Circle of Love

Chapter Three

The planned attack the next day went perfectly, and the two predators frolicked until sundown. They had a couple more planned attacks and hangouts like this, while Ono got suspicious. One day he demanded an answer.

"What's going on between you and Janja?" asked Ono. The Lion Guard was hanging out in the Lair. No staged attacks today. Bunga, Fuli, and Beshte weren't listening; they were playing in the pool. Kion didn't even flinch at the question. It was almost like he knew it was coming.

"What's going on between you and Makini?" Kion shot back, not looking up from his sand drawing. Ono gasped.

"How do you know about me and Makini?!" He exclaimed.

"Oh, I've seen the secret smiles you two give each other. Now what was that about me and Janja?" Kion teased.

"Never mind," Ono muttered angrily.

Kion knew Ono was getting suspicious. He and Janja would have to be more careful from now on.

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Janja spread out on the ground of his den with a sigh. He had not seen Kion today, but he took one of the suggested routes to get food, and was full for the first time in a while. The soft sound of rain lulled him to sleep.

Janja woke up to a big crash of thunder. He opened his eyes to see lightning flash across the sky.

Uh-oh, he thought. Janja knew there was no going back to sleep. At least not alone. But he hadn't told anyone about his fear of thunder. Except... no. He couldn't. Or could he? Another crash made him forget about his doubts. He got up and walked to the Pridelands.

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"Kion, wake up!" The cub opened his eyes to someone shaking him gently. His vision cleared, and he saw the hyena in front of him.

"Janja?" Kion stood up. "What's wrong?" The lighting answered for Janja, making him whimper. Kion remembered what the hyena had confided in him.

"Oh yeah," the lion said softly. "Come on, we can sleep in the Lair." Kion knew sleeping in a familiar place with good memories might make Janja more comfortable. The pair sneakily left Pride Rock and made their way to their secret hangout spot. Janja shivered each time there was a crash of thunder, both from the cold and the fear.

"We're almost there," Kion reassured a few minutes later. Janja had been trying to hold his fear in, but Kion could see right through that. Finally, they arrived.

"Make yourself comfortable, 'kay?" said Kion. Janja nodded and curled up on a patch of sand. Kion looked at him curiously. The hyena looked so scared. Kion wanted to comfort him. He had an idea. Kion lay down beside Janja and put a paw across his back. Janja stiffened at first; he wasn't used to affection. But when Kion slowly stroked his fur, the hyena felt himself start to relax. The storm still scared him, but being with Kion somehow brought him a sense of security, made him feel safe. He shifted around so his head was resting on Kion's shoulder. The lion cub smiled at the sight of his friend looking so relaxed. Kion had never seen him like this. As the thunderstorm slowed, the two animals started to drift off, but Kion was alert enough to notice Janja snuggling up to him in his sleep. The lion felt his face redden, but smiled as he drifted off to sleep.

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Kion woke up before Janja. He couldn't exactly move since Janja was sleeping with his head on his back, so Kion had a lot of time to think. He thought about the hyena he had grown to care for. Last night seemed different than the other times the two had hung out. More intimate. The cuddling. The fact that Kion was the only one who Janja trusted enough to confide in. The constant blushing on Kion's part. What did it all mean? The more that Kion thought about it, the more he realized:

He was falling in love with Janja.