Taka's Guard – Chapter 10

Scar staggered with the others, paying no heed to the way he limped on three legs as he did so. He was far too concerned with Kasi and Zira and the injuries they had suffered to pay it any notice. Mufasa however did notice, and the pain his brother was in.

"Scar! Please. Leave this to us." He pleaded with him, even as he ran. Scar ignored him, pushing on through the pain.

"I have got to see this through, brother! We can't just abandon Kasi! I am fine!" He said, and continued the painful march, although the limb ached and throbbed with every step, and he knew he risked doing some serious damage to the leg by continuing to move on it. They moved as a single group, Jicho and Nguvu were a familiar sight. But a number of the lionesses from the hunting party reinforced them, including Sarabi, Kula and Sauda. Sauda in particular was alarmed and restless with her son missing and in imminent danger. Mufasa had tried to persuade her to await them in the den, but she – like Zira – flatly refused. Zazu, the blue hornbill flew above them, and Jicho led the way. Fortunately, the dogs were easy to track. They had made no effort to hide their flight through the savannah north, to the border with the Outlands. He shouldn't have been surprised that they would flee from the King's territory as soon as they could.

Eventually the group reached the border of the Pridelands, and as they prepared to cross the river, they were halted by a loud and intimidating voice.

"Come no further, Mufasa!" A loud voice cried out.

They had approached the border of the Outlands, and separated by the Great River. The water had receded during the dry season, and the river now flowed a good two feet lower than at its highest. The Outlands were separated more by a deep ditch, rather through which some water flowed, rather than a river. The far side was elevated above them, too, making a jump impossible. The river itself was deserted, and only a single tree trunk lay across the divide. The gathered lions and lionesses of the Pridelands came to standstill, and Scar could see him. Black fur and yellow eyes, the wilddog who had led the the attack on him, and orchestrated the simultaneous attacks on Nguvu, Jicho, and Kasi stood there, a mere few feet away. He felt bile rise within him. Not since Caliban had Scar hated an individual with such vigour. Scar grimaced as he saw the wilddog, unharmed, standing across from them. The trail leaded right to him, and he made no attempt to hide. Indeed, around him they could make out the rest of Bane's raiding party. The reavers who had attacked the Pridelands under his command, a collection of rogues and cutthroats who scraped out a living in the Outlands, raiding and killing at will. Like the hyena clans or jackal packs, but with no loyalty to their leader beyond a common purpose. They owned no territory, and ruled no lands. They were just a group of killers. Scar found himself growling and slowly advancing.

"Stay back, Scar." Bane demanded. "You will hear what I have to say." He warned him.

"So." Mufasa said. "You are Bane. Where is the member of My Guard, you have abducted?" Mufsa demanded. Bane grinned.

"Straight to the point. I can respect that." He nodded his head, and behind him, more of his followers moved. They were dragging something streaked in blood – oh Spirits. Kasi was dragged in front of them. He wasn't moving.

"Kasi!" Sauda gasped in fear, and behind him, Scar saw Zira stiffen. The injured lioness's eyes were wide.

"Kasi, are you alright?!" She called to him. Kasi didn't stir. Mufasa growled.

"What have you done?!" He roared.

"He lives and breathes. For now. But as you can see, he had paid a price for his loyalty to the Pridelands. What is it you say to those whom would break your laws? They should pay a pound of flesh for their arrogance? How much are you prepared to pay, Mufasa, Flame of Pride Rock?" Bane asked, taunting as he did so. He used the titles, true, but where once they might have conveyed respect, now they only served to express contempt. Mufasa seethed.

"Release Kasi at once! What did you hope to achieve in abducting him anyway?" Mufasa asked him. Bane sniffed.

"I'll admit, it was an impulsive decision." He growled at seeing Nguvu and Jicho alive and well behind Scar. "I had intended to have him killed and be done with it. Attacking the Guard when they were separated and weak seemed the best cause of action. And doing so all at once seemed the most efficient way to ensure someone suffered. But your Strongest was underestimated. And your keenest of sight has friends in low places. Did you know your precious Guard consorts with the worst kind of scum in the Outlands? Spotted Hyenas and serpents and all sorts of lowlifes." Bane said. Mufasa's expression didn't change. "But when my… friends… encountered Kasi here, he wasn't alone. And our gallant knight of the Pridelands was so determined to protect his family. He'd do anything. So my friends thought to themselves "Why not take advantage of his generosity? His Sins are many after all. Who is to say a quick death would be penance enough for them all?"

