Chapter 7

The Queen's Best Friend

Several days went by, but Scar had not made any announcement yet as to which lioness he would choose as Queen.

Some of the lionesses admitted to being curious, but they weren't looking forward to being Queen during a reign that would also involve dealing with the hyenas. Scar was bound to go away often, so it would be up to the Queen to keep the hyenas at bay. They all agreed that it seemed like a rather difficult task, even though no major disputes had broken yet between the two groups. Except for Shenzi and her siblings, the rest of the hyenas kept to themselves and rarely mingled with the lions.

Scar had tried to take over the patrol duties, but found out that patrolling every day was tiring and time consuming, so he struck a deal with the hyenas. Since they were now living in the Pride Lands, Scar informed them that it was now their duty to protect this territory too. The hyenas thought this was fair and agreed to split the task. The hyenas would cover the Northern and Eastern border, and Scar would cover the Southern and Western border. That way, they didn't have to cover as much distance anymore.

Scar was pleased with this arrangement, as it left him more time to roam Pride Rock and study the lionesses carefully. He realized that he didn't know them that well, so he paid attention to the lionesses' interaction, and quickly determined that after Karanga, Sarabi and Sarafina were the most dominant ones. The other lionesses rarely questioned their decisions and didn't doubt to carry out any favours they would ask.

Anasa and Sita were close friends, but not assertive enough to lead the Pride. They appeared rather content with having others making the important decisions.

Huria was usually in a grumpy mood, and she would often take it out on lower-ranked lionesses, such as the young cubs or Ndani. Scar noticed that Huria loved her pride though, and her sense of loyalty and protection was very strong. Too strong, sometimes; she had been spotted several times chasing away lionesses and leopards from the Outlands. Her hunting skills were rather good too.

Mahali, Tahlili and Shada were too young to be considered, and Kuuliza was too old.

And then there was Ndani, all the way at the bottom of the Pride's rank. But she was the only lioness he felt he could connect with in some way.

He also admitted to himself that he felt no romantic feelings for any one of them, not even Sarafina, who in his eyes was not worthy of his attention any more. So making up his mind had been a rather difficult task.

One evening, the lionesses were getting ready to go for a late hunt after sunset.

Scar listened to their conversation as he approached them with the intention to make his announcement.

"Finnie, are you coming this time?" Anasa asked.

Sarafina nodded. "Yes, Nala is doing a lot better now, so she will be okay with the sitters."

"Great! That means Ndani, you're out," Huria said, sounding a bit too happy about dropping her pride-mate from the hunting party.

Ndani's ears drooped. "Do I have to stay? I did a good job last time, didn't I?" she snarled.

"Yeah, until I had to yell at you to stop daydreaming and get a move on, remember?" Huria growled back.

Ndani, who had been stretching her muscles like the others, flopped on the ground and sighed deeply.

Scar frowned when he saw the disappointed look on the lioness' face and he cleared his throat to attract the lionesses' attention.

"Ah, came to wish us good luck?" Karanga asked.

"Yes, and also to make an announcement," he replied, watching all their eyes fixed on him.

The lionesses sat up straight and listened carefully. Only Ndani had remained lying on the floor, her chin resting on her paws, looking rather deflated.

Scar went on, as he paced slowly from side to side. "As you know, the King of the Pride Lands must choose a Queen at some point..."

The lionesses perked up their ears, as they felt their hearts racing. Scar had not shown any strong preference to either one of them as of lately, so they had no idea which one of them he would pick. Ndani, on the contrary, paid little attention, as she knew that she wouldn't be considered as a suitable candidate.

"So after a lot of consideration, I've finally made up my mind."

He stopped to keep them in suspense a little longer. They blinked back at him expectantly.

"The lioness I've picked is Ndani."

All lionesses turned to look at Ndani, who was still lying ungracefully on the ground, her eyes wide open in surprise. "Did- Did he say my name? Did I actually hear him say my name?"

The lionesses nodded at her, looking rather shocked.

Ndani sat up rather quickly and looked around at the surprised stares of her pride-mates. She felt as if her head was spinning, and didn't seem capable to speak.

