Babysitter Bunga

A/N: Here we go everyone, season two of Little Star and the Lion Guard Adventures has officially begun! I'll answer a few questions that were left in reviews on the last chapter of the previous installment.

738: Well, now that we're in season two, the Backlands will be explored soon.

24680: That is a very strong possibility. This chapter will prove it.

KNFOBB: Chapter fifteen of this story will showcase all the animals of the Backlands. I can tell you a few species; Lions, Leopards, Gorillas, and Hawks.

Lockieboy1819: Well here's the start of season two! Hope you enjoy it.

18Andrew: I'm glad you enjoyed the first installment, and hope you'll enjoy this sequel just as much.

FWFKBS: I will disclose the Wisest from Scar's Guard during a future chapter. As for if the Fiercest and Wisest were always friends that turned to more, I'll only say it was true for the First Lion Guard. More on that's to come in season three.

kickykyo: Thank you for reading this story and I hope you'll love what I have in store for the second season.

Fanficteller: Season two is finally here! Nyota's past will be revealed, and her and Kion will definitely grow closer. Wait and see.

Shane Hedin: Your review was a little confusing for me. Why don't you create an account and you can PM me about your questions and I'll answer as best I can.

johannvanguard: Helping Pride Landers solve problems is what the Lion Guard is all about. I'm glad you liked the Guard moment at the end, I figured it would be the perfect way to end the first installment. Truth be told, I happened to be listening to the song "Friends To The End" from the third season of The Lion Guard, and that's what gave me the idea. Hope you'll enjoy the second season.

Song Key:

* "Word's appearing like this indicate solo vocals."

* "Words appearing like this indicate chrous/unison vocals."

Now, without further adieu, here's the premier of Little Star and the Lion Guard Adventures: The Rise of Evil...

The Pride Lands, a beautiful kingdom, a home to all sorts of animals. A kingdom of peace and harmony amongst all its inhabitants, free to live without much fear, most of the time. Today was not one of those worry free days. Not far from a grazing zebra herd, a dark beige cub stood behind a pile of boulders, her tongue gliding across her fangs. Beside her stood a female, adult jackal.

"I love the smell of zebras in the morning." Reirei chuckled, sniffing the air. "Smells like breakfast."

"You said it, Ma." Kiji agreed with a snicker. She turned around and jumped off the boulder, landing in front of two young pups. "Dogo, Kijana, this is a perfect opportunity for you to try out what we've been practicing." She grinned with a flick of her tail.

"You mean, luring the little one away from the herd?" Dogo asked.

"'Cause they're young and easy to trick?" Kijana followed a second later.

Kiji nodded, "That's right." she confirmed. "Remember, chase 'em, charm 'em..."

"And then, chomp 'em!" cut in Goigoi with a chuckle.

Reirei laughed, "Exactly. Now, we'll scare the herd while you two find yourselves a little one." she met the eyes of her young pups, who nodded in agreement. "Great. Let's go!" The jackal matriarch leaped over the boulder pile and led the charge against the zebra herd, with her lioness cub by her side.

Nearby, the Lion Guard was going about their morning patrol, when a few members suddenly caught a familiar scent on the wind. "You two smell that?" Kion asked, glancing at the two female felines on either side of him.

Fuli and Nyota each sniffed the air, and nodded to one another. "Yeah, and it doesn't smell good." replied the Guard's fastest member.

"Don't look at me." Bunga held his arms up in surrender. "I'm back here."

Nyota rolled her eyes, "It's not you, Bunga." she exonerated. "It's jackals." The Guard's wisest glanced to the bird perched on her shoulder, "Ono."

The Guard's keenest of sight raised his left wing to his head, "I'll see what I can see." Ono took off from Nyota's shoulder and scanned the Pride Lands from the skies. "Hapana." he gasped, once he caught sight of the pack. "It's Kiji and the jackals!" he alerted. "They're attacking Muhimu's herd!"

"Then, we need to move." Kion ordered. "Till the Pride Lands end...

"...Lion Guard defend!" the rest of the Guard finished as they raced across the grasslands to help the zebra herd.

The jackals barked and Kiji growled as they ran right towards the zebra herd. Muhimu looked up and screamed, "Panic and run! Panic and run!" The rest of her herd immediately stopped their grazing and let out high-pitched whinnies as they ran away from the predators chasing them.

Hamu ran as fast as he could, trying to keep up with his mother and the rest of the herd. "Panic and run, Hamu!" Muhimu urged. "Panic and run!"

"I am panicking..." Hamu panted. "...but you're running too fast."

A dark grin spread across Kiji's pale beige muzzle, "See that little zebra there?" she asked, glancing down at Dogo and Kijana, who were running on either side of her. "You know what to do."

"We sure do, big sister." Kijana giggled.

"Yeah Ki." added Dogo, with a wide smile. He watched as his twin sister ran ahead after Hamu. "Hey, wait up, Kijana!"

Ono flew overhead, keeping his eyes on Muhimu's herd. "A couple of jackals have separated Hamu from the rest of the herd!" he informed the rest of the Guard running below.

