Hey again!

Short chapter here. Not the most eventful one but quite insightful into the next major part of this story. This is basically the chapter where the next lot of chapter will stem from. In all, this chapter takes place just before and during the stampede scene and being a Ryker chapter, it will generally be the actions that allow Scar to rule. It will be less planning and more action basically.

Also, to those who may be interested, I have uploaded a new prologue chapter and slightly changed the original one. It is not required to read them but I would advise it as I believe they have been improved upon, making it a different read.

Episode 3

Chapter 2

"The best way to manipulate someone is to make him think he is manipulating you."

/ENTRY 6 INITILISED/

/MANUAL INPUT REQUIRED/

/INITIALISING/

Ah yes, the day we would finally strike. This would be the day when my short time collaboration with Scar would finally be put into action. He would get the throne, and I would get my freedom.

In all honesty, it was a surprise that the plan even worked though. I had barley been in the pride for two days and already the plan had matured enough to take over an entire community. Though I guess this was a testament to the inability of these Lions. The supposedly hardest task I had was to ensure the Lion known as Kabisa would not have the ability to interfere. Yet this task eventually proved easy. Kabisa was so blinded by honour and committing good he could not see the very fact he, himself was being manipulated. It wasn't even hard. All I had to do was to expand on his investigation of my attack on a cub. I simply fed him bits of information that he wanted to know and like a dog who got a treat, he saw me as a friend and ally. It was all false information as well. There were no informants within the pride, and the water hole they supposedly met up was just a water hole. With no informants there was no meet up place.

Now by the time he eventually had reached the water hole, his faith and trust in me was high, so further manipulation into gaining his trust was not needed, I had freedom to tie up other loose ends. So, when he found the remains of a rogue Lion, I could easily use him into believing what I wanted him to believe. In this instance, it was making him believe the rogue was an ally to the hyenas. This solidified the belief that I was an ally to the pride and the hyenas were my enemy. The truth though, was actually not that far off. The rogue was indeed an ally to the hyenas, but my statement of that I had no knowledge of the Lion was a complete lie. I did know this Lion, but only because I was the one who ended his life.

Why? As I said, I needed to tie up loose end and this rogue was one of them. It was only because Scar had said earlier that he had eyes watching him, hence the reason he knew about my attack on the cub, so I needed to blind these eyes. Through determination and my excellent mind, I found this rogue was a pair of those eyes. But instead of simply killing him and relaxing in the fact there was less eyes watching me, I took the opportunity to learn more, and why not? Spies and informants deal in information, Information that could benefit me greatly. So I found this rogue, and with a quick round of torture, I got some very interesting information. This Lion was only a grunt, he knew very little, but what he did know, and what would interest me for the months ahead, was that this Lion actually relayed his information to another Hyena and not Scar.

There was a hyena somewhere that was also playing a game of manipulation. Based on what this rogue said, it was possible that some big shot hyena had tricked Scar into thinking he was the leader, while really, this hyena was the ultimate manipulator. He was the one running things in the background and not Scar.

So now, on the day that Scar's plan would be initialised, I only wanted him to be King already so that my available recourses would be doubled. I had gained the trust of the Pride and its notable figures such as Liam, the King, the Queen and Kabisa, and I only required Scars influence to finalise this objective.

This mastermind hyenas was dangerous. He had double crossed an apparent intelligent being and would now prove to be an obstacle to me if I wanted this land to follow my orders.

He would need to be taken down.

/MANUAL INPUT ENDED/

/STARTING AUTOMATIC ENTRY 6/

/INITIALISING/

I began to grow restless now.

Gone was the hour that Scar said he would meet me in. I was left alone, sitting on some random rock like an idiot, just to wait for an apparently important meeting.

As each minute passed, I grew ever more impatient. Scars plan to usurp the throne was supposed to be approaching soon, and by not turning up to discuss his plans would only delay it. I would not stand around for days doing nothing while he was content in having me as an ally.

Then, as the sun reached its highest point in the sky, Scar finally decided to arrive. I could see him approach me in the distance and he could surely see me as well, but he made no attempt approach me quicker in order to not waste time. The idiot just slowly walked towards me, the same annoying smirk on his face that he had already demonstrated to me each time I had met him.

