They were half way back to Pride Rock when Scar stopped and laid Tama on the ground. He shook his mane once and scanned the nearby scrubland.

"Here," he stated obliquely.

Tama stretched and winced, lowering herself awkwardly to the ground.

Scar watched her for a moment, taking in her state in the quiet, all-seeing way he had. "Don't get too comfortable, Tama. We will have company soon."

Tama looked at him, her deep orange gaze strong, despite her pain.

"Call me Zira."

"No," Scar responded immediately, looking out at the grasses around them.

"Why??"

"You know why."

"'It's not really a rule, if you just made it up yourself.' You said that!" Tama growled back.

Scar gave her a sidelong smile. "So you have been listening."

"I listen," Tama insisted grumpily. Scar chuckled.

"Your sister will be so very disappointed."

"My sister can go choke on a hyena cock," Tama spat.

Scar's grin didn't waver, but his eyes slid back to the prairie around them. "Patience."

Tama leaned between her legs to clean herself, but hissed at the first touch of her own tongue and gave up.

"This better be--"

"Shhh," Scar silenced her, his ears pricking. Tama listened as well. She couldn't hear anything. Scar smiled and nodded, as if someone had spoken to him, and then sat. Tama waited, looking at the spot Scar's gaze had fixed on.

She was about to speak up again when an almost-teen lioness walked into view, her rangy form sliding out of the tall grass soundlessly.

"Oh hi, Bianca", Tama jeered. The other lioness growled.

"My name is Zira!" She spat.

"Not any more!" Tama crowed. Bayankaa shot a glance at Scar.

"No!"

"Oh, she quite earned it," Scar grinned back.

"NO! Impossible!" Bayankaa roared at Tama, who snarled back at her, dropping into a crouch.

Scar took a single step forward. "Are you questioning me?" he asked, his voice as placid as a pool on a clear day. Bayankaa shrank back, ears to her skull.

"No, Scar," she groveled.

Scar held her eyes for a long moment, then stepped aside. "Good. You understand our agreement. Address your sister properly. Now."

Bayankaa rose, her muscles visibly quivering, hate pouring from her red eyes. But she didn't hesitate.

"Well done, Zira. You have served our king, Scar, as his most loyal servant." She swallowed. "You alone are entitled to be named his right-paw." She took a growl-filled breath. "You are first among the Ziras, and I... I...," she hissed, her claws scratching the earth, "I submit to you, as I submit to our king Scar."

Tama stood up straight as a lioness having her first kill recognized, her soreness momentarily forgotten, and her eyes stared straight into her sisters', matching shades of red in the dusk sun.

Scar sighed towards the heavens. "Yes, yes, well done. You've managed not to kill each other for one more day. So far." He stepped between them, stealing their gaze for himself. "Come, now, we have much more important things to discuss than your petty rivalry, girls."

"Yes, Scar," they responded in tandem. It made Scar smile. Such good little soldiers.

"This was a great success," Scar nodded to each girl. "I discovered everything I needed to know. I admit, I was skeptical when you dared suggest Sarafina's get could be of any use to me, but a wise lion sees when he has been wrong.”

"So Nala will be on our side?" Asked Bayankaa.

"Perhaps," Scar turned his head slightly. "She is malleable. Fierce. Strong. But she was not who I was investigating."

"What?" Cried Tama, her ears straight up. "You said you would recruit her! We went through all this trouble!" Her paw stroked along her own tail in silent complaint.

"I did," Scar nodded cooly, choosing to ignore Tama's outburst, though she quieted again at his expression. "But I have seen further than either of you. You assumed we were testing Nala. No. In the end she's just another lioness."

Zira and Bayankaa looked at each other.

"No lioness is just a lioness!" Bayankaa spoke up at last. "We're pivotal to your plan, Scar."

"Of course, of course," Scar mollified, "But far from the whole plan. Nor should you be. I already have you two. You are enough." The two girls stood taller at that.

"You were testing Simba!" Tama suddenly blurted, her eyes wide. "You told me you wanted to see how Nala treated him... But that wasn't true, was it? Not all the way."

"Good, good. You're learning. No, not true. Not all the way. While everyone thought I was fully distracted by the chance to breed that little slut--as if I would be interested in such a thing--I was watching my nephew.

"But why?" Bayankaa cocked her head. "Simba’s just a cub. He's a spoiled brat. The whole pride knows it."

"No." Scar's gaze drifted, looking into the waving fields of grass, as if to follow the sun behind the horizon. The girls waited, shuffling awkwardly.

