There was a day of mourning to mark the death of the Pride Lands’ king, Ahadi. The news swept throughout the lands, bringing animals from all over to pay their respects to the fallen king. Among them were the sons of the king, Mufasa and Taka. While one was genuinely grieving the loss of their father, the other lion was doing his best to put on an act of sadness. For as long as the eyes of the Pride Lands’ inhabitants were on him, that certain lion did his absolute best to make his steps heavy and there was a sullen look on his muzzle that was able to be seen as a look of loss in their eyes.
The two princes stepped aside to make way for the rest of the kingdom. When he was given the chance, Taka excused himself from the others. It was thought that he was going to a place to grieve in solitude, but in actuality, the dark lion was going off to find a secluded place to celebrate.
The lion’s steps grew lighter the further he drew from his kingdom. He allowed a smile to spread on his muzzle as he ventured out further and further. Taka wasn’t sure where was going but he didn’t particularly care either. As far as he was concerned, this was a day for him to be happy. He was finally free from the torment and abuse.
Embracing the lightness within his body, Taka was soon racing through the savanna. His body sailed through the grass, making great leaps and bounds as if he were one of the antelope. For once he was able to enjoy the soft blades brushing and tickling against his pelt. He was able to laugh without wondering if his father would hear. There was nothing more for him to worry about; it was finally over…
Mufasa had watched as his brother left, but he stayed behind to join his kingdom in mourning. It was hard to grasp the fact that his father was gone, even more so was the fact that he was now expected to take the deceased lion’s place. Such a thought only made him despair more, he knew that when he ascended the throne that would mean that the final trace of his father’s presence would be gone.
For the time being, there was a solemn quiet that swept over the lands. It was shared by all animals; from the biggest to the smallest, by the prey and predators alike. As far as they all knew, Ahadi was a great king who brought about an age of growth within the Pride Lands. His life was celebrated for the many great things he blessed the inhabitants of the kingdom with. And to show how grateful they were, the many animals within the Pride Lands had all gathered to show just how much they would miss the fallen lion…
It was three days later that the coronation for the next lion in line, Mufasa, was held. There was another large gathering of animals, this time they were raising their voices in praise as the golden lion made his presence known atop Pride Rock.
The nervous lion looked down at the near endless herd of animals of all shapes and sizes. They had all gathered there to see him. More than that, they were gathered to watch him carry on the legacy of Ahadi. It was a promise he had made to himself; he would not allow all of his father’s hard work to be for nothing. Just reciting that to himself made him feel steady and even a bit confident about his ascension to the throne.
Behind him was his mate Sarabi and his brother, Taka. They were giving him looks of pride and admiration. They both had full confidence in the lion to lead them into yet another age of prosperity. Taka, was especially hoping that his brother would be a better leader in other facets in addition to ruling the land itself.
With the cheers of the Pridelanders and the support of his brother and mate behind him, Mufasa took a deep breath. He approached the royal mjuzi, Rafiki. The mandrill was waiting for him, a look of pride on his face as well. With a nod of approval, the golden lion continued on until he was before the animals that had gathered to see him.
He could feel his heart pounding and his legs trembling. It was only now that he was before the inhabitants, those who lived in what was now his kingdom, that it really sunk in for Mufasa. He was the king of the Pride Lands now, but there was still something he needed to do to make the crowning official.
Before the entirety of the Pride Lands and the Great Kings above, Mufasa roared out, solidifying his place as the current king of the long standing kingdom.
When his roar was over there was even more noise and much celebration by all. Mufasa was allowed to draw back and that’s when he was approached by his brother and mate.
“So, it is King Mufasa now. A fitting title.” Taka wore a smile of pride as he looked his newly crowned brother up and down.
Despite nothing actually changing about the lion’s appearance, Taka felt like he was looking at his sibling in a whole light, as if they were reuniting for the first time in years.
Sarabi said her own words to her mate, congratulating him on his new kingship. With him being king, that made her the queen of the Pride Lands. When she was reminded of that by Taka, the lioness was now feeling that weight of responsibility that also struck Mufasa. The two lovers grew even closer as they openly shared their mixed feelings of excitement and fear.
Taka hung back as the mates soon retired to the caverns of Pride Rock. He could see that the large crowd was also starting to disperse, thinning out as more and more animals departed. Soon the dark lion was the only one left. He stood on Pride Rock by himself, with a strange feeling now setting within him. With his brother now king and his mate queen, what was now left for him to do?
