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Description

Taka stood at the edge of the pool, coldly watching as his brother conversed with Boma the water buffalo. It was finally time for his perfect older brother to be taken down a few pegs. For so long, he had been seen as nothing more than the useless youngest brother. It was always Mufasa. The great Mufasa, wise Mufasa, perfect Mufasa. Well now, everyone would see that even their precious Mufasa could screw up, and screw up badly. And then, maybe they'd finally see the worth of Taka. Just as his Uncle Nyeusi had told him.

As Boma chased off Mufasa, Taka felt a small twinge of doubt. Boma suddenly looked a whole lot bigger and angrier than he'd been counting on. He wanted his brother humiliated, not killed. That doubt tickling at the back of his mind, Taka decided to follow them. He slipped silently behind, bent low to the ground, hidden by the tall grass.

He watched anxiously as Mufasa and Rafiki managed to trick Boma into a ravine. Disappointment at Mufasa's success was tempered with relief that his brother was unharmed. He honestly wasn't sure what to feel. He despised his brother for the status he held in the pride, but at the same time, he remembered playing with Mufasa as a cub, listening with awe to the tales Mufasa would tell them. The future king was a gifted story-teller, a talent he'd been able to nurture with the support of his brothers and parents. He had always been stoic, but he had been Taka's brother. Try and he might, as much as he wished he could, Taka couldn't forget that, or ignore it.

As Taka mused over it, he felt the ground under his paws begin to shake. With a feeling of dread, he turned to see three more water buffalo hurtling towards Mufasa and Rafiki, eyes wide with rage, nostrils flaring. He felt fear clawing in his chest. They were heading right for Mufasa, and there was murder in his eyes. And still, he hesitated. Mufasa could handle himself, couldn't he? And maybe if he screwed up and got a little hurt and Taka saved him, then maybe his plan would still play out? The young prince shifted uncertainly on the spot.

“Taka!” The prince whirled to see his eldest brother, Prince Manufaa, racing towards him. The dark golden lion's eyes widened with shock when he saw what was happening. “What's going on here?”

Taka felt a stab of guilt. He was jealous of Mufasa, and didn't mind getting him in trouble, but he and Manufaa had always been fairly close. He hadn't wanted his eldest brother to know what he'd been planning here. “Its... I... I can explain...” he stammered.

Manufaa's expression became one of horror. His eyes stared intently into Taka's for a moment, as though begging him to say he had nothing to do with it. When no such words were forecoming, hurt and betrayal flashed in Manufaa's green eyes. Without a word, he turned and bolted towards Mufasa.

“No!” Taka cried out, but it was too late. Manufaa had already entered the fray, throwing himself onto the back of one of the water buffalo, hooking his claws into it's thick hide. That decided it. The dark prince still had mixed feelings about Mufasa, but he loved his oldest brother. No way he was going to sit back and let him get torn apart in a fight he couldn't win.

Taka hurtled towards the fight, letting out a fearsome roar as he threw himself into the battle. He struck the face of the buffalo attacking Mufasa, then turned his attention to the one Manufaa was still riding. He managed to hook his claws into it's flank, keeping it weighed down so it couldn't buck Manufaa off. He had to deal with the creature kicking it's legs out, fighting to keep it's feet on the ground. One hook hit the side of his arm, grazing him. He felt a thrill of fear. No way the three of them could win this fight alone.

Over the scuffling and growling, he heard a new, familiar roar. He looked up to see his mate, Zira, and her sister Vunja and Kuuma racing into the fight. Taka felt a rush of triumph. Three fresh new fighters, all skilled hunters. Now the odds were in their favor.

Boma knew it too. He took one look at the approaching lions and cried out, “Retreat!” He and the rest of his herd kicked loose their attackers and bolted, racing off with their tails between their legs. Taka chased after them for a few steps, then halted. There was no point. The battle was over.

Now that the fight was done, hot guilt burned under his pelt. He had done this. He had nearly gotten both of his brothers killed. He slowly turned back to face them.

