Kion's eyes snapped wide with surprise when Sari said Sade's name, and it took him a moment to process this, hardly hearing Fuli and Beshte at all. The Sabers had Sade. His apprentice. His friend. The golden cub's jaws locked instantly, a soft growl rumbling in his chest, but he took a deep breath and pushed it down. Kion took in a steady breath, fighting against every instinct telling him to take off to save her. Rushing headfirst into these situations was never a good thing. He had to think this over carefully. He had to plan it out. But the more he stood there thinking about it, thinking about Sade with those tigers, the angrier he got. He felt his blood boiling with each second that passed until finally, he couldn't take it anymore. His amber gaze shifted from Sari to the lake the cub had pointed at, and his muzzle lowered, lips curling back slightly over his teeth. Go, whispered a dark voice Kion didn't recognize, encouraging him, pushing him. Don't think. Just do it. Kion was too distracted to worry about where the voice was coming from, who was speaking to him. Instead, he obeyed. In no more than a second he took off toward where Sari had said the tigers were, ears flat to his head and amber eyes narrowed straight ahead. Attaboy.

"Kion--" Bunga started to speak, but Kion had launched off at that moment without a word. Bunga stood in stunned silence for a few seconds, looking up at Beshte and Fuli in shock and confusion before turning back to stare after Kion in surprise. "I - Uh - Guess we're going then?"

Ono had been silent this entire time, perched on Beshte's back. However, when Kion ran off, he rose up into the air and looked down at Bunga as the honey badger spoke, nodding silently in agreement before taking off flying after the cub. And after a second, Bunga followed closely behind.

Claire's ears pricked up in surprise when Kion darted off, and she raised an eyebrow, debating on following. Her head tilted faintly to the side, and then her purple gaze drifted down to Sari, staring blankly down at the cub. "Welp," She started, but didn't finish, glancing back after Kion. He's got this. She reassured herself, tail flicking.

Claire was seriously debating on following Kion, and the cub bursting into tears only made that decision seem more tempting. However, she didn't have a chance because Sari was already clinging to her, crying her heart out, the small, vulnerable cub's head buried into her fur. Claire grimaced as she felt the tears soak in, and bit back a low hiss, not wanting to trigger any more tears. After a moment she managed to calm herself. Claire didn't have a very high tolerance for cubs. They were loud and obnoxious and insufferable and arrogant and somehow had boundless energy that never came in handy because they never knew how to handle it. They were annoying and messy and Claire completely disliked them. She wouldn't go as far as to say she hated them, though. She didn't really. Just strongly disliked them. And having one clinging to her now, crying, Claire wanted nothing more than to push the cub away and snarl a few not-so-nice words. But she knew she probably shouldn't do that. The kid was traumatized right now and Claire knew how it felt to come across big, saber-tooth tigers. Sari had dodged a bullet not getting captured and Claire honestly hoped that Kion was able to save the other cub before anything horrible could happen. Claire disliked cubs, but she didn't want to see any more broken down.

"Yeah, alright," Claire finally grumbled, resting a paw over Sari's back and staring down at the cub almost blankly, but there was a small spark of understanding there. But also a cold, fierce look. "Chill out, kid. Crying isn't gonna get you anywhere and it's not gonna earn you anything but wet fur." But despite her harsh words, there was no real bite to them, just a calm, cold tone as she stared down at Sari, eyes slightly narrowed.

"There you go, kiddo." Claire said coolly, tilting her head faintly and watching the cub with interest. Her eyebrows raised when Sari asked her question, and explained she was asking about the tigers. A small scoff escaped her lips. She didn't seem to be angry at the fact that Sari was concerned for the tigers. Not really. "Hate to break it to you, short-stack, but if Kion finds them, I highly doubt those tigers will be anywhere near okay." She replied, a small hint of pride in her voice. Then she brought her narrowed purple eyes back to Sari. "And you don't need to be sorry. I get it, you're worried. But I'm just saying. Crying won't magically make anything better. It's a waste of time and energy." She said matter-of-factly, tail tip twitching faintly, almost irritably, and her eyes trailed as if remembering something before she shrugged. "In any case, just stay calm. Your sister'll most likely be alright. What's your name, kid?"


