Never Roar Again by Grace Mattox (best free novels .txt) 📕

 Kion was standing in the darkness that often surrounded him in his dreams. There was an eerie silence that made him shudder. He wanted to run, to turn and run away, but he couldnt. Mist seemed to rise up out of the ground and swirl around him.

"Hello, Kion."

Kion stiffened, eyes widening with horror. No, no, no, no!

Scar slid from the darkness and into view, his green gaze narrowed at the cub, a dark smile on his face. He let out a soft chuckle. "So you've finally done it." He said with a twisted grin. "You've finally seen what you are capable of."

"I...I didnt mean to--" Kion stammered.

"No, no, no." Scar smiled. "Thats good. Now you can use it to get power, and do what I could never do. Kion, you have to use the Roar to kill them and take the throne."

Kion stared at him, his mouth slowly falling open as he spoke, his whole body tensed, his amber eyes wide with horror. "No!"

Scar watched him. "Why?"

"Because im not evil!" Kion stepped back. "Or...Or am I..?" His ears fell back.

Scar chuckled.

"Trust me, cub. Your evil. And no matter what you do, you'll always become like me." He disappeared.

Kion blinked, just staring into the darkness as he felt the rest of his confidence, what was left of it, slowly crush.

Im sorry...

 "Wheres Kion at?" Bunga asked.

"This is the third time he's missed patrol!" Fuli sighed. "Somethings wrong."

Beshte nodded. "He doesnt even talk to us when he does patrol."

"I mean, I know he's feeling down because of what happened to Nala, but thats just not Kion." Ono added with a frown.

Bunga crossed his arms and looked at Pride Rock, off in the distance. "Well somethings wrong with my best friend, so im gonna go talk to him. You guys stay here." He said as he walked away from them to Pride Rock.

Kion was laying on the ledge in the lair. His gaze was fixed on the wall, on all the paintings, though he wasnt really looking at them. He was just looking at....Something, anything.

"Kion?" Bunga walked in and fixed his gaze on his friend. Kion didnt even glance at him.

"What do you want."

Bunga tried not to flinch. "You've missed three patrols in the past two days, you wont talk to anyone, your basically isolating yourself from your family. Somethings wrong, and im worried."

Kion looked down at his paws. "Just go away." He muttered.

Bunga frowned at him for a long moment. "Kion--"

"I said go away, Bunga!" Kion snapped, louder this time. "I dont want to talk right now!"

Bunga nodded slowly. "Well im here when you do." He said quietly before turning and walking out of the lair. He bounded back to the others with a troubled expression.

"Let me guess." Fuli sighed.

"He doesnt wanna talk." Ono shook his head.

Bunga just looked at them before glancing over his shoulder toward Pride Rock. What was wrong with his best friend?

 "Come out here to brood?"

Kion's ears twitched slightly as he heard his sisters voice, but he didnt turn around to face her as she came up and sat beside him. For a moment they both sat there at the peak of Pride Rock in silence.

Kiara glanced at her little brother. He had bags under his eyes, his head drooping slightly.

"Cant sleep?" Kiara asked gently.

Kion glanced at her briefly, then looked down at his paws. "Its that obvious, huh?"

"Well, Mom and Dad have been talking about how you just sit out here every night, and the Guard says you've been missing patrols, and honestly, Kion, you look like beetle dung."

"...Gee, thanks..."

Kiara frowned at him. "Are you still having those nightmares?"

Kion shuddered slightly, his ears falling back, and didnt look up. "I keep seeing him...Every night, reminding me about what I did...And how i'll become like him...Kiara I cant take it."

Kiara stared at her little brother. "But it was an accident."

"I dont care. I...I still did the one thing I swore I wouldnt do with my Roar." Kion closed his eyes. "Maybe he's right, maybe I am going to turn out like him..."

Kiara rolled her eyes. "You wont turn out like him, I know it. Your too sweet, and kind, and you have too many people here that love you. They wont let you turn out like Scar. I wont let you turn out like Scar."

Kion flinched at the name, and stayed silent after that, though it was a bit more comfortable now. But Kiara knew that it would take more then that to get her brother back to normal.

