A small golden lion cub sat upon a rock, the only tree in the large gorge shading it. An angry expression was painted on his face. "Little roar." he grunted. "Pft."
At that moment, a chameleon crossed Simba's line of vision. As it walked by, Simba gave a small roar, hoping to frighten it. The lizard completely ignored him, continuing on its way. Simba followed it, roaring again. Again, the chameleon ignored. Putting on a determined look, Simba leaped at the lizard, drew in a large breath, and roared with all his might.
The roar echoed off of the gorge walls and Simba smiled, proud of himself. Suddenly, he heard a rumbling noise and the pebbles around him started to shake. The smile disappeared as Simba saw the wildebeest began to pour into the gorge.
Simba was frozen with fear for a few moments. The heard was only meters away when he turned to run. His paws pounded on the dry earth as he ran for his life, not noticing the hyenas nipping at the frightened animals' hooves.
The herd began to overtake him and the young lion was forced to weave between the legs of the wildebeest. Seeing a dead branch poking out of the ground, he leaped onto it, clawing his way up until he hung at its edge.
Simba felt as if he couldn't hold on much longer until he saw a familiar shape in the chaos. "Zazu, help me!" he cried, clutching the shaking branch.
"Your father is on the way!" the blue hornbill yelled. "Hold on!"
"Hurry!" Simba called after him as he flew away. A wildebeest struck the branch and it bobbed wildly, forcing Simba to claw at it wildly.
Suddenly, he saw a flash of gold and red in the stampede. Dad! Simba thought. He watched as his father pushed against the flow of the herd and was knocked down.
Simba was tossed high into the air when a wildebeest broke the already weakened branch. He screamed as the sea of dust and fur came closer. He felt himself he knocked sideways as his father caught him in his mouth. He bobbed up and down while his father carried him an ran, only to be tossed again when one of the crazed beasts slammed into Mufasa.
He tumbled a few feet away. When he got up, he was terrified to see the mass of deadly hooves and legs rush at him. His father pushed the wildebeest to pick him up again and continue running.
Mufasa managed to get his son onto a ledge before being knocked back into the stampede. "Dad!" Simba cried as he frantically searched for his father. He was thinking the worst when the great lion king leaped out of the chaos and latched onto the rock wall beside Simba. Relieved, he started up a narrow path to meet his father at the top.
The pounding of the herd's hooves drowned out Mufasa's cries for help to his brother, his roar of pain as Scar's nails dug into his skin, and the younger lion's whispered, "Long live the king ."
Simba reached the top just in time to see his father fall from the cliff and be swallowed by the herd. "NOOOOOOOO!" the young lion cried. He jumped from rock to rock, picking out a path down. The tail end of the stampede was disappearing into a cloud of dust as he reached the bottom. His golden eyes scanned the scene, looking for his father.
"Dad!" he coughed, padding around, unable to see from all of the dust. The word echoed in the empty gorge. A pounding alerted him to an approaching figure. "Dad?" he asked, only to be jumped over by a straggling wildebeest. He watched it go and saw an unmoving figure lying beneath the branch Simba had clung to, now broken.
He swallowed and started towards the figure, first slowly, then running. As the dust settled, Simba saw the form of his father. He padded around it to his face. Mufasa's eyes were closed and his chest wasn't moving.
"Dad?" Simba asked hopefully. When he got no response, he moved closer. "Dad, come on." he said, nudging the great lion's face, his ears flattening when it simply fell back to the ground. "You gotta get up." Simba began shaking his father's face, choking back tears. "Dad. We gotta go home." He ran around and began tugging on his father's ear.
He stepped back. No. he thought. No, this can't be right. He can't be dead. If... If could just get someone here.
"Help!" he yelled, running around. The cry echoed back to him. "Somebody! Anybody." Simba couldn't take it anymore. "Help." he sobbed, tears flowing out of his eyes. He sniffed a few times before turning back to his father's corpse. He nosed his way underneath the larger lion's paw and buried his face in his mane.
Scar appeared out of the dust cloud silently, his eyes falling on little Simba curled up next to his father. "Simba," he breathed. "What have you done?"
