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Horrors of the Past
Chapter 1 – Nightmare Reactions
It was a cool evening in the lush Pridelands. Nala ran to her mother's side after hearing her call.
'What is it, Mama?' she asked. All the lionesses in the pride had gathered here beneath Pride Rock. 'Why are we all here?'
Sarafina hesitated a moment, then said,
'He has ordered it.'
Hearing the fear and loathing in her mother's quiet voice, Nala looked up at Pride Rock and saw a shape in the shadows. It moved into the moonlight, taking the form of a wild-haired lion. He stood regally, then made his way slowly to where they were congregated.
Scar, she thought, recognizing him as Simba's uncle. Finally able to tear her gaze from him, Nala glanced around the pride. Where was Simba? She couldn't see him anywhere, which was strange. His mother, Queen Sarabi, was standing a few paces away, and Nala realized that King Mufasa wasn't here, either.
She remembered a few days before…
She and Simba had run off to play. Simba was always trying to impress her, and this time he had succeeded. He had led her to an elephant graveyard and, just as they began their exploration, hyenas had leapt from a nearby skull. They had chased the cubs, but were chased off themselves when Simba's father arrived. In anger, he had sent Nala home, and she hadn't dared tell anyone what had happened. Curling up beside her mother, she had fallen into dreams where she always ended up in great peril, but Simba had rescued her just in time. She awoke hours later when Simba and Mufasa finally came home, and smiled to herself when Simba lay beside her.
Scar spoke, jarring Nala suddenly back to reality.
'I have news… I will say now that it is not pleasant in the least, but you all must know.' He took a deep breath and said slowly, 'There was… a stampede, in the gorge today. Simba was playing, right in the path of those… awful, leaderless beasts. I found him clinging to branch, and ran at once to get Mufasa. When we returned, he leapt over the wildebeests to rescue Simba. He was able to fetch Simba from the branch, but…' He drew a ragged breath, 'Mufasa had jumped to retrieve him, and when he landed, Simba had been impaled on the beast's horns. Mufasa didn't realize… he saw Simba on the ground, picked him up, and threw him to a ledge. Simba's body tumbled onto the back of a wildebeest and was carried off with them.'
He paused a moment, uttering a quiet sob. The pride stood in shock, barely accepting the gravity of his words. He continued quietly, his eyes downcast.
'But that wasn't all. Mufasa leapt for the rocks, but… He had been injured by the wildebeests and was weak. I called out to him, and if he had reached just a bit farther, I could have helped him. He lost his grip on the ledge, and… fell. He was… trampled.'
Scar took another sob-racked breath.
'I feel terrible guilt in not being able to help them. And it is with a heavy heart that I now assume the throne. This is… a deep, personal loss. Yet from this tragedy, we shall greet a new age!'
The lionesses came out of their shock and looked around. Nala shrank back against her mother as hyenas crept from the shadows, surrounding them.
'Now,' Scar thundered, striding to the pinnacle of Pride Rock, 'lions and hyenas live, side by side, to a glorious future!'
The hyenas whooped and yipped, howling in a triumphant voice that chilled Nala's blood.
She looked fearfully at Sarabi, who was quietly being consoled by Zazu. The other lionesses were looking around at the hyenas, pure terror in their eyes.
This is the first LK story I've ever written, so I'm taking ideas and hoping you guys review!