It was originally just another patrol. The Lion Guard had been patrolling the Pride Lands for the better part of an hour. So far, they had had no incidents to deal with, and they had nearly finished their patrol.
"Things have been awfully quiet so far," Ono commented as he flew overhead.
"LION GUARD! HELP!" they heard someone scream.
Ono sighed. "Remind me not to open my mouth next time."
He flew down and landed on Beshte's back, just as Muhimu, the leader of the zebra herd, approached them. She was visibly shaken and panicked.
"Muhimu?" Kion asked. "Are you okay?"
"Oh, Lion Guard!" she cried. "It's awful! The hyenas attacked the herd, there were so many of them! I only just managed to get away!"
"Where were you attacked?" Fuli asked.
"We were at the watering hole Ma Tembo found for the dry season!"
"Well, lead the way!" Kion turned to his team. "Lion Guard, let's go!"
Muhimu didn't need telling twice, as she sprinted in the direction she had come from. The Lion Guard followed suit, knowing that there was not a minute to lose if they were going to stop the hyenas. They ran all across the Pride Lands, Ono flying up ahead to try and spot the hyenas. It didn't take long for him to find the zebras, but when he did, he instantly wished he hadn't.
"Hapana!" he shouted, instantly flying down. The Lion Guard stopped when they heard him, when he landed, he too was shaky. "I-It's bad, you guys."
"What happened, Ono?" Bunga asked, feeling a bit worried that his friend had reacted this way.
"It's worse than bad, i-it's awful!" He turned to Muhimu. "Muhimu, I don't think you want to see what they've done."
She gasped. "W-what do you mean? Are they okay? Please, tell me!"
He gulped, before answering in a solemn tone, "I'm so sorry."
"What does that-" Her eyes widened when she figured out what he meant. Her eyes began to water, and she started shaking her head. "No! NO!"
She ran ahead, and the Lion Guard followed after. They didn't stop until she reached the watering hole, and when they arrived, they all gasped.
"Hevi kabisa!" Kion whispered, the sight too horrific for him to answer loudly.
Right in front of him, the entirety of the zebra herd was dead, including the elderly and the kids. Their blood had poured into the watering hole, turning the water dark red. The bodies of the deceased were either piled up or strewn about, with a couple of them lying on the water.
"I think I'm going to be sick," Fuli told them, before rushing over to a bush and vomiting.
Beshte had his ears folded backwards, only just able to even glance at the devastation that had been caused. "This is just awful," he told the others, "they've attacked the Pride Landers before, but… this? This is a massacre!"
"I couldn't see the hyenas from above," Ono told his team, still shaken, "but then again, once I saw this… it was ALL I could see…"
"This is just disturbing," Bunga sighed, shaking his head. As he surveyed the damage, he gasped, cupping his paws over his mouth. "No."
Kion looked at his friend. "What? What is it, Bunga?"
He didn't look at Kion when he answered. He just dropped to his knees. "H-H-H-Hamu…"
They all looked towards Muhimu as she gently approached her now deceased son, his body covered in blood from the wound in his neck, head resting in the water. "H-Hamu?" She gently nudged his body with her muzzle, but he didn't move. He COULDN'T move. She then cried even heavier. "Oh, Hamu! I'm so sorry!"
"Muhimu, we are so, so sorry for-" he stopped when he noticed movement behind her. When he saw a familiar grey ear, he gasped. "Muhimu! Look out!"
Before she could even react, Muhimu was attacked by Janja, as he leapt at her. Within less than a second, the air was filled with the screams of death, before everything went silent again. Muhimu's now lifeless body dropped to the ground, and Janja stood on top of it, his jaw and paws coated in the blood of the zebras. His grin was disturbed, and his eyes were manic. Kion's expression, initially shocked from what he had just bared witness to, turned to one of fury.
"JANJA!" he roared. "WHAT HAVE YOU DONE!?"
Janja laughed evilly. "Well, Kion, what does it LOOK like I've done?"
"You've murdered the entire Zebra herd!" Beshte challenged. "You have disrupted the Circle of Life, worse than ever, Janja! You've committed the most heinous of crimes, not seen since the days with Scar as king."
