Chapter 24 24: Scar vs Leo

I've seen the comments and fair enough, here's the next chapter. Enjoy. ________________________________________________ [3rd POV] Two beasts collided in the rawest display of aggression. Scar stood tall on his hind legs to build momentum while Leo stayed low for better center of gravity. Leo slammed into Scar like a thunderclap, sending him flying away as they both crashed into the cave wall with a dull boom that echoed across the den. Zuri scrambled out of the way just in time, her eyes wide with fear and awe as the two lions collided. The rest of the pride scattered, a flurry of growls and yelps, instinctively fleeing to the walls or outside the cave. The air was thick with tension and bloodlust. Two apex predators going at each other. It was unlike when hunting prey, where they did it out of necessity with the intention of a swift kill. This fight was deeply personal, and the aim was to hurt each other and make them submit. Leo's brute force was fueled by rage. His mind had no clarity at the moment, so there was no planning or strategizing. His massive shoulders rolled and he clawed into Scar's side. His swing was stronger than it had any right to be due to his adaptation. The sheer force drove the older lion back into the wall. Scar snarled and replied with a vicious swipe of his own. But unlike Leo, who used force, Scar focused on precision and his claws. His claws found Leo's muzzle and drew blood. But Leo did not so much as flinch. Instead, he sank his teeth into Scar's mane-covered neck and yanked hard, tearing out a tuft of fur and skin. Scar let out a furious roar and rolled, slamming Leo onto the rocky ground of the den. Dust swirled and the fragile parts of the stones broke off beneath their combined weight. The first part of the battle was driven by rage from both sides, so it was far from a fight of graceful dominance. Instead, it was a savage, primal brawl. A war of flesh and instinct. The den vibrated with the noise of battle. Both lions produced deep growls that could shake the bones of others. The lionesses formed a loose circle and witnessed the battle. They roared and growled but did not interfere. Nala shielded the younger cubs behind her while Sarabi watched with worried eyes. Scar raised his paw and brought it down on Leo's chest like a whip, aiming for the throat. Leo twisted, clawing at Scar's exposed belly. Their roars mixed—low, guttural, bone-deep sounds that did not resemble language. It was the speech of predators. Scar's strength was monstrous, and he was bigger than Leo, who was already the size of the average male lion. But Leo could compete with Scar on equal ground using his trained muscles and unique build. Scar slammed Leo athis time into the rock wall, cracking it behind him. Leo gasped, having the air knocked out of his lungs. He dodged a jaw full of teeth, and the sound of Scar's teeth clashing made a loud snapping sound. Once, twice, and then Leo learned the rhythm, so he lunged at Scar's throat while he pulled back. Leo clamped down on thick mane, barely touching skin. The mane of lions evolved precisely to protect the vitals, and it did its job. But Leo need not get a bite to do damage. He twisted his head and tugged as hard as he could. It was a similar motion to snapping a prey's neck, a move he practiced hundreds of times. Scar lost his balance and was flung sideways. Before he could recover, Leo used both paws to shove him down on the ground. Leo successfully mounted him and delivered lethal attacks. Claws and teeth sliced and tore at each other in a brutal fight for dominance. At that moment, Scar finally realized how big Leo's paws were and how much weight they pressed down. He felt like he was being pinned down by a mountain. The only thing he could do was reply to every attack that came down on him. But fortunately for the king, his hind legs found Leo's open belly. His claws sank into the softer tissue of the young lion, and Leo released a furious roar that held a tinge of agony. Scar pushed him off his body, but Leo grabbed Scar's face. His claws hooked on the already-scarred face of Scar, causing the older lion to echo his roar of pain. They rolled across the den floor, slamming into stone. Growls and roars shattered the air as the lionesses scrambled out of the way. The two beasts thrashed. They were a storm of flesh and bone. It became evident that the place they were fighting in was too small and tight. They were also putting the cubs in danger, so Leo decided to move the fight into a more suitable environment. Leo had less mass than Scar, but he was broader and stronger in ways that were useful in a fight. His distinctive strong limbs controlled the flow of the fight, and he always ended up on top of Scar. The briefest pause of a moment, the slightest opening. That was all it took for Leo to open his jaw as wide as he could and clamp down on Scar's face. One of his canines successfully penetrated Scar's eye and plunged down for a deep and firm hook. Scar trembled violently—his body knew it had come extremely close to death. Then his tempo shifted in a chaotic fury like that of an angry cat. His limbs whipped around, full of claws, and managed several scratches on Leo. But the young lion paid no heed to surface injury. Instead, he clamped down even harder on his hold and dragged the king toward the entrance of the den. And then Leo threw the king outside. Scar was flung away, and he had a great fall down the rocky path of Pride Rock. On his last fall, he landed with a nasty thud amid the grassy plain. He remained unmoving for a while before he stood up groggily and quickly moved away while turning