Chapter 4: Uroho
Kion thrashed about in his sleep with a terrified expression. He saw himself back in the volcano surrounded by the mist of Scar's ghost.
"Did you ever think you could escape me?" Scar chuckled.
Kion panted heavily and struggled to breath from the sulfur.
"I'm, I'm nothing like you!"
"Hmmm, are you sure. I can feel your resolve wavering Kion. You have the means to be so much more, to have whatever you desire, and soon, you will have the willingness to live for yourself."
Kion heard a terrible hissing noise and saw the lava shifting around him. His eyes widened in sheer terror as Ushari arose from the liquid rock as a giant version of himself made of lava.
"I will make it ssssso."
Kion's eyes shot open and he panted heavily, seeing himself beside Bunga and the others. The Prince tried to sigh but his scar flared up again.
Yet before it could fully take hold, something else happened. Kion heard the gentle sound of the ocean and slowly turned to the endless water before him.
He and the Guard rested on white beach with the almost hypnotic noise of the tide and distant sea birds calming his mind. Kion exhaled deeply and laid back down, savoring the ocean's tranquility and the peace it brought him. In doing so, it helped ease the Prince's thoughts of his family and the venom inside him.
Even when his mind did wander back there, he tried to focus on the happiness his family would have upon seeing them alive. However, after a few minutes Kion noticed he wasn't the only one awake.
Ono sat upright staring out at the horizon with a thoughtful expression.
"Can't sleep either?" He asked, earning a chuckle from Kion.
"Even without your sight, you're still the keenest."
"Maybe. Still, it's not like I'm blind, everything is just blurry. I must admit though, this whole experience has made me appreciate my other senses, the sounds of the world are just as amazing as the sights."
"I'm glad you've found a silver lining." Kion sighed.
"Kion, do you really think this is going to work?" Kion turned back to Ono and saw genuine fear in his expression.
"What do you mean?"
"This Tree of Life healing us. I've never heard of something like this before, animals just geeting healed by the power of a tree."
"Makini thinks it can help us."
Ono took a deep breath.
"I think Makini can sometimes be more optimistic than practical. I just don't see how it's going to work, and if it doesn't….. I'm still so young, to never see properly again… I'm just scared, scared of things I'll miss out on, things I took for granted."
Kion fought hard to swallow his emotions and the hissing in his ears.
"You can't think that way, Ono. I know learning about the world has always been a passion of yours, but the truth is, there are things in this world we can never truly understand. Like the spirits of my ancestors, or the Roar."
Ono slowly nodded.
"...That's true…."
"Maybe we don't know exactly what the Tree is, but we can have faith that there is a future for us. That faith is our reason to keep going, the same faith that everything we've fought for has been for a higher purpose."
Ono reminisced on his time with his friends and all their adventures fighting for Pride Rock. Ono smiled while turning towards Bunga by the sounds of his snoring.
"I don't regret it, any of it. Even if I never see again. There are more important things in life."
Kion and Ono continued to stare out at the horizon, the Prince momentarily forgetting Ushari's venom.
"You know, Makini said there are animals at the Tree of Life that are extinct everywhere else. You think it's true?"
"I don't see why Makini would lie about that." Kion smiled wider as he saw Ono's excitement flare up.
"I wonder what kind there are, how many, I could spend years learning about them."
"After you get your sight back first. You'll want to actually see them."
"Right! I-" Ono stopped and turned the side of his head towards the ocean.
"Ono?"
"I hear something, something strange."
Moments later, Kion too heard a noise, and also saw something splashing about in the water. A strange pinkish creature leaped about in the waves and cried out in a clicking voice.
"Run! You have to run!" She screamed with a frantic expression.
"Huh?"
Bunga yawned and scratched his backside.
"Morning everyone, beautiful day isn't it, hey what's that?!" Bunga shouted while jumping to his feet.
"Wow, a dolphin!" Makini shouted in glee.
