Chapter 2: Into the Savanna

Enjoy the chapter!

"Psst. Nala. Nala."

The harsh whispering tickled the peachy cub's face and her paws blindly flailed out to swat at the offender. She could hear giggling from behind her head, but her paws covered her already closed eyes.

"Simba... it's too early," she moaned, trying to curl up against her mother's warm side. Even without looking, she could tell that the sun hadn't even risen and that it was still dark and chilly outside the warm comfort of the den.

"Yeah, but dad said he'd take us out to see the Pridelands today and I want to get a head start. So c'mon, wake up!"

She supposed it was fate's fault that her companion was about the same age as her. And that being a cub meant that boundless energy had to be released whenever it built up, even if it meant waking up before dawn. And that the event for today had been planned in advance and she had been looking forward to it, even if committing meant sparing a few hours sleeping.

Resigning herself to the situation, the light orange female slowly lifted her head up and scrunched her face tightly before peeling her eyes opened. Slowly, the blurry gold figure grew clearer into the golden-colored, red-eyed male looking excitedly at her. She slowly yawned and stretched herself out.

"Morning," he said in a far-too-chipper tone for the time. "I'll go get my dad. Don't fall back asleep," he called over his shoulder. She nodded, then promptly lowered her head back onto her paws.

The young prince darted towards the back of thew cave, nimbly hopping and stepping over the sleeping pride pile's tangled limps and snoozing bodies until he reached a slightly elevated space reserved for the royal family. And while he did take care to not disturb his mother, he had no qualms leaping onto his sleeping father's back and nipping at tufts of his mane.

"Drrd, c'mrrrn. Yrrr prrmrrrsed!"

"Ngh, five more minutes son," the great lion rumbled, covering his face with his paws and turning over, sending the cub tumbling off his back and onto his rear.

Simba shook his head, then focused on his father with a renewed sense of determination. He lunged again for his father, managing to leap up high enough and bite his ear before pulling with his paws trying to find purchase against his father's face. The lion once again groaned and gently knocked his son off.

"C'mon dad. You said you would be taking me and Nala out to see the Pridelands today. You can't take back your promise now," he protested, beginning to feel a bit aggravated now at his father's uncaring, lazy form. "C'mon, c'mon, c'mon!"

Turning around, he spotted a long-tufted tail sticking out on the other end. With a mischievous smirk, he rushed over to it, went towards the end of the tail, clamped it between his teeth and started to yank.

"Yrr prrrmrrsed darrr," he muffled through the bite.

Fully aware of the sensation on his tail and the realization that his efforts were not placating his son, Mufasa finally committed to the notion that his rest was over for the morning and he did in fact have to keep to his word.

"Alright. Alright son. I'm up, I'm up." The strong limbs of the king began to stretch out and a loud yawn filled the den, accented only by the sounds of the prince cheering and prancing about. With a mighty suck of air, he gathered his strength and got to his feet, exhaling loudly before slowly making his way out towards the exit.

As he started to leave, the lioness beside him, lifted her head up and called out.

"Simba."

The cub stopped in his playful dance and turned towards his mother, still resting, but eyes open and focused warmly on him. "Have fun with your father."

A grin came across his face and he came over towards her. The two gently pressed heads before she gave an unexpected lick to the top of his head. He squealed, looking irritated and muttered about his 'mane' before brushing it back, yet the mirth and affection was still there. With a hurried goodbye, he ran out after his father, with Nala making a more slow, tired trek after them after whispering her mother goodbye.

The air was crisp and chill with the sun nary a sliver above the horizon. The last stars were fading out of the sky as the three lions stepped out, shivering as the world began to awaken.

With mighty strides, the king made his way towards the edge of the platform, coming to a stop at the edge. He gave paused, the threw up his head and a loud roar exploded from his chest. Just then the sun broke over the landscape, tinting the entire world gold. A flock of bird, frightened by the sound, all flew up from the tree not too far from them as the king signaled morning towards the Pridelands.

The cubs, though previous not fully awake, were awestruck and amazed with their jaws dropped. The king of the Pridelands stood magnificently before them, his body encased in shadows from behind, but accented and shrouded with light where he faced.

A feeling of excitement and the desire to emulate coursed though Simba's body and he rushed forward, stopping just inches from the edge, threw up his head and forced a roar from his throat.

All of a sudden, blood flushed his cheeks and embarrassment replaced his elation as a pitiful squeak broke through his maw and the sound of muffled giggling from his playmate came up from behind him.

"It's not funny," he called out in desperation at her, who was now nearly falling down with compressed laughter. He looked disappointingly down, until a massive, warm paw pressed out over his head.

"It's alright son. It takes a while to get it just right," Mufasa warmly reassured. "You know, I think I wasn't too far off from you when I first could roar."

At that, his ears perked up. "Really dad?"

