The Gluttony of King Scar- Part 1

Scar believes he would make an excellent king- unfortunately, the birth of his nephew killed that ambition. If only he could have a second chance to live large... Enjoy!

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The sun rose on a beautiful day for Pride Rock. The animals gathered at the news that Mufasa, King of the Pridelands, and his Queen Sarabi, had given birth to a healthy male cub, a future King named Simba. However, not everyone was celebrating. Lurking in the long shadow cast by Pride Rock, Scar, Mufasa's brother, sulked. His paw thumped down hard on a mouse skittering between the Rock's cracks and crevices. Hooking the mouse's tail with his claw, he held it up to his mouth. "Life's not fair, is it? You see, I… well, I shall never be King.  And you shall never see the light of another day…"

"Wait!" a small voice squeaked. "Wait, please, mercy!"

Scar stopped. "What?"

"I'll give you anything, anything!"

The dark-furred lion narrowed his eyes, as he held the mouse closer to him. "You? What do you think a mouse could do for a prince like me?"

"Anything you want! I can grant wishes- just please, don't eat me!"

Scar let out a peel of laughter. "Do you think I'm stupid? Of all the mice in the Pridelands, I just happen to catch one that can grant wishes?"

"I swear! Let me go, and I am honorbound to grant you a wish," the mouse insisted.

"Didn't your mother teach you not to play with your food?"

Scar turned to see Zazu, a hornbill and Mufasa's majordomo. His grip loosened, and he dropped the mouse, who scurried away.

"What do you want?" Scar rolled his eyes.

Zazu bowed grandiosely. "I am here to inform you that King Mufasa is on his way. So you better have a good excuse for missing the ceremony today…"

One high-handed chiding by his older brother later, Scar slinked out of Pride Rock. It had all been brow-beating about how that little brat Simba was going to be the next King, all but saying Scar was to be thrown out like a week-old antelope carcass. How long would that little brat take before he ruined all the potential of the Pridelands?

"Hail!" a familiar voice squeaked.

Scar whipped his head over to see the same mouse clinging to a branch. "You are either very brave or very foolish to come back to see me."

"I made you a pact, lion. You let me go, I owe you a wish, and Kipanya never breaks his word."

The lion laughed. "Are you serious? Very well- tell you what, if you can make me King, then you're free of your word. Should be easy enough for you Kipanya, yes?"

The mouse fretted. "Well… it will take me some time, but… by the time you wake up, you will be King."

"Hah! Is that all? Stay up there for all I care, Kipanya. I'm going to find something more worthy of my time."

Scar spent the rest of the day sulking, unable to think past how any of his ambitions had now come to a disastrous end with the birth of his nephew. He would be sidelined, for the rest of his life- an unused spare to his brother the heir. He curled up and went to sleep, bitterly thinking about how his plans had all been ruined.

"Prince Taka! Prince Taka!"

Scar jerked awake. No one had called him Taka in years. Narrowing his eyes, he turned to see Zazu. Only, the hornbill seemed smaller, his plumage lighter.

"Oh, Zazu, what do you want? Haven't you caused me enough trouble in the past few days?" Scar growled.

The hornbill tittered. "Prince Taka… the King is dead."

Scar shot up. "What? How? He was in perfect health yesterday!"

"The lionesses are coming here to see you. King Ahadi was strong, but… it was his time," Zazu said sympathetically.

"King Ahadi?" Scar echoed, the lion frozen in shock. His father, Ahadi. This was a scene he had seen before- only, it had played out five years ago. How was this happening? Was this a dream?

The lionesses of his father's pride filed in, somber and stoic. They were led by Uru, his mother. "Taka." She bowed her head morosely. "Zazu told you what happened?"

"He did, he did." He then knew what would come next. "Has someone told Mufasa?"

His mother frowned. "Who is Mufasa, my son?"

Scar felt as if he had been struck by lightning. "Who… who is the next King?"

Uru gave him a steady look. "Now is not the time for doubt- your father's spirit will watch over you, but my son, you are now King."

Scar was shocked into silence for a moment. "Could you give me a moment, mother? To compose myself. I will address the Pride then."

Uru looked to the other lionesses, who nodded in agreement. "Of course. Let us know when you're ready." They filed out of Scar's chamber, leaving him alone.

"I- I can't believe it. This… this is more than a dream." Scar began to pace. "Did that mouse do this? He must have put something in my dinner… I must be hallucinating!" He walked over to a bowl of water, concentrating on his reflection. His face was the same, his scar still cut over his eye- apparently some things never change. But if what his mother said could be believed, Mufasa never existed, like he had never been born. Which meant he, Scar, truly was the rightful King.

He puffed up his chest, grinning at his reflection. "Oh, we have such work to do." Even if this was a hallucination, the waking world had proven to be such a disappointment… and who could fault him for indulging a bit?

His coronation speech was well-rehearsed; Scar had been sitting on one for ages, promising the various herds and packs that made up the Pridelands the beginning of a new era of prosperity- which he would make certain was no idle fluff to mollify his subjects. He reveled in his coronation feast as well, eating his fill and then some. As an active hunter and beast of a lion, Mufasa had always taken first pick of the meat at any royal meal- but now, Scar could indulge like he always wanted to.

