As an inverse of my typical depictions of an adult version of Kion's Guard, I decided to go the other way, in which they're all shown very young.
After rewatching the beginning of Return of the Roar and being curious about Kion and Bunga's game of Baobab Ball, it made me wonder what the friends' lives must've been like before they were chosen for the Lion Guard.
Some slice-of-life filler episodes could've told so much about their lives outside of their jobs as underage police. But, ah well, guess I had to come up with that, myself.
Stories for each Lion Guard member below:
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Kion:
Kion was born in a safe, private patch of bushes in the Oasis as the Pridelands were still recovering from the drought and Zira's banishment. Simba felt Nala would be safest in a familiar place far enough away from danger.
Simba and Nala brought Kion home to show Kiara her new baby brother as soon as the cub could start walking. Kiara immediately told Kion the story of Mufasa and Scar, originating Kion's vow to follow in Mufasa's pawprints, and to never reenact Scar's actions.
Kiara, happy that the new baby was getting all the attention, but lonely that there were no other children her age to play with, attempted to sneak out of Pride Rock, only to be outsmarted by her parents before she could wander too far. Kiara promised she'd be careful and stay out of trouble.
Timon and Pumbaa, who were sent to watch Kiara, barged in on Simba and Nala teaching baby Kion to walk, reporting they'd lost track of Kiara. Upon hearing this news, Simba rushed out of Pride Rock with Nala, placing Kion in Sarabi's arms for the time-being until he and Nala returned with Kiara.
Following the incident of encountering the Outsiders, Simba introduced Kiara to cubs from allying prides who were very close to her age to prevent future loneliness. Simba's helicoptering over Kiara intensified since that day, and her new friends' eagerness to become her royal advisors pressured her to accept her role. Meanwhile, Kion was seen as less prone to sneak off, and was to be trusted under the watch of babysitters, such as Zazu.
The imbalanced attention between keeping a watchful eye on Kiara and being left under Zazu's watch led to Kion being unintentionally distant from his parents, causing him to feel expected to act more grown up and therefore dreading to reach out for help. In turn, Kiara felt infantilized and insecure from the constant monitoring.
Bunga:
Bunga was born to a crime couple of honey badgers in the Outlands named Asali and Beji. The Bonnie and Clyde-like duo once encountered one of the most feared animals in all the Outlands – the one and only Kenge.
The two troublemakers got together because they shared a violent way of stealing food from other Outlanders, uniting with Asali as the brain and Beji as the brawn. They had an intimate night together in the middle of their adventures.
One day, their laughter over the latest Outlander they terrorized was interrupted by an encounter by yet another infamously violent Outlander.
With Asali's smarts and sweet-talking skills, the couple was initially able to sway Kenge out of eating them and their stolen goods. However, at some point of the exchange, Asali's tongue slipped, calling Kenge a "little lizard", which set the violent monitor lizard off.
The honey badger couple spent months on the run from Kenge since then. In the midst of it, Asali realized she had been pregnant. Pretty soon, their relationship built on their mutual amusement in getting into trouble morphed into arguments of parental responsibility and dragging another mouth to feed around on their adventures.
Soon after their kit was born, Kenge caught up to them, bigger and angrier than ever. The couple was torn between giving up the extra weight to continue running, or to consider giving up their criminal lives to make room for a baby. They favored the former, and left their kit on Flat Ridge Rock, a landmark bordering the Outlands and Pridelands, not caring what happened to him, as long as he was out-of-sight, out-of-mind. Asali secretly felt a twinge of regret, but it subsided over time.
The kit was outrageously brave, surviving all the odds that led him to his adoptive parents, Timon and Pumbaa. Timon and Pumbaa, proud of their new little one for catching Utamu grubs, went to Pride Rock to tell Simba and Nala all about it. They introduced baby Bunga to baby Kion, which is why they've been friends for as long as they could remember.
Because Bunga was left at Flat Ridge Rock as a baby, it played into why he vaguely remembered being there before. To this day, he does not know his biological parents, and has never come close to crossing paths with them. They in turn don't know, nor care, if he survived. He is also unaware of his Outlander roots, despite fighting against Outlanders as a member of the Lion Guard. He narrowly avoided becoming a fearless and crafty criminal due to not being raised by Asali and Beji.
