Legends of the Lion Guard: The Dark Prophecy (Chapter 14)

Chapter 14 is the fourteenth chapter of Legends of the Lion Guard: The Dark Prophecy.
==Synopsis==
All remains peaceful for everyone at the Tree of Life, but they are oblivious to the fact that they will soon face a triple threat head-on.
==Transcript==
By the time Janna and Kenene had led Umhlaba, Nguruma, and Makini back to the Tree of Life, evening had begun to fall; the sky had darkened, and several stars were beginning to shimmer. 
“Ooh! The sky looks so pretty!” Makini gushed, her eyes shimmering as she took in the beauty of the night sky.
“Yeah, it is! The stars look like bright diamonds,” Umhlaba commented.
Walking beside Makini, Nguruma turned his blind blue gaze upwards to the night sky, feeling the wind ruffle his fur and mane.
“Will you tell me what you see, Makini? You make it sound so beautiful,” Nguruma asked.
Immediately, Makini's eyes lit up excitedly.
“Of course! It's so enchanting! The sky is a bluish-black hue, and the stars are shining as bright as diamonds! They look so pretty up there!” Makini exclaimed enthusiastically.
“When we were cubs, Dad told me and Kion that every Great Spirit of the Past, like Grandpa Mufasa, were in the stars, watching over us. He and Kiara used to take us stargazing all the time and teach us about all the different constellations, and he'd describe them all to me since I couldn't see them. Whenever I was out there with them, I could envision the stars so clearly in my mind, it almost felt like I could really see them,” Nguruma reflected.
Makini and Umhlaba's eyes were wide with interest as they listened to Nguruma's words.
“That sounds amazing, Nguruma,” Makini said.
“Yeah, it was. Sometimes, Mom and Kovu would join us too,” Nguruma said.
“What about Mahuluti?” Umhlaba asked.
At the mention of Mahuluti's name, Nguruma felt a familiar sensation swell in his heart.
“Often, before Scar returned, when everyone else in the pride was asleep, she'd take me to Urembo Meadows, and tell me all the stories she heard from Kuuma about the constellations in the stars. It felt amazing to be there with her. She really is a special part of my life,” Nguruma said.
“Maybe we could go stargazing together when we get back home,” Makini suggested.
“I'd love that, Makini,” Nguruma replied.
Walking ahead with Kenene, Janna glanced back at the three of them.
“Come inside, little ones. It'll be time to turn in for the night soon,” Janna said, as they approached the entrance to the Tree.
As they followed after Janna and Kenene, Makini glanced sideways at Nguruma.
“Can you find your bearings, Nguruma? Or do you need me to help you? There's lots of loose roots on the ground,” Makini said.
“Would you help me? I'm feeling tired and I don't want to trip and fall,” Nguruma said.
Makini moved closer to him, putting an arm around his shoulders, Nguruma leaned against her gratefully.
As they made their way inside the Tree, Makini glanced around confusedly, still supporting Nguruma.
“Where is everyone?” Makini asked.
“They're probably on the evening patrol. I'm sure they'll be back soon,” Kenene replied.
“Time to settle down, children. Would you like to hear a story?” Janna asked as she moved forward, settling down into her nest.
“Yes!” Makini exclaimed enthusiastically.
Janna and Kenene chuckled as they observed Makini's enthusiasm.
Nguruma yawned, feeling his eyelids grow heavy with exhaustion.
“Will you sit with me, Makini? I'd love some company right now,” Nguruma said drowsily.
“Of course I will, Nguruma.” Makini said softly, her expression softening as she noticed his tired state.
She helped Nguruma settle down into a nest close to Janna's, giving him a side embrace and ruffling his mane affectionately.
“Tonight, I'm going to tell you a story of a sacred tale from long ago: the story of how a raging fire was put out by the lion of legend, Askari,” Janna began mysteriously.
“Ooh,” Makini, Nguruma, and Umhlaba chorused, their eyes wide with anticipation.
“Even I don't know the whole story of how that happened, I've just seen the paintings Salamu left.” Kenene said, moving to settle down close to Janna. Umhlaba followed her, settling down beside her.
“Go on, your majesty! Tell us what happened!” Makini said exuberantly.
“Have patience, my dear. I need a moment to recall everything so I can share this fabled tale with you and your friends," Janna said patiently. 
Kenene's expression softened as she watched Makini hold Nguruma tighter, her eyes glistening with excitement and awe.
“We're ready, your majesty,” Kenene replied.
“This is so exciting,” Makini said in an undertone, leaning over towards Umhlaba.
“I know, I haven't heard this story yet either, but Kenene already showed me paintings of Askari. He's legendary,” Umhlaba answered.
Janna cleared her throat pointedly.
“Calm yourselves, sit back, and listen. Once, long ago, shortly after Askari discovered the Roar at Cikha Escarpment, during an unusually hot dry season, a drought struck the Tree of Life, depriving animals of much-needed prey and water. My parents had only just discovered the Tree moons before and were at a loss for how to overcome this hardship and care for the animals who needed them. Over time, despite their best efforts to maintain peace, discontent began to spread through the inhabitants, who believed that my parents could do more to keep them safe, and fighting soon broke out amongst them as they competed for the water and prey available. Further complicating matters, Salamu had reported that her herb supply was dangerously low, and because of the intense heat, herbs were scarce in the habitats. Because there were few herbs to cure the sick and injured, many soon succumbed to the heat and passed on,” Janna began.
