This Was Our Home

Whether you want to say that Scar murdered King Mufasa or that the king gave his life to save his son, the fact remains that the only lion to mix justice with mercy for us was dead. Scar attempted to blame Prince Simba. Anyone who remembers anything about Scar will recall that he was an excellent liar. He fully convinced the prince to exile himself. As his nephew ran into the distance, Scar ordered the three brutes, our clan leaders, to kill what King Mufasa had died for. If the Great Kings of the Past really look down from the stars, they were certainly watching over Prince Simba that day. He escaped with his life, aided by thorns that hindered his pursuers.

That night, Scar gave the most beautiful funeral oration I had ever heard, ending with, "Mufasa's death was a terrible tragedy, but to lose Simba, who had barely begun to live…for me, it is a deep personal loss, so it is with a heavy heart that I assume the throne, yet out of the ashes of this tragedy, we shall rise to greet the dawning of a new era in which lion and hyena come together in a great and glorious future!"

I knew this was a mistake, but I said nothing. I had to keep my wits about me.

The next day, I presented my first petition to Scar. "Your Majesty, I ask that I be put in charge of all the cubs in your kingdom. They are young. They do not understand what has happened. They need someone to teach them that you are the rightful king and that you deserve their perfect obedience in all things. They will listen to me, and those who don't…" I licked my lips eagerly.

"An excellent idea!" he complimented. "I shall place you in charge of not only the lion cubs, but the young leopards, cheetahs, and hyenas as well! Even the caracal and serval kittens will be under your authority!"

He issued a decree that all mothers of the previously mentioned species entrust their young to me at a certain time each day. Of course I didn't really teach the cubs and kittens to respect Scar's authority. I abhor dishonesty, but when I'm forced into it, I use it rather well, especially against adversaries.

"Scar is not the king," I told my students. "I am not saying it is good to rebel against the government, but Scar has no real power over you. For your own safety, you must pretend like he is your king, but there will be another ruler someday, someone who has the right to claim the throne, and to that leader and his followers will I gladly pledge my loyalty."

I also taught them that there are other ways to coexist. "Your species have been hating each other for years. Everyone knows about the enmity between lions and hyenas, and I know there are other feuds between different species. It doesn't have to be that way. Perhaps when the new king comes, there can be a sort of peace or at least a truce among us all."

Since I was the one in charge of the cubs, no one was allowed to eat any of them without my permission, which I never gave. The cheetah mothers rejoiced. I have heard that most cheetahs lose 90% of their cubs, mostly to lions and hyenas. For this reason, it is said that cheetahs never prosper, but since the lions and hyenas were not allowed to attack young cheetahs without my approval, the survival rate in our small area of the Serengeti was much higher.

"How can I ever repay you?" cheetah mothers would often ask me. "You have the power to destroy all our cubs, yet you are using that authority to help them survive!"

I always gave the same reply. "A new king will come someday, someone who actually has the right and wisdom to lead. When he arrives, teach your cubs to be loyal to him."

"You're different from other hyenas."

"Even though most animals are somewhere in the middle, there are some members of every species who live by extremes. If my clan leaders are going to be the epitomes of evil, I want to be the epitome of mercy. Everything exists together in a delicate balance. If there is extreme brutality without extreme clemency while those in the middle are just trying to get by, the balance will be upset, and it will be a disaster to us all."

Forgive me, but I was insanely jealous. When I saw the way mothers looked at their cubs, or even the way herbivores looked at their calves or fawns, it was more than I could stand. It was worst of all with my own species. I would hear the happy giggles of baby hyenas, cubs who still had dark fur without spots, and my heart would sink faster than a crocodile's victim. That special love would never be mine; I was surrounded by cubs but would never have any of my own. No one would ever come to me for comfort during their first storm in the rainy season. No one would ever use me as a target when practicing hunting techniques. I would never have the pleasure of seeing someone sleep peacefully at my paws, completely trusting me to keep watch.

It wasn't long before I had more to worry about that my own emotions. Scar had no idea how to keep the ecosystem in check, how to pick off the sick and weak so the healthy and strong would have a chance to thrive. Just like many human beings, he killed more than he ne needed to survive, and he encouraged the hyenas to do the same. We hyenas truly aren't "slobbering, mangy, stupid poachers," but many of my clan members became such under the tyrant's influence. I highly discourage any form of rebellion against the government, but if I may be forgiven for saying so, there are times when I wanted to kill Scar.

The lush, green territory became dark and barren. Many animals began calling it "the shadow of what the Pride Lands used to be." The name stuck, eventually becoming shortened to "Shadow of the Pride Lands" or simply "Shadow Land."

In addition to causing a food shortage, Scar imposed ludicrous laws with harsh penalties. I was always considered an outcast, even by my own kind, so I survived by my wits. No one took any notice of me, so I escaped both the unjust laws and the hostility caused by two rival species inhabiting the same area.

King Mufasa wasn't the only one to be killed. All our hopes and dreams, our very future, died under Scar. From the crawling ant to the leaping antelope, none of us felt like we had much of a life left. Then there was the day we had the horrible realization that we would all literally perish from starvation.

A young lioness, who had reached adulthood but was still young enough for adventure, decided one day that she could no longer tolerate seeing all traces of her homeland vanish before her eyes. After explaining her quest to the other lionesses, she planned to set off hunting one day and "forget" to return. I saw her as she reached the border of "Scar's" land.

"What brings you here?" she exclaimed in surprise.

"King Scar has ordered me to stand guard. No one may enter or leave the Pride Lands without his approval," I responded.

"Are you going to tell him?"

I lowered my voice to a barely audible whisper. "Go, Nala. Find help for us all. Bring back a true king who will care about his loyal subjects, someone worthy of King Mufasa's throne, and may our prayers guide you wherever the journey leads you. May the Great Kings of the Past watch over you."

"And you," she replied.

"Thank you."

As she slipped away, I relished the moment. Ever since Scar killed his own brother, I had hoped for freedom from tyranny, and now there was actually a chance it would happen.

"And you"? Had Nala been implying a wish that the Great Kings of the Past watch over me as well? I personally have never believed in a bunch of royal dead guys watching us, but I know that coming from a lion, it's a high compliment to wish that the spirits of these rulers guide someone. I'd never been complimented or wished well by a lion before.

"Maybe it's a myth," I mused. "Maybe things can change. Maybe we can one day learn to coexist without hatred. Do lions and hyenas have to be eternal enemies?"