Wow, it's been such a long time since I posted another chapter for this story*bangs my head on my desk.* I am a bad author...

I'm so sorry for the long wait guys, but I hope that you enjoy the chapter! :D:D:D:D


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Chapter 3: Within the Lions Den


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When Ryan started coming around, all he knew was that he felt as though he had just been in a medley consisting of the worst possible accidents a person could be involved in and still come out alive. His head hurt, his back hurt, every skin cell and hair follicle hurt, but worst of all was his leg; he could barely move it without causing it to twinge with an agonizing pain and wished that he could just fall back into unconsciousness.

"I think he's waking up..." a hushed voice suddenly said. "Someone needs to inform the king!"

Ryan opened his eyes, becoming a little alarmed when everything seemed so dark that he thought he might have gone blind, but the slight echoes he could hear with every sound and whisper made him relax as he realized he was just laying inside a cave. The young man pushed himself up with a groan, squinting his eyes until he could make out a little more than a few figures standing before him.

"Who's there?" he asked groggily as he rubbed his eyes with the heels of his hands, hoping that whoever they were had some Advil on them as he was starting to develop a headache the size of Texas.

"Don't get too close!" a different voice warned. "Remember what Zazu said? He'll skin you alive if given a chance!"

"Ski-What?" Ryan asked in both surprise and confusion, wondering if he had heard the outrageous accusation correctly; He began to blink his eyes repeatedly to get them to adjust to the dim lighting. "What're you talking abou-"

But the words died in his throat when at last he could see around him, his skin paling when he realized that he was in a huge cave, not full of people, but surrounded by a least a dozen lions.

For the longest time, Ryan just stared at them while they in turn stared back, seemingly frozen until it finally hit him that what he was seeing was the real thing and immediately fell into full blown flight mode as he let out a terrified yell and propelled himself backwards away from them; he didn't get very far, however, when he felt his back slap against rough walls of the cave where he saw that there was no way to escape. Although his sudden and rapid reaction made the lionesses jump and back up a bit, it was a fleeting comfort when he saw that the only visible way out lay behind the line of predators.

He was literally trapped within the lion's den!

Ryans' chest heaved with panic and his eyes darted left and right as the large cats stood there, none of them moved a muscle as they looked at him with varying expressions of suspicion and confusion, but the young man wanted to make it clear that he didn't want them coming any closer than they already were as he began to feel around for a stick or a big rock or something he could use to hit with if he had too.

He felt a glimmer of relief when his fingers finally managed to wrap around something thick and moderately heavy, but as he held it up to see what it was, he went a shade paler to discover that it was a large bone from a past meal, stained red with dried bits of forgotten flesh and every inch of it covered with tooth marks.

The lionesses, who had tried to stay neutral until their patriarch arrived, one by one started to bare their fangs and unsheathe their claws as he held the bone threateningly towards them; the horrible tales that the majordomo had told them before he woke up rang fresh in their minds, and if this boy was capable of such atrocities like the ones they were told, then they would need to subdue him quickly if he decided to attack them.

With or without Simba's order to do so.

Ryan felt chills run up his spin when he heard them begin to give low, rumbling growls. And despite his queasiness at holding the stripped remains of an animal, he pointed it at them and struggled to get to his feet; maybe if he could stand to his full height, it would scare them away, or at the very least, make them keep their distance.

But as soon as he put weight on his left leg, he let out a howl of pain and instantly fell back down on the cave floor, biting his lip while his eyes stung because of the nasty hyena bite he got earlier throbbed terribly. The pride of lions used this opportunity to advance on him, nearly making the hurt and terrified boys heart stop from the vicious snarls on their feline features. But before he could even try to start swinging the bone around, despite his awkward position, a voice calling out for them to stop grabbed their attention.

"Hey! Hey! Hey! Easy with that!" a voice shouted over the growls as one by one the lionesses lost their threatening expressions to that of surprise as something began to push its way through them in until a portly red warthog made his way to the front, carrying the very same meerkat Ryan rescued from the hyenas atop his head.

