Disclaimer: Yay for introducing Jasiri into the story! For anyone who's coming from the announcement I made on Reddit, I'm sure you already know that we have plans for Jasiri in this story. This is the first of the chapters I've been super excited to write solely because it introduces her. And because I love the episode. And her bond with Kion. Anyway, let's get started!

Also, I don't own Lion Guard. This is just a rewrite.

The Lion Guard: Unity

New Lion Guard arc Episode Two: Never Judge A Hyena By Its Spots

In the Pridelands, a flock of birds were flying in a hurry, followed by a herd of oryxes. One of the oryxes looked back, revealing Janja, Cheezi, and Chungu chasing the herd. "Cmon, boys! It's lunchtime! And I'm starvin!"

"I'm ALWAYS Starvin!" Chungu responded. The three were more than ready for their meal. Just then...

"Well, well, well." Kion's voice caused Janja, Cheezi, and Chungu to skid to a halt. What emerged from the Oryx herd's dust was the Lion Guard itself. Kion was grinning confidently as he stepped forward. "If it isn't Janja, Tweedle Dumb, and Tweedle Dumber." His grin briefly changed to a serious glare. "I thought I told you three to stay out!"

"Did ya now?" Janja asked with a smile, attempting to play dumb. "My stomach keeps forgettin."

Kion's grin came back with his retort. "Ha! Still as full of hot air as Bunga."

"You have no idea!" Chungu exclaimed, recalling one recent moment involving 'hot air'. "One time, we all had to run out of the den because of it."

"I think that's the joke." Cheezi chimed in, only to then stump himself. "Or... was it a joke?"

Kion's grin changed to a smug one. Janja, Cheezi, and Chungu saw the clouds forming as he walked up to them. "Well, while you're figuring it out, here's some friendly advice." Kion got right up to Janja's face. He, Cheezi, and Chungu sat in shock. "Run."

"Okay!" Janja ran off with Cheezi and Chungu.

Kion looked back at the others before running ahead. "You four can calm down the herd! I'll make sure those three value helpful advice!"

"You got it, Kion!" Fuli called back as Kion ran after Janja, Cheezi, and Chungu.

Chungu was the first to question if they were actually listening to Kion. "We're leaving!? What about lunch!?"

"That roar'll make us lose our breakfast!" Janja reminded Chungu. "Just run, furbrains! I'll think of a plan B!"

Janja, Cheezi, and Chungu crossed a log to reach the Outlands. Kion jumped onto the same log before boasting about the Lion Guard's success. "That's right, Janja! No Oryxes for you! And who's the one who stopped you?" Kion started doing a small dance on the log in the rhythm of his taunt. "It's me; it's me; it's me, it's me, it's me!" However, his cocky dance caused the log to break! He fell into the water, rising up and grabbing onto a piece of the log. He started coughing before trying to think of a way to get out.

The rest of the Guard had succeeded in calming down the Oryxes. Beshte was assuring them they were on the right track. "That's right. Easy there." He kept his calming voice when they reached the Oryxes grazing ground. "You're all okay now."

"Yeah. Kion's chased those hyenas back into the Outlands." Bunga added.

"And he should be back by now." Fuli said concernedly. She called up to Ono, who was already in the air. "Ono! Check on Kion!"

"Affirmative!" Ono got to work on finding Kion. He was terrified when he saw Kion hanging on the broken log piece. "Hapana!" Kion was struggling to hold on against the strong current. Ono instantly called down to the others. "Everyone! Everyone! Kion's in trouble! Come on!"

Kion was hanging onto the log for his dear life. The others were shocked, and Bunga called out to his best friend. "Kion!" Kion's log hit a rock, rocking him a bit. "Hang on, Kion! We're comin!"

Bunga ignored Beshte's warning not to jump in. "Little B! Don't! Current's too strong!"

Fuli had a much better plan in mind. "Ono! Keep pace with Kion!"

"Right!" Ono did as Fuli advised. Bunga was taken by the flow of the current. Beshte, who was barely strong enough to withstand it, jumped in and caught Bunga.

"Thanks, Big B." Bunga said as Beshte carried the honey badger in his mouth to dry land.

Ono managed to keep a steady pace with Kion. He dove down and tried to give him reassurance. "Hang in there, Kion." However, the flyer then saw a hazard up ahead. "Oh no. Kion! Look out! Rocks! Straight ahead!"

