Notes: Well, this is my first one-shot. Hope you all like it, and please R&R. :) Pretty much, Scar is my favorite character in TLK, so I had to write a fic about him. I don't really know why I thought of this, but it pretty much is Scar's thoughts on the day Simba returned. I wanted to show that he did have thoughts about it, and perhaps some reasons for why he did some of the things he did. I also wanted to show that, although he was abused while he was a cub, he is still very vicious and villianous. Hopefully he isn't too OOC near the end. I made the first third of it or so up, but the part from where he calls Sarabi on should pretty much be in canon. Anyways, without further writing, here it is! :)
"Hey, Scar? Where the heck are you? I want to talk to you!"
Well, if that wasn't the last voice I wanted to hear right now. Blinking my eyes clear of sleepiness, I got to my paws and looked towards the front of the cave, where the early morning light outside would illuminate and make clear to my eyes whoever it was that had bothered me, despite the fact that I already knew. It was the hyenas, complaining and begging for something, which they had been doing more and more lately, much to my dismay. Begrudgingly, I showed myself in front of Shenzi, the leader of the hyena pack, and began to pace in circles around her. She hated that.
"Look, Scar, there's no food! Anywhere! What have you been doing?"
Too tired and irritated with her and everyone else, I was unable to come up with an original response to that, and blandly used the same old excuse I had used a thousand times before with her.
"Ugh… it's the lionesses' job to do the hunting," I replied, not even attempting to hide my irritation as I rubbed my eyes with a paw. I was already getting another headache. As much as I knew she didn't really listen to that rationale from me anymore, I didn't want to say anything more on the matter. She would just have to deal with that or leave. Maybe, for once, she would actually say something to the lionesses about it, instead of verbally attacking me every time something went wrong when it had nothing to do with me or anything I had done.
"I can't believe you! Can't you see you're starving us?"
I wasn't really listening to her at this point anymore. She was annoying me, very much so. Sometimes I wished I could make all of them disappear, but things couldn't be that easy now, could they? Sauntering towards the back of the cave, I turned my back to her and settled down on my paws. Perhaps she would get the hint and leave… or not. Looking over my shoulder, I could see that she had followed me, still intent on voicing whatever tedious and cyclical complaints she had come up with today. Not saying anything, I ignored her continued attempts to get my attention and looked away from her towards the rock wall of the cave. Finally, after seeing that she was getting nowhere trying to talk to me, she gave up and left, clearly fuming. I scoffed. If anyone should be angry, it would have to be me. Sighing deeply, I realized with irritation that I should probably talk to Sarabi, the leader of the hunting party, about the lack of food later. This was getting just plain ridiculous.
Finally having the isolation I desired, I rolled over onto my side and began to groom my paw unconcernedly, before getting up and lazily padding over to the cave entrance before going outside, slowing down slightly as I drew towards the edge of the ledge which overlooked my kingdom. Looking down at the land below me, something was wrong. It was barren… and desolate. For whatever reason, my paws clenched tightly, causing my claws to scrape across the ground.
You caused this. Mufasa was ten times the king you ever were.
No, what nonsense.
Don't run from the truth, Taka. You know it to be true.
"No!" I yelled out audibly, turning around and dragging my sharp claws across the rock face behind me. I wasn't sure of what I was doing. My heart began to pound in my chest and I felt like a wild animal.
You killed Mufasa!
It was too much for me. Darting back into the cave, I paced around wildly, a crazed look about me as I growled low in my throat.
Random thoughts began to pass through my head. Of course Mufasa was always the favorite. The fact that there was a lack of food wasn't my fault. It was a coincidence. The lionesses hated me. Why?
For several minutes, everything was a disorganized jumble. I had scratched the wall with my claws several times and felt as though I would attack anyone who I happened to encounter. Luckily, though, no one entered the cave to bother me, and after a long while of this torment that had onset, I finally began to cool down. Sitting on the cave floor and panting for breath, I realized that I must be going insane.
No, no, of course not. I wasn't insane. I was perfectly fine. I absent-mindedly pushed some of my mane back over my shoulder and walked quietly out. I tried to pretend as though nothing had happened, but no matter how hard I tried, as I plodded down the rocky ledge I was not able to just forget what had happened to me. This wasn't the first time, either. Perhaps I really was going insane, with these wild mood swings and all…
Figuring that I should get this talk with Sarabi over with, I ran to the bottom of the ledge and looked around for her and the other lionesses. After a few minutes of searching, I didn't actually find anyone but a few stray hyenas. Maybe they had all left. Maybe they were even hunting, like they apparently should have been doing anyways. Oh goody.
"Sarabi!" I called out from a high ledge, in case she was still around somewhere. No response. She must be gone. It was nearly noon now, so any hunting party that had left would probably be back in less than an hour.
Suddenly I saw Zazu flying towards me from the distance. I had let him out of his cage today, as I did every once in a while if he was acting acceptably. The bird flew up to me and landed on the rock next to me, ruffling up his feathers pompously as he did so.
"Is it a morning report?" I asked him vaguely. I didn't really ask him because I wanted to hear what he had to say, but because I knew that he had always sang a song to Mufasa to tell him what was happening around the Pridelands. He had never done that to me. Of course Mufasa got something I didn't. Sure, I could cage Zazu and make him sing, and had done that on many occasions, but it just wasn't the same.
"No need for one, Sire. All the animals are dead or have moved away." He muttered quietly, nervously shuffling his wingtips together and smiling anxiously.
"Then what is it, Zazu?" I groaned with annoyance.
