I was going to wait until I had more but I'd rather just write more later. Please enjoy!
DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN THE LION KING FRANCHISE.
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Maua had passed a week after hearing of Hamu's death. Apparently, on her side at least, her love for Hamu had been real. It was the only reason she had continued to live on despite her grave illness. But in the end, without the comfort of her only source of care, she hadn't been able to make. Some blamed Zira for not giving her any affection throughout it all. She hadn't seen the need to; she hadn't been her daughter for a long time. This only gave more reason for her enemies to hate her, but she didn't care – it was the truth.
The pride's morale was at an all time low. Two deaths so soon together was bad enough. But a great many had loved both of them and were truly sorrowful to see them go.
"Are you sad, Zira like the rest of these groveling fools?" Scar asked irritated at the view. They were both perched at the edge of Pride Rock's cliff while the rest gathered below to mourn the loss at a ceremony.
"Not at all," she replied in an emotionless voice. "I see no purpose in being sad when nothing valuable has been lost."
"Indeed," he said approvingly. He gave a slight chuckle. "My darling, Zira, you are the only one whose got their wits around here." He got up and began to go inside. He would need to disappear before the others returned. Zazu would no doubt reprimand him once again for missing such an important event. "You will make me an excellent queen."
Zira grinned showing off her large fangs. Yes, she would. And nothing or nobody was going to get in her way.
As the middle of the wet season came, the bellies of two lionesses swelled with the unmistakable mark of pregnancy. Sarabi and Sarafina were both with cub and tensions were rising. Now that Mufasa was in charge (as had been ordered by Uru before she returned to her ancestral lands to pass away – a tradition done by her particular kind), there would be no room for potential rivals.
It was almost comical, Zira thought to herself cynically. The incidence of the close pregnancies meant that neither of the two males had been able to resist mating during the beginning of the wet season. And now the lives of Sarafina's future cubs were at the mercy of Mufasa. It was considered a sign of weakness to let the offspring of rivals live, but as Sarafina was a close friend of Sarabi, there was no telling what would happen. Sarafina herself was nearly hysterical with panic. Hamu's death had taken its toll and she'd announced that she'd rather die than give up the offspring of her lover. She hid herself away in Pride Rock's deepest chambers and refused to see anyone but Sarabi. The paranoia was setting in even though it would be a while until her cubs were born.
"What do you think will happen, Scar?" she asked absent-mindedly.
"Nothing that we won't have control over." He replied. "In a few months we will need to talk about a few things. And the hyenas are getting impatient. We'll need to work quickly once the little furballs are born."
A few things? Could that mean what she thought it meant? Zira was anxious at the thought of having 'little furballs' of her own. But she was more than eager to become a queen. She would finally have her power and she would be with Scar. "What do we do now?"
"We wait."
The future couldn't seem to come quickly enough.
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