Starry Savana Night

Summary: This is an alternate AU. Night Raven College has become Co-Ed. Leona Kingsguard finds himself loathing his title as Dorm head when one of the new females,Yuu, is given grief over her small and weak stature. Much to his dismay, and growing curiosity he takes it upon himself to show this little lioness her place in Savanaclaw.

Chapter 1: The First And Only

It had to be a mistake, Yuu thought as she stared at the coach pulling a glass coffin. This had to be some kind of a joke. Everyone knew about Night Raven College's distinct selection ritual. Even those who didn't get chosen would remember the distinct crest on the side of the driverless carriage.

She could recall the day when the Prince himself had been chosen to attend several years ago. People flooded the streets, roaring with pride, tossing flowers and gifts onto the cart as it carted the second born down the dusty paths and wide Savana trail. It had been a memorable sight. There was no way that the same horse and carriage that carried the royals and noble sons of her home would also be there for her.

"Yuuki!" The roar of her father's voice made her flinch. Her ears lowered and she slowly turned her head towards the front door. His entire body barely fit through the opening of their den. He was a big male; tall, strong and proud. Her mother often called him the alpha among alphas… and he had a voice to match. "What are you doing out here? I told you not to go outside without permission. Get back inside before…" His harsh words were cut short when he saw the carriage.

"What's going on out here?" Her mother squeezed behind him, trying to figure out what the hold up was. Her eyes went wide at the sight of the carriage and she let out a boisterous laugh. "Well I'll be damned. Isn't that…"

"I know, right?" Yuu said with a laugh, her tail flicked back and forth excitedly. "I wonder who it's here for."

"From what I can tell, Yuuki, it's here for you." Her mother said with a proud smile.

"Now wait just a damn minute. It's gotta be some kind of mistake, right? Yuuki's not like the others who get chosen for that school." Her father protested and grabbed Yuu by the arm, pulling her further away from the carriage. "She gets injured just playing board games."

"Well maybe if you'd let her out once in a while for proper exercise she'd have more muscle built up." Her mother scolded and put her hands on her hips. "There's only one way to find out for certain if this carriage is really for her, and that's for Yuu to get in and go to the school. If there's been some kind of mistake then they'll send her right home. Right?"

"Grrr…" He scowled and hefted Yuuki up and over his shoulder. "No! I've heard all kinds of rumors about that school and it's too dangerous. She's not going, and that's final!"

"Daaad…" Yuu's ears lowered and she tried to wriggle free of his grip, but to no avail. "Stop treating me like a cub!"

"I will once you're no longer the size of OOF!" The grip Yuu's father had on her loosened when his wife shoved a fist in his gut. Taking the exit Yuu rushed to the carriage and practically leapt in."What the hell, Sara? Wait a minute, Yuuki! Stop!"

"Bye Mom! Bye Dad! Love you!" Yuu waved as the carriage took off with her inside of it. She lay down in the coffin, and let out a calming breath as it closed on her. She felt herself be taken in by the sleeping spell cast upon it, and just dozed blissfully into dreamland.

~Night Raven College~

When Yuu woke up her clothes had been changed. The T-shirt and jeans she'd been wearing was now exchanged for an elegant black and purple robe with a wide hood lifted up to cover her face. Feeling just a bit violated she hugged herself and took a bleary-eyed look around the room. There was a tall man with a crows mask and an elaborate suit decorated with feathers beaming at the young crowd. Flanking him were 6, 3 on either side, cloaked students. They had their hoods up so she couldn't make out their faces, but from what she knew about NRC, those standing at front were most likely the prefects for the dorms…

… though she could have sworn there were supposed to be seven.

"Welcome, newcomers. Congratulations on being chosen to attend our prestigious school. If you would all take a seat, we shall start the sorting ceremony now." Crowley called out to the crowd and ushered the students to seats. Caught in a sea of bodies, Yuu tried not to get swamped by them and just let the crowd carry her to a seat.

"Who let a kid in here?" she heard someone whisper and glanced in the direction of the voice. She caught the stares and sneers of her peers, and it made her ears go flat from under her hood. To be fair, she was the shortest one there, and much smaller than a normal lioness her age. Most cubs, male or female, sprung up after puberty… but unfortunately for this pintsized lioness she'd piqued at 5'4" in middle school and then stopped growing altogether.

She tried to ignore the stares and whispers by focusing on the sorting ceremony. One by one the freshman students approached the mirror and were assigned their dorm. She recalled each Dorm as they were announced. Heartslabyul, Octavinelle, Scarabia, Pomefiore, Ignihyde, Diasomnia, and…

"Savanaclaw!"

