Kion stood in front of the moja kwa moja stone under the iroko tree they'd finally gotten to. The painting on the stone depicted a little mini-replica of the tree looming over it; green, lush leaves and a nice sized brown trunk. For a split second, he looked to the purplish mountains in the not-quite-horizon, but quickly tried to refocus. He figured the fuzziness and confusion was his scar acting up. But leaders don't show their confusion— not when their team needs guidance. So he kept a smile on and asked the egret perched on Beshte's back, "So, where to next?"
"Nawaza..." Ono paused, thinking. "After the iroko tree, we need to find a mountain with two peaks."
Anga flew up. "Got it. This way." She started to fly ahead; Kion followed her with his gaze at the mountain already visible in the vision, splitting up three-fourths to the top into two triangles, one slightly higher than the other.
It's not that far. Motivation coursed through him at the thought. "Okay, everyone. Let's go find the Tree of Life." Kion set off after the eagle, Fuli, Bunga, Makini, falling in step at his side; Beshte slightly behind. Anga circled around back to them before flying forwards again...
Ah!
Kion reeled his head back, blinking. Fuli was staring at him. Had he bumped into her? He didn't see it... in fact, he barely registered anything in that moment other than the sky. "Sorry, Fuli."
The cheetah eyed him for a second. "You okay?"
"Yeah."
She gave him a look that worried him. If even Fuli, the most aloof and distant —by comparison— member of the group noticed, then Kion sure wasn't doing a good job of hiding it. We're going on a huge journey we've barely even started, and everyone here is leaving home for who knows how long. Who knows what's beyond these lands? I have to be strong for them. That's what a leader does. He gave her the most genuine looking smile he could articulate and kept walking.
"Hey you!"
Everyone stopped and turned to the sound of the unfamiliar voice and saw a huge golden, russet-maned lion to their right coming over a crest of a grassy hill.
"What're you doing in these parts?"
His voice didn't seem hostile. Still, as he walked closer Kion warily moved in front of the group. War had taught him one thing — complete comfort shouldn't be the first thing you feel when meeting someone new. "Who are you?" Kion tried to make his voice sound non-harsh though; the lion hadn't yet given him a reason to not trust him or to be cold.
He kept walking closer. "I'm Baba, and this is Geni's Pride territory." He flashed a toothy grin. Something... didn't seem right about that grin.
"We didn't know this land belonged to someone. We're just passing through," Kion said.
"Oh, that's all understandable. You traveling?" When Kion nodded, Baba said, "You know, our pride's looking for new recruits. I's the one put in charge of it." Finally directly in front of the group, he came to a stop, eyeing the lion cub up and down with an orange-brown gaze that Kion thought looked a lot like his own. "Sure a tough lookin' rogue like you'd make a fine addition."
"Thanks for the offer, but we're not rogues. We're just..." I don't wanna talk about my scar, "away from home for a while. And we really have to get going."
"We have important Lion Guard business to do!" Bunga added eagerly.
"Lion Guard?" Baba's eyes widened. "So y'all from the Pridelands? Been a while since I've been there. Golly, didn't think they'd have 'em anymore 'cause of Scar. But y'all ain't lions."
"Yeah, we get that a lot," Bunga said.
Baba looked directly at Kion again. "You's the leader?"
"Yeah."
"So you got the Roar of the Elders?"
"Yeah..."
This strange lion had been to the Pridelands? When? Kion never remembered hearing of him, so maybe before he'd been born? And he also knew about the Lion Guard and the Roar? Yet Kion couldn't pinpoint exactly—even though his mind insisted—what was off about that lopsided smile and halfway-back ears. The feeling only increased when Baba continued in a strange tone, "You'll be a valuable asset to our pride."
"Thanks, but no. We have to get going." Kion started to walk around Baba, but the lion quickly stepped in front of him.
"Afraid you didn't get the message." Baba's voice hardened. "You're joining my pride." Kion stiffened for a moment before trying to swerve back over to his team, only to be blocked by Baba moving his entire side in Kion's way.
"Get the hell away from him!" Fuli shouted, darting in front of Kion and baring her teeth in Baba's face.
The huge lion responded by baring his own gleaming white teeth, ones much larger than Fuli's. "We can do this the easy way... or the hard way."