"Whoa!" The log Kion was holding onto hit another rock, causing him to struggle a bit. "Whoa!" After hitting the rock, Kion was sent crashing into another one. "Whoa!" Kion lost grip of the log after that and sank underwater. He used as much strength as he could muster to swim up to a rock. He slipped off the rock, and barely managed to swim over to dry land. Exhausted, Kion laid down on the ground all wet.

The others arrived, and Bunga called over to Kion again. "Kion! Are you alright!"

"A little wet!" Kion coughed a bit. "I can see why Fuli hates water!"

Ono flew down to warn Kion about where he was. The thought alone gave him shivers. "Kion, look! I don't know how to tell you this, but you're in the Outlands."

"I can see that, Ono. No problem." Kion assured Ono confidently. Though, he was a little worried about being in this unfamiliar, forbidden land. At any rate, he needed to get out before any Hyenas found him. His eyes darted around quickly until he found a path to safety "It looks like I can take that trail up river." He was sure he could handle this and started devising a plan. "Don't worry, Ono. I'll be fine. I can handle the Outlands."

"But Kion, you-" Ono's words were cut off by a sudden announcement from Kion.

"Lion Guard! The current here's too rough for me to get back!" Kion called. Ono brushed off the interruption, knowing that Kion getting back safely was more important. "Meet me at Flat Ridge Rock! I can cross the river there!"

"Huh?" Beshte asked, having never heard of it before.

"Flat Ridge Rock?" Fuli asked, showing that she didn't know about it either.

"Yeah yeah yeah! I know exactly where that is!" Bunga assured the others. "Follow me."

Bunga started leading the others to Flat Ridge Rock as Kion called over. "Thanks, Bunga!"

Ono took another chance to remind Kion of what he just went through. "Kion, don't take this the wrong way, but you almost died. And you've never been in the Outlands before."

"So? I doubt anything could be worse than that." Kion said, still trying to portray that he knew what he was doing. "Anyway, you should join the others. Just in case Bunga doesn't actually know where Flat Ridge Rock is."

Knowing the others might need his help, Ono obeyed Kion's command tentatively. "Affirmative." He flew off, allowing Kion to press on alone. "Guys! Wait up!"

Kion smirked when he started going up the path to Flat Ridge Rock. "Get ready, Outlands. You're nothing more than a thorn in my butt." Kion continued on his path after his cocky statement, still trying to convince himself that he could handle being in enemy territory. Little did he know that a hyena overheard him from nearby.

Kion soon found himself unable to traverse through the Outlands very well. He knew he had to get to Flat Ridge Rock, but he had no idea where to go. All he could do was hope he was going in the right direction. Kion was soon startled by small rocks landing near him, having fallen from above. He sniffed them before looking around. That was when he heard a female voice echo. "Hellooo!" It was the hyena from before, jumping down to get a closer look at Kion. "Surprise!" Kion was surprised, causing the hyena to laugh. "Didn't know I was up here, did ya?"

"No, I..." Kion got on the defensive after struggling to speak for a bit. The last thing he needed was to be taunted by a hyena. "I knew you were there the whole time. Hyena."

"Yep. I'm a hyena alright." The hyena said playfully. Her next sentence came with an eye roll. "You lions are sooo clever." She laughed a bit. "Especially you, Kion, leader of the Lion Guard."

"So you know who I am, then." Kion responded, figuring any hyena in Janja's clan had seen him in action by now.

"Just by reputation." The hyena admitted. "The mark on your shoulder's a giveaway though."

The hyena laughed again, but Kion was more taken aback by her words. If she only knew his reputation, then she couldn't be part of Janja's clan. Still, he had to keep his guard up as he questioned her affiliation. "So you're not in Janja's clan?"

The hyena was quick to mock such a ridiculous idea. "Janja? Yeah, that's a good one." She jumped down to Kion, proceeding with her own question. "What are you doing in the Outlands anyway? Not exactly your territory."

"Janja tackled me out of the Pridelands." Kion lied, not wanting to admit how he actually wound up in the Outlands. He didn't want a hyena to know that his own cockiness actually contributed to his unfortunate displacement. He decided to end the conversation quickly, and move on with his journey. "Now, I'm headed to Flat Ridge Rock. If that's okay with you. Hyena."

"The name's Jasiri;" She informed Kion. "And if you ARE headed back to the Pridelands, you're going the wrong way."

Kion wasn't exactly up for taking a hyena's word. "Uh-huh. And I should trust a hyena, because?"

"Because I want you out of my territory." Jasiri said, clearly annoyed by Kion's consistent mention of her species.