"C'mon, there's no need for all this!" The meerkat stated firmly as he began to make shooing motions at the band of huge cats. " Let's move right along, back it up, back it up; amscray already!"

"Yeah, you're scarin' 'im!" the warthog added disapproving snort.

The lionesses said nothing as they looked at one another for a moment before they, much to Ryans' shock as they were animals that were much higher on the food chain than the two that defended him, began to do as they were told and moved a few paces backwards to give the boy some space.

"There now, that's better." The meerkat said as he clapped his paws in satisfaction before he and the tusked pig turned around to face Ryan, who had been quiet throughout the whole exchange, and gave him a grin. "Hey kid, remember me? Sorry for the whole fang show; these guys ain't in the most hospitable of moods thanks to a certain feather-brain yappin' his big beak at anyone who won't tell 'im ta can it."

"They're actually really nice, you'll see, just gotta let 'em used to ya first, is all." the warthog assured in with a friendly tone.

"Alrighty, now that we're all calm down..." the smaller of the pair began. "Let's relax, put down the wildebeest femur, and have ourselves a good old-"

"WHAT'S GOING ON?! " Ryan interrupted, yelling out at the top of his lungs. The meerkat give a startled cry as he dove down to hide in the warthog's black hair.

"Where am I? Why am I here?" the boy demanded frantically as he still brandished the bone like a sword. "Where's my camper? How are you even able to talk? What the heck's going on?!"

"Hehehe, how do you expect to receive answers to all your questions when you ask so many questions before you hear the answers?" An elderly voice asked.

The lionesses all turned their heads to look behind them before they instantly parted away to allow this lanky old baboon, who holding a long stick with some kind of fruit tied on the end, through as he walked towards the flustered young man; who in turn, felt his blood pressure skyrocket once again when he saw the biggest lion he had ever seen walking right alongside him.

Ryan said nothing when they eventually slowed to a stop, unable to pry his eyes away as he took in the larger animal; If he wasn't so filled with anxiety, he would have been in awe of that golden pelt, impressive red mane, and those intense amber eyes that stared down at him with distrust.

"I am Simba, son of Mufasa and king over the Pridelands." The lion finally began, his voice proud and unwavering. "I have been thoroughly informed by my majordomo of your kind, of man; you were thought to have closed ears, deaf and dumb to the cries of animals that you capture and killed...yet you seem to understand us, and you spoke of my father by name."

Ryan clutched the bone tighter as Simba suddenly came closer until he stood barley an arm's length away, seemingly uncaring to the fact that Ryan could whack him upside the head with his weapon.

"I want you to tell me why you're here, why you can understand us." the lion ordered. "And how it was that you came to know of Mufasa!"

"And you think I know that?! All I did was get a stupid monkey out of a stupid snare because I was a stupid idiot, then BAM! There's a freaking twister in my camper and I wake up in the middle of nowhere questioning my sanity!" Ryan explained, his voice growing angrier with every word as he tried to ignore the pounding of his heart. "Mufasa's supposed to be your dad, right? Then how about you tell me why I'm here!"

Simba gave a growl at Ryan's insubordinate tone, but he stopped when the baboon suddenly came up and placed a calming hand on his shoulder; and after letting out a low sigh, he turned his face towards the old simian while still giving Ryan the side eye.

"What do you make of him, Rafiki?" the lion asked. "Is he lying or telling the truth?"

"Oh Simba, how can you expect me to make anything of one frightened mind when I am surrounded by so many others?" Rafiki asked with a dissatisfied tsk before he suddenly began to make shooing motions with his hands like the meerkat had done before. "Out, out, out with you all! I must speak with the boy alone."

Surprised, the lionesses all looked to their king, who seemed as equally uncomfortable with the whole idea of leaving the baboon alone with an unfamiliar creature that they have only ever heard awful tales about.

"Are you sure that's wise?" Simba asked, sending a weary glare over to Ryan. " Zazu told me-"

"I am not blind to the cruel deeds of man, Simba; and I am not asking that you trust in this one before you now." the monkey said with a reassuring smile. "But I am asking that you keep trust in old Rafiki, he knows what to do."

