Scar x Zira: The Lost Heir

Chapter Thirty-Three

Kito sat in a corner of the cave the next morning, thinking to himself about the Circle of Life and what it meant to be King. Aunt Sarabi had made so much sense, but he wanted to know his parents' input, too.
It was early, so his mother and father were just starting to wake up. He heard them both yawn and looked over to see his mother lick his father's cheek.
I hope one day I can find a mate who loves me that much.
He thought of Nala and a small smile appeared on his face. She was beyond perfect; she would make a great Queen by his side some day.
"Son, what are you doing up so early?" Zira asked, lazily stretching her body across the hard ground.
Scar watched her with a twisted smile and winked at her when she noticed his stare.
"I was just thinking..." said Kito.
"About what?" she asked, trying her best to ignore Scar's stare.
"Well, I wanted to ask you about what it means to be King. I know it's still a long ways off, but I want to know."
Zira stopped stretching and stood up. Scar stretched into a sitting position beside her.
"That's a good question, Kito. In fact, I'm glad that you asked it," he said, "To be King, you must be cunning. A King with brawn over brains cannot possibly get anything done to anyone's benefit."
Kito nodded. That made some sense.
Zira grinned at Scar and nuzzled his face quickly. Then she focused her attention on her son.
"A good King must be iron-willed. He doesn't bow down to anyone, and he certainly doesn't take any disobedience. He is King, and everyone must know it," she stated proudly.
"Fantastic advice, my love. A great King will also have a great Queen by his side," he said.
She playfully pushed him back as he leaned closer to her.
"What else?" Kito asked.
"An amazing King has patience," Zira murmured, throwing a look at Scar, "he knows what he wants, and he is willing to wait to get it."
Scar let out a low growl, his eyes hooded and his mouth still twisted in a malicious grin.
"Kito, why don't you go play with Nala? Your mother and I need to talk for a while."
Zira chuckled and started to nudge Kito out of the cave.
"But what about the Circle of Life?" he asked.
Zira stopped and looked back at Scar. She was surprised to see that he wasn't tense or shocked. He lifted his paw to lazily inspect his claws.
"The Circle of Life is foolish, Kito. We are not connected to everything else, nor are we equal by any means. As lions, we are superior, and everything else is inferior. Do you understand?"
Kito nodded, but deep down he was cringing at his father's harsh words.
He walked out of the cave, leaving his mother and father to their "talk".

He crept into the main cave, wondering if Nala was still asleep. A few lionesses were still in the cave. He looked around, but there was no sign of Nala or Sarafina.
He crept silently back out and bounded over to the lounging spot overlooking the Pridelands. Sure enough, Sarafina and Nala were sprawled out on the rocks. Surprisingly Sarabi was there, too, and the two lionesses were chatting quietly while Nala napped by her mother's side.
Kito walked up to them and they both smiled at him warmly.
"Hello, Kito! Are you here to play with Nala?" Sarafina asked.
"Yes," he said, "but I can come back later if she's sleeping..."
Sarafina's smile widened. She glanced down at Nala and nudged her with her paw.
"She can sleep later," Sarafina murmured, both to him and her daughter.
Nala protested and buried her face in her mother's fur.
"Kito's here to play," Sarafina murmured, nudging her with her snout.
Nala perked her head up and glanced over at Kito. A small smile appeared on her face. She stood up, yawned, and stretched before jumping off the rock, landing right in front of Kito.
He grinned back at her, but he didn't want to play quite yet.
"Nala, if I asked you a question, could you answer it for me?" he whispered.
"Yeah, sure! What is it?"
He glanced at Sarabi and Sarafina before continuing.
"What do you think about the Circle of Life?" he asked almost silently.
Her grin disappeared suddenly. She blinked for a moment, taken aback by his serious question. Then a soft smile appeared on her face and she walked over to one of the rocks further away from her mother and Sarabi. Kito followed and soon they were far enough away to talk normally.
"I think the Circle of Life is weird, but I know that it's super important," she said, "My mother and Sarabi told me about it a while ago, and I've never forgotten about it. It's what keeps us alive, and if anyone breaks the balance that it creates, nothing good will come out of it."
"So you wouldn't say the Circle of Life is foolish?" he asked.
"Not at all! Who told you that?"
Kito shrugged.
"My father. He thinks that everyone else is inferior because we're lions."
Nala's eyes widened and she shook her head.
"He's the one who's foolish if he thinks that. We're not superior to everyone else just because we're lions. We do what we have to to survive. Everyone else does the same exact thing, as far as I know."
Kito grinned.
"You better not tell my father you think that, otherwise he might sick the hyenas on you."
Nala laughed and put her paws on his chest, pinning him down to the ground.
"I'm not afraid."
Kito's grin widened.
"I know you aren't. You never are."