Nala woke up feeling immensely sore. She couldn't remember what had happened last night, but as she slowly regained consciousness she could tell that something was off. Why did she feel so uncomfortable? When she tried to move her legs she couldn't. She tried her back legs but was given the same unfavorable results.

"Mmmm …" Nala groaned, but was surprised to hear a muffled grunt instead.

When her vision finally cleared her eyes widened as she realized she had been tied up and gagged, her front and back legs securely restrained by a series of vines, along with more cleaved in her mouth and wrapped around her jaws. Suddenly last night came back to her, going out looking for Simba, being ambushed by two lions … and now waking up bound and gagged in what appeared to be a hole, with something sealing the top, leaving her in darkness.

Realizing her situation, Nala instantly began squirming in her bonds, trying to break free, pulling her bound front legs, only to have them remain securely folded against her chest. She kicked her tied hind legs, but they were quickly stopped by vines which were connected to her midsection. She kicked again and rolled around to one side and then back again, grunting through her gag and again trying to yank her forepaws free. She shook her head in an attempt to get the vines off her muzzle, but they held tight. She tried to reach any of the vines with her claws but once more couldn't move her forelegs an inch. Her body curled up to reach them, but came nowhere close before the slipping back. Nala kicked again and again, rolling back and forth. "Gmmm! HMMMPH!" she screamed in anger and fear.

After those few seconds, Nala let her normal level-headed mind return. Calm down, Nala told herself, ceasing her struggling for the moment. Where am I? What exactly is going on?

It was obvious that those two lions were responsible for her current predicament. Had this happened to her a few weeks earlier, she would've had no idea why two strange lions would capture her like this. But after some thinking, she realized the only explanation was her new relationship with Simba. These brutes wanted the throne, and what better way than to capture the king's love interest?

She then observed her surroundings - if they could be called that. Cave walls surrounded her, and the only light was seeping through the ceiling. This meant she was in some sort of hole, with the top sealed off with what looked like a boulder. She pondered if she could even move it even without the vines wrapping her tight. Could someone be above it though? Maybe they could find her! "Hmm?? Mmm bmnmm mmph?!! HMMMPH!!!" Nala screamed through the gag, trying to open her mouth even a little, but just couldn't make any coherent sound. No passerby could possibly hear her muffled cries. I need to get free.

Nala focused her attention back to her bindings, this time wanting to get a good look at them. Her lower front legs were tied together, and vines had been wrapped around her biceps. The two sets of vines had been connected, forcing her forelegs to remain uncomfortably folded up against her chest. Even the tips of her paws were tied together, so she couldn't twist her legs around to wriggle them free. She tried to position her forepaws so her claws could reach her gag, but couldn't even move them before she felt something tug on them. She looked over and saw another vine tied to her forelegs, then stretched out and attached to another coil of vines around her midsection. Nala couldn't move her forelegs at all; they were completely held tight no matter how hard she wriggled them.

But as if the intricate bondage of her forelegs wasn't enough to render her helpless (which was possible with her great agility), Nala saw her hind legs were also tied together. There were sets of vines wrapped around her thighs, ankles, and paws, squeezing her legs together tightly rendering them useless. She saw the vines around her thighs were connected by another vine to her midsection, similar to her forelegs. This explained why she couldn't kick her legs, and only added to her immobility. Nala shifted her hind legs back and forth and tried pulling them apart, but they remained secured.

Though she couldn't see it, she shifted her toungue and jaws to feel around her gag. It consisted of thicker vines wrapped very tightly around her head and in her mouth. It was packed behind her teeth so she couldn't bite down on it, wrapped so tight the corners of her mouth stung. It was very thick, and did a very good job of blocking her cries. But accompanying it was a vine securely tied around her muzzle, preventing her from opening her mouth and clenching her teeth painfully together. She would have had a hard time being heard and making words with just one of the two gags, but together they made for a sturdy, tight, uncomfortable, and very effective gag.

Nala decided there were two possible approaches to trying to untie herself: the focused, strategic method of slipping herself out of the vines' grasp, which would require patience and concentration; or the method of pure force, trying to pull and tug at her binds until they split. Both ways seemed in vain, as the vines were not only very thick and strong but also tightly squeezing her whole body. She was very athletic and fit, but doubted her modest muscle mass would have any effect. Even Simba probably couldn't break these vines.

