While for most of the writing period, I was worried that I will not get any submissions, you guys rallied up and surprised me not with three, but six submissions! I originally though I had four, still more than I expected, but then I checked and counted, and you guys sure did blow my expectations away. Way to go guys!So now it is the one week period to vote on them. Which story is the best? Because of the number of submissions this time, I will allow each voter to vote for their favorite two stories. But even with two votes, please put the dedication for each story you would if you only had one. Voting ends on Tuesday, December 3rd!
And here are the stories:
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Submission 1:
Spoiler: show
A Father's Fright
"That's very good!" says Mufasa after witnessing Simba's first proper pounce.
Mufasa was very proud of Simba, he may be a bit reckless, but he will be a good leader one day. Mufasa was taking no notice of Zazu receiving news from a mole and was startled when Zazu yelled out at him.
"Sire! Hyenas! In the Pridelands!"
“Zazu, take Simba home.” Said Mufasa, suddenly turning serious.
"Oh, Dad, can’t I come?" Asked Simba, hoping he would get a chance to see his dad in action.
"No son."
"Simba must learn that I don't let him go anywhere near the hyenas for his own good. I wouldn't want to lose them." Mufasa thought to himself as he ran off towards where Zazu said the hyenas were.
* * *
Mufasa ran towards where the hyenas were. They were over near a tree, and had killed a young zebra.
Mufasa say what they had done, and he had got angry. It was a well-known law that you must not kill the young of an animal, unless they are sick.
The hyenas were about to dig into the carcass, but Mufasa interrupted them before they could.
He approached the hyenas.
“Well, if it isn’t King Mufasa.” Said Shenzi.
“What have you come here for, to start an alliance?” said Banzai.
They hyenas burst into laughter. They would never accept an alliance, and they knew Mufasa would never give one out.
“You have broken the law and must be punished.” Said Mufasa in a severe tone of voice.
The hyenas attacked Mufasa. Mufasa was outnumbered, but he had more strength. He was fighting the hyenas. The hyenas were attacking him from all sides but Mufasa wasn't struggling to take them down at all.
Ed attacked him from Mufasa's left; Mufasa deflected the bite and attacked back with a swipe of his massive paws.
Shenzi and Banzai attacked him from in front and behind at the same time. Mufasa dived out of the way and clonked their heads together. Then, pinning the three hyenas underneath his paws, Mufasa yelled at them.
"You know the law! Under no circumstances are you hyenas to be in the Pridelands. This time you get a warning, next time you get to be lunch! Now go back to where you belong!"
"O-of course your m-majesty." Said a terrified Shenzi.
Mufasa released his grip and the hyenas fled away from him.
* * *
"What am I to do with those pesky hyenas?" Mufasa said to himself as he made his way back to Pride Rock.
When he was halfway back, Zazu fell from the sky and landed right in front of him, smoking like green leaves on a fire.
"Zazu! What happened?" Said a concerned Mufasa.
"Oh nothing sire, everything is perfectly fine. Oh, except for Simba and Nala they are in the elephant graveyard and are being chased by the hyenas."
"What!" yelled Mufasa, ignoring the tone that Zazu used.
This was no time to get angry at Zazu, Simba and Nala were in danger and he had to hurry.
Mufasa ran as quick as lightning. He hit his paw on a rock but he didn't take notice of it, nothing mattered at the moment besides Simba and Nala's safety.
"What would I do if I lose Simba? And Sarafina! She would leave the pride for sure if Nala gets hurt." Mufasa thought to himself.
Thinking of the two cubs and the immense danger they were in, Mufasa managed to put on a final burst of speed and arrived at the Elephant Graveyard.
"Where are they?" he said to himself in a panicky voice.
"Sire!" yelled out Zazu as he caught up to Mufasa. "Sire! They are this way, follow me!"
Zazu flew off towards an elephant skull and Mufasa followed with the great speed he showed earlier.
Mufasa saw the hyenas. "There." Mufasa thought to himself. Mufasa had heard Simba's attempts at roaring at the hyenas earlier, and decided to surprise them with his own.
Mufasa let out the mightiest roar he could muster and leapt at the hyenas. He knocked them down, attacking them all. He took them down with ease, and pinned them under his paws as he did earlier.
“Ow please, please. Uncle, uncle”
“Ow, ow, ow” the hyenas were being crushed under the strength of Mufasa.
“Silence!” roared Mufasa.
“Oh, we’re gonna shut up right now”
“We’re really sorry” the hyenas tried to get out by lying.
"If you ever come near my son again!" Mufasa said in a very threatening tone.
“Oh, this is, this is your son?” asked Shenzi in an innocent voice.
“Oh, your son?’ said Banzai.
“Did you know that?’ Shenzi asked the other two.
“No… me? I-I-I didn’t know it. No. Did you?” said Banzai talking really fast.
Mufasa was starting to get a little angry at the hyenas.
“No! Of course no”
“No.”
“Ed?” Banzai and Shenzi asked Ed, hoping he wouldn’t give it away that they knew.
Then Ed stupidly nodded yes. Mufasa roared, fed up with the hyenas.
"Tootles." said Banzai.
The hyenas squeezed out from under Mufasa's paws and speeded of, yelping.
Zazu landed on Mufasa’s shoulder, and made a movement that signified, ‘that’ll take care of them’, but Mufasa was not pleased at Zazu for two reasons. One, Zazu had used humour at the wrong time, and two, Zazu had not protected Simba and Nala. Mufasa gave Zazu a death stare, and Zazu flew off Mufasa’s shoulder.
Submission 2:
Spoiler: show
How Zira met Scar
“Not a bad day it was”, thought a young lioness named Zira while walking back from the hunt. She just turned two the day before and finally had a chance to hunt on her own. That was her long time wish, for that she never actually liked being part of the pride. She hated every single lion she shared her home with, mainly because they’ve never given her to rule and always bossed around. That day, she managed to catch two antelopes. “Perfect,” she thought. However, she had no intentions to come home and share it with her pride, like the tradition was. “They cannot know I hunted them. I’ll just eat them both right here,” she said, perhaps more loudly than you should expect her to. Of course, she couldn’t eat them both at the same time, due the fact that she was still a young lioness, alone. She lied down for a moment and took some rest. She ate one, enjoying her rare alone moments.
Anyway, another lion was hunting in that moment, not so far from her. He was about her age and his name was Taka. He wasn’t the same luck as her, not managing to hunt anything that day. At the same time, he was dissatisfied to even be made to hunt, for it was a lionesses’ job to do. Besides, he was a prince, and princes are not supposed to do such a filthy job. At least, it was his opinion. “If only that Mufasa had to hunt. My dad could have sent him! Damn life!” he was complaining to himself, and instantly spotted Zira. He came to her, showing no hesitation. He liked her appearance for she wasn’t like other lionesses he’s met before. She was special.
“Hello, pretty girl! You seem so cool, and coolness is so my thing. Mind if I join you for a bit?”
Zira stared at him for a few moments, and then, out of a sudden, started to yell at him.
