Our Scars Can Destroy Us
"But if we survive them, they can transform us"~
-The Batman (2022)
A broad-shouldered young lion stood rigidly resolute atop a windswept bluff, shivering in anticipation at the sight before him. Unbridled ambition gleamed hungrily within twin amber irises as he breathlessly observed the sun crest the horizon over a grand landscape fit for a king. Cutting through pale golden-orange beams of dawnlight arose a magnificent flat-faced peak known as Pride Rock. Its jagged formation stretched toward the heavens and directly into the rising sun's rays, casting a swath of shadow over an otherwise ocher-tinted savanna.
Golden-pelted, with cream-colored chest, paw and muzzle fur, the lion's mohawk-esque fiery red mane-tuft fluttered in the breeze like a wavering inferno, reflecting his mind's chaotic state of doubt, ambivalence, and confliction all swirling together in a maelstrom. He swiftly clamped down on such meddlesome hesitations. This was his rightful kingdom. He willed it into being and would retain the conviction to follow through on that vow.
Similar to the annoying sensation of the faint buzzing of insect wings, a whisper of doubt continued to echo deep within the confines of his conscience. However, like the dying twilight sky above, it was scorched away within a few heartbeats, replaced by blazing beams of unyielding ambition.
With his mind purged and once again committed to his single burning disposition, the lion sprang from the bluff to prowl proudly through the golden savanna. Animals of all shapes and sizes, his soon-to-be subjects, greeted their prince's return with jubilation, but were swiftly rebuffed by a surprising air of indifference toward them. The lion appeared to be completely impervious to their salutations.
There were much more important matters to attend to.
He leisurely approached the base of Pride Rock, relishing in the sensation of power surging all the way down through his muscled forelegs to the claw-tips of his huge paws. Strutting toward his prize with a swagger befitting a true king, the prince locked an imperious amber gaze upon the cliff above. He swarmed up the rocky path, reached the platform, and peered down from that vaunted spot where countless heirs of the past were presented to their subjects.
Where his rightful succession and coronation to the throne would soon take place.
The red-maned lion took an invigorating inhale, puffing out his chest with pride as he stared out from the zenith of Pride Rock's platform. The rising sun's dazzling rays warmed his pelt as he observed the whole of his resplendent kingdom stretching out to the horizon in all directions.
Everything the light touched was his! The burning, torturous desire within his heart would finally be quenched.
His reign would finally begin!
However, his power-lusting ruminations abruptly ceased as the scent of his kin permeated his senses. The young lion performed a swift about-face to regard them.
Shrouded in a shadowy gray haze, the leonine figure possessed an expression of absolute relief, even shedding tears of joy at the sight of him. Yet all the prince felt was adrenaline coursing through his veins, and all he heard was blood pumping in his ears when the shadow lion called out to him with a heartfelt greeting. The figure began to approach for an earnest embrace.
This was his moment.
A sniveling whine, a tiny, insignificant little voice of pathetic dissent incessantly and desperately pleaded for him to stop. Yet again, he crushed that presence into oblivion, replacing it with adamant resolve. With cheetah-fast reflexes, he lunged forward with claws unsheathed, leapt at, tackled, and deftly flipped the unprepared shadowy figure on their back with ease. The red-maned lion's scar, consisting of two gouges above and one below his left eye, pulsed with torturously sweet agony as he pinned down and prepared to dispatch the stunned Pride Lands' heir.
Razor-sharp claws pricked his victim's tawny pelt, drawing blood as he met her horrified gaze. Her hauntingly-familiar amber-brown eyes were alight with terror and her maw agape in a silent scream as the prince prepared to rip into her throat with a raised paw….
"Son! Stop this madness!"
The scarred lion paused, glancing up from the young lioness to the source of the beseeching cries that pierced through the fog of his deafened senses.
"Kion! Please, listen to us!"
Almost instantly, his mind gained clarity. The previous haze of ambitious fervor clouding his thoughts dissolved. As he stared at the pair of lions before him, he swore the entire world stopped at the crushing realization that the objectors of his dreadful misdeed were his very own parents. The young lion's heart wrenched at seeing their aghast expressions of raw anguish and betrayal, completely appalled at bearing witness to their son's ruthless actions.
He was about to murder his own sister in front of his mother and father.
He felt numb. The indomitable spirit the brazen young male previously possessed vanished. A chasm of emptiness replaced it as he blinked at them with a dumbstruck, vacant gaze. He scarcely realized his retreat off of Kiara, who remained frozen on her back, still pinned by the sheer audacity of her brother's attack.
"Mom! Dad!"