##


Kion was snarling wildly as he padded along. He'd already picked up the tigers scent - An unmistakable scent that brought nothing but pure rage. An emotion he was used to feeling toward those; "Striped, arrogant, flea-ridden stupid, insufferable, ignorant rats!" Kion raged as he padded along, lips pulled back over his teeth. "Whoever the hell do this I don't care who it is I will rip their stripes off one by freaking one and I will love every. Bloody. Second of it!" His snarl got lower and deeper as he spoke until he didn't really sound like Kion anymore. At least not the Kion the Lion Guard knew. No, this was the Kion from the desert. From the Sabers. This was the Kion who mercilessly slaughtered over twenty-six tigers and hadn't regretted a single second. This was the Kion who had trained for months to kill and fight and all that pent-up rage, all his training, all his instincts telling him to kill, kill, kill, kill they were about to come unleashed, whether the Guard watched or not. "Those tigers are gonna freakin' learn, they're gonna pay, they're gonna die," Kion hissed, amber eyes darkening. He paused for a second, making sure he still had the scent, then lurched forward at a quicker pace, baring his teeth. "Oh, oh, oh they're gonna die."

Bunga honestly had never thought it would be possible for him to be afraid of Kion. Kion. His best friend. Especially considering Bunga was the Bravest in the Pridelands, he wasn't scared of anything. But right then, listening to his best friend's rants and threats of death and blood, his blood ran completely cold. This was a side of Kion he'd never seen before. A side of Kion he didn't know was there. And he was terrified of it. The honey badger glanced at Fuli and Beshte, then up at Ono, who looked equally as stunned. Neither of them spoke.


##



A small cub stood in the group, watching, assessing. Her intense amber eyes never wavered. They held intelligence and understanding, compassion and thoughtfulness, but no fear. Her mother had taught her never to show fear. Her silver-colored ears twitched, straightening up. She was definitely odd-looking. She mostly looked like a tiger, deep blue stripes blending in with soft golden ones on her silver fur, the stripes going down her tail. But she was also partly lion. The tip of her tail had red tinges around it. Her striped paws twitched silently against the ground as she stared at Octavian, her amber eyes slowly lighting up with a burning curiosity, but she didn't speak. She wasn't very old, maybe four months at most, and she wasn't very tall yet either. She blew the small tuft of dark gray fur tinged with red out of her face, her jaw ticking silently, teeth clicking together as she looked around. She didn't seem very nervous. Then again, none of the others seemed nervous either, because of Octavian's seemingly friendly nature. The cub gave one twitch of her tail before bringing her intense gaze back to the other cub, ears flicking silently.

Claire went silent now, watching carefully. Her cold purple eyes narrowed slightly toward the two, head tilting curiously, but she didn't say anything.


##


Kion stopped walking for a second, a shudder rippling through him. He hadn't felt this bloodthirsty in a long, long time. The cub took a deep breath, then paused for a second, realizing he'd lost the sent. He stayed still for a moment, narrowing his eyes, then hissed. "For the love of--" Then he caught it again almost instantly. The scent was just unmistakable, he knew it better than any other scent in the world. Seriously. His nose twitched, and he turned his head toward where it was coming from. For a second, he just stared. Sari had said they were saber-tooth tigers, but for some reason he didn't really care. His amber eyes darkened, teeth clicking together as he considered this. "Alright," Kion chuckled suddenly, and the laugh was dark, filled with pure anger and hatred, all directed toward the tigers. "Let's go have some fun." He unsheathed his claws and darted off at an even quicker speed than before.

"I'm..." Bunga didn't move as he watched Kion go, paling considerably, teal eyes wide. "Scared.."


##


The cub, Vixy, her name was, tilted her head at the mention of games, her amber eyes sparking up with a faintly curious look. Her tongue ran silently over her jaws, listening intently, perking her ears. "What kind of--" She started to ask, but she froze, her mouth hanging open slightly before snapping shut, her ears perking as she turned her head. She felt a presence that was unfamiliar yet familiar at the same time. And the energy from it felt very angry. Red hot angry. Like burning flames. Vixy wasn't scared, but something about it felt familiar. She was drawn to it.

"Both," Bunga muttered, exchanging a wary glance with Ono before following.