Simba was silent for a good long while, but eventually, he let out a yielding sigh; As stubborn as he was, Rafiki was ten times that, and he knew better than to doubt the wisest animal he knew.

"Very well, old friend." he said as he motioned for his pride to head for the entrance of the den and began to follow them out. "But if you need me, then please, let me know."

Before Ryan could let out the breath he had been holding now that the lions were finally leaving, he sucked in a startled gasp when the baboons bright, red and blue face suddenly appeared a mere few inches before his own.

"Whoa! Back up!" Ryan demanded, pressing flat against the cave wall in an attempt to put some much needed space between them.

"It has been quite some time since I have last seen man in the Pridelands." Rafiki stated, ignoring Ryan's demand as he began to poke and prod and check over Ryan's hair, teeth and eyes. "But to meet one so young...who are you, boy?"

At one point, Ryan tried to swing the bone he still had to get him to back off, but the old baboon effortlessly caught it with one hand and with a quick jerk, pulled it out of Ryan's grip and tossed it away before he resumed his inspection.

"Knock it off!" The young man said, agitated at being touched so much. "What are you doing?!"

"Oh, the better questioned would be what you will be doing, boy." Rafiki said, giving an experimental pinch at the sleeve of Ryan's hoodie. "Why is it that Mufasa has brought you to us?"

"It's Ryan, not boy! And I have no freaking idea why the guy kidnapped me and dumped me here, alright?!" the boy snapped as he started smacking at the monkeys' touchy, spindly fingers. "Would you get away from me?!"

Again, he was ignored, and he couldn't stop himself for letting out an embarrassingly high-pitched scream of pain when Rafiki suddenly grabbed his left leg and lifted it to inspect the bite before he gave it a firm squeeze. Blood still oozed from the teeth marks, and thankfully, that was all that seemed to come out.

"Hmm, you will need to remove these for me." Rafiki told him, tugging at his pants leg before he scurried across the floor with a surprising nimbleness for an old baboon. "That way it will be easier to treat. "

"Uh, yeah, you can forget that. I don't want you messing around with it!" Ryan said stubbornly as Rafiki reached up and pulled handfuls of green moss from the crevasses of the cave wall along with some type of weed. What the heck would a monkey know about treating injuries, anyway?

"A hyena bite is not to be taken so lightly, young man; I have seen many animals lose a limb from infection for going too long without treatment." Rafiki said as he came back over to Ryan's side and picked up his staff. "Now if you do not hurry it up and let me see that wound, then I warn you, I will find out how to remove those myself if I must...the choice is yours."

Ryan felt a rush of flustered anger, but after a moment, he just let out a sigh of defeat.

Baboons seriously didn't look like much, especially this old one here, but he had always heard that even just one of them by itself could overpower a human with a surprising strength you wouldn't expect from something that was half your size. And right now, with his injury, he decided that he really didn't want to test it and find out if that was true or not.

Thankfully though, he was spared the total embarrassment of having to remove them completely as his cargo pants came with zippers built into the legs. So, as he slowly unzipped and pulled the bottom half of the leg off and carefully rolled the rest up a little higher on his leg, he cringed at the sight of an almost perfect bite mark in the middle of an ugly, purple and black bruise.

It certainly looked as nasty as it felt, but not as nasty as when he watched Rafiki take a bite of one of the melons from his staff and stuffed the weeds and he had gathered before into his mouth before he started chewing.

"Oh, you are so not!" Ryan stated as he realized what it was Rafiki was intending to do.

But when as he moved to try and roll the leg of his pants back down to cover the bite, Rafiki grabbed both of his wrists and moved them out of the way while he spat the mashed up pulp out onto his right foot and slathered it all over the wound.

"Aww!" the boy whined, grimacing in disgust before Rafiki finally released him. But even though he was still completely grossed out by his 'treatment', the burning ache he felt there before was almost instantly soothed.

"You say you haven't any idea why our previous king brought you here, but I think that you do." the old baboon began gently. "Try and remember, are you sure he said nothing to you?"

