Disclaimer: Here's my rewrite of The Lion Guard series; starting with the Return of the Roar premiere special! Some things I should let you know before we start. In this story, Bunga won't be the only character to fart. The story will also be darker than the show; not to an edgelord fantasy degree, but there will be blood and actual struggle with Kion and his friends when it matters to the narrative. I'll also be ditching those crappy death metaphors the show made, as to me, they did more harm than good.

As for characters and story lines, I plan on keeping plenty of stuff the same, but some things will be changed. I haven't worked everything out yet, but I'll be sure that the changes I make don't hinder the quality of the story, but enhance it. Without further ado, let us commence!

Also, I don't own Lion King, or Lion Guard.

The Lion Guard Unity

The Roar Returns Part One

Somewhere, a beautiful land of Africa was waking up to the sight of the sun rising to start the day. This is the Pridelands, home to many different creatures who awoke along with the morning sun. Zebras, gazelles, hippos, and so on. They all played a part in the great circle of life. The big rock was known as Pride Rock, and the lions resided there. That was because their King, Simba, was a lion himself. He was currently giving his daughter Kiara a lesson as the two of them looked over the edge of Pride Rock, and over the Pride Lands where she would soon rule.

"Everything the light touches, is part of our Kingdom. The Pridelands." Simba looked at his daughter, who seemed a little confused by this prospect. "Ruling it is a big responsibility, Kiara. And someday, when you're queen-"

However, he was interrupted by the sound of another young voice in the background that caught their attention. "Heads up! Incoming!"

He was then struck with a baobab fruit right to the head. Kiara laughed a bit, but tried to be mature as a male Lion Cub with a red tuft on his head ran past them. "Kion."

"Oh." Kion laughed nervously a bit as he then tried to explain the situation. "Sorry dad. Kiara. Bunga and I were playing baobab ball-"

"And Kion couldn't handle the pass!" A honey badger about Kion's age exclaimed as he ran past the lions and over to the baobab fruit."

"What!? A giraffe couldn't handle it!" Kion declared, pointing out how high Bunga made said pass. "You practically sent it flying over my head!"

Kion hit Bunga in the stomach gently as he said that, making the baobab fruit fly up as Simba spoke up. "Kion."

"And ya couldn't handle it." Bunga stated as he jumped over Kion and caught the baobab fruit.

"Bunga."

"Yeah?" Kion asked, getting back into playing as he then pounced on Bunga during his warning. "Try to handle this!"

Kion and Bunga then started playing tug of war with the baobab fruit. This led to Kiara laughing some more, despite trying to keep her composure. Simba raised his voice to get their attention. "Boys!" Kion let go of the baobab fruit in response, causing Bunga to fall back. Kion then backed up and looked up at his father, despite hanging his head. "Kion. I need to talk to your sister. She'll be tracking gazelles with her friends today."

As boring as that sounded to Kiara, she tried to make it seem as if she was interested in that sort of thing. "It's part of my training to be-"

"Queen of the Pridelands; yeah yeah." Kion interrupted in a deadpan voice, being well aware what this was for. "I know all about it, Kiara."

Kiara scoffed before making an attempt to give off the impression that she had all the direction she needed. "At least I have MY life figured out. What are you gonna grow up to be, little brother?"

"Happy?" Kion asked with a smug grin on his face.

That was when Simba decided to break them up by gently pushing Kion away from Kiara. "Alright, you two, that's enough. Kion. Why don't you and Bunga go play somewhere else?"

Bunga ran past the lions with the baobab fruit as he backed that up. "Yeah! The whole Pridelands is already our playground as is!" Bunga gave an excited shout as he raised the baobab fruit over the edge of Pride Rock. He then turned to Kion and started playfully taunting him. "Ya never get the baobab fruit no!"

Kion stood confidently in front of Bunga as he continued with his taunt. "Ha! You've got nowhere to go, Bunga!"

"Says the one who'd die if he did this." Bunga stated as he threw the baobab fruit into the air before jumping off the edge of Pride Rock. "Zuka Zama!" Bunga landed in the tree and jumped down safely onto a rock below. "Catch me if ya can, Kion!"

Bunga caught the baobab fruit and headed off. That was Kion's signal to chase after him. "Game on, Bunga!" Kion then ran past his father and sister to chase after Bunga. "Later, dad! Have fun tracking those gazelles, Kiara! I gotta get Bunga!"

Kiara sighed as she commented on the fact that she and Kion were related as upbeat music started playing. "At least I got a fun younger sibling."

"Kion will grow up someday." Simba assured Kiara, hoping that his beliefs would be true. "I hope."

