1 The Jungel King

She was late. Bagheera paced up and down in front of the entrance to his den. His cousin was coming for a visit and she was so punctual. But this time she was late. The black panther looked off into the distance. Could she have run into Shere Khan? No. He would had heard the fighting and Lelie knew about Shere Khan and how to avoid him. It had to be something else. Could it be the king who ruled her territory? The last time he had seen Lelie she had told him that a new king had taken over and the once beautiful land she lived in was slowly dying. Bagheera had tried to convince her to stay with him but she refused to leave her friends to suffer such a terrible fate. But now, Bagheera was concerned. He had to know what happened to his cousin and that meant that he had to travel to her territory.

~*~

The sun had barely risen when Bagheera left his den and started on his long journey. So he was very surprised to hear a certain voice at this time of day.

"Hey, Baggie, where you going?"

"Baloo," Bagheera groaned. "I'm going on a little trip," he told the bear. "My cousin never showed up for a visit."

"Well maybe he's just a little late," Baloo said.

"She is always on time to the point where she's sometimes early. I'm just a little concerned. Lelie told me of problems with the new king of her territory and I want to make sure she's alright. She's the only family I have. I'll be back no later than the start of the monsoon season."

"But that's six months from now. That's a long time. What about Mowgil?"

Bagheera hesitated. Though Mowgil had gone to live in the man's village, he still liked to come into the jungle to visit his animal friends. Shere Khan was still very much a threat to the man cub and Bagheera took his roll as Mowgil's protector seriously.

"I've asked Colonel Hathi and his elephants to keep an eye on him," Bagheera said.

"It's still too long a journey to make on your own. And, if there's trouble, you and your cousin might need help. So...I'm coming with you."

"There will be no stopping for naps or snacks," Bagheera said as he set off again, this time with Baloo at his side.

"That's all right. I'll just make up for it when we get back. So what do you know about this king who rules you cousin's territory?"

"Not much. Only that Lelie said his name is Scar."

"Scar? He must be one tough tiger; tougher than even Khan."

Not far away, Shere Khan watched the pair leave. With Bagheera gone, even temporarily, it was the perfect time to go after Mowgil. But this Scar had him intrigued. A tiger that might be tougher than him? He had to meet him and form an alliance if only to keep this Scar from trying to take over his territory.

~*~

It had been a long journey, but they finally made it to their destination. However, it wasn't what Baloo (or Shere Khan) had been expecting. It was wide open grassland with clumps of trees here and there.

"Are you sure this is the right place, Baggie?" Baloo asked.

"Yes," Bagheera said. "See that rock structure?"

"You mean that one with the rock sticking strait up and the other one pushed up against it?"

"Yes. Lelie said that's where the king and his family live. She called it Pride Rock."

"Look at all these animals. I've never seen anything like them back in the jungle."

"That's because we aren't in the jungle. We aren't even in India. We're in Africa, on the savanna to be exact."

"The savanna? Africa?"

"Yes. Lelie said there were many territories around here: the Outlands, the Backlands, but she called this place the Pride Lands."

Bagheera started down the path.

"Come on, Baloo."

"Do you know where your cousin lives?" Baloo asked.

"Not really. I've only been here once and that was when I was a cub visiting my aunt, uncle, and Lelie with my parents."

"Well maybe they know where she is."

Baloo head towards a herd of black and white striped horses.

"No Baloo, wait!"

"Hey fellas, we're looking for a black panther named..."

"Panic and run! Panic and run!" the lead horse shouted causing the herd to run around in a blind panic.

"What happened?"

"Lelie said that zebra aren't the smartest animals in the Pride Lands," Bagheera said coming up to Baloo. "Come on. We'll ask at Pride Rock. Someone there might know where she is."

~*~

Nala rested in the sun at the base of Pride Rock watching her daughter Kiara play with her two best friends Tiifu and Zuri. The hunt had been good and the pride had full bellies. Simba was off attending to his duties as king while Kion and his friends were out trying to calm a herd of zebras.

"Excuse me," someone called.

Nala turned to see a black panther come up to Pride Rock followed by an animal she had never seen before.

"Can I help you?" Nala asked sitting up.

"My apologies, madam. My name is Bagheera and this is my friend Baloo."

"I'm Nala, queen of the Pride Lands."

"Nice to meet you queenie," the strange animal said.

