Mtumwa found Scar lying over a large rock in the middle of a field. He didn't look like he noticed Mtumwa at all.

Mtumwa laughed nervously, having a bad feeling that Scar wasn't going to like the bad news that he had for him. The news that he had failed the task Scar had given him. He had no idea that Scar had actually wanted him to fail, however.

"H–Hi, Scar," said Mtumwa nervously, expecting the worst.

Scar finally looked like he noticed Mtumwa, and rolled over on to his stomach. "Oh… it's you," he said, sounding like he didn't want to even see Mtumwa at all. But that couldn't be true… they were friends, right? "So, did you complete your little mission I sent you on?"

Mtumwa laughed loudly. "Well… About that, I… Uh…"

"Go on," Scar urged, now smiling.

He knew Mtumwa had failed. Someone of his stupidity just had to. And this pleased him, for the sole reason that he figured he most likely had killed Simba, but in a way so that everyone knew he did, and he would surely be murdered for such an action, allowing Scar to get rid of Mtumwa for good, and giving him a chance at taking the kingdom by surprise while they were busy deciding on just how painful Mtumwa's death was going to be. Like Scar sad before, he'd be killing two birds with stone.

"Scar, I didn't exactly manage to do what you said," Mtumwa confessed, fear evident in his voice. He didn't want to upset his idol.

Scar looked sympathetic. "Oh, really? What happened?"

"Well, I found Prince Simba, and I tried to kill him with a rock, but only managed to knock him out," Mtumwa explained quickly. "Then I had to run away because his girlfriend showed up."

And that's when Scar became furious. He couldn't even manage to kill Simba? Oh, come on… that was just too easy! Go up to the kid and slash him in the throat, it wasn't hard. Even Scar could manage it… but he didn't exactly like to get his paws dirty. He preferred other people to do his dirty work for him.

"You what?" Scar screamed, causing Mtumwa to jump back in surprise, falling on to his back. "I ask you to do one simple thing and you fail! Miserably, I might add! How could you mess something so simple up?"

"It was… difficult," Mtumwa replied, fear filling him up fast. Scar could be one of the most terrifying lions in the world if you got on his bad side – something that happened to most people who had met him. "Things got kinda complicated, you see."

"Complicated?" bellowed Scar furiously. Was he even actually saying this? "How hard can murdering a cub be?"

"Well, like I said, his girlfriend caught me in the act," Mtumwa replied, flinching in case Scar lashed out at him, which was more than likely for such an evil, hatred-filled person.

"So?" Scar retorted. "Kill them both! I don't care! Hang their intestines from a tree! Do anything to kill them!"

"Well, I guess I'll have to try some other time," Mtumwa said, trying to get up.

Scar pounced on Mtumwa, sending him back to the ground, and hard, too. "You're not getting away so quickly, Mtumwa,"

Scar told him sinisterly, causing Mtumwa to fear Scar even more.

"I–I'm not?" said Mtumwa, shaking with fear now. Was Scar going to kill him? Torture him? Feed him to his hyena minions?

Scar smiled evilly and shook his head. "No, no, no. You're going to finish those two cubs off, and you're going to do it now!"

Mtumwa managed a nervous smile. "And… if I don't?"

"Then I'll make you pay dearly for it," Scar replied. "After all, my hyena slaves get so hungry these days, without any food and all."

Mtumwa gulped in fear. "Don't worry about it," he assured Scar. "I'll take of it the right way this time."

"See to it that you do, otherwise you'll be on the menu tonight," Scar told Mtumwa, releasing him from his grasp. "I'll give you half an hour. I think that's more than generous."

"Half an hour. Got it!" Mtumwa exclaimed, before sprinting off again. He didn't want to be eaten alive! He couldn't get this wrong. Come on, it was only two cubs, how hard could it be?

The answer? Very.

"Simba, come on, wake up!" Nala shouted at Simba's unconscious body, shaking him furiously. "Wake up! Wake up! Wake up!"

Simba's eyes flickered open. "Huh?" he said, confused.

Nala rolled her eyes and slapped him in the face, bringing him back to normal. "Simba, are you okay?"

Simba rubbed his burning cheek. "Yeah," he replied. "Apart from being hit in the face, I'm fine."

"It could have been worse," Nala told him. "Some guy hit you on the head with a rock."

"So that's why I have a bump on my head," Simba concluded, rubbing a barely noticeable bump on the top of his head.

