I apologize for the wait. Honestly, I had no idea of where this chapter was going XD. Also, for those who haven't checked my profile, tomorrow I will be going away on the first of two vacations that will be almost back-to-back to each other. This means likely I won't be updating any of my stories for the next two weeks, as I'll be busy with family, summer reading, and everything else that pertains to having a life outside of writing. Beach, here I come! :D

Disclaimer: The Lion King franchise belongs to Disney. All original material belongs to me.

Kiara crouched low in the withered grasses, trying to hear over the frantic hammering of her heart. Her stalker was carefully concealed, prowling closer with only the occasional rustle to give away their position. Amber eyes wide with fear, she glanced wildly about for an escape route, knowing she would still be unable to escape before those jaws closed down on her.

Something suddenly erupted from the grasses, bone-white fangs gleaming as they came toward her.

The golden cub lashed out, paw catching her attacker on the face. Shanni yelped, tripping over her paws as her younger half-sister stepped out of the way. The fallen lioness remained on the ground, one paw to her nose as she cursed under her breath. A triumphant Kiara smugly leaped onto her back, a smile of proud delight curling on her face as she turned back toward the grasses.

"I did it, Daddy!"

Scar's dark form emerged from the grass, silent as a shadow. Nuka and Mheetu popped up alongside him, Kosa clinging the paler lion's back so he could see above the towering stalks. Kiara grinned at all three of her brothers. Nuka was looking tons better, no matter how much he griped about the scars Mheetu had accidentally left when his claws had dug in too hard. He and Mheetu had only tripped each other up once or twice today.

"Thank the ancestors your claws where sheathed," Shanni grumbled as she climbed back up to her paws, Kiara sliding off her back. "You and Kosa gave me enough bruises as it was."

"Very good," Scar said, expression pleased as he looked down at his youngest daughter. Kiara basked in the rare praise as a flower would in sunlight. The King of the Pridelands turned back toward all of his children expectantly. "Now, what did you all learn today?"

"There's no such thing as honor in battle," Mheetu muttered as he glowered at Nuka. His younger half-sibling smirked back. "A true warrior will look for weaknesses in his opponent, and exploit them before he succumb to exhaustion or unnecessary injury." The shallow marks on his pale pelt would attest to that. Sarafina and most of their pride-sisters may have fought fairly, but the same couldn't have been expected of a lion that wanted you dead. Kiara knew this one all too well.

"No hesitation," Nuka chimed in. "Your enemy won't, and neither should you." Scrawny as he was, it was he who would won that Mheetu had wrongly assumed would be a fair fight.

Kiara and Kosa were just cubs, and certainly not ready for the spars their elder half-siblings had. Their Mom had only taught them enough basic defense moves to get them back to where pride. But what if they were too far away to call for help? Their Daddy wasn't about to allow his youngest to go undefended, especially not when Kovu and Vitani were already holding their own against older lions. And Kiara had been eager to show her father and king that she wasn't some meek little princess that constantly needed her big brothers to defend her.

"Bad lions will under-acclimate... er, underestimate you," Kosa began, "and you should let them think you're weak until it's too late for them?"

Scar nodded, green gaze narrowing. "Shanni?"

"Remember your place," she nearly spat out, eying their father as she would a hyena. "There are some you just can't ever beat."

"Most importantly of all?"

"Bad lions will always want to hurt you or the ones you love," Kiara said, ears drooping as she remembered what Auntie Kaidi had almost done to her Daddy. "Never be afraid to protect yourself and your family. Even when that bad lion is someone you know, because they were just pretending to be your friend." Or happened to be the grandmothers of your friends.

Nuka bared his fangs. "That old bat was certainly never very friendly in the first place." His red eyes glanced discretely to his left. Kiara followed his gaze, and found Doa smiling back through the tall grass. "Er... Father, is this lesson over left? I have very... princely matters to attend to."

Scar groaned. "Oh, just leave." Nuka immediately darted off into the grass. Mheetu attempted to sneak off in the opposite direction, but his father's voice caught him first. "Perhaps you could spend this free time wisely be being in the company of both Tundu and Vitani. After all, every true king must have a worthy queen at his side, and your insight into both of your potential betrotheds may help influence my final decision."