Mufasa was looking over his wounds, Rafiki helping him. Manufaa was rubbing muzzles with his girlfriend, Kuuma, the two of them speaking in low murmurs, while Vunja was off licking a particularly nasty wound on her shoulder.

Voice soft, Taka said, “I'm sorry.”

The others all looked up when he spoke. Mufasa's eyes narrowed suspiciously, and Manufaa seemed uncertain. Then, after several moments, the older lion gave a soft smile. “It's alright, Taks,” he said, using his old nickname for his younger brother. “You came back to help us.”

Taka gave a sad half-smile. Yeah, he'd helped. But that didn't change what he had done. And Mufasa still wouldn't look at him.

After a few moments, he realized someone was missing. “Wait. Where's Zira?”

Vunja shrugged. “She's the one who knew where to find you. I think she said she had somewhere to be.”

Taka frowned. That didn't sound good. And how had she known what he was going to do?

Out of the corner of his eyes, Taka saw a familiar tail disappearing into the tall grass. Zira. Without quite knowing why, he followed her.

SCENEBREAK

She had feared this day would come. Ever since their betrothal all those years ago, Taka had slowly grown more and more sullen about not being in line for the throne. Zira was clever, and she could see that there was another paw behind this new change in attitude. The paw of her father, Nyeusi.

Ever since the death of his beloved mate Shari, Nyeusi had changed. He'd become... darker, somehow. More bitter. The first weeks after her death, he'd withdrawn from the pride completely, leaving Zira alone, without any parents at all. He'd abandoned her when she'd needed him, and that was when Ahadi and Uru had stepped in. They'd taken Zira and her sisters in and cared for them like their own. For that, Zira loved them, the way she had once loved Nyeusi, the way she no longer could. Because now Nyeusi was trying to hurt Ahadi, and she wouldn't stand for it, because it was Ahadi and Uru who deserved her loyalty. She would do whatever it took to keep them safe from Nyeusi's jealousy.

She had followed Taka that day because she'd had a horrible feeling he was about to do something incredibly stupid. She and Taka had been brought together by a betrothal Nyeusi had arranged to further his revenge, but the two mates truly did love each other. She hoped there was still a way to save him from the jealousy Nyeusi was pushing on him. When she saw what he was doing with Boma, she'd seen the rest of the herd waiting nearby, and she knew Taka was in terrible danger. That was when she'd gone to get her sisters' help.

Once she'd made sure Taka was safe, she had turned and stormed off, knowing exactly where she was going, and who she had to talk to. This had gone on long enough. It had to end now, she was ending it.

SCENEBREAK

She found him where she'd known she would. He was resting in the gorge, near where Shari had been killed, where he had stayed those first few weeks away from the pride. The former King smiled as she approached, but there was none of the joy in it that there had been before Shari's death. Now, it was just a bitter mockery of the old expression. “Zira. What can I do for you, my dear?”

Zira just glared at her father with narrowed eyes. “Just stop it, Father,” she growled.

Nyeusi looked at her with surprise. “Stop what?” he asked dubiously.

“Taka.” Nyeusi started slightly at the name, eyes narrowing, but Zira ignored him and continued, “You've poisoning his mind long enough, and it has to stop, before someone gets hurt.”

Nyeusi lifted his head and crossed his paws, eyes narrowed. “I don't know what you mean,” he said stiffly.

Zira just snapped, “Don't play games with me. You've been pushing Taka to be jealous of Mufasa for years, trying to make him hate his own brother.”

The former king gave his daughter a warning growl. “Drop it, Zira.”

“No.” Zira stood in front of her father, every muscle tensed, a growl rumbling in her throat, expression stony and full of silent accusation. She wasn't going to let this go any farther than this conversation right here, right now.

Nyeusi stared at his daughter for a few moments, sizing her up. Finally, he seemed to realize she wasn't going to take “no” for an answer. He jumped to his paws, suddenly full of furious energy. “Yes! Yes, all right?” he snapped. “Yes, I've been trying to get Taka to hate Mufasa. Yes, yes, I did it. But you don't understand!”

