The Path Of The Misunderstood

A caramel colored nose dropped to usher another cub back into line when it started to stray from the small group the lioness was chaperoning back to Pride Rock. Their group was small so it wasn't hard to keep an eye on all of the cubs these days, the Pridelanders themselves were dwindling, and Kata had noted the absence of a few key members as well as the addition of at least one. Heshima and her brood, with the exception of Uma and Nuka, had all disappeared after the death of the Princess Ari. A new lioness had seemingly slid into her place, a very light colored female that made the caramel lioness uneasy by the name of Hera.

Kata had grown, her fringe had smoothed out though she still hated it, her form was more sturdy though still long and lithe and her coat had even darkened just a shade. She felt a little more confident and had found a friend in the lion Abasi, though she had seen little of him as of late, she had however kept in touch with Imani. Her sister had seemed distant as of late, saddened by something, but she hadn't shared what was bothering her and Kata had yet to push her on the issue. The lioness sighed softly but smiled when they came into sight of the large shadow of Pride Rock. Some of the children groaned while others bounded towards their mothers who waited on them.

Kata had taken them swimming today at the waterhole, she'd been afraid she would get in trouble at first but she'd made sure they had all dried off before coming back to the pride. The cubs had deserved a cooling dip and she wished she could have brought the little Prince and Princess along but she doubted that she would have been able to take them along. She climbed the rock with the few cubs left to her and when they scattered she was left standing there on her own, she turned her head to smell the air, still no rain. The only thing that invaded her nostrils was a dry, dusty scent, one she had come to associate with simply heat...it seemed like that was all there was lately.

She chanced a look over her shoulder to make sure she was alone before creeping out to the ledge where so many Kings and Queens had sat. She could see the pride, what was left, milling about below her and the rippling heat permeating the rest of the kingdom. She had to wonder what it felt like to know that all of this belonged to you, it had to be awe inspiring and fear inducing all at once, what would it be like to rule a dying land and take all the blame for it? That question always came to mind when anyone questioned Scar's rule and she found herself slipping away from the conversation, she couldn't say she liked Scar but she didn't dislike him either. One lion couldn't control the weather and so how was the drought his fault?

They said the spirits were punishing him, the land rebelling against him but what if the land was simply grieving? What if it was mourning the loss of the King and Prince so much that it cared not about the current ruler and his strain to feed and care for his pride. The small iota of doubt kept her from simply running away or bashing Scar like she knew most did in their spare time away from prying eyes and ears. Her blue eyes softened and she looked sad for a moment, "How unfair..." she breathed softly and her ears flattened back against her head as she stared out at the lands.

The pride was shrinking. The waterhole, once reliable and clean, was also shrinking. And the failed king, like his lands and his pride, was beginning to shrink. The hunting party seemed doomed to fail each time, and when they did take down a kill, the lionesses were now sneaking the meat to their cubs before even alerting the king. Scar was withering to waste like the golden grass, and his condition seemed to make him all the more fierce. He was angry and cruel and the entire pride knew he was going mad.. Or that he had been mad for a long time, and now he was determined to drive the others there along with him.

Another day had gone by and Scar was empty. He climbed Pride Rock and there was no one in his path, for they had spotted him from a distance and they all made themselves scarce. But there, at the spot chosen generations ago as sacred to the throne, sat a brown lioness. Her back was turned to him, but Scar knew who it was regardless, by sight and by scent. Hers was mingled with that of countless cubs, because she seemed to prefer to spend her time with the younger ones. This could have been because she was not known for her hunting talents, and Scar was aware of this, as well.

The lioness had been one of many born to an ambitious, if not eccentric creature. When Scar had assumed the throne, most of the females of the pride were horrified to hear the cackles of the hyenas descending upon their lands, but Kata’s mother had not questioned Scar’s decisions. In fact, she had been so zealous in her devotion to the new king that she scarred her numerous children to look just like their monarch, though her attempts were carried out poorly and the cubs had all suffered for her show of respect. Some had even died, if Scar could recall correctly, but it had been a time of transition, and many lives had been lost in the first few months. It was to be expected, naturally.