"Hamu!" Bunga repeated, his eyes wide. "Stinkin' Jackals." he muttered.

"Bunga, you and Ono, go help Hamu." Nyota told them, glancing from the egret to the honey badger. "The rest of us will take on Kiji and the rest of the jackals." Her stormy blue eyes narrowed at the mention of the other lioness' name. Ono flew off towards the direction he saw Hamu run, while Bunga kept pace with the avain member of the Guard.

Kijana ran into the tall grass to conceal herself while Dogo continued to run after Hamu, calling out for him to slow down and wait up. "But...you're a jackal." the young zebra pointed out, continuing to run.

"Yeah, but I'm a friendly jackal." Dogo grinned, innocently. "I just wanna play."

"You do?" Hamu questioned, raising his eyebrow.

Dogo nodded as he continued to run after Hamu, "Yeah, we can play...tag."

Hamu skidded to a halt and faced the jackal pup. "I do like tag." he agreed.

Meanwhile, the rest of the pack were chasing after the panicking zebras. Goigoi was coming up on the heels of one of the herd members, "Oh." groaned the adult male jackal. "Slow down so I can eat ya."

The next instant, Goigoi was knocked into the air by a blur of yellow and brown, which sent him tumbling a few feet before landing flat on his stomach. The Guard's fastest stepped up and looked down at the jackal with a smirk, "Now, who's slowing down?" the cheetah questioned with a quirked brow.

"Uh..." Goigoi glanced up, "...not the zebras." He quickly jumped to his feet and ran away from Fuli.

Two teenage jackals were chasing after five zebras who had veered off, when suddenly the group split and Beshte came charging forward, "Twende Kiboko!" the Guard's strongest shouted as he knocked the two pups into the air. The pair landed on the ground with pained grunts.

Dogo stood in front of Hamu, wagging his tail, "Let's play surprise-tag!" he suggested, jumping up and down excitedly. "You stand still, and close your eyes." Hamu followed Dogo's instructions, unaware of the fact that Kijana was sneaking up on him from behind.

"Hamu!" Ono yelled, flying above the young zebra. "Behind you."

"Lion Guard?" Dogo questioned, his ears flattening. "No, don't spoil the surprise."

Hamu turned around and saw Kijana, who gave him a semi-innocent smile and a wag of her tail. Out of the grass jumped Bunga, who tackled the female pup and pinned her down. "What kind of game is this?" Hamu asked, narrowing his eyes at the male pup.

Dogo hunched low, narrowing his eyes into a glare. "It's the last game you'll ever play, zebra." he threatened. Before Dogo could even prepare to pounce, Ono dive-bombed him, forcing him to bare his fangs and growl.

"I don't think you play tag with your teeth." Hamu pointed out, backing away from Dogo.

"Jackals do." the pup retroted, slowly advancing on the baby zebra.

Bunga struggled to keep Kijana pinned down, "Kick him, Hamu!" he told the young zebra. "Kick him!"

A small smirk crossed his muzzle, "Tag!" Hamu chuckled, kicking Dogo into the tall grass. "You're it."

Bunga rounded up the two pups and stood on their tails so they couldn't run, "Good guys, two. Jackals, nothing." he chuckled, wiping his palms together.

Kiji ran after Muhimu, her orange eyes narrowed on her prey. "I've got you now." she cackled.

Muhimu shrieked and tripped over her hoofs, her eyes widening as Kiji leaped into the air, brandishing her claws. "Not today!" roared Nyota, who jumped over a boulder a few feet behind Muhimu. The two lionesses tackled eachother, sending them rolling away from the zebra leader.

Reirei growled as she chased the remaining members of the herd, laughing as she closed in on them. "Give it up, Reirei!" Kion ordered, standing atop a boulder in front of her. "You're the last one standing."

The jackal matriarch skidded to a halt, "I am?" she glanced around, looking for her mate and children.

Out of the tall grass came Kiji and Nyota, the darker furred cub landing on top of her jackal mother's back, while the lighter furred cub stood tall in front of the boulder pile. "Well, not anymore." Kion chuckled as he jumped down, landing next to his best friend, while Muhimu and the rest of her herd regrouped.

Muhimu looked around, realizing that her son was nowhere to be found. "Hamu? Hamu!"

"Right here, Mom." Hamu answered, walking beside Bunga, who was dragging the two pups by their ears. The honey badger released them and they ran back to their mother. "Bunga saved me." the younger zebra told his mother.

"Nah, you saved yourself." the Guard's bravest shrugged off.

Hamu looked up at Muhimu with his wide, blue eyes. "Bunga told me to kick, and I did!" he exclaimed.

"Did you hear that, Kion?" Reirei gasped, "That little zebra attacked my kids." While the jackals were playing the victim, Kiji kept her eyes set in a hard glare, which was only kept and matched by Nyota, who's eyes were set in a glare of their own.

"Don't worry, Reirei." Kion played along, "You'll be safe from these vicious zebras once you're back in the Outlands."

