Kion's Tale Ch. 14

"Scan the area!" Zira ordered her Lionesses. "We'll have to make ourselves comfortable until the Lion Guard shows up."

They had been there for over an hour and already Zira was getting fed up with being in charge of such pathetic lowlifes. In her opinion, such animals as jackals and Crocodiles were not fit to be anywhere near the superior species (Lions). She glowered as the canines and reptiles roamed around the spot their master had told them to stay in.

None of them aware that they were being watched.

From behind a large tree root, Makini and her brothers, accompanied by their new Cuckoo bird friend, watched the evil animals settling into their station.

Gunge watched with a surprised expression, as if he had seen these animals before. "You weren't kidding, Makini." He whispered. "Those are the Outlanders that attacked us once before."

Makini looked up to the bird. "The Outlanders attacked you?"

Gunge chuckled as he puffed up with Pride. "Indeed they have. If fact, that little cub down there should remember me better than anyone." He then shook his head quickly. "B-but the pint is, we need to tell the king about this."

"Y-your king?" Ugo stuttered. From the stories that Gunge had told them, the Backlands king seemed to be a forced to be reckoned with.

"Oh don't worry." Gunge waved his wings at them. "I'll be sure to explain everything about you to him."

As the four animals turned their backs as they were about to find the king, they were stopped by the two Jackals who had just made themselves known to them.

"Going somewhere?"

--

Scar Snout could barely believe what the young Lion had just explained. The crowds of Striped and Brown Hyenas, Leopards, and Komodos began to chatter among themselves in worried unison. In all the time that he had lived in the Backlands, the great Dragon had never heard of a ghost Lion in a Volcano. He had heard of the legend of Scar, and the Impact he had on the Pridelands.

"And you're saying that Scar is behind the Outlander attacks that plague your Kingdom?" He asked in his Grandfatherly voice.

"That's right." Kion confirmed, before slightly hanging his head in shame. "And... it was my fault."

Scar Snout's eyebrow raised as more clamoring arose from the crowds at the hearing. Each one of them giving suspicious, hating looks to the young Lion. The friends that had come from the Pridelands with him seemed worried, concerned for how their leader was being accused by Backlanders under their breath.

"Understand this, Lion." Scar Snout hissed. Around him, inside Komodo Rock, was a menagerie of paintings of numerous animals. "There have been many stories of heroes long past." He first motioned to an orange striped cat. "Such as Azula the striped." To a Wild Dog. "Kambauku the bold." And a Marabou. "And Skalatak the Valiant. But never has there been any good tales of Lions here in our Kingdom." He added with a glower that was shared with the crowds of Backlanders present.

But there was one Leopard who did not glare at him.

"Your Majesty, Ladies and Gentlemen of the gathering," Badili began, stepping forward to the middle of the hearing. "I met Kion and his friends when Mapigano was not very likable. It was their advice to help me stand up for myself that led to Mapigano becoming a better Leopard, and if someone like Kion is willing to help someone like me, then he couldn't have brought Scar back on purpose."

More chattering arose from the council. Badili's words made sense to some of them, but those who didn't seemed to be unphased by this. Their words were silenced by their ruler clearing his throat.

"Be that as it may, Badili," He looked down to the Skinny Leopard. "Kion has admitted that he himself gave into his anger and unleashed the forbidden Roar." he then glowered down at Kion with a particularly cold glare. "But then again, what else can you expect from a Lion?"

As more Murmurs could be heard, the Spotted Hyena who had brought the Lion and his friends stepped out of the crowd and then made her case. "I agree with you, your excellency. Kion did use the Roar for an angry purpose," She then gave a semi-sympathetic look to the giant. "And I know how you feel about Lions, but you have to understand, Lions aren't all bad, and they don't deserve to be eternally abolished for something they only did on accident."

"Oh really?"

Now this voice, unlike the others that he had been met with during the whole meeting, made Kion's ears perk up. He turned his head and saw the whole point of his and his Guard's search in the Backlands. The crowd stepped aside to let her through. The female Spotted Hyena walked past them and to the center of the crowd, accompanied only by her hard as nails enforcer. Her eyes were narrowed as she stopped at the center of attention, facing Kion, although her expression did not equal his, not even her bodyguards.

"Jasiri!" Kion exclaimed, stepping forward to his friend. "We've been s-"

"Silence!" Barbatus barked at him. "You'll speak only when you're spoken to and not before."

Kion's ears lowered as he backed up. Barbatus was a no-nonsense Hyena, no doubt, but he had never been so cold and strict towards him before.

Jasiri's expression did not change as she glared coldly at her Lion friend. She stepped forward and addressed the entire hearing. "To everyone here, I ask you never to forget what happened a month ago, and how me and my clan had come to leave the Outlands in the first place. Surely you remember what I told you about the ordeal with the Roar?"

Many of them nodded, but others were unsure of how to feel about this business. Kion's friends were among these animals.

"Why is Jasiri so mad?" Fuli looked up to the egret on the Hippo.

"It beats me." Ono shrugged. "And what is she talking about with the Roar?

Now Ono may have been the Keenest of sight, but he did not seem to see the Hyenas that they had normally fought watching from a hole outside of the Mountain.

