She paced around, obviously showing she was considering it. After what had happened with her deal with Kheeva, she certainly wasn't in any mood to make another one.
The sun was beginning to rise in a small, dusty canyon in the middle of Africa, just on the outskirts of the Pride Lands.
The individual, who was a black-baked jackal named Mauti, flicked her tail a bit. She was nonplussed… and frustrated just thinking about agreeing to this.
What if this was a trick? What if this lioness was lying?
Her sister, Faraa, simply sat and watched her pace around. She wore a plain smile and blinked silently… wondering what her older sister was thinking.
But next to Faraa was the source of all of this serious pondering: a lean, and rather rugged lioness… stood darkly in front of the two jackals- with a firm smirk spread across her face. Her eyes gleamed like bloodstained gemstones… watching the struggling jackal.
It was the former Outlander queen, Zira.
Mauti quickly turned around, going back up on her line of pacing. Her glaring eyes never left the ground.
Zira continued to wait silently… patiently. She really had no expression on her face. The jackal could take as long as she needed to make a decision. Zira had all the time in the world.
Oh, she would wait for decades if it involved him. Anything, really- involving him.
Mauti continued to pace. Her paws made up most of the conversation.
Pit-pit, pat-pat.
This was getting a little tiring, however, and Zira decided to speak up to help her make a decision.
"Well?" she pressed, waiting for her answer.
The jackal's face contorted into something hateful, and whipped her head back around to Zira.
"DON'T… rush my able judgment!" Mauti scolded her.
Her voice echoed off a few canyon walls they were standing under.
Zira blinked, and immediately bared her teeth... ever so slightly. She felt an angry spark ignite in her blood… but she refrained from showing it.
She simply could not to do anything that might make these jackals say no.
This was for him. All for him. No wonder he used the hyenas to help him out on his little undertaking. Animals like hyenas and jackals were all scavengers. They were all desperate for food, and too lazy to work.
This was the best thing at being at the top of the food chain… you had every other animal under your paw.
Mauti was still walking around, her black nose hovering over the ground.
Finally, her little sister Faraa blew upwards on the tuft of gray fur that always hung over her eye.
"It's free food, Mauti. We won't have to look for it anymore," she reminded her, just like a scavenging animal would. "And she's a lion. She eats meat, like us… not like Kheeva. Maybe this time we won't be turned on."
Mauti then slowed down her pace to a halt… and then glanced up at her sister.
Faraa was looking quite hopeful, displaying a small, reassuring smile, tilting her head.
"Oh," Mauti began softly. "…Looking at the silver lining in the clouds, are we, Faraa?"
Faraa immediately beamed a grin. She closed her eyes, nodding enthusiastically at her sister.
Mauti sat down where she was, claiming a seat. She faced Faraa, returning dripping a smile at her.
"How optimistic of you," she said, pondering to herself. "Just like you always are! Certainly we cannot be turned on by a lion. No, sir, not a lion… what are the odds?"
Mauti's smile vanished with a flash, revealing just how sarcastic she was.
"Especially when we were just duped by... the lowest organism on the food chain!" Her words tore through the dry air, screaming repetitively into the canyon.
Faraa quickly jerked back with round, gold eyes… wishing she hadn't spoken anything at all.
Zira did not move. Nor did she become remotely affected by her fierce answer.
The older jackal's voice went soft again when she spoke. Mauti raised a paw inquisitively. "If we were betrayed by a dirt-digging, movable feast… what in the world makes you presume a lion would be any less above our suspicion? "
"I will assure you," Zira began, beginning to stand up. "There is no need for suspicion. I am true to my word. You two shouldn't use meerkats to scrounge up food for you. You two are far better than that."
Mauti glanced in Zira's direction. She could see straight through her compliment. Her face morphed into disgust.
"Don't try to flatter me into doing your bidding, madam," she answered her darkly. "I am a saleswoman. That's my job."
Zira, tightly fixed her mouth shut. She glared a little.