"The feeling's mutual." Kion turned and kept going the way he was going. He looked back at Jasiri as he did. "I think I'll trust my OWN way, thanks. I'm an expert at directing myself through unfamiliar-" He bumped into a rock wall during his boasting. This made the hyena snicker, and Kion tried to cover for his mistake. "I meant to do that. Wanted to see how... hard the rocks were! Yeah. Now I know not to let them fall on my head."

"I think your skull would go uncracked." Jasiri said, jabbing at how dumb Kion was making himself look. Kion rolled his eyes before continuing his way. "And you're still going the wrong way!" Jasiri found herself smiling as she went after Kion. She felt this would be fun.

Soon after their encounter, Kion found himself approaching a steep looking rock wall. He jumped onto a rock to look up it more easily. When he heard more rocks, he looked back to find Jasiri still following him. Despite his tone, his cockiness came out a bit. "Can't resist me, huh?"

"About as well as you can take advice." Jasiri shot back with a sly grin.

"About going the wrong way?" Kion scoffed before climbing up the rock wall. "I'm pretty sure I'm headed towards Flat Ridge Rock.

Jasiri followed behind Kion to watch the outcome. "Maybe so, but you can't get there on THIS trail."

Kion was just reaching the top as he replied. "Why should someone as awesome as me struggle with a trail's difficulty?"

"Dude, it's not about difficulty." Jasiri jumped onto the rock next to him just before the show began. "The trail ends. Here." Kion slipped and fell into a bed of thorn bushes! Jasiri laughed at the scenario. Never before had she seen a lion tumble so gracelessly.

Kion groaned as he rolled over in the thorn bush he now found himself in. He could still hear the cackling of that hyena, but was more upset at himself. How could he be so stupid as to fall for a trap like this? When the lion cub opened his eyes, his frustration turned to horror as he realized the hyena was headed right for him and he was completely at her mercy.

"Hahaha! Hold still. This won't hurt at all." Jasiri said.

Kion was sure this was the end for him, but he was surprised when the Hyena started pulling apart the thorn branches with her teeth and spitting them out. "Huh? What are you doing?"

"Getting you out of this thorn bush!" Jasiri said as she pulled off another branch. "If you just hold still." She added before spitting out the branch in her mouth.

"What? Why would you help me? You're a HYENA." Kion said. He was totally confused and didn't know what this girl's problem was.

"You lions really DO think all Hyenas are bad." Jasiri said, her own realization dawning on her as she looked at Kion's still skeptical face.

"All the ones that I've met are." Kion said.

"Like Janja, Cheezi, and Chungu?" Jasiri said with an eye-roll, followed by a scoff and a waved paw. "Well, obviously I'm not like them." Jasiri broke off another branch and spit out before continuing. "For one thing, they're males. Which means they're foolish" Jasiri then saw Kion's face scowl at her. "No offense."

"Not all males are foolish." Kion said, defensively.

"Says the male Lion flat on his back, stuck in a bush." Jasiri reminded Kion before laughing again.

Kion couldn't help but smile at Jasiri as she spoke. He had to admit, she got him there. He watched as the Hyenand let out another hearty laugh before continuing to break apart the bush. As he watched her work, Kion felt a small flutter in his chest. Not many females had bested him like this, and no non-guard members were this willing to help. It made him feel a certain way about her, but he quickly shook the thought from his head. He may have been willing to accept her help at this moment, but he was not prepared to confront these feelings he was starting to experience for her. She was still a Hyena, after all. And these feelings were ones that Kion knew nothing about. Eventually, enough of the bush was torn apart for Kion to get back on all four paws. When he did, he pulled a thorned branch out of his front right leg and spit it out.

"Thanks." Kion said. He began to notice how soft Jasiri's gaze was as their eyes met again, and it caused the flutter into chest to move into his stomach. It felt like something was bubbling and getting ready to burst. Kion couldn't handle the intensity of the moment, so he looked away. "I guess."

"You guess?" Jasiri asked, indignantly. She couldn't believe that the Lion she just helped was still being hostile towards her.

'Well, yeah. You could've told me the trail ended BEFORE I went over the hill." Kion said. His annoyance was enough to distract from the bubbling in his tummy.

"Yeah...but then I wouldn't've seen the leader of the Lion Guard rolling down a hill!" Jasiri burst out laughing as the moment replayed in her mind.

"Yeah yeah, you've had your laugh. At least four of them. Now, I'm lost." Kion admitted as he looked around at the empty canyon he'd found himself in. Kion spoke his next words carefully, being very cautious that Jasiri would trick him again, though the chances of that were slimmer now. "Can you tell me how to get to Flat Ridge Rock?"

