Old Enemies

[Scar]

Scar's plan had worked perfectly. Both the Pridelanders and Clanmembers had eaten their fill and were heading to their respective homes as the banquet had finalized. The orange sun was sinking in the horizon tinting the skies with a menacing red dye.

Scar was rested on a flat rock underneath a young tree. A small group of hyenas surrounded him, hopeful of that they might get the piece of leftover meat that lied before the King's paws. They wagged their tails and panted like eager pitbull puppies, and at this Scar rolled his eyes. The lion knew just how persistent hyenas could be when about food we spoke, so, picking the meat chunk up with a paw he threw it at them with disgust. The hyenas immediately swarmed around the food like ravenous scarabs, and soon there was nothing left of it.

A group of lionesses was nearby, and Scar could recognize the darker fur of Sarabi. His ears flattened with resentment, and his nose wrinkled, but he was quick to mask all this, replacing his expression with a smirk.

"Ah, look who we have here!" He spoke with disgusting, false sweetness, "I think someone owes me an apology."

[mistwolf]

Sarabi stood amongst the lionesses, trying to reassure them, keep them away from the feasting hyenas. They had limited rations, while the hyenas could feast all they liked. She knew that perhaps Tojo would be able to sneak some food from them later. She did not trust the hyenas, but she didn't know anything else to do. She was no longer Queen. Zira was, and Scar was King. She had no say anylonge in how the pride was run.
She was speaking to another lioness when Scar's voice came to her,floating on the air like the stench of a rotting carcass. She bristled, but forcefully calmed herself. Slowly,she turned towards Scar, raising her muzzle into the air to look down on him with her brown eyes.
"I see nothing to apologize for, Scar," she said evenly, watching him carefully. "All you have proven is that your hyenas are your brainwashed little munchkins."

[Scar]

Sarabi always seemed to have the perfect retort to whatever he tried, didn't she? She didn't lose a match, not a single one. This made him feel almost inferior... and you could guess the lion King certainly didn't enjoy that. Scar's tail twitched with annoy and he had to fight not to let loose a low growl; nope, he couldn't give her the satisfaction of knowing that she could make him lose his temper that easy.

"You should be thankful. If it wasn't for them, you would have nothing to eat at all!" Catching himself raising his tone, he placed a paw on the side of his head and took a deep breath.

Back in control of himself, the lion then rose on his feet and frowned at the hyenas surrounding his rock. This caused them to split the pack, creating a path through which he could approach the lionesses.

"They may not be perfect" He admitted, putting on his most calmed, diplomatic tone as he strode past the pack. One of the hyenas was bitting its own leg and laughing, he noticed it and c.ocked an eyebrow at it. Ed smiled, Scar ignored him and walked past.

"But your attitude is only making matter worse, Sarabi. " He continued. "It'd be wise to remember that we are in the same Pride, after all."

His green gaze ran over the lionesses. He could recognize the look of hunger in their eyes, underneath the terror that gripped them whenever he was around, that is. Scar sighed, he hated being seen as the bad guy... and not like he was a cannibal or something, huh?

"Look, I don't want any of you thinking your King has no heart at all." He said to them, and turning his head towards the hyenas, he ordered:

"Pick and kill a large, fat wildebeest. And don't touch it-- it's for the ladies." The second part drew disappointed "D'awww" exclamations from the crowd, but Scar's poisonous glare was quick to silence them. Like ten hyenas left to carry over Scar's command, while the rest stayed to fight over a scrap.

How much more could a hyena eat anyway! Did they want to burst or what...? Ah, whatever.

Scar directed a prideful smile at Sarabi, like challenging her to retort to that.

[mistwolf]

Sarabi watched Scar carefully as he spoke. She was not fooled by any of his diplomacy. She had known Scar since he was a cub- she knew him too well. She knew that this "generous gift" of his was in his own interests.
"How sweet of you to decide to give the kill to the lionesses that are already half starved, Scar," Sarabi said simply, then turned to the lionesses gathered around her.
"Cubs first," she told them. "They must eat before us."
Among the lionesses also stood Tojo who backed away from the others. He had already eaten, and backing away with his head lowered showed that he was forfitting his share to the lionesses. Sarabi nodded at him, then glanced back towards Scar, still looking as queenly as always. She watched as the two cubs in the pride, Mheetu and Kayani, stepped forward to feed first.

[Scar]

"It's not a King's job to bring food, it's the lionesses's!" Scar blamed, self-control once again nearly escaping his grasp.

"Not like I ordered Heaven to hold the rains." He complained bitterly, wanting to appear, as always, the victim. But you would only trick yourself, Scar.

"But I understand. If we are unable to bring anything else than rotten crocodiles, fine.

"Sarabi, you are relieved from your rank. The position of Lead Huntress now belongs to Shenzi." The King sentenced.

