Chapter 7- Madness of the Red King
"Always off alone…never paying any attention … could have killed him…nobody cares…fatherless…the next king…" Scar rambled distractedly in fragments as he paced from the cliff edge to the vertical rock wall of his hideaway. Four strides forward, turn right in a sinewy curve, four strides forward, turn right in a sinewy curve; the red king aimlessly padded in circles as he talked aloud to himself. Suddenly the lion ruler froze, one leg stretched forward in preparation for his next pacing step. "Have I turned into my father?" he asked himself, disbelief and confusion warring against each other in his eyes as Scar stared at the smooth stone floor.
"My king, could I speak with you?" Zira interrupted his thoughts as she strode around the corner.
"I'm busy," the king hissed, resuming his irritated pacing. Zira gave him a small glare, but kept her voice steady.
"I thought that tomorrow you might take your son out and begin teaching him about running a kingdom," she asked, Scar paused as he suddenly noticed the skinny cub hiding behind his mothers' front legs. Nuka looked up at the red lion, a tentative smile appearing on his lips.
"That lump of fur barely has the brains to run his own life, much less a kingdom," the king spat, turning back to his circling once more. Zira growled instinctively as he insulted her cub, but was immediately silenced when Scar snarled at her. "Get that thing out of my sight, I need a REAL heir to run my kingdom," he commanded her, focusing his green eyes on the stone again. Zira sputtered for a minute, trying to find the right words to throw back at the king. Finally with an angry growl the lioness grabbed Nuka roughly in her mouth, the gray cub squeaking in surprise as she stomped back to the front of Pride Rock and left Scar to his ramblings.
"Stupid Mufasa," the thin lion mumbled, still pacing in his small circle as night fully descended over the Pride Lands. "He didn't try to save me from that buffalo, just like Tasa didn't try to help Kryptek!" Scar let a growl rumble out of his throat, throwing a nasty sneer down the path to the prides cavern. All evening he had been hiding out on his quiet ledge, mind looping endlessly over Krypteks injury, so similar to his own even in its method of attainment.
"How could I be so blind?" Scar cried in desperation, returning to his musing. "He's just like his father! How could I not see it?" the king ranted, sitting down roughly to stare at the night-covered lands. "Pitiful Kryptek, they never wanted to spend time with him, always leaving him to amuse himself," mulled the king, adding with a fierce growl, "Exactly as Mufasa always did to me!" Anger filled him until it burst forth as a roar that echoed across the savannah and the king couldn't sit still any longer and resumed his restless pacing.
"And now he's got a scar to mark him for life," mumbled the red lion, black mane swinging rhythmically with his strides. Lost in mental circles his eyes saw only enough to keep him from pacing off the edge. "Tasa's even got that big nose like his father," Scar griped to himself. "Stupid cub!" he growled again, voice rising in fury, "Making me live this again!"
Terrified he raced away from the enraged buffalo, adrenaline pounding through his veins. He hadn't meant for the herbivore to chase him, the beast was supposed to go after Mufasa! But it wasn't the future king that was being chased, it was him, the deprived brother! "Taka!" his older brother called in fear but the red lion could only keep running frantically. Later his father scolded, seeming not to care about Takas' injured face while Mufasa watched silently from the sidelines. Completely enraged the red lion turned his back on his kin, denouncing his childhood name of Taka for Scar as he resolved to give up forever on trying to win his fathers' approval.
The crack of distant thunder wrenched Scar back from his memories and he eyed the flashes of approaching lightning with a cool stare. "Come and test me!" he called to the billowing clouds, "I will overcome your force the same as I have all the challenges placed before me! Give me your best!" The sharp wind rippled through his thin mane as the storm breezed closer, the dark clouds looming even higher as they approached. The red lion faced directly into the breeze, breathing deeply in the scent of rain it carried. "Come on," he challenged quietly, staring eagerly as lightning ripped from cloud to cloud and thunder echoed in his ears.
It was full dark before Tasa made it to where the hyenas camped out in the elephant graveyard, his aching paws stumbling over the loose bones that decorated the landscape. Thunder from the approaching storm pounded louder and louder in his ears as it approached, threatening to downpour at any moment. With a great effort the half grown lion picked up the pace, loping towards a cave entrance framed by part of an elephant rib cage.
"Spite, Skadow? Are you guys there?" he called in slight desperation as a raindrop struck him on the nose.
"Tasa?" came the inquisitive reply, followed seconds later by Skadows' frame outlined in the entryway, and then her brothers' stockier form. "What are you doing here?" the female hyena questioned as she motioned him inside as the rain began to pick up.
"Mother sent me," he explained, shaking a few drops from his fur and following the twins deeper into the earth. A ghostly green glow emanated from inside and as the three animals slipped into a large chamber the lion realized it was from one of the fiery geysers that dotted the area.