"Only when life is at its worst, do you see who a lion really is," he finally said. "You see a spoiled brat. That's just the same as saying you see a young lion. They're all brats. You may as well simply notice his golden color, or point out his spots have faded." Scar's eyes narrowed, and his black claws dug idly into the dirt. Both girls had seen him like this before, and remained still. Motionless and silent, watching the dark lion's lips quiver, his eyes roaming over the ghosts of his past.

"I let you try to break him, and you didn't even realize when you lost control. You see nothing," he hissed. "What I saw was a lion who will become a king. Who will win subjects to him. Who will try to take my throne!" Scar snarled, and the girls shrank back as his green gaze slid to them. "Killing Mufasa means nothing if the lionesses desert me!"

"That's our job, Scar!" Bayankaa dared interject.

"Two among twenty!" Scar growled.

"You always said Simba had to go anyway, when he grows up. What's the big deal?" Tama asked. Scar lunged, faster than either girl could react, his paw grabbing Tama's muzzle until her cheeks bulged.

"The big deal, my young Zira," Scar snarled, "is that the lionesses will not let him go, once he's of age, even if Mufasa is gone."

"You'll be the king, they wouldn't dare interfere!" Bayankaa objected.

"My brother has ingratiated himself to them through his foolish traditionalism," Scar snarled, tossing Tama aside and turning his attention to her sister. "But mark my words, in times of change tradition crumbles like dry sand. Will they follow me, the rightful king they have spurned, or a lion who they've only ever known as prince? A fit young male who reminds them of his father and has spent seasons learning his teachings? Simba isn't the enemy, you fools; it is the idea of Simba I must contend with!"

"It is your right!" Bayankaa growled.

"Right is what you take. Nothing else," Scar blinked once and turned, stalking back away from the girls, sitting with his back to them.

"I had hoped Simba could be of use to me," he said, his voice softer now. "A spoiled prince, once hurt and full of longing to be protected, would be easy to control. Useful. But I saw into him today. It won't work. He is too resilient." He lowered his head, tail flipping from side to side.

"So... what do we do?" Tama asked in a soft voice.

Scar was silent for a long time, his tail flipping, beating a tempo in the earth.

He turned, his gaze dark. "The timeframe has changed," he said at last. "I will not risk the Pridelands' destiny--my destiny--on one lion. We must control our factors."

"But how?" Bayankaa asked.

"Simba must die with his father," Scar growled, to the gasps of both girls.

"Scar, he's just a cub! Like... Like Tama!" Bayankaa looked at her sister, and Tama saw concern there for the first time in seasons.

"The obvious, the obvious! Everyone only sees THE OBVIOUS!" Scar roared, slamming his paw into the ground.

"There must be another way?" Tama whispered.

"No." Scar growled. "There is only one way left. Before Simba can be known as anything more than the obvious. Before the pride sees what it wants to see. We are out of time." The dark lion turned, his eyes glowing with the light of the rising moon. "By the time the moon next gives birth, my brother and my nephew must be dead."

"Can't you just... send him away?" Tama whispered.

Scar's eyes trained on her, but she held them, this once.

"You care for the usurper?" he growled.

"No," Tama said softly, "but… I guess... He's just a lion. I didn't mind hurting him a little, but... Killing him? He's not the real usurper. Not yet. Mufasa is."

"Mercy is a powerful ally, on the right hunt, and twice deadly in the wrong one," Scar quoted, holding Tama's gaze as if daring her to flinch. She didn't.

"You surprise me, Zira," Scar blinked and then nodded. "I make no promises. But if it can be arranged, I will banish the cub, instead. All the cubs of the unfaithful. Let it be my first act of unwinding the tyranny of tradition.

Tama bowed, her muzzle to the ground. "Thank you, Scar!" she exclaimed.

"Don't thank me yet," Scar growled. "One moon is not enough time for this to happen cleanly, even for me. There will be contingencies."

"We are with you Scar. On our name, as your Ziras," Bayankaa stomped her foot, and Tama did the same, echoing "As your Ziras."

Scar grunted. "On to other matters, then. Nala proved most interesting. You were right to bring her before me." Tama sat up a little, eyes alight.

"She's still Sarafina's daughter,'" Bayankaa spat.

"Yes. But blood isn't everything. Though I share your distaste," Scar said to the bristling teen lioness.

"She's such a... a.... ugh!" Bayankaa gave up on words and sat in a huff. "Her you can kill," she growled, and Scar laughed.

