Double Lion; Ep. 1, Rescue
#1 of Double Lion
This is relevant to the Motherly love series, I can't say how, or why, but this series will tie in with Jonny and Kerry. Let's hope that they will not suffer the same fate as the unnamed wolf or tiger.
Strangely, this took only a day to write, where as other stories would take months.
A cub bound and drugged against her will lay tied on a bed, limp for the next customer to take advantage of her. She was a white cat, pretty too. Two men watched her drool out her mouth, one was a big strong looking tiger, the muscle of the two. The smart, smaller guy was a wolf, counting his money that he had "earned."
"Well, the next customer ought to be coming soon." Said the wolf. "Maybe with enough dough, I can buy two kids! I can have twice the productivity!"
The muscular tiger sat in a chair with a baseball bat in paw. "Whatever you say, boss."
There were five knocks on the door of the motel room. Two high, three low.
The wolf came to the door and gave three knocks back. Then, a voice on the other side of the door said, "Grape juice."
The wolf became ecstatic! That was the password! Another customer, oh boy! money money money! He opened the door and came in a rat dressed in a black suit, a black over jacket, and a red tie, wearing a bowler hat.
Mr. Fuddyduddy did not smile. In fact, he was quite pissed. As he entered, he saw a little girl tied to the bed motionless. He averted his eyes, for she was naked.
"Come in, come in! I hope you brought your wallet, we are serious business men, after all." Spoke the wolf. The tiger kept tapping the bat he held, letting the "customer" know he meant business as well.
Those things quickly came to an end, as Mr. Fuddyduddy pulled out two pistols from his coat, both aiming at their necks, and shot them with darts. No pleasantries for the wicked. The action was as quick as the wind, the tiger slumping in his chair, the wolf falling face forward on the carpet. They would be induced with sleep serum until reinforcements arrived. Mr. Fuddyduddy then took off his coat, and layed it over the cubs body. He took out a knife and cut the bonds, freeing her. The rat adjusted her body so she fit in the coat, buttoning her up. Then, with an easy lift, whisked her away from the bad men.
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Nichole woke up. Or was she still asleep from the drugs? She didn't know, because gravity seemed wrong here. That floating cow that was upside-down? Also odd. The field of grass, dotted with candy canes, peculiar. Come to think of it, is that a waterfall made of chocolate? The sky, it looked like marshmallows clouds. Then she turned her eyes up at the bright sun. it...it had sunglasses, and was smiling? Who were those two lion cubs playing on the swing sets? She tried to open her mouth to talk, but could not. The drugs the men made her take were still in her body. She could not move! She was stuck in this strange place made of happy sunshine and lollipops. She wasn't sure, but she could at least feel that she had been propped up against a tree for safe keeping, under its shade.
Caineth, and Mathew both saw that the girl in Mr. fuddyduddy's coat was awake. They swung from the swingsets at their highest point! "Lookee! I'ma do a front somersault!" Mathew let go of his swing at its highest point, doing spins in a curled up position! He was able to do at least five, before the gravity slowed down before hitting the ground. He landed safely.
Caineth, his twin brother, also was excited to see the girl was awake. "Then I'ma do a *backwards* somersault! Weeeee!" The lion cub let go of his swing at peak height, doing backwards summersaults. Gravity slowed down, and he landed safely. Mathew was on his back, ready to fling his brother, who ran up to him. Caineth touch-landed on his brother, who took his legs and pushed! Catapulting him up into the sky! Oh look! A smiling marshmallow cloud!
Nichole watched these acrobatics. The lion cub in the sky falling down, but slowly. Meanwhile, the cub on the ground was racing towards her to catch him. Mathew stood in front of Nichole, and Caineth landed on his brothers shoulders. "Tada!" they both shot their arms out. However, the girl could say, or do nothing but watch. She was impressed!
"Hi! I'm Caineth!" he jumped off his brothers shoulders, giving a thumbs up.
