A/N:
Damn that was a long time between updates. Have to say, writers block really, really sucks. Hopefully we'll be moving forward at a steady pace, but don't count on the updates being as close together as they were in the past. The new goal is one every 2-3 weeks, not nearly every week.
Also, you'll notice that this, and the chapter after as well, that they are covering some stuff that was stated in Chapter 3. I hate being repetitive, but I believe it's necessary for the story as a whole. Besides, before it was all exposition, this is from an actual characters perspective, in his own words.
Emerald dreamer96 : Yes, he will try. But more complications are sure to arise in the near future. But you are correct on the notion of Mufasa at least partially forgiving him.
IhateMarySue'sSoooooMuch: Don't be that fast to judge Mufasa, though I will warn you, the worst is yet to come. But in his mind, Mufasa really believed he was doing the right thing. For the most part. And yes, hugging Scar might be a tiny bit dangerous
Haradion: Yep, I like those too. And as I said to the above reviewer, the worst is yet to come.
readsmanyfavsfew :I appreciate the time it took you to write that review. And rest assured, I will eventually do all that I can, to fix a lot of those issues. But it likely will not be till after the story is done that I do any massive overhauls. Lack of free time and what not. But yes, those points are duly noted. Oh, and don't feel bad, because I know it wasn't your intention...but your review really prompted me to put the brakes on the story for a while. It made me second guess a lot of what I'd written, though not in a bad way. But as I said, I was getting into a funk anyway, so you weren't the main cause of the delay.
Maggie110: Glad you think so.
But yes, don't forget to read and review. And thank you all for your patience.
Simba had to die. There was no way around it, no other course of action to take. But there were so many questions, so much that could go wrong. She had been rash, stupid even, to attack Simba and Nala they way she did. If only she had waited, bided her time, if only...
It was to late for that. She, Shida and Shaka were exiled, not to return under penalty of death. That greatly complicated things, though it didn't stop her from gaining information. One thing she gather, at least through rumors, was that Licha and some of his followers were still alive. As if killing Simba and taking back the kingdom for Scar weren't enough of a burden, she had that filthy sack of flesh to possibly contend with. As much as she loathed Simba, she would sooner betray Scar and serve Simba in whatever way he pleased then allow that mongrel and his kin even another precious breath of air.
But with any luck, one would destroy the other, effectively eliminating half of her problems for her. If push came to shove, she would help Simba and his pride vanquish those disgusting hyenas, but the moment they were dead she would plant the proverbial knife in the kings back.
So much planning, and so little time to do it it. Surviving in the Outlands was a joke. One might as well try living in the burning depths of hell. Prey was scarce, and water rarer still. Were it not for the fact that she had made a couple new 'friends', none of her new pride might even be alive now. They were rogue females, that had left their own prides on bad terms. Or so they said, not that it mattered. Zira didn't give a damn about their history, so long as they could help further her agenda, and facilitate her and her cubs survival.
Kovu. Her precious Kovu.
Scar might not know it yet, but he was going to be the future king. Vitani, what role she would have was up in the air, though Zira could admit that the thought of them ruling alongside one another would be a tantalizing prospect. The only thing she did know is that Nuka would never have any say so. Period. That cub was a disgrace, too weak, too stupid to ever rule. She laughed for a moment at the thought of making him a court jester of sorts, before deigning him to be beneath even that.
Stupid, foolish little whelp...instead of coming with her, helping train Kovu as best as possible, he wanted to stay and live a pampered life in the Pridelands, with Simba. The little wretch even had the gall to say that Simba wasn't bad. That sealed it in her mind just how incompetent her eldest truly was. Killing him at the first opportunity crossed her mind, but she thought better of it. Scar would never allow that, not even from her. For whatever reason, her mate thought highly of that cub, and had practically clung to him ever since...since Furaha...
The name brought back a sudden rush of memories, enough to make her legs nearly give out beneath her. Happy times, her, Scar, even Nuka. How she had loved them all. How wonderful everything seemed.
No more. She could not, must not think back on that day. To do so would make her weak, and spoil her revenge. And she couldn't afford that. She had to be strong, for her new 'pride', her cubs, and most of all... for Scar.
...
