Lion Guard Redux [Private]

[Random Melody]

(Oooooohhhhh)
(Okie! Could be interesting o3o)
Oh... Bunga paused, meeting Atazi's gaze briefly. He blinked, then turned his teal eyes to Kion, making sure he was alright. He seemed okay, for the most part. So, Bunga stepped back, before turning and heading after Atazi, hesitantly making his way to her side. He didn't say anything, just fixed his eyes ahead, casting occasional glances toward the lioness cub and waiting for her to explain. If she wanted to, at least. Bunga was curious, but he didn't want to make Atazi uncomfortable. So he wouldn't ask any questions. He'd just wait for her to speak.


##


"Well..." Kion trailed off, watching Atazi and Bunga go. Then he gave a soft sigh and sat down, tail swishing back and forth over the ground, his amber gaze meeting first Claire's, then Kiara's, seeing the clear curiosity in her eyes. He went silent for a moment before looking over at Claire, his eyes holding a clear question. Asking her to explain it for him, because he couldn't. He wouldn't be able to.

Claire met his gaze, and a silent conversation passed between the two before she sat up straight and looked over at Kiara. "Master Lucifer is the leader of a group called the Saber Kingdom. They reside in the Desert." She started, seeing Kiara's ears perk up with interest. Claire's voice went cold. "A group of tigers and leopards that capture innocents, mainly lions and smaller, weaker animals, to do their work for them. They break them down into slaves and make them work." Her ears flicked, waiting, studying Kiara's face carefully and glancing toward Kion, who was listening silently. "They use unspeakable methods of torture to break the slaves down. They're a vile, horrible group. And Atazi was right, you are lucky to never have met Master, and especially lucky to never have experienced what we have." She said solemnly, her cold, calm gaze meeting Kiara's. "Is that a good enough answer?"

Kiara opened her mouth to speak, but nothing came out so after a second she just snapped her jaws shut, eyes wide with shock. "So.." Ahe finally managed to speak, her voice soft and choked. "...Oh, Mufasa.." She whispered, then turned her gaze to Kion. "You were..." She trailed off when Kion closed his eyes and nodded. Kiara stood frozen for a moment, then looked back at Claire, horrified. "And... Oh, mother of Mufasa..."

[Stario&Co.]

Sade waited until Sari was out of eyesight, then turned and slipped into the tall grass. "I know I heard something," she mumbled. And yet, she saw nothing and the dried tall plants. And now, it was a defening silence. "Maybe it's just my imagination," she sighed, then turned back to go. And that's when it hit her. The scent the scent that she had been taught to run from. The sent that she had learned to fear.

"Saber," Sade whimpered. And just as she did, a large stripped beast leaped from the grass. It's jaws were extended to reveal large saber teeth.

"KOJA!!!"

[rubinaito]

Atazi didn't speak for a good minute before she finally spoke. "Lucifer was a monster who didn't deserve to be alive." She kept her voice steady, not really stopping as she walked along. "He had a blatant disregard for anything pure and innocent. He didn't care much for anyone but himself, really." She stopped, catching her breath. She looked at her paws as she walked along. "We all suffered there. In his camp, just that way-" She pointed in the general direction. "- in the desert. We were slaves, bent to his will. We would hunt, we would fight, we would build and sometimes if he took a bit of a liking to us..." She stopped, swallowing the bile rising in her throat. "... He's the reason I even have a daughter at this age." She managed to get out, unable to actually explain. "It was a hell hole there. And Lucifer knew it. He did whatever he wanted when he wanted." She finished, unable to continue. She could have explained it better, or a little more in-depth but she couldn't muster up the words. She sat down, keeping her expression neutral as best she could. "He threw me out after taking my daughter from me. I couldn't get in so I ended up wandering Africa hoping for help. There's the relief that he's dead but I can't help but wonder what became of Sari..." She muttered the last part to herself, staring at her paws.

Sari stifled a gasp, watching the scene unfold. She couldn't turn away. She couldn't run. She was frozen, watching the tiger that looked strikingly like her leap for her adoptive sister.

[Random Melody]

Koja's head snapped up. His ears perked instantly, swiveling toward the sound, dropping the zebra meat in his jaws instantly. It took him no more than half a second to recognize the voice, and no more than a full second to take off toward the sound, claws sinking into the ground as he propelled himself forward quickly, launching himself forward, a growl rising in his throat. His sea-green eyes fixed ahead, ears flat, lips pulled back over his teeth as a loud snarl escaped his lips. His sister was in danger. He heard the panic in her voice and as he drew closer, he could smell the saber-tooth from where he was. It only made him move faster, a roar escaping his bared teeth. "SADE!"