"You're not from around here, are you?" Nala asked choosing to ignore the animal the panther had called Baloo's rude behavior (even Timon and Pumbaa were more respectful).

"No, madam," the panther said with a tone of grace and nobility. "We're from India. We came in search of my cousin."

"India? Where's that?" Kiara asked coming up to her mother with Tiifu and Zuri on her heels.

"And who are you, young lady?" the panther asked.

"This is my daughter Kiara," Nala said.

"It is a pleasure to make your acquaintance, princess. As to your question India is a place many days journey from here."

"Does it look like the Pride Lands?"

"No, princess. It has lots more trees and very thick vegetation. My friend and I live in a jungle."

"Enough with the niceties, Baggie. Just aske if they know where your cousin is," said the strange animal.

"What are you?" Zuri asked.

"This is my friend Baloo," the panther said. "He's a bear. There are many of them back home in the jungle."

"What are you four?" the bear asked. "Queenie's too big to be a panther but none of you have stripes like a tiger."

"We're lions or, to be more exact, lionesses," Nala said. "Now you said you were looking for someone?"

"Yes," said the panther Bagheera. "My cousin Lelie."

"Follow me," Nala said getting to her paws and following the path up to Pride Rock. "My husband might know where she lives."

~*~

The panther didn't surprise Simba; he'd seen lots of panthers before. But the bear was a shock. He'd never seen an animal anywhere close to what Baloo looked like.

"You say you're Lelie's cousin?" Simba said.

"Yes," Bagheera said. "She was supposed to come to India for a visit. When she didn't show up, I got worried and came looking for her. The last time she visited, she told me about trouble with the king ruling her territory. I'm not saying that trouble came from you. You're obviously not Scar. I remember him from my last visit when I was a cub. And, even though you both changed, I remember you and Nala."

Simba looked at Bagheera.

"I remember you, too," Simba said. "Last I heard, Lelie was living in the grove near the Marishe Fields."

"Dad!" someone called.

A lion that looked like a cub version of Simba came in followed by four other animals.

"Something weird is going on," the cub said. "We got the zebras calmed down and they began talking about a giant honey badger."

The five new animals looked at Baloo.

"That's one big honey badger," said the biggest one of the group.

"Kion. Fuli. Ono. Bestee. Bunga," Simba said. "This is Bagheera and his friend Baloo. They're visiting from India."

"And Baloo isn't a honey badger," Nala said. "He's a bear."

"Kion," Simba said. "Can you and your friends take Bagheera and Baloo to Marishe Fields and help them locate Lelie?"

"Sure thing, Dad," Kion said.

He headed for the entrance to the cave.

"Follow me."

~*~

"The Pride Lands has a diversity of animals in Africa," Kion told Bagheera and Baloo as the Lion Guard lead the two friends to Marishe Fields. "It's because we all respect the Circle of Life. We don't take more than we need, we help and respect each other, and the leaders of the different animal groups turn to my dad for help when need be."

"That sounds like out Law of the Jungle," Bagheera said. "This place is beautiful."

"Mom said it came a long way since Dad took control back from Scar."

"So you don't have any troubles here?"

"Just the occasional trouble with hyenas from the Outlands and other animals that don't respect the Circle of Life. Other than that it's just natural disasters or animals that get themselves in situations."

"Everyone! Everyone!" Ono said flying up to them. "There's a strange cat stalking the guzzle."

"Is it a lion from outside the Pride Lands?" Fuli asked.

"It doesn't look like any lion I've ever seen. It's as big as the king and orange but it doesn't have a main and it has stripes like a zebra."

"That's no lion," Bagheera said. "That's a tiger. They live in India."

"Well what's one doing here?" Bestee asked.

"I don't know. But Baloo and I have dealt with tigers before. Let us help you."

Ono lead them to where he saw the tiger. Right away Bagheera and Baloo knew who it was.

"Shere Khan," Bagheera said.

"What's Khanie doing here?" Baloo asked.

"He must have heard us talking and followed us here. Apparently he thought finding out about Scar was more important than going after Mowgil while I was gone."

The wind shifted and the guzzle caught Shere Khan's scent. Frightened by the strange scent, they began to stampede. Shere Khan began chasing them.

"I'll deal with Khan," Bagheera said. "The rest of you calm the guzzle down."

Bagheera slammed into Shere Khan. The tiger was bigger and stronger than the panther but Bagheera was quicker, smarter, and more agile.

"What are you doing here, Khan?" Bagheera growled.