“Oh, I understand,” Zira growled. She began to circle her father, red eyes narrowed and filled with cruelty. She wasn't evil, nor bitter like her father, but seeing Shari die right in front of her, and having to recover from that, she'd had to grow that little bit of cruelty. And now, she was using that cruelty against her father. “You were trying to avenge Shari. It's always about Shari, isn't it? Your precious Shari that the hyenas killed. And Ahadi. You're obsessed, aren't you? It's all about how Ahadi killed Shari. You're so sure it's his fault.”

“It was his fault!” Nyeusi roared furiously. His red eyes, so like his daughter's, were flashing with rage and hatred. “Ahadi took everything from me!”

“Oh please,” the lioness said, unimpressed. “He was forced to take a throne that you clearly weren't fit to hold. Shari was killed by the hyenas you repressed. So really, Father,” she said, voice suddenly becoming sly, “who exactly should we be blaming here?”

Nyeusi's eyes widened. “What?” he hissed, hardly seeming to believe what he was hearing.

“You heard me. This is your fault, Nyeusi. You're the one who tossed the hyenas out of the Pride Lands. What exactly did they do to earn that, huh? Overhunt a little? And just a few of them. They didn't all deserve to be exiled. You made the mistake, Father. You were arrogant, you were cruel, you were unforgiving, and because of it, you got poor little Shari killed.”

Nyeusi recoiled as if he had been struck. He gasped, “Stop. Just stop!”

Zira pulled her lips into a cruel, cold grin. “Poor little Shari, ripped to pieces in front of my innocent eyes, and all because of you, my King.” She spat the last word out with all the venom she could muster. “The hyenas did only what they thought they had to. How else were they ever to get proper consideration from the king? Ahadi had nothing to do with it, and you know it. Deep down, you've always known it. Your precious Shari, you could've saved her, but instead you did nothing. It's all yo-”

With a sudden explosion of energy, Nyeusi lashed out. His claws were still sliding out as he struck, so only one claw was out long enough to cut through skin, but as he slashed down her face, it slid out deeper and deep, gouging into her skin, the other claws only doing superficial damage while this one claw dug in deep. Zira pulled back with a screech of pain, but it was too late. The damage was done. She knew without looking, from the pain blazing from the wound, and from the blood gushing down her cheek and dripping down into her eye, that the wound was deep, deep enough to scar. She would be forever marked by her father's rage.

Nyeusi stared at her in horror, all of the rage and hate drained out of him now that the deed was done. He didn't seem to believe what his own claws had done. The former king could a couple of small steps backward, eyes wide with horror. “I... I...” he stammered.

Zira stared back for several moments, just as surprised as her father. Then she remembered her purpose. That clever, slightly cruel mind of hers went to work again, and she grinned cruelly at her father. “See what you've become?” she cooed softly. “What kind of monster would strike his own daughter?” Nyeusi just stared at her without a word. Zira's voice grew hard and commanding. “You'll leave Taka alone now. This ends. Now.”

With that, she turned and stormed away, the pain of her wound really starting to set in. She thought that would be the end of it, but then she saw the horrified faces of the lion she loved, and his brothers, hiding in the tall grass behind them.

And they had heard everything.
------------------------------
This is based off of 's alternate version of my story where Manufaa survives. She wrote a quick segment on it here:

In her story, Nyeusi survived instead of Shari, and subsequently became obsessed with getting revenge on Ahadi, whom he saw as being responsible for his beloved mate's death. Taka had good, loving parents, since Manufaa survived and didn't break their hearts with his death, so it was up to Nyeusi pushing him towards it that made him jealous. However, he had a good childhood, and brothers who loved him, so he didn't become Scar, not completely.

Zira is also different because of this. Since Dania was never born, Zira was never traumitized by seeing her die, and since she got to be with the lion she loved, she never got hurt by the betrayal of Khali. Subsequently, she's a little cruel and sly, but not evil. She really cares about Ahadi and Masilahi, and about Taka, and is determined to stop her father from hurting them. She uses her clever mind for good this time. And because of it, she's the one who gets scarred this time around, not Taka.

I'll continue this later, I quite like where this story's headed.