##


Bunga just stared in shock as Atazi explained everything. About Lucifer. About the camp. His teal eyes drifted toward the desert as Atazi gestured toward it, but his gaze returned to Atazi almost instantly. It was weird how completely serious he looked - The usually playful and idiotic honey badger looking unusually serene and sympathetic as he stared at Atazi, not saying anything. He watched as she sat, gaze fixed on her paws, registering everything she'd said. Yeah, Atazi had been right before. This Lucifer guy definitely sounded like a nightmare. Like a really bad guy. The badger shifted his feet silently, looking down, thinking all this over. Then he closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and opened his eyes again, looking up and taking a step forward, reaching out to gently touch Atazi's shoulder. "I'm so sorry," He said solemnly, his eyes searching hers. "Are you... Alright?"


##


"Oh, Kion..." Kiara's eyes were wide as she looked over at her brother. And for the first time, she finally understood. Kion's hated for tigers, the way he avoided the desert and any subject of either one. How jumpy he was when he first returned to the Pridelands, how nervous. The nightmares where he woke up, choking back screams. Kiara would comfort him but even so vulnerable, Kion refused to talk about what had scared him. Even now, he'd cast occasional glances over his shoulder, he'd get that look on his face when he thought nobody was looking, like he was trapped in some horrible memory. But he snapped out of it when someone spoke to him or touched him, and that mask returned, that fake smile. Kiara had to admit, Kion was good at hiding stuff. But now Kiara understood everything. She understood why. "He's dead now, though," She paused, gaze flickering to Claire, then back to Kion. "He can't hurt you anymore. He can't hurt anyone anymore.." She trailed off.

Kion stared at her silently for a long time, then eventually gave a small shrug. "Yeah." He replied, his voice steady, calm... Blank. His expression was masked, guarded, and Kiara's tail lashed in irritation. Kion watched the frustration flare up in her gaze, and gave an apologetic smile. Sure, Kiara knew now. Sure, there was nothing more to hide. But even then, Kion wasn't willing to let his mask drop. He had to be the Kion that they knew, not the pathetic hollow shell of a cub that he really was. The golden cub stood for a moment before speaking up. "Where is everyone? Now that I think about it, I haven't seen anyone else all day." And then he glanced at Lilliana. "'Cept her. That's probably more surprising than anything." He muttered. Lilliana was more the loner of the group, quiet and sticking to herself - Nobody really ever saw her.

"Me either." Kiara admitted with a sigh, willing to let the subject drop... For now, at least.

Claire hummed, tail flicking lazily back and forth and her purple eyes drifting toward the desert. "This is going to be a very hard adjustment." She muttered, mostly to herself. She could feel Kion's gaze fixed intently on her, but she didn't move her gaze from the desert, staring silently now.

Lilliana stood silently, watching them, then her gaze drifted toward the desert. And then her eyes flickered over to rest on the Outlands, her fur prickling up, ice blue eyes seeming to narrow. Not good. She thought, tail flicking back and forth. Not good at all.


##


"Ready.... Set.... Go!"

Vexy launched herself forward at her brother's command, a grin on her face. The pale lioness's bright blue eyes focused ahead, claws sinking into the ground, propelling herself forward. She tensed, then loosened her claws, tensing her back legs and pushing herself up, springing into the air. She easily leaped over a fallen log, only stopping for half a second before launching herself forward again. Her breath came in wild gasps, but her blue eyes were bright with mischief and excitement, tail whipping back and forth. Then she glanced to her right, and faltered a little bit, a growl escaping her lips when she saw her brother beside her, matching her stride for stride. "Oh, come on!"

"Eat dirt, big sister!" Chaka sneered, pushing himself forward to pass her. Her irritated shriek was like music to his ears - It made Chaka laugh as he quickened his pace, stretching his paws out for longer strides, easily passing her. His dark blue eyes fixed ahead, and the smirk on his face suddenly melted and turned into a frown. His paws slammed down instantly, claws sinking in hard, and he skidded sharply across the ground, gasping. "Vex--"

"Eat dirt, Satan! Whoooo!" Vexy laughed, tail lashing at her brother's shoulder as she launched herself past him, ignoring his shouts of protest. She noticed the golden shape up ahead a little to late, but managed to stop herself just in time, skidding to a sharp stop and coming face to face with another lioness cub, noses actually touching. Vexy took one look at the cub and her face broke into a nervous grin as she stared into narrowed amber eyes.

Kila let out a huff, jerking her head back sharply and fixing Vexy with a cold glare. "You nearly ran me over, Desert-lander." She growled icily, tail flicking back and forth faintly and her cold gaze fixed intently on Vexy, lips curled back slightly to reveal sharp, pointed fangs. Vexy let out a nervous laugh and flattened her ears, and Kila narrowed her eyes before looking up as a tail came to rest on her shoulder.