The Pride Lands were then shown in full scale as an upbeat male voice began singing My Carefree Life. "I didn't grow up with many expectations given to me." Kion was chasing Bunga through the Pride Lands as fast as he could. "I'm just a normal cub having fun whenever that can be." Kion and Bunga started running with the giraffes while continuing their game. "Not sure what my future holds but that's no problem now." They also started passing the baobab with Bunga even butt bumping it into the air at one point. "It must be part of the circle of life's vow."

Kion and Bunga continued running through the Pride Lands, where a flock of egrets were resting on the ground. One of the egrets on the front end noticed Kion and Bunga and quickly alerted the rest of the flock upon the surprise. "Everyone! Scatter!"

Kion and Bunga started running underneath the egrets as they all flew into the air. "Life! (Life!) In the Pride Lands!" Kion looked up at the egrets as feathers fell around him with him and Bunga then arriving at a big tree. "It's as amazing as it sounds!" After Bunga threw a baobab at the tree and hit it, Rafiki the Mandrill laughed as he waved to them as a greeting. "Life! (Life!) In the Pride Lands!" After that, Kion and Bunga continued onward. "The fun you can have has no bounds!"

As Kion and Bunga started jumping across a bloat of hippos, one of them gave them a friendly greeting. "Bunga. Kion."

"It's all a part of my carefree life." After Bunga jumped off of a crocodile's head at the end, Kion continued with the crocodile stopping him on the last hippo. He was startled when the crocodile growled at him, but he simply jumped over his head and gently jumped off of his back to reach the other side.

After Bunga rolled into a snake, he ran off after grabbing the baobab from his mouth as the song continued. "Life! (Life!) In the Pride Lands!" Kion jumped over the snake after Bunga ran off, and a fast moving dust stream was revealed to be nearing the two friends. "The land I love with all my heart!" Bunga grabbed onto a speeding cheetah and zoomed past Kion, surprising Kion, who stopped and spun around to find Bunga waving towards him. "Life! (Life!) In the Pride Lands!"

The Cheetah noticed Bunga however, and found herself annoyed by his stunt before vaulting him off of her back. "It's the best right from the start!" After Bunga rolled down the hill, he ended up dropping the baobab. "It's all a part of my carefree life."

Kion pounced onto Bunga as he was lying on the ground and pinned him down playfully. "Gotcha now, Bunga!"

Kion saw the baobab and went for it, but not before Bunga tackled him to the ground. "Not yet!"

"Stop it!" Kion demanded while laughing, and when Bunga ran after the baobab, Kion simply smiled as he rolled over. "Bunga!"

Kion and Bunga chased after the baobab fruit, and they ended up nearing a dark and scary area near the Pride Lands. After Bunga got the baobab fruit, Kion planned his next pounce accordingly. "Got it!" Kion then aimed his pounce right at Bunga, successfully landing it and pinning him to the ground. However, that led to the baobab fruit being sent into the scary area nearby.

After the baobab hit the bottom, Kion and Bunga looked over the cliff. Kion found himself disappointed by this outcome. "Aww. It rolled into the Out Lands! Game over."

"Says who? I'm not afraid of the Out Lands!" Bunga boasted proudly, showing a complete lack of fear as he did.

"Neither am I!" Kion insisted, elaborating on why he didn't want to go in as Bunga readied his chance to jump in. "It's just my dad. He says we shouldn't-"

"Oh pleeeease. Simba is more focused on stuff inside the kingdom. He won't even notice we left." Bunga pointed out, failing to see that his argument backed up Kion's point too. Kion didn't have time to point that out as Bunga jumped in. "Ya know what my uncles always say!"

Kion simply rolled his eyes as he brought up that iconic phrase Bunga was referring to. "Hakuna matata."

Bunga dove into the Out Lands, but got himself caught on a tree branch from one of the few that were down there. "Whoa!"

Bunga quickly noticed what caught him with Kion playfully calling down to him as he did. "Bunga? You alright? You look a little, stuck."

"You kidding? It's just a tree branch." Bunga made his point clear as he moved his feet down to the rock and jumped off. "ZUKA ZAMA!" After Bunga landed, he set his sights on the baobab again. "Now where'd that baobab fruit go?" After Bunga started looking for the baobab fruit, a cave was shown to be close to where he was.

Inside the cave were a small pack of hyenas; six to be exact, and their leader, who was a male by defied tradition, was chewing on a bone. He seemed to be enjoying himself, and even taunted his fellow hyenas when he noticed them gazing at the bone. "Oh! 'Fraid there's no meat left for you boys."

The hyenas all whined, but one hyena who was sticking his tongue out noticed the baobab fruit outside the cave. "Janja! Janja! A baobab fruit!"

The buff hyena standing next to him looked as well and got as excited as the one sticking his tongue out did. "Let's eat it! I'm starvelated!"

