Hey guys, sorry, I know I said that I'd leave a message if something like this would happen again, but 8 months is just too long a wait to only get an authors note.
*sigh* What else can I say other that it had been a rough start this year, there were just a lot of things happening. Though the thing that made me drop off altogether was when something was going on with my documents and I ended up losing what I had written. And not just with this chapter, but chapters I had been saving for other stories. Luckily, I still had the bulk of this chapter still saved here in my fanfiction documents, but it's been a process trying to remember the touch ups and changes I made before windows decided to fritz out on me.
The other issue that had me struggling before the whole computer thing was due to some health reasons(don't worry though, I found out there's nothing going on that I can't make better with work, but it was still stressful and concerning for me at the time). I've taken some time and I've been working hard at it, and thankfully, I'm starting to feel more like myself again :)
I say this all the time, but I just can't properly write out how appreciative I am of all of you for your patience. Thank you. Thank you so much for hanging in there despite how frustrating it is to wait so long for a new chapter, you guys are amazing!
Now, I know you're probably ready to move on and read the new chapter, but let me just take this time reply to those who left a review on the last chapter…
Kokli9: Thank you so much for your review! and I'm so sorry for the long wait!
Proverbsrus: I'll keep working on it to get it done! Thank you so much for enjoying the story!
Sca9mott: It's here, thank you so much for your patience!
Silverleone: Lol, well I'm glad you like the cliff hanger, but I think I use them a little too much XD It's still one of my favorites too, such a good story and fabulous art, I seriously can't wait until my son is old enough to enjoy it too!
Thank you so much for your review hun, I hope you continue to enjoy the rest of the story!
NywefiX2: Here you go hun, I'm sorry it took so long!
Guest: O_O; *leans over to Ryan and whispers* Looks like you might get in a teeny bit of trouble, bud.
Ryan: Me? But you're the one who wrote it out like-
Me: Tah-tah-tah shh! Was I written as the one who set fire to dry grass? No. No I wasn't. But hey, there's a chance they might go easy on you since your life was technically in peril at the time.
Ryan: …This is total B.S. You know that, right?
Inzhir: Thank you so, so, SO very much hun! It makes me so happy to hear that you've enjoyed the story!
BlackRaptor1: I have never heard of that song until just a few moments ago, but wow, it seems like it would fit pretty good somewhere in these past few chapters XD It's also crazy to me how the singers name happened to be Ryan too!
E31174: I can see why it would feel like that for the reader, and I'm sorry about that XP. I'll try and give a better explanation of what my intention with it was at the end of the story.
erica. phoenix16: And thank you so very much for commenting! :D
I-Love-Trunks1: Thank you so much hun! Lol, I would make a comment, but I think I'll just let you read for yourself X3 Thank you so much for sticking with me on this!
00RaiserGundam: That's good to hear, I'm really glad that you enjoyed the chapter! X3 X3
Oh yeah, If I sit down and really think about every show I watched in early 2000's and onward, I'd have a crazy long list XD But Yugioh and Transformers Armada are at the top of it right along with TMNT and Inuyasha XD. And there's no need to be embarrassed, before I got into Sonic X myself, I used to think that our dish T.V. was spelling the name of the show wrong(that being 1993's Adventures of Sonic the Hedgehog). It took me a while to find out that it was a totally brand-new series because I wasn't interested in rewatching the Sonic show, but when I finally did find out, holy muffins, it blew my mind to see Sonic and everybody in such an amazing art style!
Guest: Thank you so much, I'm so happy that you like the story :D Lol, well, that certainly would make things a heck of a lot easier to just get rid of them, but then it would just be too…abrupt, you know what I mean? And not all that challenging for a writer to work with XD
Sky Hooves: I'm sorryyy, I know, I have way too many of them DX But thank you so, so, SO much for enjoying the story regardless of them!
Steelcode: Lol, I'll offer a better explanation at the end of the chapter for what the light was, don't worry XD And I'm so happy that you liked that chapter!