"You can take Timira!" Kosa interjected eagerly. "I don't want her."

Their father ignored the comment, turning to his eldest. "Zira shall be leading some of the lionesses out on the hunt soon. Since you seem to love the chase, why not tag along?"

Shanni looked like he had swallowed an ostrich egg. Kiara couldn't blame her. Auntie Zira wasn't the nicest pride-sister out there.

Turning to Kosa, she arched her eyes playfully. Her brother took the hint, and both dashed off to the watering hole their favorite hyena friends liked to play around.

Before stumbling upon Simba in that jungle, Nala had been her younger brother's best friend. She and those who did not agree with Scar's reign had done their best to ensure his tyranny wouldn't live on in his youngest son. Sarabi had given him the same lessons on balance and the circle of life that had once been given to her own son. Sarafina had always been there for him so Scar could never take advantage of him in a vulnerable moment. Kula had showed him how to hunt and live life with laughter. Tama had taught him how to fight honorably, to avoid the sinister tactics Nuka was soaking up like a parched desert, and to stand up for those too weak to do it themselves.

Everything had changed when Nala had returned to the Pridelands pregnant with the true king's heirs. Those destined to rule before even Shanni herself. She had done their best to raise them without the aid of the friends and family she had ostracized with her secret choices, and with Scar a constant influence in their young lives. Mheetu had been one of the last lions in the pride she had for company, but even had been overlooked in favor of grooming Kosa and Kiara the way they deserved to be raised.

Now, listening intently as her frustrated adolescent brother rant on about his lioness troubles, Nala regretted how much time had flown by.

As a cub, Mheetu's strongest resemblance to Scar had been the sharp black nose and those signature bright green eyes. Over the moons his pudgy cub body had turned lean with muscle. His facial features had matured, showing the narrow muzzle and tufted chin of his father. With a thick mane black as night growing in, Nala realized how much her baby brother was turning out like his father. She couldn't help but wonder what changes were taking place on the inside.

"Can't you convince him that I don't want to mate with Vitani?" he pleaded. "I would much rather prefer a pretty little lioness from another pride."

"What about Tundu?" Nala asked warily. That young lioness was still one of Scar's most loyal followers.

"Eh, she's alright," Mheetu said absently. "But she's nearly identical to Doa. Nuka and I are already competing for the throne, and the last thing I need is to be betrothed to a lioness that looks exactly like the one he's been promised to since birth."

The Queen of the Pridelands felt something cold creep through her heart. Their mother and Sarabi and her lionesses had always been considered inferior by those that had loyally followed Scar! Didn't he remember the filthy looks Tundu and her twin sister had given their mother because she had 'seduced' their beloved king? Mother of Scar's son she may have been, but she would still always eat behind the loyal lionesses, forced to remain behind while the hyenas tugged Mheetu over to the kill.

And, speaking of hyenas...

Nala shot up from the ground as she frantically looked around for her children. Tama hadn't even emerged from the den since Kaidi's murder, attempting to console her shaken son enough so he could face Scar without breaking down. Kosa and Timira got along as well as predator and prey, so the little cub probably refused to have herself or her mother anywhere near him since the incident. Sabini was too busy caring for her newborn cubs to put up with their antics. Which meant they had strayed into company far less trustworthy.

"Mheetu," she began, trying to keep the nervous edge out of her voice, "where are my cubs?"

The young lion yawned drowsily. "With the hyenas, same as always." His green eyes slowly closed as he gave in to the typical adolescent urge to doze. "Mentioned something about a surprise."

Nala was already pounding off towards the hyenas' favorite haunt, leaving her bewildered half-brother in the dust. Her mind flashed back to those horrific days of Scar's reign, of when he had tired of simply banishing young males when they had come of age, and instead sent his hyenas to lure them off to go looking for a 'surprise.' Fire burning in her eyes, the inner huntress she had left behind after being crowned queen returned in full force, demanding blood to be spilled to protect her cubs-

A high-pitched, agonized scream pierced the air. Nala staggered as if struck. Finally, her maternal instincts snapped back into control, and the pale lioness exploded from the tall grass and into the barren patch of land that had once been a lush watering hole.

