The sun was shining in the sky when Simba approached the edge of a cliff before looking over at the forest which had been his home for 8 years now. He was no longer the frail Lion Cub he was a long time ago and in fact, he was now an young adult, healthy and strong. Of course he still had his brownish-gold fur from his cub-hood but now he had a large a russet mane which covered the entirety of his neck as well as much of his back.
The frail appearance he had before changed drastically and Simba was now very muscular and broad-shouldered thanks to the training he made himself do to become stronger and the hardship of this new world which he learned was more dangerous than it looked : a good example of the saying 'Appearance can be deceiving'. Also he had noticed that he looked much bigger than back in the Pridelands and now he was sure of it : he was 13 feet tall ! At first he was shocked by his new size but he quickly enjoyed it when he started to face some strange dark Creatures who tried to take him down (but failed).
He not only changed physically but emotionally as well : as a cub he was adventurous and inquisitive but now years later, he was not like this anymore. In fact, thanks to what happened in the gorge back in the Pridelands and Mufasa's revelations , Simba became more quiet and humble thanks to his 'lessons' with the spirit of his father who had made a habit to come every day since he landed here to teach him how to be a good Lion. After all, he would never get the chance to be King now as he died in his world and couldn't go back there.
During those 8 years, Simba learned how to survive on his own and despise how hard it was, the Golden Lion had succeeded thanks to both the lessons he got from his father and his mother (the latter when he was still in the Pridelands). Simba ate what he could find but most of the time, it was from what he caught during his hunts: the forest had many animals living in it. A few days after his arrival in this world, he had encountered a pack of strange creatures who looked similar to jackals but bulkier and bigger.
Despise him being a bit bigger than them at the time, they were vicious and cunning but thankfully, the Golden Cub managed to escape his attackers. When he was in relative safety, he had noticed that he received no injuries from this canines despise the bites and blows they gave him. Curious, he had later tried to scratch himself with his claws (nothing problematic don't worry) and he did injured himself as some blood had appeared from it.
Later, he had encountered another creature, much bigger with a short and which was covered in brown fur who clawed his side but in fact left nothing behind ! The beast had roared at him and after receiving a well placed claw-blow on the muzzle, it had left him alone and had never tried to face him again since then. It was the night after that event that his father went to him in a dream and had explained to him his new-self.
Being the first and only Lion in Remnant (it was this World's name), the deities residing here gave him special gifts : invulnerability against any type of weapons, a bigger size so he could oppose some of the most dangerous Creatures and the gift to talk to the only sentient being of this world : Humans and Faunus. He had received another gift but his father had told him that he had to discover it on his own. At the mention of Humans, Simba became a bit worried because off all the stories he had heard from his mother about the destruction they usually caused but the word 'Faunus' was totally… unknown to him.
Curious by nature, he had asked Mufasa why was he chosen to be the first Lion of Remnant and what was a Faunus to which the former King of the Pridelands had responded by explaining that the two Gods of this world (Darkness and Light) were looking for a Creature who knew how to preserve and protect Life… a Creature who can fell compassion when needed and who could understand the idea of Balance.
From what Mufasa told him, those Gods had observed many other Universes to find the Creature who could match their expectations… They kept searching until they reached the Earth, their old planet. The Two Gods had observed the Lions of the Pridelands and after seeing how good Mufasa was as a King and the intriguing concept of the 'Circle of Life', they knew they found what they wanted. However when Mufasa died, the Two Deities tried to take him to their world to be reborn but they were denied by Fate who claimed that Mufasa couldn't leave as he died as he was destined to : by his own brother.
But when Simba died… Fate herself allowed them to take him because ,unlike his father, the King's son wasn't supposed to die so young : he was supposed to have a Happy Life in a Jungle, fell in love with Nala , confronting his Uncle and defeating him for the throne before governing the Pridelands.
Simba, shocked by those revelations, had asked the spirit of his father why he didn't told him sooner and Mufasa replied that he didn't know until he died. Before the former Prince could ask more questions, Mufasa had instantly explained to him what was a Faunus : it was a specie which looked exactly like Humans but in addition, they had Animals features on them (ears, tail and fangs).
Simba thought that those 'Faunus' sounded more… friendly than Humans but his father reassured him that not all Humans were bad and that some of them were nice and trustful… but still, the Golden Cub had his doubt and since that night, he tried to avoid Humans as best as he could. Sometimes, he could see some of those 'Hairless-Apes' entering his territory but he made sure to stay out of sight and avoid any meeting.
However, as the years went on, Simba realized that ,despise how peaceful (mostly) his life currently was, he was missing something… Well more like many things… First of all, he missed having friends or at least companions to talk with. He had been lonely since day one and the only beings who could apparently have a conversation with him where the Creatures he tried to avoid at all cost ! The rest of the livings-beings weren't as sentient as those in his former world and it was depressing to say the least. That's part of the reason he grew more quiet over the years… With the lack of friends or talkative people, Simba had to stay silent most of the time.