But Scar had liked the lioness, generally speaking. She had a desire for power that was obvious, and though Scar never gave her a lick of it, he admired her ambition nonetheless. Kata was one of her offspring that remained, though she was clumsy and useless to the hunting party. More of a defect than an asset, really. As the lioness mused aloud, Scar could scarcely overhead her words. After a lingering silent moment, he walked over to the lioness with a bemused smirk. ”What’s that you say, Kata?” Just what was she implying? She had never given him trouble before, one of the few lionesses that didn’t speak ill of their dark king behind his back. His expression was strange, curious but eerily calm. ”Forgive me for sneaking up on you.”

Kata hadn't even heard Scar arrive and she startled when he spoke up behind her, kicking a few stray pebbles from the edge of Pride Rock that sprinkled down on those below who shot her venemous looks. She backed up quickly with a clearing of her throat and turned to face her King, his expression was calm instead of wrathful and he even looked a little curious. Another thing he looked was tired, maybe it wasn't obvious but the severity of how thin he was astounded her but he still managed to have some regality about him.

She bowed her head respectively, her fringe shrouding her eyes for a moment as she peeked up through it at him, "S-Sire, I didn't see you there...I was just..." she raised her head and peered out at the plains once more before looking back to Scar. She wondered if he thought she had been insulting him, or if he truly hadn't heard her, would she be punished for voicing her thoughts? She wasn't sure, they weren't harmful to his reputation at least, she knew that was typically what got someone punished. "w-well I was just thinking how unfair it was...of the land to do this to us, and for...for the lionesses to blame you" she was embarrassed and cringed slightly thought she tried to hide it by sitting on her haunches a second later.

Scar had been slowly slipping into madness and it wasn't always clear exactly what he'd do, it was possible her words would be thought offensive and he'd simply push her from the rock with little regard for her life. Hasira, her mother, probably wouldn't complain about it in the least as Kata was already somewhat of an embarrassment but that thought did little to comfort Kata of course. "Oh and...don't apologize for sneaking up on me, I should have been paying attention, I was just distracted and exhausted from playing with the cubs" she did finally smile softly as her tension eased and her power blue eyes fixed on blazing green curiously.

Scar studied Kata closely as she spoke, bright jade eyes fixed on the timid brown lioness. There was no irony or malice in her words, which Scar found intriguing but odd. She was one of the few lionesses that didn’t speak ill of the king behind his back. Kata reminded him of Heshima in her younger days, when she had been submissive and shy as a mouse. This was the type of lioness that cowards like the king loved, for they made him feel stronger. While Hera was a challenge to Scar, Kata and others like her were more of a game. The weak were easiest to control, and with his life spiraling, with nothing better to do, he took a seat beside the lioness. ”Ah, I know what you mean. The lionesses simply don’t understand, I’m afraid. Many aren’t old enough to remember a time when my father was king, and the rains left. No one blamed him.” Indeed, it wasn't fair, and the dark king growled to himself at the reminder.

Eyes narrowed as he watched other leonine forms, as small as insects, far below where the two sat. How he loathed them! He had never been the sort of macho lion who chose a mate because of passion, or any semblance of romance. Unlike Mufasa, who hadn’t the foresight to create more little heirs, Scar had gone out of his way to manipulate his way into what should have been a healthy legacy. Scar had enough embarrassments running around the savannah. The majority of his cubs were now gone: Mheetu and Ari dead, Giza as well, he assumed. Tasa and Kifu had gotten away. The thought of the two running about, free of their father’s influence drove Scar wild with anger, of course, and he had sent more disposable hyenas off in search of the errant royalty. Those hyenas never returned though, whether they were dead or defected, and Scar would never find the missing. As Kata spoke of playing with the cubs, Scar cast her a questioningly glance.