Fuli:
Fuli was born to the regal and independent Kimbia after all the animals had returned to the Pridelands.
Years after Kimbia watched the presentation of baby Simba, she watched the Pridelands plummet into a drought that caused the herds to leave once Scar rose to power. Due to the herds migrating outwards in all directions, Kimbia began to hunt near the Oasis.
There, she met Maili, a romantic male cheetah. Maili was once known by the name of Fast-Track, and was part of a coalition of two other brothers, nicknamed Lightfoot and Speedy.
Despite desiring to become a loner, Maili slowly began to harbor romantic feelings for Kimbia, but Kimbia did not reciprocate those feelings, believing it was the female cheetah way to raise a cub alone. Maili remained in the Oasis area, while Kimbia made her way back to the Pridelands by following the herds.
As Fuli grew into young cubhood, Kimbia filled her head with her beliefs that cheetahs were superior. Kimbia's haughty personality eventually rubbed off on Fuli for a brief time, explaining Fuli's own standoffishness when she met her friends.
Tense times ensued during the post-Scar restoration period. Before a storm had formed, Kimbia hid Fuli in tall grass and successfully hunted a young olive baboon who'd fallen behind while trying to seek shelter under a tree as the rain came.
A dispute broke out between the young baboon's troop and Kimbia. The hungry cheetah refused to give up her hard-earned meal, causing the troop to demand revenge for their fallen young. Kimbia left the kill behind, running from the powerful troop with Fuli in her mouth.
The flash-flood caused by the rain had separated Fuli from her mother. Kimbia fell behind and was lost in a crowd of wrathful baboons, while Fuli eventually floated to safety.
Zazu found Fuli and reported the tragedy to Simba, who promptly banished the olive baboon troop. Zazu would watch over her as he babysat for Kion and Bunga, until she reached a more independent age. Fuli grew to dislike baboons and water since the traumatic day she lost her mother.
Beshte:
Beshte was born to Basi and Bendi after the couple had migrated back to a safer Pridelands, just before Kiara was born.
Basi is the leader of his pod at Big Springs and creates the Hippo Lanes every rainy season, and his wife Bendi was a wonderful singer and performer for the annual Kupatana Community Choir.
During the forced migration due to overhunting during Scar's Reign, food and safe water to swim in was becoming scarce. Bendi developed a chronic bacterial infection from unsafe water outside the Pridelands while finding a safe place to raise her calf.
Bendi was mostly unaware of until the infection finally showed severe signs a while after she and Basi moved back to the Pridelands. She slowly grew ill during Beshte's young calfhood, passing away a little after the time her son had helped rescue Ono's egg.
Before rescuing Ono's egg, Beshte met Kion, Bunga, and Fuli when they played too close to the water. Fuli nearly fell in, but was rescued by falling atop an initially unaware Beshte, whose head was underwater due to grazing grass with his pod.
Basi honors his wife by volunteering as a singer for the Kupatana Community Choir every year, and Beshte honors his mom by occasionally performing for the Bellow Fellows, as well as inheriting her sweet, friendly nature.
Ono:
Ono was the result of two cattle egrets meeting far from the continent during migration. Ndoto is a Western cattle egret from the Pridelands, and Onya is an Eastern cattle egret who originated not too far from the Tree of Life,
Ndoto and Onya crossed paths during one migration, both sharing an interest and role in reporting their discoveries of other worlds and knowledge of fauna to their fellow animals.
Despite the odds, as each of their kind evolved separately ages ago, they were successfully able to have an egg together. They carefully watched this egg, until it was time to migrate again.
It had been just too soon, as their egg was not yet ready to hatch. The couple had to get a move-on before resources would run low where they'd settled together.
In a rush to catch up with the flock, they'd hardly noticed that they'd left their egg behind somewhere in the Pridelands during one of their rest stops until they'd almost flown too far away.
Onya, noticing mid-flight, frantically demanded she and Ndoto turn back for their egg, wherever they had left it. To their relief, a kind band of young animals rescued the egg from being eaten.
