Chapter 12

A Growing Pride

Several days had gone by but Ndani still had not gathered the courage to speak to Scar about her feelings. She had been very close, but got cold feet at the last moment.

The lion himself had noticed that she was acting a bit differently, and decided he would confront her about it. The opportunity arose one evening, after Ndani and the Outlanders had helped Njano walk around a little bit to recover her strength.

After they were done, Zira approached Scar and asked him, "Feel like a fighting lesson tonight?"

Scar shook his head. "Thanks, but not tonight. I need to talk to Ndani," he replied, as he looked at his Queen in the distance, who was helping Njano to lie down.

Zira frowned. "Everything all right?"

Scar grinned slightly. "That's what I'm hoping to find out."

"I guess she's still peeved 'cause you haven't talked to Shenzi yet about the herds."

Scar rolled his eyes. "The herds leave every time, and they never fail to come back. I don't see why she and Asani are making such a fuss about this..."

"The herds are leaving earlier this year, that's what's strange," Zira replied.

Scar looked away and noticed Ndani heading towards the cave.

"I have to go. I'll see you later," he said, glad to have an excuse to not carry on with this discussion, and he left to go after Ndani.

Zira shrugged and returned to her pride-mates. She sat down by Kahawia and stared at the pregnant lioness' belly thoughtfully, while Njano and Kahawia talked animatedly about Njano's recovery.

Scar caught up with Ndani just before she was about to enter the cave.

"Are you going to sleep already?" he asked her.

Ndani looked up startled as she hadn't expect him to be there; she thought he would stay with Zira longer.

"Yeah, I guess so," she replied, feeling a bit drowsy.

Scar walked a few paces away from her. "Care to join me for a walk before you turn in for the night?"

Ndani blinked a couple of times. "S-sure..." she said, and joined Scar.

They walked quietly for a while, both wondering what was on each other's mind. It was Ndani who finally dared to interrupt the awkward silence.

"Heh... S'been a while since we last took a walk together..."

The lion eyed her from the corner of his eye as he walked. "Is it now?"

"Yeah, I mean, with you being busy with the patrollin' and the tending to the lionesses' needs and stuff, and your... fighting lessons and whatnot..."

Scar picked up on a slight change in her tone of voice as she spoke the last few words. He walked a bit faster and stood in front of Ndani, facing her directly and blocking her path.

"Hold on just a moment. You said you didn't mind me spending time with the rest of the lionesses, remember?"

Ndani tried to look into his eyes but quickly looked away. "I don't mind you goin' away to make some cubs every now and then, but you seem to spend most of your time with Zira and I just feel kinda forgotten sometimes."

Scar tilted his head for a moment. "The way you talk, it almost sounds as if you were jealous-"

"Why does everyone keep assuming that!" she interrupted him, "It's not jealousy, I'm glad if you guys get along, I'm just not sure as to where I stand at the moment!"

Scar looked slightly puzzled. "You're the Queen. What's so unclear about that? What's really going on, Ndani?"

The lioness bit her lip for a moment and looked at him. "You don't regret having chosen me, now that you found a lioness you're actually interested in?"

Scar chuckled for a moment. "What are you talking about? Even if I felt like choosing her, Zira isn't even part of the Pride!"

"It's a matter of time, Scar. Kahawia is already expecting your cubs, and I see the way Zira stares longingly at her tummy. I just know it, she'll give in again to her craving for cubs, she'll come to you for assistance, and she won't be leaving any time soon. The Pride will have to accept the Outlanders sooner or later..."

Scar sat down on his haunches. "Okay, let me make one thing very clear. I have not thought about choosing anyone else as Queen. I am sorry if my actions led you to think I would, but the thought had not even crossed my mind. Now, just let me get this straight... You were terrified when I chose you as Queen, and now you appear terrified at the possibility of losing the title. Is that it?"

She looked away again and whispered, "It's not the title I'm afraid of losing, Scar."

Scar remained silent, as Ndani's words sank in. He felt his heart sink to the bottom of his stomach, because now more than ever he was sure that he didn't have any romantic interest in Ndani, unlike the way he felt about Zira. He hated to have to disappoint her.

