Litari stomped his foot. "NO NO NO NO NO!" he bellowed. Zira timidly came in the room.
"Something troubling you, darling?"
"I HATE that Scar!" he snarled. "He is NOT a good king at all!"
Zira frowned. "I think he is a very good ruler. Why don't you like him?"
Litari bared his teeth. "Are you a fool? Look out there. There's no food for miles around! Many have requested to move. But will he let us? No! He's too stubborn, he's too-"
"Stop talking like that!" Zira screamed back. "He's a great king!"
In his anger, Litari raised a clawed paw and smacked Zira in the face. She fell. She held her paw to her cheek. Blood soaked through her matted fur.
"Litari, you're out of control!"
He smacked her again, badly cutting her shoulder. Zira shrieked. Vitani ran in.
"Mom?" She saw her mommy bleeding on the floor. She glared at Litari.
"Daddy, you hit her, didn't you?"
"Any complaining and I'll hit you too!" he growled. Vitani lay by her mother, licking her wounds and purring in an attempt to comfort her.
"Fine!" Litari yelled. "If you will ignore me, then you will never see me again! Goodbye, Zira!" Litari stormed out of the room. Zira softly started to weep.
Nuka ran in. "Vitani, what-" he started to say. Then he saw Zira. "Dad hurt her again, huh?" Vitani nodded sadly. Nuka kissed his mother.
"I'm sorry I didn't come sooner." Nuka said softy.
"It's all right, children. I'll be fine." Zira limped off. Vitani's longing eyes locked with Nuka's. "Dad's gone. He said he would never come back." Nuka shook his head sadly. With teary eyes, the brother and sister nuzzled.
Scar's paws stepped on dry grass and bones.
"Oh, my." he thought to himself. "These lions sure live in terrible conditions." He went to a cave that was nearby. He was going to wish a lioness well who had just delivered a child. She smiled when he came in.
"Congratulations, Zira." he smiled. He saw the small ball of fur lying in the warmth of her arms. "His name is Kovu." Zira smiled. Scar gently patted the baby's forehead.
"He's beautiful." he grinned. "Like his mother."
Zira blushed. "Oh Scar, you're sweet."
"My dear," Scar said, "where is your husband? I wish to congratulate him, too."
Vitani stepped up. "He's gone." she said sadly. Scar looked sympathetic. "I'm sorry."
He patted Kovu again. "You poor creatures. Having to live in this terrible place. How did you come to live here?"
"Years ago, before Your brother's death, we got into an arguement about who should be king: my son, Nuka, or Simba. I said that Nuka would be more qualified." She winked at Nuka, who was nearby.
"Aw, gee." he blushed.
"But of course, Mufasa was stubborn. He refused me and exiled us to the Outlands."
Scar looked thoughtful. Then he said, "Zira, you, your family and all Outlanders are now invited to live in the Pridelands."
"Oh, really?" Vitani cried. "Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!" she pranced around exitedly. "Mom! We're gonna live in the Pridelands!"
"So who's gonna be king?" Nuka chattered. "Will it be me? Please pick me! I would be the best king! Please pick me! Please please PLEASE!"
Scar smiled. "No, young man, I have already chosen the one who will be king." He held Kovu in his arms. "Your brother, Kovu."
Nuka growled. "Kovu? Blech!" he stuck out his tongue. Vitani got excited again. "Chosen one? Yay!" Zira was overwhelmed with joy, but also with exhaustion. She smiled. Her eyes closed. She was soon asleep.
Scar spoke softly to Nuka and Vitani. "Your brother will be a great king someday, but your mother, now, will be my Queen."
Vitani gasped. "Really? But my mother hasn't the capabilites to be Queen!"
"Oh, but she does." said Scar. "She is kind, caring, beautiful-and a good mother. She will be my queen and when young Kovu is old enough...." He smiled at them. "he will be the future king."
So the Outlanders moved to the Pridelands. Hyenas still lived there also, and Scar and Zira were the King and Queen. Scar loved and cared for Zira and he cared for her children as if he were their father. Kovu was never told about Litari.
Kovu loved Scar like a father, and Scar loved Kovu like the son he never had.
But after the Great Battle (during which the Outlanders had been hunting and so were not there), and Scar was dead and Simba the king, Zira would not stand for it.
A few days after the presentation of Kiara, Zira and the other Outlanders stormed up to the new King.
"You murderer!" Zira snarled. "YOU are not the rightful king! My son is!"
"Zira," Simba said firmly, "make a choice. We can have peace and Outlanders will be allowed here still, or we can not have peace and you will all be exiled again. What will it be?"
Zira's sneering facial expression did not change. Her piercing eyes stared Simba through. "Murderer."
"All right. You've made your choice." Simba pointed towards the Outlands. "Leave."
"This isn't over, Simba!" Zira and the others slinked away.
"YOU'RE LYING!"
"I'm not, Kovu. You have to know the truth."
Kovu ran over to Nuka, who was sitting nearby. "Nuka, is she telling the truth?"
He nodded. "Yeah, sorry kid."
Kovu ran to Zira, tears overflowing his small eyes. "Mama, is it true?"
"Is what true?"
"Nuka and Vitani said Scar isn't my father!"
Zira sighed sadly. "I'm sorry, my darling, but . . . they're right."
"What do you mean?!"
She explained the whole story to Kovu. She finished with saying, "......then, he just, left."
"Why did you all lie, Mother?"
"You loved Scar so, and I just couldn't bear to tell you the truth. And I'm really sorry now that I had to tell you, after his death. I'm just so sorry."
"Now he's gone." Kovu wept.
"Don't be sad, Kovu. Remember what I told you about the Great Kings of the Past?"
Kovu lifted his tear-drenched face. He sniffed. "Yeah."
"What did I tell you, dear?"
"You said: "The Great Kings of the Past live forever in the stars and in our hearts."
"That's right. And just remember: whenever you feel alone, just remember that those kings will always be there to guide you. And so will Scar."
Kovu nuzzled his mother and thanked her for the comforting.
She left. That night, Kovu stayed outside late into the night, when the stars covered the vast sky, looking like beautiful diamonds. As Kovu watched them, he felt a blanket of warmth and peace cover him.
"Hello, Great Kings." he whispered. He smiled to himself. "Hello, Scar . . . Father."