"That's very astute of you, Beshte, but there's a detail you're missing- I didn't do it alone!" He laughed once more as a group of about a hundred hyenas crawled out of the Outlands, their paws and jaws also covered in blood. "And we aren't done yet! We're gonna go after the gazelles, then the giraffes, then the elephants- you name 'em, we'll hunt 'em- and once all of the herds are gone, we'll take out the lions, saving your mommy, your daddy and your big sister for last. And then, when all that's left is you, you'll be helpless as we kill you too."
"Why are you doing this, Janja?!" Bunga spat. "Once the herds are gone, they won't come back! You'll have nothing to eat, and then you'll all die too!"
"That's what you think! You see, our new leader knows the truth, and we'll have all the meat in the world for ourselves, especially when you can do nothing about it!"
"You're insane, Janja!" Fuli argued, before turning to Kion. "Kion, we have to stop them now, or it'll all be over!"
He didn't even hear her, or anyone else. All he heard was his racing heart, his rapid intakes and outtakes of breath, and his own anger. He shook his head slowly, before he began to growl. Looking up, his teeth were gritted, and his eyes burned with fury.
"Boys?" Janja called out. "Attack!"
As the hyenas began to charge towards them, Kion dug his claws into the ground and summoned all of his energy. The clouds up above started to create a storm. Once the hyenas were close enough, he unleashed the Roar of the Elders, except it was ten times stronger than normal. The hyenas were all sent flying, with the corpses of the zebras going with them. Lightning flashed across the sky, with thunder echoing throughout. Kion eventually brought the roar to a stop, breathing sharply with rage still in his eyes.
"Kion?" Fuli asked. "Are you alri-"
She was cut off when she heard a rumbling. As they all looked to the Outlands, they saw the volcano erupting again, lava pouring out. The Outlands quickly filled with the molten substance, the heat hitting the Guard right in the face.
Bunga gave an audible gulp out of worry. "That's not good."
As the lava slowly spilled onto the Pride Lands, they saw a number of small rocks create stepping stones. They heard someone stepping towards them, and looking towards the ash cloud created from the eruption, they saw the worst possible animal stepping towards them. Step by step, a ginormous lion with dark red fur and a black mane approached them. His eyes were glowing red, and his tail was on fire, yet he wasn't hurt by it. The feature that shocked the Guard to their cores was the large scar over his left eye, which glowed red.
"No…" Kion spoke, terrified. "It can't be… you're… you're dead!"
"Correction, Kion! I WAS dead!" he spoke, laughing evilly in a way that echoed for miles. "But thanks to you, I have returned to exact my revenge!"
"But… how is this possible?! You died, my dad saw you die! There is no way!"
"Tsk, tsk, tsk. Oh, Kion, has having the Roar as an asset not taught you anything?" He smirked. "And is it really that hard to say my name? Is it that difficult to say… Scar?" Kion started to step back. "Oh, don't be so surprised, Kion! You used the Roar out of anger, and it caused the volcano to erupt, and when that happened, I was set free!" He dug his sharp, stone-like claws into the ground. "And to thank you, let me show you the true power of the Roar!"
He took in a deep breath, before unleashing his own Roar of the Elders. Instead of the four lions Kion unleashed, Scar created a tidal wave of lava that began to approach them at an alarming rate, which gave Kion only one option.
"RUN!"
The Guard began to run as fast as they could, but the tidal wave was too fast. Being the slowest, Beshte was the first to be consumed by the fiery disaster they tried to escape. They heard him scream as he faded away, but they had no option but to carry on. Bunga fell soon after, and then Ono went as well. Fuli knew it was going to catch them soon, so she tried to speed up, but when she got a bit further ahead, Kion saw her trip and get caught in a bush.
"Kion!" she screamed. He stopped as she looked back and saw it approaching her.
"No!" he screamed, but it was futile. He heard her scream as she too was consumed, and he was too distraught to carry on running as it drew closer and closer. "NOOOOOOO!" And then…
"NOOOO!" Kion screamed as he woke up. His fur was matted with cold sweat. His breathing was incredibly heavy, as if he was having a panic attack. He had sprung to his feet when he awoke, and he felt dizzy. His eyes were teary, and his heart was racing. It took him a moment to realise where he was- Pride Rock, where everyone who had been asleep was now awake and alert, looking at him with worry. He started to slow his breathing down, but he still felt panicked. 'That nightmare… it felt like it was real, but it couldn't be… could it?'
"Kion!" he heard Simba say as he and Nala approached him. "Are you okay? You woke up screaming!"
