Sum:

Nico, a runaway lion from a pride recently taken over pack, meets Percy, a cheetah with a big heart and unique eyes when Percy tends to his wounds after the battle. the two become friends and plot to reclaim Nico's pride, but is there something Percy's not telling Nico? a deep, dark secret perhaps… AU Nicercy.

Please note, this takes place in about… 1000 AD? Roughly around that time, there's a reason why.

Enjoy!

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It was an average day in the African Savannah. The Botswana savannah to be precise.

The birds were flocking around, lazing about in the trees.

Giraffes were teaching their newborn to walk.

Deer were doing the same.

Elephants were taking their young to a watering hole.

Carnivores were out hunting.

The North pride was settled down, enjoying some bonding time.

A tawny, young male with a black mane walked in with a slightly darker female.

"Nico," said the head of the pride, Hades, "Where in Africa have you been?"

Nico, the young male who happened to be Hade's youngest son, chuckled dryly, "And tell me, father, if I'd been out of Africa what would you have said?"

Hades rolled his eyes.

"Ha, ha," he repeated, even more dryly, "Now, where were you?"

"Relax father, Reyna and I were just off… sightseeing I guess."

And then, Hades actually smiled.

"That's my boy! Gettin' down wid da lay-days," smirked Hades.

Nico began to splutter.

"F-father, you cannot be serious! I barely even swung that way, and now I don't think I ever will," he shuddered, "Cannot unsee what has been seen."

Hades let out a big, booming roar of laughter.

Another lion walked up to them. He was slightly bigger than Nico, but the tiniest fraction smaller than Hades.

"Thanatos," Hades' eyes lit up.

"Father," Thanatos bowed, he faced Nico with a wicked glint in his eyes, "Mini-munch."

Nico growled and pounced.

Thanatos fell back, chuckling as he flung his younger brother off with his hind paws, as though he weighed less than a feather..

"Nico, Nico, Nico," Thanatos tsked, "You attack like a newborn cub."

Nico threw 'the eyes' at Hades, and Hades, the cruel, soulless bastard that he was refused to acknowledge the puppy eyes that were trademark to Nico and instead said,

"I'm disappointed, son. I expected better."

"Really!?" said Nico, gaping, "Is there anyone who isn't going to make fun of me!?"

"Not really," said a voice behind him, "No offense, Neeks, but you pounce like a cheetah cub," she said cheetah with distaste.

"Urgh," agreed Thanatos, "Those things are annoying! And they can't even roar! They just make silly chirping noises! How are they even considered cats!?"

"No one knows," said their youngest sister, Hazel, strolling up from behind, "I think it was that weird, old monkey in the Poplar tree trying to make a joke. Again."

The others wrinkled their noses in disgust, at one point they'd all been downwind of him. and the smell was not pleasant…

"Cheetahs aren't that bad," said Nico, rolling his eyes.

Hades snorted, "Nico, there's a reason there are no cheetah/something hybrids, and that is that cheetahs are too weak for any cat to even consider mating. I mean look at them. They're so weak they have to rely on speed to catch their prey," he snorted.

"And besides," said Thanatos, "everyone knows they're just cheap re-makes of leopards."

Nico rolled his eyes when he suddenly heard a very loud roaring.

His head shot back.

Behind him stood five, bulky adult lions.

He recognized them, as much as he wished he didn't.

They were Kronos, Atlas, Pontus, Typhon and Koios, the leaders of the Westers, had he been a cub he may've wondered what it was they were doing on Norther territory, but now…

Kronos was the first to attack.

He leapt at Hades closely followed by Atlas and Pontus.

Typhon went after Thanatos.

And that only left Koios for Nico.

The three fought their best but were soon overpowered by the five adult males.

Within minutes Hades had lost the battle.

"Run!" he told his cubs, the last words he'd ever say as the three finally managed to kill him.

Nico and Thanatos were no fools. Injured and bleeding they split up.

"After them!" Kronos ordered his brothers.

Two ran after each as the brothers split up.

Kronos turned back to Hades's corpse with a sinister smile.

He placed his paw over Hades unbeating heart and pushed down.

"I'm the Alpha now," he said, looking around, daring anyone to contest to his claim.

The lionesses all looked down, none of them said a word.

The two saddest were probably the two five year old sisters, Maria and Persephone, though Bianca, Hazel and Reyna were pretty sad too judging by the tears in their eyes.

Kronos then did what they'd all been dreading, he turned to the cubs, the ones below a year old, and begun killing them.

The females averted their eyes as their babies were snatched and torn to shreds, some of them being only days old, their blood reddening Kronos's maw.

That night, when the brothers had come back unsuccessful but having driven away the two, they feasted together on the cubs' and the ex-ruler's meat…

.

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Nico ran and ran.

His body was sore, his limbs aching, but he didn't dare look back.

At last, he collapsed near a watering hole, tired and worn out.

By this point he was actually hoping for death. At least then he would no longer have to suffer this agonizing pain.

He watched as the blood seeped out of his wounds, exhaustion and injury winning over, the world began to fade away. He hear some rustling from some nearby bushes, but at this point he couldn't care less.

The last thing he remembered before his world faded into darkness was a color he didn't see too often…

Sea green…

xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxo

done! new story!

-httyd4eva

peace out yo;P