Fuli blinked open her eyes. It was late morning, she realized. She turned around and saw Kion sleeping peacefully beside her. I'll let him sleep. This is the best sleep he's ever gotten in weeks. She thought to herself. She rose to her paws and stretched. Not long after, Gozi woke up.

"Hiya Fuli! Good morning!" He said. "I'm going hunting, catch ya later!" He then sped off out of the den. Not long after, Kion began to stir. He finally opened his eyes.

"Good morning, sleepyhead. Or should I say, afternoon?" Fuli playfully ruffled his mane, well, a still-growing mane. "You've been sleeping all morning. The sun is on the peak of it's path now."

"Huh?" Kion asked. He shook his head. He's not fully waken up I guess. Kion yawned and rubbed his eyes with his paw. He then got to his paws and stretched. "Fuli? I think we should continue the journey to the Tree of Life today."

"Yeah," Fuli agreed. She looked at Kion who was now starting to paw at his scar. She felt a stab of pity for him. He didn't deserve this. "Let's wait for Gozi to get back, he's already out hunting," she told him. Kion's ears fell flat the moment she mentioned that, though she could see he tried his best to hide it. They then heard a scream outside.

"Fuli! Kion! Help me!" The voice shouted. It was Gozi. "Oh no!" Fuli exclaimed. Her and Kion rushed out of the den and followed Gozi's voice. "Someone help!" Fuli and Kion kept running towards Gozi.

When they got there, Fuli was horrified. She saw her father, mother, and a bunch of cheetahs surround Gozi. The cheetahs prevented Gozi from escaping while her mother had Gozi pinned and her father was repeatedly clawing and slashing him.

"This is your punishment for attempting to escape Swift's Clan!" Her father yelled. Her mother smirked at the helpless cheetah below her. "Let me go!" Gozi screamed. That earned him a slash on the underbelly from her father. No!

Kion leaped into the group of cheetahs, clawing his way in. He pounced on her mother pinning her to the ground. Fuli followed him, tackling her father and pinning him also.

"Fuli?! What are you doing?!" Mwepesi snarled. "I'm saving my friend!" She shouted back. Mwepesi quickly flipped their positions and pinned Fuli. She looked to the left and saw that Kion was also pinned by her mother and two other cheetahs. Gozi was held in one place by five cheetahs.

"You're coming with us," Mwepesi snarled at Kion. "Fuli, Gozi, you too." The group of fifteen cheetahs that we're there herded Kion, Fuli, and Gozi back into Swift's Clan territory. Kion gave Fuli an anxious glance. She rested her tail-tip on his shoulder in a comforting gesture. "Everything will be okay," she murmured. Though even she wasn't sure if her words were true.

When they got to the Swift's Clan camp, all the cheetahs turned to look at Kion.

"A lion!" One exclaimed.

"Chase it off!" Another yelled.

"No, don't chase it off. Kill it!" Another shouted. Kion flattened his ears. He almost seemed to shrink behind Fuli as the cheetahs continued shouting. "Kill it! Kill it!" The fifteen cheetahs surrounding Kion and Fuli herded them to Fuli's den when she stayed in Swift's Clan. They shoved all three of them in the tiny den.

"And that lion," Mwepesi spat. "Will be executed and killed in ten days time." Kion gasped. Fuli moved protectively in front of Kion. "Cheetahs, guard the cave carefully. We don't want anyone trying to escape." The fifteen cheetahs that were surrounding Kion, Fuli, and Gozi, went back to the edge of the cave. Kion hid behind Fuli, shivering at what Mwepesi just said.

"Kion, I won't let them hurt you." Passion and fiery determination burned in Fuli's voice. She wouldn't lose Kion, no matter what. "Same for you, Gozi. I won't let them hurt you." Gozi stood tall despite being attacked earlier.

"I'm not scared!" He protested. Fuli tried to hide a purr of amusement. Gozi half purred, half laughed in response.

"Hey Kion, I've never heard you purr," Fuli told him. "Um, lions don't purr," he told her. Fuli rolled her eyes. Too fierce to purr, huh?