"That's enough! Release him at once!" Mufasa looked ill. They had tortured him. They had hurt a member of the Lion Guard and now he lay there just a short distance away.

"You misunderstand, Mufasa! This isn't a ransom. This isn't a kidnapping. This is a lesson. And education." Bane said.

"Why are you doing this!?" Mufasa cried out as Jicho gave a look of alarm. He moved closer to his mother and Sauda gripped his paw, silent but terrified. Bane glared down at Mufasa.

"Why?!" He seethed with rage. "You would know why?" He seemed shocked Mufasa would even ask the question.

"Why did you attack the Lion Guard? Why did you hurt those who defend the circle of life?" Mufasa demanded of him, the unusually stoic and calm monarch clearly angry, and glaring at the wilddog with an undiluted rage and fur that was so rarely seen in the gentle ruler's expression. Behind him, many of the lionesses shared his expression.

"Because the Lion Guard is wrong." Bane spat the words. Mufasa was still. "What right do you have to regiment our lives? By what right do you command us to live according to your whim? The only reason you are King, is because somewhere long ago, a Lion whose name I don't even remember was better at killing his enemies than anyone else in the area was. He waged War, and when he had finished he named his war 'Kingdom.' He claimed Pride Rock because he was Strong. The Law of the Strong used to reign in these parts. Not the law of the Lion Kings, or the law of Mufasa!" Bane said.

"If you have some grievance with me –"

"I hate you Mufasa. But not as much as I hate the ones who sit under you and carry out your will! Not as much as I hate the lions who submit themselves to being the claws of your ruling fist!" The wilddog spat.

"The Lion Guard performs a vital role, defending our laws, defending the circle of life –"

"My mate was killed by your Lion Guard, because you decided that they could do whatever they wanted to defend the circle. Was killing my mate part of the balance?" Bane leered at him. "You are a hypocrite, Mufasa. Who cares about the circle of life! There is no circle! That meaningless drivel is just a set of words you use to justify your rule." The wilddog spat.

"You can't believe that!" Mufasa gasped, shocked at the blasphemy.

"You can sit up there on Pride Rock, looking down on the rest of us common animals. But when we try to improve our station, when we try to prove our strength, we are condemned for it! We are beaten back, driven out, and even killed for it by your Lion Guard. Ahadi used the Lion Guard to punish his enemies and you are no different, Mufasa. A King is just a Tyrant with a gentler name!" Bane said. Whether or not Bane meant what he said was irrelevant. Behind Bane, several of the animals could be seen nodding approvingly, and it was only now that Scar appreciated just how many they were. Not all of them were wilddogs, either, although they did make up a large number of his followers. He saw hyenas there – though none from Shenzi and Banzai's clan – and more than a couple of jackals. There was even a cheetah, the one whom had tricked Scar into following him into the ambush led by Bane that had nearly killed him if not for Jicho's timely intervention. The all nodded and growled in approval as Kasi lay still, dripping blood into the dust. Scar wondered which wounds had been inflicted whilst fighting, and which had come after, after he had surrendered to ensure they didn't hurt Zira.

"How dare you speak this way against your King?" Sarabi protested, but Bane growled.

"I respect the King, I have no respect for you lioness. Be silent."

The audacity was shocking, even to Scar whom had very little patience for protocol. Sarabi seemed stunned by his words, so stunned she actually did fall silent. Mufasa however roared in outrage.

"You attacked my Brother, you insult my Queen!"

"Yes! Yes I do. And you know what, Mufasa? I don't see any reason why I ought to stop. You have regulated our lives for too long, forced us to live as you do, forced us to live as domesticated servants to the Lion Kings and called it civilized. You have entrapped us within your laws, and called it justice. You dominate those around you, and you call your dominion a Great Kingdom."

There was silence. Mufasa glared him.