"Well, um, Your Majesty, the lionesses are at the hunting party and, uh, they're about to come back, but, uh, they haven't… um…" I could tell he was nervously trying to come up with the best way to explain this to me. He seemed afraid of me and worried about what I might do to him.
"Just tell me, Zazu!" I yelled at him much louder than I meant to as I leapt at him wildly, getting within inches of him. Zazu, who was shaking with terror, nearly fell off of the rock before he continued reluctantly.
"Well, uh, the lionesses haven't caught anything during the whole trip, which is unusual but not completely surprising considering the lack of food ever since you—"
"—Ever since I what? You think I'm to blame for this? You think I wanted the herds to move away and for this drought to happen?" I growled in his face as I stood on top of him, my paw pinning him to the ground. I just knew he would say 'since you became king'. It was all so hypocritical.
"And, uh…" Zazu continued, unsure of what to say to me, or whether he should even say anything or not. Seeing my anger with him, he squirmed squeamishly under my paw. Apparently my fixed stare on him was too much, as he quickly backed away from what he was going to say.
"Uh, nothing, Sire. Nothing at all!" he laughed sheepishly, trying to convince me that it wasn't worth hearing, whatever it was. But I would not let this go. If he wanted to fly from the middle of nowhere and waste my time like this with his petty nonsense, then he had better tell me everything. I was tired of playing games with him, and let him know by digging into his body slightly with my claws.
"Oh, um, okay, well, uh, the lionesses said… no, no, uh, Sarafina said, well, uh…" he stammered, pausing for a moment and trying to think of what to say.
"Well, she said… and I quote,"
I snorted slightly. Puh. He was trying to keep himself out of trouble by making it clear that he hadn't said anything bad about me. He was such a coward sometimes. I wished he could just tell me what it was, instead of stalling. Sometimes I felt as though I would fall asleep just listening to his unintelligible drabbling and utter nonsense.
"Well, Sarafina said that…" he drew back slightly, clearing very nervous, before finally and painstakingly continuing, "'Mufasa kept the circle of life in balance much better'…"
Mufasa.
The name echoed through my head. How dare she, or anyone else, ever mention his name? Didn't they know what torment that caused me? Inadvertently thinking of my brother, I accidently squeezed Zazu very harshly with my paw. He squeaked, but I didn't notice. I was angry and distracted. It wasn't guilt. No, not guilt. Of course it wasn't guilt. What nonsense. Throwing Mufasa off that cliff had given me pleasure. It was the mere memories of him that angered me. Being father's favorite. Getting chosen as the next king. Why had it happened? We were twins, and I was the same age as him. We should have had equal chances! And yet we didn't. Mufasa got everything! The love, the attention, the throne… I never got a chance. To my father, I was dirt. Trash. He had never loved me.
I was in a rage by now. Memories of us as cubs flashed through my brain. I could tell I was having one of my mood swings, as my heart began to pound wildly and my forehead became coated in sweat. I was so glad Mufasa was gone. Thinking of his death at my paws finally calmed me down slightly, and I began to notice that I had been unintentionally choking Zazu.
Completely unaware that I had been doing so, I was partially brought back to reality by the dim awareness that Zazu was no longer struggling under my paw. Getting off of him, I noticed he was unconscious, but still breathing. I hadn't killed him, despite the fact that, after hearing him mention Mufasa's name, I really wanted to. Sarafina and I were going to talk about that later. In the meantime, still panting heavily from anger, I grabbed Zazu with a paw and made my way back to the cave. Climbing up the ledges, I slowly entered the welcoming darkness and went towards the very back. A ribcage from a dead antelope was stuck under a crevice in the wall. Stuffing Zazu inside of it absent-mindedly, I walked back out of the cave, deciding to get a drink at one of the few water holes that were left. Zazu would wake up later.
Padding out again, I vaguely realized that the sun was a lot lower in the sky than it had been before. The hunting party would probably be back soon. As much as they were important to the well-being of the pride in regards to catching food, I sometimes wished that some of them would get lost or fall off of a cliff or something. Sarabi was always harassing me over some problem or another.
Deciding to take advantage of the few minutes I would have alone, I ran quickly towards the Outlands, where a small pond had avoided being dried up. Bending my head down to the water to drink, I noticed my reflection showing in the pond. Glancing at it, I noticed that I looked completely wild and… crazy. My mane was flying every which way and my fur was bristling and dusty. Since I had finished drinking, I decided to groom myself, getting off all the dirt and setting my mane straight, before swimming in the small pond for a few minutes.
There were no animals by the water hole, except for a few hyenas which had arrived in the last few minutes. I hadn't even noticed their presence, which was strange. They used to come and ask me, their leader, how I was doing, or thanking me for letting them into the Pridelands, but they didn't do that anymore. The small group of hyenas just sat their sourly, before one of them turned away and motioned for the others to follow. It was Shenzi.
"Come on, guys. He doesn't want to see us." She spat out angrily and ran off, with the others looking at me strangely and following. She was clearly angry at me for how I had ignored her, and though she deserved it, something about it bothered me. Why wasn't anyone loyal to me like they had been to my brother? I had done so much for them, but all they could do was complain. Why couldn't anyone see that? The drought hadn't been my fault, so why did they blame me for it?
Noticing it was well into the afternoon now and the lionesses would soon be back, if they weren't already, I began to run back towards Pride Rock. Surely enough, the lionesses were there, and they had brought back no food with them, which made me slightly irritated. They still weren't looking hard enough, and would no doubt blame me for the shortcomings they faced during the hunt. Several of them paced anxiously and looked around them, which made me realized with an annoyed groan that they were probably wondering where I had been. They looked all scattered around in every which direction. I decided that I should probably do something, and silently climbed to the top of a nearby rock.