And I ain't sayin' nothing! you'll just have to read for yourself ;D
jujp: Thank you so much for your review hun, and I'm glad that you enjoyed the action! Though I sincerely apologize for taking so long to update!
TheBigBrotherWTPD: Well, I think I played her vehicle up a little too much XD I come from a family of hunters that use them. And since they're small enough not to catch unwanted attention, it made the most sense to me that Tilly might have one of her own to use while they were in the jungle.
And oh man, I'm so sorry that happened to you, that sounds awful! I'm really glad to see that you got out of that situation!
Jason Chandler: Welp, I don't want to give anything away, you'll just have to read and find out ;) Lol, and you're right, the poachers certainly won't be needing anything at they came anymore.
bored411: I know! I'm sorry, I have so much of them XD XD XD and I'm so sorry that it took so long for this chapter to be finished, but I hope that you still enjoy it!
Jestalnaker94000: Thank you so much, I'm really happy that the chapter turned out as good as it did! Thank you so so SO much for all your support!
Interstate2011: Thank you so much for your reviews hun, for all of them throughout the entirety of the story! They've always been such a big help in going back and fixing what needs to be fixed up and I'm so very appreciative of it!
As for if Ryan lives, well, I guess you'll just have to find out here XD
Thank you all so much again guys, I hope you enjoy!
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Chapter 22: Reunited
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The sky was beginning to brighten with the coming of the dawn, hues of pink and golden yellows chasing away stars to make way for a new day. Shadows within the trees of the oasis steadily softened and all was peaceful and quiet, save for voices of a few birds singing their early morning songs and the muffled rumbling of the waterfall that crashed down within the lake off in the distance.
But the tranquility of it was abruptly broken when the red maned head of Simba burst from the formerly still surface as he dragged an unconscious Ryan up with him.
Fighting the urge to open his mouth so that his burning lungs take in deeper breaths of air after fighting for how knows how long to escape from that roiling plunge pool, Simba clenched his teeth harder on the back of young man's shirt. And with his nostrils flaring, he paddled as quickly as he could towards shore as he struggled to keep Ryans head above water.
He was exhausted and the ankle of his front leg ached terribly with every movement, but still he pressed on and refused to slow until his toes finally began to graze the bottom of the lake. With great effort, Simba dragged Ryan out onto the soft, sandy shore until they were a fair distance from the water's edge, wherein all four of his shaky limbs threatened to collapse out from under him.
But as much as he wanted nothing more than to rest now that they were finally out of harm's way, there could be no rest for him just yet as he looked to the teen who lay still before him.
"Ryan?" Simba asked, his voice felt rough.
When Ryan didn't answer, Simba forced his aching legs to move and he limped around until he was standing beside him; firmly nosing at Ryan's arm in order to get a reaction from him, anything at all that would show that his friend was okay. But after trying to jostle him a couple more times, he became disheartened when Ryan remained silent without making so much as a twitch.
It didn't even look like he was breathing.
And adding to his ever-growing anxiousness and despair, that strange glow that had been coming from him, which was so brilliant before his fall, had become so dull, and it was fading away more and more with each passing second until finally, it disappeared completely.
Simba's eyes winded, did...did that mean he had been too late? Ryan had been in the water for much longer than Simba had before he dived in after him, he could have passed out and...and...
"I told you to let go!" Simba stated, heatedly. "There was no reason you had to-"
He stopped as his anger fizzled out as quickly as it sparked, partly because he was just too tired to be angry, and mostly because he knew that shouting wouldn't do a thing to change this. He had tried and failed to save Ryan, and he let his weight fall heavily to the sandy ground in defeat as tears began welling up in his eyes while he laid his chin upon Ryan's shoulder.
"Why didn't you let go, Ryan?" He asked in a hush tone, even though he knew he would never get an answer. "I could have helped you if you had just let go."
He didn't have time to grieve, however, when he suddenly felt eyes watching him and his head shot back up to see this lone patas monkey sitting silently on the sands a little more than few feet across from them.
"Who are you?!" Simba demanded forcefully. "What do you want?!"
