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His small prey is poised on a dark rock that overlooks the pride lands. Laying there with the sun going down slowly, as bathing in the last ray of day. He knows if he sneaks on him a few more steps he may surprise him. A step, a small noise, an ear twitches in front of him and he stops his movement… Eyes a slit, the other does not move and his breath even and he smiles. With a roar, he jumps on his prey.
“Yaakh ! - ”
Scar did not expect to find himself being tackled while napping, he did not expect finding himself being pinned on the ground, now covered in mud by a heavy paw on his face. Eyes wide by surprise, he hears a light laugh from above.
“Got yourself caught so easily and you’re supposed to be a king ?”
Tensions fading away, he growls rolling his eyes before pushing heavily to get the older lion away from him. He laughs and offers a smile full of teeth.
Scar snarky : “Obviously I’ve let you win here.”
Rolling his eyes : “Suuure ~ As many times you like to believe it.”
Scar gets up and pushes him with his shoulder lightly : “Hehe, alright, I recognize your superiority here, O revered brother ~ You need at least that to compensate for the rest I am better at ! Now move yourself, what are you eating to be this heavy ?”
Mufasa scoffs and looks at the younger cub with a heavily heartbroken expression before both breaking into hysterical laugh and falling to the ground beside each other. They layed on the grass, Mufasa’s laugh stops slowly and looks over at the sky. His expression fades into a sullen look.
“Hehe… hum....”
“What ?”
“I… I wanted to tell you that I’m sorry for last time.”
Scar turns his face to his brother and tilts his head. He offers him a new smile.
“Don’t be. Without you I would have fallen from that cliff.” He rolls his eyes again, before rolling over his brother, surprising him. “… Buuut if you want I can make you a scar like mine.” He tells him with a smirk full of teeth.
Mufasa simply punches him with a paw shrieking while scar jumps away laughing.
“But I mean it.” Turning to the older lion. “Thank you for being there for me.”
Mufasa simply gets up and walks lightly to accompany his brother.
“As always, you can count on me, brother.” He smiles and Scar smiles to him in return.
they’re walking toward the pride lands.
“Let’s go home.”
___
They keep exchanging words as the pride Rocks are appearing in the distance. The sun sets slowly, and they both get home as red sun rays hit the entrance.
They look around calling for their parents before they realize the silence that greets them. The light not reaching the interior of pride rocks, they’re surprised when a lion just gets out. The red light falls dramatically over the big lion as he takes one heavy step after the other as he starts sniffing around. The two boys gasp together as they make themselves smaller before him.
The lion let a heavy sigh and shakes his head as if to brush something away from his light mane. Smoky eyes set on the two kids and in a hoarse and final voice.
“Mufasa. Follow me.”
Not leaving any place for discussion, he starts walking toward the high end of the pride rock that govern the place. Mufasa eyes his brother and starts following his father, before Scar goes toward them but…
“Not you, Scar.”
Scar stops in a tight gasp. He sees them leaving and, instead goes inside the cavern that he calls home. Inside the cavern, he is greeted by another member of his family. This time a lioness pass by him. He looks at her as she glares down at him. Then a second, and then another one. Until all the lionesses walk past him with only their intense look as welcome.
“Hum… Hehe… I feel like something happened. But can you tell me where my mother is ?”
Only the silence answers his question. He watched them as all the lionesses comes out to the light, leaving him in the dark. Maybe he shouldn’t have asked. Maybe he should have order them to tell him.
Believing his mother must have remained further into the den so he runs toward it, a heavy hunch in his stomach. And as he finally makes his way to the farthest corner of the den, he sees a dark form laying heavily on the ground. His breath is cut by it, he looks at it intently, hoping to see some of the tiniest movements still… But the scene seems as stopped as time itself as Scar understands the flesh that he is facing. Moving closer he remarks some deep gashes across the fur. Sign of a lost fight on this side.
Frightened, he fumbles away from the scene, before being stopped by someone on his back. He hears a low rumble and looks up to see who’s behind him. He recognizes Mufasa’s mother, and she growls down at him, still the same coldness in her eyes as when he walked in. He moves away from her.
“Aunt Uru…I –“
“I’m sorry for your lost, Scar.” Still cold.
“Huh ?”
“But it was her fault.”
“What do you mean ?”
“She tried to seize power from your father… We had to warn him. You would not have wanted your father to die, would you ?”
He makes himself looks smaller and gets backed to the other lioness’ body. But the other one, the more intimidating one moves closer.
“This is how it works; you need to know that, little one.”
Her right paw closes toward the cub, and he only makes himself smaller hiding in the still warmth behind him in a whimper.
“Your father and brother know it too. She brought that upon herself.”
She finally rests her paw on the small head of her nephew in a mockery of tender comfort.
Before speaking again, she levels her eyes to him so that he can look at her in return.
“This is how everything works here. Learn from it. …Or maybe, you can run away from it ?”
At her words, Scar slips out from her grip and dash away as she straightens her pose and looks at him with a surprised look.
He finally runs outside of the cavern and ends up at the feet of rock pride where he saw his father and brother walk toward. Hiding under it, he hears them talk.
“…From this day onward, you are to become the next king. After today’s events, I won’t let poisoned blood gets at the top. I will teach you what you’ll need…”
Teeth screeching, Scar lets out a heavy pained growl and runs away quickly. Ahadi does not see him, but Mufasa does and then asks permission to leave his father side.
Now free, he goes after his brother.
___
Mufasa finds Scar, sitting in the same rock as before, except the night covers them. He stays silent waiting for his brother to talk. He fumbles from one paw to the other, feeling uneasy.
“Hey –“
“Don’t say that you’re sorry. You’re not at fault.”
“Yes, but… “
“I said ! Don’t apologise !” Scar yells as he turns to see his brother. Mufasa’s heart tightens as he sees his brother’s broken expression as tears fall on his face. “You’re not at fault. This had to be done, you heard the other lionesses.”
“Doesn’t mean it’s fair…”
“Be happy. You’ll be king now.”
“I didn’t want it.” Mufasa looks down frowning. Scar closes the distance.
“But that’s what happened.”
Mufasa looks up once more. “Then, even if you don’t want, I’m sorry. I’m really sorry it happened ! Even if certain things change, you and I are still here, protecting each other’s back, aren’t we ? So please… “ He shakes his head. “Don’t be angry at me.”
Scar lets his head fall, looks away and sighs. “Yeah, I know. I’m just sad at what I lost today… But I’m not angry this time.”
“I can count on you, brother.” Mufasa smiles.
Scar doesn’t. “As always.”