AN: Greetings, dear Lion King fans!

Thank you for coming and welcome to this new little African story.

With 'The Lion Guard' out and running AND the CGI remake coming out in two years with God knows what in it, the 'Lion King' canon is open yet again and none of us can predict how the creators of the show are going to twist it (as if they haven't done enough damage already). I have therefore decided to wait before writing more stories about things that Disney may still change. But that doesn't mean an AU story with TLK characters is impossible!

It will be similar to one of my older ones, 'From behind Bars', and although the similarity is deliberate, I will not simply re-write the events of the former story, but only use the main frame of it to build what will happen in the world of the new one. FYI- the story can also be considered a continuation of my last one- 'Takas Guard'.

Once again we will follow the two brothers who are always at war with each other, Mufasa and Scar, as they are forced into a 'group therapy' session by getting abducted from the Pridelands and becoming slaves of humans. But the first and most important difference is that 'From behind Bars' was set in modern times, whereas 'From the Sands of the Arena' will take place in… the ancient Roman Empire! So you can get ready for gladiators, amphitheaters and a constant struggle for life- all seen from the perspective of the beasts fighting in the arena!

I'll be putting tiny bits of info about Roman times as well as a number of Latin words in the particular chapters, and I hope to stick to historical fact. Feel free to correct me if I make a mistake.

So without further ado, here's 'Caput I', or chapter 1 for you. The year is circa 250 A.D.

Enjoy XD

CAPUT I – LAQUEUS (Chapter 1 – The Trap)

(Scar)

The ground underneath him was shaking like an earthquake, and he had a horrible headache. He felt so miserable that he couldn't even be angry… He kept his eyes closed, as he feared that the dizziness he felt, along with the movement of the floor, was about to cause him to throw up.

What in the world happened…?

He couldn't have been dead. Dead animals did not feel pain, as he did- a lot of it. Half-unconscious, he tried to recall the last thing he remembered doing, but even thinking seemed to hurt him at first. Everything was a swirling, mixed up chaos of sounds and colors.

He tried to estimate what sort of surface he was lying on. It was hard, uncomfortable, and was making his bones ache, so it couldn't have been grass. But it didn't have the coldness of solid rock, either. When he extended his claws, he was able to dig them into the floor, and he felt splinters beneath the pads of his paw. That meant that there was wood underneath him. But how could it be so flat, and why was it shaking like that?

Finally, struggling with the nausea, he did recall some very hazy memories… Best of all, he remembered his brother's angry face. That sight twisted his stomach and caused him to groan, but he had to at least try to bring back the image of whatever put him in this confusing, miserable place.

Oh yes, him and Mufasa had a fight because he hadn't showed up for his nephew's presentation. Of course, he did that deliberately, but he pretended that he had merely forgotten just to annoy his older sibling. And, as he clearly remembered, it worked- Mufasa felt offended, and even asked if Scar wanted to challenge him. Then he turned his back on the king…

And then I left. But where did I go afterward? Was it… Uh! Why is everything so shaky? Ah, my head is killing me… Wait. Yes, now I remember something.

Scar was near the border of the Pridelands, walking in circles. He was angry and kept looking at the sun from time to time.

Where is she? – the question echoed in his mind. He wasn't in the mood for sitting around and doing nothing.

Out of impatience, the lion ascended a nearby hill. He gazed toward the savannah in the distance and strained his eyes. It looked like there was something moving in the tall grass- something bigger than a jackal, alone, and walking his way. He lifted his head to smell the wind that blew from that direction.

Yes, it's her… It's about time she showed up!

Scar waited on top of the hill until the tan-furred young lioness poked her head out of the shrub. Although she smiled at him, he did not respond with the same. Instead, he expressed his dissatisfaction.

-"You're late, Zira. Again."

But the female kept beaming at him sweetly in spite of his stern gaze.

-"And good afternoon to you, too!" – she said, running up to him gleefully and rubbing against his side.

