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Do you ever think about some traits an adult has and wonder whether they existed as a youth?

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Drabble: Father

It was evening. An auburn lion sat on the edge of Pride Rock, gaze set on the horizon. In that moment, he almost looked like a representation of the setting sun itself. His dark mane was majestic, but not even the amber glow could hide the grey strands forming within it.

A small brown cub had finished his bath time first and was allowed some time outside before it was time to settle for the night. Curious green eyes spotted the figure. It was rare to see the King by himself. If he didn't approach now, he would miss his chance. Slowly, he crept over.

"Father?"

-

One eye opened to allow an orange pupil to peer down at the cub.

"Tacari." The voice had warmth to it as Ahadi turned his head to give his son his full attention. "Come, sit beside me."

Doing as instructed and sitting to the left of his father, Tacari was silent for a moment. His ears flattened as he squinted skyward. "Father, I don't see the stars." Tacari ultimately shook his head in slight frustration.

Ahadi chuckled softly. "You are correct. I'm not looking for the stars this evening. I am taking time to simply be."

"... Be what?"

"Be in the moment. Take a slow breath and close your eyes. Can you feel the wind?"

Once more, the cub followed the instructions. It was a gentle breeze that tickled the tips of his ears. After the heat of the day, the wind was a welcome relief before it became too cold.

"Can you hear the calling of the birds?"

"Yes, Father. They sound far away."

"Very good, Tacari." The older lion's praise was sincere, and that sincerity lingered in the air when silence fell again.

During the day, everything was busy. Even from Pride Rock one could hear the chatter of passing animals as part of the daily hustle and bustle. Once the sun set, the diurnal and nocturnal animals swapped places. The birds were few and far between, but there was also the sound of insects chirping and buzzing. There was even a howl somewhere in the far distance.

Closer to where he was sitting, Tacari could hear his father's slow, deep breaths. By habit, the cub began to breathe in a similar timing. Unfortunately, his lungs were too small to keep pace. A gasp for air brought the focus onto him once more.

"You only need to breathe as slowly as you are able to. It is only to ground yourself."

"Ground myself?" Tacari's eyes shot open in alarm. "Am I in trouble?"

Ahadi, belatedly, realised the poor choice of words. "No, of course not! I mean 'grounding' in the sense of 'feeling connected to the Circle of Life'. Lions are as important to this as the dung beetle. Our world is interconnected with the worlds of so many others. Look out at the plains. If we were not here, their lives would be the very same."

"But everyone says you are important."

"Being important does not mean I hold the final say on what every animal does in his or her life. I help maintain the balance that the Circle of Life needs to help the Pride Lands prosper. That is why I like to sit here sometimes before I retire for the evening. It is good to remember what we are here for."

Tacari lowered his head. "What if we don't know what we're here for?"

A large paw reached past the cub's left shoulder and gently pulled him close to the king. "There is nothing of the sort that should be on your mind, my little Prince. You are young, and there is so much to see and do in this world. You are so very clever. There are many things that I know you can discover and understand."

"You mean it?"

"I do." Ahadi lowered himself so he could gently nuzzle the top of his son's head. "You have taught me many things."

Tacari's eyebrows raised as a thought came to him. "Did you know different egret flocks have their favourite elephants to follow when foraging?"

Ahadi blinked. An amused smile tugged on his muzzle. "I did not know that. How did you discover this?"

Tacari was able to explain his observations to a proud father as the sun finally disappeared below the horizon. Even the Great Lions were intrigued by the younger prince's findings as they began to appear overhead.

[handsomethrowrug]

OOC:

[handsomethrowrug]

This is more a note to self than anything else but I really need to remember I have a D.reamlight Valley verse for Scar and I should use it more.

[handsomethrowrug]

@dreamlightmagicgarden - continued from here

-

"Good morning."

The lion's plan for lounging had been interrupted by Danielle spotting him. If it was anyone else, he would have scoffed and refused. However, she was the one he couldn't refuse.

Scar slowly stretched and rose to his paws as she explained the reason for the running and racing. "So long as you are not moving them onto the Sunlit Plateau, I suppose I could offer some assistance. You do need someone to make sure you are holding yourself properly. The last thing they need is to see you fumbling like a newborn antelope."

[handsomethrowrug]

She gently scratched the back of the lion's ears.

Or rather, she tried to.

Scar was quick to get up and move out of the way. He wasn't going to demean himself in such a way just because a stranger wanted to have a cute moment. If anything, they should be grateful that he was not a lion that chose violence. Usually he would sort matters with words but... He decided against that.

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OOC: Finally having a chance to do stuff. I'm spending the morning on @labyrinthruled to get things started there. There's a starter call too :O

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Even if the lion held a dismissive air by default, he pulled himself to attention. Bright, green eyes stayed on the Poet, not straying for an instant as a hint of the past was revealed.

Maybe humans and lions weren't so far removed after all. Humans, too, must thrive better in numbers, even if they have the luxury of living independently from one another. He might not understand human body language, but the tone indicated something more. The Poet missed his friends.

Before Scar could decide what he could even say, the Poet abruptly changed the topic. He had enough experience of seeing when members of the pride didn't want to talk about something. For now, he'd let it slide.

