The Lion Guard: Hidden Secrets
Chapter 2: History of the Tree of Life
"A human!" Simba roared loudly, baring his teeth and stepping in front of his son.
Umren took a step back with his hands raised in surrender, though his expression was calm. "Easy now. I mean you no harm. I know my kind don't have the best reputation, but I uphold the circle of life. In fact I am devoted to helping all living creatures."
"Dad, what's a human?" Kion asked, concerned at his father's expression.
Simba kept his gaze locked on Umren as he responded. "I've only heard stories, and none of them good. If you thought Janja and the hyenas were bad, humans have been said to be ten times as destructive. They are the worst kind of poacher."
"But Dad, he said he respects the circle of life. I think we should find out more about him before we become aggressive." Kion spoke calmly.
"They're dangerous Kion!" Simba growled looking back at his son.
"You always told me all hyenas were dangerous, but now we're friends with Jasiri and Janja's clan because they respect the circle of life. I respect your concerns, but you are not king here. I am." Kion spoke with authority.
Simba was taken aback "But I..."
Nala interrupted. "Kion's right Simba. You need to let our Son, the king…" she paused looking over at Rani who had stepped up beside Kion. "and the queen decide what is right here. This is not our kingdom."
Simba took a step back a lowered his head. "Very well, but we are staying with you until we know more about this human." Simba said casting a fierce glance towards the man.
"Okay Umren" Rani spoke as she stepped over towards him. "are you responsible for the loud boom that shook the ground?"
"In a way yes, but not directly. It was the stone moving that caused the noise and shaking." Umren said in a calm voice.
"So you moved the stone then?" Rani questioned.
"The stone moved because a prophecy had been fulfilled!" Umren spoke more excitedly.
"What prophecy?" Makini chimed in from behind Rani.
"A prophecy about you!" Umren said as he pointed his staff at Kion.
"Me? Wait, what's a prophecy?" Kion asked looking between Umren and Makini.
Makini spoke first. "A prophecy is something that reveals a piece of the future."
"So something I did caused that large stone to roll away?" Kion questioned.
"Not necessarily. It's not really about what you did, more rather about who you are and who you have become." Umren explained. "You see I marked that stone out there with sigils. They are the symbols you saw glowing on the surface of the stone and the ones throughout this room. Long ago I sealed myself away and placed those sigils upon that stone. Each one is a prediction about who you are, Kion. Of course I had no idea who you would really be at the time, nor how long it would take for this prophesy to come true. I was to wait in this chamber until all those predictions about you had come to pass. Only then would the stone roll away and release me. Now, I know you all must have many questions, but might I suggest gathering anyone you may want to listen in on this conversation first. I'd rather not have to repeat this story to everyone I will eventually come across. It is a rather long one."
"That's probably not a bad idea." Kion agreed. "Kiara, Kovu, would you mind going and getting Rafiki, the lion guard, and the night pride, and tell the rest of the animals that its safe for them to go home?"
"Sure thing." Kiara said as she and Kovu turned to head back outside.
A few minutes later they returned with the lion guard and night pride, with Rafiki trailing behind.
"Whoa." Anga said upon seeing the inside of the chamber.
"What's the kerbubble Ki… who's that?" Beshte said as he too entered the inner cave and saw Umren.
"More like what's that?" Bunga remarked.
Kion turned to meet his friends. "His name is Umren, and he calls himself a human."
"A human! Hapana! We need to get out of here!" Ono squawked and fluttered his wings rapidly.
"Shwari Ono, Shwari." Makini spoke soothingly. "He says he respects the circle of life."
"That's right, and I'm pleased to meet all of you." Umren spoke walking up to the group. "I have been down here a long time and it is refreshing to see so much life! But I'm afraid I'm at a disadvantage. You all know my name, but I don't know yours."
So, one by one, they each introduced themselves and Kion brought them all up to speed with what they knew so far.
"How long have you been down here? I never even knew this place existed." Nirmala asked, gazing around at the new room.
"That's for good reason, but all will be revealed in time. For you all to understand my story and why I'm here I need to start at the beginning."
Umren turned to sit on a stone bench that was covered in roots. The rest of the group gathered around him and sat as well.
"Do any of you know why the tree of life has the powers to heal?" Umren asked.
"Queen Janna always said it was because this is where the spirits of the past have the strongest connection to the world of life." Nirmala answered.
"While you are correct that the tree has the greatest connection to the spirits of the past that is not where it's healing powers come from." Umren replied. "Instead, the healing comes from life itself. You see, you all probably don't realized the true importance of the tree of life. This tree is the epicenter from where all life came to be. It's why you can find every habitat for every living creature within its borders. It's also why spirits of the past have the strongest connection here. Since this is where the first living creature's lives, and therefore, spirit's started from, our spirits will always be tied to it, even if we die outside its boarders." The amazement was plain on each of the animal's faces, except Rafiki's, who kept an unreadable expression.