The monkey didn't respond, save for a single blink of its eyes before it slowly got up from sitting on its haunches and began to tread towards them. Its pace was slow, but steady with this sense of purpose.
Upon seeing this, Simba's hackles rose, and he bared his fangs as he draped a foreleg over Ryans middle protectively while letting out a vicious snarl to show that he was willing to fight despite how tired he was. But the monkey didn't seem the slightest bit fazed by the aggressive display, and just when Simba thought he was going to have to act, his eyes widened when the newcomers began to glow with that same golden light he had seen from Ryan before its entire body was enveloped within it.
Stunned, Simba could only sit there and stare as the figure began to change and grow larger with every step until it eventually halted, and the light finally began to soften enough to reveal the features of a face that Simba had not seen since that night he came to him from within the clouds...
"Father?" Simba asked, breathless.
Mufasa only nodded his head as he smiled down at his son with an expression that was so full of pride and love, but immediately after the small greeting, he turned his eyes to Ryan.
"Ryan Morris. The great kings have witnessed all you have done this night, and all your deeds prior." His resonating voice seemed to echo. "In every trial, against all odds, you faced them with courage beyond your years and you have sacrificed more than then I ever could have asked from you...my gratitude can never be measured in words."
The ghostly lion lifted a paw, brushing it over Ryan's hair before he had it rest atop his head where it seemed to reignite the previously faded glow around his body
"I release you from this duty which had been imposed, and I repay your bravery in full." Mufasa stated before his eyes closed in concentration.
The light flickered and began to pulsate, then it steadily became brighter and brighter until Simba had no choice but to close his eyes and turn his head away due to the sheer intensity.
"You have kept your promise, child of man." He heard Mufasa say. the light getting so bright that Simba's had to close his eyes and turn his head away. "Well done."
Just as fast as the light appeared, it was gone just as quickly, and Simba found himself and Ryan completely alone on the sand bank. But his bewilderment upon what he had just witnessed soon turned into one of surprise and joy when the young man's eyes snapped opened and he lurched over onto his side in a coughing fit, retching any water he had leftover in his lungs.
Simba winced and felt for the boy as he coughed up the water, but he was able to let out a breath of relief as it appeared that Ryan was going to be alright. And when the poor kid fell back over onto his back to take in deep, greedy breaths of air, Simba was reminded of how sore and worn out he felt as well, and he laid head down to rest along with him.
"So…you can't swim." The lion tiredly teased. "You have to be the craziest knucklehead I've ever had the privilege to call a friend."
But instead of giving an answer to that, Ryan only turned his head to the side until he was facing him. He was obviously exhausted, but he had a clear expression of confusion on his face.
"What?" Ryan asked. "Why do you sound like that?"
The king only blink, looking at Ryan with an equally confused expression upon hearing his weird question. Then he let out a light chuckle, thinking that the young man might have had water stuck inside of his ears.
"Try to take it easy." Simba gently instructed, offering him a smile. "After a fall like that, you really need to rest."
But it fell quickly when Ryan, ignoring his own aching muscles, sat up and his confusion was replaced by a look of shock. Because from his point of view, even though he could see that Simba was answering him…his heart fell into his stomach when all he could hear coming out of his mouth was a series of growls.
"I...Simba, I can't-" Ryan abruptly stopped, looking down at the ground in disbelief for only a moment before he turned back to meet Simba's eyes. "I don't know what you're saying, anymore."
Simba lifted his own head up to meet Ryan's eyes at this realization, but they didn't have time to allow it to really sink in when a loud splashing followed by a series of coughs made them look back out at the pool to see something struggling to keep above the surface; Ryan couldn't believe his eyes when saw that it was nonother than Tilly.
She had survived!
He didn't know how in the world she had gotten out of that plunge pool all by herself as he watched her choked on water and her own breath, her arms slapping upon the water in a struggle to keep above it. But he figured it must have been a result of nothing more than pure spitefulness, especially after the look he got when she noticed Ryan and Simba staring at her from the sand bank.