"What do you take me for, a vegetarian?" Janja asked annoyedly, and then he started complaining about his predicament. "I want something nice and meaty for once. Something..." Janja then noticed a butterfly and started biting at it, the first two of which led to him jumping around. After the fourth bite, the butterfly was shown sitting on his face as he wondered where it went. "Where'd it go?" The hyenas started laughing at Janja, who got annoyed on the spot. "What, what, what? What's so funny?"

The hyenas continued laughing, which annoyed Janja to the point of deciding to teach them a lesson. "I'll give ya something to laugh about!" As he stood up, he smirked and pointed his butt up a bit to release...

PFFFFFT

...a ripe and nasty three second fart, causing the hyenas to stop laughing as Janja's vibrating rump let out a yellow cloud of rotten eggs. Janja was highly satisfied with his fart, but the rest of the hyenas found themselves grossed out by the odor. The one with his tongue stuck out even suffered from one of his eyes watering a bit before he wafted the lingering odor away. Janja then saw something else, still smiling as he pointed out of the cave. "Stuff it fur brains! Look." The hyenas all looked to find Bunga out there looking for the baobab fruit. "A honey badger."

Janja licked his lips, being down for seeing how good that would taste. "Now that's my idea of a delightful lunch." Janja smacked his bone to the other side of the cave, which led to two hyenas fighting over it while also fighting Janja's fart smell. Janja then spoke to the buff hyena and the one with his tongue out for an order. "Chungu; Cheezi! Bring him to me." Janja grinned happily before finally catching a whiff of the fart he let out. "Whoa! What did I eat?"

The baobab fruit was shown as Bunga picked it up, happily tossing it up slightly into the air with one paw as he looked up to Kion. "Here we go."

When he did however, Kion noticed two sets of eyes in the dark behind Bunga, quickly warning him of the potential threat. "Hevi Kabisa. Bunga! Heads up!"

"Relax, Kion, remember?" Bunga started, failing to notice the danger that could be near him. "Hakuna-" After tossing the Baobab into the air however, he saw Cheezi right in front of him. Cheezi growling in his face made Bunga realize what was going on and he gave a sheepish grin. "Matata?" He still managed to catch the baobab though.

"Get out of there, Bunga!" Kion called down concernedly, knowing now that Bunga was outnumbered.

It was no use however, as Bunga then showed that he wasn't the type to walk away from a fight. "Okay, hyena. You wanna see what this honey badger's made of? I'll show you what I'm made of." Chungu suddenly grabbed him from behind as soon as he said that. Bunga was more annoyed by this than anything as the two laughed. "Hey! Let me go so I can show that other guy what I'm made of!"

"Hyenas! Put Bunga down!" Kion demanded fiercely. "Pick on somebody your own size!"

"Kion! You want the honey badger?" Cheezi asked in a taunting voice, laughing a bit after he did. He then tried to sound threatening with his next words. "Come and get him."

Kion wasn't falling for that trick. He stood his ground and demanded they release his friend once again. "Let him go! You hyenas don't want any trouble with my dad!"

"Ohhhhh! Like how you'd get into trouble, if you came into the Outlands!" Cheezi said condescendingly.

Cheezi and Chungu laughed a bit as Bunga started to show a hint of concern. "Um, Kion?"

"He's too afraid to come down here." Chungu stated, feeling that he and Cheezi had this one in the bag.

"Yeah! Fraidy cat, fraidy cat," Chungu joined Cheezi's taunting, and after Kion wondered what he was going to do for a bit, Cheezi got back to business. "Alright, yeah, fun's over! Janja needs his lunch."

Bunga didn't like the way that sounded one bit. "Lunch?"

"No!" Kion's eyes got more fierce as he shouted as loudly as he could. "Let... him..." As he did, the clouds roared with him, stunning Bunga, Cheezi, and Chungu by the sight of it. It was so shocking that it made Chungu drop Bunga. Kion roared again, and a lion head marking appeared on his left shoulder as he stood fiercely on the rock.

Bunga took advantage of this by shoving the baobab into Chungu's mouth and jumping off of Cheezi to escape the Outlands. "See ya hyenas!" He even called down to the hyenas as he made his way back up to the Pride Lands. "Wouldn't wanna be ya!"

Kion, having now realized what he just did, looked up at the clouds in amazement. "Hevi Kabisa! What was that?" The marking faded away as Bunga arrived back into the Pride Lands.

Bunga walked backwards for a bit as he thanked Kion for the save. "I don't know how you did that, Kion, but thanks. You really saved my butt."