The cub moved out from underneath Mufasa's paw and whirled to face his uncle. "The wildebeest and... tried to save me." he sniffed. "I..It was an accident, I didn't mean for it to happen."
Scar sat. "Of course, of course, you didn't." he said, faking sympathy. He puled the cub closer to him. "No one... ever means for these things to happen. But the king is dead." Simba looked up at his face, tears still soaking his fur. "If it weren't for you," Scar told him. "He'd still be alive." Simba looked down, thinking this to be true. "Oh, what will your mother think?"
"What... what will I do?" Simba asked the older lion. Scar looked down at the cub, prepared to tell him that his only option was to run away and never to return, but something stopped him. Simba's youth, his openness in both heart in mind, sparked an idea that could grant him more power than killing the cub ever could.
"Perhaps, if you would like, I could take the role of king - temporarily, of course - and teach you to lead, as your father would." Scar suggested softly.
Simba's heart seemed to lift the tiniest bit. "Really, Uncle Scar? You.. you would do all that just for me?"
Scar patted the golden cub on the head. "Of course. You are my favorite nephew, after all."
-
"What?" Sarabi cried. "Mufasa... no, it can't be. It has to be a mistake."
Scar shook his head. "His body is still in the gorge, if you would like to see it, but I can assure you that the great King is no more."
"I..." she said, at a loss for words. Sarabi looked over to her son, curled into a ball in the deepest part of the cave in Pride Rock he could find."Simba believes himself to be the cause of his father's death. How will he ever cope, especially now that he must take the role as King?"
Scar saw his chance. "Sarabi, you cannot think that Simba is ready to start his kingship? He is much too young. My brother could have never taught his son all the things he would need." He said, trying not to burst and demand to be King. He needed to do this delicately.
The lioness closed her eyes. "There is nothing else to do. I could possibly lead for a few years, until Simba is ready..." she sighed.
"Sarabi, there is no way you could hunt, teach Simba, and lead all at the same time." Scar told her. "Besides, a lioness leading the pride? That is unheard of."
"Then what do you suggest, Scar?" She snapped, her grief morphing into anger. "What could we poossibly do to fix this situation?"
Scar felt his anger rising with Sarabi, struggling to remain careful and keep the sympathy in his words. "What if I were King? It would not be for a very long time, just until I have taught Simba all he needs to know. Mufasa would have wanted his teachings to go on, and who would know them better than his own brother?"
Sarabi flicked her tail, obviously against the idea. "Scar, you were not even present for Simba's ceremony, much less around to see how Mufasa lead the pride and taught his son."
Scar looked away with a sorrowed expression. "You do not know me, Sarabi. I've been watching Simba, making sure he came to no harm. I've always stuck to the shadows and hid myself so it did not look as if I were stepping in and challenging my brother. I learned how to lead as a cub, even though Father's lessons were meant for Mufasa. I know that I do not look as regal as my brother, but I can lead thid pride as well as he did."
Sarabi's anger drifted away as Scar talked. "Mufasa always... he said that you were jealous and not to be trusted."
"Believe it or not, we were very close as cubs. Of course we drifted apart as he took Ahadi's place." Scar said, looking back at her.
"I…I am sorry I doubted you. It cannot hurt for you to be in charge for a few years." Sarabi decided.
"That's alright, Sarabi dear." Scar consoled. "Shall we go tell the rest of the pride that I shall br taking my brother's place?"Sarabi nodded. "We must tell them carefully." She said. "Many of them have ill feelings towards you."
Sarabi left the cave to gather the lionesses and Scar went over to where Simba was. He nudged the cub softly. "Simba, I need you to be brave and sit with your mother and me. A future King must show that he will be able to lead the pride, no matter what happens."
Simba unrolled himself and stood slowly. His ears and tail drooped, and his face showed a mixture of grief, pain, and guilt. He obediently followed his uncle out of the cave were the lionessses had gathered, sitting next to him as he told the tale of his father's death for the second time.
"And now, in this most grevious of times, it has been decided tbat I shall take the role as King until I am sure that Simba will be able to effectively replace me and, in essence, his father."