"Hi! I'm Mathew!" He spun around, also giving a thumbs up.
"And were Caineth and Mathew!" They both jumped and spun around, giving each other a high five.
"Would you like to play with us?" Said Mathew.
But the cat girl just sat there drooling, unable to respond. Though she could see and hear them fine.
Caineth then said, "You're lucky that Mr.Fuddyduddy found ya."
"Yeah! But let's get started! I bet you like water sports!" Mathew produced a water gun from his back and sprayed Caineth with it. They both giggled.
"Na, maybe our guest doesn't wanna get wet?" Caineth took out a cloth from behind his back and wiped his face with it. "What we need to do is see what she wants to do!"
They both looked at her with big great smiles, waiting for her answer. She tried to talk. She tried saying she wanted to wake up. Then she began to think...wakeing up means she would have to face those men again! A tear ran down her eye, scared. But these two boys seemed nice enough. And this world...it was soothing. She didn't know if it were the drugs or not.
Both boys looked at one another. "We got a silent treatment'er" Spoke Mathew.
"Hey, let's take her, and show her around, I bet she'll like to see this place." Both Caineth and Mathew went on one side of her each, takeing her arms and upping them around their shoulders. Then, they took the bottom part of the coat and lifted her up. They turned her around to see a tree made of pink wood, and blue leaves. It grew hammocks!
"This is a sleepy tree. When you're tired, you can sleep here-or anywhere, really!" The tour began by going through the grass. It changed colors as the wind blew on it. it was green at first, but then went blue, orange, yellow, red, purple, and back to green. The grass smelled good, looked spectacular! Then they stopped by a chocolate fall.
"This is Chocolate mountain. Fun to swim in, funner to drink!" the mountain touched the clouds, made of a dark matter. It's sound of thick chocolate falling made sounds similar to a waterfall, except with added viscosity. Chocolate poured down and made a small area to swim in. Then they turned to the left and left chocolate mountain. Up next as far as Nichole could see, there was a huge bouncy castle. Behind it bubbles floated upwards and drifted off the northern winds, flying inbound. A bubble approached the trio, and enveloped them. They flew up high above the giant bouncy castle.
"This bubble, and many like it, will take you wherever you need to go." Spoke the cub on her right.
Then the cub on her left said, "Maybe she's afraid of heights? Let's go down to soda lake." The bubble popped, and the three cubs slowly, like a feather, dropped down on the bouncy castle. They exited it by jumping in it and going through a rubber door.
The sun still shined with its smiley face. They stopped on a sturdy walkway bridge made of chocolate chip cookies. She saw sparkling water-no, soda! A lake of it. in the distance, were white trees with colorful leaves. "Up next, Soda Lake! There's grape, root beer, orange, grape-"
" You already said grape."
Both Caineth and Mathew laughed.
Nichole was fighting the drugs. She wanted to say something. Anything! When she did, it caught both boy's attention. "...Hungry..."
The tour stopped. conveniently, there was a nice little field of green, non color changing grass they sat her on. Both cubs propped her against the tree. Wait a second-the floating upside-down cow, there's chocolate mountain-She was somehow back where she started!
"We'll get you something to eat, we'll be right back. Don't go away!" They disappeared behind her, entering a hole in the tree.
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Lethis, "Mr.Fuddyduddy," was driving. He was circling the city, waiting for word for when the girl woke up. giggleing came from the back seat of the car, and the middle seat cushion was pushed out. Two lion cubs came crawling out from inside the trunk. Mathew was first to come out. "Hey Mista Fuddyduddy! She's awake, we think, but she aint say'n nothing."
"Yeah," Caineth came out next, putting the cushion back. "She ain't move'n either. But she did say she was hungry."
Mr. Fuddyduddy nodded to himself. "I'll stop by a burger joint. Yous twos make sure shes kept safe in there." The time was night. The road was dark. Few places would be serving at this time. There was a burger joint not to long from where they were at. "It's gonna be ten minutes at least till we get something for her. Go back 'an keep the kid company. And be sure to ask her, the question."