"The most powerful Pride of Africa will not starve for another day!" He roared. Some of the most fanatic lionesses (because those who supported him, did exist, especially those related to Zira) roared along, and the hyenas cackled in the background.

[mistwolf]

Sarabi watched Scar with intense eyes, and still continued to look down on him when he told her she was releived of her position.
"As you wish, Your Majesty," she said with respect. But there was a slight sense of biting under the words. She looked over to Sarafina, and nodded at her to look over the rest of teh lionesses. Walking slowly, she turned and walked away from the others. Tojo watched as she left, amazed. even after being publicly humiliated, she still walked like a queen, and weilded the air of one too. He admired her. After all she'd been though, she was still so the queen. Sarabi slipped away from the others to the lioness's cave, then dissapeared into the darkness. Tojo looked from the cave to Scar, but knew that there was nothing he could do for Sarabi right now. Taking a breath, he walked forward to stand next to Scar.
"Are you sure that was the best thing to do?" he asked, trying to sound respectful.

[Scar]

Sarabi's stunning display of spiritual strength baffled even Scar. His ears perked as he watched her leave with all the dignity of a true Queen; Queen whose rule was founded on love and respect; rule which was stable, for the lionesses would continue to follow her despite of that if he humiliated her any further. Rule so unlike his false Kingship based off only fear, which he could lose any given moment, and there would be no one who cared. During brief seconds, the lion watching the leave of the abased Queen was not Scar, but it was Taka.

However, right then a familiar voice woke the lion from his trance. Tojo was steadily advancing to his spot besides Scar. Despite of the hyenas's warning about trusting the youth, the King was allowing Tojo to take Zazu's place in his reign as the King's adviser; for the hornbill, if hardly disobeying an order, remained loyal to Sarabi alone.

"It was the right thing to do." Scar stated, although he himself sounded unsure.

"The times are hard. Things must change."

[mistwolf]

"I mean no disrespect, sir," Tojo said. "But Sarabi is a wise huntress. Maybe the best. She may be the only one the other lionesses will listen to. They are wary already of hyenas. They won't respect Shenzi as their leader."
He forced his voice to become scathing when he talked of the lionesses not trusting the hyenas. He didn't trust them either, but Scar did not know that. All of this was his plan to try and keep his position in the pride.

Sarabi walked into the cool interior of the lioness's cave, just in time. She had been able to keep her poise, but the tears had started to cloud her eyes, and now that she was safely away from the prying eyes of Scar or even the other lionesses, Sarabi found she couldn't hold herself together anymore. Even her seemingly unbreaking will had its limits. Once inside the cave, she collapsed to the floor, tears cascading down her cheeks. She was not crying for her lost position. Positions meant nothing to her. She was crying because...she felt so empty. It tore at her heart to see her land becoming what it was now. And Scar seemed so blind. She knew there was more to him, but he refused to see it himself. She had seen him as a cub. He could be better than he was! But this strange hate had consumed him.
"Mufasa," she gasped between sobs. "Why did you have to go? Why did you have to leave me?"
Pictures of her mate danced in her head. She missed him so much! As she lay there she felt like she could reach out and touch him again, feel his breath on her skin, hear him speak her name. But as she raised her head to look, his image faded, and once again she was alone in the cave. Trying to stop her tears, Sarabi stood and turned her back on where the image of her mate had once been, then, slowly she turned and leaped up on a rock near the back of teh cave, settling down on it with her back towards the mouth of the cave.

[Scar]

"Skills or no skills, Sarabi and her team has only been bringing back headaches as of late." Scar growled. He didn't enjoy Tojo's lengthy exaltation of Sarabi's abilities, nor did he rejoice in the little hint of disagreement that was in the teenager's voice. He was the King here: his ideas were always right, and his decisions could never be wrong.

"The matter has clearly gone out of the lionesses paws. Shenzi and her hyenas will handle the hunting now." Scar explained. Of course he did not plan on sending Shenzi to hunt with the lionesses, what was Tojo thinking?

Scar understood the crisis had gone beyond the lionesses, and that extreme measures had to be taken if the Pride was to survive. Scar also hoped that this would help the Pride become slightly less hostile towards the Clan, but he had a feeling that this wouldn't work: surely they wouldn't be one tad pleased about having to completely rely on the hyenas for their survival... maybe the dissolution of the hunting team had, indeed, been a wrong turn, for allowing the lionesses to waste their time searching for the non-existent prey might have achieved more favorable reactions towards the hyena's success at bringing back food. But the King had spoken, and that was the end of that.

After witnessing the terrible events, a lioness went in the cave after Sarabi. Seeing the Queen in such a sorry state, Sarafina knew there wasn't much that she could do, but all the recent tragedies had forced her to develop certain skills, so to speak, to deal with depressed lionesses. It was certainly worth a try.