Ryan relaxed against the cave wall with a tired sigh as he thought back, and eventually, he did remember something.

"Well, he said that he...chose me, that he saw me worthy." the young man started as Rafiki quietly listened while he laid the cool moss over the paste. "He said I needed to find his son and save his family from…something."

"I see, and did he tell you from what you would saving them?" Rafiki asked, leaving him to get a little more moss.

"No, he didn't say anything at all, just that I had to save them." Ryan said, running his fingers through his dark hair. "But I have no clue what he expects me to even do here, it's all some big mistake..."

"You were hand chosen by the great Mufasa and you claim it to be a mistake?" Rafiki tsked. "Try again."

"Believe it or not, I don't really care, but it's true." Ryan insisted. "I'm just some guy from the states that's staying with his mother since she works here. I've got nothing to offer these guys, I never even wanted to be here in the first place, so what else can it be other than some big fluke?"

After that, Rafiki finally seemed to be done treating his wound and he stood up, leaning against his staff with a long hum while he stroked the white tuft of fur under his chin and stared at Ryan thoughtfully with his yellow gaze.

"So little faith..." the baboon finally began after a few moments of silence. "If you truly had nothing to offer, then how was it that you were the one the one to find that little monkey you rescued?"

"Because I was the only one around the area that night, obviously." Ryan said dryly.

THUNK!

"Ow!" Ryan cried out, clutching the top of his head as Rafiki pulled back his fruit adorned staff.

"Wrong!" He stated firmly while Ryan nursed the sore bump he felt forming while he glared up at him for the unexpected assault. "Mufasa saw something inside, something that drew him to you! If not for that something, then he would not have bothered to test you!"

Rafiki leaned in closer, a serious expression set upon his old face.

"Your fear is blinding you from the truth, making you reject it. Unless you find the courage within yourself to accept it, then you will never come to understand why Mufasa chose you, what he wants you to do!" Rafiki said. "And you may never be able to return to the life you knew."

Ryan's eyes widened at Rafiki's words...never return? As in he would be stuck here if he couldn't figure it out? After a moment, he lost his surprise to rage. All he did was free a monkey from a snare, he certainly never asked to be tested or spirited away from his mother by some ghost lion with nothing but a vague request he didn't even agree to.

This wasn't fair!

"I don't know what he wants me to do! I don't know what he was thinking choosing me for any of this, but it wasn't very smart on his part!" Ryan shouted as he angrily pushed himself up and leaned heavily on his good leg. "If he wanted someone willing to risk their life trying to save a bunch of animals, then he should have picked my mother instead!"

He gritted his teeth when the bite began to hurt again, even though the pulp Rafiki put on it helped soothed it considerably, it still stung and twinged with every move.

"This is so dumb!" he ground out, as he looked over to the entrance of the cave determinedly. "I'm outta here!"

But as soon as he took that first step with his injury, he instantly crumpled back down to the floor with a pain filled cry and lay there, almost paralyzed as he waited for the agonizing burn to subside.

"And just how far do you think you will be able to go as you are, hmm?" he heard Rafiki ask as a hand suddenly fell on his shoulder, making him look up at to see a disapproving expression on the baboons' face. "With no sense of what direction to go and a leg that will get worse the more you move, how long do you think it will be before you are picked off by a hungry predator, eh?"

Ryan didn't answer as he looked away from him in a stubborn huff and pushed himself up into a sitting position. Though when Rafiki offered a hand to him, the young man begrudgingly took it and allowed the monkey to help him to his feet and walk him back to where he had been sitting before; After he was settled, a short moment of silence passed between them until Rafiki spoke again with a more sympathetic look on his multicolored face.

"I understand how overwhelming this must be, but the truth still remains...Mufasa saw something in you; Though what that something is, I cannot say with clarity." He told Ryan in a kindly tone. "Maybe you will find that answer during the time you spend healing with us."

Rafiki suddenly looked over his shoulder and beckoned Ryan to come closer as though he needed to tell him an important that he just wanted him to hear. And as the young man obliged, leaning a little closer, the old monkey slung an arm about his shoulders.

