Chapter 9

They had made decent time, but they weren't as far as Scar would have liked. He would have pushed on, but he could tell Molly was exhausted and needed a place to sleep. Morning wasn't far off, and they would need shade. A ready water source was always handy too. Scar knew this part of the Pridelands well, it was his usual path in and out. He knew exactly where they would stay.

"Just a little further, Molly."

Nodding sleepily, she walked alongside him as he led her down towards a new watering hole. There were no other animals around it, only the birds. The lions rarely came out this way, and it was too small to attract any herds. They wouldn't have to worry about anyone catching them sleeping here. Following the rock face next to the pool of water, Scar led Molly down to a small cave hidden by overhanging plants from the banks above. When the rains came, the cave was completely underwater, but now it was dry and inviting.

Sliding in behind Scar, Molly blinked once, then sat down, "We there?"

Tilting his head, Scar went to the back of the cave and stretched out on the dirt, "We're where we're sleeping for the day. But we're not out of the Pridelands yet."

"Oh," she opened her mouth wide and yawned, then slumped to the ground next to him.

"Tired?" Scar chuckled.

She didn't answer, only snuggled up closer to him. Looking her over, Scar watched her red side rise and fall as her breathing slowed and she fell asleep. What he had told her earlier came to the forefront of his memory suddenly. Had he really admitted to her that she was the only thing he cared about? He hadn't meant it to come out like that. Truth be told, he hadn't meant for any of it to come gushing out like it had. The part that had scared him most was that he'd almost meant the love at first sight part...

Scar couldn't imagine what the others might think if they found out what Molly was. He wasn't worried about Rafiki telling Mufasa. The monkey had no need to tell his brother, and Scar got the feeling that Rafiki didn't want trouble for Molly anymore than he did. But he knew they wouldn't let him get out of introducing her. They might not care if he ran off with her afterwards and never bothered them again, but he would still have to risk Molly being the center of attention of an entire pride. Closing his eyes and rubbing his cheek against the back of Molly's head, Scar sighed and resigned himself to sleep.

...

Scar knew he was dreaming the moment it started because Mufasa was there and they were actually getting along. The last time they'd been on good terms, they'd been cubs and their family had been whole, but there his older brother was; grinning and shining in the sun, like the King he was.

They were wrestling in the tall, cool grass under the shadow of Pride Rock. Mufasa was winning of course, he was always better at the physical games. Shoulders pinned to the ground, Scar scowled up at his brother, "Alright, alright, let me up!"

"Not until you tell me."

Rolling his eyes, Scar winced at the light nip his brother gave him on one ear, "Fine, her name's Molly."

"That's an unusual name," Mufasa laughed, but let Scar up and asked another question, "Who's her father? I don't know of any Molly's in the pride."

Shaking his head, Scar stared at the ground, "I uh...I don't know who her father is."

Tilting his head, Mufasa gave him a searching look before breaking into another grin, "Why you...you've gone and fallen in love at first sight! My own baby brother! I didn't think you'd ever find a lioness that you could even tolerate, let alone love."

Shifting his paws, Scar admitted, "She's not a lioness, brother."

Laughing, Mufasa bit at Scar's mane, "So what is she? A hippo? A crocodile?" falling over from his own jokes, Mufasa froze when Scar answered.

"Molly is human."

Silence, then, "Is this a joke, Scar?"

Meeting his brother's eyes, Scar shook his head.

Eyes widening, Mufasa climbed to his feet, an odd smile pulling at one side of his mouth, "A human? You're in love with a human being?" the laugh that escaped him was loud and taunting, "Come, little brother. What will father say?"

"I...don't care."

Narrowing his eyes, Mufasa shook his head, "You're a fool Scar. A lion can't love a human and a human will never love a lion."

Scar wanted to tell him he was wrong, but as he opened his mouth, the world slipped away like water. He heard his name being called urgently from above and opened his eyes to find Molly standing over him protectively, baring her teeth at the entrance to the shallow cave.

Moving his gaze, Scar saw what had her all riled. Three hyenas blinked at him and his crazed bodyguard from just outside.

"Boss?" Banzai's ears perked up at the sight of Scar turning his head, "You alright?."

"I'm fine. Molly is a friend," getting to his feet, Scar blinked at the small rays of sunlight that slipped into the cave, "The three of you can wait outside."

Snorting and exchanging a look, Shenzi and Banzai gave Molly one last glance before obeying Scar and running off, Ed not far behind.

...

"What was that all about? I thought lions and hyenas didn't get along," Molly asked. Her heart was pounding in her chest. Waking up to three hyena faces staring right at her was not her idea of a good time. She must have been more tired than she'd thought if she hadn't heard them come into the cave. When she'd clambered to her feet, snarling and putting herself between them and Scar, they'd only stood there. She had expected an attack, but then one of them had looked at Scar and had said tentatively, "Boss?"

"Why do they listen to you?" Molly asked another question as Scar gave her an odd look.

Instead of answering her questions, Scar asked one of his own, "Were you really going to protect me just now?"

"Of course!" Furrowing her eyebrows, Molly tilted her head and swiveled her ears forward, "I don't know who they are, they could have been attacking us! You were asleep, what else was I supposed to do?"

Laughing, Scar rubbed against her again, this time sliding his whole body down one side of hers. She couldn't stop the shivers this time and felt heat flood over her body. Hesitating, he came round to her front again, his green eyes staring into her blue. Molly felt like the walls of their little cave were closing in, and her chest felt heavy, making it hard to breathe.

