Author's Notes:

Here is Chapter 4. Glad to see some people are still reading this. :) This chapter is mostly from Zazu's POV. Some of it is the same events from Chapter 3, but from his perspective. I tried to change it up a little so it wouldn't get redundant. It gets better next chapter, so keep reading! :) And those are my thoughts exactly, miluvrox. I made them fiercer in this fic since they don't do much in the actual movie (until the end). I forgot that hyenas were matriarchal too, but I think I wrote it that way so that you would notice that Shenzi was absent. Those three kind of hung around together, you know? Haha XD


Chapter 4: Tracker

Zazu flew over the area where Scar had been lying that morning several times, but he couldn't see the dark lion anywhere. Simba had followed Zazu to the spot and had no luck. The dry, dusty weather had done a good job of covering up Scar's tracks, as only the occasional paw print was still remaining in the thin, eroded dirt. Simba had begun to follow his tracks, going from one vague paw print to another, but was quickly baffled by the time he reached the place where Scar had met with Zira. Not realizing that the tracks belonged to two different lions, the circles of prints endlessly confused him. He could have gone off in any direction from there. He looked across the ground for more tracks, but found none. There was absolutely no way he was going to find Scar using only his tracks. He called to Zazu.

"Yes, Sire?"

The big blue bird with the bright beak quickly flew down to Simba's side.

"Have you seen him around?"

Zazu shook his head. They both concluded that he obviously must have moved, as there was no sign of him here. Together, they tried to think of a place where he might go. Eventually they decided that since Scar might have seen Zazu, and his tracks pointed in the direction of the Outlands before they became an indiscernible jumble anyways, he probably hadn't stuck around in the Pridelands for long, fleeing to the Outlands instead.

"Zazu, go look around the Outlands. If anything strange happens or you see Scar, remain hidden and then report to me as soon as you can."

The bird nodded obediently, and with a final 'Yes, Your Majesty' he took off and flew towards the Outlands in search of Scar.

Shortly after Zazu left, several other lionesses showed their faces, including Sarafina, Sarabi, Nala, and most of the rest of the pride. Simba began to say something, but Sarabi cut him off.

"We want to help you Simba."

"Yes, Scar might not be alone," said another. "And if that is the case, we will help you fight him."

Nala walked up to her mate and nuzzled him gently. She looked at him with eyes that were gentle and loving, yet somewhat concerned.

"I don't really think you should kill your uncle, but we will help you if that is what you think is necessary."

Simba looked at them closely. As much as he was against having his mate, mother, and other close friends and relatives get put into jeopardy, he realized that they had a point. He had exiled Scar's followers that morning with the hyenas, and they were no small bunch. If they found Scar, which was likely, then chances are they wouldn't be too happy with Simba for attempting to kill him. He wouldn't be able to take them on alone; he would need all the extra help he could get. Finally, he nodded to them.

"Alright," he said, "you can help me. It might not be easy though."

"We know that," said Sarafina, smiling. They knew it would come with risks attached, yet they came anyways. They loved their new and rightful king and were willing to help him no matter what, and Simba was pleased at the devotion of his loved ones. Perhaps he would turn out to be a good king after all, like his father was… He smiled at the thought of his father, and then smacked the ground with his paw again. He had no doubts about killing Scar. Scar had killed his own brother, and taken away from Simba the one he loved most. Now his jealous and miserable life would end at Simba's paws, he would personally make sure of it. He gathered his lionesses and made his way, slowly but surely, towards Scar's new home: the Outlands.


Meanwhile, Zazu had flown far away from the group of lions and had made his way towards the elephant graveyard. He tried to fly high so he wouldn't be spotted, and could see fairly well. It was hot and the sun had illuminated a large part of the region, making it easier for him. However, there did appear to be some clouds on the horizon which had seemingly crept up from nowhere. Zazu hoped it would rain soon, though clouds didn't always mean rain. At least they would soon blot out the sun. He had been flying around trying to spot anything interesting for around ten minutes. Finally his search bore some fruit, as he saw an agitated looking hyena pacing about below him. Hiding inside a large elephant skull nearby, he tried to listen closely, seeing if the hyena would do or say anything that could be of use. Surely enough, the hyena, which wasn't quite a pup or an adult, began to talk to itself.