"Well, go join him, what are you waiting for?" Anasa told her, smiling and feeling genuinely happy for her.

"Better her than me," whispered Huria into Sarabi's ear, "although I thought he'd go for that hyena of his..."

Sarabi had to stifle a chuckle, and felt relieved that she had not been chosen. She detested the idea of having to be Mufasa's brother's mate.

Sarafina, on the other hand, went very quiet and said nothing. Mahali noticed and doubted the truth about Sarafina's feelings towards Scar. She walked to her nonchalantly, standing close next to her to reassure Sarafina that she was not alone if she needed to talk to someone.

Sarafina looked at her and smiled understandingly.

Ndani, coming out of her shock, finally made her way to Scar's side, staring at him as if he had some contagious disease to be strongly avoided.

"Long live the Queen," Scar said, and the lionesses repeated the phrase in reply, bowing respectfully.

"Stop that!" Ndani yelled, "I'm not the Queen! I- I can't be... Are you playing a joke on me?" she asked Scar, about to burst into tears.

Scar shook his head. "You know I wouldn't joke about this," he said firmly.

Ndani looked down at the lionesses, who were congratulating her and wishing her good luck. It had to be real, she thought.

Karanga eventually approached them and gave both Scar and Ndani a gentle nuzzle, wishing them good luck together.

Scar turned to Ndani and whispered, "I guess you can now join the hunt if you want to... Queen's orders, you know..." he added, with a slightly evil grin on his face.

Ndani looked at him, still clearly not at ease with the idea of ruling next to him. "You know I can't... I'll- I'll be in the cave, okay?" she said rather quickly, and disappeared into the darkness of the cave.

Scar looked at Karanga with a confused expression. "Do they all react like that, or is it just my personal charm?" he asked, having expected a completely different reaction from her, of all lionesses.

Karanga smiled at him and said softly, "She probably didn't see it coming, that's all... As for your suggestion, Ndani can't join the hunt today even if she wanted to. She has to stay with you, to be claimed as your mate."

"I just did that, didn't I?" the lion asked, sounding confused.

Karanga took him a few paces away and whispered, "You have to mate with her to seal your engagement."

Scar's eyes widened slightly in realization, understanding now why Ndani had looked so terrified. He knew that she had never been with a lion before. "You mean... But... She's not even in season!" he hissed.

Karanga blinked a couple of times. She admired the fact that this particular King was actually worried about his wedding night not being such a thrill for the new Queen.

"She will be okay," she said, "just be kind and gentle."

Scar frowned slightly. "So here is yet another tradition I've never heard of... Tell me, did Thembi have to do this with you too, right after my own mother died?" he blurted out before he could stop himself.

Karanga's smile faded for a moment and she sighed as she looked away. "Not right after, no. It took Thembi quite some time to gather the courage to pick someone else. And when he finally did, he did it out of concern for the pride, who needed a Queen's leadership, and not because he needed my company or my love. So to answer your question, yes, your father had to do the same once he chose me as Queen. But, if you don't mind, my dear, there are some things about my relationship with your father that I'd rather keep to myself," she said, gently, but firmly, making sure he would understand that she did not want to discuss this particular topic any further.

"Yes... Yes, I'm sorry, I didn't mean to pry..." Scar replied, looking away when he noticed he struck a nerve in Karanga, and felt embarrassed for even questioning her on that subject. He appreciated her reply all the same.

Karanga's warm smile returned, lighting up her features again, and told him, "Go on, Ndani must be waiting for you, and I bet she's dying to find out why she was the chosen one."

Scar nodded again, and turned to the hunters, who were still waiting for Karanga to return and join the hunting party.

"Good luck with the hunt, and take care," Scar yelled as usual.

The hunting party roared back at him and walked away, heading towards where the zebra herds had been spotted. The sitters decided to talk a stroll with Nala, to enjoy the light of the full moon, and to ensure that Scar and Ndani would have enough privacy.

Scar watched the hunting party leave, until they finally disappeared behind the acacia trees. The lion padded back to the cave slowly and waited for his eyes to adjust to the darkness inside. He descried Ndani sitting up straight in her usual corner, looking rather nervous.

