Stranded,
or
There and Back Again
Chapter 1: An Unexpected Lion
Author's Note: The text is by me. Do not copy, steal, or reproduce it without my permission.
Disclaimer: Lion King is a © product of Disney. I do not own any of its characters, except my own that I created specifically for this fan fiction.
Kijani groaned as he regained consciousness after a beam of sunlight shone his face, annoying him as he opened his blue eyes. Blinking to get a clear vision, he began to stretch himself before noticing something.
What happened? Those were his first words in his thoughts as he looked down and saw paws. He jumped onto his feet—or paws as they were now—and he began to panic. What happened to me!
He tried to recall his previous form, but it all became fuzzy in his mind as he grumbled. He tried to take a step forward, but he fell down instead.
Oof, he shook his head as he sighed. Okay. Let's try this again.
He attempted to walk, but once again, he fell on the barren ground of dirt while he shook his head. He looked around and saw himself in an area of dirt, rock, and dried branches of trees.
"Where am I?" he asked nobody in particular as he watched the dried tree branches. "Why do I feel strange? What has happened to me?"
The questions never seemed to end on his part, as he continuously looked around the area he was in. There was nobody around, and he was alone. He was scared.
A snicker came out of nowhere in someplace of the area, causing him to widen his eyes as a pitch black coated animal came out of its hiding place. It looked to be a hyena, and it looked hungry as it stared at him with its eyes and saliva in its mouth.
"Well, well," said the hyena suddenly, shocking Kijani. "It looks like there's a lost lion in my area."
Wh-What?! How does it talk? Where am I! Kijani demanded internally. He was confused, at its word of 'lion'. "What do you mean by that?" he asked the hyena.
The hyena laughed. "A lion who doesn't know what it means," it chuckled. "What rock have you been sleeping under, if I may ask?"
Although it feels weird as heck of him speaking to a hyena, Kijani asked, "Where am I?"
"Why, you're in the Outlands, of course," the hyena grinned at the question. "Or to be more specifically, you're in my hunting area of the Outlands."
"The Outlands?" the stranger asked in confusion. "What's that?"
The hyena bared its teeth. "My home, lion," it replied in a hissing voice. "Have you not learned that lions are not welcomed here? Or do you have a death wish?"
Kijani tilted his head in wonder.
"Whatever," the hyena sighed, shaking its head. "It looks like I'll have no other choice."
Kijani blinked. "Huh?" he wondered.
The hyena then took a threatening step forward.
Kijani turned and started to run off, barely, at least, as the hyena was running faster than him. Kijani nearly stumbled on his paws, but he hurried forward to a different area, and the hyena was catching up on him rather quickly.
Kijani could see some rocks in the area, and he ran for the boulders. The hyena gave chase as it continued moving dangerously closer to him, baring its teeth, as the lion saw some boulders in the way. He turned to the right, which the hyena did as well before Kijani attempted to jump, but seeing how slower he was, the hyena scratched his back leg with its claws as he jumped over a rock. He cried in pain as he landed on all four.
It hurt he had to admit when he saw the hyena taking menacing steps around the rock as it grinned madly at him.
"You've given a good run, lion," the hyena spoke darkly. "But, now you're out of options. You gave me a good while to hunt you down, my prey, I'll give you that."
Kijani winced in pain. Denying his fate, he turned away from the hyena and ran again, despite the pain he was feeling. The hyena growled and chased after him once more.
"Come back here! You're my lunch!" it yelled at him.
Kijani ran as he saw some grassland in the distance. If I jump over there, maybe I'll lose it.
Seeing no other choice, Kijani began to jump away from the hyena, and it came to a complete stop and snarled at the lion.
"You cursed lion! You will be mine one day! Count on it!" the hyena yelled at him before turning and ran off.
Kijani panted heavily, feeling the strain in his back leg as he collapsed on the ground with a painful moan. He closed his eyes, slowly breathing.
Nala chased a gazelle as she jumped, catching her prey as the gazelle fell to the ground, unmoving. She triumphantly called her hunting party, and the lionesses came to her as they congratulated her for the successful hunt.
"Well done, my Queen," said a lioness proud. "You've outdone yourself once more."
"Thank you," Nala thanked her. "It was no challenge, except for the run it gave."
She had two lionesses pick the gazelle to Pride Rock, when she was turning to something.
"Is something wrong, Your Highness?" asked a lioness when she came up to Nala.
"I thought I heard something," the queen replied. "Let's check it out."
"But what about the gazelle?" the lioness asked.
"It can wait," Nala said in response.
