A Change of Plans [PRIVATE: AC & The Whistlerify]

[AustralianChaos]

Nala shuffled nervously under her mother's shocked gaze. she knew she would have to explain herself, and explain well, but now she was worried that her explanation was not going to cut it.

But she had commited to this pathway now, and so she spoke up. "On the day Mufasa died, Scar was supposed to take of Simba while Mufasa went off one of his usual patrols. But Simba told me last night that Scar had taken him to the gorge, and told him that Mufasa had a surprise for him...even thought I remember Mufasa had no such surprise in store...he was supposed to be too busy that day to do anything with Simba. He had lead Simba straight to that stampede, and intended on killing them both in it."

"But Simba survived, and Tanga and Marini got to him before Scar could do anything about it...that's why he exiled them...to get them out of the way so it would be easier to get Simba...and possibly me, as well." Nala spoke those last words with a hint of fear...fear of what Scar might try to do to her if he decided she was getting in the way.

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Tanga smiled as Marini posed her question. "As much as I want to just lie here like this...I'm starting to get a little hungry and thirsty. We're going to have to head to the river to drink, and unless you know how to hunt, we're going to have to figure out a way to get some food."

The last sentence wiped away Tanga's good mood with startling efficiency. They were still so young, and therefore not up to the task of hunting the usual prey lions fed on, such as antelope and wildebeest. Tanga wondered how they were going to find food while in their exile, the very thought of it causing horror to start seeping into his stomach.

[TheWhistlerify]

Sarafina took some time to think about what Nala said, and it all made sense! "I didn't want to say this but..." she said, pulling her daughter close, determined to keep her safe at all cost, "We suspected Scar was up to something, so Sarabi is following him now. When she's back we will tell her this right away. For the time being I want you and Simba to never go anywhere by yourself. Do you understand?"

Marini stopped nuzzling Tanga and looked at him. "Well... when my mother and I were still without home, she did the hunting... She told me some basics but nothing more..." she then began feeling hungry as well. "You need to get as close as possible before attacking or your prey will run away." She said, repeating it like her mother used to tell her, "Maybe we can go outside and do some training."

[AustralianChaos]

Tanga sighed with obvious relief that at least one of them knew something about hunting, but did not move...simply because he couldn't. "Well, I'd love for you to teach me how to hunt, Rini...but I'm kinda stuck." As he spoke, he wiggled his right forepaw, still pinned underneath her, before bursting ot laughing at his predicament.

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Nala jumped back, staring at her mother. "Sarabi's following Scar!" she yelled, horror coursing through her as she grabbed her mother's paw, yanking at it to get her moving. "We have to get Simba and find her! She could be walking straight into a trap! Scar's too smart for this!"

Without waiting for her mother, Nala bolted straight back to the main den, sprinting inside and running straight to Simba's side, ignoring any of the other members of the pride she may have disturbed in her desperate run. "Simba!" she yelled, shoving him roughly in her panicked desperation. "Simba, get up, hurry! Sarabi's in danger!"

[TheWhistlerify]

"But when you're stuck I can do what ever I want with you." she said with a grin, giving him another quick nuzzle before getting off from him. "Well, I don't know much... but we can try improving that." she said and began walking outside. "Besides hunting we don't have much else to do though... We should think of something to do on our spare time." she said again with her seductive tone before laughing again. "Well come on outside," she said looking back at Tanga, who always seemed to loose his senses when she used that tone.

Simba woke up, not understanding what was everything about untill Nala mentioned Sarabi being in danger. "What? Where?" he asked her, getting quickly up as Sarafina walked in. He wasn't going to loose anybody else, especially not his mother.

[AustralianChaos]

Nala looked at Simba desperately. "She went to follow Scar, come on! We have to hurry!" Without waiting for any kind of protest from her mother, Nala sprinted back outside, catching the mixed scent of both Sarabi and Scar, their trails heading out to the north. She followed the trail as fast as she could, whilst still giving Simba and Sarafina time to keep up, as she noticed the trail heading straight for the Elephant Graveyard.

"Why is Scar going there?" she asked, pointing towards the shadowed, forbidden area, looking to either Simba or Sarafina for answers.

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Tanga once again forced himself to snap back to his senses as Marini's seductive voice caused his insides to melt. He followed her outside, heading towards the river to drink before their hunting practice. He saw the self-satisfied grin plastered on her face, and came to a realisation. "You...you do that deliberately, don't you?" he asked. "When you use that tone in your voice, like just before."

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Scar headed back into the Elephant Graveyard, standing on a cliffside ledge he often used when speaking to the entire pack, waiting a few moments to get their attention before speaking, letting his voice carry and echo across the valley.

"My friends! The time is almost near! With Mufasa dead, and Simba soon to follow, I will be undisputed king of the Pridelands, and then you can all live in the lands Mufasa has sought to keep you from for years now!"

"But before this can happen, I need you all to perform a difficult, but crucial task. In my plans to take the Pridelands as my own, I have exiled two young ones from the pride, blaming them for the ventures you make into the Pridelands. In order to sell this story to my pride, I need to stay out of the Pridelands for a couple of weeks. It will be hard, I must confess...but your reward will be infinitely better, as we will be able to share the glorious lands together under my rule!"