I unfortunately had no opportunity vent my annoyance on him for as soon as he was within hearing distance, he began to speak. "Tell me Ryker, are you ready?" he said, still smirking.

This re lit my curiosity and demand for action. He was obviously referring to his plan and I had no wish to delay this further by letting my anger out.

"I'm as ready as I'll ever be." I said. "Let's just get this started already" I finished, purposely trying to sound like I was eager. I put as much effort into persuading him to not delay.

"As you wish" Scar said professionally. "And this is the precise reason I have come to you today. I need you to do something in order for this plan to start."

"Tell me" I said bluntly, only wishing to get to the point so I may actually go and do it immediacy.

"I require you to do only this one thing. It is simple and almost danger free, you will not be put in any danger, don't you worry" Scar said. "I require you to simply act like normal. Go back to the pride and socialise. Get them to like you, act like you want to be there and perhaps most importantly, persuade them you are on their side. This way the time after the plan has worked will not be dangerous for us both, you will not be suspected and this will hopefully not link us both to this plan."

I stared at the Lion is disbelief.

This is what he wanted my help for? To play nice with the pride? He could have just left me out of this plan all together if he didn't want me suspected.

But it was then when I realised this only made sense. When he thought he had me beaten and manipulated yesterday, and also the actions that would make him ignore me as a threat, he probably saw me as weak and not reliable. Who would want someone who seemingly had been easily beaten to perform takes in such an important and delicate plan? It was most likely the case Scar had just decided to lessen my duties.

Although this annoyed me, I craved some form of action in such a peaceful world, it confirmed what I suspected. Scar did not see me as a legitimate threat and this mistake would be his undoing, I would assure that.

So I agreed to these demands went away to perform what was required. I knew Scar intended to kill Prince Simba but neither how or when, but today would be the day.

So once I reached the Pride I began to immediately deceive them.

I saw a group that would allow me to take note of my apparent good deeds. Furthermore, Liam was among them, and he could be used to play a very valuable part of the plan, whether he knew it or not.

Not wanting to waste any more time, I approached them immediately. "What going on here then?" I inquired.

"Nothing much. What are you doing here?" rudely replied Liam.

"Now, now. There is no need for that attitude Liam" I said, unable to not attempt to mock him.

"If you have nothing better to do Ryker, please leave." Liam said, almost hurting my feelings. It was possible he still saw me as some sort of an anomaly, despite the fact he had officially accepted me here.

"Come on Liam, don't be so mean" Laughed the Lioness Maisha, who along with her, other lionesses protested of Liam's unsociable attitude. Liam sighed in some sort of annoyance and rubbed the back of his head.

"Come on Liam" said various Lionesses which seemed to stress Liam out. It was actually laughable. A conflict was occurring within Liam simply because I was here. It was just too easy to stress this guy out.

"Fine. Whatever…" said a defeated Liam.

"Thank you gracious Liam. You honour me with your kindness" I sarcastically mocked not wanting this odd little bit of fun to disappear.

"Shut it" groaned Liam.

"What is the matter? Here you lot are, resting and relaxing in the sun and yet something is troubling you." I said sitting down next to him.

"It's nothing" A lie if there ever was one. I was skilled in understanding and seeing through people, it was a skill regularly used to undermine and ruin people in the war, but this lie of Liam's was one that could be seen by a child.

"It doesn't look like nothing mate. What's wrong?" I said, almost kindly. Liam then sighed, prompting a few curious looks from the Lionesses, and rubbed his eyes.

"It's just-I- I'm just a little stressed from thinking really." He said, obviously not wanting to voice his issues.

"Any thoughts you want to share?" I inquired.

"No. I'll be fine thanks" I didn't pursue this investigation any further. I knew not exactly what he was thinking, but it was almost obvious. He had been thinking of his lost family most likely. There was nothing else I knew that would cause him to be so isolated.

"So what are you lot doing then?" I said to the mass of Lioness, deviating from the previous subject.

