Chapter 21

The first gray light of dawn peeked over the horizon as they reached Pride Rock. Molly leaned her good shoulder against Scar for support, exhausted and weak. Bapoto ran ahead to find Rafiki and the old baboon met them at the bottom of the rock.

"Ah, Molly," he said sadly as he reached her, his hands probing at her flesh to assess the damage. His eyes flickered to Scar for a moment, a look of anger flashing through them, then his attention returned to Molly.

"Scar," Sarabi caught his attention, "Mufasa expects your presence."

"Later," Scar growled.

"Now."

"Tell my brother he can wait," he snapped, "I will not leave Molly."

"Your King waits for no one," she growled.

"She will be safe, Scar," Rafiki reassured him, already leading Molly away.

"Scar," Molly murmured in a daze and turned to rub her head against his, "I'll be fine. You have to warn your brother."

Scar gave an exasperated sigh but licked her cheek. He closed his eyes and pressed his face against hers, "I'll be back as soon as I'm done."

They parted and Scar followed Sarabi up the rock face, every inch of him agitated and longing to rip something, someone, apart.

Mufasa stood at the top of Pride Rock, silhouetted against the coming dawn. Scar hated always having to look up to his brother, always on the higher ground. Sarabi rubbed against her mate, whispered something and moved on towards the large cave.

"Scar," Mufasa's deep voice greeted him.

"Mufasa," Scar acknowledged. He had always refused to call his brother by any honorific title.

"Seems there's been a few interesting developments in my Pridelands, brother. And you're in the middle of it all."

"Pacha is alive. He has other lions with him. I do not know how many. One fewer now at least," Scar stood facing his older brother and, as always, couldn't help but compare himself to him. Mufasa had always favored their father, a large, golden lion. Scar had been the anomaly, not even resembling their fair mother. His lanky, dark form had always been a source of their fathers ire.

"Pacha," Mufasa mused, "Your rival?"

Was that how his brother remembered Pacha, as Scar's problem?

"Yes," Scar grated out.

Mufasa turned to look out over the Pridelands, "And he has come back after all these years… Just as this new lioness arrived," he looked pointedly at Scar, "Odd coincidence."

Narrowing his eyes, Scar tried to understand where Mufasa was going with this.

"Tell me about your lioness, brother," Mufasa sat, attempting to be at ease, as though they were just two brothers making idle chatter, "Where is her Pride?"

"Molly was taken by humans. They released her and I found her. I've been trying to show her how to live like a lion again."

"Magnanimous of you," Mufasa said blandly.

"Molly is no concern of yours," Scar growled, "Are you not concerned with Pacha and a potential rival Pride encroaching on your land?"

Mufasa watched him for a moment, looking too much like their father when he disapproved of something Scar had said. "Your childhood friend is of no threat to me, Scar. I'm not the one that attacked him for besting me."

Hackles rising, Scar flicked his tail and pulled his ears down against the back of his head as he spat in Mufasa's face, "And I'm not the one that scraped up his leavings when he was through, brother."

A fire came to Mufasa's eyes, but he remained sitting, all calm on his exterior, "I suggest you watch how you speak of your Queen. Sarabi is the reason your lioness lives."
Scar scoffed but didn't argue.

"I grant you and your mate sanctuary," Mufasa stood and turned towards the cave entrance, "But I refuse to go to war over your past mistakes. Find a way to deal with Pacha or I'll reinstate father's exile over both of you."

"You arrogant-" Scar snarled.

Roaring and lunging to pounce on him, Mufasa took Scar to the ground and pinned his shoulders as he snarled, "That is my final word, Scar!"

Silence fell over Pride Rock. Mufasa's roar echoing off the rock walls. Sarabi appeared at the entrance of the cave, her eyes on her mate.

Scar seethed, but knew there was nothing he could say or do to change his brother's mind. If he argued, he endangered Molly. Mufasa let him up and Scar felt like a cub again as he got to his feet.

"Is that all brother?" Scar fought to keep his tone even.

Mufasa straightened but continued to glare at Scar, "You're dismissed, attend your mate," and he turned from Scar again.

Furious, Scar took his leave. Mufasa's threat echoed in his mind as he descended Pride Rock. Shame at being thrown down stoked his anger. He wished he could be anywhere else, take Molly with him and live far away. The thought of her gave him pause. He didn't want to worry her by arriving in a rage. Taking a deep breath, he tried to calm himself. He had a great task set ahead of him by his brother. He needed to think clearly if he was going to find a solution.

"What would you do, mother?" he whispered, turning towards the rising sun, "The Kings living and dead refuse to aid me. What of you?"

...

