Post by Mizan on Sept 20, 2012 18:27:03 GMT -5
Been drawing art for my TLKIII story for the first time in ages and kinda got my juices revved for it.. so I thought I might as well share a condensed version here. Some of you may remember this story from when I was still active on TLKFAA.
Time has passed since the end of TLKII. Kovu and Kiara are the king and queen now, and Kiara has just given birth to two boy cubs. However, speculation and fear surrounds the second born male, for he resembles the evil tyrant Scar. Annoyed by the association of her son with this evil king she never met, Kiara tries to ignore the rumors, unintentionally fanning the flames by naming the cub Athari (scar) after Kovu (and therefore, after Scar).
The firstborn son, Swafi, is presented, but at his presentation, both Kovu and Simba witness the appearance of Scar's ghost looking disdainfully down at the tiny cub. Both, in superstitious ignorance, feel it's a bad omen, and discuss it with Rafiki. Swafi was to be the next King, as tradition dictates, but now they aren't so sure. Kiara is the only one who does not share this mentality. There is talk of naming the secondborn son King instead of the firstborn, but nothing is decided and a heated argument ensues. Finally, Rafiki steps in and declares that they wait to see which cub proves himself to be the superior leader. That cub will be named the king and succeed Kovu.
Time passes. Athari and Swafi are now a few months old, and best friends, doing literally everything together. Swafi, the older of the two, resembles his great grandfather Mufasa but has Kiara's golden fur, and one red eye and one green eye. The other cubs whisper about Athari because of things they've heard their parents say, but Swafi doesn't care. He ignores it. He's perfectly happy, perfectly content, a boisterous, loud, and confident cub who's just the slightest bit obnoxious... until one day, he happens upon the adults talking off to themselves. Thinking himself a superior spy and feeling nosy, Swafi hides and listens in on what they're saying. What he hears changes his entire perspective on life in general. They're saying...they're saying ATHARI should be the king instead. He leaves in a dazed fog. Why Athari? What does Athari have that he doesn't? Why don't they choose him?
In the days, weeks and months following, Swafi dwells on these unanswered questions until he is completely and totally consumed with jealousy, and begins to hate his brother. He doesn't want Athari to take his place. He doesn't want his position as king pulled out from under him. So he takes to helping fan the flames, spread the rumors that Athari is actually a Scar reincarnate. From what he can understand, Scar was an evil guy, so it makes perfect sense to try to compare and make everyone associate his sweet little brother with such a lion. Eventually, Swafi turns all the cubs in the pride against Athari. All except for one. Dayo, the son of Vitani. He remains Athari's friend, not afraid of being ostracized, much to Swafi's chagrin. He starts bullying and intimidating his brother in secret, and sometimes just outright physically abusing him, with threats to make the abuse worse if Athari tells Dayo or anyone else. Meanwhile, he pours on the charm to adults and cubs alike, until everyone fawns over him and how he's such a sweet cub. Just like Mufasa was. Swafi is proud of himself. Because now, they'll HAVE to pick him to be king. HAVE to. He has the pride's favor.
Athari meanwhile, is depressed, confused and frightened, not understanding the horrid change in his brother's attitude. There's no-one he can tell, not without suffering abuse at Swafi's expense. So he suffers in silence, telling no-one, and slowly becoming ostracized and estranged from everyone. The adults are completely oblivious, but Athari can sense the stares, hear the whispers from the older lionesses who survived Scar's reign. He knows Swafi must be telling the truth, or they wouldn't whisper like they do.
Eventually, he becomes convinced that Swafi must be right about him, and he must be under some kind of curse. It bothers him so badly that one night, he slips out under the cover of stars and runs away. He wanders along the gorge's edge for quite some time, thinking about jumping but not quite having the courage to do so. Eventually, the raging chasm dips downhill and becomes a quiet stream, and here, he discovers a lioness. He thinks she's dead, but when he comes too close she springs to her feet and attacks, hatred so fierce and vivid in her blood red eyes that he's terrified.
At least.. at first. She stares at him for a long moment. Utters that single name. Scar. And Athari breaks down again. Even THIS lioness knows about Scar's evil. He'll never escape the stigma, never. What he doesn't realize, is that in this lioness's eyes.... it's a good thing. For this lioness is Zira. Convinced that Athari IS Scar reincarnated, she takes the cub under her wing, raising him as her own, intending him to be the successor where Kovu was not.
She tells him a twisted version of her own story, making Simba and his kin out to be the evil ones, and gets him on her side. However try as she might, she just can't mold him into a killer. He's too soft, too sweet. Too weak. In a fit of frustration and rage, she slashes him across the face, giving him a scar on his left eye identical to Kovu's. Then, she tells him she has a new plan..
Zira knows that she and Athari alone won't be enough. They have to have followers. Helpers. Minions. So she seeks out the hyenas, long estranged from the Pridelands. As to be expected, Shenzi is weary of Zira's presence, remembering her from the era of Scar's reign, and is intent on killing her. Until Zira pulls her trumph card: She calls for "Scar" to come out as planned, and Athari steps forth. Now in his teen years, stepping forward with an expression of boredom, impatience and attitude as she taught him, he looks a living, breathing replica of Scar. Shenzi is skeptical of course, but most of the other hyenas are too frightened of the living ghost to disobey Zira anymore. So she's forced to go along with the crazy lioness's plan, despite her own misgivings.
