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Nala rested her head on her paws, looking around the desolate wasteland with disgust and despair. She had grown up over the years, knowing nothing but hunger and thirst and misery. While she grew up to be a skilled and slender huntress (though at this point, slender was pushing it, since she had become too skinny), her fur coat was dull, and her teal eyes no longer held laughter. Life at the Pride Lands had become miserable ever since Scar took over as king. Where there was once fresh greenery and plentiful watering holes, there was now dust and bones. Animals, whether predator or prey, had started abandoning this once-fertile land, to move on to better grazing grounds. Those that stayed behind risked being hunted down by the army of hyenas led by Shenzi, and it was usually done without mercy. The fourteen dolphins in their pool are carried by helicopters with zookeepers to the ocean. The penguins and polar bears stayed in their enclosures. One of the penguins (a Magellanic) had waddled to the jungle! The sea lions went into their dolphin pool. The Pride Lands ended up looking even more like the elephant graveyard, a shadow land. Even the animal theme park with the aviary, aquarium, and zoo with worldwide animals were kept by good and smart zookeepers from famine and getting killed by any other carnivore and omnivore including grizzly bears and wolves. And it was all because of Scar. Nala never realized she could hate anyone in her life, but Scar did certainly that. Scar was a terrible and selfish creature, not caring if the lions in his pride were on the brink of starvation. Things had quickly spiraled downhill once Scar became king. He had torn down everything that Mufasa and kings before him had built up. He even allowed the hyenas to overhunt their prey and sometimes even joined them in their poaching. If Simba were here, he'd take his place as king and stop Scar, Nala thought, not for the first time ever. Indeed, she wished more than ever that her best friend was by her side again, just as they had always been. She even believed that he was still out there, still alive. Even the other lionesses prayed as well, prayed that the great kings were watching over them, to help them out of this nightmare. Yet the pride's hope in the great kings started to vanish. Indeed, some lionesses even gave up all belief in the great kings, demanding why they weren't doing anything if they loved their descendants. Nala herself nearly felt it too, only she gave up hope in Simba being alive. Right now, she wanted to go out there and find someone - or at least something - to help the pride, and her wish to stop Scar fueled her dream to do so. But still, life around them got tougher, and even Sarabi gave up trying to inspire hope. "Nala." Her mother Sarafina was looking at her with concern. She was trying to calm down a squealing cub they were babysitting, a cub that bore almost the same resemblance to Scar except with paler fur. "Come sit in the shade with us. It's too hot to stay out there." Nala sighed and padded over to join them. The lionesses tried to avoid the heat of the dry season sun, their coats dull and their eyes full of hopelessness. As they took shelter, the sound of flapping wings made them look up. Zazu came flying down and landed right in front of Sarabi, just as he had done for Mufasa. He had refused to report to Scar and remained loyal to the queen, reporting to Sarabi only. Scar, however, decreed that he was to be sent away during the day and come home only at night. "Hello, Zazu," Nala greeted the hornbill. "Where've you been?" "I apologize, Nala. I came as quick as I could," Zazu responded. Then he bowed to Sarabi, who dipped her head in return. "The morning report, Zazu," Sarabi commanded. "Yes, Your Majesty," responded Zazu, standing up. "The Pride Lands are in terrible danger. The hyenas are chasing off the last of the herds. Without those, what will you lionesses and your cubs eat?" "We'll manage, Zazu," Sarabi reassured her late mate's advisor, touched by Zazu's concern for the royal family...or what was left. "Right now, are you all right?" What he was about to say next was interrupted by a terrible cackle. Scar and his hyenas had returned from their hunt, a dead antelope in the jaws of two hyenas. Their muzzles were completely coated with blood, as if they had tortured the poor antelope before they killed it. When the hyenas spotted Zazu, their eyes glimmered. "The bird's back!" Azizi announced. "Get him!" Kamari shouted. They darted over to snatch up the hornbill as their snack. Luckily for everyone else, Zazu took to the air, nearly avoiding their snapping teeth. "Don't come back here until sundown, unless you wanna get eaten!" Kamari shouted up to Zazu as the majordomo took off. The lionesses glared at the hyenas for this, but they said nothing as Scar sauntered by, green eyes glinting. "Good morning, ladies," he said with a smarmy grin. To his hyenas, he said, "Take the antelope to my den; I'll eat it later. And bring the buffalo to the edge of Pride Rock, for Zira and I." Ignoring the dull and lifeless eyes of the lionesses on him, he sauntered away. While they were thin and starving, he was more well-fed, even more so than when Mufasa was king. But it came at a cost: Scar had