Before you get to reading Chapter 2, I would like to read some of the reviews for Chapter 1:
Jestalnaker94000: Thank you very much for the lovely review. I hope you enjoy this chapter.
LionKingIsAwesome: Aww! Thank you so much. That means so much to me. I love your 'The Lion King: The Human Pridelander' fanfiction. Top-class level fanfiction right there mate. :)
Jack905: Thank you!
Please remember to support all of these lovely people by checking their stories. Also, Matthew at this point is 5 years old. He'll get older as the story continues. Now Chapter 2: START!
Chapter 2: Welcome to Pride Rock!
The sun was setting and the sky was turning pink as Simba and Kovu arrived at Pride Rock with Matthew on Simba's back, the child was asleep, and he had been asleep for more than half of the journey. When they arrived, the two males were met with Princess Kiara, and several lionesses. The lionesses crowded around Simba and Kovu, asking them questions about them and the young child. Some of the lioness commented that the sleeping child was cute; some commented that Nala was not going to be happy when she found out.
"Daddy? Is that a man-cub?" Kiara asked her father. "His face is wet; I guess he must cry a lot." Kiara commented on Matthew's wet face.
"You mean, like you when you were a cub, Kiara?" Simba asked nonchalantly. The lionesses began laughing and Simba had to keep himself from laughing and allowing Matthew to fall off his back. Kovu, on the other hand, was dying of laughter but recovered from an evil look from Kiara.
"If you don't know Daddy, humans should not be here, it's dangerous. He's an easy meal for all the predators." Kiara grumbled, being completely serious. "Here is the safest place for him Kiara." Simba replied. "And… besides I won't let anything hurt him here." Kiara tried to reason with her father, this was so absurd to her, a human? Here? But before she could say anything, the child on Simba's back woke up.
Matthew yawned. "Papa, are we at Pride Rock yet?" Matthew asked, snuggling into the king's soft fur, earning an "Aww" from the lionesses. Matthew stopped dead cold, and looked up, wondering where that "Aww" came from. He saw the lionesses all around him.
"Papa! Papa!" Matthew quickly hid his face into Simba's back, shivering in fear. "There are lionesses everywhere! Please don't let them eat me." The child continued to sob. Simba, with the help of Kovu, slid the child into Simba's loving paws. "Shh.. They won't hurt you." Simba placed a paw onto Matthew's back and rocked him gently, turning the child's sobs into quiet whimpers. "Is everything okay now?" Simba asked Matthew, licking his face gently, clearing the face of any tears. "Yes… Papa." Matthew replied, nuzzling the lion's soft furry chest, receiving another 'Awww' from the lionesses.
Nala came out of the Rock's entrance, and she was not at all happy. "What is this entire ruckus?" Nala ordered. Nala saw the young child playing with Simba's tail, as he tried to catch it in his arms. "Where did you find this man-cub, Simba?" His queen asked finally, her tone somewhat concerned.
"He was alone, that loud crash we all heard was a huge metal bird, destroyed, and full of man. But he was the only one still alive." Simba replied. "He would have died to if I hadn't come…"
Nala looked down at the small man-cub and then at Simba, who was smiling at Matthew's cuteness. "Simba, you can't adopt every orphaned creature that you come across in the pride." Nala reminded him, interrupting him. "What if he grows up and tries to destroy us?"
"I won't destroy you…" A cute voice called back. It wasn't Simba, it was Matthew, looking at Nala with his innocent hazel eyes, from the comfort of Simba's paws.
"He's not like them. He's not the humans that my parents talked about." Simba clarified. "I know there is good in his heart. Please… he needs us. He'll die out there if we don't take care of him… Please…"
Nala paused and thought about it for a moment until she saw Matthew hugging her tightly, with his arms wrapped around less than a quarter of her body. "Please…. I don't want to be out there alone. I want you as my Mama… Please…" Matthew asked, tears forming in his eyes. Simba looked at Nala whom looked down at the young child hugging her. The young child had brown hair, white skin and beautiful hazel eyes. He seemed to have a happy and cheery demeanour, when he was playing with Simba anyway.
Nala looked back up at Simba, whom had a sad look on his muzzle. "Please… he needs us." Simba begged. Nala sighed and smiled. "After some thought, I have decided that he will stay, and he will be our son."