"Yeah right," Fuli said sarcastically. "No, it's true," Kion protested. He looked like he was trying to purr, but instead he let out a low growl. "See?"

Fuli tried not to laugh. "A cat who can't purr, really?" In reality, Fuli was trying to take Kion's mind off of the execution that would happen in ten days. Fuli could tell that Kion was trying not to laugh at her remark. He then walked over to a corner of the den and started to groom himself. Fuli walked over to him.

"Maybe we can help groom each other?" She suggested. Kion shrugged. "Okay, if you say so," he replied. They then started grooming each other's fur while cleaning each other's wounds they both received recently from Swift's Clan, the Sun Pride, and other things that happened recently.

"Kion?" Fuli asked when they were done grooming. "Thanks, I thought I'd never be able to clean that wound on my back."

"Hakuna matata Fuli," Kion replied. "And thanks for helping me with my wounds."

"Hakuna matata Kion," she replied. They then both settled down to sleep.

           XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
Fuli woke up to whimpering that night. She looked around the den. Gozi was sleeping soundly but Kion was nowhere to be seen. She was relived when she saw him walk in the den, but she was alarmed when she saw that her father, Mwepesi, was with him. Fuli thought she saw a red liquid on Kion's fur, but it was hard to see in the darkness of the den at night.

Kion walked to his sleeping spot in the den. Fuli noticed he was limping, unlike the night before. He looked miserable. "Kion, where have you been?" She asked him. He froze for a moment when she asked that. Mwepesi walked over to him and hissed something his ear. Fuli couldn't hear most of it, but she could make out the words: "If you..... I will..... you..... her."

"Where were you Kion?" She asked again. "I was thirsty," Kion responded quickly. Fuli thought she could see Mwepesi's lips curl upward in a smile, but she must have imagined it, because she shook her head, and he was frowning again. Fuli thought, for just one moment, she could see something red on Mwepesi's claws. Then Mwepesi left the den. Kion then stared blankly at Fuli, then curled up to go to sleep. What was that about? Fuli wondered to herself. I'll ask him in the morning.

                                                                        XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
Fuli opened her eyes. Dawn had come. The sun's light lit up the den, making everything visible unlike how it was in the night. Fuli looked around the den. She saw Kion already awake, and she was shocked. The red liquid she thought she saw on him last night wasn't just red liquid. It was blood. Kion turned to look at her.

"Kion," she spoke, her voice soft and gentle. "What happened?" Kion backed away the moment she asked that. "N-nothing it's just my wounds are bleeding again," he replied quickly.

"Oh," Fuli replied. "I'll help you clean them, if you want." Kion hesitated to reply, but he slowly nodded. "Lay down," she told him. Fuli walked over to him and started licking his wounds. Fuli must have hit one of Kion's nerves or something, because for a moment Kion tensed up then let out a relaxed sigh. His tail tapped on the ground multiple times. Then she noticed a few of his wounds weren't there before. She shook her head. I must be imagining things. She started to lick that wound, but Kion pulled away, wincing.

"It stings," he told her. Wait, newly received wounds are more likely to sting then older ones. Fuli thought to herself. Her thoughts were interrupted by Mwepesi calling. "Fuli!" He shouted. "Hunting duty. Now!" Fuli quickly got to her paws. "Gozi!" He called again. "Cave cleaning duty. Now!" Gozi scrambled to his paws and dashed out of the entrance to the den to meet Mwepesi near the outside of the cave.

Fuli ran out of the cave to hunt. Two cheetahs came with her, flanking her on each side to make sure she didn't try to escape.

                                                                                               *
Kion waited in the den, cleaning his wounds. He winced, it hurt, bad. Fuli and Gozi were out with duties to serve Swift's Clan. Nine more days. He thought to himself. Nine more days to live. Last night Fuli's father, along with four other cheetahs, forced him out of the den. They pinned him down and slowly but surely hurt him. They made it last hours, slowly running their claws down Kion's back, legs, side, and underbelly. Fuli's father even took one claw, and sliced it down Kion's scar. It hurt really bad. He told Kion that if he told anyone about it, he would do it again. So he didn't tell even Fuli. Just then, Fuli walked back into the den.