gotten greedy when it came to hunting, taking more prey than he should. "I can't stand it anymore, Sarabi," Nala murmured once Scar and the hyenas were away, standing on her paws. "We have to do something. We have to fight." To her utmost shock, Sarabi only shook her head. "No, Nala. Scar is our king." Nala stepped away from her, aghast at this statement. "But you're the queen! You're our queen! We should fight back before it's too late." "While I do not like the idea of Scar being king, we must stay together and protect what's left of this land," Sarabi told Nala, her eyes tired. "The Pride Lands has been our home for generations. We will not abandon it when everyone else needs this land." "But this isn't the home I remember," responded Nala. She turned her attention back to the desolate land. "This isn't the Pride Lands I used to know." Sarabi stepped forward and rested her nose on the younger lioness's head. "Don't worry, young one. Our time will come. Just be patient." Easy for you to say, Nala thought rebelliously. Sarabi was an older and wiser lioness, having all the patience that she herself had not learned. Nala herself wanted to get off of her paws and do something, anything, to save her home. "Hey you!" Shenzi stalked forward, eyes gleaming as she glared at Sarabi. She was flanked by the other hyenas in her army. "You Sarabi, right? Anyway, Scar's wantin' to talk to you." Sarabi sighed. "Tell him I'll talk to him later," she said, turning away from the scavengers. But as soon as she started to walk away, hyenas darted over and blocked her way. "Nah, I think he wants to talk now," growled Shenzi. "And if you're goin' too slow, then you better move faster." "No, I think you should've said 'You better Mufasa!'" Banzai quiped with a laugh. "I get it!" Azizi cackled along with Ed, sidling up to Kamari. "It's like 'move faster' only..." "Yeah, we get it," Kamari grumbled. He shoved Azizi away and snapped, "And what did I say for the hundredth time?" Sarabi growled, yet she couldn't pounce on them. She hated when they used Mufasa's name like that, as a joke. But all she did was bow her head and nod. There was no point in arguing with the hyenas; Scar always insisted that they were right in everything, and they had to accommodate them or else be accused of prejudice. So much for "all animals are equal", she believed. "Don't go with them," Nala pleaded. "I am neither afraid of Scar nor the hyenas," she replied coolly. "I will be back." Nala watched as the hyenas escorted Sarabi away. Her fur bristled, and her claws threatened to slide out and scrape the rock beneath her paws. She wasn't afraid of Scar or his hyenas, and they certainly did not deserve to be leaders. Scar had pretty much forced the lionesses and their cubs to spend their time in the open, while he and the hyenas occupied the inside of Pride Rock. But this time, Scar had wanted to eat outside, perhaps - in Sarabi's opinion - to show off how much he could eat. As Sarabi approached the king as he sat at the edge of Pride Rock, her nose crinkled at the smell of caked blood. His back to her and his head bent, Scar was helping himself to the buffalo that the lionesses killed, munching away. While the other lionesses watched from far away, starving and licking their chops, Scar only kept eating and ignoring their hungry gazes. Shenzi and her hyenas stepped back to let Sarabi walk ahead and have her meeting with the current king. "I'm here, Scar," Sarabi growled. "What do you want?" Scar lifted his head from the kill, along with a certain lioness. This made Sarabi want to bare her teeth in anger. It was Zira, having been established as Scar's favorite lioness due to following his every command. She hadn't always been friendly, but for some odd reason, she liked having Scar in charge of the pride and quickly sided with him on every opinion he had. It was small wonder that Scar had chosen her as his mate, though she had produced a sickly son in the process. "Zira," growled Scar, rising from the carcass. He licked his lips, his muzzle coated in the buffalo's blood. "You may go out and take your pick of anything else that the lionesses caught. Just make sure that weak brat of yours gets something to eat." "But Nuka is your son, is he not?" Sarabi asked, concerned for her nephew. Zira scoffed, and Sarabi believed that she blamed Nuka himself - a young cub - for being born during a terrible time. Scar shook his head. "No. Any cub of my blood that is weak will never be mine. There is no chance that he'll be king after me." Her brain pounding from memory, Sarabi had remembered hearing something like this before. Scar had said the same thing when Ahadi had apparently told him what he had just told her. But the thing was, as far as she saw and experienced, Ahadi had treated both sons well, only punishing Scar more due to his increasing rebellious behavior. "That's pretty hypocritical, don't you think?" she pointed out. "You said your father treated you like trash, and yet here you are, treating your own son like trash. How are you not practicing what you've preached?" Scar started to growl, his lips peeled back to reveal yellow fangs. Zira gave him a lick on the cheek before turning to Sarabi. "You're upsetting your king, Sarabi, and you should be ashamed of yourself," she scolded the older