"And maybe you will even learn to sooth that temper of yours, as well." Rafiki added in a whisper.

Ryan stared at the baboon as a big grin appeared on Rafiki's face before he patted the young man's shoulder. Letting out an amused chuckle as though he just told a funny joke; Ryan, however, wasn't laughing as an indignant flush heated his face.

"But, by the time your wound has healed, and you still truly believe that Mufasa's choice was a mistake, then I give you my word that you will be free to go on your way." Rafiki promised as he started his way towards the exit of the den. "Rest well, young Ryan."

"And how do I know I won't get picked off anyway until then?!" Ryan shot after him in annoyance.

He never received an answer, but whether Rafiki didn't hear him and simply chose to ignore him, he never found out before he disappeared from sight and left him alone with his thoughts where he crossed his arms and slumped against the wall with a huff.

"Creepy little monkey..." He mumbled.

"Yeah, even I think he's a few bananas short of a bunch sometimes." A voice at his left agreed, making Ryan jump before he looked down to see the meerkat and warthog sitting beside him.

When did they come back in?

Ryan was rather surprised by their sudden appearance, but he made no comment on it as he just looked forward again, the three of them sitting in a rather awkward silence before the warthog took the initiative to strike up a conversation.

"You said your name was Ryan, right?" he started in a friendly tone as he regarded the young man with a grateful expression. "I'm Pumbaa, pleased ta meet your acquaintance; Thanks a bunch for savin' my best buddy, Timon!"

"Yeah, if you hadn't been around, I'd probably be in the belly of a hyena right now," The meerkat said before shuddering at the unpleasant thought. "I owe ya one, kid!"

"It's no problem, don't worry about it." Ryan told them quietly.

"Oh wow, look at Mr. Humble over here." Timon commented. "Even still, we rustled you up a little somethin'."

"And nothin' says 'thank you' better than some tasty grub!" Pumbaa stated cheerfully.

At that, Ryan felt his stomach tighten, he hadn't had any food since lunch yesterday and he had been conserving the snacks that he had in his pack ever since he woke up out here. But as he looked over at the 'food' they had, and instantly lost his appetite when Timon presented a big strip of bark that was completely piled on with dozens of squirming insects.

"Take your pick, Ryan," Pumbaa urged proudly. "We brought the best of the best, so have as many as ya want!"

"Uh...I'm actually not hungry." Ryan finally said, which was really the truth. "You guys go ahead."

Timon and Pumbaa shared a glance with each other, but eventually they both just gave a shrug and immediately started mowing down, making Ryan nearly gag at the noisy scene. But at least he took comfort in the fact that he still had reserves in his pack.

He would have to have one of his power bars if his appetite ever came back again today.


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Later that Day...


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Ryan had a bit of a hard time getting through the remainder of the day once Timon and Pumbaa had left after graciously offering him their, uh...delicacies, more so because of the lions that would come and go from the cave either to take naps out of the sun or just keep a watchful, and very distrustful, eye on him; to which Ryan returned with equal suspicion less one of them decided they wanted to have a snack.

Thankfully, they seemed to prefer to keep their distance and never once spoke a word to him. Although, he did notice that there was one lioness who seemed to act differently from her pride...

She was old, much older than any of the others with a graying beige pelt and brilliant eyes that were as orange as topaz that seemed to regard him with this kindly light whenever she would look his way. Occasionally, she would offer him a friendly smile and bow her great head towards him in greeting, but he wouldn't return it as he would avert his gaze; for all he knew, it could have been a trick to get him to drop his guard.

The hours seem to pass so slowly until finally the light started to dim and make way for the evening, and if Ryan felt uncomfortable just have a few lions waiting around near him, then he really felt uncomfortable when all of them began to congregate inside. Especially when he noticed that they were all licking and cleaning their muzzles and paws to rid them of that red hue they had accumulated from whatever had the misfortune to become their feast night.

And as they continued to file in, Ryan tensed when a single lioness suddenly emerged from the end of the group and approached him while carrying a big chunk of some kind of meat within her jaws.