"Follow that trail." Jasiri said as she turned in the direction she wanted Kion to go. She was happy that the Lion was finally listening to her advice. "It'll take you to Flat Ridge Rock, and back to your beloved Pride Lands."

Kion walked forward, barely paying attention to Jasiri rolling her eyes as she mentioned the Pride Lands. "Thanks." He said, genuinely. He was just happy to be out of this situation. Hopefully the movement in his tummy would calm down when he was further away from the Jasiri. However, as he walked, he felt a slight stinging on his hind end.

Jasiri was too caught up in her snarky remark to notice at first, but when looked at Kion's back end, she saw a stray thorn was stuck right in the Lion's butt. The Hyena chuckled to herself a little, before letting him know. "Hey, you've got a-"

"I'm sure I can remember your directions." Kion said, cutting Jasiri off. The feeling in his tummy was starting to grow unbearable. He would've sprinted away were it not for the persistent sting in his rear.

"It's just that, there's a thorn in your-" Jasiri tried telling Kion again.

"I'm sure you got 'em all. I can handle myself from here." Kion again cut her off. Why won't this hyena just leave him and his tummy troubles alone?

"Fine, I'll get it." Jasiri said confidently as she moved toward the thorn.

Kion's ears perked up when he heard that, and he froze in a panic. He could feel Jasiri getting closer and it sent his tummy into overdrive. "Wait! Don't come any closer! Or else I'm gonna…"

But, it was too late. Jasiri had gotten close enough to Kion's butt to grab a hold of the thorn with her teeth. Quickly and painlessly, she yanked the thorn out. Jasiri ignored the Lion's protests, figuring he was still worried about her trying to eat him. How foolish of him. "Relax, it was just a-"

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Jasiri was cut off again, but this time it was by Kion's other end, as a massive fart erupted from the Lion Cub in a cloud of green. Both of them stood in complete silence as Kion's tail was the only thing moving for the next few seconds. Kion was absolutely mortified. He couldn't believe he'd just farted in the face of a new acquaintance. He'd told her not all males were foolish and yet here he was doing the most foolish thing imaginable in front of a girl he was starting to grow more fond of. However, unbeknownst to Kion, Jasiri was stunned for an entirely different reason. She had never seen a lion fart before, and yet the one Kion was in the middle of ripping was better than any fart she'd seen any hyena produce. Including herself and Janja. After about fifteen seconds the fart finally started to die down, but they both stayed still for an additional five just to make things more awkward.

"Wow, and I thought that Honey Badger friend of yours was the stinky one." Jasiri joked as she wafted the eggy stench away with a paw.

"Sorry, That just kinda slipped out." Kion said sheepishly, as Jasiri spit out the thorn in her mouth. He started to get flustered, and blushed as red as his nose. He'd been getting humbled ever since the Oryx rescue. And this was the biggest jab at his ego yet. "I'll leave you alone forever now." He added before continuing to walk away.

"Hey, don't worry about it." Jasiri said quickly, trying to make Kion feel better as she started walking beside him. "It was kinda my fault. I shouldn't've told you to relax, haha."

"I guess you're right." Kion said, a smile returning to his face thanks to Jasiri's joke. He even managed to think of one himself. "Still better than showing off my falling skills." Kion's returning statement got another laugh out of Jasiri. This one gave a more light hearted vibe. Perhaps one that said she was starting to enjoy his presence.

"Tell you what? To make up for getting a thorn stuck in your butt, I'll join you until we get to Flat Ridge Rock." Jasiri offered. She wanted to make Kion feel better about farting in front of her, but she also wanted to spend more time with him. "And I promise not to stay downwind of you ever again."

"Hehe, deal." Kion said with a chuckle, as the two began their journey to Flat Ridge Rock.

A little while later, a lizard caught a bug with its tongue and ate it up. Kion and Jasiri saw it, and Kion saw an opportunity to teach Jasiri about it. "See that? That's the circle of life for ya."

"Wait, you don't think I know about the circle of life?" Jasiri asked, seeing through Kion's assumption.

"Is Janja smart and handsome?" Kion smirked hoping Jasiri would catch on to what he meant.

While Jasiri loved a good jab at Janja, she still asserted herself to Kion when putting her face in front of him. "Look. I know Janja's clan is greedy, and eats more than their share, but most hyenas respect the circle of life." She smiled when walking ahead. "We're the clean up crew- picking up after all the sloppy eaters." She stood in front of him when finishing. "We hyenas eat what you lions leave behind."