"I came to meet this Scar and convince him to stay out of my territory," Shere Khan said.

"Scar's dead and his nephew Simba has no interest in expanding his territory," came a new voice; a female voice.

"Lelie," Bagheera said when he saw his cousin.

She was slightly smaller and thinner than Bagheera and had a lily shaped marking on her forehead which was how she got her name.

"What are you doing here, Bagheera?" she asked.

"When you didn't arrive for your visit, I got worried and Baloo and I came looking for you. Shere Khan followed us."

"I forgot. I'm so sorry. I've been helping a friend and completely forgot about my visit."

"Am I interrupting?" came a voice.

Another female black came up to them.

"Bagheera, this is my friend Sheena," Lelie said. "Sheena, this is my cousin Bagheera."

"Greetings, madam," Bagheera said not taking his eyes off of Sheena.

"You're not from around here, are you?" Sheena said.

"No. I'm from India."

"Oh please," Shere Khan said. Love wasn't something he condemned but love at first sight he had trouble accepting.

~*~

It had been a week since Bagheera, Baloo, and Shere Khan had arrived in the Pride Lands. As much as Shere Khan wanted to get back to the jungle before another tiger took over his territory, he was learning a lot about ruling over a territory where there were other groups of animals living in it. Baloo, meanwhile, loved spending as much time as he could at Hakuna Matata Falls; Timon the meerkat and Pumbaa the warthog were on the same page as him when it came to the easy way of life. As for Bagheera, he spent every moment he could with Sheena. There was no doubt that the serious panther was in love. Both Baloo and Shere Khan were sure that, when they finally left for India, their group would either be short one member or greater by one member. Meanwhile, the Guard was busy with their patrols. They knew that something was going on but that whatever it was wasn't in the Pride Lands.

"We need to stay alert," Kion told his friends. "Something is going to happen. I can feel it."

"And just what is this something?" Shere Khan asked coming up to them.

"Oh hi, Shere Khan," Kion said. "I don't know what. But something's going on in the Outlands. Unfortunately, we can't go there unless an animal from the Pride Lands is in trouble."

"Well, I'm not from the Pride Lands," Shere Khan said. "Perhaps I could check things out for you."

"That would be a big help. Thank you."

Ever since coming to the Pride Lands, Shere Khan seemed to have changed. He saw the value in respecting other animals and even helping them. He was even talking with Baloo and Bagheera about starting a guard back in the jungle to keep the animals there safe. The tiger moved through the savannah as easily as he did the tall grass back home. He ignored the zebra, guzzle, and giraffes that were eating, drinking, and playing. He and Bagheera had helped the lionesses on a hunt the day before so he wasn't hungry.

Once in the Outlands, he had to be careful. There was no long grass for him to hid in. Keeping to the shadows, he moved as stealthily as his mother taught him. He saw a small group of animals that Simba and his pride called hyenas and knew that they were Janja and his crew but they didn't seem to be up to anything. He saw another group of hyenas but knew that they were Jaseri and her family and that Jaseri was friends with Kion so he ignored them. Soon he came across a group of lions lead by a lioness. He saw only one male among them, a young adult who didn't look like he was all together mentally. The lioness who was in charge was talking about attacking the Pride Lands, though Shere Khan couldn't hear what she was saying. Turning to leave, he came face to face with a dark brown lion cub that looked about Kiara's age.

"What are you?" the cub asked.

"I'm a tiger," Shere Khan said.

He looked back at the lions.

"Is that your family?"

The cub nodded.

"Mom doesn't like King Simba. She says that he killed Scar and that I should be ruling the Pride Lands. But...all I want is to see Kiara again."

Shere Khan walked pass the cub.

"A battle is coming between Simba's pride and yours," he said. "If I were you, I'd decide which side your on."

~*~

"A group of lions in the Outlands?" Simba asked.

"Yes. They're lead by a lioness and have some kind of allegiance with this Scar who ruled here before you did," Shere Khan said.

"Zira," Nala said.

"Who was this Scar anyway?" Baloo asked.

"He was my uncle," Simba said. "He was once the leader of the Lion Guard but became jealous of my father. He though that because he had the Roar of the Ancients he should be king. He lost the Roar when he used it on his Guard when they refused to help him overthrow my father. After that he worked with the hyenas living in the elephant graveyard to kill my father and try to kill me. I ran away from the Pride Lands and, for a long time, I thought it was my fault that my father was dead."

