Crest39: what if Nala was caught by Scar when she was leaving to find help(so she never found Simba)
Here's the latest one guys! Due to the VOLUME of requests, if you submit any please try to limit it to 1 or 2 you'd really like to see. When I get inundated with 10 per person it makes my backlog unmanageable.
Nala lapped greedily at the small muddy stream, the gritty water tasting like mother's milk. She had been traveling for nearly ten days in a desperate search to find help. There had been no prey, and little water. It had been nearly three days since she had last found any, and she drank until she felt ill. She collapsed in an exhausted heap next to the stream, panting as sticky foamy saliva gathered at the corners of her jaws. She wasn't sure when she fell asleep, but it was dark when she opened her eyes. Must be more careful. Scavengers may have found me. She chided, standing back up. She drank at the stream until her belly felt full, temporarily dulling the pangs of hunger. She looked around her, searching for any signs of life. She heard the buzzing of flies, distant laughter of hyenas, but no signs of prey or a rouge male. She had been searching for one, hoping to guide one back to the pride. If she could bring back a stronger male, Scar would be cast out and perhaps the pride could move onward with the herds.
Unlike her pridemates, Nala was not superstitious. She knew Scar had no control over the rains, and did not control the migration of the herds. What he did control was his hubris. It was his stubbornness and his ego that prevented him from admitting Pride Rock was lost, the land was dying, and they would have to move on from their ancestral homeland. If they had simply followed the migrations they would not be facing the crisis they were facing now. Perhaps it was too late, and they would never catch up to the migrating herds in time to escape starvation. If she didn't find something soon, she herself would perish. She would need to find food if she were to survive the long journey home. But she would only make the journey in the company of a new male.
She smelled the air, turning her ears to see if there was any sound in the direction of the scent. She heard a faint rustling, and crouched low. Her eyes, now adjusted to the dark, saw the slightest shadow of movement against the dusty savannah. She moved slow, forcing herself to show restraint. The smell of prey stung, the pangs of hunger nearly unbearable at the thought of a prospective meal. She shifted, slow, watching the shadow. She feared it would see her eyes and she hugged the ground, closing her eyes trying to use her ears and her nose. She took a few more careful steps, opening her eyes and continued towards the small shadow until she felt she was close enough and pushed her exhausted body in a sprint, slamming her paws into the dust and her jaws captured something small, warm, and furry.
She bit down, and warm blood filled her mouth. The furry thing stopped movement and she put it down and began to tear into her meager meal. It was small, but would suffice her for at least another day. The meat was stringy, and there was little fat on the creature, but the organs would provide her with the energy she needed to carry on. The scent of blood was maddening, and despite the meal in her stomach she was only more aware of her driving hunger. She knew these small furry animals never lived alone, and hoped for more. Surely they would be hiding from predators, especially if one of their own had been hunted. She stalked away to once again lay in wait of a meal, waiting patiently.
She rolled her ears as she heard sound once again, but it was much louder than the tunneling rodents she was hunting. She hugged the dirt, sourcing the sound. The sound was behind her, and she slowly turned, trying desperately to keep her movements silent. There was no chance of wildebeest, but perhaps a straying animal from the jungle. The thought of new and exotic meat agitated her further, saliva once again gathering in her mouth. With a fresh large kill she would have the strength to widen her search much further, into the jungle itself. She had heard of rogue lions in the thick of the trees. She was sure the lure of a pride as large as her own would coax any male into following her. She was due to go into heat, and a meal would ensure it. Scar had yet to impregnate any of the females of the pride, and there were no cubs at home to worry over. She saw the source of the sound, and prepared to leap,
She collided into a large body, and she suddenly came to her senses. The scent was not that of new prey, but something much more familiar. A deep growl rolled in her throat, and was met with a load roar,
"Treacherous snake!" The voice hissed, and a paw impacted the side of her face.
"Taka" Nala snapped back, looking up at her King standing over her before scrambling back to her feet.
"Insolent fool! I am King you will never call me that!" He roared, lunging at her. His movements were clumsy, and she was able to dodge him easily. While he must have kept a straiter path, she knew Scar must be as hungry as herself. But she was a trained hunter.
"Mufasa was right to name you Taka he knew what you were!" She replied, taunting him. She held no respect for this tawny beast, weak and thin with hunger. "So prideful you follow one lone female, leaving everyone starving and leaderless," She saw his body language shift, and shifted her own to prepare for the lunge. She rolled to the side, kicking at him with her back paws feeling the jarring impact as her claws tore into the skin on the side of his neck, "I know what you did!" She roared, gathering herself and leapt at him while he staggered, "I know the stampede was no accident! You killed Mufasa! You killed Simba! You killed my best friend, my future mate!" She bared her teeth, biting for his neck but her teeth instead met the thick meat of his shoulder, blood staining her muzzle as he struggled under her, his skin tearing as he rolled away from her sending tufts of fur into the air. He limped away from her, and the pair of lions began to stalk around each other. The scents of noises drew another animal, the exhausted pair looking at the newcomer with apprehension.
