It was a nasty night.
Normally, one would think of a 'nasty night' as a night filled with storms; thunder and lightning. That sort of thing. The kind of weather that just feels uncomfortable. Makes you feel like something is about to kill you.
But on this particular night—deep in the middle of the jungle—'nasty' meant something entirely different.
In the dark and misty clearing, evil clung to every single tree in the surrounding area. A large fire crackled in the centre.
The only noise to be heard. Everything else was just silence. Unbearable silence. It looked like the scene of an execution.
Or a resurrection.
"I can't believe you dragged me out here," a voice huffed. Situated next to the fire was a small frog. "Don't you think I have enough trouble keeping out of the public eye without being brought into the middle of the jungle? There could be anyone watching."
"There's no one here, you idiot," replied a cub stood beside the fog. The cub's eyes were cold and unmoving; he was focused solely on the fire. It looked like he was dead on the inside. Maybe that was true. Maybe it wasn't. "No one's going to find you. Although why anyone would even bother, I have no idea."
"Normally animals come to me for a different reason," said another voice. The only other soul in the clearing. A lion with black fur and a sleek blonde mane. "To hunt down their enemies. But now everyone thinks I'm dead." He shot a glare at the frog. "Thanks to you."
The frog—he was called Froggy—frowned. "I was under extreme stress and exhaustion. Plus I wanted revenge."
"So did I," retorted the lion—a menacing creature known as the Interceptor. He was famous for being a 'hunter for hire'.
Say, there was a particular lion that another lion didn't like. The Interceptor would find and kill that particular lion, leaving as little evidence of the murder as possible. He was a fearsome opponent—good at escaping just as mush as pursuing. "I've wanted revenge for ages."
"As do I," said the cub. He was known simply as Shocker. He had since abandoned his original name of Duni after being struck by lightning and granted incredible electrical powers. "That's why I have brought you both here. We have a common enemy."
"Those cub s," both the Interceptor and Froggy chorused.
"Those cub s indeed," replied Shocker, a faint smile crossing his face. He'd had several encounters with the cubs in question—Simba, Nala and Haiba—and he wouldn't mind ejecting them all from the face of the earth. Although he had far more painful methods planned for the three… "I'm sure you're all aware that our previous methods of executing them have proven to be… inefficient." His eyes glowed with quiet anger in the light of the fire.
"Thanks to you," the Interceptor snapped at Froggy. "I could have killed that stupid prince if I had the chance."
"Well, you shouldn't have interrupted my plan to turn him to the dark side," Froggy responded calmly. "I was so close, too. A few more days and he would have been the evillest cub around."
"Somehow, I doubt that," said Shocker, knowing that there was no cub with more evil in their heart than him.
"And was it really necessary to kick me into that waterhole?" the Interceptor demanded. "Do you know how hard it was to dig an underwater tunnel so I could escape?"
"You could have just swum back out," Froggy told him.
"Yeah—and let them chase after me?" the Interceptor retorted. "I don't think so. The Interceptor is chased by no one."
"Oh, you're just being stupid," Froggy said.
"Enough arguing!" Shocker boomed, the tips of his claws crackling with electricity. It seemed the angrier he became, the stronger his powers grew. "Now, in spite of our failure, I think that it's time for a more… violent approach to get rid of them."
"Go in and massacre them all," the Interceptor suggested. "That's quick."
Shocker shook his head. "I was thinking of something far more humiliating. And more intelligent."
"Intelligent?" said Froggy. This Shocker kid sure had a habit of talking like he was sixty years ahead of his time. He seemed to possess knowledge on a scale that not even adults could comprehend. His powers had to have something to do with it… "And just what do you mean by that?"
"Tell me…" Shocker turned towards them; in the illumination the flames provided, he could be seen smiling evilly. His reputation as the 'evillest cub around' sure had some merit. "Have you ever heard of the name Taka?"
"Taka?" The Interceptor's eyes widened slightly. "I haven't heard that name in years. How do you know about it?"
"It's part of an old legend," Shocker explained. "In some cases, the name 'Taka' can mean 'dirt'. Some have said that for generations, the 'dirt' in every family was called Taka. The runt of the litter. The disgrace." The way he spoke, it sounded like Shocker sometimes thought of himself as a 'Taka'.
"You see," Shocker continued, "it has also been said that the Taka in every family eventually turned evil. In fact, out of all the stories I've heard—and there have been many—every Taka has turned evil. Murdered their families. And then driven to insanity, right before ending their miserable existences."
"So it's like a curse?" guessed the Interceptor. Despite his psychotic impulses, he was still an intelligent being. Not as foolish as Froggy.
"You could say that," Shocker replied softly. "But… one of the Takas changed their name. For reasons unknown to me, a Taka in the Pride Lands altered his name… to Scar."
"Scar?" The Interceptor snorted. "I've heard of him." A mad lion driven to insanity after countless failed attempts to enslave the Pride Lands. He'd heard that Scar was stabbed in the back by one of his compatriots. Good riddance, the Interceptor thought. Even he had standards.
"Some say that Scar lived longer than most," Shocker told them. "Perhaps due to the change of his name. If it really was a curse, then maybe that was the way around it. But out of all the Takas I have heard of, he was the worst. On a vicious level that even I sometimes have trouble understanding."
"But what does he have to do with revenge?" Froggy suddenly asked, having been silent for most of Shocker's story. "I thought we were going to destroy those cubs once and for all! So far I've heard nothing! Nothing!"
"Shut up!" Shocker snarled, sending a small lightning bolt zapping in his direction. Froggy squealed, hopping out of the way just in time. "I'll be getting to that soon enough. The point is that Scar was one of the few lions that came very close to killing the precious Prince Simba."
"But he's dead," the Interceptor put it firmly. "It's not like he would be of much help to us now."
Shocker let out an unsettling chuckle. "As I've learnt, there are certain… methods of bringing one back from the dead. But only with certain power."
"Is it possible to learn this power?" asked the Interceptor.
Shocker stared at him. "Not from a mortal."
"That's us screwed, then," Froggy said. He was about to hop away when Shocker spoke up again.
"Luckily, you have one right in front of you," he said. "I myself am… immortal."
"So you can bring this Scar guy back from the dead?" the Interceptor presumed.
Shocker nodded. "It will be possible. Once he is reborn, we can send him into the Pride Lands to finish off those cubs, while we sit back and relax. The resurrection itself is the hard part. Everything else will be… simple."
"And what happens when he kills Simba?" Froggy asked. "Won't he take over the Pride Lands? I need the Pride Lands!"
"Do not worry, my little green friend," Shocker said. "You will have your precious Pride Lands. After Scar has done his work, I will send him back into the darkness where the deceased reside. My powers will make short work of him."
"Are you sure the cub s won't make short work of him?" said the Interceptor.
"He is uncontainable," Shocker replied. "The cubs will find themselves ripped to shreds in a matter of mere seconds. It'll be over before it has even begun."
Shocker began to laugh sinisterly, long and hard. Froggy joined in, followed by the Interceptor.
The three villains seemed to have finally come up with the greatest of all plans. They weren't going to do the killing—they would get someone else to do it for them. At long last, Simba, Nala, and Haiba would be nothing more than skeletons on the ground.
"I like it!"