Chapter 29 End of Reason
It was deep in the dry season when Chipo gave birth to her two cubs. The first was a tan lioness, named Vitani. The second was a dark red lion, named Kovu. Neither Chipo nor Zazu had revealed who the cubs' father was, but Scar was very impressed. Both cubs were large and strong. Kovu was named Scar's heir. Nuka had grown stronger and was now running around and playing with the other cubs his age, but he would always be small.
Sarabi was greatly worried. She had tried and failed to convince Scar that this dry season would be disastrous if nothing changed. The Waterhole dried up even faster than last year. Hardly anything remained except muddy pools… And there was still many months of dry season left. Prey herds now passed through the Pride Lands, not stopping to graze long as there was no constant water source. The dry grasses were so high, almost as high as they were during the wet season, hardly touched at all. Hunting was a challenge. Herds were infrequent, so finding them and catching prey was difficult. Sometimes, for several days, the hunting parties would fail to return with anything. The hyenas grew hungry.
"Just remember Scar," Shenzi told him. "That if our mouths aren't full, secrets could slip out…"
Scar growled but he knew it was true. He had to keep the clan fed. But with less and less food, the lionesses gave up their kills less willingly. Scar organized a meeting with the lionesses.
"We can't keep hunting this much!" Sarabi stated urgently. "We are scaring off the few herds that come on our lands. We must hold back. The Waterhole is almost dry…"
"There are hungry mouths to feed!" Scar roared. "Chipo is still nursing and the hyenas are growing tired of leftover bones! We need to hunt more!"
"There isn't any more to hunt!" Sarafina stated. "We are getting what we can…"
"This is ridiculous," Scar growled. "Zazu! Send word to the neighboring prides. Explain our situation to them and ask them if we can hunt on their lands occasionally. Sarabi, Chipo, make personal pleas to your former kings…"
Sarabi and Chipo reluctantly agreed and Zazu was sent out. Zazu returned stating that the Kings would need time to consider arrangements. After a few weeks Sarabi heard back.
"My brother is willing to allow one kill per day…" Sarabi stated to Scar. "But only for the duration of the dry season…"
"One kill!" Scar spat. "That is not enough!"
"It would be if it were just the pride…"
"Zazu! Any word from the other prides?"
"Um… well," Zazu started. "The southern pride will allow two kills…"
"Now that's more like it!" Scar interrupted.
"…per week," Zazu continued. "Preferably not on the same day…"
"Per week?!" Scar roared. "How do they expect us to survive?! Some alliance of the Great Prides we have… Chipo! Have you heard anything back from the Savana Pride?"
"No, not yet," Chipo replied. She had not told Scar she didn't expect a reply. She had always been a burden as a cub without a mother, needing to be looked after by someone else. She had grown up with everyone around her resenting her and they shared this resentment with their cubs, not allowing them to have friendships with Chipo. She had been so relived to leave her pride, she had never expected needing to contact them.
"Scar we cannot support both the clan and the pride on these lands," Sarabi explained. "We would need a much larger territory for this. Four times our current size…"
"We do have a larger territory!" Scar spat. "We have the Pride Lands, the Outlands, and the Graveyard…"
"The Outlands hardly ever have any herds on them, hence why no one has rightfully claimed them," Sarabi stated.
"The Graveyard then…"
"Yes! The Graveyard is wonderful! When an elephant dies we eat for weeks… But do you know when the last time it was that an elephant died there?"
Scar scowled at Sarabi.
"It was over eight months ago!" Sarabi declared. "During the wet season. Because our Waterhole is dry the elephants have long sense moved from our lands. If one of them should die, they will use a different graveyard…"
"There's got to be food somewhere…" Scar growled.
"Scar things are just going to get worse," Sarabi continued. "The fires haven't even started yet, but once they do this place will be noting but ash and dust! Look at all the dry brush out there! It will burn hotter and faster than anything we've ever seen…"
"Enough of this nonsense!" Scar roared. "Figure it out! You're the Hunt Mistress! It is your job to provide food regardless of the situation…"
Scar left the den in frustration. Sarabi approached Chipo.
"Chipo, you must tell Scar this is unreasonable," Sarabi told her. "He won't listen to me anymore! We can't go on like this…"
"We just need to try harder," Chipo stated. "My hunting party has been having some success getting rabbits from the Outlands… Maybe we just need to focus on smaller game…"
"We cannot feed this entire… Pride-clan on just small game! Chipo the hyenas are not going to be happy with just rabbits from the Outlands! You're a nursing mother, you can't expect your milk to last on small meals like this forever…"
"Scar is confident that we will be fine…" Chipo started.