"I think that part of you could've saved itself." Kion joked, making Bunga laugh a bit as Kion then thought about how he just did that. "I don't know how I did it either. "

"Either way, it was unbungalievable!" Bunga exclaimed as he and Kion started making their way to Pride Rock.

Simba, Nala, and Rafiki were looking over Pride Rock; Simba and Nala were concerned, and Rafiki fueled with excitement as Nala spoke up. "That was Kion's roar?"

Rafiki laughed a bit before confirming this to be true. "Yes, Nala, yes! He is ready. It is time!"

"No, Rafiki." Simba said while looking nervous about the timing of all of this. "He can't possibly be ready; he's still a cub."

"Simba, Simba, you heard the roar." Rafiki responded as he rubbed Simba's head and even hit it afterwards.

"I heard it." Simba assured Rafiki before expressing concern for Kion's safety. "It's just... it's a big responsibility. Kion is ill-prepared for the danger this could bring him. He could get hurt."

Nala assured her mate that he had nothing to worry about. "Deep down inside, Kion is a leader just like you, Simba. He'll know what to do after we tell him."

Nala walked off while smiling at Simba, who admitted that he hoped for the same. "I suppose I can only hope."

Rafiki wrapped his arm around Simba's head while assuring him that now was as good of a time as any. "Kion is ready. It is time."

"Time for what?" Kion asked, surprising Simba and Rafiki as the two saw him and Bunga walking over to them. "Is this about that roar I did with the clouds?"

Rafiki nudged Simba, who gave him a deadpan grin before clearing his throat. "Yes it is. Son. We need to talk."

Kion did have one hope in mind regarding this feeling. "Is this gonna be as mushy as that 'can you feel the love tonight' crap you told me about that one time?"

"Language, Kion." Simba requested while laughing a bit, finding a bit of humor in that memory. "And no, it won't be."

"It is most definitely not related to that." Rafiki assured Kion, being ready to help Simba explain this to Kion. "Your roar was quite different today, wasn't it." Kion and Bunga nodded their heads yes, and Rafiki soon started telling him otherwise. "Wrong my friend!" He ran over to the edge of Pride Rock while continuing to fill Kion in. "It is more than, different. It is the roar of the elders! When you use it, the great lions of the Pride Lands past roar with you."

"What?" Kion was as surprised as anyone would be in his position. "You mean, that's what happened to my roar?"

"Yeah! Lions in the sky, I saw that!" Bunga chimed in, getting excited as he learned more about this.

"The roar of the elders is a great gift, Kion." Simba said, getting more ready to tell Kion the truth as he spoke more. "It will make you the fiercest animal in the Pride Lands. But..."

Simba looked at Rafiki, who wasn't about to let Simba back out of this. "No no, Simba. It is you, who must tell Kion about the Lion Guard."

"The Lion Guard? What's that?" Kion asked out of curiosity, feeling it was important after he did.

Simba and Rafiki shared a glance as Simba walked onward, gesturing to Kion and Bunga to follow him. "I think it's better if I show you."

Kion didn't see any problem with that. At least he was getting answers quickly. "Uh, okay."

Simba was leading Kion and Bunga to an area below Pride Rock, along with Rafiki, who Bunga tried to hear more about the Lion Guard from. "Come on, Rafiki! You already know what it is, don't ya?" Rafiki simply ignored Bunga's pestering and continued onward. "Come on, tell me!" Bunga failed to get an answer before continuing onward.

Kion was surprised by what he saw at the end as Rafiki ran past him. "Huh?"

Bunga seemed confused as Rafiki climbed up to a row of vines seemingly blocking an entrance. "It's a…bunch of…vines?"

"Rafiki?" Upon Simba's instruction, Rafiki moved the vines out of the way, revealing a passageway that Kion and Bunga then followed Simba through.

Kion found himself impressed, and amazed at how he always missed this. "How did I not know this was here? Dad, what is this place?"

"This is the Lion Guard lair." Simba explained. "It's the secret meeting place for the members of the Lion Guard.

Bunga coughed a bit as he moved some vines while walking through the place. "I think the place could use a bit of dusting."

Rafiki suddenly popped out from the vines Bunga moved as he responded to this. "Hmm. Yes." He then ran over to some vines in a hole on the top of the lair. As he raised his staff, the vines moved with wind not only clearing the lair up, but erasing all of the dust.

Bunga gave Rafiki a thumbs up with Kion getting a look at a mural as he started to get excited. "Dad, enough with all the secrecy stuff. You gotta tell me! What is the Lion Guard?"

Simba walked up to Kion and started explaining the purpose of The Lion Guard to him. "The Lion Guard is the team that protects the Pride Lands, and defends the circle of life." Simba looked at the paintings with Kion as he continued. "According to tradition, the Lion Guard is made of the Pride Lands fiercest, bravest, fastest, strongest, and keenest of sight."

