AN: So, after a huge fight with writer's block - and school - I'm back! I might be a bit rusty, but I gave it my best.
Chapter Two: Rule Change
"Wait, what is it we're supposed to do?" Tora asked as she and the other cubs followed Simba.
"We need to find Vitani and Kulaani in this... Dream world," Simba replied. "And if we don't do it by time it's dark... Well, let's not let it reach that point."
But... we could never find them!" Kora exclaimed. "Then we're all dead!"
"Just relax," Simba said, "panicking is going to get us nowhere."
Suddenly, there was a voice. "Oh, Simba. I see you're taking this situation rather well." It was Fuerza, but she was nowhere to be seen. "Unfortunately for you, I think I made this a little too easy... So here's what I'm gonna do-"
Malka was getting angry about the whole situation already. "Where are you!?" He yelled. "Come out here and face us you crazy bi-"
Suddenly a vine hanging from a nearby tree wrapped itself around his mouth, gagging him.
"Shut up, cub," Fuerza said. "You may want to listen to what I have to say rather than run your mouth. Where was I... Ah, yes. You see, I have freed your friends from their imprisonment, so, all you have to do is find each other and you're safe! Heck, I made this easier for you!"
"That was sarcasm... wasn't it?" Kora side.
Fuerza giggled. "Well, at least you caught on to that. Hope none of you actually thought this was going to be easier."
"Then what do you have planned?" Simba asked.
"Oh, but that would take all the fun out of this," she answered. "What would be the fun in that? Now, you all better move along... Don't worry, I'll be watching every step of the way..."
"Well... That was creepy..." Sora commented.
"We better move," Nala said. "Stay on guard, there's no telling what this psycho can do..."
"Why did we get sucked into this mess?" Vitani whined. "What did we do?"
"Nothing," Kulaani said as the pair walked through the jungle, "but I don't think that lioness cares. She's definitely nuts."
"Tsk, tsk... You shouldn't talk about others behind their back, you know," Fuerza's voice spoke up. "Not very polite."
"Neither is kidnapping innocent cubs..." Vitani mumbled. Fuerza heard her.
"Ha! You think I care how 'innocent' you are," Fuerza laughed. "You're nothing more to me than pawns to help achieve my ultimate goal. I couldn't care less if you die or not. You two are no threat to me."
Kulaani scowled. "Oh yeah? Well, I-"
"None of that magic junk you have will do you any good," she cut him off, "I know about everything that pathetic pride of yours has. If you think any of it can stop me, well, you're just a fool."
Kulaani was silent.
"That's what I thought," Fuerza said. "Now, you better get moving. Don't you want to get back to the real world?"
Kulaani growled and walked by Vitani. "Let's go..."
"Well, this has been easy so far," Malka said as the group walked along. "Maybe she was being serious."
"Oh, please..." Sora said. "Don't be stupid. I know you're new, but the rest of us know how this stuff ends up?"
Malka jumped in front of Sora. "What was that, you little rat?"
Sora rolled his eyes. "You heard me. Don't be stupid."
"Hope you like being completely blind!" Malka yelled as he prepared to lash out and Sora's good eye. Simba jumped between them before he went farther.
"Enough! Both of you!" He shouted. "In case you haven't noticed, we have a problem to deal with!" He glared at Malka. "And your senseless violence is meaningless! This is a DREAM! The injury won't be permanent!"
Malka glanced back up at Sora, who was still glaring at him. "Hmph... Whatever, let's just go."
Simba walked back ahead of the group, where Nala joined him by his side.
"I swear, I don't know why Tora ditched Mheetu for that jerk..." Simba grumbled. "I don't trust him at all."
"Same here..." Nala agreed. "His arrogance is ridiculous. I think- Hey... What's that up there?"
Simba looked ahead and saw something odd. "Oh, you have to be kidding..."
It was where the river that ran through the Pride Lands usually was, only instead of water, there was lava in it's place. Across the river, Fuerza appeared.
"You like it?" She asked. "Might not be very original, but hey, it'll kill you. Oh, and Malka, is it? Simba was right. Injuries aren't permanent here; only dying is."
The river was wide, and there were rocks sticking out in different spots in it.
"Can't we just go around?" Kora asked.
"Yeah," Nala replied, "if you want to walk a million miles."
"It looks like we'll have to cross it..." Simba said. "Oh boy..."
"Well, I'll take my leave," Fuerza said. "I'd wish you luck, but your burnt corpse would be a delight to see." Then she was gone.
Simba shook his head and walked to the edge of the river and looked down at the molten liquid. "Ohh... Where's Wildfire when you need him? We could just ride his back across..."
Simba looked out at the rocks that were sticking out, trying to plan a course across. He concluded that he should only have to make three jumps, if he was careful. After a few minutes, he prepared himself for the first jump.
"Be careful..." Nala said.
Simba gulped and looked at the lava. "Like I wasn't planning on it..."
He took a deep breath and leaped, causing everyone else to hold their breath. He landed safely on the first rock. He looked to the second and carefully made another leap, landing safely once more. There wasn't much room, but there was just enough. He just needed to make one more on the opposite bank of the river, but it was the longest. He took a deep breath once more and used all his might to jump. He just cleared the edge and was safe.
"That last jump is the hardest!" Simba yelled over to the others. "Be careful!"
Next up was Nala. She made the first two jumps with relative ease and cleared the third more than Simba had. Malka, Sora, Tora, and Haiba all were to successfully make it across.
"Phew... And I thought I was hot..." Haiba said, wiping a paw over his forehead.
Kora was the only one not to attempt it yet.
"Come on, Kora!" Simba yelled. "You can make it!"
Kora was shaking as he walked to the edge. Needless to say, he was nervous.
"I-I can't!" He shouted back. "I won't make it!"
"Yes you will!" Simba told him. "Just focus on the jumps and landing, not the lava!"
Kora gulped and got into the jumping position. He launched himself and landed on the first, almost losing his balance, but he quickly regained it. He sighed and focused on the next landing. He also landed that one. Just one more to go... He thought to himself. He jumped to make it safely on the other side... Except he realized he didn't put enough strength into it. The front half of his body would make it, but the back wouldn't.
"He's not gonna make it!" Tora screamed.
Simba ran over and managed to grab one of Kora's paws while he was still in the air and pull him. Simba thought he had pulled him to safety until he heard a deafening cry.
He looked at Kora and saw that one of his back paws didn't make it.
"Pull me out! Pull me out!" Kora screamed as loud as he could.
Simba quickly dragged him out and looked at his back paw.
"Oh no..." Simba whispered. Kora's hind-paw had been completely burned through. Even some of the bone was gone. "Someone get something to wrap it! Hurry!"
It wasn't long before Nala found a large leaf to wrap it in.
"Oh no, no, no!" Tora yelled. "What if he dies!?"
"He's not gonna die! We just need to get out of this place before that burn does kill him." Simba told her. "Haiba, you carry him, and make sure he doesn't pass out, otherwise, he might not wake up... Here or in the real world."
"Got it," Haiba said as he carefully got Kora onto his back. Kora was still writhing in pain and crying, the burn too much for him to handle.
"We need to hurry," Simba said, "otherwise, none of us will get out of here."
"Well, how disappointing..." Fuerza said to herself as she watched the group from afar. "I was hoping at least one of the little brats would get killed off... No matter, for I have other things in store for them... Much, much deadlier things. Hehehe!"
AN: Well... That ain't good... Oh well. Anyway, with the writer's block gone, the only obstacle I have is school, but that shouldn't cause too many issues. One good thing that did come from the writer's block of this story is a bunch of other story ideas! So, hey, not all bad, right?