Flash forward to Pride Rock. Kiara and Kovu have long since given up Athari as dead. As Swafi had hoped ,they are forced to name him the king, being the only son presumed alive. All is going well for Swafi. He is growing a mane, he has a girlfriend, he's getting ready to become the new King. Life is good. The pride is lounging on Pride Rock, following a good meal, when it happens. The older lionesses sense it first. Something bad is coming. Something horrible. Then they begin to hear it. Eventually, the younger lions do too. Something is coming their way, something huge.
An aging Simba, napping at the base of Pride Rock near the den, is the first to wake up and actually spot them. What he sees snaps his poor old aging mind in an instant: A wave of hyenas descending on Pride Rock, and at their very head: Scar and Zira. Driven insane with fear, Simba runs right at the coming hoarde, and is immediately killed by Zira.
The murder sets the stage for an all out battle of life and death in the Pridelands. The plains become a bloody battlefield for lions and hyenas, and soon are littered with the bodies of both. Athari wanders amidst the carnage meanwhile, unharmed but feeling quite lost and scared. He was the figurehead that set this whole battle into motion, and now that his purpose in Zira's plan is fulfilled, he is forgotten.
Wandering as he is, Athari stops at the sound of a familiar voice. It is his elder brother, now sporting a mane like himself. The familiar round of verbal abuse ensues, but this time, Athari can't bear to just sit and take it like he did as a cub. Years of anger are bubbling up to the surface, anger he just can't hold in anymore. So he lays into a surprised Swafi, and the battle royale begins. Swafi, being the stronger of the two, quickly wins the fight, and reveals to Athari what was wrong all along: that Athari was named king, not himself. But Swafi's going to fix that problem. Athari won't ever be an issue again. He tells Athari to say hi to Grandpa for him (if he makes it to the Great Kings anyway) before digging his teeth into his throat.
The next thing Athari knows, the battle is over. The hyenas are gone, and so is Zira. Swafi is nowhere in sight. When he questions this, Sarafina reveals that Swafi is being put on trial for the attempted assassination of a royal.
Swafi is banished, along with those who support him, since Kiara can't bear to see him put to death, even after all he's done. And Athari is left to pick up the pieces.
Obviously, I haven't worked out what happened to Zira, or made any kind of solid conclusion. But yeah. Comments?
Suggestions? Hate mail? XD
Time has passed since the end of TLKII. Kovu and Kiara are the king and queen now, and Kiara has just given birth to two boy cubs. However, speculation and fear surrounds the second born male, for he resembles the evil tyrant Scar. Annoyed by the association of her son with this evil king she never met, Kiara tries to ignore the rumors, unintentionally fanning the flames by naming the cub Athari (scar) after Kovu (and therefore, after Scar).
The firstborn son, Swafi, is presented, but at his presentation, both Kovu and Simba witness the appearance of Scar's ghost looking disdainfully down at the tiny cub. Both, in superstitious ignorance, feel it's a bad omen, and discuss it with Rafiki. Swafi was to be the next King, as tradition dictates, but now they aren't so sure. Kiara is the only one who does not share this mentality. There is talk of naming the secondborn son King instead of the firstborn, but nothing is decided and a heated argument ensues. Finally, Rafiki steps in and declares that they wait to see which cub proves himself to be the superior leader. That cub will be named the king and succeed Kovu.
Time passes. Athari and Swafi are now a few months old, and best friends, doing literally everything together. Swafi, the older of the two, resembles his great grandfather Mufasa but has Kiara's golden fur, and one red eye and one green eye. The other cubs whisper about Athari because of things they've heard their parents say, but Swafi doesn't care. He ignores it. He's perfectly happy, perfectly content, a boisterous, loud, and confident cub who's just the slightest bit obnoxious... until one day, he happens upon the adults talking off to themselves. Thinking himself a superior spy and feeling nosy, Swafi hides and listens in on what they're saying. What he hears changes his entire perspective on life in general. They're saying...they're saying ATHARI should be the king instead. He leaves in a dazed fog. Why Athari? What does Athari have that he doesn't? Why don't they choose him?
In the days, weeks and months following, Swafi dwells on these unanswered questions until he is completely and totally consumed with jealousy, and begins to hate his brother. He doesn't want Athari to take his place. He doesn't want his position as king pulled out from under him. So he takes to helping fan the flames, spread the rumors that Athari is actually a Scar reincarnate. From what he can understand, Scar was an evil guy, so it makes perfect sense to try to compare and make everyone associate his sweet little brother with such a lion. Eventually, Swafi turns all the cubs in the pride against Athari. All except for one. Dayo, the son of Vitani. He remains Athari's friend, not afraid of being ostracized, much to Swafi's chagrin. He starts bullying and intimidating his brother in secret, and sometimes just outright physically abusing him, with threats to make the abuse worse if Athari tells Dayo or anyone else. Meanwhile, he pours on the charm to adults and cubs alike, until everyone fawns over him and how he's such a sweet cub. Just like Mufasa was. Swafi is proud of himself. Because now, they'll HAVE to pick him to be king. HAVE to. He has the pride's favor.
