Chapter 2: Blank Slate

Slowly opening his eyes, the poor young cub awoke from his dreamless slumber and got up to stretch himself out. Smacking his lips, he found that they were loosely dripping wet, indicating that he had been given water in his sleep some time ago. Glancing to his right, he could see that he was on the inside of some kind of dark, stony den of some sort, which confused him to a rather large extent.

Upon looking behind him, he saw that the jungle was beyond the den's shadows, with the sun past its highest point and already beginning to set. Some of the low-lying fog that covered the jungle ground in all directions was crawling its way to the inside, going about as high as his paws. The sight was uncomfortably eerie to such a young cub as himself.

When Simba turned to his left, however, his eyes laid upon that of Kaa himself looming over him, making him shudder in shock. Even though his instincts told him to run, Simba unexpectedly walked closer with wide-eyed curiosity and awe at the awesome serpent before him. His eyes met up with Kaa's.

"Ah, good to see you're alright, lion cub," Kaa hissed, feigning concern. "I was almost worried that you wouldn't make it."

"Who are you?" asked Simba in a surprisingly calm voice, beginning to smile in wonderment. He had never met the python before, but something about him seemed trustworthy to him.

"I am Kaa," the snake replied, introducing himself. "and I welcome you to my den."

Simba looked around the cave thoroughly this time to get a clear look. For the most part it was featureless except with a few rocks here and there on the ground.

"I found you in the desert earlier, you poor thing... passed out and on the verge of death." Kaa said making an effort to sound like he cared in the slightest about him. "But out of the oh so strong responsibility I felt from finding you, I saved you and brought you here to safety." Kaa finished."

Simba said back to him, "Well... thank you."

"Might I ask why you were out there to begin with?" The python added, this time genuinely curious as to what the cub would say.

"I... don't know," replied Simba, sounding hopelessly confused. "Actually, I can't even remember who I am or... or where I came from."

"Oh dear," Kaa said, pretending to be sad. "Well, I'm terribly sorry to say they there are very few, if any, lions in this jungle. So your parents are likely nowhere near here."

He kept up the act as Simba lowered his head in sadness for a moment, but he couldn't help mentally smirk. How he loved playing his prey as though they puppets. "I'll tell you what... I'll take care of you from here on out. A-at any rate, your parents are likely looking all over for you in fact, so maybe it wouldn't even need to be forever. Stick with me and you'll be able to survive in this jungle... should the odds be in your favor, that is."

Simba lifted his head up in excitement. "Really? You really mean that?"

"Of course," said Kaa as he used his tail to grab Simba's face and squish it affectionately. "Such a cute little kitten like you shouldn't be out here all on his own."

Simba smiled again once Kaa let go. He didn't know why, but he was already liking his new friend. A moment of silence passed before he asked innocently, "So what are we going to do now?"

Kaa smirked deviously, knowing exactly what he wanted to do first with his new prey...

---

At sunset later that day, which was the time when Kaa would usually take to his dinner meal, Kaa had led Simba to a clearing in the jungle some distance away from the den, with lush plants surrounding them on all sides as the day's progressively dimming light streamed through the trees. With the mists all along the ground beginning to thin at last, Simba took a step up to Kaa.

"Why are we here?" He asked innocently. Kaa gave him a devious smile.

"Oh you will see soon enough, Simba."

The python used the tip of his tail to point to the thick bushes just behind the cub, prompting him to turn around and look onward.

"Do you see those bushes?" Kaa asked. Simba nodded. "Well beyond there lives a nasty old panther who... says that he's the mightiest beast in all the jungle!"

That last part he added in some intentional melodrama to be sure he had Simba's attention, which seemed to work based on how the cub suddenly stood up so quickly.

"Pfft, he can't be so tough!" Simba said trying to sound brave as any child would. Kaa smiled evilly, as Simba was falling for exactly where he had wanted him to.

"That is exactly why I brought you here, Simba." Kaa went on. "Since I know you're just soo strong and tough, I think you could beat him for sure."

Simba perked up. "Do you really think so?" He asked excitedly. Then the python leaned in closer to him, lowering his voice as he did so.

"Perhaps... however, since we don't want anyone to get hurt around here, I think it would be safer if we... erm, did it together."

Simba raised an eyebrow in confusion. "What do you mean?"

"All you have to do" Kaa began to answer, "Is go past those bushes and get the panther's attention. Lead him here, and I shall do the rest. Do whatever you must."

