"-You just had to let her go, didn't you?"
"-Like I knew a panther was gunna show up!"
"-Panthers like well-watered, high places!"
"-They do?"
"-She could have been killed!"
"-But she didn't!"
"-You make the most bonehead choices, you know that?"
"-Fine. I'm wrong, you're right."
Kheeva and Timon were at it again. The rain had picked up from outside above the burrow they were in, which was just outside Pride Rock. A faint roll of thunder sounded every now and again between their points.
"I don't want to be right," Kheeva retorted, getting exasperated. "I just want Johari to be safe!"
Timon stood near the wall of the burrow, folding his arms. He glared off… quite angrily at that… knitting his brows.
"…Get real, Kheevs! Like you knew a panther would show up, either. You're just pinning this all on me because something did happen. Let's just all point fingers at me, because it's always my fault for everything!"
"-Name one time it hasn't been your fault!" Kheeva shot back.
Timon sarcastically held a finger to his mouth- although he had to think hard.
"-Gee, I dunno," he snapped. "Global warming? Hormones? The dinosaur wipeout?"
"-AAAGGH!"
Kheeva then tugged hard on her black ears, just about ready to pull them out. She turned around and paced away from him. A roll of thunder trundled from above ground.
Kheeva inhaled slowly, calming herself down.
"Are you even trying to be a responsible parent?"
"-Excuse ME?"
"-You heard me."Timon rolled his eyes. "Do you know how many hours of sleep I sacrificed while raising Simba?"
Kheeva said nothing. Timon nodded with a smirk.
"Yeah, a lot!"
"That panther almost killed your daughter… and you seem very unconcerned."
"-Doesn't mean I don't care!" Timon threw his arms up. "For cryin' out loud! Not all carnivores are double-crossing little schemers! Those jackals brainwashed ya! Geez, it's a wonder how your dumb old buddies got themselves killed!"
That struck Kheeva's last nerve. She immediately crossed her arms and tightened up, turning away before the tears rose up.
Timon realized a little too late that he should have been a little more specific with which of her dumb old buddies he was talking about.
"I- I didn't mean that!" he tried to say with an arm out. "Kheeva- that came out wrong! I didn't mean- I meant Mauti!"
Timon pinched his fingers to the bridge of his nose and sighed. "I didn't mean Saada…! The two jackal sist-!"
Kheeva cut him off.
"-Berkowitz, sometimes I just don't get you." She turned back around. The curled lock above her eye shifted. "I don't know why I have to put up with you and your..."
Her voice trailed off. She didn't finish her sentence.
Timon's eyebrows shot upward. He crossly set his fists on his waist, leaning forward. Waiting.
"...Yeah...?" he then carefully asked.
Rain continued to patter. Silence.
Kheeva then gradually appeared disgusted. She waved it off, turning around like she never said anything.
"-Forget it."
"-No, no!" Timon then said in a patronizing tone. He then stormed up behind her. "I'm all ears. Were you gunna say somethin'?"
"-Nothing."
"-Sheesh, for someone who 'never listens', I beg to differ right about now…"
"-YOU, okay?" Kheeva blurted out. "I don't know why I have to put up with you. You're just another kid to raise."
Raindrops pattered on the ground above the dim burrow. For maybe the first time in his life, Timon actually was driven speechless.
His eyes hardened.
"…Well, gee, Kheeva…" he began sourly. "…If I'm that big of a problem to ya…!"
Kheeva clenched her teeth. Her next words were very cold.
"Are… you... suggesting something?"
"…Who me?" Timon asked innocently, setting a paw to his chest. He shook his head in fake sympathy.
"Oh, no… all I was gunna say… was that you don't have to torture yourself by being with me!"
"-Good to know!"
"-I know I certainly don't need this!"
"-NEITHER DO I!"
Timon flinched at how seriously fed up she was. Only to get angry again.
"Well, FINE!" he crassly shouted. "I can go solo again!"
Timon made no hesitation to hop inside the grass nest in the corner of their burrow. He reclined in it, stretching his arms behind his head and crossing his legs.
"…You know where the door is!"
Kheeva in an instant stormed over to him. She then snagged his skinny wrist and hauled him up to his feet. Timon suddenly yelped in high-pitched pain as his mate shoved his back towards the entrance of the burrow.
