One month after Zira left.
Scar waited impatiently for the three hyenas to finish their meal, his tail twitching back and forth anxiously as he watched. He had come here to plan, not eat.
They were in the Elephant Graveyard; a dull, barren wasteland with nothing but geysers and the great skeletons of elephants littering the ground.This was the hyenas' home... and the perfect place for a base of operations.
Scar cleared his throat and the female, Shenzi, lifted her blood-stained muzzle to grin up at him.
"Aw c'mon Scar! Take a load off and eat with us!"
The two males, Banzai and Ed, lifted their heads and grinned up at Scar. Then all three exploded into a chorus of hysterical laughter.
Scar rolled his eyes and dug his claws into the pile of bones beneath him.
"Oh, shut up!" he snarled.
"What's wrong, Scar? Cat got your tail?" Banzai teased.
The three hyenas howled with laughter, their high pitched tittering hurting Scar's sensitive ears.
"I said shut up!" he roared.
The hyenas backed away from him suddenly. They cowered in a huddle with the hair on their backs bristling and their mouths contorted into defensive snarls.
Scar rolled his eyes.
"Oh, do lighten up! I was only trying to get your attention."
Shenzi and Banzai frowned while Ed just grinned mindlessly up at Scar.
"You coulda just said something," Banzai muttered.
"I was trying to... until you all began your yapping and chattering."
"What did you want to talk about?" Shenzi asked irritably.
"I'm glad you asked, my hyena friend," he said before jumping off the pile of bones and landing right in front of the trio.
He put his face in theirs and he smiled wickedly.
"I am here to strategize!"
The hyenas stared at him blankly and he tried again.
"I am here to help bring righteousness to the unfair hierarchy of the Pridelands!" he roared gleefully, his eyes lighting up and his tail quivering anxiously.
They still stared, all of them desperately trying to make sense of his excitement.
He rolled his eyes yet again.
"Why did I come here?" he groaned.
"You wanted to strategize," Banzai exclaimed.
"Yes, you idiot. At least you can hear me and repeat back. I guess that's all I can ask for," he growled.
"C'mon Scar. Let's just get back to whatever you were talking about. Just use normal words this time so that we can understand you," Shenzi said.
"Those were normal words. You just need to expand your vocabulary."
"Just explain!" Shenzi snapped.
"Alright, alright! Calm down," Scar hesitated before continuing. Then he said,
"I want to kill Simba."
The hyenas gasped and gaped at him. The shock lasted for only a few moments though.
Suddenly they began to laugh until they cackled and howled uncontrollably, their paws over their faces and their eyes glinting with amusement.
"You wanna do what?!" Shenzi and Banzai snickered.
Ed howled with laughter and rolled onto his back. The others quickly followed suit.
Scar waited for them to calm down, his eyes gleaming with rage and a flickering doubt.
What if they were right? What if this really was like some big joke?
The trio began to get themselves back together, slowly but surely. Shenzi was the first to stand back up and face Scar. She was still giggling.
"You still know how to crack a good one!" she chuckled, wiping a paw under her eye and giggling even more.
"I'm not joking."
His voice was clear and direct with no silliness in it.
The trio's ears perked up and Banzai and Ed rolled back to their feet.
"You can't be serious, though," Banzai paused for a second, his head cocked to the side, "Are you?"
Scar chuckled darkly and his claws unsheathed even further.
"Trust me, my friends, I am as serious as I'll ever be."
Their ears pricked forward even more and their expressions turned to a deadly focus that pinned on Scar.
"Then what are we supposed to do?" Shenzi asked.
"Yeah! And what's in it for us?" Banzai added.
"Everything you've ever wanted, if you only carry out one simple task for your dearest friend."
Scar smiled handsomely and leaned in closer to the hyenas.
"Now that Simba is old enough to visit me, I can tell him about the Elephant Graveyard. Knowing him, he'll be here as soon as he can get out of his parents' grip. That's where you come in."
His handsome smile turned sadistic.
"So... you want us to kill the prince?" all of them asked in unison.
Scar sighed, his smile fading.
"Yes," he growled slowly, " Then Mufasa will be so heartbroken and weak that he won't stand a chance against my brilliance. He will be nothing by the time I'm done with him."
The hyenas smiled at this, their grins no longer joyful but sadistic and menacing.
"We're in," Shenzi and Banzai exclaimed.
Ed nodded slowly and all three of them uttered a low chuckle. Scar joined them until the eerie sound echoed off of every rock and every bone.
Scar's eyes gleamed as he laughed with his friends and partners-in-crime. This plan was perfect. Now it was his time to shine, and no one would ever get in his way again.