"You! You stupid, psychotic son of a-" the woman floundered and dipped back under the waves before she could really curse him out, but she soon came sputtering back up looking madder than ever. "Oh, you just wait 'till I get my hands on your scrawny little neck!"
As she slowly, but surely, began to swim to land, Simba stood up on trembling legs only to falter as his hind legs didn't seem to want to listen; And Ryan grew concerned for him when he noticed that the lion was holding up his right front paw off the ground.
"Simba, your paw!" he exclaimed.
The large cat only gave a dismissive grunt, taking the shoulder of Ryan's tank in his teeth before he began to tug at him. The young man may not have been able to talk to him anymore, but Simba made his intentions clear enough; unfortunately, Ryan knew that he wasn't fit to be going anywhere with the ache and fatigue he felt in his entire body.
"Ah! Stop, that hurts; it takes all I have just to sit up!" Ryan said, cringing in pain as he tried to keep himself from falling over before Simba let go of his shirt. "If you can, then just get out of here!"
Simba's eyes widened and he gave a forceful shake of his head before looking back to see Tilly was still slowly, but surely, making her way to the bank. The golden fur along his back started to stand on end and he bared he fangs with a threatening growl as he pressed his side against Ryans', looking as though he fully intended to fight back once she got there.
Ryan was both touched and annoyed at Simba's stubbornness, and yes, maybe he would have stood a chance against her as he was a lion…but being tired injured, why take the chance? If he had the energy to get away, then he needed to forget about him and run!
"Come on, Simba, just go!" Ryan said as he tried to push the bullheaded feline away. "Nala's waiting for you to come back, don't be so stupid!"
No sooner did he finish his sentence, Ryan gasped when he felt a hand tightly grip over his shoulder and he whipped his head to face…big yellow eyes staring at him from their place upon a brightly colored red and blue face. Confused at first and blinking a few times to make sure that he wasn't just imagining things, both him and Simba were surprised to see a very familiar, staff wielding baboon.
"Rafiki?" he asked, dumbfounded. "Is it really you?"
Rafiki only answered with a short hoot before he stole a glance to Tilly who was still trying to make it to shore, which would be soon as it looked like her feet could finally touch the bottom.
"He needs to get out of here." Ryan told the baboon. "Anywhere, just help him get as far away as possible!"
Rafiki nodded in affirmation, walking around to try and push Simba towards the shelter of the jungle trees and bushes, but Simba wasn't going to allow it and he let out a snarl of frustration he tried to shake Rafiki off. His protests were cut short, however, when Ryan reached up a gingerly cupped his injured hands upon either side his face to make the lion be still and listen to him
"You have a kingdom that needs you to protect it, a family that needs you to be in their lives..." Ryan told him. "You have to go, Simba!"
A miserable sounding groan left Simba's mouth as his amber eyes bore into his own with a look that was almost begging the young man not to ask this of him. And while Ryan really wanted to tell him that he would be alright, that everything was going to be fine…the truth was that it looked like this was going be the end of the road.
"Please," Ryan started softly, his voice wavering a bit. "Just go."
At that moment, Ryan watched as Rafiki leaned over to whisper something he couldn't understand in Simba's ear, making the lion give him a look of surprise before he turned back to Ryan. Whatever he said seem to do the trick in convincing Simba to leave, and although his friend hesitated at first, Ryan felt a small sense of relief when he finally began to follow the old baboon away to safety.
Once they were back in the cover of the jungle, after the leaves stopped rustling from their departure, that was when Tilly finally trudge out of the water and heaved herself up onto the sand where she took a short moment to catch her breath. Her water-logged hair lay limp and flat against her head and shoulders and her previously pristine makeup was absolutely ruined as her blue eyes popped against a huge mask of runoff mascara and dark eyeshadow that would make a racoon envious.
To his unease, she didn't seem to care about the random simian who had just run off with her previously coveted prize as she looked up and fixed Ryan with a truly murderous glare before she began feeling around in her jacket and patting at her belt. Ryan assumed that she must have been looking for her knife, and he was thankful when it seemed like she lost it at some point in the water.