"So, what happened to them?" Kion asked curiously. "It looks like they haven't been in here since... forever."

"I'm afraid their ending is... a tragic one." Simba answered, and Rafiki pointed to the first painting, which showed why. Kion and Bunga were stunned with Simba telling them more. "When your Grandfather, Mufasa, was about your age, his younger brother, Scar, was the leader of the Lion Guard." The paintings continued to show what Simba was telling Kion and Bunga. "Scar also had the gift of the roar. It made him feel incredibly powerful."

The paintings started to get more ominous from that point. "But, that power went to Scar's head. He began to think that HE should be King, instead of his older brother Mufasa. So Scar ordered the Lion Guard to help him kill Mufasa. When the Guard refused, Scar was furious. It was at that moment, he used the roar for an act of evil: To destroy the Lion Guard." Kion was shocked by this revelation. This roar was not to be taken lightly. "However, that was when Scar realized that he just lost his right to the roar... forever."

"Hevi Kabisa." Kion spoke up in shock, being in awe at what he just learned.

"The roar is a very powerful gift." Rafiki stated ominously. "It can be used for great good. But it can also lead to terrible evil."

Kion wasn't sure if he was ready for this and showed concern over whether or not he'd do well. But, knowing he didn't have much choice, he gave a determined look and made the heroic one. "I already knew about Scar from what dad told me and Kiara about him before. If that didn't already convince me to never be like him, then this definitely would have."

Simba smiled proudly, already seeing that Kion was a capable leader. Even if Kion didn't see that yet. "In that case, I'm sure you understand what you must do next." Kion nodded his head yes, confirming that he already figured out what Simba was trying to say. "And with your new role, I need you to assemble the Pride Lands bravest, fastest, strongest, and keenest of sight."

"You can count on me, dad!" Kion assured his father, doing his best to stay confident before running ahead a bit. "Don't worry! I'm gonna make you proud!"

Simba then noticed Bunga smiling at him with all the joy he could muster. "Yes, Bunga?"

"This. Is. Unbungalievable!" Bunga shouted before rushing off after Kion. "My best friend just became a guardian!"

After Bunga left, Rafiki expressed confidence in how well this was going. "You see, Simba? And now Kion will choose the best lions in the Pride for the Guard."

"I hope so, Rafiki." Simba responded, still worried about Kion's safety, and if he was as ready for this as it seemed. "I'm still not sure he's ready." Rafiki walked off with Simba with a painting of Scar's evil face looming over Pride Rock being focused on as they did.

A flock of birds flew over the watering hole with Kion shown to be walking up to it and looking into the water. He still wasn't sure about his new position, or how he'd handle it. He expressed doubt with his reflection in the water. His life before was so carefree. And now he had an important new role given to him so suddenly. However, the voice of his best friend from behind snapped him out of it. "Kion! Kiooon!"

Bunga slid into the water and accidentally splashed Kion, who laughed a bit as he called him out on that. "Bunga!"

Bunga started jumping in the water when his excitement took over. "Ready to start assembling the Lion Guard? Huh? Now? Yeah? Huh?"

"I will be after you stop splashing me." Kion answered with a playful jab at Bunga. The honey badger saw what he did after that and chuckled a bit as he did. Kion had another one for him while putting his confident face back on. "Much better. Now come on!" Kion ran on ahead before stopping to make sure Bunga was following him. "Time to assemble the Lion Guard!"

Kion and Bunga ran onward to fulfill this task. Little did they know that a vulture was resting on a nearby tree, and overheard their conversation. "Lion Guard? Hmm." He flew discreetly, wanting to follow and hear more about this Guard.

Kion was already on the case when it came to being proactive with assembling the guard. "Dad said the Lion Guard needs the bravest, strongest, fastest, and keenest of sight!" The vulture continued watching as he landed on a nearby branch from above, doing so as Kion looked back at Bunga. "And I think I'll ask the bravest animal in the Pride Lands first."

"Kion, wait!" Bunga insisted as he slid in front of Kion and stopped him. "Before you go asking whoever you think is the bravest, think about this." Kion's sly grin showed that he saw where Bunga was going with this. "I might not be, the biggest honey badger. But I know what's in my heart. And I'm not afraid of anything. Or anyone!"

"I know, Bunga; that's why I-"

Bunga interrupted Kion, failing to see what he was trying to say. "I'll help the Lion Guard fight hyenas! Or jackals, or crocodiles, or vultures!"

The mention of that last animal, understandably, caught the vulture's attention. "Vultures?"

"Or break through rock slides, or wild fires, or floods! I will stand with the Lion Guard! I'll never give up! I'll, I'll..."