“Who are you, stranger? Don’t you know who I am? I am Zira and I hate being surrounded by anyone! You are destroying my wonderful alone-time.”
She tried to keep her attitude high, but, after all, she had to admit that she liked that lad. His black mane was just the way she imagined the perfect lion to look like. Besides there was something in his eyes she admired, something evil, something that showed her that they might get along perfectly. She wasn’t like other lions she’s known. He wasn’t lame and boring.
“Sorry, I might need to improve my attitude,” she said at the end. “Of course, you might stay if you wish.”
Taka smiled, the way he never smiled before. This girl indeed was special. After all, he made no mistake about her. Her eyes were shining with a special sparkle, her claws were sharp
“So, where are you from?” he asked, obviously not really interested about it, just didn’t know what to say. And somehow, he felt that question was a suitable in such situations.
“I live in a small pride not too far from here,” she said not hiding her dissatisfaction about it. “I used to live in a small pride not too far from here” she corrected herself a few seconds later.
“Used to? Then, where are you now?” asked Taka, not quite catching what his meant-to-be girlfriend wanted to say.
“Oh, it’s a long story. They’ve never really treated me the way I want them to. That’s why I decided to… simply, run away.”
“Run away? But don’t you think your pride will miss you? Besides, I heard you mentioning that you are about to hide your antelopes and…”
“Not at all. Besides, I don’t really care about it. I never had a chance to prove myself to them the way I wanted to. I don’t want them to miss me, or to pretend like they need me, cause I know they don’t” she interrupted Taka while still talking. “Wait a sec, what antelopes? What hiding? Were you spying on me?” she asked, not really happy about what she just heard.
“No. I mean, yes. I mean, maybe. I understand your feeling. I was also mistreated. But anyways. Who are you hiding them from when you are not supposed to come back to your pride? Me?”
“Of course, not you. You are my friend. Anyway, I decided to run away just now. I didn’t have it in mind before. But you just can’t keep spying on me like I’m an ordinary girl!.”
“Alright, alright!” he yelled. “Just, shut up! I dislike being bossed around, just like you. Now, if you don’t mind, we can it that one antelope you hadn’t already eating while talking about business.”
“Business!?” Zira yelled in horror. She couldn’t even think what this guy could come up to. Although she liked him, she also found him terrifying at a certain point.
“Yes. Now, listen carefully. As far as I know, you don’t want to go home? Well, that’s fine. In that case, you might want to go with me to the Pridelands, where…”
“The Pridelands!?” Zira yelled. “I heard of you, you are a huge pride ruling all the land. That is so awesome, are you a prince? Will I be a queen?”
Taka looked at her, not really pleased with her response.
“No. Zira. You won’t be a queen. And, yes. I am a prince, but unfortunately, not a crown prince. My older brother is supposed to get a crown. I’m only a leftover.”
“Yuk,” Zira thought to herself in disappointment. “Then why do you even need me? I told you I was born to rule!”
Taka smiled again. “Women,” he thought. “I don’t need you to rule. I need to you make plans for my return and be loyal to me ‘til we are both dead. Nothing more. You see, I’m way much better and smarter than that Mufasa. You don’t doubt it, do you?”
“I know you are,” she smiled. “You are much better and smarter than any lion I’ve ever met! I’m sure this Mufasa of yours isn’t an exception. Besides, you hate him, and so do I.”
Taka was glad. “Fine, then. We are leaving as soon as the sun falls today. Pridelands is not really far, and I’m sure we’ll be there in no time. But I can’t allow you to stand in there. You’d be spotted so easily, which neither of us wants. There is a awesome place near the Rock, named Elephant Graveyard. You’ll be safe there with my hyena friends. And I promise you, I’ll visit you daily. And I promise you, hyenas will be obedient to you.”
“Hyena!?” Zira yelled. She wasn’t really fond of hyenas but, from the short time she knew him, she realized that confronting Taka would not be good for her. “Ok,” she said, and next of the evening, they spent together watching the sunset and eating. After that, they were headed right to the Elephant Graveyard.
Submission 3:
Spoiler: show
Facing hope
Taka:
I was lost, alone and empty; No one cared about me. I was lying in the Badlands alone. I can't completely remember what happened a week ago. One minute I am being accused for poisoning my father, next I wake up in this terrible desert. I think I must have lost some of my memory. My brother Mufasa must have knocked me out. Why was I accused? Why is it that I am the one getting the punishment for the death of Ahadi? Is this some sort of banishment? Will I be able to go home? Oh what has happen? I was trapped in my thoughts, 'and how I can't remember what happen with my brother clearly'. I couldn't stop thinking about it. I stood up, walked along alone.
I walked through this terrible desert, but somewhat it was beautiful, the pattern that the wind left behind, the beautiful shapes of the wind, this place was really pretty. Most people would consider the heat as bad, but I actually don't mind it. I continue walking, and I find this rock. It had the inscription of a scarab on it. I wondered where this came from, so I continued walking along. I climbed the dunes, and found a beautiful paradise. I walked over to it, and I walked throughout a while, but I decided not to go any farther. I felt like I wouldn't be accepted by the locals. So I continued walking through the Badlands. It was empty as a Hyenas head. I knew I was to die here, of starvation maybe, Thirst, Disease? Yea, I knew I was doomed. So I decided to keep on travelling, I knew nowhere to go.
I then tripped over a dune, or was it really a dune? It surely felt like something, it was freaky. I started to feel drowsy, time just slowed right down. I was falling, but slowly. But even though of that, I couldn't react in time. I just kept on falling; it was terrible. All around me I saw spirits, they looked like some of the kings of the past, and they must have been. Dad was there too. But then it just cut out, everything just returned to normal and I fell into a pit.
The pit was filled with scarab stones, making my landing bad. So I came out with a bad back. My legs were aching, I couldn't get up and my head really hurt. In fact every bone in my body was aching. I fell asleep, and then I seemed to wake up in this place; it was beautiful. There was food (Antelope, Buffalo, Zebra, Wildebeest and many other kinds of meat). There was also plenty of water, waterholes everywhere. It was a perfect place to be. I couldn't believe my eyes; I tried to wake but I couldn't. This was very real.
But then the supernatural stuff started to happen. The world was glowing, each and everything had a colour around it. I looked into the water, but the water was grey. Then the world became empty. Then a voice said "Taka". I sighed and yelled "What do you want?!" then the voice replied "your soul, I want your soul."
"Why!?"
"You are lost. You are stuck in a dream, you have no escape. You are alone."
"No, I won't give my soul up to you."
"You can't win"
"What are you?"
"I am the blackness in your heart, I will help you back into your old life, I will even make you king. I will make you the king of pride rock. All you need to do is give me your soul"
"No! My brother is the rightful king."
"But look what he did to you, he banished you. You know deep down that you need to kill your brother."
"No!"
That was when I ran, I ran until I escaped. There was no way out, and I was alone. I continued exploring this world. I saw pride rock and myself standing up on the throne, my brother was bowing down to me. I was standing up on the throne with this beautiful lioness. She was so pretty. It all vanished in the blink of an eye.