"Hard way!" Bunga shouted and the rest of the group nodded. They and Baba stood, staring daggers into each other, each side waiting for the other to make a move. Baba ducked over Fuli, grabbing Kion's scruff. As he was jerked violently upwards, he saw out of the corner of his eye Fuli lunging at Baba's neck, trying to tear through the mane that helped to protect it. Anga wordlessly dove downwards, raking her talons against Baba's back. "Zuka zama!" Bunga called his signature battle cry —each Lion Guard member had one— as he leapt onto Baba's shoulders.
"I've got you, Ono!" Kion heard Makini say, but couldn't see where she was.
"Twende kiboko!" Beshte rammed Baba into the side, causing the lion to lose grip on Kion and for Fuli to lose grip on him. Kion was thrown off balance but quickly stumbled to his feet, running to Makini holding Ono a few steps away.
"Everyone, get behind me!" At Kion's call, Beshte backed away from Baba, Fuli dashed back, Bunga scrambled off of Baba, and Anga swooped towards them. Just as Baba was getting to his paws, Kion opened his jaws and—
ROARRRRRRR!
Just as he did so, pain seared through his eye down his face and it made him almost freeze. His body tensed and he sunk his claws into the ground. His own noise filled his ears for once, instead of the ring that came from who knew where. This was what the Roar was for: to protect.
"KION!"
He shut his jaws, putting his power to a stop. Baba must be gone by now. Opening his eyes and looking back, he saw the group wide-eyed behind him, and followed their gazes to... Oh Lions of the Past—
The bottom of the two-peaked mountain not far ahead was covered in huge gray rocks that were not there before. I... CAUSED A ROCKSLIDE THAT BIG?! Were any animals there?! He sprinted ahead, calling, "We have to make sure no one was hurt! Anga, fly up and scan the area!"
"No one there!" the dark purple eagle called from above. Relief spread through Kion, but he still didn't come to a stop Looking behind him, he saw the rest of the group still following. They had to be sure no animals were there, hurt, trapped, or displaced.
Once they arrived, Kion's legs burned and his paws ached, but the feeling wasn't new so he'd manage. The rockslide was even worse up close — huge gray boulders towered over him in most directions. He weaved his way in between a gap, looking all around the field with many smaller rocks scattered in it. "Hello! Anyone here?" Walking forward, the smaller stones poked at his paws. "Hello!" After pacing around and carefully scanning the area, he let himself exhale a huge sigh of relief. He didn't know how he'd live with himself if he'd hurt some innocent animal! Or worse...! I can't keep losing control! I'm putting everyone in danger! He frantically looked to the base of the mountain, a clear path not in sight, but that couldn't matter now. We need to get to the Tree. Need, need, need to! A jolt of pain in his face running down his nerves made him flinch back. No no no! Not now! He blinked rapidly, trying to shake the feeling away, and only resulted in a slight fuzziness in his field of vision. "We have to keep going. Anga, is the moja kwa moja stone on the top of the mountain?" The eagle flew up, circling higher and higher and higher... Kion's tail swished with impatience. Please hurry! "We hafta—" His thought was cut off by a sting in his eye and he quickly brought a paw to rub at it.
Riiiiinnngggggggg...
Kion stepped back at the sudden wave of dizziness, shaking his head to dislodge it but only making himself dizzier. He shut his eyes... Was that a "Kion" he heard? Opening his eyes again, he saw Fuli, Beshte, Makini, Ono, and Bunga even closer. He wasn't sure who'd spoken; the ear ringing was only just starting to fade. Anga landed beside them. "Yup. The spot where the peaks split."
"Great." He eyed the ascent; so steep it was nearly vertical. It looked about fifty running stride lengths of rocks lodged into the mountain until it gave way to what seemed like a more stable path. He looked back at his team— he knew Beshte the hippopotamus had no chance of being able to make it up as it was. Nor did he want any of them trying unless he knew it was safe. If only there was a way to make a different path. He looked around him, scanning his surroundings for potential ideas... Sky, mountain, grass, boulders—
Boulders. The Roar.
Idea!
His paws moved faster than his mind as he walked forward, sinking the claws of a forepaw into a small crevice on the mountain base. "Guys, I have a plan." He hopped on his hind legs, setting another forepaw into a slightly higher crevice. "If I climb up and then channel the Roar into the rocks below, it should free up the path."
"Bad idea." Fuli walked up to him and he turned his head to look at her, still clinging onto the crevices with his claws unsheathed. Kion only took one paw off to rub at his eye before stretching it to slide into a crevice just in reach. "It's already steep and the Roar only would've made the stones looser. You'll fall."