"SARABI!" I roared out angrily, in no mood for this confusion right now. She walked up to me quietly, the only noise being the hyenas that had come back and were snapping at her heels disdainfully.
"Yes, Scar?"
"Where is your hunting party?" I asked crossly. Looking out at the randomly congregated group of fretting lionesses below and the fact that not a single one had a kill in their mouth, I added as an afterthought, "They're not doing their job."
"Scar, there is no food." She said simply and stoically, as if I should have known that already. I hated it when she talked to me like that. It was as if she was talking to a small child. I tried to keep my temper in check, but was unable to keep the irritation and desperation out of my voice as I tried to reply back assertively.
"No! You're just not looking hard enough!"
I was desperate at this point, looking for any excuse that would convince them that this wasn't my fault, but she seemed completely unconvinced, looking down her nose at me in that calm yet condescending way.
"It's over, Scar." She snapped assertively, before coolly continuing on, "We have only one choice. We must leave Pride Rock."
I didn't understand her logic at all, yet to her it seemed so obvious that only someone as ignorant as me could not comprehend that that was the only choice for us. I inwardly scoffed at her arrogance. What was she trying to do, be king for me? The pride had stayed in the Pridelands for generations. We had been through droughts before, but apparently we didn't turn tail and leave whenever the times got tough. If our ancestors had done that, we wouldn't even be here. We'd be living in some little cave out in the savannah somewhere. Leaving? That was just cowardly. Did she not understand the way things worked at all? I continued, angrily trying to refute the nonsense she had just stated as fact.
"We're not going anywhere." I stated aggressively. I had to put my paw down and try to end this argument. Besides, she clearly didn't know what she was talking about.
"Then you have sentenced us to death!" Her voice rose for the first time. It was clear that she had had enough of me, though if anyone had had enough of anyone it would have to be me.
"Then so be it." I scoffed, letting her know that I was not going to change my position on this one bit. I hoped she would get the hint and give in, but she didn't, continuing on instead.
"You can't do that!" She tormented me with her continuous verbal attacking. In that very moment, she reminded me of Mufasa… always telling me what I could and couldn't do, that he had to be responsible for me, make my decisions for me… bragging that he was the better one of us, that he was smarter, stronger… I couldn't do anything. Not on my own, without him looking over my shoulder. I had to do exactly what he wanted, when he wanted it.
But that was over. Mufasa wasn't the king anymore. I was. Yes, I was the king, and if she, or anyone else, had a problem with it, I didn't care. The throne, the kingdom, the power… it was all mine. I could do what I wanted with it. I would do what I wanted with it. Everyone else had better know their place.
"I'm the king! I can do whatever I want!" I declared confidently. There was a short pause, before she finally replied.
"If you were half the king Mufasa was…"
Mufasa. She had just compared me to Mufasa, and I had come in as second best, again. Why? Why? Mufasa wasn't even alive. I didn't see Mufasa putting up with this torment, or helping the pride through any drought or hardship. I didn't see Mufasa ever work for anything, not his whole life. I didn't see Mufasa presented with any doubt, or disloyalty. I didn't see Mufasa neglected, abused, or hated. And most of all, I didn't see Mufasa on the throne!
During that very moment, she wasn't Sarabi anymore. She was my father. If there was anyone I hated more than I hated Mufasa, it was my father. He had said almost the exact same thing to me, all those years ago…
If you were HALF the son Mufasa is…
I was angry. No, I was outraged. My father had always said that. Every other sentence he uttered was a comparison between me and Mufasa. Yes, I was always the mischievous troublemaker, and Mufasa had never done anything bad his whole life. I would show them.
"I AM TEN TIMES THE KING MUFASA WAS!" I roared at my father standing next to me, hitting him away harshly with a slap of my paw. I heard a grunt and a body hit the ground with a thud, then all was still. I looked down, and was quickly brought back to reality. It was Sarabi, not my father. I hadn't exactly meant to hit her away like that, but she did need to learn her lesson and back off, I supposed.
Backing up slightly, I was unsure of what I should do, until, at that very moment, an angry roar cut through the silent air, making me jump slightly and scaring me out of my wits. I looked up the ledge and saw… No. It wasn't possible.
Mufasa was standing there angrily, and his teeth were bared at me distantly. I backed up towards the wall, stammering out the obvious.
"Mufasa? N-no, you're dead."
I was terrorized. I had killed Mufasa. He had fallen down the gorge and was trampled by wildebeests. When I went down into the ravine after the event was over, it was clear that he was most certainly dead.
Looking towards where Sarabi was lying, I could see her regain consciousness as she looked up at my brother, who was her mate. She appeared to be talking, but I couldn't hear what she was saying. I looked at the two of them closely. At first merely smiled at him, like a mate would to another mate, but after the lion talked to her softly, something was different… the way that he talked to her and nuzzled her gently, and the way she reached a paw towards him after he spoke to her…
Everything suddenly clicked. No, this wasn't Mufasa at all. It wasn't Sarabi's mate, it was her son. It was Simba, my nephew.
I was not quite so terrorized anymore, since Simba had survived the stampede and I hadn't killed him myself like I had done to his father. I spoke up, distracting Simba from his mother.
"Simba?" I asked quietly. When I saw him look up at me, I knew I was right and that he was indeed Simba.
"Simba!" I continued, putting on my best fake smile. I didn't want to see him at all. He was supposed to be dead, but apparently not. He was just like a little Mufasa, waiting to take back what I had worked so hard for, and what he grew up believing he would inherit.