Reirei's ears fell to the sides of her head, "No justice for jackals, I guess." she sighed. "All right, let's go." She led the rest of her family back to the Outlands. Kiji followed her jackal family, but kept her eyes on Nyota for a few moments longer, before spinning on her heels and catching up with the rest of the jackals.

"Great job, everyone." Kion praised, turning back to face the rest of his Guard. They all turned to head back to their Lair.

"Lion Guard, wait!" Muhimu called out, her voice still laced with panic. "You can't just go. We've been attacked."

"It's okay Muhimu." Nyota soothed, turning back to face the female leader. "Kiji and the jackals are gone now. You and your herd are safe now."

"No need to panic." Ono added, perching between Nyota's shoulders. "Or run."

"Yes, I know, but I..." Muhimu took a shallow breath, "I'm still sort of shaken up."

"You just need to relax, Muhimu." Beshte suggested. "Take some time for yourself."

"Well, I'd love to..." the female herd leader sighed, "...but what would I do with Hamu?" She looked down and noticed her son wasn't beside her. Instead he was frolicking around with Bunga. "Maybe Hamu can stay with Bunga." Muhimu voted. "They really get along together."

"Stay with me?" the Guard's bravest questioned.

"Stay with Bunga?" Hamu repeated. "That sounds great!" he jumped up with excitement.

"What do you think, Bunga?" Kion asked, looking to the honey badger. "You okay keeping an eye on Hamu for a little while?"

Bunga shrugged his shoulders, "Sure, why not?" he agreed. Hamu shouted in excitement and the two continued to chase eachother.

"Oh, thank you." Muhimu sighed in relief. "I can relax now knowing that my little one is with someone so responsible." She walked off towards the watering hole.

"Hamu!" Bunga called out, jumping onto the young zebra's back, covering his eyes. "You wanna dive off Hakuna Matata Falls?"

"Yeah!" Hamu exclaimed.

Fuli blinked her bright, green eyes. "Did she say, 'responsible'?" she questioned, referring to Muhimu's earlier statement. The rest of the Guard just shrugged their shoulders, before heading off back towards Pride Rock.

The five members of the Lion Guard relaxed in their Lair, with Beshte in his pool, Fuli on a flat rock as far from the water as possible, Ono in his nest, and Kion and Nyota laying side by side on the sloping rock overlooking the water. The female lion cub was busy cleaning her upper legs and side.

Ono flew out of his nest and landed in front of the two lion cubs, "Uh, Kion..." the egret cleared his throat, getting the Guard leader's attention, "I was wondering..."

"What is it Ono?" Kion asked, taking note of the concern in the egret's eyes.

"Well...I'm a bit concerned about Bunga being away." Ono admitted.

Nyota let out a light giggle, lifting her head and crossing her paws, "I'm sure Bunga will do great with Hamu." she assured, nudging the bird with her nose.

Ono shook his head, "I'm not worried about that. I'm worried about us." he corrected. "We do depend on Bunga."

"For funny smells?" Fuli chuckled, getting to her feet and stretching her limbs. "Bad jokes?"

"Fuli, you know Bunga is the bravest." Beshte reminded.

"And he's the best climber." Ono added.

Nyota cleared her throat, "Hey, I'm a decent climber too." she pointed out, sitting up and scratching an itch behind her right ear. "Comes from living in a Baobab Tree your whole life." she added under her breath.

"Yeah, okay." the keenest of sight nodded. "But you don't always go for the rescue that involves climbing if something else is going on too." he noted. "What if we need to rescue someone from a tree or some other high place, while Bunga's gone, and Nyota has to deal with another crises?"

Nyota blinked her stormy-blue eyes, "I never thought about it like that." she muttered under her breath, her ears falling to the sides of her head. "You're right, Ono."

"We should practice what we do." Kion voted, getting to his feet and jumping down from the rock he was laying on, with Nyota right behind him.

The prince looked around and saw a small ledge on one of the Lair's walls, his eyes then looking to Nyota as a small smile crossed his muzzle and his brow arched slightly. "Uh Kion?" the Guard's wisest questioned. "Why are you looking at me like that?"

"See that ledge up there?" Kion looked back to what he spotted earlier. Nyota followed his line of sight and nodded her head. "Jump up there and pretend you're a trapped animal."

"What!?" Nyota practically shrieked, looking back to her best friend. "Kion, you know I am not the damsel-in-distress type." Kion's expression remained unchanged, and Nyota's ears fell to the sides of her head. "Do I have to?" she whined.

"Yes." the Guard's fiercest answered firmly. "The others need to practicing climbing drills in case an animal does get trapped high up and you're otherwise occupied."

"But...but..." the lioness cub stammered.

"Nyota." Kion flicked his tail, his expression still the same as before.