"Perhaps, perhaps," he agreed. "But perhaps, young Nala can be of more use as one of us, hmm? I believe she has potential."

“Nala?? A Zira?? Ugh, she’s so prissy and bossy!”

Scar regarded the teen, one eyebrow raised.

“Fine, but I’m not prissy,” Bayankaa grumbled discontentedly.

"You're just jealous!" Tama snorted. "Nala's strong, fast, and clever. She'll be a great huntress!"

"Blah blah blah" Bayankaa mouthed mockingly, while Tama was speaking, moving her paw like a mouth. "I'm surprised you can see her do anything, with your muzzle so far up her ass."

"There are plenty of huntresses," Scar interrupted. "I need more than that. I need lionesses who can understand that there is more at stake than which male impregnates them, or tells them how much to hunt."

"And that's all the other girls ever talk about," Tama groused. "Like, who cares? They're always whispering about it like it's a choice. Yuck!"

"Mmm", Scar agreed noncommittally.

"Well I care which lion impregnates me," Bayankaa said watching Scar, her unusually low voice taking on even more depth.

"Oh gag me with an elephant dong," Tama rolled her eyes. "Uh... no offense, Sire," she added sheepishly to Scar.

"None taken," he responded dryly. "Nevertheless, Nala shows... potential."

"Even if she didn't, you sure looked like you were having fun playing with her," Tama giggled, watching a flash of fury flow over her sister's face. "You roared like a king in her ass! And you got her to eat yours! Bet you wish you were there to see that, huh Bianca?" She giggled.

"I'm. Going. To. Tear. Your. Cunt. Out." Baynakaa snarled, turning on Tama with her hackles raised.

"Down," Scar said, as if bored. Bayankaa flinched, but stopped, mouthing "later" to Tama, drawing a paw across her throat. Tama responded with a rude hunting signal.

"It's a huge risk, Scar," Bayankaa pointed out, pulling herself under control, turning from Tama like she didn't exist. To Tama's visible annoyance. "She's still Sarafina's daughter, which means you can't think straight about her. And Sarafina's a bitch, but she's still the mistress of the hunt for a reason. She's going to see you spending time with her cub and go on the hunt for your balls.

“Our mother is dead, and you took care of us when we came to the Pridelands. We trust you. Nala's going to have Sarafina whispering in her ear every day about how great Mufasa is compared to whatever hell hole she came from and what a sack of shit you are. Especially after today... How long until Nala listens to her?"

Baynkaa paused for a breath and ducked her head, as if embarrassed.

"Go on," Scar said smoothly.

"Well, I'm just saying... How can you trust her? How can we trust her? On top of that, she and Simba are all buddy-buddy. Or at least they used to be... I don’t know what Tama managed to get her to do, but is that gonna change? Well? Is it?"

"Probably not," Tama admitted, scuffing the earth.

"So what? She's just gonna be okay with us planning to run him out of the Pridelands? I don't buy it."

Scar smiled and stepped forward, putting a paw on Bayankaa's chin. "Such a mind," he chuffed in pleasure, watching her eyes widen in delight at the praise. He nuzzled her between the eyes, and then twisted, batting her in the same spot so hard she dropped to the ground without so much as a grunt.

"If you ever presume to give me your opinion when I have not asked for it again, I will feed you to hyenas. Alive." Scar reached down, lifting her roughly by the fuzz of her chin. "Are we clear?"

"Ohhh... Yes, Scar," she gasped, eyes watering.

"Of course it's a risk, you fool" Scar snarled. "In war, risks must be taken. And make no mistake, girls, this is a war. Just because our claws remain hidden does not mean we can afford to move them from our enemy's throat. The very things that make Nala a threat makes her a valuable ally. You think of yourself as Sarafina's rival, Bayankaa, but I assure you Sarafina does not concern herself with you."

Bayankaa’s ears lay flat in shamed anger, a snarl covering her muzzle even as she rubbed at her sore head.

"You'd do better to consider Nala, if you were paying attention," Scar insisted. "She will take after her mother."

"She's a cub!" Bayankaa ground out. "I could tear her apart like rotten fruit, and I am seasons older! I will be mistress of the hunt while she's still hiding under her mother's tail!"

"Not forever," Scar grunted. "Not for long, and not for certain. She has a fire in her I haven't seen since I found you two surviving in the wild; near starved yet still ready to take on all of Africa." Scar chuffed at the memory. "Fire like that is rare in those who have not yet been tested. And the ability to control it is rarer still. She will rise to meet you like no rival you've ever faced, my dear Bayankaa. Even your sister. You will see."

