Disclaimer- Obviously I do not own The Lion King, or any of the movie's characters.
Ch. 4- During the Heat of Mid-day
"Etari..ri..ri..i..i..!" The growled summons echoed off the walls of the dark cave. Before it even died away the sound of racing paw steps could be heard and a small, dust colored cub ran scrambling into the cave. Panting he skidded to a halt near the back and gasped out as he stood trying to catch his breath.
"Yes King Scar?"
"I'm hungry. Have the lionesses bring me a haunch of Zebra."
"But sir," Etari interjected. "I don't think they caught any zebra today."
"Well then they can go get one!" shouted the dark king, looking disdainfully at the cub. "And if they don't have a zebra haunch for me now I'll need something more…" he eyed the young cub with a smirk," more tender to tide me over."
Etari gulped involuntarily, but refused to give any other outward reaction to Scar's intimidation. Instead he nodded in acknowledgement, eying the scared king warily as the older lion sauntered further into the cave.
"You may go now." Came the indifferent dismissal, the black maned head refusing to turn even the slightest degree in issuing the order. But Etari didn't care about the lack of recognition and the scrawny cub had raced out of the shadowed cave before the red king had lain down for his nap.
Outside the blinding afternoon sun was a stark contrast to the murky darkness of the cave. Etari scrunched his gold eyes shut, running blind through the savannah dry season heat. Unseeing, his paws carried the sprinting cub down the ramp off pride rock and toward the meager shade of the deysach trees.
"Momma! Gramma!" Etari called out as he approached, barely slowing down before flopping to the ground in exhaustion, raising a cloud of dust.
"Sweetheart it's too hot to be racing around like that," Tenabi scolded her cub, pulling him toward her with gentle paws and cleaning the dust off his coat with her tongue.
"But mom!" protested Etari, struggling to escape his mothers grasp. "Scar wants something to eat." His rough tongue bath was immediately interrupted as Tenabi lifted her head and scowled in the direction of Pride rock. Seizing his chance Etari escaped his mothers loosened grasp, shaking his mused fur back into place.
"Why can't he at least tell us himself?" Tenabi muttered vehemently under her breath, but so quietly that Etari standing right next to her almost missed it.
"I'll go get something Tenabi, you stay here with Etari," Queen Sarabi said, breaking the short silence and stretching a bit as she got up.
"Thank you," the younger lioness replied, pulling her fuming eyes back to the relaxing lionesses. Sarabi nodded in acknowledgement and began to trot out onto the savannah.
"He says he wants a zebra haunch," Etari called to her, receiving a rumble of irritation in response.
"I'll see what I can do," said the Queen, continuing out under the hot midday sun.
"Sarafina took Nala and Soma to the watering hold to swim and cool off, do you want to go play too Etari?" Tenabi questioned her son, brown eyes blinking as the wind shifted the deysach leaves and threw sun into them.
"No, that's ok. I think I just wanna take a nap." Nodding in response Tenabi watched the light brown cub leap up and settle himself on the fallen log she leaned against. She watched him with concern for a few moments, then lay her down on her front paws, joining the other lionesses in their nap break.
But Tenabi's eyes wouldn't close and she felt like pacing despite the fierce heat. She did not like how Scar was forcing her cub to run his petty errands, but even more so she did not like the effect it had on her boy. Etari had always been willing and happy to run messages for Mufasa, so when Scar had requested the same Tenabi had not been quick enough to formulate a reason as to why not. So the cub had been fetching and carrying whatever it was Scar desired the last few days. That he was too tired to want to play with Nala and Soma worried her. With another sigh Tenabi forced her eyes shut, trying to convince herself that the dry, hot savannah summer was to blame for her sons' lack of energy. She knew it wasn't, but until she could tell Scar to cut down on the work he had Etari doing the excuse would have to do.
Etari peeked between the cracks of his eyelids at his mother, careful not to move and alert her that he was still awake. There was no way he could sleep, he was far too hot. Etari thought longingly of the cool watering hole, but quickly pushed the idea from his mind, there was no way he could go while Soma and Nala were there; his still bruised body reminded him of that fact.