The Guard's wisest sighed in defeat. "Fine, I'll do it." she caved. "But..." she got right in Kion's face, barely an inch between their noses, and thier eyes locking with one another, "...you owe me big time." Nyota turned on her heels, the tuft of fur at the end of her tail slapping Kion's nose as she did so, and ran towards the wall, jumping up and digging her claws into the rock as she climbed up to the ledge. She sat down and sighed, rolling her eyes, "Help." she mock shouted. "Lion Guard, help. I'm trapped."

Fuli let out a giggle, seeing her lioness friend sarcastically feign distress. "Now." Kion looked to his three friends. "Who wants to try to help her down?"

The Guard's fastest blinked her wide eyes, "Kion, you know cheetahs don't climb." she reminded.

"Give it a try." Kion told her.

Fuli sighed, "Fine." She backed up a few yards and hunched low, keeping her eyes on Nyota, who was just laying on the ledge with her paws crossed and tapping her tail. "Huwezi!" Fuli sped off, running past the three guys and almost making it to the top of the ledge, but her momentum ceased and she fell back to the ground, landing on her stomach.

"You're right...cheetahs can't climb." Ono confirmed.

"I didn't say that." Fuli rebuffed, getting to her feet and shaking out her fur. "I said we don't climb."

"And now we know why." Ono laughed, and Beshte joined in. Seeing the narrowed glare from their cheetah friend, they both stopped. Ono cleared his throat, "Yes, well, I can't climb either." he informed, "But I can fly to the rescue." The keenest of sight took to the air and flew up to the lioness cub, "Hello, animal in danger." he greeted, to which Nyota rolled her eyes. "Allow me to help you out." Ono grabbed some of Nyota's fur with his talons and proceeded to try and pick her up.

"Uh Ono, I don't think-" the Guard's wisest began to say, but trailed off when the egret was launched into the opposite wall due to his lack of strength. "Ono? You okay?" Nyota called from the ledge as she watched the rest of the Guard run to their avian friend.

"Affirmative." the egret groaned in reply.

"I bet I could get Nyota down." Beshte smiled, taking a few steps back. "Twende Kiboko!" The Guard's strongest shouted as he charged towards the wall.

"Wait, Beshte!" Kion and Nyota shouted in unison. Beshte didn't even make it halfway to the ledge when he suddenly slowed down and instead rolled back down the wall, across the Lair floor, barely missing Kion and Fuli, as he collided with the opposite wall, landing on Ono in the process.

"Ouch." Nyota muttered, her ears at the sides of her head, teeth gritted together, and her left eye closed and right paw slightly raised off the ground.

"Okay." Kion spoke after the dust settled. "Maybe that's enough climbing practice for now."

"Good." Ono grunted from under Beshte.

Nyota took that as her cue to jump down from the ledge and rejoin her friends. After Beshte got up off of Ono, Nyota lifted the egret with her nose and helped him onto her back where he began to clean his feathers. "Well, that was..." the female cub stammered, "...entertaining."

Meanwhile, in Hakuna Matata Falls...

Bunga and Hamu stood at the very top of the water fall, looking down at the small lake below. "This time, use your front hooves to break through the water." Bunga instructed.

"Got it." Hamu nodded.

Both males jumped off the edge, yelling "Zuka Zama!" as they plummeted down and dove into the lake, splashing eachother as they laughed.

Twiga, the giraffe leader, cleared her throat as she approached the lake's shoreline, "Bunga, would you mind watching our kids, too?" she asked. Beside her stood her daughter, Juhudi, a young giraffe with teal eyes and a long mane. Along with Twiga and Juhudi, there was a mother serval, mother monkey, and mother rhino, all with their sons.

"Ooh, can you Bunga?" Hamu questioned, his eyes wide. "Can you?"

"Hmm, I don't know." Bunga pondered, tapping his chin with his claws. "More kids, bigger splashes, more noise."

The monkey mother sighed, "We can understand if it's too much trouble." she said.

"You kidding? It sounds great!" exclaimed the brave honey badger. "Come on, kids!" he waved them over to the lake. "Jump in!"

"Yay!" the four kinds cheered, jumping into the lake with Hamu and Bunga, all of them laughing.

"Okay then," the mother serval nodded.

"We'll be back before sunset." Twiga informed as her and the other moms left the falls.

Bunga shrugged his shoulders. "Now what, Bunga?" Hamu asked as he splashed the badger.

"Yeah, is there anything else to do?" questioned Juhudi.

"You kidding? Hakuna Matata Falls is filled with fun stuff to do." Bunga informed, running out of the lake a grabbing a gourd that had fallen out of one of the trees. "As long as you know how to... Teke, Ruka, and Teleza."

"Teke, Ruka, and Teleza?" the little monkey asked, scratching his head.

Bunga nodded. "Teke...kick!" he tossed the gourd into the air and kicked it with his foot.

The five kids exchanged a wide-eyed glance, and chased after the gourd, kicking around shouting "Teke!" The gourd was kicked from Juhudi, to the little monkey, to the serval, to the rhino, then finally to Hamu. "Right back at you, Bunga!" the young zebra laughed, kicking the gourd back to Bunga with his hind hooves. "Teke!"

