I'm not confident like you guys."
"The only reason we're confident is because we believe in ourselves," Kion told him.
"You just need to believe in yourself, too," Kufu added, giving Badili a smile.
"How am I gonna do that? I'm not like you," Badili looked at each member of the Guard. "You're the fiercest, bravest, slyest, fastest, strongest and keenest of sight. I'm just a nice leopard that wants to be left alone." He lowered his head and stared at his paws.
Kufu lowered his head. "Badili, look." He said calmly, the leopard doing so. "Mapigano is picking on you because he knows you'll back down."
Beshte walked up to stand beside his new friend. "But you can still be nice and stand up for yourself."
"Beshte's the perfect example," Kion noted. "He's a super-nice guy, but he's still confident."
"And you can be, too," the Guard's Strongest encouraged.
"But...how?" Badili asked, not really believing he could.
"I think we can help you there," Kion answered.
"Yeah!" Fuli agreed, speeding up to the leopard, "I can help you learn to be fast on your feet."
"And I can help you get stronger," Beshte added.
"I'll teach you to be brave!" Bunga grinned.
"I'll teach you how to be sly with your moves," Kufu said with a smirk.
"And I'll teach you to be... " Ono began to say, as he flew around the group before landing on a small rock. "Huh, I can't really teach you to be keener of sight."
"Ono, you can help Badili with eye contact," Kion suggested. "Looking someone in the eyes lets them know you're confident and fierce." He grinned.
Badili nodded in understanding. "It sounds great, but I'll never be as good as you guys at all that stuff."
"You don't have to be," Fuli replied.
"Fuli's right," Bunga agreed.
"As long as you believe in your own abilities, you'll be confident enough to stand up to Mapigano," Beshte smiled.
"You really...think so?" Badili questioned, looking between his new friends.
"We know so," Kion answered.
Badili took a deep breath and exhaled. "OK, let's do it!" He grinned.
So the Guard split up to help Badili in the areas that played to their strengths. Fuli helped Badili get fast on his feet; Kufu helped him with avoiding attacks; while Beshte helped him get stronger by pushing some small boulders over a ledge; Ono worked with Badili's eye contact and how to stand strong in the face of the enemy; while Bunga helped with Badili's bravery by randomly sneaking up on him and yelling. Once they were all confident enough, Badili put his training to use by going up against Kion.
Kion let out a low snarl, trying to intimidate Badili, but it didn't work. The newly confident leopard unleashed his roar, and the Lion Guard cheered for their friend.
"What do you think, Badili?" Kion asked. "Ready to face Mapigano?"
Badili turned to face the Guard. "I can't wait." He replied, his voice laced with confidence.
The Lion Guard walked with Badili back to his home in Mirihi Forest. "So, when you talk to Mapigano, what do you do?" Ono asked, flying next to Badili.
"I speak calm and strong," Badili replied, keeping his head held high. "I stand tall, and I look him in the eyes."
"And if he calls you a mean name, what do you say?" Beshte walked up to him.
"I say, 'My name's Badili, use it'," the leopard smiled.
"What if he tries to scare ya?" Bunga asked.
"He can't scare me," Badili answered. "He's just a leopard, just like me."
"And how do you know Mapigano's not scary?" Kufu asked, baring his teeth in a playful grin.
"Because I found my roar," Badili answered, confidently.
"Better believe it," Kion nodded. "Now, go take back your turf."
The rest of the Guard watched as Badili strode up to his tree, keeping his head held high.
"We're gonna stay and watch, right?" Bunga asked.
"Wouldn't miss it for the whole savanna," Kion answered, the Guard rushing to hide in the bushes to get a view of their new friend.
Badili ran into his tree, shaking it to wake up a snoring Mapigano.
"Huh? What?" the red eyed leopard snorted. After a few more hits, he fell to the ground, flat on his back. "Wha...what just happened?"
"I happened," Badili answered with a smirk.
"I'm totally gonna use that line," Bunga whispered from his spot behind the bushes, standing in front of Kion and Kufu.
Mapigano let out a laugh. "Back again, Badili? Where are all your little buddies?" He questioned, looking around. "Did you bring 'em along to stand up for you again?"
The newly confident leopard shook his head. "Nope, just me," he replied. "This is my turf." He narrowed his eyes. "That means you have to go."
"Oh, yeah?" Mapigano chuckled. "And who's gonna make me?" He slowly approached Badili, baring his teeth, "You?"
Badili backed up against his tree, letting out a whimper. Mapigano roared and lunged for the whimpering feline, who ducked to avoid his attack, yelping.
"That's what I thought," the red eyed leopard laughed. "Same old Badili, you're nothing but a scaredy-cat."
"No...I... I'm not scared," Badili stuttered.
"This doesn't look good," Ono sighed, covering his eyes with his wing.
"We gotta help him," Fuli suggested.
"No," Kufu halted, placing his paw on the cheetah's shoulder. "Badili can do this himself."
Mapigano laughed at Badili again. "You sure look scared to me." He narrowed his eyes to intimidate the other leopard.