There was silence across the group of lionesses. Some held back tears, others did not. A few looked to Sarabi for confirmination that Scar, a lion they had heard nothing of except for horrid rumors, was truely going to lead them. Slowly, they dispersed, leaving only Scar, Sarabi, Simba, Nala, and her mother Sarafina. "I want to go talk to Simba." Nala said, pushing away from her mother. She managed to scamper over to her friend before any of the adults caught her.
"Simba?" She whispered, but Simba ignored her, staring at the ground. Nala could see Sarafina coming after her, so she spoke quickly. "I know you're upset. I want you to know that you can come to me whenever you need to." She told him before being lifted up and carried away by her mother. Simba didn't react, only getting up and moving when Scar came to get him.
"Come, Simba." Scar called. "You need to rest tonight. Tomorrow, we must begin your teaching."
-
A trio of dark forms, one much larger than the other, slid across the savana under the stars of a night sky that held no moon. The darkness did not bother the three, as they were used to it. They were predators of the night and they were on the prowl.
The three soon found a target: a young antelope that had wandered away from the resting herd. It was fast, but the predators were faster. The biggest creature was on it within a matter of seconds; its life taken just before the other two caught up with the first. The smaller forms began to congradulate the larger on the kill, but it seemed dissastisfied.
"This will be your meal." It said. "I want to bring back something with more meat on it for Father,"
The two glanced at each other, torn between the elation of an easy meal and the want to return home and rest after a full day of hunting for the small amount of prey left in the Pridelands. They both knew that voicing their complaints, especially during a hunt, would cost them, so they ate their meal quickly, picking up what was left and following the larger creature.
It was not long before the group came upon the herd itself. It was a small herd, which didn't surprise any of them, but most of the antelopes were large and healthy. The large predator scanned the herd until he found the creature he felt worthy of his father's meal. "That one, near the edge of the herd. I want you two to drive him away from the others and lead him towards me. Leave your meat here," he commanded.
The two set of at a slow gait, crouching close to the ground as they approached the target. The wind was in their favor, letting them get quite close to the antelope before striking it's flank. The antelope shot to its feet, kicking out behind itself - striking one of the prehators in the side and sendjng it sprawling - before taking off in the other direction. The motion of the frightened beast and its pursuer caused the others of the herd to waken and take flight across the plain.
The hunter nipped and slammed the antelope, forcing it to flee right to its waiting partner. The antelope gave more struggle than the younger one had, but it lost its life to the hunter all the same. The smaller of the hunters ran back to check on the one that got hit as soon as the kill had been made.
"Sir!" The small one cried. "Kucheka is hurt!"
"What am I supposed to do?" The larger one growled in response. "I can't fix her." He dragged the kill over to where Kucheka lay and inspected her. "It's only a blow to the side with a few scratches, she will be fine until we return to Pride Rock." With that, he picked up the kill and started back to his home, leaving the other to help Kucheka up and gather the remains of the smaller antelope.
The sun began to rise as they walked, casting light on the three and revealing two average hyenas and one strange lion, who's mane was dyed black with crushed bugs and berry juice and build was too lithe for his size. Simba had changed much in the years since Mufasa's death.
As the three approached Pride Rock, Simba stopped and addressed the two hyenas. "Utani, take Kucheka and your kill to Rafiki. Give some of the foodbto the others." He instructed. "I will take my kill to Father."
"Yes, Prince Simba." Utani replied before trotting behind Pride Rock and out of sight. Simba climbed upward with the antelope, taking great care not to let it touch the floor. He spotted Scar lying at the top and started toward him; stopping when he realized the King was speaking to someone.
"Meigha, pleading will get you nowhere with me and you know that." Scar snarled, glaring at a small lioness below him. "You know the law, any male lion aside from Simba and I must be executed, unless chosen to be a hunting lion. We have too many as it is, and to top it off you've been hiding him for months!"
The lioness kept her eyes fixed on the ground as she spoke. "I know, King Scar. I just thought..." she trailed off, not knowing what she thought.
Scar snorted. "Meigha, normally I would just kill that breach of law and make you watch, but you are a swift hunter. You are one of my favorites. Therefore, I shall let him live, but he shall be banished from the Pridelands. I will have two hunter lions take him four day's journey from here, you are not permitted to see him again, nor go after him.