Mauti scoffed and turned around again to pace some more.
Zira felt rage glowing under her skin… pressing on her nerves. She passionately wanted to scream back at this impudent jackal. Or smack her. But then they would surely say no. Then what would she do?
Zira closed her eyes. And breathed.
Don't get angry. She thought to herself.
Scar. Scar. Don't get angry… for Scar.
"So all we gotta do…" Faraa began, "…Is round up a bunch of lions? And we get free food?"
Zira had opened her eyes. She looked to Faraa and smiled.
Faraa looked a little perplexed. "It's that easy?"
"That's right," Zira told her… beginning to get up on all four legs. "You do this one, solitary thing for me, I give you one, large feast. After the final confrontation."
She sauntered around Faraa.
"…And don't worry… there's enough for you, and the entire army you assemble together."
Faraa looked to the ground and pulled in her lips to think. A little paycheck for all the work she and Mauti would have to do? It was too good to be true.
But something about this lioness's attitude wasn't quite certain. Not to mention with her bloodshot red eyes, half-bitten ear, she looked a little bit on the edge. She and Mauti didn't even know her… she could have… mental issues for all they knew.
But she did say the food was free…
"Where are you even gonna get all the meat?" Faraa innocently queried her. Zira then briefly smiled, thinking about how to word this.
"Ohh," she began, smirking a little bit more mischievously than before. "Where it comes from doesn't matter."
Faraa was still not satisfied with her answer. She decided to ask her another question... like a child endlessly asking from a parent for more knowledge about a certain topic.
"-But why do you want so many lionesses, anyway?"
"-My dear, have you ever tried to go up against an army of twenty lionesses by yourself? It's unheard of!" Zira retorted, smirking quite happily. "I will need as many lionesses available in the savannah."
"Assemble an army of lionesses for you…?" Mauti said. "That sounds just short of impossible."
Zira then whirled around to look at Mauti.
"And laborious," Mauti continued… her brows beginning to narrow sharply. "Sounds like you're taking advantage of us, Madam."
One more word, runt. Zira thought hotly. One more word…
Zira kept calm. She inched over to an irritated Mauti.
"Well, if you truthfully feel it's not worth it…" she began. "The time… the effort… you can opt out now. It is optional, mind you, and you both are under no obligation."
"We're traveling entrepreneurs," Mauti said. "Not recruiting agents for lions."
Zira calmly blinked, appearing worn out. She then offered a suggestion.
"…Then you two can use your…" she paused. Zira tightened her lips… thinking of the correct word.
"…Talents… to persuade others. If you're that unwilling to work, then you can walk away now."
At this, Faraa then suddenly appeared horrified. The innocent jackal swung her head in the direction of her sister. She vigorously shook her head behind Zira.
Mauti caught sight of this… and displayed an ugly frown to her.
This was pathetic. Ironic, even. Her sister… her own flesh and blood was falling for a sales offer. When the twist was- they did this for a living.
Faraa suddenly lifted both her paws and pressed them together… silently pleading for her sister to make the right choice.
Mauti gave her a dirty little look, continuing their silent communication without Zira's knowing. Faraa's eyes… her round, gold orbs looked so desperate.
Of course, this was just like Faraa. A little kid, trying to seize hold of a treat offered to her.
"Well," Mauti said, "My younger sister and comrade seems eager enough to do the work…"
Faraa quietly mouthed words to Mauti: free meat! Free meat! her mouth lip-synched. She was still pressing her paws together.
Mauti finally rolled her eyes… heaving a grand sigh. Her feet turned to face Zira with a decision.
"But I'm not taking pity on you, Madam," she said coldly. "Your sniveling story about your lost love, and your avengement is nice and all… and how you fell into a river because you were too stupid to think things through. I've been through far worse, my dear. We should be the ones coming to you for help. We'll do it. But I am doing this for my sister and I… not you."
Normally, Zira would have lost all self-composure and lunged for the animal's jugular on the spot.
And she wanted to... she really, sincerely wanted to.
