The Lion Guard: A Dark Secret

Chapter 37

It wouldn't be long before the Guard got back to their sleeping spot. Kion was still on Beshte, moaning weakly in pain.

"St-stop..." He moaned.

"Kion?" Fuli perked her ears. "What is it? Are you alright?"

Kion stared ahead of her, barely even acknowledging her. "St-stop..."

"Kion?" Fuli asked in a firmer voice. "Are you okay?"

"St-stop...! P-please stop..! H-how are you doing this?!"

"Kion," Fuli said firmly, trying to bring him to reality. "Kion!"

"Kion?" Beshte asked the lion on his back. "What's going on?"

"St-stop..." He quickly scrambled off of Beshte and gagged. His stomach jerked in the motion of multiple spasms.

A few moments later, blood was everywhere.

Kion collapsed on his side, gazing in front of him with clouded eyes.

"Kion!" Fuli gasped. She rushed over to him, the Guard closely behind her. "Kion!"

"Fuli?" He said drowsily, shaking his head. He then gagged more.

More blood.

"Zuka Zama, what's going on?!" Bunga asked fearfully.

He moaned in pain and put his paws on his stomach. Fuli gasped - it was so swollen. Not the 'you need to lay off the gazelles' type of swollen. It was the ill and sick type of swollen. His stomach was very red and inflamed. How did she not notice this before?!

Makini gasped and rushed over to her. She ran her hands down Kion's stomach. "Oh no..."

"What?"

"This is something that Rafiki told me about." Makini looked at Fuli, seeming to ponder her next words. "It was probably caused by the scar."

Fuli gasped. She closed her eyes as she lowered her head and touched her muzzle to Kion's forehead, hoping to comfort him.

A bolt of pain suddenly shot through her. Something was stabbing into her stomach. All her insides screamed for relief as she tried not to faint.

Something lurked just below her throat. She tried to stay as still as she could to prevent it from coming up. She swallowed, all the while hurting her throat. Her stomach suddenly decided to jerk. Spasms rippled through her body as the lurking thing below her throat started to rise...

She snapped her eyes back open and retracted her muzzle from Kion's forehead. He was starting to gag and turned his head away from her.

Fuli shook her head. The powers. She recalled that she could feel how Kion was feeling back when they were trapped in Swift's Clan. She didn't know how she could, but she could. But how did she forget about that?! She didn't know.

"Uhh, Fuli?" Bunga's voice cut through her thoughts. "What happened there?"

Fuli quickly turned to face him. "Nothing," she replied, trying to sound convincing.

Bunga shrugged. "Ok-" He suddenly gasped and pointed. "Oh my Great Kings and Queens!"

The whole Guard gasped. There Kion laid, blood pooling from his mouth. His cloudy eyes stared blankly ahead of them. He blinked and inhaled a shaky breath.

"Kion!" Fuli stared at him with a horrified expression.

Kion coughed. "It's..." He inhaled a breath, "burning."

"Anga, get the Night Pride! Maybe Nirmala can help!" Fuli ordered.

"On it." The eagle flew up into the air, sky blue eyes scanning the night in search of the group of lions.