Chapter 19

"Pacha," Scar growled, "Back from the dead."

Gruesome scars stretched Pacha's grin into a twisted mess, "Yes, old friend. Well put." The rest of his body slid from the grass. Pacha had been handsome once. Now his once muscular and dark hide was almost skeletal, crisscrossed with puckered flesh, the telltale signs of their fight. A hind leg looked thinner than the other, muscle missing. Scar didn't remember inflicting this much damage on him. Pacha noticed his attention to the leg and gave a dry laugh, "After you left me, life wasn't exactly easy."

"You brought it on yourself."

"Hmm," Pacha's eyes slid down to where Molly lay at Scar's feet. Inhaling deeply, he grinned again, "All that fuss over a lioness. Now you have a new beauty. Will you take this one or wait for your better to claim her?"

Scar growled, "Leave, Pacha."

Taking a step forward instead, Pacha flinched when Scar snarled and leapt forward, swiping at his face. Molly snapped awake and clambered to her feet.

"Scar?" she moved behind him, "Who-?"

"Molly, stay back," Scar kept his eyes locked on Pacha. If the other male made even the slightest move towards Molly, he was going to shred what was left of him and scatter it over the Pridelands.

"Scar?" Pacha laughed as he sat down, the very picture of innocence, "That little scratch earned you such a title? One wonders what they would call me," he grinned back at Molly, "Still ordering others around, Taka? Didn't learn your lesson before, princeling?"

Scar wanted to tear his throat out, but he couldn't get in a head to head without knowing Molly was safe, "Why have you returned? You were banished."

"As were you, and yet it seems your dear brother has forgiven you and brought you back into the fold. Perhaps Mufasa will be as forgiving of me?"

Scar snorted.

"Yes, you're probably right," Pacha sighed dramatically, "I suppose my friends and I will just have to keep looking."

"Hmph, where did you find friends?" Scar went rigid as several more scents hit him. They weren't close, but he could tell they were following behind Pacha. If Scar didn't get Molly away soon, they'd be facing a hunting party.

Pacha just sat there smiling.

"Molly," Scar backed up a step, "You can see Pride Rock. I want you to run, run and don't stop."

"Aren't you coming?"

She didn't know, she hadn't picked up the other scents. Shaking his head, Scar hoped she would listen and just go. Every second mattered. "Go, Molly, now!"

"I'm not leaving you, look at him, we can fight him together."

"Ah, such a loyal little lioness," Pacha chuckled, "Not too bright though…"

"Molly, please. There are more coming."

Pacha's eyes narrowed, looking from Scar to Molly, "Nose-blind too? Good thing you're so pretty. I can't possibly see what else he sees in you. Must be all he can get after losing the love of his life. How does it feel, Taka?" he returned his attention to Scar, "Knowing your brother breeds Sarabi every night? Does he let you watch?"

Scar's claws flexed into the dirt, but he didn't respond, "Molly, go."

"Scar…" but she was moving finally, he could hear her backing up.

"GO!" he roared, and she took off.

"Pity," Pacha shook his head, "I was hoping to get better acquainted with your sweet Molly. Hmph, odd name… She doesn't smell like the pride," he said the last quietly, almost to himself.

Listening to Molly crash through the grass, Scar waited until she had enough of a head start before lunging at Pacha. Instead of meeting him in combat, the older lion dodged and ran back the way he'd come. Scar followed, easily gaining before Pacha laughed and called back over his shoulder, "I hope your little lioness is a good fighter, Taka. Mzoga likes to play with her food."

Skidding to a halt, Scar turned back towards where Molly had run to. The smell of her and his focus on Pacha had distracted him from it, but it was there on the wind, the scent of another lioness.

"No," Scar felt a ball form at the bottom of his stomach. Running all out, he cursed himself. There was no way he'd reach her in time. He'd sent her to her death.

…

Molly ran headlong through the grass, heart racing and lungs working overtime. She'd never been so scared. Leaving Scar behind to face off a group of lions felt wrong, but she knew he hadn't trained her enough to fight, she'd only be a hindrance. Keeping Pride Rock in her field of vision, she ran on, hoping Scar would be alright.

Her body had kicked into preservation mode, so she finally felt free of the ridiculous urges that had kept her in a brain fog for hours. Instead everything was crystal clear, her body did the running and her mind was free to think.