"No." He intoned. Even Scar was shocked by what Bane had said, but Mufasa was resolute. "You slaughter at will. You steal and you lie and you attack without warning. And you call those who would punish you for such crimes tyrants? You are not the victim here, Bane. You are a sickness in the Pridelands. You weasel out of justice by calling it oppression. You demand tolerance for your cruelty? Why? You attacked Scar. You attacked Jicho and Kasi. You tried to kill Kula when it suited you, and when your mate was killed in that fight, you have the audacity to call yourselves the victims?! Because our Lion Guard stopped you from murdering a mere child!?" Mufasa's fury and indignation was palpable for all to see as he remembered how they had attacked Kula without provocation. "Do you expect me to have pity for such a cruel and callous thing?" He asked incredulously.

Bane grinned.

"No." He said softly. "I don't want you to pity us. I want you to fear us. The Lion King may be civilized now, but your dynasty took your crown, long ago, by waging war! I think it's high time that you remembered what it meant to bleed for what you believed in." Bane hissed. All this time, Kasi had been lying seemingly unconscious. But when Bane stepped towards the King in anger, and moved away from Kasi, his eyes flew open, and his muscles tightened. In an instant, the injured, bleeding lion was on his feet, and had rolled passed Bane. The wilddog seethed as the Lion blurred past him, and the wilddog was reminded what it mean to call Kasi "The Fastest in the Pridelands."

He ran.

And suddenly the Cheetah was there, like a blur as well. The two shapes collided with each other, faster than any lion could move. Kasi had always been the fasted lion Scar had ever known.

But he was still a lion.

The cheetah moved with a speed that awed him as much as it horrified him. The animal, still smaller than Kasi hit him with the momentum of charging rhino, and ragged him to the ground, and his jaws were there, latched onto a limb. Kasi twisted painfully and landed with a grunt, and there was an audible snap as the cheetah twisted away.
Kasi roared in agony as his leg was snapped backwards, and several of the lionesses gathered gasped in shock at such brutality. Then the rest of the reavers were there, having chased after Kasi.

He hadn't managed to get more than a few feet away before being brought down by the cheetah. Bane nodded to it in thanks, even as Sauda gasped in horror at seeing her son hurt before her eyes.

Scar moved forwards towards them again, but hesitated when he saw Bane's eyes flicker up towards him.

"Not a step closer, Scar!" He warned him, and Scar was suddenly still. Kasi was breathing heavily now, blood pouring freely again from his injuries. Bane looked down at the injured lion. He seethed in anger.

"Impudent fool." Bane hissed. "Did you think you would escape? You are nothing, Kasi. Just another filthy Pridelander." He spat. Kasi looked up, his eyes wide, but defiant.

"And that's all I ever wanted to be." Bane could never have known how much of a compliment that supposed insult would have been to Kasi, the Outsider who had come to the Pridelands with his sister, Zira.

"Bane! Do not do something you'll regret!" Mufasa warned him urgently Bane loomed over him, exposing his neck with a paw, as his two allies held down. Injured, bleeding, and with a limb broken in multiple places, Kasi didn't even try to resist. He was panting hard, but not letting out a cry of pain even as the cruel animals pinned down the broken limb.

"I shall not regret this. I told you this would be a lesson. So watch closely and learn it well. Let me show you. Let me show you want happens those who would support your rule."

"Kasi! Spirits, no!" Sauda shouted in fear. Oh no.

"It's okay, mother. It's okay."

Bane grinned. "No it isn't."

"No!"
"Bane!"

"Don't!"

"Any last words, fastest?" Bane asked Kasi, his jaws parting into a sickening grin that reminded Taka of a decaying skull. Kasi choked a gasp, the stared in defiance at the wilddog that towered over him.

"Last words are for people that didn't do enough whilst they were alive." Kasi spat.

Bane cocked his head at the words.

"Huh. Those aren't bad." He admitted. Then, Bane bit forwards with a raw savagery that chilled Scar to look at. The dog then jerked his head to the side. Kasi managed to utter a brief scream of pain, as Sauda gave a scream of fear and anguish. Mufasa roared, and Bane pulled away, blood dripping from his maw. Kasi's dropped to the ground and rolled away, blood pooling around him in minutes. Then, even as the rest of the Guard watched in horror, he fell forwards into the river, landing with a calamitous splash.

