Rafiki's Old Apprentice

== Summary ==
When Rafiki's old apprentice, Nefu, comes to the Pridelands, Makini goes to great efforts to prove she has what it takes to be Rafiki's apprentice. Meanwhile, The Lion Guard deals with the problem of a missing zebra.
== Characters ==
* Kion
* Fuli
* Beshte
* Ono
* Bunga
* Makini
* Nefu
* Rafiki
== Story==
It was a dry day in the Pridelands, and The Lion Guard were helping a herd of zebras find a water hole after theirs dried up. They had already passed two, but the zebra's didn't have much liking to them.
"We've passed  two watering holes already" Kion said with a slight annoyance.
"Yeah", Fuli added. "Just pick one  so we can go!"
"Fine, but its not the zebra way", one zebra replied.
"I thought 'panic and run' was the zebra way", said Beshte.
"It was," Ono said.
The zebra gave a 'hmp' and left to the water hole. The Lion Guard decided to take a break and head back to the lair. Makini welcomed them with a smile. She was practicing painting with her mentor.
"Hey guys!" Makini said excitedly. " I was just painting and then you walked in and..... and well I guess thats it, but I'm so glad you're here! What do you think of my painting?" She pionted to a picture of a blue butterfly.
"Butterflies are orange", Bunga said.
"Actually", Ono said, "They can be all sorts of colors"
"Oh, ok! I knew that."
Ono gave a groan.
Suddenly, something bounded through the doorway. It was a mandrill, a few years older than Makini.
"Hey Uncle Rafiki!" The mandrill shouted.
"Uncle?" Everyone said stunned.
Rafiki gave a groan and explained. "This is my nephew Nefu. He comes from the Backlands."
"I'm his apprentice", Nefu said proudly.
Makini was alarmed "What!?"
"Old apprentice! Nefu isn't really the type for the duties of a royal majuzi.", Rafiki reassured. "Anyways, now that you have all met, I must go home to meditate."
As soon as Rafiki left, Nefu moved in closer to Makini. He seemed to want to intimitate her. Kion was a bit suspicious.
"Ok look Makini, I should really be Rafiki's apprentice, so step down, or else," Nefu.
"Step down? No way," Makini answered with no sense of fear in her voice. "You want me to step down, your going to have to fight me for it!"
Nefu stopped and seemed to think for a moment. Then he got an idea.
"Fine then, how about a magic contest", Nefu.
"Magic contest?," Makini questioned.
"Yeah, a magic contest, winner gets to be Rafiki's apprentice, loser leaves the Pridelands."
"Ok a magic contest", Makini said. "I accept."
Nefu then said, " ok then, magic contest, tonight, at Rafiki's tree. Oh, and sense your younger, you can have someone to help you. Deal?"
"Deal!"
Nefu left to prepare for the magic contest. As he left, a zebra strolled in.
"Lion Guard! Lion Guard!"
Kion was alerted. "What is it?!"
"Its a lost zebra!" He replied anxiously.
"A lost zebra?" Bunga asked, interested. "Zuka Zama! Let's go find him!"
"Kion wait", Makini shouted. " can you help me with the magic contest?"
"Me? Why?" Kion asked. "I have no magic experience."
"Well, you can talk to lions of the past",Makini whispered. "Oh please Kion. Please please please!"
"It's ok Kion. We can find the zebra", Fuli said.
"Ok. If you can handle it." Kion replied.
"Of course we can", Fuli said. Then she and the rest of the guard bounded off to find the missing zebra.
The Lion Guard and the zebra headed onto the mystery of the missing zebra. The first stop was a water hole.
"This is where I last saw it", said the zebra. "Then it diaspeared right before my eyes."
"Ok, so our missing zebra was at the water hole first so...." Fuli began thinking.
Bunga spoke up. "So the zebra must have been thirsty!"
"But that doesn't mean anything", Ono added. "How does that help?"
"Didn't really think about that", Bunga said.
"So where's the next stop?" Beshte asked.
The zebra simply said, "follow me", before he headed westward. Than he changed his mind and went eastward.
Fuli said quietly, "are we sure this zebra knows where he's going?"
"Nope" Ono said.
"How reussering."
Back in the Lair, Makini is scanning the walls, looking for a magic trick to impress Rafiki. After all, this magic show is tonight, and Makini doesn't have much time. Makini is groaning and feeling overwhelmed.