Description

Taka stood at the edge of the pool, coldly watching as his brother conversed with Boma the water buffalo. It was finally time for his perfect older brother to be taken down a few pegs. For so long, he had been seen as nothing more than the useless youngest brother. It was always Mufasa. The great Mufasa, wise Mufasa, perfect Mufasa. Well now, everyone would see that even their precious Mufasa could screw up, and screw up badly. And then, maybe they'd finally see the worth of Taka. Just as his Uncle Nyeusi had told him.

As Boma chased off Mufasa, Taka felt a small twinge of doubt. Boma suddenly looked a whole lot bigger and angrier than he'd been counting on. He wanted his brother humiliated, not killed. That doubt tickling at the back of his mind, Taka decided to follow them. He slipped silently behind, bent low to the ground, hidden by the tall grass.

He watched anxiously as Mufasa and Rafiki managed to trick Boma into a ravine. Disappointment at Mufasa's success was tempered with relief that his brother was unharmed. He honestly wasn't sure what to feel. He despised his brother for the status he held in the pride, but at the same time, he remembered playing with Mufasa as a cub, listening with awe to the tales Mufasa would tell them. The future king was a gifted story-teller, a talent he'd been able to nurture with the support of his brothers and parents. He had always been stoic, but he had been Taka's brother. Try and he might, as much as he wished he could, Taka couldn't forget that, or ignore it.

As Taka mused over it, he felt the ground under his paws begin to shake. With a feeling of dread, he turned to see three more water buffalo hurtling towards Mufasa and Rafiki, eyes wide with rage, nostrils flaring. He felt fear clawing in his chest. They were heading right for Mufasa, and there was murder in his eyes. And still, he hesitated. Mufasa could handle himself, couldn't he? And maybe if he screwed up and got a little hurt and Taka saved him, then maybe his plan would still play out? The young prince shifted uncertainly on the spot.

“Taka!” The prince whirled to see his eldest brother, Prince Manufaa, racing towards him. The dark golden lion's eyes widened with shock when he saw what was happening. “What's going on here?”

Taka felt a stab of guilt. He was jealous of Mufasa, and didn't mind getting him in trouble, but he and Manufaa had always been fairly close. He hadn't wanted his eldest brother to know what he'd been planning here. “Its... I... I can explain...” he stammered.

Manufaa's expression became one of horror. His eyes stared intently into Taka's for a moment, as though begging him to say he had nothing to do with it. When no such words were forecoming, hurt and betrayal flashed in Manufaa's green eyes. Without a word, he turned and bolted towards Mufasa.

“No!” Taka cried out, but it was too late. Manufaa had already entered the fray, throwing himself onto the back of one of the water buffalo, hooking his claws into it's thick hide. That decided it. The dark prince still had mixed feelings about Mufasa, but he loved his oldest brother. No way he was going to sit back and let him get torn apart in a fight he couldn't win.

Taka hurtled towards the fight, letting out a fearsome roar as he threw himself into the battle. He struck the face of the buffalo attacking Mufasa, then turned his attention to the one Manufaa was still riding. He managed to hook his claws into it's flank, keeping it weighed down so it couldn't buck Manufaa off. He had to deal with the creature kicking it's legs out, fighting to keep it's feet on the ground. One hook hit the side of his arm, grazing him. He felt a thrill of fear. No way the three of them could win this fight alone.

Over the scuffling and growling, he heard a new, familiar roar. He looked up to see his mate, Zira, and her sister Vunja and Kuuma racing into the fight. Taka felt a rush of triumph. Three fresh new fighters, all skilled hunters. Now the odds were in their favor.

Boma knew it too. He took one look at the approaching lions and cried out, “Retreat!” He and the rest of his herd kicked loose their attackers and bolted, racing off with their tails between their legs. Taka chased after them for a few steps, then halted. There was no point. The battle was over.

Now that the fight was done, hot guilt burned under his pelt. He had done this. He had nearly gotten both of his brothers killed. He slowly turned back to face them.