Simba smiled and nuzzled his mate affectionately, which Nala returned. "Thank you…" he said as he nuzzled Nala. He then nuzzled Matthew who was in Nala's paws, making him giggle, and Simba licked his cheek lovingly.
"But…" Nala spoke, becoming serious. "You have to take him out when he needs to 'relief' himself." Simba moaned. "But…" Nala gave him a silencing look. "No buts… Simba. Or… if you like, he can pee where you sleep on our 'throne'." Nala stated, making her, Matthew, Kovu, Kiara and all the other lionesses laugh.
"You're so cruel to me." Simba moaned. "That's what Mamas' are for, Papa." Matthew smiled.
Kiara walked up to the man-cub in her mother's paws and sniffed him, making Matthew laugh. "He's so cute." Kiara smiled. Kovu strolled up beside her, and nuzzled his soon-to-be mate. "You're cuter…" Kiara nudged Kovu away from her with her paw, making Kovu fall over with an "Oww". "Shut up..." Kiara laughed.
Suddenly, the pride heard a loud roar on the grass below. Simba looked down, and saw a group of 5 lions, all looking not their best. Scars covered their bodies and their manes were scruffy. Well, apart from the biggest lion, which from just by appearance allow, looked like he was from Simba's pride.
"What do you want?!" Simba roared down, towards the lion invaders. "What? Don't recognise me, Simba…" Simba and the entire pride gasped.
"No…Muuaji*…" Simba said. "I thought I banished you for attacking humans many moons ago..." Muuaji growled. "Those humans weren't welcome here. They would have killed us all!" Muuaji then smiled evilly when he saw Matthew walk closer to the edge to have a look at who his Papa was talking to. "Oh…. Is that a human, Simba? Is he from that metal bird, by any chance?"
"What…!? You know about that, you were there!?" Simba roared. "Yes. I was there. Did you ever wonder why there were so many bones in that bird?" Simba was shocked; he did remember seeing a lot of bones on that plane. Simba was angry. "You're the reason this man-cub was alone! You killed and ate his parents!" Simba roared at Muuaji and his group of lions.
"Well…" Muuaji said calmly, not paying the angry Lion King any attention. "I was going to eat him too; I missed him on my first trip. I wondered the first time what that mound under that brown thing was." Matthew quickly disappeared from the edge of the cliff, and ran to his Mama… with eyes filled with terror. "Mama…" The child said, tearfully as he cried softly into his mother's paws. Nala simply licked his tears away and nuzzled his cheek. "Shhh… it's going to be okay, my cub. He won't get you. He will never ever get you." Nala said back, keeping her man-cub close as he continued to cry into the Queen's paws.
"GET OUT!"
Simba roared at the intruding lions. "Get out… and never come back. If I ever see you in Pride Lands or if I find out you were in Pride Lands, I will increase your punishment to… death!" Muuaji just sighed and chuckled to himself. "Yes… your majesty. But remember… one day that human will be ours." The brown-furred lion fake bowed the Lion King and he left, followed by his lion followers.
Simba slowly walked up to his mate and their crying man-cub. Once he was close, he lay down in front of Nala's paws and he nudged the child's head carefully, making him turn around. "Papa… He was there… he almost ate me." Matthew hugged his Papa, crying loudly as his new parents nuzzled him lovingly, whispering kind words to calm him down.
"Papa, I'm scared he'll come back to get me." The child whimpered in his father's paws as Simba held the child close so Matthew could snuggle into his warm fur. "I know Matthew… It's alright. He's gone." Simba nuzzled his son and he held him close, his fur like a fluffy barrier to protect Matthew from the cruel world outside the Pride Lands. "He won't hurt you. He will never get you. I will always be there for you. And I will always protect you." Simba gave his son a final loving cheek lick as the boy yawned and curled up in his father's arms, his face snuggled into the warm fur. "I love you… Papa…" The last words the child heard before he dozed off were his father saying the words "I love you too… Matthew."
*Muuaji = Killer in Swahili
Oh no, what could Muuaji and his group of evil lions have in store for Matthew? Let's hope Matthew has sweet dreams, wrapped up tightly in Simba's paws *Awww… cute*.
Again, thank you to those who have reviewed Chapter 1 of 'The Lion King: The Child of Pride Rock'. I am so grateful, and it's your nice and loving reviews that get me through the day. Constructive criticism is always appreciated, please review and look for the next chapter! Have a good morning/day/night and take care.