"It's warmer this way," Spite explained, when he saw Tasa looking nervously at the hissing flames. "This one doesn't explode too often, but stay a little back a little anyways." The golden lion nodded in understanding, then he was suddenly set upon by Siika.
"You're sopping wet!" exclaimed the mother hyena, squeezing some of the moisture from his mane with her muzzle. "And you look dead tired!" she continued, meeting his tired eyes. "Come lay down and tell me what's happened." Eager to rest Tasa sank down near a wall and told the attentive family about what had happened to Kryptek. Skadow whimpered in sympathy as he told them that the red-orange lion was now scarred for life.
"Poor boy," the female murmured quietly. Tasa nodded his red maned head and finished by saying that his mother had sent him away when Scar returned and saw Krypteks wound.
"So that's why you're here," Siika sighed raising her large eyes to meet his golden ones. "You can stay here as long as you need to friend of my pups."
"But I still don't understand why I had to leave!" Tasa cried out in confusion.
"This is what comes from keeping the young ignorant of past deeds," she responded, shaking her head. "Not that I have not erred same as your mother."
"Mom?" Skadow inquired. "What is it we don't know about?"
"It's time you all knew the truth," Siika spoke, taking a deep breath to gather strength. "I'm sure Sarabi would have told you now if she could Tasa. But since your mother cannot be here I will tell you myself." Resolutely and without halting the mother hyena told her pups and the young lion the history of Scar. How he had grown up infuriated by his brother being chosen as king, and eventually killed Mufasa and his son to gain the throne.
"Simba?" Tasa gasped in realization, "He killed my brother?" His golden eyes were wide with the shock, and despite the heat in the cavern he began shivering. Skadow inched closer to her friend, nuzzling him comfortingly.
"Yes," Siika answered him, hanging her head sadly. "Scar is king from treachery alone."
"But I still don't get why Tasa had to leave now. Scar hasn't ever done anything to him, he LIKES you!" Spite said looking at Tasa in confusion.
"Because what happened to Kryptek is almost exactly how Scar got his own mark," Siika explained gently, watching all three youngsters' jaws drop in surprise. "The king has always been plagued with a mind addled by rage. He no longer recognizes you as a separate being from your father," she spoke directly to Tasa, watching him closely. "Instead he sees only his dead brother and the ills done by him. If given the chance he may kill you same as he did Mufasa and Simba."
Tasa suddenly found it hard to breath as he lay on the damp stone. The young lion could only stare into Siikas' yellow eyes as his entire world of lies dissolved in the truth she poured on it.
"Immortality will be mine!" Nala heard Scar ranting as she approached the prides cave. Nervously the lioness looked over her shoulder, the rest of the pride was out hunting but she had stayed back, complaining of a sprained ankle for just this opportunity. Steeling herself she placed one paw before the other and entered the darkness within.
"Scar," Nala spoke resolutely, drawing herself up tall. Despite the shortage of food she had grown into a strong lioness and matched the king in height so she could meet his green eyes directly.
"Nala," he started, surprise at seeing her suddenly turning into a cunning grin. "Nala you're timing couldn't have been more perfect!" He exclaimed, eyeing her feverishly. "My, how you've grown."
"Scar you have to do something!" she began; she had to make the king understand just how desperate the situation was. Her mother and Sarabi had failed to get him to see their plight, but Nala was too strong-minded to give up without trying herself. "We're being forced to over hunt!" She spoke louder to be heard as Scar began rambling nonsense to himself. "You're the king, control the hyenas! They're destroying the Pride Lands! If we stop now, don't you see? There's still a chance for things to be all right again!" Suddenly the red lion turned to her, a hungry light growing in his eyes and nervously she asked him, "Wait, what are you doing? Are you listening to me?" Nala recoiled as the king advanced and finally heard the words he was murmuring to himself.
"We'll create a host of little scars!" he seemed to sing, eyeing her eagerly.
"Don't talk like that!" she gasped, retreating a step.
"Tell me I'm adored!" Scar commanded in a strange tone, looking at her in desperation as he stepped forward.
"Get away from me!" Nala warned, trying to hide the fear in her voice.
"Tell me I'm adored!" ordered the king again. Frightened and angry the young lioness slashed him across the face in defense, then froze in shock at her own actions. "You know how I loathe violence." Scar spoke up when he recovered from the blow, his tone back to the angry one she knew so well. "One way or another you will be mine!"
"Never Scar! Never!" Nala cried out, racing from the cavern faster than his angry eyes could follow.
"You belong to me!" he called after her, "You all belong to me!"
A/N- Ok this was an extremely short chapter, and then I decided you guys deserved more than that and added another thousand words! Hopefully it packs a punch, I feel like I got a few really good lines in here. Also all of the spoken lines in the scene with Nala and Scar are from the broadway play of the lion king and are not mine.
And if anyone gets a chance please visit my profile and vote in my poll about the Lion King. I'm debating about another lion king fic and want some input. Thanks, enjoy and please review!