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Kion slipped through the tall grass, weaving through paw by paw as he walked with just about as much precision as he offered when he Roared. With Pride Rock in sight, just ahead of him, he hunkered down with the grass prickling at his stomach fur, an uncomfortable feeling, but one he knew he could deal with. His tail swished a bit behind him without his permission, but stilled again in the next second as he raised back up, narrowed eyes taking in the giant rock cave in silence. The grass tickled his nose as he prowled forward, jaws opening slightly before clicking shut again. He blinked a few times, nostrils flaring as he sniffed, but the air smelled of nothing but warmth and grass and water. Sighing to himself, he sank back low to the ground, head dipping toward the grass like a snake before he raised up again, as if unsure whether he should stay hidden or throw all caution to the wind. Frankly, he was surprised that he'd gotten this far. Surprised, and a little disappointed. He'd have thought they'd catch up to him by now, but…
Well, it gave him a moment to put everything into perspective. He marveled over how it felt to creep through his home, to move like a predator stalking his prey, to blend in, and go unnoticed. Chillingly, it was a feeling he thought maybe he could get used to, but he didn't want to. His ears twitched a little as he mulled the thought over, drawing his eyebrows together for a moment and offering another flick of his tail before he forced himself still again. His pelt rippled a bit in protest, limbs and muscles itching and burning to move, and he drew his paws a bit closer to himself reflexively as he checked over his shoulder for the first time, seeing nothing. Just the grass weaving back and forth with the breeze behind him, a gentle stir that ruffled his ear fur.
He flicked them again and turned his gaze onto Pride Rock, running his tongue over his muzzle.
Perhaps, he thought, he could go a bit further. His muscles strained at the idea, ears pricking forward a bit more in excitement before he squashed it down again, reprimanding himself.
The cub settled on his haunches instead after a moment, the tips of his paws pressing delicately against the ground for a moment before he let the pads settle against the grass. He tilted his head a little as he stared ahead, amber eyes roaming over Pride Rock as intently, as hungrily, as he might have stared down a zebra. His stomach clenched a little at the thought of food despite himself, a sentiment he easily dismissed, with a shake of his head and a flick of his ear.
He turned his gaze to the sky after a moment, narrowed eyes roaming over the stars carefully. The Pridelands were awful quiet tonight. Still. Peaceful. Kion breathed in, catching a lungful of the warm air in his lungs and holding it for a second before letting it out, a smile appearing on his muzzle after a few seconds. Nice and quiet and peaceful, and that was just how he liked it.
His ears twitched, catching a noise behind him before he did.
Ah, they'd found him.
Good. Energy surged through his muscles, bringing him to his paws and sending his tail thrashing wildly back and forth as he started to turn, only to pause with a paw midair. He opened his mouth instead, taking another breath. The air was tinged with the familiar smell of cheetah.
His smile widened, just a bit. Of course she was the first to catch up to him.
Kion forced his tail to still, sparing a curious look at the sky and narrowing his eyes the faintest bit. There wasn't a bird in sight; the sky was clear. Not even a cloud drifting across the stars. He twitched his ears again a few times, swiveling them around, but he couldn't hear anything either. Not now. The only hint that someone was close to him was the smell in the air, and the prickle of excitement that raced up his spine, the fur on his shoulders to raise. He ran his tongue over his jaws again and again, stifling the hunger that rolled through his stomach and focusing on the adrenaline steadily rising through his veins. His ears twitched again, perking upwards and to the right, and he had to force himself not to turn his head. Not yet. Instead, he settled again, drawing his paws closer to him and letting the tension drain to his back legs, ready to move.
The low, guttural growl to his left that barely reached his ears promised him an interesting fight. Kion wondered if the others were there, or if she'd left them behind to take him on herself.
She was fast.
For once, he was faster.