"Now, now, sweetheart," Kiyu chided, her tail tip brushing against Kila's ear, and the cub seemed to instantly relax. "I'm sure she didn't mean to, love. Be a bit more polite, please, angel?"

"Yeah, I really didn't mean to," Vexy said sincerely, her bright blue eyes meeting Kila's and a soft smile forming on her face. "Really. I'm sorry, I was racing with my brother and I didn't see you ahead." She cleared her throat, then extended a paw. "I'm Vexy."

Kila continued to glare at Vexy for a moment, but eventually gave in, the anger melting away to a neutral expression. The stared at the other cub for a while, amber eyes meeting blue, before she pulled away from Kiyu to take a small step forward, extending her paw to take Vexy's. "Kila."

[Stario&Co.]

(KILA AND VEXY)
(AND THEN THE DREAM TEAM WAS BORN)

"SARI, RUN!!" Sade yowled. She turned and made a break for it, only to slam into a wall of fur. She fell back and looked up, seeing three more sabers in front of her. Her ears flattened against her head.

"Hey there, pretty kitty," one them sneared, and the rest of them laughed like it was a joke.

Moments later a loud scream is heard from the tall grass. And then there was silence.

[rubinaito]

@Random Melody @Star&Co

When Sade shouted for Sari to run, the cub did. She didn't look back, her paws skimming across the ground in a panic. She needed to get to Koja, but she didn't know where he was. She needed to find Tsuki, but it was impossible to find him. Her only option was to head for the large rock in the distance where she knew she'd find lions able to help her. Hearing the scream only made the tiny cub run faster, beginning to bawl her eyes out and crying for Koja, Tsuki, and Sade (although Sade wouldn't be able to come comfort her), hardly noticing how fast she was going. Her speed could rival a cheetah's at this point, not that she noticed or cared. She only began to slow down when she saw the rock about to slam into her- or, rather, she into the rock. "Heeeeeelp!"

Atazi lifted her gaze to look at Bunga, her expression neutral. "No." She replied simply. "Maybe in the future, but not now." She looked up at the sky and sighed, letting her eyes drift closed and her face scrunched up with vague annoyance. "I," She began her tone one of annoyance and frustration. "Hate- absolutely hate- talking about my emotions." She said bluntly, getting up and glancing back at Bunga. Her hard expression softened, if only slightly. "But," She continued. "I will say that I'm sorry I tried to kill you and eat you." She turned, prepared to begin heading back to Priderock when she was knocked aside by a speeding cub, too fast for her to make out any ideas other than her brown fur. "Hey! Watch where you're goin'!" Atazi shouted roughly, before huffing. "Let's head back to Priderock or something, I'm starting to get sick of all this healthy green... stuff." She grunted, squaring her shoulders before marching towards the cave.

[Random Melody]

(Heh)

Bunga paused for a split second as he stared up at her, but he didn't say anything else after that. He blinked when she apologized for almost eating him, and a soft chuckle escaped his lips, though mostly forced. "All is forgiven." He assured with a sigh, following after her when she began to head back to Pride Rock. He jumped back when the cub ran past, teal eyes widening with surprise. He barely heard Atazi's words. When the cub yelled for help, that was it - He launched himself forward, past Atazi, surprisingly fast to catch up to the cub, and once he did, he quickly pulled her to a stop. "Hey, whoa, whoa," He said carefully, holding his hands up and looking down at her in concern. "Are you alright? What's wrong, kiddo?"

Kion was leaping down the slope instantly to make his way to Bunga's side, approaching the cub carefully. "What's goin' on?" He mumbled to Bunga, who just shrugged at him, eyes fixed worriedly on the cub. Kion's amber gaze flickered up, staring forward intently, and his confusion only deepened. Okay, so the cub wasn't being chased. That was.. Good. But then why did she look so frightened, why was she yelling for help? Kion's tail twitched faintly, his gaze darting back down to the cub, and his amber gaze filled with concern. "What happened?"

"Mm." Claire simply watched from where she perched on one of the rocks, her head tilting faintly, eyes narrowing at the cub. "Kids."


##


"You're fiery," Vexy said admiringly, tilting her head at Kila, her bright blue eyes sparkling intently as she studied her. "I can tell!" She purred, then came forward. She was pretty much all up in Kila's personal space now, but she didn't really seem to care about that. She ignored the warning growl she got, looking Kila over intently. "And, you know, you look kind of familiar." She said suddenly, staring intently into Kila's amber eyes, before leaning forward even closer. "You look like Kion." She said randomly, staring at her intently.