Riiiinnnnggggg. Kion fought the urge to rub at his face, instead lifting a hindpaw into the crevice where his forepaw was. He blinked rapidly, trying for the thousandth time to dislodge the pain. "I'll be fine!" He set his gaze in front of him, quick as he reached forepaw to crevice then hindpaw to crevice and back again.
"Kion, get down! I can tell your scar's bothering you. You're not thinking straight!"
"Maybe you oughtta listen to Fuli." Beshte stepped forward to Fuli's side, looking up with a worried frown and a creased brow.
"I'll be fine!" Kion looked back ahead. Right paw, left paw. There were surprisingly a lot of grips to use, more than Kion had previously seen. This'll be easy. He sped up. Right paws, left paws, right paws, left paws...
"What's going on?" he heard Ono ask.
"Kion's scaling the slope!" Bunga called. "It's un-Bunga-lievable!"
"No it's not!" Fuli shouted back. "Anga!..." Whatever she said next, Kion was too far away to hear.
A new jolt of pain suddenly hit him, and without thinking he shook his body. His heart lurched as his claws slipped back a little, and relief swamped through him when they did it all the way and he regained a stronger grip. Onward he climbed, going faster. The movement of his body might distract from the pain. A strong gust of wind blew against the back of his neck, and he turned his head to see Anga flying at eye level. As he looked at her, he took a peek downwards and his stomach did a small flip flop at how high he was. At least forty stride lengths. "Taking you down."
Sting!
"No!" Kion jerked suddenly, and Anga didn't seem to be fully gripped yet so Kion's scruff slipped out of her talons. One of Kion's forepaws came out from the crevice to clutch at his face as he fell back, and the backward force of his body caused the other rocks he'd been holding onto with the other paws to crumble and slide off. NO! His stomach lurched and twisted this way and that as he plummeted, Anga hopelessly diving after him...
"KION!"
THUMP!
Pain exploded in his leg as he landed a few dozen strides to their right. He squeezed his eyes shut and clenched his jaw, barely hearing everyone's horrified "KION!" and their pounding steps as they gathered around him.
Oh shoot, oh why, I'm so stupid...oughghghh... hurts... Pain throbbed through his leg, running up his nerves to his shoulder too. In addition, his scar continued to bite at him mercilessly. "Stop...stop....ssssttoppp..." he begged the hurting.
"Oh no!" Makini kneeled down, dropping her bakora staff. "Kion, let me help you!" She reached for him, but he tensed and pulled away what little he could.
"I'm....... fiineeee." The meant-to-be snarl came out in a pitiful whimper. Kion uneasily rolled over, keeping the awkwardly twisted leg clutched to his side, and sat upright with his hurt paw still held off the ground. As he attempted to completely push himself upward into a stand, he wobbled, still not daring to touch his injured paw to the ground.
"Kion..." Fuli walked closer, ears laid back and brow upturned in concern. "Hey, it's okay, it's okay." Her voice was strangely soft, yet still carried an edge of... worry? Stress? "Let Makini help."
Makini leaned closer a second time, reaching for his favored leg. Kion finally let his eyes open more than silts, eyeing her as her hands grew closer. She ran her fingers delicately over the area. Pain shot through his leg and he jerked back. "Sorry!" Makini pulled back. The mandrill stood up and looked around at the rest of the group circled around. "I need big leaves and a vine to wrap it up. Anga, can you pretty please find some?" The eagle nodded and flew off, scanning the area. Makini looked at everyone again. "It's pretty bruised. I think he should stay off of it for about a week."
"A week?!" Kion shouted, awkwardly trying to scramble onto three legs, the front half of him bent low as he clutched his hurt leg off the ground. "I can't not walk for a week! We hafta find the next stone! We hafta—"
"Are you serious?!" Fuli snapped. "We can't go anywhere with you like that!"
"I'll be fine, Fuli! It's nothing I can't handle!"
"Nothing you can't handle? You can barely even stand!"
Pain seared up his eye through to his head, and his words moved faster than his rational thoughts could catch up, "We need to get to the Tree as fast as we can! Don't you see?! The more we stop, the more we increase the chance I LOSE CONTROL AND HURT SOMEONE!"