Without a word, and without looking at the heart-broken Queen, wanting not to humiliate her any more, the lioness dropped to the dusty cave floor and rolled on her back, locking her blue eyes in the distant roof.

"There are days when I just want to strangle him." She commented after a while.

[- lauren]

S A R A B I;;

The former queen took a deep breath, stopping the tears and turned to face her friend. The other lioness was laying on her back on the cave floor. At her remark about Scar, Sarabi couldn't help but agree. She smiled slightly, but the thought was to real to be a joke. There were so many things Sarabi could change if she could. But she felt nearly hopeless to stop the way things were going. All she could do was hope, and keep her eyes on the other lionesses. Sarabi felt the need to watch over the others.

"What are we going to do, Sarafina?" Sarabi asked quietly. What could they do? Things seemed so hopeless, and yet, Sarabi still held out. If she lost her hope, so would the others. And she could never let that happen.

[Scar]

Sarafina sighed. Sarabi was always the one with the ideas... she was the boss, you know? And seeing her asking her what to do made a terrible feeling of hopelessness sink in her soul.

"Maybe we should just leave... run away. We'll be happier as rogues, in a nice little place without hyenas." Sarafina daydreamed, imagining the whole Pride escaping to a place as green and beautiful as the old Pridelands.

"But how are we going to fool the hyenas?" Why is it there always had to be something tearing any promising fantasies down...! Sarafina took a deep, depressing breath and dared to say no more. She didn't want her own miserable state to make the Queen feel any worse. The situation was hopeless enough like it was.

[- lauren]

S A R A B I;;

Sarabi listened to Sarafina's words with a sadness. Sarafina was hopeful, and she was right to wish for something more than this. But Sarabi knew they could never leave. "It's a nice thought...leaving..." Sarabi said sadly. "But no, we could never leave the other lionesses. They need us." Sarabi knew that her friend knew this. But it was hopeless to think about things like that. They needed something better. But it had to be at Pride Rock. For now, all they could do was wait.

Sarafina took a deep breath and Sarabi shot her a sad smile. "It'll get better. I promise." The hyenas were probably still tearing everything apart outside the cave. Sarabi hopped down from where she had been lying, and looked out. "I wonder what's going on out there..." More carnage. An angry Scar. Mass destruction. Sarabi shook the thoughts from her head. She had to think more positively.

[Scar]

Sarafina marveled at Sarabi's inner strength: this was a lioness who had died twice the same day, and who had been humiliated in a daily basis by the tyrant Scar, and yet she had the strength to reassure the whole Pride.

It was as if the Queen carried the whole world over her shoulders.

Sarafina responded to Sarabi's gaze with a weak smile. She did believe her, just that... when would that better come? In what world was her daughter unfairly condemned to grow up into?

Upon hearing the Queen's desire for knowing the happenings outside the cave, the lioness immediately rolled on her feet and stalked towards the cave entrance, slowly peering her head outside, only enough to see but not be seen. The swiftness of her obedience was fueled by gratefulness in response to the Queen's selfless charity. What would she not do for Sarabi?

"It seems like Tojo is trying to talk some sense into Scar." She whispered.

Ah, that faithful boy! What would they do without him? That brave teenager who basically risked his neck for them in a daily basis... without him, they'd all be dead for sure.

[- lauren]

Her friend stood and looked out of the caves and the former queen realized again how lucky she was that Sarafina and still others were on her side. She had not yet lost this. As long as there were still those dedicated to herself and Mufasa, they had a chance. Sarafina peered outward and spoke of Tojo.

Tojo! Braver than even Sarabi herself, Tojo was fighting undercover, his life on the line every moment he spent with Scar, or every time he snuck the lionesses extra food. Sarabi was convinced that Tojo would have a big part in bringing down the new king.

"He's brave," Sarabi stated, looking out with Sarafina. But he was young. Sarabi wondered if the teenager could handle this. He did seem able, though... His bravery reminded her of Simba. But this time she smiled, remembering Simba's bravery.

[mistwolf]

Tojo looked over to see Scar's green eyes set. He knew he would only be jeopardizing his position in the pride, and as Scar's assitant, if he kept at his argument. His heart begged to fight Scar and force him to allow Sarabi to once again take the duties of lead huntress, but he also knew that he must bide his time. Unneccessary fighting would only cause the unraveling of all he was working for. For his sake, and for teh lioness's sake, he had to back off. He had to play Scar's little pocket-pet.
"I'm sorry, My King," he said, dipping his head, lwoering his eyes and placing his ears back against his skull- all signs of submission. "I did not mean my comments as criticism. Is there anything I can do for you, Your Highness?"
He truly hated calling Scar these names, but he had become fairly good at acting, and he could call Scar every single mushy respectful name and didn't flinch. He did happen to glance over teh the lioness's cave and see Sarafina looking out at him. He met her eyes, but looked away, not wanting to draw attention to her.