Royal Mud Print Ceremony

The Royal Mud Print Ceremony is an event celebrated in the Pride Lands. It is a ceremony in which a hero's footprints are preserved in mud.
==Concept==
When a Pride Lander or visitor to the Pride Lands does an act that is considered heroic or similarly memorable, they are honored by the monarch with a Royal Mud Print Ceremony at Pride Rock. During the ceremony, the animal places their foot into a pool of mud, leaving a print. Once the mud dries, the mark is preserved forever.
As part of the ceremony, the honoree is also expected to bestow wisdom upon a younger Pride Lander.
==History==
===Early Royal Mud Print Ceremonies===
There have been multiple ceremony honorees throughout the Pride Lands' history.
===Hadithi's Royal Mud Print Ceremony===
Hadithi, a legendary eagle, journeyed to the Pride Lands. There, Simba and Nala praised him for his bravery and selflessness and informed him that they wished to honor him with a Royal Mud Print Ceremony. Ono explained the concept of the ceremony to the Lion Guard, and Kion noted that though he had seen the prints of past honorees, he had never witnessed a ceremony.
Simba tasked Hadithi with mentoring Ono for the day. Hadithi was slightly reluctant about this aspect of the ceremony but ultimately delighted in the proceedings. He then asked for a ceremonial nest to be built for him, to which task Ono volunteered the Lion Guard's assistance.
Throughout the day, Hadithi revealed himself to be more pomp and show than anything else and scoffed at Ono's attempts to be like him. When Hadithi and Ono encountered a group of hyenas cornering two klipspringers, Hadithi fled out of fear, leaving Ono to deal with the crisis.
Hadithi returned for the ceremony without Ono. Simba showered Hadithi with praise, after which Hadithi became so overrun with guilt that he admitted that he had abandoned Ono to danger. He and the Lion Guard set off to save Ono. After the rescue, Hadithi confessed that instead of teaching Ono, the egret had taught him something. He then praised Ono for being a true hero.
==Known honorees==
* Hadithi (temporarily)
* Ono
==Appearances==
* The Lion Guard
** "Ono's Idol"
==References==
Category:Canon articles
Category:Culture