The young prince's racing heartbeat pounded through his ears as he frantically searched for any explanation, any scrap of guilt to display his change of heart. Shrill, stuttering exclamations came tumbling forth in a futile attempt to end the torment of accounting for his unforgivable betrayal.
"I-I didn't m-mean to-! Something came over me-! Please, Kiara! P-please, please don't look at me like that..."
His reality was shattered, previous convictions long gone as he registered the agony of his mistake. It pierced and clawed at his entire being.
Shock rendered his parents mute for a few moments. His father recovered first, a hostile glare impaling the young lion, whose heart sank to his paws and chest became so tight he did not dare draw a single breath.
"Y-you-!"
The King of the Pride Lands did a double take, for a moment incapable of comprehending what he had witnessed.
"You should have never come back home! You are no son of mine!"
It was completely incomprehensible. The prince never previously thought two sentences could cleave his soul apart.
"Simba, don't say such a thing-!"
His mother gave the young lion a glimmer of fleeting hope, but the King's harsh interruption trampled it into oblivion almost immediately.
"No, Nala, you saw what he nearly did! This disgrace of a lion before me is merely another Scar!" the King snarled viciously. His scornful glare pierced through his son's broken, ashamed soul as he decreed, "I will not allow my bloodline to repeat the mistakes of the past. I hereby exile you from the Pride Lands! Leave and never return!"
His father roared with such anguish that the young lion's ears instantly pinned back to his head as he scurried down Pride Rock in a blind daze, his thoughts repeating over and over; I'm not like him, I'm not the same as Scar! I can't be!
A silvery, bright full moon sat heavy in the night sky, casting a cold gray filter upon the forest below. Between dense foliage and thick understory, a small clearing served as a temporary refuge for a group of weary travelers. Hailing from the blazing plains of the savanna, the band of various species had trekked across countless horizons. Ranging from snowy mountain peaks, to desolate shifting dunes, even to where the land sunk away into a gargantuan body of saltwater stretching as far as even the sharpest eye could see, they overcame every obstacle in pursuit of their ultimate destination. They sought the mythical Tree of Life, a place of legend reputed to heal any ailment.
Amongst these travelers, two of the seven required the Tree's aid. The first, a snow-white egret, desired something quite simple -his former eyesight. Lost whilst combating the ghost of a villain of the Pride Lands, toxic gasses from flying too close to a pit of lava within the Outlands volcano rendered the bird virtually blind for their entire journey. However, with his sharp mind and eidetic memory, he now served as the group's steadfast guide into the unknown. Playing such a vital role, the vulnerable bird was therefore located at the very center of the misshapen lump of slumbering animals.
The egret snored softly, with his face and beak tucked underneath his wing while perched atop the back of a gray-skinned, boulder-sized mass that was a similarly sleeping hippopotamus. To the left of the pair, a female mandrill lay sprawled out on her back upon a bed of soft grass clutching a slender bakora staff in one hand. Adjacent to her, a lean teenage cheetah was curled up into a ball. Both females slept soundly with tranquil expressions. To their right, a small honey badger snored contentedly, resting his head on the hippo's side to use him as a makeshift pillow. Lastly, aloof from the placid and peaceful scene lay the other traveler in need of healing.
It was a sleek and well-muscled young male lion. Golden-furred and with a blazing red still-developing mane, the large cub whimpered in his sleep as he lay sprawled on his flank. Claws reflexively sheathed and unsheathed, and large paws twitched erratically, as if they were fleeing from a phantom enemy. His hackles were raised and his muzzle twisted in a display of distress and fear.
Suddenly, the cub's head shot up from the soft grass, dark amber eyes flying wide-open in alarm as he let out another quiet cry. Head flicking around wildly to familiarize himself with his surroundings, the cub let out an explosive exhale in an effort to calm his hammering heart. However, his brief moment of relief was cruelly plucked away by a sharp lightning bolt of agony from his accursed wound.
Though the lion's appearance was otherwise as pristine as the day he was born, one glaring feature now permanently marred the young prince's visage. The marks of cobra fangs gouged through the brow right above his left eye, with one fang carrying through to disfigure the skin just below as well. The scarred tissue was still freshly pink and although it would fade with time, the internal damage would only worsen the longer it remained untreated.
Lucky as he was to keep the eye itself from any harm, the Prince of the Pride Lands' misfortune instead revolved around the snake that bit him.
Ushari, a treacherous cobra in service to the ghost of Scar, was dead. Kion was confident in the belief that nothing short of the fiery spirit of his evil granduncle could survive falling into a pit of bubbling lava. However, Ushari's unique venom left a harrowing series of afflictions upon its victim.
And as of late, the cub brooded gloomily, they've only been getting worse.