The egret couple was so thankful for the children's heroism that they trusted them and Ndoto's native flock to watch over Ono as they continued their ambassador-like duties to the Pridelands.
Ndoto and Onya's knowledge of other biomes was passed down to their son, which is why he knows about creatures such as reindeer. Ono has spent long flights with his parents, leading him to practice his keen eyesight which would soon come to use.
Anga:
And lastly, comically, of all of the Lion Guard members, the goth and deadpan Anga has quite possibly the most normal childhood story.
Anga hatched to a pair of very romantic martial eagles, named Mpenzi (Swahili for "darling"), and Ghali (Swahili for "dear", "expensive"), who supported and sometimes doted on their daughter.
Anga, with a subtle personality and flat tone since hatching, naturally did not reflect what would otherwise be a slightly spoiled and carefree upbringing.
The martial eagle family originated far out in the outskirts of the Pridelands, in woodlands of tall, spiky trees near the Backlands, therefore making Anga the least affected by Scar's Reign out of Kion's Lion Guard due to being so out-of-reach of the kingdom.
Anga was a content loner and would be allowed by her parents to fly as high and as far as she could go as soon as she was ready to fledge.
Although Anga never really spoke to anyone nor made friends growing up, she knows just about everything about those she has observed with great interest from above, especially heroes such as Hadithi and the Lion Guard.
Anga met Ono on the way to one of Hadithi's conventions, briefly mingling about their common interest in the hawk-eagle. Beshte knew as much as he could about Anga a long time — such as the tree she lived in — before they officially spoke to each other through Ono formally introducing the two of them to each other.
Her obtained knowledge earned her instant friendships with each of the aforementioned factions. She never could've imagined becoming a member of the Lion Guard, nor deemed a hero by her idol, Hadithi, in a million years.
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(Fun Facts:
I based Kion's early cubhood on the ending of Mufasa: The Lion King. I decided to link Kion to the cub at the end of that movie since the cub was called "Kion" in production notes. Also, I very much believe that while Simba and Nala are good people, I totally feel their family dynamic is dysfunctional, albeit unintentionally. I know their polar-opposite attention and trust they put in each of their kids is something people validly criticize about the show, itself, but I see it as canon in-universe, too.
I forget why I linked Bunga's parents and Kenge together, but I do recall wanting to give Kenge a bigger role by having him be an already greatly feared animal in the Outlands. Decided him having a grudge against Asali and Beji would add depth to his hatred of Bunga.
Fast-Track, Lightfoot, and Speedy are cheetahs from the Hakuna Matata magazine, notably the issue "Home, Sweet Home". Decided to lump one of them together with my OC Maili just to narrow down the amount of cheetah characters and to keep the connections to existing TLK publications interesting.
Bacterial infections, such as Anthrax, E. Coli, and Streptococcus are one of the common causes of death in hippos, and are especially present in the dry season. Since the Pridelands faced a drought, it would make sense that Bendi would have a high likelihood of coming into contact with unsafe waters. I was originally going to have her cause of death be cancer, but found out cancer has not been documented in wild hippos.
In the first image of Ono's origin, the trees featured are native to Florida, which is where cattle egrets migrate through. Ndoto's Western cattle egret flock was migrating Westward around the globe, while Onya was migrating Eastward, meeting halfway in North America.
Anga's parents are based on Morticia and Gomez Addams. Mpenzi is Anga's father, and Ghali is Anga's mother. They're named after pet-names Morticia and Gomez give each other. Interestingly, Mpenzi and Ghali share initials to the Addams Family couple, although, inverse to their respective characters they're based on.)
I've been wandering. You know, there is this song called Rotten Girl. I was listening, and I... I thought.
I had an Idea, I mean... hmmm. Y'all know there are fanfics about IRL people and all that, and/or movie characters and shit.
Hear me out, what IF in HSR universe there is this girl... boy... person... Elder, dunno, writing Aeon x Aeon manhwas/mangas/novels 📸👁
Hear me out!! I've been thinking. Like, imagine if this person feels bad for shipping Aha x IX, for example (heck, the monsterfucker of this universe.) But at the ends ended up accepting that's what they like.
"Oh... I kinda like Qlipoth x Nanook :( but I can't stop reading it..."
