The Lion Guard and the Mandrill had returned from their little endeavor at the watering hole with a message for the king coming from the mouth of Zira. Simba listened as Fuli had finished up.
"And they said that they're going to attack Priderock at dawn with the whole Army." The Fastest of the Pridelands explained.
Simba looked down at his paws before answering the threat. "Lion Guard, Fikiri, I need you all to be on high alert. I have a feeling that Zira may have another plan in mind."
"What do you mean, your Majesty?" Beshte asked him.
"What Zira told you may not have been true, Beshte." Simba explained. "You, Fuli, and Bunga are to lay low and undercover while Ono keeps a look out tomorrow morning. Tell me if you see the Outlanders coming."
"Will do, your Majesty." The four animals nodded.
"What about me?" Fikiri stepped forward.
"Fikiri, I need you to watch Ukuni Woods. Unless the Outlanders really do target Priderock, Ukuni Woods and your troop are in danger." Simba answered.
"You can count on it, your majesty." Fikiri nodded before rushing off with his sons back to their home in Ukuni Woods.
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Makini had snuck away from her home with several questions on her mind. Was her home next on the Outlanders menu? What would happen to her family? Would they have to leave?
If that were the case, she would never see her friends again. Chama, Mzaha, Furaha, Hodari, and of course, The Lion Guard. They've been her friends ever since she and her troop had come to the Pridelands. Having to leave them would be most depressing.
She knew there was only one Animal she could speak to about this.
The toughest animal she knew.
Besides Bunga of course.
Django.
She had found some unusual tracks that looked almost like Crocodile tracks just the other day. However, she knew that these were no Crocodile feet. They belonged to a Komodo.
Finally, she had spotted her role model in the forbidden Valley, on the outskirts of the Pridelands, where no animal came to.
Django was scouting the area for the sake of his people. Now that Scar Snout had passed, the responsibility of the Komodo faction fell on his shoulders.
Suddenly his nose caught a new scent.
A familiar one at that.
Mandrill?
He turned his head to see the young female Mandrill who had taken a liking to him running up to him from the left. "Hi Django!"
He smiled at her. "Hey, kid. Good to see ya. What brings ya out here?"
"Well, I wanted to talk with you."
"Is everything ok?"
Makini's smile faded as she rubbed her arm nervously. "Well.... you see, I've got problems."
"Boy, have I been there." Django sighed. "But, I'm listenin', go ahead and tell me everything, kid."
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The sun slowly began to disappear behind the rocky walls. The skies became a crimson red as night was soon to come. Zira waited patiently as she watched the sun dip down lower and lower.
The hard breathing of the impatient Nuka continued to egg her on.
"It's been too long since I sunk my teeth into something, Mother." The teenaged Lion complained as he chewed on a tree root. He got up and appeared raring to go attack. "I'm gonna go get those Lion Guard bu-"
With no hesitation, Zira fiercely grabbed Nuka by the throat and tossed him aside.
"Control yourself, Nuka!" She growled at her eldest. "Scar told us to stay here until the sun is completely gone, or were you not listening as always?"
"I-I was listening, mother." Nuka stammered. "It's just that, I think we should strike now before that weird colored bird shows up and stops us again like in the Gorge."
Zira roared at her son as she struck him hard across the face. "I told you the bird is gone!" She spat at him. "You disgust me, you know that? To think you're scared of a simple Bird. You're pathetic." She paced around the scrawny Teen. "I've seen Servals with more backbone than you."
She turned around and watched the sun get lower and lower, taking the brightness of the sky with it. If she were hiding that she was scared by the bird, she was doing a very good job at it.
Zira was not the kind of Lioness that showed that she held the emotion of fear. She hardly showed any love or kindness to anyone but her son, Kovu. All others would be so scared of her, they wouldn't even come close enough for her to hear her whisper.
Soon enough, the light of the burning ball of gas dissapeared.
Time to attack.