Scar moved away from her, causing her to show a sad face.

-"Oh, must you be like that! You know it's not possible for me to sneak away from my pride whenever I wish. I have a mate now, after all!"

The lion snorted, although with a thin, sarcastic smile.

-"Is he the one you've been spending so much time with instead of coming to me, hm?"

-"Stop it!" – Zira responded to his typical mocking attitude with irritation. – "You know well that I didn't have anything to say about my betrothal! I run over here whenever he's not watching, just to be with you! Can't you ever show any appreciation?"

Scar observed her anger with a disarming smile. When she was done, he put his paw on Zira's shoulder.

-"My dear, I do appreciate our little rendezvous. How could you think otherwise? Would I be sitting here, anticipating your arrival, if I hadn't?"

The female let go of her angry demeanor.

-"Well, enjoy it while you can. I've got to be back in an hour or so."

-"An hour?" – Scar gasped with dramatized disappointed.

-"Yes. You heard what I said. My mate is taking his afternoon nap right now, but when he wakes up again, he's going to be looking for me."

Seeing the frown on the lion's face, Zira lied down on the grass and made herself comfortable.

-"So… How was it today?" – she asked as Scar stretched himself out beside her.

-"Oh, just as I've expected. After I failed to show up at that little hairball's pathetic presentation, my brother barged into my lair like the insulted monarch he is, accusing me of dishonoring him and his ridiculous royal traditions. He must have done that immediately after the whole ordeal was over, I didn't even have the time to finish eating lunch! He was delightfully furious. You should have seen the sparks in his eyes- they were about to set fire to the grass under his paws. It was pure pleasure to watch him lose his temper again, and then as he was forced to stand there while I laughed him in the face, knowing that self-righteous fool would never harm a member of his own family…"

But what Scar was saying only sounded like he enjoyed it. Zira, as empathetic as she was toward her friend, noticed that he wasn't looking her in the eyes, but fixed his stare somewhere in the distance.

-"What's wrong?" – she asked him, putting a paw on one of his own.

The lion remained gloomily silent for a while. Then he turned his head to look in her brown eyes.

-"Everything is wrong." – he snapped. – "Don't you understand? With Simba's birth, I am now farther from the throne than I ever were. Simba is to become Mufasa's successor, which means that it's pointless to sit around and wait for my brother to die anymore. And… even if Mufasa was… removed from the picture… It would all still be for nothing!"

Scar whipped the ground with his tail, an expression of his fury and helplessness. The lioness cuddled against the side of his head, burying half her face in the black hair of his mane to cheer him up.

- "Oh, don't say that! Not everything is lost yet! Ruling is our destiny, remember?"

-"I am beginning to lose faith in destiny, Zira. What do you suppose I could still do in order to change my pitiable situation? – he said without returning the caress.

-"What?" – the female staged an insulted tone. – "You can't mean that you are feeling pitiable being with me!"

-"That's not what I had in mind! Don't change the subject!"

-"Hmf! Very well. If you wish to spend the short time we have on talking about boring political issues instead of more relaxing subjects… have it your way. In that case, I need to tell you that, since the birth of your nephew, I've been thinking. Mufasa's big and dangerous and all that, but what about his newborn son? After all, a cub is extremely frail and vulnerable. What if it wasn't Mufasa who had an accident, but poor little Simba? Wouldn't that make you next in line for the throne again?"

Although Scar thought that he knew Zira already, her gruesome proposition surprised him.

-"What are you suggesting?" – he inquired, narrowing his eyes. – "Do you want me to murder my own brother's cub?"

-"Oh no no no, you misunderstood me!" – she grinned menacingly. – "Who would even dare think of murder? That would be hideous! I know you, my beloved, and I'm sure you would never be so cruel…" – again, she fawned against his side with her head. Then she whispered – "… although, accidents do happen…"

Scar gazed at her closely. Then, surrounding the female with his paw and looking in some unspecified direction, he began to think aloud.