"I'm a little surprised to see you… alive." I looked up at Shenzi, who happened to be on a ledge above me. I could see her back away from my stare. I had ordered them to kill him when he was a cub. They never told me they had failed. I was angry at them. They couldn't even kill a weak, helpless little cub. Then again, I shouldn't have been surprised. The hyenas failed at everything, it seemed.
Simba walked towards me, anger present in his eyes. I backed up a little bit more…
"Give me one good reason why I shouldn't rip you apart."
This couldn't be good. I studied him closely and had to wonder what he knew about all of this. Did he somehow find out that I had killed his father? Or worse, that I had tried to kill him? Not wanting to give anything away in case he didn't know anything, I responded as vaguely as I could.
"Oh, Simba, you must understand… The pressures of ruling a kingdom—"
"—Are no longer yours. Step down, Scar."
"Oh, oh, yes, well I would! Naturally. However, there is one little problem. You see them?"
I pointed a claw up towards the hyenas, who were still waiting on the ledge. I wasn't quite sure exactly what they were doing there, but had to play innocent so that Simba wouldn't attack me.
"They think I'm king," I continued, pointing to myself with a paw vaguely but keeping my eyes on Simba the whole time to watch his reaction. Surprisingly enough, it was not Simba that spoke up next, as he remained silent.
"Well we don't! Simba's the rightful king."
It was not Sarabi, nor any of her lionesses. It was another lioness, Nala. The one who had been betrothed to Simba when they were cubs. The hyenas were not able to kill them, and despite the fact that I had not ordered them to kill her, exactly, I was kind of beginning to wish they had. I could clearly see now that Nala, who had been missing for several days, had found and brought back Simba, wherever he might have been hiding all this time. I narrowed my eyes at her angrily. If that wasn't enough, she was taking Simba's side, and, according to her, doing so on behalf of all the lionesses. Somehow I was worried that something like this would happen. Who was loyal to me and who was loyal to him?
"The choice is yours, Scar. Either step down or fight." Simba said firmly as he advanced towards me even more. I would have backed up had I not already been pressed against the wall.
But despite this, I found I could use this situation to my advantage. I could find out if he knew the truth about Mufasa's death, and if he didn't, I could guilt him. This would be much too easy. I knew I would have fun tormenting Simba, who was so gullible. It was pathetic, really. If it was anyone I was worried about, it was the lionesses. I would have to play this carefully.
"Oh, must it all end in violence? I'd hate to be responsible for the death of a family member. Wouldn't you agree, Simba?"
"That's not going to work, Scar. I've put it behind me."
Simba didn't know the truth. He may have thought he had me beat, but the circumstances were, for once, in my favor. Perfect.
"But what about your faithful subjects," I mocked, glowering at Nala slightly out of the corner of my eye before continuing, "Have they put it behind them?"
I couldn't keep the defiant smile off of my face. This was just too good to be true, it seemed. Once they suspected Simba for being responsible for Mufasa's death… I would be king once again.
"Simba, what is he talking about?" Nala asked, taking a step towards Simba. The confused expression on her face was simply priceless. Unable to keep the delight out of my voice, I continued to torment my own nephew.
"Ah, so you haven't told them your little secret. Well, Simba, now's your chance to tell them. Tell them who is responsible for Mufasa's death!"
The lionesses were growing increasingly restless. They had always assumed Mufasa's death to be an accident, luckily for me. They all crowded around at the scene unfolding before them. There was a long, tense silence, before Simba finally stepped forward. His head was tilted down and he was looking at the ground. He closed his eyes tightly, before admitting, in a voice no louder than a whisper, the false truth which he had believed and which I had pressed on him so long ago.
"I am."
I could see in his eyes that the memory of his father's death caused him pain, and I could also see that he truly believed in what he had just said. He had essentially admitted to Mufasa's death, which more or less meant that no one would consider or suspect that I had done it. Mufasa had died. Years had passed, and no one knew the truth. No one ever would, either. A false truth had been impressed on them by both me and by a lion who truly believed that he was responsible. He would end up willingly taking the blame for a crime he had had no part in.
Sarabi was horrified. Her own son had just admitted to killing her mate and his father. She staggered towards him slightly with her eyes open wide, as if she was about to burst into tears at any moment.
"It's not true. Tell me it's not true."
"It's true." Simba replied, again looking towards the ground. He looked deeply ashamed and hurt. Both of them looked crushed, and I wasn't even done yet. If I wanted to create the desired effect, I had to emphasize this point as much as I could. Surely no lioness would ever support a king who murdered their own father, even if he was the heir…
Well, then again, I had murdered my own father, but I was smart enough not to admit it. It had looked like an accident and so no one ever knew. I had hated my father passionately due to his favoritism between me and my sibling, as well as the overall constant abuse he had shown me, and so his death, instigated by me and a band of hyenas, had never triggered any sort of remorseful feelings within me. If Simba wanted to ruin his chance at being king by admitting a murder he didn't even commit, then so be it. It would only work out more to my advantage. He had far too much guilt over his father's death, which showed how weak and pathetic he was. It showed how easy it would be for me to take back the throne. Clearly someone like Simba, with no resolve or mental tact, was not capable or worthy of being king anyways.
But, for the sake of confirming the loyalty of the wavering and confused lionesses, I continued.
"You see! He admits it! Murderer!"