"Who are you!" Scar demanded, standing tall despite the injury to his shoulder, puffing out his chest, his fur standing strait to enlarge his dark mane. The newcomer emitted a low growl, and Nala was able to see him as he approached. He was another lion, and appeared to be well fed. Scar repeated his question and was again given a growl in response. A rogue... a rogue! Nala thought, trying not to let her excitement get the best of her.
The male looked at her, and Nala knew her own hubris was of no matter, and despite Scar's presence she rolled onto her side, flashing the pale fur of her belly to the new male. The male looked at her, and turned to Scar, watching him as he approached the submissive female. Scar lunged, but the rogue male was quick to respond. He stood and met Scar's lunge bearing teeth. Loud growls and roars broke the quiet night, and Nala quickly retreated to a safe distance, watching the battling males with trepidation.
"Who are you to intrude on my territory!" Scar roared, backing from the other male, pacing around him, tensing for another strike,
"You are in my territory, this is Baridi's land."
"A lone male under someone else? Pathetic." Scar snarled, and lunged again at the intruder. "I am a King!" The male met the lunge, striking at Scar's wounded shoulder.
"I am Baridi!" He clarified, "And I to am King! King of this jungle!"
"A king of trees and rocks, sticks and stones," Scar mocked, lifting his paw as he spoke in a sing-songy tune. "I am King of a pride, ruler of everything the light touches"
"How dare you speak his words!" Nala roared, her fur standing strait, flicking her tail impatiently as her ears pressed against her head. "You are no king, you are Taka!"
"I told you never to call me that!" Scar turned from his combatant and lunged again at Nala, his movements quick and clumsy. She was able to easily side-step him, and sunk her teeth into his wounded shoulder, gripping tightly and he tried to roll away from her, but she held on and caused him to roll on top of her. She lifted her hind legs, kicking at him with her claws and smelled the fresh blood of new sounds on his flanks. Scar twisted, pulling out of her grip but was helpless beneath him as he bared his teeth at her, and lunged for her neck. She felt suddenly dizzy as air failed to draw into her chest. She kicked, feeling her claws rake against him but his grip tightened. She flailed, I can't lose to him. Not to Taka.
Baridi leapt at the distracted male, sinking his own teeth into is scruff. Scar roared in pain and surprise, his grip on the injured female lost. Baridi dragged him away from Nala, who clumsily staggered to her feet and collapsed several steps away. Baridi dropped him, placing both paws onto his neck,
"So, you are the famous Taka, brother to Mufasa. Some say you became King after your brother was killed in a stampede, his son killed by hyenas. Others tell me you threw your brother from a cliff. Others told me you ate your brother. Others still say the hyenas rule your pride, and you are nothing but their tool," Scar trembled beneath the larger male, feeling vulnerable on his back. But the mention of his birth name enraged him, and he roared, kicking and swiping at Baridi desperate to prove he was not Taka. He was Scar ruler of pride rock, the cub who defeated a boar before he had his mane. He was not taka. His attacks were futile, and his agonized roars stopped suddenly as Baridi sank his teeth into his neck, keeping his tight grip until the smaller male ceased his thrashing.
Nala looked anxiously at the pair of males, panting hard with pain and exhaustion. She knew she was bleeding, but the wounds were small. If kept clean she could recover, Scar had meant to strangle her slowly, and had failed to sink his teeth deep enough to make her bleed out. Baridi met her eyes, and she was quick to break contact, lifting her paws to again show him her belly. He approached, circling around her before sniffing her hindquarters.
"Who are you?" He asked, his voice broken with his own exhausted pants,
"Nala," she replied simply. "I've come to find help, for a strong male to lead my pride," she explained, looking at Scar's corpse. Already the buzzing of flies was growing, and overhead she saw vultures circling their next meal. Baridi studied her for a moment, but accepted her act of submission. Nala stood, and allowed Baradi to rub his cheeks against her, marking her with his scent.
She signaled to the west, and told the male about Pride Rock. He agreed to help her, but asked her to follow him into the jungle to hunt, to fill their bellies for the long walk to Pride Rock. The jungle proved bountiful, and they were able to eat their fill. She contemplated simply staying in the jungle, and starting a new pride with Baradi. He was young, and very strong. He would prove a worthy leader. But the thought of abandoning the others back at Pride Rock was unforgivable. Together they traveled, and along the way Nala submitted to his mating advances. The thought of raising her own cubs brought a joy and enthusiasm for the future she never thought she would feel again. Along the way she told him about her pridemates, and about Pride Rock itself. He told her stories of his travels as a rogue male, and how he stumbled upon the jungle.
At home, the others welcome Baradi, and celebrated the news of Scar's defeat. With news of the bounty the jungle held, they were quick to follow their new King, and accept Nala as their new Queen. The pride followed the dominant pair, traveling across the long savannah abandoning Pride Rock. Nala took one last look behind her, as the tip of her childhood home vanished onto the horizon and welcomed their new future.
Okay this one might be my worst what-if. I hope you liked it anyway. I mostly hate the last paragraphs. Like, really hate it. But it's been too long since I wrote a what-if and wanted to get one posted. I hope you liked it...
Oh and staying true to Lion King, Baradi is Swahili for "Cold" not a comment on his personality just liked the way it sounded.
For those who don't know per Disney canon Scar's actual name is Taka, Swahili for "garbage" I think it was a series of comics?