And there is this whole community-- not the ones that admire them for what they are, but the ones that ships them with one another. Lmao.
Imagine the self-inserts there.
Or, or they have an Au. You know, like the ones we as a community sometimes do like Modern!AU.
Imagine one of their most popular is "Coffe!Au" like in this world. University!Au, perhaps.
University! AU (Aeon ver.)
(while thinking, I've decided I wanted to be part of my fictional world of people of Aeon-fandom inside hsr world)
Nanook
Nanook is the delinquent one, I bet. Don't go to classes often. Professors mostly ignore him. His face is a constant 😑 and barely talks. Hates Tayzzyronth, hates Yaoshi, hates Xipe... Hell, he even hates the plant he sees every day.
Aha thinks he is trying to be a "I'm so unique and emo" and will make fun of Nanook. Aha ain't scared of anything.
Aha
Aha would be the Clown. Will laugh at anything, will destroy anything on a whim. Not even children are safe, so keep them far away.
Might help you, but be careful, Aha is a double-edged sword. As much as Aha can help, can also make your life a living hell just because it's fun (no one knows why)
Mythus
Mythus is the quiet guy who not so secretly loves demonology. Has a one-sided beef with Nous, Nous couldn't care less. If you want to understand something, please, don't go to this one, Mythus will make EVERYTHING more difficult to understand, and you might will fail.
Xipe
Xipe is the one that resolves conflict in the most peaceful way. Always smiling, maybe Ms. Perfect and can do no wrong 🤺 unlike certain delinquent.
Might be part of the council and is the one everyone goes to since she is the most kind-looking. I mean, look at Xipe. That's totally a face that says: "You can trust me 😌" Some might think it's the opposite, but Xipe is being truthful, trust! Or would you rather go to Ena...?
Ena
Ena is the control-freak, the student council president(and elder sibling of Xipe ig). Everything must go as perfectly as possible. Some people might fold under Ena's near-impossible expectations.
Please, someone tell Ena that humans aren't meant to be perfect dolls. Alas, if you were to ask for Ena's help, you will surely get +A. A 1000%. The cost might be your sanity... but for those grades... will you do it?
Qlipoth
Qlipoth is also part of the council, does not engage in other people's affairs as Ena or Xipe do, but is doing something.
Qlipoth is the mechanic one, ya know, the one that fixes everything. The chair broke? Qlipoth can fix it! Aha destroyed another wall? It's ok! Qlipoth will fix it, so Ena, please let go of Aha's neck. Will help fix things, but don't expect the most talkative person....
Nous
Nous is, of course, the one that says "Uhm, actually 🤓" maybe more like.... "Actually ●_●" because I can't view Nous being expressive at all, lol.
Surprisingly, not part of the council.. might be an unofficial one, though. Can't be bothered with all that trouble when that time can be spent learning new things. Nous IS the smartest around. Better grades than Ena.... Like Qlipoth, not talkative. If you are smart enough, maybe will help you with any subject.
Hooh
Hooh.... HMMMM I guess Hooh is like Ena, but less controlling, more like from the shadows rather than direct approach. Making sure things go smoothly..... maybe make them twins (if you know, you know 😤). Hooh is part of the council, but very few people know this. Prefers the low-key approach.
I do think Hooh is close to Ena, since they both are kinda similar.
Tayzzyronth
Tayzzyronth... the one everyone has beef with, lmao. Tayzzyronth does NOT get along with Oroboros, and hates to be alone. Maybe gets along sometimes with Aha, but Aha is Aha, so it's a 50/50.
If you were to ask for Tayzzyronth help... will help, in fact, Tay will LOVE to be asked for help... even if not the smarter cookie out there... both of you can learn together.
Be aware that this is the guy that hates loneliness... if you ended up with a bug that will never leave you alone on campus just because you tried to be nice (or Tay was your last option)... that's on you. Aha will make fun of you.
Oroboros
Oroboros and Qlipoth don't get along at all, either. They hate each other. Oroboros.... Maybe Oroboros would be one who's a sadistic with an insatiable appetite.