At first, frequent stings of pain from the venom and a constant elevated heart rate could be counteracted almost completely by a few petals of a flower the ancient mandrill healer, Rafiki -the Pride Lands' Royal Mjuzi- prescribed just before the journey called tuliza. However, as their trek wore on, the prince required more and more doses of tuliza even as it became a rarity once the group started to rise in elevation.
And this was before his newest symptom.
Whereas during previous nights Kion could at least guarantee a restful slumber as a reprieve for his addled mind from the unceasing pain and flashes of anger, now it seemed as if the venom was even poisoning that last bastion of relief. Frequent nightmares reduced the weary prince to a few precious moments of rest. Insomnia stripped Kion of the boundless, youthful energy he possessed back home in the Pride Lands. His mental health suffered just as much from such haunting dreams. Fear, doubt, and anxiety now plagued him, so uncharacteristic for a lion hailed as the Fiercest in all the Pride Lands.
That one felt so real, he stared into the surrounding woods with a vacant gaze. Sinking my claws into Kiara… long, sharp claws protracted, hooking into the cool grass beneath him. Not feeling a single shred of remorse as I looked her right in the eye and raised a paw to rip into her throat….
The flapping of large avian wings momentarily broke any further morbid contemplation. The lion turned his head to regard the dark-purple feathered raptor, a juvenile female martial eagle, as she alighted next to him. In a near whisper and with a glint of concern to her sky-blue eyes, she inquired, "Another restless night, Kion?"
He snorted in frustration. "Guess I wasn't quiet enough this time?"
"It's hard not to hear your yips of fear when I'm keeping watch right above you." The crowned eagle's head cocked to a slight angle, curious to glean any details from his latest nightmare.
The feline, however, was not at all interested in sharing. "You should get some shut-eye before sunrise. I'll take your watch tonight, Anga."
"Weren't you the one who took over Makini's and Fuli's shifts the last couple of nights?" A faint tinge of worry evident in the raptor's voice, she continued, "Really, Kion, you should try to get some more-"
"It's fine, Anga." A resigned, bone-weary tone laced his mew as he cut her sentence off. "I won't be able to sleep at this point anyway." However, the prince's usual optimism had not completely fled his mind, despite the circumstances. "Besides, we'll all sleep for as long as we want when we finally find the Tree of Life."
The martial eagle sighed in discontentment, not at all satisfied with his answer, but in the end, relented. "Alright, Kion. But I hope you're able to get a bit of good rest at some point soon."
"I'll try my best, Anga." The lion's voice grew strained as he continued, "Just one thing. Could… could you keep my sleep issues between us? I really don't want to worry the others and stall us when we're so close."
The bird was silent for a moment. She quietly chirped, "I'll agree." The lion's ears flicked down in relief. "But if it gets any worse, we'll gladly spend a few more days getting to the Tree if it means making sure you're not asleep on your paws."
The lion dipped his head in gratitude. "Thank you, Anga."
With one last concerned glance, the eagle turned away and fluttered over to a branch just overhead of the unconscious guard. She settled almost immediately into a peaceful slumber.
Acquiescent to taking watch over the group again, if only to stave off further unavoidable nightmares, Kion quietly padded over to a nearby pond, attempting to find some measure of solace by listening to the serene, soft snores of the Pride Lands' Lion Guard as he took a drink. The moonlight created a crystal clear reflection as he bent down to lap from the tranquil pond. The troubled lion paused to glare at the watery image of his still-stinging scar. The cursed symbol of evil seemed to glow in the moonlight, as if foretelling his destiny.
Sisi Ni Sawa….
The once innocent expression, meaning "we are the same" extolled by Jasiri, his hyena friend, referring to differing species' equality had been corrupted by the spirit of his infamous granduncle into a twisted proclamation foretelling Kion's future. Although the fiery spirit of Scar was finally gone, the tyrant's treacherous words still reverberated amongst his brooding thoughts.
Uncertainty clouded the young leader's mind. Once upon a time, Kion took pride in his title as the Fiercest in the Pride Lands. Now, he was afraid to even rest his eyes lest his mind fell victim to yet another dreadful dream. Each nightmare used that same lauded ferocity and turned it against those he swore to protect. He shuddered to think what could occur if his dreams ever became reality.
The young lion cast aside such ominous thoughts and swiped a paw across the pond's surface, shattering his reflection before stalking away. He debated, for a brief moment, perhaps summoning his grandfather's spirit for guidance. But ever since Ushari's bite, the prince could scarcely imagine Mufasa's reaction to a scar so similar to his killer's disfiguring his grandson's face.
No, he would not try to talk to Mufasa yet. The red-maned lion could not afford to risk losing his closest confidant, especially if there was any chance that where they were going could completely remove the mark.
