Abandoned

((Bee and I had talked this over about Uma coming in, so I do have permission and all and she knows about it.))

The dark king had been pacing around the rocky terrain at the bottom of Pride Rock, the symbol of his crown and his power. It was nearly silent that day, the lionesses either out hunting or napping lazily in the shade near the den. The sounds of a newborn alerted Scar to the new life, and his direction veered instantly to investigate what was hiding in the grass. What he found shocked him: a tiny cub, barely arrived to the world, in plain sight. Left completely alone. It was lucky that Scar had found the creature before his hyenas did, though now as he peered down at it, he wasn't sure what to do.

Ebony nostrils flared as Scar approached the cub. "What do we have here?" There was no denying, from the look of the thing: its fur was a russet shade, a few shades softer than his own, but undeniably similar to the pelts of the daughters he had with Heshima. He glanced around quickly, but there was no lioness in sight to claim the cub as her own. He thought of the lioness Kimbilia, the only other female in the Pridelands who had been expecting, and his eyes narrowed sharply at the wriggling cub on the ground near his paws. Reaching out to the cub, Scar rolled the newborn over to see...

But his hopes didn't have a chance to raise, for it was another female. Yet another daughter. A frustrated sigh escaped as he lowered his face to sniff the girl, and his suspicions were confirmed. Kimbilia had given birth. What if there was another cub out there, the son of his dreams? What if the lioness had run away with a male cub? For a long moment, he debated inwardly whether or not to leave the cub there for the hyenas to find. It looked pitifully helpless, and though Scar felt a surge of anger towards the cub's missing mother, he finally picked the cub up roughly by the stomach, turning in the direction of the pathway to the den.

Rounded ears were pressed flat against the monarch's skull as he carried the cub away from the spot she had been abandoned. A group of hyenas watched curiously, mouths watering at the sight of the helpless cub; a tasty morsel for the mangy brutes. Before passing the trio of beasts, he stopped, setting the cub down roughly at his feet as he addressed his minions. "I want all of you to go out and search for a lioness. She is a traitor to the throne and must pay the price." Each hyena grinned at the challenge, for they knew what the punishment would be for a traitor to Scar. The lioness would not be returning to Pride Rock again, nor anywhere else, once the hyenas spread the word amongst their ranks. "The lioness called Kimbilia. She's just given birth and should be easy enough to hunt down." The canines cackled in response, turning away to find the new mother.

Once the hyenas understood their mission, Scar picked up the unfortunate cub again in a haphazard manner, ignoring any cries or mews that followed. One lioness gone, it was a real problem. Scar shrugged and continued up the path to the den within Pride Rock, in search for any lioness that would deal with the newly discovered problem. It was a wonder he hadn't killed her on the spot, and Scar himself would later wonder what had possessed him to save the cub, but it was done. The den was empty that day, and so Scar set the cub down inside of it, keeping his distance now from the little creature.

The cubs were currently in the capable hands of Sarabi and Sarafina as they bonded with their half-brother Mheetu. The elder lioness and former queen told Heshima to go get some rest. And that's exactly what the female was going to do. A quick goodbye was said to the cubs and the mother was off, but she was stopped in her tracks only a few minutes into her journey back to the den. Hyenas, they were never out this far into the lands, but they were all searching. One of the canines noticed Heshima and padded over, and thankfully it was one of the nicer hyenas that didn't treat the lions as trash.

"Heshima," the animal started, "have you seen a lioness by the name of Kimbilia anywhere around here?" The question was odd, but the lioness shook her head no. "Sorry Fisi, I haven't." The hyena nodded and muttered something about a traitor, but he turned and spoke once more, "Alright, if you see her, tell one of us. Or, Scar," And with that he was off and joining the brethren of the pack on the search for the lioness. Heshima found it strange that the hyenas were looking for Kimbilia, what had she done? She'd have to ask later.

After a long walk back to the den, Heshima climbed her way up the rocky path and sighed when she was greeted with the darkness of the cave. But what she found, she knew she wasn't going to be getting any sleep soon. "H-Hello sire," Heshima said to the king with a low bow, her violet eyes adverted from the father of her cubs. The two hadn't spoken since the cubs were born, it seemed as if the male had been avoiding her and the rest of the pride.

Small talk was probably not the way to go, but with Heshima decided to, "The cubs are with Sarabi your majesty, Sarafina and Mheetu are there as well. I swear, the way the cubs act, it's like they are all litter mates." But then suddenly, a mew was heard, but Heshima pushed it off. She must be hearing things, the only lions in the den were her and Scar. But unbeknownst to her, they weren't.

