I hope you can forgive the long update time! I've been really busy with my education... but here it is, the next chapter. It's not perfect, but it's the best I could do (and I've rewritten it many times) :)

Please do read and review :) Atrice

Part 7 – Not white, not pure

Scar had left a hind leg from the antelope behind for Duchess, and dragged the rest of the carcass with him. She hadn't seemed upset by the fact, that he chose to follow Kofi, at least that he was happy about. She accepted it… that this was his own kind. He still wondered though, why she had been exiled.

"So… a lion, needing a hyena to stand up for him… who are you?" Kofi asked superiorly, and laid down below a tree – Scar figured this was the place they would share the rest of the antelope.

"My name is Scar… and I don't 'need' a hyena to stand up for me, but she happens to be my friend!" Scar said, a bit more harsh than he meant it, but decided it didn't matter. It was correct, after all. Duchess had only showed him kindness, and all he could do was pay it back to her.

"Your friend? Ha! How can a hyena and a lion be friends? The king of the animals and the lowest of them all?" Kofi said and took a good bite of the antelope. The blood around his mouth seemed so much more red, because he had such a light pelt.

"Why not? You're often attrac… you often find yourself in good company, with those who are the opposite of yourself… and she's not like other hyenas." Scar explained, and thought a bit about his own words. He had almost said he was attracted by her! A hyena… maybe she had been friendly, but definetly not in that way.

"I know… she's not brought up byher own kind.Duchess once lived with my pride, but that was before I became the king of it." The other lion spoke of it, as if it didn't matter at all. But a lot of little pieces fell into place as he said that. That was why she was so different, and seemed stronger. She had been brought up with proper food, probably also learned how to hunt. But before Kofi became the king? Scar could guess what that meant… his father didn't throw the hyena away, but Kofi did? Scar chose to not dive further into the subject just now, since had the feeling that it might upset the king.

"Interesting… so, where does your pride live? I don't see any big rocks or anything. In the Pridelands, my pride lives by the Pride Rock." Scar said and looked around after a little bit of the meat too. He wasn't even that hungry.

"We live everywhere – the kingdom is our palace… Pridelands you say, I've heard of it. Were you thrown out of your pride?" Kofi then asked, which made Scar stop and look at him.

"Not at all… I'm the crown prince, and the pride adore me." Scar explained, and Kofi stood up and wandered a bit back and forward.

"So, why are you here? To gain more territory, is that it? These are my lands!" Kofi said, suddenly he didn't seem very pleased with the young prince at all.

"No, I am only out to find someone, who can be my future queen…" Scar said, feeling that things weren't going the right way at all, when Kofi interrupted him with a laugh.

"And you think, that I would ever give one of my pure, white daughters to you? A dark one! Never!" he said and looked down at Scar, who still lay on the grass.

"What do you mean? What is so wrong with being different?" Scar said, getting up too, facing the white lion with dark eyes.

"A pride should be kept pure and clean! You may leave, Scar! You won't find anything here!" Kofi said, walking towards Scar in a way that made him go backwards, out into the sun again. The young prince growled.

"I feel sorry for your pride, I really do! I hope… they'll survive you!" Scar began to run towards the cliffs leading away from the savannah. It had been quite a walk after all, he thought. He lost his breath after awhile, and walked. He looked back – couldn't see Kofi anywhere anymore, and slowed down. Was it bad to be dark like Scar? Why was that bad… his father was dark too. And his namesake had been even darker, and he had been loved in the end. Who would ever love Scar as more than a brother or a son?

x-----x-----x-----x-----x-----x

He found the rock-valley again, and began to walk down. He didn't see Duchess anywhere, and walked alone with his head held down. It had been a bad idea to visit the Skylands, but he would forgive Duchess – she did it for him, and he wanted to thank her. She even stood up for him...Scar didn't look behind anymore, on the way back towards the Shadowlands. Didn't see an almost white lioness stand in the shadow of some bushes in the Skylands, looking down at him with wonder in her eyes.