Which led to another issue. With their relative pace and uncertainty as to exactly when they would arrive at the Tree of Life, Kion was progressively becoming more anxious by the day that they had to make haste before his symptoms grew any worse. Instead, over the past few days the group wasted precious time recovering Makini's bakora staff from the thieving Mama Binturong before sluggishly plodding through this forest as if they had no real desire to get to their destination.
It's almost as if, Kion mused conspiratorially as a flash of frustration took hold, they don't even want to get to the Tree of Life! They can be content with dragging out this journey, after all, they aren't in constant pain!
A silent growl rumbled from deep in his throat as he glanced back at the Guard. Maybe I should've done this on my own. I'd probably be at the Tree and already cured by now….
As swiftly as a wave of resentment washed over him, it quickly subsided as he took in the tranquil expressions of his unconscious companions. Perhaps he was thinking too harshly. After all, they were his best friends, they would've gone with him to the ends of the unknown no matter what he would have said.
The restless feline took his time lapping at the pond before sitting regally on his haunches with ears pricked for any threat. Watchful amber eyes, enhanced with feline night vision, raked over the group as the young prince placed his bone-tired efforts into protecting his friends beneath the cold gray glow of the moon above.
Exhausted and still fretting over his recent dreams, Kion hastened his Lion Guard forward throughout the morning. The young prince was anxious, even desperate to gain as much ground as possible toward the Tree of Life after last night's nightmare. He felt as if they were so close. Yet all morning, more delays impeded their progress ranging from the group wanting a lengthy break at a watering hole, Beshte attempting to help an arrogant goose and her gosling when they didn't need any, as well as a raucous procession of pompous peacocks forcing Kion to push one out of the way just to clear a path through the irritating birds.
At least now they were setting a good pace, briskly padding along a rough trail through a sparse forest toward the next moja kwa moja stone that would assure them of their path to the Tree of Life. Not a single cloud lay in sight, and it would be a while until they would need to stop for food or another water break. However, whereas many would usually appreciate the soothing atmosphere amongst the serene forest's undergrowth, Kion could only focus on the incessant chattering of a certain honey badger behind his back.
"-and Rafiki said Kion might change, remember?" Bunga gossiped. "Stop knowing right from wrong... I mean, Fuli, just look at how he was acting this morning. Maybe it's already started-"
"Bunga!" the cheetah hissed, shooting a furtive glance toward the lion. "Kion isn't going to turn evil, now stop this! We should support him as best we can right now."
Kion carried on ahead of the group, silently venting to himself. It was as if that honey badger thought he was completely deaf! All morning Bunga had ceaselessly prattled on about his absurd theory that the young prince might be changing and "turning evil."
All because I'm simply trying to hurry us to the Tree and ensure the exact opposite outcome!
It was almost as if some of them forgot why they embarked on this journey in the first place. Did they not want him to be cured of the never-ending pain of his scar, or for that matter, Ono cured of his near-blindness?
At least Fuli still seemed reasonable She would stay loyal to his course of action. He glanced to the side to see that she had caught up to pad along in stride with him. The cheetah was a constant reminder that he didn't have to bear the burden of sole leadership during the journey. Maybe if he gave the rest some positive motivation to keep their sights on the Tree of Life….
"Big deal, I can hang from my hind paws too!" Kion's blossoming idea died in a haze of annoyance and a fresh stab of pain from the scar as he overheard Bunga's boastful claim. He quickly realized that the rest of the guard besides Fuli had fallen behind. He glanced back upon hearing a predictable thud to see the group crowded around a tree next to the trail looking up at a clouded leopard hanging by his hind paws upside-down from a large branch, along with a now embarrassed honey badger picking himself up off the ground. A scowl immediately formed on his face as the young leader observed yet another impediment to their journey.
No doubt Beshte's fault, he sighed exasperatedly. The affable hippo was always the first to meet and interact with new animals.
He let out a frustrated growl, stalking toward his distracted guard members. Fuli followed with a concerned glance at him as the prince muttered through gritted teeth, "Not again…."
"Hey Kion, meet our new friend, Yun Mibu." Beshte motioned toward the upside-down clouded leopard, who grinned down at the lion with an innocent, carefree demeanor. Kion chose to outright ignore the feline and instead directed his attention at the adolescent hippo.
"We don't have time for new friends, Beshte," Kion scolded sharply, staring the meek hippo down like a king toward an insolent subject.
Yun Mibu attempted to diffuse the tension. "They were just saying hello-"
"I wasn't talking to you!" the lion snapped. His last word trailed off into a threatening growl that rolled up from the back of his throat, causing the shy clouded leopard to yelp, scamper off his branch, and flee from the group into the undergrowth.