"I thought we were just friends... What made you change your feelings towards me?" Scar asked her eventually.

"It just happened. Just being closer to you and spending more time together and taking naps and grooming each other. One day I woke up and I realized that I felt bad for not having wished you good mornin' before you left on patrol, and I just couldn't wait 'til you were back, longin' to lie against you and sleep at your side."

The lioness was trembling visibly, Scar could tell by just looking at her that pouring her heart out to him had not been easy.

"I am sorry I didn't see it sooner, Ndani. I do enjoy the time we spend together, and we have grown a lot closer, but I'm afraid I cannot return the feelings you've developed for me. You're still a very good friend to me."

Ndani nodded and sighed deeply. "I know. I don't blame ya, I have not been the best Queen ever-"

"Don't be absurd," he interrupted her, "You're doing just fine. The lionesses respect you more, your hunting skills have improved a lot, you have dealt with other animals and helped solve disputes... Don't be so hard on yourself."

"But... There's another kinda important thing I've failed to do as Queen..." she said, as she patted her belly with a paw a couple of times.

Scar smirked slightly. "I told you already, you can come to me whenever you feel ready. You don't need to rush it just because some of the other lionesses are expecting cubs of their own."

Ndani nodded and exhaled deeply, she didn't know what else to say.

Scar sat closer to her. "I honestly didn't know you felt this way, Ndani. I thought you didn't care much if I spent time away. Now I know better, and I promise to pay more attention to you."

Ndani nodded quietly again, as a few tears rolled down her cheeks. She cursed herself for having fallen in love with him and complicating things for the both of them. The lioness shook herself quickly and dried her tears with a paw, hoping Scar hadn't noticed it.

The lion did notice, but didn't say anything.

"Anyway, I guess I'll go back to the cave now, you can go back to Zira..." she said.

"I had no intention on spending tonight with Zira, as a matter of fact," Scar replied. He lay down on the grass and patted the spot next to him invitingly.

Ndani couldn't suppress a grin. She padded to him and lay down by his side, snuggling her head in his mane.

Scar, now aware of Ndani's feelings, wondered if he could ever feel the same way for her. Zira was a big flirt, but he wasn't sure of her feelings towards him yet, so Ndani had been the first lioness ever to actually admit falling in love with him. It warmed him up inside, seeing her enjoying his company and smiling at the slightest touch of his paw, while not being in season. He had learned that the rest of the lionesses could be very receptive to him during that period, but after that they wouldn't ask for his company again. So it meant a lot to him that Ndani enjoyed his attentions all the same, and sought his company just because she genuinely liked being with him.

He could tell by Ndani's breathing that the lioness had fallen asleep. He tried to join her, but her revelation had shocked him more than he had thought, and his mind kept going over the events of that night. Instead, he lay there awake, thinking about the two lionesses, contemplating the scenario of having two Queens at some point. He was the King, after all, he could do whatever he wanted. He chuckled to himself and wrapped a paw around Ndani, who snuggled closer. Life was good at the moment, and he stared up at the sky, wishing his father could see him now, content, loved and thriving.

Eventually Scar fell asleep as well, but he had a restless night with all the exciting thoughts still rushing through his mind.

Weeks later, the birth of Anasa's cubs was imminent. The heavy lioness bid farewell to the Pride and retreated to bring her cubs to the world in solitude.

Mahali still had some time to go before delivery, but she was heavy enough to be excused from hunting. With two lionesses short, Sarafina had asked Ndani if she wanted to join the hunting party, but Ndani politely declined the offer, and said she would keep hunting with the Outlanders instead, at least until Huria apologized to her.

Huria, stubborn as she was, refused to apologize, and so the Pride remained divided, with two hunting parties to feed each group of lionesses.

But when Mahali and Kahawia's time to give birth finally came, Zira and Ndani reluctantly agreed to join Sarabi's hunting party, at least temporarily, since they still had to cover very long distances to find food. More lionesses meant they could bring back bigger pray to make it worth the effort.