"No! KASI!" Scar shouted. Zira gave a scream of alarm.

Scar rushed towards them, aiming to cross the river, but the tree trunk that straddled the river gave an almighty groan of protest, and collapsed to the ground with a crash, dumping Scar into the water almost on top of Kasi. He looked up at Bane, who smirked down at him, and then turned away from him, no longer interested.

"There will be more, Mufasa. More bodies. More Blood and more Pain. Unless the Lion Guard Ends!" He gave a contemptuous snarl towards Sauda who was fighting her way towards Scar and Kasi's lifeless body. "How many of her children will die before it does? The Keenest of Sight? The Mate of the Fiercest? Their blood will be on your paws, Mufasa!" He cried.

Scar was mute and could only watch helplessly as Bane and his crew of raiders turned and fled into the outlands, separated from the Pridelanders now by a deep river and high bank.

There was a splash next to him, and Scar found Tojo and Sadau next to him, rushing through the water, and ragged Kasi out of the river. Already the water around him was stained and dyed with his blood. They pulled Kasi from the river, soaked in blood and in water.

"No! Kasi! Come on Kasi!" Sauda cried, her face pale. Kasi didn't move. Scar felt a tight bane in his chest. The wound on the front of his neck was deep. Kasi wasn't breathing.

Kings no. No. No this wasn't fair. Not again.

"KASI!" Zira shrieked, rushing to her brother, and nuzzling his form as Sauda wept bitter tears. Nearby, Jicho seemed to be having some sort of fit, and Nguvu was restraining him. The keenest of sight was fighting against his fellow, but he couldn't cross the river. It would take ages to find an appropriate crossing. He now felt his weight of the injuries he had already suffered, feeling them for the first time.

"NO!" He heard Sauda shriek. Please no. The screams, and shouts for mercy, the begging, sent lances through Scar's heart.

Not Kasi. They stood there either side of Kasi, his mother and his sister. Jicho gave a gasp, of horror, and Scar sank to his knees. He felt the world open up beneath his feet. Kasi was the fastest in the Pridelands. Nothing could stop him. But Bane had killed him. Bane had killed him.

"Scar…" Mufasa said, offering him a paw. "I swear to you… We will punish Bane for this." He said. But the words offered no comfort to Scar. He just sat there. Cold. His silent anger turned to fear as he saw Zira fall to the ground. Her head fell back, and Sauda was shouting for help again. Mufasa rushed over to Zira.

"What happened?" Scar asked urgently.

"She's gone into shock. She was critically injured, this has pushed her over the edge. She has nothing left to give." He said.

Sauda's eyes widened.

"She's bleeding!"

"She was hurt by Bane and his Reavers when they attacked Kasi!"

"No, not there… I mean she's bleeding… oh Spirits…"

Those words sent a spike through Scar's heart. This couldn't be happening. This couldn't be happening. Not now. Zira was unconscious. Her breathing was very light.

"Someone fetch Rafiki!"

"At once sir!"

The words hit Scar like boulders. Now, on top of everything? He couldn't handle this. He couldn't cope. He wanted to turn and run, to flee away and hope the world would just stop.

They took Zira, and Kasi's body back to Pride Rock, moving the way had come. When they arrived, they found Zuzu and Rafiki already present, awaiting their arrival.

"Quickly!" Rafiki said. "This way", and they moved Zira into the Lair of the Lion Guard. Rafiki took one look at Kasi's body, but it was clearly too late for him. Most of his throat had been ripped out savagely by Bane. When there was clearly nothing to be done for Zira that was within Sauda's power or capability, she remained with Kasi's body, licking the blood away, and weeping. Nobody had the heart to try to take her away.

Zira was dropping in and out of unconsciousness.

"What happened?!" Rafiki asked urgently as he prepared some herbs on his staff, crushing them into sludge, and mixing them together.

"She was attacked earlier today."

"And why was she not brought here at once! She is with cubs!" Rafiki asked in shock.