The lion that Scar was so worried about had tracked them and somehow gained on them. Molly wasn't sure if that was her fault or not, but she still felt guilty. If she had never come here, would this Pacha even have a way to hurt Scar? Shuddering as she remembered the way Pacha had looked at her, Molly brought her head up at a sudden new smell coming from straight ahead of her.

Another lion? It must be one from Mufasa's pride! She felt hope, if she could get to this other lion and convince them to come help Scar… But something made her nose twitch, the scent was almost just like-

A large lioness leapt on her from the tall grass, teeth clamping on a hindquarter as claws dug into Molly's sides. Screaming, Molly felt herself thrown off balance sideways and the two went rolling in the dirt. Twisting round, Molly snarled and hissed as she swiped at the other lion's face. Blood flew everywhere from Molly's wounds. A swipe of her paw connected with the lion's face and it released its mouth, growling in pain. Their continued momentum from the fall jarred the claws loose from Molly and they rolled apart. A dust cloud rose up around them. Standing to face off with her attacker, Molly trembled, the deep gouges and bite burned as the dust settled into them.

The other lioness licked Molly's blood off her lips and grinned, "You're tasty."

Molly saw Pride Rock over the others shoulder. Fuck.

"Going to warn your friends?" golden eyes watched Molly like she was a mouse.

Swallowing, Molly tried to formulate a plan. She couldn't face a real lion in a fight, but she wasn't about to let it stop her from reaching help for Scar.

The golden eyed lion stayed alert, watching Molly carefully. Molly knew she couldn't outrun her, even if she hadn't been injured. She was exhausted from the long walk and now the run from what Scar had thought was their only threat.

Think, Molly.

The golden eyed lioness lunged forward. Molly panicked and hesitated before a poor attempt to dodge. The lioness just missed crashing into her full force, and instead slashed fresh cuts into Molly's left shoulder. Snarling in pain, Molly managed a weak backhand that caught the lioness in one ear, then they were standing separate again.

Laughing, the golden eyed lioness shook her head, "You Pridelanders are weak. I've never seen a lioness that couldn't put up some kind of fight."

Molly realized their little tussle had put her closer to Pride Rock. She knew she was in no shape to outrun her attacker, but she couldn't stay here and get mauled. The wind blew against her back and, desperate, she pricked her ears forward and glanced behind the other lioness.

"Scar!" she called out in relief.

Whirling, the other lioness crouched and turned her back on Molly. As soon as those golden eyes were off her, Molly bolted. An angry roar rose up behind her and she heard the lioness come running after her. Hind legs and shoulder burning, Molly pushed herself as fast as her lion body could go. She could hear the other lioness gaining, her ruse hadn't bought her much time. Pride Rock was still over a mile away, she wasn't going to make it.

I'm going to die.

…

Scar raced across the grasslands, his nose picked up the scent of blood. He was already running as fast as he could, but he tried to will his legs to go faster. He had heard Molly's roars of pain, his heart in his throat. Whatever happened, he was going to eviscerate whoever was hurting her. He burst into a bare patch of dirt and hesitated at the sight and smell of blood sprayed across the earth. Then continued on, hoping he wasn't too late. Somehow she'd gotten away despite obviously being badly injured.

Hang on, Molly. Please.

Pacha had tricked him, used his fear against him and separated Molly from him. Damn the withered bastard. How had he ingratiated himself into another Pride? Scar had left him for vulture food and now he was back, and with reinforcements.

I should have finished him off all those years ago.

If Molly died, Scar would make it his life's purpose to kill Pacha and every last lion in his Pride. The idea of her being gone made him sick. He should have listened to Rafiki and taken her to Pride Rock sooner instead of letting his arrogance convince him he could protect her himself. She'd counted on him, trusted him to do the right thing, and now he was helpless to do anything but run after her. It was like a bad dream, his limbs were growing heavy from exhaustion. He could feel himself slowing, breath panting in and out as his heart hammered against his ribs.

Pride Rock loomed in the distance, his symbol of hate at that moment became one of hope. If Molly could reach it, Sarabi would remember her and, maybe, protect her.

A yowl of pain and fear pierced through the night, followed by multiple roars and snarls. Scar prayed to the ever silent Kings that he wasn't too late.

I hope you're all still enjoying the story. I'm going to try and update on the first of every month, that way you guys will have a better idea of when to expect new chapters, and can hold me more accountable if I miss an update.

Much love to all of you! I hope 2023 is treating you all well so far.

Meg