Banzai lay flat on his back, front paws gingerly rubbing at his nose. Kiara and Kosa both perched upon his belly, sharing a grin of wicked delight. Ed was also on his back, though it was from the unsurprising bout of hysterical laughter. Shenzi's smug smirk was as physically close as she could come to the same reaction.

"Boy, they begged you to charge at them," she drawled. "Honestly, how did you think that was going to end?"

"And you did make the first move, Uncle Banzai," Kosa added brightly. "What else could we have done?"

"Face," Banzai moaned. "Can't feel my face!"

"Suck it up. Have you ever gotten clawed in the face before? Has he, Ed?" The hyena mutely shook his head. "I didn't think so." Shenzi's smirk widened. "Not our fault you were too stupid to remember whose cubs these are."

"Daddy showed us how to do that," Kiara chirped.

"Unsurprisingly," the female hyena muttered under her breath, before speaking up louder. "Don't worry, fluff-ball, I'm sure his ego's more bruised then his face right now. Your bone-head Uncle Banzai never lost to a lioness before." She leered down at her moaning companion. "Just 'cause the males of her species have grotesque muscles and furry necks doesn't mean she can't be deadly."

Kosa made a face at his sister. "So you're saying she's part hyena?"

"I'll take that as a compliment, fuzz-head." Kiara still shoved him off as Banzai, just noticing the startled form of her mother. The golden instantly perked up, dashing over. "Did you see that, Mom?"

Nala faked a smile, if only because Scar's hyenas were in front of her, and a part of her hadn't yet digested the fact that her little cubs had demonstrated a move that could make a hyena whimper in pain. "I saw enough." She pulled her daughter close, her cold gaze causing the three scavengers to shrink back with a fear normally reserved for her mate. "Come along, Kosa. It's time for your bath."

"Aw." Kosa pouted, but still bid a sad good-bye to his 'uncles and auntie,' and then bounded after his family. "Mom! Kiara called me a fuzz-head again!"

Nala relaxed back into the role of the diplomatic parent, mediating the differences between her cubs until they could both grumble apologies to the other for their name-calling. She couldn't help but take extra care that time to make sure no returned home still bitter or seething with anger. Scar exploited personal weaknesses, causing the formerly bitter rivalry between Mheetu and Nuka so he could see who most resembled him on the inside. Thankfully Mheetu had proven himself petty jealously, and had risked his own life to save his younger brother from a lethal fall. But Kiara and Kosa were far younger, and under almost constant exposure to Scar. She could take no chances.

The pale lioness gently ushered her cubs up Pride Rock, politely and curtly refused the assistance offered to her by several lionesses, and took them both into her paws as she resolved to groom them both at the same time.

"My, my, some lions took our little lessons to heart." Scar's form materialized from the shadows of the cave, eying their ruffled and dust-covered pelts.

"Uncle Banzai was nice enough to let us practice with him," Kiara piped up.

"Oops." Kosa grimaced. "I forgot to apologize."

"I'm sure your uncle can forgive his price for such a little transgression. And you are his favorite nephew, after all." Scar came to lie down beside here. "Nala, in good conscience, I simply cannot allow you to clean both of our cubs alone. Allow their Daddy to help out every once in a while."

Kiara and Kosa glanced at each other, before both attempting to struggle to the dark lion's paws at the same time.

On the outside, Nala looked like the perfectly grateful and obedient little queen. On the inside, she still desperately wished her relationship with her mother was still good enough so she could go and sob into her fur.

Some part of Scar was flattered as his youngest two competed for his attention like starving hyena pups would ever a scrap of meat. In the end, he managed to convince Kiara to remain with her mother. As his only true daughter, giving her too much attention and overlooking her littermate was always a concern. Kosa was the third of his sons, and had the misfortune of resembling the other side of the family more so than his own father. Scar sincerely hoped he would grow out of it, like Mheetu was doing.