"Oh. I guess I never really thought about it like that." Kion admitted. He was raised to look at hyenas with hostility.

Jasiri laughed a bit before coming up to Kion when he sat down. "Of course not. You think lions and hyenas are so different. But we're not!" Upbeat music started to play as Jasiri shared one particular phrase with Kion. "We're more similar than you think, Kion. Sisi Ni Sawa."

"You're saying we're the same? No. I don't think so." Kion objected as he stood up. And with that, he started singing Sisi Ni Sawa. "You think that life is one big game." He strided around Jasiri, who rolled her eyes. "You joke, you laugh, you take no blame." When he stood in front of Jasiri, he looked back at her. "I'm telling you, there's just no way that we're the same."

As Kion looked forward, Jasiri surprised him by turning it into a duet. "You've got to look past what you see." She went up to Kion when continuing her verse. "Try not to judge so easily. Believe it or not, you're a lot like me." She moved ahead and jumped onto a nearby rock. "I said believe it or not, you're a lot like me!" Jasiri jumped over Kion at the end of her next line. "Sisi Ni Sawa means we're the same." 'Sisi Ni Sawa!'

Kion walked after her to get a better understanding. "I hear what you're sayin', but you need to explain." 'Sisi Ni Sawa!'

Jasiri looked at her reflection in the water for her example. "At the end of the day, it's like water and rain." Kion did the same, starting to get a better idea. "Sisi Ni Sawa, we are the same." Kion looked at Jasiri, who did a cute little front paw tap dance before continuing the song and walking alongside Kion. "Maybe I laugh, maybe you purr, but take a look under the fur." She walked past Kion and jumped onto another rock, raising her head up. "Deep in our hearts, is what matters for sure." 'Sisi Ni Sawa!' They jumped on some rocks after that before then looking at some ants. "Cause we both know a higher call, like every creature big and small." Then. the two looked right at each other. "The circle of life should be what's guiding us all." After smirking together, they looked up at the sky.. "The circle of life will guide us all!" The two of them walked to the music together for a bit. "Sisi Ni Sawa means we're the same." 'Sisi Ni Sawa!'

The two went behind a rock, which then backed out from one of Jasiri's spots as Kion continued the song. "Though you've got your spots, and I have a mane." 'Sisi Ni Sawa!'

Kion and Jasiri reached another puddle as Jasiri's earlier example came back. "At the end of the day, it's like water and rain. Sisi Ni Sawa, we are the same."

The two sang together now that they were starting to see eye to eye. "Sisi Ni Sawa, we are the same."

After doing the dance Jasiri did before together, Kion sang the next line. "Never thought that we'd see eye to eye."

"I can't imagine why." Jasiri continued, jumping down to Kion during the finish. "It's very easy if you tryyy." 'Sisi Ni Sawa!"

When Jasiri ran on ahead, Kion did as well, ending by standing on a rock and looking up. "Still to me, they're brand new thoughts; not to judge hyenas by their spooooots!"

Kion looked down at Jasiri as she continued. "Sisi Ni Sawa!" The two walked together, Jasiri walking backwards for a bit. "Sisi Ni Sawa means we're the same."

When they reached a ledge, Kion continued as they went down one at a time. "Forget about the past when there's nothing to gain." 'Sisi Ni Sawa!'

Kion skidded to a stop, turned around, and looked into a puddle. During this, he and Jasiri sang in sync, and Jasiri jumped onto his back. "At the end of the day, it's like water and rain." Kion glanced up at Jasiri before she got down. The two stood by each other's backs after that. "Sisi Ni Sawa, we are the same."

Kion and Jasiri gave each other happy smiles before they were shown walking together in some kind of conga line to the beat of the song. "Sisi Ni Sawa means we're the same." Jasiri jumped next to Kion for the next line. "Forget about the past when there's nothing to gain." 'Sisi Ni Sawa!' After they ran off, Jasiri's reflection was shown into a puddle. It changed to Kion's when a leaf fell. "At the end of the day, it's like water and rain." Before running off again, Jasiri playfully splashed Kion, who jumped into the puddle to get her back. "Sisi Ni Sawa, we are the same." 'Sisi Ni Sawa!" Kion and Jasiri ran off again, stopping to look at each other. "Sisi Ni Sawa, we are the same."

Jasiri finished the song when stepping forward. "Sisi Ni Sawa, we are the same."

