12 days of Christmas!

NALA

*still that night

My paws felt numb as we reached mountain land territory. Wait mountain land territory? How can we be back here and so soon, this isn't right. we were supposed to get my mother and the others- help from the valley pride. So why was I back here? This made no sense.

"We shouldn't be back here... Simba this isn't right. Simba?" wait he was just here, we had just camped down a few moments ago. I only walked a few feet away, why in the hell would just disappear like that. "Simba...Simba where are you?" I doubled back, maybe he was just behind me, I don't know, maybe he was playing some dumb game.

Everything felt so...weird. My legs were wobbling like a cub born fawn. But each step I took only became more worse than the last. W-what's going on with me? and my shoulder ...my shoulder wasn't hurting anymore. I couldn't feel it...in fact, I couldn't feel anything...I couldn't even feel the air going in and out of my lungs. and everything around me had become eerily quiet. There was nothing... okay something is wrong.

"Simba...Simba where are you?" but my call with on death ears. "Simba this isn't funny, where the hell are you!" kings this was not the time for him to be an ass! something is wrong, so so wrong. why was I here and he wasn't. and why did it seem like no one was here..."...mom?...anyone?" I still had control of my beating heart. I figured I should esses my situation. it just seems to be me here, at the entrance of the territory. I guess this was good...it just made no damn sense to me

Why the hell was it so eerily quiet. Why did I suddenly get the dreaded feeling like we were too late?

"I need to leave...Nala just leave." my wobble legs turned, ready to head back in the other direction. But the moment I turned I was hit was a sudden darkness. i... I was in a cave, a den maybe yeah...yes...I was in a den. "what the fuck is going on..." as my eyes got adjusted it seemed to feel familiar. I've been here before...I know it. The stillness in the den, but that wasn't what made me frozen. I felt like...I wasn't alone, there was some here with me, but I couldn't tell who.

Get up and leave Nala, damn, why won't my legs move!?

It took all the strength within me, to get my paw to even lift off the ground. "...that's it...that's it-"

"Help me, someone help me!" the muffled voice hit me like a stampeding elephant. "Someone please help!"

"H-hello...who's there?" I spoke without even thinking. Eyes darting to see if I could see a glimmer of anything.

"I'm trapped...I need help." Vitani...it had to be her, why else would I be here... this is her den. She was here. Without thinking I ran into action, racing to the back on the den. throwing myself into the darkness. "Please help!"

"Vitani I'm coming!" kings, I hope I'm not too late, I was moving as fast as my legs could carry me under the immense pressure from this den. but what if I got there and I was too late...what if she was surrounded by hyenas and I couldn't protect her or me? I'd be throwing myself to my death. Questions on questions raced in the back of my head, but it didn't matter because they were being drowned out by the screams...

Help. Help!

"Vitani I'm here!...Vitani...Vitani?" That way! I ran down an even more narrowing tunnel in the den, i ran until I was practically crawling on the ground with all fours. Each step was becoming tighter, harder...almost impossible as the den floor and walls squeezed in around me. I felt myself panicking, but I knew If I stopped I wouldn't have the strength to keep going and save her. and with each second she was running out of time. I didn't stop.

And then everything was suddenly open... I wasn't being crammed by the den anymore. I was free...I could breathe. "save me please..." but I looked around there was nowhere for me to go. Then my eyes found a dim light and a figure. It was her...

"Vitani I'm here, I'm going to save you, Vitani-" but I froze in my tracks when I wasn't met with Vitani, I was met with me...

I was laying there, helpless on the ground. Crying... "someone save me I'm trapped..." I went towards her...me. everything with me was screaming otherwise. but I was drawn to...me, I needed to help me. I stopped short of myself, being only a few inches off. I could see the stains on my fur, taste the blood in my mouth. feel the pain taking over my body. When she...I... looked up at myself, my breath caught in my throat. "...run." my voice, was hoarse, and barely a whisper...wait-what... " run... far away. Run so he can't reach you..."

"n...no...i'm here to help you...save you."

"You can't save me..."

"yes, I can...just get up-"

"You couldn't save me then...no one did." that's that's, not true I..."you need to run while you have the chance...d-don't come back." tears ran down my face. looking at her, she was right, what was I thinking, I shouldn't be back here... I should have never come back here. It's too late...

"I knew you'd come back to me." no...

"N...Nuka."

"Don't be so shy with me Nala, I've missed you." the blood that once coated my tongue was replaced with the taste of dryness. "come here." n-no. he was feet from me, inches from me...and I couldn't move. Why the fuck couldn't I move. Move Nala MOVE! but Nuka walked right past me...like he didn't see me. And for a second I could breathe. but I only realized he walked pass me and was making his way towards her.

She was still there laying on the ground, helpless. Why didn't she get up, why didn't she move, but I knew why she couldn't get her body to listen to her. She was too scared, and it was impossible for me to do anything when I was scared. but I thought I was grown tired of being scared, I was over this, I didn't care about him anymore. or, did I not care about myself anymore?

Was I willing to die, because I had no reason to live? I didn't...I don't care. I just... I didn't want to feel the way I did, that was all. I just wanted to stop feeling.

