planning something that was almost sure to kill one was not an easy thing to go through. I was very weak from lack of proper nutrition, had barely any water, lack of sleep, and no hope or confidence. I lost all of that a long time ago. All of these would surely affect my reflexes.

            I found Sarabi lying under the shade of a large, dead tree some ways away from Pride Rock. I walked over and lay next to her. I put my arm around her neck and lay my head underneath hers.

            “Well…” I said flatly. “There is nothing left to it but to do it.”

            She turned her head down and licked mine. I closed my eyes and a tear escaped from one.

            “I’m scared Sarabi.” I whispered. “I’ve never been this scared in my life before. If I fail, he’s gonna kill me. I don’t know what I’ll do if that happens. Part of me wants to die, but the other part of me is willing myself to live.”

            Sarabi turned my body so I could look at her. My mother’s eyes shone with love and compassion. I took great comfort in the fact that, through all of my suffering and pain, she remained with me. Even in this hellish existence, in these damned lands, I was blessed.

            She smiled and said to me, “Ayden, though you have much to fear, know this. I am always with you. No matter where you go, what you do, or who you are with, I will always be with you to comfort you. Do not be scared my son.”

            Her words were very comforting and they brought tears down my face, but I still worried.

            “If I fail,” I said, my voice shaking “Then I will fail not only myself, but my pride. I will fail you, Sarabi. And if I fail and by some miracle I survive, I will have to leave. I will have to go to ensure that I stay alive.”

Under my breath, I muttered to myself, “That’s IF I still want to stay alive.”

            Sarabi’s face stiffened, but remained comforting. Kindly, she replied, “Then you will go. Who knows Ayden? There may be something better for you beyond this place. If you do not succeed in overthrowing Scar, then leave. Go before he has the chance to react. Don’t think about it, don’t hesitate, just leave. Do not give up on living simply because of us. We may be your pride, but I would rather see you live and leave than die for us when there is so much more for you to live for.”

            I stared at her for a moment and sighed, the tears slowly stopping. “Would you come with me?”

            I was expecting her to say yes. Why wouldn’t she? To my complete shock, her face fell, and she lowered her head. A lump grew in my throat.

            “Why not Sarabi?” I asked, my voice suddenly rising. A feeling of rejection grew in my heart.

            She looked back up and said, “I am not the lioness I once was. I am too weak.”

            “Bullshit!” I said, anger mounting from my rejection. “Only just last week you could carry me on your back when I had no strength! You have plenty of strength!”

            She looked away, clearly taken aback by my sudden outburst. Her eyes were filled with a shame the likes of which I had never seen. I realized that something was troubling her immensely.

“You’re hiding something from me.” It was not a question. My lips uttered the words without my mind’s consent. There was blame in my voice, and I was surprised at myself. How could I be talking to her like this?

            Sarabi’s face looked back to mine. Her eyes were full of fear and sorrow. I stunted my anger. She was tormented by some unknown force, and getting angry at her would only make her feel worse

            “Sarabi...” I whispered, putting concern into my voice. “Tell me, please? I won’t judge you, you know that.”

            She sighed, and a small sob escaped her. “Ayden…I’ afraid of what you’ll say.”

            I moved closer to her and put my hand on her shoulder. “Sarabi, there is nothing you could say that would ever change what I think of you.”

Her eyes welled up and she blinked sorrowfully at me. Almost inaudibly, she whispered, “I’m pregnant.”

            Blank shock hit me like I had been thrust headfirst into ice cold water. I became aware that my mouth fell open. Utter disbelief clouded my mind. She had said something else, I had just misheard her. I closed my jaw and found my voice.

            “Y-younbsp;      I stared at her for a moment and sighed, the tears slowly stopping. “Would you come with me?”

            I was expecting her to say yes. Why wouldn’t she? To my complete shock, her face fell, and she lowered her head. A lump grew in my throat.

            “Why not Sarabi?” I asked, my voice suddenly rising. A feeling of rejection grew in my heart.

            She looked back up and said, “I am not the lioness I once was. I am too weak.”

            “Bullshit!” I said, anger mounting from my rejection. “Only just last week you could carry me on your back when I had no strength! You have plenty of strength!”

’re…what?” I stammered.

            “Pregnant.” She repeated quietly, a tear streaking down her face.

            I had heard correctly. Of everything that I had possibly conceived, of every single idea that I thought could have tormented Sarabi in this way, this was the very last thing that had crossed my mind. Sarabi was PREGNANT? She was carrying a cub? Not just any cub, but another brother.

One question passed over my lips before I could stop myself.

            “Who is the father?” I asked, fearing the answer.

            Pure terror became visible in Sarabi’s face, and then the tears flowed from her eyes. She buried her face in her paws and she began to shake with silent fits of weeping.

            “I couldn’t stop him.” She whispered through her sobs. “He wanted an heir, and he wanted to punish me even more.”

            Every single bit of hate that I had for that creature was merely a drop of water in the raging river of loathing that now overcame me. I was shaking with anger at him and pity for Sarabi. Once again, Scar had mercilessly pushed the limits of what I would had believed possible of him. My head began to swim. My knees gave way and I fell forward into the ground.

            “THAT BASTARD!” I screamed into the dirt where my face was planted. “That malicious, selfish, no-good, demonic worm of a BASTARD!”

            I shot up and wrenched my knife from my pocket. I turned to the tree that provided us what little shade we had, and started embedding the blade in the tree repeatedly. Over and over, I jammed the knife deep into the tree, imaging every place that I hit was Scar’s face. I imagined the knife digging into his evil smile and I imagined his screams of absolute pain. He was going to pay for his crimes. He had violated my mother and forced her to bear a burden that she did not deserve.

            At one point, my knife stuck in the tree and remained there. As I viciously tried to wrench it out, I was suddenly pinned to the tree. Sarabi had her front paws on my back an was holding me still against the trunk.

            “Ayden!” she shouted through her tears, “There is nothing that can be done! I’m already bearing the cub! You cannot let your emotions cloud your mind! Remember what you are to do!”

            I relaxed my muscles, but my mind was still racing with thought after thought. I placed my head against the tree and wept. She released me, and I fell to the ground in a pile.

            “How could he?” I asked through my tears. “How could he even do something so cruel? How can somebody be so evil? He’s like your brother!”

            Sarabi’s face came very close to mine. “Ayden…”

            I looked up at her

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