"Kion, why'd you scare him off like that?" Beshte quailed, deep-blue eyes wide with alarm at his leader's outburst.
"We can't keep stopping every time you see a new animal." Kion reprimanded in a severe tone.
The hippo stammered out, "But… I-I was just being nice." The Lion Guard observed Kion's behavior with apprehension.
"That's exactly the problem, we've been getting delayed all day! Stop being so nice, or else we'll never make it to the Tree of Life at this rate." Kion felt compelled to mention their destination. Surely the rest of the group shared his same sense of urgency.
Right?
Beshte's puzzled expression dashed the lion's attempt for reassurance. "Stop being nice? I-I don't, I don't know how to do that."
Kion's annoyance rose and he pawed for a moment at his scar in irritation at both the aching pain and the hippo's intransigence. While Bunga eyed him with suspicion, Makini, bubbly and helpful as ever, dutifully stepped toward the young lion. The mandrill popped open the gourd hanging from the top of her bakora staff with a hairless, dexterous paw and fished around inside it.
"Here Kion, maybe have some tuliza? It'll help you feel better-"
But as she offered the purple petaled flower to him, Kion smacked it out of her hand with a forepaw, eliciting a soft cry of shock from her.
"Forget it Makini, the tuliza's not working anymore!"
The prince's growl deepened and his ear flicked at Bunga muttering "evil" to himself, but before he could denounce the honey badger's preposterous little conspiracy theory, Fuli addressed him.
"Kion, you're out of control," the cheetah asserted, padding forward to place herself between him and Makini, who peered at him owlishly with barely suppressed fear.
The Lion Guard leader's scorching amber gaze pierced into the cheetah's own emeralds, daring her to challenge him. "Am I? All I want is to get better, to get to the Tree of Life. It feels like I'm dragging the rest of you along!"
"Kion, trust me, we're trying to help you get there. Listen, your scar hurts, so you're not thinking straight. Maybe… maybe this is one of those times when I should take over."
Instead of seeing her rationale, he only felt raw betrayal. Kion previously thought the cheetah could still be relied on to take his side. Clearly, that was a mistake. The red-maned lion's hackles rose and he shifted into a hunter's crouch, as if readying himself to pounce on Fuli. He snarled out an enraged retort.
"Take over?" Kion was incredulous toward her suggestion. "No, Fuli, how 'bout you trust me. I'm the leader of the Lion Guard, not you! I see you don't understand that..." He trailed off into another rumbling growl.
"Don't do this, Kion…." The cheetah met his challenge as she shifted into a similar defensive crouch.
Startled cries from the group rang through the clearing as the two large felines prowled back-and-forth facing one another.
"A-are they about to fight?!" Makini squeaked.
"Looks like it," came Anya's resigned reply.
"I'm glad I can't watch." Ono shook his head in disbelief.
"But Kion and Fuli wouldn't fight each other, right?" Beshte nervously glanced around for any reassurance.
Bunga gestured wildly toward the growling lion while exclaiming, "See? This is what I've been talking about guys! He's been acting evil all day! How long before he's just like Scar?"
That last sentence sent his blood boiling. Kion's vision turned red and he tunnel-visioned on the spotted cheetah in front of him. White-hot rage coursed through his veins at how his guard could act so insubordinate. At the audacity of his best friend to compare him to the worst tyrant in the history of the Pride Lands! How could they question Kion's judgment, as if he was turning evil, when in fact he was rushing them so he could prevent exactly that from occurring!
They must be reminded who is in charge. Prove to them why you alone are their leader.
That whisper hissing through his mind gave Kion a reasonable course of action. After all, he was supposed to be the Fiercest in the whole Pride Lands, no mere cheetah was going to usurp his position in the group.
With a screaming declaration bordering on a roar, Kion exclaimed, "I am nothing like Scar!"
Before Fuli or the others could react, he leapt at the lithe feline. Using his larger and bulkier body, he deftly pinned the shocked cheetah on her back with his front paws, planting them firmly on her chest to restrain any attempt to escape. His vision red with rage and his scar pulsing with a strange feeling of exhilaration, he stared past her pleading gaze, now only seeing prey.
Show them why you are the Fiercest in the Pride Lands.
"Kion… please," Fuli gasped in horror, only seeing a twisted, scarred, and viciously snarling lion glaring back at her.
But as the predator stood atop his prey, head spinning from a thrill of furious fervor surging through his body, his tail-tip twitched as he swore that, for a heartbeat, a pleading voice pierced his suppressed hearing. It was as if he heard the echo of his parents screaming his name in the dream he had the night before. In a horrible nightmare where a twisted version of himself was about to murder his sister.