"Why don't you stop talking so I can ask you to join the Lion Guard?"

Despite Bunga having given that profound speech, Kion's question surprised him. "Say wha?"

"Come on, Bunga. You're the bravest animal I know." Kion pointed out, feeling he'd have no better choice for the job. "I want you to be the first to join the new Lion Guard."

Bunga couldn't resist cheering out of joy after hearing that. "Zuka Zama!"

The vulture took this as his cue to leave. "Zuka Zama indeed. I wonder if Janja knows about the Lion Guard?"

After the vulture flew off, Bunga pumped his fists in excitement as Kion listed off who he'd pick for the rest of the Guard. "Fuli, Ono, and Beshte would also be great for the team. Knowing Fuli, she'll need a little more persuasion."

That was when Kion and Bunga heard a female lion's whine from afar. "Kion. Do you hear that?"

Kion and Bunga moved to listen closely, and after the voice asked for help, Kion figured out who it was and rolled his eyes. "Sounds like Kiara's friend Zuri."

"And she needs help." Bunga said in realization, which then turned into excitement. "Our help! It's our first adventure! Lion Guard to the rescue!"

"Lion Guard to the rescue?" Kion asked as Bunga ran off, and then he ran after Bunga while admitting to that sounding terrible. "We'll work on that team motto!" Kion then chased after Bunga, knowing that he would need help to not make things worse.

Kiara looked on as Zuri, a lioness cub, had her claws stuck in a tree. Another lioness cub tried to assure Zuri that help would be coming soon. "Hold still Zuri. Timon and Pumbaa said they know how to help."

"Easier said than done, Tiifu." Zuri complained, being more than upset about her predicament. "This sucks!"

Kiara rolled her eyes as she explained Zuri's mistake to her in a pseudo-question. "Maybe sharpening your claws on every other tree wasn't the best idea?"

"Not the best, but definitely the sharpest." Zuri shot back, showing how her claws were kept shiny due to staying sharp.

"Don't worry ladies." A male voice said from behind, and as Zuri looked back, it was revealed to be a meerkat riding on the snout of a warthog holding a stick. "Me and Pumbaa have everything under control."

After the Meerkat jumped off Pumbaa and caught the stick, Pumbaa explained how they knew what to do. "Timon's right." Timon got to work as Pumbaa did this. "We used to help Simba get his claws out of logs all the time."

"Aaand, you're sure about this?" Kiara asked worriedly.

"Sure I'm sure." Timon said, allowing Pumbaa to grab onto the stick and pull up after he got it in. "If it weren't for us, your dad'd still be stuck to a tree somewhere. Ready Pumbaa?"

"Ready!" Pumbaa said while holding the stick, allowing Timon to start the countdown.

"Okay, on three." Timon said before starting the countdown. "One... Two..."

Zuri braced herself during the countdown; however... "Stand back Pridelanders!" Bunga swung in on a vine and landed on the log to announce his presence. "Bunga of the Lion Guard is here!"

At that moment, Pumbaa turned around and accidentally hit Zuri with his hide. "Bunga?"

"Ow!" Zuri exclaimed as she felt a claw break as her paw was knocked free of the log. She started to turn to Pumbaa after that. "Watch where you're turning you-" But she lost her balance, causing her to fall into a log down below. As soon as she fell in, she started freaking out, rolling after she pushed herself out, being covered in bugs in the process. "I'm trying to look shiny; not slimy!"

Timon and Pumbaa were more than happy to see this. "Zuri! You hit the jackpot!"

"It's a Smorgasbord!" Timon and Pumbaa jumped in, happily feasting on the bugs inside the log.

Bunga then got back to fulfilling his new role as a Lion Guard member. In case you couldn't tell, he's a super eager one. "Hang on, Zuri! I'll save you!"

"Okay, Bunga." Kiara said while stopping Bunga from going in. "I can take it from here."

"Bunga! I-" Kion said as he entered the scene, but he then saw what happened. "Whoa." He slid down to Kiara, Zuri, and Tiifu, having a good idea as to what happened. "If Bunga wasn't here, I would've guessed Zuri was crying about bugs again."

"Shut up, Kion!" Zuri yelled, explaining the actual situation to Kion. "I broke a claw on the log, and it hurts!"

"There there, Zuri. You're gonna be just fine." Tiifu said tenderly.

Kion then checked on Kiara to learn about the Gazelle tracking. "Hi, Kiara. How'd your Gazelle tracking go?"

"We never got to the gazelles." Kiara said, still annoyed at Zuri. "Zuri got her claws stuck in a tree."

Pumbaa rose up with Timon standing on him. And because he's a pig, he talked with his mouth full. "And then she fell face first into a log full of bugs!"