”Oh, you have cubs now? I must be out of the loop,” he commented with an apathetic shrug. He hadn’t been paying attention close enough to know that Kata was responsible for other cubs, not her own. ”I don’t recall having anything to do with that.” His grin remained wide, seemingly pleasant, but a brow quirked and there were accusations hidden in his fierce eyes. Had there been a male gallivanting about the Pridelands, making trouble with his lionesses? Perhaps Korofi, the crazed rogue.. Scar made a note to speak to his young protégé. He watched Kata closely, watching her face so that he would detect the lies as she told them. Even if she had cubs by another lion, the pride was rapidly shrinking and Scar could scarcely afford to lose another of his lionesses. But he would enjoy punishing Kata for her sins, and he began to relish the thought before he even knew she had committed them.

Of course, he was wrong, and Kata was innocent. This was also the kind of lioness that Scar enjoyed. Innocence could never last in such a cruel environment, and Scar had often been the one to soil that in his subjects. Because he had suffered, he wanted them to suffer, too.

Scar sat next to her and she felt her fur ripple with a slight shudder, she was afraid of him, she had never been close enough to really feel fear towards the King. She kept her shudder from going beyond her own bones and looked over at him steadily with her soft expression, she didn't want to act as if she feared him, only respected him as their monarch. She could tell that the blame from the lionesses struck a nerve with him and he growled softly, she watched him carefully but nothing came from the growl except a slightly sour expression on his maw now.

Scar had mistaken her statement about the cubs to mean she had been playing with her own and alarm and embarrassment appeared on her face immediately. She knew the King didn't like cubs that were not his own running around, not ones that were new and she cleared her throat when his eyes focused on hers, they were frighteningly intense in their color and she averted her eyes almost immediately to her cream tipped toes. "O-Oh no you misunderstand sire they're not mine!" she let out a nervous laugh and looked up again though her eyes did shift everyone once in a while form his own gaze. "I take care of the cubs, they seem to like me and I enjoy doing it since the other lionesses don't have time when they're hunting" she didn't feel the need to say it was because she couldn't hunt at all.

She did however look slightly melancholy and before she could stop herself she went on, "I get along with them better, the other lionesses don't think particularly high of me. Besides I've never even caught a male's eye with...well these" she blew at her tuft of hair that hung slightly over her triple scarred eye, shifting the brown fur over to the other eye so her scars were apparent. "The cubs seem to not mind them though, they seem to enjoy tugging on my fur at the very least" she said and smiled softly again at the thought of the cubs. She wasn't sure what she would do without them to care for, her life really had little purpose and it was depressing, she did want to change that and Imani had offered to take her from the Pridelands but fear kept her from accepting.

"I'm sorry sire, you probably have better things to do than listen to a silly lioness ramble" she said laughing again nervously but it had been nice to say some of those things even if they were to Scar.

In the subtle facial expressions, the softening tone of her voice, Scar was seeing the young lioness for the first time. She was a gentle soul - the polar opposite of his mate Zira, and of Hera, who had made herself scarce since her arrival. The dark king now doubted that the latter intended to stay, which infuriated him. He wanted to control her, but he wasn't strong enough to handle a lioness like that. Kata, on the other paw, was little more than an overgrown cub in the mind of the tyrant. She was no good for hunting, and while she was easy on the eyes, her pink scars that could have blinded her were certainly a distraction. Scar found himself fixated upon the blemishes, even before she commented on them. The wounds had been worse than young Taka had suffered, but she remained decent, somehow. The scars had changed Taka into something deadly, where as Kata was as gentle as one could be.

How could this be, he wondered to himself. She was old enough to be a mother but had no cubs of her own, she admitted. She was modest and shy, but she didn't recoil in horror at the close proximity of the lanky lion. "Don't pay any attention to what the lionesses say. What do they know? Bunch of stuffy old hags, if you ask me," he muttered beneath his breath. He stared harder at the series of scars that marred her delicate features, his expression blank. Her own mother had given her the markings, Scar recalled, in a sick sign of loyalty to their new monarch. It had been a bold move, and it had done nothing to gain the dark king's attention or affections. But the scarred daughter was nothing like her maniacal mother, and this was all the more intriguing to Scar.

