Welcome to Chapter 5, everybody. Now before I read the reviews for Chapter 4, I want to say that I have started school again, so my updates on this story might be lower than normal, it depends on my mood after a long day of work at school if I want to write more of the chapter I am currently working on. But I will try to get more high quality chapters for you guys. Now onto the reviews:
Jack905: I might go down that route but I want my story to be unique in a plot that has been done to death. If you typed in 'Human in Lion King Fanfiction' into Google, you will get a few of the thousands of stories that fill up this archetype of Lion King Fanfictions, and I would mine to be as unique and fresh on that archetype as possible. But I will take your review into consideration.
LionKingIsAwesome: Thanks again Drew, I always look forward to reviews. They really brighten my day. I hope this chapter was worth the wait. :)
Guest: Don't worry, Muuaji won't get away with this, I won't spoil it though. Thank you for reading.
Halo62225: I'm sorry I didn't see your review until now. Thank you so much for your kind words. :)
Chapter 5: Matthew Escapes!?
Matthew woke up from a painful cold sleep. The cold hard rocky floor gave the child pains and marks where the smaller rocks had poked into the soft tan skin of the human.
Muuaji approached the human's cage with an evil sly look on his muzzle, relishing in the child's fear. "Well… good morning human. We have much work to do." Muuaji stated.
Matthew backed up, not showing fear to the evil lion. "I'm doing anything you say, you jerk." Matthew insulted. Muuaji just smiled and open the cage 'door' with his paws and entered the human's cage, and placed a paw on the human's leg.
Matthew tried to pull his leg away and back away from Muuaji, trying to remove the lion's grasp on him but Muuaji was too quick and walked even forward, cornering Matthew to the back of the cage. "You will do as I say." Muuaji ordered. "If you don't, I will kill you, and I kill everyone you care about."
"No!" Matthew yelled. "I won't allow you to take away Pride Rock from Papa…. you won't get away with this." Muuaji took a deep breath and clawed at Matthew's chest making the child's gain scratch marks…
"AHHHHH..!"
Matthew screamed as the damaged scratched flesh reacted to the murky cave air, making the child shiver slightly from the stinging pain. Muuaji smiled as he watched the child react to the pain, and the lion held the sharp claws on his paws to the human's neck.
"That was a warning." Muuaji warned and forced him out of the cage. Upon leaving the cage, Matthew stretched his cramped and hurt body, being careful of his now scratched stomach. Muuaji rubbed his furry body against Matthew's body to make the child uneasy and it worked! The child tensed as soon as the child felt Muuaji's fur. Simba's fur was warm and soft and clean, filling him with love and protected him from all evil. Muuaji's fur was dirty and the fur was matted, instead of love filling him up, the child was filled with terror and fear. He desperately wanted to run back to Pride Rock as fast as he could, and cry into his parents' loving paws as they whisper words of comfort into his ears.
Muuaji lead Matthew outside of the termite mound with his gang of lions behind the two, so that the human couldn't escape. "Now it's time for your training." Muuaji said.
Matthew gasped. "N..No! I won't…" Matthew was interrupted by Muuaji slamming a paw on his back, sending the child face-down into the dirt. "Let's make this very clear." Muuaji stated. "If you are a good boy and obey me, I will reward you. But if you are a naughty boy, then you shall be punished horribly. You will only call me by 'Master' and you will not talk unless you are spoken to." Muuaji said before grasping the child's soft neck with a clawed paw, the claws digging in slightly, drawing blood to the surface.
Matthew whimpered and nodded. "Y…Yes I will be good." Matthew whimpered, holding back tears. Muuaji smiled and got off the human's back. "Now… you will be trained to defend yourself. You will face Kifo*." Muuaji said as a light brown male lion with a black scruffy mane walked forward from the group of lions.
Kifo and Matthew faced each other at a 5 metre distance from each other with Muuaji at the side of them both, ordering Kifo to be on the offense while Matthew was told just to avoid the claw swipes.
