"No! No! Please! Anything b ut that! Anything!"

King Ahadi smiled at the sound of the lion's pleading cries. He enjoyed them. His deep, hating, sadistic personality saw to that. Anything to do with pain pleased him. Or, to be more specific, the pain of others.

He had grown up with a lust for power. A hunger that demanded to be fulfilled. During his childhood he spent most of his time just itching to become the King. The rightful king that he deserved to be. He just couldn't wait to become King. But his parents were always so patient with him…

Ahadi wasn't. Maybe that's why he killed them. They just didn't understand that he needed to be the King. He needed to be. They wouldn't listen to him. Wouldn't give him what he wanted – what he deserved. And anyone who denied him what was rightfully his would suffer. They would suffer, and they would die.

From the day Ahadi murdered his parents, he knew that no one would ever defy him again. They would all listen. They would all… obey.

Yes. He liked that word. Obey. It gave him a sense of power. Of ultimate control over all. They were all bugs, and he would squash them if they didn't listen. He was their master now. And it would stay that way for ever.

He was promised that.

But then again, not all promises are kept.

"How lovely to see you again, Aha."

King Ahadi whipped around, to find himself staring at his mysterious ally. Shrouded in the darkness of the den, only two crimson eyes were visible to him. "Use my full name when you speak to me," Ahadi growled.

The figure chuckled, speaking in a voice that really didn't suit his appearance. He sounded fast-talking, and not at all scary or demonic. "Oh, come on, Aha," the figure continued. "Don't be so grouchy all the time. Learn to live a little." The two glowing red eyes glanced toward the outside of the den. "I see you've gotten rid of another one of your beautiful subjects."

"He was a weakling," Ahadi responded. "Not good enough to live here. Sometimes I think hardly any of them are good enough for this kingdom."

"Aha, baby, you just can't go throwing out people left, right and centre," the figure said, shaking his unseen head. "You've gotta control them. Organise things. Plan things. Where's your tight grip over the people? I don't see those fancy claws of yours clenching."

"I control them enough," replied Ahadi. "They know who their leader is around here. They all fear me."

"Okay, so they fear you, sure, but that doesn't exactly mean they're listening. You need to get them to work, to serve you. Aha, baby, right now they're not doing any of that. They're just sitting around in a starving, dehydrated mess while you lie up here acting like you're king of the world."

"Do not insult me!" Ahadi roared, his eyes blazing with anger. No one dented his pride and got away with it.

"Aha, those angry little ticks of yours aren't gonna brush with me," said the figure, unaffected by Ahadi's anger. "I've known you – well, I've watched you – for too long now. I think I know how to keep that hot temper of yours under control. So, what do you say, huh? I think times like this call for a little change in personality."

"I need to change nothing!" Ahadi retorted. "I have all that I want! This kingdom will obey me until the day that I die!"

"Well, Aha, let's face it: you're getting on," the figure told him. "You're not exactly a teenager anymore. You've got a kid of your own. A cub with morals that are actually good and decent. That's gonna need to be altered if you wish to find yourself a good successor."

"My son is irrelevant in all of this," Ahadi replied. "He only came about as the result of his whiny, pathetic mother."

"Yeah, and you soon saw her off, didn't you?" said the figure. "Well, if you replaced 'saw her off' with 'broke her neck', but you get what I mean, right?"

"She was worthless," replied Ahadi. "She deserved to die. Plus, she gave birth to an equally worthless son."

"Seriously?" the figure said. "Well, there are a variety of techniques you could use to change his worthlessness into absolute greatness. Brainwashing, psychological torture, death of a family member."

"His mother died when he was barely born," Ahadi said. "I don't think it would have affected him very much."

"Then kill that little girlfriend of his," the figure suggested. "What was her name, Sarabo or something?"

"Her name is Sarabi. And, as much as I hate to admit it, she's too clever," said Ahadi. "If I tried to murder her, then she would find a way to escape in an instant." His claws clenched in anger. "I hate people like that."

"Then maybe it's time to find someone else to become your heir," said the figure. "Maybe… it's time to find another son."

"Another son?" Ahadi's eyes widened. "Another son? Where the hell am I supposed to get another son from?"

"Find another mate," the figure replied. "Can't be too hard for a lion of your position. What can I say? You've got the right… posture. Do the 'dirty business' with her, get another son, and then raise him up to be a super-duper evil successor. Give the kid a hard cubhood. Maybe give him a scar. Right down the eye. In fact, call him Scar. I like that name."

"Scar?" Ahadi considered the name, and then let a smile cross his face. "I like the sound of that."

"I knew you would, baby," replied the figure. "I know you inside and out. Quite literally, actually. You may want to get that stomach of yours checked out, it's looking a little… yellow, if you get what I mean."

"No, I don't know what you mean, and I don't particularly care," Ahadi shot back. "All I care about is arranging for a worthy successor."

"Aha, baby, you're the man," said the figure. "You're on top of this, right? I don't need to come in again to sort things out, do I? Because if I do, then most likely this pride is gonna go up in a fiery ball of death. I mean, there's only so much I can take."

"Are you sure that this new son of mine will be up to the job?" Ahadi asked.

"Aha, it'll be fine," the figure assured him. "I mean, come on, it's not like your son's son is gonna kill him, huh?"

"Thank you," Ahadi said to the figure. "I am grateful for your advice."

"Aha, baby, you've got no idea how much this is gonna help in the long run. Now, I've gotta go. You see, there's this forest place called FernGully that I've gotta burn down. But I'll see ya very soon. As in, when you're dead."

"Sorry?"

But the red eyes had disappeared.