The Scar's heir
Following story is inspired by TLK series and should be treat as a homeage paid to films creators. All characters are property of Walt Disney Pictures of TakaPL.
Warning!
This fan-fic was written by non-English-speaking author. Due to my limited language skills, it may contains lot of grammatical and syntax errors. Please, don't bother with harsh form of the text, and try to focus on the plot.
Dramatis Personae (in alphabetical order, new characters are marked with \/\/\/):
Ahadi – once king of Priderock, father of Mufasa and Scar (Taka).
Arista\/\/\/ – once king of Golden Pride, father of Sparthi and Zira. Died during the Great Drought.
Danti\/\/\/ – former Outlander lioness, friend of Ostasi.
Kiara – daughter of Simba and Nala, sister of Tanabi. Princess of Prideland.
Kovu – son of Zira, adopted son of Scar. Mate of princess Kiara. Rightful heir to Golden Pride King, but presumed to be Pridelands King after Simba.
Maitha\/\/\/ – adolescent lioness, friend of Kiara.
Mufasa – once king of Priderock, son of Ahadi.
Nala – Priderock Queen (in Simba's era). Mate of Simba, mother of Kiara and Tanabi.
Onya\/\/\/ – lioness from Priderock, cub friend of Sarabi and Scar (Taka).
Ostasi\/\/\/ - former Outlander lioness, friend of Danti.
Rafiki – old mandrill, shaman and advisor of Simba.
Sakia\/\/\/ – old lioness, friend of queen-mother Sarabi, once faithful subject of Scar.
Sarabi – queen-mother, mate of Mufasa, mother of Simba, grandmother of Kiara and Tanabi.
Sarafina – friend of Sarabi, mother of Nala.
Scar (Taka) – Pride Rock king after death of Mufasa.
Simba – king of Priderock, after Scar's death. Son of Mufasa, father of Kiara and Tanabi.
Sorphi\/\/\/ – lioness from Simba's Pride.
Sparthi\/\/\/ – son of Arista, brother of Zira. Prince of Golden Pride. Deceased during the Great Drought.
Tanabi\/\/\/ – son of Simba and Nala, prince of Priderock, younger brother of princess Kiara (name was inspired by many fanfics, where Tanabi plays main role. But watch out, I've made few changes in this character. What is most important, he's second child of Simba!)
Uru – once queen of Priderock (in Ahadi's era). Mother of Mufasa and Scar (Taka).
Vinia\/\/\/ – lioness from Simba's Pride.
Vitani – daughter of Scar and Zira, sister of Nuka and Kovu. Heir to Scar's throne.
Yakta\/\/\/ – former Golden Pride member, lost during exile of desert lionesses.
Zazu – old hornbill, majordomo of Simba's court.
Zira – Once queen of Priderock (in Scar's era). Daughter of Arista (Golden Pride's king), sister of Sparthi, Mother of Nuka, Vitani and Kovu.
Song 1 - Endless Round
Attention please – this is one the "original-motion-like-song", which might help you get a TLK:TSH atmosphere. Sing it yourself, to mixed melody of "Circle of Life" (verses) and "He lives in you" (chorus). Once again, excuse me my limited language (and poetical) skills. If you found this song amusing or bothering, skip it, like all others songs here:
Shot of Priderock, the same scene, that ended SP – Simba, Nala, Kiara and Kovu come to edge of Priderock and start to roar. Gathered animals cherish this ceremony. Roar sounds all around, camera back off, showing more area. Music starts:
From the day that we've taken life's duties
In the quest of to outlive our days
Camera goes away from Priderock, but still focus on it. We see more and more animals, at first giving their homage to lions, but later/in grater distance from rock, they seem to live their daily routine. But when roar sounds all of them stop for a while
Every step that we've done
Is for next to go on
In that great and unquestioned haze
Antelopes stop eating and lift their head, listening to roars. The same do zebras and giraffes.
There's far much to understand here
That your mind can never to match
Group of moneys are jumping from tree to tree. When roars sound they stop and one from pack falls down due to surprise
So you ride on this wheel
So you step to this hill
And go on or fall and be crushed
Leopard chases his prey – young antelope. Both animals stop on sound of roars, listening for a while, but then leopard starts again, pounces on a prey and when is about to kill it, camera goes away.
It lives in me
It lives in you
The seed of tragedy
The root of truth
Pack of vultures, flying over savannah, stops their flight, and floats in the air, listens to roars. But after a while, they all fly down and starts to eating some carcass
Running the unknown
At horizon
It lives in your soul
Until you're gone
Young buffalo drowns in swampy river-bay. His mother tries to help him but it seems hopeless. When roars sound both animals turn their heard to Priderock direction and listen. By that time, buffalo cave to swamp almost whole. His mother once again tries to help him but it's much too late. Buffalo drowns and camera goes away
Do not try to step aside from this path
Every of shortcuts lead to dead end
Herd of zebras goes through savannah, youngest one, absent minded due to listening the roars, step away from track and hit with head in trunk of tree. Falls into ground half-stunned. Other animals are ignore, because they listen to roars themselves.