"Really son."

"Whoa! Check it out."

They turned towards Nala, who had tiptoed up and sat down beside therm, now fixated on the landscape before her. Slowly, Simba's face turned to where she was looking and could understand her wonder.

The sun had illuminated the landscape, tinting it a warm gold wherever the rays fell. The lakes and streams looked to be molten fire, shimmering brightly while glittering rays danced over the water. Vast plains, valleys, hills and more diversified the land, expressing just how detailed and intricate their homeland was with the promise of first-hand experiencing it and being surrounded by it this day.

A small throat clear drew the two's attention to Mufasa, who stared warmly at them as he was positioned right on the first step down Pride Rock.

"Now, would you just like to keep staring or would you'd rather come down and see it for yourself."

They immediately bounded after him, but gave pause at the stone steps. They had never been much further then in the den and the shaded, forested area around the back of Pride Rock. The path down to the ground was a slope with smooth stones and bits of the structure providing steps for those entering/exiting the area. Their parents had both strictly told them that they were to stay away as much as possible from this part until they were of age.

The first rock was within arm's length and Simba hesitantly reached out to plant his first paw down. Then his other paw. Then he brought the rest of his body down upon it, balancing all four paws on it. He stared for a second, then up towards his dad. Mufasa was already at the bottom and nodded gently at him.

Grinning back, he hopped the rest of the way down.

As the three made their way across the grassland, the cubs were both awestruck and excited as each new thing came into sight. The watering hole and it's inhabitants at one point, a brightly colored bird squawking melodiously above the next. Everywhere they looked, their eyes were shining with wonder.

This entire first experience had the two cubs practically shaking with joy. The grass beneath their feet, the sky and trees above, the abundant landscape and wildlife. It was almost surreal, yet utterly exciting that this is what they would be experiencing the rest of their lives. Throughout the tour of the Pridelands, Mufasa had tried to offer explanations of how the land and creatures coexisted with one another within a cycle which effected all of them, no matter how big or small, but eventually their excitement towards everything new around them had him relenting to just let them explore and see things for themselves with some small commentary. They would learn eventually.

Antelope swiftly pranced past them, displaying their agile, nimble bodies as they sought out other pastures. They were fully aware of the three lions watching them, but they felt no worry for they sensed a non-lethal presence within them.

"One day I'm going to be hunting them," Nala said, quietly yet proudly.

"And one day I'm going to be ruling over them," Simba said in equal tone. But then the cub's eyebrows furrowed and he stared up at his father in confusion. "Hey dad? Can I ask you a question?"

The king smirked playfully. "You just did, but I will permit you to ask another."

It took a moment, but a pair of giggles soon arose at the humor. "Very funny dad. So anyways, me and Nala overheard Zazu talking the other day about me and her being betrothed. What does that mean?"

The king smiled and gestured to continue walking. "It means that you two will be married someday." At their souring expressions, he just continued. "You will be king one day son and Nala will be your queen."

"But I can't marry her dad! She's my best friend," Simba protested, rushing up to scowl disgustingly at the though within view.

Nala followed up and continued. "Yeah, that's too weird. Plus what if I don't want to be the future queen?"

At that the king stopped. His face looked stunned for a moment, then settled down as he lowered his head towards her. "Well Nala, if by some chance when you and Simba are grown and you do not wish to be married, then we will honor your wishes and find a new suitable queen for him." His warm level tone seemed to placate her, but Simba looked rather worried.

"So whether or not Nala wants to marry me, I still will have to have a queen?" Mufasa nodded. "What will happen to Nala then if she doesn't become my queen?"

Mufasa slowly straightened up and put on a cheerful face and tone. "Well I hope at least that you two will continue to remain close friends when you become adults and that you will be able to depend on each other for guidance and advice." The two looked rather pleased at that. "Besides, queen or not, Nala will most likely be joining the hunting party alongside her mother and the others."

"Yeah," she added, excitement radiating off her face. "My mom is the leader of the hunting party and she's been giving me a couple of hunting lessons already."

"Hold on! My mom leads the hunting party!"

"Both of your mothers co-lead the hunting party and they both do a wonderful job," Mufasa intervened, quickly ending the argument before it escalated. "Now, going back to the gazelles-"

"Sire!"

The cubs froze in shock while Mufasa buried his face into one of his paws with a groan. A swoop from the sky and right before them, the hurried, panting form of Zazu appeared. "So sorry to interrupt... but... hyenas! Over the border!"

Immediately, his form changed and the lion was standing proudly and fiercely before him. "Zazu, bring the cubs home. I will deal with this."

"But dad!" Simba cried out, only for it to fade as he watched his father rush away from him, covering a great deal of distance already as his form sunk down low with disappointment.