Scar took a deep breath and walked to the King's plateau. "Won't you join me over here?" he called her.

Ndani swallowed and walked towards him. She sat down in front of him, while still keeping a bit of distance. "Can I ask you something?" she said.

"Sure," Scar replied, as he licked one of his paws clean, trying to hide his own nervousness.

"Of all the lionesses you could choose from... Why didya go for me? I'm ugly and I ain't got no talents!" she said, as tears formed in her eyes, "Why me?"

Scar looked at her before replying. He thought his answer carefully, as he never thought she would be so shaken by his decision.

"You're not ugly as you think you are," he said at last, "and I know you could make a decent huntress if given the chance. You just don't get enough practice, that's all, but that will change from now on. As for why I decided to choose you... Well, the rest of the lionesses have shown very little interest in me, but you and I got along rather well, despite having had a rough start during our cubhood."

"Yes, but... I mean, we are good friends, and that's that! Besides, ya know how I feel about having them cubs 'n all that... Couldn't you have gone for someone who actually wants to give you an heir? That's what Queens are for, right?" she asked, sounding a bit desperate.

"I've heard there's more to being Queen than just producing cubs, Ndani," he replied curtly, "And don't worry, since we're being totally honest here, I also have to admit I don't harbour any romantic feelings for you. Like you said, we're good friends. It's just that we've connected in a way I have not connected with any other lioness, and I figured, together you and I could finally show all of them that even though they've treated us like dirt in the past, and had little hopes and expectations for us, we can still run this place."

Ndani looked at him, liking the sound of that. "Heh, s'like, the era of the rise of the underdogs or somethin', you, me and the hyenas..."

Scar nodded, "Something like that, which brings me to another reason as to why I picked you. The hyenas actually like you. Apparently you, Karanga and Shada have been kind to them throughout the past few weeks, and the word has spread that you three are 'okay' while they still see the rest of the lionesses as uptight."

Ndani chuckled slightly as she dried the tears off her face with a paw. "I just can't believe it, that you'd choose me, heh..."

"Who did you think I would choose, then?"

"Anyone but me. Shenzi over me. Zazu over me!" she said, laughing out loud.

Scar grinned and stood up, closing the gap between them. It made Ndani's laugh freeze. She knew what was expected of the newly chosen Queen, and felt rather nervous.

Scar was not very comfortable himself with the idea of having to force her into mating outside her season, just to fulfill some dumb tradition. He looked at Ndani, wondering what she was thinking, whether she'd ask him not to go ahead with this, but she said nothing. She just didn't dare to look him in the eye.

"Okay, let's get this outta the way then," she blurted out all of a sudden, and turned around, lying down on the plateau, facing the wall of the cave.

Scar kept staring at her, noticing how her muscles were extremely tense, with her claws trying to bury into the cave's floor, and her tail deeply tucked between her legs. Her whole body language was clearly screaming to him 'I don't want to do this', but she still said nothing.

"Your tail's in the way," he said flatly, with a cheeky grin.

"Oh, sorry..." she replied, and slowly flicked her tail aside for him.

He approached her and gave her a gentle nip on the shoulder, but the lioness was as cold as ice towards his advance, and her only reaction was a slight wince.

Scar remembered that one of the things he had enjoyed the most was watch Sarafina beg for his attentions time and time again. He had enjoyed the slight sense of power he felt, by teasing her, not giving into her demands just like that... Compared to that, tending to Ndani right now felt like a plunge into the waterhole during a cold night. In the end, the lion decided he would bend yet another rule, and instead he stepped over the tense lioness, only to lie down by her side.

Ndani, who had her eyes tightly shut, opened them when she felt the lion's warmth next to her. "What? what's wrong?"

"I appreciate that you were willing to give yourself to me, but I'd rather have you come to me when you're ready instead."

Ndani's ears perked up. "But... the sealin' of the bond and all that stuff?"

"Will the lionesses think less of you if you tell them we didn't go through with this?"