I woke up. I saw the same beautiful lioness as I saw in my dream. She said "are you aright " I didn't know what to say. She helped me up and asked my name. I told her my name was Taka. Her name was Zira. She was so nice. She was the perfect lioness for me. But I thought it was inevitable. She told me to lie down on a rock and relax for a bit. "Where are we?" I asked. She told me that we were in the middle of nowhere. At first I didn't believe her, but after I looked around, there were scarab stones everywhere; we were in the middle of nowhere. Zira was knocking around some stones. I asked her what she was doing; she said that she was trying to find something.
"It has to be around here somewhere" she said. "What?" I asked. "I'm looking for a dreamstone, when a lion touches one, they lose continence and they fall into to a deep sleep for three days. But for the lion it only seems like five minutes."
"You mean I was asleep for three days?"
"When I came, I sensed its presence and I saw you, I was waiting for you to wake up; I found you two days ago. Do you remember anything before you fell asleep?"
"Well I do remember that I was walking through the desert and I tripped, and my body started aching from all these stones."
"Wait, what did you trip on?"
"I couldn't see it, it was buried in sand."
"Where?"
"Up there"
I pointed to where I tripped. "Of course, it blends in with its surroundings" she said. I asked her how she knew all this. She told me that she was a geologist and she said she has studied these stones. "You must be thirsty, come with me" she said. She wrapped the stone in some sort of a fabric. She then walked along through the desert. "Come on, do you want to die of thirst?" she asked. I said no and ran and followed her. About half an hour later, we were at this grassland. It was quite hot compared to a savannah, but quite cold compared to the desert we were just in. She led me into a den and placed the stone down next to another stone just like it. "What's the difference?" I ask. "I don't know. My father died researching these stones, and told me I need to find the secret of these stones. I have never been in one of these dreams. My father told me everything about the dreams and the stone"
I felt sorry for Zira living through that. But why was she studying them when she has seen what can happen? What secret was she talking about? Zira then showed me to the water hole, it was so sweet. My first taste of water in days; I was so hungry, so thirsty, but now my thirst was gone. She then led me to a berry bush garden. She told me that this was the only source of food she had. After I had ate, I said "Thank you very much, I better be going now." then she asked "Why are you in the desert?" I said that I didn't know.
"Then why are you leaving so soon?"
"I don't want to bother you; I will only bring bad luck"
"Don't say that"
"You’re not the only one that has lost your father!" I cried. "What happen?" She asked. "I don't know. I can't remember; all I remember is my brother attacking me. He said something like, 'how dare you poison our father!' It was terrible."
"I'm sorry about your father Taka, people die and there is nothing you can do about it. All you can do is live on your life."
"But my family has abandoned me, and I am alone!"
"My mother abandoned me and my father where I was four. you’re not the only one. But you don't have to be alone."
"I am alone, and there is nothing I can do."
"You’re not!"
"I am!"
"TAKA! LISTEN TO ME NOW! I am right here and you are not alone. I will be your friend. You don’t have to run away from everyone just because of one major incident."
"But..."
"But nothing, you are not alone"
"OK... fine..."
We decided to go to sleep and wake up in the morning, it was quite late. Although I couldn't sleep I just wasn't tired. I had just woken up from a three day sleep just two hours ago. The morning came and I found myself asleep. It was past sunrise; I woke up and found Zira studying the stones. She looked around and said "morning sleepyhead". Then I asked how long since sunrise. Then she told me it was about an hour past.
“Are you alight?”
“Yea, I guess.”
“ OK.”
“Why are you trying to find the secret?”
“I don’t know, my Father never told me.”
“The only thing he told me is that he went to a happy place, but it was dangerous to stay there too long”
“I don’t know.”
“Are you sure he meant a happy place?”
“Yes, that is what he told me”
“I think he is trying to protect you from the Truth.”
“What? What did you see in that dream?”
“Things that are never meant to happen.”
“What, explain it to me?"
I told her what I saw in every detail. She listened, and she was shocked. She decided to go into one of these dreams. But, there must be someone outside of the dream to make sure that they wake up. So she decided that I was to look after her and make sure she stayed alive. Because alone, there is no way that you could live. I am so glad she was there.
Zira:
Taka said he would look after me when I going to the dream. My father never told me what he actually saw, only happiness. So I told Taka to lie me on the rock after I touch the stone. I told him what he had to do to ensure I stayed alive. So I touched the stone. I then found myself drowsy, I fell asleep. I saw this beautiful lake; I saw a figure that looked like a blue glowing lion. I recognized this lion “Daddy!”
“Zira, why have you come into this dream? I told you not to, it’s too risky for a lioness like yourself.”
“You lied to me!”
“No, I wanted to protect you.”
“But daddy”
“Zira, I know about Taka.”
“How?”
“What you are seeing is you heart.”
“What?”
“You are subcontinents. You are in the world of your mind and heart.”
“You mean I am inside myself?”
“Yes.”
“So you are really dead?”
“In the physical world I am, I am a part of you”
“So, this is only a dream?”
“No, this, as I said, is the world within your mind and heart.”
“Wake up now Zira, if you stay any longer you will die.
So I awoke. “Zira, Zira, Zira!” Said Taka, I woke up and said “Ok I'm up.” then he said "It’s almost been three and a half days since you fell asleep." Oh boy did time go quick, my time was up before I even knew it. I was so thirsty so I decided to go to the water hole and take a drink. “I have so many questions for my dad. I must go in again.” I said “I think you should wait before you go back” Replied Taka. We decided to wait and find something to do, because it is boring sitting here with nothing to do.
I suggested that we go explore, Taka had no objections. We decided to go and find another dreamstone. I took Taka to see this ancient map. It was quite far away and it was dangerous to get there. So we started to go to it. First we had to get out of the grasslands, the long way. So we had to go out the back from the way they came in. We had to cross the river, but it was full of alligators. This caused us complications. So Taka ran and almost jumped strait over the river, but he landed on an alligator which then attacked him and he jumped straight away and ran as the alligators chased him. Taka ran and ran as fast as he could, and he finally lost them, at least that is what he told me. I tried to find a way over the river to reach Taka, i couldn't do anything. So I tried what Taka did and managed to jump right over the river no complications. I then ran and tried to catch up to Taka and that I did. He Slipped and then saw the dreamstone. So I wrapped it in a piece of leather fabric as I wrapped the others in.
So we went home, alligators get snappy. We run for our lives, what else can I say? When we got home we put the dreamstone with the others. When we put them together we noticed that they all connected to each other, so without touching the actual stones we were able to fit them together. This is where I accidentally touched a dreamstone. I started to feel a bit drowsy, but I tried my best to stay awake. But after a minute I collapsed.
Taka then touched me before I completely entered the world in my mind so he came in the world too. “Taka, how did you come in here?” I asked, he didn't know the answer either. So we were both doomed I guess. My father appeared. He said “The last stone is found within your mind, within a deep dimension of your mind. If you can get it, you can discover the secret of the stones.