Makini and Umhlaba were wide-eyed with eagerness and excitement as they took in Janna's words. Beside Makini, Nguruma was slumped over, struggling to focus on Janna's voice.
“Look over here, everyone,” Kenene urged.
She tapped her staff against a wall, and a cave painting, depicting packs of wild dogs, red pandas, and a streak of Tasmanian tigers surrounding a severely dried up river came to life.
“It's just like the dry season back home. The Pride Landers are always at each other's throats then,” Makini observed.
“One day, when the Tree of Life was on the brink of extinction, the Majordomo at the time reported that they had heard lightning cracks in the distance while on the morning patrol, which could only mean one thing: the rain had finally come to end the drought. However, when the lightning arrived, it was not accompanied by rain or even thunder. Instead, the lightning struck the Tree, immediately setting it ablaze,” Janna continued.
Makini and Umhlaba exchanged wide-eyed glances, a feeling of excitement coursing through them as they listened to Janna. Beside Makini, Nguruma had succumbed to his exhaustion and was fast asleep, nestled close to her.
“My parents' Majordomo had reported hearing the sounds of roaring coming from an escarpment, not far from the Tree of Life, and believed that the lion there could help. Due to the massive panic amongst the animals as they struggled to escape the flames, Berenike and Bahan knew that the lion could be their only hope of salvation and immediately set off towards Cikha Escarpment; upon arrival, they immediately located Askari, who had been practicing the Roar, and hastily implored him to help them, to which he obliged quickly, following them to the Tree. When they arrived, Askari positioned himself on a ledge near the Tree and performed the Roar, immediately summoning a raincloud which extinguished the flames, saving the Tree of Life and earning the immense gratitude of the royal family as well as the animals. My parents extended their thanks to Askari for saving the Tree from ruin, imploring him to take shelter with them for as long as he wished. They further decreed that Askari's heroics were to be chronicled in cave paintings by Salamu, which would forever cement him as a legend among the animals,” Janna finished.
“Janna, look,” Kenene murmured under her breath.
Janna's expression softened as she observed Makini and Nguruma nestled close to each other, sound asleep. Beside Kenene, Umhlaba had also fallen asleep, leaning against her shoulder.
“It's all right, Kenene. These little ones have had a very exciting day. I can always retell this tale if they want me to,” Janna said quietly.
Meanwhile, the Lion Guard and Night Pride were doing a patrol at Rocky Mountains.
“Hasn't it been awfully quiet lately? We haven't had to deal with a predator attack in days,” Mhina commented.
“Just because there hasn't been a predator attack that doesn't mean Reth or Makucha gave up. You heard what Reth said, the attacks aren't stopping, they won't stop until the Tree of Life and everyone that the pride is supposed to protect is gone. We can't let our guard down for a second, we must be ready for anything. Reth wants to murder everyone, there will be countless amounts of bloodshed if we don't stop them. The attacks have already gotten more violent, who knows what they'll do next,” Rani said irritably.
The whole patrol fell silent, stopping at a rocky outcrop.
An uneasy silence fell on the patrol as they began to head in the direction of the Tree of Life.
Unbeknownst to the patrol, a lion had stepped through the snow, his tan paws leaving behind big, bulky pawprints. A rugged breeze carried his dark red mane and tugged at it. His veiled, red eyes scanned his surroundings, a giant, giant lake, and a smile of triumph appeared on his face.
I have returned. Let vengeance begin.
==Appearances==
===Characters ===
*Cade Sutton as Mhina
*Max Charles as Kion (cameo)
*Joshua Rush as Bunga
*Diamond White as Fuli
*Bryana Salaz as Anga (cameo)
*Atticus Shaffer as Ono (cameo)
*Dusan Brown as Beshte (cameo)
*Landry Bender as Makini
*Lyons Luke Mathias as Nguruma
*Peyton Elizabeth Lee as Rani
*Marieve Herington as Kenene
* Shohreh Aghdashloo as Janna
*Nika Futterman as Umhlaba
*Kate Micucci as Mahuluti (mentioned)
* Rob Lowe as Simba (indirectly mentioned)
*Moira Kelly as Nala (indirectly mentioned)
*Eden Riegel as Kiara (mentioned)
*David Oyelowo as Scar (mentioned)
* James Earl Jones as Mufasa (mentioned)
*Jason Marsden as Kovu (mentioned)
*Allison Janney as Kuuma (mentioned)
*Michael Luwoye as Askari (mentioned)
*Justin Hires as Reth (mentioned)
*Steve Blum as Makucha (mentioned) / Ubaya (unnamed)
*Catherine Tate as Salamu (mentioned)
*Toks Olagundoye as Bahan (mentioned)
*James Sie as Berenike (mentioned)
===Groups===
*The Lion Guard
*Night Pride
*Simba's Pride (indirectly mentioned)
*Spirits of the Past (mentioned)
*Pride Landers (mentioned)
===Locations===
*Tree of Life
**Rocky Mountains
**Giant Lake
**Cikha Escarpment (mentioned)
*Pride Lands (indirectly mentioned)
**Urembo Meadows (mentioned)
===Animals===
*Lions
*Leopons
*Honey Badgers
*Cheetahs
*Eagles
*Egrets
*Hippopotamuses
*Mandrills
*Red Pandas (mentioned)
*Wild Dogs (mentioned)
*Tasmanian Tigers (mentioned)
==Trivia==
* This chapter marks the first time Kion has had a silent cameo.
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