[3rd POV]
[Name: Dr. T. Soma Tonson
Role: Lead researcher]
...
"Scar, the rugged lion king of the Pridelands. He was the worst king, but still, he was king. And he had inside him the quality and trait which put him in that position," Dr Tonson said.
"Although this specific trait would be his downfall and would lead to the decline of his kingdom," he said. "Scar wasn't just a lion king that ruled over his pride and territory. No, he was the king of something else too."
"Scar, the king of hyenas."
The documentary cut to the scene of Scar standing atop a boulder. Below him were a horde of hyenas, so many that they looked like one entity. This footage was taken before the first attack on Leo and his pride.
The scene was mind-numbing to the viewers. They felt a chill run down their spine as they witnessed two unlikely predators form a relationship. The relationship between a king and his subjects.
The hyenas, although they numbered in the hundreds, did not attack the lion but instead bowed down to him and seemingly responded to his roars.
"Scar was a disabled lion. He could never win a straight fight against his brother even if he had the element of surprise. But this weakness led to a new innovation. Nature finds ways to survive. Scar had a deep relationship with the hyenas in his territory," Dr Tonson explained.
"This was a direct parallel to Leo and his relationship with the vultures. I guess now we know where Leo got that trait and how he was able to make a completely different species serve under him," he said.
"This was yet another proof of Leo's origin. His ability to tolerate other animals and form partnerships with an entirely different species. The abundance of food which led to his perfect childhood development that allowed him to grow massive. His unorthodox method of lifestyle which was not affected by tradition because the lions in the Pridelands were cut off from the rest and created their own style of living," Dr Tonson explained.
"But returning back to our main subject, Scar's rule triggered one of the most devastating ecological collapses this plateau has ever seen. He was the sole responsible one for turning this paradise," he said, and the documentary showed the paradise, "to this," the documentary transitioned to the wasteland once more.
Dr Tonson began, folding his hands together as if steadying himself before explaining something heavy.
"The first mistake was the predator–prey imbalance. The Pridelands were never built to support large predator numbers. As a high-altitude plateau, its prey base relies on small resident herds, slow reproduction rates, and limited grazing grounds. Under normal circumstances, lions hunt selectively and keep the balance."
He shook his head.
"Scar broke that immediately after he took over as king. He allowed unlimited hunting. To make matters worse, he had hyenas under him. And you did not want hyenas to be given such a perfect opportunity to bring ruin. The prey did not have anywhere to run off to. Without self-control and proper regulation, they were just meat stuck in a pot, the pot being the plateau. Hunting them was easy and effortless," he said.
"When you remove even twenty or thirty per cent more prey each year in a system like this, it's catastrophic. Reedbuck, bushbuck, eland, buffalo, none of them reproduce fast enough to survive that new pressure the predators had taken."
He inhaled slowly before moving on.
"The real disaster came from the hyenas that Scar had under him. He let their clans flood the plateau with no restrictions. Hyenas are incredibly efficient predators. Give them food and they reproduce rapidly. A land that normally supports twenty or thirty suddenly had hundreds. And unlike lions, hyenas kill the weak. The ones they target when they hunt were infants and pregnant females. It was a sickening way and completely broke any balance in that plateau."
"And due to the abundance of food, and with the hyenas no longer having to be scavengers, disease spread fast from carcasses that were not finished. Disease in such an isolated land was catastrophic. In no time, most prey animals were dead or had left the plateau."
"And that's the point of no return."
The documentary played on. It showed a small mini-map of the Pridelands and the plagues and the tragic events that happened one after the other, like a domino effect.
"From there, the entire food web collapsed. We call it a trophic collapse. Predators became too many, prey too few, and vegetation lost the herbivores that kept it healthy. Grass grew too tall, died standing, formed thick mats, and blocked new shoots. The soil retained less moisture, insects disappeared, and the ground-level ecosystem just… withered."
The documentary showed a CGI-made footage of a timelapse of the Pridelands. It showed the distant hills and how life slowly perished on that abundance. The CGI showed visuals for everything Dr Tonson said.
"Without grazers aerating soil and slowing runoff, water stopped entering the underground pathways. Springs shrank. Streams weakened. Waterholes dried earlier and earlier. At first we thought it was drought, but this was a biological collapse, not a climatic one."
His voice lowered.
"Scar destroyed the Pridelands through ecologically suicidal leadership, too many predators, too few prey, no scavengers, uncontrolled hunting, and turning a closed plateau into a killing ground. The land barely survived him," he said.
Music played as the viewers witnessed the collapse of a land so good and prosperous. The sole responsible one was given screen time, seeing everything from the peak of the pride rock. But you see no remorse on his face, no regret.
"But..."
"Salvation did come,"
"A revenge that would liberate the land had travelled over hundreds of miles and had reached the outskirts of the plateau,"
"It was the return of a lost prince. Welcome home, Leo."
The documentary showed Leo walking in a slow gait. His head was down which was something anyone rarely saw. But even with his head low, his walk was firm and powerful, like the undeniable step of a king.
And then he stopped. He lifted his head up and stared at the cliff leading to the plateau.
The camera turned and showed Leo's back with the Pridelands in front of him.
The music that had been playing in the background reached its crescendo before stopping abruptly. The screen went dark.
...
{End of Episode 6}
Comments :
KeyShawn Lewis : Leo's final entrance felt straight out of a superhero movie. Why do they have to make a documentary so dramatic and so so good.
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RyloBell : I looked up the director of this documentary and I finally have a name for who caused my suffering. Emmanuel, stop with the cliffhanger and give me epsiode 7!!!
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Victor Mendez : I like that the end of the episode actually felt like a documentary this time. Still can't forget the rom com beginning though
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JTSSE : I know I'm getting flamed but I kind of like Hyena king Scar. He is king, who gives af what he did with his kingdom.
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Ken Jenkins : Wish they had a premium or VIP airing. I would pay my organs for the next episode right now.
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Author : In the meantime, check out my new book in my profile. Chiansawman Pig Devil.
Or you can join my patreon : Emmanuel_Capricorn. Advanced chapters are always there although right now they won't be full 10 chapter.