He leaped when she did, but not toward her. Instead, he jumped out of the tall grass altogether, landing gracefully on the other side of the patch and whirling around on his paws with a grin to face the cheetah again. A startled grunt and a soft 'oof' among the large fronds made his mane puff up a bit, pride swelling in his chest. In the next second, a cloud of dust was the only thing he could see before two paws slammed into his chest and knocked him off his legs. He hissed a little, mostly out of alarm. She had speed, but he had strength; he let himself fall back so she could pin him, taking the weight off of the rest of him so that he could kick his back paws into her chest before she could steady herself again. She flew off of him at once with a startled yowl.
He heard a thump and a crack in the same breath before he'd even gotten to his paws, and he froze for a second before leaping to his paws and bracing his shoulders, ears pinned back against his head. But the cheetah was nowhere to be seen. Instead, startlingly, he found himself face to face with a familiar honey badger instead, leaning back against the tree with his arms crossed over his chest and a casual smirk on his face. Kion scanned the area quickly before turning his gaze back to the smaller animal, narrowing his eyes slightly and taking a step back.
"Hey there," Bunga greeted, bringing a hand up and curling his claws toward himself, pretending to check them. They glinted in the moonlight, sharp as Kion's himself; he let his own slide out after a few heartbeats, only to dig them into the ground. They sank into the cracked, hardened dirt easily enough, curling into place and taking root. "Lookin' for someone else, buddy boy?"
"I was," Kion confessed, briefly allowing his teeth to show as he grinned at the smaller animal. The honey badger was neither impressed nor frightened, only looking on in amusement. Kion watched as he studied his claws for a moment longer before turning his piercing gaze on him.
Kion smiled kindly. Bunga's responding grin was almost warm, if not challenging.
"You gonna use those?" He gestured to Kion's claws with a finger, pushing himself away from the tree and padding forward on two legs. The lion arched away from him, but he didn't move his claws from the ground yet, studying with interest the way the honey badger's hackles raised and his fur bristled even while the smile on his face was as calm as could be, not a hint of fear or anything, really, written across his face. He was almost proud for a second before he realized that Bunga was still advancing on him, and while it took him a moment to remove his claws from the ground, he was quick in his own retreat while being careful to check his surroundings. A flash of green somewhere behind Bunga let him know Fuli was watching the interaction, and if the honey badger was here, then Kion was rather hopeful that the others were around as well.
"Only if you use yours…" Kion began, turning his gaze back to Bunga. The honey badger's face pinched up for a second, eyebrows raising as the corners of his eyes crinkled, almost looking like he was about to laugh. He didn't, though, just tilted his head and met his gaze, blue eyes flicking wildly as they searched for something. Kion stared back, just as intrigued as to whether or not he'd find it, as Bunga took another few steps forward, not seeming to be in any rush now.
"You scared?"
Kion blinked, and scrunched his muzzle up. "Of you?" He still didn't halt his retreat.
"Don't sound so skeptical," Bunga admonished. "You think you're harder to take on than Janja?"
Kion scoffed. The sound resonated deep in his chest, reverberating in his throat as the beginnings of a growl built up, and the mark on his shoulder burned for a second - first as a reminder and then as a warning. He continued his cautious retreat, aching to check over his shoulder but knowing he shouldn't take his eyes off of Bunga for even a second. The honey badger arched an eyebrow at him somewhat lazily as he continued his approach, bristling fur prickling up further as Kion continued to back away. "Well, maybe. Either way, you think you're gonna be any better at fighting me than Janja? I mean… at least he had the size to beat me."
It wasn't quite the reaction he usually would have gone for, at all, but scaring Bunga was proving to be a feat and anger was just as damning as fear - and the look on the honey badger's face at that moment was absolutely murderous. "I'll tell you one thing. You've got a big mouth, Kion."
Kion chose that moment to offer a test snarl. It pounded out viciously, and his mark stung.
"As far as size goes, you're a little lacking, anyway," Bunga continued. His eyebrows furrowed downwards for a second, a brief smirk flickering across his face. "You… were the runt, right?"
Kion's ears swiveled forward so fast that Bunga's body flinched as his advances halted, tense.
The lion bared his teeth, fully willing to blast him now. "What?"
