CHAPTER 3 – What do you think, Sarafina?
The midday sun was scorching with all of it's might. Most of the inhabitants of Pride Rock were napping deeply, trying to sleep through the worse heat. That especially concerned the lionesses, who were exhausted after the morning hunt, as usual.
Only one of them couldn't sleep. Lying on a rock, she was observing Scar from a long distance, while he was lazily tearing the leftover meat from the bones of a zebra, which she had caught earlier that day.
The new king, contrary to his brother, never hunted by himself. He usually excused with all kinds of illnesses. Consequently, the whole job of feeding the pride, as well as the hyenas, belonged to the lionesses.
He is so withdrawn- thought Sarabi. He was like that all his life. Even Mufasa wasn't able to reach him…
She watched Scar laying on the ground and falling asleep. Everyone was most happy, when he slept. Then there was peace.
-Eh, Taka… now you have what you were always told will never be yours… Will you be able to carry that burden? – she whispered to herself.
-What are you saying, Sarabi? – the lioness who laid beside her, her closest friend, also wasn't exactly asleep.
-Oh nothing, Sarafina… I'm just wondering what the future holds for our pride…
-Hmf! Under Scar's reign our future seems rather dark and cloudy. – the lioness tightly cuddled her little sleeping daughter, Nala. She always had a very sober view of reality… sober, yet cold.
-Oh, but it isn't all that bad…
-Is it? Well, I believe that skinny feline over there is the laziest lion in the whole savannah, and probably the worse king this land has ever seen!
Sarabi took a moment to meditate on her friend's words. She knew Scar well, contrary to the other lionesses, who always used to stay away from him. He himself also usually despised being in their presence…
-I still think that you are being a bit to harsh in judging him. Give him some time. You know that recent events were very hard for all of us.
-Hm… Well, Scar seemed to have dealt pretty well with Mufasa and Simba's death, especially with himself claiming the throne afterwards! Oh, Sarabi… I just miss the times, when your mate was king. And Nala still can't stop missing Simba…
A long silence followed. The lionesses had agreed long ago, that they should seize to pointlessly recall the old days and try to live as best as they could here and now… but they couldn't.
-We need time. – finally said Sarabi. –Time will heal our scars. Mine, yours… and his, too.
Sarafina rolled to the other side.
-I have no idea what you still see in him.
The queen raised her sight towards Scar. She liked to watch him when he was asleep. It reminded her of the happy times, when both of them were still cubs.
-And what do you think, Sarafina? Can't you see any good in him at all?
-Hmm… - the lioness thought deeply on how to answer. Scar was weak, skinny, lazy, arrogant, impulsive, cynical, rude… -There is only one thing I like about him, and that is his mane.
The two friend laughed simultaneously.
-Yes, that definitely is a good feature… - said Sarabi. She laid her head on the rock.
I will never be able to guess, what is hidden inside you, Taka – she thought. She fell asleep, and her dreams were peaceful and pleasant.
AN: Eh, girly talk… I wanted to give Sarafina a chance to finally express herself XD. I support the theory that Sarabi used to be Taka's friend once. She's so kind-hearted that she still continues to justify him, although she certainly isn't the dumb and blind kind. So will time heal the scars? That's still ahead of us. And yeah, it's true that in real life the lion with a darker mane tends to be more popular among the females in a pride…