"Aiy Aiy Cap'n!" Both cubs saluted, opened the cushion, and went back inside the trunk, resealing the back seat before delving into the world filled with magic.
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Nichole was sitting there, trying to move her fingers. She was able to say a few words, moving toes, moving head a little. Then came the boys. "We're back!" Spoke the lion cubs. "Mr. Fuddyduddy is gonna get ya something to eat, so hold tight." Mathew sat by Nichole, she was able to slowly turn her head and look at him. He smiled.
"Yeah! I think he's gonna get ya a burger!" Caineth cart wheeled, and sat on the other side of her. He too smiled.
Some time passes as the three cubs sat there, mostly in silence. Nichole was mumbleing, her tongue a bit numb, much like how everything else was. But she was able to say a few things. "...Where...am...I...?" She was weak, and needed help. But the two brothers were there for her.
Mathew bounced as he sat against the tree with her. "You're in the trunk of a car!"
This information fed to her only made her want to cry. In the trunk of a car?! From one bad place to another! "...No...noooo! waaaaaah!~"
"-Wait! Wait! Yeah, you're in the trunk of a car, but there's a magic portal that brings you to this world! See, this is all real!" Caineth plucked some grass, and sprinkled the black coat with it. wind swept it away, and it turned into pink flowers, flying into the sky.
"But!...this place...can't be real!" she sobbed. Even a unicorn came galloping past by. She looked at it-it was being lifted up into the sky by wings made out entirely of tiny butterflys.
"Oh it's real all right. So anytime you wanna take a dip in a pool made of jello...-"
"-Jello..." repeated Caineth.
"You let us know." They both smiled at her.
She became silent. These boys claim that this mystic world was real. Then a voice came from out of nowhere, without any point of origin.
"Caineth, Mathew, one of yous gets up here, I got the food." It was an adults voice.
Mathew got up and left Nichole's side. He disappeared behind the tree. A minute later, he returned with a brown bag containing burgers.
That smell...Nichole could not resist it. could it be? Real food? "What's in the bag?"
Mathew was already sitting next to her, and he opened it up and passed her a burger. He only smiled, and passed Caineth one, too.
Nichole was feeling a bit better, a little stronger since she started talking to the lion cubs. She could move her hands, her fingers...she unwrapped the burger. It was a double patty cheese burger. No pickles! How she hated pickles. She was so hungry after being kept by those men. Could it be that she was free from them? The burger gave a wafting smell. It had to be real! Crying, she took a deep bite out of the burger and cried some more. It was so delicious! She didn't stop eating it; more bites, each one as deep as the last, chewing on it as she felt like she hadn't eaten in days. The burger was just halfway done. She was smacking her lips, feeling her strength of will come back to her. Oh burger, how she missed that taste! And then, it was gone. Nichole had eaten the whole thing.
Both Caineth and Mathew had put their burgers in their laps, and clapped joyously. "Yaaay!" "good job! Want another?" Mathew offered to Nichole.
As fast as she ate that, she felt no need to have another. "No thank you. What did you say your names were again?"
The cub on her right said, "I'm Mathew."
The other cub on her left side said, "And I'm Caineth! Oh! Hand me another burger, I wanna do somethi'n!"
"Mathew, Caineth...I...Thank you."
Mathew handed his brother another burger from the bag. "It's our pleasure! Oh! I need to ask a question though."
Splat!
Suddenly, Mathew was hit in the head by a beef patty. "Hey!" Caineth giggled at his antics. He started a food fight! Nichole ducked her head inside the large over coat that was her shell and hid in it while the two brothers threw food at one another.
"Take that!" "
"Burger face!"
"Eat my buns!"
"I relish the thought!"
Both cubs just stopped throwing food at each other and began giggling on the grass, belly overed, and kicking in the air.