"So let me get this straight. I'm alive right now thanks to this tree, and because of that I'll be linked with it someday when I die?" Fuli asked, skeptical.
"Simply put, yes." Umren said with a short chuckle. "From its roots came all the plant life needed for the herbivores to survive, and as such, provided food for the carnivores. And since it was the tree that started the circle of life, it alone holds the ability to heal. Its power, though, comes from the life force of all the creatures that reside within its borders, not from our spirits. Spirits don't need healing, but our bodies do. However, although our spirits are always connected to the tree, our body's life force can only be connected via its roots. Those that reside here are all connected to the tree through the root system that spreads out to every reach of this kingdom. All the way to the rocky cliffs that make up the borders. Though, once a creature leaves the boarders its life force is no longer connected to the tree. When you use the powers of the tree to heal, Nirmala, you are actually using energy from each life here in the kingdom, and because life is so vast here the drain on one's body is hardly noticed."
"Oh, so that's why I was taught to not use the tree's power unless necessary." Nirmala pointed out.
"Exactly right!" Umren exclaimed. "If the tree's power is used too much it can put unnecessary strain on all the lives with in the kingdom. That's why its power should only be used to heal an injury that would affect a creatures life."
"So why could the tree heal Ono's eyes, but not heal me from the poison when I got my scar?" Kion asked, more curious than annoyed.
Umren nodded seeing the confusion. "You see, the tree's power can only heal flesh and bone, but the tree makes up for healings of the blood in other ways. As I said before, every known habitat exists here, so you can find any plant needed to cure ailments of the blood such as sicknesses, diseases, and poisons. It just takes more time and the knowledge of how to use the various plants. I would assume that is how you were healed?" Umren asked Kion.
Kion nodded. "Yes, Nirmala healed me through therapy and by drawing out the poison with different plants mixed with mud. But if the tree can heal flesh and bone, why couldn't my scar be healed?" he asked, directing the question at Nirmala and Umren.
"I didn't use the tree to heal your scar, Kion, because it wasn't something that would affect your life, the poison would have." Nirmala pointed out. "Ono though…" She said gesturing to the egret. "…his eyes were healed by the tree and a remedy of various plants because without his sight his way of life was affected. Without his eyesight he had a hard time flying and being able to gather food for himself."
"It's these kind of decision that have always been entrusted to the healers to make." Umren added. "If the tree were used to heal every scrape and bruise, it would be a waste of the energy of all those living here. You are a wise healer, Nirmala."
Nirmala smiled brightly. "I do my best."
"Okay, so how do you know all this, and what's that staff with the green light you're holding?" Rani asked Umren.
"Well, let me tell you a little more about the history here to answer your questions. You see when all of life sprang forth there were also humans here. Among them were Raqwen and Elliesa. They were chosen by the tree itself to be its first mlezi, or, guardians of this." Umren said gesturing to the staff.
"Wait wait wait! You're telling me this tree can talk and it choose some lazy people to guard a glowing stick? And you're one of them?" Bunga said in bewilderment.
"Not lazy, mlezi." Umren corrected. "And yes, I am. And this is not just a glowing stick. This is the moyo staff, and it holds the heart of the tree of life. It is where all of the trees energy is stored that is drawn from its roots. Also, the tree doesn't necessarily talk, but it can show us visions. This is how I was given the prophecy about you, Kion." He said looking over at the young king. "But I'll come back to that later. The moyo, or heart, is only the size of an acorn, so it is held within this staff, and this staff is actually a living branch from the tree. See." Umren held the staff down for the group to see and a network of what looked like a ball of roots unwound themselves from atop the staff to reveal the small, but bright green orb that was the tree's heart. The group stared at it in wonder. As he brought the staff back up the roots rewound themselves back around the heart. "So, Nirmala, whenever you use the tree's power to heal by touching its roots you draw its power from here." He said pointing to the top of the staff.
"If that is the tree's heart as you say, how can the heart be separated from the body of the tree?" Ono asked.
"As long as the heart remains in the kingdom it is never truly separated from the tree. Just as all life here is connected to the tree through its roots, so is its heart." Umren answered. "It can be carried anywhere within the kingdom to do healings, but only by the mlezi. Another creature could carry the moyo staff, but would be unable to access its power.
"So how could my grandmother and Nirmala use the tree's power then?" Rani asked Umren.
"The only way another creature can access the healing power is through the roots that are exposed here in the cave, and only if they are instructed how to do so." He replied.
"Yes, I remember queen Janna had to instruct me how to feel for the healing power. I had to learn how to draw the power into myself and transfer it to the animal that needed healing." Nirmala remarked.