Molly had felt like the walking dead as she followed Rafiki away from Scar and into a small cave. The baboon helped her down onto the dry floor, then she heard him grinding something into a paste with a stone.

"Fool lion," she heard him mutter. She wasn't sure if he meant herself or Scar. "Your wounds are not life threatening," he said out loud to her, "But I will give you something to help with the pain so you can rest."

"No nasty tasting potions this time, I hope."

A soft chuckle, "No, no potions this time," he stopped grinding for a moment and looked to her. She could just make him out with the weak dawn light coming into the cave. "Molly, I can give you a potion to turn you back before the month is over. I wouldn't suggest it now, your current wounds would possibly be fatal in your human body, but I-"

"No, thank you, Rafiki," she sighed and rested her head on her paws, "I want to stay."

He opened his mouth, closed it, then turned back to his task. After a time, the grinding stopped again and he moved towards her, "It may hurt as I apply this, but it should quickly take the pain away. Don't lick it off, it will numb your tongue. When you wake it will be safe. You must lick your wounds to keep them clean."

She nodded and gritted her teeth at the slight sting as he applied the cool salve. It felt similar to pouring hydrogen peroxide on a wound, but he was right, the stinging went away and was followed by a pleasant numbness.

"Rafiki, Pacha called Scar 'Taka'. What did he mean?"

The baboon paused in his movements, then continued, "Taka is his real name. After he and Pacha were exiled, it was taken from him. Everyone calls him Scar now."

"Even his brother?"

"Mufasa is the one that suggested it, to serve as a reminder of what he did."

"That's cruel," Molly breathed, disgusted and angry.

Rafiki shrugged, "What Scar did would be considered cruel as well."

Molly couldn't argue. If Scar had been human and nearly killed someone in a jealous rage he would have been put in prison. Exile and taking his name weren't much different.
"If Scar was exiled, why did his brother ask him back?"

"A brothers love, I assume," Rafiki moved to her shoulder, "Mufasa knew Scar had never been the same after their mother died. He's always been a loner, but he withdrew even more after that. Pacha only made it worse. I think Mufasa pitied Scar. After their father died and Mufasa became King, he ended his brothers exile. Scar still chooses to live apart from the Pride, only coming when summoned. He has much anger in him and I don't think he knows what to do with it."

"What happened to his mother?"

Rafiki gave a sad sigh, "I am not the one to tell you that story. It is Scar's to tell."

"How long have you known Scar?"

"Since he was a cub."

"What was he like?"

Rafiki sucked on his bottom lip, "I remember him always being sad or angry. He rarely laughed."

Molly felt her heart ache, "Did his father mistreat him?"

Again Rafiki thought before answering, "King Nemean had very little time for Scar. He focused on what was best for the kingdom and raised Mufasa to be King after he was gone."

A roar reverberated off the cave walls, startling both of them. Molly half climbed to her feet before Rafiki put his hands against her and soothed her back down.

"Scar has made Mufasa angry," Rafiki said plainly, "As he always does."

"Are they fighting?"

Rafiki shrugged and pulled back, finished with applying the medicine, "As brothers do. Scar cannot hope to take Mufasa on, he's much smaller than his brother. Mufasa puts him in his place from time to time."

"So Mufasa's a bully?"

The baboon gave her a wide grin, "You are a strange creature, Molly. I wonder what passes for civility in your human world if you take Scar's side so strongly."

She blinked, not knowing whether Rafiki was making fun of her or not, "I don't believe anyone deserves to be pushed around just because they're weaker."

"And you think Scar would act differently if the roles were switched?"

"I don't know," Molly laid her head down again, "I think Scar has never been shown how to act differently. I think he's tired of being forgotten."

Rafiki shook his head and laid a hand on Molly's head, "Rest, Molly. And be careful, Scar is not who you think he is." He gathered his things from the back of the cave and moved past her, "I will stay outside until he arrives."

"You're wrong about him," she said, raising her head one last time, "I've spent time with him away from everyone else. Have you ever been alone with him?"

"No."

"Then he's not who you think he is," and she laid back down, closed her eyes and quickly drifted off to sleep.

Hello all my lovelies! Apologies for this being a day late, I legitimately thought today was the 1st until about five minutes ago... I hope you're all still enjoying the story. I'm certainly still having fun writing it. EIGHTEEN more days until Spring and I CANNOT wait! Winter always sucks some of the life out of me. The ending to this fic is still a ways off (so don't get too excited), but I was wondering if once I finish it, you guys would like me to stick with the once a month upload or just dump everything on you all at once? I have a feeling I know what you're all going to choose, but still wanted to ask, hehe.

Stay safe, stay wonderful, and I'll be back with another chapter in a month! Love you all!