"Come now, you're not silly. You just spend too much time with the little ones, which isn't necessarily a bad thing. Many of the lionesses seem disinterested in their own cubs these days. It's good to have someone to look after them." Of course, the notion that the lionesses didn't care about their cubs was far from the truth. Scar continued to misinterpret everything that happened all around him. The hunting party was absent for the better part of the day, but it was not by choice. It had nothing to do with their poor parenting, and everything to do with survival. In Scar's mind, they just weren't trying hard enough, and now their cubs suffered from their negligence.

"You would be surprised how lonesome it is to be the king of all this," he said with a gesture of a forepaw. He looked out blankly upon the dead lands. "No one cares to make small talk these days. Everyone is so busy. It does get rather lonely, I must admit." A low sigh escaped and he peered out of the corner of his eye to see how Kata would react to this rare (and insincere) moment of candor from the detached king.

Before Kata could stop herself she snorted in mirth at Scar's remark and looked startled placing a paw over her mouth. That had not been very nice of her but something about hearing him say it, and just the words themselves had amused her greatly. She dropped the paw trying to regain some dignity but she didn't think he would mind too much, he had said it after all and there was nobody around but the two of them. For most a cause for alarm but her for it was nothing more than a fact, never once did she imagine she was in danger of any kind.

She smiled at his compliment, it was nice to hear something good for once, she wished so much to hear words like that from anyone but she wasn't one to go begging for praise and her mother wasn't one to be charitable with it. Imani of course was all the more supportive but her time with her sister was few and far in between and any praise was welcome, even if it was from Scar. She looked slightly saddened at the thought of the lionesses not caring about the cubs and shook her head, "I think they're just busy but I'm glad I can keep the little ones company, they're precious and deserve what joy they can get" she said with a fond smile.

She looked out at the kingdom when he motioned at it, claiming loneliness despite having the company he did. She knew he had a Queen, and there was a new lioness rumored to have his affections though she had been rather scarce to the point of almost fading to be a rumor only. At his sigh however she looked over and her features crumpled in sympathy and pity, he was lonely, it had to be hard...everyone despised him so for their state of life but was it really his fault? She couldn't believe so, there were droughts before now and yet he gained the blame because their hearts were mangled over the death of their favorite monarch. It was unfair.

She scooted a paw over and gently touched his paw, "I'm sorry you're so alone, but you don't have to be...I...any time you need company you can come to me, as long as you don't mind my presence" she offered gently. Her naivety was overwhelming in that moment, to her his emotions seemed all too real to be tricks and her heart ached for Scar, it was so cruel to be alone with no friends. She knew what it was like and she despised any other lion having to feel the way she did sometimes, it was a terrible feeling to be all alone.

It was all too easy. The thoughtful lioness believed every feigned sigh, every sad word that leaked from the king’s gaping maw. But whether or not it was subconscious, it wasn’t totally a lie. Even as a cub, Taka had never truly been loved, had he? How could he ever have turned out differently? And what maniacal egomaniac didn’t want a sympathetic ear? He wasn’t charmed by her shy antics, but he batted his eyelashes the way young lovers do, making no comment about her snort or the paw that raised too late to contain it. She was rather silly, as the lionesses said, but he could use this to his advantage.

”Do you ever wonder what it would be like to have cubs of your own to care for? How rewarding it is to create life..” And who would know better than Scar himself, who had produced enough cubs to create their own small pride? But beyond the act of creation, after the new arrival, it was the duty of a lioness to raise her child up correctly. How often they failed, Scar thought to himself. But here was Kata, with no obligation to look after the little ones, doing just that. She was a natural mother, lacking only cubs.. and a sire to make them. ”So many of my own are gone now. It’s almost more than a father can bear.” His chest heaved dramatically.

