Chapter 11: Bargains

After the morning patrols Scar went out hunting, alone. There was a herd of zebra not far from the Graveyard. If he killed one, it wouldn't take much to drag it to the hyena's lands. It took him a few tries but he finally caught one: an older zebra with a bad eye was too slow to see him coming. Scar then dragged his kill to the Graveyard. It took him longer than he thought it would, but once there he found the entire, massive hyena clan waiting for him. They all snarled at him as he dropped his prey before them. He scanned the dozens of eyes staring and him and found Shenzi.

"For your eternal silence…" he growled.

"This will suffice… for now…" Shenzi sneered.

Scar backed away from his kill and let the hyenas devour it. Scar was almost back on the Pride Lands when Shenzi called out to him:

"Scar!" she called. He turned to snarl at her. "If you ever need anything, just let us know…"

"What would I have need of a hyena clan for?" Scar huffed as he walked away.

Weeks passed and Mufasa proposed to Sarabi. Everyone in the kingdom was overjoyed. The pair would be married after the first rains of the wet season. What a marvelous way to welcome in the promise of a new year's bounty! Mohatu though worried about Scar. Scar had refused to go to any more of the parties that the local prides were hosting. All he could think was that one of the young lions he had met there was probably Chipo's first. She had still reused to tell him who it was, but he doubted that it mattered. If it was a Prince, a commoner, or even some random rogue, he would still hate knowing what they had done with her... Which was ultimately the reason he couldn't have her… He would resent them endlessly and Chipo knew that. But why would Chipo just have hooked up with someone randomly anyways during the dry season? Simple, Scar reasoned: she was bored. He had nearly done the same thing during his wet season with Stone. Who was to say that a lioness' desires were any less than those of a lion's? She had wanted to avoid having cubs so she had waited until that wasn't a possibility. Scar could not fault her for that.

"What are we going to do with Taka?" Ahadi asked his father. "He has no interest at all in socializing anymore…"

"He's sneaking off again at night," Mohatu sighed.

"You think he's having another affair?" Ahadi reasoned.

"No. He's going to the Graveyard. He's depressed, thinking about his mortality…"

"Ha," Ahadi chuckled. "That's something you should be thinking about… Not him. He's young! He needs someone… But how will he meet anyone if he's so depressed?!"

"He only needs to meet the one," Mohatu stated. "And that can be arranged…"

"Have someone in mind?"

"I've already sent out Zazu to inquire about a particular King, whose daughter should just be coming of age. If a beautiful, young, Princess can't fix him, no one can…"

"I hope you are right father… I hope you are right…"

An envoy of lions came to the Pride Lands of Pride Rock. Scar had been told that they were coming, although who exactly they were still remained a mystery. They were escorted by the Lion Guard to Pride Rock. Scar was still patrolling along his section so he would greet them later.

As Scar returned to Pride Rock he saw on the overlooking edge his grandfather talking to a young lioness. She was a bight golden color, whose fur glistened in the sunlight. She sat politely and acted very demure. Scar could tell she was a Princess even from this far away her mannerisms were unmistakably those of a noble upbringing. She's for me… Scar thought, the pit of his stomach turning. After all I must fulfill my obligations as a Prince… Whether I like it or not…

Mohatu came down to great Scar as he climbed to the main den.

"Taka," the King called to him. "Princess Adaeze from the Golden Sun Pride. I have already told her a bit about you, now go introduce yourself to her…"

Scar looked reluctantly at the beautiful lioness who sat overlooking the kingdom. He had still been seeing Chipo quite regularly, but his heart had been heavy knowing that they had to hide their feelings for one other from everyone. Keeping up with the charade was exhausting. And here was another piece to add to it…

"Okay…" Scar said reluctantly.

"Taka, I know you've been depressed," Mohatu stated. "But a new relationship can help with that. Do try not to act so glum…"

Scar nodded. He could not be so obvious with his disinterest. Perhaps this lioness would help steer him on the path he was meant to be…

"It is a beautiful view isn't it?" Scar asked as he came up to the young lioness and sat beside her.

"Yes, it surely is," She replied. "There is no vantage point like this on my Pride's Lands… Here you can see everything. It is truly spectacular…"

"Then you should wait to see it at night as well…" Scar continued. "The moon light gives the land a soft glow in the low light… Although it is better during the wet season with dew on the grass…"

The young lioness looked up at Scar sweetly.

"We haven't properly introduced ourselves," she said blushingly. "I am Adaeze of the Golden Sun Pride…"

"It is a pleasure to meet your acquaintance Princess Adaeze," Scar replied, lowering his head respectfully. "I am Prince Taka of Pride Rock."

"Prince Taka. You may simply call me Adaeze. May I call you Taka?"

"Yes of course…"

"What is your most favorite thing to look at on your lands?" Adaeze asked. Her sweet, innocent blue eyes peered deeply into Scar's.

"The waterhole, over there," Scar pointed. "You can see the sun's reflection in it on certain times of the day. It almost glows…"

"Fascinating," she replied. "You'll have to show me when it's that time of day…"

"With a full moon it also glows…"

"Then we can see it tonight!"

"Yes… I guess we will…"

"She sounds very nice Taka," Chipo said as she rested her head on Scar's chest after their frenzied encounter. "Maybe you should give her a chance…"

"Like you gave Dejen a chance?" Scar huffed. "She's boring and way too young…"

"Taka, I'm boring. You had one conversation with her! You can't know everything about someone from your first meeting…"

"I did with you…"

"Taka," Chipo tried to reason. "We can't do this… forever… Someone will eventually find out and it will just be a mess. I want you to be happy…

"I am happy here with you Chipo," Scar smiled. "You are all I will ever want…"

"You are hopeless, staring at me with those big sad eyes… You're not a cub! I'm not a cub… We need to grow up and face our futures, regardless of what we my think of them…"

Scar reached up and kissed Chipo. She kissed him back. He pulled her closer to him…

"No!" she said teasingly, pulling away from Scar. "I'm cutting you off! I'm not going to see you again, at least not while she's here! I'm going to meet Princess Adaeze tomorrow and I cannot have you looking at me like that!"

Chipo then took off back to her den.

"She didn't stay very long tonight…" Shenzi commented, coming around from behind a small hill of bones.

"Ugh..." Scar groaned. "What is it you want this time?"

"Food!" Banzai exclaimed. "Can't you bring us another carcass…?"

"Not while the Princess is here…" Scar growled. "I'm going to have to spend the entire day with her tomorrow…"

"Then just tell her to go!" Banzai reasoned.

"If it were that simple it would have already been done," Scar snapped. He then got up and took off back towards Pride Rock.

"These lions make their lives way too complicated," Shenzi observed. "You like someone, fuck them. If you don't then go fuck someone else! And who cares who screws who at the end of the day as long as it's not your close family! Ugh…"

"Shenzi?" Banzai asked. "Would you really go tell the King about this affair Scar's having?"

"Ha! No," Shenzi laughed. "I'd be kicked off their lands so fast… Besides, Scar was right. His grandfather wouldn't believe a hyena anyways…"

"Then why do we keep watching them?"

"It's not about watching them per say," Shenzi explained. "It's about knowing who else knows. That Chipo girl is right. One day someone is going to find them together. But wouldn't it be a shame if they never made it back to the Pride Lands…"

"How would killing the witness help us?" Banzai asked.

"We would have leverage over the Prince…" Shenzi sneered. "He would do more than just bring us a carcass to cover up a murder…"