"Dolphin?" Fuli asked.
"Woah, I've heard of dolphins, so cool!" Beshte added.
"Hold on, she's telling us something." Kion said.
"Please, you have to get out of here, you're in danger! You-" The Lion Guards' eyes widened and mouths dropped when they saw a massive tidal wave bearing down on them.
"Ahhhh!" Fuli shrieked, her face almost turning pale.
"Kion!"
The Prince faced the approaching wave and readied himself to use the Roar, however, just as he was about to, Ushari's venom flared up and he groaned in burning agony.
"Your friendssss have led you to your demissssse." A fresh surge or rage filled Kion and he hesitated, remembering the last time he used the roar with Ushari's venom affecting him.
"Kion-" Makini muttered, but was too late. The tidal wave swept over the Lion Guard, overwhelming their senses and making everything go momentarily white.
When Kion regained himself, he clenched his mouth shut upon realizing they were underwater. Bunga, Anga, Makini, Fuli, Azaad, and Ono were all still unconscious and Kion couldn't see properly in the water. The ocean's salty nature also exacerbated his scar, making him nearly open his mouth again, even as the lack of oxygen made him dizzier and dizzier.
However, salvation came in the form of Beshte. The hippo furiously knocked Kion onto his back and quickly swam towards the others before doing the same. Once he'd collected them all, Beshte swam to the surface. Normally hippos couldn't swim like this in the ocean, but Beshte was no normal hippo and possessed enhanced strength.
However, just before breaking the surface, Anga slid off his back and began to descend once more.
"Breathe!" Beshte hugged upon breaking the surface.
Kion and the others violently coughed up water and gasped for breath.
"Ahhh, water, water everywhere!" Fuli yelped, shivering as she did so.
"Relax, we're alive aren't we, thank you Beshte." Azaad panted.
"No problem, you guys hang tight, I'll find us some dry land."
"Wait, where's Anga!?" Bunga yelped.
"No! No! Anga!" Kion cried, frantically looking around the water.
"Anga, I-" Beshte started with a panicked voice.
"Guys hold your breath!" Kion ordered. As much as Fuli hated the water, she couldn't leave her friend to die and braced herself.
Yet just as Beshte was about to submerge himself, all of them saw the dolphin from earlier leap out of the water with Anga on her back.
"I've got her!" The dolphin cried in joy. She landed but kept Anga out of the water, allowing the fish eagle to cough up the water in her lungs.
"Ahhh! Salt water." Anga groaned while spitting the last of it up.
"Anga! Thank you!" Kion exhaled what felt like boulders while the dolphin happily clicked.
"It's no problem, I'm just sorry I wasn't able to warn you guys in time. My name's Lumba."
"Thank you, Lumba." Anga said, giving the dolphin an appreciative nuzzle with her head.
"Are you guys ok?"
"Not particularly." Fuli groaned, still soaking wet.
"I wouldn't mind finding some land soon." Beshte grunted as the stress of holding everyone up began to take its toll.
"This way!" Lumba quickly swam in one direction and Beshte quickly followed. Within minutes, they saw it, a tropical island rising out of the ocean like a haven.
"Land!" Beshte and Fuli cried out together in relief. Beshte sighed in immense relief when his feet touched sand and he could finally walk instead of swim. The others jumped off and quickly shook themselves dry.
"What is this place?" Kion asked while taking in the lush foliage.
"Uroho island, it's about two-miles from the mainland."
"Two miles! I don't think even I could swim that far in the ocean." Beshte muttered.
"So we're stuck here!" Makini yelped.
"Hmm, not necessarily, I know someone who can help you guys!" Lumba sang in glee.
"Really! That's awesome, thank you for everything."
"No problem! I love helping others when I can. But who are you guys exactly, I've never seen a group of different animals traveling together like you."