Mufasa was looking over his wounds, Rafiki helping him. Manufaa was rubbing muzzles with his girlfriend, Kuuma, the two of them speaking in low murmurs, while Vunja was off licking a particularly nasty wound on her shoulder.

Voice soft, Taka said, “I'm sorry.”

The others all looked up when he spoke. Mufasa's eyes narrowed suspiciously, and Manufaa seemed uncertain. Then, after several moments, the older lion gave a soft smile. “It's alright, Taks,” he said, using his old nickname for his younger brother. “You came back to help us.”

Taka gave a sad half-smile. Yeah, he'd helped. But that didn't change what he had done. And Mufasa still wouldn't look at him.

After a few moments, he realized someone was missing. “Wait. Where's Zira?”

Vunja shrugged. “She's the one who knew where to find you. I think she said she had somewhere to be.”

Taka frowned. That didn't sound good. And how had she known what he was going to do?

Out of the corner of his eyes, Taka saw a familiar tail disappearing into the tall grass. Zira. Without quite knowing why, he followed her.

SCENEBREAK

She had feared this day would come. Ever since their betrothal all those years ago, Taka had slowly grown more and more sullen about not being in line for the throne. Zira was clever, and she could see that there was another paw behind this new change in attitude. The paw of her father, Nyeusi.

Ever since the death of his beloved mate Shari, Nyeusi had changed. He'd become... darker, somehow. More bitter. The first weeks after her death, he'd withdrawn from the pride completely, leaving Zira alone, without any parents at all. He'd abandoned her when she'd needed him, and that was when Ahadi and Uru had stepped in. They'd taken Zira and her sisters in and cared for them like their own. For that, Zira loved them, the way she had once loved Nyeusi, the way she no longer could. Because now Nyeusi was trying to hurt Ahadi, and she wouldn't stand for it, because it was Ahadi and Uru who deserved her loyalty. She would do whatever it took to keep them safe from Nyeusi's jealousy.

She had followed Taka that day because she'd had a horrible feeling he was about to do something incredibly stupid. She and Taka had been brought together by a betrothal Nyeusi had arranged to further his revenge, but the two mates truly did love each other. She hoped there was still a way to save him from the jealousy Nyeusi was pushing on him. When she saw what he was doing with Boma, she'd seen the rest of the herd waiting nearby, and she knew Taka was in terrible danger. That was when she'd gone to get her sisters' help.

Once she'd made sure Taka was safe, she had turned and stormed off, knowing exactly where she was going, and who she had to talk to. This had gone on long enough. It had to end now, she was ending it.

SCENEBREAK

She found him where she'd known she would. He was resting in the gorge, near where Shari had been killed, where he had stayed those first few weeks away from the pride. The former King smiled as she approached, but there was none of the joy in it that there had been before Shari's death. Now, it was just a bitter mockery of the old expression. “Zira. What can I do for you, my dear?”

Zira just glared at her father with narrowed eyes. “Just stop it, Father,” she growled.

Nyeusi looked at her with surprise. “Stop what?” he asked dubiously.

“Taka.” Nyeusi started slightly at the name, eyes narrowing, but Zira ignored him and continued, “You've poisoning his mind long enough, and it has to stop, before someone gets hurt.”

Nyeusi lifted his head and crossed his paws, eyes narrowed. “I don't know what you mean,” he said stiffly.

Zira just snapped, “Don't play games with me. You've been pushing Taka to be jealous of Mufasa for years, trying to make him hate his own brother.”

The former king gave his daughter a warning growl. “Drop it, Zira.”

“No.” Zira stood in front of her father, every muscle tensed, a growl rumbling in her throat, expression stony and full of silent accusation. She wasn't going to let this go any farther than this conversation right here, right now.

Nyeusi stared at his daughter for a few moments, sizing her up. Finally, he seemed to realize she wasn't going to take “no” for an answer. He jumped to his paws, suddenly full of furious energy. “Yes! Yes, all right?” he snapped. “Yes, I've been trying to get Taka to hate Mufasa. Yes, yes, I did it. But you don't understand!”