-"Hm, yes, that is true. Accidents do happen. As with my former colleagues from the Lion Guard. A mere accident. Simba, however, is under constant surveillance from his mother and the rest of the lionesses… But that will not last forever. Sooner or later, my nephew is going to want to run off on his own and explore his future kingdom- as young crown princes do. And there is many very dangerous, carnivorous animals in the Pridelands… Hyenas, for instance…"

Zira grinned with joy as listening to her lover's plotting.

-"Yes! Fortunately, you yourself are friends with those filthy beasts!"

-"Hm, well, I wouldn't exactly call them my friends. But they do listen to what I say, as dim-witted as they are…"

Suddenly, Scar rose from the ground, leaving Zira alone and looking at him with surprise.

-"Where are you going?" – she said with a voice broken with disappointment.

-"I've got no time to lose." – the lion smiled back at her. – "I need to get to the Elephant Graveyard before sunset. Go back to your mate before he misses you, I'll see you some other time. Thanks for giving me a good idea, Zira! Tah-tah!"

And then he ran off, leaving her lying in the grass, furious. He enjoyed teasing her this way from time to time, although now a different thought was cheering him up- a newfound hope, as despicable as it was. He needed to discuss this plot with his minions, and making them understand anything usually required an extensive amount of time.

As he ran toward the hyenas' abode, the joy that filled his heart made him lose track of anything that was going on around him.

This isn't over yet! – he thought to himself with delight. – All I need to do is find a way to get rid of that little hairball. Why haven't I thought about this ear…

WHAM!

The train of Scar's though was suddenly and violently derailed, and replaced with a lot of darkness and pain. As he regained his balance, he noticed that, while running ahead blindly, he'd fallen into some sort of a ditch.

Bloody hell! – he cursed, touching his aching side.

The ditch he now found himself in was rather strange. It was almost exactly his size, and its walls were smooth as if an elephant dug it with its foot. Scar also recognized that he didn't notice the hole because it had been covered with twigs, palm leaves and grass.

What is this?! Some sort of a trap?

As he struggled to clamber out of the ditch, he felt even more concerned. There was an odd, unfamiliar scent in the air. Then, right in front of him, Scar saw a strange creature that walked on two legs and wielded a sharp stick. It reminded him of Rafiki, but had no fur at all, and its skin was of a dark brown color.

A human! – the lion thought with amazement.

Scar had heard about humans before, but he'd never seen one in his entire life. From the stories he was told he knew that men had neither claws nor fangs to defend themselves with, but instead used wooden objects and set up traps while hunting. Although, unfortunately for this one, the lion he was trying to catch managed to free himself from the snare that was meant to bind him and render him harmless.

Scar growled at the intruder, and the human flinched from fear, clasping the stick he held in his strange paws.

Well, my little trespassing friend! What are you going to do now? Stab me with that little tooth pick? I don't think so. Come, let's do this quick. I shall use you flesh in order to bribe my hyenas…

And then, just as Scar was about to pounce at the defenseless creature, something hit him on the head with great force and he was swallowed up by darkness.

AN: Boom! Poor Scar, and he was in such a good mood, too. It's a shame it was for the wrong reason! In this story, Zira is already his mate… or rather, his lover, as she's also in a previously arranged marriage with the leader of her own pride (explains how Kovu is not Scar's son. You can read about how that happened in 'Takas Guard'). She is Scar's companion in loneliness, and she convinces him to attempt to get rid of Simba. It had to come from somewhere, since in the very first scene of the movie he complains that he's never going to be king.

I voraciously await your reviews, favs, and the like! I'm trying to improve my vocabulary and style with each story, although I am not a native English speaker. Let me know of anything that crosses your mind while reading, or if you have any suggestions. I'm not 100% sure where I'm going to take the plot just yet, and I can't promise to be publishing new chapters regularly, as I'm getting ready to move at the moment.

So thanks and see you in about a week or so! Valete!