Chapter 19 19: The flaw in his perfect world

[3rd POV] The morning sun slid over the Pride Lands like a blade, slicing through the mist and heat with indifferent precision. Scar, the king of the land, stood atop Pride Rock and surveyed all that lay before him. A land that was his. It was one of the rare mornings when he woke up early to patrol his kingdom. The height he was standing on allowed him to see the herds of animals in the distance. The lush green of trees and bushes. The abundant water in the watering hole and all the creatures that thrived around it. Indeed, the king was pleased with what he saw. Scar looked back to glance at his pride of lions that stretched lazily across the sun-baked stone. He saw that they were well-fed, healthy and most of them had become loyal to him due to the ease and pleasure they had under his rule. He then turned towards the hyenas that were staying around Pride Rock. They were chaotic creatures and Scar would be honest when he said he was disgusted by them. But they had their use and they were loyal, so he kept them around. It had taken time, blood and careful calculation. But the reward was worth it. There was a sense of peace and stability. Scar was living his dream. He was in his prime, and his authority was unchallenged in his kingdom. It was almost perfect. Almost. "Where are you, I wonder?" Scar whispered thoughtfully in the wind as he gazed into the horizon. There was one flaw in his near-perfect world. A flaw that was beginning to grow into this huge imperfection that he never expected. He kept an eye on it, but now that it had disappeared for three days, Scar was beginning to grow concerned and cautious. Leo, the crippled one. Born weak in the shadow of a fated prince, nature had not been kind to him. Even before he turned half a year, he was forced to fight for the right to live and barely survived as a cripple. Scar also robbed him of his father's guidance, his brother's company, his mother's affection and his budding pride. At that point, Scar thought the cub was just a pile of scars still living. A pitiful thing really. He'd seen cubs dealt better cards in life and still die. Nature had a rhythm. The weak were swept away so the strong could rise. Except he didn't die. He grew. Slowly. Quietly. Unnoticed at first. But he grew. He learned to fight with his hips low and shoulders heavy. He learned to leap without a tail, adapted like something primal, like a beast meant to survive a world with no rules. Scar was wrong, Leo was strong and so he rose from weakness, even his own. Through everything life threw at him, he seemed to walk out stronger. Now, a year and a half in this world, and he was already the size of an adult lioness when it should have taken him twice that time. Leo was stronger than he had any right to be. And clever, Scar noticed, and this was what scared him the most. Eyes too sharp for a cub. Actions that smelled of a plan, even small ones, movements too deliberate sometimes, etc. And now he was gone. Three days. No word. No scent trail returning. But he would come back. That was the kind of cub he was. Stubborn. Proud. A thorn. And thorns have a way of digging deep when ignored. Scar knew this. He knew this better than anyone, for he was once the same thorn to Mufasa. He was secretly worried. Perhaps it was the wrong decision to spare him. Scar spared him out of petty goodwill and so that Sarabi would not remain too stubborn for him to conquer. He thought Leo was not a threat back then, that was a grave oversight on his part. If Scar allowed him to grow further, Leo could prove to be his worst enemy. Not now though, he was still too green to be considered a real threat now. But in a few more moons, a few more battles, that would change. He already had a following among the younger ones, even if they didn't realise it. The way they mimicked him, the way they looked up to him like he was better than a perfect royal breed like Scar himself. "It's dangerous," Scar said thoughtfully. But for now, Scar watched and waited. He did everything to attain the power he had, and he was willing to do more to keep his power. The sun continued its great climb in the sky, and during his thoughts, it had already climbed halfway. At that moment, Scar caught a distinctive scent in the air. The smell of a lion, a half-grown king, a half-way threat. Leo. "Speak of the devil," Scar said and watched as Leo came closer and closer from the horizon. He saw that Leo was carrying a fresh prey in his jaw and that made his blood boil. He was not hungry but he immediately ran down Pride Rock and headed towards Leo. When he reached him, Scar did not say a greeting. Instead, he attacked Leo immediately. The young adult was caught completely off guard and fought back on instinct, but only for a brief moment. *ROAR!!* A chain of thunderous roars followed powerful movements. The ground came alive in dust and the rest of the pride stood up to watch the scene. It was only a few seconds of intense actions before Leo stopped fighting back and became submissive. Scar bared his teeth and quickly snatched the prey from Leo's grasp. "Know your place, cub!!" Scar roared and stood on the stolen prey. Leo took a step back. His eyes locked on Scar with an eerie glow. Scar was expecting primal anger but what he saw was something unexpected. There was anger and rage in his eyes but what Scar noticed was those emotions being held back by an unnatural clarity. Like Leo was not really taking offence because he knew he would get his revenge in the end. Scar once looked at Mufasa with the same eyes, so they felt vaguely familiar to him. If lions had mirrors, he would undoubtedly try and kill Leo on the spot. Instead, Scar took a bite of the prey in front of Leo. He was not hungry but it was a show of dominance. "You disappear for days without notifying me, and you think you can walk right back to the pride like you own it?" Scar said. "I apologise, Your Majesty," Leo said in a respectful tone. But if eyes could speak he would say the opposite. "You know I never brought home my prey. The one that you are eating, I brought as an apology," Leo said. And now Scar was left dumbfounded. He had already eaten the prey so it was as if he had already accepted the apology when taken into account body language. In the end, what else could he do except say "Never do it again, Leo, always inform your king. You should not make moves without the king's permission." "I'll remember it," Leo said and then walked past him. For some reason, that felt insulting to Scar. That was proof that Leo was everything Scar was thinking him to be. Bold, Stubborn and Clever. .. .. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Stones would be appreciated