Zuri gagged before Timon spotted one right behind her ear. "Oooh look!" Timon climbed up Tiifu and reached behind Zuri's ear to reach the bug. "Another one!"

This caused Zuri to freak out, even though the bug was already off her. "Bugs are so gross!" When she tried to walk away, she winced and sat back down. "Ow! I'm covered in bugs, AND my paw hurts! Broken claws suck!"

Bunga then came onto the scene to tell the others the big news. "Hey everyone; everyone! Listen, to this. Simba, just put Kion in charge of the new Lion Guard!"

"Lion Guard?" Kiara asked curiously. "What's a Lion Guard?

"This awesome hero team Dad just told us about." Kion said with excitement. "We protect the Pride Lands, and defend the Circle of Life! And yours truly is the new leader."

Bunga was more than excited to explain his role. "I'm gonna be in the Lion Guard too!" Kion smiled as Bunga front flipped. The lion cub was used to Bunga's energy. "It's unbungalievable!"

Kiara had to make sure she heard that right. "You and Bunga protecting the Pride Lands? Does dad know you picked him?"

"No. But he trusted me to pick the best." Kion said confidently. That's one trait he definitely got from his father. "And I know how to pick the best."

"And I'm the best!" Bunga said to back Kion up. "Just ask me."

Pumbaa quickly expressed concern for Bunga after hearing this. "Well, if you ask me, it sounds like it might be dangerous."

"It's worse than that, Pumbaa." Timon chimed in. His reasoning led to his and Bunga's next exchange. "It sounds like... work."

"Yeah. It's both!"

"Eeeh! Work!"

"Oh, yes. Your mortal nemesis." Kion said sarcastically with a smiling eye roll.

Pumbaa expressed his skepticism about the situation. "Gee, Bunga, I don't know."

"Uncle Pumbaa. Uncle Timon." Bunga started begging his uncles to let him join. "Pleeeeease!"

"Work? Danger? Definitely not!" Timon protested. "Have you forgotten our problem free philosophy?" Timon started to smile as he talked about it. "It means no worries-"

"I know it's not Hakuna Matata, Uncle Timon." Bunga interrupted, trying to think of a good comparison to make. "It's, it's... Zuka Zama!"

Since Kiara didn't know Bunga like Kion did, this caught her attention. "Zuka Zama?"

Lively music started playing as Timon spoke up and Kion gave a playful grin. "Don't ask."

"Ask him." Kion requested, leading to a back and forth with him and Timon.

"No, don't."

"Do."

"Don't!"

"Do it!"

"Ugh, you're just like your dad." Kion had a smug look on his face when Timon said that, despite his clearly annoyed tone.

"What's Zuku Zama?" Tiifu asked, ending the back and forth.

"What's Zuka Zama?" Bunga asked excitedly, picking up Timon and shaking him a bit as he got hyped up. "What's Zuka Zama!?" He released Timon and ran ahead a bit as he felt a song coming on. "I'll tell you all about Zuka Zama!"

As much as he loved his adopted nephew, Timon wasn't happy about what was coming. "Ya had to ask!"

The music began with Bunga gesturing everyone over to him, and he jumped onto a rock. Several birds and monkeys came along to start off the song. "Zuka Zama zom zom zom! Zuka Zama zom zom zom!"

Bunga walked over to the middle of the rock, doing the cha-cha until he reached it. The animals in the background sang backup for Bunga as he sang. "Life's exciting, life is fun! (Zuka Zama zom zom zom!)" He was then shown riding an elephant. "A big adventure for everyone! (Zuka Zama zom zom zom!)" He then rolled down the elephant's trunk and jumped off it. "Life's a party and it's filled with thrills! (Zuka Zama zom zom zom!)" He then dove down to a pond, but hit the rock instead. A hippo rose up with him standing on it after he fell in. "Don't worry about the scrapes and spills! (Zuka Zama zom zom zom!)"

Bunga was then shown chasing a butterfly in glee. "(Zuka Zama zom zom zom! Zuka zama zom zom zom!" He then popped out of a log just before three more did as well. "Pop up, pop up! (Zuka Zuka!)" He was then shown swinging on a vine. "Dive in, dive in! (Zama Zama!)" He then popped into three tree holes before getting ready to launch himself on a branch. "Go go go! (Zom zom zom!)" He launched himself as high as he could without a care. "Fly into the trees like a busy busy bee goin'"

Bunga was walking carefreely on a log after that. This fallen log was over a cliff. Because of course it was. "(Zuka Zama zom zom zom! Zuka Zama zom zom zom!)" He was then playing jump rope with two elephant trunks. "(Zuka Zama zom zom zom! Zuka Zama zom zom zom!)"