Jasiri smiled when looking at Kion, who had a smile on his face as well. However, Kion's smile changed to a look of remorse. Jasiri helped him gain a new perspective on hyenas. One that made him feel bad for how he treated her. And for how he looked at things before. "Hey, Jasiri?" Jasiri looked at Kion, who swallowed his pride with what he did next. "I'm... I'm sorry for how I treated you earlier. You didn't deserve that."

Jasiri appreciated Kion's apology, but wasn't sure she needed it now. She also had an idea on why Kion was hostile towards her before. "You're Simba's son, right?"

Kion wasn't surprised that Jasiri knew that. Rumors clearly spread in the Outlands. "Yeah. What about it?"

"I don't know the specifics, but I heard he went through a lot because of hyenas." Jasiri explained. Kion's eyes widened in surprise. His father never mentioned previous issues with hyenas. Was it something he found hard to talk about? "That look tells me he never told you."

"Never. This whole time, I thought it just came from the circle of life." Kion admitted, hoping he could learn what Simba went through someday. He wanted to make it clear to Jasiri he wouldn't mistreat her anymore. "Everyone deserves judgement for their OWN actions. Not the actions of others." Jasiri's smile returned when Kion finished what he had to say. "And judging by your actions... you're pretty great. And not just because you helped me. If you really do respect the circle of life, that shows me who you really are."

Jasiri appreciated the sentiment, knowing it must have been hard for Kion to come around to. "Thank you, Kion." Despite appreciating Kion's words, Jasiri changed the subject from the past to the present. "Now then. We have to get you home."

"Right. Of course." Kion responded, following the same path as Jasiri to Flat Ridge Rock. Seeing Kion's noble side made Jasiri feel similar to how Kion felt before. It felt... good. Obviously, it also made her nervous to an extent. But she liked being around Kion. Just as he liked being around her.

Once Kion and Jasiri got to Flat Ridge Rock, Jasiri made sure to scout the area. She started sniffing around, which caught Kion's attention. "What's wrong?"

"We're in Janja's territory." Jasiri explained, knowing a bump in with Janja's clan would mean trouble. "And believe it or not, we don't get along." Jasiri laughed a bit before assuring Kion he was almost at Flat Ridge Rock. "Don't worry. Flat Ridge Rock is right over there; you're almost home."

"Asante, Jasiri. You taught me a lot." Kion said gratefully, making Jasiri more than happy.

"Sure." Jasiri hoped this wouldn't be the last time she saw Kion. "Bye Kion!"

Kion wanted to see her again too. He gave his usual confident grin as he faced her. "Ya know Jasiri, if you ever needed MY help, I'd be happy to offer."

"Help? From a lion?" Jasiri joked before laughing again. "That's a good one." She winked to show that she knew Kion was being sincere. She looked back at Kion when turning around. The two smiled before parting ways.

Now that she successfully helped her new friend, Jasiri started making her way back home. She flinched and turned around when some rocks fell behind her. After backing up for a bit, she turned back around quickly, only to be greeted by a smirking hyena. She flinched upon seeing him. "Janja!"

"Well well. If it isn't Jasiri." Janja said. "Did ya miss me?"

Jasiri scoffed and immediately shot that idea down. "Hardly. I miss cold nights more"

"Yeah, I kinda expected that." Janja admitted before reminding Jasiri of his rule for her. "Thought I told you to stay off my turf!"

Jasiri wasn't about to be pushed around by Janja. "Just passing through, so move. Or do I have to move you myself?"

Cheezi and Chungu came along while laughing themselves. Janja confidently pointed out the odds in numbers. "Big talk, coming from someone who's all alone."

Jasiri knew Janja wasn't worth her time, so she attempted to walk away. "Fine. I'll take another path." She flinched again when she saw four more members of Janja's clan behind her. She was surprised, but she was more than happy to provide the challenge. "So. You figured out that only three of you didn't stand a chance against me."

"Cmon, boys. Let's remind Jasiri what happens when she ignores our warnings not to come back." Janja said menacingly, surrounding Jasiri at every corner.

Kion had almost reached the top of Flat Ridge Rock when heard a familiar voice. "These all the hyenas you got, Janja?"

He stopped climbing and looked down, instantly showing concern. "Jasiri?"

Jasiri was more than ready to take on Janja's clan of seven. "Me first!" Cheezi announced, excited to get the first blow. After laughing, he lunged at Jasiri, who calmly headbutted him into three other hyenas.

Jasiri laughed at the sight before challenging the rest of the clan. "Who's next?"