Ndani nodded, "They'll probably think I'm so ugly you couldn't complete your task or somethin'..."

Scar chuckled. "Then just tell them we did it. Who cares?"

Ndani's smiled returned to her face and her muscles relaxed. She looked rather grateful.

"What about the heir?"

"I don't need one right this very moment, you know?"

Ndani nodded, glad that she didn't have to dive into maternity right away, like a lot of Queens craved to do.

The lioness sighed and snuggled closer to Scar's warm body. Even though she was not in love with him, she enjoyed the contact all the same.

Scar in turn was content as to how things had turned out. He could now understand why Ndani reacted the way she did, even though he hadn't expected it, but all in all, he felt rather pleased.

"Can't wait to show Huria who's boss..." Ndani said dreamily after a few minutes of silence.

"Oh yes, you show her."

She chuckled and closed her eyes to get some sleep, feeling drowsy after all the stress and excitement.

Scar joined her in a short nap that was interrupted by the lionesses announcing their return.

The King and his new Queen exited the cave to greet the hunting party, who had managed to hunt down a rather big zebra.

Scar thanked them for the meal and began eating with enthusiasm.

Ndani in the meantime went to join her pride-mates, and as she waited for her turn to eat, she could notice the lionesses staring at her with pained and worried expressions.

"Um, you guys okay?" Ndani asked.

Sarabi walked to her and whispered, "We know the first night is not the best... Are you doing okay?"

Ndani smiled slightly and nodded. "I'm feeling fine, thanks for askin'," she said, appreciating her older sister's concern, while at the time also enjoying keeping such big secret from everyone.

Scar eventually moved away from the zebra, and the lionesses moved in, to have their share of the meal. Not long after, Huria started to growl loudly, feeling possessive of her food, when she spotted one of the hyenas approaching.

"Don't flatter yourself, pussycat, I'm here to see the King, not you," Banzai yelled at her with a big grin and walked past the feasting lionesses.

Scar looked up when he heard Banzai talking. The hyena was still chuckling at Huria's angry expression as he approached the lion.

"Hey pal," Banzai said and sat down next to Scar.

"Where have you been? I haven't seen you guys lately," the lion replied as he cleaned the remains from his dinner by rubbing his paw on his cheeks repeatedly.

"We've been enjoying the sights, heh. Man, this place is awesome," Banzai said, and fell silent for a moment, as he looked around the Pride Lands with a satisfied look on his face. "Anyway, I came here to ask ye... Asani insisted on a clan meeting for who knows what reason, so Shenzi's callin' one to see what the hell she wants this time. Shenzi wants to know if ye wanted to come or not. We're not sure what the policy is now, you see... Is lion business, well, Lion Business? What about Hyena Business?"

Scar pondered for a moment. "Well... Unless it is something that I need to be directly involved with, I think you can carry on with your internal clan meetings without my presence. I trust everything here is matching your expectations, though?" he asked, frowning slightly.

"Oh yeah, like I said, we have no idea what Asani wants this time, but we'll keep ya posted. So what's new here?"

Scar smirked. "I've chosen a Queen. It's Ndani."

Banzai grinned widely. "Wow... Good for ya!" he said enthusiastically as he wiggled his eyebrows and let out a naughty chuckle, "Now, I am not much of a judge on lioness beauty, but I think she's a fine piece of a-"

"Hey, guys," Ndani interrupted them, having finished eating, "What's up?"

"Oh, nothing much, Banzai was just about to tell me something. Do go on, please, Banzai," Scar replied, nonplussed.

Banzai blushed slightly and chuckled, "Oh, it's nothin', I was just congratulatin' the boss on havin' picked ya."

Ndani chuckled and turned to Scar. "Hey, Scar, is it okay if I sneak away for a bit, tomorrow morning, kinda early? I'll try and be back before you go on your patrol..."

"Ah, going to visit those friends of yours again?" he asked.

Ndani nodded. "Can't wait to tell 'em what's happened, they won't believe it, I'm sure!"

Scar grinned slightly, noticing how Ndani was quickly warming up to the idea of being Queen.