##


"Huh?" Vixy snapped out of her trance, turning to look at Tucker. She blinked, her amber eyes widening faintly. "Oh. Not sure, really." She admitted with a tilt of her head, flicking her striped tail from side to side. "Weird presence." She muttered, turning her head toward where the energy was coming from. "The energy. It's... It's weird. Familiar, almost. It's coming, someone's coming," She paused. "And they're angry."She wasn't wrong. A minute later Kion was storming up into the clearing, teeth bared and claws extended. Vixy's eyes widened slightly, taking note of his amber eyes, his red mane, and his golden fur. She glanced down at the golden stripes along her pelt, then blew the tuft out of her face again before looking at Kion. Is that... Who I think it is?

It was, but Kion wasn't focused on her. Not right now, at least. His amber eyes drifted around, teeth bared, claws sinking into the ground and sheathing again before unsheathing once more. A low snarl escaped his lips, and he paused for a second, staring at the cubs. Then his gaze shifted over, and finally his eyes rested on Sade. He stared for a second, and then reacted without really thinking. Because in an instant he was launching himself across the clearing at the tiger beside Sade, ready to unleash all his rage.

This was about to become Hell on earth.

Kion paused for no more than a second, glancing at Sade. Then he focused on the tiger, and a wide smirk tugged at his lips as the tiger swiped at him. Instantly, Kion leaped back, claws sinking into the ground. "Too slow, Stripey!" He taunted, crouching down and preparing to launch if the tiger didn't in time.

But it did, snarling all the while. "You stupid little lion!" He spat, lashing his tail. As soon as he did, another tiger lunged for Kion from the side, teeth bared and ready.

Kion turned his head briefly to the side, watching the tiger approach. And for a split second, he froze. But instantly his expression was cold again, and he abandoned the first tiger to lunge at the second one, sinking his teeth deep into the tiger's paw and twisting as sharply as possible.

There was a loud crack, and the tiger shrieked, staggering back.

Kion smirked wickedly, then gave the tiger a hard shove, sending him crashing to the ground. The tiger didn't have much time to stand before Kion was there, claws over his throat, ready to plunge in.

"Kion--" Bunga's eyes widened as he realized what Kion was about to do, and his breath caught in his throat. Ono realized it almost instantly as well, and exclaimed at the same time as Bunga; "Don't!"

Kion stared down at the tiger, growling, but he did move his paw back, taking a few steps back. He started to sheathe his claws, taking deep breaths to calm himself. "Okay," He whispered, backing away. "Okay, okay, okay, okay," He continued his soft mantra as he backed away, but he didn't gain much distance from the tiger, stopping and digging his claws into the ground. "Okay.."

Then the tiger was up and man, did he look pissed. Before Kion could react the tiger was lunging at him, unsheathing the claws on his good paw and baring his teeth.

Kion let out a startled hiss when the claws raked down his face, leaving three claw marks down his muzzle. Anyone else probably would have screamed, but Kion was just stunned. He was used to more pain, worse pain. He took a moment to process what had just happened, though. "Wow," He finally spoke up, his dark voice echoing through the clearing. "Wow.." Then he chuckled. "You know what? I think I deserved that, so I'll let that one slide." He growled, turning away. "I'm taking my apprentice and leaving."

"The hell you are," The tiger growled venomously, putting a paw on Kion's shoulder and sinking his claws in slightly.

"Yes I am. Let me go, Stripey." Kion warned, his voice dripping with fury. When the tiger refused, Kion closed his eyes, and nodded. "Okay." He murmured. Then, after a minute or so of complete, utter silence, he whipped around and lashed his claws over the tiger's throat before plunging them in deep. As far as possible. Then he pulled back and watched as the tiger choked for a moment, twitching, before stumbling back, gasping and choking. Kion just watched, completely emotionless as the tiger fell to the floor, blood pooling around him.

Kion's tail twitched slightly, staring completely blankly at the dead tiger. His heart was pounding, bloodied claws sinking into the ground slightly. "That makes twenty-seven." He said aloud, mostly to himself. Then he turned and focused on the other tiger, who now looked confused and faintly scared. Kion just stared blankly, not smiling, not even speaking.

Vixy watched silently, eyes wide with confusion, and slight fear, but also interest as she watched Kion. "Well, what'd I tell you?" She mumbled. "He's mad."