The sound of thunder crashed behind me as I said this, and I could see the whole scene before me illuminated by a streak of lightning that had shot across the now deep, purple sky. Wait, lightning? There hadn't been any rain in a long time, and there hadn't been any lightning either. Maybe, just maybe, this lightning would be accompanied by rain and the drought would be over, and once the drought was over, my kingdom would be restored to a much more lush and peaceful place. They would finally see that it wasn't my fault. Maybe I would even be respected and seen as a great king.
That was all the more reason for me to succeed. I wanted that glory. I wanted to be recognized. Recognized as the king who got his pride through the toughest of times, and who had seen them through the drought despite the fact that all had seemed hopeless. The king who had stayed even when the others had encouraged him to leave his home. The king who had watched his kingdom plummet into darkness at the beginning of his rule, only to be brought back again by his tenacity and patience. Besides, I had done all those things. What had Simba done? Absolutely nothing. I would not let him take credit for my kingly accomplishments. He was just a little brat, and he didn't deserve anything. If he wanted something, he would have to work for it for once. I wasn't just going to step down and let him get what he wanted. I wasn't going to give in to him like I had done all those years with Mufasa. This time would be different. I made up my mind then and there that I would not stop, ever, until one of us was dead. I would turn the lionesses against him. I would set the hyenas on him. I would even fight him, if necessary, though he was much bigger and stronger than I had ever been. I would make sure he did not get the throne. I was going to live, I was going to be king, and I was going to succeed.
Simba must have realized that I wasn't going to surrender by now. His stance and attitude quickly went from sad and broken to defensive.
"No! It was an accident!"
I could tell that he wasn't exactly thinking clearly, and that he didn't believe all of what he had just said to me. He had shouted it out of desperation, to try to prove that he wasn't a murderer. Milking his hesitation for all that I could possibly get out of it, I began to circle him wildly, accusing him rapidly and hoping to break him down emotionally.
"If it weren't for you Mufasa would still be alive. It's your fault he's dead. Do you deny it?"
Simba quickly shrunk back from being desperate and defensive as he again looked ashamed, which told me quite clearly that my accusations had had the desired effect on Simba. Hopefully the lionesses were just as convinced by now, though I couldn't see them since all my attention was on my suffering nephew.
"No," he said, quietly and meekly.
"Then you're guilty."
"No, I'm not a murderer!"
He clearly hadn't wanted to, but was still further and further admitting lies he thought to be true. Though he said he wasn't a murderer and tried to say it was an accident, he was obviously quite confounded as to what he should say or do. Knowing that he wasn't quite able to attack me due to his emotional state, and that I had thoroughly confused and tortured him, I began to advance on him. As predicted, he did nothing but back away from me. Slowly but surely, I herded him towards the tip of Pride Rock. If I was able to back him off of the edge, he would have no chance of surviving from the fall, and it would probably not be very obvious that I had intended for him to fall and meet his doom at the bottom. The lionesses didn't do anything, even as Simba neared the precipitous edge. Maybe they were shocked, or maybe they thought I was angry at Simba because he had admitted to causing the death of my brother. In any case, no one interfered as Simba unknowingly walked towards his own suicide and away from my somewhat threatening stalk towards him.
"Oh, Simba, you're in trouble again," I pressed, still continuing on with my verbal attacks so that he remained in a state of emotional turmoil. "But this time daddy isn't here to save you." Simba seemed too distracted by my moves and words to notice that by now he was right on the edge of the large, hulking rock. I took the last few steps towards him carefully, preparing my final words to him before his death. Finally, he was just one step from the edge, one step from death and infamy, and one step from making me unconditionally and indisputably king for life.
"And know everyone knows WHY!"
At that precise moment, a second bolt of lightning cut through the sky, bathing everything in an intense, bright light for a brief moment. Except this time it was closer than the other bolt had been. Even as the flash from the lightning receded, a sudden reddish-orange glow still illuminated some of the darkness, causing long, dark shadows to mix with dazzling radiance. Looking down briefly, I noticed that a bush had been struck by the lightning and was now on fire. The flames had already leapt across to the dry, parched grass and the fire was spreading very quickly.
Suddenly, there was a quick scraping of claws and a surprised gasp, and I looked down to find that Simba was clinging to the edge with his front paws. He was staring into my eyes with a pleading and terrified expression on his face. He knew he was mine now. I would throw one of my own relatives off of a cliff to kill them, for the second time in my life. He appeared to me almost as exactly as Mufasa had, when my brother had begun begging for his life to deaf ears. Helpless, afraid, and at my mercy, only to know my true treachery at their last dying breath. Just as I had all those years ago, I looked down on him mercilessly, and began to mock him.
"Hmm, now this looks familiar. Where have I seen this before? Let me think… Oh yes, I remember! This is just how your father looked before he died."
I whipped forwards suddenly, digging my sharp claws into his clinging paws in preparation to throw him off of the looming cliff. I was in control, and I loved that feeling. I had rarely had the sense or pleasure of being in control of another's fate, or in control of anything for that matter. In fact, the last time it had happened was when I had killed Mufasa. I could end Simba's life at the flick of my paws. I could taunt him, or hurt him, or tease him. I alone could save him, though I certainly did not plan on it, and he could do nothing. The pathetic little cub was finally in my grasp, and being king was only a single move away. I had won.
Whispering just loud enough for my nephew to hear, I uttered the last words that he would ever know.
"And here's my little secret: I… killed… Mufasa!"