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The second born of King Ahadi waited in wait as the other four males in his team had come to where he had asked them to be. His green eyes aglow with delight to see his comrades coming to their leader.
Rudu, the Bravest. A hard headed adult with skin to match the feeling. If ever there was a Lion who always charged into a battle without thinking, it was Rudu.
Chako, the Strongest. Large muscles that were found in all parts of his body to help him crush even the back of a deranged Hippo. Chako was what must've been the heavyweight of the team.
Vistar, the Fastest. Fleet-footed and hard to catch, Vistar possessed speed that could rival that of a Cheetahs. Legs that did not seem to fit on a Lion, this cat knew how to run down bad guys.
Landric, the Keenest of Sight. What must've been the largest of brains in the Pridelands' protectors, Landric had eyes that could see everything, from the tiny ant to the giant bull elephant.
And finally, there was Taka, the Fiercest.
Younger brother to the new king of the Pridelands, Taka was tasked with the privilege of leading the Lion Guard.
Leader or not, he had something despicable planned.
"Scar?"
Once Taka was called the new name he was given after his encounter with a grumpy Water Buffalo, He flinched as he turned to Landric. with an innocent smile.
"Welcome, my friends. I was beginning to wonder if you've gotten my invitation or not." He stopped closer to the four other males.
Chako stepped closer to his leader with mild curiosity. "Scar, why would you call us out to the Elephant Graveyard?"
"Yeah, Scar." Vistar agreed with his companion. "This place is crawling with Hyenas, and it's even worse when night falls."
"Calm down, you guys." Rudu butt in. "Now, if TAKA had to ask us out here, it must've been for a good reason." Unlike his friends, Rudu was against calling his best friend by his new alias.
"Thank you, Rudu." Scar nodded to the Bravest in the Pridelands. He then climbed onto a rock, overshadowing his comrades. He cleared his throat and have what must've been a rather life changing speech.
"I do have a good reason for inviting you all here, actually. Friends, you have never shown signs of defeat, even against the hardest of times the Pridelands could ever have faced. That is why I am choosing you to help me with this job. Adversity is not a privilege, it is a right. Everyone has their own rights in this world. My rights, leading the Lion Guard. That is.... until now. Confused? Not for long. For some, this may seem a bit harsh and, shall I say, cruel. I say, however. we deserve to do what I have planned. My brother is a fool to think that we, the Kingdom's protectors, are to scrape the bottom of the barrel. Well, no more. It is time that we took matters in life in our own paws. By this time tomorrow, Mufasa will be dead, and I will take what is MINE!"
Scar's last words was so loud it echoed through the Graveyard for what must've been a whole half a minute. Rudu and the other three merely stood there with their eyes widened. Neither one of them could believe what they had just heard come from their leaders mouth. Kill Mufasa? It was Insane. Madness! There was no way they could go through with it.
"What? Kill Mufasa?" Landric finally broke the silence as he looked aghast at the Fiercest. "Scar, you have got to be joking..."
"I can assure you I am not, Landric." Scar snarled. "Now, are you in or out?"
Strong, even in the power of will, Chaku stepped forward with his bravest glare on his face. "Scar, what you're saying, it's-it's treason! If we kill Mufasa, we'd never get the respect of the People of the Pridelands."
"Yeah, Chaku's right." Vistar lowered his head in defense as he growled at Scar. "We aren't going to do it, Scar."
"So, we're out, in case your wondering." Landric agreed as he stood with Chaku and Vistar. He narrowed his eyes at his leader's insanity.
At first, it seemed like Scar was going to say something to the three. But then he turned to his brave best friend with a calmer expression. "Rudu, you have never abandoned me. You have been my closest friend for as long as I can remember. Please, I cannot do this without you. The last thing I'd want is for us to be enemies."
Rudu did not seem to think on this, and for once, it was a good thing that he didnt. "I'm sorry, Scar."
Scar's face lowered in a betrayed sort of way. "Rudu..."