The proverbial lightbulb in his head flicked on, and his green eyes slid over Kata’s mature form once again when she dared to touch Scar’s paw with her own. His expression remained pained as the lioness made a decision she would surely live to regret: ”Why Kata,” he purred roughly. ”Your offer is touching, and most appreciated. You are truly one of a kind.” He smiled his least frightening smile -- or at least, he attempted to do so, but the result was a toothy, hungry looking grin. His snake eyes shifted away a final time, to the pride that lingered below: a hungry lot, their desperation growing, but they were not hopeless. As long as there was anger and the sense of injustice flourished there, they would survive. And their salvation was coming sooner than they could have guessed.

The king’s bitterness was like a festering wound from which there would be no recovery. The darkness had consumed him years ago, long before Kata was even born. But if she didn’t know the danger she was putting herself in, Scar was not going to be the one to point out her error. His black maned head gestured towards the worn path that led upwards, to the very top of the stone structure. The lionesses seldom visited the precipice of Pride Rock. It was viewed with great reverence: a place that had been essential in ancient wars, for one could see every section of the kingdom from the edge of the rock. Kings of the past had often brought their sons their to see the Pridelands. Scar had never taken his own offspring up there, though. The old rituals had been dismissed, and the lands suffered for it. Instead, it had become a favorite escape for the dark king when he didn’t wish to be bothered, which was most of the time.

Today, however, he would take the lioness up on her offer for company. The lion’s smile widened impossibly as his gaze settled on Kata once more. Rather than show his heirs the kingdom, he would show it to the humble, unassuming lioness instead. The power was his and he would show it to her. ”Come with me. Have you ever gone to the top? The view is lovely. It’s even better than this.” And unbeknownst to Scar, it would be the very site of his impending doom: the final battle between good and evil, light and dark. The land had never truly been Scar’s, despite what he believed. The land of their ancestors was still holy, and it belonged to the fallen prince. But to Scar, it was only dirt and rocks, dried brush and bones picked clean by the scavengers. The higher he climbed, the smaller his problems would seem. Everything looked better from far away. He looked over his shoulder to see if Kata had taken the bait.

She would have flushed bright had she been able when he asked her if she had ever thought about having her own cubs to care for. She hadn't ever really considered it, she loved the others that she cared for so much, but she had never really seen herself as a mother honestly. She had wanted her own cubs though, children she could love and raise right, with only love and support from their mother, nothing like how she was brought up. She had always hoped that she and Imani would raise their cubs together but how skewed that dream had become with all that had happened. It was sad.

Her ears drooped at the thought of what she would never had and so it only made her more susceptible to his comment about so many of his own being gone. "I can't imagine what it's like for you sire, I've always wanted my own children but the prides cubs are enough for me" she said with a small sad smile on her muzzle. He seemed touched by her offer of company and he smiled at her but there was something...dark behind it and she withdrew her paw slowly, more out of confusion than fear, but as quickly as it had come it was gone again and she wondered if she had not just been seeing things.

His gaze suddenly returned to her and his smile was wide again, his order to come with him had her rising to her feet automatically. One did not say no to Scar. She shook her head silently at his question, nobody went to the top of Pride Rock save the rulers and their heirs, she was sure it was once a lovely sight but what would it look like now? Barren as it was she could only imagine it would be bleak but she followed him none the less, the higher they went the more destruction was evident and she wanted to stop and sob for her homeland more than anything but she pushed on instead. It seemed rude to refuse to sit at the top with him, it was a rare treat, one that she wasn't sure anyone had ever shared with their King besides his Queen or his mates.

She followed him dutifully but bowed her head behind him, she would look when they reached the top however. Her light blue eyes slightly sad. This land had once been so great, but she only blamed nature and the Spirits, rather than the Dark King that stood next to her. It was probably foolish of her not to blame him but she found it too harsh a judgement to lay on someone. "Sire I'm...I'm very honored, it has the best view of the entire Kingdom" she said and tired a small smile.