"I-" she said, and there was yelping from outside and one of the hyenas came rushing into the cave.

"Boss! Boss! We gotta go!"

Scar whirled with a snarl, "What is it Banzai?"

Skidding to a halt, the hyena whimpered once, then reported, "S-sorry boss, but Sarabi's hunting party is coming this way. If they catch us in the Pridelands, we're dead meat!"

Molly watched Scar's face go slack, his eyes filled with panic, "Damn her," he whispered. It was gone in a second, he was cool and calm again, and nodded to the hyena, "The three of you go. Molly and I will meet you in the graveyard tonight."

Scampering off, the hyena called for the other two as he burst from the cave and they were off. Following Scar from the darkness of the cave, Molly blinked at the brightness and missed what Scar saw at first.

"How did she manage to catch up with us this quickly?" he snarled, "It should have been at least another day."

Following his gaze, Molly squinted her eyes and saw a far off group of lions moving across the plains in their direction, "Maybe they just happen to be in the area?"

Scar shook his head, "The hunting parties never come out this far. There's no need to, there's no food. That bitch is trailing me," his hackles rose and claws dug into the dirt.

"Should we run too?"

"No," he sighed, "They would only follow. We might as well get it over with here and now."

Flicking her tail nervously, Molly scooted closer to him, "Scar? What should I do?"

Smiling, Scar gently leaned his weight against her reassuringly, "Stay by me, and try not to talk," standing, he walked to the water's edge and lapped at it gently. Following behind, Molly kept her eyes on the approaching lions as she bent her own head for a drink. They worried her, why would Scar be so worried about keeping her a secret if they weren't going to react badly to her? She wished desperately she'd read up more on lions before coming on her safari. Although everything about her experiences with Scar so far made her think that anything she'd learned from a human about ANY animal should be taken with a major grain of salt...

...

Lifting his head from the water, Scar counted twelve of them. Bapoto and Masika were nowhere to be seen. They were all females, come to think of it. He tensed more, what did Sarabi want?

The big female led her hunting party down to the watering hole. They fanned out on all sides, watching Scar and Molly closely. Scar sensed Molly coming up beside him. Coming to a stop before Scar, Sarabi's eyes brushed past him and fell on Molly. There was a tightening in her expression and she turned back to Scar.

"Sarabi," Scar bowed his head ever so slightly in her direction, "To what do I owe the visit?"

"Scar," Sarabi sat, looking past him to Molly again, "And you are?"

"Molly."

"Molly?" Sarabi narrowed her eyes. Turning back to Scar, she said, "I thought I smelled a human with you, but apparently I was mistaken. I didn't believe Bapoto and Masika had been thorough enough. Tell me Molly, where do you come from?"

"What does it matter?" Scar demanded, but it was Molly that quieted him with a rub of her cheek.

"I was held captive by humans," Molly explained, "They found me when I was injured. They healed me and released me just the other day. Scar found me, wandering lost. I'm far from my home in the West."

Blinking down at her, Scar felt his mouth hanging open slightly. Closing it, he looked back to Sarabi and the others. Sarabi's eyes had softened, and the others were no longer in attack mode.

"Humans? Are you alright?"

"Er, yeah, like I said, they helped me get better."

"Humans did that?"

"Well yeah-"

"Are you sure?"

"Look, what kind of humans do you know?" Molly asked.

The lioness' looked to each other and shrugged. Sarabi shook her head, "None to be honest."

"Our ancestors have always told us to be wary of them," one of them spoke up.

"I was told the same, but these ones were different," Molly tried again.

There were murmurs and nods within the group, but Sarabi kept watching Molly, "So Scar took you in out of the kindness of his heart?"

"Implying something are we, Sarabi?" Scar asked.

"Just trying to understand why you suddenly have an interest in a lone lioness."

Did she think he was taking advantage of Molly in some way? Scar snorted, it was completely impossible for any of the lions in his brothers pride to believe that he was anything like them. That HE would yearn for companionship seemed wrong to them. He was about to counter when Molly bristled next to him.

"What exactly are you implying?"

...

Molly didn't like the way Sarabi looked at and spoke to Scar, like he was something beneath her. Who the hell did she think she was? Queen of the Pridelands a voice in her head said. It still wasn't any way for her to treat her brother-in-law.

"Scar saved my life multiple times over the last few days," Molly growled, "I wouldn't be here now if it weren't for him. Who are you to question his reasons?"

Sarabi's eyes widened as Molly spoke, and once she was finished, the big lioness turned back to Scar, "It seems I was mistaken, Scar. Your mate cares for you a great deal to speak to her queen in such a way." Turning her back on a speechless Molly and Scar, Sarabi called over her shoulder, "Mufasa does want to see you, Scar. You are summoned to him before the full moon," she ran off, her hunting party falling in behind her as they went back the way they came.

...

Random trivia of the day: That dream sequence has been written since I first had the idea for this fanfic...

Anyway, Happy Independence Day to my American readers! For another two hours at least... (where I am ;P) I'm going to be lax with writing answers to your comments this round because it's late and I still haven't eaten dinner, but I wanted to get the chapter up because 1) I know you're all patiently waiting and 2) I wanted to imagine the look on your faces when you see that I've actually uploaded two chapters within a month's span. Mwahahaha! Hehe, seriously though, I'm hungry and you're all wonderful! XD So I hope you enjoyed and hopefully you'll enjoy the next one! Much love to all of you until next time!