Months went by and the royal figures found themselves busier than they had ever been before. At least, Mufasa and Sarabi did. The new queen was suddenly the newest leader of the many lionesses within the pride. It was up to her to gather them, assign them the daily tasks and to keep them in order. She took on her new duty and dedicated herself to it. Sarabi knew that in keeping the lioness in order, she was making her mate’s own duties a bit easier for her.
And it did indeed ease the daily stresses that came with being tasked with the safety and future of his new kingdom. He had to ensure the blessings left in place by his father were maintained in his own stead. But as the latest in a long line of kings, there was an unspoken need to solidify himself. Each king had something they were remembered for and Mufasa wanted to have something that the future generations could recognize him for.
Between his kingly duties and the desire to be ‘one of the greats,’ Mufasa worked very hard at ruling. It took up most of his time, and what time he had left was given to his loving mate. He owed her that at the least for sticking by him and managing the lioness as exceptionally as she did.
That left the third royal figure, Taka, left out. Anything that he could have done was already handled by Mufasa. Not only that but when he offered to assist his clearly exhausted brother, Mufasa would deny his aid. At first they were king and simple words of dismissal, but as the months went by, the king was losing patience with his younger brother.
As they grew up together, their father, Ahadi, had told Mufasa in confidence that he was not sure that Taka was cut out for royal duties. He was too small, too weak, he would only end up needing help whereas Mufasa would be able to handle it all himself. At first, the young lion hadn’t thought much of his father’s words. Sure, Taka wasn’t as big and strong as him, but there was a chance the dark lion could grow into his own.
But as they grew up, it was as though that wasn’t the case. Rather, Taka became meeker, and more reclusive. They spent less and less time together. When he asked his father why this was the case, Ahadi simply said that his brother was jealous. If he was allowed to get in Mufasa’s way he would only be a nuisance and a distraction.
With the stress of leading an entire nation, the golden lion was starting to agree with his late father’s words. Rather than actually listening to his brother, Mufasa could only see that Taka wasn’t as strong or bold as he was. He wouldn’t be able to handle the pressures of leading, not even just a smidgen of it. So, at first the bigger lion was careful with his words, easing his brother to the side as he pressed on with his responsibilities. But as time went on and issues started to arise for him to solve, Mufasa’s words were cold and harsh towards his brother.
“I do not need you getting in my way,” Mufasa would say, shoving his brother out of his path.
Taka was often left behind, wondering what he had even done wrong. But with a bit of thinking, he realized that this was the product of his father. He had always favored his first born and he wouldn’t put it past the deceased lion to speak ill of him to the favored son.
Indeed, when times were tough, Mufasa thought about what his father would do in the situation. And thinking of that led to him recalling all the times that Ahadi had told him to ignore his brother and focus on his own goals. Just as much as he loved his father, Mufasa also trusted his words and followed them almost religiously.
But what the current king didn’t know was the reason why his father was hellbent on keeping the brothers apart. But Taka knew, he knew fully well why Ahadi couldn’t stand the sight of his sons, young and old, sharing a presence.
Even after the old lion’s death, Taka could never bring himself to reveal the truth. He knew it would shatter the image of his brother’s beloved father. It would also cause a rift in everything the golden lion was led to believe.
The hidden truth was that Ahadi, for as much as he loved Mufasa, hated his second son. From the moment his eyes laid upon the cub, the previous king had already cast him off as a curse, a parasite. And the reason for it, not even Taka knew himself.
As far as Mufasa and the entire kingdom knew, Ahadi was another great king that would go down in history among the others. But Taka was exposed to a different side of the ‘king of prosperity.’ Behind thick walls and in the deepest caverns where no one could hear the shouts and wails, Ahadi subjected his other son to cruel and frequent abuse, both verbal and physical.
Through the perspective of Mufasa, Taka suddenly started to avoid him. And they only grew further apart from then on. But the truth was, that Ahadi had seen his sons simply sleeping next to each other. The next day he was mercilessly punished. That was the day the dark lion was given his prominent scar. Ahadi threatened Taka to never get close to his better son, leaving the younger lion to come up with a tale of how he suddenly gained such a wound.
A very specific amount of distance was required between the two of them. But it was up to Taka to maintain it, if Mufasa was the move, the dark lion was to move accordingly. Ahadi wouldn't hear his excuses, and when the golden lion sought out his brother, Taka had no choice but to get as far away as he could. Ahadi was successful in splitting his sons apart but it was not for the reasons he wanted. But he was satisfied at the time.