His eyes were still focused upon his dad fleeing form when Zazu's wing outstretched to gently pat his shoulder. "Don't be too disheartened, my prince. Being king means he has a lot of responsibilities and that when problems arise he'll, and eventually you'll, need to be ready to drop and sort them out at a moments notice. However, that doesn't mean that he doesn't love you or wants to spend time with you," the hornbill comfortingly said.

"I just wish he didn't have to leave so soon. We were just starting to check out the Pridelands and now..."

Zazu's eyes looked over his sullen, ear-drooping form and Nala's similar position. Seconds passed, no change in sight, and, in a moment of sacrifice that he would soon come to regret, he sighed and caved. "Would you like to take the long way back home?" Their ears perked up and he already felt unsure of himself. "Surely there are still some sights to see on the way back that you hadn't seen."

The look of utter joy and excitement on their face had already sent dread through his stomach, but it was too late then.

Meanwhile, not too far away from the trio and where the trespassing dispute was occurring, a slim, feline form made its way towards the shift in the land. Almost drastically the soft soil became rough gravel and the soft, sweet-smelling breeze became filled with the putrid scent of sulfur and methane vents steaming and exploding up from the earth. In the corner of his eye, he could see bubbling mud pits and dead trees sticking out like blackened skeletons.

In a moment, he had reached a dipping slope that grew gradually steeper and dangerous further down the edge. His body tensed and he bounded down towards the rugged terrain below, sending down a small avalanche of pebbles and rocks where his back legs had grazed the pile. Adjusting his limbs from the sudden jump, he resumed his trek forward, into the maze of sharp cliffs, steep slopes and tranches, and the decaying-to-ancient, bleached white and humongous skeletons of elephants long-deceased.

As he navigated the dark terrain, shrouded in shadows despite the clear, sunny day, out of the corner of his eye he spotted some of the shadows moving swiftly. They would always be still as his eyes fell on them, but rush with a quick breeze and nary a footstep when his head turned. The steam from the underground vents heated the air and made it sticky, as well as covering the ground with a sickly, yellow fog.

He paused in the midst of a clearing, having already entered in far enough to be surrounded by jagged rock formations and dark, labyrinthine passages. He straightened himself out proudly and stared neutral and disinterestedly as from out of the darkness several growls broke forth into the air.

"Well, well, well, what do we have here? The disgraced prince himself, eh boys?" A group of four, snarling or cackling hyenas made themselves known. Their teeth were sharp and tinged yellow, making their fangs stand out all the more out. Even from a reasonable distance, their hot, stinking breaths could be felt and smelled.

"Thought we told you never to come back here ever again," another called out. Several other hyenas began to peel out of the shadows, slowly surrounding him. Despite their snarls, flashes of teeth, and numerous individuals present, Scar merely lifted a paw, examined his claws and brushed them calmly against his coat, as if his life wasn't in danger of a death mob.

He did a quick blow on his claws, before rubbing them against his chest once more. "Quite right, you did tell me to keep my distance away from here, though you neglected to set the specifics for the order. You had given me that order at the place where your hunting party is current stationed at thus the order given states that I should not come here via that common route, thus my entrance through the back door, if you may, does not render the command void."

The elegant, nonchalant way he had spoken now had the four males in confused surprise and ended all rising tension for just a moment. After sputtering in muddled bewilderment, one of the males decided to turn away from puzzling the lion's words and default back to aggression.

"Now listen you-"

He was simultaneously silenced and sent scurrying backwards in fright as a red, clawed paw suddenly had approached towards them and flipped to present it's palm towards his muzzle.

"But enough of this, I wish to speak to your matriarch," he said coolly.

A frightened, confused, and angry murmur descended upon all the hyenas in the circle, offering glares or looks of bewilderment towards the cocky lion. He merely inhaled and shuddered, reveling in the chaotic atmosphere of his doing. Even the four before him looked frightened and worried. Two of them, one with a deformed jaw with his tongue falling out from the side, the other with a torn ear, began whimpering against one another. Another one, with a much more confident look, was reduced to a stunned look at the audacity of the words spoken.

"You've got some nerve to be here. Even more so to demand to speak with her after what happened the last time you had an audience with her," he sneered, a scowl peeling back his black gums to reveal the sharpest of teeth. Behind him the hyena with the torn ear began whispering in hush, fearful breaths, "Kamari, don't get him angry."

Scar merely chuckled, giving them a brief look of his own powerful teeth. "Well I suppose it is simply a trait of us lions to be cocky, though you should know by now that we do have the resources and strength to back it up," he replied, his voice gaining a frightening, dark edge at the end. With no other words, he strode right in between them, right into the heart of hyena territory and into the most twisted, darkened area of the terrain. The four males and the rest of the pack could only watch with fear as he vanished.

