WARNING: Swearing

CHAPTER 10:

"An eye for an eye"

The rain was falling with more violence now. Cold as it fell, it wasn't enough to erase the warmness of the King's body. And, of course, his weight wasn't helping at all. Scar had his two eyes glued to the ground, watching as his paws walked forwards. He didn't need to raise his sight; he knew the way back by heart. Scar had explored those lands completely when he was still a young cub, curious about the world around him. When Mufasa grew up a few months, he began to receive lessons from Ahadi, of what a King had to do and how he had to act. Scar was never a part of that. All he knew, it was because he was a good observer. But anything else. It still bothered him deeply to remember and admit it.

The good side was that way he was freer to do whatever he wanted. As his mother was as adventurous as him, she never forbade him to go exploring, and never feared something bad would happen to him, so he had all the time in the world to spend it with himself. With his photographic memory, he learnt the many ways to leave and return. And even if he spent almost six years without putting a paw on the Pridelands he still remembered all he had learnt by himself.

But one thing was exploring a land with youthful emotion, and other, a lot different, was carrying his brother – who weighed the double of him – on his back, being older and with less enthusiasm. There was a moment when he couldn't take it anymore, and his legs failed him. Falling to the ground, he stained his brown-reddish fur and black mane, and he cursed under his breath. He hated to get dirty. Especially without good reason. And, no, helping the hard-headed of his brother was not a good reason. If the consequences weren't going to be nice towards him once this were over, Scar would have abandoned his brother where he had found him. But things had changed. He couldn't count on the wild dogs. He had seen them losing all kind of control when the King was in front of them.

He himself had felt those looks.

Even if he was a nobody for the royal family, Mufasa was and would always be his brother. Not for the pride, but for the hyenas he was. No matter what. Ironic. Lions were taught to hate and persecute hyenas because they were disloyal and filthy beasts who had no respect for anything and anybody. Lies. The hyenas cared for each other, for the whole clan… They even gave him a place to live where his own kind kicked him out! That was right. That was why he was doing all this. They gave him a home, and he promised to return the favour. And he was going to do it. At all cost.

A moan coming from his brother's mouth made him growl, angry. At all cost… Even if he had to help his pretentious and odious brother. He had to keep in mind why he was doing this, for whom.

Wild dogs weren't going to listen to him, but Mufasa would once he found out he had helped him, along with the hyenas. A proper King must reward the favours, especially when these are about his life, Scar thought, feeling his strengths coming back. Mufasa adored laws; just as his father, and his grandfather, and his… Well, it was clear where that habit of his came from, right? He wouldn't dare to disobey a law created by his grandfather Mohatu. He had a special thing with those.

He got up slowly, his legs shaking. It would take a while to arrive to the baobab. Looking behind his back, he saw Mufasa's head was resting on his neck, his big and golden arms on his shoulders, preventing him for falling, and his hind legs brushing against the wet ground and turning their pretty gold tone into a mix up of yellow and brown.

He couldn't watch his face, but Scar guessed he might have both eyes shut in an expression of fatigue and pain. His gasps, hitting the back of the dark lion's head, made him think so. He sighed, and shook a bit his head, in a useless attempt to dry his mane. How I hate to stain and wet myself! he thought, upset. And he kept walking.

"They escaped! Those lucky bastards!"

Shenzi was beyond enraged. She was – literally – red of fury... She was about to catch a wild dog when the whole pack decided to change the direction and go through a thick tunnel that, as soon as it became full of savage canines and felines, fell. It was common in the gorge to see a landslide, but, dammit, did it have to happen now?!

"Come on, Shenzi, there's nothing more we can do" tried to comfort one of the male hyenas who was raised with her.

"I know! That is why I'm like this!" she screamed, making him bow his head.

Since cubhood, they all feared Shenzi and her attacks of ire. Her mother was like that, and that was why sometimes they didn't see the difference between the two matriarchs.

"Now, what am I going to tell my brothers?" she kept complaining, but this time her voice sounded fragile, as if it was about to break. It was because that thought made her feel so small… "And my cousin? They have attacked her, her blood is in their paws, and I couldn't make one of them shed one drop of blood!"

"Don't be too harsh on yourself" said another male.

"Yes, we will catch them another time" said a female, with a grin. "You heard Scar; they're getting a bit closer as the nights go by"

"Puf… Scar" Fisi broke the positivity his companions had created. "Should we still trust him after making us chase down those thieves while he ran to help his little brother?" he asked with a mocking tone.