Nichole peeked outside the jacket, daringly. "Are you two always like this?"
"Yup!" They both responded. Mathew and Caineth went back to sitting side by side with her, Nichole being in the center. "So, what ya wanna do? We got pudding diveing..."
"...Race cart driving on cupcake city..."
"...canoe paddling in Soda lake..."
"Oh! Oh! Flying on a paper plane!"
"Yeah! Or riding rides in a carnival!"
To Nichole, All these things sounded nice. Fun, but nice. There was really only one thing she wanted to so. "I just want to sleep..."
Both the boys shrugged, and smiled. Mathew whispered, "Okay. Us too."
"Yeah, yeah." Caineth got comfortable under the tree, where the three cubs slept.
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Mr. Fuddyduddy had been driving towards a desolate mountain. They reached high altitudes but this was the place. He parked his car near a hidden playground. There, he saw cubs playing in tunnel slides, monkey bars, spinning tic-tac-toe toys, ramps, and even teeter-totters. This was the place. The girl will be safe here. The rat pushed a blue button near a speaker. "Caineth, Mathew, go ahead and bring her out, we're here."
No answer.
"Caineth, Mathew? Answer me."
Still no answer. He didn't get the memo that they were asleep.
Mr. Fuddyduddy got out of the car and unlocked the back trunk. It opened up to find that they were cuddled next to each other. It was night time, so it was reasonable that they would be asleep. Taking the lion cubs bodies, he shook them awake. "Hey, get up. We're here."
Nichole stirred to see a rat in a black suit. He did not look to friendly. She held tightly the two boys with her.
"Hiya Mr. Fuddyduddy!" The lion cubs rubbed their eyes, and sat Nichole up. She was however, frightened of this man. The noise of other kids playing caught her attention. She looked around and saw a playground. Then she looked and saw that she was sitting up in the trunk of a car.
Caineth and Mathew helped the kitten out of the trunk. She was still weak in the knees.
There was a log where the boys brought her, in front of the playground. Mr. Fuddyduddy sat near. "Nichole, Right?"
She nodded at him, letting the two cubs hold onto her.
"Did Caineth or Mathew ask if you wanna stay in the magical world? Or this, damned reality?"
She shook her head. Her focus was on the kids playing in front of her. Strange to have a bunch of kids playing in such a place at night.
"I'm going to give yas a choice, Nichole. You remember that world you were in, right? In the trunk?"
She paused, remembering that fantastic world. She nodded.
"I'm gonna offer yas a boon. Now, you don't hafta take it. Yous can choose to remain in that world where there wills be's other cubs like yous, where yous can makes friends, and live a life like a queen where your imagination changes the shape of the world around yous. There will be no more people tell'n yas what to do, no more pain. You can live anywhere, anyhow, anyplace, anytime, with anything. Or..." Mr. Fuddyduddy gave a long pause, letting this sink in for the girl. "...Or yas can live in this world, where yous can get hurt."
Nichole listened, and looked at the lion cubs beside her. They smiled, and nodded, affirming that what he was saying was true. "Why are we here?" she asked.
"This is a special playground. See those cubs over there?" the rat points at the kids playing around on the playground. "There's a portal in that slide that will bring yas to that magical world. Those kids are a lot like Caineth and Mathew here, they will guide yas in the new world, if yous so choose ta go with'em."
She pondered for a moment. A new world? A new reality where her imagination shapes the plains of her existence? She could live life like she wants too. "...What's the catch, Mr...?"
"Call me Mr. Fuddyduddy. And there is no catch. See, we take abused and neglected children and give them a place they can live in peace. The world will be yours to shape. If you wanna have two suns, yous can have two suns. If yous wanna meets with other kids that's gone through the same thing you have and talk with them, use their shoulders to cry on and listen, yous can do that too. But yous will always be taken care of. These particular cubs in the play park are the care takers, and will guide yas. If, yas wanna go."