Giving up the search, Tilly stood up only to let a gasp as she looked down; following her gaze, Ryan managed to see that her both of her feet had been freed of her beloved snakeskin boots which were most likely gone forever at the bottom of that waterfall.
The woman began to quiver, not from the cold, but from rage as she audibly breathed in and out of her nose to keep some sense of sanity only for it to be in vain when she suddenly let loose this long yell; which started out low and guttural, then it steadily rose into a voice breaking pitch before she started furiously kicking at the sand and the water's edge.
She made such an epic spectacle of herself, that Ryan legitimately didn't know if he should feel amused or worried that she had finally snapped. But he very quickly ended up settling for worried and terrified when she whirled around to face him.
"4 years runnin' without a hitch! All the bells and whistles and set to make the kind of money that would get me my own tropical paradise with all the Mai Tais I could possibly want; All ruined by some deranged, bleedin'-heart freak who ain't worth spit! And if that didn't already put a burr in my saddle-" She paused her rant to crouch down, grabbing at a boulder that was just barely the size of a beach ball, and with a startling bout of rage infused strength, yanked it from the sand and held it above her head.
"Do you have any idea how hard it is to keep a perm thousands of miles from a quality salon?!" she demanded angrily, though she obviously didn't intend to hear any answer from him.
It hurt something awful as Ryan pitifully attempted to crawl back when she stomped across the sand towards him, instinctively bringing up one of his already injured arms to shield himself, even though he already knew that it wouldn't do anything to prevent his head from getting caved in when she finally came close enough. But before she could bring down her vengeance, she paused when they both heard a motor rumbling within the jungle, and a series of crashes as heavy tires got closer and closer until they were both bathed in the headlights of a jeep that came speeding out into the open.
Ryan felt a cold wave of disbelief upon seeing it as he was absolutely sure that he saw the rhinos destroyed it beyond repair when they attacked the campsite. But there it was, the tires dragging to a stop upon the sand before he heard the driver's side door loudly creak when it swung open.
He couldn't see who it was thanks to the headlights that blinded him, though whether it was Liam, Bill or Roy, it was looking worse and worse for him by the second when he heard heavy boots quickly scrunching over the fine grains and he couldn't stop himself from wincing when he heard a click of a rifle getting taken off its safety.
"Put the rock down and back away with your hands in the air!" a voice loudly ordered.
Ryan took in a breath upon hearing it, he knew that voice; And as he stared intently as the figure walked closer to them until his eyes widened in disbelief to see that it was the one individual he had been wanting to see the most...
"Mom!" Ryan practically shouted in both shock and elation.
Kathrynne Evans only took a brief second to look into his eyes, if she was just as overjoyed to see him as he was to see her, she did a very good job of masking it as she returned her laser gaze back to Tilly who still loomed over him with that stone posed to drop at any moment.
Tilly seemed to be frozen in place as she stared at Kathrynne, a far-off expression on her face Ryan wondered what couldn't have been going on inside her head. It seemed to last forever as the two women stayed in this silent standoff as they waited for one of them to move.
Finally, Tilly was the first break the stillness as an exaggerated smile appeared on her face.
"Why Miss. Katie, fancy runnin' into you, sugar." Tilly said with fake cheerfulness. "Had the pleasure of meetin' your boy, here; he's quite the peach."
"Put it down and get away from him!" Kathrynne repeated, leveling the nozzle of the rifle she had in her hands on Tilly. "I won't tell you again!"
"Or what? You'll shoot me?" Tilly asked demandingly, her expression losing the pleasant farce to one that was openly daring. "We both know you ain't got the nerve."
"I've been trying to shut you down for the past 4 years for illegal poaching and here I finally find you attempting to bludgeon a minor, who just so happens to be my only child, with a rock." Ryan's mother stated, her grip tightening on her gun. "You really feel like testing my nerve here, Matilda?"
Once again, time seemed to slow as Tilly and his mother silently stared at each other, unblinkingly; each of them waiting for the other to make a move. Ryan on the other hand, had an idea when caught sight of another, soft ball sized rock on the sand sitting right beside Tilly's bare right foot.