Bunga jumped in the air and caught the gourd, "Good job, everybody! Now, come on." he waved his arm, motioning for the kids to follow him. "Ruka...jump!" Bunga jumped over a log, the five kids following suit, shouting "Ruka!" as they did so.

A wide grin spread across Bunga's face, "Great, now Teleza...slide!" Bunga slid down a small hill on his stomach, landing right into a smaller watering hole.

"Teleza!" exclaimed the five young animals as they followed suit, sliding down the hill and splashing Bunga once they landed in the water. "Yay!" they all cheered.

"See, if you can kick, jump, and slide, you can do anything!" Bunga explained to the kiddies. "I'll show ya!" He jumped onto a nearby log and motioned for the kids to follow him.

"Get up, everyone!

It's time for us to play

I'll show ya something new

That we can do all day."

Bunga led the kids around Hakuna Matata Falls, all of them moving their heads to the musical beat.

"It's simple and it's fun

It's kinda like a game

Just watch what I do

And then you do the same."

"Teke!"

"Everybody kick!"

"Ruka!"

"Everybody jump!"

"Teleza!"

"Everybody slide!

Kick, jump, slide!"

As Bunga shouted the commands, the kids demonstrated them, turning the simple action into their own little dance.

"Teke Ruka Teleza

Teke Ruka Teleza

Teke Ruka Teleza

Teke Ruka Teleza!"

"That's the way to go

Now you're in the groove

Who needs a fancy dance?

When we can shake and move."

Bunga danced around Hakuna Matata Falls, while the kids continued to play around kicking, jumping, and sliding.

"It's simple and it's fun

It's kinda like a game

Just watch what I do

Then you do the same."

"Teke!"

"Everybody kick!"

"Ruka!"

"Everybody jump!"

"Teleza!"

"Everybody slide!"

"Kick, jump slide!"

"Teke Ruka Teleza

Teke Ruka Teleza

Teke Ruka Teleza

Teke Ruka Teleza!"

Bunga and the kids kicked a Baobab fruit around, continuing their dancing and singing.

"It's simple and it's fun

It's kinda like a game

Just watch what I do

And then you do the same."

"Teke!"

"Everybody kick!"

"Ruka!"

"Everybody jump!"

"Teleza!"

"Everybody slide!"

Kick, jump, slide!"

"Teke Ruka Teleza

Teke Ruka Teleza

Teke Ruka Teleza

Teke Ruka Teleza."

"Yeah, and ya kick..."

(Teke Ruka Teleza)

...And ya jump...

(Teke Ruka Teleza)

...And ya slide...!

(Teke Ruka Teleza)

Kick, jump slide!

Teke Ruka Teleza

Teke Ruka Teleza!"

Bunga struck a finishing pose as the music came to an end. The five kids he was in charge of erupted into cheers.

In the Outlands...

Goigoi, Reirei, and a few of their teenage pups were resting in a canyon near their den. A few yards away was a rock pile, which Kiji, Dogo, and Kijana were hiding behind. "Okay, now just like we practiced." the feline whispered, glancing down at her two jackal siblings. "Find the little one and move it away from the others."

"Got it." the twins replied with a nod of their heads. They slowly moved around the rock pile, keeping low to the ground as they slowly snuck up on their parents and siblings. Goigoi was busy snoring away, while the rest played oblivious to the two pups. "Uh...none of them are little Ki." Kijiana noted, glancing up at her lioness sister.

"That's okay." Goigoi piped up. "I'll be the little one. You can chase me."

Kiji chuckled, her tail swaying back and forth. "Isn't Pop sweet?" she giggled, jumping down from the boulders. "Not smart, but sweet. Now run him down, like you're gonna eat him!"

Dogo and Kijana snarled and chased after their father, who let out fake screams of terror. The twins pounced on Goigoi, with Dogo tugging on his ear and Kijana pulling his tail, the older male's screams turning into yelps.

Reirei and Kiji walked up to them, grins spread across their muzzles. "How'd we do?" the twins asked with wide eyes and wagging tails.

"Very good." Kiji praised, ruffling the fur on their heads with her paw. Dogo and Kijana rubbed against their lioness sister's forelegs before sitting down on either side of her.

Reirei nodded, "Good enough that I think it's time to go back to the Pride Lands." she informed.

"Back to the Pride Lands?" Dogo questioned, exchanging a glance with Kijana.

"What about the Lion Guard?" Kijana asked, looking from her brother to her mother.

"Leave that to me." the jackal matriarch answered, her green eyes narrowed slightly. "I'll come up with a plan to keep them out of our way."

Kiji and the jackals snuck back into the Pride Lands and made their way to the watering hole. Only, all they saw were the five adult mothers happily enjoying their child-free time. Reirei sighed, ducking out of sight and turning to face her family, "Let's move on." she told them, her voice soft. "Nothing here but tough old animals."

"Think we should go pick up the little ones?" Muhimu asked.

"Little ones?" Reirei repeated, her ears perking up.

