Author's Note: So, here's Chapter 7! My updating on this story is going to start getting a little slower. I've had some chapters already written, but later chapters I'm still working on, and it can take me a while to finish them. Anyway, thanks for reviewing!

Disclaimer: I own nothing but the jackal.

Chapter 7

Meanwhile, while all of this was happening, a lion stood atop a large bull elephant skull looking over the Pridelands on one side and the jungle on the other.

"And the future king will be…Mufasa!"

Oh, how the lion despised that sentence.

He stretched out, and padded down the cliff. His henchmen would no doubt appear soon. But, they didn't. Perhaps Shenzi, Banzai, and Ed had gotten lost. Again.

Scar noticed a small jackal nearby, gnawing on an old bone. He wondered what had gotten into the little canine. Jackals, unlike hyenas, were allowed in the Pridelands, so he didn't understand what one was doing in the Elephant Graveyard.

"You there!" he suddenly roared, startling the jackal out of her wits.

"Y-yes?" the jackal whimpered, looking up at Scar with fear in her brown eyes.

"Have you seen any hyenas?" Scar demanded.

"H-hyenas?" the jackal repeated. Scar nodded.

"You know…those spotted creatures that look like canines but aren't…the ones who laugh for no reason…the ones lower than even you puny jackals…"

"I know what hyenas are," the jackal mumbled.

"What was that?" Scar snarled.

"N-nothing!" the jackal gulped. "B-but I did see some earlier…they went that way." She flicked her tail towards the direction of the jungle.

Scar rolled his eyes. "I knew they'd gotten lost," he muttered, looking towards the jungle. The clattering of bones told Scar that the jackal had made a speedy getaway before he could turn around. He didn't go after the canine; he had more important matters to pursue.

After a while going in the direction the jackal had mentioned, he started to pick up the telltale scent of hyenas. There were definitely some nearby, and even if they weren't Shenzi, Banzai, or Ed, they would most likely be members of Shenzi's clan. Suddenly, Scar started hearing voices, and they sounded close.

"No, I told you, Boss is back there! We left him a minute ago!"

"But I can see him right up ahead!"

"Yeah, right up ahead!"

Scar didn't recognize these voices. However, he couldn't possibly remember the voices of about eighty hyenas from Shenzi's clan. He climbed up a hill of bones, and found himself face-to-face with two of the oddest hyenas he'd ever seen in his life. Both were standing upright, with coordination comparable to the mandrill-baboon Rafiki. One was much taller than the other. And, to Scar's utter amazement, a black panther was trailing behind him. There were no doubt these were definitely not members of Shenzi's clan.

"Hello, Boss!" the taller hyena greeted him.

"Yeah, hello!" the shorter hyena repeated.

"Excuse me," the black panther snarled, his voice as cold as ice. "But I believe that is not Claw." Turning to Scar, he added, "Please excuse my compatriots; when it comes to intelligence, they end up on the rather dim side."

"Tell me about it," Scar muttered, thinking of Shenzi, Banzai, and Ed.

"But you do kind of look like Claw," the panther continued. He paused, looking at Scar up and down. "Are you sure you aren't related in some way?"

"I am fairly certain there is no lion on my family tree with the name of Claw," Scar replied coldly.

"So that's not Boss?" the taller hyena inquired, looking at the panther, who shook his head.

"You thought wrong…as always."

"Quite alright, quite alright," Scar replied, sneering slightly. "I'm Scar."

"Cassius is the name," the panther snarled. "These two idiots are called Tom and Tab."

"What are you three up to?" a voice growled from behind the newcomers. A lion padded into view, and Scar could instantly see why the hyenas had them confused. The resemblance, from the colors right down to the scar on the left eye, was extremely striking. Tom and Tab gaped as they looked from lion to lion in amazement.

"Hello, Boss," Cassius said. "Tom and Tab just had you confused with this one, that's all."

"Well, obviously I'm not him, am I?" the lion, probably Claw, snarled to the hyenas. Cassius gave them a smug grin.

"I'm assuming you're Claw?" Scar assumed.

Claw nodded. "I assume these three blabbed about how much we look alike," he commented, ignoring Cassius's outraged snarl of "Three? What do you mean, three?"

