Well I'm not going to update The Lion King Re-Imagined until I get more reviews, but I'm going crazy without writing, so here is a one-shot to satisfy both the reader's hunger and mine as well.
DISCLAIMER: I OWN NONE OF THIS. EVERYTHING BELONGS TO DISNEY.
Zira awoke from her nightmare sweating, a scream forming in her dry mouth. The lioness nudged to her side, expecting to find her mate, the lion formerly known as Taka, beside her. But alas, he was nowhere to be found.
She stood up, her yellow eyes gleaming in the shallow light the night sky gifted upon the world. Her fur bristled in the night's gentle wind, her paws clutching on to the dirt. She strutted out of the cave she and Scar shared, which was about a mile from Pride Rock itself.
The duo tried to neglect the rest of the pride as much as they could. They didn't really have any need for company. Zira found her mate resting on the edge of a cliff, looking out at the glorious night sky beyond him. The stars glittering in the blackness of eternal night, a full moon, patrolling the stars, dominated the easy view.
"I was hoping you would find me Zira. Come, sit beside me." The lioness dutifully obeyed her mate, lying down beside him, her head lying on her paws.
Scar sighed, the deep red mark across his eye shining bright in the moonlight. The emerald green orbs stared at the stars, but not in wonderment. No, those eyes stared at the stars in contempt, jealousy even. The orange clay dirt that he lay upon reddened his black mane.
"My father always told Mufasa and I that the Great Kings of the Past watch us from the stars, watching our every move, judging us, and eventually determining our fate."
Zira's golden face moved to her mate, puzzled, almost horrified by the words he had just uttered. "Scar, you aren't going soft on me now, are you? Don't tell me you believe such a ridiculous notion such as that."
Scar stood up and stretched. His thin muscles extending, causing pain to erupt in every part of his body. The son of Ahadi grimaced, and returned to his previous position.
"No, my dear, not to worry. I would not go soft like my pathetic brother does constantly."
Zira remained puzzled, her eye squinting in the most complete confusion possible. "But why, my king? Why do you bring up your father's illogical religions? Somebody like you, so manipulative, so brilliant! You could prove all of these hokey theories wrong!"
Scar turned to Zira, growling at her menacingly. His eyes gleamed with not only anger, but with pity as well. "You fool! Do you not understand? These are not hokey theories, or illogical religions! It is simply the truth of life! Our journeys do not simply end with physical death, our spirits go on to the above, to do nothing but watch the living. That is the reward for the achievements of our lives? That is what we get for our suffering, our pain!"
"But what of those who are not kings or queens? What of those who simply live their lives as normal lions and lionesses? What of the evil?"
Scar, calming down, let out a long, resentful sigh. "When those not blessed with monarchial power die, their physical bodies, just like the kings, are buried in the dirt to be picked apart by scavenging bugs until only their old bones remain. But their spirits take a far different journey than those of nobility. The nobles are immediately granted a star, and a place among their dearly departed peers." The sadistic lion paused, and turned to his mate, who looked upon him in wonderment.
"There is far, far more isn't there?"
Scar could only nod. "But those such as us, those who are not kings or queens of a pride. We are held for judgment! But this is no ordinary hearing. No, this trial decides our fate for all of eternity."
"My king, what are the happenings in these trials? How do they proceed?"
Scar looked calmly at his mate. "I am glad that you asked. You see Zira; they show you your entire life, almost any detail that could play a factor in your final verdict. There are arguments both for, and against you, and a judge will assign you one of three different fates."
Zira huddled up closer to Scar, snuggling close into his body. Then, she looked deeply into his emerald green orbs. "What are the possible fates Scar?"
Scar silently skidded away from Zira, giving himself slightly more space, and continued. "The first fate is not only the most common, but the simplest as well. They let you walk among the Great Kings of the Past, as well as talk and interact with them and others, but you do not receive a star of your own."
Zira once again snuggled into Scar, who relented and let her do as she wished. "What is the second fate my glorious king?"
"The second fate is for lions who weren't evil, but not wholeheartedly good either. It is for lions who the Great Kings do not want among them."
Zira began to grow impatient, and she glared at her mate. "Well, what is it?"
Scar let out a very wide smirk. "Patience, my dear, patience." The lion sighed, and continued. "What happens is that the lion simply ceases to exist. Their spirit fades away, never to be seen nor heard from again." His scarred face suddenly became very sullen, and ripe with anger. "But the third fate is reserved for only the cruelest of lions. Lions that had no shred of good in them whatsoever. It is a sentence of eternal torment as well as the pain of being devoured."
Zira began to squirm, nervous about what her mate was about to explain to her. Scar did not notice, and he continued his speech. "First, the kings imprison you in an indestructible cell, from which you cannot escape. Then, a fallen angel named Mnyongaji comes to claim you. It could take three days, it could take millennia, but he always comes." The lion shot a glare at the night sky in defiance, and then pressed onward with his speech. "When he does come, he takes you to his lair, and begins to slowly devour you, but so slowly that you stay alive in constant pain. He never finishes eating you. He stops right before your spirit would vanish, and he throws you into the void, a sort of purgatory, where you join other lost souls in reflecting upon your actions for a painful eternity. Legend has it that whenever Mnyongaji comes to claim a soul, the moons turns to the color of blood."
Zira shook with fright, shivering so hard that you could hear the click-clack of her teeth grinding together. Scar looked at her puzzled, like a dog not understanding a command.
"What could possibly be the matter my dear?"
Zira said nothing, but simply motioned up toward the sky. The moon had turned the color of blood.
Scar chuckled in dark amusement, and then shook his head. "It seems that another lost soul belongs to Mnyongaji."
The two lions continued to stare at the bloody moon, in an event that we humans call a rare type of Lunar Eclipse known simply as the Red Moon.
Well, that is all. Thank all of you so much for reading my story, and PLEASE DON'T FORGET TO REVIEW.
P.S. Just in case you were wondering, Mnyongaji means "executioner" in Swahili.