"Well, we were thinking of going for a quick hunt." Replied Maisha "There have been sightings of some stray antelope and we thought we might as well show some of the younger Lionesses. Speaking of which, saw hello to Ryker girls."

A chorus of obnoxious hellos followed. I gritted my teeth and tried to ignore this unimportant and mundane event. Once this annoyance finally ended Maisha seemingly began to tell the others about me. Now finally losing all interest in the conversation, I began looking around in some sort of a daydream. I made a mistake talking to Maisha, I just knew it.

Then, in the distance, and brownish object began to move. It was an antelope. "Hey!" I said to the group. "Over there, an antelope" everyone including a reclusive Liam looked to where I was pointing.

"Here's our chance" proclaimed Maisha "We will split into four groups and surround it. You young ones will go with a group but will under no circumstance, make yourself known. You will remain hidden and watch us. Then we will-" Maisha said before being interrupted by a Lioness.

"But Maisha, the land is too open. We will surely be seen before we can get close enough" the Lioness argued.

"We will have to approach the antelope from further away then. We will still have it surrounded anyway, just from a further distance away." Maisha replied.

"That will still give it a chance to evade us. We need to chase it into a trap" said another Lioness.

"No." replied an agitated Maisha. "What if this antelope is fast? Not only will it evade us, it will also humiliate us with its speed."

"I agree with Maisha!" stated yet another Lioness.

"Why? You've hunted before, we can catch them!" said the original protesting lioness.

"What about Liam?" said another Lioness?

"Hey! If you can't catch it I definitely cant!" said Liam in defence.

And just like that, an entire argument broke out between the group. Even Liam, who had been quiet until now, had to join in to voice his opinions. I stepped back and let this amusing debate unfold. It was, despite being humorous to watch thanks to the passion given in each point, also odd to watch it. I was used to arguments, there was no denying it. If you live in a world such as I did arguments broke out all the time. Everyone feared for their lives and futures and by arguing their desires all the time, this was one way you didn't step one close to a situation that didn't benefit your future. Losing an argument normally meant you were ever closer to your death. But here though, this argument seemed almost trivial. Accusations of an individual's hunting skills were thrown out, calling each other idiots for suggesting things became common and no one could seem to fully agree with someone else.

Though the debate was not heated and not so serious, I still felt the urge to end it. But words were seemingly ineffective here and I needed to so the pride I was not just another human lying about. If they wanted to kill this antelope, then they would see my hunting skills. Liam had guns, I had seen them, and so he would have undoubtedly used them to hunt so the demand to outshine him was required. The antelope was fairly far away so it would be a demand of skill.

As the argument continued, I pulled the rifle off my back and took aim.

This was an act I was comfortable in. Seeing the antelope line up in my sights brought me back to the old days. Although now I wasn't aiming at the guy who would try and shoot me given the chance, I was aiming at some animal in a sort of vanity project.

"NO!" screamed Liam who turned around from the argument just in time to see me pull the trigger.

My rifle was unsuppressed. It made no attempt to be subtle in its firing. The loudly familiar bang from my weapon made its presence known to the group, and probably everyone else within a few mile radius. Members of the group screamed in surprise while others seem to be so shocked they fell over or retreated back a few steps.

But I could only see this begin to occur after I pulled the trigger. What I mostly saw was the shot being true to its target and impacting with the antelopes head in a gory and bloody explosion.

I had forgotten what this gun could do to unarmoured targets. Fascinating.

Once the antelope had fallen I could only smile. It was a good shot. But there was no one saying this. There was no well-deserved congratulations on such a good shot. There was only silence and fear on the faces of the Lionesses.

"What did you do!?" demanded Liam in a shocked anger.

"I hunted. You lot weren't going to do it so I did" I replied. Why was Liam so annoyed at this?

"H-h-how did he just do that?" stuttered a visibly terrified Lioness.

"You should of never have done that Ryker" said Liam.

"Why not?" I replied, seeing the group mutter among themselves as they nervously watched my rifle.

"Because…" Liam started to say before pausing. "Because they have never seen a gun in action. I have never used one among them."

He hasn't done what now?