Bayankaa looked to Tama, who shrugged and looked off to the side, embarrassed. "She's way better at hunting practice than I am," she admitted. "And wrestling. She can beat all the boys. Even the older ones. I only win so-- most of the time," she sat up straight, as if trying to retain some pride, despite her admission.

Bayankaa snarled, but looked down, claws moving as if Nala was in her grasp. But she did not retort.

Scar nodded. "It's settled then. I will pursue the matter. I will make my decision, and you will abide either way.”

"Yes, Scar," Bayankaa said, a bit sullenly.

“Yes, Scar,” Tama echoed.

"Now, at last we speak on happier things," Scar's muzzle quirked in what could have been interest or sarcasm.

"Zira, you have served me well. You accomplished your mission, and more. Thanks to you, I have dealt tradition a great blow as surely as if my teeth were against a rival's neck. Mufasa himself looked on as I made Sarafina pay for her degeneracy. As I took from her the only thing she loves." He smiled a wicked smile. "As I spoiled her cub and revealed her for a true-born slut, just like her mother." He licked his lips, eyes gleaming and distant. "Truely, a day to remember," he chuffed, licking his lips again.

"You have not only earned your name, but a gift, as well. What do you wish from your king, Zira?"

Tama wet her lips and stepped forward, with a deep breath. She had prepared for this, and she looked up at Scar with determination in her eyes.

"Your majesty, I want only one thing..." Tama took a breath, doing her best to stand rigid at attention, though her eyes strayed behind him to Bayankaa. "I want you to fuck me while she watches. My sister, I mean. Make her watch you breed me. Tell her my belly is the only one fit for your cubs and show her the truth of it."

"How delightfully petty," Scar rolled his eyes. "If not original", he added, glancing at Bayankaa, though her red eyes were fixed on Tama.

"And while you take your pleasure... Tell her I am the better vessel for your heirs and successors."

"You BITCH!" Bayankaa roared, lunging forward in threat. "You little cunt! As if your dry hyena pussy could even begin to be worthy of Scar's seed! You're a fucking cub, you idiot. He could mount you until Priderock crumbles and you'd bear nothing but queefs."

"I don't see you with a swollen belly, even after you forced me to watch you humiliate yourself through your entire first heat! Face it, you're barren as the Great Desert, filthy hag! Our king deserves better, Bianca."

The two roared in unison, lunging at each other. A cloud of dust and snarls erupting around them.

"This is why I prefer lions, you know," Scar grunted, unheard, watching the scuffle.

He let the battle continue for a few moments, watching. The two parted at last, breathing heavily and circling, ears back and hackles raised, both bearing new bloody scratches. He took note. Certainly, Tama could never win such a fight, even if she were in better physical condition, but she remained upright against her more powerful sister. That was something. And a Zira who could not defend her name was no useful thing at all.

Still, this was not the time for dominance games. So, as the girls prepared to re-engage he raised his voice; "Enough!"

The two backed away from each other. Slowly, still snarling, not taking their eyes from each other, but obedient. Scar noticed a tear in Bayankaa's eyes, knowing her battle was lost. He sighed. Sentiment. He had much work to do with her, yet.

"You will have your wish, Zira", Scar said, padding towards the pair.

"Scar, please", Bayankaa mewed in a sound barely a whisper.

"Question me again! One more time!" Scar roared, turning and towering over Bayankaa as she shrank back. "You had your time! You had your chance. Do not dare to think that you are owed more than I give, do you understand, Bayankaa? I have not supported and raised you up for long seasons--suffering against the will of this pride in your name--to have you questioning my decisions.” Spittle flew from his mouth, dashing over her head and ears. “I am your king!"

"Yes, Scar, yes... Yes..." the young lioness gasped, over and over head low at his feet.

"I know of your ambitions," Scar sneered. He put his paw on Zira's neck, pulling on her nape until she was forced to look upwards in an uncomfortable stretch. "I will choose my own queen when it suits me. If it suits me. And if it is not you, then you will gladly sit by my side and watch as I put my cubs in my chosen’s belly. You will care for them as your own and raise them to be mighty in my name."

"Yes, Scar! I swear it!" Bayankaa gasped. Scar dropped her to the ground in a puff of dirt.

"Now, what should I do for Zira, who has pleased me?" he growled low to her.

"You must reward her effort," Bayankaa said, head low. "You must breed her, and I will watch, hoping you father strong cubs on my sister."