Ryan could only stare at her, confused by what she was doing, but it finally clicked when she thrust her muzzle towards him with an impatient growl. He would have thought it to be generous that he was being offered food, except there was something about this lioness that just didn't sit well with him...

He could quite say for sure, but whatever it was, he didn't think he liked it as his eyes took in her tan fur that had a darker marking which went down in in a sharp strip from the middle of her forehead and along the back of her head. But what really seemed to trouble him were her eyes; They were a most brilliant shade of red that were comparable to rubies, and he might have had a brief thought that they were pretty cool, beautiful even, if only they didn't harbor this cold and hateful glint.

It was so obvious and intense, it made the young man feel paralyzed under their glare.

"I...I can't eat that." Ryan finally explained. "It's raw, so-"

She didn't give him a chance to finish his explanation as she gave another irritated growl and whipped away faster than he was able to blink, prowling across the cave floor and past most of the pride until she made it over to a trio of cubs that Ryan hadn't even noticed where there before. One of them was an older male cub with a coat that was such a pale tan color, it almost seemed gray; and it looked rather shabby around his lanky form, like he needed a good bath but hadn't received one yet. The other two were much younger, one was a male that had brown fur and the other, a female, was a honeyed tan color.

Once the lioness made it to her cubs, she callously dropped the meat down at the feet of the bigger cub and laid down next to the infants with an audible huff, briefly snapping at the eldest cub to eat before laying her head over her paws to get to sleep.

Despite to coldness he received from her, the presence of the cubs made Ryan curious. He may have griped about animals a lot, but even still, he had a secret soft spot for babies and he wondered if any of the other lionesses had cubs of their own. He looked at each lioness as one by one they bedded down for the night, but to his disappointment, none of them seemed to be caring for little ones.

A flash of red and gold suddenly caught Ryan's attention as he looked over to see that Simba had walked in. The large lion sent a glance to him, his gaze still holding that suspicion and wariness before his finally looked away and padded towards a slight platform where a beautiful, cream furred lioness was already waiting for him; was she his mate?

The young man watched as Simba bowed his head and nuzzled against her lovingly, and she returned his affection before she parted her paws to reveal a fuzzy bundle nestled within them while the big lion leaned down and nosed at it until the little head of a cub lifted up with the tiniest growl he had ever heard. Simba smiled proudly, giving it a comforting lick over its head to soothe the baby lions grumpy protests at being woken up before he too settled down beside his queen for the night.

Ryan wished he could have gotten a better look at the cub as from this distance, it was hard to tell if it was even a boy or a girl. Though as the sound of steady snores reached his ears, he suddenly let out a yawn of his own and his curiosity was bogged down by weariness.

Despite this, he really didn't want to fall asleep in a cave filled with carnivores as thoughts of one of these big cats trying to make a midnight snack out of him filled his mind...but if he wanted his wound to heal, then he needed to rest. And begrudgingly, Ryan laid himself down, propped his head against his bumpy hydration pack like a pillow and tried to get as comfortable as he could on the stone floor.

It proved to be difficult task, however, and he was seriously missing his bunk at the camper, heck, he would have been happy if he just had a blanket. He was baffled at how cold it had gotten considering how blistering hot it was just this morning. And even though his cloths blocked out most of the chill, the cool night breeze that wafted in from the entrance of the den every now and then still made him tremble.

This was going to be a long night...

"Hello."

Ryan jerked, startled by the sudden voice and slowly turned his head to look over his shoulder, paling slightly to see the old lioness with the vibrant orange eyes gazing down at him.

"I don't think we've properly met," She began as Ryan made no sound, her voice husky and low as she smiled at him. "I'm Sarabi."

"R-Ryan." the young man managed to say without squeaking as he shivered once again from the breeze as well as nervousness.

"Are you cold, Ryan?" Sarabi asked, noticing his discomfort.

"I...I'm fine. Thanks" He said as he laid his head back down and closing his eyes, wishing that she would just go somewhere else and let him sleep.