Simba. In all her worrying she'd forgotten about him. He was probably going crazy trying to find her … unless her assailants had managed to capture him too. He had proven to be a tough lion, but these lions were underhandedly deadly. The thought of her love falling to these thugs was enough for a whimper to escape through her vine gag. Well, I won't be any use down here.

Narrowing her eyes in concentration, Nala focused on her tied up forelegs, working on freeing them. She began by shifting them back and forth, maybe eventually sliding one out. However, the problem with this was instantly clear: the intricate series of vines held her forepaws firmly in a very unworkable position. It was impossible to move them in the manner she desired, not even a small shift. Whoever had tied her up had certainly thought it through.

Nevertheless Nala kept trying, knowing she had to find some way out. She wriggled her shoulders, paws, anything wrapped in the vines, getting increasingly frustrated and panicked by the second. Her front legs were just too thouroughly bound, and over ten minutes of struggling hadn't made the slightest difference.

She knew she would have a far better chance of freeing them if she could bite through the vines. Claws extended, she craned her neck as far as she could so her claws could reach the vines strapped around her muzzle. But they just couldn't reach, even as she swatted her paws in hopes of getting a cut in them. It was the vines wrapped painfully tight around her torso that was the problem. They just wouldn't snap, they were too strong.

While it wasn't as desirable as having her forelegs free, maybe if she could get her hind legs free, she could more easily maneuver herself and find some means of escape. Unfortunately, although they were only bound by three coils, it didn't seem like it would be any easier. Her captors obviously didn't care for her comfort, because the grip these vines had on her toned, powerful legs caused her jolts of pain just with a slight movement. Even though she tried to ignore it, pained, muffled gasps seeped out.

Nala could tell that her hind legs would never slip free. The vines' grip gave absolutely no remaining room for it, locking her legs so tightly she'd be surprised if damage didn't show when - or if - she got free. It didn't help that her total lack of upper mobility took all momentum she could have used, and the vines connecting her thighs to her stomach limited her even further.

Though she was trying to keep calm as she calmly struggled, Nala's panic was rising each second. This was the first time in her adult life that she had been completely physically helpless, and she hated it. She was afraid, knowing she was in the paws of those who wanted to harm or even kill her, and unable to even move to fight. She couldn't even speak or shout! She was as helpless as a newborn cub, at the mercy of whatever monsters did this to her.

It didn't help that she was in great discomfort and pain. The vines bound her all over so tightly, and in each spot came a sharp pain from having them dig into her skin. Every time she shifted slightly, jolts of pain would nearly cause tears to leak out in pain.

The gag was the worst part. Not only was the feeling of muteness unbearable, but it was forcing her teeth painfully together, continuously creating pain and discomfort. It wasn't natural for them to be this clenched. Then there was the other set of vines that just made her feel sick to have crammed into her mouth. It tasted bitter, and the constant feeling of a full mouth was not at all pleasant. But there was nothing she could do to stop it.

Eventually, her anxiety, fear, and misery got to the captive lioness, and she went into a frenzy. Her normally strong, brave spirit was breaking from being in this horrid state. She thrashed her body in every way she could think of, launching her hind legs out, as well as trying to pull them apart. She yanked her forelegs in all directions, futilely twisting and straining to force them out. She was pulling so hard it caused her body to tip onto its side frequently, and she had to pull herself onto her back again.

All this frantic struggling was causing Nala immense pain, and though she fought through it, it still enured and added to the nightmare. The physical and mental trauma brought the terrified Nala to tears. As they rolled down her face, Nala screamed as loudly as she could through the unforgiving vines gagging her.

"HMMMMPMM!!! GMMMPHMN HMMPH MM!!!! PLMMM MM MMM!!!!!"

It was a sight to behold. The brave, fierce, noble, athletic Nala was sobbing, screaming at the top of her lungs for someone to save her, all the while thrashing around like a cub to get out of a vicious, unforgiving bondage. Anyone who knew her would regard this as the last thing they'd expect of her. But Nala didn't care. She wanted out. She wanted these vines off, wanted to be able to move, wanted to escape whoever did this to her. Most of all, she wanted safety beside either her mother or Simba, where where no one would ever harm her.

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This story was originally uploaded on October 30, 2018, my very first upload. Thank you for checking it out!

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The Lion King, all characters featured, and the image used belong to Disney.