"Zuka Zama?" Bunga offered, a flicker of apprehension finally crossing his face.
Kion narrowed his eyes and drew his whiskers back, scrunching his muzzle up again. Bunga hissed, but it said a lot about his position in the Guard and the trust that he held that he didn't retreat, and Kion briefly managed a smirk before he unleashed the Roar. It was a quick, fleeting burst that lasted just enough to send Bunga flying back into the tree, cracking back against it as forcefully as Fuli had. He was a little slower to get up on his feet again, but he didn't seem to be injured by the time he managed to; Kion snapped his jaws shut and offered a warning snarl as the honey badger stood again, claws bared and glinting, before Bunga bounded forward and lunged at him. Kion reared up, prepared to meet him head on, raising an unsheathed paw and aiming to strike him across the chest - but Bunga's size proved to be an asset. He slipped between Kion's paws easily and surged upwards, lashing his claws across the lion's muzzle.
Of course, getting up close and personal probably wasn't his best bet. Kion snarled and smacked him away with the back of a large paw, and lunged again in the next second, baring his claws down against Bunga's chest and slamming him hard into the ground, pinning him.
Bunga stilled underneath him as Kion's claws stretched out across his chest, close to his throat.
"You know." Bunga's chest heaved. "You being a windbag really doesn't work for me. I can't believe you did that!" His hand rested against Kion's leg, eyeing his mark. "How's it still there?"
Kion chuckled, dipping his head and baring his teeth. "Remember the story, Bunga."
Bunga grinned up at him, eyes glittering dangerously for a moment as he stared. "Hey, Kion."
"Yeah?"
"Do it. Pussy."
Kion eyed his claws for a moment, pricking against Bunga's throat. The honey badger jerked his head upwards suddenly, and Kion huffed out a startled yelp as he jerked his claws back just in time to avoid them sinking into the smaller animal's throat completely, pupils shrinking while Bunga merely burst into laughter, squeezing his eyes shut and letting himself fall back again.
"Idiot!" Kion shrieked, rearing back and letting him up. "What the hell'd you do that for?!"
Bunga only laughed, pushing himself up on his arms and peering up at him. "For fun, duh."
"I could've killed you!"
"You could've killed me when you Roared at me, but that didn't stop you!"
Fuli chose that moment to slip from the tall grass, looking equally amused and irritated as she made her way over to them, while Bunga heaved himself into a sitting position and Kion retracted his claws, allowing his bristling fur and mane to flatten down again. He couldn't stop his tail from lashing, however, whipping side to side as he continued to glare at the honey badger, but his attention turned back to Fuli quickly enough. "Kion, we said fair fight this time!"
"I know…" Kion flattened his ears, then grinned and perked them up again. "Couldn't resist, though. You can't imagine how many times I've wanted to Roar at this little bastard before."
"Hey!"
"At least it's over," Ono called, diving down from the sky to land beside Bunga. "That was tense."
Beshte poked his head out. "Wait, so I don't get to fling Kion?"
"Sorry, Beshte," Kion laughed, folding his ears back. "Guess we did get carried away."
"Not our fault," Bunga objected, standing up. "We need a lot of foreplay."
Kion tilted his head, thinking about that for a moment, and narrowed his eyes. "I do have to actually want to pummel you. But… I'm thinking maybe we should call claws off. Bunga almost just killed himself by forcing me to kill him and I don't think any of us want that to happen." Everyone grunted agreement but Fuli, who then proceeded to receive a glare from Bunga.
"Maybe we should call the Roar off, too?" Ono suggested, and Kion wrinkled his nose, lashing his tail. "At least at night. It's good for you to get comfortable using it, but…"
"Not when almost everyone else in the Pridelands is asleep," Beshte chuckled.
Kion blinked. "... wasn't Thurston's herd sleeping nearby?"
Silence followed.
Then hoofbeats.
Bunga pointed an accusing finger at Kion. "His job! He did it!"
"Watch it, Bunga, or I'll blast you again."