Chungu started to laugh when Janja signaled him to go in. "Now I know you're really good, but since you're a girl, I'll go easy on you if you want."

"No need." Jasiri bit at Chungu's paw, making him jump. She bit at him again, causing him to fall back into another hyena.

Just then, Janja caught Jasiri off guard and tackled her. This caused them to tumble a bit before Janja pinned Jasiri down angrily. "Enough playin around." He growled before a shadow started to loom over him.

Janja looked up, seeing Kion with his usual cocky smile. "So! Seven on two! Is that right, Janja!?" He jumped down and smacked him to the side. Once he fell to the ground, Kion embraced the challenge. "I like these odds."

Janja glared at Kion before getting up to face him. "Stay out of this, Kion!"

Jasiri got up as well, questioning why Kion was getting involved. "What're you doing here?"

"What do you mean? I'm here to help." Kion told Jasiri.

Janja's clan started to surround Kion and Jasiri. "If you say so." But neither of them were scared by the sight of it. "But I've got em right where I want em." Jasiri used some rock created dust to blind two hyenas. She clocked them both in the face with her front paws.

"Yeah, I can tell." Kion smacked one hyena to the side when he got in his face. Jasiri snarled at another hyena, startling him. After jumping onto a rock to dodge another hyena, Kion landed on one that was running around. He then side smacked one hyena's face before uppercutting him and sending him flying. He headbutted a third hyena just as Jasiri smacked another one's head into the ground.

"Kion, behind you!" Jasiri called when she saw two hyenas ganging up on him. Kion instantly turned around, and Jasiri tackled one of the hyenas. After sliding a bit, she pinned the other one to the ground after dodging its bite.

Kion was quite impressed with how well she coordinated herself in battle. "Nice move, Jasiri." Kion noticed one hyena about to bite Jasiri from behind. He pushed her head down and headbutted him, causing the hyena to faint.

"Thanks. You're not so bad yourself. For a lion." Jasiri said as she got back up. Kion merely rolled his eyes and shook his head.

Playful banter aside, Janja's clan started to surround Kion and Jasiri on all sides again. "Uh oh. Looks like we're cornered."

Janja laughed again before getting in front of Cheezi and Chungu. "Gotcha now."

Kion hatched an idea and let Jasiri know things were about to get crazy. "Jasiri, get behind me."

Kion held Jasiri back, confusing her quite a bit. "I told you, I wouldn't be downwind of you ever again."

"Just trust me. I'm about to blow Janja away." Kion announced, confidently.

As hesitant as Jasiri was, she reluctantly got behind Kion, still worrying for his safety. "Can't believe I'm trusting a lion."

The clouds started to form as Janja questioned Kion's presence again. "Don't know why you're in the Outlands helpin a hyena, Kion. But it's the last thing you're gonna do."

Kion's trademark smile showed that Janja was gonna be dead wrong. "After seeing what i'm capable of, I really wish you'd follow my advice." Jasiri felt the wind getting stronger, and that's when Kion unleashed the roar at Janja and his clan. They all got sent flying back, Janja trying to run forward in spite of the immense force.

Janja ended up tumbling with Cheezi and Chungu. He expressed his annoyance with Kion's roar then and there. "Ugh! I hate that roar."

Kion stood in front of Janja, who flinched. "Run."

This time, Janja listened, running off with his clan. "Cmon, boys!"

Jasiri laughed and walked up to Kion as Janja's clan ran off. "Look at em go! That's the funniest thing I've ever seen!" Jasiri laughed a bit more with Kion before commenting on his roar. "Okay. That roar thing? That is definitely something we DON'T have in common."

"I've seen you in action. You don't NEED a roar." Kion complimented.

"Ya know, I never thought a lion would help a hyena." Jasiri admitted, giving Kion a playful shoulder bump and stunning him for a bit.

Kion's unknown feelings came back for a brief moment. He struggled to figure out how to respond at first. But when he did, it was with a smile. "Well, not all lions are alike."

Jasiri smiled in response, her unknown feelings coming up again as well. The moment was interrupted by Ono's voice. "He's over here!"

"Kion!" Bunga called excitedly, running over to hug his best friend. Fuli however, snarled and got ready to attack Jasiri. Bunga also got into a fighting position in case she came for him.

"Back off, hyena!" Fuli snarled at Jasiri, who matched her ferocity. After such a hard fought victory, Jasiri was more than ready for things to come to blows.

