Chapter One: Disturbing News
Across the barren, desolate Serengeti, Pride Rock stood, changed by the new monarch that usurped the sacred position of king. Malnourished hyenas and lions crawled along the jagged remains of a once pure precipice and rock staircase. Scar, the new king of the Pride Lands overlooked his kingdom. Where water was once bountiful and plants were lush, cracked earth and brittle twigs now occupied. The drought cracks and twigs sprawled the land like millions of limbed insects.
Scar would have normally smiled when he thought of imagery such as this, but he did not even so much as curl his lips.
"What a kingdom!" tweeted a voice sarcastically, "That is definitely worth passing on."
Scar tilted his head below him to see a blue African hornbill glaring at him.
"Zazu," muttered Scar, "Didn't your mother ever tell you that muttering insults under a lion's mouth isn't intelligent in the least bit? And besides, if you don't like the way I run things, than you can leave."
The bird flew onto Scar's head.
"Don't you think that if it were that easy, than I would have left you years ago? It's not that simple….you see Scar, it is tradition that my family produce an offspring to accompany the king and his son. And then when I die…my offspring will watch the next king and his son…and so on… and so on."
"Wait," snapped Scar. His green and yellow eyes widened at the concept.
"Of course…an heir…Of course." Scar shook his head until Zazu fell off.
"The glorious, late Mufasa," prayed Zazu as he pointed his bill into the grey sky, "Please forgive me for any vile idea Scar had interpreted from my big, blabbering beak! Forgive me, please!"
In the main chamber below the cliff, the rest of the pride's lions prepared for the night's sleep. The opening of the cave was where the hunting lionesses slept so as to watch over the others.
Nala laid down without speaking to the other lionesses in her hunting group. The drought and scarcity of prey had a somber effect on the pride. The lionesses were particularly perturbed by the scarcity since the hunters were always the ones blamed by the other lions for not having found any sufficient food. Nala closed her eyes as she tried to sleep. She felt lonely ever since Simba had died those many years ago. Ever since he had left her, she had made few friends. Simba's mother, Sarabi, was pleasant company, but she was a bitter reminder of her lost friend. Nala thought she had smelt a faint odor of rotting meat, but decided that she did not care enough to open her eyes. Nala was close to sleeping until she felt a heavy breathing on her muzzle. She opened her eyes to find a drooling hyena breathing down on her face.
"What do you want!" snapped Nala. Even after Scar's promise of lions and hyenas living in peace under his rule, the beasts frequently fought.
"Lord Scar wants to converse with you," dribbled the hyena messenger. Drool pooled under his paws and onto Nala's face. "Eww, blah!" she spat, "Well are you just going to keep slobbering or are you going to tell me what for?"
The hyena shook its head vivaciously, sending saliva flying in the air. "He does not say, but I thinks it be for something about your status as second in command of the hunting party."
"Creeper- hyena", Nala muttered under her breath as she sauntered out of the cave.
Scar laid on the stone floor of the Pride Rock top cave. His eyes flickered when he saw Nala enter.
"You asked for me?"
"Hello Nala," Scar purred, "When was the last time I saw you?"
Nala averted her eyes uncomfortably, "Two years ago, I suppose."
Scar's tail flickered in a beckoning gesture. "Sit next to me," he ordered, "I need to talk to you about something. It's very important to the pride's future."
Nala hesitated. She was suspicious of Scar's sudden interest in her.
"Come now, Nala. You can trust me."
Nala obeyed and lay next to him on the stone floor. She was uncomfortable to be this close to him, but strangely…..she felt less lonely than a short moment ago.
"Now Nala," he whispered, "I know that you are part of the Pride's hunting party. Tell me, how are you dealing with the rest of the Pride?"
Nala stared at him intently, "What do you mean?"
"I mean, are you lonely? You used to be close friends with Simba when you were cubs…until he…er…his soul left us. And now the whole pride seems to be bickering with each other over food. How are you faring?"
"I guess I am pretty lonely. Everyone has been pretty depressed since a lot of the herd-beasts left us …."
Her voice trailed off when she noticed Scar moving closer to her. He then laid his head onto the top of her's and began to lick the fur thoroughly.
"What are you doing?!" Nala panicked.
Scar resumed licking her head and back when he explained.
"I'm grooming you. You haven't been taking care of yourself lately….there is a lot of dirt and burs in there. Times have been hard, but someone should still be taking care of you, if not yourself."
Nala winced as she felt him remove a bur. It was strange to feel him perform something that could be mistaken for affection. She had not been groomed by another lion since she was a cub under her mother's care. After he had picked the burs out of her back legs, he nudged her onto her side, exposing her underbelly to him. There he continued combing dirt with his teeth and rough tongue.
Nala was shocked. Should she stop him? Would that be viewed as too insulting to a king? She could not help but wonder what possessed her to allow him to continue. Was she really that lonely?
"All done," Scar chirruped.
Before he could do anything else, Nala hissed, "is this what you wanted me here for? To groom me? I think there was something else on your mind."
Scar's smile faded once he saw that the calming effect of the grooming did not last. His eyes dropped as his face revealed a more sober expression.
"I need a queen, Nala," he said bluntly, "I have chosen you to be my queen, and I hoped that you would accept my invitation. The pride needs an heir, and I cannot have an heir unless I have a bride."
Nala's mouth hung agape. She could not believe it. The news was slightly disturbing.
"What about Simba's mother…..Sarabi? She was Mufasa's queen. Is she not yours now that he is gone?"
Scar laughed at the suggestion. "Oh no Nala, I could never take my dear brother's wife, even if he is dead. I wanted someone else and I chose you. You want a companion, don't you? So do I. We are compatible for each other."
Nala was unsure of what to say. She couldn't. She shouldn't. It…wouldn't look right in the least.
"Meet me tomorrow night at the barren watering hole. I want to show you something before you make up your mind." Scar stood on his legs and walked over to a darkened corner of the room. Only his feral eyes would show in the blackness.
"You may go now, Nala. Rest, and we will meet again soon."
Nala stood and walked out of the cave entrance. He had released her. She thought she saw the flicker of another lion's tail whip around the corner, but shook her head in disbelief. It had already been a strange night and she needed to sleep.