Inside the den, Scar was fuming. How dare one of his lionesses abandon not only her child, but her king? The only thought that comforted the twisted lion was the idea of her being ripped to shreds by his hyenas once she was caught. Kimbilia wouldn't stand a chance in her condition, the fool... Just then, Scar heard another entering. His expression seemed to brighten at the presence of the creamy lioness, but it was not for any reason that Heshima might guess. He was relieved the new mother had stumbled upon the king and his apparent progeny.

He dismissed Heshima's words about his other offspring with a careless wave of a paw, instead nodding in the direction of the newborn cub he had discovered. "We have bigger problems right now. A lioness has decided to leave us, and she left this behind." His paw gestured towards the tiny female cub, which lay a few feet away, mewing her fear and hunger for the world to hear. Scar made no attempt to comfort the cub, and his expression seemed to suggest that he was bothered by the whole thing. "How well do you know Kimbilia?"

It didn't matter now, the other lioness was doomed, and her daughter left behind. Scar glanced again to the yet nameless cub, and in that instant, he thought of what the little unwanted cub would be called. He had never had the opportunity to name one of his cubs... Not that Scar really cared for the honor previously, but now he had his chance. "I think I will call her Uma. What do you think?" An unenthusiastic grin was then offered at his suggestion, approving of it himself. It was a Swahili word meaning "cause pain," or "sting," and the new father thought it would suit the poor little creature... In memory of the lost mother she would never meet.

Heshima's eyes followed her king's paw to the small shivering cub in the cave. Her motherly instincts kicked in and immediately, Heshima padded over and placed the cub in her arms, trying to warm the new life as much as she could. "How dare a mother leave a newborn to die," she murmured, looking over the cub's body. No doubt, this cub was Scar's. For the cub looked almost exactly like Giza, except probably without her eyes. But then, Scar mentioned the name of the lioness who Fisi and the other hyenas had been looking for.

"Kimbilia?" she repeated, "I know of her, not much about her. The only time we talked was during the few hunts I had been on, more experienced than myself, but-" Heshima paused, looking for the right words. Finally, she found them, "she isn't a hunter sire, she won't last a day out there," Heshima's attention turned towards the small cub once more, she sniffed the newborn and confirmed her suspicions. The cub was yet another female, and it all started to fit into place why Kimbilia left.

But then, Scar named the russet cub Uma. Heshima smiled as it seemed to fit the female perfectly. "It's perfect sire, Uma, I have a feeling Kimbilia would have never picked a name more suitable," Heshima was still producing milk, even though her cubs had stopped nursing weeks ago. And with that realization, the mother of four placed Uma next to her in order for her to get a much needed meal. "S-sire," Heshima stuttered, "I can, if you want, take care of your little Uma until she's old enough to eat meat like our cubs,"

"Yes," Scar agreed, voice somber. "To leave a newborn, it's shameful. To leave my newborn? It's simply a crime." It was all the russet male said in regards to Kimbilia. The very new mother was as good as dead, anyway, and Scar decided not to waste another moment discussing her. No doubt Heshima could guess what the traitor's fate would be. It would stand as a warning to each and every member of the pride to be careful, and obey... Or else.

Most of the lionesses would assume Scar's reaction towards another daughter would be swift and cruel. But Scar was a lion who loved his belongings, and his offspring, no matter how disappointing, were indeed his, in the king's mind. Every lioness, every rock and tree in the Pridelands, every cub was his property. There were times when eliminations were necessary, but Uma's only sin in life was being born the wrong gender. It was yet to be seen whether or not he would take his anger towards her mother out on the little cub, but for now, he was simply not interested in sticking around. He stepped towards the exit of the den, allowing Heshima to take over from there.

Heshima's offer to care for the cub was met with a curt nod. Scar would have asked her to do it anyway. It was her duty as a mother to care for his children, and she would have been obligated to care for the new cub, whether she offered or not. "Fine." No gratitude was apparent in his short response or his demeanor, and with that, he turned away from the creamy lioness and the newborn cub. To his knowledge, no other lioness was expecting at that time, and now Scar had half a dozen little ones to feed, in addition to an increasingly discontent pride. Life just wasn't fair.

((Thanks for agreeing to do this Tao, I think we can wrap this up? I was hoping to time skip and have Uma a cub ^^))