"Hi Kion," she greeted him. She looked exhausted. Kion perked up his ears. "Hey Fuli. How was hunting?"

"Good and bad," she replied. "The good part is that we caught a nice sized prey animal. The bad news is I was forbidden to eat any or take any back to you. So, no dinner tonight." Kion's ears fell flat. What was I expecting while being held prisoner?

"That's okay Fuli. You tried your best," Kion tried to reassure her. Fuli gave him a grateful glance. Just then, Gozi walked into the den, a look of annoyance on his face. "Ugh!" He snapped. "I hate cave cleaning duty! And every time I finally get it clean, Mwepesi, his mate Endesha, and some other cheetahs purposely go in and mess it all up again! That happens like five times a day!" Kion didn't know Gozi could ever snap like this. I would too, if that happened to me every day.

"Sounds tough," Kion sympathized. "It is," Gozi said through a growl. He then felt a sharp pain in his scar. He didn't want to accidentally say anything rude, so he tried to keep his mouth shut. His vision blurred for a moment, then went back to normal. He felt his heart quicken. He felt a sudden pain in his stomach.

"Um, Kion? Are you okay?" Fuli asked. Kion quickly nodded. He suddenly felt nauseous again. He started to feel dizzy. Must be another symptom of Ushari's bite. Kion thought to himself. He covered his head with his paws in an attempt to stop the dizziness.
                                                                                            *
Fuli saw Kion laying down, now covering his head with his paws. "Um, Kion?" She asked. Kion didn't seem to hear her. She rested her tail-tip on his shoulder to guide him into the den. It must be another symptom of the venom. Fuli thought to herself. She then went to place her paw on Kion's forehead. She recently discovered a few days ago that if she did that she could somehow feel what he was feeling. She had no idea how, but she could. A bolt of sickness jolted through her as soon as she rested her paw on Kion's forehead. She felt miserable, tired, dizzy, and extremely nauseous. She quickly stepped back so she wouldn't have to feel it anymore. She looked at Kion with pity. "Kion..." She began but trailed off.

"F-Fuli? Do you think that somehow we can escape?" He asked out of nowhere. Fuli nodded. "Well yes. What did you think I was going to do? Just sit here and do nothing?"

"No... it's just that I have a plan to escape," Kion told her. Fuli perked up her ears. If Kion has a plan to escape she needed to hear it.

"What is the plan?" She asked. "The plan is that in the middle of the night, the night they will execute me, I'll run to the back of the cave and make a huge ruckus. Then while everyone is distracted, you and Gozi run and escape," Kion told her.

"What about you?" She asked. Kion looked at his paws. "This might be the only way. Besides, you and Gozi will make it out of Swift's Clan."

"Kion I am not leaving you behind. We're a team, and a team sticks together," Fuli said, her voice strong and clear. Kion shook his head. "And sometimes there has to be sacrifice," he told her. "One has to die so the other can live. One lives while the other dies."

"Kion no, we can both make it out of here! Please don't give up on yourself," Fuli pleaded. Kion shook his head. "No!" Fuli exclaimed. "If that's the way it has to be, then I'll do it. I can't let you die Kion. You have so much to live for," Fuli told him, her voice thick with grief. I have to tell him the secret, too. She silently added to herself.

"No I don't," Kion argued. "My fate has already been laid out for me. As much as I hate it, I can't change my destiny now. You can Fuli, it's not too late to change your fate." Kion then walked to a corner of the small den and started to lick his wounds. They had started to bleed again, but it wasn't like any blood Fuli had seen before. It looked almost like... fire? Then, Fuli heard a voice in her mind. It said the same thing that a lioness had told her in a dream.

"When water and flames meet, scars and secrets will bleed, and the trees will blaze with fire."