"Did you see who it was?"

"Some weird guy," Nala replied. "He ran off, though. I don't know where he is now."

"I'd sure like to find out," Simba said, an angry look on his face. "I'd show him a thing or two."

"He didn't seem very mean," Nala told him. "Just… weird."

"Why'd you go talk to him anyway?" Simba asked, confused.

"Because I wanted to teach him a little lesson," she replied. "I'm not gonna let anyone throw rocks at you and get away with it. You are my best friend, after all."

Simba smiled. "Thanks, Nala."

"Don't mention it," she said, smiling back.

Suddenly, Nala was grabbed from behind by something. Simba gasped, and when Nala came to her senses she saw Mtumwa was trying to hold her down. He was back? Now what did he want?

"Hold still, you little…" said Mtumwa as he tried to keep Nala on the ground. She was a fighter, though, and wasn't going to go down easily.

"Get away from her," Simba ordered Mtumwa furiously.

Mtumwa turned his head to see Simba, who didn't look very happy. Well, if your best friend was being attacked by some crazy lion you wouldn't be happy either, would you?

"Sorry," Mtumwa apologised. "I have to do what my eternal master has instructed me to do."

Huh? What was that supposed to mean? Simba didn't know of course, but he had an inkling that this meant the deaths of both Nala and him. Simba didn't even know this lion – what did he want to kill them for?

Thinking fast, because he of course didn't want Nala to die, he pounced at Mtumwa, landing on his back.

"Hey! What are you—" Mtumwa screamed when Simba bit into the back of Mtumwa's neck with his teeth. This caused him to let go of Nala, allowing her to escape. Mtumwa shook Simba off of his back, knocking Simba onto the ground.

"Are you okay?" Simba asked Nala, concerned.

"I'm fine," Nala replied.

Mtumwa slowly hauled himself to his paws, tired already. He wasn't cut out for this murdering – or fighting, for that matter – business. He'd had quite enough violence for one day, and he was contemplating just giving up on this task altogether.

Mtumwa decided to give it one more shot, though. He looked at Simba and Nala, and saw they were glaring at Mtumwa angrily, growling.

Mtumwa gulped. These cubs were a lot stronger than he thought. This wasn't even worth his time. If he tried to fight, then he would be the one who would end up dead! This just wasn't worth it. His life was more important to him.

"See ya," Mtumwa said before running away again.

Simba and Nala's angry looks faded away when they looked at each other, and started laughing.

"What a creep!" Simba exclaimed through laughter. "We sure showed him!"

"Yeah, we did!" Nala agreed. She sighed. "There's a lot of freaks hanging around, aren't there?"

"What do you mean?" Simba asked, confused.

"Well, first we had the guy with the strange staff, and now we get that guy!" Nala exclaimed. "I wonder what he meant by his 'eternal master'?"

Simba shrugged. "He was crazy. He could have meant anything."

"Yeah… like your Uncle Scar," Nala joked, causing Simba to laugh even harder.

"Now that's just stupid!"

Scar wasn't pleased, and he had a feeling that this would be the most likely outcome of today. Mtumwa would fail – again – and Scar would have the most miserable end to a miserable day.

So while Mtumwa told Scar excuse after excuse after excuse, all Scar could do was just listen. He couldn't even be bothered to get angry – he just didn't have the strength. Mtumwa had completely drained him today. He was the most annoying lion in the world, and had successfully made Scar's life more miserable than it already was – if that was even possible.

"… So that's why I couldn't do it, Scar," Mtumwa explained, expecting Scar to still give him up to the hyenas for dinner anyway.

"Yeah, great," Scar mumbled, pressing his face into the ground. "Just go."

"Now you don't have to be like that… Wait, what?" Mtumwa exclaimed, confused. Was Scar asking him to go?

"I said go," Scar repeated, only loudly this time.

"Uh… Why?" Mtumwa asked.

"Just go!" Scar screamed furiously.

That pretty much settled it for Mtumwa. If there was an opportunity to escape then he was sure as hell going to take it!

"Thank you, oh Great One," Mtumwa said, giving a little bow to Scar before walking off. Maybe he'd wait a little while before revisiting his good pal Scar…

Scar watched Mtumwa disappear into the sunset, and then sunk back down to the ground. He'd had enough for one day.

More than enough.

Would he ever get his reward? He doubted it.