lioness. "Scar is to be respected at all times and never questioned. You need to apologize and learn your place." Instead of shaming Sarabi, it made the queen even angrier, baring her fangs at Zira. She was getting sick and tired of Zira lording over everyone about how "grand and ambitious" Scar was being, not to mention being neglectful towards Nuka. And how could Zira say that she should be ashamed when she was willingly working with Scar to destroy everything the light touched? But before a fight could break out, Scar stood between them. "Ladies, ladies...that'll be enough," the king drawled. "Now Zira, go get that cub of yours something to eat. If you still want him alive instead of drowned, then you need to fatten him up." Zira nodded. "Of course, my dearest." And with that, Zira gave Sarabi a hard shove as she passed. You traitor, Sarabi thought angrily before the other lioness vanished. "As for you, Sarabi, your timing couldn't have been more perfect," simpered Scar. "Do come over. I won't bite. And speaking of bite..." He stepped aside, letting her see the buffalo she and her lionesses had worked to kill, as if taunting her. "Care for a taste? There's plenty to go around." Sarabi looked around at all the bones littering the surface of Pride Rock, flies buzzing around. The smell was enough to knock out an elephant, if it didn't choke on the flies first. After eating, the lions would usually bury the bones as a sign of respect to the animal that fed them. With Scar, however, he tossed the bones here and there as if expecting someone to come in and clean it up for him. "You're overhunting, Scar," Sarabi said coolly. "Overhunting is such a strong word," Scar replied with a smirk. "Let's say that I've simply perfected the kill, with the help of the hyenas." Before she could stop herself, Sarabi snarled, "Perfected? You're destroying the Pride Lands! You're bringing the Circle of Life to ruin!" Scar did not grow angry at Sarabi's words. Instead, he laughed. "Don't you see?" he asked between chuckles. "There is no one who can challenge me. Together, we can finally take whatever we want. And if it means getting rid of the Circle of Life that you worship so much, then so be it." But Sarabi didn't want to argue with Scar forever. "There's another reason you invited me here, when you just said 'we,'" Sarabi went on. "Let's get it over with." Scar smiled, though it looked more sinister than happy. "Long ago, Mufasa and I came to propose to you, to be your mate. But you had chosen Mufasa over me." "Because Mufasa and I loved each other," Sarabi retorted. This wasn't the first time Scar had tried persuading her to be his queen, and her answer was the same. "You even rejected Sarafina because of your attitude." "But I am king now," Scar went on, overriding Sarabi's words. "I am your king. It's time you stopped being so selfish and started thinking of the future. Our future." Far from alluring her to him, this further infuriated Sarabi. "You have no room to call anyone selfish here," she snapped, and she didn't bother keeping the disgust out of her tone. "You're the one being selfish. And what about Zira? She's your mate and the mother of your cub." If Scar looked bothered by Sarabi calling him out, he didn't show it. "The other lionesses look up to you, you know," he wheedled her, putting on a persuasive tone. "As long as you reject me, they will keep defying me. Now as your king, I demand that you must do as I say. Take your place at my side, and we shall feast together!" Sarabi looked down at the buffalo that Scar and Zira had feasted on. Her stomach roared louder than any lion could at the moment. It was getting harder and harder to say no. The lionesses were on the brink of starvation, and there was no way that Scar would willingly give up some of his food. Then again, a horrible thought came to her: she could agree to be Scar's queen. If she did, then the lionesses would finally get to eat. Even if it meant that she would have to be Scar's mate, there would be a chance to convince him to turn things around. But the horrible thought slipped away as soon as it appeared. There was no way she would ever agree to his demand. "Never, Scar," she snarled. "I will never be your queen!" Scar rose himself to his paws, looking down at Sarabi. Her response didn't seem to surprise him, but what he said next surprised her. "Then from now on, the hyenas get first rights to a fresh kill. That means that the lionesses and cubs will eat last." Sarabi's fur along her spine bristled. "You're not seriously choosing them above your pride? They're behaving like revolting scavengers." "Here at Pride Rock, all animals are equal...but some animals are more equal than others. I will not tolerate others calling my army 'revolting scavengers'. There is no room in the pride for such bigotry," Scar chided her, a cold smirk on his muzzle. "Now wait for your turn to eat. And be warned, my dear Sarabi: they don't leave much behind." He stepped aside, and the buffalo he promised her went to Shenzi's army instead. At his command, the hyenas rushed forward and pounced on the carcass, chewing and cackling. Scar dismissed Sarabi, and she went on her way, shame and horror making her paws feel heavy. What have I done? The zookeeper was humming to the next enclosure, wolves. The zookeeper gave