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Description
Weird.

That was the word everyone used to describe her father. Weird, or some variation of it. Strange, odd, bizarre, funny, peculiar, different...The list goes on, but in the end they all pretty much mean the same thing.

Her dad is weird.

Nala isn't exactly sure what to think about her father, the lion known as "Scar." In her entire young life, he's hardly spoken more than a word to her. Nala doesn't know why he won't speak to her. She's asked her mother, Sarafina, yet all she would say on the matter is that something terrible had happened in the past that made him reluctant to get close to her. No amount of whining or begging would make her mother say anymore.

Once she tried asking her other family members why her father was the way he was, especially with her, but they too would not tell her anything substantial. Her Uncle Mufasa just said that he'd always been a bit "off," her Aunt Sarabi said that it was something that happened long ago (so basically the same thing as her mother), and her Grandpa Ahadi just said that it wasn't of any concern for someone as young as her, and that she'd learn when she was older.

She didn't want to wait until she was older. She wanted to know now!

She'd asked everyone at this point. Everyone but the source of the questions himself. Yet as she made her way to his perch on the side of Pride Rock, she found herself getting nervous. She'd never really spent any time with her father by herself. Anytime she had interacted with him, it was either with her mother or with Simba, and they were the ones who always did all the talking. Never her. But if she wanted to know about her strange father, it only made sense to actually go and spend time with him for once, especially since no one else would tell her anything about him. And since he wouldn't come to her, she'd have to go to him.

When she eventually made it to where her father spent most his days, she paused a few feet away from him, watching and waiting to see if he'd acknowlege her or even notice her presence. She waited a few torturous minutes, watching for any sign that he'd noticed her arrival, but all she saw was a slight flick of his ear. Other than that, he said nothing, keeping his head on his paws and his eyes closed as he rested. Summoning her courage, Nala took another step forward, and another, until she was finally standing next to the lion who sired her. He still gave no sign that he was aware of her.

"D...Dad...?" Nala murmured, proding his side carefully.

The word, so disused, felt foreign on her tongue.

Scar flicked his ear once more, and one emerald green eye flickered open to meet her curious, bluish-green orbs.

"What do you want, Nala?" the dark lion grumbled, seeming none to pleased that his nap had been disturbed.

"I...um..." Nala gulped, suddenly feeling uncharacteristically shy. She had come up to her father's perch to spend time with the lion and learn more about him from his own mouth. But now that the moment was here, she wasn't sure what to say to him.

Scar lifted his head off his paws, letting loose a great yawn as he did so. He turned his head fully to face his daughter, capturing her within his emerald gaze.

"Don't tell me Sarafina and Sarabi left you and Simba in my care again. Where is that little brat, anyways?" Scar muttered, glancing around as if expecting the golden cub to come barrelling down and onto him as he usually does.

"Uh, n-no. Actually, I'm by myself." Nala said, shying away from Scar.

"Oh? How unusual. You'd think you two were married with how often you two are seen together." Scar sniffed.

"Ew! Me and Simba!? Married!? No way!" the cream cub said, immediately forgetting her shyness in favor of disgust. "Simba's just my best friend, nothing more."

"Hmph. Won't always be that way." the dark lion muttered quietly, so quietly that Nala almost didn't catch it.

"What do you mean, 'Won't always be that way'?" she asked, now more curious than nervous.

"Nevermind. It's not important." Scar said, waving his paw in the air carelessly. "What I want to know is why you're here and not with your mother or that little hair-ball you call a 'friend'."

"I came here because I wanted to spend time with you." Nala stated.

This caught Scar's attention. Curiousity and something else Nala couldn't name flashed in his eyes as he looked at her.

"Me? Why would you want to spend time with me when I'm so dreadfully boring? Wouldn't you prefer to spend time with Simba or one of the other cubs?"

"Well, why wouldn't I want to spend time with you?" the lioness cub countered. "Simba spends time with Uncle Mufasa, so why shouldn't I spend time with you? You are my dad, right?"

"Of course I'm your father." Scar growled. "But Simba has to spend time with his father so he can learn how to be the next King. You, on the other hand, would benefit more from following your mother around than from me, learning all those things lionesses do and all."

"But I always spend time with Mom! I never get to spend any time with you!" Nala pointed out with a glare. "You're either sleeping here on this stupid ledge or off doing who knows what! You never talk to me, or play with me, or listen to me, or do anything that Uncle Mufasa does with Simba!"

"Well in case you haven't noticed, I'm not Mufasa!" the scarred lion snapped with a snarl set on his face. Nala immediately shrunk back with a gasp, fear glittering in her eyes. Her father wouldn't hurt her, would he?