"Alright!" A beastly mammoth of a male hefted his hands up, grinning wide with shining teeth.

"What's he celebrating for?" She heard a voice grunt beside her and she glanced over. The redhead looked ready to pass out. His young and handsome face slumped with a deep frown and his brightly colored eyes blinked and fluttered as he fought to stay awake. "It's pretty much a guarantee that if you've got ears and a tail you're automatically sorted into Savanaclaw. That was such an easy guess."

"Is that always the case?" She spoke up just loud enough for him to hear and not disturb the ceremony. He turned his attention to her, and raised a brow.

"Huh, I forgot they were finally letting girls in this year. That ought to be exciting." Suddenly awake and alert he turned in his seat to face her and lounged. "I'm Ace. What's your name, cutie?"

She flustered and scowled at the obvious flirtation, and averted her eyes so as not to look at him.

"Oh come on, don't shy away now. I'm just being friendly." He held his hand out. "I promise I won't hit on you unless you want me to."

"Who'd want you to?" She lifted her chin up, and gave him a sideways glance. Something told her that this guy was gonna be persistent until she gave him what he wanted. "Fine. My name is-"

"Yuuki Emcee!" Crowley called out and startled her. Big green eyes went wide and she immediately stood up.

"Yes! Here!" She scooted down the aisle without answering Ace's question.

"Yuu-chan eh?" Ace grinned and for the first time in an hour leaned forward excitedly. "Just where will you wind up, I wonder." He hoped she would wind up in his dorm so he could continue the flirtation.

The magic mirror gazed at the petite figure with a narrowed glance. Yuu tried not to fidget and she straightened her shoulders. She was here, she was called by name, so there was definitely no mistake. This was where she belonged. Her bright and joyous smile resonated in the mirror, and the spirit inside gave a sound of approval.

"For one so small, your heart is wide, like the vast plains you once reside. I see much in you, past your limitations and flaws. Your dorm is… SAVANACLAW!"

There was a roar of cheers from the others in Savanaclaw. Her hood was pushed back revealing her lioness ears and her tail flicked back and forth excitedly at the embrace of her dorm mates.

"Settle down, morons." A grunting voice interrupted the celebration and the tallest figure from the hooded cloak stepped up to her. He eyed the petite lioness with a studying look. Upon closer inspection of his face Yuu immediately went to her knees.

"Prince Leona! It's a pleasure to-"

"Yeah, yeah, whatever. Get up pipsqueak…" he snagged her by the robe and hoisted her up to her feet. "You're too small to dignify a bow. Just line up with the other froshes."

"Yes sir!" She stood tall and at attention and practically danced back to her spot.

"Eh… that's a surprise." She heard someone whisper and her ears twitched. "With the exception of Ruggie I thought everyone at Savanaclaw was an oversized meathead."

"She must be one of those swift and graceful types." She heard another respond.

Yuuki admitted that she was fast… but she hardly called herself graceful. More often than not she usually wound up faceplanting when attempting any sort of rigorous activity. Her nerves suddenly kicked up and she slouched back into her seat. Now that her father's watchful eyes weren't on her she'd have to put some serious effort into building up some muscle while she was here.

As the ceremony started drawing to a close, the Dorm leaders started to congregate and talk amongst themselves. Her keen hearing picked up on what they were saying.

"Where did Crowley go? Wasn't he here a few minutes ago?" The petite redhead from Heartslabyul questioned.

"Apparently there was talk of an intruder on campus and he went to handle it." The smooth talker from Octavinelle responded.

"My apologies for the delay!" Crowley stepped into the room dusting his hands off. "A tiny monster wandered its way into campus. I had to escort it out."

"A monster?"

"Yes, yes our school is so grand that even monsters want to attend. Isn't that wonderful? A pity he displayed such violent behavior or I may have permitted him a tour of the grounds. Aren't I nice? Nevertheless it would seem we're all sorted, so Dorm leaders please escort your new students and be sure they're prepped for classes starting Monday. You're all dismissed.".

"Finally .. oi Savanaclaw, follow me and don't wander off!" Leona warned and started for the door. Yuu jumped up with the others, trying not to get lost again amongst the crowded sea of people. Students flooded the hallway and created a heard as everyone walked in the same direction towards the hall of mirrors. The room opened up and brightened, all the freshmen made the usual oohing and awing sounds, herself included.