"No! He's wrong," Sarabi cut her off. "We are not going to be fine Chipo. The fires are coming. After that there will be absolutely nothing left on these lands. Please, Chipo you must appeal to Scar on the pride's behalf… We may starve…"
Chipo narrowed her gaze at Sarabi. She questioned Scar's leadership, his evaluation of the situation. What had Sarabi seen of the world in comparison to Scar?! She was little more than a sheltered spoiled princess, just like the rest of her friends. These were hard times, but they were not as dire as she made them out to be…
"I am not the Queen!" Chipo said firmly. "I will not be your go-between for Scar! If you have something to say to him then say it yourself!"
Sarafina, Nala, and the rest of the royal lionesses started to snarl. Chipo's friends started snarling back in return.
"That's right Chipo," Sarabi agreed. "You are not the Queen. A Queen would be selfless in the face of adversity, not divisive. We cannot keep the clan here this dry season. You are not the Queen, but you are the King's wife. I only ask that you convey this to him as he might consider it coming from you…"
"I do not doubt my King," Chipo said plainly. "I will say nothing to him that would suggest otherwise…"
Sarabi let out a heavy sigh. It was no use trying to get Chipo to help her. She left the den. Sarafina and Nala stared at Chipo with resentment. Why would she refuse to help them?! To ultimately help herself and her friends?! Sarafina shook her head and followed Sarabi.
"Tell me Chipo," Nala growled. "If you are not the Queen, then what exactly is your contribution to the pride?"
Chipo and her friends growled menacingly at Nala.
"You're little more than the King's concubine with bastard cubs…" Nala spat.
Chipo and several of her friends roared at Nala. Nala backed off still enraged. She walked outside to find her mother and Sarabi.
What a worthless lioness Chipo is, Nala thought as she seethed in frustration.
Weeks past and the dry season continued, baking the lands until there was no moisture left. The Waterhole was now long dried up. The lionesses took turns digging wells in the mud. Sometimes they would find a hibernating fish to snack on, but little else. The hyenas growled at the lionesses when they returned with hardly anything for them. The clan started going out hunting themselves, something they had rarely done sense coming to Pride Rock.
In the final weeks of the dry season the turbulent skies darkened the Pride Lands. Thunder roared and lightning struck, igniting fires. The fires grew massive, flames so high that they seemed to touch the clouds of lightning. Massive black smoke covered the Pride Lands. Ash rained down from overhead. The sky itself turned orange and then a deep red, blocking out the sun. Pride Rock needed to be evacuated as the flames approached. It was hard to breath, it was hard to see. The pride and the clan nearly had to go to the boarder of their territory to avoid the flames.
After burning for nearly a week, they were finally able to return to Pride Rock. The devastation was horrific. Everything was charred black. Not a single blade of grass, tree, or shrub remained. The smell of smoke still fresh in the air. Nala was at a loss. This was not her home, this was hell…
Sarabi and her hunting party were forced to go to the very corners of the Pride Lands to find small areas that has survived the fires. But with such a strong smell of ash and smoke in the air, the prey stayed far away. Hunger in the pride and clan grew…
"You need to go outside the Pride Lands to hunt!" Scar instructed.
"We have been doing that Scar…" Sarabi stated.
"Then go farther!"
"We can't invade other's territories! Doing so would be considered an act of war!"
"She's right you know," Zazu stated. "You can't just go unannounced onto another Pride's Lands…"
"Shut up, you worthless bird!" Scar yelled, throwing Zazu underneath an old ribcage, imprisoning him. "You were supposed to be helping the hunting parties!"
"I am!" Zazu insisted.
"Chipo! Gather your lionesses," Scar instructed. "We're going out now…"
"Scar…" Sarabi tried to say but the King had already left with Chipo and her friends. Sarabi and her huntresses followed along with the clan. After many hours of searching the large group finally came across a female rhino and her calf. An adult rhino could not be brought down, a calf could but it was very risky. The mother would defend her calf until its death. Most of the clan and the pride had not eaten very much for nearly a week. The risk was needed…
"Go," Scar commanded to his troops. The hyenas ran in first, causing the mother rhino to charge and swing at them in defense of her calf. The lionesses came in next, Chipo's group on the right, Sarabi's on the left. With the hyenas distracting the mother, the lionesses were able to coral the calf. Scar stepped in to help bring him down, this was not some small newborn. The calf was already quite big, extra strength was needed. The mother rhino made one last effort to free her son, charging at the lions. But the hyenas intercepted her, nipping at her heals, causing her to turn back towards them, allowing the lions to kill the calf. With her propose gone, the mother rhino ran off to morn her loss. The hyenas and lionesses began to snarl at each other…
"As the King, I will eat first!" Scar ordered everyone. "Chipo will eat with me. The hyenas will eat next, then the lionesses…"
"That's not fair!" Sarafina yelled.