Scar was at least pleased to note that the tuft Kosa was growing was brown, and not red. There were some coincidences he could not tolerate.

"So, what else happened while I was elsewhere?" Scar asked in mild interest.

"Kiara called me a fuzz-head," his son blurted out.

His sister huffed, pulling away from Nala's cleaning tongue. "Only 'cause you called me a hyena first!"

"Kiara," their mother began in an admonishing tone, "you know how sensitive your brother can be about-"

"I'm not sensitive!" the cub snapped sulkily. Scar begged to say otherwise.

"Actually, you have quite a bit more of a mane than most cubs your age," the dark lion said otherwise.

Kosa gaped at him with wide eyes that had a touch more green than blue to them. "Really? You're not just saying that to make me feel better?"

Yes, a young cub with that line of reasoning was certainly his flesh and blood. "Would your father ever lie to you? Your cousin, may his innocent soul rest in peace, had just barely begun to grow a tuft when he was your age. His head fur hadn't even started changing color yet." Kosa took this in, and Scar could just see his self-confidence issues leaving him like the rains had done for the entire kingdom.

Scar took a moment to ponder over what he had just said. Contrary to popular belief, and what he himself had so often claimed to his older brother, he hadn't entirely inherited everything from the shallow end of the gene pool, excepting only his intelligence. Most of the older lionesses had long since forgotten that it had been his mane that had started growing in first. He had been showing off his small black tuft while Mufasa had whined about still looking like a girl. Naturally, big brother's mane had started to come in thick and full, soon surpassing what progress Scar had actually managed to make before him.

Come to think of it, dear little Simba hadn't had such an orange undertone to his golden pelt either.

"Daddy?" Kiara asked, interrupting his train of thought. "Why won't Afua talk to me anymore?"

Nala sighed sadly, and Scar didn't miss the way her eyes flickered as she glanced in his direction. "He's still very sad about his grandmother, Kiara. Afua just needs some time for himself." The King of the Pridelands wondered just what else his queen had to say about, but she had the common sense not to push it. And he really hadn't meant to kill that damned lioness when his daughter had been present.

Kiara yanked away from her mother's tongue with wild eyes. "But why is he sad? Kaidi was always mean to me and Kosa! And she tried to... tried to..." Wrenching herself away from Nala altogether, the golden cub rushed over to her father and buried herself deep into his black mane. "You know what she tried to do to Daddy!"

Scar wrapped a paw around her comfortingly, sitting up to do so. Kosa also took the opportunity to latch on like a leech. Honestly, why were his mates all so inept at handling his children during their most desperate hours of need? Sarafina had come frightfully close into turning Mheetu into a bleeding heart that wouldn't have been able to do what needed to be done for the good of the pride. Zira had been determined to wrought Nuka into a cruel and calculating monster that wouldn't have been capable of leading anyone, and had instead created a quivering mess that had taken Scar and Doa moons to repair. Nala's efforts to break the mold were valiant, but how could she not have dealt with this sooner!

Nala caught his unspoken order, bowed her head, and reluctantly padded away as he guided his children to the privacy of their cave. Royal cubs would learn how to deal with their problems without the ever-judging eyes of the pride upon them. Showing weakness could not be afforded when enemies prowled in the ranks of his own lionesses.

Now, he had to handle the matter delicately. Kiara was too young to have seen justice like that, and surely she and her brother were still far too young to deal with the truth he would present to them. But could he afford to postpone it any longer? Afua had a forgiving heart, and his daughter was still a (relatively) innocent cub. Childhood friendships could easily blossom into something far dangerous later on, and Scar had no desire to allow a common-blooded male of murderous lineage to have any possible claim to the throne, or to his own flesh and blood.

"Tell me, Kiara," he began slowly, "about what I taught you today."

"Sometimes those you know can actually be bad." Kiara sniffled. "Like Kaidi."

"Very good. Now, do you feel closer to Afua, or to your brother?"