I stood by frozen as he stood over her. Me. This IS me. He reached to move her tail. "Don't-stop!" my voice re-echoed over and over again in my ears. Killing my eardrums but it looked like it has done nothing to him... "stop...I said STOP."

"You should have known better than to leave me. What were you trying to prove? That you could defeat me?" i... I can defeat him I just- " You know I always get the things I want, and I will always want you. And there's no one who can stop me."

"I'll stop you..." but that was a lie I tried to tell himself. He and i knew better. "he'll stop you...he's...he's going to kill you..." and again... I felt like I was trying to convince myself more of that, than to scare him away. Nuka wasn't listening. He got on top of me...he was going to kill me or worse. And I still wasn't moving. Fuck Nala do something- you had only been stronger before, fought more-

"Nuka stop...Stop!"


"STOP! STOP!" I felt my head snap back as I was forced awake. I felt something strong grip me, and I immediately pushed back out of fear of knowing who it might be. "get off me GET OFF-"

"NALA IT'S ME!"

"...w...what?" with my frantic vision now cleared, and from the light emanating from the moon. my eyes quickly recognized the silhouette of Simba.

" Relax...it's me."

"...w...where are we... are we there...is he here..." my words rambled as they fell out my mouth. Everything felt lt it was moving too fast. And I quickly needed to get a grip. "s...Simba."

"yea...I'm here." no..no he wasn't he wasn't there. Not when I just needed him!

"No...no you weren't you left me! i... I was there by myself and you were nowhere to be found!... I was looking for you and everything!" I pushed him away and stumbled to my paws. But my push was flimsy, he barely even moved

" you were having a nightmare Nal. we haven't gone anywhere."

"That's a lie, we were there...I know it. we just...you just...FUCK!"

"Hey! are you okay?" my paws are started to move without my control. I knew I'd be better if I got myself moving. then I'd be able to calm down, I'd be able to think. "Nala wait- it's still raining!" was it, I hadn't even noticed the pouring rain and by the time I could feel the sensation on my body I was soaked. "Hey hey...slow down."

"...no...I have to move...I...have to keep moving." my brain felt like it was on some type of auto control. I more than sure I had no idea what words were going to come out of my mouth. if I had time to think about them- if I even thought at all! Dammit, I haven't had a nightmare it was felt like forever. Why did this happen now? what did this mean...am I going crazy. I was right there...right there! I could feel him, I could touch him- he could touch me!

Before my mind could race and think of anything else, he jumped in front of me. face half-covered from the pouring rain, he looked crazy. and if i didn't know who he was, I would probably scare me. " Nal just slow down... breath."

"I am breathing."

"No, you're not." fair point. " Hey, just look at me. What's wrong, tell me?"

"n-nothing... a bad dream that's all."

" yeah...that some dream to have to you out here walking in the pouring rain..you okay?." I looked at him, and he was right...I probably looked ridiculous too. Just got so worked up about...nothing, right it was nothing. just a dream. Nothing more. " Can we head back?" why was he being too calm when he asked me this? it would have been better to just drag me back there himself.

" um..." I wanted to shake my head and say no. If we went back there, then I'd be closer to him, and right now I wanted to feel like I was separating myself from him as much as possible. "i..." dammit, just tell him...why...why do you have to keep this to yourself? but i...I can't let him known, then what will he think of me...we won't be able to look at me.

"...we'll keep walking then?"

"huh?"

"Walking, it helps...I get it. We'll keep walking."

"Thank you." I could feel the tears running down my face, and I was so glad they got covered from the rain. At least that could be the reason why my eyes were turning red. so we walked...and walked...walked and we didn't say a word to one another. the rain filled the silence, and then when the rain stopped and the cold set in from our soaked fur. Us walking side my side made that feel a little better too.

well, I can say that for me it did. it felt good...comforting to have him by my side. He wasn't just a thing of my imagination, and he didn't just up and vanish like he id in my dream. but...still, a part of me still feared he would do that. After all, if he could it once, he could do it again.. but I kept that fear stored in the back of my mind. I couldn't think about it now.

So we walked. we walked and didn't stop walking until the sun came up, and we weren't just walking blind. By the time we had stopped, we were both exhausted. stupidly tired that we didn't even realize what we had stumbled upon. It wasn't until we were hit with the new scenery of a low land area, smacked between two neighboring hills, and a backdrop of a mountain. with one beautiful skyline.

"Nal...you see this?" it was oddly nice to hear he was on the verge of collapsing like me...

"yeah..."

"and...I'm not just seeing things, right?"

"...nope." there was a brief pause between us. I guess we were both trying to figure out what to do next. if our brains and body would let us. "..s...so what does this mean."

"I think it means we're here."

+...why did no one tell me it was Dec 13 yesterday not the 12 lol I thought I was so clever.

+KawaiiCutie12, right. I thought if Simba going to be haunted by Scar, Nuka might as well be haunted by his mother...seems fair to me. lol

+RyanSquad, you're so right...wow this is sad lol is there a genius world record for longest told fanfic?

+Iz (Guest), yes she will! and when she does...oh boy.

+StarGazer7099 (Guest), don't worry, I get this review a lot about them being together. BUT The story is not over yet! thank you for the review.