"Look, let's just go back to Priderock and pretend that none of this ever happened. We never mention this again, and we won't have any problems."
With all that being said, Rudu and his other three teammates turned and walked back in the direction of the Pridelands. But as they walked along, strange rumbling could be heard. Dark clouds blocked the starry sky, causing everything to go dark.
When they turned back to Scar, all they could see was darkness.
And then a sound that could have made them deaf.
A roar like a roll of thunder rang through the Graveyard. The four members could feel their paws being forcefully lifted off the ground and sent them through the air, flying into wherever their leader's power was sending them.
Vista and Chaku felt themselves land on a pile of rocks. Although they could not see, they could feel where they were. Another rumbling sound could be heard once they landed. They could feel something tumbling down towards them. And then, the horrible feeling of something hard crushing them all over, breaking their bones and suffocating them.
They were both crushed to death by a horrific landslide.
Landric was blown towards a number of steam vents. He did not expect to land anywhere near them.
But it would be so.
He fell like a rock into a very large steam vent, merely watching as he fell towards the lava before closing his keen eyes as he awaited his final moments.
Rudu had blown into a place that did not seem as dangerous as the places that had claimed the lives of his now only friends. He hit the wall hard and struggled to get back up. That was where he heard the cracking. Something above him sounded like it was coming loose.
And it just did.
Scar watched in the dark as the Stalagmites fell from above his former best friend and closed his eyes as they reached him.
He no longer heard Rudu's breath. All he heard was his body going limp and slumping to the ground. He grinned as the only witnesses of his plan were now dead, and he could move on with his plan. There were no more variables. No more opponents.
Just the evil seed of what he had just done.
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The floating head of fire just stood there in the air. The Lava bubbled around him to show that he was deep in thought on the matter of his past. He could remember the face of his former best friend refusing to help him with his greatest plot. And then his face as he turned against him and the othe members of his guard. What came next was how the knowledge was washed away.
Along with them.
He could hear the scuttling of his head Skink as she entered his Volcanic chambers. "Scar, the Army are on their way to the target."
Scar slowly turned towards her as his voice echoed through the Mountain. "Keep an eye on it, tell me how it all plays out." His voice did not sound as sinister as it usually did. Instead, it sounded rather monotone, as if he had a startling thought in his mind.
Shupavu gave a small nod as she scuttled out to fulfill Scar's orders, a rather confused look on her face, leaving the Ghost behind in silence.
Scar began to think again. With Kion now in traction, what now was there to stop him? He had broken Kion's spirit just as he had planned. He that if he broke Kion, he would break the whole Guard. The other four members of the Guard were already powerless without him. It would only be a matter of time before the Pridelands would be his once again.
"I'm sorry it had to come to this, Rudu....."
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Kiara listened to Kion tell her about all that had taken place in the Backlands. She did not agree with what he said, but she knew that in anger, you could not have always control over what you do or say.
"Kion, I know you didn't mean what you said to her, or the Lion Guard." Kiara assured him. "Once you're all healed up, I'll help you in any way that I can to make things right."
For the first time in days, Kion felt the shadows inside of him be lifted as a smile rose back to his face. If he had strength in his legs at the moment, he would give his sister a hug. "Thank you, Kiara...."
"What're Sisters for?" Kiara smiled as well as she rubbed her head against his before standing back up. "Good night, little brother."
As Kiara had left, Kion had been left back to his own devices. He thought about what Kiara might do to help Kion with his current situation once he was healed.
But then, another thought entered his head.
What if all of this was part of Scar's plan?
To his horror, he realized that everything that had happened recently, Zira taunting him, Jasiri hating him, him lashing out at the Guard, it had all come from the sick, twisted mind of Scar!
He pieced together the puzzle. Whatever the Army of Scar would do next, it could spell another victory for the evil demon.So far already, they had played right into his paws, so how would this time be any different?
Someway, somehow, he had to warn his friends.