It was hot out that day. The sun beat down on his silky black pelt, but Scar cared little for that. For the past few hours he had been lazing in the fringes of the Savanna, relaxing after the better part of the morning had been spent marking the western borders. Simba had told him that he would have to start earning his keep. Scar had grown angry at that, but pushed the feelings aside. After all, Nuka almost always accompanied him, and the cub was still curious on how the kingdom was ran. Of course Nuka wouldn't be able to be king, not now...that would fall to any cubs Simba might have.
On that matter, he had observed that Nala had grown significantly in the belly. Oh, he had his suspicions alright, but he had yet to confront Simba. He would let that nephew of his announce it when the time came, if it indeed was as he thought.
Still, he knew that one day, soon, he would have to tell Nuka everything. He was hardly even a cub, though the term still seemed more appropriate than adolescent. His mane was barely filling in, with only a couple tufts on his head and neck, and his chest. The color of his eyes had also shifted. Instead of being a mix of red and green, they were green in the enter, and red around the rims of the pupil.
A sudden weight falling on his back drug him from his stupor.
"...dad...dad!"-"Wake up a-already."
That was accompanied by a playful swat at the back of his ears. Scar groaned, and shook the boy off of him. Slowly he sat up, turning to face his son.
"I was awake...just resting my eyes and whatnot. Is it something of importance this time, because if it's anything like the last three times..." he made a slicing motion across his throat, though it was obvious that the gesture wasn't meant as a threat.
"W-well...I've been meaning to ask...but see, you never seem to want to t-talk about yourself at all. And...when I'm around the o-others, they seem a bit nervous around me...like they are afraid of me. Some have wh-whispered things...they wouldn't tell me but, dad...did you ever do something, something really bad that you haven't told me."
No, this wasn't supposed to come about like this. Scar cursed himself mentally, for not foreseeing something like this. Of course, those damned lionesses knew what he did, and some might have even told their cubs bits and pieces of the truth. Luck was with him in one regard, at least no one had divulged the whole story to his son. That made things less, complicated.
The older lion sighed roughly. "You might say something to the affirmative on that, Nuka. But at the time, it all made so much sense. But I won't start with that incident, no. The beginning is always the best place to start."
He scratched at his own mane, as he found himself faced with a rather unusual situation. Normally speaking was one of his strong points. He could be very eloquent and persuasive when the time called for it, though he usually laced it with wry sarcasm. But actually talking about his past, that left him at a very uncharacteristic loss for words. Especially when it was with someone who practically idolized him.
"You see, son, I was never the favored cub. Make no mistake, my father loved Mufasa and I equally well. But tradition dictated that there only be one king. The first born."-"My brother was born nearly six moons before me, so by the claim to the throne was his by default. Being the heir, meant he had to learn all the details of how to run his future kingdom. Father spent so much time training Mufasa." Scar said, coming off in a slightly more condescending manner than intended.
"Due to that, and his ever present duties, seeing to the welfare of the kingdom, he had little time for anything else. Including me. When I was young, I resented him for it. Deeply. Hindsight has allowed me a clearer picture, but at the time I assumed he was doing it deliberately. So finally, when I was just a bit younger than you are right now, he finally noticed how troubled I was, and he decided to inquire as to what the problem was. I accused him of playing favorites, that both my brother and I were his children, so why was he trying so hard to pretend that one didn't exist. That, I asserted, he had no right to do. That he couldn't just toss one cub aside like trash, while showering the other with praise and affection. I thought he was doing it to avoid being seen with me, that he was somehow ashamed. Everyone always talked of how great my brother was, yet I wasn't even an afterthought. So what else was I to think? I made my case to him, in a very 'polite' manner of course."
"How could h-he do that to you, that sounds like a t-terrible thing to do..." Nuka said, only for Scar to interrupt him with a snort.
"Don't be so quick to judge him on that, there is so much more to tell." And the best is yet to come. He thought wryly.