"I'm Prince Kion of Pride rock, this is my Lion Guard, Bunga, Fuli, Beshte, Ono, and Anga. Plus our shaman Makini and our friend Azaad."
"Lion Guard, as in the Guard who protects animals from poachers and territorial herds!?"
"One and the same!" Bunga declared.
"Wow! Now I'm really glad I could help you guys! I'll be back as soon as I can, oh and whatever you do, stay on the beach! There are dragons further into the island!" Lumba sang before disappearing into the water.
"Dragons?" Makini asked.
"Dragons aren't real." Ono said.
"Who cares? She said wait on the beach, I'm fine with that." Fuli laid down with Azaad doing the same beside her.
Beshte almost shook the ground as he collapsed into the sand and fell into a deep sleep.
Kion considered doing the same when he heard his stomach growl. The adolescent lion stared at the jungle with a longing gaze. His keen senses picked up on the distinct scent of meat and blood, drawing him in by instinct alone until he saw it, the body of a buffalo, or rather what remained of a buffalo.
Kion felt disturbed by the lack of any organic material left on the body, with only a skeleton left. It wasn't an old body either, this was fresh.
Kion looked back at the jungle and thought about what Lumba said, dragons. Listening closer he could hear the sounds of other prey, but decided to remain on the beach.
Still, his hunger became exacerbated by the pain burning in his eye. Kion grew restless and trotted back to the wake staring at it with a growing resentment as he pictured all the fish just waiting in the water.
In a pure act of frustration, Kion let out a very small burst of the Roar and to his shock three fish came flying out of the water before flopping onto the sand.
"Huh?" Kion was surprised by the result and did it again, two more fish flying out.
"Woah, hey Fuli, Azaad!" Kion knocked a fish towards each of them.
"Huh?" Fuli smelled the delectable scent of fresh fish and opened her eyes to a welcome sight.
"Wow, I didn't know you were a fisherman." Fuli said graciously.
"I'm not, the Roar did this."
"Really, mind getting me one?" Anga asked.
"Coming right up!" Kion unleashed a small roar into the water, sending another fish onto the beach in front of Anga.
The predators each ate the fish Kion provided while Kion ate three, filling his belly and leaving him with a content expression. Unknown to the Lion Guard, several figures loomed in the brush nearby watching them, and in particular, Kion's roar.
"Well, isssssn't that interesssting."
The minutes went by and Kion continued to stare out at the ocean with an increasing pile of fish skeletons beside him. In truth, since starting this journey, he and the other predators, save bunga, hadn't been able to eat as much, and this was the first time in almost a week that Kion was able to truly eat his fill.
Still waiting for Lumba and her friend, Kion roared again, bringing two more fish out.
"Do you guys want any more?"
"I'm quite full, no thank you." Azaad said.
"Well, suit yourself."
"Kion, how many of those are you going to have?" Makini asked.
"What? I've been eating lighter for days, we all have." Kion said, perhaps more defensively than he intended.
"Plus, who knows when we'll get a chance to eat this much again. We need to keep our strength up." Kion growled, the pain returning to his eyes again.
"Why are they asssking you about thisssss. You desssserve to eat asssss much assss you like?"
Kion growled and prepared to use the roar again.
"I don't know Kion, you might get seasick-" Bunga started.
"If I want more fish, I can have them!" Kion snapped his jaws, making Bunga jump backwards. The prince breathed heavily until Makini popped a few Tuliza flowers into his jaws. Kion swallowed them and exhaled with a guilty look.
"Sorry, Bunga, I-"
"Don't worry about it. But this does mean no more fish for you!" Bunga chuckled, leaping onto Kion's back and holding his paws over the lion's mouth, earning an annoyed look from him and amused expressions from everyone else.
However, this laughter ended when the group heard shrieks of terror from the island interior.
"What was that!?" Ono muttered.
"Ahhhhghh!" The cries grew louder and more desperate, sending chills down their spines.