The other thing he missed was even more difficult to have : Love. Being the only living Lion on Remnant, he had no chance to meet a Lioness to fall in love with. If he was still alive and in the Pridelands, he would have been with Nala , his cub-hood friend, as she was the only Lioness his age in the Pride. But now… he was the only one of his specie… He had asked the Great Kings of the Past, his ancestors, how could he be happy if he was all alone and his father had told him , calmly, that in due time he would get what he wished for.
Back to present, Simba was about to leave back to his den when suddenly a loud cry echoed from the distance. By the sound he could tell it was feminine and distressful but the Golden Lion was hesitant to go. The cry could only come from one of the two intelligent species who lived on Remnant and until now he tried his best to avoid encountering one… but whoever it was needed help and Simba , as he was hesitating , closed his eyes as he remembered one of the 'rules' his father had taught him : always helping someone in trouble even if he/she was an enemy.
When he re-opened them, a fire of determination could be seen burning in them as he opened his mouth to let out a thunderous roar which echoed in the distance before dashing away toward where the cry came from as fast as he could. As he approached his destination, Simba smelled something that caused him to run faster : the smell of fresh blood. Growling, he followed the smell until it directed him toward a clearing where he found out what had caused the cry from earlier : there ,in the middle of the clearing, was a Human (which was easy to guess because of the lack of Animal features) , a female, who was holding her bleeding left arm as she backed away from a pack of growling Beowolves.
Beowolves were large dark creatures which looked like a Bipedal Wolf in appearance with a bone-like mask with red markings as well as bone-like spikes protruding from their arms, back, and knees. Their hands and feet were also tipped with long, sharp, white claws. One of them, their Alpha, was covered in more bone-like armor and spines than the normal ones. It also had a more angular skull, larger teeth and sharp triangular ears. Their size could equal that of a Human's but some were twice bigger (the Alphas in general)
He had fought against some of those Creatures a lot of times before and they were hard to fight at first but as he grew up, those Dark Beasts became nothing more than pests and annoyance… except maybe the Alphas. In fact, the first Dark Creature, which his father had told him were named Grimm, was a Beowolf and he remembered that he was scared of this it because of its appearance.
Simba had thought a long time ago that those Creatures were just a part of the local Wildlife and so was reluctant to kill them but his father explained to him that those Creatures were made of Darkness and had to be deal with. The Grimm, after those revelations, became his 'partner buddies' as to become stronger he fought as many of them as he could. He discovered that some Grimm were bigger than others and was on his guard each time he stepped out of his den.
Simba then looked away from the Beowolves to look at the human who was on her back, looking at the Dark Beasts with terror on her face. She was young and had olive skin, dark brown hair and light purple eyes. She had a orange shirt with what looked like an armor on her which was mostly protecting a part of her chest and her shoulders along with a white pant which was also covered in a silver colored armor to protect it. In addition, she was wearing brown boots and had brown gauntlets on her hands.
After a quick look, Simba could tell that the only wound she got were the claw-marks one on her left arm. The Alpha Beowolf then stepped closer with a growl and raised its right arms, preparing to strike the young Human but the moment it was about to a deep growl echoed from the bushes, attracking its attention along with the rest of its pack and the injured girl.
Some of the Beowolves began to whimper after they smelled the air and Simba could see the girl shooting them a questioning frown , probably wondering what was scaring them. A devious smirk appeared on the Lion's face as he thought to himself "She is in for a big shock !" then he let out another growl, a much more aggressive one and his grin widened when he saw some Beowolves starting to back away in fright.
Then deciding that the hiding session was over, Simba stepped out of the shadows to face the Beowolves with a stern look on his face as he barred his teeth in a menacing manner. The Dark Creatures backed away from him with a whimper while the Alpha was growling back at him in a defiant manner. The girl however, was looking at him with shock, amazement and fear as she froze right where she stood with her purple eyes were locked in him.
Simba growled as he took a step forward causing some Beowolves to back away again with a frightened whimper. But the Alpha also took a step forward, glaring at the newcomer with his red eyes, showing no fear and instead looked defiant. Internally smirking, Simba took a deep breath before opening his mouth to let out a cavernous roar
ROOOOOOOOOAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAARRRRRRRRRR !
Some Beowolves ran away with their tails between their legs at the sound of the roar and even the Alpha had taken a few steps back, its ears lowered down as it seemed surprised by the roar. The Human, for her part, was shaking madly as her skin paled drastically in fright while her purple eyes widened even more. It was easy to understand that she was TERRIFIED of him but even if deep down it was saddening him, he had things to take care of first.
Simba sent another stern glare to the Alpha Beowolf before taking another step forward, barring his teeth with a deep growl as he unsheathed his claws. In response at the unspoken challenge, the Werewolf-like Grimm responded by letting out a loud howl before charging him. Simba roared in surprise before using his left foreleg to swap the pouncing Beowolf away from him, sending it crashing hard on the ground.
