Mama Binturong

Mama Binturong is the sixty-fourth episode of The Lion Guard, and the ninth episode of Season 3.
==Synopsis==
The Guard's ability to find the Tree of Life disappears when Makini's staff is stolen by a scheming binturong.
==Summary==
The Lion Guard is shown traveling in a forest, still on their way to the Tree of Life. Looking back, Anga comments on the fact, that Beshte has made a new friend, with Kion noting he does it wherever they go. Beshte asks his new friend, a tapir named Tenuk if there are any good plants to eat in the forest. While Tenuk confirms all sorts of plants, he doesn't answer when Bunga asks about bugs, since tapirs don't eat bugs. Tenuk then asks if they will be staying in the forest, wanting to present them to his friends Bambun the mongoose, and Seisou the gibbon. Beshte comments on how friendly everyone is, as Tenuk offers to let them stay for as long as they want.
Fuli reveals that they are just passing by, so Tenuk instead offers the Guard to let him know if they need anything. When Makini mentions needing more tuliza, Tenuk suddenly starts panicking and runs away, yelling at them to leave him alone. Confused, Makini says's "Was it something I said" and Tenuk's friends ask the Guard what they did to scare him. Beshte says they didn't mean to do so, with Makini believing that Tenuk just doesn't like tuliza. On hearing the word "Tuliza", Tenuk's friends panic and run away as well. The Guard starts wondering what is going on, with Bunga believing everyone to be scared of Makini when she says "Tuliza".
When a bird overhead panics on hearing "Tuliza", Beshte figures that it's not Makini scaring everyone. As the Guard discusses why everyone is scared of tuliza, with Bunga doubting that a flower could scare so many animals, a porcupine named Smun is shown spying on them before leaving to tell "Mama". Running through the forest, Smun joins a group of porcupines standing near a tree before approaching Mama Binturong, an elderly female binturong eating tuliza. Smun informs her about strange animals in the forest talking about Tuliza, though he admits he doesn't know what they want with it.  
Regardless of what the strangers want with the tuliza, Mama Binturong sinisterly tells her porcupines that all of the tuliza is hers. She reminds her followers that she is "The Boss", and that no one messes with her or her tuliza . She then decides to find out what is it that the strangers want with the tuliza. Meanwhile, as the Lion Guard continues walking through the forest, Bunga plays a prank on a nearby civet by yelling "Tuliza!", scaring him and making him jump into the air. However, he soon falls into a nearby river prompting Anga to save him and bring back. 
Beshte tries asking him why the whole forest is afraid of tuliza, only to have Tompok the civet run away a panic on hearing the word. While running through the forest, the civet is caught and surrounded by Mama Binturong's porcupines, who question him for talking to the strangers as well as for saying "Tuliza". Mama Binturong then appears, asking why the strangers were talking about tuliza, though he fearfully replies he doesn't know as the porcupines threaten him. Hearing the Guard nearby, Mama Binturong orders her porcupines to release the civet, wanting to see the strangers herself.
As Kion's scar starts bothering him, Makini leaves her Bakora staff in a log while she grabs some tuliza for Kion. Seeing the staff has tuliza, Mama Binturong orders her porcupines to take it as Makini feeds Kion a few petals, relieving his pain and making him feel better. As the Guard begins to continue, Fuli reminds Makini that she forgot her staff behind, who returns to the log to find it gone. The porcupines hand Makini's staff over to Mama Binturong, who greedily eats the Tuliza before ordering her porcupines to return to the hideout, with one of them taking the staff with him. 
As the Guard begins looking for the staff, Anga finds porcupine tracks leading away from the log. However, the trail end quickly, and Fuli is unable to track by scent. While Kion sends Anga to look for porcupines with the staff, Makini starts panicking as she realizes how important the staff has been to their journey, not just to hold Tuliza but also as their guide to the Tree of Life. The Guard soon calm her down as Anga returns, having failed to spot through the forest. Beshte then suggests talking to the animals in the forest, noting they might help look for the staff so long as they don't say "Tuliza".