Three days ago
"Found you Nala! Now it's my turn to hide!" Laughing Etari bounded away into the tall grass surrounding the water hole while Nala closed her eyes and began counting.
"One, two, three," the lioness cub counted steadily as Soma snuck quietly into the shadowy alcove of the nearby rocks and Etari raced toward a downed log he had spotted earlier. He leaped on top of it, casting a quick glance back at Nala to make sure she wasn't peeking. A satisfied smirk appeared on his face as he heard her say "eight, nine," now slightly muffled from the paw she had covering her face. Still grinning he turned around to jump off the log and found himself staring Scar in the face.
"Whoa!" He yelped, almost falling off the log in surprise. But his claws bit deep into the bark and held him eye to eye with the new king.
"Hello Etari" hissed the red lion, his thin face carrying an evil smirk. Etari stared for a moment, utterly confused, but then his normal quick and unthinking response broke out.
"Hey, watch out! I gotta hide before Nala comes to find me!" Etari nearly choked a split second later as he realized what he had just said to the KING! Nervously he looked into the green eyes of the lion king, his breathing growing shallow and quick. With no warning a giant paw swept him off the log and flat on his back. Etari grunted as he landed hard on a stone, the pointed edge digging hard into his side as Scars' sharp paw pinned him to the ground.
"Did you just give me an order?" The kings green eyes burned down on Etari, the smirk on his face replaced with a stone cold glare. "Hold still!" he commanded, pressing the squirming cub harder into the dirt. Etari cut short a whimper, staring fearfully up as Scar through his eye that wasn't pressed into the dirt.
"I am the one who gives the orders, not you cub!" Spit from the frenzied king mouth struck Etari's nose and he drew back involuntarily, causing Scar to press him even harder onto the stone. Having trouble breathing the brown cub looked helplessly up at the black maned lion as he spoke. "I am the one who gives the orders," he repeated. "And you're lucky you're still alive, you brat. You should be thanking me, most lions taking over a pride would kill every male cub, but me…I'm nicer than that." Under the crushing weight of the paw Etari thought differently, but the evil glint in Scar's eyes kept him silent. "So long as you cooperate and remember that I'm the one who gives orders you'll be fine, otherwise…." Here Scar paused and lifted his paw off Etari, and with it pointed over the log.
Dazed from a lack of oxygen Etari blinked and squinted through a break in the log, trying to see what the mad king was pointing too. "What!" he managed to just gasp out. Nala stood in the sun, paw still over her eyes and counting, but Etari's roaring ears couldn't hear what number she was on. Crouched on the rock above her was a hyena, ready to spring, and another was slipping stealthily around the boulders to the alcove where Soma hid unaware.
"Yes, Etari, not only will you be good so that I won't hurt you, but you don't want your friends to get hurt, do you?" Scar whispered into the cubs ear. Livid with rage Etari sprang to his feet and blindly slashed out with a clawed paw. But Scar saw the weak attack coming, and Etari was thrown back against the log so hard he saw stars. Growling the king watched the disoriented cub fighting to lift his head. "You will obey me cub, or your friends will hurt. The gimp is useless to me, and though I like the pretty young lioness she had such a strong connection to the former king and prince that I'm not sure I want her around. So perhaps you'd like to keep me in a good mood if you'd like to play with your friends again. Do we understand each other?" Etari could only look at the red lion with his eyes out of focus; all the fight had been beaten out of him. Feeling sick to his stomach the cub closed his eyes in defeat and lay limply on the ground. "Good." Laughed Scar, turning his back on the battered cub and slinking away. The two hyenas abandoned their prey and, unseen followed the king out of sight.
Slowly Etari began to get his breath back and he could hear Nala counting "48, 49, 50! Ready or not here I come!" Moments later she had found Soma and he could hear them laughing and rustling around looking for them. Shivering he closed his eyes again, wishing that they would never find him.