"Scar took control of the Pride Lands, let the hyenas take over, and chose Zira as his queen," Nala said. "They had a son named Nuka but he was too mentally unstable to be king. Unable to have anymore cubs, Zira stole one from a rouge lioness; a daughter she named Vitani. However, Scar didn't want to pass his kingdom on to a daughter so Zira stole another cub from another rouge lioness and named him Kovu. After Simba returned, Zira refused to accept him as king claiming that Scar chose Kovu to be king after him. Simba had no choice but to banish them from the Pride Lands."

"And now Zira is plotting to take back what she thinks is hers," Bagheera finished.

"Everyone! Everyone!" Ono called flying into the cave. "There are lionesses on the move into the Pride Lands. I thinks it's Zira and her family."

"We have to drive them back into the Outlands," Simba said.

"Let us help you," Bagheera said. "I'm a decent fighter and Zira and her family have never contended with a tiger or a bear like Shere Khan and Baloo before."

~*~

Zira and her family met the pride and the three jungle friends in an open field not far from where Makuu and his crocodile float lived. Of course, the crocodiles knew better than to get mixed up in a battle that was clearly between lions. Lelie and Sheena were with the pride as well. Kovu and his sister Vitani were nowhere to be seen. As cubs, it was quite possible that Zira had left them somewhere else.

"I watched them train," Shere Khan said. "They fight like a wolf pack. The best way to finish this fast is to take out the leader."

Zira seemed to have the same idea. As soon as the fighting started, she went right for Simba. Fortunately, Shere Khan, Baloo, and Bagheera had made the decision to stay close to Simba. Zira may have been prepared to fight three male cats (two bigger than her) but she had no strategy for fighting a bear. She was taken by surprise when, after she threw Bagheera off her and backed both Simba and Shere Khan against some rocks, Baloo reared up on his back legs a knocked her head over tail towards the water. Growing, she got to her to paws only to be forced down by something behind her.

"You're not welcome here," Makuu said. "The king banished you and there's a price to pay for coming back."

Zira looked to her lionesses. They were also being faced down by not only Simba's pride but Makuu's float. And they weren't the only ones standing up to the Outsiders. Zebras, antelope, buffalo, hippos, cheetahs, elephants, rhinos, baboons, and even the Lion Guards leopard friend from the Backlands and the gorillas from the mountains were all there. Even Jaseri and her family were there.

"You mess with one group of animals in the Pride Lands, you mess with all of us," Makuu said.

"You're beaten, Zira," Simba said. "Take your pride and go back to the Outlands and never come back."

Zira growled and pulled herself free of Makuu. But, instead of continuing the fight, she and her followers ran back to the Outlands.

"That's not the last we'll see of her," Simba said.

"Maybe," Makuu said. "Or maybe she'll think twice about coming back now that she knows all the animals in the Pride Lands and some that aren't from the Pride Lands have your back."

~*~

"Have a safe journey to India," Simba said to Shere Khan, Baloo, Bagheera, and Sheena several days later.

"We miss you already," Nala said.

"We'll come back for a visit," Baloo said. "We have friends here."

"Yes. And don't be shy about visiting India," Shere Khan said. "Just watch out for Kaa. He's always hungry and has the ability to hypnotize his prey."

"And Lelie is visiting us during your next dry season," Bagheera said.

"And hopefully, when she does, she'll bring back news of cubs...for all of you," Kiara said.

"Well...Baggie and Sheena maybe," Baloo said. "But Khannie and I are bachelors with no potential mates."

"Really, Baloo," Shere Khan said. "And what do you call Rebecca?"

"Becky? Well she a really nice she bear but that doesn't mean anything."

"Indeed. Well, you may not have any potential mates but there was a very lovely lady tiger hanging around my territory when we left."

"Well, looks like I may have two girl friends when we get to India," Sheena said.

"More than two, my dear," Bagheera said. "Remind me to introduce you to Winifred when we get home."

He looked back to their friends in the Pride Lands.

"We should get going. It's a long journey and we want to get back before monsoon season hits."

The Pridelanders watched them go, forever grateful for the help they gave them in fighting off Zira and her Outlanders. Though they would miss them, they knew that they would come back for a visit and it was comforting to know that, miles away, they had friends to help them just as they would.

Author's Notes: Lelie is Afrrikaans for Lily. I wanted to give her an African name.