I was ready to throw him off the cliff just like I had done to his father, but something went wrong. Terribly wrong. Perhaps the fact that Simba was deeply attached to his father was not a good thing, as he was quickly and clearly enraged. I had lifted up my paws to throw him off nevertheless, but Simba began to scream at me. Loudly. I inadvertently jumped in fright, distracted for a brief moment at throwing him off the cliff. But that was all it took. Simba had gotten his paws free and, in one giant leap, cleared the rock face. Before I knew it, I was lying on my back, with Simba pinning me to the ground. I was unable to move, both from terror and from the fact that Simba was using all his strength to hold me there. He planted a paw on my throat, and began to squeeze.
I panted for breath and tried to struggle out of his grasp, but he had made sure I could not get up. In a split second, everything had turned completely around. It was Simba's turn to be in control, and I was at his mercy now. I was terrified, as I had no idea what he was going to do to me. He would probably kill me. The expression on his face was furious.
He knows the truth.
I now realized just how fatal of a mistake I had made. Why had I done that, when I could have simply thrown him off the cliff? He wouldn't have fought against it, if he hadn't known the truth. The mere knowledge of the fact that he had not killed his father had brought back his will to fight, and the fact that I had done it had enraged him even more.
"Murderer!"
Right then and there, it all had changed. He knew everything. He knew that I had killed his father, that I had lied to him and everyone else about it all these years, and that I had tricked him into running away so I could send the hyenas to kill him, finishing my plan of taking the throne. He knew that I had tried to kill him mere moments ago because I wanted to be king and I had to get rid of him to do so. Everything that had been hidden from him for nearly his whole life had been unraveled before him, all because of my mistake. He knew what I really was: a murderer.
All the lionesses looked up in new shock and confusion. They would all join against me once they found out who really killed Mufasa in the gorge. I couldn't let that happen. But what was I saying? Simba knew everything. He could easily tell them, or even force me to admit it. Someone knew my secret, and unless I killed them right then and there, which I couldn't, it could be told to whoever they wished. I had given up everything to my enemy, and there was nothing I could do. Nothing except beg, however degrading to my own sense of pride it was.
"No, no, Simba! Please!"
"Tell them the truth."
His voice was firm and dripping with anger. Despite the fact that I knew it wouldn't work, I tried to sidestep around his request.
"Truth? But truth is in the eye of the be—"
I was going to say 'beholder', but Simba could see around my intent. He was no longer a gullible, stupid cub. He knew I would kill him if I got the chance, and that I would do whatever I could to keep my hold on the throne, including not telling everyone the truth about my brother's death, which I had been doing for years. Wanting to get straight to the point and tired of games, he had pressed his paw down quickly and intensely on my throat before I could finish my sentence. My breath caught and I began to choke helplessly under his firm grasp.
I gasped for air and began to panic. I tried to resist and escape the tight hold of his paws again, but the more I tried to get free the more he had pressed down on me. It began to hurt badly, and I knew he would continue as long as I didn't do what he had wanted. Seeing as I had no choice, I gave in, albeit reluctantly. I hated my nephew. I always had, though I did even more so now, because of my situation. He was forcing me to give away everything that I had, everything that I had earned. It rightfully infuriated me.
"All right," I growled quietly, barely able to speak. He didn't take his paw off my throat right away, however. He stared down at me, wanting to make sure I would do what he asked if he stopped strangling me. "All right!" I rasped back in a voice that was louder, making it clear that I had had enough. Finally releasing me from his chokehold, I made a last ditch effort to avoid what was coming to me, not by physically resisting, but by whispering as quietly as I could. Maybe no one would hear me, and I could find a way to get away.
"I did it."
Simba didn't do anything but stare down at me. Looking me straight in the eye, he again spoke in the same unyielding tone of voice.
"So they can hear you."
It was then that I finally gave up. I had been beaten… outsmarted, even, though that seemed impossible. Fine then. So be it. He wanted loud? I would make myself loud and clear. I met his eyes with my angry gaze. I was not happy about this, and I would make sure that he knew that. Snarling and baring my teeth, I confessed to the pride.
"I… KILLED… MUFASA!"
The lionesses had the exact same reaction as I had expected. Simultaneously, they all leapt at me, charging towards the end of Pride Rock. They were growling viciously and by their countenances seemed about ready to rip me apart. Glancing above me, I could see Simba was still intent on pinning me down, but at that very moment he was suddenly knocked backwards. The hyenas had apparently been waiting nearby, and had pushed him off of me. Finding myself free of the weight that had been on my chest and throat, I leapt to my paws and bolted, not wanting to be caught up in a massive, random battle. If Simba was killed, then it would save me the trouble of killing him myself. The lionesses seemed unsure of what to do, and ended up going after the hyenas to defend Simba. As much as I wanted him dead, at least it meant that there wasn't a horde of angry lionesses after me. I watched as my hyena minions battled Simba and the lionesses for my sake, but was angry at them. Sure, they were helping me now, but they had better do so considering the fact that they had caused all of this trouble. If they had simply killed Simba as a cub like they should have, this mess would never have happened. I continued to watch, and saw with dismay that the hyenas were beginning to lose. What would happen if they all were killed? I decided to back away some more from the violent clash. Suddenly I noticed Simba. He was free of the hyenas, who were mostly engaged in battle with the lionesses. He quickly caught sight of me and gave chase. Startled, I darted up the ledge nearby. The fire had spread rampantly by now, and I could feel the warmth of it burning from the grass nearby. I turned a corner, still running quickly up the narrow, winding edge of the massive boulder behind Pride Rock, before I saw a wall of flame in front of me. I didn't stop. I continued and jumped through the flames. It was scorching and uncomfortable, the flames lapping at my body as I passed through. Finally the flames parted and my paws hit solid rock. I looked for another place to run, but it was a dead end. I had cornered myself on the flat surface of a large, sheer boulder. Just then, Simba leapt through the flame as I had done, blocking off my only escape. I could see that running was no longer an option. I would have to settle this, once and for all. It was just him… and me. No hyenas. No lionesses. Just the two of us. I wouldn't stop—ever—until one of us had died. I would be king or die trying.