After being given the clear by Muuaji, Kifo ran at Matthew at a fast speed and aimed a pounce at the child's leg. Matthew panicked almost instantly and Kifo's claw rammed into Matthew's leg, making the child scream.
"YOU STUPID BOY!"
Muuaji roared angrily at the human, this training would be harder than he thought. "Try it again, and this time. Dodge his attacks!" Muuaji ordered.
With his leg dripping with blood, Matthew got back onto his shaking feet. Kifo ran at Matthew again, this time aiming a paw at his chest. Seeing his opportunity, Matthew side-stepped to the left, out of harm's way and the clawed paw didn't catch human, only dirt. Kifo quickly turned around and got ready to have another go at the human.
"GO!" Muuaji shouted as Kifo swung his sharp clawed paw at the human's head, which the human child barely avoided. Matthew swung his foot at Kifo's pretty hard at his head, only for him to promptly duck under Matthew's attack and tackled Matthew to the ground. The man-cub groaned in pain from the big lion on top of him. In response, Matthew sent a powerful kick to Kifo's belly, sending the lion off his belly and onto his back.
"Damn it! I lost to that stinking human!?" Kifo groaned in anger, kicking up dirt with his paw. Muuaji just ignored him and headed straight for the child, and helped him up, much to Matthew's surprise. Muuaji smiled a real smile, much to his followers' surprise; Muuaji hadn't smiled in many months.
"D…Did I do good?" Matthew asked, hoping that he pleased his kidnapper so he wouldn't get hurt anymore today, his bleeding leg and his dried bloody neck were enough for one day. Muuaji patted the boy's head with a paw "Yes you did Matthew. Yes you did. You shall be rewarded once we get back to the mound."
Once Matthew and Muuaji's gang reached the mound, Matthew instinctively walked to his 'cage' and entered it and moved the rib-cage in front of the hole to lock him inside. The child hugged his legs and stayed silent, not wanting to push his luck. But to his surprise, Muuaji swiped the rib-cage away from the hole and entered.
Matthew heard the rib-cage being moved and saw Muuaji enter his 'cage'. "Y..Yes Master?" Matthew said. Muuaji smiled and patted Matthew's head with a paw. "Good little one. You remembered my warning. I said you would get a reward. You must be tired aren't you?"
Matthew nodded and Muuaji curled up around Matthew, keeping him warm. "This is your reward." Muuaji stated. "You must be tired… I will keep you warm."
Matthew was already asleep; his small hands clinging to the lion's fur as he snoozed and Muuaji licked the boy's head lovingly as he watched the boy sleep.
Meanwhile, Kifo was still angry at the human beating him. He had to get rid of him, he couldn't let their plans of taking over the Pride Lands be ruined by some stupid ape. When the human and the rest of his gang were asleep, Kifo sneaked out of the termite mound castle and headed to Pride Rock. He snickered to himself as he ran; soon that human will be gone.
Meanwhile, Simba and his pride had just finished eating their final meal of the day, still grieving since the day their king's man-cub was so cruelly taken away from them. Nala had spent most days in the cave, refusing to leave. She felt so angry at herself, she was the boy's mother now and she had promised to always be there for him to keep him safe ever since she first met him, the day Simba brought him to the pride. And now he was gone. And to Nala, it was all her fault.
Simba was about to head into the cave to call it a day until he saw Kifo in the distance and ran down the steps of Pride Rock in anger. The king was full of anger and rage. The king quickly pinned the rogue lion down and roared at him.
"WHERE IS MY SON!?"
Kifo whimpered slightly. Even though Kifo was a strong and courageous lion, the king of the Pride Lands was still a terrifying force. "O..Ok I'll tell you. Just get of me…"
"YOU STOLE HIM FROM US!" Simba loudly interrupted. "GIVE HIM TO US NOW, OR I WILL TEAR YOU APART!" Simba roared.
"That's why I'm here" Kifo stated, gaining some courage. "He's in the old termite mound hill in the Outlands, being guarded by the rest of Muuaji's gang."