“Oh, I understand,” Zira growled. She began to circle her father, red eyes narrowed and filled with cruelty. She wasn't evil, nor bitter like her father, but seeing Shari die right in front of her, and having to recover from that, she'd had to grow that little bit of cruelty. And now, she was using that cruelty against her father. “You were trying to avenge Shari. It's always about Shari, isn't it? Your precious Shari that the hyenas killed. And Ahadi. You're obsessed, aren't you? It's all about how Ahadi killed Shari. You're so sure it's his fault.”

“It was his fault!” Nyeusi roared furiously. His red eyes, so like his daughter's, were flashing with rage and hatred. “Ahadi took everything from me!”

“Oh please,” the lioness said, unimpressed. “He was forced to take a throne that you clearly weren't fit to hold. Shari was killed by the hyenas you repressed. So really, Father,” she said, voice suddenly becoming sly, “who exactly should we be blaming here?”

Nyeusi's eyes widened. “What?” he hissed, hardly seeming to believe what he was hearing.

“You heard me. This is your fault, Nyeusi. You're the one who tossed the hyenas out of the Pride Lands. What exactly did they do to earn that, huh? Overhunt a little? And just a few of them. They didn't all deserve to be exiled. You made the mistake, Father. You were arrogant, you were cruel, you were unforgiving, and because of it, you got poor little Shari killed.”

Nyeusi recoiled as if he had been struck. He gasped, “Stop. Just stop!”

Zira pulled her lips into a cruel, cold grin. “Poor little Shari, ripped to pieces in front of my innocent eyes, and all because of you, my King.” She spat the last word out with all the venom she could muster. “The hyenas did only what they thought they had to. How else were they ever to get proper consideration from the king? Ahadi had nothing to do with it, and you know it. Deep down, you've always known it. Your precious Shari, you could've saved her, but instead you did nothing. It's all yo-”

With a sudden explosion of energy, Nyeusi lashed out. His claws were still sliding out as he struck, so only one claw was out long enough to cut through skin, but as he slashed down her face, it slid out deeper and deep, gouging into her skin, the other claws only doing superficial damage while this one claw dug in deep. Zira pulled back with a screech of pain, but it was too late. The damage was done. She knew without looking, from the pain blazing from the wound, and from the blood gushing down her cheek and dripping down into her eye, that the wound was deep, deep enough to scar. She would be forever marked by her father's rage.

Nyeusi stared at her in horror, all of the rage and hate drained out of him now that the deed was done. He didn't seem to believe what his own claws had done. The former king could a couple of small steps backward, eyes wide with horror. “I... I...” he stammered.

Zira stared back for several moments, just as surprised as her father. Then she remembered her purpose. That clever, slightly cruel mind of hers went to work again, and she grinned cruelly at her father. “See what you've become?” she cooed softly. “What kind of monster would strike his own daughter?” Nyeusi just stared at her without a word. Zira's voice grew hard and commanding. “You'll leave Taka alone now. This ends. Now.”

With that, she turned and stormed away, the pain of her wound really starting to set in. She thought that would be the end of it, but then she saw the horrified faces of the lion she loved, and his brothers, hiding in the tall grass behind them.

And they had heard everything.
------------------------------
This is based off of 's alternate version of my story where Manufaa survives. She wrote a quick segment on it here:

In her story, Nyeusi survived instead of Shari, and subsequently became obsessed with getting revenge on Ahadi, whom he saw as being responsible for his beloved mate's death. Taka had good, loving parents, since Manufaa survived and didn't break their hearts with his death, so it was up to Nyeusi pushing him towards it that made him jealous. However, he had a good childhood, and brothers who loved him, so he didn't become Scar, not completely.

Zira is also different because of this. Since Dania was never born, Zira was never traumitized by seeing her die, and since she got to be with the lion she loved, she never got hurt by the betrayal of Khali. Subsequently, she's a little cruel and sly, but not evil. She really cares about Ahadi and Masilahi, and about Taka, and is determined to stop her father from hurting them. She uses her clever mind for good this time. And because of it, she's the one who gets scarred this time around, not Taka.

I'll continue this later, I quite like where this story's headed.