The lioness said no more as they began to walk towards the sound the queen had heard. After some time, they peeked through the tall grass and saw a lion on the ground near the Outlands. It was looking hurt, they noticed as it had a mark on its leg on the back. It was a brownish adolescent male with a darker mane and tail tuft, and was slowly breathing, meaning he was alive.
"What happened to him?" the lioness beside Nala asked.
"I don't know," the queen replied honestly. "Let us see if he can give us the answer. We need him to see Rafiki; we can get the answer there."
The lioness nodded and they moved out of the grass and picked the male lion on the queen's back.
Once they were sure he was secured, the lionesses made the way back to Pride Rock.
After returning to Pride Rock, Nala was greeted by her mate, Simba, as he nuzzled her warmly.
"How was the hunt?" he asked her.
"It went well," Nala replied.
"Who is that on your back, Nala?" Simba asked, seeing the male lion.
"I don't know," she replied honestly. "All we did was find him near the Outlands."
"Could he be a rogue?"
"I doubt it," Nala shook her head as Simba moved aside to let her pass by him.
Simba followed her as he asked again, "Where are you heading to?"
Nala smiled at him. "To the den. And then I'll have Rafiki heal him," she replied.
Simba blinked, and then noticed the red mark on the back leg of the male lion.
Nala walked up the path as she stepped up to the den. She walked inside and one lioness that was waiting for her helped with getting the male on the ground gently. "Thank you," she said to the lioness. "Hopefully he'll recover once he is healed."
"If I may ask, why did you bring him here?" the lioness asked her.
"I don't know, honestly," Nala shrugged truthfully. "I had the feeling of doing the right thing."
"And you did," said someone to her.
Nala turned to find Rafiki standing by the den entrance. "You're here, Rafiki," she smiled at the mandrill.
"Indeed I am," Rafiki nodded, stepping up to the male lion. "Hm. A male lion who is found near the Outlands, I assume?" He eyed the lion on the ground while talking with Nala.
"Yes," the queen confirmed. "I might have a guess he was injured by something. I'm not sure what."
Rafiki hummed, scratching his chin. "The claw marks look to be from a hyena," he noted, and he lowered his stick as he took a gourd from it. "I'll make sure to make him recover quickly so he can explain to us who he is."
Nala thanked him with a smile before she turned and walked out of the den.
Rafiki looked at the male and split the gourd in half with his hands before he spoke smoothly and quietly: "Rafiki will make you feel well, lion."
Kijani moaned as he began to open his eyes. They were a bit blurry in vision, but he managed to open them fully to have a look at his surroundings.
He looked to the side to find some rock formation around him. He looked ahead to find an entrance, and he wondered where he was now.
Kijani heard some pawsteps coming to him as he shook to clear his vision. Once his vision cleared, he saw a female lion with blue eyes looking at him with a smile.
"Are you alright?" the lioness asked worriedly. "You sure took time to recover."
Kijani blinked. "Where...am I?" he asked her.
"In the royal den," she replied. "I brought you here for Rafiki to heal your leg."
Who? Kijani wondered internally. "Thank you," he thanked her.
"You're welcome," the lioness smiled at his gratitude. "Though if I may ask, who are you?"
"Ki-Kijani," he answered nervously.
"Do you know what happened to you for being near the Outlands?"
Kijani tried to think, but his mind was fuzzy and unclear. He shook his head.
"I see. Anything else?" she asked him gently.
"I-I don't remember or recall," he told her truthfully. "Nor do I know where I am, honestly."
The lioness frowned. He seemed to be having memory issues, she noticed.
"You're in the Pride Lands," someone said to him from behind the lioness.
Kijani cocked his head. "What's that?" he wondered.
"This kingdom," the male lion with golden fur and a red mane explained as he went up beside the lioness. "I see our guest has recovered, Nala."
The lioness, Nala, nodded. "Indeed he has, Simba."
Kijani looked at them in confusion. He then began to stir, which he did to sit on his haunches.
"Do you recall anything aside from your name?" Simba asked him gently.
Kijani shook his head. "I don't know, I can't remember it well," he told him.
Simba hummed, looking at Nala. "He must have memory issues," he said to her.
"That's what I thought," she nodded in agreement.
Kijani looked between them in confusion, then wondered as Simba looked at him with a fatherly smile.
"What do you think of joining the pride?" the king asked. "We will offer you shelter from the Outsiders, food, and protection."
Kijani tilted his head, and then he thought. Well, anything better than dying of starvation, he decided as he nodded to Simba who smiled, pleased.
Nala smiled, happy for Kijani.
"Well then, let's see how the prey Nala did should offer," Simba told Kijani.
"I made sure the pride members saved some," Nala assured him.
Kijani smiled, and then he walked with the king and queen outside of the den to meet with the pride members.