THE SCARRED KING AND QUEEN NALA - Ch IX
I suppose I'll do something I've neglected to do for quite some time - respond to my reviewers of Chapter 8!
Bounding Jackalope: My my... short review, dear! Heh heh, you seem to always be my first reviewer xD
narfgirl: Heh heh. Not much to respond to lol. I read the rest of your story, sorry I haven't in a while!
SunRise19: Do some updating! I check your profile everyday, ya see. -nods vigorously- Kipusa is a character I made up. Trust that I make up a lot of new characters xD But I hate disclaimers, so sometimes it gets confusing.
If you reviewed this chapter after I responded and therefore I have missed you, I apologize! You'll prolly be mentioned in the future!
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The days seemed to pass by ever-more quickly than usual. Time continued to pass by, and everything remained as it had been for nearly a week now. King Scar stood in the doorway-like entrance to his lair, spying his kingdom with grief and slight rage. A mysterious aspect hung over him, as it had since his early cubhood. He looked almost like a statue when he stood like that, totally still. And he could stand there for hours on end, never making move or saying a thing.
However, there were differences. Nearly a week ago, no lioness would have the slightest clue of what the strange lion King Scar was contemplating as he stood in the entrance to the den. Now, the thought was famous.
The King, standing atop his promontory within his cold and un-inviting den, was thinking of Nala. She was pregnant... Rafiki had announced the news only yesterday. So now, she was rightfully Scar's queen. Nala had proved herself to be physically mature - she was grown to the full extent, sexually she was an adult, and Sarabi had claimed her to be an excellent hunter regarding her young age. And Scar, who so fully desired her, had made move upon her. Thusly, in a matter of days a proper coronation would take place on the very promontory on which Scar stood.
About the lionesses, mixed feelings were abundant concerning the new physical relationship between Scar and Nala. Many of the lionesses were thrilled to have a new queen - one so sensible and undoubtedly beautiful as Nala. Sarabi, best friend of the mother of Nala, was worried for her companion's daughter. Nala was only young, and although physically mature Sarabi wondered if her emotions were quite so proven that way.
Still others loathed the thought. These were many of the friends of Nala and insane loathers of King Scar. Such lionesses found even the thought of their most beautiful lioness being captured by Scar to be despicable.
One lioness, as was common on her behalf, had opinions set apart from the others. Since cubhood, she and Scar had been friends. She had been the quiet and subdued sharer of Scar and Sarafina's haven. Their best friend - sister of Sarafina and aunt of Nala. As a cub, she had been known by them as Notch. Although, no one had said that name to her face in years. Now, everyone started calling her as she was truly named - Zira.
As a cub, Zira had been very reasonable. She was always quiet and shy, but she could warm up to another quickly. Sister of Sarafina and best friend to Scar, she had grown to playfully adore them both when she was a tiny cub. However, as she grew to an adolescent, her sister's and her own addiction for Scar grew from a playmate's friendship to a teen's love. As Sarafina and Scar grew, the two began to have affections for each other.
Much as Zira attempted to avoid it, she became jealous of her sister's placement as lover to her best friend. Sure, she and Scar still said "hello" now and then... but now that love had come in to the picture, it wasn't the same.
Lately, Zira had seemed to fall apart. She and Scar had, by coincidence, bore a son. Nuka was small, perhaps dying, for Zira had not the energy and apparent need to care for her young son. Commonly he would sob pitifully, and at those times Zira would set the cub behind her and cover her peaks with paws.
She was jealous of Nala's place by Scar's side, and it drove her to the brink of silent insanity.
Nala lay at the tip of Pride Rock's peak, paws hanging over the edge. A thoughtful smile was planted on her face. She thought fondly of her unborn child, who would be told the tale of only by time. Her gaze fell upon the lands that were now her own. The thought of being queen delighted her, yet the queen to Scar she was not so thrilled about. Her mother told her she was so very gifted for being granted such an approval by the King, but she was still unsure. She had for so many years been afraid of Scar, could she be easily expected to be wild about him all of a sudden?