Simba was about to pounce on the Beast but then three other Beowolves charged at him. Growling, he pushed the first one with a powerful blow from his left foreleg but just as he turned around to face the second Beowulf, the third one pounced on him from behind and was now riding his back. Simba swiftly turned his head and his fangs closed themselves around the Grimm's leg before tossing it away in the air away from him.
Just as he fell back on his paws, the last Beowolf charged him from his right and the moment the Dark Beast jumped on him, Simba ducked his head before rapidly grabbing the Grimm's neck between his jaws. A sickening cracking sound was heard as Simba's grip tightened around the Beowolf's neck, breaking the bones.
But then , just as he re-opened his jaws to release the dead Grimm, the Alpha Beowolf attacked again but Simba was ready as he used his right foreleg to grab its face before pinning it hard on the ground, maintaining the Dark Beast down as it struggled to escape. The Golden Lion gave his opponent one last glance before swiftly bitting its neck which caused the Alpha Beowolf pained howl from the Grimm whose struggles doubled. But then, Simba tossed his head back, ripping the head out of the main body, killing the Alpha Beowolf in the process.
Simba , victorious, watched as the Grimm's corpses dissipated like each time he killed one before looking at the sky and releasing a thunderous roar. Behind him, still at the same place she laid earlier, was the human girl who was watching the Golden Lion with a stunned expression on her face and when Simba turned his head to look at her she flinched visibly. Her scared eyes turned into terror when the Golden Lion stepped closer until he stopped right in front of her.
"Are you alright ?" Simba asked her with concern and her reaction was kinda funny to him : the second the question left his mouth, her face showed nothing but shock and surprise as her eyes were open wide and she was gaping at him. For a few seconds, she stood this way, not saying anything nor moving which worried Simba a bit as he raised a paw to wave it in front of her frozen face.
To his shock, the girl's head fell backwards, her back crashing against the grasses with a soft 'Thump'. Shocked, Simba carefully examined her and sighed in relief as he realized that she only fainted. But now he had another problem : what to do with this Human ? In the air, he couldn't smell another Human nearby and he knew that the nearest Human settlement was far away from here.
For a few minutes, he wondered what to do but then he sighed as he glanced at the unmoving body "Oh Great Kings of the Past I hope I won't regret this..." he muttered to himself before using his left front-paws to roll the girl over, exposing her back. Then he picked her up by the collar of her shirt and was about to walk away when he saw a strange object laying in the grasses : it was a strange looking wooden stick which was carved with strange drawings as at its top was a strange gray sharp object.
Understanding that it must be the girl's weapon, he knew that he should bring it along with its owner. He couldn't be harmed with it anyway so be scared of it... But then he realized something : how could he take the stick and the girl at the same time ? "Well then… seems I have no choice..." Simba said to himself as he gently tossed the human's body on his back, moving his shoulders until he was sure that she wouldn't fall before picking up the wooden stick with his jaws.
Glancing around to make sure that nothing else was nearby, the Golden Lion then made his way toward his home walking through the forest , making sure to not break the stick between his teeth or dropping the girl by going too fast. As he made his way among the the trees and bushes, his eyes were scanning the area for any treats that could endanger either him or his current charge but the trip was made unharmed as he approached his den.
8 years ago, as he explored the forest, he had found this cave and knew it was a good place to call home : it was well hidden from view by many bushes and nearby was a waterfall where he could drink to his heart content. The cave itself was pretty deep and he had made a bed of mosses not too far from the entrance but away enough to avoid receiving sun-rays on the face in the morning.
Slowly, he entered his cave before slowly making his way toward the bed of mosses where he carefully putted down the stick he had between his jaws. Then he lowered his front half down, shaking a bit and the actions caused the girl's body to slide down his back before landing on the mosses. Simba then lowered his muzzle down to lick the blood of the girl's wounded arm , covering it in saliva in the process to avoid infection.
Then he walked toward what looked like half a log before picking up a strange plant between his jaws. Silently, the Golden Lion made his way back to the girl before carefully lowering the plant above the wound and placing it on it. He had seen one of those gray Jackal-like Creatures using it on an injury a long time ago and had decided to keep some just in case he was injured and needed treatment.
Looking away from the wound, Simba looked one more time at the girl before walking away toward the deepest part of the cave, which was in the dark. Why ? Because he knew that the girl would be wondering how she got there once she woke up and he didn't wanted her to have a heart attack by being the first thing she saw once she woke.
The Golden Lion went hiding into the shadows of his den before laying down on the ground with his head turned toward where the human girl was so he could keep an eye on her. Now all he had to do was waiting for her to wake up… But deep down he was wondering if he had made the right decision to take her here with him…
(To be continue…)