So there it was the location of the last dreamstone. My father vanished. So we both travelled to try and find the last dreamstone. Then the three dreamstones appeared together, as a puzzle that is mission one piece. They followed us around, we need to complete the puzzle to find the secret, and we need to find the last dreamstone to find the secret. “So is that why my father was in the dream so long. That makes scene.
The surrounding was a lakeside savannah. It was a great place to be. The savannah was unknown to me, but taka seemed to know what it was. So he led me to the place he calls pride rock, and in there was a portal to a dimension deeper that the one we are in. he then said “I Thought so, because before the voice said he will make me king of pride rock, and then I saw pride rock with us as the king and queen. I guess this leads to his dimension, or the place deep in my heart.
We entered the portal and it was dark and very gloomy. “I guess this is the dimension your father was talking about.” He said. He was so bold; he wasn’t scared of a thing. I knew that this was going to be hard, but what I didn’t know what was going to happen. We walked into what appeared as a catacomb. We kept on walking through it, there were spikes hanging loose from the ceiling-they looked as if they would fall with even the slightest disturbance.
Then we entered into what appeared as a den, in the den there was a lion that looked like a scruffy version of Taka with a scar. “Who are you?” asked Taka. “Oh you don’t remember me Taka? That’s a shame” Said the lion in a kind-of manipulative voice. “I am Scar. I am you, the blackness in your heart.” He continued. Then next a lioness came in. She was ugly, her ears had holes in them, and she was scruffy and weird. “Zira, Zira” She said. “I am you Zira and shall I be you forever, and with scar I will be forever and ever.” Behind them was the dreamstone. It was the only way out. We had to get it. Then scar said “Taka and Good Zira, now that doesn't sound right. How about Scar and Bad Zira, oh I like the sound of that.”
“SHUT UP! LEAVE US ALONE!” Taka Yelled. We both filled with rage, it was our biggest mistake, they disappeared and we were trapped here forever. The fourth dreamstone vanished, which was our only way out. We lost, we were stuck in here forever.
Submission 4:
Spoiler: show
Untitled
Zira stood up, flexing her weedy muscles. Her neck was stiff, and her arm was aching and covered in blood. Great, she thought sarcastically. Yet another thing to worry about. She gave a drawn- out yawn, and dug her razor-sharp claws into the ground. She shook her head, banishing the groggy feeling that was creeping up on her. She hated this. Hated everything. Her mother had only just disowned her, after her father had left both of them when she was young. They had just gotten settled into a pride, and she was actually fitting in. Or so she though.
“Guess what, Zira”, Azeem said excitedly.
“What, Mom?”, she replied sarcastically.
“Guess who’s going to get married to Sorda!”. I don’t care. Probably you. Though he’s a bit young for you. And that would mean that stuck-up beast would be… my step-Dad? Gross. He’s sick. I can’t believe he-he-killed little Rhodah. Just because… he would ‘threaten’ his reign. Ugh.
“Zira! Listen to me!”
“What? I’m pleased for you, yeah, now can you leave me alone?” Jeez, Mom was irritating. Couldn’t she just leave her alone?
“ZIRA! Listen to me!”
“What!”
“I SAID, you’re going to marry Sorda!”
When her Mom dropped the bombshell, it ruined Zira’s life. They fought, physically and verbally, and both ended up in pieces. Zira was exiled, banished, and would be killed if she returned. Her life was a mess. At only 2 years of age, she was a lone lioness in the wilderness, with no knowledge of how to hunt. She had decreased immensely in size, because she was merely picking of scraps of meat from… Hyenas, were they called? They looked like wild dogs, but… darker. She didn’t know. Or care, to be honest. She snarled involuntary. Move it, Zira, she thought. Time to get going. She slinked forward, her eyes glued to the floor. She would not get attached to this landscape. She had already seen, or smelt, rather, another pride of lions. Big ones, apparently. So she would stay un-seen, and un-heard. No-one would know she had been there, or ever would.
She knew she was on the right track when she caught the putrid smell of rotting flesh. Hyenas. Which, meant food. She sighed deeply, and wished she was back home. No, she didn’t. Just shut up Zira. She snarled at herself, angry and annoyed. She was arguing with herself. Again.
“Hahahahaha”. Zira froze. It was the unmistakable laugh of a hyena. She summoned all her courage, and followed the sound of the laugh. If it was on its own, she would kill it. She may not know how to hunt, but she could fight.
She saw her prey, a strange looking hyena with half a left ear, all on its own. Perfect. She crouched, tensing her muscles, preparing to pounce. Adrenalin pulsed around her body, sending all thoughts from her brain. It was her and the defenceless prey. Just her and her defenceless prey. Out of nowhere, another smell hit her nose. Lion. Her body reacted out of instinct, sending her flying towards the intruder. Except, she still had her own thoughts. Her body twisted in mid-air, kicking the hyena, but not killing it. It squealed and ran away, leaving Zira and her attacker. She snarled, a feral, guttural sound, and prepared to kill. Her muscles locked in position, her nails digging into the mud beneath her. She looked straight into the eyes of her opponent, ready to (hopefully) stare him down. But as she looked into his eyes, the rug was pulled out from under her feet. His left eye was scarred, a deep pink gash his most prominent feature. He had dark brown fur, darker than he had ever seen. He had an almost full mane, black as midnight, un-kept and rugged. He was skinny too, but his muscles were easily made out, and he was easily bigger than Zira. He snarled at her, full of hatred. Yet his eyes were hurt and wary, unsure of what to make of her.
“Do you know who I am?” he said arrogantly. He was puffing out his chest, making himself look bigger.
“No. And I don’t care. You made me lose my dinner!” Zira replied indignantly. She would not be ruled by him. She was a free lioness. And she was very annoyed.
“I’m the prince”, but his voice faltered. He was an outcast, too.
“Hmph. You still made me lose my dinner!”
“Your dinner was my friend!”
“Wait… you’re friends with a hyena? Seriously?” . Without noticing, they were slowly gravitating together. She was six inches away from him, at most.
“Yes. So I’d like to know what you’re doing here”. She cackled, her head thrown back, making her throat venerable, and she knew it. She wasn’t scared of him.
“Why don’t you just run off to wherever you came from?”, she cooed, an evil grin creeping over her face. The lion cocked his head, and his top lip curled.
---
Ignore her , the voice in his head chimed. She’s a worthless outcast. She isn’t worth your time. But she could come in handy, especially now there’s no-one to stop you. You don’t need to worry about her, just look at the way she’s acting. His voice was right. She was sending off all kinds of signals, the most prominent being that she was interested. In you! You’ve got to be joking! Shut up. She is. And we can use her… Perfect! It was settled.
“What do you want?” He asked, his voice emotionless and smooth. His head was tilted to one side. He saw her react instantly.
“Well…I was hoping for somewhere to stay, and something to eat? Perhaps…Perhaps you could help me with that”. It was working. She thought he was interested. Now to get her on his side.