Before Jasiri and Fuli could hurt each other, Kion jumped in front of the former. "Whoa whoa whoa whoa whoa! Take it easy. She's a friend."

"She is?" Fuli asked, being somewhat surprised by this revelation.

Jasiri was similarly surprised and a little touched by Kion's choice of words. "I... I am?"

"Definitely." Kion said assuredly, and sincerely, as he looked at her.

Bunga ran up to Kion to remind him of what Jasiri was, just in case. "But she's a hy-e-na!"

"I know that, Bunga." Kion admitted. "But she taught me something really valuable. Not every hyena disrespects the circle of life like Janja. Some of them are good. She's one of them."

Fuli could tell Kion was being sincere. She smiled at the idea. "Really?"

"She got me through the Outlands." Kion explained.

"And he saved ME from Janja and his clan." Jasiri added.

"Well, any friend of Kion's is a friend of ours." Beshte said. Ono nodded in agreement.

After clearing things up, Kion properly introduced Jasiri to the others. "Guys, this is Jasiri. We got off to a rocky start, but I can see now that she's a great friend to have."

Jasiri greeted the others formally. "Hello everyone. As the hippo said, any friend of Kion's is a friend of mine."

"Glad to hear it!" Beshte said happily, always happy to make a new friend. "My name's Beshte."

"My name's Ono." Ono said. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Jasiri."

"And I'm Bunga!" Bunga said, much more excited to meet Jasiri now. "Glad to know you won't eat Kion."

Jasiri couldn't help snorting alongside Kion for that one. Fuli was the last to greet her. "I'm Fuli. Sorry about almost starting a fight with you."

"Oh, that's okay. Saves you the humiliation of losing." Jasiri boasted jokingly.

Kion also let the others know how well Jasiri did against Janja's clan. "You should've seen Jasiri take on Cheezi and Chungu. She was fierce!"

"Hmph. I like her already." Fuli responded. She always liked having a friend to test her skills against. Kion and Jasiri shared another smile. They were both glad everything worked out.

Kion and the others were returning to the Pridelands with Jasiri joining them. Bunga, Fuli, Ono, and Beshte let Kion bid Jasiri farewell. As bittersweet as the moment was, they knew they'd see each other again. Jasiri was the first to say goodbye. "Well, I'd better get back to MY territory."

"And I'D better get back to defending the Pridelands." Kion replied, joking about his fart from earlier. "If we run into each other again, I'll make sure my butt doesn't do any talking."

Jasiri snickered quietly, knowing that full-on laughing would expose her to the other lions. The two shared a caring smile, one that sadly had to be kept brief. If Jasiri stayed too long, another Pridelander would either get the wrong idea, or get frightened by her presence. Still, she and Kion loved getting to meet each other. "Bye, Kion. It's been fun."

"I couldn't agree more, Jasiri." Kion responded as Jasiri turned around. "I'll see you around."

Jasiri decided to have some fun with him when she looked back at Kion. "Not if I see you first!" Jasiri laughed when jumping back into the Outlands. Kion watched her run off, and she looked back up at him when she noticed. Their smiles didn't feign one bit.

When Jasiri headed off, Bunga called over to Kion. "Hey Kion! We gotta get going! Lunch isn't gonna eat itself!"

"Coming!" Kion called back, running over to the others so they could head home.

On the way back, Bunga heard Kion start to hum a tune that was unfamiliar to him. "Dude, what're you humming?"

Kion flinched, but still smiled when he shared it. "Oh, right. Jasiri and I had a little... duet on the way back." Ono quickly caught onto what Kion's smile meant, even if the lion cub didn't know it himself. Bunga was confused, and Beshte was unaware. Fuli was excited to tease him, but felt the moment wasn't right just yet. Kion then said something that surprised them all. "Ya know guys, I got to thinking. Maybe I'm not... unstoppable."

"Gee, that's a shocker." Ono snarked while smiling. "Guess you falling into the Outlands wasn't the worst thing after all."

"It sure wasn't." Kion replied. His genuine tone then vanished as he resumed his cocky persona. "I mean, yeah; I'm awesome, and I have the roar, and I can totally beat anyone who invades the Pridelands... but I can still get hurt. I think Jasiri helped me realize that too." Kion's gratitude to Jasiri, his feelings for her, and their friendship allowed his feelings to return stronger than before. "I want to see her again soon. If I can." Kion still had no idea what these newfound feelings were. But he liked them, even though he was unsure of how to act on them. Maybe someday, he'd understand them better. But for now, his smile stayed as the screen faded to black, ending the episode off.