The Lion Guard belongs to Disney.

This chapter was updated: 08/14/17.

Prologue

Everything was burning.

Red flames scattered across the dry grass as the air was filled with the horrible stench of smoke. As far as his eye could see, the fire took over the Earth. Several trees fell, suffocated by fire, and their ashes were scattered. At that moment, you could see nothing but pure chaos. Screams of terror came from everywhere. Many animals asked for help, running and crying, trying to save themselves from the impending misfortune.

But they could not. All would die before the Sun came up, and he knew it .

How had they reached that point?

The answer was clear, but he refused to accept it. The pain of seeing his home in such chaos, without being able to do anything, was killing him from within.

Lightning struck in the distance, indicating that heavy rain was coming. And as he looked at the landscape before his eyes, he knew that the storm would put out the fire; but by that time that happened, it would all be over and there would be nothing left.

Why do anything? It wouldn't do any good.

And then, as a thousand questions flooded his mind, he could hear a whispering voice in his ear that said words he did not understand. The murmur was barely audible, dulled by all the noises that surrounded him. This caused him to shiver, making him tremble, and his blood froze. His pupils dilated and an abnormal fear seized his body. He really could not identify who the voice belonged to, which was what most disconcerted him.

What was it telling him? He could not understand it, even as the voice repeated the words.

He turned his head, hoping to see the animal responsible for the murmurs, but found only the immense solitude that surrounded him completely. What was happening? Had he imagined it?

The whispers continued, along with distant cries. The heat gradually became more unbearable, and the flames were now closer to where he was. What was going to happen next was undeniable.

He was going to die. He knew it very well, but somehow, he did not care. He accepted his fate.

He looked at his home one last time.

The surprise soon arrived when the flames marked a perfect circle around him, yet somehow didn't even touched him. No doubt this had to be some kind of vision, since fire would never act that way. He frowned and turned. He didn't bother to find a way to escape, he didn't really need to leave. In fact, in some strange way, he felt comfortable.

Just then, a loud, thunderous roar drew him out of his thoughts. He shook his head and watched as in the distance, a figure, a barely visible shadow, slowly approached. Shortly afterwards, the figure let out another thunderous roar and soon, the figure of a lion slowly manifested, walking through the fire, head down and laughing coldly. Although, at first glance, there was nothing really strange about that, though he soon realized that the legs of this animal weren't touching the ground. It hovered inches from the ground and plodded through the destruction in its wake. He gasped, eyes wide open. The figure was more than an apparition, it was a ghost. Frightened, he stood still as he watched the lion drew nearer and nearer to Pride Rock.

Its laughter became louder and louder every moment. He simply could not take it anymore, and in fear, he wanted to shout for the stranger to leave. But when he opened his maw, no sound came out. He was totally speechless. His pupils dilated. A new chill made him retreat slowly, but he remembered that the fire was still keeping him in a corner, giving him no chance to move or escape.

And so he stood still, staring helplessly at the apparition. A few seconds passed, in which cries and shouts extinguished the voice he had previously heard. Suddenly, he noticed the lion approaching became more and more visible. Seconds later, it was just close enough for him to see his black mane. Almost immediately, a torrent of memories came to his mind about the identity of the stranger. This ended up causing him to have a headache that left him slightly disoriented. But that did not stop an anger he had never felt before, crossing his veins, and filling his body completely. He unsheathed his claws, and his breathing heightened. In his head, a thought floated and filled him with deep hatred.

That lion was the cause of everything.

Angry, he roared to the heavens and glared at the entity.

"You! You did this! All of this is your fault!" His cry echoed which made it sound even frightening. The strangest thing is that his voice did not sound normal, it seemed as if someone else was speaking for him.

The laughter continued but the lion was still staring at the ground. This only served to balloon the anger that was building up inside him. On the other hand, the whisper that was recently heard, returned, only stronger, but still equal of incomprehensible.

All this he couldn't care less, now that he was concentrating on the figure that was floating right in front of him. His laughter bothered him, and his blood boiled at every second that passed. He could not bear it anymore, and the instant he was about to shout again, a monotonous, hoarse voice filled the air.

"Oh, what a naive little cub..."

He simply trembled at the statement and stepped back again, but without losing his focus. His anger had faded, and now he had only a feeling of loneliness so heavy that he no longer knew what was happening. Everything seemed like a...

