Facing The Past- 4 matt0044

                               Facing The Past

“Kiara!”  Simba ran through the jungle brush as he searched for his daughter.
Kiara, had run away from Timon and Pumbaa and now ran back to Pride Rock to tell Simba she ran off.  Simba cursed under his breath as he picked up her scent that was going further and further away from the pride lands.  He told her to stay close to home, but as always, she did not listen.  Simba ran through the thick brush.  Hoping Kiara had not gone too far.


     Kiara giggled as she hoped over a rock and found herself close to a stream.  Feeling thirsty, she raced over and started to lap the water.  Not realizing something had seen come by.  


      Kaa, the snake saw the young lion cub running to the river.  He smiled slyly, thinking he had just found a little snack.  He noticed her scent open the air and it was familiar, but he didn’t remember where he smelt it before.  He brought his body in position and made his way down to the unsuspecting Kiara.
Kiara continued drinking till she heard the rustle of leaves.  She looked around, but nothing was there.  Shrugging it off, she went back to drinking, till a slithery chuckle filled the air, making the young lion jump and crouch in defensive position.  
“Who’s there?”  She shouted, trying to sound brave, when really she was scared.  It was than she heard the chuckle again and looked up.
“Excusssse me?”  Kaa came down from his place in the treetops, spirals pulsing, “Might I be of some assssisstance?”  He chuckled as Kiara was caught in the spirals, walking towards him as he came closer.
“Are you lossssst little one?”  Kaa brought his tail down and curled it underneath the belly of the lion cub, hoisting her up as she kept staring at Kaa.  “Are you lonely?   I’ll be your friend.”
Kaa’s tail coiled around the lion more and she had a stupid grin on her face.  Kaa smiled sinisterly.
“Now for my lunch.”  


    Simba ran through the brush.  He picked up Kiara’s scent again and it was close.  Just as he poked his head out of the bushes he saw a sight that stopped hi heart.  Kiara was wrapped in a snake’s tail and was being lowered into an open snake’s mouth.  But it was the snake that made Simba growl.  Kaa.  He remembered that snake from when he was a cub.  He tried to eat Nala, his mate, and now it looked he was going for daughter.
“KAA!”  Simba roared as he leapt forward.
Kaa didn’t have time to react as Simba came up and swatted him hard.  Knocking Kiara away, who landed in the river, dazed, shaking her head out of the trance.  Kaa looked up and grew nervous as a full-grown lion was coming at him.  The scent went near his nose and he immediately recognized who it was.  His eyes narrowed.  
“SSssimba.”  He acknowledged, pulling himself up.
“Stay away from my daughter, Kaa.”
“Oh?  Your daughter?  Well, I can see where she got her delissssious scent from.  That lionessss friend of yours.  Nala?” He said with a mocking laugh.
That was all Simba could take before he jumped at Kaa again and the two of them started to fight.
“Kiara.  Go.”  Simba shouted.   The young cub complied as she ran back the way she came.


   Nala was running through the jungle brush.  She had followed Simba’s scent and realized that Kiara had come this way too.  It had been a long time since she came to the jungle.  Not since she was her daughter’s age.  She smiled as she remembered there last trip here when they were cubs, but her smile faded as she also remembered a certain snake.  No one knew but Simba what happened that day.  She had nightmares for weeks.  Those spirals and how she was so close to being his meal.  She shuddered, pushing the thoughts away; she kept on running deeper into the jungle, searching for Simba and Kiara.


    Kaa had managed to knock off Simba and catch him off guard.  The lion now had tight coils which curled from the back of legs to his chest.  Tight and strong.  Simba could not move, but Kaa didn’t fare any better.  Simba had managed to swat him right in the eye which left a nasty mark.  It was right over his left eye, kinda like how Scar his uncle had it, and bleeding with some bruises to boot on his coils.  The fight had been rough, both of them wanted nothing then to destroy one another.  Simba wanted to kill Kaa for what he did to Kiara and Kaa wanted to get back at Simba for what happened back then and now.  This lion coast him another meal.  
“Sssso, here are just the two of usss.”  Kaa said as he circled his head around Simba.
Simba just grunted as he kept struggling against the coils.  Kaa was not amused.  All there was, was a cold blooded predator.
“You know, I never got to thank you for what happened yearssss ago.”  
Simba stopped to listen.
“Becausssse of you, I know realized that thossssse so-called animalssss were holding me back.  Now, I am free to whatever I pleassse.”  Kaa hissed into his ear.  Simba shivered a bit.
“And now, I’m going to take great pleasssure in getting revenge on what you did back when we firssst met.”
“You tried to kill my best friend.”  Simba was cut off as Kaa tightened the coils around the lion’s chest.  
“She was my meal.  And no one interruptssss when I’m having my meal.”
Kaa adjusted Simba in his coils.  So that Kaa was facing him.  Kaa tightened his coils again and made Simba open his eyes and that was when the assault happened.  
“Look into my eyessss Lion.”  Kaa hissed.
Simba’s eyes were only open by a bit, but it was enough, because the spirals came and Simba was lost in the trance.  Kaa smirked as he got the lion to be lost in his eyes.  
“Yessss.”
Simba could only stare.  The coils readjusted themselves and started to curl around his whole body.  Pinning his back and front paws as Kaa put him further and further into the trance.  Soon, he would have revenge.