"H-Holy," Bunga stuttered, backing away, actually completely scared. Ono's eyes were wider than ever, looking completely shaken up.

Kion flinched faintly when the cubs started screaming and crying, and his mouth snapped shut, teeth clicking together. Unconsciously, his gaze flickered toward Sade, then toward the rest of the Guard, and faltered for just a second, seeing their fear. He didn't say anything, just gave his tail a hard lash and turned away, taking a deep breath to calm himself down. It didn't matter. These tigers were bad. Weren't they? Bad? Of course they were bad. Tigers were bad. Tigers are bad. "Just chill out!" Kion roared suddenly, irritated by the screaming. He then narrowed his eyes as the tigers began surrounding the cubs, and growled, storming forward. "Let Sade go. Let them all go."

"You chill out!" One of the tigers snarled, lunging and lashing out to sink his claws into Kion's throat. He didn't even get close.

Kion whipped around and reared up on his hind paws, slamming his front paws forward into the tigers throat, but not deep enough to kill just yet. He yanked the tiger forward and bared his teeth. "Screw you, stripey." He sneered, a smirk tugging at his lips before it dropped completely "See you in Hell." Then he shoved the tiger back, sinking his claws deep into his throat before releasing and letting him fall to the ground. He didn't watch this one die this time, though, spinning around before the tiger had even hit the ground. "That's twenty-eight. Anybody else?!"

That's when the first tiger from before started over to him again, claws unsheathed and his expression wary, staring through narrowed eyes.

"Perfect." Kion growled simply, lashing his tail. And then he launched himself forward. The tiger swung at him, claws sinking into the cub's shoulder and honestly going in pretty deep, and Kion bit down on his tongue to keep himself from screaming. Instead, he sank his teeth deep into the tiger's paw, but this tiger didn't even flinch.

"Really?" The tiger sneered, lifting his paw up slightly. "Is that the best you could do?"

"Not done yet," Kion said sweetly, then lashed out, slicing his claws over the tiger's throat. He let go of the tiger's paw just in time, backing up as the tiger began to choke and gasp for air, but seemingly couldn't find any because a moment later he fell, dead. Kion scoffed, tail whipping silently back and forth. "Weak." He said aloud, then turned. "Twenty-nine. Who's next?" He growled. "Or can we end this? Set the cubs free and get on with your lives? No?" His gaze settled on one of the tigers who was brave enough to step forward, and he grimaced. "Guess not. Okay, fine. Lucky number thirty," He sneered.

Vixy frowned slightly. She couldn't watch this. She couldn't watch the lion she was certain was her father, if the other cub's exclamation of "Kion" meant anything, just mercilessly slaughter every tiger in the camp. And he was scaring all the other cubs. Vixy flicked her tail, then took in a deep breath and ended up padding forward to Kion, hearing a few gasps from the other cubs, and the other tigers. "Daddy," Vixy said clearly when she got close enough, her eyes narrowed faintly as she stared up at him. "Don't."

Kion started to growl a sharp response, but the words fell right off his tongue before he even started to speak. At first, just because this was a cub. And then the words sunk in and Kion finally actually looked at her, taking in the blue stripes, then the golden ones. "Wh..." Then his gaze settled on hers and his eyes went faintly wide, staring in complete disbelief, all anger and bloodthirst completely forgotten. "What?"
(Damn this post was long guys I'm sorry XDD)

"Okay, yeah," Bunga mumbled, backing up beside the others, his teal eyes wide with fear and confusion as he stared at Kion. That - That's not.. That is not my best friend, He thought, heart pounding. That's not Kion. Ono had the same expression, looking horrified and confused.

Kion didn't seem to notice, or he didn't mind, the silence at all. If anything he was glad for it, because right then, any sound would probably make him snap. The golden cub just stood there, his amber eyes fixed on Vixy, unwavering, but he looked confused, thinking back, mumbling to himself, counting. Then he paused, and shook his head, then started counting again. His unsheathed claws slowly pulled out of the ground and retracted again, and his ears seemed to flatten even more, his mouth twisting into a grimace and his jaw setting firmly. "Natasha," He mumbled, his voice low, filled with confusion and disbelief. All the anger seemed to have evaporated. "...Where is she?"