“Of course!” he purred. “Just one problem… you see, my brother rules the kingdom. We need to get rid of him. And of course, when we do, I need a… Queen”. He put extra emphasis on queen. Her eyes lit up. Perfect. She was yet another puppet on one of his horribly twisted strings.
“Well, of course! Just one thing. How do I know I can trust you?”. His fake smile dropped
“If it’s my name you’re after, just say”, he responded coldly.
“Actually, it’s not. But for the record, what is it?”. She was sly.
“Ta-Scar. And, my future queen, what is yours?”. Once again her eyes lit up, but with a menace and evilness that Scar instantly knew that she would be a faithful servant.
“Zira”. Her eyes were unfocused, clouded near the pupils. She was somewhere else.
“Ahem”. His cough brought her back. She shook her head and looked up at him. Her eyes were sure.
“Once again, I ask how you can prove I am able to trust you.” Dammit. Well, there was only one thing for it.
“I’ll be back in a moment.” He leapt up onto a mountainous boulder, and slinked behind it.
---
Zira smiled. This was better than what she could have wished for. A queen- perfect. Just what she wanted. But not yet, a voice in her head whispered. He’s got to prove himself to you first. She had forgotten about that. She started to pace- he had been gone a while now. She nearly leaped for joy when she hear him return, and was extremely surprised by what she saw. In his jaws was a dead hyena, the same one she had tried to kill. He let it fall to the floor between them. She slunk towards him and purred.
“I guess I can trust you. How long will it take for you to kill your brother?”
“Ooh, I don’t know. Somewhere between… 2 seasons and a year?”
“That’s a pretty long time”, she huffed.
“Yes, but I know exactly where you can stay! See that enormous tree there?”, he pointed in the direction of Rafiki’s tree. “Keep going north, the sleep by the river. I will come visit you every day, and we can plan”. He put on the plan.
“Alright. And I do trust you. But I don’t want to eat that hyena. It’s disgusting”, and with that she turned and started to walk away. But then a thought occurred to her. She turned and ran back to him, and nuzzled his throat.
“Come back to me…quickly”, and then she turned to speed away into the horizon.
“You can get up now” , he said flatly. The hyena rose from the floor and slinked away.
Submission 5:
Spoiler: show
Vindication
“No… never…”
Zira smiled as she released her hold on the rock, more than aware of the ravaging deluge under her. She was refusing help and the will to live… all her instincts told her it was wrong. That she should have taken the trembling, shaking paw of the princess. It was the logical, smart thing to do. Yet she would never take it. For she didn’t see the paw as an innocent appendage of an innocent princess—no, it was the paw of the Pridelanders as a whole. And she would rather die than take a hold of the same claws that once spilled her mate’s blood.
So she let go, her last, small act of defiance. She had failed in everything. Scar was not avenged. The Outlanders were no more. She was alone, almost as she was the day he was taken from her. But she wouldn’t sink so low as to accept help from the daughter of his murderer. Suicide was preferable to such a perversion.
She smiled as she fell, steadfast and stubborn in her choice. The whirlpool below rumbled in her ears, deadly and fierce. Zira would die down below the water, and she knew it. For one of the few times in her life, the lioness was afraid. But she would never show it. Her simper was still there, still plastered on her countenance as in apparent happiness. But under that façade, beneath her masquerading act, there was a single tear. The last one shed for what once was. A life that was perfect and flawless and happy. One that she almost wish hadn’t existed—for what purpose had it served other than to be torn from her? What more did it do than drive her into insanity? Alas, sometimes she’d wished she’d never met him, and simply lived an easy, lackluster life like the rest of those accursed lionesses. Indeed, it had all begun on that day, seemingly so long ago. When the shroud of innocence had still protected her in bliss and all seemed to be turning towards the better…
“Shetani… Shetani, we’re there. Wake up.”
A lioness nuzzled her cub as she set her down on a rock. Shetani opened her red eyes wearily, before stretching out her jaws in a wide, gaping yawn. She rose to her feet lazily, exhausted from the long journey, eyes only half-open from her lethargic slumber. The sun beat down on them both, causing a hot and sticky aura to surround the two. It was uncomfortable, and the young cub didn’t exactly want to be here…
“Mother, where are we?”
“We’re in the Pridelands,” the young lioness mother answered in a calm and patient voice, “… King Ahadi lives here.”
“Oh,” she replied disinterestedly. “Mommy?”
“Yes?”
“Why couldn’t we have stayed with the River Pride? It’s too hot here.”
“Oh, my dear…” the lioness stooped down so that she could see the cub eye-to-eye. “I don’t expect you to understand—you’re much too young. Daddy would have wanted us to leave if he were still with us.”
“Uh, okay,” the cub replied timidly, somewhat saddened by memories of her father. She still didn’t know why they had had to leave, but decided not to press the issue further. “Mommy, I’m tired.”
“I know, dear. I am too. But we have to talk to the king first and let him introduce us to the pride: we made arrangements with him to let us stay here.”
Shetani’s mother picked the little cub up by the scruff before taking her to Pride Rock. It was a relatively short walk to their destination—had it been any longer, the exhausted progeny would no doubt have drifted off again in her mother’s jaws. Indeed, her surroundings were foreign and large and relatively intimidating. Several individuals she didn’t know came up to them and greeted her mother warmly, many of the lionesses in particular getting uncomfortably close to Shetani as they fawned over her. One group, however, caught her eye most of all.
The king had come out of the den with his usual pomp, and Shetani was, despite her young age, able to realize his royal position at a distance. He had approached the pair of them with his princes in tow, and had engaged in a lengthy conversation with the young lioness in regards to their future living conditions. Shetani pawed at the ground as her mother set her down, not at all enthralled at their topic of conversation. She only watched distantly as her mother respectfully addressed the king: who, despite his position of power, was relatively affable and informal. The lion beamed and smiled as he talked and seemed to emanate warmth from his very being. He even inquired about Shetani in their conversation, taking a moment to smile at the young cub.
Despite this, however, she still was not interested… And similarly disinterested were the princes gathered behind their father. One of them was larger and had an appearance similar to the king himself, with a tough-looking, muscular, golden body—he stood respectfully, clearly trying to look kingly and impressive. Next to him was his brother: a much smaller lion with dark brown fur who was not even trying to hide his boredom as he pawed at the ground absently. The both of them looked only a bit older than herself. She stood watching them inquisitively, not aware that it was considered rude to stare. After several moments, the smaller lion, looking up from his pawing, gazed back… before sending her a small smile. Shetani, frightened, retreated instinctively behind her mother’s foreleg.
“… Well, I’ve heard so much about you. It’s nice to finally meet you and your little cub. You’ll fit right in and we are very welcome to have you here.”
Shetani’s mother smiled. “Thank you, my king…” she bowed her head slightly in respect, and the king and her took leave of each other. The princes, however, stayed as their father left…
“Go on, Shetani. The king said you could meet his sons.”
Much to her dismay, Shetani was pushed forwards towards them. For several moments she stared down towards the ground, saying nothing.
“… What’s wrong, can’t you talk?” The dark lion opined curiously, earning a sharp nudge from his older brother’s elbow.