But Mauti said yes. In an indirect, rude way… but she said yes.
Zira smirked.
The idiots. Foolish… clueless idiots.
She was going to make sure this jackal was going to have nightmares from this whole experience.
"…A wise choice you have made," she finished softly. Her smirk was still displayed proudly across her face.
Faraa suddenly jumped to her paws, smiling triumphantly. She giggled and leapt over to Mauti's side.
Zira kept the smirk on her face... and turned away from them both.
The Pride Lands had no idea. No idea she was still alive.
Her plan… was finally underway. For him. The true king of the Pride Lands. Her king that was gone, now.
And this time- Zira would not fail.
At this same hour, many miles far east of the Sahara desert, the sun mercilessly beat down where no animal could even dream of living. It was rare for any creature to live this far out towards the edge of the desert, but on it's outskirts- there was in fact, a regular resident.
A small herd of eland was resting during this hour of the day, finding a spot near a shady tree in the middle of some grassland. A few wandering eland were grazing the grass, blissfully unaware of a lurking predator.
A small twig snapped, and the head of a stray eland shot up, scanning the area.
Moments later, a blur of red-brown sprang from among a thicket of grass, charging straight for the animal with a roar.
The frightened eland sprinted off in the other direction, getting it's herd's attention. The eland herd quickly ran off with their member in the same fashion, avoiding their attacker: a lion with a scar over his left eye.
The lion began running after it, but the eland herd was running even faster. He slowed the pace of his run, realizing he wouldn't be able to catch up with it.
Every day it went like this. Living out on his own for more than enough years, Scar had to adjust nearly every detail of his lifestyle. Including getting his own food. This was a day in the life of banishment.
It was a lioness's job to hunt… and he was not a lioness. Scar despised work… and despised doing this much of it. And with the aged condition he was in, he was nowhere near fit enough to do it.
Old Scar was breathing hard, watching his meal fade off towards a small canyon with a few rocky cliffs in the distance. He glared at the herd from across the grassland. It seemed although everything he went after was faster than him. It was nearly impossible, if not humiliating. Lionesses... girls could do it. But Scar hadn't eaten for almost two days, and he wasn't about to give up this early.
The eland herd was settling down towards the canyon, beginning to rest again. A few of them grazed about again on the ledge for grass. This was the opportune time.
As quickly as he could, and quietly as he could, Scar made his way behind a few thickets of dry grass, eyeing the eland herd from behind. A single, young eland walked about, being the closest one to Scar's field of vision.
If any of them spotted Scar again, he would have to mind those razor-sharp horns of theirs if they chose to fight back for that young one. (He wasn't about to get another scar over his other eye).
Scar paused in the grass... recalling.
Memories. That was not a good day. The day the name 'Taka' would leave him forever, and plague him with the name, 'Scar'. Reminding him day after day of how stupid an idea that was. No matter how hard he tried... no matter how much he pushed it away... anger always got the better of him.
The eland herd was minding their own business, eating and strolling along. They were unaware of the quiet killer crouched behind the tall grass.
Scar's eyes slowly sank to the ground. He was beginning to realize... this was the kind of life he got for letting anger take control of him- again.
If he would have just let it go. If he never did what he did... he wouldn't be exiled out here... in the merciless desert. With no one knowing- or even caring that he was fighting to stay alive. For how much longer?
Scar's eyes went back up to the animal herd in the distance. A breath of hot wind came through behind him. It breezed through his mane, over the eland herd and through the parched grass. Then faded to nothing.
His life was coming to a close. Scar never thought he'd admit it, but in comparison to what he had... a home, a family... position as a prince... a protective brother... trust with the Pride Lands. Acceptance with the Pride Lands... peace of mind.
Murder... was not one of his better ideas.
…Scar just that minute remembered that he was hungry.
Ah, well, he couldn't let a sudden attack of conscience get the better of him now. He was loosing his focus.