Vixy's tail twitched slightly, smirking faintly to herself in satisfaction that she'd gotten Kion to calm down. "My mother," She confirmed when Kion said Natasha's name. Her ears flicked when Kion asked where she was, and her amber eyes met his. "She was here." She spoke, glancing back. "She'll probably be returning soon."

"Mm." Kion then glanced up, seeing a few more tigers approaching him, and a low growl rumbled in his throat. His lips curled back over his teeth, and his claws unsheathed again. He heard a few frightened gasps from the other cubs, and a hiss of disappointment from Vixy. And vaguely he heard pawsteps approaching from behind, but he could deal with that later. For now he was focused on the tigers, ready to attack when they got close enough. Come on, come on, come on--

"Kion," Suddenly a paw was resting on his back, and Kion let out a surprised hiss, head whipping around instantly. Chaka stood there, staring down at the younger cub firmly, dark blue eyes narrowed slightly. "Kion, you need to stop." His voice was low and rumbling, but not quite a growl as he wrapped his tail tightly around the younger cub, pulling him back, away from the tigers, and shooting them all a look to say back off. And they did, watching in confusion.

Watching in confusion as Kion instantly relaxed. As all the anger and hatred instantly melted away from his expression, his tense shoulders relaxed, his claws sheathed and his flattened ears pricked up. Watching as, as soon as Kion's amber gaze met Chaka's dark blue eyes, his expression went completely calm. Back to normal. Back to the Kion the Guard knew. No longer the killer, Lucifer's slave, no longer angry and bloodthirsty. Just Kion. "Cha," Kion sighed, a mixture of relief and confusion in his voice, eyebrows furrowing as he stared up at Chaka. Then he turned to look around again. "We- We gotta go.." He mumbled, his gaze focusing on the tigers again, and his fur started to bristle once more, but Chaka's paw was under his chin instantly, turning his head back to face him, and Kion was instantly calm again.

"Don't," Chaka murmured, staring at him intently before giving a warm, soft smile. "Calm down first." Kion didn't object to that, just nodded and kept his gaze focused on Chaka. He desperately wanted to get Sade, the rest of the Guard, and... Possibly Vixy, and get out of there, but he took Chaka's advice and kept his gaze focused on his best friend, slowly managing to calm himself down. Chaka, meanwhile, tore his gaze away for a second to glance around. He grimaced as he stared at the dead tigers, then his gaze met Bunga's, then Fuli's, then Beshte's, then Ono's. Then he brought his gaze back to Kion.

Vixy blinked, watching with interest. Sure, she'd managed to get Kion calm too, but it was nothing compared to this. As soon as Chaka had touched him, Kion had already begun to relax. It just took a few simple words, took Kion keeping his gaze fixed on Chaka, just being near him and Kion was calm. It was... Interesting, to say the least. Bunga watched in confusion, and relief, glad that Kion was at least remotely calm for the time being. Ono was relieved, too. Maybe now they could just get Sade and get the hell out of there.

Chaka watched silently as the leopards and tigers filed out, a relieved sigh escaping his lips. He felt Kion sway a little on his paws and then suddenly the younger cub was leaning against him, muzzle buried into Chaka's shoulder silently, and Chaka could feel him trembling faintly. Chaka closed his eyes for a moment before wrapping his tail tightly around Kion, pressing his muzzle into the cub's head. "Come on," he whispered. "Let's get out of here, okay?"

"But Sade." Kion protested as Chaka began to lead him out, but he didn't look back, not wanting to lose it again. He just kept his amber gaze fixed on his paws, occasionally glancing up at Chaka briefly before looking back down again, staring down at his blood-stained paws. A rush of horror engulfed him - It was overwhelming. He'd probably completely terrified his apprentice. As well as his Guard. And the other innocent cubs. Great, he thought bitterly. This wasn't what I wanted.

"The others'll get her," Chaka soothed, and Kion sighed but said nothing more, allowing Chaka to guide him away from the tigers and everyone else.

Vixy watched them go, ears flicking silently. Then she stood up and turned. But instead of following everyone else, she headed over toward the Guard, her amber eyes fixing on Bunga first, then Fuli, then Ono, then Beshte. Her tail tip flicked faintly, brushing against the ground as she stopped beside Masaki, staring at them all with an interested expression on her face. But she didn't speak.