Unfortunately, however, Simba was stronger than me. He could definitely beat me in a one-on-one fight. However, if I outsmarted him or caught him by surprise, which I could easily do, I could have a fair chance at beating him. I didn't attack him. Not yet. I would watch and wait for my chance to attack.
Simba walked towards me slowly. His face was serious and angry, and I could tell he was trying to pin me to the corner to prevent my escape. I looked over the edge of the rock we were on, and saw that it was a straight, vertical drop into the fire. Not wanting to fall over the edge, I attempted to move towards the center of the rock a little bit, but Simba was already very close to me. He continued to advance towards me threateningly, but, not wanting to accidently back off the edge as Simba had almost done, I stayed still where I was, only crouching a bit lower as Simba walked resolutely up to me.
"Murderer…"
Seeing that I was essentially stuck there for the moment, and that attacking right then would not be smart, I tried to figure out a way to get him to lower his guard slightly so I could figure out what to do. Though I hadn't thought much ahead, I knew he wasn't quite a murderer, and wouldn't kill me right away.
"Simba, Simba. Please have mercy. I beg you…"
Simba didn't yield, but moved just a bit closer to me. His eyes narrowed and focused on me.
"You don't deserve to live…" he trailed off vaguely. I could tell he wanted nothing more than to kill me, but something held him back. I could tell that this would be harder than I had originally thought. I tried a bit harder to convince him that he shouldn't attack me, though I was unsure of what to do. For once, Simba seemed very determined. Perhaps I could try and convince him that he shouldn't kill me since I was his uncle, despite the fact that I honestly had not cared that he was my nephew when I had tried to kill him.
"But Simba, I… am family…" I winced a little after saying that. I couldn't believe I was even related to him. How repulsive. Not seeing him back up or change his facial expression at all, I made one last effort to convince him that it was not my fault. But who could I use as a scapegoat?
"It's the hyenas… who are the real enemy. It was their fault. It was their idea!"
Though that hadn't actually been true, I hoped that Simba would believe it, not necessarily to get them into trouble with him—what could he do to them even if it had been their idea anyways?—but to get some of the blame shifted away from me, so that I could finally see a chance to fight and kill him. Besides, I was angry at the hyenas. They had caused this whole mess, so they should have taken at least some of the blame as far as I was concerned. If they'd only killed him as a cub, I would be king for life, and I knew they wanted that. At least, they did if they were smart. Where would they be without me? They'd be in the Outlands, starving to death. I had saved them from that. They should at least be grateful.
"Why should I believe you? Everything you ever told me was a lie." Simba continued darkly, his eyes still fixed on me harshly. I backed away from his stare a little. I wasn't sure what Simba was going to do to me. I assumed he was going to kill me, but maybe not.
"What are you going to do? You wouldn't kill your own uncle…?" I asked, adding a nervous grin at the end of my question. I was afraid of Simba. I hoped that I really would end up getting the chance to get away from the edge or surprise him, since that was probably the only way I would win after being forced to fight for my life against a lion that was significantly bigger and stronger than I was. Besides, he could easily push me off the edge because I was so close to it.
"No, Scar… I'm not like you."
I was somewhat relieved at this, though I still wasn't quite certain why he had not killed me yet. I would not have held back had I been Simba. Sure, he wasn't like me, but why? I decided to go along with it anyways. Besides, the fire had burned brighter than ever before and illuminated the whole top of the rock, and I could see a pile of ash that had gathered near Simba's side. It gave me an idea, but I would have to find a way to get off the edge and around my nephew.
"Oh, Simba, thank you. You are truly noble. I'll make it up to you, I promise. How can I… prove myself to you? Tell me. I mean anything."
Simba paused. A tense moment followed, and all was complete silence. Finally, he spoke up angrily. I could still tell from his voice and countenance that he wanted to kill me badly, but still did not even attempt to do so. Perhaps he was cowardly? No, I didn't think so. I didn't understand, really.
"Run. Run away, Scar, and never return."
I looked at him in disbelief. It was the exact same thing I had said to him after I had killed his father, and blamed it on him. He was toying with me, somehow. He was offering me a chance. A chance to live. But I would never take it. I wasn't going to run off to a distant land and lose what little I had left: my pride. I wasn't a coward. Sure, Simba might have run off after I had told him to, but I was not going to do the same. I didn't care about what odds were against me anymore. It wasn't about killing Simba. I knew I would probably never be king again, no matter what the outcome was, but I was beyond giving up. I had put too much at stake. I had everything to gain, and almost nothing left to lose. I had to try. Besides, now was my chance to finish this.
"Yes… of course…" I said absent-mindedly. I got up and, keeping my eyes on Simba the whole time, moved slowly around him. He let me leave and didn't move, only eyeing me intently. I moved towards the ashes, and coolly turned towards him.
"…Your MAJESTY!"
I snarled as fiercely as I could, whipping the ash into his face before he had time to respond or even realize what was happening. The ash coated his eyes, momentarily blinding him before he desperately tried to get it out of his face. I didn't waste a second. I leapt at him ferociously, and in a moment we were fighting viciously.