Scar’s words had the intended affect upon Kata, whose ears fell with unspoken disappointment when her king lingered on the subject of delivering a litter of her own. Clearly, the lioness did not truly expect it to ever happen to her. The russet lion’s ears mirrored Kata’s, drooping slightly as he nodded in feigned sympathy. "Is it enough for you, truly? To care for, but never get the credit for our young? Who will be there for you when you are old?" He looked upon the young lioness with an expression tainted with pity and scorn. It was no wonder Kata had so little in her own life. The female hadn’t a selfish bone in her body. This was something Scar couldn’t, would never understand, and he simply shook his head. Without the desire to have, without the drive to take, where would Scar be in his own life? ”Poor Kata,” he murmured as she pulled her paw away from his.

The king’s offer was immediately taken, and he slowed his pace so that the pair walked side by side, climbing the path that lead to the top of the pride’s home. The view from the precipice, once so magnificent and awe-inspiring, was now depressing and bleak. Pocks scarred the dried earth where water had once been plentiful. Entire rivers and watering holes were gone, evaporated to nothingness. Only the largest water hole remained, and it was shrinking by the day. What few animals remained were left to battle over the scarce resources, so necessary to survival. Countless skeletons, their bones picked clean by scavengers, littered the landscape like a garden of the dead. And yet, despite all of this, Scar appeared pleased as he sat at the edge. There was very little left to be proud of, but one would not guess this by looking at the ruler of the shadowed lands.

His eerie, unnatural gaze swept slowly over the lands that belonged to him and him alone. If only he could live forever, he thought in passing, so that he would not have to give it all up to whatever offspring still remained. Nuka was nowhere near the expectation Scar had of his son, and he would never reach it.. Not in Scar’s lifetime, anyway. There was no telling if Zira would ever deliver the litter of Scar’s dreams. He now thoroughly regretted his decision to declare the striped lioness as his consort. The two didn’t even enjoy the each other's company. But Kata’s company was inoffensive. Almost pleasant, really. ”I expect once the drought has ended, the pride will grow once again. We will take in new recruits— new lionesses to hunt, to watch the little ones. I feel that those who have remained loyal should be rewarded. Once our luck changes, of course. And it will.”

It was rare for Scar to carry on such a conversation with one of his subjects.. Unless, that is, the dark king had something on his mind. Today, his imagination conjured up a vision of perfection: the heir of his dreams. He would be strong, of course, with his father’s cunning. Scar’s gaze turned to the meek lioness beside him, studying her once more. Perhaps Scar’s long desired heir would have light blue eyes.. Perhaps he would look just like his mother. His heart pounded in his chest as he inched closer to the innocent lioness. If she desired a litter of her own to raise and care for.. Well, that was easy enough for Scar to provide. ”You see Kata, new life is the only way to restore my— our pride to its former glory.” His grizzled chin came to rest on her shoulder, and he forced a purr as rough as asphalt. ”It is up to us to bring the Pridelands back. Do you.. Understand?” He fell silent, exhaling his hot, sour breath beside Kata's ear.

His questions stirred sadness in her heart but she had always reassured herself that her siblings would be there when she was old, but where were they now? Imani was out on her own, while her brothers and sister had suffered similar fates of either wandering off or being completely distant, her mother certainly would be no comfort in her life. She had never felt hollow but his question struck her heart, she tried not to let it show but there was a definite sag in her spine at the question. His own ears had drooped and he looked truly sympathetic, his words sounding the same, a small sigh slipped from her maw. "I don't know" she said simply before following him when he offered for them to walk.

She stared out, unable to really return her gaze to the russet lion next her, she was ashamed of the amount of pity he was giving her. She had never looked at her life as sad but he had a way of disarming someone like her and she shifted slightly, her tail hugging her haunches tightly while she sat down with a slightly blankened expression. When he spoke again of course she nodded to his words, "Some of us still have faith, I do, I know things will change for us. They can't stay this way forever, they just can't" she said softly and shook her head to emphasize her point. Surely the spirits would not punish them all for an accident and even if it was as others believed and Scar was the cause, surely the one's sins would not outweigh the good of the many with the spirits.

