Chapter 9: Kion's Reunion

It has been a few days since the prince and his sister's best friends were attacked and Kion had been anxious since he had felt Mheetu was going to come back one day and abduct him again. To east their son's PSTD, Simba and Nala had placed patrols around the borders at both day and night, locking the Pride Lands up to assure Kion doesn't be reached and taken away from them.

Despite Tiifu and Zuri proving to be better lionesses then most of, no, all of the lionesses in Mheetu's pride, it was easy for them to get annoyed. However, whereas a sisterly connection was starting to be born on Tiifu, he can sense something was starting to grow for Zuri that is undefinable.

Kiara and Kion are also developing a bond and he was starting to help her grow a more understanding of the Circle of Life and also didn't interrupt their father teaching her about the Pride Lands. Whereas Kiara learning about being a good lion queen, the lion cub is learning to be stronger to one day to match the strength of Mheetu since he knew Kiara will never truly be safe with Scar's heir running around, proving a threat to the Pride Lands.

Kion laid down in the cave at noon, allowing the sun to bathe him, taking a liking to it since Kiara and Tiifu suggested him to do it to place his thoughts at rest. The two lionesses were correct about it being relaxing and refreshing to anyone who wishes for meditation.

The honey badger sports many colors, from the striking pinks of his ears to the thick navy shades of his bushy eyebrows. His nose appears to be a very dark shade of brown, while his eyes are coal-black. Perhaps his most striking feature, Bunga's teeth are large and distinctly gap-filled.

The other is a king cheetah cub with smooth features and a lithe build. Her coat is a soft golden-yellow, broken only by patches of tan around her eyes and on her chest and muzzle. Dark, rounded spots dot her back, head, and legs. Her muzzle, paws, and underbelly are a pale creamy yellow color, as is the fur encircling her eyes. Her eye color is strong forest green. Her nose is a similar brown to that found in her ear, with a tawny brown bridge.

They both came to a stop and turned to him. Instantly, they looked back at each other before back at him. Running behind the golden cub, the honey badger giggled nervously.

"Bunga! I'm going to catch you and kill you for wetting my fur!" the cheetah snarled, her green eyes glaring fiercely at him. "And that lion cub won't stop me!"

"What happen between you two?" Kion asked, looking back-and-forth. He has noticed that her fur seems to be out of place and scruffy.

"It was a dare!" The honey badger called Bunga yelled up to the lion cub. "Fuli here said I wouldn't get her, so I did to prove myself! Also, why do you care about getting your fur wet, Fuli? We all get wet once and a while!"

"You know how I feel about water, honey badger!" She barked towards the honey badger, making him fall behind the lion cub slightly afraid.

"Hey, friend, why don't you shield me from her?" Bunga asked, looking up towards him since it really isn't my fault.

"Ah no," Kion denied taking a step away from him. "She seems mad and I'm not going to face that wrath. You're alone. I'm not that dumb."

The cheetah named Fuli then charged up and took a swipe at Bunga, which force him to again hide behind the lion cub and her paw accidentally waving at him. Seeing that she is about to hit him instead of the honey badger, Kion dodged to the side with surprising speed and stood there. Bunga was met by her paw due to the dodge and knocked to the ground several feet in front of him.

Both were surprised at his speed at dodging her fast blow. Despite being hit by a paw, Bunga seems unaffected due to staring ag the lion cub with shock. "Woah," Fuli said in awe. "I didn't even aim my paw for you but woah you move out of my way so fast."

Kion shrugged. "Instincts kick in, I guess," he said half-heartedly, not seeing what the big deal is for it was a simple dodge. "Also, I have been raised in the Outlands and it's harsh to respect the Circle of Life and having to watch out every corner. But now I am in the Pride Lands and guess that I'm with a supportive family that will never harm me."

"Wow," Bunga said in awe. "That's so unbungalievable."

Kion rolled his eyes but smiled softly at these new kind animals. He really needed that after two days of getting adjusted here. He knew he will have to leave eventually but if he meets friends who he can secretly visit then good. All he wanted to be friends he can get to know to adjust living with his real parents and kind animals.

