The Lion Guard: Desire of the Soul (KionxFuli)

Chapter 13: Just You Wait

I'm getting a lot of Hamilton vibes from this title (not that it's a bad thing)

"What are you doing here?" Badala hissed as Tai landed in front of her. He gave her a respectful bow before speaking.

"Isn't that my task, Badala?" Tai asked. "To spy the Tree of Life and report back to you every few weeks or so?"

"Yeah, if only you had reported back useful information," Badala growled.

"W-what?" Tai gasped.

"Don't 'w-what' me!" Badala snapped, her eyes blazed. "You haven't told me a single useful thing the whole time you've been spying!"

"I-I did too!" they protested, trying to not let their voice rise. He paused for a moment, rethinking his words so he wouldn't say something that might cost his very life. 

"I told you about Rani's existence, Kion and his friends forming the Daylight Guardians, and how Rani is now expecting cubs! Oh, and sneaking in shouldn't be too hard for you because Rani hasn't mentioned your name because she's still very superstitious!" 

"How many was that, four?" Badala hissed, causing Tai to fall silent. "You have said only four useful things the day I gave you this task, the rest of the times you come dragging your pathetic, little eagle ass here only to tell me stuff I already know or how much you hate your mate!"

"Anga is NOT my mate!" Tai argued, though Badala growled at him and he went silent again.

"I want to know, Tai," Badala snarled, thrusting her muzzle towards the martial eagle, her tail flicked impatiently. "Do you have anything useful to tell me?"

"Erm..." Tai thought out loud as he tried to think.

"WELL?" 

"Oh!" Tai said. "You remember Azaad? Well, apparently he's still alive-" 

"WHAT!?" Badala shrieked with outrage. "But that's impossible! He and his coalition are dead! My father and the pride DESTROYED them! We killed both of his parents! I was there! I killed his mom! How can he still be..." 

"I don't know that part," they admitted, shrugging. "But he's alive alright. I'll tell you this, though. He's pretty wary of lions, even though the Night Pride, or what's left of it, helped him at one point. I guess that makes sense, considering that your father and the Pride killed his family."

"For a good reason, too!" Badala snapped, causing them to back up a little. "His coalition had disrespected my father! He was the king, they shouldn't have questioned his actions, anything the King says or does is the law!"

"I didn't mean any disrespect," Tai said meekly.

The cream lioness said nothing, though she still held her cold gaze. "Luckily, we gave them the message, and I'm sure Azaad and his dead family understood..."

"Other than that, there's not much about him, really," Tai replied. "He hasn't been to the Tree of Life that much before. I'll tell you this, though, he is clearly head over paws over Fuli."

"Really?" Badala said, she let out a dry snicker. "How touching..."

"Yes. And he seems to disapprove her friendship with Kion," Tai went on. "I don't know, Azaad's a strange one, indeed. His shifting behavior is what caused him and Fuli to split before. Hey, did you know that at one point, he and Fuli actually sorta broke up? I don't know the argument exactly, but it must've been pretty big because that was why Azaad had stopped coming to the Tree of Life when it happened. What do you think it is? I think it might've been-"