Chapter 18

Worrying thoughts kept Scar awake for a long time after he'd laid down with Molly. What was he going to do about the mess he'd managed to drag her into? She shouldn't have to face down his enemies, no matter how willing she was. He'd seen his brother's pride defend Mufasa more than often enough to know that's what lioness' did for their male, but...Molly was human. What were their customs in relationships?

She wouldn't have suggested it if her people didn't fight for each other too, he thought to himself. Scar rubbed his chin against her sleeping form.

The subject of her family, especially her father, had upset her greatly. Scar didn't know how human families worked, but it seemed her relationship with her father differed greatly from Scar's. He was almost envious, how different his life would be with a loving father.

But then, he thought, I would not have been out in the Pridelands alone and found Molly...

Though a small part of him told him she shouldn't be there, that he didn't deserve her, a larger part of him had already decided that it didn't matter anymore. She was his, and he would not let go willingly. Let Pacha come, let Mufasa and the Pride meddle, he wouldn't let them separate them. Tomorrow, they would leave for Pride Rock, he would keep her safe. Licking her cheek, he smiled as she muttered in her sleep and curled even further into him.

...

Molly felt Scar stretching from sleep as she herself woke. Yawning, she shook her head and blinked up at him as he licked the top of her head.

"Good morning," she said, "Or night, whatever."

Huffing, Scar said, "We are leaving, Molly. If you want to say goodbye to the hyenas, you should. I do not know when we will be able to return to them."

He led her out of the cave, the hyenas greeted them, and Scar explained the same to them, that this was possibly goodbye forever. The pups whimpered and begged Molly to stay, but Shenzi came forward and soothed them, "None of that. We'll see them again. Scar'll make sure Molly's safe and she'll come back to visit as soon as she can."

Turning to Molly after the pups ran off, Shenzi gave her a knowing look. She did not believe what she had told the pups, "I hope we meet again," the hyena said quietly, "Ed's going to be miserable," she grinned sideways and rolled her eyes.

Molly managed a sad smile and nodded, "I hope we meet again too, Shenzi. I will miss you, all of you."

Touching noses with the members of the pack she'd grown closest to, and attempting to comfort an abashed Ed, Molly finally met Scar at the top of the path that lead out of the Graveyard.

"Ready?" he asked.

Shrugging but nodding, Molly looked back and sighed, "They'll be alright without us?"

"Yes."

"Then yes, I'm ready."

Side by side, the two lions left, making their way towards the landmark in the distance that was both a haven and a danger to them.

...

The smell of green grass reached them before they saw it, a strong breeze pushing against them as they topped a hill. Scar hoped the breeze wouldn't carry their scent too far back to Pacha. He planned on pushing through the day, not stopping until they reached Pride Rock. Molly seemed fine to continue, keeping pace with him despite the long walk behind them. There was a watering hole not much further ahead where they could rest for a mere moment.

"We're close," Scar said, rubbing against Molly, "It will be the last watering hole until midday tomorrow."

"I'm fine," she reassured him, giving him a bemused smile, "I can't imagine what this trip would do to my human body, but I feel good to continue."

"You won't be fine for much longer if we don't stop. Even lions have their limits," he headed down the hill.

They traveled most of the way in complete silence, both wrapped up in their own thoughts and worries. Scar had focused solely on what to do about Mufasa and the pride, pushing Pacha to the back of his mind, hoping they could reach safety before he became a real threat. He was not looking forward to being in an enclosed space with his brother, nor would Mufasa look forward to welcoming him back. Scar wondered if his brother knew of Pacha by now. Zazu, Mufasa's obedient little bird brain of a servant, would surely have his network of eyes and ears reporting as always. The King was kept abreast of every day to day happening, why not this?

"Scar?" Molly's voice brought him out of his brooding.

"Yes?"

"Do...I mean... From what humans know of lions, they have more than one mate. Does your brother mate with all the lionesses at Pride Rock?"

"Mufasa breeds with many lionesses, but Sarabi is still his chosen mate," Scar replied, wondering where this question had sprung from.