The golden cub glanced at her littermate, who grinned back. "Kosa." Kiara pawed at his brown tuft, giggling when her brother scowled and reflexively pushed himself away. "He may be a jerky fuzz-head, but he's my jerky fuzz-head."

"And you're my little sister, my only little sister," Kosa told her. "Without you, I'd be the youngest."

"Do you think Afua feels the same way about you and his family?"

Kiara paused quizzically. "Yeah, I guess. But what does this have to do with anything, Daddy? Kaidi may have been his grandma, but she tried to hurt another lion."

Scar lowered his head, looking her straight in the eye, watching for every possible reaction from his daughter. "So did I, Kiara, and I succeeded in killing her."

"You were protecting yourself!" Kosa growled firmly. "We still love you! Right, Kiara?" His sister nodded eagerly.

"Then surely Afua feels the same love toward his grandmother? Despite what she almost did."

Scar expected his daughter, the brat's closest friend, to say something in his defense. It was to be expected of a naive young cub who had no idea enemies lurked behind every corner. Perhaps Kiara would insist that Afua's friendship with her, and loyalty to his king, was stronger than any lingering love for his own flesh and blood. The dark lion was unsurprised when his daughter shrank away, terrified of her new revelation.

"Maybe," she murmured.

Her father had no need to say more. The seeds of doubt had been planted, and they would take root and grow on their own time. For now, that first wedge in that previously unquestioned friendship would suffice. Kiara's introduction to the real world would not involve the total shattering of her innocence overnight.

With that matter taken care of, Scar turned to the next concern on his list. Every single one of his sons, his potential successors, required betrotheds that would complement them and faithfully remain by their side. Nuka had found a perfect match in Doa, who kept the jittery prince focus and just enough attention to assure he could develop a backbone and start thinking and acting independently. Mheetu had been temporarily left single so Scar could see which lioness would suit him best, and, unsurprisingly, seemed to favor Doa's sister Tundu. Kosa, though his betrothed had been secured since her very birth, remained an issue.

Timira was timid, lacking the cunning and determination that made Doa and Tundu fitting mates for his sons. No matter how often Scar had tried to force her to spend more time with Kosa, in hopes that the lively young cub would strengthen both her spirit and their bond. Kosa had still complained to everyone willing to listen just how boring the female cub was. Then there had been the issue of her troubling parentage. Kula's loyalty to his reign had always been questioned, which is why her hyena 'escort' was always around to make sure she didn't try to sneak off back to Chumvi. Perhaps Sarabi and her lionesses would take advantage of Timira to make another assassination attempt on his cubs.

But, aside from Timira, what other young lionesses were there in the Pridelands? Boga was the daughter of Scar's half-sister, which made her some sort of cousin to Kosa. Royal families knew the dangers of inbreeding all too well. Nala had mainly been chosen as Simba's betrothed because her father had not been of the pride. How many of the other prides would be willing to send a princess to his territory in the midst of a terrible drought and famine? And the Great Kings knew how every cub thought about Vitani and her brother.

Zira had borne that damn second litter solely because she wanted to be back in his good graces. Vitani had been taught to suck up to Mheetu in an effort to be betrothed to him, thus giving her mother a reason to hang around his family since she and Nuka had become estranged. Whether he liked it or not, Scar needed Kovu as muscle, to perform the tasks he could not risk with his own sons. What better way to ensure his eternal loyalty than to promise his precious sister, his one friend and companion in the entire pride, to a son of the lion he was bound to serve?

"Kosa, how would you feel about not being betrothed to Timira anymore?"

His son gaped up at him in astonishment, blue-green eyes glimmering with hope. "Um, really grateful and willing to do anything you asked?"

"Anything?" Scar pressed mildly.

Kosa's brow furrowed. "What's the catch?"

"Oh, just spend some time with the other lion cubs in the pride. You two need more friends than your own family and the hyenas. It'll be good for you both to branch out."

Kiara grinned, eager for more company. "I'd love to make more friends!"

Kosa considered this condition, and then beamed and nodded. "Sure, I can do that."

Scar rubbed both of their heads fondly. "Very good. Now, both of you stay in here for a moment. Daddy needs to make the announcement to the kingdom."