I had attacked him first, biting at his neck and trying to bring him down with a tackle. Simba, however, had gotten to his paws quickly and pushed me off of him. We then ran at each other, each of us rearing onto our back legs as I tried to smack him in the face with my claws. The skirmish lasted several more seconds before I finally succeeded. I had smacked him so hard with my paw that he had been knocked onto his back, right by the edge of the cliff. Perhaps I would win after all, if I attacked him quickly. I soared through the air at him, growling as angrily as I could. Once I landed on him, I could easily finish him off with a bite to the throat.
I could feel myself getting closer, and my heart pounded with excitement. Finally the throne would be mine. True, I did have the lionesses against me, and they knew about me killing Mufasa… hmm, I didn't know how I would figure a way out of that. I actually felt hopeful as I got nearer and nearer to my nephew. Someday this would all be over. The drought, the disloyalty, the disrespect. I would get everything I had deserved in life. Mufasa wouldn't be there. My father wouldn't be there. Simba wouldn't be there. Everything… it would be mine, and no one would care or deny it of me. I would live as a loved, respected ruler. I would have a mate who deeply cared about me, and cubs that would grow to inherit the throne as well. The kingdom would be a beautiful place, free of drought or lack of food. The hyenas would live side by side with lions, and no one would mind. Somehow, I knew it would all come true. It was what I deserved, after all.
Finally I was on top of Simba. My teeth were still bared and ready for the final blow, but all of a sudden I felt something pushing on my belly, and then I didn't see Simba anymore. I had somehow gone past Simba, and, what was worse, I was flipping over through the air. I pawed around desperately, trying to feel the ground, but there was none. Simba had somehow pushed me right past him. I tumbled through nothingness and for a brief moment, everything was still, before I smacked into a rock with my shoulder. Pain shot through it as I tumbled helplessly across the edge of the cliff, smacking harshly into several more sharp, jutting edges along the way. When I finally hit the hard ground, I was beat and broken. But that was when something inside me snapped emotionally as well. I realized that that was my last chance to get rid of Simba myself, but I had failed. I looked up, at the brilliant flames that surrounded me, and pulled myself to my feet. I was barely able to stand.
Looking out through the flames, I saw familiar shadows come out from behind a rock, and I recognized them as the hyenas. At least they had always been there for me, whether I had failed or not. They were, really, my only friends. Or, at least I had thought they were.
"Ah… my friends…"
I was rather glad to see them, and I smiled blankly. For whatever reason, I felt kind of… bad. It was a strange feeling, but somehow I thought that maybe I should have treated them a little better. But at least they were here. They could help me, perhaps. We could take down Simba together. These hyenas… were my last chance.
But something looked different about them… they looked sad, and angry. I couldn't explain why. I didn't know what had been wrong with them, until I looked at Shenzi. She didn't appear happy, at all. It was then that I realized that they had been angry at me.
"Friends? I thought you said we were the enemy!"
I wished now that I hadn't said that, but it was too late. I tried to explain to them that I hadn't meant it, and that I had only said it to distract Simba, which was really the truth, but they would have none of that. The hyenas began to close in on me. They didn't want or need me anymore. I was nothing to them. Trash. Just like I had been to everyone else. I should have never trusted them in the first place.
My only friends were now my enemies. They had stabbed me in the back, at the very time I had needed them most. They had left me, just like everyone else inevitably had. Somehow, that was when it became clear to me that I would never get a chance. Somehow, I had never deserved one. I didn't understand. I had been trying my whole life to understand, to figure it out with thought and reason, but never had I succeeded. Something pushed me forwards inside of me, but I knew that it was over. I was as good as dead, but I would continue to try. Maybe it was madness that kept me going, or a strange desire to prove everyone else wrong, or even simply a want for control. But I would never succeed.
It was Shenzi that leapt at me first, the anger and hurt clear in her eyes as she attacked me. Several other hyenas leapt on top of me, and my weakened body quickly fell under their attacks. I would be dead soon, but I kept fighting. Soon I was bleeding all over, but I wasn't paying attention to blood, or the hyenas I was clawing at. I was wondering if kings really became stars when they died.
If they did, would I be stuck in Mufasa's shadow again, or would I actually become a star you could see? I didn't want to have to spend eternity in my brother's shadow like I had already done my whole life. In fact, I didn't want to be with him at all. I hated him. I hated them all: my family, the hyenas, the lionesses… they never cared for me in the slightest. Just when I thought the hyenas had been my friends, they stabbed me in the back and were now trying to maul me to death. The same thing had happened with the lionesses. None of them really loved me, and the moment things got difficult they turned away from me. And my family… none of them ever loved me, either. My name, Taka, meant dirt, and they constantly humiliated me and reminded me of my past by calling me Scar. I had killed them, so that I could live free of their torment, but what would happen now? I could possibly have to endure an eternity with them.
The hyenas were still there, and I was fighting them stubbornly, but I barely even noticed them anymore. I didn't even feel the pain. I began to laugh, and I felt crazed… They thought they had won, and that they could kill me, but they were wrong about that. I had become king. I had done more than Mufasa ever had. I was the better one of the two! I had proved my father wrong, and had thusly won in my own mind.
And yet, the last thing that I had ever felt was rain, pouring down on me in big, wet drops. The drought was over. It had to have been Mufasa. He was laughing at me, somehow, from up in the sky, sending the rain that I had been waiting for so long at the moment of my death. He was favoring Simba over me, as always. My father was no doubt looking down at his grandson with pride, ignorant to me or the fact that I was even missing. I would be dead, and no one would ever care in the slightest.
Finally, the hyenas were finished with me. I died, and my soul left my body and went up towards the sky. I was there, with Mufasa… and in his shadow once again.