It wasn't nearly as impressive compared to the one Tilly had, but it did the job just as well as he ignored the pain of his burned hands to snatch it up and slam it down on top of her exposed toes as hard as he could. He heard bones crack, and it effectively made Tilly let out a scream while the rock fell out of her hands and dropped to the ground behind her with a loud whump!
Once she was unarmed and Ryan had skittered a safe distance away from her, Kathrynne took the opportunity and fired her weapon where Tillys' pain filled screech stopped short with a gasp as she felt a sharp sting in her neck. Slowly reaching up a hand and pulling it out, she saw the puffy, bright red tail of a tranquilizer dart clutched in her fingers.
It took everything Ryan had in him not to laugh or make a comment on the "poetic" circumstances the way she had when he was stuck back in that pitfall.
"A dart?!" Tilly exclaimed, looking back up at Kathrynn indignantly. "You shot me with a dart?!"
"You're lucky it's the only gun I carry with me!" Kathrynne stated.
Tilly let out an enraged shout, throwing the dart to the ground and rushing at Kathrynne with her fingers hooked into claws. Ryan had no idea what her plan even was other than attempting to use her now chipped and uneven nails like she was some kind of wild cat, but Kathrynne easily sidestepped her charging figure.
And in the seconds of Tilly sliding to a halt to turn back and face her, Ryan watched in silent, wide eyed amazement as Kathrynne tossed her tranquilizer gun at her, making Tilly lose momentum as she instinctively caught it. And using her surprise as an advantage, Kathrynne rushed her, pulled back an arm, and clocked Tilly square in the kisser with a clenched fist.
Tilly cried out, dropping the gun and clutching at her now bleeding mouth as she stumbled away; but she didn't get that far before Kathrynne grabbed and pulled her back by her jacket before she swiftly kneed her in the gut and then used the same leg to sweep Tilly's feet right out from under. Causing the dark-haired woman to drop to the ground like a sack of bricks.
Just like that, Tilly was out cold; either from the swift beating she got or from the tranquilizer finally running its course, Ryan couldn't say for certain as his mom kneeled and briskly fastened a pair of handcuffs upon her wrists.
Everything was still and quiet as Kathrynne took a moment to gather her breath and then standing up, she brushed away the stray hairs out of her face and sent a seething glare down to the unconscious poacher.
"You're also lucky a fat lip is all you'll get from me for threating my son!" she growled, mostly to herself before shaking the ache out of her fingers as she had punched Tilly pretty hard. "I'll let the courts serve the rest of your just desserts!"
Ryan sat there with his mouth agape, staring at Tilly in awe before he looked over to Kathrynne. Never, in all his life, had he imagined his five-foot-nothing mother could ever be capable of knocking someone end-over-head like that, and he could honestly admit that she had never been cooler to him then she did at this exact moment.
But his admiration at witnessing his mom kick Tillys tail paled in comparison to that rush of terror he got when she turned her sights over on him; That expression on her face made him flash back to a time when he was little, where she once caught him trying to sneak a whole box of cupcakes into in his room. And if he wasn't so hurt, he probably would have been running away when she started storming towards him.
But since he couldn't do that right now, maybe apologizing profusely would save him.
"Mom, I-I'm sorry, I'm sorry for everything..." He started, unnerved by the fact that Kathrynne never even blinked once as she continued to rapidly close in the distance between them. "I know I've been such a pain, and I said a bunch of stupid stuff before you left that day, a-and I didn't want to just disappear on you like I did, but I-"
Kathrynne then dropped to her knees and her arms lashed out at Ryan so quickly that he winced and squeezed his eyes shut, thinking that it might have been his turn to get hit…but he was surprised when he felt a hand wrap around the back of his neck and another gripping the folds of his tank before they pull him into the tightest hug he had ever received from another person.
Sitting there like that, his mother said nothing while Ryan awkwardly held his arms out to the side as he wasn't entirely sure what to do. She seemed like she was super angry, why was she hugging him? Should he hug her back if she was angry? Why wasn't he dead yet?!