Meigha lifted her gaze and looked at Scar, who stared right back. The intesity of his eyes forced her to drop her head again. "As you with, my King." She turned to an even smaller goldish-white cub Simba had not noticed before. "Now you be good and go with the lions, Wingu." She said quietly. "Remember everything Mother has taught you."
Wingu cried out for his mother, but a large hunter lion appeared and grabbed the cub, joining another lion and carting the still-wailing cub off to his certain dewth. Simba watched them go but felt nothing except impatience for Meigha to leave so he can give Scar his gift.
Once Meigha bounded off, Simba approached his King. "Father, I have come with a gift." He announced, dropping the antelope at Scar's paws.
"Simba, you know that hunting is not your job, yet you still do it." Scar said, eyeing the antelope.
"I only wish to please you, Father." He admitted, his ears goint back. "Have I displeased you?"
Scar laughed, a sound that would send most creatures fleeing but only made Simba swell with pride. "Of course not. Come, eat with me."
Simba slid down next to King Scar and tore into the antelope while telling Scar all about his achievements in the past days, as a young cub would to his mother. After the shock and depression of his father's death were gone, Simba began reaching out to those around him. Scar had already pushed his mother and friends away by that time, leaving him as the only one young Simba could latch onto. This made is easier for Scar to reverse Mufasa's teachings and implant his own. He gradually intoruced things that would grant him power - laws against male lions, the use of the hyenas - until Simba and even some of the lionesses became like his servants. He kept Simba at a small distance, remembering his cubhood, so that all Simba wanted to do was please him. Instead of getting annoyed at Simba's cublike ways, he relished in them, savoring how easy it was to get him like that.
While describing a fight with a rather large warthog and a psychotic rodent, Simba's eyes slid over to a cream colored lioness who was staring rather intently at him. It took him a moment to remember her name was Nala. He had caught her looking at him rather often and was starting to get annoyed by it. He growled at her menacingly and she looked away, but not before he caught q look of disgust from her.
"Father, remind me why you are kind to some of the lionesss." Simba asked.
"If I please the best ane strongest lionesses, they will keep the others in line." He explained. "We don't want a rebellion on our paws, now do we?"
Simba snorted. "I suppose not. Some of them need to learn their place, though."
-
"I can't stand it anmore!" Nala roared to the circle of lionesses around her. "First he looked like he didn't remember me, then he growled at me!"
"There's nothing you can do." Sarabi sighed. "I'm his mother and I haven't even been able to speak to him in the past two years."
"It's Scar." Nala continued as if she hadn't heard Sarabi. "He's become so attached that he doesn't see the harm he's doing!"
"Quiet, Nala." Sarafina hissed. "Zira could be just around the corner."
Nala stopped and glared at her mother. "Why are you so afraid? Since when have you become Scar's little servant?"
"Since Scar started controlling the food and became in command of a huge army of hyenas!" Sarafina retorted. "Now sit down and keep quiet, or you're going to get us all in trouble."
Nala shook her head and began pacing. "No. No, this has gone on long enough. I've got to stop this." She looked up and, seeing Scar napping with no one else around, stopped dead in her tracks. "I'm going to stop this."
Sarabi followed her gaze. "What?" She began, but suddenly realized what Nala was planning. "No, Nala!" She yelled, but it was too late. The lioness was going full speed, streaking around anyone else and up to the top of Pride Rock, screaming Scar's name and snarling.
Nala's wails woke Scar up, letting him look around in time to see Nala flying through the air at him. She would have killed him upon landing, but a loud roar and a flash of black signified Simba's counter-attack. He collided mid-air with her and forced her away from Scar. She clawed and writhed like a rabid creature, but Simba refused to release her.
"You attempted to kill my father King Scar!" He roared. "You will pay!"
"He is not your father!" Nala spat back. "Mufasa was your father and I am your best friend! Don't you remember that?"
Simba wrinkled his nose. "No." He snarled, then slashed his claws in front of him.
When Simba stepped off of Nala's limp form, there was no noise, save for his heavy breathing. All the lions and lionesses and hyenas were fixed on Simba. A moment later, Scar stood up and slid over to whisper in Simba's ear.
"Clean the blood off of your paws. It is time for your ceremony. My son."