Sun Rise Ch. 1

"Lead with compassion

Lead with respect

Lead with knowledge

Lead with honesty

Don't tell your followers to do things you wouldn't do yourself

And most importantly

To be a good leader, you must also know how to be a good follower."

The sun rose on another Spring day. The large orange and red orb slowly lifted itself over the horizon, illuminating the vast fields and rolling hills of yellow and green grass, dense jungles, harsh deserts, and treacherous rocky terrains. The entirety of Africa was soon bathed in it's warm and fresh light. The pitch black sky slowly but surely turned to a fiery red, then faded into beautiful pinks, purples and magenta. Then it finally faded into the light sky blue. Herds of Zebra and Gazelle were running and jumping through the dry humid air, looking for something to drink. Creatures of all kinds, big and small, leaving their dens and their homes, waking up in the middle of their herds, packs, and flocks, stretching their limbs and readying themselves to head out into a world full of adversity.

In the distance, there was a lone figure. A single cheetah was dashing through the long grassy fields and pushing through the crowds of animals that she came across. Fuli was bolting towards Pride Rock has fast as she could, bearing some important news to tell. She ran past endless fields of grass, and pushed her way through crowds of cattle, zebra, and even some predators. Past trees, rocks, lakes, and rivers alike.

After she had ran through the entirety of the Pridelands, a massive shadow began to loom overhead. The colossal boulder stood over her, Priderock. She made her way up the side, where there was a path leading up to the perch, and around the main rock to a couple different dens where the King and his close family lived.

She continued to go around Priderock until she made it to the Lion Guard's base on the side. There the Guard would meet up, talk about current events, play around, and do all sorts of things together. Now they mostly had meetings, but she still remembered the days when they used to play there all the time. Her friends, the rest of the Guard, were some of the bravest and nicest animals that she knew.

Ono, the keenest of sight, was always one of the more level headed ones in the group, and you could also always rely on him. Then there's Beshte, the strongest. Don't let his tubbiness fool you, he's an honest and hard worker. Bunga, the best digger, was one of the most fun and joy-filled people you could ever know. He was the guy that would come along, and make sure you're not having a bad day. Then there was Fuli, the fastest. She didn't want to brag... no she's going to brag. She always tried her best to be as fearless as possible, and could probably work the best independently out of the group. She also couldn't help but throw in some sarcastic remarks every once and a while to humor herself. Finally, there was Kion, the leader. Kion was the bravest and most ambitious person she knew. Without him, the entire team would have never come together. Thanks to him, the Pridelands can rest safely at night, not having to worry about the likes of...Scar (she hated thinking of his name). Though now, the Pridelands might not be as safe as everyone hoped it would be.

Thimba, a Blue Rhino from the South, has threatened war with the Pridelands ever since Zira had been defeated. He came out of nowhere, and his backstory is shrouded in mystery. His entire crash have been causing trouble for a month now, and have now set their eyes on the Backlands. Dhahabu the golden zebra had a meeting with him to try and handle things peacefully. Fuli being one of Dhahabu's friends got to see everything. He arrived with his entire Crash, and didn't have any intention of negotiating. They overwhelmed the Zebra herd very quickly, and Dhahabu was captured. Fuli managed to escape thanks to her speed. Now here she is, trying to warn Kion of the incoming danger.

She searched everywhere for him, frantically running around the area yelling, "KION, KION COME HERE QUICKLY".

She finally found him laying on a rock. Kion was a very studly looking lion, with a rich yellow fur coat, and orange eyes that could stare down even the most persistent of foes. Though his mane wan't fully grown and wasn't as big as his father's or Kovu's, he still possessed a fiery red and orange head of hair. He stood tall and proud, with his mighty chest puffed out, strong legs, and fierce claws.

He looked up and said, "Fuli! You're back early. Man, I guess you make everything go by fast."

"No time for jokes Kion, the meeting didn't go well at all. Thimba attacked the Backlands. Dhahabu got captured. Thimba wants to meet with your father now."

His tone suddenly turned very serious, she could tell by the look in his eyes that he was about to prepare for the worst.

"My father? Simba? King Simba?"

"Yes, he said he won't negotiate with anyone else."

"We need to tell Simba immediately. This could be very, very bad."

Kion stood up, and leaped off of the rock, and quickly ran for the massive perch. Fuli quickly followed, though it quickly turned into Kion following Fuli. They ran up the side pathway, and ran up to the main den and the base of where the two boulders met one another. Inside was the King himself. He looked mostly the same, though was getting older now. His large red mane was getting more droopy and dark. Now he was taking after his father Mufasa, in that he was asleep and didn't want to get up.

"Dad, come on dad get up." Kion said as he pushed at Simba's back.

"Uh... five more minutes, I've got a headache."

"Is that more important than bad news about Thimba?" Kion remarked.

Hearing this, Simba immediately perked up.

"Alright, I'm up, I'm up. What happened, did the meeting go well?"

"No it didn't, not at all. In fact the worst possible thing happened."

Fuli stepped in with, "Thimba saw our peaceful approach as a sign of weakness and ambushed Dhahabu and the Zebra herd. They're being held captive right now."

"He wants to speak with you dad." Added Kion.

"Hey won't come out any other way." Fuli clarified.

Simba didn't say anything at first, choosing to stand there and think about it for a moment. Last time he had chosen to do something like this, it was with Kovu. Simba had gotten ambushed that one time. This time though, he'll have protection. He now walked outside to the perch to overlook the land, and think for a moment more. Would the chance be worth it? When Kion and Fuli had followed him out there, Simba was looking in the direction of the Backlands. He finally spoke up, not turning to face the two guard members.

"I will meet with him. The Lion Guard will come with me in case it is another attack, and if it is, we will try our best to hold it off."

Fuli said "But king, shouldn't we keep you away? It's too dangerous, we can't risk loosing you!"

Simba turned to her and said, "We could use this moment to take him down, take him by surprise if we play our cards right! Tell him that I will meet him only halfway. If anything were to happen to me, Kiara and Kovu are ready to rule in my absence. Beside, I'm done running away from my problems."

She nodded. Simba turned back to the Pridelands and said, "We will head out there later today, let's not keep Dhahabu waiting."