A silence fell upon the group. Kion had never raised his voice like that at anyone. He sunk back down to the ground, a flood of guilt rushing through him as he realized what he'd said. Fuli walked closer, lowering her head to meet him at eye-level. "Is that what you're worried about?" The gentleness of her voice was like plunging into a cold lake at midnight — shocking, refreshing, and chilling all at the same time. He loved it for a moment before realizing that he, the leader, had let them know of his worries. The leader wasn't supposed to do that. He was supposed to be strong for the group, be absolutely unshakable so they had someone to lean on in this turbulent time. "Kion, you'd never hurt any of us. We know you better than that."
"Fuli's right," Beshte agreed, stepping closer also.
"Yeah! You're Kion, our best friend!" Bunga bounded forward, jumped up, and ruffled Kion's sprouting mane with a forepaw before falling back down. "Besides, it's not like you did anything on purpose!"
That's the problem. I couldn't control it, he thought, but couldn't say it aloud. He didn't want them to worry any more than he'd already caused them to, so he bit back a wallowing cry of pain and smiled. "Thanks, guys. I'm so sorry I yelled. You were just trying to help." And as a leader, that's my job. To help, not hurt like I've been doing.
"Back." Anga swooped into the tension, talons clutching leaves as long as Kion's head. She dropped them in front of Makini who caught them.
"Thanks Anga!" Makini walked over to Kion, leaves in hand, and bent down. Kion clenched his jaw as she took his lower foreleg in her hand and dabbed the bloodied area gently with a leaf, then tossed it to the side and took two new ones to wrap around; one on the top, one on the bottom. Then pressing down with one hand —it hurt! You're a leader. You're strong. You can handle this!— she reached for the vine and tied it on. "There!"
"Great," Fuli said. "But we shouldn't stay by the mountainside incase of another rockslide. All these loose rocks." She looked back towards the fields, angling her head to a particular large acacia tree more than five hundred steps away with green leafed branches stretching out at least thirty steps in one direction and twenty in the other. "Let's make our way over there. Beshte, can you carry Kion?"
"Of course." Beshte walked forward until his side was facing Kion's front. Anga flew over Kion, grabbed his scruff, and lifted him onto Beshte's back. Fuli started walking, Beshte following behind, then Bunga and Makini, with Anga taking off into the air once more.
And so they walked to the acacia. The sun began to dip behind the mountain, and shadow was cast against the fields before anything else. When they reached it, everyone was quick to settle down. Anga grabbed Kion's scruff and slid him off Beshte's back near the base of the tree. Beshte walked back a little and lay down against the acacia tree. Bunga, Makini, and Ono lay against him. Anga shook out her feathers before laying down in front of them, but a little further. Fuli lay down furthest from the others, about ten steps in front of Kion. Despite his injury, Kion used his back legs to scoot/drag himself over to her. "Fuli?" he said and she turned. "I'm really sorry for yelling at you today. You were right."
"It's okay Kion." She got up and turned around fully to face him, laying back down. Her voice sounded... not her. The Fuli he knew would never just take anyone yelling at her like that. Ever. "It was just your scar."
The words hit Kion in an uncomfortable way. Does she think I can't think through my actions enough that I can't even be held accountable for them? "I'm still responsible for my actions."
"And you're also responsible for getting some rest."
When the cheetah said that, Kion realized how droopy his eyelids felt, as if he'd been subconsciously fighting off the feeling all day. A yawn rose in his throat. I could fall asleep right here... His head rested on the grass in front of him, eyes closing...
Ringgggggg...
A whirling pain in his mind made his head shoot back up. Frustration bubbled in his stomach. "Kion?" He turned, seeing the cheetah's emerald eyes gazing into his own, ears folded back a little. "It's your scar again, huh? Can't sleep?"
Kion struggled to answer. As a leader, as the Fiercest, his job was to protect. As leader, he shouldn't burden anyone with his problems. That's not what leaders did. The leader should be the one to solve problems, not the source of them.
But Fuli didn't wait for an answer this time. "Can I try something?"
Curiosity mixed with confusion bubbled in Kion's mind. "Sure..?"
Fuli scooted closer until their fur almost touched. "My.. my parents would do this whenever I couldn't sleep." Reaching her head over, the cheetah gave the lion's forehead a long lick. He stiffened a little, shocked that Fuli would be so willing to do this, but didn't resist. He could feel his head sinking, finally resting into the cheetah's paws as her warm tongue kept brushing against his head, to and fro... to and fro... Warmth surrounded him... A purr rumbled in his throat as the world faded gently... and sleep finally came.
"Ushari, now!"
Memory hit Kion like a lightning bolt and he squeezed his eyes shut, waiting for the blow that would change his life. But when nothing came, he opened his eyes and found that it was still dark. He suddenly felt himself plunging! Twisting! Falling! Downwards...
