#(I noticed M.unday stuff on the dash today and I didn't have time to send stuff to people

[handsomethrowrug]

AU Verse: A Better Life

One thing I say a lot is that I personally think staying in the Pride Lands his whole life was ultimately really bad for Scar. The main form of redemption that I know of is for him to spend time away from that, and then return with a broader sense of the world and his place in it.

So I designed that.

It started when he was an older cub on the cusp of becoming a teenager. The bitterness was setting in, and he had taken to long walks to try and keep the simmering frustrations at bay. One fateful day, he was so caught up in his thoughts that he wasn't paying full attention to where his paws were landing. One misstep had the stones come loose. His balance teetered to the side, and he tumbled down a steep slope. Something pulled in his lower back, and he couldn't move his rear legs. He was stuck, helpless.

Luckily, instead of vultures or other hungry opportunists, Tacari was found by a group of kind souls who brought him with them to help him recover.

Several months were spent outside of the Pride Lands, where Tacari was merely a stranger rather than a shadow. The living arrangements were temporary, as the plan was to help him return home once he was able to walk properly again. But in that time, Tacari's perspective of the world expanded.

For the first time, he saw that it was okay not to have a set purpose in life. Sometimes life was simply what you made of it, not what someone decreed it to be for you. Others would like you for being who you are, rather than who they want you to be. Not only that, it was okay if you didn't live up to another's expectations. It didn't make you "lesser". Simple lessons for many, but it was a strange topic for someone who had been decreed the "spare".

The season came and went, and Tacari's strength returned. He was able to return home and... To his surprise, his family were thrilled to see him. That had never happened before. It somehow proved that he was indeed cared about, even if he wasn't the first born.

As time passed, he began to realise that there was a possibility that he never wanted the throne at all. He only wanted others to see him and notice him. He could "prove his worth" in other ways. He was certainly capable of it.

Tacari was the one who spearheaded the campaign to allow the hyenas to return to the Pride Lands, citing that their punishment was too severe for an innocent generation. He would still take to his quiet days away from Pride Rock, but it was more to simply appreciate the land. Though he was anti-social, he did try and partake in various events. He wasn't pushing animals away, and was instead trying to be amicable.

Then, when Simba was born... He was still reluctant to be cubsitter, let's be honest here. But he was better at it, and he was willing to share stories. He was also known for straight up lying and encouraging Simba to ask his parents about utterly ridiculous topics. But there were never any plans to put the cub in harm's way.

Life is... What it probably should have been.