Scar seemed to notice his daughter's fear, and the snarl was soon replaced with a mixed look of regret and annoyance.

"I'm sorry Nala. I didn't mean to snap at you." he murmured in a more gentle tone of voice.

Nala shrugged in acknowlegement, sitting down next to her father. The two looked out over the Pride Lands, one with a frown on his face and the other with a look of sorrow. Neither spoke for a long while, simply watching the kingdom as everyone went about their day. Finally, Nala broke the silence with a question that had been nagging her since she had gotten here.

"Dad?"

"Yes, Nala?"

"Do you hate me?"

The lion whipped his head around to look at her, eyes wide with shock.

"Hate you? Dear Nala, of course I don't hate you! Why would you ever think that?"

"Because you never want to spend time with me or be around me." Nala murmured, tears pricking her eyes.

Scar sighed, guilt and sorrow shining in his emerald eyes.

"Oh, Nala. Nala, Nala, Nala. I could never hate my favorite daughter." he murmured, stroking her back soothingly.

"I'm your only daughter." the cub pointed out.

Nala noticed her father flinch slightly. His eyes flickered briefly with an emotion Nala couldn't name before returning to normal.

"All the more reason for me to love you." he said.

"Then why don't you ever want to be with me? Or Mom, for that matter?"

"It's...complicated." Scar sighed. "Just know that I love you, even if I'm not always around."

"Okay." Nala said, though she wasn't sure if she was convinced or not. "So...Can I spend the day with you today?"

Scar sighed again, turning his head to look out at the Pride Lands once more.

"If you so desire. I still think you'd be better off with your mother, though."

"Thanks Dad."

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NOTES: A little insight on Scar's relationship with Nala before he killed Mufasa. I'm one of those people who believes he's Nala's father. EDIT: Since the TLG episode Paintings and Predictions came out revealing Nala's father, I have retconned Nala's father into being the lion shown in the painting in the episode. However, Scar and Nala (until she's an adult and told the truth) believe that Scar sired her, hence why Nala calls him "Dad" in this piece and why Scar believes he's her father. The reason Scar's so distant with Nala (and in extention, Sarafina) is because, in my TLK-verse, he and Sarafina had previously had two cubs before Nala that had died soon after they were born. Thus, he's reluctant to get close to Nala, for fear of getting hurt emotionally should something happen to her. He does love her, though, even if he don't really show it.

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Description
Weird.

That was the word everyone used to describe her father. Weird, or some variation of it. Strange, odd, bizarre, funny, peculiar, different...The list goes on, but in the end they all pretty much mean the same thing.

Her dad is weird.

Nala isn't exactly sure what to think about her father, the lion known as "Scar." In her entire young life, he's hardly spoken more than a word to her. Nala doesn't know why he won't speak to her. She's asked her mother, Sarafina, yet all she would say on the matter is that something terrible had happened in the past that made him reluctant to get close to her. No amount of whining or begging would make her mother say anymore.

Once she tried asking her other family members why her father was the way he was, especially with her, but they too would not tell her anything substantial. Her Uncle Mufasa just said that he'd always been a bit "off," her Aunt Sarabi said that it was something that happened long ago (so basically the same thing as her mother), and her Grandpa Ahadi just said that it wasn't of any concern for someone as young as her, and that she'd learn when she was older.

She didn't want to wait until she was older. She wanted to know now!

She'd asked everyone at this point. Everyone but the source of the questions himself. Yet as she made her way to his perch on the side of Pride Rock, she found herself getting nervous. She'd never really spent any time with her father by herself. Anytime she had interacted with him, it was either with her mother or with Simba, and they were the ones who always did all the talking. Never her. But if she wanted to know about her strange father, it only made sense to actually go and spend time with him for once, especially since no one else would tell her anything about him. And since he wouldn't come to her, she'd have to go to him.

When she eventually made it to where her father spent most his days, she paused a few feet away from him, watching and waiting to see if he'd acknowlege her or even notice her presence. She waited a few torturous minutes, watching for any sign that he'd noticed her arrival, but all she saw was a slight flick of his ear. Other than that, he said nothing, keeping his head on his paws and his eyes closed as he rested. Summoning her courage, Nala took another step forward, and another, until she was finally standing next to the lion who sired her. He still gave no sign that he was aware of her.

"D...Dad...?" Nala murmured, proding his side carefully.

The word, so disused, felt foreign on her tongue.

Scar flicked his ear once more, and one emerald green eye flickered open to meet her curious, bluish-green orbs.

"What do you want, Nala?" the dark lion grumbled, seeming none to pleased that his nap had been disturbed.

