pride | the lion king

Ch. 16

"It's taking too long," Nyala said. "The great kings have stopped sending rain, the herds are moving away faster than ever before and the land is drying out! Nzuri, we have to do something now!"

"Have patience," the leader said. "It's not the time yet. Scar and Zira are still too suspicious. We need them to relax before we take action."

"We've been doing that for a decade," Kwala stated. "Nyala is right, Nzuri. You need to stop stalling."

Nzuri growled softly. It echoed through the trees of the Mbali fields; the once lively clearing had been deserted by the elephant herds and its leaves had begun to fall, never to grow again.

"We wait. It's too risky."

"The risk is here!" Zumaridi protested. "My daughter is in danger!"

"You don't think I know that? I understand your frustrations but there are others involved as well! I cannot put more lives at risk than what is necessary!"

"Then perhaps we made a mistake by choosing you as our leader," Kwala suddenly growled.

Nzuri swallowed thickly. Being the leader of the Uprising was no easy task, especially when her most loyal followers were Kwala and Nyala, the two most hotheaded lionesses in the pride. Kwala had always been that way but Nyala... well, after her sister was killed, she changed. A lot. In fact, they'd all changed during Scar's reign.

Nzuri sighed deeply. "Fine. We... we will go ahead with the plan."

Relieved sighs echoed around the group.

"Finally," Kwala said. "When?"

"Nuka's ceremony to become crown prince will be held soon," Nyala said. "Scar and Zira will be too distracted to notice a thing until its too late."

Crown prince.

Nzuri growled under her breath. That title was meant to be Simba's, not Nuka's. Nuka, although still a cub, was not suitable for the crown. Perhaps Nzuri was biased towards the legacy of her deceased brother and nephew but she could not help it. Nuka did not deserve it. Scar did not deserve it.

Somehow, Nzuri had managed to recall the event of the gorge. She had a habit of doing so. It was like a dream —a nightmare— and she had woken up screaming. Despite that, she knew the truth; she had for a few months and had kept it to herself, hoping it was wrong, but seeing the anguish of Scar's rule cemented her greatest nightmare into reality.

She remembered being suspicious of Scar that morning when he was taking Simba out on a "walk." She remembered following with Nadra and the stampede of Wilderbees entering the gorge. She remembered watching helplessly as Scar murdered her brother, Mufasa.

Anger bubbled, an anger so furious she could not hold it down any longer.

"We attack," Nzuri said, surprising the group. Until that moment, she had been against holding the coup during the current state of politics; Scar and Zira were still far too wary. Now, however, in the blink of an eye, her attitude had changed. "We do whatever it takes. Even if blood must be spilled, we must take the Pride Lands. We have one chance."

"I'll rally our followers," Nyala said before she disappeared into the tall grass, Xavi at her heels.

"Nzuri," Kwala then called. "What about Nadra? You know she is on Scar's side. We can't-"

"We won't have a choice," Nzuri snapped. The thought of hurting her sister made her stomach fill with acid and her heart burn with an ache but the memory of Scar's treachery hurt worse. "We must do whatever it takes."

Nzuri expected Kwala to argue. After all, Nadra was her daughter. To her surprise, however, Kwala hung her head in submission. "I understand," Kwala whispered. "Whatever it takes."

***

"She is on Scar's side. We can't-"

"We don't have a choice. We must do whatever it takes."

"I understand. Whatever it takes."

When Nadra went on her evening walk —it seemed that the hyenas had decided to leave her alone, lucky her— she was not expecting to hear a plan of violence and destruction and rumors of her own demise — from her family no less. Her mother, her sister, her best friends...

She watched from the shadows of the clearing as the group disbanded. The Uprising. The ones who were planning to murder the king and have Nzuri take his place. Traitors.

Nadra turned and ran, unseen by the remaining traitors. She was frightened. The same thoughts kept running through her mind: the memory of what she had just heard.

Indeed times had changed and not all for the better. The drought had caused herds to flee and the land to dry. Through it all, Scar had been a constant. Not that Nadra was explicitly a fan of hyenas, but they had certainly helped to keep the order over recent years as well. Nadra couldn't understand why Nzuri would be arranging a coup. She had to inform the king and queen of this treachery immediately to put a stop to it.

With Pride Rock in view, however, a sense of dread suddenly settled within the pit of Nadra's stomach. The penalty of treason was high. Exile at the least... death at the most.

Nadra paused in her tracks. What now?

She could either report what she had seen to Scar and Zira, allow the Uprising to be dealt with no matter the consequences. Or. She could keep what she had seen to herself and stay out of it, thereby playing on neither side.

Nadra looked at the sky and sighed. She recalled a memory from long ago when Nzuri told her of how their father, King Ahadi, came to her in sleep and helped her regain her lost memories. Now, Nadra wondered whether her father could do something similar for her: help her see clearly.

Yet, the great king remained as silent as the stars in the big blue sky.

She wondered what Mufasa would say. He was a very wise lion in his time; he would know what to say, what to do. He was honorable in that way: he wouldn't stand for treachery, no matter who from, and would deal with it the same way.

Nadra swallowed. She knew what she had to do.

She had to tell Scar.