"Sure, go ahead. Send them my regards," the lion replied.

Banzai stood up and stretched himself. "Anyway, gotta go back to Shenzi, to let her know you're ok with our meeting. I'll see you guys later!"

"Until then," Scar replied, and headed back to the cave to get some sleep. Ndani and the rest of the lionesses joined him eventually, which meant that none of them witnessed the hyenas' gathering.


Shenzi had called for a clan meeting and was waiting for the hyenas to gather round.

"Okay, guys, listen up!" she yelled while standing on a rock, "I honestly have no idea why we're gathered here today, so I'll just step off this rock and let Asani do the talkin'."

The hyenas looked at each other and rolled their eyes.

"Yet another try to undermine Shenzi's authority, I guess..." whispered one of them.

Asani climbed on the rock and cleared her throat. "Does anyone remember why we were banned from this land in the first place?"

The hyenas knew very well but no one replied.

"If I recall correctly, it was cause they said we were killin' for sport and wastin' all the food."

Some hyenas nodded, others looked at her simply wondering when she would get to the point.

"Well, today I saw several hyenas bringing down a couple of gazelles, taking just a few bites, and then leaving the rest to rot out there in the sun. I won't say any names; you know who you are."

Shenzi frowned when she heard this. "To hell with that, I want names. Who was it?" she demanded, looking around to see if she could spot the guilty faces amongst the crowd.

Asani glared at her. "I said I ain't saying."

Shenzi bared her teeth at her for a moment, but then turned to face the crowd of muttering hyenas. "Okay, you lot... I know that we're lovin' this place and all, and it's easy to get carried away, but don't let it happen again. If the lionesses find out we're wastin' food they're bound to start complainin' and we don't want no trouble."

Asani tried to make herself heard again, "I suggest that whatever doesn't get eaten, we just bring back here, right to this spot. I am sure that the nursing mothers would really like not havin' to leave their pups unattended in search for food. The elder hyenas can also come here to eat in peace too."

There was a murmur of agreement amongst several hyenas, who thought it was a good idea after all.

"So, it's settled then," Shenzi yelled, "No wasting meat, left-overs will be brought here, end of discussion. Everyone go back to whatever you were doing."

Shenzi waited until the clan thinned out and called Asani through clenched teeth.

"Listen to me, this is the last time I call a meeting without you telling me what it is about first."

"And have you steal my good ideas and taking credit for them?" Asani growled.

Shenzi's siblings came to back her up.

"Calm down, genius, you already overheated your head with this great idea of yours, don't overdo it," Banzai said.

Asani gave Banzai a dirty look and muttered, "Shut it, you stupid male."

Banzai laughed and approached Asani, "Stupid? Aww, c'mon, you secretly have the hots for me, admit it,"

Asani made a gagging noise. "You wish you could get along with the likes of me, pal."

Shenzi rolled her eyes and walked away while the other two hyenas kept throwing insults at each other.

"I tell you Ed, they keep teasin' each other like this, but one of these days I'm gonna find those two in the bushes together, I just know it," she said, rubbing her temples with a paw.

Ed simply chuckled in reply and made a whooping noise.

"That's what I'm sayin'... Come on, let's catch some Z's, I'm tired," she managed to say while in mid-yawn.

Shenzi lied down next to Ed as she thought of what Asani had said earlier. It seemed so typical of her, to start worrying already over just two dead gazelles that were not completely consumed. Shenzi knew that the clan had never had so many potential food at their disposal, and they were probably enjoying the hunts a bit too much lately. She expected the novelty to wear off soon, and the hyenas would go back to their usual eating pattern and hunting rhythm. She didn't feel worried at all.


Scar woke up early and rolled on to his side, only to find a cold spot on the floor, where Ndani had been lying earlier. He then remembered that the lioness would be going away for a short while, so he tried to fall asleep again, without success.

He had been awakened by a nightmare, a strange dream that made him feel uneasy even now that he was awake, as he tried to recall what he had seen. He couldn't remember it in extreme detail, but he knew for sure it involved a cub, probably Simba, chasing him, and Scar feeling rather terrified and fleeing for his life.

