A Host of Little Scars

I can't draw Nala. I just wanted to get that out there right away. I just can't seem to draw her face.

And I totally BSed that background.

Anyway. Since I discovered that a quite frankly amazing group of fans animated part of the song from the broadway show, "The Madness of King Scar," I have been inspired to draw my own "host of little Scars." So here's my version of Nala and Scar's cubs.

In this universe, Scar discovered that Nala was planning to run away from the Pride Lands, and had the hyenas cripple her leg so she couldn't run. Nala realized she wouldn't ever be able to leave now, and was forced to be Scar's queen. She decided to make the best of it and try to change the kingdom from the inside, rather than going for outside help. As his queen, she did everything she could to undermine his authority and make sure her lionesses and everyone else got fed, but it was hard going. Zira also doesn't apply in this world, just to make writing this easier. Either she left to go do other things and never came back, or she just doesn't exist. Either way.

I might do more with these guys later, maybe draw them as adults and write what happened to them later.

Here are their cubs and their ages and stories, from oldest to youngest.


Bembea (age 21):

(largest lioness)

    Bembea is the first child of King Scar and Queen Nala. Her name came from how her parents went back and forth about whether she would be their heir. Nala thought that Scar was against having Bembea as his heir because of her gender. While this was a factor, it was mostly because of how much the cub resembled his mother, Uru. The mother he had murdered.

    In the end, Scar reluctantly agrees to make Bembea his heir, at least for now. But if Nala has another cub, Scar planned to reverse his decision and select a new heir.

    Scar avoided the girl as she grew, because of her similarity to Uru. Bembea was mostly raised by Nala and the other lionesses. As a result, she grew up as a quiet, calm lioness. She didn't have the fire of her mother, but she was deeply compassionate. Nala knew that she would make a good queen one day.

    Unfortunately, Scar was already training Bembea's younger sister to take over. Bembea and Nala didn't know the girl very well, but they knew Scar was raising her to be cruel and violent. The few times they had seen her, the child had been arrogant and had spoken of how powerful a queen she would be. Both lionesses knew they couldn't let the girl become queen.

    When Bembea was 21, Scar fell deathly ill. Nala knew that she had to act fast. The lionesses already supported Bembea, and so did most of the herds. But one more element was needed. Lately, hunting had been very scarce, and the hyena clan was not getting very well fed. None of them were happy with Scar's reign, particularly their new matriarch, Anana. Nala talked to her and convinced her to support Bembea when the time came, not her sister. Anana agreed, and when Scar died, the whole kingdom rose to support Bembea as the new queen.

    Bembea was nervous about being as bad a ruler as Scar, but she turned out to be compassionate and wise. She helped the land heal after Scar's horrible rule, and as time passed, the Pride Lands began to flourish under her rule.

Mwiba (age 15):

(spiky-haired male)

    The first son of Scar would have been a likely candidate for his heir. Unfortunately, Mwiba was so tiny and sickly when he was born that Scar just turned away and scoffed. This was no heir of his.

    He would come to regret this decision. Mwiba soon grew and grew, becoming a large, playful, healthy cub. Mwiba was an energetic, mischievous sort. In his adulthood, he remained a lighthearted joker, but grew greatly in maturity.

    When he was 15, his father died, and his older sister became the new Queen. He had always been close with Bembea. She was a caring and devoted older sister. Now that she was queen, Mwiba pledged to always be loyal to her and help protect her reign. As an adult, he became Bembea's guard, and her adviser.

Pala (age 11):

(younger female)

    Pala's birth seemed to finally satisfy Scar. This child was female, which was a problem, but she was large and strong, and she looked almost exactly like him. She would be perfect as the future queen. Scar named her after himself, and almost mockingly after Nala, before stealing her away and taking her to a cave. A hyena who'd recently given birth to cubs was brought in to nurse the cub until she was weaned, but other than that, Scar was the only lion she was allowed to interact with for a very long time.

    He trained her to be as cruel and hateful as he was. Pala drank in his lessons eagerly. She adored her father and looked up to him, and aspired to be like him in every way. She loved feeling powerful, learning to fight... and to kill.

    She was not raised alone. A year after she was born, Scar brought her younger brother to live with them in her cave. Her younger brother was utterly loyal to her, and Pala relied on him and was grateful for his support. Together, the two grew in strength and cruelty.

    Pala met her mother a few times. Once she was older, Scar took her out to meet her pride, showing her off and allowing her to meet her future subjects. Nala approached her and tried to start a friendly conversation, but Pala just turned away with a sneer. Scar had told her that her mother was an ungrateful bitch, and Pala believed him. Nala had been crippled because she hadn't wanted to be Scar's queen. Pala couldn't understand it. Who wouldn't want to stand at Scar's side? How ungrateful could this simple lioness be? Pala wanted nothing to do with her mother, no mater what Nala said.

    Scar died when Pala was only eleven. The cub grieved deeply for the father she had lost. It was only made worse when Nala betrayed her and stole her throne, giving it to Bembea instead. Pala was furious. She roared that this was her throne, and her ugly sister didn't deserve it. Pala tried to attack Bembea, but the other lionesses pulled her away. Defeated, Pala ran away to her cave, sobbing. Her younger brother finally tried to talk her down from her rage. He convinced her that the best thing for them both was to leave the Pride Lands. Scar had taught them a little about hunting, so they would be able to survive. They could learn how to fight and test their mettle on other rogues.

    Then, when they were old enough, they would come back and take what had been stolen from them.

Hifadhi (age 10):

(pale male cub)

    Hifadhi's birth was something of an accident, and a problem for Scar. As a male, Hifadhi was a far more suitable heir than Pala. Scar almost considered going back on his decision and making Hifadhi his heir. However, he'd already announced that Pala was to be his heir. The lionesses, and even the hyenas were getting sick of him constantly going back and forth about his heir. Scar knew that there were whispers about what a bad king he was, talk of revolt. He would have to tread lightly. So Pala remained his heir.

    However, after some thought, Scar realized Hifadhi wasn't useless to him at all. Pala was strong, but as a female, he still viewed her as physically weaker. She could use a guard. Scar took Hifadhi away from Nala as well, carrying him to the cave where Pala was being raised. He trained the boy to be completely loyal to his sister, and to protect her at all costs. Hifadhi learned these lessons well. He was a quiet, serious sort of lion, completely loyal to his sister and ready to fight for her at a moment's notice.

    When Scar died and Pala's throne was stolen, Hifadhi knew they wouldn't be able to take it back, as young as they were. He was the one who came up with the idea to leave the Pride Lands. There was nothing more they could do here, for now. Better to grow bigger and stronger, and come back when they had the element of surprise on their side.

    Then he would help reclaim what Pala had lost.

Jua (age 0):

(baby cub)

    Jua was born shortly after Scar's death. He never had to meet his cruel sire. Nala was very nervous about the birth of this small cub; just as she thought she was free of Scar, this cub came who looked almost exactly like him, far more than Pala. But as Jua grew, Nala began to notice differences from Scar. A lighter mane, Nala's eyes. She named him Jua because this cub was a ray of sunshine after all the darkness she'd had to suffer. She was going to raise him to be a sweet, loving lion. He would have none of the darkness of his sire. Nala would make sure of it.

    Jua grew to be a constantly cheerful lion, always smiling and always trying to make other lions smile. He loved hunting with the lionesses, and was constantly helping around the kingdom with whatever needed doing.