Chapter 1

The Presentation of Simba

Pride Rock was very lively that morning and it was to be expected. The night before, the Queen had given birth to the new heir and the cub was going to be presented for all of the Pridelands to see. Scar tried to ignore the hoards of animals around him that muttered with excitement as he made his way towards his home. The number had doubled from when he had left to drink at the watering hole earlier in the morning. As the dark and lean lion made his way up Pride Rock, he noticed Zazu, his brother's trusted advisor, staring down at him. Scar made an effort to not make a face.

He has that blasted look in his squinty, little eyes…

"My, my…you actually came, I dare say!" The hornbill remarked with a snide tone in his voice. Scar smiled politely at the bird, though his thoughts were dark. He and Zazu distained each other, though Scar's dislike for the hornbill was only due to how he was treated by the damn bird! He never did anything malicious to Zazu in all the time they had known each other, which was since Scar was a cub and Zazu still a tiny fledgling in his mother's nest. And yet Zazu despised Scar. He hadn't the faintest clue why.

"I would not miss this day for the world, dear Zazu. My brother is now a father and I am now an uncle. I look forward to seeing my new niece or nephew be presented to the realm of the Pridelands." Zazu sneered at this.

"You lost your claim to the realm when the cub was birthed, you know." Scar blankly stared at Zazu. Why would he care? He was never once trained to be king by his late father. He wouldn't know what to do or how to rule. Scar's thoughts then drifted to his father. Ahadi seemed to loathe Scar, so much so that he made his youngest son heir to the throne as soon as he was born. The name he had given Scar at birth was more evidence of his loathing, though Uru had tried to convince him that his father did love him. His mother was always loyal to Ahadi and never challenged him, even if she hated how he treated their firstborn.

Your father has said repeatedly that you are not physically fit to be a king, my dear Taka. He doesn't want any harm to fall upon you.

Scar grimaced at the memory and pushed it to the back of his mind. "I am aware of that, Zazu. And to be frank, I am not bothered by it. I am not meant to be king," Scar replied as he walked past the hornbill. He heard Zazu snicker from behind. Oh, how he wished that Mufasa was seeing Zazu's behavior. He would have a fit! Pushing his anger towards the bird to the back of his mind, Scar made his way to the entrance of the den. When he entered, he felt his heart flutter with excitement. The den was packed with all of the lionesses of the pride. They proudly watched on as their Queen, Sarabi, gently bathed the small bundle cradled in her paws. Their King, Mufasa, sat beside his Queen and was beaming down at his cub. Mufasa suddenly spotted his older brother and bounded over to him excitedly.

"It's a male, Scar! Come look at him! He shines like the golden sun!" Scar eagerly followed Mufasa so he could see his nephew. Mufasa wanted to wait to reveal the gender to Scar in the morning, Zazu had told him the evening before. Scar smiled tenderly at the small bundle that Sarabi was currently cleaning. Male or female, it mattered not to Scar. He would love the cub regardless of its gender.

"He looks like you when you were born, Mufasa, and he looks strong as well. He will make a fine king!" Mufasa beamed at Scar before looking back at his son. Mufasa was nothing like Ahadi. He was a joyous lion who loved everyone, where Ahadi would turn his nose up to anyone who he didn't find to be strong or worthy, including his own offspring. Even if Mufasa's newborn cub was born scrawny and dark, he would be just as excited and happy. Scar was grateful for that. Scar was dark like his mother. If it had just been that, Ahadi would've tolerated him and perhaps had kept him as the heir. But he was tiny when he entered the world. Scar would not have been shocked at all if Ahadi had wished Scar was stillborn when he had first laid his eyes upon him.

"We are naming him Simba," Mufasa spoke proudly; this broke Scar from his dark thoughts. Scar smiled at his little brother. Simba was the name of their great, great grandfather, who was known for his golden coloring and his fiery, long mane.

"A fine name, Mufasa. It suits him!"

"SIMBA!" Rafiki bellowed as he held the wriggling cub up high for all to see. The large hoard of animals cheered with great approval. Scar watched them all with fascination. A lot of them were their prey. Yet, they were here to celebrate the new heir to the Pridelands. The Circle of Life was very respected in the realm. The pride would hunt, yes, but they were careful to not overhunt. And they followed certain rules to respect their prey. They were forbidden to go after the young, the elderly, and the females. They were also forbidden to go after sickly prey. Finally, they were forbidden to hunt on any day of celebration. Anyone who disobeyed these laws, whether they be hyena, leopards, or even lions, would be severely punished.