Scar grunted as he failed to catch some more sleep, and stood up, glancing at the sleeping pride in the process. He noticed that he was not the only one who was awake; Sarafina was staring at Nala through puffy eyes and with a sleepy look on her face.

The lion walked past the pride without saying a word, and left the cave, while Sarafina followed him with her eyes. After a minute or two, she looked around and stood up slowly, following Scar stealthily and glancing backwards to make sure that Nala was still fast asleep.

Scar had climbed down Pride Rock. The early morning dew moistened his pelt as he brushed against branches and bushes. He sniffed the grass for a moment but looked up startled when he heard Sarafina clear her throat right behind him.

"Oh, it's you," he told Sarafina, wondering how many times he had heard those same words coming from her and Sarabi's mouth.

Sarafina ignored his cold greeting and stepped forward. "I need to ask you something, can we talk?"

Scar sat down, looking bored. "What is it?"

"Was it true, what you said that day? Do I really mean nothing to you?"

Scar looked into her eyes, his expression hard to read. "Well, yes, but I thought that was mutual, wasn't it?"

"I just thought, after what happened that night-"

"You asked for it, remember? I didn't come on to you, you did," he interrupted, not wanting to show any weakness in front of her.

Sarafina frowned. "You know what? Forget it. It was stupid of me to try and talk to you about this," she said, as she turned to leave.

Scar looked at her and finally asked her the question that had been nagging in his mind for so long. "Why did you go with him?"

Sarafina stopped and glanced over her shoulder. She hesitated, but eventually returned to him and whispered, "I went with him because I... I was in love with your brother. You kindly helped satisfy my body's desires that night, but my heart still longed for him... I am sorry, I should have told you earlier."

Scar's expression was still hard to read, he simply stared at her, while mentally cursing Mufasa with all his might.

"But the time I spent with both of you made me realize many things... I just... I honestly thought you cared for me..."

Scar finally narrowed his eyes, looking very angry all of a sudden. His expression made Sarafina feel rather uneasy.

"And what difference does it make whether I cared for you or not?" he spat, "You made up your mind, you went with my brother, and although you already knew he only had eyes for no other than Sarabi, you never came to spend time with me again after that night. So why all your interest in me all of a sudden? Is it because I am King now? Do you just feel like being the Queen, no matter who's on the throne?"

"How can you say that?" she snapped at him, looking hurt.

Scar turned his back on her while shaking his head. "Well, I really don't understand you, Sarafina. You never gave me a second glance, not even after that night. And now you're questioning my feelings for you? Why now? Why after I've openly announced that I have a mate? Perhaps you need to sort out your feelings first, before you come and question my own?"

Sarafina opened her mouth but she didn't know what to reply. She simply shook her head and whispered, "You're right... I was out of line. I'm very sorry that I brought this up."

Scar enjoyed seeing her so confused, feeling she deserved every bit of it and more.

"Go back to your cub now, she's probably wondering where you are."

Sarafina nodded and turned around, not looking back. By the time the lioness made her way back to the cave to check on Nala, the sun had already risen. She could hear some hyena laughter in the distance, but she didn't pay much attention to it anymore. They had gotten used to the sounds and scents of the clan in the meantime.

She lay down next to the cub, who was still sleeping, and even though she had been mentally cursing at herself for asking Scar for help that night months ago, the thought that Nala might not be there if it hadn't been for him was enough to placate her anger.

The pride woke up eventually and the lionesses went outside to sit under the warm rays of the sun and to groom each other like they did every morning.

Karanga, usually quick to groom Scar, was acting more distant now that he had chosen a Queen. Karanga didn't want to interfere in activities that Ndani might like to do with him, so she gave Scar a quick good-morning kiss, and went to groom Kuuliza instead.

As if on cue, Ndani came running to him, looking a bit out of breath, but rather excited.

"Great, made it on time before you left on patrol!" she said. She looked around and saw the lionesses engaged in their grooming session.

Scar looked at her, a bit expectantly.

Ndani laughed a bit. "I can either cover you in my spit, or I can tell you what happened this morning, your pick!"