Never crave for to choose
You've got your track to lose
Keep on it, cause outsiders are damned
Stunned zebra tries to stand and does it barely. She starts to follow herd but in this moment couple of cheetah starts to chase it. It can't catch her herd due to shock. One of the cheetah pounces on it and camera goes away.
Do not try to step before the line
Bow your pride and loose out your fist
Although many challenged
No one made it to change
That is might that might no one resist
Pack of hippos floats in river, then stops when roars sound. Baby hippo drifts away with flow and parents don't see it. Hippo tries to swim to bank but current became faster. We see hippo closing fast to the waterfall, dramatically tries to stop. Second before he fall from waterfall camera goes away
It lives in you
It lives in us
It keeps up onward
In pointless march
In river flow some trunks, marked by blood (with might be Zira's blood). Blood slowly dissolve in water
Running the unknown
At horizon
It will rule us all
Until we're gone
Trunks fall down from waterfall, probably the same waterfall that baby hippo felt.
Fade to black
01 – Drowned past
Four lions were stepping down from rock. Nala, Simba, Kiara and Kovu were talking quietly to each other. Mixed group of Pridelanders and Outlanders was silent at first but then bashful chat started. Only Vitani stood aside of group in shock. It all had came too fast to be real. She had new home, new pride and whole new life. "No more starving on the Outlands!" she thought triumphantly. "No more fear, no more fighting, no more mother's orders, no more... O, Great Spirit! Mother!" she cried out in mind. She ran to Kovu and Kiara.
"Bro... we must go to the gorge. Mother could be still alive!
"Huh?" murmured surprised Kovu. "What do you..."
Few steps further, Simba told to his majordomo: "Zazu, fly to the Green Den and say my mother, we won! Let Tanabi take her back here."
"Come on! She might survived that fall and now she could be floating helplessly." Yelled Vitani to brother.
Simba came down to them. He probably heard what lioness said because he replied at once.
"She's right, Kovu. We must be sure that Zira is really dead... I mean: we must be sure if she is not alive." Turned to lionesses and commanded. "All right... We must search the both riverbanks. Half of us on right, half on left. Two fastest huntresses on each bank will scout. Vinia, Sorphi on left and..." he looked on Kovu with silent question on face.
"Danti, Ostasi" ordered Kovu. "Go on right bank."
"Yes, sir!" replied lionesses, still considering Zira's son as their natural leader.
"Come on... faster!" cried out Vitani and started to run to the gorge.
She crossed temporary trunk-dame and came to left bank soon and she looked on running water. "Mommy!" she yelled. Then she started to speed with flow direction.
At the same time, two Outlander lionesses came to right bank.
"Danthi... what we should do if we found lady Zira?" asked Ostasi.
"Take her out of water, see if she's not hurt..." replied lioness, still running.
"But what they would do, if they found her?"
They stopped, almost falling into water. Danthi turned to friend and asked fearfully.
"What do you mean?"
"Come on!" replied Ostasi. "We must find her as first ones!"
More words were unnecessary. Both Outlandesses thought at the same moment, what would happen. Patrol of Pridelanders finds wounded enemy of pride... There is no need to kill, just push the bleeding body into running water and nature will do the rest.
Vitani was running on the other side of gorge. "Mother!" she roared time to time, with despair in her voice. She passed Pridelanders scouts and made over two miles from dame. But there were no sign of her mother. She was speeding with eyes full of tears, almost not looking at her track. Fortunately, she ran to waterfall. When she looked on raging water, falling from scary altitude, she knew, she was too late. "Mommy!" she cried and came down into gorge. She stopped with paws in water gazing in river. At one of stones just before waterfall she noticed dark spot of blood slowly dissolving in water.
"No... MOM!" shouted with all her might and burst in tears.
Kovu found her few hours later, still crying over waterfall. He carefully dragged her sister out of water and guided her back to Priderock.
\/\/\/
Danti and Ostasi saw depressed Outlandress, entering the cave.
"We failed her." Whispered Ostasi. "We failed our leader and protector. But now there is nothing more to do. We must forget Zira and Scar to live with Simba."
"Would you ever forget about this?" asked Danthi shaking her head in sorrow. "I don't know if I could. Who are we, Ostasi?"
"Hey, you two!" called Maitha, young lioness from Simba's Pride. "Come in. We have some meat inside. Not so fresh I guess, but it will make a descent meal."
Former Outlanderesses entered Simba's cave.
\/\/\/
When the night came sky blinked with thousand of stars. No one was gazing in it that night, but if he did, he could notice that two of stars were new. Of the firmament between Priderock and Outlands two point were shining bright.
Kings, queens and princes of ancient and not-so-ancient past were looking down to the Earth.
\/\/\/
Two day's later. In the middle of Mighty Jungle, new dawn raised.
Yakta opened his eyes, still thinking of sleeping.
"Well..." muttered. "I was so good yesterday, that I may sleep today up to evening. And if I sleep, I'll be good. That means, once again I will be good this day, so tomorrow..."
He stopped, almost ashamed by himself. Year of solitude living in jungle cause not only he was talking to himself. He also was listening to himself. And sometimes, he couldn't stand it.
