Scar watched Molly go, his heart still pounding. He'd thought Zira was going to kill her but surprisingly Zira hadn't seemed to be trying. Still, seeing Molly fight back had given him hope. All this time she could fight. She just needed the right motivation. He pushed the worry and amusement away. He had problems of his own to deal with. Mufasa glared down at him, tail swishing in agitation.
"Are you offering aid or not?" Scar raised an eyebrow, "I have a war to fight. I don't have time for pettiness and wounded pride," his eyes swept contempt across the gathered lions. He was sick of them. His existence as a shadow among them was at an end. He refused to be ignored any longer.
Murmurs went up from the gathered lions, their eyes shifting from him to his brother. The obedient masses awaited their Kings decision.
Mufasa stepped forward confidently, "Do not presume to demand things from me, Scar. I am still King here. You have your army. I will not send any of my own." The murmurs grew and Mufasa raised his voice, "However! Those who possess fragile egos and feel the need to make a show of bravery for a pointless cause may go with you. Those who do so may consider themselves exiles."
Silence fell over the Pride. The minority that had been arguing for their right to fight now stared at the ground. The others looked on as Mufasa looked down at Scar.
Stretching nonchalantly, Scar yawned, "Are you done then?"
Mufasa frowned, "You're dismissed, Scar. If you survive, you and your mate are hereby exiled from the Pride."
"Gladly," Scar drawled as he turned back to the hyenas. The three of them looked up at him expectantly. "We have work to do," he said and lead them towards the exit.
Bapoto was coming up the ramp as he left. Before Scar could ask, the younger lion said, "She's alright. Rafiki is treating them both. She was much worse when she first arrived here."
"Thank you. Mufasa has threatened exile on any that fight alongside me. Are you sure you and Masika are ready to leave?"
Bapoto didn't hesitate, "Yes. We told you we would help you. We gain nothing by staying under Mufasa."
"You most likely gain nothing by siding with me," Scar admitted.
Bapoto fell into step beside him, "Did you tell him?" he whispered, "About Molly. And Pacha?"
Scar glanced back, "No. Anymore words from me would fall on deaf ears. There is no reason to tell them. And you don't have to whisper about it in front of the hyenas."
"So they do know?!" Bapoto blinked back at the three.
"They know. More than any of us, including Rafiki." They came near the old monkey's tree and Masika trotted up to greet them.
"Boy am I glad you two showed up. They were getting into it again," Masika nodded back towards the tree, "Zira was pestering Molly. Rafiki gave them both something to make them sleep."
Scar turned to Shenzi, "Take Banzai and bring the others to this side of the rock. Send your ten best up to guard Molly."
"Where are you going?" she sniffed.
"There's something I must do before we leave Pride Rock for good. I doubt I will have another chance."
She didn't pry, she turned with Banzai and headed off to the pack. Ed remained, grinning up at Scar.
"She likes you," Scar said to the hyena, "I might not be back by the time she wakes. Stay with her."
Ed yipped and ran the rest of the way to the tree. He quickly settled next to Molly's prone form in the grass.
Scar turned to Bapoto and Masika, "Guard both of them. The hyenas are as much a part of my family as the two of you."
"And Zira?"
Sighing, Scar nodded, "Keep her safe. If she wakes, explain Mufasa's ultimatum. Let her choose."
"Will you be long?" Bapoto said as he turned to go.
Scar glanced up at the sky, "I will be back after nightfall," he said and was off.
He picked his way over the old familiar path for the first time in years. He'd avoided this place ever since that day. It hadn't seemed right to set foot somewhere his mother would never return to. When he reached the threshold of the little grove that surrounded her inner sanctum, he stopped, unable to move forward. His chest tightened and he thought of turning around and going back. What good would come of visiting this haunted place? He grit his teeth together and forged on, shivering only slightly as he passed into the little clearing.
The sun was low enough that the entire area was in the sparse shade of the trees. Her sunning rock stood tall and deserted, the very tip lit by the setting sun. He could sense her presence here, in the rock, the trees, the very dirt he walked over. Slowly, afraid that he was tainting this sacred place with his presence, he rounded the rock and looked up at the place he had found her so many times in the past.
Empty, the rock face stared back at him. He gave a low huff. Of course it's empty, he chided himself, What did you expect?
He'd expected nothing. His entire life he'd expected nothing. It still hurt.
Hesitantly he lifted a paw to the ledge. The rock was warm from the sun but for a moment he imagined it was because of her body heat. He took a deep breath and climbed up to where she used to lounge as she watched her cubs play underneath. He and Mufasa…and Pacha… Anger seeped into him and he scraped his claws against the stone, marring the smooth surface worn down by countless Queens. A cry threatened at the back of his throat but he swallowed it.