"Of course they say I'm too young. Why? I'm not a little pup anymore!" the hyena started, growling. "I mean, why shouldn't I be able to attack that lion and his mate? The lioness killed my mother, the pack leader! But no, Banzai said I can't come along, and that he could "avenge Shenzi himself". Maybe I would like to fight too, especially if it is against that lioness that killed mom… oh, and Scar as well! Scar! I'd like to rip that lion in half for starving us to death and abusing us and ordering us around for years, after giving him everything he wanted! Where would he be without us?" By this time the hyena was fuming, clawing viciously at a long-dead tree stump. A smile curved its face as it calmed down and began to speak again. "Oh, I'd like to be there with the other hyenas. I want to be the one to sink my teeth down into his throat, so he can feel the pain we felt all that time. Oh if only…"

Zazu didn't say anything. He had heard all he needed to hear, and so he silently stalked out of the skull as the hyena continued with its desperate monologue about how it wished it could fight with its vengeful pack mates. He flew off and began to think. Apparently Scar was with another unnamed lioness that had killed Shenzi, and the pack of hyenas were attacking them or preparing to attack them. They couldn't be far from here. Zazu flew off deeper into the Outlands to investigate. He was worried after a few minutes of searching that he wouldn't be able to find them in time.

He heard the commotion long before he would have spotted it. A nearby cave-like ravine suddenly echoed with hyena laughter. Zazu flew towards the noise. The plateau below him suddenly fell into a ledge overhanging the bottom of a small gorge. The other side of the ravine was a sheer rock wall, and the gorge was bordered on a third side by an even higher cliff edge which hung over the entire gorge, making it like a cave. A small, steep, and dangerous looking path was the only way to get up the edge of the gorge other than climbing, which was practically impossible seeing how steep and vertically inclined the rock wall was. Zazu landed on the edge and looked down. It was hard to see in the shadowy darkness, but he could make out that Scar and Zira were cornered against the other sheer wall of the ravine. Hyenas were blocking their only exit. Slowly the hyenas crept towards them. Zazu quivered a little, and was glad that he wasn't the one being confronted by a pack of formidable and malicious foes like the hyenas. One hyena moved in front of the rest and began to speak.

"There you are! Bet you thought we were finished with you, huh Scar?"

At this the hyenas started to uproar with their cackling and growling. It sent shivers up Zazu's spine as he watched, horrified. He couldn't believe it, but he felt a little bit sorry for Scar. He knew what was going to come to him. A bloody, painful death. The lead hyena turned to Zira, and Zazu happened to recognize him as Banzai.

"And you!" he continued, glaring at Zira. "You killed Shenzi!"

Zira growled in irritation. The other hyena Zazu had listened to had been right. Scar was with a lioness that had apparently killed the leader of the hyena pack. They couldn't have been too happy about that. Though Zazu had no idea it would have been Zira, of all lions… on second thought, perhaps that wasn't too surprising, especially after they had brutally attacked her mate. That would have made her angry indeed, which was apparent in her voice when she spoke again. She roared out loudly inside the cave for all to hear, a noise almost as fearsome as the hyenas' cackles.

"I don't care if I killed your precious little hyena girlfriend. Leave! Now!"

Zazu shivered a little. Zira had never been very nice to him. She yelled at him a lot and he could tell she was raving mad. The hyenas would get her fury; that was for sure. He watched as Banzai smiled defiantly and crept closer to the two lions, clearly unafraid of them, as they had strength in numbers and the advantage of a surprise.

