Love Beyond Reasons

A/N: Finally! Now that I've started my first semester of college, things have been a little crazy, cutting into the time I have for writing. Hopefully, I get used to this new routine soon so that I can find some time to write without homework piling up on me.

Now, let's get on with Chapter 10! Roll it!

Chapter 10

Udugu is Found Again

Part One

Almost another month had passed since Kion's incident with the Outsiders. He can say this, being the leader of the Lion Guard means that there's almost never a dull moment in the Pride Lands. Unfortunately, "dull" doesn't always mean "fun".

He had quite a lesson about the power of the Roar when he used it in anger to protect his mother from Janja and his hyenas when they had her surrounded in a tight circle, too tight for her to fight back without getting seriously hurt. The Roar backfired on him, and nearly tore up the land. When that happened, Kion was afraid of using it again, fearing that he may lose it forever if he did, just like Scar. But then, he learned from Mufasa that as long as he doesn't let anger cloud his judgement, he can still use it. He took that lesson to heart when the crocodiles decided to take over the wetlands and use Nala as a hostage, supposing that Kion wouldn't dare use it unless he wanted to hurt her.

And then, he and the rest of the Guard met two mischievous gorilla princes, Majinuni and Hafifu, who had come from their home in the mountains with a message for Kion's father, but they had forgotten it. So, the Lion Guard decided to escort them home and get the message themselves. Along the way, not only did the Guard experience the wonders of snow for the first time, but Kion also taught them what it truly means to be a prince; protecting your home and friends the best way you know how.

************************

One day, Kion was helping his parents test Kiara's tracking skills. He had to admit, she has been getting a bit better, but he still takes some pride that he was really the star student, with him putting his own tracking and hunting skills to the test almost all the time whenever he would do his patrol with the Guard.

He was hiding behind a large rock, waiting to see how fast Kiara would find him. Last time, she took roughly about twelve minutes, which seemed long enough for him to curl up and catch a short nap. But then, he was rudely awakened by her tackling him to the ground, and he pushed her off him and the two had chased each other for about ten minutes after that. Needless to say, Kion decided to remain vigilant in training exercises from then on.

"Now I got ya." A voice exclaimed. Kion barely had time to turn around before Kiara pounced on him and pinned him on his back, laughing. "Sorry, couldn't help myself."

Kion rolled his eyes, but there was a cheeky smile on his face as he pushed his sister off of him. "How'd you find me?" He asked.

"Mom's been teaching me how to track by scent." Kiara explained. "Pretty good, huh?"

"Or pretty lucky!" Kion retorted back as he took his turn to pounce on her, and they rolled around the grounds of Pride Rock, the two siblings laughing.

From above, their parents were watching them play. Simba turned to his mate. "She's never found him that quickly before." He spoke up, impressed.

Nala nodded. "Her tracking skills are improving." She said.

As they watched their cubs playfully pin each other down on their backs, they recalled all of the progress that they made over the months. Of course, they had noticed that their son was far ahead of his sister during practice, due to him being the Fiercest in the Pride Lands, and the leader of the Guard, which means his hunting, combat, and tracking skills were very good for a cub of his age. But Kiara was showing rapid improvement. Which was essential for a female, since they were the ones who do most of the hunting in the pride. Kion, due to him being a male, he was more needed for the protection of their home, but it never hurts to have some extra help on a long hunt.

"They do seem evenly matched." Simba said.

"And that means they're ready." Nala added. "Today's the day."

Her mate nodded in agreement, and they went down Pride Rock to talk to their cubs. Kion was trying to swipe a paw at her, but Kiara was managing to hold back her strong brother. "Ha! Missed again." She teased, and then she quickly gained the upper hand and pinned him down on his back.

Then, they heard their mother clearing her throat, which got their attention, pausing their game. "Mom! Dad!" Kiara exclaimed as she released Kion, letting him turn onto his stomach. "I caught him faster than ever this time." She boasted.

Kion rolled his eyes. "Only because I let you." He denied.

"Oh, yeah?" Kiara challenged him. Then she pinned him back onto his back. "You gonna ''let'' me pin you, too?" She asked.

Kion briefly struggled under her grip, and then managed to push his sister off of him, with her landing on her paws a good three feet away. He tried to tackle her and give her the same treatment, but he was stopped by his father.

"Okay, okay. That's enough, you two." He said, placing a paw in front of Kion. Kiara laughed and then teasingly stuck her tongue out at her brother. But she stopped when Simba gave her a stern glare.

"I have a surprise for you." Nala said, getting her cubs' attention. "You're both coming with me on the Trail to Udugu."

"The Trail to Udugu?" Kiara asked, sharing a confused glance with her brother.

"Where's Udugu?" Kion questioned, an excited smile appearing on his face. "I've never heard of it."

"Is it in the Pride Lands?" Kiara added.

Nala chuckled at their enthusiasm. "You'll see." She said.

"Taking the Trail to Udugu is an important part of growing up in the royal family." Simba explained to the young cubs.

"And all royal siblings make the journey." Nala added, looking between the two of them. "When they're ready."

"Did you go on it, Dad?" Kiara asked as she and Kion looked up towards their father.

"I never had the chance." Simba said. "I don't have a brother or sister." Then, he looked down at his son. "And don't worry about your Lion Guard duties, Kion. While you're gone, I will be leading the Guard."

"You will?" Kion asked, his brow raised in confusion.

"Perhaps your friends could learn a thing or two from their King." Simba said.

"Uh, sure." Kion complied, sounding a little unsure, but he still trusted his father. "I know for sure that Bunga will love it."

*************************

A few minutes later, Kion had already explained everything to his friends about his father leading them for the day while he was on the trail to Udugu. He bade them goodbye and quickly joined his mother and sister as they began the journey.