The stares he was getting is really starting to get on his nerves, however. Since they're Pride Landers, the lion cub guessed that it was something that a half Outlander and half Pride Landers deserve. Besides, many Pride Landers lionesses were growing suspicious and outraged of his presence, however, there are some supporters who agreed he was just a cub.

He let out a fake cough, returning them to attention. "Well, want to be friends?" he insists, still trying to find his old friends that he had barely remembered. "Since I'm bored right now and don't have anywhere to go anyways."

"Ok," Fuli said, seeming forgotten that she had chase Bunga a few seconds ago.

"Yeah, we have some friends who would love to meet you!" Bunga cried, jumping up in front of Kion.

Kion chuckles. "Yeah, okay, honey badger," he said.

The honey badger stopped jumping and stared up at him, "The name's Bunga," the honey badger told him. "And she's Fuli." He tapped the cheetah on the nose as he said this part making her react by growling lowly.

Kion raised an eyebrow at the names, wondering if he had heard their names before. He had tried to scan deep into his young cubhood but he cannot remember them. Where had he seen these two before?

"I'm Kion," Kion returned a greeting in response.

Fuli and Bunga's eyes grew wide by horror and surprise, and it was at that moment, Kion begins pondering if he had said something wrong in the choice of words. The lion cub had seen looks of surprise from everyone in the Pride Lands, but they were looking at him like they had recently seen a ghost.

For a few seconds, they were frozen in their spots, staring at him with wide eyes and dropped jaws, however, what happened next was that the honey badger... and even the cheetah lunged towards him and wrapped their paws around him.

His first instinct was to fight for release, however, for some reason, he didn't. Kion had felt a familiar connection to the animals which were surprising since he has been full of desire to meet his old friends. Yet, the lion cub was completely uncomfortable at being touch in physical combat by two animals who he hadn't known for so long.

After what he had guessed was five minutes, the lion cub looked at them with tension and a warning to not lung at him like that again. Both animals looked confused at his cautious look but realization seems to dawn on them, and so did hurt dawned in their eyes.

"Kion! It's us, Bunga and Fuli!" Fuli exclaimed, grabbing both of his shoulders and begins shaking him with two of her front paws, and finally, Kion remembered when he was very young, playing with a honey badger and cheetah. It was a memory Kion had tried to remember each day so he wouldn't forget who he was and forever be lost to darkness.

"Bunga! Fuli!" Kion's voice was shocked and surprised, grabbing onto both animals and hugging them tightly but gently in to assure that he was not going to accidentally kill them. They were not enemies or predators that will be put to an end, not when Kion is around. If Mheetu or anyone in his pride tries to assault or kill his old friends that he was now remembering, Kion would end the poor fool.

"Hey, warning, you better watch out about him. When he gets this excited, there-" Fuli didn't have a chance for a boom erupted.

Kion gagged in disgust and did his best to covered his nose from the dirty smell. Fuli let out a few coughs, trying to get the smoke from the honey badger away. He then begins to walk away. Sure, there are worse smells but great beyond that smell stinks so bad. The lion cub begins walking off and hopes the smell doesn't stick with them.

"Mental note, don't get honey badgers excited," the cub whispered to himself. Kion turned back to the duo and glanced at Bunga and begin speaking. "That smell can kill somebody, Bunga."

"Yeah, I know," Bunga said not getting it at all and rubbing at himself in a proud manner.

"That isn't a compliment," Kion informed him. "It's an "If you have to do that, then do it somewhere else"."

"Yeah, I hate when that happens too," Fuli agreed. "Which is why when you eat those disgusting grubs and grabbed the wrong grub," she turned towards him. "You should stay at Hakuna Matata Falls."

Kion frowned. So he eats grubs? And can eat the wrong one and gets even more stinker then ever? He made another mental note to watch out for Bunga's attitude because... that ain't quite a sight... or smell that Kion wants to face every day.

The honey badger narrowed his eyes. "Hey, at least animals know not the mess with me like those stinky hyenas we had to encounter a few months ago. Hyenas are really bad animals."

Kion stiffened and his muscles became tighter. "Hey," he said, "I happen to know some hyenas and they aren't that bad. They're just some bad hyenas that overwhelm the good."

He wondered did he made a mistake in words when their eyes went wide. A lion knowing a hyena... or hyenas' is a big weight. He's so glad that they had dropped the subject. Kion realized that animals across Africa don't encounter good hyenas very much.