Deja vu cruelly impacted his racing mind. His ferocity instantly evaporated as he reevaluated his surroundings. Fear-scent overwhelmed his flared nostrils and shocked gasps from the Guard made him lose the tunnel vision he had on his prey.
There were his guard members, his companions, his trusted friends, all frozen with maws agape and staring at him in abject terror at what he was about to do. The red-maned lion scarcely even realized that during his rage he had raised a paw in preparation to plunge down, aimed straight at Fuli's throat. Kion's aggression disintegrated as his expression shifted from fury to similar horror.
The guilt-stricken lion instantly removed himself from atop the pinned cheetah, his own fear-scent now apparent.
The clearing remained deathly silent after what had transpired. A guard who once looked to their leader with unquestioning loyalty now found that significantly shaken. They surrounded Fuli to guard her against another possible attack from the lion, who backed away with his ears pinned against his skull and tail tucked between his hindlegs.
Utterly dismayed and with a hoarse tone, Kion sputtered in vain at what to say to account for his actions. "I-I am… I-I lost control and- Fuli, I'm so, so sorry! I didn't mean to… I would never- I swear," he all but whispered the last word as his throat constricted with remorse.
Fuli still looked to be in a partial state of shock as she met his desolate stare. "Kion…."
"Maybe... I am becoming like Scar," the prince muttered to himself as he peered down at his large paws, before raising his voice to shakily say, "I need some time alone."
And with that, the broken leader retreated, then outright bolted away from his shell-shocked companions.
Kion pelted through the undergrowth without paying any attention to his surroundings as his thoughts raced to comprehend everything. The fact that what transpired was so similar to his dream only deepened his distress. He completely lost himself back there, all over a mere delay.
Over and over Kion's mind revolved around the same thoughts echoing those after his dream.
Would I have done it? Could I really be capable of hurting Fuli and the rest of the Guard? He realized he couldn't answer that question, especially after what occurred.
What if I had used the Roar of the Elders?
Kion had always been sure of himself in the past, confident that he would always do the right thing with the power bestowed upon him. But now the young leader felt like he had entered unknown territory. His faith in his own judgment felt severely shaken, as was the notion that the power he possessed might hurt his friends just as easily as it had previously protected them.
Kion was not aware how far he had trekked from the forest, but looking around for the first time surprised him as the foliage fell away and opened up to rolling, windswept hills. He found himself following an ibex trail atop one of these hills. Off to one side, a rocky precipice dropped abruptly into a steep-sloped, narrow canyon.
The despondent feline slowed to a trot, reflecting on what to do, what to even think about saying to explain his actions. He used to have someone to talk to when doubt took hold, but the prospect of his grandfather seeing his scar once again stopped any further thoughts of conversing with the Great King of the Past.
Kion paused as he noticed his reflection in a puddle of clear water near the cliff's edge. That vile scar consumed his every thought.
How can I ever return to the Pride Lands if the Tree of Life can't remove it?
He kept gazing intently at his disfigured face, but simmering anger morphed first into confusion, then primal fear as his reflection began to change. The young lion's fiery red mane tuft extinguished into a charcoal black mess. His fur dulled from gold to dark-orange. His squarish muzzle became more narrow and angular, while his irises suddenly glowed a sinister, vibrant neon green hue.
Scar….
The visage of his father's accursed uncle glared back at him with a smug smirk at seeing Kion's horror. His heart raced and he could scent his own fear. Kion, having never seen Scar in the flesh before, found his appearance even more malevolent than the afterlife fire spirit he was familiar with.
Then, as if the delusion could not overwhelm Kion anymore, Scar spoke.
"Well, well, well, if it isn't the vaunted Prince of the Pride Lands, how splendid to see you again! I do believe we have some unfinished business to attend to, don't you agree?" Smooth as honey with a low, growling finish to his accented voice, the red-maned cub returned a stare of utter bewilderment at the villain with eyebrows raised sky-high and mouth hanging ajar.
"Cat got your tongue, eh, Kion? Or perhaps that oh-so dreadful venom has already infected that portion of your exhausted mind." His tone feigned affectionate concern as he mocked the young prince.
Finally finding his voice, Kion could only muster a few coherent half-sentences. "W-what is this? How are you- am… am I dreaming again?" He muttered out the last part in disbelief.
Scar cackled with glee, "Now this is truly a pitiful sight! Poor puny pathetic princey can't even tell what's real anymore without his usual royal beauty rest. I can attempt to alleviate your confusion, if you'd like."
Kion only blinked back in a state of continued incredulity.