At first, Simba was caught off guard by this explanation. His instincts told him to question Kaa since it seemed suspicious, but the horrific hypnosis that the python had inflicted upon him told him otherwise. So tragically, he simply nodded.

"There's a good lad." Kaa said. "You run along now and have fun..."

When Simba heard these words from the python, he got goose bumps. He couldn't put his paw on it, but something about what Kaa had just said sounded familiar somehow... as though someone had said that same thing to him once before. But once again ignoring the feeling, he simply glanced up to Kaa above him before he carefully set out towards the bushes, carefully creeping along the ground with the snake watching happily.

Simba crawled through the bushes making sure not to make any noise as he did so. Pushing the leaves and branches aside, he soon emerged on the other side, where he saw ahead of him the large, stony den of the panther. He grinned smugly as he did not hesitate to approach it. He stopped directly in front of its dark entrance where nothing at all could be seen on the inside. He took a deep breath.

"Hey you big old panther!" Simba shouted tauntingly. "You say you're the strongest beast in the jungle, huh?" He turned around to wiggle his butt up in the air juvenilely. "Well, why don't you come on out and prove it?" He let out a loud fart crassly.

Had it not been for his hypnosis, Simba would have been infinitely less cocky about approaching such a creature especially at the hour when it slept, but nonetheless, what happened next was inevitable. Immediately the cub watched as two glowing yellow eyes opened in the dark of the cave; vivid yet soulless eyes that didn't seem to be living at all. A vicious growl resounded from the inside, echoing across the stone walls that made it clear that the panther had just woken up wanted to kill the cub now. Simba smiled deviously. Under his breath he said,

"Catch me if you can."

And with that, Simba spun around and sprang forth back to the bushed behind him back to Kaa. And if Simba had gone off even a second later, the panther's sharp claws would've slashed him where he stood as the black panther emerged from the den, glaring at Simba while he jumped theough the bushes. Roaring now, the panther shot across the forest floor with astounding ferocity, with his very claws tearing into the dirt as he ran. The panther heard Simba laugh about something on the other side, which made him even more furious. He leapt through the bushes and became fully prepared to end Simba's life right then and there.

If only he knew exactly who the cub was with at the time.

Immediately as the panther ripped through the bushes to go after him, he felt a tight, slimy grip wrap around his throat, strangling him suddenly. The grip strengthened its hold around his neck as he was lifted up from the ground, prompting him to let out a wimpy wheeze as breathing became strenuous. Kaa came out from the bush, using his lethal tail to cocoon his coils more around the panther's body. The panther's eyes widened in shock when he saw the notorious Kaa and began to realize that his end was here.

Simba sneered as he excitedly watch the panther's demise. "That's it, Kaa! Show him who the real king of the jungle is!"

The panther tried to use his claws to rip through Kaa's slimy body but it did no good as his forepaws were pinned to his sides. He couldn't make use of even a single one as his entire body was wrapped up in midair, Kaa holding him effortlessly. He started to scream in agony and choked for air while the grip tightened around his neck at once, cutting off his oxygen completely. The panther's eyes and maw widened as Kaa constricted him with delight, enjoying his prey slowly dying. In a few seconds, the panther's heart ceased beating as he died with a horror stricken face .

After seeing such a horrifying sight, Simba should've been traumatized but instead, the lion cub couldn't be happier. "Wow, Kaa! You were awesome! We sure taught that blowhart a lesson."

Kaa nodded as he recovered from so strong of a constriction. He hadn't given one that strong in months. He smiled evilly at Simba.

"Yes, Simba... and now that you have proven your worth to me as a slave to me... I will be generous and let you share with this new feast."

Simba's face lit up when he said this. "You mean it?"

Kaa nodded.

"Yeah!" Simba said, leaping into the air with joy. "Alright, I'm starving!" He exclaimed.

Kaa chuckled with bliss upon seeing and hearing this. As the two of them feasted upon the dead panther's body for food that night, Kaa contemplated how well his new slave was already proving to work for him. If he would be able to lead a mighty animal such as a panther to him in the first day, then there was no telling what he would be able to bring him in the days and years to come.

No longer would Kaa have to do the dirty work himself. He now had Simba to do that for him, and he greatly looked forward to the day that Simba would be able to hunt on his own and make the kills without himself having to do a thing. He knew he was going to enjoy his new slave a great deal now.