A Lust For Being Bad

[Deleted]

(OOC: January 17th. Closed to Zira and Scar at first, but it'll be opened to others later on)

In the snow-covered ground of the forest, a large gray squirrel forged for nuts, blissfully unaware of the impending danger… for now. A faint crunch betrayed the silence, and the squirrel froze. Realization hit the poor creature too late – a large tan body pounced and took great pleasure in snapping his tiny neck. Death was instant.

Without licking the blood from her maw, Zira laid down to devour her kill and satisfy the growling of her stomach. A day had gone by since she had arrived in this world, but this was her first successful hunt since then. All because of this stupid white stuff – an angry paw swiped out at it, sending the flakes flying. It hid objects beneath it – like the stick that had nearly cost her the squirrel – and did absolutely nothing in terms of camouflage.

Not for the first time, Zira’s thoughts went to her children. She worried for the safety of Vitani and Kovu – Nuka was, at best, an inept babysitter, and she couldn’t even begin to guess what she would return to.

[Scar]

Scar walked around the woods taking a stroll. He was grateful they provided food as he didn't have to hunt. And in this weather he doubted he'd be able to find much. He'd heard them mention his kingdom would be set in Africa in this world. The only free roaming animals out here were small animals like cats, dogs, racoons, birds, and squirrels. The bigger animals were locked in zoos but they were fed there as well. He was glad he wasn't locked in a cage but perhaps he'd have been better off being in Africa where it was warmer and he could hunt for food.

He was out here to relax and enjoy himself. He hated being cooped up in that house but it was the only warm place around here that would allow him freedom. He saw a blonde shape as he got closer. At first, he thought it was Sarafina and thought this would be a chance for revenge. He ran closer and stopped just a few feet away realizing who she was. It was his mate and mother of two of his kids. Well, three if he counted his adopted son Kovu. He hadn't expected to see her again and hoped she could raise their children to take over Simba's pride. Now they were both stuck here. He had missed her since he'd been stuck here and he was glad to see a familiar face.

"Zira. I can't believe you're here. Are the cubs with you?" asked Scar.

[Deleted]

Zira had just taken a bite of the squirrel when a new scent reached her nose, one that was very familiar.

Scar…

Zira’s eyes grew wide.

No! She shook her head furiously, tearing more forcefully into her squirrel to get her mind off of it. He’s dead, he’s dead! I’m imagining it. I have to be imagining it!

The scent refused to leave her, no matter how hard she tried to make it. Then came the voice.

"Zira."

The squirrel fell from Zira’s mouth and into the snow with a small plop. The red-eyed lioness barely noticed. There he was, her mate, the father of her cubs, her king, standing before her as though they were back in the Pridelands.

“Scar…?” Her voice, torn between euphoria and confusion, came out quivering. “How… what…?”

This was impossible. She had seen his body, had cried over it with her children. So why was he here? A horrible thought occurred to Zira, one that seemed to make the most sense.

“Scar, am I dead?”

[Scar]

Scar shook his head.

"No. We've been brought to another world. The humans are fighting each other to take over this world and pulled in heroes and villains from other worlds to join it including us. I do remember dying but somehow I'm alive again. I'm glad to see you again." said Scar.

He walked over to her and smiled stepping closer forgetting the bandage over his left eye. He quickly frowned as he remembered Sarafina was here.

"Sarafina's here too. She's joined the other side. I fought her for awhile and was sure I'd have killed her if her human friends hadn't gotten in the way." said Scar.

[Deleted]

Scar’s explanation made Zira’s head spin. Alternate worlds and a war between the humans? It made little sense to her, but she could worry about that later. Right now she was just happy to be with Scar again.

“And I, you,” she purred. It was a massive understatement. Were she not so driven to take revenge, Zira would have fallen apart shortly after Scar’s death.

The red-eyed lioness padded closer to her mate and rubbed her cheek against his. A familiar feeling, one she hadn’t felt in what felt like forever, washed over her, and Zira drank it in eagerly. Oh, she had missed this.

“Much has changed since you were usurped, Scar,” she murmured, bitterness clouding her voice. “Simba exiled those loyal to you to the Outlands the moment as he was crowned. Now he lives on Pride Rock with his mate and daughter while we are forced to scavenge for everything!”

Zira’s mood wasn’t improved when Scar mentioned Sarafina’s presence. A low growl escaped her throat at the thought of the empty-headed lioness. The mother of Nala, Simba’s mate. Grandmother to his heir.

Kneading the white ground with her claws, Zira at last noticed that something was covering Scar’s left eye. Frowning, the red-eyed lioness pulled away slightly to get a better look.

“How did that happen?”

[Scar]

Scar smiled as Zira nuzzled him. He nuzzled her back in return. He hadn't expected to care for anyone especially after his mother died. His father had always favored Mufasa and named him as his successor before his death. He growled at the mention of Simba's name. If the hyenas had done their job Simba would have died and he'd still be ruling alongside Zira. And Kovu would have taken over one day as king. He frowned realizing Zira, his followers, and cubs were banished to the Outlands. That wasn't a fit place for termites much less a group of lions.

"He banished you and innocent cubs into the wilderness? And I thought I was the cruel one in our family." said Scar.

When Zira spoke of his injury he remembered the bandage and sighed. Hopefully it would heal soon but he hated what had been done to him.

"It was Sarafina. One of her human friends distracted me and Sarafina did this. She's a better fighter than I remembered. I haven't heard of Simba or Nala being here. So Sarafina's going to pay for what she did to me." said Scar.