She looked at Caineth and Mathew. "Will...will they come with me?"
"No. I need them ta help me with other's that's been in your shoes. They'll help carry ya to the playground, but they aint gonna go with ya, sorry. Be sure though, you will meet other friendly cubs just like them."
She almost cried. But she had to stay strong! Nichole was weak, but she found that the lion cubs sat with her, and only wanted the best. They gave her a thumbs up each. Her pause was great, the laughter of children playing a long one. There were no more questions. This was it. but she'd have to leave her previous life behind. Her parents... They would want the best for her. She took a deep breath, and exhaled. "I'm ready. I'll go to the magical world." She was almost sad to go. Then, she felt the lion cubs put her arms over the back of their necks, and take her to the playground. The other cubs joined, raising her up the ramp up to the tube slide. A few cubs entered, yelling out in happiness. They didn't exit out. Nichol watched, seeing the cubs racing to the slide, jumping in but not coming out.
Six cubs carried her to the tube slide. She was next. She was placed gently on the slide. The long red tube echoing laughter and play of other cubs that went before. Caineth and Mathew gave her an encouraging goodbye. "Relax. And let the slide do all the work."
"Yeah! It's a really fun slide!"
Nichole breathed, leaned back, and allowed the cubs to push her down. She disappeared from the world. Four of the cubs followed suit, sliding down whereas the two lion cubs climbed off the playground, and padded over to Mr. Fuddyduddy. Their job was done.
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Meanwhile, at the motel...
The wolf boss sat up, hearing children's laughter. "What the hell...Where's my money...who the-who the hell are all of you?!"
Cubs. Sitting on the bed, laughing. Sitting on the television, ginning and laughing. Standing in front of the door, staring at him, laughing. Cubs poked their head out the bathroom, laughing.
"Where the hell is my-!!" He looked over where the tiger should have been. He was inside his worst fears; being eaten alive by a huge snake, head first. All the wolf could make out were a pair of legs sticking out of a fanged snake head. "What the-! What the fucking hell! Stop laughing! Stop it!!"
A raccoon cub at the door approach him. "For what has transpired at your hand, the spirit of the cubs seeks atonement. Never disrespect the cubs, confess your transgressions to the king. You have nowhere to run." The other cubs laughed at the wolf, echoing his doom.
"Shut up! Shut-UP!!" he punched the raccoon . At first he felt mush as his fist went straight through his head. Then, his face hardened. His fist was stuck inside his head! The raccoon along with the other cubs only laughed. "I am rubber..." began the raccoon.
"You are glue..."
"Anything you say...
"Bounces back...
"And sticks back to you!"
All the cubs laughed and piled onto the wolf who screamed for help, trying to fight them off. But they only turned into mush and hardened! They were all over his legs, his chest, he could not move his arms! They were on his backside, they climbed on his head and they kept laughing! His vision impaired, he could not breath! He could not move!
Suddenly, he found that he were inside a box. There was no light. But he could hear...dirt? Dirt was pileing up on...the...box?
Oh no...Oh gods NO! he was being buried alive! "Let me out of here! Let me-OUT!!" he started banging against the wood, hearing the shoveling of dirt constantly scooping on his box. "Gods damn it! let me out of here!" He began to breath hard. "This isn't happening...I'm not being buried alive. This can't be happening. There's no way I can be in this fucking box! There's no way! I'm not being buried! Do you hear me! I'm not being buried alive!"
Yet as he said this he couldn't help but to want to plead. There had to be a way out of this. "Okay, look! You can have all the money I made! I must have thousands! Surely you can afford to let me out for some? Right?"
Still, the dirt kept coming. He could only hear it making it's dump on his life. "Damn it! this is because of those things I did to those kids, isn't it? Gods damn it...This is for all the bad things I've done in my life? Look. I did a lot of bad things, okay? I'm a bad person! ...I'm a bad person...
