Time of mourning

 He sent the hyenas after his nephew. A smile could be seen in his muzzle. He had finally done it. After much plotting, after many failures, it happened. After working with the least intelligent but tough hyenas, his extreme, insane plan had worked. For a few minutes, he was in shock. though he didn't show it. Finally, he had succeeded on killing his brother. Scar felt a really weird, extraordinary feeling. Not exactly extraordinary, but it was for him. He was feeling... joy. It wasn't an usual feeling to Scar. He wasn't familiar with it. He stayed in his position for a few minutes, then turned back and walked to his brother.

"Pathetic", Scar thought upon seeing Mufasa's lifeless body laying down. He stood in front of his body and stared at him. Mufasa's expression was peaceful, and Scar knew why. Before he through Mufasa into the stampede, before Mufasa died, he knew that his son was safe. Scar sneered, but for a moment, he felt another unfamiliar feeling: guilt. It was probably the first time he had felt that feeling. Mufasa thought that his son would live on, but Scar had sent the hyenas after Simba to kill him. For a moment, Scar's hate-filled expression turned into a sorrow-filled one. He pitied his brother. It didn't last long; in fact, only a few seconds until it turned back into the hate-filled expression he had.

Scar heard footsteps coming from the behind. He didn't have to turn behind him to know who it was; it was Shenzi, among with Banzai and Ed. Scar knew the three hyenas since he was a cub. But the friendship between them died when Scar was a teen, although the hyena trio didn't realize that.

"Did you finish the job?" Scar asked Shenzi.

Shenzi refused to answer at first. She looked at everyone else. Banzai barely looked scared, but Shenzi knew that Banzai was actually screaming in his mind. As for Ed, Ed was a carefree being. He really knew how to live life with ''Hakuna Matata'', even if he didn't even know about its philosophy. He just drooled a bit. Shenzi then focused on her answer. It wasn't exactly easy to fool Scar. But Shenzi had to answer quickly, otherwise Scar would get suspicious. All she had to do is to act natural.

"Yeah, we ate the little brat. It was a king fit for a meal!" Shenzi said and laughed, and so did Banzai and Ed.

"Yeah pal, we finally managed to make it a 'cub' sandwich!" said Banzai and laughed, again, and Ed followed.

"Hey, you stole my joke!" Shenzi said, but she couldn't help but laughed. Even Scar seemed amused by their jokes. He didn't realize that the hyenas were lying.

"Good. Now, here's the plan," said Scar and explained his plan to the trio.

The plan was really simple. The hyenas would remain hidden to a spot close to Pride Rock until Scar announces that he's claiming the throne and becoming the king. Scar had to go and tell the lionesses about Mufasa and Simba's death and make something like a funeral to the pride, so they wouldn't get suspicious. The only things he was worried about were Sarabi and Zazu. He was afraid Sarabi would realize what Scar had done. But Zazu was way more of a threat. He was in the stampede. What if he had gained his consciousness before Scar killed Mufasa and saw him throwing Mufasa back into the stampede? Scar was too afraid to even go and check.

The hyena trio agreed with Scar's plan and rushed to inform the hyena pack to go hide to a spot close to Pride Rock. Scar watched them leave. He turned to his brother and looked at him for one last time.

''Goodbye, my brother," Scar said with a sad expression (which again, quickly vanished) and headed to Pride Rock.

The moon had come out. It was night. A cold, dark night when Scar arrived to Pride Rock. When he was close enough, he rushed to Sarabi, whom was talking to Sarafina and her daughter. Sarabi, worried about her husband and son, felt glad that Scar came back.

''Scar! Thank the Great Kings you're back! Do you know where Mufasa and Simba headed to? I haven't seen them since morning!'' Sarabi asked Scar with a worried look. Sarafina and Nala were both looking at Scar, desperately waiting for an answer.

''Sarabi, that's what I wished to tell you when I came back. This is a tragedy... I must tell the whole pride,'' Scar said with a fake expression of grief.

Sarabi's eyes widened, and so did Sarafina and Nala's. Tragedy? What was Scar talking about?

''Tragedy? What tragedy? Scar, what happened to Mufasa and Simba?'' Sarabi asked, starting to get extremely worried.

''Be patient, Sarabi. And please, stay strong, and now go tell the pride to gather on the bottom of Pride Rock,'' Scar answered impatiently.

Sarabi did as she was told to do. All the lionesses had soon gathered in the bottom of Pride Rock as requested, and Zazu, whom had returned not a long while ago, was there too. Scar stood on a big rock. It was time to tell the pride about the stampede tragedy.

''Listen up, everyone. I've got really bad news to announce. It's really shocking and hard to accept, but... Mufasa and Simba won't be coming back," Scar said with a serious, yet a sad tone in his voice.

Suddenly, whispering could be heard through the pride. Everyone's eyes widened.

''What happened to them?!" Sarafina shouted.

''A stampede. In the gorge. Simba was in the gorge, when a stampede occured. A huge number of wildebeest started running into the gorge. I saw Simba helplessly trying to escape death. I didn't know what to do. I wasn't strong enough to go and save Simba. But then, I saw Mufasa and Zazu. I immediately told them that Simba was in danger, and Mufasa rushed to Simba's rescue. But Mufasa didn't make it. The wildebeest were simply too many. He died trying to save Simba, whom didn't manage to escape death..." Scar told the pride. 

Everyone gasped. Soon enough, tears started coming out of their eyes, especially Sarabi's. Zazu flew to Sarabi and tried to comfort her, but Zazu wasn't enough for her to stop crying.

''Mufasa's death was a terrible tragedy; but to lose Simba, who had barely begun to live... For me it is a deep personal loss", he said and looked at the lionesses crying. It was time to announce that he was gonna take over.

''So it is with a heavy heart that I assume the throne.''

Immediately, the hyena spy that had been sent to give the signal to the others to come when Scar announced that he was gonna be king gave the hyenas the signal to come to Pride Rock.

Suddenly, the lionesses started hearing hyenas laughing.

''Yet, out of the ashes of this tragedy, we shall rise to greet the dawning of a new era, in which lion and hyena come together, in a great and glorious future!'' Scar said as he ran on the top of Pride Rock impatiently, which resulted in the loss of the serious tone in his voice. The lionesses gasped again, but for a different reason. How could Scar bring the hyenas in?

It really was the dawning of a new era. Scar roared, claiming the kingship. It was the beginning of a reign filled with sorrow and hatred...