"Anyway," Claw continued. "Who in the world are you?"

"I'm Scar," Scar replied. "And I was just looking for three hyenas by the names of—" he paused. "That jackal!" he snarled. "She probably thought I just meant any hyena!" Turning to Claw, he explained, "I was looking for three hyenas, named Shenzi, Banzai and Ed. I asked this jackal if she'd seen any hyenas, and I'm assuming she thought I meant any hyenas, so she led me straight to you four. Speaking of which, have you seen Shenzi, Banzai, and Ed? Shenzi's the leader, and she's got these wacky-looking bangs. Banzai looks normal, except for these weird eyebrows, and Ed…he's the stupidest of the lot, and he's got this really odd expression on his face. Seen any of them?"

Claw shook his head. "The only hyenas I've seen are these two."

Cassius, however, suddenly had a moment of realization. "I've seen them!" he gasped. Then, he snarled. "They dumped rocks on my head." Tom and Tab let out high-pitched giggles, but stopped when Cassius slapped them both with one swipe.

"Oh, they did?" Scar asked, slightly amused. "Sounds just like them."

Suddenly, an enormous yelp of pain and fear was heard from the jungle. All five of them snapped their heads towards the noise, and three hyenas came barreling out at full speed. Two of them were arguing, at least, until all three crashed into Scar.

"There they are," Scar muttered, as Shenzi, Banzai, and Ed shook themselves off.

"Scar!" Shenzi gasped, panting. "It is you, right? Okay, so Banzai, Ed, and I were looking for you, then all of a sudden…" She paused, noticing Cassius. Both stared at each other, then, at the same time, exclaimed "YOU!"

Banzai grinned sheepishly as both Cassius and Shenzi glared at him. "Heh heh…oops…"

Shenzi turned back to Scar. "Anyway, we saw Simba again. We went to confront him…"

"But there was this psychopath white lion with him!" Banzai continued. "It attacked us, and we couldn't stand up to it!"

"Excuses, excuses," Scar drawled, angered that they had failed, once again, to catch Simba. "There's no such thing as a white lion, idiot!"

"Wait!" Claw interrupted. "Did you say white lion?"

Instantly, Shenzi and Banzai turned towards Claw.

"It attacked us!"

"It was about fifty feet tall!"

"No, it was only about yay big!"

"Had these big blue eyes and dripping fangs…"

"Actually, it was kind of cute…"

"And it beat us up! And Simba attacked us, too! And man, it was a good fighter!"

"I think," Claw interrupted, before either hyena could speak again, "You have just encountered Kimba. He's the prince of this jungle," he explained to Scar. "Wretched little thing…the only thing keeping me from becoming king of the whole jungle!"

"I can relate," Scar replied. "Simba is the future king of the Pridelands, the only thing keeping me from being next in line to rule. I've been trying to get rid of him over and over, but he somehow keeps evading my traps."

"It's the same with Kimba," Claw sighed. "Nothing I've tried has worked."

"The plan," Cassius suddenly murmured. "We found one!"

"Found one what?" Claw demanded. Cassius whispered something in his ear. Claw grinned wickedly.

"Looks like you have a problem," he commented.

"Problem?" Scar snarled. "What do you mean, problem?"

"Well, Cassius and I have this little idea here, that perhaps if you help us get rid of Kimba, we'll help you get rid of Simba, and you can have the Pridelands, and we'll have the jungle. We'll be joint rulers. What is it that Kimba sometimes says, Cassius?"

"United we stand, divided we fall," Cassius recited, imitating Kimba's voice.

Claw grinned. "Exactly. So, what do you say?"

Scar thought about it for a moment. It could be his only opportunity to catch Simba. The hyena trio was obviously too cowardly to, and Claw and Cassius seemed pretty able. Plus, eight sets of paws were admittedly better than four.

"Deal," Scar replied, smirking.

Author's Note: Uh oh, looks like Claw and Scar are teaming up! Yes, I did poke fun at the fact that the two lions look almost identical.

The jackal is one of my OCs. She does have a name (Aibus).

So, two villainous lions, a panther, and five hyenas…sounds like a formidable army, doesn't it? Add the rest of Shenzi's clan and Cassius's crows, and you've got a problem.

Reviews are appreciated!