"Why?" questioned Twiga. "They're all having fun at Hakuna Matata Falls. Let them play."

A sly grin spread across the female jackals muzzle, "A bunch of little ones at Hakuna Matata Falls." she chuckled, glancing to her younger pups. "It's just what you need. One final test to show you know your stuff."

Goigoi licked his snout as he thought about the little animals, "Yum." he cackled, moving to head in the direction of Hakuna Matata Falls.

"Not so fast." Reirei halted, jumping in front of her mate. "Remember I said, I'd come up with a plan for the Lion Guard?" she raised her brow. "You think of something to distract the Lion Guard. The rest of us will go after the little ones."

"But I'm hungry too." Goigoi whined.

"Aw, don't worry Pop." Kiji assured, brushing her side against her jackal father's as she walked past him. "We'll save you a tidbit."

"Come along, kiddies." Reirei ushered her pups as the pack headed to the falls.

"Huh. Reirei thinks I can think of something." the lone male jackal muttered. "Well, I'm gonna do her proud." he promised himself, before letting out a groan as his ears fell back against his head. "I hope."

In a nearby grove, the Lion Guard went about their late afternoon patrol. Ono searched the trees before circling back to report to Kion. "Nobody in any of those trees." he informed, landing in front of the golden-furred prince.

"Good." Fuli sighed. "I've had enough climbing for one day."

Kion glanced back to the rest of his team, "Guys, it never hurts to try new things." he pointed out.

"It does, when Beshte lands on you." Ono noted, flying to perch on Nyota's shoulder.

"At least now we know, I'm not good at climbing." the Guard's strongest chuckled.

The Guard's fastest rolled her eyes, "Never thought I'd say it but, I'll be glad to have Bunga back." she admitted with a small grin.

"Hey, let's go see how he's doing with Hamu at Hakuna Matata Falls." Nyota suggested, her tail swaying back and forth behind her.

"Poa." Beshte sighed. "I'm sure they're having fun."

Unknown to the Guard, the jackal patriarch was spying on them. His ears perked up at the mention of Hakuna Matata Falls. "But that's where they're not supposed to go." he remembered. Goigoi started pacing, muttering "Think Goigoi, think. Think like you've never thunk before." He suddenly let out a loud, wailing howl as he stepped on his own tail.

Upon hearing the howl, the Lion Guard came to a halt. "You guys hear that too?" Nyota asked, her ears twitching.

"Sounded like a jackal to me." Fuli noted.

"And it came from back that way." Kion looked back towards the grove they just left. He turned on his heels and ran towards where the howl came from. "Till the Pride Lands' end..."

"...Lion Guard, defend!" the other four shouted as they followed Kion.

Goigoi ran across the plains, barking as loud as he could to keep the Lion Guard on his tail. "Uh Goigoi?" Ono questioned as he flew above the male jackal. "What are you doing?"

"Ono! I'm...I'm a chasing antelope." he answered. "It's gonna take the whole Lion Guard to stop me." He ran ahead, continuing to bark. "Wait till Reirei hears about-" he laughed, and was cut off when he fell face first into a hole.

Ono flew back to the rest of the Guard. "Ono, what did you see?" Kion asked as the egret hovered in front of him.

"Well, it's Goigoi." the keenest of sight answered.

Beshte raised his eyebrows, "Who's he chasing?"

"Well...that's the thing." Ono replied. "He isn't-" He was cut off by Goigoi's screams.

The Guard ran in the direction of the screams, seeing the male jackal upside down in a hole. "Howdy, Lion Guard." he greeted, his voice slightly muffled. "Fancy meeting you here."

The lion prince rolled his eyes, "What are you up to, Goigoi?" Kion interrogated.

The male jackal played dumb, brushing off the question with a shrug. "Oh, ya know, just chasing antelope."

Ono shook his head, perched on Nyota's back. "No antelope." he corrected. "I checked."

"Huh." muttered Goigoi. "Sure fooled me."

"That part, I believe." Fuli scoffed with a roll of her eyes.

"Don't worry." the Guard's strongest reassured. "We'll get you out of there."

"You mean it?" Goigoi asked. "You'll lend me a paw or a wing or somethin'?"

Kion and Nyota exchanged a glance, the male cub quirking his brow and turning his eyes back to the trapped jackal, "Sure." Kion agreed. "But first, you tell us where Kiji and the rest of your family are."

"Oh." Goigoi gulped. "I don't know if I could do that." he admitted. "I'd be in big trouble."

This time, Nyota rolled her eyes. "You're upside down in a hole, surrounded by the Lion Guard." she pointed out. "How could things get worse?"

"Reirei and Kiji could get mad at me." the male jackal answered.

"That would be worse." Beshte noted, the others nodding in agreement.

"You guys gotta help me." Goigoi whined. "I'm getting kinda dizzy."

"Just give it up, Goigoi." Kion growled.

"Fine." the jackal patriarch groaned. "They're at Hakuna Matata Falls."

