Chapter three:
"Here! I caught her scent!" Exclaimed one hyena.
Nala smirked as the ten began walking towards their doom. Zira had informed the hyenas that Nala was back in the Pride Lands, while Nala lay down a false scent and hid. The hyenas walking into the ravine.
Pity we couldn't lure away more, Nala thought as she planted her forepaws on the boulder.
"Zakia, Sarafina, Bianca, and Shomari are ready for your command," Zazu murmured, landing beside her. Nala let out a roar and heaved at the boulder. It began to shift, and after a moment it tumbled into the ravine the hyenas searched in. Their cries of surprise were cut off as five boulders crushed most of their party. One hyena dashed out of the ravine, and a hidden lioness, Mahiri, gave chase, quickly bringing it down.
"To Pride Rock, before Scar finds out about our plan!" Nala cried, bounded forward, heading to the rock formation sticking out of the savanna. The five other lionesses fell in behind her.
"Nala," Scar called down from the king's position on the rock. "Funny, I thought you disappeared."
"Why don't you?" Nala retorted. The hyenas' hackles raised at her hostile tone.
"I thought I taught you all to show your king some respect," Scar thundered, getting to his paws.
"Who would respect a misshapen heap of dung?" Nala asked. "Because I don't see a king around here, Scat."
"Scat?" Scar repeated.
"Is that not your name?" Nala asked brightly. "King of Scats?"
With a roar of fury, Scar hurled himself from the rock and collided with Nala. The lioness pummeled his belly with her hind paws and tore at his shoulders with sharp claws, while Scar's claws whirled towards her face. Nala thrust him away with a kick from her hind legs and scrambled to her paws. Scar lunged for her again as a battle erupted around them. Nala rolled to the right and clawed his side.
"You traitorous scum!" Scar snarled. "You were always loyal to Mufasa! I am king!"
Nala bowled into him and wrestled him on the dry dirt, pinning him for a moment. "But you killed Mufasa, didn't you?" She demanded.
"What makes you ask that?" Scar asks as he throws her off. The two stand still for a moment.
"Because the Prince is alive, and he's given me valuable information as to who told him to go to the gorge," Nala hissed. Fear shown in Scar's eyes. He would never regain control of the pride if they knew his secret.
"Life is for the strong, and Mufasa was weak," Scar said softly, his voice full of malice. "I deserved to be king."
"Murderer!" Nala roared, leaping for him again. To her dismay, two bodies barreled into her before she could reach the false king. Hyenas tore at her flesh. She quickly slit the throat of one while the other latched onto her hind leg. She kicked it with her free hind paw and snapped its spine. Around her, she saw that her fellow lionesses were faring decently against the many flea-bags. She had lost sight of Scar in her struggle with the hyenas.
Thunder cracked overhead, and the sky was split by light as lightning struck the arid ground. Nala stares in dismay at the fire that welled up among the dry grass. Within moments it began to spread in all directions, including their battle ground.
"Get onto the rocks!" Nala ordered. The lionesses shook themselves loose from the hyenas and leapt onto Pride Rock, snarling taunts at the canines until they followed. Scar glared at Nala and followed, throwing himself at Sarafina. Nala bounded up the rocks and leapt onto Scar's shoulders, biting at his ears and tearing at his shoulders with her foreclaws, while her hind claws raked his spine. Scar reared back and Nala yowled as his spine pressed against her face, and his weight smothered her.
"You can't win, Scar!" Nala snarled, biting his spine. She felt Scar stiffen in the danger of her breaking his spine and he rolled off her. Before Nala could get up as well, three hyenas were on her. Two pinned her down, while the third tore at her ears.
"Get off flea-pelts!" Nala snarled, raking her claws along the jaw of the hyena near her head, and she kicked off a second. The third yelped with fear as Nala reared up and sent him away with multiple claw wounds. Nala leaped to her paws and looked around wildly. She saw a black tufted tail slip into the lion den.
There's no one in there… no one but the cubs! Nala thought with horror as she barged her way through the crowd of hyenas. Teeth nipped at her tail but she kept going. She charged into the shadows, and she blinked rapidly to adjust her eyes. When she could see, she saw Scar holding down a dark colored cub with one paw.
"Scar!" Nala roared. "Why don't you pick on someone your own size?"
"Why should I?" Scar scoffed, looking up from Nuka.
"Only cowards attack cubs. Or can you not fight anything larger?" Nala taunted. Four other cubs, female ones, crouched fearfully in the corner. Nala wished she could get them away from the fighting, but below Pride Rock was a fire, and outside the den were hyenas.
"I think it's genius. You wish to drive me away, so I will leave you with no king," Scar said smugly.
"What about Zira's coming cubs? One of them could be male," Nala pointed out.
"Then you will still spend seasons in chaos," Scar smiled. "Seasons where I could regain power."
"And if you don't escape Pride Rock alive?" Nala challenged. Scar laughed.
"Give it your best try."