Ono and the Egg

***Ono and the Egg*** is the thirtieth episode of *The Lion Guard*, and the fourth episode of **Season 2**. [1]

## Synopsis

Ono begrudgingly becomes the protector of a cuckoo bird’s egg left in his nest and chases off an African harrier hawk who has come to the Pride Lands to hunt for tasty new treats. Carla Hall (*ABC*’s *The Chew*) guest stars as Mpishi (Swahili for “chef”), the African harrier hawk.

## Plot

It is a quiet day in Mizimu Grove just as the Lion Guard decides to check if everything is all right in Hakuna Matata Falls. Soon as Kion hears a distant stampede, Ono explains that he hears a stampede of hyraxes approaching. Kion is curious to know why the hyraxes are worried to which Ono explains that the problem causing the hyraxes to be upset is a harrier hawk hunting the hyraxes. Upset about the harrier hawk that tries to hunt down the hyraxes, the Lion Guard witnesses her antagonistic actions in grabbing a hyrax. Kion, Fuli, and Beshte decide to follow Ono and plan to stop the harrier hawk from eating the hyrax.

Meanwhile, a mother hamerkop comforts over her egg telling her future chick that her nest will be the best until the harrier hawk arrives and flies past the hamerkop's nest. The hamerkop notices Ono swooping by, telling her egg to know if she saw them to which she gets no response from the egg. Meanwhile, the harrier hawk prepares to eat the hyrax to which Ono tells the hawk to put down the innocent hyrax to which she refuses to as Ono plants to save the hyrax from being eaten by the hawk. Soon as the harrier hawk crashes into a cliff, Ono rescues the hyrax from a gruesome demise just as Beshte plans to catch him soon as Ono lets go of the hyrax. Upon saving the hyrax, Kion, Bunga, and Fuli corner the harrier hawk that the area she is at is not a hunting ground to which she explains that the Pride Lands are filled with delicacies for her to eat unique animals there. Fuli tells her that it is okay to try new foods, but she can't hunt there because here in the Pride Lands, all the animals respect the Circle of Life. Kion tells the hawk to return to her own territory as the Pride Lands cannot have any animal breaking the Circle of Life just as she agrees to return to her territory just as she secretly plans to take revenge by grabbing one of the hyraxes for her to eat.

Kion then congratulates Ono for stopping the hawk from eating the hyrax just as the mother hamerkop watches the Guard from a distance just as she tells her egg that everything can be a problem whenever a hawk approaches her nest. Meanwhile at Ono's nest, Kion thanks him for saving the hyrax from the hawk telling him to rest on his nest. Ono found out that there is an egg on his nest to which he explains that the egg is not his to which he realizes that the egg belongs to a hamerkop because of the egg's size and appearance. Curious about the egg in his nest, Ono explains that adult hamerkops are usually excellent parents just as the Guard plans to find the mother hamerkop and make sure everything is all right with her. Checking on the egg if it is all right with him, he explains that the chick inside the egg is big to which it is found out that the egg is close to hatching. Ono then tells Beshte that the egg needs a bird to sit on it to keep it warm until it is warm to which Bunga decides to babysit the egg. Ono warns him that if Bunga tries to babysit it, the egg will break. Telling Bunga that he will stay with the egg, Fuli finds out that scent is strong and the scent is linked to the hamerkop just as Ono keeps a lookout for the egg.

Meanwhile, a storm arrives in the Pride Lands just as Fuli notices the stick dropped by the hamerkop mother just as Kion knows that whenever he hears a rainstorm in the Pride Lands, a mudslide occurs just as the Guard decides to rescue the hares in the mudslide's path. Meanwhile, Mpishi hears a group of red rock hares in the mudslide's path just as the hawk tries to eat them. Upon seeing the Lion Guard defending the hares from the hawk during a rainstorm, a nearby hare explains that she is safe but the others ran into the aardvark dens for shelter just as the mudslide prepares to approach the hares and aardvarks. The Guard then plans to rescue the hares from the mudslide.

Meanwhile, the egg Ono is nesting on hatches into a baby hamerkop. Talking to her that he is not a hamerkop, he explains that his friends have gone to get her mother. Back with the Guard, they continue escorting the hares out of the aardvark dens just as the mudslide approaches, telling the red rock hares to find shelter. The Guard then rescues the hares in the mudslide's path and escorts them from the aardvark dens, except for Masikio, a red rock hare, whose sister his missing. Rescuing his sister from the mudslide, the Guard then plans to find the hamerkop Fuli saw.