"Nightmare?" The lion spoke "No, believe me, little cub; what you see is not a dream. It's real, just like me."

It was terrifying enough that this entity was able to read his thoughts, but what happened next, left him more than paralyzed. The strange lion lifted his head and revealed his face.

A scream of absolute terror came from the lion's muzzle.

It could not be. It could not be.

"You... you..."

He was too shocked to even express his utter astonishment. It was simply impossible.

"You... you destroyed everything... you ..." The pain was reflected in his voice.

You know very well who did all this...

The laughter of the floating lion was horrible.

"Oh, poor, poor little cub!" He scowled at every word he spat. "You don't remember, do you?"

Suddenly, he felt something beneath his feet. It felt sticky and viscid, something beyond disgusting. He raised his right paw, very slowly, with fear. And the terror that filled him was greater to see the blood, running down his paws.

Oh, little lion...

He yelled, not knowing what to do, just watch how everything around them was filled with red liquid. The other's laughter made him look up.

"Oh, yes, little cub! You are right...!"

It's all your fault...

Blood. He could not stand it any longer, it had to stop.

Kion, it's all your fault.

"All this... you're the one that did it!"

And the little lion screamed again and more sharply. The murmurs, the cries, the laughter; Everything was together. And from the top of the Pride Rock, he watched as his home was flooded with waves of blood. Everyone drowned. The fire came closer and he could not breathe. Then, it happened.

The fire finally reached him.

But the last thing he saw, was the lion with the black mane and a scar slashed across his left eye, laughing.

Laughing... at his death.

Kion woke up startled and screaming in sheer terror. He got up off the ground and looked around him. He was confused, not knowing what was going on, nor where he was. His vision was blurred, his heart was beating a thousand beats per second and his breathing was irregular and accelerated. Added to this, a slight dizziness made him take a couple of turns, all the while as he tried to calm himself down. Tears filled his eyes but he did not know the reason for this.

What's going on? Where the hell am I?

Question after question assaulted his mind. So many things happened at the same time and the lion did not know what to think. Then, he managed to stand still, lowering his head, listening to several voices around him. He stopped paying attention to them, as they became distorted, although that might be because he was very stunned.

He continued to breathe hard, almost hyperventilating, for several more seconds. He tried, by all means, to calm down and to make clear of his surroundings, but the memory of all that blood drowning everyone in the lands of the kingdom kept coming back.

Horrible, just... horrible.

Those were the thoughts of the terrified young lion. He could not but return to the moment the fire burned him, until suddenly he felt someone touching his shoulder. He jumped and turned to see who it was.

"Kion! Are you okay?" Simba's concerned voice echoed in his son's head.

"Dad?"

His voice sounded hoarse and choppy as his throat ached from his cries. It did not look like he had said it. But a sense of happiness and relief gathered in Kion's chest, making him smile, as he could see that he was all right. Fear dissipated from his mind and his breathing calmed little by little. That, of course, was no impediment to a thought forming in his mind:

But what about the kingdom? Is it really okay?

The question hit his nerve and his smile was erased instantly. Thinking his heart about to explode, Kion turned and ran out of the den. He listened as his father called after him, confused. He ignored him and simply continued until he reached the gulf of Pride Rock, from where he could see the Pridelands; his kingdom, his home. Outside, everything was fine.

No fire, no blood, no death.

The sun was already out and the bright green meadows added a mysterious aura to the scenery. Many animals got up and started going about with their routines, while others wanted to get some more sleep. It was a wonderful sight, no doubt.

A smile from ear to ear was reflected in his face. He sighed, relieved.

It was just a nightmare...

The young lion let out another sigh, obviously happy and contented. Then, the joy left when a realization popped up his mind: this was not the first time he had those kind of nightmares. The first, not many years ago, had to do with the Pridelands being completely flooded and drowning everyone in their path. Of all that had happened, that was what worried him most.

"Kion!" Nala's voice made him turn, snapping him out of his thoughts. A cream-colored lioness came out of the den, while the king with luscious red mane followed his mate very closely from behind. "Son, are okay? What happened to you?"

The young lion simply tilted his head, not understanding what his mother meant. A few seconds later he realized that the way he had behaved was not normal. His shouts, that could probably be heard on the other end of the kingdom, had certainly frightened his parents. Besides, he knew for a fact that his mood change was not normal.