"I...um..." Nala gulped, suddenly feeling uncharacteristically shy. She had come up to her father's perch to spend time with the lion and learn more about him from his own mouth. But now that the moment was here, she wasn't sure what to say to him.

Scar lifted his head off his paws, letting loose a great yawn as he did so. He turned his head fully to face his daughter, capturing her within his emerald gaze.

"Don't tell me Sarafina and Sarabi left you and Simba in my care again. Where is that little brat, anyways?" Scar muttered, glancing around as if expecting the golden cub to come barrelling down and onto him as he usually does.

"Uh, n-no. Actually, I'm by myself." Nala said, shying away from Scar.

"Oh? How unusual. You'd think you two were married with how often you two are seen together." Scar sniffed.

"Ew! Me and Simba!? Married!? No way!" the cream cub said, immediately forgetting her shyness in favor of disgust. "Simba's just my best friend, nothing more."

"Hmph. Won't always be that way." the dark lion muttered quietly, so quietly that Nala almost didn't catch it.

"What do you mean, 'Won't always be that way'?" she asked, now more curious than nervous.

"Nevermind. It's not important." Scar said, waving his paw in the air carelessly. "What I want to know is why you're here and not with your mother or that little hair-ball you call a 'friend'."

"I came here because I wanted to spend time with you." Nala stated.

This caught Scar's attention. Curiousity and something else Nala couldn't name flashed in his eyes as he looked at her.

"Me? Why would you want to spend time with me when I'm so dreadfully boring? Wouldn't you prefer to spend time with Simba or one of the other cubs?"

"Well, why wouldn't I want to spend time with you?" the lioness cub countered. "Simba spends time with Uncle Mufasa, so why shouldn't I spend time with you? You are my dad, right?"

"Of course I'm your father." Scar growled. "But Simba has to spend time with his father so he can learn how to be the next King. You, on the other hand, would benefit more from following your mother around than from me, learning all those things lionesses do and all."

"But I always spend time with Mom! I never get to spend any time with you!" Nala pointed out with a glare. "You're either sleeping here on this stupid ledge or off doing who knows what! You never talk to me, or play with me, or listen to me, or do anything that Uncle Mufasa does with Simba!"

"Well in case you haven't noticed, I'm not Mufasa!" the scarred lion snapped with a snarl set on his face. Nala immediately shrunk back with a gasp, fear glittering in her eyes. Her father wouldn't hurt her, would he?

Scar seemed to notice his daughter's fear, and the snarl was soon replaced with a mixed look of regret and annoyance.

"I'm sorry Nala. I didn't mean to snap at you." he murmured in a more gentle tone of voice.

Nala shrugged in acknowlegement, sitting down next to her father. The two looked out over the Pride Lands, one with a frown on his face and the other with a look of sorrow. Neither spoke for a long while, simply watching the kingdom as everyone went about their day. Finally, Nala broke the silence with a question that had been nagging her since she had gotten here.

"Dad?"

"Yes, Nala?"

"Do you hate me?"

The lion whipped his head around to look at her, eyes wide with shock.

"Hate you? Dear Nala, of course I don't hate you! Why would you ever think that?"

"Because you never want to spend time with me or be around me." Nala murmured, tears pricking her eyes.

Scar sighed, guilt and sorrow shining in his emerald eyes.

"Oh, Nala. Nala, Nala, Nala. I could never hate my favorite daughter." he murmured, stroking her back soothingly.

"I'm your only daughter." the cub pointed out.

Nala noticed her father flinch slightly. His eyes flickered briefly with an emotion Nala couldn't name before returning to normal.

"All the more reason for me to love you." he said.

"Then why don't you ever want to be with me? Or Mom, for that matter?"

"It's...complicated." Scar sighed. "Just know that I love you, even if I'm not always around."

"Okay." Nala said, though she wasn't sure if she was convinced or not. "So...Can I spend the day with you today?"

Scar sighed again, turning his head to look out at the Pride Lands once more.

"If you so desire. I still think you'd be better off with your mother, though."

"Thanks Dad."

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

NOTES: A little insight on Scar's relationship with Nala before he killed Mufasa. I'm one of those people who believes he's Nala's father. EDIT: Since the TLG episode Paintings and Predictions came out revealing Nala's father, I have retconned Nala's father into being the lion shown in the painting in the episode. However, Scar and Nala (until she's an adult and told the truth) believe that Scar sired her, hence why Nala calls him "Dad" in this piece and why Scar believes he's her father. The reason Scar's so distant with Nala (and in extention, Sarafina) is because, in my TLK-verse, he and Sarafina had previously had two cubs before Nala that had died soon after they were born. Thus, he's reluctant to get close to Nala, for fear of getting hurt emotionally should something happen to her. He does love her, though, even if he don't really show it.

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