After a few long minutes of walking, Nala spoke up. "This is nice." She said. "It's been so long since the three of us have spent some time together."

"What do you think's waiting for us in Udugu?" Kion asked Kiara.

"Maybe a bunch of animals who want to meet their future Queen." She said, holding her head up proudly. But then, she gave a snarky smile to Kion. "And her.... little brother." She added.

"'Little brother?'" Kion repeated, offended. "I'm the leader of the Lion Guard! If they'd wanna meet anyone, it's me."

"We'll see about that." Kiara teased, and then took off like a shot. "Race ya!"

Kion smirked confidently. "You're gonna lose. I run with Fuli every day."

The young male quickly caught up with his sister, even surpassing her by a few feet. Nala looked at her cubs with slightly concerned eyes. "I'll get to Udugu first!" Kion called to his sister confidently.

"Oh, no, you won't." Kiara called back.

She quickly grabbed hold of her brother's tail with her teeth, but not hard enough to cause him any pain. Then, she pulled him closer to her, and she raced ahead of him upon letting go. But then Kion jumped on her back, getting ahead of her again. But Kiara managed to pin him on his side with her paw, making both of them laugh as they tried to pin the other down.

"You two could compete over anything, couldn't you?" Nala asked her cubs when she caught up with them.

Both Kiara and Kion looked over at each other when their mother said that. "Yes!" They answered, before Kiara playfully swatted her brother on the side of his face, pretending to look away innocently after she did that. Kion just glared at her.

Nala just sighed, briefly rolling her eyes in amusement. "At least you agree on that." She said. Then she once again started to lead her cubs. "Come on. We have a long way to go." Both siblings smiled and ran to catch up with their mother.

**********************

Minutes later, they were walking through a canyon. By now, the cubs' anticipation was starting to reach a brink. "Mom, how much longer will it take to get to Udugu?" Kion asked.

"That's a tough question." Nala answered. "Udugu isn't easy to find."

"Don't worry, I'll find it." Kiara said confidently, jumping in front of her brother. "I'm a better tracker than you."

Kion just smirked. "We'll see about that!" He challenged, taking a pouncing position. Then, he jumped onto Kiara's back, getting ahead of her.

Both siblings laughed as they chased each other around their mother, and then got ahead of her. "You really think you can find Udugu before me?" Kion asked his sister as she pinned him on his back.

"Just watch me." Kiara said confidently as she released her brother and raced ahead. But Kion was right behind her.

"Kion, Kiara, be careful!" Nala called after her cubs.

Both cubs quickly slid to a halt when they saw that the trail ended to a steep incline down the canyon. But they did almost slide off, their claws gripping the edge of the incline.

"I got you." Nala said, catching up to them. She gently grabbed Kiara by the scruff of her neck and lifted her daughter away from the edge of the cliff. Then, she did the same to Kion.

"Thanks, Mom." The cubs said to their mother.

"That is definitely not the way to find Udugu." Nala said, looking at her cubs with a firm but gentle gaze.

Both Kion and Kiara looked at each other with worried glances. It seems that this Udugu was going to harder to find than they thought.

***********************

About almost another hour later, the three of them arrived at a thick brush of thorns that was in the shape of a circle. "Is this really the trail to Udugu?" Kion asked skeptically.

"It is." Nala answered.

"If you tell us where Udugu is, I bet I can find an easier path." Kiara suggested.

"There is no easy path to Udugu." Nala explained to her cubs, who were both getting a little impatient. "But there is a way to get through all these thorns without a scratch."

She lifted a branch of thorns with her paw and didn't flinch in pain. "See?"

Both of the cubs raced inside the circle of thorns through the opening their mother provided. "Yeah!" Kion said. "I can crawl under the branches to get through the thorns."

The younger cub then tried to do just that, crouching down low underneath the sharp branches, but every couple of steps, he would stop as he flinched in pain as a thorn scratched his fur. "That wasn't exactly what I meant." Nala said, slightly flinching at her son getting scratched all over. At least there were minor.

Kiara chuckled at her younger brother's misfortune. Ever since she can remember, Kion always had something with thorn bushes. They were unpleasant, of course, but they were a little funny.

"Of course not." She said. "Over the thorns is the way to go."

The older cub carefully jumped onto the branches and began to step over them. But like Kion, Kiara would stop every few steps as thorns scratched and pierced her paws. "Ouch!" She exclaimed.

"I don't think either of you is understanding me." Nala said.

"What's wrong, Kiara?" Kion teased her from underneath. "Isn't your..." He stopped because another thorn poked him. "...plan working?"

"I'm- Ow! ...fine." Kiara ignored her brother's tease. "I know exactly..." She stopped talking because another few thorns pierced her paw. "...what I'm doing."

"I hope they make it." Nala quietly muttered.

"This is definitely..." Kion stopped because another thorn had poked him in the side. "...the right way, Kiara. I'm almost through!"

"And I'm almost at the branch." Kiara answered back, having a slightly easier time walking over the branches. "After that it'll be..." She stopped because it seemed she thought it too soon as another thorn scratched her paw. "...easy! Right, Mom?"

She turned to slightly face where her mother was. But there was no answer. "Mom?" Kiara called again.

"Mom?" Kion called out. Both the cubs crawled or walked painfully back the way they came until they were back inside the clearing between the sharp brush. They looked around the area, but saw no sign of their mother.

Kion and Kiara looked at each other, helpless. "Mom!" They both called out at the same time.

From a few feet away, behind a bush, Nala was watching them. A smile came on her face. "Now they're truly on the Trail to Udugu." She said to herself as she quietly walked away.

A/N: Part Two will be coming really soon! So hang on!