Hey there, and welcome back to The Lion King novel. I did say that I would take a break from uploading chapters, limit it to once a day. But this has been pretty fun so far, so I'll upload some more and see how far I'll go. However, this chapter will be a bit shorter.
I know people say that the Lion King's remake has scenes that were extended a bit to fit the 118 minute mark, and I agree. The good thing about FanFiction, however, is that you can extend the scenes. So that's why I try to include parts from the original and remake and put them together as much as I can.
Uploading Date: August 20, 2019
Enjoy!
...
Uncle Scar
Simba watched the other cubs at play, partaking in games like Catch The Tail or Pounce On The Pebble; one of the cubs (a male named Tojo) even let some birds he and Simba had raised roost on his back. Right now, he wasn't in the mood for playing with his peers. He usually liked hanging around with the other cubs, but a part of him still pouted over being left behind by Mufasa.
I'll show him I can hunt, he decided to himself. Then he'll have to take me hunting with him.
He looked around, looking for something to hunt. He saw Zazu perching on a branch near the edge of the cubs' clearing, keeping an eye on them. But Simba decided not to for two reasons. The first was that Zazu was out of reach, and the second was that he had pounced on him earlier anyway. So he kept looking for a target to pounce on, one that would not fly away.
The other cubs were another option. But Simba would tell them what he was doing, and they would want to play too. He just wasn't in the mood to have the other cubs butting in on his fun.
So he kept looking again until he noticed a blue beetle climbing on a log not far away. It was minding its own business, and it was also the perfect target for his hunt. Remembering what Mufasa taught him, Simba slunk low in the grass. He was inching farther away from the other cubs until he was near the bottom of Pride Rock. The beetle kept going its merry way; if it knew that Simba was stalking it, it paid him no attention.
"I'm gonna be a mighty king," he whispered, edging closer to the beetle. "Enemies beware..."
He crept ever so close to the beetle, up until his face was near its shiny blue body. Suddenly, the beetle extended its wings and fluttered off, leaving Simba to watch it go...and then it landed in front of him again. Simba smiled and prepared for his pounce.
"If you wish to kill something, you might want to stay downwind."
Simba whipped around and jumped a foot into the air. Scar was watching him from the shadow of his own den, laying down and glowering. His dark tawny fur and black mane were well hidden in the shadows, which was why Simba was startled. The cub himself wondered if his uncle was ever in a good mood to talk.
"I know how to hunt, Uncle Scar," Simba told the dark lion. "I'm just helping protect the Pride Lands. Watch!"
He pounced at the beetle, but it flew off for good this time. All that left Simba to do was crash into the rock nose-first. He backed away, grumbling and rubbing his nose with a paw.
"Well, let's pray that we're never attacked by a beetle. Wouldn't want to have a scar like mine, now would we?" Scar responded, his scowl almost making a sneer. He turned away with his back towards Simba, swishing his tail. "Go play with the other cubs. I don't babysit."
In spite of Scar's harshness, Simba wasn't let down. His father showing him the kingdom was still buzzing in his mind, the thought of becoming king buzzing even more.
"Oh, wait a minute!" he said, running up towards the den. "Hey, Uncle Scar, guess what?"
Scar, who was already back in his den, stopped strolling and rolled his eyes. "I despise guessing games."
"I'm gonna be king of Pride Rock," Simba boasted.
Scar scowled even more, until his teeth were almost bared. He didn't want to be reminded that he would not get to be king, not while Mufasa and his bratty cub were still alive. "Is that so?" he muttered with dripping sarcasm, giving Simba a withering glare when the cub's back was turned.
Simba walked over towards Scar until he climbed onto the rock hanging near the entrance of his den. "Think about it. When I'm king, I get to give you orders, tell you what to do. How weird is that?"
"Oh, goody," Scar grumbled. Hearing all this made him want to throw up, or hack up hairballs like he had seen caracals do once upon a time.