She caught the changing of his word and she felt herself swallow nervously, she wasn't sure what that had meant, a King was entitled to call a Pride his own after all. Somewhere in their conversation he had drifted closer to her and his head now rested on her shoulder, his breath in her ear and his eyes so close that she felt as if they were the only thing that she could see now. Her light blue ones were riveted on his glowing green ones and she couldn't make herself move away or even utter something to that effect. His pur made her shiver but she wasn't sure why, she couldn't find a winning emotion between wanting to run and wanting to give him a chance. If she didn't wouldn't she be just as bad as the rest, and a fake after claiming that she didn't see him like the rest?

"I..." her mouth felt painfully dry and she stayed quiet for a moment before finally dropping her eyes slightly. "I do" she murmured and embarrassment thrilled through her, he was right of course but surely he didn't like her in such a way? How could he? She looked up again searching his eyes, her own wide and innocent, it was a shame that she was so trusting and never had an inkling what the Dark King was really up to. Later she would look back on it and realize how gullible she had been, but she would learn a lesson from this moment in hindsight.

Kata had faith in something that could never be real. The very land had rebelled against its ruler, but Scar failed to see it. His smile widened as Kata spoke. ”That is because you are not like the others. Are you?” He murmured his words gently, as lovers do in the soft lull of the night, face still dangerously close to the young female’s. For long, lingering minutes, Scar said nothing at all. He allowed his suggestion about a growing pride to seep into her brain like rain into parched ground, and then she looked at him, looking for answers in his cold eyes. He saw the innocence in her own and he wanted it all for himself; no, he wanted to destroy it. There was no room in this world for the good, the decent, the kind. This was an existence tarnished by corruption. Greed. Lust. She would learn soon enough.

It wasn’t her untouched beauty he desired; no, that was simply the means to obtain his goal. What was it he had always truly wanted, the one thing that seemed unobtainable as the years melted from one to the next? He recalled his favorite line, one that had worked so many times before in these situations. She was already there, willing to accept any absurdity that the king spewed, already in the palm of his paw; now he needed only to crush her. ”A litter of kings, Kata. Think of it. You will not need to be alone again. You will be remembered for all time.. As the mother of kings.” His eyes flashed, delighted in the fantasy he wove for the guileless female, knowing no other dared to come and discover his selfish plot unfolding high above the dens. They were utterly alone, and he would take as he pleased.

The pride would soon see Kata in her delicate position. The whispers would begin, from lioness to lioness, and soon the shocking truth would be obvious: old King Scar was at it again. Whether they liked it or not, they still belonged to the king, and he would prove it once again. Kata’s mother had been fruitful, to say the least. Why should her daughter not be the same? But it wouldn’t matter if Kata was a good parent or not, Scar would decide, for the lioness would not be allowed to raise the cub beyond infancy. In his twisted mind, there was good reason for this.

In hindsight, he had realized that Heshima’s influence had spoiled Kifu, ruining Scar’s son before stealing him away. As if Scar should care if a failure of a son was gone? Not one of Heshima’s brood remained in the Pridelands. Good riddance, as far as the dark lion was concerned, save for the tragedy that was Ari. When it came to Nuka, Scar wasn’t certain what had gone wrong, only knowing that something had indeed gone wrong and that the son of Zira would always be an utter disappointment in the eyes of his father. Kimbilia, the traitorous mother of Uma, had never had an influence on her sole offspring. Of all of his cubs, Scar felt he had the most in common with Uma, who was nearing adulthood now. And this was because he had been the only factor in her life, the only guidance and advice available to her. There was no telling the princely cub he could rear, free of tenderness; weakness. Now, after so many cubs and so many perceived failures, he knew he must do it himself if it was to be done at all.

Scar would never have the opportunity to see what came of this union, nor would he be able to taint the heart and mind of Kata’s future offspring. But there are some things that need not be taught at all; some traits that are intrinsic. For some, evil is in the genes. Most are born innocent and good, but a few are born dark. Sometimes, evil carries through from one generation to the next: from father to son.