The Tale of Two Brothers (My version ties everything together)

This is MY prequel to the Lion King. What the "Tale of Two Brothers" could've been...

Lion King Ahadi and Queen Uru ruled the Pride Lands. One day, Queen Uru gives birth to two cubs: Mufasa and Taka. Mufasa is the eldest, by just a few minutes, but Taka was born with the dominant dark mane. As they grow up, Mufasa grows to be brave, courageous, strong and regal. Taka grows to be lean, cunning, precocious but yet, selfish. They were very close brothers through their childhood and into their adolescent years. They always traveled together and went on adventures. Mufasa was protective of his brother Taka. Over time, however, Taka began to be jealous of the attention he received from their father, especially with him being next in line for King, but Taka revered his older brother nonetheless. Though Mufasa was only a few minutes older than Taka, Taka had the dark, dominant mane which signified him as next in line for King.

As the two grew older, Mufasa became Leader of the Lion Guard, his sole purpose was to ensure the Pride Lands were protected and safe. He truly understood and respected the Circle of Life. Taka, on the other hand, was so certain he would be King, he began to serve his own interests. His innocence became less and less apparent. His thirst for power was on the rise. Because the animals of the Pride Land respected Mufasa and adored him, Taka brushed them off and, feeling disconnected from the community, felt aligned to the hyenas, who were outcasts. The hyenas hated the lions, but respected Taka's cleverness and hoped him being King would better serve their clan. Mufasa and Taka were still close, but their distance was growing.

One day, King Ahadi and Rafiki, the baboon/mandrill with whom Ahadi had befriended years prior, were walking through the Pride Lands. Mufasa and Taka, coming back from a day long journey from a lavish paradise, were in search of the King, to let him know of their find. Along their walk, King Ahadi and Rafiki came upon a hill. Over the hill they came across a horrific sight: a small herd of 4 elephants had been slaughtered. The feeling of horror, sadness and disgust were fleeting because they were soon surrounded by the culprits: an abnormally large group of 23 hyenas. King Ahadi and Rafiki fought bravely against the cackle of hyenas. Rafiki was cornered and in grave danger when suddenly, Mufasa leaped in to save him, just in time! A hornbill flying above witnessing the whole thing caught Mufasa's eye. Mufasa roared up to him "Zazu! Go find the Lion Guard! We need them!" Taka, stunned at the sight, did not move. He couldn't believe that his friends were attacking his father and now his brother. As Mufasa was saving Rafiki, King Ahadi noticed that Taka had not budged. He called for his son to help and at that very moment, 8 hyenas had jumped on his back. Mufasa charged at the group but the damage had been done. Mufasa stopped at the lifeless body of the King, completely disregarding the hyena threat. Taka, slowly, almost in disbelief, moved toward the King. As he did, the hyenas took notice and stopped their attack.

Mufasa was distraught by the death of his father and didn't pay mind to the hyenas. The hyenas started to group behind Taka who, feeling conflicted by what happened to his father by his "friends," suddenly began to feel emboldened. He asked, "Is our father...? Does this... make ME King?" Disgusted by the question and enraged with anger for his inaction, Mufasa roared "Long live the king!" and quickly turned to strike Taka across the face so hard that he flew backward into the crowd of hyenas. The hyenas became poised to attack but before they could continue their attack, the Lion Guard jumped the hilltop and stood behind Mufasa, the injured Rafiki and the body of their King. The hyenas knew they were no match and quickly retreated. Queen Uru appeared soon after with a group of animals from the Pride Land who wanted to help protect their beloved King.

Sadness overwhelmed them all to find King Ahadi laying lifeless behind Mufasa. Taka awoke with a large cut over his left eye. Believing he had been injured in the fight, Queen Uru went to him. "Taka, your eye... what a horrible scar it will leave." Taka, coming to his senses, heard only the word "scar." Rafiki limped over to Mufasa and knelt before him, "Mufasa, you saved my life. I will forever serve you." Seeing Mufasa unscathed and being beloved by the Pride Land, the Lion Guard and other animals who came to help, also knelt before Mufasa, recognizing him as their new King. Queen Uru seeing this event proclaimed Mufasa as successor to Ahadi and called to her younger son, "Taka, come and recognize our new King." As she spoke, Taka replied, "Scar, Mother. In remembrance of my father and the events that transpired on this day, I wish to be called Scar."

Taka, seeing all of his dreams unravel before him knew that today changed everything. He knew that every time he saw his reflection in the water or was called by his new name, he would be reminded of today. Today was the first day of his new life. Today, the relationship between he and the brother he revered so much was gone. Today, he became Scar.

So now my friends... if you took the time to read all of that, imagine if you were to rewatch The Lion King. Now you understand the bitterness that Scar feels. There is new meaning to the Elephant Graveyard and why Mufasa tells Simba that he must never go there, why he declares it beyond their borders, why it is represented as such a dark and haunting place. Imagine the emotion going through Mufasa as he returns to the place where his father died fearing that his son may have faced a similar fate. Imagine the scene before Mufasa dies... One of the most iconic scenes in the entire movie. Imagine hearing Scar say to Mufasa "Long live the King" and a new way of interpreting the look on Mufasa's face when he says it. After Scar banishes him, Simba runs away and ends up in the lavish paradise that his father and uncle had come across the day that changed everything. Lastly, the new tv show The Lion Guard suddenly has more relevance. Mufasa was the last to lead The Lion Guard and now his grandson takes the reigns.

I'm just saying. I like it, but I'm biased.