Inside the forest, the Guard spot a gibbon and ask him if he's seen the staff, with Beshte explaining the concept when the gibbon asks what staff is. Bunga soon slips up and mentions tuliza, causing the gibbon to panic and run into the treetops as Bunga goes after him, trying to apologize but making the situation worse by saying "Tuliza". After a long chase, Bunga and Anga corner the gibbon on a branch, who admits to not knowing anything but suggests they visit the mongoose. The mongoose passes them to the civet, who panics on seeing the Guard again before sending them to the mouse deer.
The mouse deer tells them the guy who knows about the staff lives in a nearby cave, where he is revealed to be the gibbon from before, who explains he led them to the cave since it's the only place he knows that the porcupines aren't listening. He tells the Guard about Mama Binturong, who controls the Tuliza in the forest and has scared the animals to the point where everyone is afraid of saying "Tuliza". Realizing Mama Binturong stole Makini's staff, Kion asks where he can find her. The gibbon says she's deep in the Stone Forest, but he warns the Guard that it's almost impossible to get through.
At the entrance to the Stone Forest, the Guard quickly realize the rocks are too sharp and close together to allow them to enter the forest. While Anga fails to enter from above, she spots the Tuliza at Mama Binturong's hideout. Going over their options, they quickly realize that Bunga is the only one capable of entering the forest before sending him in. While exploring the forest, Bunga gets distracted playing with his echo for a while, mistaking it for someone else before realizing it's his voice. Soon after, Bunga finds Mama Binturong's hideout and drops down to the lair.
Finding himself alone, Bunga spots Makini's staff atop of a huge pile of tuliza flowers. Before Bunga can reach it, however, Mama Binturong emerges from the pile of Tuliza. Refusing to hand over the staff, however, she instead sends her porcupines to attack Bunga. However, being thick-skinned, Bunga defeats the porcupines before climbing the Tuliza pile. Despite Mama Binturong throwing him out, Bunga refuses to back down, saying he's not leaving without the staff. After fighting for a while, Bunga resorts to eating the Tuliza despite finding it gross, much to Mama Binturong's anger.
After Bunga reclaims the staff, Mama Binturong has her porcupines surround him, claiming there's no way out of her lair. However, Bunga unleashes his stink on the lair, blinding Mama Binturong and the porcupines while also ruining the Tuliza pile. Bunga manages to grab some tuliza before leaving the lair behind him. Once Bunga's stink clears up, Mama Binturong mourns the loss of her Tuliza. When Smun offers to get her more, Mama Binturong angrily renounces tuliza and the whole forest, now desiring revenge against Bunga before leaving her loyal porcupines behind, sad to see her go.
Meanwhile, Bunga reunites with the Guard outside the Stone Forest, returning Makini's staff to her. Opening the gourd, Makini realizes Bunga filled it with tuliza, though she quickly covers it upon smelling Bunga's stink on it. Kion thanks Bunga for his help before deciding to move on to the next moja kwa moja stone. Bunga starts telling Fuli about his escape, though she quickly guesses he used his stink. Bunga then wonders how Fuli knows about his "secret weapon", who claims it's not that big a secret. This leaves the Lion Guard laughing as they continue on their journey to the Tree of Life.
==Appearances==
===Characters===
						
						
===Groups===
The Lion Guard	Smun's Prickle(debut)
===Locations===
Forest 	M.Binturong's Hideout(debut)	Stone Forest(debut)					
Tree of Life(mention)	 	 					
===Animals===
Lions 	Honey Badgers 	Cheetahs 	Hippos 	Egrets 	Mandrills 	Eagles
Binturongs(debut)	Tapirs(final appearance)	Gibbons(final appearance)	Porcupines 	Mongooses(final appearance)	Mouse Deer(debut/final appearance)	Civets(final appearance)
 	 	Tree Squirrels(debut) 	Mice(mention) 	Butterflies  	Parrots(voice) 	
== References ==
Category:Episodes
Category:Season Three Episodes
Category:Media