"I… I-I…" Kion couldn't even answer, he was that shaken.
"You had another nightmare, didn't you, Kion?" Nala asked. He shakily nodded. "This one sounded even worse, and I'm starting to get worried about you. Is there anything you need?"
He gulped in an attempt to calm himself down, but it didn't do much. "Air… I-I need some air…"
"Kion, I don't know if that's a good idea. It's late, and you seem very uneasy. Perhaps we should-"
"Simba." The king looked to his wife as she cut him off, before she turned to her son. "Okay. Go get some air, but try not to go too far."
He nodded. "Thank you."
Kion slowly made his way out of the cave, oblivious to the stares that were directed towards him. He didn't even notice Kiara trying to get his attention- he just left.
"Mom? Dad?" she asked. "Is Kion okay?"
Nala gave her daughter a weak smile, attempting to reassure her, even though she wasn't so certain herself. "He will be, honey, hopefully. He's just had a bad nightmare, so he needs to clear his head."
Simba looked at his wife with uncertainty. "Are you sure we should have let him go out right now?"
"I think so. We did last time, and he was able to sort his issues out. Hopefully, he can do the same again."
"Yes, but last time, he-"
She seemed to know what he was about to say, and cut him off. "I know, and maybe this time, she can help him again."
It was cold outside- the winds were dry, due to the dry season, and tonight they were a bit wilder than normal. The stars were up as usual, shining down on everyone. Everyone else was asleep. One person in particular who was still asleep was Fuli. Despite the cold air and heavy wind, she was sound asleep.
That was, until, she heard something. She opened one eye, and looking around, she saw Kion walking away. 'Why is he awake right now?' she thought. She opened her other eye and slowly stood up. 'I better see what he's up to, just to make sure he's okay.'
She began to follow him, making sure she maintained enough distance so as not to get caught. As she followed him, they first reached Ono's flock. He stopped a fair distance away from them, just looking at them. She couldn't make out the features on his face due to the darkness from the night, and the distance she maintained from him, but she thought that he flinched. His body seemed to jerk backwards, and as soon as it happened, he began to walk off again.
'What was that about?' she asked herself. 'It was as if he saw something.' She thought for a second about what it could be, but she drew a blank. 'I better continue to see where he goes. I bet his parents are worried.'
She followed him again, still maintaining the same distance, until he stopped near the hippo herd that Beshte was a part of. Just like when he was near Ono's flock, he stopped, looked at them, flinched in the same jerky manner that he had before, and carried on his way. Still, she followed him, until he reached the meeting place. She wondered why he went there, but she remembered that Bunga occasionally stayed there overnight instead of going back to Hakuna Matata falls, since it was a long distance away. Again, Kion stopped outside, looked inside, and left when he reacted in the exact same way.
'Something is definitely the matter with him!' she thought, starting to grow worried. She walked up to the cave, and upon looking inside, she saw that Bunga was indeed staying there overnight. 'It's as if he was checking on us, but why? I need to know. Something is the matter with him.'
She continued to follow him. He went further out this time, all the way to the watering hole Ma Tembo had found earlier that day, so that animals had a water source for the dry season. She saw him look into the water, then jerk backwards, more violently than he had done before. He stopped there for a moment, and when he didn't move, Fuli decided to see if she could speak to him. She began to slowly approach him, and when he realised someone was near him, he snapped his head towards her, almost panicked. She was surprised by the reaction he gave, but maintained herself.
"Kion?" she spoke slowly. "It's me, Fuli. I saw you walk past me earlier, and I decided to check on you. Is everything okay?" He turned his head back towards the water, as if he couldn't bare to look at her. She took a few steps closer, and saw that he was shaking, with tears streaming down his face. "Kion, you really don't look good. I'm worried about you."
He took a moment before he spoke. "I'm… sorry I woke you," he practically whispered, his voice coarse. "I just felt like… checking on you."
