Night Pride

The Night Pride is a group of animals who protect the Tree of Life. The current Night Pride is led by Rani.
==Concept==
===Function===
The Night Pride is a group of animals who defend the Tree of Life from threats to its peace and sanctity. Initially, the Night Pride was comprised of lions who lived at the Tree of Life, though other types of animals from foreign kingdoms later joined its ranks. The Night Pride is led by a member of the Tree of Life's royal family.
Each member of the Night Pride has the Mark of the Night Pride on their right shoulder. The members of the Night Pride reside in the Tree of Life and its surrounding territory.
===Duties===
As part of their pledge to protect the Tree of Life, the Night Pride is bound by innumerable duties. These include but are not limited to:
* Granting outsiders entry to the Tree of Life,
* Conducting regular patrols of the Tree of Life and its surrounding territory,
* Dealing with external threats, including invasions by outsiders,
* Dealing with internal threats, such as addressing concerns by residents and handling internal conflicts, and
* Protecting weak and innocent animals.
==History==
===Encounter with the Lion Guard===
The Lion Guard sought out the Tree of Life so that two of their members, Kion and Ono, could receive healing. However, upon reaching the mountain pass to the Tree of Life, the Guard accidentally caused a rock slide. Ullu alerted the Night Pride to the Guard's presence, and Rani led her teammates to the mountain pass. Though Nirmala suggested a peaceful approach, Baliyo perceived the Guard to be a threat and so launched into battle against them. As the Night Pride joined in the fight, Kion took on Baliyo and used the Roar of the Elders to send him flying away from the mountain pass. Because of Kion's hostility and direct attack on her brother, Rani forbade him and his teammates entry to the Tree of Life.
Shortly after the incident, Rani convened with her grandmother, Queen Janna, who remarked that the Roar had returned to the Tree of Life at last and that Rani should welcome the Guard into their territory. Though reluctant to do so, Rani sought counsel from her parents, Sãhasí and Ãnanda, who urged her to follow Janna's advice.
Along with her teammates, Rani returned to the mountain pass to find that the Guard had cleared the rock slide. Kion apologized for his earlier attack on Baliyo and requested that Ono still be allowed entry to the Tree of Life for healing. Impressed by Kion's selflessness, Rani allowed the Guard to enter their territory, and the Night Pride personally escorted them to the Tree of Life.
At the Tree of Life, Janna welcomed the Guard and examined Kion's and Ono's injuries. She then tasked Nirmala with overseeing Kion's healing, while Rani took the Guard on a tour of the Tree of Life's territory.
===Threat from Makucha's army===
Makucha and his allies, Chuluun and Ora, followed the Lion Guard's trail to the mountain pass. There, the Night Pride intercepted them and ordered them to return to their own territory. Makucha's army, however, refused and attempted to fight their way to the Tree of Life, only to get swiftly defeated by the Night Pride.
Shortly after the attack, the Guard arrived to help the Night Pride, and Kion realized that he and his teammates had accidentally led Makucha's army to the Tree of Life. Furious, Rani brought the Guard before Janna and accused Kion of having led an "army of predators" to the Tree of Life. Kion apologized on behalf of his teammates and volunteered to help the Night Pride deal with Makucha's army, but Janna told him to focus on his healing and let the Night Pride conduct their duties on their own.
Later, Makucha's army launched a nighttime assault on the Tree of Life, but the Night Pride drove them back. The next morning, the army returned and attack again, this time nearly incapacitating the Night Pride. Just in time, Kion arrived to help, and Makucha's army fled the Tree of Life's territory.
===Mama Binturong's plot===
Another old adversary of the Lion Guard, Mama Binturong, joined up with Makucha's army and resolved to help them infiltrate the Tree of Life. Devising a plan to trick the Night Pride, she pretended to be under attack by Makucha's army and sought help in the mountain pass. As she had hoped, the Night Pride arrived in her defense and allowed her entry to the Tree of Life.
Later, Mama Binturong conspired to distract the Night Pride while Makucha, Chuluun, and Ora snuck into the Tree of Life to kill Janna. Mama Binturong managed to lure the Night Pride to her with cries for help, and her allies used the distraction to cross the border. However, the Guard drove off Makucha, Chuluun, and Ora, and Ullu warned the Night Pride of Mama Binturong's deception. With the gig up, Mama Binturong fled the Tree of Life's territory.