"I never wanted the pride to see what humanities inventions could do. I did not want them to see what we could actually do." Liam said with a passion.

"He has the power of the spirits" proclaimed one Lioness. "He didn't have to do anything to kill." said another. In all, the now loud eruption of talking spoke only of the fear and amazement of the weapon I had been using for the last few years.

"You see what you have done?" shouted Liam as he moved to calm down the group. He began to explain what had just happened, he had no other option. Questions now focused on him once the group realised he knew about this shocking thing. Liam had no explain what a gun was, what it was for and how it worked. It was a long and interesting debate. Luckily as the group was now focusing their questions on Liam, I was left alone, despite being the one who started this whole event. I stood back and watched it play out.

In a sudden moment of thoughtfulness, it struck me that this was the reality of being in such a strange world. These were a race of beings that had no tools in any form, a sword would probably shock them let alone a device that had been created thousands of years after humanity first used a tool. It was nothing like I had seen before. The confused and even scared eyes of the Lions constantly moved other to me as Liam desperately tried to calm the situation down. I wasn't currently part of this debate, but soon enough, I would be. But never the less, I still counted myself lucky at the moment. I was not currently in a situation to enter a debate, I was meant to be manipulating them, but now, now this task seemed just the little bit harder. How the hell was I meant to get them to see me as an ally now they practically feared what I could do?

Although, this may not have been the mistake I had thought. Yes, I would now probably have to get used to being a little feared thanks to their confusion of modern technology, but this could work in my favour. They did not see me as an enemy. Yes they might seem nervous around me now when nothing was happening, but when crap hits the fan, and they are powerless when compared to a large threat, they will flock to me. Even such a normally ferocious beast such as a lion feared humanities inventions.

Perhaps gaining some influence over this place will be easier than I thought. All I had to do was to be a little more liberal with technology, and anything else they don't understand, and they should fall in line with me.

Also, now looking back, in made sense why the pride saw me and Liam with so little fear or concern. For whatever Liam's reasons were for not using a firearm, they never the less ensured the pride had nothing to fear from humanity. No wonder why that bitch of a Lioness Zira was so cocky around me. Once she discovers about what has happened today she will never again have the nerve to challenge me.

Soon enough, Liam had apparently spoken enough wise words to calm the group down. The body of the antelope had been retrieved and the group could finally see the skill, and admittedly damage, I had inflicted on the animal.

This current calamity also seemed to allow the group to see a more positive view on what I had done. As time went on, the majority of the group, although still allowing their eyes to nervously view the rifle, began to realise that my skill and weapons would greatly assist them when it came to hunting. Given more time, the group probably would have started asking me questions and not Liam but alas, they could not, there was an interruption. Once Maisha called out that their King Mufasa was seemingly sprinting with Scar into the distance with an anxious look on his face, discussion quickly went from about me, to curiosity of the meaning of the Kings hurrying.

Though I knew. It had begun.

"Everyone! Come to me!" I shouted, soon now surrounded by the group. The plan was now in action. "I need you to all listen to me very carefully. Understand?" I said seriously.

A chorus of curiosity of questions of "what is happening?" echoed around me. Though Liam was not one of them. He was standing on the outside of the group, apparently thinking, and with a stressed look on his face. This was just too good for me. The little situation with the gun had broken his rule of not to use a firearm and now it left him in a stressed and annoyed mess. He would not be taking command here. This, fortunately, was given to me.

"What I am about to say may shock some of you, but heed my words carefully and please believe me" I continued with such seriousness and passion the group would surely fall for my acting.

"What is it?" nervously said Maisha, now moving to stand next to me.

I looked into the distance Scar and Mufasa went, and right on cue, a large cloud of dust rose from the ground. The stampede had begun.

"I could not be sure until now, but look over there" I said, indicating to the dust cloud.

"That's where the gorge is. What's is happening there?" asked Maisha.

That's right, follow my lead.

"As you say, that is indeed the gorge, and not too far from there is a heard of wilder beast." I said clearly to the group.

"So what." Replied a lioness, "They are stampeding and the king has gone to calm them down, why are we concerned." Said the Lioness. I immediately disliked how she thought she was so clever.