She was stunned that the first thing he said was that he was sorry, when she was only worried about him. "Kion, you don't need to apologise. And why were you checking on me? You checked on me, Ono, Beshte and Ono. Why were you-" She stopped herself when she remembered something similar that had happened a while back. "Kion… did you have another nightmare?" He looked guilty as he nodded. She felt a pang of pain in her heart, knowing that he was going through this again. "Oh, Kion. I'm sorry to hear that. If it helps, you can tell me about it… or do you not want to?" He thought for a few seconds, before staring at his feet. "It's okay, Kion. I'm here for you. If it's too much trouble, you don't have to-"
"It was… awful. Blood everywhere… the zebras were… Janja, he… I had to... use the roar… the lava… Scar… we all- died…"
The way he told it made it difficult, since the pauses between were large, and his voice was quiet and shaky, but Fuli was just about able to piece it together. "Kion, I know you're going through a lot, but I want to help, so just... let me see I understand. The hyenas… killed the zebras, so you used the roar. It caused lava to flow, and as it… killed us, you saw Scar?" She frowned when he nodded. "Oh, Kion. That's awful." She stepped forward to nuzzle him, but he didn't embrace it like he did last time, so she stepped back. "Kion, it's all over now. We're all okay- you saw for yourself- you can relax."
"I know it's over, but… I keep… seeing it. It flashes in my mind, as if it was still happening…"
She didn't know what to say or do about that. This was something she had no experience with- she had never even heard of anything like that before. She wanted to help him, but she didn't know how. "Kion… I really don't know what to say. Do you need anything? If you want, I could stay over with you again, just to make sure you're okay."
He looked at her for a second, and he could see the worry in her eyes. He was about to say something, but he got a flashback of his dream- specifically, the moment he saw Fuli get consumed by the lava. He saw the fear in her eyes, the tears on her face, the way her leg was caught in the bush. He jerked backwards, his eyes squinting and widening. She seemed scared by this, worried about how bad this was affecting him. He looked back at her for a second, before he started to run away.
"Kion!" she called out, but he didn't respond. "Kion…"
He ran for a long time- how long and how far, he couldn't say for sure- until he reached the Outlands border. Specifically, it had been where he left earlier after saving Kiara from Janja. It was also the same spot where he saw Scar emerge in his dream. He received numerous flashbacks from his dream- the bloodshed at the new watering hole, the roar that caused the volcano to erupt, the moment where Scar emerged from the ashes, the tidal wave of lava- and with each flashback, his reaction was more violent, until he just screamed for it to stop. He dropped to the ground, cowering with his paws over his head. His head was aching, he felt like the world was spinning, he thought he was going to be sick.
"Why hide it, Kion?" he heard Scar's voice echo in his mind. "You know it's true."
"Stop," Kion whimpered, "you're not real. You're dead, you can't be real."
"Oh, but I am very real. Thanks to you, I can achieve my vengeance. You brought me back when you made the volcano erupt. YOU set me FREE!"
"No!" Kion yelled. "You're not back! You won't get any kind of vengeance!"
"And what will YOU do to stop me?! You see, Kion, the path to my vengeance goes through YOU! I will manipulate you in such a way, that you turn against your friends, and do my bidding until I create a lion even worse than myself! I will make YOU that lion!"
"That will never happen! My friends would stop you before you could even try!"
"Ah, yes! Your 'friends'… When I'm finished, your friends won't see Kion, leader of the Lion Guard. They will see Kion, destroyer of the Lion Guard! You will destroy them like I did my Guard, you will turn yourself against your family, and I will make sure that your dear, sweet Fuli SUFFERS before she DIES!"
"STOOOOOOOOOOOOP!" he screamed at the top of his lungs, standing up. He was crying heavily, and his breathing was shallow. He was panicked to his limit, and he felt like he could faint at any moment. "Please… just stop…" And for a moment, the only sounds he heard were his own sobs, his heavy breaths, and his beating heart.
"Kion?" he heard a familiar voice behind him. Turning around, he saw Fuli standing there, tears also pouring from her eyes. She was sniffling, clearly distraught by his outburst. It hurt her, not only to see that Kion was dealing with so much, but to see him so panicked, and she didn't know how to help him. "Kion… please… I'm really worried about you. I've never seen you like this, it HURTS to see you this way... I don't want you to have to suffer like this." She stepped in front of him and lightly licked him on the lips. "Please... I want to help you..."
"Fuli… I-I'm so… so…" He couldn't even finish what he was saying. He just dropped to the ground, passing out. Fuli quickly rushed over to him, making sure he was still alive. She gently nuzzled his head with hers as her sobs were the only sound she could hear.
"Kion… it's okay… I'm going to get you help, I promise. Don't ever leave me, Kion... I need you..."
THE END