the wolves, Mufasa's flesh. The wolves did not like Mufasa so the zookeeper went into the next enclosure being eagles with Andean and California condors. Nala waited as every lioness in Pride Rock slept. In the shadows of the cave, Sarafina was still huddled with young Nuka, who looked more comfortable with her than with his own parents. Though their ribs showed through their tawny coats, they looked relaxed in sleep. Even so, Nala felt her eyes well up with tears. Even her and Simba's friends - the cubs they had grown up with - had been divided: her female friends (Kula and Tama) had been drafted into Scar's hunters, while the males (Chumvi, Ni, Malka, and Tojo) were driven out of the pride once they became adults, something that lions from, other parts of Africa usually did. Day by day, the lionesses suffered. Scar had followed through on his promise to feed the hyenas first, leaving the lionesses and cubs to get the leftovers. Whatever scraps were found were given to the cubs first. Of course, Scar not being the head of the Lion Guard anymore didn't help matters either. He had learned a trick to use the Roar of the Elders at dark clouds to make rain from them, so had he still had the Roar, he would have summoned some long-lasting rain to help heal the land. Alas, he couldn't, and even if he could, he wouldn't. So that night, Nala decided to leave Pride Rock to find help. On this night Sarabi was awake, her eyes clouded with pain, as she observed how much damage Scar and the hyenas had done. There were no noises that night in the Pride Lands. No night bird noises, no crickets chirping, not even an elephant rumbling but the terrible baying sound of wild dogs and the screeching of vultures. In fact, there wasn't much life left in the Pride Lands. The only animals living there were the lions, hyenas, Zazu, and a few other brave souls that dared make a home here. Nala walked up to stand beside Sarabi, who looked around at her. "Are you sure there is no convincing you to stay, Nala?" she whispered to the younger lioness. With a nod, Nala responded, "I have to find help for us, Sarabi. There's no use in waiting anymore." The older lioness nodded. "I know you do," she murmured. "I just wish for you to be careful." "And tell my mom not to worry," Nala whispered. "I'll be fine. And I'll be back with help soon, I promise." Sarabi leaned forward and pressed her nose against Nala's forehead one more time. And this time, she was praying. Nala closed her eyes and prayed with her. She prayed to the great kings to give her strength, to help her find anyone to help the pride save their home. "Take this prayer with you," Sarabi declared, pulling away from Nala. "And good luck. May the kings of the past watch over you and guide you. And where the journey may lead you, always remember your pride." Nala nodded and pressed her muzzle against Sarabi's shoulder, while Sarabi headed back into the cave. There was one major problem as she went out, however: Scar and his hyenas patrolled Pride Rock every night. Back when Mufasa was alive and the king, no one needed to be monitored. They were free lions, relaxed by day and night on good days. But now that Scar was king, hyenas constantly roamed Pride Rock, searching for troublemakers or traitors to Scar. This had caused the lionesses to huddle out of the earshot of Scar and his army as they whispered their opinions of him. And on this night, Scar and a couple of hyenas were making their rounds at the bottom of the great mass of rock. Nala crouched in a clump of dead bushes, praying that he wouldn't catch her scent. Hyenas had pretty good senses of smell, about as strong as a rhino's sense of smell. She pressed herself into the dirt, hoping to get some of it on her skin so that her scent would be covered. She was just finishing up when Scar and his hyenas came strolling by, their smell foul with the stench of rotting meat. Suddenly, Scar stopped right in front of the bush. His green eyes narrowed, and he sniffed once or twice. A sinister snarl form on his muzzle, and his hyenas lined up alongside him, yipping and cackling. He growled at them, and the hyenas chittered back, before they drew nearer to her hiding place. Nala prepared for them all to pounce, to find her and attack her. But before Scar could get closer, Zazu suddenly flew down in front of him. The hornbill must have seen Nala trying to sneak away, for he was now holding out his wings as if protecting her from Scar's view. "Lovely night, Sire!" he said with a weak chuckle. "What a marvelous night for taking a walk and all that." Scar rolled his green eyes. "What do you want, Zazu? I need to finish monitoring Pride Rock and everyone who lives here. Make it quick." While Nala slunk quietly past them, Zazu began telling them stories about his cousin mistaking himself for a woodpecker. Scar and the hyenas began getting bored, at least until Zazu started singing. He at first sung about troubles, only for Scar to tell him to "sing something with a little bounce in it". So Zazu, with a smirk, sung a few song that Scar did not like, songs that some were called "It's A Small World" and "Let It Go". When Scar objected (while roaring "NO! Anything but that!"), Zazu then started singing about a bunch of coconuts all standing in a row. Scar seemed to enjoy it, humming to the