“Hey, it’s okay. He means no offense. I’m Mufasa,” he beamed and puffed out his chest belligerently, “and you’ve already met my brother and silly excuse for a prince, Taka.” The older cub grabbed Taka and playfully put him in a headlock, smiles across both their faces as the two briefly tussled.
“So, what’s your name?” Taka asked brightly, not hindered by her apparent shyness.
“… Shetani…” she responded as quietly as she could.
“Shetani? Doesn’t that mean ‘devil’?” he offered brightly, attempting to start conversation.
“Oh, shut up, Taka. What do you know?”
“More than you, peabrain. Grrr!”
Shetani watched the two awkwardly as they play fought, secretly wanting to leave. She backed up and batted at her mother’s leg, her discreet way of asking to go. The two brothers didn’t notice this until Mufasa had pinned Taka down, whereupon the two of them faced her and grinned after her already-retreating figure.
“Hey, uh, it was nice meeting you, Shetani!” One of them called out after her. Shetani only nodded before yawning again. Today had been a long and weary day—all she wanted to do was sleep: her first night in what would be her home for the rest of her young life… that is, until her exile…
Smack!
Zira’s body hit the water with a loud, sickening splash. Water flew about everywhere, swirling and twirling all around. It disoriented her—any attempts to swim were nullified while the currents pulled her as they wished. The lioness, who had always been a weak swimmer anyways, was at their mercy. And they, for their part, were intent on pulling her under. So that was where she went: farther and farther under the water, barely even able to circumvent the flotsam and rubble drifting through and attempting to smother her. Zira struggled against it, but it was only a matter of time. She had no one to rescue her, no one to come to her aid… besides, anyone who dared to enter these crazed waters would surely die. And who would be there for her now?
Whap!
The drowning lioness was hit squarely in the forehead by a particularly large piece of wood, practically knocking her out of her senses. She swam about weakly in whichever direction she thought was up, dazed out of her wits and panicking quickly. Water seeped through her pelt, chilling her to the bone as she fought for her life. But the collision of her head with the debris had not helped: in fact, it was making the situation worse. Against her will, and without her conscious thought or recollection, memories were flooding back. Her lost and vagabond mind was leaving her, distantly recalling a part of her past: a part of her past eerily similar to the present. Of course, as usual, the memory brought pain—for, in its bounds, was him. For a moment she could almost feel the sinking of teeth around the back of her scruff. An imaginary salvation to pull her out of the torrent. But no, that was merely her mind and senses playing tricks on her, for all of that had happened too long ago… It was all gone.
“Hey, hey, everyone! Look at scrawny little Stripy, she’s scared!”
“Stop it! Please! Just stop it!”
“Awww,” another voice taunted with a simper, “what are you going to do? Run back to mommy?”
“Stop, please! I asked you to!” Shetani curled up by the edges of the local river, shivering and cold as several other cubs splashed water on her. “I can’t swim well—leave me alone!”
The other cubs burst out into malicious laughter, watching and giggling as she fearfully drew back from the torrents of water aimed at her. For a moment she seemed at the edge of tears, angered and sad and only wanting to go home. Yet her mother and the other lionesses were usually out hunting, leaving her mostly alone with her peers—most of whom were vicious and continually teased her about her looks, the notch in her right ear, her foreign origins, and anything else they could think of. At times like these she hated being there, she hated the pride, and—most of all—she hated herself. After all, if she was better then she surely wouldn’t have been picked on…
She looked at the cold, rapidly-moving water fearfully, her mother’s voice ringing in her ears.
You don’t know how to swim yet, Shetani. Never go into the water without my supervision, at least until you can. Do you understand?
Of course, it was easier said than done. She didn’t want to risk it, and she did want to obey her orders… but the other cubs had different ideas.
“Come on! Or are you too much of a weak little girl?” a particularly arrogant cub called out tauntingly. Several moments passed.
Suddenly Shetani felt a sharp tug on her tail, and she found herself knocked off her feet and sailing towards the water. In a moment she had plummeted into it, a deafening splash being heard as her clumsy body collided with the surface. The young cub pawed about with several haphazard, uncoordinated strokes as she was completely submerged, simply trying to get her head back above water. When she succeeded, laughter was the first thing to greet her ears as she took a large, frightened gasp for breath. Her small body—wet and miserable though it was—quickly attempted to find the shore.
“Hahaha, nice one, Kiburi!” Another cub cheered enthusiastically, high-fiving his companion as he treaded water, a disdainful smirk on his features.
“Uh, guys,” Shetani stammered through a mouthful of water, “uh, you can—pfft—let me out now!”
The cubs only laughed and joked amongst themselves, not paying any attention to her as she struggled and splashed in the water, gradually being pulled away by the current. Of course, she was concerned with nothing but keeping her head above the water. But, had she been calmer and more observant, she would have noticed that she was headed straight for a cataract. A cataract with rocks at the bottom and a fearful drop. Though dangerous by any definition, a weak swimmer like her would surely perish. Frightened by the increasing current, she called out for help again.
“Hello? Help! Hel—” she was cut off by a sudden mouthful of liquid, quickly being pulled under by a rippling, frothy deluge of river water. This time, however, one of the more alert cubs picked up her plea.
“Beetle dung! She’s headed out to the drop!”
They suddenly looked around in shock, panicking amongst themselves. Vicious and mean-spirited though they were, the group hadn’t exactly wanted to kill her. And if nothing was done, then that was surely what would happen.
“What do we do?”
No response. None of them was willing to risk themselves to save a young cub. Until, of course, a yell was heard from on the land.
“Shetani!”
A dark blur raced past them in a frenzy, the figure of the prince just visible as he disappeared behind some grassy vegetation. The foliage rustled and his breath was heavy, eyes narrowing as he scanned the river, intent on finding her. For several moments he searched… until a paw shot up above the water.
Without thinking twice, Taka jumped in, paddling through the water as efficiently as he could. The current here was strong enough to forcefully pull even him, and he had to struggle to keep a straight course towards the frightened cub. Indeed, she hadn’t even noticed him coming for her yet. As far as she knew, she was drowning already, with no hope of rescue from this. Oh, if only she hadn’t gone to the river. If only…
“Shetani! She—” Taka too was cut off by a mouthful of froth, trying to hold back his panic as he continued. His coat was saturated and clinging to him in wetness, the growing tufts of black mane slicked back and flattened against his fur. He shook his head wildly, trying to clear his vision and find the cub again as she sank below the surface. The prince scanned the water, fear growing as he could finally see the merciless drop ahead.
Shetani surfaced one last time, a wild and desperate breath filling her lungs as she padded about, the small tuft of fur on her head flattened and her entire coat soaked and clumping with water. The current was at its strongest, sucking her towards her doom… and she had nearly given up. She wasn’t sure she would be able to rise again.
Taka, in the meantime, steeled his nerves. Closing his eyes in order to keep the water out of his eyes, he swam straight towards the drop, teeth gritted as he moved towards danger. His paws swung out wildly, propelling him forward. He didn’t stop, even as the rushing of the water got louder and he was sure that his fall was imminent…
Whap!