--

From the small hole in the side of the Mountain, Janja watched as his ling time enemies stood in the same place as his friends and neighbors. On both of his sides, his main sidekicks fixed their eyes on the situation as well.

"What's the Lion Guard doin' here, Janja?" Cheezi asked his leader.

Janja did not take his eyes off of the hearing, seeming rather skeptical about the whole thing. "It beats me, but we can't have them seein' us."

"Why not?" Chungu piped up rather loudly.

The hero of the Backlands quickly put his paws on his Minion's mouth. "Shhh! If we let the Lion Guard see us, then they'll chase us back to the Outlands. And if they do that, then Scar'll find us and sick those Lions of his on us."

The minions seemed to really understand what their leader told them. Once his paws was off his mouth, Chungu spoke softer. "Shouldn't we go get Tombie?"

"I don;t think so." Janja shook his head. "He's with Madoa. He said that a Hearin' would be too much stress on her right now."

With not another word said, the three continued to listen.

--

"Now you may all agree with Nabii's claim," Jasiri said aloud. "But never forget what I told you happened, how my Clan was left vulnerable."

"What're you talking about, Jasiri?" Kion stepped closer to the friendly Hyena.

"How do you not know, Kion?" Jasiri spat. "You were the cause of it! You used the Roar in anger and destroyed my home, simple as that!"

Kion's eyes widened as he cocked his head back. "What? Jasiri, I didn-"

"Of course you didn't know!" Jasiri interrupted. "You were to busy being absolutely clueless. We were homeless, starving, afraid, and you didn't even come to help us! If it hadn't been for Katali, we all would've been gone right now. You said you would be there for us, we waited for you to come for us, try to find us a new home."

"But-"

"Instead, you remained in the Pridelands, never even thinking about coming to find where we are. After everything we did for you, I started the Resistance for you, we said we'd all be in this together, aren't we?"

"Of course, Jasiri." Kion tried to apologize. This must've been why the Resistance hadn't been seen for so long. Before he could try to speak again, a new thought crossed his mind. His eyes narrowed at his friend. "Aren't we?"

"What?"

"You heard me." Kion put simply. "You said you would help us protect the Pridelands. Did you even know that Hakuna Matata falls has been completely dried up?"

As others around her seemed shocked at this news, Jasiri didn't seem to change. "So?"

Kion seemed aghast at his friends stubbornness. "So? Jasiri! Because you and your clan didn't come to stop them, the Outlanders blocked off the Pridelands' biggest water supply! Doesn't that mean anything to you?"

"Not at all." Jasiri satted simply. "And do you know why? Because it's what happened to us. I wanted you to feel what me and my clan felt all that time." Her eyelids lowered as she made another scathing comment. "Maybe Scar Snout was right, Lions aren't very smart after all."

A million thoughts swarmed through Kion's head. How was Jasiri saying this? Was she really this mad? And what she was saying mirrored what Zira had told him. He felt mad. Very mad. Not mad enough ti use the Roar, but still mad. He did not feel the Roar swelling up inside him, but he did feel something.

And he did say something too.

"You know what, Jasiri? I think it's the other way around." His voice became more angry as his insult went on. "I think it's YOU who's not very smart. You talk about following the Circle of life, but you don't really know what it means. If you really cared about the Circle of Life, you would forget about your stupid home and help us when we need it. We always help you, and in return, what do you do? You abandon us! You think only about yourself, that's what you do! So I'm not the only guilty one here," He then began to approach her, though she did not move. "Because you're nothing but a-"

"Say it." Jasiri's eyes narrowed, as if she knew what he was about to call her. But what he did call her was worse.

"A Nobody! That's what you are!" As Kion yelled what his mind was saying, the Mountain rumbled as the animals stared in shock at the Lion's harshness. "You're nothing, Jasiri! NOTHING!"

Jasiri was not the Hyena who let words get to her normally, but this time, it was a first. Her eyes widened as Kion finished his insult, her eyes displayed signs of being hurt and betrayed. As it seemed that Kion would not be sorry for what he had just said, he did just that. He himself could not believe what he had just released from inside him. Words he did not mean. A long silence rang through the Rock, not one animal said a word for almost two minutes, each one staring in shock at what had just taken place. Even the Lion Guard seemed taken back at what their leader had just said to his friend. Jasiri's ears lowered as her eyes slowly teared up, swiftly running out of the rock.

Kion watched as she left with sorrow and regret in his eyes. "Jasiri, wait!" He called, but was greeted by a shoulder shove by the male that had accompanied her.

Barbatus furrowed his eyebrows as he walked towards the exit where his leader had just left. He only stopped once, and that was to give one last scathing look at the lion who beat his leader down. "I think you've done enough." With that said, he then ran after the female.

Seeing this, Scar Snout returned his angered expression back down to the second born cub. "My case has been rested. This hearing is over. Don't you ever come to the Backlands again, Cub. Begone." He then stood up and headed for the exit. All the animals gathered began to do the same as their king, giving Kion a look of disapproval. When Kion expected his friends to be there for him, he was only met with piercing gazes and more disapproval. The cub now knew he was now not getting any consolation from his friends.

This was gonna be a long walk back home.