Scar grunted, and ran a paw through his mane, calming. "Well…, you're right about one thing, there's no fear of that." He turned to Tama. "Why would you wish for such a thing, out of season, when you can hardly walk, girl?"

"I just... I just wanted..."

"Oh? You ‘just wanted’? You just... what? Felt something?" Scar snorted in derision. "You don't want me to mount you any more than I wish to do it. Which is not at all. You want to exert the small scrap of power I have given you over your sister and belittle her, because you are still a petulant child. That is not the nature of real power, little Zira. It is not a prize piece of kill to be flaunted over the less fortunate. That is weakness masquerading as strength. Pride mistaken for power. No, power is what you know you can do, and no one can oppose. It does not require proof beyond action. You make a mockery of yourself, trying to prove who you already are. And you disrespect the gift I have given you."

Tama sat low, ears and eyes down.

"Yes, Scar," she whimpered. "I understand. I'm sorry."

Scar growled, regarding the two young lionesses. He had much work to do still, but he knew they would bear no more this evening. There were a few moments of silence as he considered the turn of the evening.

"Well, the heart wants what it wants," he said at last. "Calling it foolishness--and make no mistake, it is foolishness--won't make you want it less. Either of you. But the day is coming when there will not be room for such errors. When I will need lionesses, not cubs. So think well what that day will find you desiring. Make it worth something. I have named you my Ziras. The lionesses who will help me tear down the old and raise up the new. Who understand the power of righteous hatred of the unjust. You are the seeds of a new era. Act like it."

He turned to Tama, "You will have your wish. At a time of my choosing. Not now. You're in no shape for such things. You need rest. If you insist on such a foolish prize, I will deliver it, but only when I know our position is secure."

"Yes, Scar", Tama said meekly, still looking down.

"And you, Bayankaa, will do just as you said. You will watch and applaud your sister's victory. You will cheer and encourage her to pleasure me well. You've made a study of what I enjoy, haven't you?"

Bayankaa dared to look up, surprised, her eyes meeting Scar's unblinking gaze.

"I have, your majesty," she whispered. "I seek nothing but to please you."

"Good. Then you will show your sister what you have learned, at that time. Demonstrate how best to pleasure your king."

Bayankaa's ears perked up a little, eyes widening at the thought.

"Yes, my king!"

Scar rubbed her head, along the dark headstripe that had begun to appear as she got older. He ran his paw around her ear to her cheek, cupping it tenderly.

"You have the strength of three lionesses your age, Bayankaa. You are a mighty warrior. There is no honor in fighting your sister, a cub less than half your size. You distract yourself with fear of me giving her cubs first, when you know she won’t be old enough to bear them for seasons. You are clever, but not wise; always fighting shadows instead of real threats. Your king demands better.”

"Yes, Scar," Bayankaa lowered her eyes. "I am sorry I shamed you."

Scar nodded, not answering. Turning to the horizon, where Pride Rock sat hidden in the darkness. "Tomorrow everything will change, girls," he said. "It is the start of something new. Something great. But it will not be easy, so enjoy our victory while you can."

"But what are we going to do about Simba?" Bayankaa asked.

"And Nala," Tama added. Scar was silent a moment longer.

"I don't know. But I will," he said, beginning to walk towards the brush, then turned as he passed, green eyes flashing in the moonlight. "Have I ever mentioned my old friend Shenzi?"

"Shenzi?" Bayankaa asked, scrunching her nose. "I've never heard of a lion named Shenzi... What an ugly name."

"Perceptive," Scar said. "I suspect you'd like her," he said with a chuckle, turning and walking again. The girls trailed after. "You have a lot in common."

"Is she from another pride?" Tama asked, confused.

"Something like that," Scar muttered. "We knew each other as children. I have kept my eye on her from afar for a while. I believe she may have come up in the world recently. Perhaps she would be eager to... solidify her position."

"She would be a Zira?" Bayankaa guessed.

"Oh heavens, no," Scar laughed to himself. "But she has... A willingness to do what must be done."

"So do we!" Tama chirped in offense.

"Mmm. Well. Be that as it may, new problems may require new… solutions." Scar stopped for a moment and turned, a smile on his face. "Don't worry, girls. I have a plan."

Tama and Bayankaa looked at each other. They knew that expression, and smiles crept over both their muzzles in tandem. Scar had a plan!

"What should we do, Scar?" Bayankaa asked, excited fervor in her eyes.

"Celebrate," Scar said simply. His eyes narrowed, though his smile never wavered. "And be prepared."