His paw struck something furry, and Shetani jerked in surprise. He opened his eyes quickly, his head moving forwards and instinctively gripping the cub in his jaws around the scruff. As soon as he felt the wet bundle in his maw, he turned around and headed for shore as quickly as he could, not sure if he could battle the force of current much longer. His muscles were tiring, and the drop-off was only a short distance away.
Finally he found foothold on a rock, pulling himself up and on to it with all his strength. For several moments he stood on the slippery surface, panting and exhausted… The river rushed all around him, though he did nothing but stand there, chest heaving as he relished the safety of his new refuge. Eventually he set Shetani down so that he could catch his breath better.
Shetani clung to the rock like her life depended on it, afraid and deeply shaken. For a moment she looked up, the sun striking the back of Taka’s head and casting him in silhouette. His mane and fur were still wet—he hadn’t bothered to shake himself out yet—and she could hear his heart beating wildly from inside his chest. She finally got up the nerve to smile at him… her savior.
“Thank you, Taka.” She nuzzled his foreleg mildly, a show of appreciation generally reserved for her mother only.
“It… was nothing…” he huffed quietly between breaths, also apparently afraid of what had just happened.
“No… it wasn’t,” she replied simply, her red eyes shining with gratitude. Taka was silent—she rarely talked this much, even when they were together with friends. “I thought I would die.”
Taka held her there against his leg, an overwhelming feeling of safety borne into her heart as they remained on the rock. All was silent, all was peaceful… until the sound of muddy footsteps broke that silence and instilled disquiet once again. For there, on the shore, the miffed faces and wet bodies of several cubs had gathered in dismay.
“Hey, looks like Prince Scarface saved the day.” One of them taunted, pointing towards a scarred left eye.
“Quiet!” Taka roared back, causing Shetani to retreat slightly in fear, “I saw what happened! Now all of you leave us alone before I get my father!”
The cubs growled angrily, but relented, casting spiteful looks at the two of them before scampering off, probably to cause mischief elsewhere. Taka still struggled to catch his breath from his daring rescue, and Shetani watched the figures retreat with a look of odd contempt on her face. Indeed, Taka could get what he wanted, simply because he was royalty. Now that was a strange thing to ponder. For even though Mufasa was more physically powerful than Taka, he still had the entire world under his paw...
Such power, she thought, a crooked smile forming on her face as she again looked up at him. Yes indeed, he was so powerful… she admired the lion for perhaps the first time. The first of many…
“Shetani, come here.” A calm voice broke through the utter silence and solitude at Pride Rock. The now-adolescent lioness perked up her head and ears, the stripe now fully visible down her forehead and the tuft she had had as a cub now entirely gone. Indeed, she had grown much… and not just physically. For she had grown emotionally with her age as well. Looking up, she half-expected to see the dashing, mischievous face of her young lover as he smiled at her seductively. But today was something different. His jade eyes were looking at her in solemn seriousness, eyebrows giving her a pleading look.
“Yes. What is it, love?”
She rubbed up against him, tail lashing about and trailing against him softly. She smiled happily, a gesture Taka couldn’t help but return. His lips parted and he showed his wide array of teeth, his soft brown fur ruffling as a breeze hit them both. For a moment they stood there quietly… before Shetani suddenly nuzzled him and licked him invitingly behind the ear. Taka stiffened in shock.
“You’re taunting me, are you not? I try to have a serious conversation and this is what you do…”
Shetani laughed.
“Well, if you don’t want me to…” she simpered with a fake apologetic glance.
“No, no. I never said that, dear,” he batted her playfully, tail waving about in apparent relaxation. “You’re the only one who I can talk to like this anymore… You know, ever since I rescued you that one day… I knew it was you. I mean… I knew that one day it’d be us. Do you understand that? Probably not…” he trailed off vaguely, tracing something into the dirt with one of his sharp, outstretched claws.
“Oh no, I understand,” she smiled indolently, content to just drink in his lovely, supple form and let him do the talking. He was so good at that…
“But today isn’t just small talk. You see, I can… trust you… can’t I?” He fixed her with a stare that showed her he was serious. Shetani straightened up, unused to the intense light in his eyes.
“Of course. I remember what you said—it’s us against the world. It always has been.”
“Exactly,” he heaved a sigh, “I mean, think about it. There was Father’s death and, well, you know what happened. In his dying moment he named as king … Mufasa…” Taka stuttered the name out awkwardly, as if troubled and uncertain. He looked off into the distance, an odd haziness on his features.
“Well, what’s wrong with that?” She asked innocently, not quite understanding.
“What’s wrong with that?” he repeated. “What do you mean?” He sighed, looking somewhat hurt and sad. Taka turned himself around, so that both of them were looking at the kingdom from the vantage point of Pride Rock.
“… Do you see that, Shetani?”
“Yes.”
“Well…” he shrunk back, “I’m just… tired of being second place. Don’t you think?”
“If you really feel that way…” she shrugged, “you’re first to me. I don’t know what I’d do without you.”
“I know…” Taka huffed. “I know… I just… All my life I’ve had nothing, been no one. Mufasa was always the strongest, the best at everything. I don’t know if anyone but you sees or understands that… but I think I would like a shot at the kingdom.” He paused, unsure of how to finish his statement.
“How’d you feel about becoming queen?”
“I think it would be rather nice, actually,” Shetani smiled, a glint coming into her red eyes. “And you’re absolutely right, dear. If you think that’s what’s best for us, then I’ll go along with you until the end.”
“Yes, but…” Taka sighed, distracted as Shetani’s tail brushed under his chin, “at this point it would involve…”
“Involve what? I’m ready.”
Taka gulped. “… Killing him…”
Shetani froze and took a step back, suddenly hesitant.
“Are you sure about that? Isn’t there another way?”
“That’s the only way,” he affirmed firmly, whether that was true or not. For a moment all he did was stare at her desperately, dark-rimmed eyes seemingly searching the depths of her soul, gauging her. Alas, she had changed much these past months—especially around him. Had he asked before, she would have declined for sure. But things had changed: her mother had died, his father… what more would one death be?
Zira sighed, looking at him with her blood-red eyes. Eyes the same hue as the blood that would be spilled so soon. She looked at her love with fear, and then back at the kingdom. The kingdom which could be theirs…
“Alright. I’m in.”
Zira remained still under the surface of the river, the last tendrils of memory fading along with her consciousness. Her lungs burned, while her body was already stiff and chilled from the water and the lack of oxygen. The dam breakage had stopped raging, and the torrent was nearing its end… but it was too late. She only had seconds to live. And how fitting, how convenient that her memories would end there. At the very place where she had lost her innocence. From there, of course, it was only a downhill trek.
