Rafiki was not his normal, exuberant self. As soon as he laid eyes on Kion, he made a suspicious grimace, almost like a wince.
"Oh, Kion," he sighed, as the cub laid down on a bed of leaves in the corner. Gently, he probed Kion's scar.
"AAAAAH!" Kion screamed in pain.
"Sorry Kion. That is strange, I would've thought it would have mostly healed by now. At least the bleeding has stopped." For no apparent reason, he touched Kion's scar again, resulting in the cub emitting a higher-pitched scream.
"Just watch it, will you?" Kion snapped. He was exhausted from Scar possessing his body, and the argument he'd had with Jasiri. He was in no mood to be poked and prodded by an irritating monkey.
Instantly, Kion was surprised at his thoughts. Rafiki had practically been like an uncle to him, and he had always looked up to the wise mandrill. But he closed his eyes, his brain already exhausted from trying to process the bizarre things that had been happening to him recently.
"I detect a strange presence within you, Kion," Rafiki said. "Almost like… someone else is with you. Someone familiar -"
Simba gave Kion a strange look. Confusion, no doubt, but also - was there fear in the powerful king's eyes? Rafiki found that very curious.
"Will he be all right?" Simba asked, noting that his son had gone to sleep by now.
"I cannot say…"
"What do you mean?"
"I can make up a potion to help with the physical pain of the injury. But that isn't what worries me. What worries me is your son's mental state."
"His mental state?"
"He is unusually aggressive, even for a cub of his age. It is like someone is slowly corrupting that impressionable mind of his."
"But who would -"
"For now, all that I can recommend is that you spend time with your son. Bond with him, properly. In time the source of the problem will reveal itself."
"But -"
"No buts, Simba. This afternoon, I will also speak to Mufasa, and see if he may be able to get in touch with Kion. Your son is going to be the victim of a force he himself doesn't fully understand, and he will need the support of all of his family."
Simba nodded, trying not to show the fear that gripped at his heart. He sometimes wished Rafiki would speak more plainly, as he had the sense the mandrill knew more than he was letting on. And that uneasy feeling he had in his gut since he disbanded the Lion Guard continued to grow.