Nakala

Chapter 81

Hearing the yells and snarls of Fuli made Simba and Rafiki charge through the jungle, determined to aid her. The thin branches and coiling vines did nothing to stop either the king or the mjuzi. With a final push Simba made it into the jungle's clearing and gasped. There in the dirt lied both Fuli and Bunga. Both of them lied still with their fur stained red. The king rushed to Fuli while Rafiki tended to Bunga.

"Fuli! Fuli, what happened?" Simba asked the stirring cheetah. A small whimper came from her but nothing more.

"Your majesty..." Rafiki said. He turned around with Bunga's body held in his arms. "He's gone.

A stabbing grief pierced the lion's heart but he forced it down and took a deep breath. "We...We have to get Fuli back to Pride Rock. With the mandrill's help, the cheetah was carefully put on the king's back. She said something in a quiet tone.

"Please, Fuli. Save your strength," Simba begged, making sure the Lion Guard leader was balanced. Carefully he walked through the jungle back the way they came.

"K-Kion..." the cheetah muttered.

Rafiki heard this and kept pace with her while he carried Bunga. "Is Kion the one who did this?"

Fuli winced through the pain in her neck before explaining further. "When I found Kion... Bunga was already dead...I attacked him first. It was stupid."

"That's enough, Fuli!" Simba ordered. The cheetah did what she was told and simply closed her eyes. The king increased his pace through the jungle and into the savanna. He could tell by how much blood that already soaked into Fuli's fur that she didn't have much time left.

Nearby Pridelanders cleared the way for the king and the royal mjuzi following close behind. Nearby at the summit of Pride Rock, Ono and Beshte were looking for Fuli. The egret looked out in the distance, catching sight of the king approaching and the leader of the Guard lying nearly limp on his back.

"There she is! The king is carrying her!" Ono squawked, getting the hippos attention. Together they marched towards the king and followed him to Rafiki's hollow.

As carefully as he could, Simba eased Fuli's body onto a bed of leaves. He stepped back and let Rafiki look the cheetah over. As he did so, Rafiki said nothing but the grim look on his face made his heart sink.

"How bad is it, Rafiki?" Simba asked, despite fearing the answer.

"I am sorry, King Simba. But there is nothing I can do," Rafiki sighed, placing a hand on Fuli's flank. It was clear to see that her throat was pierced and too much blood had already been lost.

Beneath him Fuli's breath was ragged and labored. Simba grit his fangs and stomped his paw into the dirt. It seemed that things were only getting worse and worse. "Is this a part of the prophecy? Losing our own Guard?"

The King's gaze landed on the body of Bunga. His eyes were closed and Rafiki placed him in a way that looked as if the honey badger was simply sleeping. But all he could think of was the cheetah lying on her side, clearly in a lot of pain. Rafiki placed a hand on the King's shoulder.

"It is the duty of the King to be there for his subjects," Rafiki said solemnly.

Simba nodded and took a deep breath. He padded towards the Fuli, the sound of her breathing ringing in his ears. For a moment he faltered but it was Fuli who reached out to him, placing her paw on top of his.

"Are...Are you sure you want this?" Simba asked, his voice barely above a whisper.

Fuli opened his eyes and gave the king a slow, weak nod.

Beshte and Ono finally made it to the hollow. They had to stop on the way to quell the growing panic and concern of the Pridelanders.

"Beshte! Ono!" the Guard members turned around, seeing Kiara and Nala bounding up to them.

"Why's everyone freaking out?" Kiara asked, referring to the unrest growing in the savanna.

"The King came running through the land with Fuli on her back. She looked pretty hurt. They're inside the hollow right now," Ono explained, using his wing to the point the way.

"Things have been so out of control lately," Nala sighed. "But we are grateful that we have you to help us manage."

"We'll be there the moment there's trouble," Beshte assured the royals. "That's why we're the Lion Guard."

"Common knowledge really," Ono nodded.

A smile spread on the queen and princess' muzzles. Together they all ventured towards the hollow. Nala and Kiara entered first, followed by Ono and Beshte.

The smiles between them quickly faded upon stepping inside the tree. In front of them lay the body of Bunga. His body was curled as if he was asleep but one good look at his fur told them all everything they needed to know. Beside him laid the Fuli. Unlike Bunga, the cheetah's fur was dirty with blood and hard mud. Standing above her was Simba. His back was turned to his family and his Guard but it was easy to see the red staining his front paw.

Silence filled the hollow as they all mourned the loss of two members of the Lion Guard and two dear friends. There were countless thoughts going through all of their minds. Beshte and Ono especially wondered if they could have somehow prevented something like this from happening. Nala and Kiara worried for the King and how he was going to carry on from this day forward.

There were many problems that they could have tackled at the moment, such as Kion or even telling the Pridelanders about the loss of two of their own. But everyone found it fit to stay where they were and comfort one another in the moment.