"I have appeared in all my glory to bestow upon you my considerable knowledge on how to overcome the ghastly effects of that nasty venom and convince you that the Tree of Life is not your salvation."
"Like I'd ever take advice from you, this is just some sort of trick!" Kion, having recovered from his stupor, cried out, before immediately glancing around with the embarrassing realization that he had raised his voice at a shallow puddle near the side of a cliff. He hissed to himself as he put a paw to his head in consternation, "This just keeps getting worse and worse! Now I'm yelling at an imaginary vision of Scar in the middle of nowhere."
The black-maned lion chortled at the display of vulnerability. "I am positively loving every moment of this reunion with my precious kin. Truly a shame -with such an unsightly scar- that you cannot converse with my big brother. But no need to worry, your favorite granduncle is here to step-up in his place."
"I'll pass."
At this point, Kion was over this delusion. He raised a paw to slash it across the surface of the puddle, but a smirking growl from Scar made him pause.
"So eager to ruin the fun. Just remember Kion, Sisi Ni Sawa. Leader of the Lion Guard, a scarred face, and just enough cobra venom to make any animal go absolutely stark-raving mad. If you ever wish to learn how to overcome the pain and those nightmares-"
A paw swiped through the puddle, shattering the delusion and with it, Scar's image. The prince padded away distractedly, not looking where he was going.
I'm nothing like him. The venom must be getting worse, like creating quite surreal visions-
As I was saying, all you have to do is ask.
Recoiling back in alarm at hearing Scar's voice inside his head, Kion's paws suddenly lost purchase on the loose gravel and he found himself careening toward a sheer drop. Desperate to halt his momentum, his front paws latched onto a small, drought-ridden sapling, only for it to snap off just as the panicked feline's hind paws fell away to empty air. Time slowed to a snail's pace as Kion realized there was another sturdy tree branch just underneath the overhang he was sliding off of. Letting loose a caterwaul of distress and with a desperate surge that drew upon nearly all his energy, two strong paws hooked long, sharp claws into the thick bark of the branch.
Hanging to the tree branch while his hindlegs dangled precariously into the void, Kion found himself in a situation he had only experienced a few times in his short life. The young lion was completely at the mercy of his companions to save him.
Only this time, they may not even bother to look for me, let alone help after what I did.
The lion felt as if he was perhaps at the lowest point of his life so far.
With little else to do but wait for a seemingly slim chance of rescue, Kion could only ruminate upon what precipitated the circumstances he found himself in. First and most pressing was the dawning realization that through some unknown happenstance, Scar had infiltrated his mind.
It must be yet another side-effect of the venom, right? The delusion in that puddle, hearing Scar's voice in my head, these visceral nightmares… by the Great Kings, I must really be losing it.
Moreover, hearing Scar triggered something about the moments leading up to him pouncing on Fuli earlier.
That must have been his voice as well. He goaded me into attacking her, the young prince concluded grimly. At least it seemed this phantom voice was attributable to the venom.
If his presence were something more then he would've spoken to me again by this point… right?
Weighed down at the prospect of additional symptoms, the prince shifted his churning psyche to the Tree of Life. Rafiki had promised a cure was to be found there. Yet with each new issue, a sinister notion was planted deep within his mind of the possibility for no easy solution. Overturning that rock yielded an ever-expanding sensation of dread.
If I have to suffer with this venom for the rest of my life… the lack of sleep alone would eventually drive any animal insane.
But Kion could only focus on the present, lest his morale further waver from troubling notions of a future enduring the pain and psychological effects of the venom for the rest of his days.
I just have to stay strong for a little longer. Rein in the rage so I can't hurt anyone and before I know it, this waking nightmare will be a distant memory.
And just then, as if the timing were an omen to validate his wishful thinking, the flapping of large wings sounded nearby.
"Kion!" called his martial eagle companion from just above. Though her pitch was shrill with alarm, the young lion felt a tidal wave of relief that rescue would not be far off by now.
"Hey, Anga," he said softly and in a beseeching manner. "I-I know I screwed up- well both here and back in the forest, and I doubt the group would want to be around me right now-"
"Save it for when the others are here," she cut him off in a flat tone. His heart constricted with a sharp pang of fresh remorse. "Just hang in there, I'll be back with them soon." Although her words were supposed to sound reassuring, they came out cold and professional, as if she were talking to a stranger.
Kion only dipped his head in gratitude, ears firmly splayed back at the raptor's attitude. Guess I should have expected that, after what I did.
Anga returned with the Guard, who only gave a few curt assurances to make sure the lion knew they would aid him. Unable to retrieve him themselves, Beshte enlisted the help of his new friend.