Rafiki's voice echoed in his ears. "If the venom stays inside him too long, he will no longer know the difference between right and wrong."
It wasn't dark anymore. In fact, it was the middle of the day. The sky was blue, and he was laying under the acacia. What was happening?! Was he hallucinating?!
Fuli, Bunga, Beshte, Ono, Makini, and Anga were all still asleep, scattered amongst the shaded area. That's strange, Kion thought with a short glance at the sun which was on the peak of its path. It's the middle of the day. "Guys, wake up." He nudged Bunga, who was closest to him. The honey badger was motionless. "We've gotta get going." At the words, he suddenly remembered why they were there in the first place, and with astonishment looked down and realized his paw was... fine? It still had the leafy wrap on it, but it didn't hurt at all! "My paw's better now, so we can find the next moja kwa moja stone." He pawed Bunga's side. You're a heavy sleeper, but I didn't know you're that much of a heavy sleeper. He went on to Beshte, who was the second closest. He nudged him with his paw. "Wake up."
"K-Kion." Fuli opened her eyes, and her mouth moved, but otherwise she remained still on the ground. Kion immediately knew something was wrong. "W-w-w-why..."
He rushed over to her. "Fuli! Are you okay? What's wrong?!"
"W-wh-what do you mean 'what's wrong'?!" Her voice was weak, but anger was prevalent. "You l-lost it... you Roared."
"I... WHAT?!" Pure horror struck through him and he raced to each one, pressing an ear against their chests.
Nothing—
No pulse—
"They're all dead!"
The dying Fuli's words cut through his mind, tearing it to pieces.
"NOOOOOOOOOOOO!"
Heart pounding, head spinning, Kion shot up and gasped for breath. Everything was dark now. He swerved his head around, trying to see but couldn't. WHAT'S GOING ON?! Scrambling to his paws, he was immediately met by a jolt of pain from one which gave out and caused him to collapse. "Ah!"
"Kion? What's going on?"
"F-F-Fuli?" Dizzy and confused and in pain, her voice was a lifeline to him. "I-is that y-you?"
"Yeah, it's me. What's happening? You're so shaken up."
"H-how are you...?" He leaned up and reached for her, but he was blocked by another pain shooting up his foreleg. "I thought you were...!"
"What do you... Kion, you were dreaming."
"Dreaming...?" The realization was cold water on a bad burn and reality rushed back to him. Blinking, his senses and mind slowly became familiar with his real situation again. They were safe... They were safe... This wasn't the same Fuli who'd been in his dream. This one, the real one, was alive and well. "Where are the others?"
"Still asleep."
"Are they okay?!"
"Everyone's fine."
Even faced with the real reality, Kion's heart didn't slow. "I... I need to get water. Clear my head." He pushed himself up to a sit, keeping the leg that definitely wasn't better off the ground, breaths finally not coming in gasps. His throat was dry.
"Kion, you're hurt, it's the middle of the night, and we're in unfamiliar territory. We don't even know where the nearest watering hole is." He was going to argue, but before he could say anything she said, "Lean on me."
Kion would've protested because Fuli needed to rest too, but he was weak with both fear and exhaustion and his throat was dry and his leg throbbed. "Thanks." Pushing himself with one paw up to a stand, he let himself sink to the side and be braced up by Fuli's. He hopped his front forward with one paw—
"Chirp!"
The sudden sound made him freeze for a moment before realizing, It was only a cricket. Inhaling deeply, he continued hobbling out into the darkness, supported by Fuli at his side.
"Shsh, shsh."
Kion stopped for a moment. The cold air suddenly blowing against his face told him it was just the wind.
"Shsh, shsh." More rustling. Louder.
Kion's heart beat fast, unsettled, but he knew it was all in his head. All the night sounds suddenly were...echoing multiple times more through his mind. He knew it was dumb to get this riled up and outright terrorized by dreams, but he couldn't help it. The very thought of anything bad happening to those he loved shook the lion to his core.
"Shsh, shsh."
No breeze was currently blowing. Fuli echoed his thought, "That's not the wind."
Then it was knocked out of him! His face smashed into the ground and pain shot up his nose. His stomach too! WHAT'S GOING ON?! he wanted to scream, but his muzzle was pressed into the ground with sharp claws that dug into his head. AOUGHHH!
"For Baba!" was the last thing he heard before a hard blow to his head sent the world into nothingness.