All of Kion's friends turned to him at the same time Lumba's warning came back to his mind.
"Grrr, dragons or not, we can't just sit here, come on!"
"That's right! Lion Guard to the rescue!" Bunga cried.
Kion led his companions into the jungle, but almost froze in place then they saw another pair of skeletons along the path, both picked clean just like the one from earlier.
"Hezi Kabisa." Kion said, narrowing his eyes.
"What could've done this?" Anga muttered.
"Dragons." Beshte stuttered.
"Dragons, dragons aren't real." Ono gulped.
"Grrr, dragons or not, we'll stop them!" Kion's determination inspired the others to press on. However, Makini noticed or rather heard something nearby. Looking up, she saw the leaves in a tree shaking.
"Guys hold on." Makini climbed up the tree and moved the leaves aside to see a family of orangutans trembling with unending agony in their expressions.
"What are you doing!? They might find us!" The mother shouted as she clutched her children with one arm and pulled the leaves shut.
"Huh? Who are you talking about?"
"Pssst, hurry, find a hiding spot!" Fuli saw them first, a family of cranes taking shelter behind some rocks in a small cave.
"Hiding spot? What's got you all so afraid?" She asked.
"Ora, Ora and his dragons!"
Kion looked back at the skeletons.
"Did they do that?"
"Yesss! The other predators only eat when they're hungry, but Ora and the dragons never stop! Never!"
"Never stop eating." Kion shuttered at the thought.
"No, please!"
The shriek drew all their eyes in its direction and without hesitation, the Lion Guard raced towards it.
"No! You're heading right for them!"
"They'll eat you too!"
More hiding animals tried to warn them, but to no avail. However, the Guard became more and more unnerved as they saw an increasing number of picked-clean skeletons along the path until finally, they saw a wounded Red-billed brush turkey desperately clutching to the top of a tree with a foaming bite mark on his leg.
"Hold on! We're coming!" Kion roared. The bird looked down and panted.
"It's ok, we're not going to hurt you."
"No! Behind you!" A series of hissing noises nearly made the Lion Guard jump. The hissing wasn't quite like that of a snake, but similar enough to give them an unsettling feeling.
"Well, well, well, look at thissss. More food for usssss." Kion turned and saw them, five huge monitor lizards emerged from the jungle, surrounding them.
"What, what are those things!?" Fuli muttered, backing up slightly when she saw their forked tongues slither out.
"Lizards of some kind, but they're almost as big as crocodiles!" Beshte huffed.
"Wait a minute, big lizards, dragons, hapana, they're komodo dragons! Guys whatever you do, don't let them bite you!" Ono squawked.
"Form up, make a circle!" Kion roared, forming a tight defensive ring with the others.
The lead dragon kept his eyes fixed on Kion, and his scar in particular.
"What ssssstrange creaturesssss lay before usssss, I look forward to ssssseeing what you tassssste like."
"Back off!" Kion snarled.
"Yeah, and by the looks of things, I'd say you've eaten enough! Bunga growled.
"Hmm, hmm, hmm, you know sssso little. Enough issss never enough for a dragon. Issssn't that right boyssss." The other dragons hissed with sinister delight and licked their fangs, particularly towards Beshte.
"I call dibssssss on the fat one."
"Just try it, scaley!" Beshte huffed, displaying his massive tusks.
Ora turned to his dragons and gave them a nod before charging in straight for Kion. The Prince lurched back with moments to spare, barely avoiding the dragon's jaws as they snapped shut where his head would've been. Kion could almost feel the lizard's power as the fangs crashed into each other so close to his head.
Despite this, Kion struck back instantly and smashed his right paw against Ora's head.
Fuli and Azaad dashed around one of the dragons with unmatched speed, even in the rougher terrain. Their opponent tried desperately to reach one of them with his jaws, but grew dizzy trying to keep track of them.
"So who first?" Azaad asked.
