Mtumwa had changed in the past few days. He'd changed a lot. This was due to the fact that he had heard some devastating news recently. News that affected his life significantly, and changed the way he viewed the world. In just a matter of days, his whole life had been altered. What could cause such a hyperactive lion to turn into a madman with a hunger for revenge?

Death. That's what. Death always changed people. Always. In some form or other, it always had a certain affect on everyone else, even if it was only something minor. It could range from simply crying for a few days to becoming a murderous lunatic. Death affects everyone in all kinds of different ways.

Mtumwa had been seriously affected by the recent death in question, because it was someone who he idolised. Someone who he looked up to as a role model. Someone who he strived to be as good as in the future. Someone who he just really, really, really adored.

Who was this person? Who was this person who Mtumwa adored so much? Who?

This person was in fact, the greedy, manipulative, psychotic villain infamously known to all inhabitants of the Pride Lands as Scar. He was the brother of Mufasa, the current King of the Pride Lands, and had secretly strived for years and years to claim the kingdom for his own, whatever it took. Kidnapping, murder, torture. None of that was too brutal for Scar. He would do anything to make sure that the entirety of the kingdom was under his control. In simple terms, he was a monster. A sick, depraved, insane monster.

Even though Scar's schemes had failed time and time again, he always managed to come out of them alive, with his brother being none the wiser to what he was doing. Scar would just retreat back into the darkness, and use his depraved mind to think up the next horrible scheme. It was like some kind of endless cycle, but at least Scar always came out of these things alive.

Unfortunately, that supposedly endless cycle had… Well, ended. Scar had been killed. Murdered in the very place he called home. The one place he had wanted to control since he was just a conniving little cub. Of course, it was the Pride Lands. Scar never really went much further than that.

How did it happen? How did the great and mighty Scar fall like that? How had this supposedly invincible figure of evil died?

Everyone knew, because the story had spread like the quickest wildfire in the world. Throughout the lands everyone had heard the story of the immense battle that had taken place at Pride Rock. The ultimate battle between all that was good and all that was evil.

Good prevailed. That was always what the 'good-natured' people said. "Good always prevails," they would say when they finished telling the story. Mtumwa didn't believe in such a statement. He liked the darkness and cruelty of evil. It sounded much more fun.

Mtumwa had heard the story over, and over, and over. Everyone kept telling it. Everyone told their friends, and everyone told their cubs. Mtumwa wouldn't be surprised if the whole world knew about it by now.

Apparently, Scar had managed to take over the Pride Lands with the help of his enormous army of hyenas, and successfully enslaved each and every lion in the pride, making them obey his every command. The whole pride was totally and utterly powerless. Scar had, for once, won.

However, even though every lion had been enslaved, every cub wasn't. Two cubs – known as Prince Simba and Nala – escaped the brutal takeover and fled to the jungle, where they stayed for one night. Just one night, before they decided to go back and fight to the death for control of the kingdom.

It was Prince Simba who emerged triumphant in the end. Everyone said that he killed Scar by throwing him off the edge of Pride Rock, and into blazing flames below. The young Prince possessed powers he didn't even know he had. Mtumwa doubted that the Prince possessed the immense strength that everyone claimed he did – he thought that Simba just got lucky. After all, how could an arrogant little cub achieve so much?

The story didn't end there. The Prince then killed all of the hyenas in cold blood, before freeing the pride and allowing Mufasa to reclaim his 'rightful' place as King. The Pride Lands were safe once more.

Needless to say, it was one of Mtumwa's least favourite stories he'd ever heard. Every time he heard it, it just made him want to go to the Pride Lands and finish off the Prince himself.

And then one day, Mtumwa decided that was exactly what he was going to do. He'd faced off against Prince Simba once before, and he very nearly succeeded in murdering him.

A few months back Mtumwa had travelled a long way just to catch a glimpse of his idol, Scar, and for a short time he'd ended up working for him. Scar ordered Mtumwa to kill the Prince, but the little brat always managed to get away.

Mtumwa was naïve back then. He didn't realise that until Scar died. Only then did he realise just how stupid he had been. He felt different now, and his personality had completely changed. And with this new personality he was going to go into the Pride Lands and destroy Prince Simba. He was going to rip out his guts and hang them from a tree while his friend watched. And then, just to finish off, he was going to kill his little friend, too.

Revenge was all he wanted. Scar would be smiling up in the Great Heavens as he watched Mtumwa deliver the killing blow to Prince Simba. Scar would finally be avenged!

It wouldn't be long now. A few more hours and Mtumwa would be in the kingdom he had only previously been in once before. It wouldn't take long, and Mtumwa wasn't going to waste time doing stupid things like he did last time. That was when he was foolish and immature.

All of that was gone now.