"It's difficult to describe. It was a large, standalone rock formation in the middle of a large plain, easily taller than this 'building'. There were several small caves dotted within it. It rose up, but it split to create a lower plateau... I suppose a comparison would be a tree with a large, secondary branch. It is unlikely another like it exists anywhere else."

The Poet cast a glance around the room, nodding slowly. "Yes, they are...very important to me," he mused softly. "Most of them are gone now, but...I carry what they left behind along with me-" He turned his attention to the lion, a rueful smile playing on his thin lips. "-Accuse me of being sentimental if you must, but really I quite enjoy having little collections of interesting things to surround me...like a Museum of Memories..." His eyes flickered in thought, saving it for later.

"So!" He sat up a little, slapping his hands against his thighs. "You had a nostalgic, key location? Might I ask you to indulge me on what that location was? A building, perhaps? Or a tree?"

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@handfulofmuses - Continued from here

-

The lion nodded slowly in agreement. When he discovered the afterlife did not consist of sleep, or some punishment of full awareness in a dark place, he realised he had to get used to some sort of new existence. Clearly, wherever he was was not a place that contained more than just animals. One such being was a bipedal, skeletal wolf.

Strangely, that was someone he got along with.

"So many years. Countless seasons, endless moons... All for things to fall apart so effortlessly. What is life is not to spend it being the scapegoat for everything?

[handsomethrowrug]

Today brought with it a lot of reflection. Mufasa could easily out-perform three hyenas, one of whom was a matriarch. Numbers would be necessary, but there was no way to lure Mufasa outside the border a second time. Little doubt that Simba would be under stricter supervision.

But right now, he needed everything balanced perfectly. He watched Shenzi slowly muster the strength to stand. None of the hyenas would be too impressed to see her overworking in this state. He couldn't afford to have any of them doubting him before anything had the chance to begin!

"And Shenzi?" Scar waited until he had her attention before he continued, "I do mean it about resting. If there are any matters that arise during this time of rest, I am sure some of your clan would be willing to assist. Rest assured, I will be sure an incident such as this will not happen a second time."

"Y-yeah! Yeah, we will. Thanks Scar!" Shenzi smiled for the first time since he approached her.

She heaved herself to her feet, planning to find her boys for a huddle for the night. She was sore, and so tired. She needed a good nights sleep...but he...actually cared about them! He cared they were hurt, and didnt want them further injuring themselves.

It gave her confidence he really was here to help her, but more importantly help her clan.

[handsomethrowrug]

Further adding to this, the name is further layered. The word 'Tacari' is not native to the Pride Lands, instead coming from the lands Uru called home.

However, Ahadi noticed how it did resemble two words heard in the Pride Lands: 'Taka' and 'Askari'. In this way, it could resemble a wish for the youngest cub: that he may have the want of a soldier and the drive to keep going when the odds were stacked against him.

It is slightly unfortunate how this ultimately manifested.

Headcanon: Scar's real name

I am part of the fandom that can’t believe he would be given a birth name that means ‘waste’. So I did a quick bit of research and can propose an alternative.

Tacari - ‘as strong as a warrior’/'warrior’.

Given that Scar was the second-born, and destined to lead the Lion Guard, I believe that his name would suit that role in the exact way that Mufasa’s does.

Now, I haven’t figured out his entire backstory yet, but I imagine Taka might have been some sort of insult to the prince that he took on board to overcome the spite. That, or a really unfortunate nickname. Either way, he’ll probably call himself 'Taka’.

[handsomethrowrug]

The world of the humans was certainly more far-removed than anything in the Pride Lands. Scar had once lamented about how dull his life was there - and now, he was regretting that. Anyone would be preferred to the extravagant mess that humans seemed to adore. If everything was to match this location, it would be an exhausting life to keep up with.

Then again... At least it was this human who found him. If he refused, he would be stuck skulking and keeping out of side. Even now, it might be a matter of time before the captors discovered him here.

"Alright. We'll try your idea and see what happens. How do these 'stuffed animals' behave? Is there a way I should position myself?" He would shoulder the humiliation. If the human was right, then no one else would know it even was him to begin with.

Oh. He'd never considered how peculiar a concept it must have been to have a toy of your species. Baby dolls existed, of course, but to have a life-size, cuddly version of a Human would certainly be strange!

"Yes! We're an odd bunch, us people, we love to have cuddly versions of...well, just about anything you could imagine!" He stepped a little closer. "If you can keep perfectly still for me and as stiff as a board, I don't see why we can't fool everyone into thinking you're just a cuddly toy. Demeaning as it may be, at least we'll get you out of here, hm?"

A smile carved against the Poet's lips and he chuckled melodiously. "Oh, I'll be sure to find us a candidate who will suit your needs, darling, don't you worry. So, are we in agreement?"

[handsomethrowrug]

Me: I consider the musical a helpful resource for S.car.

Also me: I am disregarding half of his song in the second half of the show, and it's not the half that has been scrapped in performances.

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OOC:

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He slowly backed away from the lion, heart racing with fear. "If I try to run, he will attack me. "

"You're barely worth the energy to talk to."

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In relation to this

"Is this a normal thing humans ask each other when two unlikely individuals become acquaintances? Or is this another case of 'the villain must be up to something' and I cannot have a life outside of that? Or worse! Are animals really seen as mindless and driven purely by their stomachs?"

[handsomethrowrug]

Today I offer a mouse doodle of Grumpy Paws on the work computer as proof that irl has not bested me yet.