Nakala

Chapter 13

There was an air of positivity among the hyenas about the plentiful haul of zebras that Cheezi and Chungu along with Nne and Tano brought in. But not for Nakala, who continued to pace back and forth in front of Amana's den. She said that he just had a concussion, but if that was true why was she tending to Janja throughout the night? Of course Nakala did not get much sleep either, repeatedly checking in on the condition of the hyena. Each time Amana would assure her that she had it under control, but it did nothing to relax him. Now it was well into the next morning and he continued to pace, his mind running itself ragged with worry.

The moment of Janja crashing into the large rock replayed in his mind over and over. And it sent a spike of fear down his stomach. He could have rushed to Janja's side before that moment. He blamed himself for what happened, but he did not forget about the Lion Guard either. When he told them they weren't finished, he meant it. He looked at his claws, thinking about when he attacked Bunga. On the tips red flakes stuck on. He was so focused on getting Janja back here that he never washed the blood from his claws. Nakala let out a sigh and sat down, thinking about the situation in general.

So the Lion Guard is still around, even without me. I guess Fuli became their new leader too..... the lion thought to himself. He looked at his claws once again and his thoughts jumped to Bunga. The honey badger used to be his best friend, but his best friend. He didn't even think twice before he attacked the taunting honey badger. So I guess that's it then, Nakala sighed to himself. Him fighting against the Lion Guard themselves as some kind of sign that he truly was and always would be an Outlander. A conclusion he had no problem coming to. The Pride Landers could do whatever they wanted when they wanted, but here in the Outlands he and the hyenas had to do everything they could everyday just to keep surviving. The ones here need me more than the Pride Lands ever did.

In the Pride Lands the members of the Lion Guard also worried about their own injured team member and friend. Just like Amana, Rafiki worked throughout the night to ensure that Bunga would be okay.

"It's been a while...hasn't it?" Beshte yawned as he woke up. Fuli and Ono waited through the night, but the hippo fell asleep.

"He's still in there....." Ono confirmed.

"He'll be fine, right?" the hippo asked, visibly worried about the state of his best friend.

"He's Bunga. He's shrugged off worse," Fuli reassured. "Sure he took a good hit, but you know he's gonna fight through it and be just fine."

"I don't know. He was bleeding pretty—," Fuli gave Ono a warning look. This wasn't the time to be analytical. "Uh, Fuli's right. If anyone can beat the odds it's Bunga!"

"I hope you're both right..." Beshte sighed, looking to Rafiki's hollow. Just in the moment Rafiki stepped out.

"Rafiki! How is he?" Beshte asked, rushing up to the royal mjuzi.

"Bunga will be just fine. He just needs plenty of rest!" Rafiki announced. The Guard breathed a sigh of relief. "Now tell me about that lion you saw last night."

"Oh yeah! He was working with the Outlanders!" Beshte told Rafiki.

"He was really strong. I gotta admit he threw me off pretty easily," Fuli added.

"Right before he left I saw that he had a scar over his eye! And he told us that our fight 'wasn't over'. So it's safe to assume he's gonna be back soon." Ono concluded.

"Hmmm, a scar on his eye? A rogue lion that is working with the hyenas and has a scar over his eye. This does not sound good at all. Bunga's injuries tell that this lion is very strong indeed. We must tell the King right away." Rafiki told them. Soon they journeyed to Pride Rock to warn Simba of what happened.