around. Leo, on the other hand, took a massive leap down the den. He covered almost thirty feet in distance and cleared fifteen in height. But he landed with a deep thud and without a single injury. Ever since he was a cub, he had climbed trees and jumped down from them. His limbs were also unusually powerful to make up for his short tail. Due to these factors, he was able to achieve a feat seemingly impossible for other lions. Leo did not attack Scar immediately after he landed. Instead, he took that moment to circle the king. Scar only observed in his place. He dared not attack, for he was still spooked by how powerful Leo really was. He had completely underestimated how dangerous Leo was. This was not an easy fight where he could kill his opponent. Leo started laughing as he circled around Scar. In the beginning, he was driven by rage and instinct. But now he had a clear head, which made him even more dangerous. He finally had time to analyze the situation and also realized that Scar had baited him with his deed with Zuri. But he still laughed. Because guess what? Scar was far weaker than he ever expected. It made sense if you really thought about it. Scar was bigger, but he was mostly just fat. It had been more than a year since he even hunted properly. His hunting strategy was surrounding a herd with his hyenas and taking down a large prey with numbers. It had been a long time since his body moved at full potential to hunt. He had been softened by the easy life of his rule. On the other hand, Leo was the opposite. He had trained himself like a madman while eating more than anyone else. His body had also adapted to bursts of strength, as that was the best way to catch his prey. Bigger shoulders allowed for more powerful swings. Larger paws meant larger claws. His natural low stature made him almost immovable, while his stronger forelimbs meant greater power with each step. It almost seemed like nature had built him solely to fight. Even in bite force Scar could not compare. The king had been a picky eater. He ate only the softer and juicier organs and meat while he left the rest for others. Prey was abundant enough for him to live like that. On the other hand, Leo chewed on bones just to strengthen his bite force. All this culminated and made Leo the stronger lion, even though he was younger and still visibly smaller. "Look at him, he attacked the king and he found it amusing," Scar roared while trying to look powerful. But in reality, he felt like injured prey being circled by a predator. His eyes bled profusely, and he could taste his own blood. It tasted like fear. "You're so pathetic," Leo shut him down instantly. It was his honest reaction to seeing Scar trying to win over the pride when he realized he couldn't win the fair fight. The pride stood silent near the entrance of the den. Some of them climbed down to the rocky path to get a better view of the conflict. Leo was done circling, and he stalked forward slowly, nostrils flaring, powerful chest heaving. His eyes glowed with that light he usually had when he was about to ambush prey. Scar was left waiting in tension. His eyes locked on Leo's paw, fearing that each slow step would blur and launch him forward. But even while locking eyes, he never saw Leo coming because he pushed off with four limbs at the same time—a technique unlike anything Scar had ever seen before. But still, the king had pride, so with a roar of desperation mixed with wrath, he lunged toward Leo. He swung his forelimb, but Leo ducked under the swing and slammed his head into Scar's chest like a rhino. Lions were known to fight with claws and fangs, but Leo, with his human mind, had more than just that. He knew different ways to hurt his opponent. His moveset was not limited to claws and bites now that he had a clear mind. Scar jerked and clawed at Leo's back. The young lion continued pushing Scar back, and eventually, Scar bent his body and slammed his teeth at Leo's skull. But the growing dark mane protected Leo from the sharpness of the canines. Leo had been waiting for this moment, so with no wasted movement, he lowered himself and exploded upwards. His skull slammed against Scar's lower jaw. Every reasonable man knew hitting the jaw was a knockout. Unlike other lions who only knew how to cut, pierce or tear, Leo was very aware of the dangers of blunt force. The sound of bone smashing bone could be heard and Scar experienced for the first time what it was like to be knocked out. He felt the world shifting and he fell on the ground with a thud. He regained consciousness quickly, but by that point Leo was already onto him again. Scar took a desperate position to fight back. It was the same position Zuri took when he tried to force himself on her. "If only I'd known how weak you are, I would've challenged you sooner," Leo said and lunged at Scar. The King lay on his back, teeth bared and claws unleashed. His position was a pure defensive position without an attacking capability. He was able to protect himself from the onslaught, but each second in that position was humiliation for the king. Scar's plan had backfired horribly. But then his salvation came from the mocking laugh of hyenas. Leo was too preoccupied with Scar so he didn't notice. Two hyenas clammed down on his hide leg, causing him to roar in pain and quickly turn around to assess the situation. In that moment, Leo had another realisation. Indeed, Scar had never been the strongest. In fact, he was always weak in terms of fighting. But what Scar lacked, he made up for in other, dirty ways. The battle was over. The war began. .. .. .. [IMAGE] ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------