Chapter 5

Red Dawn

"I was not the cause of the stampede!" Zira screamed as she was being viciously nipped at by several lionesses. Scar watched on as Sarabi struck Zira across the jaw. The pure rage on Sarabi's face was horrifying, "We were only playing a game! An innocent game!"

"You left my son by himself in the gorge so you could frolic off from your duties!" Sarabi snapped. She then viciously nipped Zira's ear, ripping a chunk of it off. Zira shrieked in agony, "No, you didn't cause the stampede but your incompetence put my son in a very dangerous situation!" Sarabi then lunged at Zira and had her pinned down. She angrily bit her all along her chest and belly before pulling back, "Because of you, the King is dead." She violently slashed her claws across Zira's face before she finally unpinned her. She glared down at the whimpering lioness, "You are relieved of the King's Guard and hereby exiled from the Pridelands."

"N-no! Please, no! I-I am betrothed to Taka-"

"Scar," Sarabi sneered, "How dare you call him that name when you know that he detests it!"

"H-he is my betrothed!" Zira pleaded in vain. She turned her gaze to Scar, who coldly stared back at her. Any ounce of care that he had for her was now dead.

"No longer," Sarabi snapped, "You have been exiled and are never to return." Sarabi turned her gaze to her lionesses, "Binti, Jina, and Kamaria. Escort Zira to the Outlands. If she tries to resist, kill her."

"As you wish, my Queen."

Sarabi stood by Scar and they watched on with the rest of the pride as Zira was lead away. Simba stiffly approached his mother and sat next to her. She glanced down at him with moist eyes. She nuzzled him and gently licked the top of his head. Scar glanced at the two of them; his own heart was breaking all over again.

Mufasa, my beautiful Mufasa...my baby brother...

"Sire."

Scar snapped out of his thoughts. He looked down to see Zazu standing before him. Scar then noticed that the eyes of the entire pride was now on him. It dawned on him that he was now the acting King and that he had to make it known. With a silent nod, Scar made his way up the long, inclined rock. This rock was used for several occasions: to present a new heir, to announce the death of a king, to finalize the mating ceremony, and to announce the new king. Scar was numb when he saw the animals that had gathered around Pride Rock. News had gathered fast about Mufasa. The solemn expressions upon the faces in the crowd touched Scar. Though Mufasa was a predator to many of these animals, he was still a very loved King.

Ahadi never had a turnout like this.

"ROOOOOOOAAAAAAAAAARRRRRRRRRR...!" Scar's roar was mournful, to symbolize his love for his brother and to make it clear that he took no joy in becoming the acting King. Sarabi stood beside Scar and roared as well, to symbolize their partnership. Simba was next to roar, though his barely qualified as one. His was to symbolize his future reign as king. The pride behind them roared as well, to finalize the ceremony. When the roaring concluded, the animals who had gathered took their leave. Sarabi took a shaky breath before turning to Scar.

"The hyenas caused the stampede?" She asked softly. Scar nodded.

"I have no doubt. Their scent was strong within the stampede."

"...I saw a few of them," Simba spoke up, "They were the ones who attacked me, Nala, and Uncle Scar..."

Scar's eyes darkened, "Sarabi, I will need the lionesses to accompany me to the Elephant Graveyard at dawn."

Sarabi nodded without hesitation, "As you wish, your Grace."

Scar flinched, he was not going to get used to that, "You may accompany me as well, if you choose to."

"I can stay here and watch Simba," Zazu volunteered. Sarabi regarded him quietly. Simba nuzzled his mother.

"I will stay put with the other cubs or just stay in the den so I am not around Nala-"

"You are relieved from your punishment, my son," Sarabi interrupted, "You need Nala more than ever right now."

Simba was quiet for a moment before he nodded, "I understand."

Sarabi then turned to Scar, "I will accompany you, your Grace."

They left Pride Rock in the twilight of the early morning. The stars were still out but the horizon was slowly hinting at the inevitable sunrise. Scar and Sarabi lead the pride side-by-side. Not a word was spoken and there wasn't a need to; every single lioness knew what they were going to be doing when they reached the Elephant Graveyard. The pride of lions were quietly making their approach. Running would alert the hyenas. Scar wanted to ensure that his pride would not be mortally harmed while they executed this bloodbath. Every single hyena was to be slaughtered, no exceptions. It was rare for such a harsh punishment like this to be dealt. It took very extreme circumstances for this punishment to be warranted. This was one of those circumstances.

Mufasa gave them chance after chance after chance. Now he is dead because of them and now they will all pay with their lives.