People won't dare ask for Oroboros' help, in fear that they will be eaten... since that's a current joke that no longer seemed like a joke after people saw a whole scarab getting eaten in front of the uni's doors in daylight.
Yaoshi
Yaoshi? Yaoshi loves everyone (not everyone loves Yaoshi, tho 😞). Yeah, even you, Lan! Maybe the one that stays in the nursery the most. Not as a patient, but to help the injured.
Will help with anything since Yaoshi simply loves everyone... might be one of the few who genuinely likes Tayzzyronth.
Lan
Lan... he is in the running club or the archery club. I can see Lan loving both of them... since Lan moves a lot, I would say... why not be in both. Will refuse to go to the infirmary. Hates to even BREATH the same air as Yaoshi. Would probably hate Tayzzyronth as well.
Lan is a righteous person... so Nanook is someone Lan dislikes, as well. Can help with studies, but keep in mind that there are better options... Lan's for the streets.
Akivili
Akivili! Aha's best friend! Or so Aha says. The one that loves exploring. Akivili is every weekend in some new place. Some people wonder where Akivili gets the time to go to university AND go to new cities. The fack? Teach us your ways.
One of the most social ones! Aha sometimes tags along just because, tbh, just a chill guy. Maybe THIS is the one for the streets.
Does Akivili likes Aha? No one knows, but they are close... so maybe? Or maybe, like most of us, got tired of Aha, and applied the Aha rule: do not show Annoyance or else Aha will get ya.
If you were to need help, Akivili will help! Worry not! History might be Akivili's best class, though.
Ix
Ix..... uhh... Ix is Ix... if you thought Mythus was weird, just wait until you see Ix. Everyone gets depressed by being around. Everything is meaningless. Do not ask for Ix help. Why bother if, in the end, there is nothing?
Idrila
Wow, what a beauty.... the most beautiful person in this whole place. Everyone's looking Idrila's way.
Idrila thinks that beauty is in the eyes of the beholder, and maybe as much as a beauty Idrila is, she can also see the beauty in everything... even in that ugly hole that Qlipoth is still trying to fix, but for some reason, it's never fixed... I wonder why.
Oh, have you seen how Lan uses the bow? BEAUTIFUL! Mythus is being weird with Nous again, writing something on a book... surely that's some beautiful friendship right there!
Long
A philosophical guy, often asking the meaning of life, you know, like those who sings poems in the middle of a conversation... but actually seems like that's how Long speaks. Maybe we are too low born to achieve that level of sophistication.
Likes to travel to different parts of the world to understand how different cultures view the meaning of life. One can only understand it when all points of view are seen.
Could sometimes go with Akivili and travel together, less about exploring the unknown, and more for a philosophical approach, but even Long can take pleasure learning more about new cultures...after all, that's their way of living.
Maybe a chill guy, too. Maybe temperamental when younger, but now is more relaxed.
Fuli ( I totally didn't forget, nor was I wondering which Aeon was missing)
Photography! Movie! Anything related to preserve the past. Does not interact with people outside of the club. Takes care of those inside it, though! I could totally see Fuli as the one that takes all the pictures/videos of official events.
Ask for help if you feel brave! Smart, even if it does not look like it! Fuli does have a photographic memory, so remembering what goes around is not that difficult. Will take pictures without consent, though! Memories are meant to be kept, and how would you remember such banal occasion if there is nothing to prove it occurred?
If you go to where all these Obsessed people with memories reside... you'll see a book with photos.
Huh... Oroboros eating an insect... you were certain no one even thought of taking a picture when that happened, it was... too ...unique to react on time.
Why is there a photo of Nanook outside of campus near a lake....?? Wait, how does Fuli know where Akivili was yesterday???
In conclusion... don't be too kind to Tayzzyronth, nor indulge too much in Aha... don't ask Ena for help, Ix is not worth your energy.
Long is a chill guy, Xipe and Idrila are cool. Lan can't stay in one place, nor can Akivili. Hooh is a mystery, Mythus tries with all its might to be as mysterious as Hooh... Nous is OK if you want help studying, not emotional help... Nanook is being Nanook.
Yaoshi loves YOU and your cow. Oroboros will eat you if you dare to sleep while in its presence. Qlipoth just loves to swing the hammer.
