a/n: Whoa, sorry about the wait. got a little caught up in playing spyro. But anway, here's a short chapter. because I couldn't stretch the descriptions much. ): sorry.
(also, this is where things get crazy. be prepared.)
It had been about three days since Clopin, the Captain, and his crew disappeared. Chaos had been wreaked all over chaos, as many older guards loved any authority they could get and abused it. The younger soldiers would object, but since they were in lower ranks (from joining later because they're younger), they were quickly silenced. Djali, Achilles, Deidamaeia, and the Archdeacon guarded the cathedral constantly, and it stayed free of the mayhem possessing the rest of the city. They couldn't say the same for the Palace of Justice, however.
The issue of areas to sleep was much more complicated than the gang from Paris thought. While Quasi, Madellaine, Esmeralda, and Zephyr got to sleep in the king's den (due to one of them being pregnant, and the other being a young child/fawn/offspring of a zebra), Phoebus and Clopin were forced to find shelter elsewhere. The Captain curled up right in front of the entrance to the den with some of the pride's lionesses ("As an extra security measure, Esmeralda! I swear. I will not hit on lionesses. Trust me on this.") and the Gypsy King found shelter in a stone hollow nearby.
The next morning was…interesting.
They were rounded up early. In fact, as soon as Phoebus woke up (which was so early that the sun wasn't even up yet) they were pushed toward Pride Rock, where the current King, Simba, was waiting for them.
"Travelers, are you?" he asked as soon as they were all assembled. Clopin glared, thought it wasn't very effective due to his sleepy, swollen-eyed state. Phoebus gave him a brief, sharp look before answering Simba.
"Most definitely. We're not from here, or even close to here for that matter. We have no ill intentions toward you or your pride."
Simba stared at him, and Phoebus returned the gaze evenly. One of the first things he had learned as a soldier was to never break eye contact.
"Very well, then. Perhaps you can help us with a bit of a, ah, problem we've been having."
Phoebus raised what would've been his eyebrow. "Problem?" he asked, biting the urge to tack on a 'sir' at the end of his sentences. Simba flashed a small smile at him.
"Yes. There's recently been a lack of prey in the area. We know for certain the hyenas aren't behind it, so that can only mean one thing."
"Rival pride?" Phoebus suggested, taking a wild stab. Simba looked at him, seemingly impressed.
"You're good at this for a foreigner."
Phoebus shrugged. "I'm just a good guesser."
That day, Phoebus went off with Simba, his mate Nala, Kiara, and Kovu to search for this rival pride, while the rest of the gang got to know the other lionesses, and the interesting characters that were Pumbaa, Timon, and Zazu. Zephyr found Zazu amusing, Clopin and Timon got along swimmingly, Quasimodo related to Pumbaa's whole 'barely has friends because of an odd physical characteristic' deal, and Esmeralda and Madellaine spen the day chatting with the rest of the pride. When the search party returned, the mood immediately dulled.
"Simba?" one of the lionesses asked. "Something wrong?"
"We…we can't find them," the great lion stammered, looking at the ground. "We found traces, but-"
"Simba," Phoebus interjected quietly. "I think we found our pride." He pointed with his tail towards the plains, where they had just came from. Sure enough, a massive dust cloud was charging right at them. Simba sank his claws into the ground. The crowd of intruding lions slowed as it approached them, and a single, male lion came up towards them. He was a pale gold which almost looked gray, and his mane was, oddly, black. His eyes were slate gray, and Phoebus recognized that lion immediately.
"Frollo," he snarled, under his breath, but Esmeralda, Clopin, and Quasimodo heard. The latter three exchanged worried, confused, and bitter looks, while Phoebus glared ahead at the lion approaching. The former Minister smiled sickeningly.
"Hello, Phoebus."
a/n; officially a crack story. explanation will be provided...next chapter.