The Elephant Graveyard was within sight. Scar slowed his pace to that of how he would stalk his prey in a hunt. The others followed suit. They all crept silently into the home of the hyenas. They had to go deep within; the hyenas all slept together near the center of their gloomy home. When they found them, Scar hesitated for a moment when he saw the pups sleeping soundly by their parents. He turned and whispered to the pride:

"We will be sparing the pups. It is not fair for them to be punished for their parents sins."

"Agreed," Sarabi muttered before turning to her lionesses, "Quietly gather them up. When we are done here, I will assign several of you to raise one alongside your cub. This new generation of hyena will learn to live with honor."

In total, there were fifteen pups. They were still soundly asleep as they were being carried back to Pride Rock by their new mothers. When they were a safe distance away, Scar and Sarabi exchanged looks with each other. They then bared their teeth and lunged at the sleeping hyenas with mighty roars. The pride follow suit and before long, blood and fur flew in the air and the cries and yelps of the hyenas echoed throughout the graveyard.

The sun was halfway up the horizon when the bloodbath was over. The deep red color seemed to reflect what had just happened. Scar limped slightly as he and Sarabi lead the pride out of the Elephant Graveyard. He was very thankful that no one was seriously hurt. They came cross a brook after a few hundred paces and had decided to clean themselves up before continuing their trek back home. No one spoke as they bathed. They were all lost within their own thoughts. Scar knew that killing the hyenas would not bring his brother back but it did put him at ease. The realm would be more peaceful now.

I hope that we can raise those pups to be good.

Scar originally was going to have the pups killed as well but it just didn't feel right. He wasn't sure if he did the right thing by sparing them but Sarabi immediately agreed and took action. The rest of the pride did not protest at all. So, perhaps he did do the right thing. When they did make it back to Pride Rock, the sun was now its usual golden color. Zazu flew out to greet them.

"The hyena pups have settled in," he informed Sarabi, "None of them can talk, yet. So, I think raising them shouldn't be a problem."

"Good, they appeared very young to us. It is good that they won't remember their parents," Sarabi said with a slight sigh of relief, "Send for my baboons to tend to the injuries. There was nothing serious but be sure that the King's leg gets looked at."

"I am fine," Scar insisted, "I just aggravated an old injury, that's all."

"It is better to be sure of that, Sire," Zazu said sternly. Scar frowned but gave in. He followed Zazu back to the den, "Do not feel sorry for those mongrels, Sire. They were given plenty of chances and the final straw was their actions from yesterday."

"I do not feel sorry for them but for their pups," Scar said quietly, "Did I do the right thing by sparing them?"

Zazu was quiet for a moment, "Your father wouldn't have...but your father was known to be ruthless and cruel. Some say that's what lead to his death by that rogue."

"He knew him?" Scar questioned in shock. Zazu nodded.

"My father told me that the rogue was a cubhood friend of Ahadi. Ahadi had exiled him from the realm as soon as he became King. He did so because he wanted Uru as his queen but Uru already had a mate."

Scar scowled slightly, "Unfortunately, this information does not surprise me in the slightest."

"Your father was a decent king but, alas, not a decent lion. It is pleasant to see that his offspring will not follow in his footsteps," Zazu said. Scar gazed down sadly.

"It was pleasant that Mufasa was not like him. It's not fair that he was taken from us." Zazu gazed up at Scar with an odd look upon his face.

"I was referring to you," he said softly. Scar looked at him, baffled.

"Me? But I am nothing like my father!" Zazu shook his head with a bitter smile.

"That's the thing, though...you are like Ahadi. Not completely like him, but enough like him. Ahadi would've killed the hyenas as well but, like I said before, he would've killed the pups without a second thought," Zazu bore a look of regret, "I suppose my detest for you has been most unjust. From the stories my father had told me of Ahadi, I had grown to detest him but I keep it buried. You have some of his mannerisms at times and you even look like him, more so than Mufasa! I just assumed that you would be completely like him and hated you for it. For that, I am truly sorry."

Scar stared down at Zazu, "...I forgive you...and I think I understand your line of thought. I just never thought of myself being like my father."

Scar awkwardly laid beside Sarabi. As the King, he could no longer stay in his private den. Scar knew that as soon as Simba was of age, he would be able to move back into his den but that wouldn't be so for many moons. He closed his eyes and thought about what he had learned about his father. Though it didn't surprise him, it still angered him that Ahadi would betray a cubhood friend in such a manner. Did he still deserve to die, though? No. Scar frowned as his thoughts shifted to Zira.

Will she return someday and try to kill Sarabi?

Sarabi was just for exiling that moronic lioness. She didn't do it for such a vain reason like Ahadi had down to his friend. Zira wouldn't dare. Scar shifted slightly and feel into an uneasy sleep, dreaming about his brother and father.