Instead, his eyes snapped back open as he sucked in a sharp breath when he felt a large foreleg drape itself over him while Sarabi lay down behind him and pulled him closer against her body.

"It will be warmer for you like this." Sarabi said.

Ryan couldn't find his voice, his body feeling like it was paralyzed as he was just barely able to keep himself from having a panic attack at have a freaking lion practically laying on top of him.

"Don't be frightened of me, dear." Sarabi told him softly, chuckling with a bit of amusement at the wide-eyed expression on his face. "I'm too old and much too tired to even bare my teeth anymore."

Her assurance brought little comfort to him because he knew that even old lions could still be dangerous. Thought when it was clear that she wasn't going anywhere, Ryan tried once again to go to sleep.

It actually did help with her lying next to him as he didn't feel as cold anymore, but he was soon in for another surprise tonight when he suddenly felt something go through his hair. It was Sarabi running her tongue along his head in long, soothing strokes until little by little, Ryan's fear ebbed away enough that he turned his face to look up at her again, making her pause in his grooming.

"Why are you being so nice?" he finally asked in confusion. "Aren't you scared of me?"

"'Of you? No." The old lioness said gently. "While I admit that I had my reservations, they were put at ease after I heard how you saved our Timon, and anyone who had been approached by Mufasa, be it beast or man, well...I have only complete trust in his judgement."

"You knew Mufasa?" Ryan asked her with interest.

"Oh yes, very well." Sarabi answered with a nod. "Mufasa was my mate."

Her mate, then that would mean that she was Simba's mother. But since Mufasa was essentially a ghost now...

"I'm sorry." the boy told her earnestly. "It must have been hard when he passed away."

"It's fine, dear." the lioness assured him. "I have long since accepted that I can no longer see him in this life, and I am at peace with it."

She then gave him a smile that the young man finally returned, now knowing that there really was nothing to fear from her.

"Get some rest now, Ryan." Sarabi told him. "You've had a long day."

She didn't have to tell him twice as weariness began to take its toll and nestled back down, a little more comfortable and soothed thanks to Sarabi's kindness. But before he closed his eyes, he had just one thing to ask of her...

"Hey, uh, you can keep doing that...that thing you were doing before." he began, an embarrassed blush appearing on his face. "It felt...nice."

Sarabi said nothing, but she complied to his request with a motherly smile on her face and began running her tongue through his raven locks once again until the comforting strokes lulled the exhausted boy to sleep...


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Ryan didn't know where he was...everything was dark and foggy, he couldn't even see anything past his own nose...

But from the darkness, he suddenly hears a womans sinister cackle along with terrifying growls and a bunch of weird clicks and squeaking begin to emanate all around him. But no matter where he looked, he couldn't see what they were coming from.

Ryan tried to run, to get away from them, but it was like they were coming from everywhere around him.

He couldn't escape!

But he stopped when a golden light suddenly flashed from the darkness, making him shield his eyes until it dimmed down and he blinked in surprise to see the glowing form of Mufasa standing before him with this imploring, almost desperate expression on his face.

'Save my family.'

Before Ryan could try and talk to him, a loud snarl suddenly ripped through the air and he whipped his head around to see a shadowy figure with long claws and glistening fangs lunging for him!


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Ryan awoke with a gasp, panting and sweating as though he had just finished running 10 miles nonstop. But here he was, still in the den with Sarabi sleeping soundly next to him and the evening sky outside the mouth of the cave glittered with stars over the quiet Savannah. It didn't look like the sun was close to rising anytime soon and the young man gave a tired groan as he rubbed at his face, completely exhausted.

What a time to have a nightmare.

But as tired as he was, Ryan was suddenly aware that something was moving around at his abdomen.

"What the?" he started, looking down in surprise to see that it was a cub, kneading rigorously into his stomach with tiny little paws as it suckled on a mouth full of his hoodie. And being careful not to wake Sarabi, Ryan slowly sat up and gently picked up the fuzzy little infant.

"Well, hi there." he whispered, running his fingers over the velvety soft fur. "What are you doing here?"

