𝒲𝒾𝓃𝓉ℯ𝓇 𝒲ℴ𝓃𝒹ℯ𝓇𝓁𝒶𝓃𝒹： 𝒯𝒽𝒶𝓌 ℴ𝒻 𝓉𝒽ℯ ℱ𝓇ℴ𝓏ℯ𝓃 ℋℯ𝒶𝓇𝓉

𝑇ℎ𝑒 𝑈𝑠𝑢𝑟𝑝𝑒𝑟 𝑓𝑟𝑜𝑚 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑊𝑖𝑙𝑑𝑠： 𝐶ℎ𝑎𝑝𝑡𝑒𝑟 44

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"Now understand who you're working for. I'm up in heaven you're on the floor, and soon you'll see I have much in store for you, it's less than a chore"

**
Somnium Humilitatis

Y/n lay sprawled on the rough, jagged stone floor, her body curled in the same vulnerable position as when she had fallen asleep atop the velvet bedding of her palace chamber. But the cold comfort of silk was gone. She stirred, attempting to shift back into sleep—but then it hit her.

The scent.

'The smell of...earth?' Her eyes fluttered open with a sharp intake of breath.

She sat up slowly, her bones aching against the hard surface beneath her. The once-vibrant world outside the cave—lush with color and gentle breezes—was now nothing but a barren, lifeless desert. The atmosphere clawed at her lungs, each breath dry and cracking like parchment.

Wheezing softly, she pressed a trembling hand to her chest, fighting to slow her breathing, but the air was too thin. Her lips parted in gasps as sweat rolled down her temple, and her glassy eyes scanned the strange, nightmarish place she had awakened in.

That's when she saw it.

A bird, trapped—caged inside the massive ribcage of some long-dead beast. Its feathers ruffled in the stale breeze. And then came a familiar voice.

"Oh, Zazu, do lighten up and sing something for me with a little bounce in it."

Her breath hitched.

Reclining on a stone like it were a throne, a familiar, languid figure lounged with dangerous ease. The King of Beasts. That voice—smug, deep, laced with mockery and madness—could only belong to him.

Zazu, the bird, gave a long-suffering groan from his grotesque prison. "Oh...I would never have had to do this for Mufasa."

The lion's head whipped around, eyes flaring. "What?" he snarled, teeth flashing. "What did you say? I...am...the KING!"

Before Y/n could even process the absurdity of the dreamscape, another disturbance entered the cave.

"Hey, boss!" barked a voice—Banzai. The hyenas were here now too. They trudged in, their bones sharp beneath skin from starvation. "We got a bone to pick with you." he growled.

"Scar, there's no food, no water...We're hungry!" Shenzi growled.

"What are you complaining to me for? Eat Zazu." The King of Beasts scoffed, causing Zazu to flinch in surprise before backing up into a rib.

Y/n could hardly react—sweat broke out across her brow as her chest tightened again. She dropped to her knees, the air a razor in her lungs. The scene around her distorted with every shallow breath she took.

"I thought things were bad under Mufasa..." Banzai muttered bitterly.

The king's roar echoed like thunder across the cave. "What did you say?! Get out!" he demanded.

The hyenas stormed out, grumbling as they left. Ed giggled maniacally on the way out. "But we're still hungry!"

Y/n trembled, eyes glassy. "If he can't stand being compared," she rasped, "maybe he should try harder..."