   Kiara ran as fast as she could. Wanting nothing more than to be away from that snake.  She wasn’t looking where she was going, because just as she looked behind her, she ran smack-dab into someone’s leg.
“Kiara!”  Her ears perked, she knew that voice.
“Mom!”
Kiara practically implanted herself into her mother’s chest, nuzzling herself into the warm fur.  Nala put her head down and rubbed Kiara.  Feeling her shaking and the wetness of tears in her fur.  Something scared her daughter.  But what?
“Kiara…what happened?”
The young cub could only whimper in fear.  
“Kiara, sweetie, tell me.”
“Mom, it was horrible. This big snake came when I was drinking and he-“
“Snake?”
“A snake with big eyes and when he looked at me his eyes started changing colors.”
“Changing colors?”  It couldn’t be.  Could it?
“Yes. Swirls of color.”
Nala felt dread settle in her stomach.  She knew who she was talking about. Kaa.
“Kiara, how did you get away?”
“Daddy came and knocked him away, but they started to fight and he told me to run.”
Simba was holding off Kaa awhile Kiara ran.  That meant…Nala knew he wouldn’t be able to hold him off long.  Feeling her fear grow into anger, she said,
“Kiara come with me.  We need to rescue your father.”
With that, Nala ran back from where Kiara had come from.  Ready to confront the snake from her past.



  Simba was fully into the trance with a goofy smile on his face and his eyes swirling colors nonstop.  Kaa laughed as he finally got Simba to submit.
“Now, for my revenge.”  He hissed, twisting Simba around so he could eat the lion head first.
“KAA!”  A loud frantic  female voice was heard.


   The snake turned and saw someone he didn’t think would come back to face him.  He recognize that face anywhere.
“Nala?”  He said surprised.  The lioness was baring her teeth, making every bit of her terrifying as she walked towards him.
“I musssst ssssay.  Thissss is quite a sssurprise.”  He replied, his fear turning to amusement and wicked as he saw the familiar lioness.  
“Unhand my mate Kaa.”  Nala said, snarling with each word.  Trying to sound brave, when she was really terrified on the inside.
 “Your mate?  Oh well,” He said chuckling, “why am I not sssuprised.”
Nala crouched down, ready to pounce.  Kaa saw she was not going to back down and he, himself, got into striking position.
“You’ll regret thisss, just like your friend hasss.”
“Not for what you did to my daughter.”  Nala said before she jumped out of the way from Kaa’s head, mouth open.
Nala moved and got herself right near Simba. Who still had spirals in his eyes.  Kaa groaned from hitting the forest ground and went back at Nala.  Kaa went at her, but as she jumped away, Kaa was able to shift his coils to that of a whip and whipped it right to her chest, sending the lioness into the river.  Kaa turned his back to the lioness and went back for Simba.  Nala saw red and every ounce of fear vanished like smoke.  She roared and ran out of the river and leapt over Kaa and reacted.  As she landed, Kaa was thrown back by claws getting him on the cheek.  The snake looked at Nala, but it turned to anger as he let out a low growling hiss as the two stared each other down and moved in a battle circle.  Keeping their eyes on each other.



   Simba was thrown out of the trance after Nala got Kaa.  Disoriented, he shook his head and then heard a growl.  He turned towards the sound and saw Nala staring Kaa down in fury.  Simba realized what happened and got out of the coils.  He turned his head and saw Kiara watching from behind the bushes.  Creeping away, he went to go make sure his daughter was ok.


    Nala bared her teeth as Kaa and she got ready to tangle.  The snake narrowed his eyes at the lioness.  He was done fooling around.  He lunged, but Nala jumped and landed on his coils.  She had a golden opportunity and took it.  Unsheathing her claws, she swiped at Kaa’s tail, deep and fast, causing him to yelp at the sudden sting.  Blood draw from the gash.  Nala then got in front of him and that was when she did it.  In one swoop, she backhanded Kaa in the face and he went backwards into the river.  


   Kaa picked himself up and saw blood darkening the water.  In the river’s reflection, Kaa saw a nice se of claw marks on his cheek.  His eyes widened as he realized Nala had done the deed.  Growling brought him out of his stupor as Nala came towards him.  
“Leave my family alone Kaa.”  She said in a deadly tone.
Kaa saw she was not afraid of him any longer and knew at this moment, he had lost the battle.  Narrowing his eyes, he bowed his head in defeat.
“Very well Nala.”  He hissed as he slithered out of the river, opposite of Nala, Simba and Kiara.  Making way for the brush ahead of him.
“Next time, your cub will be mine.”
“Not while we live.”  Simba said, as he growled.
Kaa hissed angrily and slithered away.  Never to be seen.
Nala turned to Simba and Kiara.
“Are you ok Simba?”
“I’m fine.”  What about you?”  Simba asked worriedly.
Nala smiled as she knew she no longer had any more fears towards Kaa.  She had conquered them and saved both her mate and daughter from that foul creature.  She turned to Simba with a smile and nuzzled him under his chin, purring.
“Never better,”  Simba smiled as he felt her happiness, “Let’s go home.”