Ono's eyes tracked Chaka and Kion warily as the two headed out, not really paying much attention to Vixy as she approached. Bunga however, noticed instantly, and his gaze instantly snapped back to the cub. He found himself staring into those intense amber eyes, exactly identical to Kion's, and he was pretty much almost stunned into silence at this point.

"Okay, Fuli." Bunga nodded in understanding, biting down on his lip. "But I think I'm.." Yeah, he was afraid and pretty upset, but he wasn't really willing to stay there. The Pridelands were his home. He would probably be avoiding Kion for a while, but he still wasn't willing to just leave the Pridelands over it. "I'm gonna head back." He muttered, glancing at the ground before looking at Vixy again. Ono stayed silent, staring blankly at nothing in particular.

"He has such anger in his soul." Vixy suddenly muttered, seeming to be talking to herself, but her gaze flickered from one member of the Guard to another. But her amber eyes were slightly unfocused, dazed, lost in thought. "It stems from fear.." She trailed off. "And judging by your reactions, it's not how he normally acts, is it." It wasn't a question.


##


Kion kept his eyes on the ground as they walked, heading back toward Pride Rock. He felt a mix of emotions, mostly guilt. Not really guilt for killing the tigers, no, he couldn't really bring himself to feel bad about that. After all, tigers were tigers and who cared if they died? Then again Kion couldn't really say that. There were a few tigers he liked. Natasha, for instance. And then thinking of Natasha brought his thoughts crashing down onto Vixy. His... His daughter. How did he have a daughter? Were there any other cubs that he didn't know about? Why hadn't Natasha told him? Had she even known before he left? Kion honestly wouldn't have gone with Chaka had he known. He didn't care how bad it was there, he wouldn't have left if he'd known he was going to be a father. "I have a kid." He mumbled suddenly, staring down at his paws. "Chaka I have a kid."

"I saw." Chaka murmured, remembering the little tiger/lion cub he'd seen standing there in front of Kion. Remembering those amber eyes. "She had your eyes." He sighed, then glanced at him and offered a warm smile. "Let me guess - Natasha's?" He mused, remembering the silver tiger that had come to his Empire, telling him everything about the Sabers. Remembering Natasha telling him that's where Kion was. Remembering Natasha helping him get Kion out. Yes, he owed Natasha big time indeed. The tiger was definitely one of the few people in the world that he trusted.

"Yeah," Kion mumbled, looking up as they neared Pride Rock. Then his ears flattened when he saw Claire silently pacing outside of Pride Rock, tail lashing back and forth, and he faltered to a stop. "Oh, mother of Mufasa.."

"What?" Chaka followed his gaze, and blinked. "Wait, no way, is that--"

"She's gonna kill me," Kion mumbled, honestly a little afraid. "Then she's going to bring me back to life and kill me again." He sighed, then continued forward, but at a slower pace.

Claire looked up as they approached, completely ignoring Chaka. First, her purple gaze flickered over Kion's bloodied pelt, and her eyes narrowed slightly. "How many?" She asked simply, her voice calm, emotionless. Kion didn't respond, and Claire raised an eyebrow, an annoyed look sparking up in her eyes. "Kion, how many?"

"Three."

Claire's mouth snapped shut, jaw locking as her teeth gritted slightly together, staring him down, and Kion shrunk back slightly under her skeptical gaze. But she seemed to decide she believed him, because she accepted the answer and returned it with a simple; "You are a moron."

"I know." Kion muttered, looking down at the ground. You didn't even save your apprentice. The voice reminded him. His tail twitched, a suddenly annoyed look flaring up in his eyes. "I only got three. And I couldn't even get Sade, either. She's still there, stuck in that damn camp," That's right. You failed. How do you feel? He felt the anger returning, blood boiling, and this time even Chaka's soothing mumbles fell on deaf ears. His lips curled back slightly, glaring down at his paws. "I shouldn't have stopped. I should've killed every last one of them. I should have Roared or, or something, I should have done anything to get her back and I didn't.." He held you back. He stopped you.

"Alright, hey, just calm down," Chaka soothed, rubbing his muzzle gently against Kion's shoulder and looking at him through concerned dark blue eyes. Kion just jerked away from the touch, continuing to grumble to himself.