Scar awaited eagerly the return of the future mothers, wondering what the cubs would look like. This time he was totally certain that he was the father, which made him rather proud.

Anasa was the first one to return, with one healthy cub hanging from her muzzle.

"Welcome back!" the lionesses yelled excitedly when they saw her approaching.

They all grouped in front of Anasa to take a good look at the new comer, including Scar.

The lioness placed the cub on the ground in front of her, and displayed it proudly for Scar to see. "It's a female, her name is Nyota."

Scar sniffed the cub curiously for a moment and then looked at Anasa, who had a sad expression despite being happy to be back home.

"Are you all right?" he asked her.

Anasa sighed deeply. "There was another, a beautiful male, but he didn't make it through the first night."

"Oh no... We're sorry to hear that..." Sarabi said, nuzzling her pride-mate for comfort.

Scar felt sorry for her, and he was also disappointed. He had chosen a few names to give to the cubs in case they turned out to be males, but for now he'd have to wait.

Anasa looked around for her older daughter, but she still had not returned. "Are there any news on Mahali?"

Sarafina nodded, smiling. "The last report from Zazu was that she appeared to be fine, and nursing one cub. No cubs for Kahawia just yet..."

Nala in the meantime approached little Nyota and inspected her closely. She had never seen a cub before, other than Simba, but she had no recollection of her first days and how small they both had been back then. She was impressed by how tiny and fragile the cub was.

"How am I supposed to play with her? She'll break in half!" she exclaimed.

Sarafina laughed and nuzzled her daughter. "Give her time, Nala, in a few weeks she'll be bouncing and running after you, you'll see."

Ndani watched from a distance. She could see Scar looking down proudly at the cub. The lioness pictured how glad he would be, the day she would finally provide him with an heir. She knew she would have to make a decision soon, and seeing Scar so content made her feel that it was about time that she stepped up to her responsibility as Queen.

Ndani was still absorbed in her thoughts when Zira came and sat down beside her.

"That's it. I want to try again," Zira said bluntly.

Ndani rolled her eyes for a moment. "We've been through this, Zira... Last time it was hell. Why do you insist in submitting yourself to that all over again?"

Zira shrugged as she stared ahead at the Pride Landers. "Maybe it will be different now. Things are a lot less stressful here, I don't need to be constantly on my guard, and we eat well, and there's that monkey with his remedies... Who knows, maybe it will help."

"Are you sure you'll be able to care for a cub? I mean, you go away a lot..."

"Psh. I haven't gone away in months. See? This is the right moment, I have to take this chance!"

Ndani sighed deeply. "Fine, do whatever you want, but I just don't want to see you writhing in pain like last time, ya hear?"

Zira smirked. "Yeah, I'll try to control that next time, sure."

Ndani chuckled along and both lionesses remained silent for a moment.

"You know, Ndani, ever since I left the crater I never really thought of any other place as home, but this right here, it's kinda warming up to the name..." she said, as she looked around the Pride Lands.

"I knew it, once you had a taste of it, going back to the Outlands would be totally out of the question," Ndani replied, her smile fading.

Zira nodded but glanced at Ndani. "You don't sound so thrilled though."

Ndani looked at her. "Oh, no, no, don't get me wrong, I'm lovin' having you guys around and huntin' together and all."

Zira raised an eyebrow. "So... What's the problem then?"

"Who says there's a problem?"

Zira narrowed her eyes slightly. "You're doing that thing with your paw that you always do when you're upset about something," she said as she proceeded to shuffle the ground with her paw in the same fashion as Ndani had been doing.

Ndani stared down at the disturbed soil; she had never known that she did anything with her paws while upset, but apparently it was obvious enough for Zira to have picked up on it.

"Well?" Zira went on, "Out with it."

Ndani shook her head. "It's nothing, Zira. It's something I have to deal with myself."

"Since it involves me, I'd rather like to know, thank you very much."

Ndani tried to walk away. "Please, just forget it..."

Zira followed her, not noticing that Scar had walked closer and had heard them arguing.