"-SO DO YOU!" Kheeva shouted.
"-HEY! What're you doin'? You can't kick me out!"
They reached the mouth of their burrow entrance. Thunder collided up in the clouds with lightening to accompany it.
Timon whirled around at her with a conceited smile.
"HA! I'm not worried about a little rain! I'll just sleep in Simba's den!"
"Well, hakuna matata for YOU, then!" Kheeva yelled as she returned to the grass nest to claim it for the night.
Timon flashed Kheeva's back a hard glare.
"HAKUNA MATATA, THEN!" he yelled turned back to the mouth of the entrance. It was dripping with water outside the frame. He reluctantly stepped outside, cautiously sticking his head out. Thunder clashed, which only made him yelp out of fear, and scamper straight out of the burrow for Pride Rock.
It wasn't just thunder storming in the Pride Lands. All throughout the savannah, animals ran for shelter as rain came down hard. Two jackals dodged through the storm in the middle of a canyon. One stopped momentarily, waiting for the other to catch up.
"Will you keep up?" Mauti demanded.
"Sorry! I slipped!" Faraa called back apologetically. She kept her head dipped low. She was either trying to avoid the rain... or showing submission to her angry sister.
Faraa prodded up to Mauti's side, then took a brief moment to shake the access water off her matted, gray fur.
Mauti watched her… simply hunching over her shoulders and rolled her reflective, yellow eyes.
"We'll never get recruits for Zira if you choose to keep lollygagging…" she muttered.
Faraa finished shaking herself off… and she smiled at Mauti.
"Aw, look on the bright side, sis," she said. "At least we're together!"
Mauti glared.
That was precisely why she was so aggravated.
They both darted off again.
Far in the desert, thunder rolled and lightening struck. And animals all around were finding ways to deal with the weather. Scar sat at the mouth of a small den, observing the rain fall from outside. Subira and her family were relaxing in the back of the cave.
They fed Scar a bit earlier in the day, and he was perfectly fine with it. But they hadn't said much to him since he awoke to find them this morning. Almost as if they didn't know how to approach a lion who had just lost all of his prior memories. Scar didn't blame them… they didn't even know his name. Nor did he. It must've been a real irritant, then… trying to get as much important information as Subira's family could about Scar... and him always telling them the same thing: he didn't know, or couldn't remember.
But they seemed very forgiving of that fact… and they never failed to be persistently attentive and kind.
"Hey, mister lion!" a voice called, reverberating off the cave walls. Scar slightly turned over his shoulder.
It was Hamu. His older sister, Thamani was reclining next to him, her paws neatly crossed over the other.
"Come' ere!" Hamu said to him. "We wanna ask you more stuff!"
Scar inhaled. He got up and made his way over towards the two. Subira and her father- who Scar later found out everyone just called him Grandfather Lion- were sitting silently in the back of the cave, watching Hamu and Thamani.
At Scar's approach, Subira's head lifted up. Scar looked rather drowsy… or he could have been in pain.
"…How's the head?" Subira decided to ask.
Scar glanced up at her voice.
"Fine, thank you."
Subira warmly smiled, and she said nothing more.
Hamu knitted his brows closely as he saw this. The cub smirked at his mother. Hamu then swung his head back over to Scar.
"Okay, so… do you… like, remember anything since you woke up, mister?" he said. Hamu was squinting at Scar, although investigating.
Scar sighed quietly. He sat calmly in front of Hamu and Thamani, adjusting his front paws as he did so.
"…Nothing comes to mind at the moment," he told the boy.
Thamani then lowered her head, resting her chin upon her paws.
"…What about the head injury?" she mentioned. Thamani titled her head curiously. "Do you remember anything about that…?"
Scar's eyes went up to the cave ceiling. He knew his head had gotten hit… obviously. But he couldn't recall just what it was.
Scar inhaled gingerly... and answered her regretfully.
"…All I know is that it wasn't the most… pleasant of experiences…"
"-Then I guess you dunno what happened to yer eye, either," Hamu said, cocking his head matter-of-factly.
Scar's head came up. This got his attention.
The little lion cub tilted his head innocently... and blinked casually.
"…Do ya?"