"She… She wanted to help her brother…" Jicho explained fleebly. His eyes were wide. "Please Rafiki… please… Don't let her die as well… please don't let her die." He begged him.

"Scar…" They turned and saw Zira. She was looking up at him, her eyes wide with fear.

"Kasi…"

"Zira. Please… I…"
"Scar… my Scar… I am scared. Kira." Her eyes were wide with fear. Zira screamed in fear and in pain as convulsions shook her body.

"What's happening!?" Scar asked.

"SCAR!" Zira shouted in fear, desperate.

Rafiki pushed past him and cursed. "She's going into labour!"

"WHAT!"
"But she isn't due for weeks!"

"It's the trauma! The injuries she suffered… and now with the shock of watching her brother be murdered before her eyes…"

"Oh Spirits, NO!"

Scar screamed. Not the visage of Scar, Not the shade the immaterial ghostly apparitions. The real Scar, walking the Twilight realm. The mists evaporated in a moment, the vision ripped apart, and Scar howled. He ought to have been drenched in sweat, and he shivered even so.

The vision vanished, and Scar was alone. Kivuli appeared beside him, his expression one of pure compassion.

"Scar… It's alright…"

Scar's heart was pounding, his eyes were wide. His throat felt like it was on fire.

"No… NO! No you cannot show me this! You can't make me watch this! I give up, I choose oblivion, I choose damnation, I'll take it, just don't make me watch that, I lived through it once, I won't be witness to it again. Never again!"

"Scar. Its alright, calm down. It's a memory. A vision. You lived through it once, you survived it then. You can bare it now."

"It doesn't feel like it now." Scar whispered. Of all the things he could have been shown, this was the event he had most dreaded. This was the memory he had most feared. He breathed deeply, and almost vomited. "How dare you! How dare you recreate that in front of me? Kasi's death was one thing, but this! This abomination!" Scar screamed at him. Ammit sniggered and Kivuli grimaced.

"I don't enjoy this anymore than-" He began but Scar interrupted him.

"Nobody should have to live through that once – let alone twice! What gives you the right to make me see this? I've had enough! Make your decision now and be done with it! Don't draw it out any more... just let me die..."

"Oh I would love to Scar – but it's out of my paws..." Ammit said his tongue licking in and out of his mouth. The demon came into being beside him, looking perversely delighted at all the misery and pain.

"My purpose is not to cause you more pain Scar-" Kivuli began, but Scar – his patience finally worn out, darted forwards, his ethereal claws lashing out to scrape across Kivuli's exposed hide.

"I don't want to hear your voice!" He shouted. "I don't want your help! Shut up! Leave me alone!" For a second his claws raked across Kivuli's body and light seemed to flow out of the wounds for a few seconds even as they closed up again at impossible speeds. Shouting out in pain, Scar was lifted up by an unseen force and hurled across the air before coming down. Before he landed, Scar twisted his body in the air, and it became like smoke. It landed on the ground and reformed into his body once more, facing Kivuli. Both of them were panting hard.

"Come on Scar! Rip him to shreds! Devour his light completely! Don't let him continue to torture you!" Ammit snarled from the corner, a wicked smile upon his face watching the anger in Scar bubble and boil.

"Stay out of this Ammit!" Kivuli shouted back. "He's playing you Scar! Don't listen to him! He knows that if you give up now you have no chance of redemption! Ignore him! Please!"

Suddenly Scar's breathing slowed. The murderous glare in his eyes vanished instantly and he sunk to his paws.

"No more..." he begged. "No more..." but Kivuli looked at him sadly.

"Watch it Scar... Watch it and it will be over..."

The white mist descended and dissolved almost instantly. Some time had passed from earlier. The den was immediately made visible. Scar had been ejected from the den, and he paced up and down outside it. Loud shrieks emanated from it, and Scar paced outside. A number of lionesses looked at the entrance with concern, but none came within striking range of Scar who paced it fretfully. It was a sound of a Lioness in terrible agony. A birth was taking place – and it was plain to all that it was not going well. After what seemed like a lifetime the shrieks ceased and became sobs. Sarabi emerged from the cave, her expression solemn. She looked at Scar sadly.