Badili took a deep breath and exhaled. "Well, I'm not." He rebuffed. "I'm not scared of you, Mapigano."
"Is that right?" He snickered, lunging forward, only to not make contact. "Huh?"
"You'll have to be faster than that," Badili chuckled, his tail swishing behind him. Mapigano let out another roar and lunged again, only for Badili to dodge by jumping on his tree branch. "See, I have confidence in myself. 'Cause I know what I can do." He chuckled again, jumping over Mapigano and staring him down, "And I'm not afraid to prove it."
"Oh, yeah?" Mapigano challenged, his voice breaking just a bit. "Well...step a little closer and say that." He snarled.
Badili obliged and got right in his face. "Is this close enough?" He bared his teeth. "Oh, was that too close?" Mapigano stuttered, trying to think of a comeback, only for Badili to cut him off for a change. "I'm not scared of you, Mapigano. And I'll never be scared of you again." He stated, his voice full of confidence. "So you should go. Now!" he unleashed his roar and Mapigano ran away with his tail between his legs. "And stay out!" Badili called after him.
"Way to go, Badili!" Kufu praised as he and the Guard ran up to him.
"I don't think you'll see that guy again," Fuli laughed, a grin spread across her muzzle.
Badili let out a heavy sigh. "Could you tell how scared I was?"
"Are you kidding?" Bunga scoffed. "You looked nothing but brave!" He gently punched the leopard in the shoulder.
"I'm the Keenest of Sight, and what I saw was a leopard standing up for himself," Ono added, flying above their leopard friend.
"I couldn't have done it without you guys," Badili admitted. "Thanks for believing in me."
Kion shook her head. "No, you believed in yourself." He reminded him with a smile. "That's what really counts."
"And now that you have your turf back, we can let the galagos know it's safe to go home," Kufu added, turning to head back home.
"Oh yeah, well, tell them I said hi and, um, sorry," Badili said before climbing up his tree and to take a nap.
The next day, The Lion Guard were at Hakuna Matata Falls to resume their relaxation.
"Ahh, now this is more like it," Fuli said with a sigh.
"You said it, Fuls," Kufu agreed.
"Yep, everything's right in the Pride Lands again," Beshte said with a smile.
"Lion Guard help!" Laini's voice called out as the Lion Guard saw the galagos rushing towards them. "Come quick! There's someone in our tree!" She told them.
"Not again," Fuli groaned.
"What is it this time?" Kufu questioned.
The Lion Guard rushed to Ndefu Grove to see what was wrong and, to their surprise, they saw Bunga in the tree cuddling with some galagos.
"Bunga?" Kion exclaimed in surprise.
"Oh, hey, guys," Bunga greeted his friends. "What's up?"
"You are!" Fuli answered.
"What are you doing in their tree?" Kufu asked.
"I just had to come back. These guys are so soft," Bunga answered before getting down from the tree and grabbing the galago leader. "Come here, Laini, give me a hug." He said as he hugged the galago leader.
"You know, maybe that leopard wasn't so bad after all," Laini said which caused everyone to share a laugh.
In Mirihi Forest, Mapigano was walking through the fields and was deep in thought about what happened yesterday with Badili standing up to him and kicking him out of the turf that belonged to him.
"How did Badili get so confident? He's a scaredy cat. He's not supposed to be confident!" Mapigano ranted. "Someone must've helped that coward get some confidence, but who would..."
Mapigano stopped himself as his eyes widened when he remembered the group of animals that helped Badili the other day, the Lion Guard.
Mapigano growled in anger. "The Lion Guard, they must've helped Badili!" He snarled in anger. "When I see them again, they are gonna pay!"
"So, The Lion Guard messed with you, too, huh?" A voice called out as Mapigano turned around and saw a very familiar leopard coming out of the bushes. "Looks like we're on the same page, little brother."
"Makucha," Mapigano greeted him. "I wasn't expecting to see you here." He said before he widened his eyes as he realized what he said. "Wait, those Lion Guard messed with you, too?"
"Yes, they ruined my hunt!" Makucha said with a growl before giving a smirk. "But, not to worry, because the next time we see them, they are gonna regret messing with us, because when the time is right, we're gonna get our revenge on them."
"Then count me in, brother," Mapigano said with an evil smirk.
To be continued...
A/N: And that is Trouble With Galagos, and I love this episode, I really like Badili even though he's a one-off character. Now, as for Mapigano, hehehe, I'm pretty sure you can tell by the end of this chapter I have some big plans for him. I hope you all enjoyed the chapter. Leave a review and tell me what you think.
Up Next: The Lion Guard has their work cut out for them when Janja brings along two new hyenas with actual smarts.
Here's the Cast List:
Max Charles as Kion; Caleel Harris as Kufu; Joshua Rush as Bunga; Diamond White as Fuli; Dusan Brown as Beshte; Atticus Shaffer as Ono; Jack McBrayer as Badili; Jorge Diaz as Mapigano; Meghan Strange as Laini; Steve Blum as Makucha; Phil LaMarr as Shingo; Kari Wahlgren as Baby Galago; Dee Bradley Baker as Galagos.