Scar stared... completely ignorant as to what the boy was talking about.
Silence. All that could be heard was the rain continuing to splatter madly to the ground outside the cave entrance.
Thamani glanced up at this… wondering why is got so quiet. Hamu then began to break apart his smile in little steps… now noting the look of concern on Scar's face.
Scar looked like he really didn't want to ask… but he had to know. Apparently Hamu… any everyone else knew something he was entirely aware of.
"What… is wrong with my eye…?" Scar said.
The siblings Hamu and Thamani just stared blankly at him. Then slowly at each other. They appeared like they were really hoping he would recall something about his past.
They both turned their heads at Scar again.
"Uh… well…" Hamu frankly began. "…It's kind of scarred up."
Scar lifted a brow. Well, this was new to him.
Scar then raised himself up on all fours, now keenly interested with just what the two children were claiming to be true.
He quickly skimmed over the cave floor… although looking for something. And then found something satisfactory enough. Scar saw a small puddle that was forming in the rain just at the end of the cave entrance.
Scar suddenly made haste over to it.
"Uh- wait!" Thamani called after him. But Scar had already prodded up to the puddle. The lion peered over the water on the ground. Drops of water pitter-pattered upon the face of the puddle.
The reflection in the water didn't lie. There was indeed, a single, nasty faded gash over Scar's left eye. He peered a little harder with a little incredulity.
Stone the crows- how did he get that? He couldn't recall any history whatsoever regarding his eye…
Scar just stared down at the stranger looking back at him in that puddle. Like he didn't recognize himself. As a matter of fact, he really didn't recognize himself. Scar hadn't exactly… gotten a glimpse of himself since his accident to be educated a lot about his physical makeup.
Subira took note of him. She lifted her head from her paws to watch Scar across the cave… wondering what he was doing.
The reflection didn't really match the picture Scar first had about himself in his head. There was the blatantly obvious open wound on his head, for one thing. But he was honestly a more… tired-looking animal than he thought. He had an off-white muzzle… and a black mane. All of it was a thin layer of raven-black silk, resting around his neck and shoulders. Dark, triangular nose. And whiskers. Five on each side, to be exact.
Scar looked in deeper, like he had never seen any of this before. Or more precisely- the first time he ever had.
This was… new. All of this was new. He didn't come as a… horrid shock to himself. But… this was different than what Scar had imagined. This was… okay.
Scar's eyes never left the water. He gently lifted his paw and held it under his chin… beginning to softly carve along the outline… following his jaw line. He examined the detail… how the fur he discovered he possesed hung off of his chin in a small tuft.
He, of course, was completely unaware of Subira silently watching him.
Scar was also unaware of the intense expression written on her face.
He then finally loosened up his inspecting eyes and sat back nonchalantly… although suddenly unmoved by it all.
"Hnm," Scar said. He then lowered his paw. "Oh, would you look at that, I've got… green eyes," he said aloud.
Subira was staring in wholesome dismay. This was tugging at her heartstrings. She just stared silently at Scar… and didn't know how in the world to react to this scene. This was worse than she thought. This was awful.
No. No- this was heartbreaking. The lion had forgotten how he looked.
Subira glanced away, and Scar continued to gaze down at the puddle in her background. Thunder trundled high up above the clouds.
This moved her enough to do something. He was practically looking at himself for the first time. She didn't think it was possible, but how could a person forget something so outrageously simple as the color of their irises?
"It looks it might have been a claw mark," Thamani called out behind him, breaking the fragile silence. "…Elephant tusk, or something…" she said.
They were still talking about his scar. A little pang of emotion then hit Subira and she pulled in her lips, trying to bat it away. She couldn't imagine what this lion had went through.
Then an idea came to her mind.
Subira turned to her father, who was sleeping soundly next to her.
"Father," she whispered.
The senior gray lion whizzed in and out loudly… perfectly content in his slumber.
Subira winced and glanced away, back over to the mouth of the cave. She didn't want to wake him up, but she had to ask him.
Subira tried again.
"Father…" she said. "…Wake up."
The old lion snorted with a shake of the head and then snapped open his eyes.
"-What's that-!" he said, scanning about the perimeter. He glanced up… only finding his comely daughter staring at him with little amusement. She looked like she wanted something.