"This way Heartslabyul!" The short redhead named Riddle called out and guided his lot inside the mirror. Yuu admired the way it shimmered and the sparkle made her tail twitch and flick excitedly.

"Hey!" Leona's voice was curt as he shouted to get her attention. She turned her head just enough to see he had stepped right up behind her. "I told you not to wander off, half pint. Don't make me repeat myself."

"Right! Sorry…" She ducked around him, joining the rest of the Savanaclaw students. Leona scowled after her, and glanced down when he heard a familiar hissing laugh.

"Savanaclaw's first girl and she's smaller than I am." Ruggie held pumped his fists as he laughed. "Shyehehe, Lucky!"

"She may be small but she's already showing to be a pain in the ass." Leona shoved a finger at him. "You're in charge of her. Make sure she doesn't cause any problems, and don't let any of the fools in heat near her. Last thing I wanna deal with is a sexual assault complaint."

"You got it, Dorm Head." Ruggie saluted and helped the upperclassmen to wrangle the rest of the freshmen inside. Once inside, everyone got a chance to ogle the common room with its wide open air garden and rushing waterfall oasis. There was a large fire pit with a spit roast, and wide benches lined with leather and furs. All in all, it made Yuu feel like she was right back at home.

"Alright Froshes!" Leona called out. "I'm tired, and hungry so I'm only gonna say this once. Welcome to Savanaclaw, insert welcome speech here, blah, blah, blah… you can get your dorm room assignments, maps, class schedule etc. from Ruggie. Tomorrow you're free to walk the school grounds and explore as you like." He let out a yawn and rubbed at his temple. "As for your dinner, we've a tradition here at Savanaclaw. The plains out there have wild game, and to prove your worth and capability you're to hunt and catch your own meal and bring it back here to be prepared… unless of course you like it raw, in which case, have at it. Any questions? Good, now get lost!" Leona dismissed them all without even waiting for raised hands or questions.

Yuu let out a small yelp as the large males rushed around her. She blinked in surprise glancing around to see the upperclassmen just staring at her as she stood alone.

"Oh… right, I should probably go too since, yah know, I'm a freshman, and a lioness. Eh heh… Off I go." She rushed after the pack of hungry males.

"Pfft, I give that kid one hour before she comes back crying and begging for scraps."

"Wow that's generous, I give her ten minutes." Male laughter filled the air.

Leona's eyes followed the vanishing female form in the distance, the green and gold orbs glowing to adjust to the night air.

"That mirror put you here for a reason, kid… you better be worth any headaches you give me." He turned his back to her and headed straight for bed.

~Savanaclaw: open plains~

Yuu climbed the large bonsai tree in hopes of getting a better view. She had perfect night vision, and her nose was picking up a variety of scents all over. She could tell fresh blood was already spilled and wondered who'd gotten the first kill.

"Whoa!" She stumbled a little, barely able to hang onto the branch to keep herself from falling. She kicked her legs up, locking them around and finally managed to pull herself up. "Whew… that was a lot harder than I thought it would be. Dad's right I'm severely out of shape."

She sighed heavily, and pouted. Since the day she'd been born she'd been looked at as a runt. She had no siblings to be compared to, but her father's closest friends had big strapping boys who were close to the same age as her, and dwarfed her in size. She tried befriending and playing with them, but would often get too rough and she'd wind up bruised and limping her way home. They'd once knocked her down a ravine nearly killing her, and because of this her father had grown super protective and sheltered her from the world.

"Well I'm not gonna be sheltered anymore, dad." She lounged out on the branch and let her keen eyes take in her surroundings. She saw two students fighting over a boar carcass, and yet another hoisting a large bird-like carcass in one hand. A blur rushed past her line of sight and she blinked in surprise at its speed. She heard the wild call of a wolf followed by a horrifying cry as the silver streak took down a full grown gazelle all on its own. "Whoa! Now that's Alpha speed right there."

There was a rustle form the bushes directly underneath her. Yuu glanced down and spotted a wild hare emerging from the bushes. Her eyes went to slits as her own primal urges took over. She licked her lips and leapt down straight on top of it.

"Gotcha!" she grinned with pride and held up her first game proudly. "Yes! I did it I- HEY!"

"Nice job there, pipsqueak. Color me impressed." The fox eared student grinned, holding the rabbit carcass he'd snatched from her up out of her reach.

"Hey give that back!"

"Not a chance shorty. This will fill me up way better than these field mice ever could, so here let's trade." He pushed her back down onto her butt and tossed the two tiny rodents onto her lap. "They're just your size."