Shenzi growled and didn't lose time to be face to face with him: "Watch your tongue, Fisi" she warned.

The hyena rolled his eyes. "You know I'm speaking the truth"

"The only thing I always hear getting out of your mouth is nonsenses!" said Shenzi, turning her back on him.

This time, it was Fisi's turn to growl: "You're blind, Shenzi. You can't see what's obvious"

"And what is that, if you don't mind telling?" she inquired, turning her head. She felt the careful looks of her clan. She hated being interrogated, more if it was in front of her family.

"Bah! I know you saw it as well as I did… As we all did!" said the hyena, raising his voice. "He sees his brother about to be killed once and for all, and what does he do? Run to his rescue! And makes us go after the wild dogs… Didn't he tell you he wanted to come to a deal with them?"

"Scar never does something without thinking the consequences. If he did it, he did it for a reason"

"Oh, I can see the reason behind his actions… But can you?"

"What does that mean, Fisi?"

"He is a lion, he will always turn to his kind. It was a matter of time he ended up coming back to his dear brother…"

"His dear brother betrayed his trust and never cared about him!" Shenzi interrupted the male. Her voice was so loud some of her clan members bowed their heads, afraid some predator would see them there and alert the pridelanders. "His kind turned their back on him. Scar might be a lion, but he is not like those arrogant pieces of brainless walking muscles!"

Fisi watched her carefully, up and down: "Alright" he said, with a calm tone of voice. "I see you are the type of animal who only believe it when you see it. It doesn't matter, I've got patience" he passed the Matriarch by, and she dedicated him a glare full of fury.

"You're right, I believe in what I see. That is why I trust him. More than others" she said, coldly. "You're the one who is blind. You're blind with hatred!" she reproached him.

Fisi stopped and looked at her with the corner of his eye: "Hum… Hatred keeps me alert; but love makes you act like a fool, instead of a proper Matriarch"

"You insolent son of a…!"

Shenzi, raised one paw, more than prepared to scratch the hyena's face, adding one more wound to the collection he brought on his body, but one hyena, a female, one of the youngest, came running.

"Shenzi, Shenzi!" she called, and stopped by her leader's side. "Shenzi, lady…" she tried to recover her breath. "I found something interesting over there! Come!" she informed, running towards the place.

The clan didn't doubt in following her. Fisi and Shenzi were the only ones who didn't move right away.

"You were lucky" she hissed, annoyed, and ran.

"You are not that much, though" he muttered, and followed the crowd.

The young female stopped just where they started to chase the wild dogs. Where Mufasa climbed to save his life, where he made rocks and pebbles fall. That action made bigger ones fell, and right below one big rock, there was the small and hurt body of a wild dog. Its dark blue eyes were wide open, watching in all directions. One of her hind legs were trapped. And that made Shenzi's anger fade away.

"Well, well, what do we have here?" she asked rhetorically. A grin full of sharp teeth appeared. "Guess life is not that unfair after all, is it? Oh, well, maybe that depends on the side we like to see this…" she commented, laughing out loud. She reached one paw to lift the wild dog's head, but she, baring her teeth, tried to bite her. She was fast enough to dodge it. "As wild as your name indicates, right, little one?" she mocked.

"My name is Ujinga" the wild dog screamed, offended. "I am the younger sister of the female leader of my pack"

"Oh, whose sister?" asked Shenzi, and then she blurted out a laugh.

Ujinga growled: "Let me go! I demand you to let me go!" she screamed. That made more laughter sound around her. "Stop laughing, you deceiving creatures!"

When she ended that sentence, she felt her head falling to the ground, pinned down by one paw. The Matriarch wasn't laughing anymore, and so the clan stopped as well. Now, Shenzi had her head well held under her paw, and a serious expression made her more terrifying than Ujinga ever thought a hyena could be.

"Well, I think even if you will not be enough to erase my thirst of blood, you still can be effective to quench it for the moment" she commented, looking at her as a true predator watched its prey. "Besides, your kind almost took my cousin away from me; I think taking the sister's leader away is more than just" she concluded, an evil grin coming back to her face.

