The Female of the Species
is a fanfic by Fernstrike based on The Lion King.
It consists of three chapters, each focused on one female character: Uru, Sarabi, and Nala. They each are themed around one central concept—motherhood, being queen, and being a hunter.
The Female of the Species provides examples of:
- Affectionate Nickname: Sarafina is called "Fina" by Sarabi. Scar used to call her that too when they were on good terms.
- Animal Religion: When lions die, they become stars. The Great Kings of the past look down on lions, as does the Great Spirit that resides in the moon.
- Childhood Friend Romance:
- Implied between Sarabi and Mufasa. The two used to play as cubs and as adults they became mates.
- As in canon, Simba and Nala are two cubhood friends who later fell in love after being reunited.
- Childhood Friends: Scar, Sarabi, and Mufasa are all cubhood friends. Sarafina is also their close friend, however she was born when the trio were near adulthood.
- Chocolate Baby:
- Sarafina's husband was Scar, yet only one of her two cubs are his. Nala looks nothing like Scar and it's an Open Secret that she's not his daughter. Sarafina had Nala with a nameless rogue during the period when Scar's personality began to change.
- Kovu isn't Scar's son, however Scar seemingly doesn't realize this due to their strong resemblance.
- Deliberate Values Dissonance: Lions have a ceremony that, when an old king dies and a new king is crowned, all the cubs that aren't the new king's are killed. It's a tragic event, but it's seen as their due to the Great Spirit and the previous Great Kings.
- Downer Beginning: The first chapter starts with Uru dying after being attacked while hunting.
- Furry Reminder: New kings kill all cubs who aren't theirs. Real lions also commit infanticide on cubs that aren't theirs.
- Heir Club for Men: Scar rejects Vitani as his heir simply because she's female.
- Heroic Bastard: Nala is the result of an affair Sarafina had while Scar was courting her. He always knew that Nala wasn't his, which is why he rejects her.
- Intimate Hair Brushing: Lion equivalent. Nala's mother Sarafina gives her a light tongue-bath after Nala has a confrontation with Scar. Nala notes that she hasn't received a bath from her mother since Simba's death. She's become more introverted since then.
- Literary Allusion Title: The story's title comes from a poem of the same name.
- Meaningful Name: Lampshaded when Uru mentions that Taka embodies his name (which translates to "want").
- Meaningful Rename: Taka renaming himself "Scar" was inspired by his mother's dying words. She told him that a (metaphorical) scar "means you are strong".
- Missing Mom: The first chapter revolves around Uru's death. While on a hunt with Sarafina and Sarabi, she's gorged by a wildebeast.
- Oh, My Gods!: The characters refer to the past kings rather than their God, the Great Spirit:
- "Great Kings bless them" is used by Uru.
- Sarafina uses "Oh Kings (...)".
- Patchwork Fic: The story takes elements from the main films, spinoff comics, books, and Broadway play. It also features some elements cut in development of the series.
- Related in the Adaptation:
- Nala's brother Mheetu is Scar's son. This isn't from the developmental scripts.
- Nuka and Vitani are explicitly Scar's. In canon, they're only Ambiguously Related.