"Um…mom?" he tentatively asked.
"You never answered the phone…" she whispered, so softly that he had a hard time hearing her.
Ryan didn't know what to say, and then he began to worry when he felt her start to shiver, but she didn't give him the chance to ask if she was alright before she began to speak again.
"I came back to the camper a complete and total wreck, and you were nowhere to be found, it was like you just disappeared into thin air!" She ranted, her voice trembling along with her figure as she tried her best to hold back sobs. "I didn't know if you had been attacked or kidnapped, I didn't know if you were hurt or dead and all I could think was that I left you alone after a stupid fight!"
Hearing that, Ryan began to feel terrible that she had been tormenting herself even worse than he had this whole time, but he remained quiet as she sniffed, and he felt her hold on him tighten as though she were afraid he would disappear again at any moment.
"Don't you dare say you're sorry! I don't care about what you said, and I don't care how you ended up all the way out here of all places; you're in my arms, you're alive, nothing matters to me more than that!" She stated firmly, before she leaned back and fixed him with a teary glare. "But if you ever do anything like this to me again, you'll be grounded 'til you're eighty!"
She then began to plant several kisses in his hair, across his forehead and over his cheeks, one after another before she finally felt like she gave him enough.
"Oh my baby, I love you!" She began, swiftly wrapping him back up in her vice-like grip. "So very, very much!"
Ryan couldn't help but laugh at this a bit as he thought back to how he was before. He would have gotten so embarrassed over this, and he would have been complaining and trying to push her off for being so clingy and treating him like he was a little kid; but right now, after all he had been through and how much he missed her, all he really wanted to do was just be in the moment and enjoy her presence.
"I love you too, mom." He said with a sincere smile as he leaned deeper into her arms and returned her hug.
The safety and warmth he felt at finally being reunited with his mother, Ryan could have stayed like that forever…but before he knew it, the nice moment came to a rather abrupt halt when Kathrynne gave a gasp, grabbing him at the shoulders and pushing him back to look over him while he let out a strangled squeak of pain at the sudden movement.
"Ryan! Oh my g-look at you!" Kathrynne cried, pulling his injured limbs this way and that so she could get a better look at them; too distracted to realize that her son began to keen pitifully under her inspection. "Your poor hands, they're covered in burns! What are these claw marks on your arm?!"
Then she gave another sharp intake of breath upon another discovery, and he yelped when she unexpectedly let go of his shoulders and grabbed his ankle, hoisting his leg up so quickly that she accidently made him fall back on the sand with a loud 'oof!' in the process.
"Is that a bite on your knee?" She demanded in horrified disbelief, looking like she was close to hyperventilating. "What on earth happened to you?!"
"It's a long story, and honestly, you're not gonna believe a word of it." Ryan whimpered, on the verge of tears himself from the unintended manhandling. "Could you please be gentler?"
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Alrighty now that we made it to the end of the chapter, let me just take a quick second to explain about the glow that had come from Ryan in the previous chapter.
When Mufasa came to Ryan and gave him this task of helping his family, my intention what that he left a piece of his spirit within him. It was like a channel that somewhat connected Mufasa and Ryan together and it was the reason Ryan could understand animals and why he was having those dreams in the beginning. I didn't want Mufasa to be the one helping him out of all the sticky situations he had gotten in before, other than trying to give him hints in his dreams, that way, Ryan to rely on himself or receive help from his friends if they were there to give it. But in the last chapter when it looked like Ryan had nothing left in him and there was no one that could lend him a hand, Mufasa used that one moment to give him a little extra energy so he could keep going.
It made sense to me at the time, but that's because I wrote it^^; so I'm sorry that I didn't execute it all that well and made it confusing.
And now that Kathrynne has finally made a reappearance, I'm sure that you all must know that this story is reaching its conclusion. But not now, obviously, there's gonna be one last chapter to look out for… but wow, I can't believe that I'm finally at this point and so close to completing another story.
I'll try my best to get it written up and posted soon, so try to hang in there a little bit longer. We're almost there, guys, let's do this!