Kila leaned back on her paws when Vexy leaned forward, eyes narrowing ever so slightly. She then curled her lips back and bared her teeth, preparing to snarl out a pretty rude response, but the comment about her brother caught her off guard. Her irritation melted instantly, looking surprised now. "You know my brother?"

"Brother?" Vexy's eyes lit up instantly, and her tail lashed wildly. "Kion's your brother - Of course! That's amazing." She cooed, circling around Kila and brushing up against her, a bright smile on her face. "Guess what? My brother and your brother are best friends." She informed. "Almost lovers, honestly. Hey - We should be best friends, too!"

Kila didn't know what exactly was happening, but she knew this girl was way too cheery and sugary for her liking. Her eyebrows raised when Vexy said that Kion and... Whoever Vexy's brother was were best friends, and then announced that they should be friends. Kila just stared at her, narrowing her eyes at the bright smile and sparkling eyes staring back at her. But... The annoyance was slowly wearing down. This lioness intrigued her. Kila stared for a long moment, then tilted her head. "Hm." She narrowed her eyes, thinking, then shrugged. "Maybe, Perky."

[Stario&Co.]

"Reporting for duty!" Beshte could be heard from not too far away. Whenever he heard a troubled animal, that was it. He would drop everything.

"What's the problem?" Full zipped to them in an instant, almost a blur with her terrific speed.

##

"Help!" Sade cried as one Saber carried her by the nape of her neck. "Somebody help! Stranger danger! I'm being kidnapped!"

"I swear I'm going to claw my ears out," one Saber moaned in frustration. "Did we really have to kidnap a little brat?"

"That's annoying, might I add," The Saber holding Sade flinched as his eardrums endured her screaming. "And isn't she part of the Lion Guard?"

"She's a guard in training!" The slimmer Saber snorted. "Come on! A tiny cub can't do anything to us."

"Not true!" Sade let out a squeaky snarl. "You see these claws? I'll mess you up!"

"That threat only made you cuter, kid."

[rubinaito]

Sari took a good moment to calm herself down so she could speak coherently, otherwise all the surrounding animals would hear utter nonsense. She turned to Kion, her eyes wide open and pleading- as well as giving the cub a clear look at Sari. Her black stripes stood out on her soft brown coat, and her small, white Saber teeth curved down, past her mouth and just above her chin. "They took my sister," She gasped as soon as she was able. "Big, huge tigers with long teeth like mine!" She sniffled. "I can't find my big brother Koko, or Uki. I don't know what to do..." She whimpered, flattening her ears. Atazi had yet to notice the cub- after all, she had no interest in the affair.

[Random Melody]

Kion blinked when he got a clearer look at the cub, and his ears flattened ever so slightly, but his expression stayed the same. His eyes widened, however, when she mentioned "big, huge tigers" with teeth just likes hers. His gaze fixed on the cub's saber-teeth, and he felt his shoulders stiffen slightly, his mouth snapping shut and his lips pressing into a thin line. "Sabers." He muttered simply, closing his eyes for a moment. He took no more than a minute to pull himself together again. The golden cub took a deep breath and straightened up, shaking out his golden fur before opening his eyes and looking back down at Sari. He stared at the cub's saber-teeth for a second. Saber-teeth tigers... They always unnerved him more than the normal tigers. But Lucifer was really the only saber-tooth tiger he was truly afraid of. With any other saber-tooth or normal tiger, he could turn the fear into anger. But this cub... She was innocent. Kion could tell that much. The cub took a deep breath and allowed a soft smile to appear on his face. It was forced, but nobody would be able to tell that. "Alright, sweetheart. Can you, uh," he cleared his throat, unease flashing through his eyes for a second before it was masked again. "Tell me where these tigers were?"

Bunga was silent as he listened, staring at the cub. Then his eyes narrowed ever so slightly, studying her carefully before looking back toward Atazi, then at Sari again. His eyebrows raised faintly but he didn't comment, just continued silently looking back and forth between the two.

"Huh." Claire clicked her tongue and made her way down the rocks to stand beside Kion, shouldering Bunga out of the way. She stood side to side with Kion, purple eyes finally flashing with some interest as she looked down at Sari, before glancing at Kion. "Now I'm curious. Tigers kidnapping cubs - Sounds like a Master Lucifer thing, doesn't it?" she nudged her shoulder against Kion's, and the golden cub nodded faintly in agreement, frowning. "Well," Claire mused, running her tongue over her jaws before baring her teeth slightly, rage bubbling up. "If you ask me, looks like some of those rats are trying to play copycat." She commented slowly, a low growl rising in her throat. Kion grimaced at that, nodding slightly again.