tune, and the hyenas added some humming and whistling as well. "Big ones, small ones, some about as big as your head," Zazu finished singing, exhausted. "I never had to do that for Mufasa." But Scar heard him, his face contorting to rage. "WHAT?!" he roared, making Zazu jump up with fright. "What did you say? Don't you dare lie to me!" he snarled as Zazu tried covering what he said. "I told you and everyone else never to mention that name in my presence! I AM THE KING!" "You never said anything of the sort!" Zazu bit back, losing patience. "You just made that rule up on the spot. Are you that upset over Mufasa's name?" Behind Scar, some of the hyenas started laughing and mentioning Mufasa's name over and over. Scar's dark fur was bristling until suddenly, he whirled around and smacked those hyenas across the face. The hyenas whimpered and stumbled back, promising never to say Mufasa's name ever again. "That's it!" Scar snarled, getting into Zazu's face. "I hereby banish you from Pride Rock for life! If I see you around again, I'll eat you myself!" He swiped his claws at Zazu, who quickly flew away from the flailing claws and up to the night sky. Zazu definitely did not want to be caught by those claws again, not like what happened years ago. Nala watched as the hornbill flew over her, heading for where Tamino's baobab tree was. She hadn't meant to get Zazu into trouble with Scar, but she was still thankful for his help. "And as for you," Scar snarled, turning his attention to the hyenas, "not a giggle out of your mouths. I will not stand and be mocked with my back turned. Do you understand?!" The hyenas nodded, and Scar stormed off ahead. As the hyenas followed, Banzai muttered, "Sheesh, Mufasa wasn't whiny compared to him." "What did you say?!" snapped Scar, turning for the third time. "I said Muf - " But a nudge to the ribs from Shenzi made Banzai sidetrack. "Er, I said...que pasa?" Scar didn't look like he believed his soldiers, but he didn't seem bothered to argue. "Good. Now I need my sleep," he muttered. "Keep up the patrol until sunrise." The hyenas nodded and slunk away from their employer, one by one. Before following Shenzi down Pride Rock, Banzai turned to Scar and said, "But, uh...we're hungry." "GO!" Scar roared, causing the hyenas to yelp and run. The dark lion gave their retreating forms a disgusted glare before making his way back to where the king usually slept. Once sure that Scar and the hyenas were gone, Nala slipped out from under the bush and began making a run for it. Then she looked up to the stars in the sky, hoping that the great kings were running with her that night. One more look at Pride Rock, which was appearing smaller the more she ran, and she headed for the Pride Lands border. She walked across the broken ground of her once green and flourishing home with a heavy heart. The other lionesses of the pride decided that she should be the one to leave to find help since she was the youngest and most vibrant of them. Also, Nala was almost eager to leave because of the advances that Scar had made to her. Still, where would she find someone to help her pride through this difficult period when even the hyenas were having a tough time of it? Just as Nala was thinking this, she passed Tamino's Baobab tree and she heard a voice calling her name from above her. "Who's there?" She called, looking all around her. "It is I!" called Tamino back to her, as she swung down to meet her. "Tamino. Where are you going?" "To go find someone to help the pride. This drought has got to stop and since Scar's not doing anything about it, I'm going to find anyone who will." "Do you know where you're going?" Asked the red-crowned crane. "I haven't a clue. I just know I have to go far from here to a land that isn't affected by this drought." "I will be right back." Tamino then went back up in her tree and came back to Nala with three different gourds each with different colors of paint in them. Nala looked at her strangely as she started chanting. She then explained what the different colors were for as she put each of them on Nala's forehead. "Green for growth in oneself and health for your journey; red for courage and strength to fight off any enemies that might come your way; and orange for responsibility." As Tamino put the orange on Nala's head, she thought of Simba and how she had put that very same color on his head when he was just a newborn cub. She then knew who it was that Nala had to find, even if she didn't know herself for Tamino knew that Simba was alive and that knowledge was finally going to come into play. "I will tell you where you must go. There is a jungle where I found the berries to make the red coloring and there you might find someone who will help you. If you run straight that way you will find it." Said Tamino pointing diagonally to the right. "But be aware there are many dangers out there and it is a long journey." "Thank you, Tamino." said Nala. "You're welcome and please be careful!" yelled Tamino. "I will." And with that Nala ran off toward the direction that Tamino had shown her, in hope that she would find this jungle and someone that would help her restore her homeland back to the way it was before. I will be back, my pride, with all the help I will need, she promised as she ran off into the night. I will return!