"Why, mother?" his voice squeezed past the lump in his throat. Silence answered him.
…
When they'd first arrived at Rafiki's tree, the baboon had been beside himself.
"Can't stay out of trouble for one day!" He complained at Molly as he inspected her cuts. Anytime Molly had tried to put in a word, he'd chattered over her, his nimble fingers probing roughly at her flesh.
"Hmph," he snorted as he settled her down in the grass. "Not so bad," he muttered.
"I protected myself-" she cut off at a loud laugh from Zira.
"You fool. You think if I really wanted to hurt you, you'd have walked away?"
Molly glared across at the other lioness as Bapoto helped her lay down. "Why are you so hurt then?"
Zira growled, "I was too busy trying to make sure I didn't kill you in front of Scar. I made a few mistakes," she tilted her head away. "If you were a real fighter, I wouldn't have had to go easy on you."
Bapoto whispered to Masika and turned to go. Masika sat on his haunches between the two lionesses and watched the back and forth with a perplexed smile.
"Both of you," Rafiki snapped, "Silence!"
They fell quiet as Rafiki moved to inspect Zira. Before he reached her, she grinned past him at Molly, "Guess Scar will have to wait even longer now to claim his precious little lioness. You keep getting hurt, how will he ever mount you?"
"You play a stupid game, Zira. You really think Scar would turn to you now, after what you've done?"
"I don't much care whether he comes to me or not. As long as he doesn't come to you."
Rafiki gave an exasperated screech and ran up his tree.
Molly got to her feet and bared her teeth, "Don't test me, Zira. I'm starting to think fighting a lion isn't so scary anymore."
Masika cleared his throat, "Uh…I really don't think-"
"Come on then," Zira got to her feet, laughing, "I'd love the excuse to finish you off."
"Look, the two of you-" Masika snapped his mouth shut as two pairs of eyes turned on him, glaring holes through him.
Rafiki dropped to the ground between them, "If the two of you insist on ripping each other's throats out, then at least drink this," he grabbed Zira first and tilted her head back forcefully to pour something down her throat. Leaping to Molly, he scoffed and poured the bitter liquid into her before stepping back. "Well?" he waved a hand between them, "Go on. Kill each other."
Molly returned her glare to Zira but her vision swam. Zira seemed to totter to one side. Molly felt the ground beneath her feet shift and a second after Zira, she fell onto her side. The sky spun above her as she heard Rafiki say, "I warned them." Then darkness moved in on her and she was out.
It seemed to her only moments later when she woke, but the night sky told her she'd been asleep for hours. A small, warm body was curled up tight next to her side. She smiled when she turned to find it was Ed. Her wounds had been smeared with Rafiki's salve. She looked herself over and grudgingly conceded that Zira certainly hadn't tried to kill her the way the lioness from Pacha's tribe had. Masika and Bapoto sat off to the side, looking out at the open plains. Flashes of reflective eyes winked in and out of the grass everywhere she looked. Rising to a more upright position without waking Ed, she tried to look around for Scar.
"He's not here," came Shenzi's voice. The hyena materialized out of the grass and came to sit next to Molly. "The two lions said he went off to take care of something. He should be back soon."
"Thank you for coming, Shenzi."
The hyena nodded and glanced backwards towards Zira who seemed to still be sleeping. "Thank you for protecting Ed."
"I don't know that I really did. Zira used him to bait me. I doubt she really would have hurt him."
"But you didn't know that, and you still jumped between them."
Molly gave a short, humorless laugh, "I seem to have a talent for getting into dangerous situations because I don't think first."
Shenzi tilted her head then said, "I've known Scar for a long time. We haven't been friends in all that time, but I've come to know much about his moods, what he's thinking. It helps to keep the others out of his way when he's not in the best of moods." She glanced up at the stars before going on, "I wondered sometimes if I would ever see him happy. It seemed to be an exhausting existence, being angry at everything all the time. That first time he brought you into the graveyard… It was like I was looking at a completely different lion. I'd never seen him look at anything the way he looked at you."
Molly smiled slightly.
"I'd never been so scared," Shenzi admitted.
Molly glanced at her, surprised.
Shenzi turned to look into her eyes, "To know Scar, what he's capable of. What he wouldn't hesitate to do… You don't know how precious you are to him. He'd slaughter the world if it meant keeping you. I don't intend to be one of the casualties. If Scar believes going to war will protect you, then I'll go with him. Being on the wrong side in a fight like that isn't worth the risk."
Molly didn't know what to say.
"If you're going to jump into danger again, make sure the one suffering Scar's rage deserves it." She stood and stretched, "Rest. The pack is watching over you. You're safe," and she disappeared into the night.