"That is correct, but it is because of this why I am now concerned. For in that gorge, prince Simba was playing" I said.

Liam's head shot up, and gasps and a chorus of "no's" cried out from the group. The plan was going good so far it seemed.

"And that is why the King and Scar have gone there. If I only knew the wilder beasts were there… I would have- I would have…" I said, ensuring I spoke like I had made a mistake.

"Ryker, it's alright. You couldn't have known" Maisha said comfortably, buying my whole act.

"I could have!" I shouted. "How could I have not known a mass of large animals weren't in that area?"

"You haven't been here long. You had no chance to learn where each group of animals graze." Maisha said softly, believing I felt guilty for this.

"It's not just that though…" I said, attracting the looks of the group and was panicking for the life of their Prince. "The other day, before I even arrived at Pride Rock, I encountered a hyena. He said…." I paused, giving the group time to take the bait.

"What, Ryker? What did this hyena say?" said a confused Maisha.

"He said…. Once the dust is trampled, and a cub crushed, then today will be their day." I said.

Maisha understood. A face of horror and shock covered her face.

"They're going to invade aren't they?" she said horrified. I nodded in reply, trying to emulate the same face as her.

"I believe so. I never thought anything of it back then but now this is happening, I see" I replied. "They wish to kill Simba so Mufasa's line is broken, ensuring they have no legitimate opponents in their coup."

It was then when I saw the entire group, including Liam, buy everything I said and practically break down in a panic.

"What do we do?" said one.

"We must protect the cubs!" said another. But whatever each being said, the same pattern emerged. Despite their proudness and strength over these lands, they feared the hyenas. It made sense as well. The Lions of Pride Rock had thought themselves invincible in these lands, but when the masses of hyenas finally rise up against them, they now realised they were quite the opposite. It was like the hyenas were just the average people in these lands, and the Lions were the elite. The massive amounts of impoverished and shunned hyenas and finally had enough of their lives and would now show the elite Lions to fear the people they command.

"Listen everyone!" I shouted, calming some of the panic. "You all need to get back to Pride rock immediately and protect your families. I fear this invasion could occur anytime soon!" They did as I commanded. They thought they had no choice. Even luckier for me was the fact that even Liam seemed to buy into the panic. There was no sign of his supposed leadership within the pride.

"Liam! Maisha! Wait!" I cried, running over to both of them.

"What? Shouldn't we be preparing for an attack?" asked a panicked Maisha. I nearly laughed out loud at her amounts of gullibility. She at the very least was taking this very seriously. Liam however, seemed lost and distant. He obviously believed what I was saying but other things were on his mind.

"Yes exactly! We need Lions to help fight the hyenas!" I then looked at Maisha. Now it would really all come together. "Maisha, we need more fighters. Is there any one we could get to help us?"

"I-I don't know?" she said."

"Anyone!" I shouted, sounding very desperate. "Is there truly no one who could help us?

"Well, there are the rogue males" she said after a quick moment of thought.

"Fine. Whatever. Go and find those rogues!" I commanded.

"Y-yes. Of course" she said, running off with great haste but little thought. Little did she know she will not find any rogues, save one. It would be a shame for her that a very easily manipulated figure head among the local rogues had already received orders from me. It wasn't particularly hard either to gain this leader of the local rogues support. All he required was somewhere to live, and he got that assurance from me. He would get a place at Pride Rock and soon enough, Maisha would encounter a serious issue from "her decision" to seek out the rogues.

"Liam, you should prepare what you can back at the Rock." I said to him, faking as much stress as possible.

"I will Ryker" he said running off. "But Ryker!" He said before stopping and turning to look at me. "This is now your home as well. You also have a duty to protect it." He finished in a deep stare before rushing back to Pride Rock.

Liam needn't not worry. I had now accepted this is my place and this plan was about to make everything a little bit better.

For me of course.

There we go.

Yes, it was a very short chapter (especially for me!" and as I said not the most eventful one, but now the story will be quite different thanks to what happened in this.

Thanks for reading and please review.