Chapter II: The Taming of Gollum
The mysterious voice echoed against the cliff walls around them. Kopa, now becoming extremely defensive for his mate, he sprang across the stone path and lurched forward to the source of the voice. Running down the path, he soon found that it was coming from deep inside of a small cave they had just passed by. Kopa roared as he leaped forward into the darkness of the cave, shadowing the sunlight from him. After landing on the ground, he realized that he had someone- or something pinned to the ground now. Whatever it was, it was struggling like crazy to get off the ground. It tried to force himself upwards, wriggling all around to get free, but Kopa's strength was too much for it. Its screams of anger hurt his ears wildly, especially since they were bouncing off the walls of the cave. It kept on saying over and over again,
"My precious! Give us back the precious!"
The two of them were now struggling against one another, with the creature starting to hit Kopa with all his might, squirming around for dear life. But before the creature could get itself free, Vitani ran into the cave. She would've wanted to say something about the situation, but seeing Kopa struggle so violently against the creature discouraged her to. She ran up to them, and soon she bit down on the creature's arm hard, making him shriek with pain. Vitani ripped the creature out of Kopa's grasp and tried to fling him against the side of the cave. But before the lioness could do so, the creature lifted his head up and bit down on her neck. Vitani grunted and came close to screaming in pain, but she endured it and tried to fight back. But in the darkness, she couldn't see where it was, and attempts to strike him with her claws were futile. Eventually, Vitani fell down onto her back, with the creature still biting down on her neck.
Even in the cave, Kopa could see the blood beginning to trickle down from her. Furiously enraged by this, he roared as he lurched forward and once again pinned the creature to the ground. Whatever it was, it was breathing heavily, almost ready to give out now. Kopa looked down upon him with anger, and he pressed his paw down against its stomach, forcing him down. The creature's teeth were still upon Vitani's neck, refusing to let go.
In the dark, he could hardly tell what this creature looked like. But by now he was having his own ideas as to who this really was.
"The ring... you've seen it before, haven't you?... Gollum." he said menacingly. "Let her go or I'll slice your throat faster than you can blink!"
Vitani looked down at him as well. There was really no doubt about it anymore- this was Gollum, the same creature Bilbo Baggins had encountered so long ago... the one who had possessed the ring for 500 years, just as the legend had said.
Slowly but surely, Gollum released his grip against the lioness, and immediately she stood back up, rubbing her neck with her paw.
"Are you alright?" Kopa asked her.
"I'm alright. It isn't too bad." she replied.
The two of them now looked upon the helpless Gollum. He was shaking in fear, almost expecting them to attack again.
"So... this is Gollum." Kopa whispered.
Vitani whispered back, "And I thought Zira put up a good fight."
Minutes later, Kopa walked back out of the cave into the sunlight, With Vitani following behind. She pulled Gollum along by his arm, her dragging him in her teeth like he was a day's prey back at the Pride Lands. The poor creature was wailing like crazy, almost too much for either of them to bear. He screamed especially loud once he got out into the sun.
"It burns! It burns us!" he shouted. "Lets us go! Please, let us go!" he shouted. Through gritted teeth, Vitani said to him,
"Oh, shut up already! Just be lucky I'm not biting down harder!"
Kopa stoped in the middle of the stone pathway and looked back at the two of them. In the daylight, they could now see Gollum's appearance quite clearly. If he had really been around for 500 years, he sure looked like it. His skin was a dull shade of grey, and save for a few single hair strands on his head, he had no hair or fur anywhere. His ears were slightly pointed like that of an elf's. He walked around on all fours, even though he looked as though he was meant to walk on two. His arms and legs were almost as thin as bone, as if he hadn't eaten anything in deades. He looked absolutely food and water deprived, and his head was round and smooth. His teeth were neither sharp nor flat- they were deformed and rotten, as though he were suited to eating fish. The only thing he was wearing was a worn out brown cloth.
Vitani looked back up at Kopa and said through gritted teeth. "It's hopeless, Kopa! They can probably hear us back at the Pride Lands for God sakes! Let's just let him go and get the hell out of here!"
Gollum then pled in his raspy, deformed voice, "No! That would kill us! Kill us!"
"Better than what you deserve!" snapped Vitani. By this point, Kopa had more or less calmed down from the situation. His expression towards the poor creature had changed from anger to that of pity.
"You know", he started. "He might deserve that... but now that I actually see him... I do feel kind of sorry for him."
Gollum took this chance to try and beg his way out of this. His voice became sorrowful and sad, pleading to them both,
"We be nice to them if they be nice to us! Let us go! We swears to do what you wants, we swears!"
Vitani snickered. "Yeah, like we can really trust you."
"We swears to serve the master of the precious", he went on. "We swears on... on the precious!"
Suddenly, he made a sound that sounded like he was choking for a moment. It sounded like he was trying to cough up something, but it also sounded like a word. 'gollum, gollum' they heard. It was no wonder where he got his name now.
Kopa continued to look down reluctantly to Gollum. He took a few steps closer to them both, with Vitani still biting down on his arm.
"What do you think, Kopa? What'll we do with him?" she asked. The lion said to Gollum,
"This ring is dangerous. It's gonna hold you to your word." he said.
Gollum nodded rapidly. "Yes... on the preciousss... on the preciousss..."
"You can't be serious about this!" said Vitani. "He's trying to trick us, I know it! I let him go and he'll slit our throats in our sleep!... I don't trust him!"
Gollum was very clearly frightened by now. He was panting deeply for air, when Kopa said to him softly and rather calmly,
"Do you know the way to Mordor?"
He nodded warily. "Yes..." he said.
"You've been there before?" asked Kopa. Gollum said nothing as he nodded once more. Kopa gave Vitani a bit of a hopeful look. She shook her head in annoyance and sighed as her teeth released their grip upon Gollum's arm. As soon as she did, Gollum moved around again, running around on all fours. He began to laugh in pleasure at his new freedom. He climbed up atop a small rock nearby, and looked back down at them both.
"You are going to take us to the Black Gate." he said. Gollum nodded as he climbed back down the rock towards them. Vitani gave a sort of annoyed look at Kopa.
"I hope you know what you're doing." she said with a quiet voice. Kopa replied, "We've been going in circles. If he knows the way, we might just get out of this alive."
Soon after that, the two of them followed Gollum down the pathway, who was running down it on all fours. Very clearly now, they could see he was most definitely meant to walk on just two like a man or a hobbit.
"And besides", Kopa went on. "He doesn't know why we're going to Mordor. Let's keep it that way."
"I don't trust him." said Vitani as they walked onward. "And besides... who's this we he's been talking about?"
Kopa shook his head, and then leaned in closer to her. "I don't trust him either", he whispered. "I'm only trusting him because we have to. If we're ever going to see the Pride Lands, Simba or the cubs ever again, he's our only hope."
Vitani decided to end the conversation after that. She and Kopa walked onward down the stony pathway, hoping for the best as to what was to come.
Author's Note: Sorry this was so short, the next chapter will be longer, I promise. Please review!