"Stop this!" said. "I must stand up and..."
And this was the place where problem began. He had no duties, no missions, no hobbies even. When he wanted to eat, he searched for bugs or rodents, with jungle was full. Full-grown lion with red mane and light-sandy fur was living day by day, waiting for anything new to come. But what new would come there? Mighty Jungle was silent enclave of life and fertility. But of boredom also. The only changing element of this puzzle was flowing river there.
"Yes!" said Yakta. "River. I'll go to the river and... swim again?"
He was swimming all previous day long. But who cares... he had no other thing to do. And when he was doing nothing, strange things were happening. Sometimes, he was stricken by amazing memories of old life. Life, when he hadn't been in jungle and his mother was still alive. But it was so long ago, that he even couldn't recollect his mother face. He remembered her voice, when they were running (From where? From whom?), remembered that she had hidden him in bush and was hunting to fed him. And she didn't returned from one of those huntings. So, Yakta went on his own into jungle, and somehow survived. Also, he learnt how to live comfortable and without any problems. Alone.
"River, river, river..." sang lion. "Where the lion goes. River, river, river. Wetty as it flows. Huh?"
He stood in surprise at riverbank. He looked onto water and noticed strange shape, floating there. It was looking...
"...exactly like me!" said Yakta shocked. He was gazing on lion's body.
"Hey!" called. "Are you taking a batch too?"
But he thought, that it's not likely to swim with face underwater.
"Are you dead?" asked, not expecting the answer. He went into water and swam to lion.
"Life's not fair, is it?" Yakta was muttering, while he was swimming to dead. "You were a desert lion but you have drown. Original end, I guess"
When he dragged body to bank, he discovered that it was actually a lioness. He haven't seen any lioness since his cubhood, but somehow he knew it. And there was something more. This broken and lifeless body seemed familiar to him. Like it was someone, he knew once. He turned lioness up, looking on her face.
"Y... y... your majesty?!" whispered.
He had no idea, what "majesty" is, but his mother called that this lioness once. It was...
"Queen Zira!" said shocked Yakta. He had almost no memories of her, but voice of that name awoken flashbacks from the past." You're dead... How it happened? Why it happened?" was whispering lion, recollecting scraps of memory. "You were queen of my mother... you were my queen! O, Spirit... why I have never found you, when my mommy died? Why I..."
He felt deluged by pictures of past. Mother, licking him in forehead. Queen Zira, beautiful and strong lioness. And the great king with black mane. They called him Scar, although that was not his real name. But then... a danger. They had to run from home. Lionesses were on hunting... or they were looking for something... no one could shield them, when Simba returned... Who is Simba? Where is home?
"Mother!" he yelled. "Your majesty... what happened to me?! I was a lion once. Now I'm..." He froze in silent and looked on the river. Zira's body was floating again, up to the sea. He had no idea, if he should do something with deceased lioness. Probably not and even if he should, he didn't know what. But he felt, that those secretes must be solved. He had to be lion again, had to discovered what happened there. He had to back.
"Queen Zira... I'm coming home. I'll be there instead of you!"
He had no home, no place, nothing value to left there. So he even didn't turn his eyes back. Just started to run by river.
To the home.
To the own past.
\/\/\/
Rafiki was painting, like he always does. After glorious victory over Zira, future seemed to be clear and save. But never enough of cautiousness. Divination had to been made. So old mandrill dipped hand in coconut's shell with dye and painted on wall picture of future king. He felt pain of small cut on finger, probably caused by sharp edge of shell, but he proceeded. And then...
"Kovu?!" he gasped. "This is not Kovu!" he looked on sketch of the future king, but difference was clear – his mane wasn't black... but red-brownish... just like Simba's. "But this is not Simba!" added Rafiki, watching on strange, red shape on face of the ruler. "And how it could be, that I painted black..." he looked on his hand, just to see, that cut on finger coloured dye from pitch-black to brown-red. "Just... an error." He whispered and started to paint future queen.
But this picture became even more disturbing that previous one.
"THIS IS NOT KIARA!" yelled shaman with fear, looking on odd shape of lioness. "Who is she..."
In that moment wind from outside penetrated shaman's treehold. It blown on Rafiki, overturned his vessels and spilt all dyes on the ground.
"What da..." screamed mandrill, but in that moment he understood. "Welcome, whoever you are." He greeted unseen guest. "Mufasa?" he asked quietly. "Mufasa, what does it means? What is wrong with Kiara and Kovu?" Wind blew coconut's shell into other wall's direction. "But this is no wall of divination... it's not connected with Pridelands!" exclaimed shaman. Coconut's shell was still shaking from wind's blowing. "You want me to paint Kiara and Kovu here? Why?" He lifted coconut's shell and looked inside. It was still dyed with pitch-black dye, but... "You are not Mufasa!" exclaimed Rafiki. Wind ceased at once. "Wait! Who are you?"
He ran to his hold's entrance and looked outside. Night was calm and silent.
"Dream?" asked himself Rafiki. "I'm too old to this job!"