[Deleted]

Zira nodded angrily, her tail lashing back and forth. Vitani and Kovu’s eyes were barely open when they were exiled. She considered it to be nothing short of a miracle that they had survived at all, much less grown up to be as strong as they were. It was an impressive feat indeed.

“The Outlands have molded them, made them as strong as you and I. You would be proud of them.”

She conveniently “forgot” to mention Nuka.

The red-eyed lioness’s frown deepened when Scar told her how he had gotten his injury. Her lip curled back, revealing rows of sharp, white teeth in a snarl, as if Sarafina were right in front of her.

“Yes.” Zira spat the word as though it were poison. “She will. I will see to it myself.”

Reluctantly, she pulled away from her mate and went to retrieve the dead squirrel, pushing it closer to him.

“Eat. You’ll need to keep your strength up.”

[Scar]

Scar shook his head.

"No. You should eat. You've been living out there in the Outlands you're the only one who needs strength. I've joined with the villains side of this army. They have food and shelter and medicine. If this had happened back home it would have taken longer to heal." said Scar.

He didn't care much for the humans but they had helped him. He felt he had to at least help them out for a while. But he kept his options open. Even with Zira here there weren't many animals. There was a boy deer, two turtles who walked like humans, and a house cat. The turtles might be useful but they appeared loyal to the army just like the others. If they gained a large group of strong animals in the future maybe he'd reconsider leaving. But right now he needed the humans for the moment.

"I'd like you to join me there. Together we can get our revenge on Sarafina and find a way back home as well." said Scar.

[Deleted]

"Stubborn as always, I see." Zira faked an exasperated sigh and again pushed the squirrel closer to her mate. "We'll share it," she said firmly, her voice leaving almost no room for argument.

Taking a bite to appease Scar, the red-eyed lioness listened as he spoke of his new human allies. Zira had never actually seen a human before, only heard stories from older lionesses in her cubhood days. Little of what was said was good. The lionesses spun horrible tales of cruel traps and shooting sticks and being skinned alive. The stories had firmly cemented humans as "bad" in the mind of little Zira.

Yet the humans Scar described sounded to be very different. They were giving him food and had treated his eye after Sarafina had injured it. And anyone who helped her mate couldn't be all that bad, could they?

"Where you go, I go," Zira said simply, rubbing her head against his chin. "Soon we'll rule the Pridelands once more!"

[Scar]

Scar reluctantly agreed knowing how stubborn she could be. He knew she had to eat something. So he took a bite of the squirrel and swallowed it. He stepped back allowing her to have another turn. He smiled glad she agreed to go with him.

"I'm glad you're coming with me. Without an animal army of our own here or a shelter, we have to trust the humans. At least for now." said Scar.

[Deleted]

Zira smiled when Scar started to eat, pleased to have gotten her way.

“There, now. Was that so difficult?”

The former Outlander lioness took another bite of the squirrel and felt a sense of nostalgia rush up to meet her. The last time they had shared a meal – if you could consider something this puny a meal – was the night before Simba returned. The cubs were asleep, and it had been just the two of them.

And then the next day… he was gone. Just gone, never to return, or so she had thought.

“If nothing else, we’ll need them for the food they provide.” Zira frowned at her words. She had always prided herself on being able to hunt for herself, and the idea of needing someone else to feed her – particularly strangers – was disconcerting. She hurriedly added, “At least until this… white stuff leaves or I get more used to this place. Then I’ll be able to catch more.”

Red eyes drifted down to her meager catch.

“Hopefully, there are bigger animals hiding here.”

[Scar]

Scar shook his head.

"The only big animals here are on our side. There are two turtles who walk on two legs like humans. As well as a deer, a cat, and a dog. But the other animals that we could hunt are small as lion cubs or as tiny as that squirrel. The bigger animals around here are locked up in zoos for everyone to come and look at. If we wanted to hunt we'd have to relocate back to Africa that's where the bigger animals exist in the wild in this world. We may have to stay here for good until we find a way back home." said Scar.

[Deleted]

Well. That was disappointing.

Though the notion of turtles that could walk upright was a strange one – what sort of world did they come from? – Zira couldn’t stifle a horrified gasp when Scar spoke of a place where animals were locked up. She couldn’t imagine it, being confined in a small place all day so humans could stare at her.

“That sounds horrible!” the red-eyed lioness exclaimed, forsaking her bizarre form of composure for a moment.

She sighed. It seemed she would have to be dependent on these humans for a time.

“How long do you suppose we’ll have to wait?” she inquired. “The kings only know how the cubs are faring in Nuka’s ‘care.’”

[Scar]

"It certainly does. We're lucky we're allowed to walk around. The humans don't come into the woods anymore aside from the armies so I come out here to stretch my legs when I get tired of the house. So we won't be seen here." said Scar.

He paused as he heard his question.

"I don't know. But the other Outlanders could help him right? At least until we get back. Whenever that is." said Scar.

[Deleted]

Lucky?

Zira frowned at the little word. No, it wasn’t luck that kept the two of them from being in cages. They weren’t meant to be locked up. It was luck that the animals in those zoo places hadn’t risen up against the imprisoning humans and massacred them. That was what she would have done if they tried to take her.

“Hopefully that will be the case.”

The other lionesses, unlike her son, were quite competent. If worse came to worse, Zira was certain that they would be able to handle things.

A glance was spared in the direction Scar had come from. As much as she wanted to stay in the forest, she would have to go to the base sooner or later and see these humans.

“Should we go to meet your… comrades?”