The Lion Guard: A Morning Walk

Early one summer morning, Kion woke up and smiled when he remembered what day it was, it was the day that his father had promised to show him the kingdom, it was a tradition that had started long before he and Kiara were born, when his great grandpa Ahadi took his grandfather Mufasa, and his great uncle Scar, up to the highest peak on Pride Rock, to watch the sunrise, then on a walk throughout the Pridelands.

Then when his grandfather was king, he'd taken his father on the trip, Simba often told the story to him and Kiara, he told it so often that Kiara had began to tell t with him.

Then when Kiara had turned his age, Simba had taken her,

finally it was Kion's turn to go on the trip with Simba, he'd been looking forward to it for the past two weeks.

Carefully Kion crawled over Kovu and Kiara, and towards the spot where Simba and Nala were laying.

Kion climbed on top of Simba, and began tugging at his ear, and shaking him.

"Dad.. Come on wake up, you promised to take me today" he said.

Nala half awakened by Kion's actions, nudged her mate,

"Simba.. Your sons awake" she mumbled sleepily.

"Darling.. Before sunrise he's your son" Simba answered sleepily.

"Come on Dad" Kion said impatiently.

"All right.. All right I'm up Kion" Simba said, he got up and after yawning, he and Nala followed their son outside.

Kion went back and wove his body through Nala's legs,

"Have a good time sweetheart, I love you" Nala said, she bent down and licked Kion's forehead.

"Bye Mom, I love you too" Kion said.

He and Simba began to walk to the peak to start the tradition.

Nala smiled warmly at Simba and Kion's retreating figures a look of pure, intense love in her eyes.

Then she went back inside to go back to sleep.

Meanwhile Simba and Kion had reached the peak and were admiring the view.

"Look Kion, everything the light touches.. Is our kingdom" Simba stated.

"Whoa" Kion said, amazed by what was before him, both he and Kiara had grown up running through the Pridelands, but neither of them had truly understood the beauty of their homeland until they saw it from the peak.

Suddenly Kion noticed a shadowy place in the horizon.

"Dad?.. What about that shadowy place?" He asked.

Simba's eyes, which usually had a warm loving light in them when he was around Kiara and Kion, instantly hardened.

"That place is off limits to all inhabitants of the Pridelands, especially you and Kiara, Don't.. Ever.. Go there.. Do you understand Kion" Simba said sternly.

"Yes Dad" Kion said, he was surprised by Simba's sternness as usually Simba had a caring  and playful demure when around

him and Kiara, Kion made a mental note to ask Kiara about it later.

After a while they began to make the walk through the Pridelands.

"Kion, everything you see exists together in a delicate balance,

Once Kiara and Kovu end their reign, Kion you shall be king, and you'll need to understand that balance, and respect all the creatures, from the crawling ant to the leaping antelope" Simba said.

"But Dad.. Don't we eat the antelope?" Kion asked confused.

"Yes Kion, but let me explain, when we die our bodies become the grass, and the antelope eat the grass, and so we are all connected in The. Great. Circle. Of. Life" Simba explained patiently.

"Yes Dad" Kion said.

"Are you ready to head back now Kion?" Simba asked.

Before Kion could respond, Zazu flew up to them as fast as he could, when he reached them, he landed on the ground to catch his breath.

"Zazu!, is anything wrong?" Simba asked alarm in his tone.

"Sire..poachers in the meadow" Zazu announced.

Immediately Simba became serious,

"Kion.. Go.. Home.. Now" he ordered calmly.

"Dad.. Can't I come?" Kion begged.

"Absolutely not Kion, now I at me at once" Simba ordered.

Kion raced back down the path towards home, while Simba and Zazu went to fix the problem.

When Kion got home he saw his mother and grandmothers talking in the entrance to the den.

"Hi Mom, Hi Nai Nai, Hi Nona" he said as he nuzzled them.

"Hello sweetheart" Sarafina said, smiling at her grandson.

"Where's Kiara?" Kion asked.

"She's inside Dear" Sarabi said.

"Ok, thanks Nai Nai" Kion said as he began to run into the den,

"Hold on.. Kion did you have a good time with your father?" Nala asked.

"Yes Mom, I had a great time" Kion answered hurriedly, running into the den.

Watching him leave, Nala, Sarafina, and Sarabi exchanged an amused look between them.

When Kion entered the den, he saw Kovu and Kiara talking to Kovu's sister Vitani in a corner of the den, quipu he hurried over to them.

When Kion reached them, they stopped talking abruptly and after exchanging a look, Kiara smiled warmly at Kion and gestured for him to sit between her legs.

Kion happily complied with her request and settled down.

Kiara licked the top of his head, and sensing that something was troubling him, wordlessly gestured for Kovu and Vitani to give them some privacy.

Vitani and Kovu instantly complied to her wish, and after Kovu had pressed his muzzle to her forehead, they went outside to talk with Nala.

"Ok Kion.. What's wrong?" Kiara asked gently.

"Well.. When Dad and I were doing the tradition, I asked him about a shadowy place, and he was strict  with me and said I couldn't  go there, he said it

Was off limits" Kion said.

Kiara sighed and patiently explained why Simba had acted that way, when she had finished Kion had fallen asleep.

"I love you Kion" Kiara said as she nuzzled him.