"Huh?" She hoisted both up by the tail then growled. "What? No way! I caught that rabbit! It's mine!"

"Now, it's mine. Toodles." He raced off before she could argue further. She chased after him, nearly catching up to him before her endurance cut out and she went to her knees wheezing for air.

"Damn it! I'm gonna roast HIM for dinner when I get back to the dorm." She started to jog at a slower pace. When she made it back, field mice in hand, the fox was already handing over her hares to the upperclassmen in charge of prepping the meat.

"A fox with a hare, why am I not surprised?" The sophomore laughed and handed it off to be cooked.

"What can I say, I have a taste for them."

"Is that why you stole it, you cheat!?" She shouted, gathering the attention of the entire dorm. She tossed the field mice at his chest and growled. From her tiny body it sounded more like a grumbling kitten, but she stood tall and fierce nonetheless. "That was MY game you son of a-"

"Whoa, whoa, whoa…" Ruggie caught her before she could leap at the fox. "Easy there, Yuu-chan… it is Yuu, right?"

"It's Yuuki, and I won't take it easy, that sneaky pig faced fox stole my meat!"

"I traded you meat… with your tiny body you don't need a full hare." He held the two mice and passed them off. "These will be more than enough for you."

"Sure, right after I feast on your sorry carcass!" She hissed and tried to leap at him again, but Ruggie held her firm.

"Relax, Yuu-chan. The hunt was just a formality… a kind of initiation. Look!" He wrapped an arm around her and showed her the big buffet of sizzling cooked meats, and sides. There was a big huge bowl of punch as well as a cooler filled with soda and bottled water. "We just needed time to set everything up, okay?" He pat her shoulders. "Come on, let me pour you some punch."

"You heard the guy… step off pipsqueak." The fox brushed off his lapel. Ruggie sighed heavily as he was forced to wrestle the girl away from the rest of the party.

"Let me go! Let me go!"

"Just knock it off! Geez Leona was right in saying you were gonna be a pain." Ruggie shoved her down onto a couch. "Look, that's just the way things are around here. The bigger guys are gonna try to knock you down and prove their superiority over you, and as much as I admire your fiery spirit you're gonna get yourself hurt if you try to play it their way."

"So what? I should just let them walk all over me?" She crossed her arms huffing. "Not a chance!"

"No, but you can't fight fire with fire. Around here you have to fight fire with water. Play it smart." He tapped her noggin. "Trust me, your head is gonna be worth a lot more than your muscles around here."

"That ironic coming from a dorm with the reputation for collecting meatheads…" she sighed heavily. "Sorry, just hungry and riled up from having my first hunt ruined."

"Did you say first hunt? Aren't you a lioness? I thought you start hunting early on."

"Normally yeah, but my father had extenuating circumstances to keep me from participating in such things." She puffed out her cheeks.

"Could your small diminutive stature have something to do with that? Gee I wonder why he'd be so worried."

"I don't need to hear that from a scavenger… but I guess you do have a point." She pulled her legs up in a criss cross position, but pouted nonetheless. "I still say I could take fox boy though."

"You probably could… and get yourself kicked out of school for the trouble." Ruggie pat her head. "Do yourself and me a favor and try to avoid picking fights. I'll go get you that punch and a plate of food. You'll feel better once you've had something to eat."

"Mmmph…" Yuu's tail flicked irritably, and she glowered at the smug looking fox for the rest of the night. She swore right then and there she'd pay him back tenfold when the opportunity presented itself.

After eating, Yuu walked the steps up to her dorm room. Since she was the only female she had an entire wing to herself, and enjoyed the peace and quiet after a rough night.

She smiled when she saw her clothes and many of her belongings had been magically transported to the room. She plucked up a note from her parents, smiling.

Yuuki,

We hope you're doing well. I sent over the things I thought you'd want including all your favorite games and some of my old training gear. There's some spending money in your suitcase, but please be frugal withbit. Please write to us often on your experiences and progress, your father will worry needlessly otherwise. Take care of yourself.

Love, Mom.

P.S. Kick some butt!

The last part made Yuu grin and she spent some time going through the items her mom had sent. Her heart did a little dance when she saw the brand new chess set with the decorative pieces. She held it to her body.

"You know me all too well, mom. I wonder if any of these knuckleheads know how to play." She set the game on her desk and then crawled into the bed to stare up at the starry Savana sky. Though the evening had been brutal she'd had the most fun and exhilarating day of her life. She couldn't wait to explore the campus tomorrow… and maybe finally make some real friends.