Scar raised an eyebrow. "How about you try both?" he said as he lied down to make the task easier for her.

Ndani grunted and swatted at him playfully. She began grooming him, while speaking to him between licks. "Well, ya know I went to meet my friends. Like I said, they couldn't believe I'm the new Queen! They think I'm pullin' their leg."

"Tell them to come here and I'll confirm it myself."

Ndani grinned as she stopped licking for a moment. "Well, that's the thing! They finally wanna meet you!"

Scar looked at her a bit surprised. "Oh, so now that I am King, then they want to come meet me?"

Ndani shook her head. "They couldn't care less whether you're King or not, so don't expect them to be bowing at you and stuff. Nah, they were kinda blown away by the fact that you let the hyenas in, and then there was the whole choosing me, and sparing a cub business. Zira says normal lions don't do that. She wants to meet 'this weirdo', she says."

Scar grimaced, and then pointed at his cheek with one of his claws, enticing her to keep on grooming. Ndani went on, wondering what he was thinking. "So, can I bring 'em over?"

Scar closed his eyes, as he enjoyed the sensation of being groomed by someone else other than Karanga. "All right, if they want to pop by for a visit it's fine with me. Be sure to warn the others that they are here as our own special guests."

"Great! Now, your turn," she said, closing her eyes too, "groom me quickly and then I'll go tell 'em!"

Scar groomed his new mate for the first time, finding that it was quite an enjoyable task. Ndani seemed to like it too, and it pleased him to see her completely at ease, unlike the night he chose her as Queen.

Ndani in turn found that being groomed by a male lion felt rather differently than when one of her pride-mates did it. She could not tell where the difference lay, but she found herself enjoying Scar's ministrations a bit too much. The thought seemed to spook her, so she stood up quickly and told Scar, "Sorry, I can't lay still, I'm too hyped."

Scar smirked. "Go now then... I'll meet you and your friends here after I am back from patrol."

Ndani nodded and ran off like an overgrown cub, and Scar said goodbye to the lionesses and went to take care of his patrolling duties.


Scar was still busy walking his borders when Zazu came flying above him. The lion rolled his eyes and ignored the bird, but Zazu landed right next to him.

"I've got the morning report, sire."

Scar rubbed his temples for a moment. "Tell me, did someone die, is dying, or will die soon?"

Zazu was taken aback by this question. "Er... Not that I know of, sire..."

"Are we about to break into war with any of the tribes?"

"Um... not war, no, but some animals have been complaining about the hyena pups dirtying up the waterhole..."

"Then I'm not interested in your report, Zazu. Contact me when something actually relevant happens."

Zazu felt terrible; he had spent the whole morning working hard, all for nothing.

The bird swallowed and asked, "Will you actually need my assistance as informant in the future, or am I just wasting my time flying here and there trying to gather information for you?"

Scar chuckled to himself as he proceeded to mark some nearby bushes. "You can fly around as much as you want, just don't come bothering me with things of little importance. Now you go and tell those animals that pups will be pups, and they have as much right to swim in there as any other animal."

"But, sire... the pups-"

"If they don't like the pups hanging out there, then whomever complained can go and find themselves another waterhole. Is that clear?"

"Yes, your majesty," Zazu replied flatly, "Is there anything else you'd rather I focused on instead?"

Scar pondered for a moment. "Now that you mention it... Yes, I want you patrolling by air outside the borders, and alert me of any male rogues nearby. Can you do that?"

Zazu frowned, as Thembi and Mufasa never asked him to patrol outside of the borders, but he nodded and replied softly, "Yes, sire..." The bird took off, leaving Scar alone to finish his job.

When he was done, the lion made his way back to Pride Rock, wondering if Ndani had already returned with the outlander lionesses.

Judging from the roars coming from Pride Rock, the strangers had arrived. Scar could clearly hear Huria trying to sound scary and imposing.

Scar sped up his step and he slowly was able to understand the discussion going on at their lair.

"You can't just come in here and bring total strangers into the Pride, just because you're the Queen!" Huria yelled.