He sprawled out, idly stroking his full belly, the lionesses watching him intently. "No doubt you're eager to hear my plans for the next hunt. Worry not- I have big plans. While I do not mean to disparage my late father, or the revered Kings of the Past, the way we have been hunting for years now is… inefficient."

Uru sat up at that. "Inefficient? My son, the methods we use are in place for more than mere tradition. Our methods work- we've had a very good year this year."

"It's been a good year for us because the antelope and wildebeest have had a good year. But what happens in drought, in bad years? Their numbers drop, and we hunters starve as well. I seek a way to prevent lean years from unraveling all the good we do in times of plenty." Scar stood, patting his stuffed middle. "Would that we could eat like this all the time, and not worry about going hungry. But I believe we can- to do so will require us to make an unusual alliance, but one that could change the Pridelands forever."

The lionesses began to murmur, and Scar knew what they were talking about. It had been a good year, that much was true, but he knew that the coming spring rains would wither away into nothing. Everyone panicked, believing a drought was at hand, but Mufasa's stalwart leadership had seen them through. Of course, Mufasa wasn't here anymore- but Scar knew exactly how the next five years would play out. If he played his hand wisely here, he would look like the most brilliant king the Pridelands had ever produced.

"An alliance with who?" Uru asked. "Another pride? Or with a coalition of cheetahs?"

"No," Scar said. "With the hyenas."

Predictably, this caused an uproar amongst the lionesses. Scar raised his paw. "Silence, please! I speak as your King, now."

"But the hyenas, sire?" one of the lionesses questioned. "They're scavengers. They're not real hunters. We would sooner hunt with painted dogs."

"And perhaps we will, in time. But consider this: the hyenas outnumber us, three to one. Their matriarch is old and on her deathbed, and her heir, Shenzi, will be looking to prove herself." This, too, Scar knew all too well. Shenzi had led raids on the Pridelands, easily swatted back by Mufasa. It was when the two sides met and the hyenas relegated to the Elephant Graveyard that Scar had first met Shenzi, and began toying with this idea. "Instead of having the hyenas poach our food, as they have, let us partner with them. Each of you can easily manage three or four hyenas, and guide them. They will soon be doing our work for us."

Some of the lionesses seemed unconvinced, but were unwilling to question their king. Scar sighed in relief, gesturing for one more morsel. This would be easier than he thought…

Scar's first few months as king were exactly how he imagined them. He knew that game would still be plentiful, and he gorged himself- in part because he knew Pridelanders. They preferred to see their kings large and powerful, hence why Mufasa had been so well loved- there was no reason Scar, too, shouldn't look the part, now he had all the resources of Pride Rock at his disposal. At first, he did indeed begin cutting a more regal figure, but he was never one for physical exertion. It didn't take long for that extra bulk to began pooling around his middle, his limbs looking rounded and soft instead of his brother's thickly roped muscle.

Still, sheer size alone would help Scar when Shenzi did come, just as he predicted. Now the leader of the hyenas, she was weary of Scar- but the lion knew her very well by this point. He explained his plan to her, of lions and hyenas hunting together.

"I don't know…" Shenzi shrugged, arms folded. "The way you make it sound, my hyenas would be taking orders from you."

"Technically, they already do. I am their king— as I am yours." Scar said, standing to his full height. He let his already thick middle hang out, pressing against royal garments— he knew hyenas, and they were gluttons to the core. "What does it matter, really, when I'm promising you and the rest of your pack more food than they've seen in years? And you won't even have to fight the Pride to get to it."

Shenzi frowned. "I don't know, Scar… but I'll see if the others will go for it. This better not be a trick. Maybe we hyenas aren't the smartest, but we don't forget grudges easily."

Scar smiled toothily. "This will be the start of a beautiful partnership— be prepared to feast as you never have before."

Scar's first year as king was, as far as he was concerned, a brilliant success. He had never thought of hyenas as essential; they were crude and unspeakably plain. But he had nurtured that glimmer of potential, now allied with his vision and brain. Just as had happened in Mufasa's reign, the faltering spring rains left the savannah dry, and animals hungry. But Scar knew this drought would be short-lived; enough time for him to look like a savior when his hunting parties of hyenas and lions traveled out to the edges of the Pridelands, where rain was still falling, and came back with massive hauls to keep Pride Rock fed.

By the time the rains did return and the savannah flourished once more, the lionesses were entirely convinced their new king was the wisest lion in generations. The fact his appetite grew seemingly with every meal was an acceptable price to pay, even if some of the herds groused about the increased hunting on their lands. But what were they going to do about it?

Scar lounged in the lap of luxury, loyal hyena servants on retainer to keep him fed while his lionesses were out hunting. Shenzi had chosen strong males to accompany the king, ones hearty enough to keep up with his appetite. They plied him with huge platters of succulent meats, and the lion couldn't resist indulging. He had grown large and prosperous, his ever-hungry gut a dark boulder that dominated his frame, thick limbs swaddled in layers of plush fat. His pillowy chest spilled over the top of his cresting belly, whilst his legs had grown thick as tree trunks. He was slower moving, and his hunting days were clearly behind him, but what did it matter? The pride was happy, the hyenas were happy, and his position as king was as strong as Pride Rock; his glorious reign was only just beginning. And with his one year anniversary coming up, a grand feast was, of course, the only way to celebrate.