…
Crickets sang and the stars shone above him. Scar had laid himself down in the place his mother used to lay. Staring off into the dark, he allowed his memories of her to play through his head. Most were good. She'd always been the one he could turn to when his father turned his ire on him. She would welcome him with a smile and a gentle lick, telling him not to let it bother him. That his father's approval meant little. As long as he was treating others well, he was making her happy. The playful, happy days as a cub went by and try as he might, the dark memory, the last memory, came on their heels.
He tried to close his mind to it. He had relived the moment nearly every day since. His mother's scream, the violent thrashing of the river, the murky water turning red as she disappeared under. He shook his head and lurched to his feet. His present surroundings crashed in around him and he flinched at how quiet it was.
"I'm sorry," he gasped. His voice sounded hollow and small. It was a mistake coming here. Goodbyes and apologies are far too late. He took a shaky breath and loped off the rock. At the edge of the clearing, he glanced back one last time. The empty rock sat in the center, staring back as if it were still waiting for his mother's return. A breeze whispered through the trees and drew his attention to the dancing leaves. The breeze increased, becoming a gust, and he squinted away from the dust it kicked up, turning to face the rock. His eyes widened at what he saw.
It seemed as though the stars had come down and made a faint outline of his mother lying atop the rock. He blinked, thinking dust and his own longing were making him see things, but the apparition remained. Breathless, he watched her turn her head towards him and smile.
"Mother?" he managed just above a whisper.
She nodded and stood. Frozen in place, Scar watched the apparition walk down the rock and towards him. He felt his muscles bunch up, ready to step backwards, when she spoke.
"My son. Trouble still follows you like a shadow. I had hoped sooner or later it would grow tired of stalking you."
Hearing her voice took the strength out of his legs and he felt his back legs slump to the ground with a thud. Eyes wide, staring silently, he tried to soak up every bit of light shining off her.
"I watch over you, always," she said gently, sitting across from him, "You've longed for answers from the Kings, but I'm afraid that's not possible for you. I hope I am not too much of a disappointment."
"No," he gasped out, "Mother, I- I've missed you," his chest tightened on anything else he wanted to say.
She gave him a knowing smile, "I wish I had more time to put you at ease, but I'm here to warn you. The path before you is flooded with blood and scorched by fire. There is but one clear way to make it through, and it is the most difficult to navigate."
This wasn't what he wanted to hear, "Pacha…you never told me-"
"There is much I never told you," her eyes hardened for a moment. She sighed and shook her head, "There's too much to tell. Most of it will only cloud your sight to the future. Please, Taka, listen."
He nodded and waited in silence.
"I cannot see every choice you will be faced with. I cannot lead you effortlessly. You must decide. But I can warn you and give some guidance. Pacha will not stop until he's destroyed you and everything you care for. Do not underestimate him. He will tell you more of…me. Most of what he will say will be true, but you must remember my love for you or the truth will elude you. You have strong companions, rely on them, but remember they will not see the path any more clearly than you. They will be capable of leading you astray. Especially your love."
Scar narrowed his eyes. Molly would never do anything to put him in danger.
"She is part of the cloak of trouble that has fallen over you again, dear son," his mother watched him with sad eyes, "I fear what choices your love for her will force you to make."
Scar shook his head, "Whatever choice allows me to keep her will be the right one."
"I am no stranger to your heart," she rose to her feet, "Too often your passions, your love, have caused others great harm. You feel too much for-" she cut off and sighed, "I did not come here to lecture you. Your love for her is strong, maybe too strong. Be mindful of it. It can be a benefit or a great detriment." She stepped closer and smiled sadly, "You are not to blame for what happened to me, Taka. Do not let your brothers continue to hold that over you. I would sacrifice myself again, every time, if asked to. You are my son. You will make it through this." She took a shuddering breath and he saw a glistening tear run down her face, "I speak ill of your love, but it is only out of warning. It makes me happy to see you with someone, especially one that loves as fiercely as a human. I know what that sort of love is like," she whispered the last, her eyes brimming with more tears.
"Mother," he didn't know what to say. There was too much, and words seemed to mean so little. He blinked and could see she was becoming hazy, drifting away as though she were made of fog being chased away by the rising sun.
"Her love is as powerful and dangerous as yours. Be careful with it." The only thing left of her was her head and as he watched her fade away, she murmured, "I love you, Taka."
A thousand and one thank yous to each and every one of you that keep reading this fic! I can't express how much it means to me to see people enjoying this story. I had no idea so many people would like it when I first started it (bout ten years ago!) and it's awesome to get the little notifications that someone has favorited or followed it. You're all lovely and I'm so grateful for you.
Much love,
Meg