"I've got this! Huwezi!" Fuli leaped over the dragon and slashed its side, earning a fierce growl from him. However, as he brought his jaws back to bite her, Azaad raced in from the other side and clawed his underbelly.
"That'ssss it!" Hurling his tail around, the dragon landed a direct hit and knocked Fuli onto her side.
"Fuli!" Azaad cried, furiously going at the dragon to keep him from pressing the advantage.
"Ouch." Fuli groaned, almost dirsturbed by the dragon's immense strength.
"Zuka Zama!" Bunga leaped onto the nearest dragon's face and unleashed a feral barrage of claw strikes that made his foe snarl in annoyance.
"Gaaah! Get off my annoying little sssssskunk!" She hissed, finally managing to throw Bunga to the ground and snap her jaws around him.
"Feel my venom!" However, she nearly winced upon seeing an unphased Bunga.
"I'm sorry, but that doesn't work on me. Also, I'm not a skunk, but-"
"Gaaaah!" The dragon coughed violently when Bunga's cloud of vile stench came right into her mouth and nose.
The fourth dragon began scaling the tree while the bush turkey yelped in terror.
"No! No please!" He squawked, the pain in his legs becoming too great for him to maintain his grip.
"That'sss it, right into my mouth, sssnack." The komodo dragon opened his jaws wide to devour his prey.
"Ahhhh!"
"Anga lenga!" Anga swooped in and slashed her talons clean across the dragon's eyes making him shriek in agony before hitting the ground like a rock. The bush turkey opened his eyes to see himself in Anga's talons.
"Hold on, I've got you!" The fish eagle made another pass and placed him on top of the tree where he could rest safely.
Back on the ground, Beshte and one of the dragons crashed into each other. Despite the dragon's great strength, the hippo proved far more powerful and lifted his opponent off the ground.
"Twende kiboko!" Beshte tried to snap his jaws around the dragon's body, but he moved too fast and licked his fangs in anticipation.
"Hapana! Beshte look out!" Ono squawked. Despite his blurry vision, the egret managed to hear the dragon's jaws open around his friend's leg.
"Gaaah!" Beshte groaned in horrible pain, his thick hide proving useless against the shark-like teeth digging into it.
"Get off my friend!" Ono fearlessly leaped onto the dragon's head and violently pecked at his eyes.
"Ouch, get off me, annoying bird!" Despite the dragon's best efforts, Ono refused to let go, forcing him off Beshte who fell onto his stomach.
"Oh no! Komodo dragon venom!" Makini yelped. The mandril raced over to Beshte and looked at his leg.
"Ok, ok, I've got this! I just need the right herbs!" She frantically began taking out ingredients from her gord to mix in a bowl.
Beshte groaned and began to breathe faster, feeling the venom burn through his body.
"Makini." He muttered.
"Almost there, no, no I'm missing a-" Makini started before the last ingredient fell into her bowl.
"Huh?" She looked up and saw the bush turkey with another one in his beak before dropping it down to her.
"Thank you! Ok, hold on Beshte!" Makini fished her antidote and began applying it to him, ending the pain within moments.
"Ahhhh." He exhaled in relief.
Kion grunted and stumbled backward after suffering a headbutt from Ora.
"You are ssstrong, lion, but you cannot ssstop a dragon'sssss appetite!"
"Why are you doing this!? This isn't the circle of life!" Kion snarled, his rage begging to flare up along with a familiar pain in his scar.
Ora noticed this with growing interest, his smile widening.
"I take what I want. Thossse who have that power are entitled to do ssssso, you know thisss assssss well."
"I'm not like you!"
"Are you not, hmmmm? I ssssaw you earlier today with thosssse fissssh." Kion grit his fangs, feeling the guilt overwhelm him alongside his scar.
"That isss quite the ability you have? Why not put it to good usssse, take anything you want, live to your heart'sssss dessssire."
