It's a Wonderful Circle of Life
Warnings: Slash pairing, spoilers for The Lion King, shapeshifters and slight genderswap, if you choose to view it that way.
Disclaimer: I don't own The Lion King or Supernatural, and the title is a play on the title of the movie "It's a Wonderful Life", which I also don't own.
A/N: This story is the direct result of watching The Lion King back-to-back with Season One of Supernatural. The actor who plays Sam is basically Simba's twin. If Simba were real, and not a lion. Also, I toe the line in this story with genderswap. Most of the characters are shapeshifters, and some of them are male humans and female lions. In most cases, I will refer to the character as their human gender. Hmm...that's a bit confusing, but I hope you get my drift.
Now, on to the show...(story)...
Chapter One
The sun rose over the Serengeti in flashes of gold and red. From atop Pride Rock, a young boy watched it with childish excitement. Then he returned to the den, where the rest of the pride still slept. They were sprawled over each other; some were in their human skins, others in their lion form, all huddled for warmth. Only two lay separately, at the deepest and warmest part of the cave.
Sam's father had his arm wrapped tightly around his mother, his nose buried in her hair. He was still asleep.
Sam scrambled over the other lionesses, to where his parents slept. He nudged his father's shoulder with his foot. "Dad," he whispered, but the sound of his voice carried easily in the cave.
John Winchester grumbled irritably.
Sam huffed, kicking at his father a little less gently this time. "Dad," he whined. "Daaaaad."
Mary shifted in her mate's arms and peered at Sam sleepily. She sighed and said, "John."
John growled stubbornly, and did not move.
"Oh come on," Sam groaned.
"You did promise, John," Mary said.
"Did I?" John grumbled.
"Yes," Sam said impatiently.
"I don't remember," John said groggily.
Mary pulled out of John's arms. "John," she said.
John sighed heavily, sounding very much put out. "Alright, fine. I'm up."
He rolled to his back with a yawn. Then his form blurred, stretching and bulging, and he clambered up onto four feet. He shook his dark mane with another large yawn. He padded easily past the other lionesses in the den, out into the morning sunlight.
Mary smiled and reached up to push a lock of Sam's hair out of his face. "Have a good day, baby," she said.
"I will, Mom," Sam promised. "Love you."
He weaseled his way back over the other lionesses, stepping on a few tails and a few fingers as he went. Outside, the sunlight blinded him long enough that he didn't see his father until the older lion knocked into him, only hard enough to send him stumbling.
Sam laughed, and closed his eyes as he'd been taught. The change from human to lion was still a slow process for him, but with practice he'd be able to make the change in seconds, whenever he wanted to. For now, the process took several long minutes.
John was sniffing the morning breeze curiously when Sam was finally ready to go. He looked back at the den longingly one last time, before blinking tiredly at Sam. He sighed fondly. "Come on," he said. His voice was much deeper in this form.
He led Sam up the long winding trail to the peak of Pride Rock, from which all of the Pridelands were visible. Far below, Sam could see all the herds—the zebras, the gazelle. Near the watering hole, a family of elephants threw dirt across their backs to protect themselves from the harsh sunlight.
"This is our land," John said to Sam, his voice a pleasant and familiar rumble. "Everything the light touches is our kingdom. It was given to us, long ago." He looked at Sam.
"Lions are the King of Beasts," he explained. "It's why we are given two forms, while every other beast is given only one. To walk as humans brings us insight-wisdom. Our lion skins give us strength."
Sam nodded his understanding, and then looked back over the kingdom. Everything the light touched…
"What about that shadowy place?" he asked.
John followed his gaze. "That's beyond our borders," John replied. "Those that don't accept our rule are exiled there. You must never go there Sam," he added pointedly. "It's no place for a young lion. Understand?"
Sam nodded earnestly.
John continued to look at him shrewdly. "Promise me."
Sam rolled his eyes. "I promise."
They left Pride Rock and wandered the grasslands, the long grass tickling Sam's nose. The sun was climbing steadily higher; the heat was sweltering. Flies bit at Sam's face, and Sam snapped his jaws at them playfully.
"The King's job," John continued, though Sam was only barely listening, "is to understand and maintain the balance of the Pridelands. Everything is connected. Without the antelope, or the wildebeest, we wouldn't survive. And without us, the vultures and hyenas would suffer. It's a cycle. My father called it the Circle of Life."
Sam nodded absently. A small mouse had crossed their path, and Sam pounced after it. He felt that being a lion sometimes gave him a shorter attention span. Eventually, he would supposedly grow used to it and gain more control over his mind, but it got to be very distracting.
"Sire!"
Sam's attention snapped up to the sky, following the voice. A rather colorful bird with a large beak circled overhead. It was Bobby, John's eyes and ears around the kingdom. Sam had been taught at a young age that Bobby wasn't food, no matter how easy prey he seemed to be.
Usually gruff, this morning he looked frantic, his feather's ruffled. He landed at John's feet, panting slightly. "Hyenas, in the Pridelands!" he reported. "The giraffe's spotted them to the northwestern borders at dawn."
John snarled angrily. "I'll take care of them," he said darkly. "Take Sam home."
"But Dad—" Sam began indignantly.
"No!" John replied sharply. Wait for me at home. I'll be back soon."
He leapt into a run, taking him away from Sam at a pace Sam wouldn't be able to match. Sam sighed irritably. His dad never let him go on any important missions. He hardly even let him away from Pride Rock on his own.
"Come on, Sam," Bobby said, gentle in his own gruff sort of way. He took to the air, fluttering overhead as Sam turned back the way they'd come, tail drooping dejectedly.
"Your dad'll be fine," Bobby assured him.
"I know," Sam replied quietly. It wasn't that he was worried. Nothing could even touch his dad. He just hated being left behind all the time. It was like John didn't trust him to take care of himself. Sam was three, hardly even a cub anymore.
The walk back to Pride Rock was silent, and seemed much shorter than the walk away. Another field mouse ran across the path in front of him, but Sam's control must have been improving, because he didn't spare it a second glance.