"Rafiki is with her now Scar... Zira is alive, but it took its toll on her. She is very weak... and... and you were right... She went into labour early. Rafiki did the best he could but there was no way the child could have survived such an early birth... I am so very sorry Taka. Your son didn't survive." Scar's posture did not change, but his face fell. It was a terrible transformation. All life suddenly left his face and his eyes lost all light.

"No... Not Kira...Please No..." Sarabi took a step forward. Unable to find any words to say to offer any comfort.

Scar flinched away from her touch. He turned and he ran.
"Wait, Scar!"

He carried on running. He ran from Pride Rock, without thinking, without planning, without considering where it was he was going. He simply ran.

High above him, the clouds darkened, signalling the beginning of the storm that ended the dry season. He could feel it in the air around him. It was charged, like lightning.

Still he ran.

He ran through the savannah. He headed south, away from Pride Rock. Ran away from the pain and the misery and the death.

Kira.

He would never teach his cub to hunt. Never teach his child to lead the Lion Guard. He wouldn't pass on his title, he would leave a legacy. He wouldn't have a chance to be to one cub everything that Ahadi hadn't been to him. He couldn't raise Kira alongside Zira. He would never introduce him to uncle Kasi. Never protect him from the terrible habits of Shenzi and Banzai.

Never.

He stopped running. He must have ran for ages, because Pride Rock was a spec in the distance. Instead he found himself on the edge of a Canyon. He had come here as a child. He had looked down it. He had even played with Kasi and Zira here. He had come here with Mufasa.

Kira was dead. His child was dead. Kasi was dead. The fastest in the Pridelands was dead. Imani was dead. His friends. His family. Uru was dead.

How many more would there be? How many more after Kasi and Imani? Would Jicho be next? Nguvu? How many more Calibans and Banes would threaten the Pridelands?

The wind was picking up now. He could feel it. The clouds above him were darkening. Maybe it was nearing the end of the day, he hadn't really noticed. The first of the stars were coming out in the sky above them, in the light of dusk. The Great Kings, Mufasa thought them. What a joke.

His Son was dead.

Would a stillborn prince be considered a Great King? Would a cub who had died before even being born, who had never drawn breath, be rewarded with an afterlife? Suddenly, the thought of the Great Kings looking down in him, united in their impotence filled Scar with an almighty rage. He felt a sudden and violent anger grip him, an anger tempered with despair and hopelessness. It swelled within him, and threatened to swallow him whole. If there were Kings above them, then they were cruel masters, delighting in their misery.

"Why?! Why Me?! Why my family?! Why my friends?! What did I do wrong?!" He roared in fury. He shouted from its peak. Only the wind answered him. There was no reply. "I am sick of losing the people I care about! Sick of being some pawn in a game I don't know I am playing! This isn't fair! Why do I have to keep losing everything that matters to me?" Scar demanded. The wind roared, but gave no wisdom.

"Is it part of some plan? Is it some sick game? Why? Kasi did nothing wrong! He was a good lion! Why punish him?! Why does it matter what I do, if at the end of the day I still lose?!"

He felt the Roar of the elders in him, surging within. It felt different this time. Wild. Savage. Primal. Bestial. Like nothing he had felt. He continued to surge until it burned him, like lava beneath his skin. So much that the Mark of the Lion Guard began to pulsate and glow with power. Its light burst through surging behind layers of blood and dust and dirt.

""IS THIS IT!? IS THIS WHAT YOU WANT OF ME?! HOW LONG WILL YOU KEEP BLEEDING ME DRY BEFORE YOU SEE THAT I HAVE NOTHING LEFT TO GIVE YOU?!"

The Roar bled through his words, distorted his voice and giving it a deeper tone, rippling around him. The mark pulsed once more. It was as if he had roared and screamed and shouted to the heavens all at once, his words laying waste to the very rocks around him. The side of the Canyon burst and cracked, sending rubble careening away from him and hurtling to the ground. He felt the roar surge within him, and pulled it forth again. He summoned its majesty and released it into the world, unleashing its power, and feeling its light soar through him. He felt he touch of its power on his soul, and he kept going, kept pushing. For the first time, he forced it, pushing it through, feeling its pulsating power around him, like a radiant cloak of light about his spirit.