Kion knew that it would be very difficult to explain his nightmare and what he had seen. How was he to say that all those years ago, nightmares of the destruction of his home had constantly harassed him? A feeling of grief crossed his body as he then faced his father, who had a frown and severity lingered in his gaze. No doubt he was angry.

"Well? Are you planning to tell us what happened?" The hard voice of Simba shook the lion.

After all these years, even though he already had more mane on his head and part of his chest, even when he was already a grown up, Kion still held the same fear of his father. Not because he was the King, but rather, the fact that he was very much capable of doing many things... and even more so when he got angry.

"Dad... I... uh..."

The lion's stammer perfectly indicated just how nervous he was. He knew full well that talking about his father's uncle was an issue he always avoided, because of the tragic events that took place many years ago. The young lion always saw that whenever they spoke of...

Scar, Kion, call him by his name.

Scar... whenever they talked about him, the king frowned angrily. And if he was sincere, in those vulnerable moments, he honestly didn't feel like incurring his father's wrath.

Then, in the distance, there were several cries that could be heard, seemingly from some animal in distress. Kion turned, surprised, since he had never heard such a lament in his life. Seconds later, a large white Egret with reddish feathers on its tail and head, and who was also flying at full speed, entered their respective fields of vision . Once he managed to reduce his momentum, Ono swooped down and landed next to his leader.

"Kion, Kion...!" He panted, slowly trying to catch his breath. "Hyenas!"

Kion sighed silently, somewhat grateful for the interruption. He gave a single, confident nod.

"Got it! Ono, show me the-"

He turned around to start heading off when the Egret zoomed and reappeared in front of him, cutting him off.

"Wait, you don't understand! There are hundreds of them, a whole legion!" This new information caused everyone present to let out a gasp of shock. "They've divided themselves into three groups and are going after the zebras, gazelles and antelopes!

"What!?" Kion frowned and looked down. After a pause of reflection, he looked up, his eyes were very much filled with hatred that it even caused Ono to tremble, since he had never seen his friend like that. "Ono, gather everyone in the Waterhole and make it quick! Oh, and look for Jasi...!"

"Don't worry, she's already there with Bunga!" He interrupted, beginning to take flight. "We'll see you there!"

With that, the Egret flew off, getting on with his next task of gathering the Lion Guard. Kion looked away.

What the hell is going on? This had never happened before... If what Ono said is true, then we have a very serious problem... I have to go now!

"Dad!" Shouted the young lion, turning to Simba. "I must go! If I need you, I'll send Ono!"

With this, the lion ran out of Pride Rock without waiting for a response from his parents. The King and Queen could only stare in amazement at the whole scene that had just unfolded before them. They both had the same face of confusion and looked at each other, not knowing what to say. Just then, a young, cream-colored lioness emerged from the den and called out to them.

"Dad...? Mom...?" Kiara's broken voice made Nala turn around. "What's with all the screaming? What's going on?"

Simba turned to see her eldest daughter. She yawned and rubbed one of her eyes, still half asleep as she waited for her father's reply. The Crown Princess had grown quite a lot in recent years, to the extent that she was noticeably larger in size than her brother.

The king looked at his daughter, then at his kingdom. Something was not right with Kion, he could feel it.

"Kiara..." said Simba, sighing, "I'd like to know what's happening too..."

Hey, thank you for sticking until the end! Hope you enjoy this long prologue (which is pretty intense if you ask me).

Also, this story was written for the first time in Spanish as it is my first language and was later translated and published in Wattpad. But a friend of mine, who is also my editor told me also posted here and see what people were thinking. That friend of mine is the author of awesome stories, yingyangmaster! Seriously, this is the most amazing guy on the planet and he was also the first person I could talk to in this fandom and who has demonstrated incredible support for my work (not only writing but also showing people my channel in youtube).

Really, thank you so much pal, you are the best!

So yeah, check his stories here in and also in Wattpad. He, as I say, is the editor of this story and has made an awesome job handling my horrible translations and many (so many) spelling problems in this prologue. And let's not talk about the first chapter...

But that's a problem you don't need to worry about. So, if you like this, leave a review to let us know! And again, thank you for reading!