Scar x Zira: The Lost Heir

Chapter Seventeen

Zira put her paw around Kito, pulling him even closer to continue his bath. He squirmed in her grasp and she grinned gently down at him.
"Shh, my precious little one."
He blinked up at her and snuggled up next to her chest.
"Why do I need baths, Mother?"
She laughed lightly and licked him one more time.
"Because otherwise you'll get dirty, and no one looks good when they're dirty."
He seemed to accept her answer and he quickly fell asleep in her arms.
She smiled wearily down at him before looking at the entrance to the termite mound.
Shani and Asilia were standing quietly at the entrance, both of them waiting until Kito was fully asleep.
When they saw Zira looking at them they padded cautiously forward.
"How is he doing?" Shani whispered.
She lowered her head to look at the cub and Zira closed her eyes.
"He's doing absolutely fine. It's as if nothing has changed for him."
"Maybe that's for the best," Asilia reasoned.
Zira opened her eyes and looked up at Asilia. Her mouth twitched up at one corner.
"When the time comes that it's best for Scar not to be around his son, I think I'd rather be dead."
Asilia shook her head.
"I meant it's for the best that this isn't affecting Kito."
Zira's lip twitched, but she stayed silent. Then she looked over at Shani.
"So what did you figure out? Did you see him at all?"
Shani nodded once.
"He was talking to his nephew for a while... then Simba left and he started heading towards the Elephant Graveyard. I stopped following him so that I could report back to you."
Zira sighed and licked Kito's head. He stirred slightly, then quickly fell back into a deep sleep.
"What do you think he was doing in the graveyard?" Shani whispered.
Zira raised an eyebrow and Shani looked down at her paws.
"Ah, yes... the hyenas."
Asilia bared her teeth at the thought.
"I don't know how he can stand those filthy mongrels!" she hissed, " They're so stupid and annoying and..."
"Silence!" Zira snapped.
Kito squirmed in his sleep and Zira whispered to him to calm him down. Luckily, it worked.
She returned her attention back to Asilia.
"You or I can't possibly understand why he hangs around those fleabags, but one thing I do understand is that he's been around them since he was a cub. I don't think he can give up that strange cub hood bond that he had with them. I think deep down he thinks of them as friends."
"But hyenas and lions can't be friends. It's just not possible," Asilia growled.
Zira shrugged.
"Anything is possible when it comes to Scar."
Asilia snorted and looked away. She wasn't going to argue with Zira about something so insignificant.
Shani broke the tension by speaking up.
"He really is a handsome young cub, Zira," she said as she looked down at Kito, "You must be proud."
Zira grinned.
"Oh, I am beyond proud. He's growing into such a strong, handsome lion, and I am proud that I can call him my son. I'm sure that Scar feels the exact same way."
Shani and Asilia gave each other a quick doubtful glance.
Zira's lip raised into a snarl as she saw the look between the two of them.
"You don't think he cares about his son, do you?! You don't think he cares about his own family?!"
Her voice got louder and louder until Kito finally woke up with a start.
He looked up to see his mother's sharp teeth and he couldn't help but to tremble in her arms.
She looked down at him and her snarl faded, but her glare was still as fierce as ever.
"Stay here," she growled to Shani and Asilia.
Then she stood up and put her jaws around Kito. She picked him up and he grunted as she walked off into one of the small caverns that made up the termite mound. She dropped him down gently on a small ledge and he looked up at her with wide green eyes.
"I'll be back soon," she whispered, "Just go back to sleep."
He hesitated before nodding and curling up into a ball.
Zira made sure he was asleep before walking back to the main cavern of the termite mound.
She glared at the two lionesses before her, her bright red eyes seething with rage.
"Tell me exactly what you think about Scar and this pride. Don't you dare hold back on me."
Shani looked at her paws while Asilia glared at a nearby wall.
Zira growled and they both turned their attention to her.
"What do you want us to say?!" Asilia snarled.
Zira snarled back, her claws digging into the dirt.
"I want you to tell me the truth! Do you think he cares about us at all?!"
Asilia and Shani shared a quick glance, and suddenly they both dropped their heads to look at the ground.
"No," they growled.
Zira's eyes widened and her snarl faded for a moment. Then her lips curled back over her teeth and she shook her head.
"I don't care what you two think. He cares about us, I know he does. One day he'll be King, and I'll be his loving Queen. You'll see. He'll come back for us, I know he will."
Shani and Asilia looked up at Zira curiously.
"What do you mean 'Scar is going to be King'? That's not possible with Mufasa and Simba around..."
Asilia stopped and stared at Zira.
Zira grinned wickedly and leaned in towards the two lionesses.
"Precisely," she whispered.
Asilia and Shani's mouths parted in surprise and absolute shock.
"But... But... That's his brother and nephew! Do you mean that he's planning on killing them?!" Shani cried.
Zira turned her back to them and started walking back to where she had placed Kito.
"ZIRA!" they both roared.
Zira turned back to them, irritation clear on her face.
"I won't tell Scar's secrets to those who won't understand. He's had a rough life, you know. I wouldn't blame him if he did end up killing them, and I'm not saying whether he is planning on killing them or not. That's up for you two to decide."
Then she turned and walked back to Kito.

Asilia and Shani were left in shock, confusion, and fear. They wanted to ask more questions, but now the fear held them back.
Deep inside, they knew that the ultimate coup was in the works, and they knew that nothing would be the same again.

They looked away from each other as they left the Outsider den in silence.