A Dark Secret

Chapter 11

Kion walked with the rest of the Lion Guard on their way to the Tree of Life. It hadn't been long since the loss.

Oh Fuli... you saved my life even after the way I acted. And you gave your own life in doing so.

Apparently Bunga saw that he was filled with sorrow and grief, because he came over to try to cheer him up. "Hey Kion, what did the bear say when he was arguing? This argument is unbearable!" Bunga laughed at his own joke.

"That's not even funny," Kion muttered.

"Really?" Anga asked the honey badger, unimpressed.

"Is this too hawkward for you, Anga?" Bunga tried to make another pun.

"I'm an eagle," Anga told him flatly, flying lowly next to where the group was walking

"Nahhh," Bunga said, waving a paw dismissively. He then pointed at Kion and added, "She's just lion."

Kion rolled his eyes. "That isn't funny either."

Bunga sighed before resting a paw on Kion's shoulder. "Sorry... I was just tryna cheer you up."

Kion sighed. "I know."

"Are you okay though? Right now?" Beshte knowingly asked.

Kion quickly nodded. "I'm fine." He didn't want any of them to feel sorry for him because of how badly he was coping with Fuli's death. He barely ate or slept; he never felt hungry or tired. When he did sleep, every time he woke up, he'd think he would see Fuli next to him before remembering that Fuli was gone forever. Kion would never see her again. "L-let's keep going," he said to the group. Then they continued walking through the recently flooded dessert. The land had not dried yet, and there were puddles here and there. Kion, still thinking about Fuli, wasn't looking where he was going and he fell into a deep puddle, about four pawsteps deep. His fur was now soaked. "Ugh," he muttered. He then got back to his paws and continued on. "Anga? Do you see the next Moja Kwa Moja stone?"

"Nope," came a simple reply.

Kion then got hit with a pain in his scar. He put his paw up to it briefly. "Then how are we going to get the the Tree of Life?! Ugh!"

"If Fuli was still here she'd be able to calm him down," he heard Bunga said quietly, sadness in his usually over-eager, excitable, and happy voice.

Kion looked down at his paws, suddenly feeling a whole new wave of guilt wash over him.

"Well, let's try going that way!" Makini said with effort, obviously trying to change the subject. She pointed with her bakora staff to a grassland in the distance. Kion shrugged.

"Ugh fine. But only because we have nowhere better to go," Kion replied arrogantly, trying to hide the overwhelming guilt and sadness that washed over him every time Fuli was mentioned. "Let's go."

They then started walking towards the grasslands. It took a couple of days before they finally arrived at the grasslands. It was much cooler than the desert and everyone was relieved to have gotten out of the desert before it dried up again.

"I'm sooooooo borrreeed," said Bunga.

"Ugh! Bunga you've said that a million times!" Kion snapped irritably.

"But I am!" Bunga tried to defend himself. Kion approached Bunga. Bunga backed away.

Wait, is he... afraid of me? Kion asked himself, then backed away from Bunga. "Sorry, Bunga," he apologized to the honey badger while looking down at his paws.

"Hakuna Matata, Kion," Bunga replied simply. Then the Guard continued on walking through the grasslands aimlessly, hoping they would find the next Moja Kwa Moja stone.