"Scar, The King, is okay with it, so whatever you think, you can stuff your opinion where the sun don't shine!" Ndani snarled back.

Scar arrived in the middle of the dispute. "What's going on here?"

Huria turned to him, looking enraged. "She says she has your permission to bring strangers into the Pride, is that true?"

"For the umpteenth time, they are not stayin'!" Ndani said, rolling her eyes.

"Huria, Huria," Scar said softly, "Did you make such a fuss when Thembi accepted Dalasini into this pride?"

Huria looked at the King and tried to answer calmly. "Dalasini's presence was needed for a very noble cause, but these lionesses, we don't need them at all, and we don't know what their intentions are!"

"I will talk to them first and find out if they're up to no good, but since they are here under the Queen's personal invitation, I expect you to accept the fact that they are here, and behave in a cordial way towards them," Scar replied firmly.

Huria nodded and joined her pride-mates muttering something that sounded like '...they're strong enough, maybe they'll break your skinny little neck...' but Mahali hushed her, not sure how Scar would take hearing death wishes from within his own pride. Luckily for Huria, Scar did not catch her last words.

Scar turned to Ndani. "So, where are these friends of yours?"

"Down there by acacias, in the shade."

"Let's go then, the rest of you can stay here if you prefer," Scar said, and Ndani chuckled as she followed him, making a rude signal towards Huria, who snarled in return. None of the lionesses followed them to join the meeting with the strangers.

As the King and Queen approached the acacias, Scar was able to see three golden shapes lying down together. The strangers were huddled close and whispering words he could not understand.

"Hey, guys!" Ndani called.

The lionesses looked up, and stood up slowly, shaking off the dust of their pelts.

Scar and Ndani reached the shade of the trees, and he looked at the Outlanders from up close for the first time.

"Scar, this is my best friend, Zira. Zira, this is my mate, Scar," she said, grinning proudly.

Scar stared at Zira while Ndani introduced the other two lionesses, whose names were Kahawia and Njano.

Zira in turn looked back at this skinny lion, whom she had only seen from afar. Despite his lack of muscle mass, she found him rather attractive from up close.

Without exchanging a word, it was already clear to Scar that Zira was the most dominant of the three, while the other two lionesses flanked her sides, like a pair of bodyguards. She was not intimidated at all by Scar's presence, on the contrary, she was trying to make herself as tall as possible, craning her neck, and looking proud.

The lioness even took a step forward, to let him know she was not afraid.

"Zira..." Scar said nonchalantly, "We finally get to meet. Ndani has told me much about you."

Zira smirked. "Bad things only, I hope?" she said in a deep, rich voice.

Scar chuckled. "Alas, no, good things as well."

"Damn you, Ndani, ruining my reputation like that..." Zira replied, sizing Scar up and down. She was sure she could take him down easily if he were to attack, but Scar was totally at ease and gave no signs to try and intimidate them.

Ndani chuckled and sat next to her friends. "So, do you believe it now? I'm the Queen of this joint!"

Zira turned to Ndani and then to Scar, as if waiting for his confirmation.

"It is true, I've chosen her to rule by my side."

"Is it true also what we heard about the hyenas, and you sparing a cub's life?" Zira asked, narrowing her eyes slightly.

"Yes, it is. You're welcome to take a tour and see for yourself if you want."

Zira, who had never been inside the Pride Lands before, was actually curious as to what was so special about this place. She decided to accept Scar's offer. "A tour... That sounds like a charming idea."

Ndani laughed some more and she told Zira, "Listen to yourself, tryin' to sound all polite and all!"

"Well, we are in the presence of a King, aren't we? We must behave our best," Zira replied a bit sarcastically, but smiled at Scar all the same.

Scar simply told them, "Well, follow me, then." He turned around and left without another word.

The lionesses looked at each other and shrugged. They followed Scar silently, as the lion led the way. He kept glancing backwards to make sure that the lionesses were keeping up. Scar could see Kahawia and Njano looking around, but he noticed that Zira kept her eyes on him most of the time. The lion smiled to himself, as he felt that this would turn out to be a rather interesting evening.