Twisted, jagged rocks made for a tight, almost suffocating passage through, but his lean, rather thin form and graceful movements flowed elegantly and almost serpentine between them. Above him he could sense yellow eyes sternly watching him before they vanished out of view.

Finally he reached the end of the almost tunnel-like path leading towards a cliff side with multiple ledges sticking out. Several proud, scarred, and capable hyenas all stood up and got defense as he approached. All of the individuals present were more then capable of taking him down with little effort, but years of self-control had made him immune to their intimidation tactics.

Underneath an overhanging cave roof the matriarch laid. Her eyes were more intent on the femur bone wrapped around her paws then her united guest, but he did notice how her fur almost bristled as he came before her and stopped about ten feet away from her resting place. Several of her warriors and best fighters surrounded him, not growling, but more then a few assumed threatening positions.

"Matriarch Shenzi," he began. He offered a small, almost mocking, head bow before her as his voice dripped with a reverent tone, bordering on pure sarcasm. She did not acknowledge him, only choosing the gnaw at the bone.

"Your pack is strong and powerful, yet you suffer in constant hunger and from enduring the harsh conditions. " Some growls, snorts, and other noises of disgust rose up. "I've come to make an offer with you. A return to form for your back, a chance for them to thrive and live instead of scrounging around for your next meal. A chance of the lifetime, a shining new era lying before you, in exchange for your help-"

Snap! Crack!

The leg bone, the hardest of all skeletal structures, was the hardest for any creature to bite through. Sure the tantalizing reward of the bone marrow was plentiful inside and nutritious to some, but the ability to get to it required a hard pressure or crack to even make a dent in the dense matter.

However, for the average hyena, their jaw strength was more then capable to crushing the bones of their prey. And with Scar's lavish, descriptive offer of a better place for her pack, the bone in her grasp had fractured under the pressure and the top, knobby part of the bone broke off and had fallen down the slope to Scar's feet. A brief glance down revealed the blackened, rotted inside of the bone and released the scent of decay into his nostrils, nearly getting him to wretch his stomach.

As he turned up, his eyes were at level with her chest as she stood fiercely and cold before him, as she stared both furiously cold and disgusted daggers at him. Her sudden presence got him to back up a step, only to freeze in genuine fear as he felt hot breaths against his flank and the realization that he was fully surrounded and with no room to escape.

"And what do you think that will make us accept your offer?" she slowly said, her voice withholding the anger of a thousand burning days. "Especially after the last time."

Her lips flicked some of her spit onto his face and the side where his scar was twitched. Her golden eyes were aflame with hatred and savagery, yet on the outside she was as cool as the morning frost.

"Because we both know that Mufasa's reign means only sorrow and want from the likes of us," he calmly replied, but his brave facade was quickly evaporating. "If we are to do something about it, it might be good to.. make alliances."

Her head threw up and jaw expanded open and for a moment he expected to feel her maw constrict around his throat. His head turned to cover his face and his eyes shut tight, expecting the sheer pain that would soon follow. Instead the madness-filled, harsh laughter broke free of her throat and into the still air. Soon her guard followed into chuckling, guffawing, cackling and chortling, mocking his words and sending real fear down his spine.

A moment later, the laughter had died and the cold, viscous exterior returned. "Have him escorted to the border." Her eyes thinned into a terrifying glower. "If we see you anywhere near our territory, we will kill you on sight." She swiftly turned around with a flair from her tail and the sun flashing her spotted coat at him. "This is your last warning Scar. We hyenas shall never have anything to do with you lions, ever."

He carefully spun around and began walking as soon as he could feel the jaws snapping at his fur. Though he had regained his calm exterior, it nearly broke under the searing wrath and anger bubbling inside of him. Though he kept his head down and his pace consistent with the guards surrounding him, he could not withhold clenching his jaw and nearly growling.

"Just you wait your filthy scavenger. One way or another, you will submit to me."

So one of the things I did like about the 2019 remake is how Scar and hyenas aren't allies initially, however I feel like there was much to be desired from it. For one thing, in nature male lions lead the prides while in hyena clans the females are the dominant gender. This I feel could be an excellent bit of schism between the two groups, and since the hyenas are already exiled from the Pridelands, even with the relevant offer Scar has made, making any arrangements with the apex animal over there could probably be seen as a surrendering of power and thus a weakness. However, what is driving the hyenas' decision to keep Scar away from them isn't stubbornness, as you probably guessed, however. What could it be? What did happen to Scar with the hyenas in the past? Well I won't spoil it now and I'll leave you to your own theories and such, but I may drop for references/hints to it now and then.

In the meanwhile, I hope you enjoyed this chapter. It was so awesome to be able to write for the hyenas, and they will have a bigger part to play in the story. And poor Zazu, what have you gotten yourself into? Stay tuned for the next chapter, please leave a review, and I will see you next time. Sincerely, v.t.7