===Janna's death===
One day, the Night Pride and the Lion Guard defended a family of tigers from Makucha's army. After the fight, Ullu told them that Janna wished to speak with them at the Tree of Life. Upon seeing many animals gathered outside the Tree of Life, Rani realized that Janna was dying, and the Night Pride resolved to speak with her together.
Once inside the Tree of Life, the Night Pride convened with a dying Janna. The elderly queen passed on her healing duties to Nirmala and encouraged Baliyo and Surak to support Rani. She then told Rani that she had everything she needed to be queen and added that the Night Pride and Makini, her Royal Mjuzi, would support her. After saying her goodbyes, Janna died peacefully, and the Night Pride honored her passing with a funeral at the Willows.
Later, the Night Pride attended Rani's coronation and voiced their support of her reign.
===Partnership with the Lion Guard===
One day, Makucha's army launched another attack on the Tree of Life. Though exhausted from a night of patrolling, the Night Pride intercepted the army and ordered them to stay away from the Tree of Life. Just then, the Lion Guard arrived to help defend against the invasion. However, when Kion and Rani both began to issue separate orders, their teammates got confused and failed to execute their attacks correctly.
Eventually, the Night Pride and the Guard drove off Makucha's army. After the fight, Rani told Kion to follow her lead from then on, and Kion began to doubt if he could effectively lead his team. He then commented that the Night Pride needed some rest, and Rani lamented how Mama Binturong refused to give up. In an effort to ease the Night Pride's burdens, Kion volunteered to patrol the Tree of Life's territory with the Guard during the day so that the Night Pride could get some rest, and Rani gratefully accepted his offer. Unbeknown to the Night Pride and the Guard, Mama Binturong had been spying on their conversation and resolved to exploit the Night Pride's weakness.
Later, Ullu warned the Night Pride and the Guard that Makucha's army was launching another attack on the Tree of Life. The two teams arrived to thwart the invasion, and Kion led them in a combined attack. Together, they fought off Makucha's army, and Rani complimented Kion on his leadership skills.
===Battle for the Tree of Life===
One day, Ullu fell asleep, and Makucha's army took advantage, invading the Tree of Life and chasing some of its animal residents. The Night Pride started to deal with the invasion when the Lion Guard arrived and chased off the predators themselves.
Later, Makucha's army invaded the Tree of Life with additional allies. Ullu warned the Night Pride about the attack, but when they rushed into the Tree of Life to deal with Makucha's army, Ora and his Komodo dragon minions pushed a rock into the entrance, blocking the way out. The Night Pride attempted to move the boulder, to no avail, while Makucha's army began to attack the animals at the Tree of Life.
Before long, Kion, Rani, and Bunga arrived, and Kion used the Roar of the Elders to defeat Makucha's army. He then used the Roar to create a lightning bolt that shattered the rock at the Tree of Life's entrance and freed the Night Pride. After the battle, Rani implied that Kion should stay at the Tree of Life.
===Induction of the Lion Guard===
In the aftermath of the battle, the Lion Guard returned to the Pride Lands to deal with an invasion by the Outsiders. While in the Pride Lands, Kion forfeited his title as leader of the Lion Guard to Vitani, and she and her teammates became the new Lion Guard. Afterward, Kion consulted with the spirit of Askari as to what he should do next, and Askari hinted that the Tree of Life could use his help. Kion and his former teammates agreed to the task, and instantly, the marks of the Night Pride appeared on their shoulders.
Together, Kion and his friends returned to the Tree of Life and formally joined the Night Pride. Kion then married Rani and became the Tree of Life's king in a formal ceremony. The Night Pride attended the ceremony and cheered for Kion and Rani.
==Notable members==
Rani.png|Rani (leader)
Anga.png|Anga
Baliyo.png|Baliyo
Beshte.png|Beshte
Bunga.png|Bunga
Fuliprofile.png|Fuli
Kion.png|Kion
Nirmala.png|Nirmala
OnoInfobox1.png|Ono
Surak.png|Surak
==Appearances==
==Media==
🌴 The Tree Of Life - The Lion Guard - Disney Junior UK|The Lion Guard encounters the Night Pride, as depicted in The Lion Guard.
==References==
Category:Canon articles
Category:Culture
Category:Groups
Category:Prides