Bunga then pulled a leaf down as he kept going. "Now you know my little motto for life!" He also kicked a bee hive and the bees flew at him. "(Zuka Zama zom zom zom!) Enjoy the chaos, ignore the strife!" He sang as he walked out of a crocodile's mouth. "(Zuka Zama zom zom zom!)" He was then shown hanging on a tree next to some bats. I don't know how that works since they're nocturnal, but whatever. "When life throws you a crazy curve! (Zuka Zama zom zom zom!)" He then flew off on two of them before sliding on a big snake. "Go Zuka Zama don't lose your nerve! (Zuka Zama zom zom zom!)"

The snake woke up as soon as Bunga jumped off. Bunga was then shown riding on a baobab fruit. "(Zuka Zama zom zom zom! Zuka Zama zom zom zom!)"

Bunga then popped up into another tree hole. "Pop up, pop up! (Zuka Zuka!)" He then jumped off a tree and dove down. "Dive in, dive in! (Zama Zama!)" After that, he jumped off of two trees, one at a time. "Go go go! (Zom zom zom!)" He then swung on from vine to vine as birds flew beside him. "Fly into the trees like a busy busy bee goin'"

Bunga then jumped on some rocks, front flipping during it. After he landed in the water, he spit some out like a fountain. "(Zuka Zama zom zom zom! Zuka Zama zom zom zom!" Some fish formed a circle around him, and he spun slowly while in the middle. "(Zuka Zama zom zom zom! Zuka Zama zom zom zom!)" He then rode on a rhino's horn he held onto. After that, he played the drums on some bones.

Bunga rose up and looked into a fallen log after that. "Pop up, pop up! (Zuka Zuka!)" He was then riding on said log on a river with the log standing up. "Dive in, dive in! (Zama Zama!)" The log went over the waterfall, but Bunga didn't care. "Go go go! (Zom zom zom!)" He had a smile on his face as he fell towards the water. He then swung super fast a lot on a branch, going over it as he did. "Like a bee, like a bee, like a busy busy bee goin'"

Bunga then landed in front of Kiara, Zuri, and Tiifu. They all seemed to enjoy it; especially Kiara. "(Zuka Zama zom zom zom!)" He then jumped over to Timon and Pumbaa. The former was still annoyed by Zuka Zama. "(Zuka Zama zom zom zom!)" After he jumped off of Pumbaa, he jumped over to Kion, who smiled. "(Zuka Zama zom zom zom!)" He then walked forward with a carefree smile. "(Zuka Zama zom zom zom!)"

Bunga continued walking with everyone except for Timon following behind him. And Zuri, who still had her hurt paw. "(Zuka Zama zom zom zom!) (Zuka Zama zom zom zom! Zuka Zama zom zom zom!)" Bunga finished up the song when hi pawing Kion. "Zuka Zama zom zom zom!"

"Ah, Zuka Palooka." Timon said when turning around. "I still don't think Bunga should be signing up for some 'Jungle Patrol.'"

"Lion Guard!"

"Whatever you call it."

"Well, I won't take no for an answer." Kion said confidently. He explained why when Timon and Pumbaa looked at him. "I can't think of a better first pick for my team. He really is the bravest animal I know."

Timon, for some reason, was amazed when he heard that. "Bravest animal you know?"

"He's brave alright." Kiara said to back it up. She then added a little something else. "Brave bordering on stupid."

"Thanks, Kiara!" Bunga responded. Perhaps he was aware that he was a dum dum.

"Well, when you put it that way..." Pumbaa started.

"Congratulations, Bunga!" Timon said upon shaking Bunga's paw. "We always knew you had it in ya."

Kiara walked up to Kion with some sisterly advice. "Just remember not to wreck the Pride Lands before I become Queen."

"I'd have to put YOU on the team for that." Kion jabbed, making Kiara roll her eyes while smiling.

Pumbaa couldn't help expressing his excitement. Except... "Oh, Bunga; I'm so proud I could-"

PFFT

"Oops." The flowers behind Pumbaa's butt died after his fart. "Sorry."

Kion gave a sly grin at Bunga after that. "That reminds me. Get ready to make good use of that."

Bunga laughed a bit before assuring Kion that he would. "You know I will."

Zuri gave a deadpan expression before walking off. "You guys are gross." She was limping due to her paw, but she still made her way home.

Kiara let Tiifu hurry on ahead before wishing Kion luck. "I gotta get Zuri back before I reach the gazelles. Good luck with your team building Kion."

"Thanks Kiara." Kion said before letting Kiara head off. He was quite happy as he thought about who else he listed off. "I have a pretty good idea of how the new Lion Guard is gonna look."

To be continued.