Claire stared blankly as Kion continued his rant, growing more annoyed as he continued on and on. Finally, she decided to just do what she did back when they were Lucifer's slaves, what she did to stop Kion from murdering everybody in the camp. She padded forward and unsheathed her claws before smacking him. Hard. Really, really hard, claws out, enough to draw blood. "Shut up."

Kion's rant cut off instantly, staring at her in surprise for a moment. Then he grimaced, raising one already blood-soaked paw to rub the blood off of his cheek. The anger melted, replaced with something close to despair. He still looked irritated, but not as furious as before. "Thanks," He muttered sincerely, eyebrows furrowing faintly as he stared at her.

"No problem." Claire replied blankly, sheathing her claws and lowering her paw back to the ground. Chaka just watched, blinking in surprise.

Ono blinked, finally taking his gaze off of... Nothing to look at Fuli. He frowned, then suddenly rose up and fluttered down off of Beshte's back to land beside Fuli. "I'm gonna stay here with you," He told her before looking over at Beshte and Bunga. "To keep her company." Then he smiled, his gaze flickering to Bunga as he spoke next, "Stay safe."

"You too." Bunga held his gaze, teal eyes flickering slightly with an unreadable emotion. Then suddenly, his cheerful facade crumbled. The mask fell. And if Ono hadn't been so observant, if he hadn't seen this side of Bunga a million times before, he would've been surprised. Bunga looked completely serious, and surprisingly, a little scared as his gaze flickered from Fuli to Ono. "Both of you."

Vixy's amber eyes stayed fixed intently on Ono and Fuli, then she turned her head to look toward the Pridelands. Her teeth clicked together, considering for a moment, before she narrowed her eyes, assessing carefully as she turned back to the Guard. Their energies were all different. The honey badger's was a kind of childish, bright, innocent green. But right then it was tainted with blue, a dark, sad blue. And the green was slightly faded. They all had the blue, Vixy noticed - They were all sad. They also all had a dark, faded teal color. Fear. The egret was probably the most serious one, his energy a bright silver ball, flaming and twirling. Vixy liked that - Silver was her favorite color. The hippo had a bright pink color. Like her mother - It was sweet and sugary, innocent and trusting. Vixy liked that as well. Fuli was all kinds of different colors. But mostly this flaming golden-orange. Like fire. Vixy stared blankly for a moment before she remembered her father.

Kion's energy had been all messed up with color. She could hardly see through the dark blue and teal, and the purple - Which was pain. But below it was another fiery color. Orange and blazing and bright. Bright but not bright enough. Because there was also some kind of darkness stuck there, swirling around inside of them. Vixy had a feeling it wasn't safe. Pausing, she narrowed her eyes, considering her options for a moment before piping up, her intense amber gaze focusing on Bunga, then Beshte. "Would you mind if I followed you back?"

##


Claire went silent, staring daggers at Kion now, but Kion refused to meet her gaze, staring down at his bloodstained paws. Claire flicked her tail, thinking. She knew Kion was just afraid and that was his reason for attacking but quite frankly, Claire didn't care. She knew he had more self-control and common sense than that, he wasn't an idiot. And Claire was willing to call him out on it, to smack some sense into him - Literally. After a moment, she sighed and flicked her tail at him. "Come on. Let's wash that blood off your paws." She told him, heading past him. "I saw a lake not far from here. Let's go." Her tone left absolutely no room for arguments.

Chaka looked down at Kion when the cub hesitated, looking up at him. Chaka sighed, then smiled, lowering his head to gently rasp his tongue over Kion's head. "Go with her." He told him. "Go get cleaned up."

"Okay." Kion pulled away, then paused and looked at him worriedly. "But - But stay here, okay? Don't leave. Please." He mumbled, his gaze searching Chaka's desperately. Don't act so pitiful. The voice in his head chided scornfully. Kion blinked in confusion, but he ignored the voice and shook his head, confused and brushing it off. He was just tired. Yeah.

"I'll be right here." Chaka assured, whiskers twitching slightly as he stared at Kion. Kion smiled in relief, and nosed his shoulder gently before turning and heading off after Claire, catching up easily. Neither of them spoke, and Claire kept her gaze ahead as they walked. Kion didn't even glance at her, staring ahead with a small frown on his face.