With some acrobatic assistance from the shy clouded leopard, Yun Mibu, hanging upside down to grab Kion while Anga helped pull him up by grasping his pelt with her large talons, the lion was lifted back up to safety. The guard hung back, still cognizant that their leader may not be of sound mind, but Kion directed his attention to his feline savior first.
"Thanks, Yun Mibu. I'm really sorry for scaring you earlier. Is there anything I can do in return?"
His request was quite simple. "Just remember not to growl at clouded leopards."
"I'll remember," the lion replied with a sheepish grin and an earnest nod of his head.
The large feline, oblivious to the altercation that took place after he had fled from the Guard, left with a cheery, "Bye everybody! Seeya, Beshte."
"Seeya, Yun Mibu..." Beshte's wary reply went unnoticed by the clouded leopard, but relayed to the rest that the hippo was still cautious around Kion. After all, the lion had told him to stop being nice.
Kion turned from the departing Yun Mibu to face his peers, his blood suddenly freezing at the cold, penetrating stares from his guard that pierced straight to the center of his heart.
"Look everyone, I'm really sorry for my recent behavior." In a hoarse tone and with a tinge of desperation underlying his plea, the prince sought his friends' forgiveness. "I'm sorry for how I acted with you, Bunga, when you wanted a break at the waterhole and I didn't want us to stop." The honey badger only returned an expression of suspicion, thoughts of a possibly evil Kion likely still swirling in his mind.
"I'm sorry, Beshte, especially for telling you not to help those who may have needed it and when I demanded you stop being nice to others." Beshte gave a better response and nodded his head, silently forgiving his leader.
The Pride Lands prince shifted his attention to Makini. The Royal Mjuzi apprentice eyed him with a mix of apprehension and pity. "I'm sorry and I regret lashing out at you, Makini, especially when you were only trying to help me."
Then Kion turned to Fuli, his heartbeat pounding in his ears as he addressed the cheetah, whose features were impassive, "Most of all, I'm so sorry, Fuli. Something came over me… I-I couldn't stop it, but it's still completely inexcusable for me to a-attack you. I…."
The guilt in his throat threatened to silence him. He took an audible gulp before continuing in a shaky voice, his head bowed low in shame, "I understand if you or anyone else in the group don't trust me anymore because of what I did to you… of what I could have done had I not stopped myself in time."
Deafening silence ensued, but was soon broken by the cheetah. "Kion, please don't say that. Look at me."
The lion reluctantly brought up his amber-eyed gaze to face her, expecting hostility or fear.
Instead, tears shined at the corners of imploring emerald green eyes as she replied, "Back there, I know that wasn't you. I know the real you has a good heart and would never do that. We're friends to the end, and nothing is going to stop me or anyone else here from helping you."
Before Kion could formulate any response, the cheetah approached and nuzzled him, embracing the frozen juvenile lion as the rest of the guard did the same. Makini came over with her bakora staff in-hand, popping open the gourd and offering a few purple flowers to him. "Shwari, Kion. Here, maybe the tuliza isn't working like it used to, but it can't hurt, right?"
"Thanks, Makini," replied a grateful and decidedly relieved Kion, who gulped them down without complaint. After another moment of his friends' comforting embrace, the lion backed away to address them, already feeling the urge to get moving again on their journey.
"Alright Lion Guard, I know we lost a lot of time today, and it was all my fault, but if we leave now, we could make up for-"
"Hold it, Kion," Fuli interjected, "I'm still in charge, remember?"
Burning irritation caused Kion to glare for a fraction of a heartbeat, before he quickly subdued the flash of anger and formed a calm countenance.
"You need to rest, we all do after what we've been through today."
A weak retort followed, "But we're so close…."
"Soon, Kion. We'll move on soon enough."
The Pridelanders made their way back into the safety of the forest before settling in near a peaceful burbling stream. Kion dozed through the late afternoon, this time blessedly nightmare free. Near dusk, Fuli caught and shared an ibex with him, further assuaging fears that she no longer trusted him. After returning to some sense of normalcy amongst his guard, Kion allowed himself a deep sigh of relief that perhaps this was only a one-off episode of his before they would arrive at the Tree of Life. As the young lion settled down to sleep, he felt a scrap of fleeting optimism that perhaps this time, his dreams would remain uncorrupted.
AN:
Though much of this first chapter follows the events of the Lion Guard Season 3 Episode 10, "Friends to the End," this will be the jumping off point from the rest of the show. This story will be a Kion-centric fic, however, it will eventually include nearly every Lion King character from both movies. As I'm sure you can tell from the very first scene, this story will delve into darker topics that the show obviously never could, both with Kion and the extent to which his scar will affect him.