"Forget it? Yeah, right! The last time you said that, and Kahawia and I decided to drop the issue, I then had to pull your ass back from the edge of the gorge. I ain't buying it this time. You're telling me what's wrong, and we're dealing with it right now."

"Let her be, Zira," Scar said from behind her.

Both lionesses turned to him, looking a bit startled.

Zira recovered her composure immediately. "Sorry Scar, but this is between her and me."

Ndani looked from Scar to Zira, feeling rather embarrassed, not knowing what to do or say. "I'm sorry..." she mumbled with a choked voice, and ran away, leaving Zira and Scar behind.

Zira cursed out loud as she lashed at the ground with a paw. "Just what is her problem?" she asked, turning to Scar.

"Do you really want to know?" he asked.

Zira looked at him slightly exasperated.

"Come with me..." the lion said, and they walked away, leaving the pride behind, while the lionesses were still distracted with Nyota's arrival.

Once they were alone, Scar sat down and faced Zira.

"Well?" she said, still annoyed.

Scar appeared to be calm, but in reality he was quite nervous about what the outcome of this talk would be. "The problem is that when I chose her as my Queen, neither one of us was in love with each other."

Zira rolled her eyes, "Big news, I knew that already."

"Did you also know that the situation has changed recently?"

Zira looked at him and shook her head. She went very serious but didn't say more.

"Ndani apparently has developed romantic feelings for me."

Zira looked away for a moment, feeling her heart racing. "Is that a good thing or a bad thing?"

"It's bad; she knows I can't return the feeling."

Zira looked at him, wondering where he was heading with this conversation.

"Fine and dandy, but what's it got to do with me?" she asked.

Scar swallowed with some difficulty, and took the approach that he thought would work the best with Zira: being as direct as possible. "She found out the reason why I cannot return the feeling. It's because I am interested in you instead."

Zira blinked a couple of times, as his words sank in. The lioness grinned, as Ndani's attitude earlier suddenly made sense to her now. "I'll say... That explains her reaction to what we were discussing earlier..."

Scar looked at Zira as he raised an eyebrow.

"You see..." she went on, "I was just telling her how I would really like to try to have a cub soon."

Scar grinned to himself, but didn't say anything and allowed her to carry on.

"She immediately thought it would be a terrible idea. Had I known the real reason behind her words..."

Scar shook his head. "Oh, no. Don't take that the wrong way. She was extremely worried last time, when your pregnancy didn't go well. I am sure she doesn't want the same to happen again."

Zira looked away, "Oh... She told you about that..."

Scar nodded. "Ndani is not jealous, she's just insecure and afraid that I'll be dedicating all my time to you and forget all about her."

Zira looked at him. She knew the ball was on her court and it as up to her to make the next move.

"Listen, Scar, about that..."

The lion tightened his lips, but the rest of his face remained blank, his expression difficult to read.

"You know how I feel about males and all that..." Zira hesitated for a moment, "But... Well, you're... different... You're the only one so far that I've felt like actually hanging out with and having a good time. I am not sure if this is love or not, but it's more than I've ever felt for any other lion, that's for sure."

Scar smirked. "That sounds like there's some hope for me..."

Zira chuckled. "But what about your broken-hearted Queen?"

"I promised I'd pay attention to her too. So both of you will have to forgive me for not being able to spend every night by your side."

"You talk as if you only have one side to snuggle against," she replied, smiling seductively.

Scar simply grinned and looked at her. He would have liked to have her confessing love for him like Ndani had done earlier, but he was glad that at least she had not turned him down, and she was actually looking forward to having a cub with him soon. Scar could hardly wait. The days where he felt the same way for Sarafina seemed so far and distant now.

Zira sighed deeply and stood up. "I should go find Ndani, I know she's prone to blow things outta proportion so I'd rather have this sorted out as soon as possible."

Scar nodded. "Yes, I think she'll appreciate it."

But Zira remained motionless, looking at him as her tail swished from side to side.

Scar took this as a hint that she didn't really want to leave, and smiled slightly as he took a step towards her.

