Molly was restless waiting for Scar. Pacing, she stayed clear of Zira. The other lioness had woken up and had been furious about Rafiki drugging her. Bapoto had gone over to speak with her. Molly heard snippets of Zira's outrage but couldn't make sense of it. By the time Bapoto left to rejoin his brother on watch, Zira had slumped into a sullen silence. She shot a glare towards Molly before laying down with her back to the other lioness. Ed gave a laugh next to Molly and crouched to scratch his ear.

She thought about the revelation that the hyenas knew about the transformations. Hope once again blossomed in her that there could be a way for her and Scar to remain together. The thought of him brought her head up, wondering where he could be. Light in the distance flashed and caught her attention from the corner of her eye. She turned and stared into the distance, waiting, but it didn't happen again.

"He's still gone?" Shenzi's voice asked from behind.

Molly turned, "Yes."

"I thought he'd be back by now. We need to make a plan for dealing with-"

"Shenzi!" a hyena Molly didn't know burst from the grass, two more close on his heels, "The scouts found tracks."

"Human," one of the others interjected.

Shenzi jumped forward, "Show me," she demanded.

The others didn't even stop, they switched back on their trail and ran ahead. Molly followed, Ed right behind. Bapoto and Masika noticed the group moving off into the grass and followed. Banzai was waiting deep in the grass, several other hyenas circling. Shenzi came up and looked inquiringly at him.

"From last night, heading east," he nodded towards where the tracks disappeared into the tall grass, "Three of them."

Shenzi sniffed. Molly took a deep breath and found the scent Scar had tried to have her recognize when the carcass of the lioness had disappeared. The scent was fresh enough to be easily followed. What had they been doing? She felt uneasy. Something was wrong. Why would they come so close in human form?

"Bapoto, Masika," Shenzi spoke, "The two of you go back with Molly. Banzai, Zote, Kijani, you come with me. Ed, Sungura, you and the pack stay here, watching for anything else. Tell them to send a runner if they have anything to report."

"Shenzi-" Molly started to caution her friend but she was already moving through the grass, following the tracks and their scent.

Bapoto and Masika flanked her and reluctantly she headed back up to wait.

Bapoto met her eyes with a confident gaze, "Don't worry. We'll keep you safe. And I'm sure Scar will be back soon."

She attempted a small smile and a nod, "Thank you, Bapoto." All she could do was worry. She sighed and turned towards the tree Rafiki resided in. The two lions continued on but Ed stuck close. Gingerly making her way to the trunk, she called up, "Rafiki?"

Rustling and some grunts answered her before he poked his colorful head over the side of a high branch. "What is it?" he asked groggily.

"Can you see very far from up there?"

He rubbed the heel of a hand against his eye and yawned, "Far enough. What do you wish to look for?"

"Can you see Shenzi and the others? They went east."

He disappeared and she heard more grunts and rustling as he climbed higher. A few moments of silence, then, "Yes. I see them."

"Can you see ahead of them? The direction they're headed?"

"Yes. More grass. What are you expecting?"

She didn't know. "Is there any sign of humans that way? Or lions?"

Rafiki took a while to answer back, "I don't see anything from this vantage point. That doesn't mean much. The grass hides much from my view."

Molly sighed. She wasn't sure what she'd been expecting him to see. Smoke? A Pride of lions just lounging around in plain sight? "Thank you, Rafiki." She turned to go when she heard a startled shriek come from the baboon.

He raced down the tree to her, leaping to the ground, brandishing his staff, "Run, Molly!" he darted towards her, "They're coming from-" he cut off as a dart entered his arm. Blinking, eyes drooping, he slumped to the ground.

Molly whirled to see nothing but grass surrounding everything. There was no sign of where the dart had come from. Then roars broke out from the direction of Pride Rock. Bapoto and Masika rushed to put themselves between her and the noise when flares exploded in the sky from the grasslands. Hyena yelps and the sounds of engines boxed her in against the oncoming wall of lions. They descended on Bapoto and Masika, teeth and claws bared.

Zira burst from the grass on Molly's right and yelled, "What are you doing?! Move!" and without waiting to see if Molly obeyed, she ran headlong into the grass.

Molly followed as fast as she could. Adrenaline overrode the pain her body was in as she raced along Zira's path, Ed at her heels. The other lioness was much faster and left a zigzagging trail that had Molly bouncing left and right at maddening speeds. She'd lost sight of her but could hear her ahead, crashing through the underbrush. Then she didn't hear her anymore. Seconds later she stumbled over Zira's unconscious body and went sprawling in the dirt next to her. Scrambling to her feet, she bolted blindly. Flashes of flares, roars, yelps, human cries of pain, the smell of blood and distant sounds of gunfire assaulted her senses. She had no idea where she was heading, she just ran in an all out panic.