The two lion cubs gaped and met eachother's eyes, "Heyvi kabisa!" they gasped. "We've gotta help Bunga and Hamu." the Guard's wisest voted, her and their leader leaping over the hole and running towards the falls, followed by the fastest and keenest of sight.

"What about me?" Goigoi whined again, suddenly being lifted out of the hole by his tail, courtesy of Beshte, who then ran after the rest of the Lion Guard. "If Reirei asks, you didn't hear it from me!" the male jackal called after the Guard, before running back to the Outlands.

Bunga stood on the edge of a rock overlooking the lake, "Ready for this?" he asked his young charges. "A triple somersault into the water...from upside down." he flipped over and stood on his hands. The five kids stood still with their eyes wide as they all "Ooh"-ed.

A dark, malicious cackle came from the nearby bushes and out jumped Kiji, followed by her jackal family. "Sorry to spoil your fun." Reirei apologized in a sickly-sweet tone. "But we've been waiting a really long time to eat and we just can't wait anymore."

"Get out of here!" Bunga shouted. "One more step and you'll regret it." he threatened, narrowing his eyes as Kiji advanced on him.

Kiji burst out laughing, "Oh, Bunga, and I thought we were besties." she batted her eyes.

Bunga clenched his claws, "Not since you threw Nya over a cliff!" he exclaimed. "Which I will make you pay for that."

"Oh, really?" Kiji challenged. "You think you can take me on and defend all these little morsels by yourself?" She glanced back at the five young animals, licking her lips.

"Better believe it." the honey badger answered, confidently. He smoothed out the fur on his upper arms. "I'm the bravest in the Pride Lands."

"More like the dumbest." the lioness corrected. With a snarl, she pounced on the badger and pinned him to the ground.

"Get outta here, kids!" Bunga shouted, gripping Kiji's foreleg. "Run!"

The five kids stood frozen in fear as the jackal pack surrounded them. "Bunga?" Hamu gulped. "They're all around us."

Bunga kicked Kiji in the muzzle, rolling over and now he was standing on her stomach, gripping her paws. "Teke, kids!" he told them.

All the kids nodded and shouted, "Teke!" as they turned around and kicked the jackals once they closed in on them.

"Yes!" Bunga cheered, holding Kiji back with one arm, the dark-furred cub snapping at him. "Now, run. Scatter."

"You heard Bunga." Hamu said to the others. "Scatter!"

"You can't get away from us that easy." Dogo growled, chasing after Hamu. "We've been practicing."

"They have. I've been teaching them myself." Kiji snarled and tackled Bunga, standing on his chest, her claws protracted. "Those little ones don't stand a chance."

The Guard's bravest glared up at the lioness above him, "Don't count on it, Kiji." he grunted. Kiji moved her other paw to the side of Bunga's face, forcing him to look to the side. Bunga saw Juhudi and the young serval being chased by Kijana and Reire, "Juhudi. Teke!" he called out.

The two animals stopped running and kicked the nearby bush, unleashing a cloud of pollen that temporarily blinded the two female jackals. "Come and get us." the young giraffe and serval taunted. As Reirei and Kijana closed in, Juhudi and the serval side-stepped, causing the two jackals to fall into the lake.

"Yes, way to go, kids!" Bunga cheered, jumping onto Kiji's back and pulling on her ears.

The dark-beige cub growled in annoyance and thrashed around, knocking the honey badger off her back and standing over him, her fangs bared. "You think that's enough to stop my siblings?" she snarled. "I've trained them for this."

"Not too well, I guess." Bunga chuckled with a grin. Growing annoyed with his jokes, Kiji snapped her jaws and went in for a fatal blow, which Bunga dodged. He pushed against the lioness' face, keeping her at arms length as he looked around the falls for the other young animals. "Little monkey!" he called out, seeing him being chased by two teenage pups. "Teleza!"

"Got it." nodded the little monkey as he jumped and slid down the hill on his stomach, shouting "Teleza!" The two teenage jackals slipped and tumbled down the hill, right into a large boulder.

Bunga looked towards the lake and saw Hamu was being chased by Dogo. "Hamu!" he gasped, wide-eyed.

"It's okay." Hamu assured. "I know what I'm doing." He swam to a large rock in the center of the lake and climbed onto it, followed by Dogo. The two stood on opposite ends, the young zebra looked up to his rhino friend, "Ruka." he called out.

"Ruka." the young rhino echoed, jumping onto the rock just as Hamu jumped off, which sent Dogo flying into the nearby bushes on the shore.

"And that's how we do it in Hakuna Matata Falls." Hamu chuckled, stomping his hoof on the ground.

"That's it, Kiji." Bunga chuckled, pushing against Kiji's nose. "My kids beat your jackals."

The dark-beige lioness blinked and stepped back, "That's impossible. They're just little kids."

"Brave little kids." Bunga corrected.

"Yeah." Hamu agreed. "Brave like Bunga."

The honey badger jumped over the lioness cub and stood with his five charges. "Ready, kids?" he asked with a wide grin, as the jackals moved to stand with Kiji. "Zuka Zama!" Bunga and the kids shouted as they ganged up on the lioness and jackals.