As the years went on, Ahadi continued to use his son as a vessel for his anger and wrath. Even when he reached adulthood, Taka was afraid to stand up for himself, risking a greater punishment from his already hateful father. He was unable to tell anyone else, his mother wouldn’t have believed him, and he couldn’t risk getting close enough to Mufasa to tell him…
Knowing something his brother didn’t, Taka was at first able to look past his brother’s developing arrogance, but now it was starting to get to him. He couldn’t stand up to Ahadi, but he felt that he could at the very least, tell his brother how he was feeling.
There was more than that as well. In truth, Taka had been working on something ever since his father passed. It had been on his mind for years, a product of his desire to flee and never return. He thought that with Mufasa now leading things would be different, but now it seemed that he would once again be cast off and shunned, thankfully to a much lesser and painless degree.
Seeing that there was clearly no place for him left in the Pride Lands anymore, Taka accepted his plight and decided to finally leave it all behind. For the rest of the day he was making sure that he was truly ready, but he knew that simply getting up and leaving would leave one last major thing unresolved in his life…
***
Mufasa returned to Pride Rock at sundown; his paws were sore and all he wanted to do was retire to the embrace of his mate for the remainder of the night. But instead of Sarabi, the king found his brother waiting for him.
The golden lion rolled his eyes and mentally prepared himself for another waste of his time. And the moment Taka caught sight of his brother, he was already approaching.
“What is it, Taka?” Mufasa’s voice was heavy with annoyance. There was no attempt to mask it but the other lion seemed unfazed by the words and tone.
The dark lion mustered some courage and made himself speak the words that were on his mind. For better or worse, they would be the last words uttered between them for some time, maybe even the rest of their lives.
“I am leaving,” Taka said. “I am planning to leave for the Outlands. It is there where I will establish a kingdom of my own.”
The moment he heard those words, Mufasa couldn’t help but laugh. Surely it was some kind of joke. Everyone knew that the Outlands was nothing more than a barren wasteland. To even venture out there on one’s own accord was pure foolishness, but to think that he could actually make a kingdom out of the doomed land?
If he was having trouble running the land, there was no doubt in his mind that Taka would certainly fail. That was the very reason he was king rather than his smaller, weaker brother. As far as he was concerned, the proof was easy enough for him to see for himself.
Nevertheless, the king wished his brother good luck, albeit in a very condescending tone, ending it off with another bout of laughter before he pushed past the other lion for the final time.
Left alone again, Taka was left to sigh in disappointment. Though he had expected as such, the words still stung just a bit. But he wouldn’t bring himself to hate his brother for saying it. At this point he was very much tired of hatred. He had more than enough of that from his own father. After he passed, Taka had to endure the process of moving on. All he could hope for now was that he and Mufasa would one day reconcile.
He left Pride Rock behind and ventured out into the savanna. He didn’t look back as his home grew further and further away. Instead, Taka thought of what drove him to make this decision. What he wanted was a life for himself, and that was something he could never have within the Pride Lands. There, he would be destined to live under someone else, whether it be his brother or father…
Now was the time for him to carve out a path, a place for himself in the world. Taka was aware that his goal wouldn’t be an easy thing to accomplish, but he had carried determination and hope with him along the way. It carried him along as he put more and more distance between him and his former home.
When he reached the border, the sun was completely set. The lion stopped just short of the border and he looked out at the land on the other side. This wasn’t the first time he had crossed back and forth between the Pride Lands and Outlands, but this time his crossing would carry a heavy symbolism. Once he crossed over this time, there was now turning back.
First he took a deep breath and with another assurance to himself, Taka stepped over the invisible line. He didn’t just stop after the first step. There was a sudden lightness to his body as he traveled further and further away from the Pride Lands as a whole. In that moment he was completely sure of himself and his choice.
It didn’t take long for him to find some familiar faces. Shenzi, Banzai, and Ed were waiting for him, knowing of his decision as well. The dark lion had been sneaking over the border many times over the years, making friends with the inhabitants of the other land. The three hyenas were there to support the lion, not only with their presence, but with the lion’s goal.
“So, you really think you can do this?” Shenzi asked.
Taka nodded and faced the trio. “It will begin tomorrow.”
“Alright,” the female hyena continued. “If you can somehow make something of this place we’ll let you lead.”
“Thank you,” Taka said. “I will bring this land to glory. For all of our sake.”
“And we’ll help you any way we can, Taka.”
“Actually…” the lion paused and thought for a moment. “I prefer the name Scar.”
With a new life, the lion needed a new name. And this new one would remind him of why he wanted to make a kingdom of his own in the first place.
![Milo [Fully Body + Icon]](https://va.ib.metapix.net/thumbnails/medium/3639/3639538_Diamondog16_blue_bear_fullbody2_noncustom.jpg "Milo [Fully Body + Icon]")