A sharp pain bloomed along her side and another in her neck. Her vision began to tunnel and she stumbled again, this time over nothing. The darts. She fell to the ground, fighting the darkness that threatened to pull her under. Ed whimpered and nuzzled at her, then let out a sharp yelp and was gone.

A human voice came from behind and above her, but it wasn't a language she recognized. Another answered. The voices became a low, unintelligible murmur as Molly's eyes rolled into the back of her head.

…

Scar was heading back when he heard the sounds of battle. Then the flashes of light lit up the sky as bright as day and his heart leapt into his throat. Molly! He ran all out and launched himself at an unfamiliar lioness facing off with Masika. Merciless, he clamped his jaws around her throat and gave a sharp shake of his head. His teeth tore into her and he tasted her blood as it poured out of her. She clawed feebly at him, but another violent shake of his head and her body went limp. Releasing her, Scar looked about wildly.

Masika and Bapoto were both fighting lionesses from their own Pride. Past them lay multiple bodies, some lion, mostly hyenas.

"Molly!" he roared, finding no sign of her. He rushed to Bapoto's side, "Where is Molly?!" he demanded of the young lion.

Bapoto panted as he attempted to catch his breath from his latest fight, "Rafiki's tree. Ran. I didn't see," he shook his head, "I'm sorry-" he cut off as another lioness made for them.

Scar turned and slammed his paw into her hard enough to crack her jaw and send her sprawling in the dirt.

Masika met them and gasped, "Go, we will hold them off."

Scar turned and ran to where he caught and could follow Molly's scent through the grass. Please, be safe, he thought as he tore through the battleground. He passed Rafiki's tree and his prone body, smelled Zira, passed a downed and bleeding Ed, then came to a clearing out in the grasslands where he could see in the distance Molly being loaded onto the back of a large gray monster. Light poured from its many eyes, illuminating the humans crawling all over and around it. One shouted and pointed a long, hollow staff at Scar before another shouted and held up a hand. They closed Molly behind the ribs of the beast and the creature roared fiercely as the humans clamored onto it. It lurched forward and Scar felt fear in his heart. The staff came up in the human's hands again and a thud against Scar's right shoulder preceded a loud crack as if lightning had struck. An angry shout rang out from the other human and Scar winced at the new fiery pain in his right foreleg as he tried to run on. Staggering, he looked down to see blood flowing down his chest and leg. His breathing was labored, but he pushed on, slowly gaining on the human infested beast.

He leaped as it made a sharp turn to evade him. Landing hard on its flat back, Scar's claws scrabbled for purchase against the slick and unyielding surface. His body slammed into the ribs keeping Molly from him. Shouts from the humans, then roars as some changed into lions and intercepted him. Two shoved their whole bodies against him, sending all three of them tumbling off the beast and into the dirt. Rolling to his feet, Scar favored his wounded leg. A lion and lioness stood before him, grinning. The beast made off into the distance with Molly in its clutches.

"Pacha has your precious little kitten, now," the young lion laughed. He wasn't much bigger than Bapoto, "What are you going to do?"

"I'm going to kill all of you," he snarled.

They exchanged a smug glance and the lioness nodded towards his wound, "With a bullet in you? Go on then."

Scar jumped for her and dodged to the right towards the lion instead just as she moved. He came up under the surprised lion and used his momentum to slam him backwards, toppling him over and exposing his belly. Scars jaws clamped down on the male's testicles and tore. Roaring in agony, the lion kicked at him with his hind legs as the lioness dashed towards him. Scar jumped out of the way and felt one of the testicles burst as he twisted it. The lion kicked again, bellowing, and Scar released him to catch the weight of the larger lioness against his good shoulder. His claws slashed at her as she attempted to get her teeth in past his mane to his throat. His wounded leg sent waves of pain up into him every time he used it, but he took the pain and used it to fuel the rage coursing through him. He found an opening and swiveled his head around as he slammed the lioness into the ground. His teeth closed around her left ear and eye and he bit down hard. Shrieking as he crushed her eye socket, the lioness writhed under him, claws flailing at any soft part she could find. Scar released and bit down again on the base of her skull. Shaking his head, he dislocated her skull from her spine and her legs went limp.