Grandfather Lion narrowed his eyes… and scowled. He angrily tossed his head to the side.
"Oh, I'm blighty knackered, Subira," he muttered. "Can this rubbish wait 'til tomorrow?"
Only the- slightly younger lioness- was able to translate. Subira then moved her gaze back over to Scar across the cave. She sighed heavily. Troubled.
"Father…" Subira began, "…This isn't rubbish." She looked back at Grandfather Lion. "This gentleman hasn't got a single notion about who he is."
Her father then looked a little less irritated. The senior pouted his lip, pondering this. He then spotted Scar across the cave, and curiously stretched out his skinny neck to look at what he was doing.
He was still looking down at his reflection. Scar apparently found it to be the most intriguing part of his day. But… he still looked discontented. It was really a depressing picture.
Subira returned her glaze back to her father, and spoke quietly enough so her children wouldn't hear.
"We should take this lion in."
At that, her father's eyes suddenly blinked, twice as big. He gawked at her like she had just told him to take a long walk off a short cliff.
"-Have ye gone off the deep end…?" Grandfather Lion inquired. His daughter blinked around a little and tried to reason.
"…We're certainly capable of it," she informed him. Her father's puzzled expression didn't quite agree with her tranquil one. Grandfather Lion sighed tiredly… trying his best to sound level-headed to his daughter.
"Subira… my dear…" he addressed her. "We've got enough problems trying to take care of ourselves. Here… er… you've got a family… and they need you now more than they ever have."
Subira acknowledged this. She gave a sideways nod.
"…Rather…" she said, her eyes wandering. "…But, have a heart, father. There's never any harm in putting others first."
"…Oh, you sound like your mothuh," Grandfather Lion snorted. "You're far too blazin' concerned with everyone,"
"…And you say this although it's a bad thing?"
Grandfather Lion contorted his face, perplexed. He mumbled to himself behind his white, mustache-like mane. "Eh… well, no… but… we're leaving tomorrow again anyways, my dear."
"He can come along."
"…I do say…" Grandfather Lion then said, stealing another look at Scar. "…The chap's a little old to handle all that walkin', innet he?"
Subira then blinked with delight. "Oh! Well, that's the raven saying the crow is black, isn't it?"
Defeat. Grandfather Lion was all out of excuses. When he realized this, he gradually cracked a tiny smile… and then suddenly grasped his chest with his paw, feigning pain.
"Ack!" he exclaimed, throwing on a dizzied expression.
Subira smiled. Her father then lowered his paw.
"You got me, love. Oh alright… but he's nawt sleepin' anywhere near you… and make sure he gits up on time."
Subira smiled brightly. She then dipped her head closer to his and nuzzled him.
"Thank you, daddy…" she stressed happily.
"-Yeah, yeah…" Grandfather Lion said, and then stole a glance back to Scar. "…The scantling."
Subira then began to sit up straight, moving her glance over to Hamu and Thamani. They had drifted into a conversation of their own regarding Scar's scar.
"-I bet you he was!" Hamu insisted, looking rather assertive.
Thamani found her brother's strong- rather ridiculous- declaration amusing. She rolled her lime green eyes.
"-And I bet you you're insane…" she murmured.
Hamu frowned a bit. Nobody believed him. After all, she was the one who told him about those fabled animals…
"…That scar was given to him by a pride of mutant chickens!" he stated quite confidently. "You said they exist! Whatever they are…"
"…Yeah. It's what you are."
"-I'm notta chicken!" Hamu then got up on all fours, defended himself. "I'm an imaginative bundle of joy! Mother says so!"
"-Alright, you two."
Thamani and Hamu ceased their conversation to look at their mother coming towards them.
"…I'd say it's time for bed." Subira told them, stopping before her children. She lifted a thin brow.
"…The both of you."
Hamu lolled his head a bit and whined.
"Aw, mom…"
"We've got a long day of walking tomorrow, and you need the rest," Subira reminded her son.
Realizing she was right, Hamu breathed out, and slowly got up to stroll over to a small corner in the den… preparing himself to go to sleep. He sat down and reclined.
Scar was still at the cave entrance, but he slightly turned his body to take a peek behind him. Hamu had unhinged his jaw, yawning widely and noisily. He closed his mouth, and then closed his eyes, resting his chin upon his two pudgy paws.