"And if I'm at Pride Rock?"

Ah. Coming to a stop, Scar kept his voice as steady as he could, "My brother will not touch you. I won't allow it."

"Because you're claiming me as your mate?"

Turning to face her, Scar caught her gaze with his, waiting a moment before speaking, "As an intended mate, yes."

Averting her eyes from his, Molly cleared her throat, "Um...and do you breed with other lionesses?"

"No."

"Oh. Good," and she made as if to continue walking, but Scar blocked her.

"How do humans choose mates?"

"Oh, well, there are many different ways, depending on the culture...er... Depending on the customs of our pride..."

"And your custom?"

Her blue eyes stared into him, then glanced down at his mouth for some reason, then back up, "We do a thing called dating, then if we find someone we want to spend the rest of our life with, we choose them as a mate. Um...I guess for some people breeding can happen between that, but I've never... I mean, not in the way that..."

Tilting his head, Scar watched her stammer to a stop. Narrowing his eyes, he wondered why she was suddenly so interested in this. Then the wind switched directions and he smelled it. Gritting his teeth, he closed his eyes.

Oh no. No, no, no, no. Not here, not now...

"Molly, he said as calmly as he could, "How do you feel right now?"

"I feel fine," but she couldn't make eye contact with him. There was no mistaking that scent coming off her. This was the last thing they needed, not this on top of everything else.

Sauntering towards her, he fought to keep himself in check. Rubbing his body down the entirety of hers, he felt her shudder and she leaned into him aggressively. Rounding her, he moved to hold his head next to hers and said quietly, "I mean how do you feel about me? Now?"

Almost panting, Molly glanced at him with glazed eyes, "I don't know what you mean, Scar."

Grinning, despite himself, he licked her slowly on the cheek, "Are you sure?"

Sighing and leaning into the caress, she muttered, "Mmhmm."

He nudged her with his head, "Molly, you're lying. This is a dangerous time to not be truthful with me."

Shaking her head, Molly growled low in the back of her throat, then seemed to snap out of it, and blinked up at him in surprise, "Scar," she gasped, "I...I think I'm in heat!"

...

Feeling like she was going mad, Molly stepped away from the big lion. Her hormones raged through her in a way they hadn't since she'd gone through puberty. The urges inside her were producing thoughts about Scar that if she'd been human would have her blushing lobster red from head to toe.

Chuckling darkly, Scar shook his head, "Damn... Of course it would be now..." His whole body seemed to be quivering, and he stepped away from her as well, "Our journey has become even more dangerous. Arriving at Pride Rock with you in this state will cause quite the commotion. We will be even more easy for Pacha to track, and..." he sighed, "I will have to keep a tight reign on myself..."

"What is that supposed to mean?"

"You were already tempting, Molly," he groaned, "And now... Suffice it to say that I should walk ahead of you for the rest of the journey."

"What happens when we reach Pride Rock? Will the pride believe we're mates if I'm in heat and you're not...we're not... I mean-"

"We'll deal with that when we get there. I've never had a lioness with me to know how this goes from here," he admitted, "But I promise I will protect you, even from myself. Come," he nodded for her to follow him and began again on the path to Pride Rock.

Feeling as though her body were betraying her, Molly followed. The further they went, the harder it became for her to think rationally. This was puberty ramped up to eleven. She wanted to rub on everything in sight, and Scar ignoring her was starting to become unbearably irritating. Taking deep breaths, she managed to hold herself in check until they reached the water hole.

Moving a ways upwind, Scar bent to drink, leaving Molly at the other end. Still new at drinking like a lion, the task absorbed her attention for a moment and gave her some peace. Once finished, however, she rolled on the ground, growling and thrashing back and forth. Yelling at herself to get up, she shakily got to her feet.

"How long will I be like this?" she gasped.

"Several days."

"Fuck..."

"We need to keep moving," Scar said, already heading off.

"I thought you said we could rest here a bit?"

"That was before you became a lure for every male lion in several miles. We need to get you somewhere safe now."