"Why ssssstop at what you need? You posssessss the power to take whatever you pleassse, sssseize the chance!"
Kion clenched his eyes shut and struggled to remain standing.
"And now for my heart'sssss desssire."
Ora rushed in, jaws wide upen.
"Graaau!" Kion regained himself just in time to body-slam Ora backward, snapping his jaws around the dragon's tail and hurling him several yards away.
"Lion Guard, form up!" Ora shook his head and looked up at Kion who now stood with his companions beside him.
"Hmp, devour them!" Ora hissed, charging back in towards Kion. However, this time, the Guard attacked with swift and masterful coordination, beating each dragon back and piling them up.
Kion fought hard and finally felt the rage subside.
"Here we go!" Bunga chuckled.
Arching his head back, Kion unleashed the roar sending the five dragons away. However, the Prince slowly felt his rage returning and cut himself off before he could lose control. As a result the dragons landed near the beach.
"Kion, are you ok!?" Beshte asked.
"Here, have some tuliza!" Kion quickly ate one of the flowers before rushed towards the beach.
"There they are!" Anga squawked, pointing to Ora and his companions in the water.
"Grrr, I'm going too-" Ora cut himself off when he spotted Lumba jumping out of the water nearby.
"Dolphin! Yesss, that'sss a proper meal!"
"There you guys are!" Lumba clicked.
"No! Lumba look out!" Kion roared, seeing Ora and the other dragons swimming towards her. However, something colossal moved beneath the five dragons and created large tremors in the water.
"Huh?" Beshte muttered.
"What was that?" Ora hissed, only to yelp when he saw a great tailfin lift itself up and out of the water in front of them. With a thunderous crash, all five went flying as they would've from the Roar, disappearing from sight.
Kion's mouth dropped and he nearly trembled upon seeing the great leviathan emerge from the water before them.
"Hello there." The humpback whale's deep voice boomed with power, but also carried a deep wisdom to it that felt humbling.
"This is Jonah, he'll take you back to the mainland!" Lumba sang.
"Thank you."
The whale gave a deep and warm smile.
"It's my pleasure." The sun began to set and Kion's companions all slept soundly on top of Jonah's head as he swam back towards land. The Prince himself stared out at the horizon, lost in his thoughts.
"Does something trouble you?" Jonah asked. Kion took a deep breath and bore a look of shame.
"I'm just afraid. There's something inside me, I'm not sure you'd understand."
"Try me."
Kion sighed again.
"I hear a voice in my head, it's telling me to do bad things, things I know are wrong. But every time I hear it, I get angrier and almost listen to it. This morning I didn't even hear it but did something it would've told me to do….. I want to get past it, but what if I can't, what if it consumes me?"
"Hmmm, a deep question. But you must understand, all creatures struggle with these kinds of things, Kion. It is the burden of free will, we have the power to choose, and the ability to choose wrong, to live for ourselves, and nothing more. I too once lived such a life, Kion."
The lion looked down into the whale's deep eyes.
"Yes, when I was young, I devoted myself and all of my actions to my own desires and wishes, but it brought me no lasting peace or happiness. That was until one day, I discovered something that changed my life forever."
Kion's eyes widened.
"What?"
"Well, to put it simply, I discovered something that transcends the things which perish in this world, the manifestation of goodness and love. From that day, I have lived a truer life and devoted myself to helping others. Though, I have a feeling you've done much the same, Kion."
The Prince thought back to his years leading the Lion Guard and the countless animals they'd helped.
"You are more than your desires, Kion, and you know this. Whatever power has taken hold, you have the ability to resist it, to live beyond it." Johan's words reached Kion and he stared back out at the setting sun.
Elsewhere, Ora emerged on a sandy beach and growled.
"Wretched lion! When I get my fangs on you! I'lll-" Ora stopped when he felt something knock him over onto his back. The lizard went still and almost pale when he saw who stood over him.
"You'll do as I say."