"Your cousin?" Ujinga said under her breath, confused. "Neither my sister nor I had something to do with…"

But the wild dog wasn't given the chance to end the sentence. Shenzi, as soon as she heard her voice, raised her paw and knocked her out with the ground and her own strength. Looking at the unconscious wild dog with repugnance and impassability, she said:

"I didn't give you permission to talk"

Scar fell to the ground for the second time. This time, he gasped like his brother. It seemed as if he was walking backwards instead of advancing. The baobab couldn't be that far, could be? He lowered his head. I don't know how much it will take me, but I know I can't take it anymore with this weather… he complained. Rain was falling more violently than before, and as the seconds ran, it was starting to become worse.

He raised his head, and finally luck was kind to him: a little cave was near them. He would take both there and wait until the rain was over. He didn't have another chance. Breathing in and out a few times, he got up and advanced till the entrance of the den. It was almost as comfortable as his own, but not as enormous as Pride Rock.

"Guess your Highness will have to resign himself" he said, taking his brother off his back and lying him on the ground. "It isn't a giant palace as the one you have back at home, but life is not made for well-of beings…"

The only response he received was the rapid gasps of his brother. Scar wrinkled his nose and put a paw on his forehead. Saying he was warm wasn't enough to describe the sensation…

"That fever of yours is going to be a hell" he commented, poring over him. "For you, of course, not for me" he added, turning his back and taking a seat. "It's going to take a bit until this rain dies down. But I suppose it's nothing for the mighty King, right? Oh, what am I doing? Talking alone…" he dedicated the bigger lion a rapid glare. "You're driving me crazy" he muttered.

He watched his brother carefully. Lying on his right side, Mufasa's belly was going up and down quickly as he began to gasp and moan more. His eyebrows were frown and his lips were pressed. Suddenly, his body began to shake. Scar looked at him shaking a bit before getting up and, finally, sat beside him. He put his paw on his forehead once more, surprised to see it felt warmer.

"I can't recall the last time you were this ill, Mufasa" he commented, seeing how much his brother was shaking despite his body felt like fire in the outside.

Scar's green eyes began to scrutinise the King's entire body. His two shoulders were more red than yellow by then, and the rest of wounds were following the same path. The dark lion growled. He knew the fever wasn't the problem… or the only problem. Blood loss would start to be a pain in his neck as well if he didn't do anything soon. He better returns me this big favour, thought the older lion with disgust. He knew what had to be done, but he didn't like it one bit.

Slowly, he lowered his head. Scar could feel the rapid and unstable breaths against his black mane. Without thinking too much, he began to lick the bigger lion's wounds. The salty and ferrous taste of blood reigned in his mouth. Clean it fast, he thought, licking quicker. You clean them, and then put a bit of dirt on them.

It was something Rafiki taught him long ago and was useful for him and for Ukaidi the last time he had done it. He tried to focus his attention on those memories, when he went to visit Rafiki almost every day when he just arrived at the kingdom. It was the only memories of the kingdom that didn't enrage him.

However, without knowing how and when, his mind began to get away from those peaceful moments and began to drift to the last thing he wanted to think about. Scar thought it was because his brother's scent was now filling his nostrils and he also had a lot of memories of that smell. Mufasa smelt like fresh grass, like pure water of rain; even his scent was perfection and welcoming. He hated it. He hated the sensation of warmness his brother possessed in every inch of his body…

And yet…

"Come on, Muffy! It's been five minutes already!" complained the small dark cub.

The golden cub just kept making himself comfortable against the slim body of his brother.

"Come on, Taka, just five more…" he mumbled, burying his snout in his brother's red brownish pelt.

"That's what you said ten minutes ago" emphasized the older, rolling his green eyes.

A tender and sweet laugh was heard from behind: "Taka, dear, your brother is not feeling well, let him rest as much as he wants" their mother, Uru, said, as she entered the den. Her snout and paws were stained in red due to the hunting, and her emeralds eyes were shining with joy. She was happy each time her sons played and spent time together.

"But, Mum, he thinks I'm his personal cushion!" complained the dark cub. Then, he muttered: "Besides, he fell ill because he didn't want to listen to me and came back home when he wanted, not when I warned him because rain was about to fall"

Uru just smiled and shook her head: "Oh, dear… I know, Taka. But now there's nothing more we can do than taking care of him. Next time he will do it right, I can assure you"

"If you say so…" said Taka, giving in. And then, he felt his brother curling up next to him.

Scar shook his head with vehemence. Get out of my head! he complained. He couldn't allow himself to be invaded by those memories. They were good moments of his life, but they were over, his brother and him weren't those lions anymore. And there was no chance for them to be that again.

