muzzle.

 

“So nice of you to join us, Sarabi,” said Scar formally. “To what do I owe the pleasure?”

 

“Cut the pleasantries, Scar,” Sarabi announced. “Leave her be. She’s young. She knows not what she does.”

 

“Is that so?” Scar laughed quietly, turning his attention completely from Kayra and to the other lionesses. Shenzi, Banzai and Ed immediately swooped in to guard the young lioness.

 

“Is that so, Sarabi?” Scar repeated, meandering toward the elderly lioness. “Why, I believe I have heard quite differently.”

 

“What you have heard is a lie, then,” said Sarabi shortly.

 

“You’re calling me a liar, Sarabi?!” It was the lioness Zira, stepping from behind a group of hyenas. Her teeth were bared, muzzle twisted into a hard grimace.

 

“Z-Zira?” Sarabi’s expression was one of utter disbelief. “It was… you?”

 

Zira nodded, laughing. “Ah, yes. But since I was a part of your little hunting party, you didn’t think that telling me about Kayra’s little plan would bring you to this.  Am I right?”

 

“We’ve trusted you…”

 

“Falsely.” Zira bared her teeth even more, her grin becoming almost maniacal. “I am but a humble and loyal servant of our great king Scar…” she glanced over to the king, in her eyes a look of desperate longing. Then her gaze returned to Sarabi. “I knew what had to be done.”

 

“You…” growled Kayra. Zira merely laughed.

 

“Ah, how unfortunate it is when old friends quarrel…” Scar said almost apathetically, his gaze shifting from Sarabi to Zira and back again. “But you have done well, Zira. And for that I am… most grateful.”

 

Zira bowed low to the ground. “All the power in the world be to you, Scar. I am… in your debt… always… forever…”

 

If Scar possessed the slightest amount of interest in Zira’s obvious advances, he ignored them completely, returning instead to Kayra. “So,” he started again in a low growl, “I hear you were planning to find help. Is this correct?”

 

“Correct,” replied Kayra, her words staccato, her gaze finding the ground before the king.

 

Scar had returned to pacing about the young, slightly-injured lioness. “And what, pray tell, was the reason for searching for this help? Hmm? What kind of help did you need?”

 

“You should know full well.”

 

“Oh, yes, I’m quite aware. But tell me anyway. I want to hear your intentions. I want everyone to hear your intentions.”

 

Kayra growled. “I planned to find help to usurp your throne.”

 

“Louder.”

 

“I wanted to find help to get this sadistic old king killed!” shouted Kayra. She stood again, her voice climbing to reach all within shouting distance. “Because this lion we call our king, Scar, has brought nothing but hardships and troubled times for our pride!”

 

Scar listened, his facial features unmoving.

 

“Hyena and lion alike, I ask you,” Kayra continued, “think back to the times before Scar. When his brother, Mufasa, ruled the lands.”
 

“DO NOT SPEAK THAT NAME.”

 

This time, Scar left a sizable gash just under Kayra’s left ear, which trailed all the way down to the edge of her face. The lioness grimaced, in obvious pain. Still she knew she was alone in this. Though she had told the other lionesses about her plan, they had agreed that they could not all go to war together against Scar and his hyenas, just in case they were all wiped out and there was no one left to oppose Scar. It was fighting smart, and this was their first failure in that field – though who could have known that Zira would turn against them?

 

Scar almost seemed to be in a trance at that point, his countenance twisted into a snarl, a low growl emitting from his throat whenever he was not speaking. “Hyenas,” he roared. “What say you? What shall we do with this traitor?”

 

A sea of voices responded; a chorus of “Kill her!” seemed most prevalent. Shenzi, Banzai and Ed, all three still nearby should Kayra react unfavorably, were quite vocal in their support of this option.

 

“I wonder, though,” mused Scar once the din had died down, circling Kayra. “What if a compromise can be reached? What say you to that, Kayra?”

 

“What are you saying?” asked the lioness quietly.

 

“I’m saying…” the old king’s eyes perused the young lioness’s sleek, slender frame, his tongue licking his lips, his teeth bared, “that perhaps a few… favors… could be arranged.” Nearby, Zira began to growl, her claws kneading the dirt before her as she stared daggers at Kayra.

 

“You want me to become your mate, don’t you?” Kayra growled.

 

“Oh, not exactly, my dear,” Scar said. “You would be merely… alongside others of your type… in a similar situation. Obeying my every request when I so demand it.”

 

“Forget it.”

 

Scar paused, his gaze studying the young lioness. “I offer you a way out, Kayra. I don’t think it’s too much to ask… a little ‘private time’ here and there with your king… you should feel honored.”

 

“I would never submit to you. Ever,” said Kayra venomously. Then, grinning slyly, “But I’m sure plenty of the hyenas would be thrilled…”

 

“Y-you…” Scar was taken aback. “You LITTLE…”

 

In a sudden move quite agile for a lion of his age, Scar leaped forward, his head lowered. He rammed into Kayra, who had been simply no match for a much-larger lion. The distance that had separated Kayra from the edge of the ravine was not nearly enough, and the lioness toppled over the side.

 

Sarabi and many of the other lionesses cried out in protest, but by then it was already too late. And when they heard the loud thump from down in the ravine pierce the night sky, they knew it was over.

 

Scar stood at the edge, breathing heavily. In between breaths he began to cackle, first only a bit, before he soon broke out into a maniacal fit of laughter.

 

He turned to the other lionesses, an imposing gleam in his eye. “You see, Sarabi,” there was a hint of in his broken voice, “it is I who hold the power. The absolute power. Me! ME! Haha!”

 

The king paused for a moment before continuing, gulping loudly. “Lion and hyena! You see now what power I have. The power to torment. The power to maim. The power to kill.” He stepped from the edge of the ravine. “Let us go back to building this great and glorious future I have set into motion! And use this sick, troubled lioness…” he turned his head back to the ravine briefly, “as an example! For I can be your greatest ally… or your worst enemy!” he roared.

 

A din of hyena-led agreement sounded through the night. Slowly,  the creatures began to move back toward Pride Rock, where it would be life as usual for most, save for the small lioness band that had lost one of their own.

 

“She was strong to the end,” Sarafina whispered, her head hung low as with the other lionesses as they began their trek toward their home.

 

“Agreed, ‘Fina,” replied Sarabi, the sadness in her voice evident. “Somehow I… had a feeling it would come to this. Especially with Kayra. She was always so… headstrong.”

 

She glanced to her left, where Zira had taken up a spot beside Scar, though not before turning around and leering at the lioness group one last time. Sarabi sighed. “I should have known it… Zira always seemed far too defensive of Scar…”

 

The others murmured in agreement as they walked, working to keep their voices low as a few hyenas trailed them, making sure none of them decided to make a move toward the boundaries of the Pride Lands. “Border patrol’s probably going to be stepped up,” muttered a lioness next to Sarabi. “There’s no way we’ll have any chance of getting one of our own to escape, right, Sarabi?”

 

Sarabi said nothing at this, which surprised the lionesses. But briefly, before anyone could press the question once more, Sarafina spoke up again.
 

“Nala,” she said simply. “Where’s Nala? Why isn’t she here?”

 

The lionesses spoke of this with great interest, turning finally to Sarabi, who had still said not a word.

 

To their surprise, a smirk had found its way etched upon Sarabi’s face.

 

“Sarabi…” Sarafina pressed once more. “Where’s my daughter?”

 

Sarabi nuzzled her reassuringly. “Nala will be fine.”

 

“What do you—”

 

“If there’s anything I’ve learned over the years, it’s to have a good backup

Previous Page

1 2 3

Next page