Prologue
A lean lion with a dark pelt and a windswept, jet black mane walked to the edge of the cliff with a purpose. He was going to get his due today. He would get everything that had ever been taken away from him back today... and how! As he looked down, he found the creatures he was looking for. Three hyenas were standing down there, hidden...
"A necessary evil they are," the lion thought to himself. His sharp, jade eyes scanned the landscape again. "You've really outdone yourself here, Scar," he thought to himself. Then he caught the hyenas' attention and watched as they set his plan in motion. This was going to go perfectly. As he ran to get the one lion he loathed the most, he heard a roar that echoed through the gorge.
"My, my, Simba! If only you weren't your father's son," Scar thought sadly. Then he smiled to himself and ran in search of his brother, the King... "Some King... he isn't even smart enough to suspect that I'm up to something! Things are going to change now," Scar thought. That's when he found his brother. Mufasa was looking at the wildebeests moving as the hornbill, Zazu sat on his shoulder, watching for any signs of trouble. Scar smiled as he pretended to look panic stricken.
"Mufasa, quick! Stampede... in the gorge! Simba's down there!" he said frantically. It was hard for him to keep a straight face as Mufasa's expression turned into one of horror.
"Simba!" Mufasa exclaimed as he leapt off the ledge and followed Scar. "What happened, Scar? Why was Simba there? And how did this stampede happen?"
"There's no time to waste, Mufasa! We've got to get to him quickly! We might be able to save him!" Scar said. Then he looked at his brother's face. He caught a glimpse of the pain and horror reflected in his scarlet eyes. "Such a sentimental fool!" Scar thought. When they reached the gorge, Zazu flew ahead to find little Simba. Mufasa was looking around frantically, scanning the landscape for anything as tiny as his son...
"There! There, on that tree!" Zazu suddenly exclaimed. Mufasa's eyes darted across to the spot and found Simba dangling off an almost wilted branch.
"Hold on, Simba!" Mufasa implored. But one of the wildebeests crashed right into the tree and tilted it, leaving Simba precariously hanging on for dear life. Mufasa couldn't stand his son's scared scream. He leapt off the cliff and ran right into the stampede. Scar smiled as this happened. He'd counted on Mufasa's love for Simba so he could trap them both... and it seemed to have worked. He watched closely as Mufasa ran along with the wildebeests.
"Oh, Scar, this is awful! What're we going to do? What're we going to do? I'll go back for help! That's what I'll do! I'll go back for;" Scar heard Zazu say. He was so annoyed that he struck the bird so hard that he hit the cliff behind him. Then he went back to watching Mufasa. He had to tail him carefully. If he did this right, he'd be able to exact his revenge. So he watched as Mufasa deftly caught Simba and carefully placed him on a ledge. Then he watched as the wildebeests carried him away into the stampede. Scar smiled at this. Mufasa really was in trouble. Then something miraculous happened. Mufasa roared and pounced on to a cliff, barely making it with his claws.
"Impressive, big brother... Come on up, now!" Scar thought as he landed safely on the ledge atop the cliff. He watched as Mufasa struggled to climb up the steep path ahead of him. But he'd managed to get to the top after quite a few setbacks.
"Scar!" Mufasa called out. "Brother! Help me!" Scar looked down at his brother, clinging to the cliff with his almost weakened claws... For a second, he thought of the young cub who had loved him and cared for him like no one else ever had... the cub who'd saved his life from Boma's friends... But the minute he thought of Boma, he thought of the humiliation his father had caused him by telling him that he owed Mufasa his life... Anger coursed through his veins again, and he pierced his claws into Mufasa's forelegs.
"Long live the King!" Scar said and threw Mufasa off the cliff. But as he watched him fall, he couldn't help but remember the bond he'd once had with his brother, and he wondered what had caused him to do what he just did...