Umren nodded. "Indeed. Now the tree does have some vulnerabilities. The heart must never leave the boarders or the tree will die! The other danger to the tree is if too much life were lost within the kingdom, then the tree would no longer have the power to sustain itself. So it was the sacred duty of the mlezi to watch over the heart and keep the balance of the circle of life to keep the tree safe. For generations the mlezi kept peace and learned new ways to help heal the injured and sick. These discoveries were passed down to their eldest child and their mate who would eventually be the next mlezi. Life flourished and eventually flowed out from the tree's boarders to fill the world, but the peace didn't last forever. You see, humans are a unique species. Our kind have a very long life-spans compared to most creatures. Sometimes, our kind have even reached beyond 100 years. I believe this is one of the reasons humans were chosen to be the mlezi. We can spend more time studying the plants for new healing methods and learning more about the tree and all it can offer. We are also both herbivore and carnivore, or also known as omnivores. We live on both plants and meat, and though we can survive on one or the other, to keep a healthy diet we need both. Though, humans do not have claws or fangs to hunt with and our skin is bare. We had to depend on other predators, mainly lions, whom we shared a special bond with at the time, to provide us with meat and animal pelt for our clothing." Umren gestured down at the pelt around his waist.
He continued. "One day though, the human tribes figured out a way to make weapons. They took sharpened rocks that were originally used for skinning and tied them to the end of long sticks. They called them spears and they could throw them at great distances to hit their targets. They were simple but very effective, especially because the humans at the time were not known to be a threat. The humans had relied on the lions for so long that they relished the chance to be able to kill for themselves. They became greedy and killed more than what they needed and also for sport just to be able to practice using their new weapons. When the lions became suspicious of why they were not being asked to hunt for the humans they investigated. When they found what the humans had done the lions rounded up the tribes and brought them before the tree and all the animals of the realm to answer for their crimes. However, the rest of the animals did not trust the mlezi at the time; Sisiten and Telieha, to bring judgment upon the humans, for they were humans themselves. Although the mlezi didn't even know about the weapons and hunting's they had to keep the peace. Sisiten and Telieha allowed the leaders of the lions; Nwanza and Minifu, who discovered the betrayal, to preside over the judgment of the humans."
Rani perked up. "Hey I've heard of them. My grandmother said our family descended from their blood line."
Umren smiled. "They were very wise leaders. I am happy to hear their family has continued to watch over these lands. Anyway, Nwanza and Minifu listened to ideas from all the animal groups. Since the humans had not only disrupted the circle of life, but endangered the tree in doing so, they made the decision that all human kind would be banished from the tree of life and stripped of their knowledge of it. They also would be stripped of their ability to communicate with other species so they could never learn of its existence again."
Rani's little brother, Baliyo, spoke up at that. "Um, if that's true, how can you understand us?"
"Patience, I'm getting there." Umren replied. "The only humans that were allowed to stay were Sisiten and Telieha, for they were the only ones who had the knowledge and ability to use the power from the trees heart. This pleased the animals. The mlezi then used the power from the heart of the tree to strip the rest of the humans of their ability to communicate with other creatures, removed the knowledge of the tree of life from them, and banished them."
"So the heart can do more than just heal. That must have taken a lot of power." Nirmala observed.
Umren nodded his head in agreement. "Yes, the mlezi seek guidance from the tree to accomplish tasks beyond healing that are revealed to us through the sigils. The sigils used to enact the humans punishment normally wouldn't have been a problem. However, because so much life had been lost on account of the human's betrayal, the energy drain on the remaining animals would be significant. All the animals of the tree of life though were in agreement and knew the cost. It took many days for the creatures of the tree of life to regain their strength after the banishment, but from then on, humans and animals have lived separate. Unfortunately, judging by your initial reaction to me, Simba…" he said looking over at the great lion. "…It seems that since then my kind may have completely forgotten about the circle of life as well." He sighed. "Anyway, none but the mlezi were ever allowed within the borders of the tree of life again. Though the damages had been done. Other animals saw what it was to be greedy and some chose to follow the example of the humans. Carnivores started hunting more than they needed or killing for sport. Herbivores started hogging grazing grounds or watering holes. The mlezi knew they couldn't guard the heart and protect the circle of life on their own anymore, especially now that many of the animals had lost faith in them. They called a counsel with animals from all different species together to decide what to do. Another group had to be put in charge of protecting the delicate balance that was the circle of life. In the end they named Nwanza and Minifu the first king and queen of the tree of life because of how they had listened to all animals when deciding what to be done about the humans. It would be their responsibility to lead and protect the circle of life, while it was still the responsibility of the mlezi to protect the heart and heal the sick and injured."
"So where do you fit in to all this? And how come I've never heard of the mlezi before?" Rani asked.
Umren sighed again. "Well to answer your first question, Sisiten and Telieha were my parents."
"WHAT!?" The group shouted in unison.
Authors note:
Well I do have to apologize for how long it took to get this chapter out. The explanations are turning out to be longer than I expected so I will be breaking this section into two chapters. Chapter three will be finishing up the history of Umren and then we will get to the big twist at the end of that chapter. Nope, Umren being impossibly old wasn't the big twist I had in mind. Honestly though, being this is about "hidden secrets" there will be new twists in just about every chapter so stay tuned. And please continue to review and comment. Thanks for reading!