"We did most of the hard work!" Nala protested.
"Hay!" Shenzi growled. "If it wasn't for me and the rest of the clan you all would have been impaled by rhino's horn!"
"Ya!" Banzai agreed.
"Enough!" Scar roared. "Chipo, come. Eat with me…"
The growling hyenas and lionesses suddenly turned to Chipo, even her friends were angry. They knew if Scar let the hyenas eat next there would be hardly anything left for the lionesses. Chipo felt the stabbing pain of rejection, a pain she had not felt since leaving the Savana Pride. She loved Scar more than anything in the entire world… But she could not lose her friends. Without them she would only have Scar, she would be an outsider in her own pride once more. She could not deal with that…
"No!" Chipo said defiantly.
Thank the Great Kings, Sarabi thought. She will stand up to him…
"I will not eat and watch my friends go hungry!" Chipo told Scar. "The lionesses are like sisters to me. They are my family too! Let them eat with us!"
Scar was shocked by Chipo's refusal. Never had she been defiant towards him. Pain filled his heart. If he bent his will to Chipo he was certain that the hyenas would turn on him, ousting him for killing Mufasa in front of the whole pride. He could not do that, he would lose everything… including Chipo. Refusing her was the only way to keep her safe…
"If you will not eat with me," Scar said plainly. "Then you will eat last with everyone else…"
Scar tore off a big chunk of meat and let the hyenas have at the carcass. Chipo was in utter shock. Her mind stood still unable to comprehend what had just happened. She watched the hyenas rip every last ounce of flesh off the rhino calf and she realized why Scar had done what he just did.
If the hyenas weren't fed, they would have killed us, Chipo thought. Or maybe they had specifically threatened to kill me or the cubs! Scar had no choice… He would not just have sentenced us all to starve if there wasn't some reason…
The lionesses picked at the bones that were left. Chipo hardly ate anything. The hyenas and Scar went back to Pride Rock. Sarabi approached the shocked Chipo.
"Don't you see now?" Sarabi asked her. "Scar is mad! He's going to make us starve to death! He has chosen the hyena clan over us…"
"No, it can't be…" Chipo pleaded. "There has to be some reason… The clan could have threatened to kill me or my cubs! Scar loves me! He would never do this unless there was no choice…"
"But he did!" Nala growled.
"Chipo," Sarabi said calmly. "We need to confront Scar. We need to stand up to him and demand to know why! And if that is indeed the reason, then we need to force him to drive the hyena clan out…"
"I will never turn on Scar…" Chipo cried. "I love him…"
"I'm not asking you to. Only to stand with the rest of the lionesses and demand an answer. Can you do that? I think your friends would like to know…"
Chipo looked at her hunting party. They were all sad and hungry. All their efforts having gone to the hyenas. She felt her own growling stomach. She needed to eat to nurse her cubs. The hyenas had to go… But not Scar, not her King, her love, her soul mate…
"Okay," Chipo said reluctantly. "I will stand with you, but I will not harm Scar."
"Thank you Chipo," Sarabi said with a sigh of relief. "If Scar is indeed being held hostage by the clan, we will drive them out… We have the strength over their numbers."
A look of understanding passed between the divided lionesses of the pride. For so long, since Adaeze and Chipo had come to live at Pride Rock, the hunting parties of the highborn and the commoners had been at odds. One side supporting the Princess who was demure and pure of heart. The other supporting the underdog who just wanted to be happy with the love of her life, willing to risk everything for him. Had this split in the pride not occurred then the hyena clan would have never been allowed to stay at Pride Rock. The lionesses would have usurped their King long ago and driven him out with the clan. But divided the highborn lionesses could not stand up to the clan, their King, and the other half of the pride. Sarabi saw this unity, what she had been hoping for all along, as the chance she needed to confront Scar. Their time had finally come.
"Lionesses of Pride Rock!" Sarabi call everyone to attention. "We will not hunt or bring back food for the hyenas anymore! When Scar and the hyenas demand to know why we will demand that our voices be heard! We will not stay here and starve! We will kick out the hyenas and restore the balance of life on these lands. United, we will not fail…"
The lionesses roared in unison. Chipo looked sadly at Pride Rock. Her cubs were there, her life was there, and her love was there. But it all felt so far away, like it almost wasn't there… She was lost, now following Sarabi. But where she was going, she knew not. Only that it had to lead to a better place than were she was right now. This couldn't go on, but she felt like her world was about to shatter. A deep fear rose in Chipo, like the fear she had had being forced away by Dejen. She was going into the unknown without a plan. She was stronger now but she still needed her rock: Scar. Without him what was she? Who was she? Such thoughts plagued her mind as she fell asleep that night, holding her three cubs.