"It's going to be ok", reassured Kion. "I don't think Nefu is very experienced with magic."
"I hope your right." Makini tried her best to sound hopeful, but couldn't help thinking about what would happen if she lost. 
Kion couldn't believe it, he thinks he have found the solution!
"Makini! What about this one?"
Near a canyon, The Guard and the zebra are looking at tracks made by the 'zebra'.
"Ugh! These are oryx tracks! not zebra!" Ono was really annoyed.
"Well I say they are zebra", the zebra said.
"But they are not",Fuli added.
"Unless..." Bunga began. " The zebra is half zebra and half oryx!
"I don't think so little B", Beshte said. 
" We are getting nowhere!" Fuli said angrily. "Let's just move on!"
Back at the lair, Makini and Kion were practicing.
"Ok, Just wave you staff in a figure eight pattern and mutter these words", Kion said.
Makini attempted to do the spell, but smoke and dust just filled the lair.
"I said figure eight pattern", said Kion as he coughed the smoke away.
"I don't think I did that right", said Makini. It was nearly sundown, and Makini was begining to worry. Well she has been worried.
The zebra and the Lion Guard headed back to the water hole. The Lion Guard was really annoyed.
"This is where we started!" Fuli firmly said.
"This is the last stop, where's the zebra?" Beshte asked.
"Zebra?" The zebra asked. "What zebra?"
Fuli rolled her eyes, groaned, and dramatically dropped to the ground.
"Oh did I say zebra? I meant a zebra's passion. Mine to be specific. Panic and Run seems a little... old. I need a new concept, a new catchphrase.
"Oh...... why?" Fuli groaned.
"Hey now that's a good one!" The zebra said. "Oh....... Why?" He imitated Fuli.
"Well That's one problem sorted out." Ono said. Fuli just face-planted the ground.
"Oh Hey!" Beshte said. "Its almost time for the magic contest! Lets head to Rafiki's tree."
At Rafiki's tree,the Lion Guard, Makini, and Rafiki were seated, awating Nefu's magic act. Nefu's act started almost instantly. Nefu did a lot of tricks, which included making this disappear and reappear, mind reading, and conducting the wind. All remained quiet as Nefu was preforming, however, Makini's mind had all sorts of worry.
When Nefu's act ended, Makini walked to the front and began her trick. She waved her stick in a figure eight pattern and muttered a few words, just as she practiced. Wind formed into small clouds. The clouds formed into lions roaring, mimicking Kion's roar. As wind shifted around the room, everyone was marveled, even Nefu was impressed.
When her act was over, Nefu walked up to Rafiki.
"So, which act was better?" he asked 
"I'm going to have to say Makini's" he responded. "It was a beautiful arrangement of the lions of the past."
Nefu was enranged. He knew Makini had won the battle, but he was willing to do something about it. He ran up to her and grabbed her bakora staff, then ran outside.
"Hey!" Makini shouted.
"I can be magical!" Nefu cried. "I should be Rafiki's apprentice and future Majuzi!" Nefu waved the staff, and at his command, a huge, dangerous storm fled across the Pridelands. Everything was blewn left and right, and the ground seemed unstable. No one had ever seen anything like it, but everyone was frightened. No one knew what to do. At least untill Makini came up with something.
"Kion use your roar!" Kion was a bit confused, but put his full faith and trust into Makini.
His roar lashed out across the Pridelands. It had worked! The storm was gone, and everything seemed peaceful again.
"Nefu!" Rafiki said angrily. " I cannot believe you! You intimedated my apprentice, you can't accept the fact that you can't be a majuzi, and you put the Pridelands at risk! For that I am going to have to ask you to leave!"
Nefu looked stunned and angry. He stormed off back home, and gave Makini a look to let her know that he would be back.
"I'm glad I asked you to help me" Makini said to Kion. 
"Thanks Makini, but you were the one who did all the spells" Kion replied.
"Thats true. Hey, maybe I could learn even more spells!"
As the moon rose, the Pridelands were peaceful.
==Notes/ Trivia==
*The zebra's name is Thurston. I'm playing the No-Name-Zebra-Game.
Category:Fanfiction
Category:CatLover05
Category:The Lion Guard Stories