Scar glanced down at the cave floor, speaking up to Subira.
"…What would you happen to mean by that…?" he then asked out of curiosity.
Subira looked up at Scar's voice. She hadn't explained to him her family's circumstances.
"Ehm…" she started to say. The gold lioness then began to stroll over to him to clarify.
"…We don't stay in the same place too often," Subira notified him. "We just… migrate. Some places are too hot, some are scarce of food." Scar stretched up an eyebrow. Subira went on.
"…And sometimes we can't find anywhere at all suitable to live. Anyway, well… we were going to head south tomorrow morning… and we were hoping you'd like to come with?"
Scar blinked at her, letting some rain fill in the silence between them. Subira just looked at him, waiting on his answer.
They wanted him to come with? He wouldn't know where else to go if he were to decline on her offer. Or anyone else to go to.
Scar visibly composed himself and took a glance back outside where the savannah was getting soaked.
"…I don't want to start becoming a burden to you, madam," he said calmly.
Subira's face sort of turned perplexed… now seriously wondering if he was being prideful… or mindfully considerate. He had just lost all prior knowledge about himself, and he was the one worrying about being a burden?
She slipped on a confused smirk, glancing about.
"…You're not a burden on my part, sir," she told him, shaking her head reassuringly. Scar turned back to her. Subira modestly dipped her head a little lower in a questioning manner.
"…Why would I ask, should you be?" she then said.
Scar stared. Outside, water drizzled noisily off the lip of the cave mouth.
He found her point in the matter… this family just wasn't going to give up, were they?
Thamani then came up behind them in the middle of their conversation, looking up to her mom as she passed Subira by.
"…Is Grandfather going to tell us another story tonight?" Thamani inquired. Subira suddenly turned from Scar- over to her daughter's voice.
The elder lioness then regrettably shook her head.
"…Grandfather is well on his way to sleep," she told her, but added on reassuringly. "But I promise you, there will be a story tomorrow."
It was a little disappointing, but it was enough to make Thamani smile a tiny bit. She merely rolled her pupils and submitted willingly.
"…Okay," Thamani said.
"…Now," Subira started politely. "Please get some sleep, Thamani."
Scar moved his eyes around in the dark, waiting for them to wrap up their interlude.
"…Love you, mom."
"…I love you, too."
The adolescent then turned the other way, strolling over towards the corner of the cave to her younger brother and grandfather. Subira then returned her glance back to Scar.
He still had not given her an answer. Scar readjusted his posture as he sat, and indifferently shrugged- unsure of himself.
"I… wouldn't mind," he nearly muttered. Scar began to creep his eyes back outside to the drenched desert land.
"All right then," Subira said. She inhaled a deep breath, and began to turn her body back to the end of the cave. She then briefly made eye contact with Scar.
"Be sure to get enough rest."
Scar didn't say anything and let his eyes slink over to watch her. He gave a nod, and let his simple silence suffice as an answer.
The lioness then settled herself down near her father and lay her head in her paws, prepared to get some sleep.
But without her knowing, Scar observed her family in the corner of his eye. He couldn't help but watch the picture.
Subira was nestled next to her children, Hamu and Thamani. They lay side by side, with closed, peaceful eyes. Grandfather Lion had his mouth ajar… sleeping soundly… and quite audibly, with his head cradled in his forelegs.
The ideal family. Something one didn't come across very often. Something he didn't even know if he had or not.
Scar let out a low sigh. Wouldn't his own family be out looking for him right about now? Where were they? There was bound to be someone who cared… somewhere. He had no clue if family even existed for him.
Perhaps it was all going to come back to him. This could all reveal itself in due time. All he could do was wait… and hoping a little couldn't possibly hurt, either.
Scar slowly stood up and wandered back towards the den to go to sleep.
While writing a lot of later parts in this chapter, like Scar's reflection for example, I was listening to some of the more poignant scores from the movie Ice Age. Specifically the piece, "Checking Out the Cave" You can find it on YouTube, and you can listen in as you read if you really want to know a lot of my inspiration behind this chapter.
"Checking Out the Cave:" watch?v=7rHyPihbz4k&feature=related