Simba released him and growled at him again "You will lead me straight to the place those lions have my boy. If he is not at the place you speak, or if my son is dead when we get there… then I will kill you. Understood?"
Kifo quickly nodded in fear and led the king into the outlands. Simba sighed as Kifo led him deeper into the Outlands. As the two lions walked, Simba looked around the old dirty lifeless 'Still hasn't changed a bit since the last time I was here' Simba thought.
Simba and Kifo reached the termite mound and Simba rushed in, the urge to finally see his son, his man-cub. The human child he devoted to protecting. Simba reached the bottom of the mound and the rest of Muuaji's pride greeted the king by growling angrily at him. Simba roared loudly, making Matthew shot up awake. "I… I know that roar." Matthew whispered, tearing up.
Matthew sneaked out of Muuaji's furry body and ran out, tearing up more and smiling as the child saw his Papa "Papa! I knew you would rescue me. I knew you would." Matthew ran up to Simba and wrapped his arms around the king's neck, sobbing tears of loneliness and relief into his Papa's mane.
"Welcome back, my son. I'm sorry I couldn't protect you." Simba held his crying son close as the lion king too teared up and sobbed. The lion king nuzzled his son's teary cheek and purred as Muuaji walked out of the hole that was once Matthew's cage.
"Come on Matthew… we should…"
Simba interrupted Muuaji by pounced in him hard and roaring in Muuaji's face. "I knew it was you… you stole my cub from me. I warned you what would happen if you were to get near my cub again." Simba said, releasing the claws on his right paw and holding it near Muuaji's neck.
"Papa... STOP!" Matthew commanded. Simba looked behind him, still on top of Muuaji with his claw still at the evil lion's throat. "No Matthew… he kidnapped you. He caused me and my pride, your family so much pain and grief. I can end all of this right now."
Matthew refused to stand down and allow this. "Are you a killer now Papa? Since when has killing become an option Papa? I refuse to allow this to happen." Simba roared at his son. "Since he captured you, I failed you once. I won't fail you again. I can't risk losing you again!" Simba said, on the urge of tears, but still destined to kill the lion who took his precious human cub away. He swiped…
Simba's paw hit the dirt next to Muuaji's head and growled right close up. "Be thankful that I saved your life. I would have killed you. I would have ripped every limb from your body. You stay away from my son! All of you! If I see anyone of you near my son again, I will kill you!"
Simba sighed and got off Muuaji's body and walked out of the mound, behind Matthew to keep him safe.
On the way back to Pride Rock, neither of them said a word. "Papa…?" Matthew said, breaking the silence. Simba kept on walking, not stopping or answering his cub.
"You will stay at Pride Rock from now on." Simba said finally, his voice now stern. "B..But…" Matthew whimpered in response, shocked from him being grounded, by a lion!
"And you will need to have an escort if you need to leave Pride Rock." Simba commanded, his voice getting stricter.
"Why Papa…?" Matthew asked, upset on all these new restrictions.
"I was scared I would lose you forever. And now you're safe and sound, I won't risk losing you again. These restrictions may be tough getting used to but in time, you'll thank me for it. I love you… I don't want you to end up missing…"
Matthew gasped as Simba looked back at his cub with tears running down his muzzle "I and your mother went out to look for you every day. We wouldn't give up." Matthew hugged his Papa's head tightly and kissed his head.
"I'm so sorry… I won't leave Pride Rock. I was just so scared when you wouldn't come back." Matthew clung to his Papa's fur, and Simba gave his cub a teary smile. "It's good to have you back, my cub-cub."
Matthew smiled back. "It's good to be back too."
*Kifo = Death in Swahili
I'm so sorry this chapter took so long, guys. School and real life has just been overpowering me at the moment, and I am so grateful for you guys staying with me even after I haven't updated in these last couple of weeks. I hoped you liked this chapter, make sure to favourite, follow and review if you liked this chapter and story, and if you want to see more, and I'll see you for the next chapter. Until next time… bye bye *waves*