He was getting upset. The sound of dirt only fueled his anger. "YOU FUCKING FUCK HEADS!! I'M GOING TO FUCKING KILL YOU!! RAAAAAAAAWWWAAAWAAAWAAAWWW!!" He beat the wood as hard as he could, though with little space he could afford, it was not much. He strained, and tired himself out.
After a while, he began to cry. He could not curl up for comfort. Could not move much. He lay there as the sounds of dirt kept shoveling on top of him. He wept. He sobbed. Everything was pointless. Nothing mattered. All hope was lost! He was doomed. And so, he cried.
"I'm going to die. *I'M* going. To. Die. I'm going to die. That's it. I'm going to die in this thing. There's nothing changing that." He sighed, and came to terms as he accepted his fate. It must have been hours since he's been in here. And, he was wrong. This was only the beginning.
The box's gravity shifted. Now, it felt like he were standing up. "Huh? What's going on?" He pushed against both sides of the box as it tipped forward, face and stomach hitting the top of the box. "What's going on?!" Then. He felt falling. He fell and he screamed. The faster he fell, the less gravity there appeared to be. Then, there was no gravity. He was wondering through space in a box. He closed his eyes, and opened them.
He was inside the motel room, in the bed covered in blankets and sheets. Gravity was back. Except, it was pulling him towards the ceiling. Only the blankets that were tucked into the bed kept him from falling into the black hole. The cubs were there, standing upside-down and walking around the ceiling. They looked up at him, and laughed.
"Hey, what'cha do'n up there Mr.?" A squirrel asked?
There really was a black hole in the ceiling! The cubs surrounded the hole and he felt the blankets loosen. He was going to fall in! "No...Noo! NOOOOO!" The blankets loosened and he free fell into the ceiling, enveloped into darkness.
He landed on a bed. He was a...was a...a cub? "I don't know what's going on. I don't know what's happening man..." the wolf said to himself. "This is my room..." He looked around. Old, raggedy curtains. His old, raggedy toys. His door...
"Son, can you come in here?"
"Mom...?" Some force compelled him to open his door. He sought out his mother from so long ago. Things didn't add up. She's suppose to be dead! And yet, he heard her voice.
"Son, can you come in here?"
There it was again. The voice seeped through the walls. It echoed hollow.
"Soncanyoucomeinhere?"
The voice was faster, high pitched. The carpet the wolf stood on moved like a conveyer belt to the kitchen. Pictures of the poor souls that suffered by his paw framed in a hallway on the way to his destination.
Son...can...yoooou...cooome...in...here...?"
The voice was slower, low pitched. The carpet slowed down as he rounded the corner into the kitchen. There she was! She was chopping vegetables with a knife. The curtains to the outside world were closed. And she said,
"Son, can you come in here?"
"M-...mom?" he stuttered. He stepped closer, his mother's back turned to him. He could not see her face.
"Son, can you come in here?"
He padded closer, his mothers chopping of the vegetables slowing down. He stepped into the kitchen. The floor started moving again. It moved him closer to his mother. He backed up. It moved faster. He started to try and back away. The floor was moving him towards the mother that he could not see the face of!
She turned around. Her evil grin reached all the way up to her ears! She held the knife high above her head and the floor made a full speed towards her!
"NIGHTMARE MONSTER! NOOO!" he closed his eyes, shielded himself and the knife came crashing down!
A moment passed. He was back in the bed in the motel again. Once again, there was a black hole in the ceiling, he was being pulled into it. The cubs laughed as he was only safe because a few tucked blankets kept him from falling in.
The wolf was a crying mess now. "Please don't do this to me. Please! Please I'm begging you. Please don't do this man!" However as it should be, the blankets fell limp, and he fell into another hole, screaming. His mother with the evil grin jumped in. Then a cub in. Then, another cub jumped in. More began laughing and carrying on, jumping into the hole after the wolf until there were no more cubs. The hole shrunk, following the screams. The hole vanished. No one ever saw them ever again.