Zira's ears perked up slightly but she kept her ground.

The lion rubbed his body full length against hers as he walked past her.

Zira closed her eyes, enjoying the physical contact with a male for the first time in her life. She hoped for more of his attentions, but was disappointed when she opened her eyes again, only to find Scar had actually left.

"Oh, you tease..." she said to herself as she chuckled slightly. The lioness shook herself and went to look for Ndani, to set things straight. She knew just the place where she would find her; by the edge of the gorge.

Ndani lay close to the edge, staring into the distance thoughtfully, but Zira sighed in relief as it appeared the lioness had no intention of jumping this time.

"Hey..." she said as she approached so as not to startle Ndani.

Ndani looked up. "Hey, you..."

Zira sat by her side and stared into the distance as well. "I had a heart to heart with Scar," she said, not beating around the bush, "and basically, you and I mean a lot to him, but in different levels. But that's no reason why we cannot get along, right?"

Ndani nodded. "I know... I'm sorry I over-reacted back there... Dunno what got into me. I've been thinkin' a lot and I should just be happy that you guys get to live here with me and that you might even be able to have the cubs you want so much. I didn't wanna sound selfish or anything..."

"I understand," Zira said, "I didn't know that you had fallen for him. You kept that secret well. But it ain't like I'm stealing him away from you, you know. I actually think he kinda digs that we both like him, and he wants to spend time with the both of us."

Ndani laughed. "That he does... And I think he'll be happy when he finds out we both want to have a go at making a cub."

Zira raised one eyebrow. "Wow... You've finally made up your mind?"

Ndani nodded. "Only he doesn't know yet. So I'll just wait till the time comes, and then surprise him..."

Zira grinned and stood up, stretching her legs. "Whaddaya say we go back? He was a bit worried about you; we can put him at ease when he sees we're getting along again."

Ndani nodded and walked together with Zira back to Pride Rock. They walked past several hyenas, and noticed that a lot of them had small pups running around.

"Is it me, or are there a lot of pups all of a sudden?"

Zira looked around. "Yeah, you're right... I guess love is in the air."

Ndani frowned. "I dunno, I think there are enough hyenas around here as it is, I'm afraid we won't have enough food for everyone if this keeps up..."

"I bet they're thinking the same about the upcoming lion cubs," Zira replied.

"You can't compare a few cubs against... what was that, at least fifteen pups we saw back there? Plus the ones we have not seen yet!"

Zira shrugged. "So far things are working out, so I guess Scar will handle it when it really becomes a problem."

Ndani didn't say anything else, but she felt she would rather prevent the issue than waiting until things got out of hand.

Zira reached the area where Njano was resting. "Here we are... So I'll talk to you later."

Ndani nodded. "G'night," she said as she continued her way up to the cave. Scar was already lying on his plateau, and grinned slightly as she lay down next to him.

"Zira and I are okay now... I thought you'd like to know."

"That's good to hear," Scar replied, and rested his head on his paws, ready to get some sleep. He looked quite satisfied, and Ndani smiled warmly at him.

The lioness snuggled close to Scar and fell asleep not long after.

When the time came for Kahawia and Mahali to return to the Pride, they were welcomed warmly by the rest of the lionesses, who were eager to take a look at the new cubs.

Mahali had a little lioness she had decided to name Maua, while Kahawia returned with two little lionesses she named Jasiri and Malaika.

Scar was glad to see them back and healthy, but Karanga could notice that he appeared rather disappointed that there were still no male cubs around.

She approached him one afternoon, when both Zira and Ndani had gone out hunting together, and sat down next to him. "Hello, dear."

"Hi, mother," he replied, as he eyed the nursing mothers from a distance.

"I couldn't help but notice that you were a bit disappointed at the fact that all cubs have turned out to be female so far."

Scar snorted slightly. "Was I that obvious?"

Karanga shook her head. "I think only I noticed. But you know, son, it's not bad at all. You see, more females means more huntresses, while the males, except for your heir, usually will end up leaving the pride, to form their own somewhere else."