The cub was a little baby girl, and her fur was a golden peach color with faint spots all along her body. She would occasionally try to open her eyes, but it seemed like she just couldn't see all that well and they'd immediately close back up. Her ears weren't fully opened yet either, which told him that she was still very young.

Wondering if she was the little girl that belonged to the young lioness with the red eyes, he looked over to her sleeping form. But sure enough, all three of her cubs were accounted for as they slumbered peacefully next to their mother. So that meant that this cub he held belonged to Simba and his mate who were both sleeping on the platform.

...Across the snoring mass of claws and fangs.

Ryan considered just waiting until morning to give the cub back to her mother, but after he remembered that she was trying to suckle from him when he woke up, then there wouldn't be anything he could do if she got hungrier. And if she started crying for her food, he didn't want to be accused of taking her. He was already on thin ice with everyone here to begin with.

So, with a heavy sigh, Ryan cradled the baby to his chest with one arm and started to crawl as quietly as he could around the sleeping lionesses.

There were some instances where he thought he was done for when he nearly crawled over a couple of tails, and one lion even managed to hug her huge forearms around his leg in her sleep. Not his injured one, thank goodness, and by it was by some miracle he was able to pull himself out of her grasp without waking her before he finally made it to the platform that Simba and his mate slept upon.

Ever so quietly, Ryan crept up to them until he was finally right before the infant's mother and gently began to lower her small body to rest at her belly, he was almost home free...

"I'm Nala." a voice said, making Ryan's' heart leap in his throat before he lifted his hazel eyes to meet with one of the queens bright, teal blue ones as she stared up at him questioningly. "What are you doing with my daughter?"

"I-I'm sorry!" Ryan stammered, trying to keep his voice in a whisper as his mind raced to quickly explain himself. "I just woke up and she was by me, but I swear, I didn't want her there!"

He reeled in shock when he realized how rude that sounded and tried to fix it.

"B-but nothing against her, she's a really, really cute cub! Anyone would want to have her!" That didn't sound any better, "Gah! Not that I want to take her away!"

He finally just stopped talking before he made it even worse, his face burning beet red as the words he spoke repeated over and over in his head and made him wish that the stone would just open up and swallow him whole.

"Just...here!" he finally said, holding the cub out to her.

Nala only looked at him for a moment, a slight look of surprise on her face from watching his display of attempting to explain why he had her cub. But soon, she gave a smile and let out an amused giggle before she stretched her limber neck out and gently plucked her baby up by the scruff; when she was safely nestled within her paws once again, her baby settled in comfortably and almost immediately fell into a deep sleep.

"Our little Kiara is surprisingly adventurous for one so young..." She stated softly, a fond expression on her feline features. "I guess that means she's going to be quite the pawfull, just like her father."

She looked back up to the young man with a kind and grateful smile upon her muzzle.

"Try to go back to sleep, Ryan." She said. "Simba won't be too happy to see you so close if he wakes up."

Ryan only gave a nod in understanding as he briefly shifted his gaze to the big lion that lay beside her, yeah, that was a good idea. And he turned around before he quickly and quietly started to navigate his way back around the sleeping pride as a smile still found its way to his face at the whole interaction.

With lions like Nala and Sarabi around, maybe, hopefully, it wouldn't be as bad as he once thought being stuck here while he healed after all.


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I'm sorry if this chapter seems a little rushed, guys, I wanted to get it done before tomorrow. Gonna be a bit busy XP.

Also, if any of you are wondering why Kiara can't open her eyes at the moment, that's because that has to do with really the only problem that I had with the movies.

At the beginning of the two movies it always starts out with the presentation of the new prince and princess, telling me that they were shown before their subjects the day they were born. I've read that a lion cub won't be able to open their eyes until 10 or 14 days after being born, so it's always bothered me that Simba and Kiara had their eyes open immediately after they were born.

I could be horribly wrong on how old they were during the time of their presentations, but that's how it seemed to me.

So, in my story, Kiara has her eyes closed. X3

I hope you enjoyed the chapter guys, I'll try to get more written up, and be sure to point out any spelling or grammar errors, too!