He didn't pause for breath, he just let the roar continue, letting its light feed him. The winds continued to rage about him, the roar echoing around his physical form, the sound alive with the power of the kings. He wondered what would happen if he just kept going, kept roaring, and let himself just fade into the sound. Just blend seamlessly into its power, his own voice just another echo among many.

The clouds broke. The rain began to pour about him.

Watching them, the appreciations of Scar and Ammit and Kivuli watched passively.

"So now you know…" Scar said quietly. "You have seen my darkest of hours. The weakest moment. My Evil Day". He said quietly. Ammit said nothing. He just gave a small smile. The demon shut his eyes in euphoria, his tongue flickering in and out like a serpent.

"Yes…" He whispered. "This day shaped you. Moulded you. There would be others of course. The Lion Guard. Your brother. But none of them hurt you the way this did. None of them broke you the way this did. You never got over this… this purest of cruelties. This ultimate punishment. The loss of a child. I can feel it, cracking you to your core, even now, just to see it. It shattered your soul." Ammit said. He looked almost impressed.

Kivuli however was staring at Scar as if in a new light.

"Great Spirits… I can feel it. Such… Such Pain. How can you even stand it?" He gasped. A day of grief. "You… You live likethis. Every moment. Your drowning in it. Drowning in grief. Drowning in sin. Your brightest days are like fireflies against the void. My God. You hurt so much." He whispered.

"Life is pain. To hurt is to be alive." Scar retorted. Though for once there was no malice there. He just sounded impatient. As if Kivuli's naiveté was an inconvenience to him.

"Then… Why do you still hurt? Even now? Your life is over." Kivuli asked him. Scar had no answer. He looked away. "Scar… I am so Sorry."

"I don't want your pity!" The tyrant snapped.

"Nevertheless… if nothing else, you have it. No one deserves what you suffered. Not the worst of criminals, or the cruellest of traitors. No one deserves to outlive their child. Whatever their choices." Kivuli said.

Scar was quiet.

He watched the scene continue as his apparition finally ceased roaring. Slowly, he heard the sound echo away, turning to a whisper. A still voice of calm in the raging tempest. And then the power dissipated. Vanished into the land as if it were never there. And then there was quiet. A true, soul drowning quiet. Kasi. Imani. And Kira.

"Kira… My little Kira…" He whispered into the quiet. He had thought he knew grief. He had become well aquatinted with it when his mother had died, thought himself old friends with its sting when Imani and Kasi had fallen. But the pain he felt now was nothing less than the carving up of his soul, the hot blade of misery and love turned to hatred seared across his very spirit. A heat so hot it burned cold and passed into heat again.

Then, the king began to sob. He began to cry to himself.

"No more." He whispered. There had been enough victims of this madness. Imani. Kasi. Kira. How many more would fall? How many others would rise, after Caliban, after Bane? "This has to end…" He said aloud, as he came to the realisation. Never again. With that decision made, Scar returned to Pride Rock.

As he approached then he saw Sarabi at the mouth of the lair of the Lion Guard. The lioness's eyes were red, and it was clear she had been crying. She jumped up when she saw him.
"Scar, I am so sorry-"

"Sarabi. Please. Is Zira in there?" He asked her. His voice was hoarse.

"I... Yes. But Scar, she's very weak and… and…" She took a breath. "Said she doesn't want you to see her like this... Give her time..." Scar ignored her and pushed passed to be with his mate.

Inside the cave was Zira. The lioness looked up at him as he entered, and Scar's heart stopped when he saw what she held in her paws.

"Scar… I am so sorry… This is all my fault… Please Scar, forgive me." But Scar ignored her. He felt a sudden pang of guilt for running and fleeing and leaving his mate alone. That was cruel of him and he regretted it. He leaned in close to her.

"This was not your fault, Zira. I love you." That was all he said. It was all he could say, and all that needed to be said between them. They had always understood each other well. Zira began to weep. Whether it was the horror that had befallen her, the pain at her injuries, or Kasi's death, no one alive could ever say. But the two of them wept together, cradling the small form of the Lion cub, half the size of a full born lion cub. Kira.