"Lions! Lions over all!"

It made so much sense. The more Kion listened, the harder it became to deny that what Zira was saying was undeniably true. Every time a new lion prince was born, every animal bowed before Pride Rock. As the fiercest of predators, they wielded the power to make all the rules.

The lioness circling Kion might've been scraggly and malevolent, but she had a royal gait and her eyes burned with life. She had to live! She was simply... superior.

"But what about the hyenas?!" Kion asked. "If you take their water hole away from them, they'll die!"

Zira scoffed. "That's the Circle of Life, dear! If the antelope were tougher than you are, they wouldn't think twice about taking your water hole! Think of the likes of Makuu and the leopards. It's always a fight and there's always a winner." She patted Kion's head. "You're so young... be kind-" she said bitterly. "-with them, then, if you think that will solve the situation, but the water hole belongs to us! We've claimed the Outlands for our pride!"

"Alright." Kion nodded and smiled. "I'll go tell Jasiri she has to go someplace else. We might find another home for them in the Outlands. "

As she followed Kion outside of the little cave, she couldn't resist smirking. That cub was going to be more than a little useful in her plot to reclaim her mate's territory from Simba. Now was the most delicate time, when she had to change his mind enough for him to be agree to join the Outsiders' pride. And she knew exactly how.

"Kion!" Jasiri casually met him with a bouncy step, leaving Nuka to eat the dust. "What happened, what did she say?"

Zira spoke before the lion cub could even think of changing his mind.: "Kion and I have reached an agreement." She gave the hyena a gleeful, patronising smile, causing her to scowl.

"And what's that?" Jasiri demanded.

"We agreed that the watering hole belongs to lions... only." her pleasant voice turned harsh and she turned her back on the hyena.

"What!?" Jasiri yelled in shock, looking at Kion with an accusing expression. The lion cub couldn't face her eyes. Why was something that he knew to be right in his head so wrong in his heart? "No, Jasiri, uh..." he fumbled, trying to find words. Fortunately, Zira was there to help.

The lioness lowered her head next to Kion's and gave him some advice: "Don't lose your heart now, Kion. They all want something, don't they, all the nagging animals in the kingdom. If you don't stand your ground now, they'll eat you."

Jasiri restrained herself from launching at the snake-tongued villain, instead pleading with her friend to make him see reason. "That's not true and you know it, Kion! You're the leader of the Lion Guard..."

"-meant to protect the Pridelanders from the likes of you!" Zira spat back. "I'm the head of my pride and this is my land!"

"She's right, Jasiri. You need to back off!" Kion decided. "You and your hyena clan can find another home in the Pride Lands..."

The hyena gave Kion a withering look. "We don't want another home! We just want back what's always been ours. Why is that so hard for you stinking lions to understand?!" she screamed, and ran off with tears in her eyes. If this had been a case of Zira not submitting, she would've been fine with it... angry, but fine. But Kion agreeing with her?! That was humiliating. So she'd been right all along. The lions' kindness only extended to those who didn't touch their power.

"Well done, Kion! Her attitude is... so regrettable." Zira said, as her family surrounded her and Kion. The latter sighed. "I've got to get back to the Pride Lands and tell my dad what happened."

Zira shrugged. "Must you? I thought you were the leader of the Lion Guard." she spoke in that pleasant voice again. "These trivial matters do not concern a lion who's got a whole kingdom to manage. Let it be, and come spend the day with us. I'm sure Vitani could show you around."

On command, the beige cub took up a position next to Kion and grinned at him. "Can't wait to see what you're made of, Pridelander!" Kion couldn't help, but crack a smile. Maybe these Outsiders really weren't so mean after all...