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Sarabi watched in horrified fascination as Scar rallied and ordered the hyena pack about. everything fell into place for the middle-aged lioness. It had all been Scar all along. He had lured Simba and Nala to the Elephant Graveyard...he had sent Mufasa to his death in the stampede...he had knowingly exiled two innocent cubs...all of this, just so he could become king of a pride he had no right to rule!

In the end, Sarabi was consumed by the scene she was discreetly observing, and by her rage at the lion she was watching, that she never noticed a hyena coming up behind her. In the end, her first warning of it was when said hyena pushed her out of her hiding place behind a collection of elephant bones, out into the open, shoving her on her back and snarling as it called Scar's attention to the unwanted intruder.

[TheWhistlerify]

Simba ran after Nala the moment he understood Sarabi was following Scar. He knew Scar wouldn't mind 'getting rid of her' in case he caught her exposing one of his plans.
Sarafina ran behind, but stopped the two young ones when she realised Sarabi was going for the elephant graveyard. "You two are going back." She said, and before Simba and Nala managed to say anything she silenced them. "Now! If this is what I think it is, you two don't want to be there. It's better if Scar doesn't catch you there Simba." She paused and sighed, "If something happens to us..." she said, before telling herself not to say that, "it would be best if Scar thinks you have no idea of what he did."

Marini looked at Tanga and smiled a warm smile, "But you're so cute when I do that." She admitted with a grin before benting over to drink some more.

[AustralianChaos]

Nala turned back and faced her mother. Normally she would not argue such a point, particularly after the last incident in the Eleplhant Graveyard...but the mother of her best friend was in danger. "Mum, I am not going to sit back and do nothing while Scar picks us off one-by-one! And neither is Simba! Yes, this is dangerous, but now we know the truth behind Scar, even the Pridelands are dangerous. Every day is another chance for Scar to kill us, and I will be damned if I am going to sit back and wait for him to do it! We've already lost Mufasa, Tanga and Marini because we've sat back and done nothing! I will not make that mistake again!"

She knew her violent outburst was not something she should have directed at her mother, but the situation was dire, and she knew that her mother would need help, particularly in the Elephant Graveyard...the experience she had of the place, along with Simba, may yet come in handy.

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Scar slowly wandered through the mass of hyenas. The snarling, yaping creatures scattered, but remained in view of the scene as the lean lion made his up to the hyena that had called him, an odd smile forming on his face as he found Sarabi pinned under the hyena's paws.

"Well well well...Sarabi, what a pleasant surprise," he drawled, no sign of pleasure in his voice at all. "What are you doing so far from Pride Rock, might I ask?"

"I might ask you the same thing!" Sarabi snapped defiantly, her anger at Scar's actions beginning to show in her voice. "But I guess I've already found out...how could you kill your own brother?" she demanded, even as she knew her time was running out. She had become privy to Scar's plans, and as such, had to be eliminated before she could do anything about it. And with all the hyenas watching her position, Sarabi knew there would be no rescue.

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Tanga smiled and shook his head at Marini's antics, knowing he would have to get used to it, before grabbing a drink himself. "So..." he said when he finished. "How exactly are you going to teach us how to hunt, then?"

[TheWhistlerify]

Sarafina hoped her daughter would listen. "The place is filled with hundrends of hyenas..." she said, trying to convince the two to turn back. "You two have to go back, you're not old enough to fight yet. And we both know that Scar will kill SImba the moment he comes into view. We can't risk him." She then tried to think of something. "He'll tell you about an accident, but he wont kill you and Simba if he doesn't know that you're up to him."

Marini began thinking on how to use the little information her mother taught her about hunting. "We need to practice our stealth." she said simply, looking for a place where they could do so and finding some tall grass in their new den's side of the border. "Here we go." she said and walked towards it. "We'll need to keep trying untill we improve as much as we can."

[AustralianChaos]

Nala turned back to her mother. "Mum, if Sarabi's in trouble, how can you possibly do anything on your own...?" she wanted to keep going, but the fight was beginning to leave her as she nuzzled her mother. "We've lost too many to Scar already."

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Tanga smiled...this was an aspect of hunting his smaller size would give him an advantage in...and maybe a chance to get Marini back for making him so distracted and weak-kneed with her seductive voice. "So...what, you want me to try and sneak up on you or something?" he asked, manipulating his tone to make it sound like he didn't want to do it.

[TheWhistlerify]

Sarafina sighed, "It's too dangerous for you. You won't be able to help alot either." she said, before continuing to walk. "I want you two to go back, and if Scar comes back and tells you about an 'accident', I want you two to run away, untill Simba is old enough to come back and challenge Scar."

Marini nodded at Tanga, "Well, one of us sneaks up on the other while he's not looking. Let's say I'm sneaking up on you, but you heard me or sensed me behind you, then you tell me how did I fail and we try to improve it." she said, still walking to the tall grass, "Untill we both get it right."