He dropped her from his jaws and turned to find the young lion trying to limp away as quickly as he could. When he heard Scar slowly stalking towards him, he fell and cried, "Please, I'm just doing what I was ordered to do."

Scar didn't answer. He limped towards the lion and stood over him. It hurt to breathe. His adrenaline was leaving him. The sounds of battle around them were dying down. He would have to gather whatever was left of his allies and try to track Molly. His heart ached at the thought of her being taken. He hated himself for dallying with the vision of his mother. I should have been here. But the thought felt empty. Pacha had been able to use his ignorance of humans against him. Deep down he knew that it was unlikely that the outcome would have been much different whether he'd been here or not. His inadequacies, his fear, his self loathing, they roiled inside of him like a storm. His face held a bored, lazy look, but his eyes burned as he looked down at the young lion.

"Pacha has forgotten what it's like to go to war with me," he said calmly. Leaning down, ignoring the begging and whimpering of the lion, he took his skull into his jaws, batting away the protesting paws. Leaning his weight against the smaller lion, he bit down harder, harder, until the bone crushed inward and the screams turned to gurgling wheezes. The lion's body convulsed once, twice, and then lay still.

Scar released him and straightened at the sound of large bodies crashing through the grass. Bapoto and Masika appeared, bloody, torn, but alive. They stopped, looked around then brought sad eyes to Scar.

"Molly is gone," he said, shocked at how steady his voice was.

Bapoto stepped forward and opened his mouth to say something when Shenzi and Banzai burst from the undergrowth and skidded to a halt not two feet from the dead lioness. They hesitated at the sight of the carnage. Shenzi looked at the ground and followed deep furrows in the ground left by the beast.

"Molly," she said, voice strained as she glanced back at Scar.

"Pacha has taken her," he winced and groaned as he turned to walk to her.

"You're hurt?"

"The humans used something to hurt me from far away," he indicated his shoulder.

Shenzi and Banzai exchanged a look before Banzai said, "We have to get him to Ukweli. She'll know what to do."

Shenzi nodded once, then blinked and jerked as if startled by something, "Ed. Was he with her?"

Scar shook his head and moved it slightly to indicate behind him, "He was back that way when I ran after her."

The two hyenas ran off into the dark as Scar lowered himself to his haunches, staring off the way Molly had disappeared. Bapoto and Masika came up next to him.

"The lionesses attacked from Pride Rock," Masika started, "We weren't ready for enemies behind us. I'm sorry, Scar."

Scar said nothing.

"Zira is gone," Bapoto said, "Her scent is mingled with them. Either they took her, or…"

The unspoken accusation hung in the air. Scar glanced up at the stars before growling and turning. Shenzi and Banzai were returning with an injured but relatively coherent Ed between them. "Shenzi," Scar called, "Gather what's left of the pack, quickly. Any able to walk. You will take me to this Ukweli now."

Shenzi nodded and tore off into the night, leaving Banzai to watch over Ed.

"Bapoto, Masika," Scar felt like lying down but he kept himself upright, teeth clenched around a wave of pain, "Find out what you can about the lioness attack. Report to me under Rafiki's tree by sunrise."

The lions bowed their heads in understanding and left. Scar hobbled towards Banzai and Ed, "Come," he said, leading them towards the tree, "We can do no more until the others return."

"Scar," Banzai helped Ed follow him, "You need to get that taken care of," he darted his eyes to the wounded shoulder, "Ukweli is a full days walk from here. If Rafiki can do something to help, you should ask him."

"Rafiki might not be alive to ask."

The hyena fell silent, even Ed walked in a brooding silence as the three of them made it to the old monkey's tree. Rafiki was still there, unconscious but breathing, no visible injuries. Something protruded from his skin, but it didn't seem to be the type of injury inflicted on Scar. Huffing, growling, Scar managed to lower himself to the ground. Mindful of his injury, he laid down on his uninjured side and waited. He licked his wound and cleaned the blood from his fur as best he could. He tasted the blood of the other two lions and consoled himself with the thought that soon he would taste Pacha's blood as well.

Sincerest apologies for being gone for two months. What little free time I have has been taken up by Baldur's Gate. I'm absolutely obsessed. Anyway, I hope you enjoy the new chapter...though there's not much good to enjoy... We're getting into the grit of it now.

If you have an AO3 account, you can find this there under the same title and username. I only mention it because someone over there has drawn my very first fanart for my fic! I wanted to share with everyone. I'm so giddy over it!

You guys are all the best. Can't wait to hear what you think of this chapter.

Much love,

Meg