Scar inhaled and crept downward, trying with all effort not to make any noise. He kept his green eyes locked on the younger eland, not even blinking them shut for a single moment. Scar watched it for a bit. It lowered it's head in the grass to eat.
Taking an inaudible step forward, Scar instantly sprang out of the grass again for it, viciously using up his remaining energy.
Sure enough, the young eland's black eyes widened with fear and began prancing back to it's herd- which made all the members notice Scar.
Every member began to scatter, heading downward for the canyon. Scar took off, using his claws to latch onto the ground as he ran. The herd leapt off the ledge, and pranced off a few boulders, and landed on the gorge floor, continuing to sprint off. The boulders they landed on shifted a bit.
Scar did the same, leaping off the ledge of the gorge, and jumping onto the heads of several boulders, not even thinking about the shifting rocks. Once he hit a loose boulder, Scar nearly lost his balance- but instantly sprang off of it, allowing it to tumble down off the ledge behind him. The boulder knocked into a few others… noticeably shifting more rock.
This created distant disturbances along the walls of the canyon.
His paws hit the gorge floor, and Scar immediately followed the herd. Their hooves thundered against the ground, leaping right and left, attempting to confuse the lion chasing after them. Scar swerved inside the herd, noticing a stray eland lagging behind. He saw this as his chance.
Gathering whatever stamina he still had, Scar took an angry, charged pounce for the eland, swiping his paw for it's leg. Fortunately, his claws caught the eland in the flesh, and red streaks instantly formed across it's leg. It gave a whine of pain, but gave a kick backwards to it's attacker, causing dust to fly up in Scar's eyes. He shook it off, and searched for it again in the sea of wild antelope.
They were all approaching a dead end in the canyon, which was a towering barricade of broken rock rubble. Then Scar caught sight of the eland he scratched up, and it was just starting to get away out of fear for it's life.
The old lion was hungry, hot, and frustrated. And two words slipped into Scar's head:
Not. Today.
Scar took another running leap for the antelope- lashing his claws into the back of it's leg. His smack blew the young eland's balance way off course- making it violently hurl downward… tumbling to the dusty ground in defeat.
Scar flashed a smile. He savored the joy of victory as he passed the animal, and slowed to a stop. He immediately turned back around to collect it, but he stopped, beginning to hear the thundering hooves of an eland herd turning back.
Scar spun around. And a wave of eland washed right past him. They all appeared to be in a panicked haste.
Scar looked up in the far distance, and something immediately caught his eye.
The massive pile of rock rubble before them all was starting to shift.
Enormous, quavering pieces of rock plunged down off the canyon wall, striking earthquake-scale tremors into ground. The wall of dusty rock then avalanched, rapidly hurdling forward. And it looked like it wasn't going to stop.
Rockslide.
Scar took an unnerving step back from the trundling wave. Then instantly sprang off in the opposite direction, following the eland herd out of the canyon.
The falling mound of rock gathered speed, forcefully gliding along the canyon. The eland herd took it's separate ways, finding their own routes to escape. Some ran off into narrow gaps in the canyon walls and disappeared, which seemed like a wise idea. Scar scanned the sides of the walls for one, but none were in sight.
Suddenly, a small heap of rock washed out in front of Scar from a side alley in the wall, blocking his only escape route. He skidded himself to a halt, caught by surprise. Trapped.
Scar spun around, eyeing the steep mass of rock behind him. It was slowing down, but had potential to kill him. Scar had no other option but to climb over the smaller rock heap.
He gave way to a large eye roll, and jumped up onto the first few rocks in front of him. But in his attempt to escape, Scar failed to see a rather fair-sized piece of rock thudding, slamming down from the massive rockslide behind him- and came crashing over the frame of his head without any warning, splitting into his skull. Pain exploded through Scar's whole system for the briefest instant- his mind suddenly going vacant.
The rockslide rolled into a halt behind him, a few stones skipping off the mound and piling onto his body. Scar then lost consciousness on the other side of the rock pile, oblivious to the world once surrounding him.
