``I can't see him'' Anga called down, the martial eagle swooping around the cliff face thankful that Kion wasn't lying in a broken heap at the bottom but still concerned that he didn't appear to be anywhere else. ``We might need to split up.''
Fuli knodded, turning her spotted head face towards the rest of the lion guard. ``Ono and Beshte, you go west, Bunga take the south, I?ll head north and Anga can circle around the cliff.''
All of the companions knodded except for Bunga. ``Are you sure about this?'' he asked, concerned what would happen if he met Kion alone ``Kion might b-''
``Kion isn't evil!'' Fuli shot back ``If you're too scared to go alone just tell us.''
``I'm never scared'' Retorted Bunga and puffed out his white furred chest, although it did little to dissuade the uncomfortable tightness in his heart ``I'll go and find that silly lion in no time!''
Fuli grunted in response, rolled her eyes and then split off the way they had came while the other two headed westward. That left only Bunga alone to find his friend, continuing on in the direction of the tree of life.
It only took him a small number of minutes to find Kion, or rather for Kion to find him.
As soon as all of the lion guard was far enough away from each other and Bunga was south enough that Anga couldn't see him, Kion made his presence known.
``Well well little Badger'' the lion smirked and walked out the tree line to confront the sniffing, wondering creature who quickly turned to face him ``Guess it's just you can and me now.''
``Kion!'' Bunga called out, momentarily forgetting his previous fear ``Come back to the group, i'm sorry fo-''
He was about to end that sentence with ``for thinking you were turning evil'', But one look at the lion cub told Bunga he had been right all along. A look of absolute malice hanging off Kion's face, a slick tongue creeping out of the maw to lick at the sharp, bared lion teeth.
``Sorry?'' Kion mocked, the honey badger shivering in response ``oh I don't think there's anything to be sorry about. I love this feeling! I should have become evil years ago. No I don't think you need to be sorry about anything....except for the awful breath you're going to give me when i'm done with you''
He snarled and jumped forward but didn't land on Bunga, stopping three inches away from the smaller male as he struck a fighting pose. ``K-kion y-you'' Bunga's lip quivered ``you can't be evil....''
Kion leaned back and seemed to consider the sentence, a thoughtful expression on his handsome face. The scar that was responsible for all this practically glowing now, it was all Bunga could focus on.
``Maybe evil is a strong word'' the lion conceded ``Scar was evil without a doubt, I?m more interesting in filling my belly.'' He leaned back towards Bunga and flexed his shoulders, ready to pounce ``All I want right now is that cute little body of yours inside my belly where all good honey badgers belong. Is that evil? No, I think that's just nature.''
He jumped forward, claws out, and Bunga had only a minute to think of what his last act on earth would be aside from feeding his friend. He could collapse into a sobbing heap, try and fight back and maybe give the lion indigestion or....
Bunga gulped and choked back a tear, It was his best shot.
Kion's eyes focused upon his prey, the scar burning bright red, and watched as the honey badger turned to him with a pained but steely expression and opened its jaws up wide.
The lion turned almost immediately from a cruel and confident predator to a scared and panicking prey, trying to tumble sidewards and away from the slick maw of this tiny creature. He knew right away that if any creature could swallow up an entire lion it was one with the appetite, bone structure and unfathomable belly of Bunga.
Kion's efforts to escape were in vain for soon his whining, terrified face disappeared behind that flicking tongue and slick, rich maw flesh. Bunga falling back but catching himself before he could fall and lose his meal, giving another slurp to bring Kion's head into his gullet. He had to be quick with this for no doubt the lion's shock at being eaten would were off soon and he would begin to fight back, not to mention that Bunga didn't want to taste his friend. To learn that he enjoyed the rich, beefy flavours dancing off his tongue.
No tears now, too occupied with fulfilling his duty as a lion guard and removing his former friend from the circle of life Bunga gripped the shoulders of Kion and pulled them inside. The lion wriggling within, muffled whines echoing out from the bulging neck of honey badger. Bunga couldn't tell if they were threats or pleas but he didn't care, he couldn't any chances with this one.
Slathering the furry chest down with sticky, stinky saliva he bounded through the rest of his meal. Neck and cheeks bulging with cub meat, every inch of this growing creature stuffed inside of him bit by delicate, delicious bit. First went the chest, sturdy and fluffy, then the belly, oh so tender despite the Badger's best wishes not to enjoy the flavour. Then of course had to come the rump and other tender bits, Bunga sped through that, and finally all that was left was to slurp up those slender, kicking legs and suck in that tufted lion tail like a piece of puffy, meaty spaghetti.
And then it was over. Bunga's friend was inside of him already beginning to melt away, clawing weakly at the thick belly walls and letting out muffled cries for help, for mercy.
``I'm sorry my friend'' the Badger said and, with a loud and stinky belch, emptied his belly of all its air killing Kion in a matter of seconds, the evil lion's bulging form tightening into a slim, silent mass. Bunga would carry him around for days after, nursing and patting his digesting, melting friend's physical form.
He would never be able to return to the pride lands, nor would he ever be able to look any of his fellow lion guards in the eye, Bunga had committed a mortal act here that would render him an outlaw for eternity. Yet he knew he did the right thing, rid the pridelands of what would have amounted to be an evil on the scale of Scar and perhaps larger.
That is, until one day he awoke, Kion fully digested and reduced to a layer of thick Badger fat, and looked at himself in a nearby lake.
The scar, the same one that Kion had sported under his left eye, now rested on Bunga's fat belly. Scar's legacy had been passed onto him.