Athari meanwhile, is depressed, confused and frightened, not understanding the horrid change in his brother's attitude. There's no-one he can tell, not without suffering abuse at Swafi's expense. So he suffers in silence, telling no-one, and slowly becoming ostracized and estranged from everyone. The adults are completely oblivious, but Athari can sense the stares, hear the whispers from the older lionesses who survived Scar's reign. He knows Swafi must be telling the truth, or they wouldn't whisper like they do.
Eventually, he becomes convinced that Swafi must be right about him, and he must be under some kind of curse. It bothers him so badly that one night, he slips out under the cover of stars and runs away. He wanders along the gorge's edge for quite some time, thinking about jumping but not quite having the courage to do so. Eventually, the raging chasm dips downhill and becomes a quiet stream, and here, he discovers a lioness. He thinks she's dead, but when he comes too close she springs to her feet and attacks, hatred so fierce and vivid in her blood red eyes that he's terrified.
At least.. at first. She stares at him for a long moment. Utters that single name. Scar. And Athari breaks down again. Even THIS lioness knows about Scar's evil. He'll never escape the stigma, never. What he doesn't realize, is that in this lioness's eyes.... it's a good thing. For this lioness is Zira. Convinced that Athari IS Scar reincarnated, she takes the cub under her wing, raising him as her own, intending him to be the successor where Kovu was not.
She tells him a twisted version of her own story, making Simba and his kin out to be the evil ones, and gets him on her side. However try as she might, she just can't mold him into a killer. He's too soft, too sweet. Too weak. In a fit of frustration and rage, she slashes him across the face, giving him a scar on his left eye identical to Kovu's. Then, she tells him she has a new plan..
Zira knows that she and Athari alone won't be enough. They have to have followers. Helpers. Minions. So she seeks out the hyenas, long estranged from the Pridelands. As to be expected, Shenzi is weary of Zira's presence, remembering her from the era of Scar's reign, and is intent on killing her. Until Zira pulls her trumph card: She calls for "Scar" to come out as planned, and Athari steps forth. Now in his teen years, stepping forward with an expression of boredom, impatience and attitude as she taught him, he looks a living, breathing replica of Scar. Shenzi is skeptical of course, but most of the other hyenas are too frightened of the living ghost to disobey Zira anymore. So she's forced to go along with the crazy lioness's plan, despite her own misgivings.
Flash forward to Pride Rock. Kiara and Kovu have long since given up Athari as dead. As Swafi had hoped ,they are forced to name him the king, being the only son presumed alive. All is going well for Swafi. He is growing a mane, he has a girlfriend, he's getting ready to become the new King. Life is good. The pride is lounging on Pride Rock, following a good meal, when it happens. The older lionesses sense it first. Something bad is coming. Something horrible. Then they begin to hear it. Eventually, the younger lions do too. Something is coming their way, something huge.
An aging Simba, napping at the base of Pride Rock near the den, is the first to wake up and actually spot them. What he sees snaps his poor old aging mind in an instant: A wave of hyenas descending on Pride Rock, and at their very head: Scar and Zira. Driven insane with fear, Simba runs right at the coming hoarde, and is immediately killed by Zira.
The murder sets the stage for an all out battle of life and death in the Pridelands. The plains become a bloody battlefield for lions and hyenas, and soon are littered with the bodies of both. Athari wanders amidst the carnage meanwhile, unharmed but feeling quite lost and scared. He was the figurehead that set this whole battle into motion, and now that his purpose in Zira's plan is fulfilled, he is forgotten.
Wandering as he is, Athari stops at the sound of a familiar voice. It is his elder brother, now sporting a mane like himself. The familiar round of verbal abuse ensues, but this time, Athari can't bear to just sit and take it like he did as a cub. Years of anger are bubbling up to the surface, anger he just can't hold in anymore. So he lays into a surprised Swafi, and the battle royale begins. Swafi, being the stronger of the two, quickly wins the fight, and reveals to Athari what was wrong all along: that Athari was named king, not himself. But Swafi's going to fix that problem. Athari won't ever be an issue again. He tells Athari to say hi to Grandpa for him (if he makes it to the Great Kings anyway) before digging his teeth into his throat.
The next thing Athari knows, the battle is over. The hyenas are gone, and so is Zira. Swafi is nowhere in sight. When he questions this, Sarafina reveals that Swafi is being put on trial for the attempted assassination of a royal.
Swafi is banished, along with those who support him, since Kiara can't bear to see him put to death, even after all he's done. And Athari is left to pick up the pieces.
Obviously, I haven't worked out what happened to Zira, or made any kind of solid conclusion. But yeah. Comments?
Suggestions? Hate mail? XD