And, with the ties to his family soon to be cut, Afua and Timira would be the only cubs close in age each would feel comfortable spending time with. Hm, perhaps he could kill two birds with one stone by making this simple little declaration.

Later that night, Sarabi and her daughter sought the solitude of the Elephant Graveyard to discuss the shocking turn the day's events. The area was now technically part of their territory, and thus they could not be accused to sneaking past the borders. Besides, it had been deserted entirely by the hyenas when they were now able to live close to Pride Rock itself, leaving Shanni and Sarabi the best private spot they now had in the Pridelands.

The former queen watched the golden form of her daughter pace restlessly about the cavern they sheltered in, swerving past the hissing geysers that constantly threatened to erupt. "What could Scar possibly have in mind for that poor cub?" Shanni muttered. "At least Kosa is turning out to be decent."

Sarabi sighed wearily. "For now. I fear not even Nala's blood will be enough to drive off the inevitable corruption. I fear for Mheetu now. Sarafina tells me he is increasingly spending more time with his father's family. He didn't look too upset when his betrothal to Tundu was secured."

"Those new damn lessons!" the golden lioness growled. "Scar's just using them as an excuse to corrupt his cubs more. He's probably trying to organize a match between Kosa and Vitani in order to appease that cub's demonic mother." She paused thoughtfully. "But that means Timira is now free. Just like Afua. And my new half-cousins."

Babu and Boga, male and female, each a grandchild of Ahadi. Kula and Tama have nothing against their mother. Perhaps we can convince all of their cubs to become closer, and stop Scar from intervening until we can-

Sarabi growled in frustration. "Ahadi was Uru's consort, Shanni. Sabini's cubs have no official claim to the throne."

"I do."

Shanni's face split into an excited grin. "Think about it, Mom! Why do we need to rely on one of Scar's cubs to save us? We have three young relatives of his that could band together. Afua and Babu are male, so we'll have some muscle, and maybe I can bag a handsome lion of my own. Scar will have a hard time trying to suppress us when word gets out that I'm Mufasa's daughter, and I have a strong mate and cousins at my side."

"Sabini is neutral, but she values family above all else. She will never support us when she learns what we have in mind for her cubs," the older lioness cautioned, though she couldn't help but feel excited for what Shanni had thought of. Sarabi smiled. "But what harm is there in encouraging innocent friendship between four lonely cubs? Or you finding a nice mate to help pass on your father's blood?"

"Absolutely none," Shanni replied with a smirk.

As the Broadway play showed us in that wonderful little number, The Madness of King Scar, our favorite glorious bastard was on the verge of a break-down. Think of it from Scar's point of view: he's the king of a land barren from drought, and with a good section of his pride growing dissatisfied from his rule. There's also the giant pack of hyenas to worry about, as they haven't had anything to eat in quite a while, and they won't listen to a king who didn't follow through on his empty promises forever. Your one heir? Nuka, sickly and unlikely to make it to adulthood. Add in an aged lioness population, and you have a son-obsessed lion attempting to seduce a lioness young enough to be his daughter while his kingdom falls apart all around him.

In this universe, there is enough prey being brought in to keep the hyenas grudgingly satisfied, and Scar has the fortune of several heirs available to him. The result? His madness is more of a paranoia in Sarabi's faction of the lionesses, and the desire to meddle in the affair of his 'cubs' so they become his perfect legacy. Both Mheetu and Nuka have their faults (Mheetu for not being the son of the queen, and Nuka for being born weak and originally incapable). Nala was Queen of the Pridelands when her cubs were born strong and healthy, instantly giving Kosa leverage over his two brothers from that standard. Kiara? She's his only true daughter, and is precious because she will always need him, because lionesses mainly remain with the pride while most lions leave to start independent lives. However, on some level, Scar still realizes that Nala's cubs look nothing like him. Perhaps his madness makes him delusional enough to see himself in the biological son of Simba... Or maybe Nala was too quick to draw conclusions about her cubs when she forgot to take something about her kind into consideration...