"I remember when Rafiki had presented you to the Pridelands, dear brother," Scar muttered to Mufasa as they watched the baboon continue to show off Simba, "I've always wondered how many moons he is."

"I have as well," Mufasa replied, "I do believe that it was him who presented our father to the realm. He must've been very young when he did that."

"Baboons are known to live for many moons, far more than us lions," Sarabi remarked. She, Mufasa, and Scar were all a few paws behind Rafiki as he presented Simba. The other lions were perched behind them and along the stony rocks leading up to Pride Rock. The male lions, who usually lived scattered across the realm, had returned to their childhood home to celebrate their new heir. The only other time they were to return was during the mating season. When male lions had come of age, they would leave Pride Rock and set off on their own in the Pridelands while the lionesses stayed behind to be the Queen's hunting party and the King's Guard. Scar was the only exception, as he was of the bloodline of the royal family.

"The same goes for hornbills, such as myself. Why, father must've been about 468 moons when he passed on to the stars!" Zazu exclaimed with pride. Scar resisted the urge to roll his eyes at the bird, "He advised many kings during his life, I dare say! And the fact that I will do the same! Oh, I am humbled by such an honor!"

Humbled? Hardly…

"Being the youngest of my siblings, I was utterly shocked that I was chosen to advise you, your grace!" Zazu bowed to Mufasa as he spoke. Mufasa smiled warmly at the hornbill. His love for the damn bird baffled Scar but he dared not to question him on it.

"Hee hee hee! He's a wild one, Mufasa!" Rafiki was chuckling and cooing at Simba as he brought him back over to Mufasa and Sarabi, "Much like you were when I presented you! A fine king he will be!"

"Thank you for presenting him, Rafiki. I am very grateful that you made such a long journey in such a short span of time to celebrate his birth," Mufasa embraced Rafiki with his mighty paw. The baboon warmly hugged Mufasa back with one arm while the other still held Simba tightly.

"I would never miss a Presentation, your grace. I will continue to present future kings until I pass on to the stars!"

"I had my hunting party acquire fruits for you to feast on before you leave," Sarabi said warmly, "Please stay the night so you can rest?"

"If it pleases you, my Queen."

Rafiki was sound asleep in Scar's private den. It was located at the back of Pride Rock. Mufasa had continually tried to convince Scar to sleep in the main den but Scar always declined. It was not his place, being only a Prince. Besides, he did like the solitude of his little den. The dark lion watched the baboon sleep. Though Rafiki was clearly old, he still was very fit. Scar smiled as he remembered Rafiki's many visits to Pride Rock during he and Mufasa's cubhood. Ahadi and Uru had no siblings. So, Rafiki was like an uncle to the cubs.

And I will be Simba's Rafiki.

After stretching, Scar quietly slinked out of his den and made his way up to the very top of Pride Rock. He loved sitting atop the towering peak in the dead of night. The stars shown beautifully above him, and the night was alive with the sounds of crickets throughout the realm. The moon was absent, so the stars were very vibrant that evening.

I will sleep up here tonight. It's warm enough out.

With a nod to himself, Scar settled down. His mind was full of many thoughts: thoughts of his nephew, thoughts of his brother and thoughts of his father. Scar frowned when he thought of Ahadi. He had every reason to hate him. When Ahadi wasn't being vicious and cruel to Scar, he would simply pretend that he didn't exist. Scar had every justifiable reason to hate his late father, yet he didn't.

He's long dead. What's done is done.

Scar remembered vividly the day Ahadi had been slain. A lion from the Outlands had ambushed Ahadi and Mufasa while they were at the watering hole. He had viciously bit Ahadi's jugular. Though Mufasa and Ahadi did eventually slay the rouge in a violent skirmish, Ahadi's wound was fatal and he succumbed later in the evening. Scar wished he had been at the watering hole that day. He could've made a difference and perhaps his father would've finally loved him.

Am I wrong to have loved him, despite how he treated me?

Scar mournfully looked up to the stars. The great kings of the past were among the stars, including Ahadi. Mufasa's mane had just started growing in when their father had died. He was not an adult nor was he a cub. Because of this, Uru ruled the realm in Ahadi's place until Mufasa was of age. Seven moons later, she passed on. Scar suspected it was from her being heartbroken. She held off long enough for her sons to be fully grown, at least. Scar closed his eyes.

I loved you, father. Why didn't you love me?

After a restless hour, Scar eventually fell into a dreamless slumber. This was always preferable to Scar, for when he did dream, his dreams were always horrendous nightmares and they always involved his father.