"Dad showed me the entire kingdom. And I'm gonna rule it all!" Simba added with a laugh.
"Well, forgive me for not leaping for joy," growled Scar. "Bad back, you know."
And with that, he flopped down to the cave floor, trying to ignore Simba. But the cub's scent told him that Simba was still there, curious as ever.
Simba followed him into the cave. He had never been in here before, and now he could see why. It felt colder than the den above them, the air smelled funny, and bones seemed to litter the ground like old branches. This place seemed creepy, but his curiosity won him over.
"Hey Uncle Scar," Simba said, running over and leaning on Scar's black mane. "When I'm king, what does that make you?"
"A monkey's uncle," Scar grumbled.
Simba laughed and tumbled away from Scar. "You're so weird."
This time, Scar grinned. "You have no idea," he said, just as an idea was taking seed in his mind. He lifted himself up and walked to the entrance of his cave. "So your father showed you the whole kingdom, did he?"
"Everything," replied Simba. "He showed me the watering hole, the mountains, just...everything."
"He didn't show you what's beyond that rise at the northern border, though, did he?" Scar pressed on.
Simba groaned and sat down. He didn't know that Scar had known about the shadowy place at the border. "No. He said I can't go there."
"And he's absolutely right!" Scar declared to Simba's surprise. "It's far too dangerous. Only the bravest lions go there."
As Scar had predicted, Simba perked up, curious. "Well, I'm brave. What's out there?"
"No, I'm sorry, Simba, I just can't tell you," Scar said with a bit of a pompous air, turning away from him.
"Why not?"
"Simba, Simba," Scar said, gently rubbing the cub's head, "I'm only looking out for the well-being of my favorite nephew."
Simba playfully wriggled out of his uncle's grasp. "Yeah, right. I'm your only nephew."
Scar grinned. "All the more reason for me to be protective. An elephant graveyard is no place for a young prince." Then he pretended to gasp and say, "Oops!"
"An elephant what?" Simba mewed in amazement. No wonder Mufasa didn't want him going there; though it could just be bones everywhere, that was a place he wanted to go. "Whoa!"
"Oh dear, I've said too much!" Scar chided himself. Then he grinned again, sporting a crafty grin. "Well, I suppose you'd have found out sooner or later, you being so clever and all."
"Have you been there?" Simba asked. Mufasa had always told him to leave Scar alone, saying that he wasn't a social lion. But so far, Scar didn't seem so bad to him, once he got past the grumpy attitude.
Scar grinned. "Every lion has been there. I've been there, your father was there, your mother was there as well, and...basically everyone. However, it's no place for a cub like you." When Simba scowled at the thought of 'cub' being mentioned again, Scar pressed on, "Seriously, it's pretty dangerous there for a cub. All those rotting bones and oozing puddles of mud are just...ugh!"
While his words were discouraging, they intrigued Simba. Now he really wanted to go there and find out what the place was like. It was way too tempting to pass up.
"It's just one appalling area to avoid at all costs. Just promise me one thing," Scar said, pulling Simba in close for a hug. "Promise me you'll never visit that dreadful place!"
It almost sounded fun, the elephant graveyard. If anything, Scar's words seemed to encourage him even more, make him want to go there. But he gave Scar a smile and replied, "No problem!"
Scar smiled in return and let Simba up. "There's a good lad. You run along now, have some fun and play. And remember," he called before Simba could run off some more, "it's our little secret, your majesty."
Simba ran off, leaving Scar behind. It was a secret that he wasn't going to tell anyone at all...well, almost everyone. There was one person he would go ask about the elephant graveyard. So he ran off to find that someone.
As for Scar, he smirked and headed back into his den. That was much easier than he had thought. Hearing Simba talk about how he would be king was even more unbearable, now that Mufasa had to blab about the "circle of life". So he decided that, in order to be next in line again, Simba would need to go.
To be continued...