The rest of the Lion Guard arrived just in time to catch the end of the fight. They stood in shock, seeing the defeated jackals, with Kiji and Reirei being sat on by the young rhino. "Oh, hey guys." Bunga greeted his friends.

"They look fine to me." Ono noted.

"But there's a lot more kids here, than just Hamu." Nyota noted.

"What happened?" Fuli asked with a quirked brow.

Bunga stood tall with a wide grin on his face and his hands on his hips, "I guess, word spread about what an un-Bunga-lievable babysitter I am." he boasted.

"Kion." Reirei gasped, innocently. "Look what these horrible little animals did to me and my babies. You have to save us."

"I think we can help you, Reirei." Kion chuckled, raising his eyebrow. "As long as you promise not to come after anymore Pride Lands kids again."

"Fine." the jackal matriarch sighed. The five kids jumped off the predators. "Come along, kids." Reirei turned her nose up. "I don't care to stay where we're not welcome."

"Good." Hamu huffed. "'Cause we don't want you here."

Kiji and Nyota locked eyes with one another, which instantly turned into a glare. Dogo and Kijana cowered behind thier lioness sister's forelegs. Reirei led the teenage pups out of the falls, while Kiji slowly followed after, keeping her glare locked with Nyota's. The dark furred lioness hunched her body low to the ground, letting Kijana climb on her back as she picked up Dogo by the fur on his back.

As Kiji passed them by, Nyota's fur bristled and her eyes narrowed as she moved to put herself between Kiji and Kion, her claws protracting. Kiji held the glare a few moments longer before taking off after her mom and siblings. Nyota ran to the edge of the falls, watching the group leave.

"You okay?" Kion asked, walking up beside his best friend.

Nyota kept her eyes glued to the plains until Kiji and the jackals were out of sight. "Yeah, now that she's gone." she answered. Kion nudged Nyota's cheek with his nose, brushing his paw against hers. A small smile crossed the female cub's muzzle as she turned her head to the side, rubbing her forehead against the prince's, both of their tails curling upwards.

"Here they are, all our little ones." Muhimu sighed as she and the other animal mothers came to the falls.

Twiga walked up to her daughter, "How was your day, dear?" she asked.

"It was great!" Juhudi answered with a wide grin.

"You should've seen these guys." Bunga cut in. "They fought off a whole pack of hungry jackals."

The five mothers gasped, "Jackals?"

"It was easy!" Hamu chuckled. "We did Teke, Ruka, and Teleza." He demonstrated by kicking his hind hooves, jumping into the air, then sliding over to Bunga.

"Just like Bunga taught us." Juhudi giggled."

Muhimu walked up to Bunga, "You taught our kids to defend themselves?" she asked with a slightly raised brow.

"Yeah." Bunga shrugged. "Of course."

"You're the best babysitter, ever!" the female zebra grinned.

Fuli blinked, "Seriously?" she muttered.

The kids all ran over to Bunga and nuzzled against him one final time before they left with their mothers. "What can I say?" Bunga shrugged his shoulders. "I knew it all along."

As the sun set over the Pride Lands, Kion walked with Nyota on her way home. "Kion, I appreciate you walking me home, but you didn't need to." she informed as they walked in-step.

"I know, but I wanted to." Kion replied, nudging her shoulder with his.

"And it has nothing to do with Kiji and I fighting the urge to kill eachother earlier back at Hakuna Matata Falls?" the female cub looked to her friend, her eyebrow slightly raised.

The golden-furred prince met his friend's eyes, "Okay, maybe a little." he admitted. Nyota rolled her eyes and continued towards Rafiki's Tree. "It's just because I worry, that's all." Kion added, running to catch up with her.

"I know." Nyota sighed, coming to a halt. "That's sweet, but between me and Kiji...it's my fight. Mine alone." She glanced to her left, her eyes meeting Kion's. She sighed heavily and nudged her head under his, resting her cheek against his shoulder, "I just don't want you getting hurt."

Kion closed his eyes and laid his chin against Nyota's forehead. "I know." he replied, "But I still worry. You're my best friend." He tapped his mane to her forehead. A light giggled escaped Nyota's muzzle as she returned the nuzzle, the corner of her lips curling up into a smile.

The sun had nearly set by the time they reached the large Baobab. The two cubs turned to face eachother, "Good night, Kion." Nyota smiled as she rubbed her forehead against the prince's.

"Sweet dreams, Nyota." Kion replied, nuzzling back before pulling away. He gave his best friend a smile and watched as she jumped onto the long branch before climbing into the hollow, before he turned back and headed for Pride Rock.

A/N: And there we go, season two of Lion Guard Adventures is officially underway. I'm sorry it took so long to upload this. I had a few bad days and didn't feel like doing much writing. Couple those with some migraines and it was literal hell. Sometimes that happens so you guys don't need to worry. I'll update when I can. Tell me what ya liked about this chapter in a review.

XOXO~Cyber