A snake in the Grass
Ever since she'd heard of the legend of the Mark of Evil through Kiara's stories of Kion and Scar, Vitani grew to fear obtaining the Mark of Evil, herself, being a successor to two victims in a row. She hadn't told anyone for months, but she'd grown vigilant of the very fields she walked throughout her entire leadership so far.
When talks of the Mark of Evil made its way back to Vitani's mind, her paranoia eventually manifested to a noticeable level, and Tazama picked it up...
Tazama greatly disliked Vitani's sudden prejudice towards snakes. It didn't make sense for Vitani -- known for her fierce protection of carnivores' places in the Circle of Life -- to pick on a particular one. Tazama sympathized for commonly marginalized creatures, and saw nuance in all animals.
The Keenest of Sight felt she couldn't voice her concern, however, for fear of admonishment from her especially stubborn leader. Years under the leadership of Zira had greatly affected Tazama's perception of authority, even though she knew Vitani had too much of a heart to never grow as cold and merciless as her mother, her leader's paranoid state made her unpredictable, and almost unstable, a behavior that triggered Tazama's own fear response.
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While on their usual patrol across the territory, Vitani commanded her Guard to split up and watch over landmarks assigned to them, when suddenly...
HISS!
The last thing Tazama saw before stinging pain that boiled like the caldera of a volcano, was a cobra with unusual markings and abilities. Rather than bite her, the cobra had sprayed her right in the eyes with venom.
Groaning, yowling, and squeezing her eyes shut, Tazama repeated "Sh-She was just scared... she was just scared... she..." over and over, in an attempt to reassure the others, as well as herself, that the cobra didn't hate anyone, and therefore, was not evil.
The miraculous timing haunted Vitani. The cobra had entered their lives right when Vitani's mind was overwhelmed with fears of being bitten. She had to wonder it had been a cruel joke from the Lions of the Past, themselves...
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After a difficult decision to have Tazama sit several missions out until her eyes recovered... if they recovered... a certain someone showed up with a 'get well' gift of sweet-smelling flowers.
It was the cobra, who'd introduced herself as 'Fukiza'. She'd snuck into the healing area of the Lair from under the Lion Guard's detection, and explained to Tazama that she did not mean to temporarily blind her. She simply had poor control of her venom and was truly a nice snake. She was native to the Tree of Life, and came to the Pridelands to sample fragrances from East African flower species to add to her collection, until Tazama startled her, believing she would be attacked first.
Tazama had an open mind and understood Fukiza, and soon befriended her. The Keenest of Sight would eventually introduce Fukiza to the Lion Guard, who'd hesitantly warmed up to her.
Tazama's friendship with Fukiza made Vitani realize how irrational and rather self-centered she'd been acting. She'd put her fears as Leader of the Guard over listening to a friend she'd often misunderstood, and she'd lost her way in looking out for overlooked animals who deserved their place in the Circle of Life as much as the animals Kion's Guard often saved.
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Meanwhile, it appears an alliance is forming between evil forces in the barren Prideland-Outland border...
Upon hearing the Rogue Trio's intentions to take over the Pridelands -- thanks to Uongo delivering a message in the form of mimicked voices -- Ngurumo took the rogues under his wing.
Ngurumo, though not too pleased to work with a predator, managed to fit them perfectly into his plan. He feigned sympathy over the lions' banishment as he'd been banished too, and promised them a way to gain the land, without telling them his own intentions on obtaining the land for himself...
The Rogue Trio eventually obliged, still confused as to why their potential dinner was overseeing the plans to take over.
While they took their time perfecting their plan, they were not the only threat that awaited the Lion Guard...