A series of gasps and moans helped him to return to the real world. The first thing he saw was that the rain had stopped, but the grey clouds, still gathering in the sky, made him know it was a matter of time it would start again any time. Then, a loudly thump made him turn his head.

"Mufasa?"

His brother was on the ground, but not sleeping anymore. A new series of moans escaped his lips while he tried to get up; his muscles were tensed, and his body was shaking for the effort, but still Mufasa was able to stand up. His eyes were closed tightly, and his teeth, bared, to silence his complaints. Scar decided to wait until he noticed him, but his brother didn't lift his head. Instead of that, he began to walk, his vision focused on his golden paws, which were wobbling more than walking.

"Mufasa" the dark lion called, taking one step forwards.

If the mentioned one heard him or ignored him, Scar didn't know. The King kept going, trying his best not to fall, but Scar saw that all his brother wanted was to lie down again. He passed him by, without dedicating him a look. That wasn't surprising, but the fact that this time Mufasa seemed not to know he was there, at his side, was.

Frowning, Scar felt the need of leaving him walk back home alone. That memory really infuriated him, and the last thing he wanted was to be near his brother or even carrying him again. But a plan had to be done. Taking in some air, Scar trotted to the entrance of the cave, where his brother was standing. The King's features were wrinkled, and the word pain could be easily read. Looking closer, Scar could see some of the wounds started to bleed again. All the effort for nothing… he thought, annoyed.

"Mufasa" he tried one more time. "Mufasa, lie down" he ordered. Seeing his brother didn't even raise his ears, he thought maybe he didn't know where he was. Maybe he was even delirious. His fever made that an acceptable conclusion. "Mufasa, can you hear me at all?" he asked, deciding to get a bit closer. "Lie down, I have no time for…" He was interrupted when he saw his brother falling. More for instinct than for anything else, he supported him. "No time for childishness" he finished.

"I've got to go to Pride Rock" muttered the King.

"Oh, so you could hear me after all…" he said, pushing the bigger one so they didn't have to touch each other anymore. "I know ignoring me is one of your favourite hobbies, but right now is not the best moment. We're near Rafiki's home. Let him see you and then we can live our separate lives as we like to do" he informed. Mufasa groaned. "And I will recommend you hurry up, because there is no way I'm going to carry you again or lick your…"

Scar was interrupted again, but this time not by words. He didn't know there could be another way that could annoy him more. He was wrong. Just when he had moved his sight away from his brother, this one brought up on his mane. A heavy silence followed. Mufasa wobbled a few steps forwards, and mumbled something that seemed like an apology, but the dark lion couldn't care less. Inspiring slowly, he could only mutter:

"Yes, you really owe me this one…"

Rafiki just wanted to go to bed. Rest and then be able to think about everything that happened. Right after Kwenja fell silent for the rest of his life, Izulu began screaming and crying, in a violent phase of denial. Sarabi, giving credit to her known capacity of calmness in extreme situations, could soothe her down. At least, enough to do the way to the cheetah's home. The Queen took care of carrying the deceased cheetah on her back; only Rafiki could sense she was feeling extremely nervous in the inside, but she was managing to conceal it. Like she was supposed to.

They left. But Sarabi dedicated him one of her glares that meant: "You and I will take about this later. I don't care if you want or not". And the baboon could do no more than nod, even if he didn't have enough strengths to talk about that. It was a subject he hated too much… He decided the best he could do by then was sleeping. That way, at least, he could have his strengths renewed.

"Rafiki!"

"This can't be real…" muttered the shaman under his breath.

Did he like to help others? Yes. Did he like his job? Yes. But he also needed some rest from time to time. The animals around him seemed to forget about that little detail too often. And he never said a thing, because… Well, it wasn't his true nature. He was taught to control his emotions, knew how to handle his temperament. But he was starting to think with so many interruptions and crazy things going on around him, that lesson would be easily forgotten. He bit some bullets before turning around and descend. Whatever it was, he may be able to take care of it in no time and then have his needed rest.

"What happened to him?" he asked once his eyes fell on the two figures who had decided to visit him in the middle of the night.

It was strange to see the two lion brothers together, but more shocking was to see the King at the verge of a collapse, with injuries adorning his whole body and a pale face. And to see his older sibling with a mane stained and messy, woken up in the middle of the night.

"It's a long story" replied the dark lion.

"Just what I needed" said the baboon, now helping Mufasa to climb. Goodbye, slumber.