— "The Legend of Askari and the Snow Lion"

[The afternoon stretches out on Pride Rock. Kiara, Tiifu and Zuri are lying in the shade of a tree. Kiara seems restless.]

Kiara (whispering): — "Have you heard the name… Kopa?"

Tiifu (looking around): — "Shhh! Kiara! You know that name is… kind of forbidden."

Zuri: — "My mother said he never existed. But… what if they're hiding something?"

[At that moment, Rafiki appears, with his staff in his hands and a sparkle in his eyes.]

Rafiki: — "They're searching for truths… but some wounds aren't ready to be opened yet. Maybe then they'll hear an old story. A story about courage… and shadows."

[The three cubs approach, sitting around the wise old man.]

Rafiki (calmly): — "Many cycles ago, when the sun rose over a young kingdom, King Mohatu—Simba's great-grandfather—ruled with wisdom. But even the light of a strong king attracts shadows."

Zuri: — "Shadow… like Scar?"

Rafiki: — "No, child. Even before him. A different lion… his name was Kiros."

Tiifu: — "Kiros?"

Rafiki (nodding): — "A powerful lion, with fur as white as snow. Born with silver eyes and a voice as deep as thunder. They say he was rejected by his own pack, for being "too strange." He wandered until he gathered others like him—lions of unusual appearance, exiled for being born different. And together, they called themselves the Outsiders."

Kiara: — "But what did he want?"

Rafiki: — "Kiros wanted equality… at first. But his pain turned to anger. He believed the world owed him something. That if golden beauty was a symbol of royalty… then he would be king through fear."

Tiifu (widening her eyes): — "Did he try to take the throne?"

Rafiki: — "Yes. He marched with his followers towards the Kingdom of the Sunlands. And it was then that King Mohatu asked the ancestors for help. The answer came with the creation of the Lion Guard — led by the brave Askari, a young lion with an ancient gift: the Roar of the Ancestors."

Zuri (excited): — "Just like Kion!"

Rafiki (smiling): — "Exactly. Askari gathered lions with unique abilities and together they faced Kiros in an epic battle. But Askari didn't use the roar right away. He tried to talk. He tried to show that the strength of a king is not in appearance, but in what's inside the heart."

Kiara: — "And it worked?"

Rafiki: — "For a moment… almost. But Kiros refused. And so, Askari used the roar… and with it, drove the Outsiders to distant lands, far from the Pride Lands. Balance was restored. But the price was high. Askari decided that the roar should only be given to those with a true purpose to protect."

Tiifu (quietly): — "Like Kion."

Rafiki (looking at Kiara tenderly): — "And like you, perhaps, one day… if you remember what this story teaches."

[The cubs fall silent. But inside Kiara, something still pulses — the mystery of Kopa. But for now, that answer remains lost in the winds of the savanna.]

🦁 Note to players: Kiara is playable in this scene, and the story of Askari and Kiros can unfold in a quest to understand the true role of the Lion Guard in the past. Players can choose to explore Kiara’s bond with Rafiki and her friends, or delve deeper into the legend of the Outsiders and their secrets.