Back with Ono, he notices the baby hamerkop chasing a nearby bug passing by just as Ono tries to keep the hamerkop away from danger after falling into a thorn bush. Upon arriving, Bunga thinks the nest he sees is a hamerkop's to which it is found out that inside the nest belongs to the hamerkop mother Kulinda. Kion explains the Kulinda, the mother hamerkop, about why he left the egg with Ono to which she explains that her nest was not ready yet just as she plans to find a safe place for her chicks feeling excited for her egg being brought back home. Kulinda and the Guard decide to find the egg Ono is nesting. Meanwhile, Ono tries to keep Kulinda's daughter from the river as it is dangerous for her to swim giving her a warning about this. Angrily scolding her about this, Kulinda's daughter feels tired after a series of trying to keep her safe.

Meanwhile, the harrier hawk searches if there is any food she can find to which she approaches a vulture named Mwoga thinking he is involved in her plan to hunt. Talking with Mwoga, the hawk introduces herself as Mpishi to him to which Mpishi, the harrier hawk, explains that she tried all the food in her territory to which she explains that every time she tries to get food, the Lion Guard always stops her. Mpishi then sings to Mwoga about a truly great meal fresh fit for an eagle, compared to a vulture eating bodies of dead animals left behind to which the way she explains to Mwoga about how a fresh meal tastes better for a vulture to snack on compared to carcasses that vultures eat. Mpishi tells Mwoga to help her find fresh food for her to help find food for her and she can let her have all the food for him to eat. Skeptic about this, Mwoga accepts Mpishi's offer.

Meanwhile, Kulinda arrives back to the spot where her egg is supposed to be only to find her egg which has hatched. Worried about this, Kulinda's daughter hears her mother calling for her just as she reunited her with her mother. Overjoyed about the hamerkop family doing their family dance, Kulinda thanks Ono for watching over her baby to which he explains that a baby hamerkop is interested in chasing insects no matter what, the mother should always keep an eye out for her baby.

Meanwhile, Kulinda's daughter chases the same insect she saw leading her to the river where Ono scolded her. The Guard, along with help from Kulinda, decides to rescue her only for her to be captured by Mpishi. The Guard decides to find Mpishi and stop her from eating Kulinda's daughter. Ono and Kulinda work together to stop Mpishi from eating her the baby hamerkop only for Mpishi to throw her into Mwoga. Devising a plan to stop Mpishi and Mwoga, Bunga climbs a tree to the top to tackle Mwoga just the Kion tells him to return to the Outlands just as Kulinda and Ono fly into Mpishi, defeating her and reuniting Kulinda with her daughter once again and telling Mpishi to leave the Pride Lands for once before she breaks the Circle of Life. Following his orders, Mpishi retreats to her territory.

Having warded off Mwoga and Mpishi, Kulinda praises the Lion Guard for their help, especially Ono who helped saved her daughter. Kulinda names her daughter Ona, to which she names her daughter after Ono in honor of the egret who worked together with him. Kulinda's daughter Ona likes the name her mother gives to her. She explains to him that whenever Ono does visit her nest, Ono knows what she has to do with Ona: the hamerkop family dance. The Guard feels overjoyed about Ono doing the hamerkop family dance together with the hamerkop family.

## Cast

* **Atticus Shaffer** as Ono
* **Carla Hall** as Mpishi
* **Elise Allen** as Kulinda
* **Cam Clarke** as Mwoga
* **Max Charles** as Kion
* **Joshua Rush** as Bunga
* **Diamond White** as Fuli
* **Dusan Brown** as Beshte
* **Kari Wahlgren** as Red Rock Hare
* **Dee Bradley Baker** as Masikio, Hyrax and Ona

## Appearances

### Characters

* **Kion**
* **Bunga**
* **Fuli**
* **Ono**
* **Beshte**
* **Mpishi** (debut / only apearance)
* **Pim**
* **Ona** (hatchling debut)
* **Kulinda** (debut)
* **Masikio** (debut)
* **Mwoga**

## Groups

* **The Lion Guard**
* **Mzingo's Parliament** (mention)
* **Pim's Group**
* **Masikio's Drove** (debut)

## Locations

* **Pride Lands**
	+ **Hakuna Matata Falls** (mention)
	+ **Mizimu Grove**
	+ **Ono's Nest** (debut)
	+ **Kulinda's Nest** (debut)
	+ **Aardvark Dens**
	+ **Maumivu Thorn Patch**
* **Outlands** (mention)

## Trivia

* Although the episode synopsis states that Ono takes care of a cuckoo bird's egg, the egg is actually that of a hamerkop. There are no cuckoo birds in the episode.
* Bunga references Babysitter Bunga when volunteering to watch over the egg.