 Kion was laying in the lair. He had a zebra leg at his paws, but he hadnt even taken a bite yet. He batted slightly at it and sent it rolling toward the edge of the ledge. His amber gaze was blank. He hadnt eaten for, oh, five days or so?

Who cares. Maybe i'll die and wont have to deal with these nightmares anymore,

It was strange how these nightmares haunted the cub. He didnt sleep, just because he knew once he closed his eyes he'd be back in the darkness. With Scar...

"Kion?"

Kion didnt even look up when he heard his dad's voice. "Hm?"

"Kion, im worried about you." Simba said gently, walking farther into the lair. "You havent eaten in days, and you wont even talk to anyone, and you've missed every patrol for five days. Somethings wrong with my son."

Kion said nothing.

"Kion." Simba padded up beside him. "Whats going on?"

The cub lifted his gaze to meet his fathers for the first time in days, his eyes tired. "Im fine."

Simba shook his head. "No your not. You wont eat. Or talk to anyone. Even Bunga." He laid down beside his son. "Please tell me whats wrong."

Kion looked at him, then down at his paws. "I cant do it.." He mumbled. "The nightmares, the Roar, its just too much, and im dangerous. I almost killed Mom, because I got angry and..." He trailed off.

Simba put a paw around his son, pulling him closer. "But it was an accident."

"But I still did it." Kion said, stiffening slightly and leaning away from his father. "Dont..."

Simba sighed. "Kion.."

"I dont want to hurt you." Kion whispered. "I dont want to hurt you like I hurt Mom."

Simba shook his head again. "You wont hurt me."

"How do you know? How do you know I wont just lose control again?"

"You lost control because those hyenas were attacking your mother." Simba said. "And that proved that things can get messy when someone hurts your family, if anything."

"But it also proved that im going to be like.....Like Scar." Kion choked out, pulling away from his father and sitting up.

"You? Scar?" Simba snorted. "Yeah right. I'll believe that when giraffes fly!"

Kion stared down at his paws. "But its true, Dad...Im just like him..."

"No your not." Simba said, staring at his son. "If anything, your the complete opposite of him, because you actually care."

Kion didnt reply.

"Think about it, Kion." Simba stood up, and gave his son a lick on the head, causing Kion to flinch away slightly. Simba shook his head slightly. "Your not Scar." He said as he leaped down and padded out of the lair.

Kion laid down again and stared down into the pool below the ledge, his gaze locked on his reflection. The water rippled, and it was no longer his own face staring up at him, but Scar's. Only a cub-like version of him.

Kion shuddered and looked quickly away.

"Yes I am," He whispered softly.

 Kion was walking through the Pridelands, alone. He needed to think...Or as his sister said, to brood, like he always did. Kicking rocks aside silently as he walked, he couldnt help but think about...

Cant believe I did that. The one thing I said I wouldnt do with my Roar.

He stopped walking and frowned, his gaze fixed on his paws. When he looked up again, who else should he see but his arch-nemesis. Janja. The hyena was dragging a zebra along toward the Outlands and hadnt noticed him yet.

Fury flashed through Kion. It was Janja who had caused this. Him and his hyenas. Ears flat, the cub stalked over. Janja dropped the zebra and looked at him, eyes narrowed. Clearly he hadnt forgotten they're last encounter.

"What do you want?" Janja growled. Kion glared at him, putting one paw on the zebra. 

"What do you think your doing, hunting in the Pridelands?" He snarled. "Didnt I make it clear last time you werent welcome here?"

Janja laughed a little. "So?"

"So you need to leave. Now." Kion growled. "Right now."

Janja glared at him again. "And whos gonna make me? You?" He snorted. "What, are ya gonna Roar and send me flying again?"

Now that was a stab. Kion flinched a little and backed up. He looked at the zebra, then at Janja. "Take it and get out."

"Oh your letting me keep it?" Janja was watching him carefully, eyes narrowed. "What a surprise. Leader of the Lion Guard letting the hyena keep the stolen food." He grinned a little. "Its because