"Well, want to meet more of the older forms of your friends?" the cheetah put in.

"Sure," Kion nodded. "Bored anyway... my old friend."

The lion cub followed the two animals, feeling himself gaining brief flashbacks of memories that were nearly forgotten. Suffice to say, the lion cub was merely getting flashbacks and remember someone name Beshte and Ono; all he has to do is see his old friends and the memories will come back, though it will not weaken him or made him weaker than the teachings of Mheetu.

Kion noticed his friends leading him to a watering hole which was still odd for the lion cub since he was not yet so use to the Pride Lands waterholes where not many have to fight for their territory. The lion cub sat down on a strange rock and begins drinking the water, lapping it and allowing it's a pleasant taste to become consumed in his mouth. The animals around were either drinking their own or just talking with their friends and Kion merely ignored the animals around him.

Soon, the rock lifted up. Kion gasped and attempted to jump towards the surface, but the lion cub didn't have time to even know where he was going and fallen to the water with a harsh thud.

Kion begins to swim up towards the surface. Gasping and trying to steady himself, the cub begins to make way to the top. At that moment, he was so glad Mheetu taught him how to swim since he was very young, despite him not holding water so likely.

Kion made it to the top and collapsed against the surface, releasing heavy breaths and his heart was pounding. "Sorry about that one," the animal who had knocked him down apologized. "I didn't know you were on top of me."

Kion smiled. "Sisi Ni Sawa," he said kindly to the animal, revealing to be a hippo. "All is forgiven."

"Yeah, my name's Beshte," the animal greeted. "What's yours?"

"Kion," the prince responded. "Nice to meet you... my old friend." Kion let out a small laugh at the shock and flabbergasted look across Beshte's face. "You better give me a warning next time. Because you surprise me."

Beshte has a stout body with thick legs, dark gray-purple toenails, and three dark spots on his back. His body color is that of a neutral gray, which becomes much paler across his chest and jawline. His inner ears are pale pink, and the area around his eyes is a lighter shade of his body color. He has a disproportionately large snout, with small ears and eyes, as well as thick eyebrows. His teeth are rather large, with two protruding over his upper jaw, and a patch of black hair sticks up from his otherwise bald head. His eyes are bright blue.

"You too... Kion..." Beshte's voice was still in surprise, not expecting to see his old lion friend. Sure, there were rumors about Kion returning but there have been rumors of that before and so they didn't anticipate his return. "And again sorry about that; didn't know you would have fallen off," Beshte said apologetically, hoping that he hadn't hurt his old friend.

"It's okay," Kion assured again. "Now, what do you guys play?" He raised his eyebrows towards them.

"Well, it's not only us," Fuli said. "We have an egret friend who also play with us-" she stared up to the sky where she saw a white egret diving into the grass and disappearing for the next few minutes. "Oh, perfect timing. He must be hunting something." The cheetah declared as Kion watch the events.

"Hey, Ono!" Bunga shouted, pulling his paws by his mouth. "Come here!"

As the blue honey badger said that, a bird peaked from the grass. Kion guessed that is the one called Ono since Fuli wouldn't be yelling at the sky for no reason. He took a good look at him and seen he had a different appearance to those annoying vultures in the Outlands.

Ono is a narrowly built bird with a very skinny pair of black legs that are striped with orange, which leads to a pair of orange claws. The end of each claw also has a black spot. His upper body is compact, with pure white feathers across the main part of his body. Some pale orange and yellow feathers reach into the end of his wings and form a band around his neck. He has a long, pointy orange beak and lavender circles across his large eyes. His eyelids are a slightly more bluish shade. Atop his head, he sports a crest of five feathers of differing lengths, starting off with a light yellow at the bases and transitioning to a slightly dark tangerine orange near the tips.

"Hey, Ono," Kion smirked, winking at then bird, causing the bird's eyes to widen and wrapped his wings around the lion cub's paws, causing the prince to return the embrace. "Come on, let's make up for the lost time."

They played for the rest of the day.

Arthur's note: I'm sorry for the months' break but I decided to write this chapter out of giving you all to see this far. Although the next chapter won't be up for a while, I found my interest slowly returning to writing the Lion King. However, I still have a long way to go.