"Not until I get my revenge on you." He then glared into Scar's jade eyes, which were widening with shock and terror. "And not until we kill Scar. We are going to finish what we started. He doesn't deserve to live after all the lies he told us."

The hyenas then stopped with their talking and their raucous laughter. The large pack closed in on them. Scar and Zira would be ripped apart in moments for sure, Zazu thought. But what happened next surprised the little bird. The pair of lions had leapt up onto the sheer face of the rock wall, and Scar was climbing up it, his long, sharp claws digging into the rock. It couldn't have been possible, and yet it was happening. It was clear that Scar wouldn't give up easily. Zazu could sense the desperation the lion felt as he scaled the wall without second thoughts, trying to attempt anything he could so that he could survive another day. The sound of his claws scraping against the wall was hideous, and it was clear that one wrong move by either Zira or Scar would send them plummeting down into the fray, where they would be eaten alive.

Scar had made rapid progress up the wall, being a skilled climber. Zira lagged behind but was still making progress. The hyenas snapped at their heels, trying to bite down on them, but the two of them were too far up the wall. Several hyenas tried to climb up, but found the wall too steep to successfully negotiate.

Suddenly Zazu could see that the hyenas had planned ahead. Several hyenas were waiting patiently at the top. They had clearly cornered the lions, with hyenas placed above and below them, waiting to devour them as their next meal. Zira caught a glimpse of the hyenas at the top and called out for Scar to stop, but he didn't hear her and continued onwards. She then slipped a little and the lead hyena wasted no time in latching onto her leg, dragging her downwards. She tried to kick him off, but he only dragged her downwards even more. Finally she had been pulled to the ground, where she engaged in a battle with several hyenas. She had killed several of them and knocked off the hyena on her leg when she again tried to climb the wall. She was once again beyond the hyenas' reach. She had seen Scar get to the top of the wall and knew that an ambush had been waiting for him to come to them, which was why she was trying to climb the wall a second time. Zazu looked up at the top of the cliff and realized she was right. The hyenas had somehow gotten Scar sprawled out on his back and had pinned him down, revealing the soft, fleshy parts of him to his hungry enemies. Zazu was terrified, barely able to watch as the hyenas laughed triumphantly at Scar while he fought against their grasp. Their foe was theirs now, and they would show no mercy. Finally they dug in; ripping him open with their claws and teeth and tearing the fur and flesh off of their unfortunate prey's body as he desperately struggled for his life against their jaws, making an effort to claw at his attackers as well. Not wanting to see any more of the vicious attack, Zazu looked away. Zira was only halfway up the wall, so there was no way that she would have been able to save him from his excruciating death in time. He didn't see Nuka or the other lionesses charging into the cave that very moment, and assumed that Scar would be all but finished off by his vengeful adversaries by the time Zira was able to come to his aid.

He flew quickly off to tell Simba the news. They could finally go home and not have to worry about the issue anymore. That was good, wasn't it? But as he flew high in the air above the Outlands, he thought. Zazu was troubled by what he had seen. Scar was a murderer, but Zazu still could not shake the feeling of being a bit sorry for him. The hyenas had ripped him up mercilessly and without thought or reason. Did any lion deserve to be killed in such a horrible way? He didn't think so, but maybe he was just going mad. He tried to convince himself otherwise, reminding himself that Scar had killed Mufasa and nearly killed Simba, the king who he, Zazu, was loyal to. Of course he deserved it, didn't he? He still wasn't convinced. Remaining confused, he pushed the matter out of his mind as he hurried and made the return trip to the scorching, brightly illuminated Pridelands. It didn't really matter anymore what he thought about the ambush. He couldn't do anything about it or change the outcome in any way. It was too late now.

Scar would be killed.


Better stuff to come next chapter, and don't forget to review! :) On a seperate note, you guys should all check out the poll on my profile page. I'm already working on a one-shot, but that should be done soon and opinions on what I should write after that are greatly appreciated, so don't be afraid to take a minute and vote! It would mean a lot to me! :)