Scar eyed Karanga and sighed deeply. He knew he could confide in her. "The thing is, Ndani is still not ready to have cubs yet, and... Just in case something were to happen to me, it would be good to know there is at least one other male around that could take over."

Karanga smiled slightly. "Nothing's going to happen to you, with those hyenas watching over you..."

Scar smirked for a moment.

Karanga shifted her weight and cleaned one of her paws absent-mindedly. "There's also been a bloom of hyena pups, by the way. Have you noticed?"

Scar nodded. "Yes, Zira and Ndani already brought that to my attention. It seems everyone thinks now is a good time to bring new life into the group," he said as he smiled proudly, totally missing the point.

Karanga stared into the horizon, looking worried. "That'll be a lot more mouths to feed though. I am not sure all of them will actually make it through the drought. The little rain we've had the past few days is not enough to make the grass green again."

"Rafiki once looked into his shell for me, a while ago. He mentioned something like this would happen, but there were no additional doomsday prophecies from his side, so I'll trust that we'll pull through."

Karanga nodded and dropped the issue. "Well, if you excuse me, I think I'll go cuddle a cub or two..." she said as she stood up.

"Sure, knock yourself out," he said.

Karanga smiled at him and headed towards where the rest of the lionesses were resting. Scar could see them talking animatedly, and even Kahawia had joined the Pride Landers, invited by Mahali and Anasa. Nala was running around the lionesses excitedly, while little Nyota tried to keep up with her, her small legs still wobbly and uncoordinated.

Scar felt a bit drowsy and went to look for some shade to take a nap. He found a comfortable spot and lay down, falling asleep not long after. He started to dream, but no one was nearby to see him thrashing in his sleep.

His dream started rather uneventful, he was patrolling here and there, watching Ndani and Zira hunting in the distance, but all of a sudden, a feeling of distress took hold of him. Ndani and Zira faded, and he no longer was standing on the grass plains, he was at the gorge, where Mufasa had perished. He could see himself standing right on the same spot, only this time a ghostly image of Thembi was facing him. He was blaming him for everything that had gone wrong, from Kitok's untimely death, to Kuuliza's recent passing away, and also for the lack of rain and food. Scar knew he could not be blamed for any of that, but Thembi's ugly ghost kept pressing on.

"The lionesses wish they were still under Mufasa's reign, the Pride Lands would still be a safe place to raise a cub, unlike now, where they will need to grow under the constant threat of your so-called friends! You will pay for this! You'll be cursed! Your descendancy is already doomed, mark my words!" the ghost went on, yelling at the top of its lungs, and Scar was not able to speak back, he felt as if he had a knot in his throat that was slowly choking him.

As panic took ahold of him, the ghostly image of his father was slowly replaced by a more lively image instead. Thembi then looked just as Scar remembered him when he was still alive. Only his expression had softened greatly, and he simply whispered, "My ugly side tends to rear its head every now and then, I am very sorry. I could not help it. I actually just wanted to tell you-"

But at that moment, Scar woke up with an audible gasp. Ndani was standing next to him and she had been trying to wake him up for several minutes already.

"Scar! Scar are you okay?" she said, looking worried, "You were mumbling and kicking like mad!"

Scar looked around, realizing that it all had been a dream, and let out a sigh of relief. "I had a nightmare, that's all..."

"Wanna talk about it?" she asked.

Scar shook his head. "Did you find anything to eat?" he asked, changing the subject.

Ndani nodded. "We found a dead gazelle, but it still had some good meat on it so we just brought it here."

Scar followed Ndani towards the food and ate quietly. He didn't feel very hungry, but it was a good excuse to avoid talking about his dream, which was still very fresh in his mind. The image of his father had looked so real, it was almost as if Thembi had been standing right in front of him.

Ndani didn't question him further either, so after a while Scar just dismissed the dream and tried to forget about the things Thembi said. It just upset him that he could still feel so shaken, even after his father had been dead for so long. He then remembered that Karanga once saw Kitok's ghost while she slept, so the lion made a mental note to ask Rafiki about ghosts visiting one's dreams.