She noticed he wouldn't look at her, his tail thrashing back and forth aggressively as he stood on the far side of the watering hole, waiting.

"Scar, I'm scared," she admitted, "Humans don't go through this. I don't know how to deal with it."

One green eye peered at her over his shoulder, "I'm sorry, Molly. But we must keep moving. I can't risk Pacha catching up with us when you're in this state. I can't trust that you-" He cut off and shook his head, "Please Molly, just follow me. It's only the rest of today and another night."

His pleading tone got her feet moving. She wouldn't let her mind wander over the things her body was begging for. Instead, she tried to concentrate on her back story, the barely plausible lie that she would have to use to convince a pride of lions, as her brain was flooded with a lionesses sex drive.

...

Scar wanted nothing more than to turn around and give into his impulses. He'd never been allowed to be near any of the lionesses while they were in heat, Mufasa had guarded them carefully. He wondered if his ability to deny himself came from some superior self control or the simple fact that what he felt for Molly was more than the urge to breed. Either way, he wasn't sure he could make it to Pride Rock. Picking up his pace, he tried to ignore the scent that sometimes brushed past his nose, calling to him. Sneezing, he growled.

This was not going to be easy.

And what of Molly's question of what they would do once they reached the pride? They would wonder why he and Molly weren't actively mating. Other than her not allowing it because she did not want him as a mate, there was no reason for a lioness to deny him. That answer would leave her open to being claimed by Mufasa. Grinding his teeth, Scar vowed he'd kill his brother before letting that happen. Mind racing, he tried to think of something and continued to come up with nothing.

They continued the rest of the day in silence, both miserable. Molly had once run in front of him and almost rolled onto her back before she growled and ran off again. Now she trailed even further behind him, a permanent snarl on her face. Scar couldn't imagine what she was going through. If humans didn't go into heat, how did they know it was time to breed?

Night fell and Scar had to admit they both needed a moment to catch their breath. Molly had gone so far without a complaint when even a lioness would have requested a stop.

"Scar," she said weakly.

He turned to find her looking at him with clear eyes. Had she come through it in only a matter of a day? He'd never heard of such a thing. Warily, he moved towards her, stopping within a pace from her.

"We can rest here for a moment," he said gently, "Pride Rock isn't far."

"Thank you," she smiled, flopping to the ground, "I feel like we've walked every inch of Africa."

Sitting to lick his paws, Scar remained upwind of her, "You've done well, Molly." Glancing back at her, he found she'd fallen asleep.

Sighing, he gave a short chuckle, "Very well. Sleep for a moment, my lioness."

A sound from behind her pricked his ears forward. He scrambled to his feet and advanced to stand over her, a deep growl coming from his chest as he stared into the long grass. The wind stirred and an old familiar scent he'd hoped to never smell again wafted towards him.

Dark eyes peered from the grass, the owner hidden by shadow. A deep laugh made his hackles rise as the intruder stepped forward, "Hello, Taka. It's been too long."

Hello to all my beautiful readers. I don't deserve you guys, honestly. I can't say how sorry I am that I've left this on hiatus for so long. I fell out of love with it for a bit, got upset that I'd messed up so much, and after some failed rewrite attempts, pretty much left it in the back of my imagination, collecting dust. I'd drag it out and fiddle with it for a bit, but inevitably put it away again.

A friend of mine asked me if I'd heard there was a fanfiction app and out of morbid curiosity, I got back on my old profile. And oh my god, you guys… I feel SO humbled by all your kind words, especially those of you that have re-read more than once. As an amateur writer, it's truly a dream.

I promised you all I'd finish it, and I will uphold that promise. Hopefully I can live up to your expectations and write a story worthy of all your love. I've recently become a mom and am starting a second job (kids are EXPENSIVE!) so I can't give a reliable schedule for updates. I've told my husband how important it is to me to work on this, and asked him to help keep me on track. My hope is to have a new chapter up every month.

Thank you all again for your support. I feel incredibly blessed by every one of you.

Much love!

Meg