Had she been more aware in her last moments, she would have been even more grateful that it hadn’t gone further, to the days after Taka’s death. For the nightmares plagued her enough during the ends of her empty life: she didn’t need to relive them one final time. She didn’t need to relive the horror as she found her mate behind a rock, dead and mutilated. She didn’t need to see the limbs twisted and lacerated beyond recognition, nor the blood spilled copiously across the ground as he stared lifelessly into space, unseeing as his face was frozen stiff into an expression of pure terror. And most of all, she didn’t need to remember her own desperate screams as she begged and pleaded for him to wake up. The wounds were still fresh, always fresh: why open them yet again?
And of course, it had all ended in this. Her own self drowned in a river, almost like she had perished before. Her mate murdered in cold blood after they had plotted his brother’s death. Was it fate? Nature’s twisted sense of justice? The force of some divine power? She didn’t know, nor had she thought about it much. Those final days had been a twisted nightmare.
Finally her heart ceased to pulse, her waterlogged body sinking towards the muddy bottom of the river. Soon it would dry up, and the vultures would pick it apart. There would be no burial for her, no mourning. That was simply it—her relatives had abandoned her, leaving her to die with her sole purpose in life unfulfilled. It was like an empty void consuming her, and it was something she could not bear. She had failed in her earthly endeavors, dying hated and feared by nearly all. She only had one being left to love her, one left to appreciate her—in death, if nothing else, she would be reunited.
And surely enough, the first thing she saw as she succumbed was him… just as he appeared in her nightmares, her memories… only this time she was there as well, embracing him in a hug, tears rolling down her face.
“I’m sorry, Taka… I failed you. All my efforts came to nothing.”
He withdrew and looked at her, genuine sadness in his eyes. He looked at the earth, so small and far below. All of it dust and ashes… except for the lioness’ spirit in his arms. They could have had so much time together, himself just being happy with her. But they had died disgraced, driven into desperation by want of a kingdom which was only taken from them in the end. If only he had learned before it was too late.
“No, Zira… No.” He whispered, looking downwards in shame… “It all came to nothing.”
Submission 6:
Spoiler: show
Betrayal
“I-It was the hyenas! It was their fault!” Scar backed away from Simba, desperate to buy some time. But unknown to him, his cousin wasn't the only one glaring at him.
Shenzi, Banzai, and Ed saw Simba chase Scar up Pride Rock, and followed suit, seaking to help their leader. What this meant was that as soon as they got within striking distance, they also overheard Scar's pleading, and what it meant.
At this moment, the dark coward's true intent was finally revealed. His three friends all realized how in the end, all they were to him were nothing more than some puppets, to be discarded as soon as their usefulness ended.
With a low growl, Scar's three ex-friends slowly backed away. This fight is over. The Pride Lands are no longer worth fighting for, and this traitor had turned his back on them. There's nothing left to fight over.
Shenzi spotted one of the hyenas higher up in their chain of command, fighting off a lioness, both seemingly unaware of the fire about to engulf them. “Call off the attack! It's over! We go home now!”
Almost without hesitating, the hyena nodded and pried itself free, running away from the lioness who didn't bother to resume the fight either. She growled at the trio, who ran off in search of the rest of their clan.
It took only moments, but now, Shenzi found herself surrounded by Banzai and Ed, as well as a small number of her most trusted clansmen, explaining what had happened. “We will leave these rotten and forgotten lands for the lions! But right now...” She formed a sickening grin of hatred and insanity, “Scar... he better be alive. I don't care about Simba. But Scar... Oh, Simba, you better leave him alive for us! Because Scar... is... MINE!”
Laughing loudly, the hyena group ran out to Pride Rock, avoiding the various places already ablaze, with one goal in their mind: to make the traitor Scar pay.
Shenzi grinned wider as she looked around. “What did Scar say the law was for traitors?”
The others spoke almost as one. “Death to traitors!”
They hid behind bushes, hiding from lions and whatever few hyenas remained. Shenzi was rather pleased to see that a majority of the clan managed to escape, even if it meant that the lions around them stood victorious. But only one lion was on her mind, and that lion was nowhere to be seen yet.
Lighting struck around them, lighting the savanna and most of Pride Rock on fire, helped by the long drought that had left the land dry and ready to light up at a spark. The fire only helped them to remain hidden, masking them both visibly from any intruding eyes, as well as any suspicious noses.
The group stopped next to a small pile of rocks, scanning the area around them. From where they were, they had a great vantage point of the surrounding area, while mostly remaining hidden themselves.
Shenzi looked around desperately, trying to find the lion that had hurt them the most. She looked and looked, but Scar was nowhere to be found. Perhaps Simba had already taken care of him...
But unusually, the answer for that came from Ed.
The crazy hyena began to laugh hysterically. Shenzi was about to reach out to shut him up when she noticed that he was pointing upwards with a paw. She followed it and saw to her surprise Scar falling down from the top of Pride Rock.
Shenzi knew what to do now. “Quick! Hide. Wait for our signal before you take him on! If he survives that is...” Scar had bounced off a few boulders before landing with a loud thump on the hard rock next to the hyenas. It was also next to the den, from where he loved to rule the Pride Lands. Shenzi grinned at the irony of how this was the place where he used them to ascend the throne, and now they will take it from him.
With Banzai and Ed by her side, Shenzi approached the defeated lion carefully. He groaned as he got up, and smiled when his eyes fell upon the trio.
“Ah, my friends!”
Shenzi's grin widened. It was time to beat Scar at his own game. “Friends? I thought you said we was the enemy.”
Ed grinned back at her. “Yeah! That's what I heard.” The two of them turned to look at the last of the trio.
“Ed?”
Unlike his normal buffoonish behavior, now Ed showed true signs of intelligence. His frown turned into a playful smile like it usually does, followed by another one of his laughs. But this time, it was a cold and dark laughter, betraying just how much Ed knew what was going on, making it obvious to Scar what was happening.
They were going to kill him.
Scar's eyes widened in fear as the trio began to slowly approach him, prolonging his torture as they encircled him, now joined by the rest of the small group. The hyenas laughed louder and louder as they got closer, before finally leaping onto the lion, and began to tear him into shreds.
A wall of fire overswept the area around them, as if to hide Scar's pleas for mercy as well as the hyena's mutilation of his body.
By the time the flames calmed down from the pouring rain, all that remained was a small bloody mess.
---
The hyenas never returned to Pride Rock, nor to the elephant graveyard. For Shenzi personally, as soon as the adrenalin of the fight wore off, she realized just how hard the loss of what she considered to be her best friend had hit her. Unable to look at any familiar place in calmness again, she used the drought and lack of food as an excuse to leave the Pride Lands for good.
Where their future lay, even they didn't know. But they all knew one thing.
The hyena clan will never more set foot in the Pride Lands.
And these are the six stories that you will read, and can now vote on. Remember that this time , you have two votes to use for these stories, and not the usual once vote. Standard voting rules apply: Don't vote for yourself, don't ask others to vote for your story, and don't vote for a story that you simply know was written by a friend. Read and judge each story equally, and vote on them based on how you felt while reading them, and not how you feel towards the author (which I try to minimize by keeping this contest anonymous). But most importantly:
Good luck and have fun!