"No, my father wasn't attempting to do that to me. As I said, and as he told me, it was tradition. A law enacted by my great-great grandfather. King Mkali. The law was practical at the time, and up until that point, no one had ever been affected by it. At least not in such a negative fashion. My father apologized to me, all the same. He did mention what it was unfair in some ways though, that it was a bit outdated, if you will. I wasn't sure if I could even believe him, until I heard his next suggestion. My father was known to be a bit...spontaneous at times, and this was one of them. He said that it wasn't fair, either to me or Mufasa, for the throne to be handed to the oldest, with age being the only requirement to rule. His alternative was to start training me as well, alongside my brother. He even implied that we could both rule together, assuming we proved ourselves capable of such. It was unorthodox, but he said that he could see no reason to deny me based on nothing more than sheer randomness of birth."
"I was delighted of course. How could I not be. Not only was I getting the chance to actually spend time with my father, to actually get to know him, but I also got time with Mufasa. I looked up to him in so many ways, and I seldom even saw him once his training began in earnest. Ruling the kingdom, that had a certain appeal, but at the time family took precedence. How I wish I kept that mentality."
Before Nuka could ask further, his father turned away, glancing for the briefest moment in the direction of the gorge. "Everything went well, for quite some time actually. I was making great strides in our lessons, and was starting to catch up to where Mufasa was at. My father was impressed by this. He told me, both of us actually, that he was planning on both of us succeeding him as king. We had our issues to still work out, but we did a good job of covering each others weak points." Scar shook his head for a moment. "But like so many other good things, it all came to an end."
He scoffed, "My father hated hyenas. With something akin to, but far more dangerous than mere passion. It wasn't that he thought them inferior, no, it wasn't that simple. In his mind, they were dangerous, conniving and vicious. Degenerate scum, that could do nothing but corrupt anything and anyone they came in contact with. I never found out why either. All I know is that he was a rogue before stumbling into the pridelands...back when my grandfather, Mohatu was king. Before Mohatu assumed the throne, our species were on the verge of war, a war that thanks to the hyenas numbers, would have been devastating even for us. But he believed in peace, obstinately so. A very charismatic lion, one who believed all species were equal under the circle of life. Well renowned for his wisdom, even while he was still a prince"
"Long story short, after a long series of negotiations, he got what he wanted. They were allowed into the western territories, but no more than the fringes, just beyond the graveyard. It was a compromise, they wanted full access, but the lionesses and the herds were too afraid, too paranoid of what they would do."
"Ahadi, though not related by blood to Mohatu, nonetheless sought to honor that treaty, even if he himself loathed them. My grandfather would have it no other way before naming him as his successor. But that all changed one day."
Nuka scratched at his neck, trying to get at a few fleas crawling through his scraggly patches of hair. "What happened then, what c-changed his mind?"
"I'm getting to it. Patience child. Anyway," Scar said, coughing to clear his throat, "...what changed everything was something I did. You see, when I was still many moons younger than Simba, I stumbled upon a confrontation. I was on the far edges of the Pridelands, near the Elephant Graveyard, when I heard a great commotion. As I slowly crept towards the source, I saw Shenzi, Banzai and Ed being backed into a corner by two grown male Cheetahs. Normally three hyenas would be more than a match for two Cheetahs, but like me, they were still in the later stage of adolescence. Those two Cheetahs were large, big as any leopard. At least I remember them being so. I'm not sure what possessed me to do as I did, considering how badly that could have went, but I charged right into the middle of the conflict. Literally. I think the fact that they recognized me as a prince kept them from actually attacking. I did nothing however, to stay their tongues."
"They claimed, that they hyenas were too far into the Pridelands, that it was their territory, not someplace for a bunch of mangy poaching mongrels. I pinned one of them to the ground, and told them that this was my families land, not just theirs. I also informed them, none to kindly, that they were still well within their established boundaries, and that if they didn't clear out and leave those hyenas be, that I would inform my father of this little incident. The mention of Ahadi was more than enough to scare them straight, and you wouldn't believe how fast they back peddled."
Scar laughed wryly at that. "And in more ways than one. I swear, that was probably the fasted I've ever seen a couple of Cheetahs clear out of an area, and considering their reputation for speed..." he laughed again, before his expression became clouded by something else. "If only they knew how much my father hated hyenas...he wouldn't have tolerated it if any were killed for no reason, but if it was just a beating, he likely would have turned a blind eye. If anything, I would have gotten punished as well had he found out what I did."
