It was the middle of the afternoon and Simba was hiding among the tall grasses eying a group of Deers (Wapiti ?) before him. The herbivores were so busy eating that they didn't even had a sentinel to warn them of the Predator currently observing them. The Golden Lion eyed each one of them , trying to decide which one would become his target and soon he found it : it was a strong young male , a buck, whose antlers were just beginning to come out.
Silently, Simba approached it , still hidden by the tall grasses while making sure to not step into a twig or something else that might alert the herbivores of his position. It had been days since he became Beacon's new mascot and he was doing just fine. The students, who at first were scared of him, now seemed to enjoy his company especially the females who would take every opportunity to pet him.
Glynda Goodwitch, the cold teacher, seemed his company as well and sometimes could be seen petting his mane. The next day after he was presented to the school, Ozpin and Glynda took him aside and questioned him. Simba had told them his story and Glynda had showed a side of her that reminded him of his mother Sarabi as the Blond Teacher would approach him from time to time to make sure he was alright, a gesture that warmed his heart.
Ozpin, while fascinated by his story and especially about the part with the Gods of Remnant, was saddened and angry by what the young Lion had endured and gently told Simba that if he ever needed something, all he had to do was coming. And since then, the two professors had treated him with nothing but pure respect as he told them he was a Prince back in his home and despise telling them to treat him normally, they kept doing it.
He decided to hide his true self to both Team RWBY and JNPR as he didn't know how they would react to him being a Prince and all so he chose to not told them anything. Apart of Opzin and Glynda, he didn't get to see the other teachers but from what his friend Amethyst said, they were terrible and boring, especially Professor Port.
Speaking of Amethyst, she was enjoying her time at Beacon so far. She was considered as a good student and the second strongest person in Beacon after Pyrrha Nikos. In addition, she became good friends with Team RWBY and Team JNPR as she was sometimes seen with them but most of the time, she would be seen with Simba , her best friend. Not long ago, however, she managed to gain another friend , a rabbit Faunus from Team CFVY named Velvet Scarlatina. She had been bullied by the leader of team CDRL, Cardin Winchester when she and her friend where at the cafeteria until Amethyst had enough and defended her.
Cardin and his goons were beaten black and blue by the brown haired girl and were now recovering at the School's infirmary. Glynda, despise understanding the situation had given Amethyst and Team CDRL detention. Velvet, since then became one of her friends and Amethyst presented her to Simba. The Golden Lion remembered how scared the Rabbit Faunus was of him but now they were good friends as sometimes, Velvet would come near him if Cardin and his team were annoying her.
Amethyst, for defending Velvet, had gained a lot of support from a lot of Faunus at Beacon despise her being a Human and it wasn't rare to see some of them greeting her whenever she passed in a corridor. Simba, himself, became famous when one day he roared at Cardin's face as the guy, who couldn't bully Velvet anymore, was racketing a dog Faunus girl. Since that moment, Team CRDL tried their best to avoid him while the Golden Lion saw his popularity growing a bit.
However, Simba was a bit embarrassed at the attention he was receiving, being used to be alone or with only Amethyst most of the time, and tried to pass as much time away from school as possible while still making sure to be there for Amethyst. The Golden Lion, since his arrival at Beacon, also became good friends with both Team RWBY and JNPR and sometimes (or more like most of the times) he would be hugged and petted by some of them, mostly Ruby and Nora but sometimes even Weiss would join in.
At first, the Schnee Heiress had been acting rude against Ruby as she thought she deserved to be Team Leader but then after a talk with Professor Port, she acted more cordial and less than a Brat. She even apologized to Amethyst for her precedent behavior and the brown haired girl had accepted them with a smile and now the two had a better relationship.
However, each time he was near Blake Belladonna, the dark haired quiet girl of Team RWBY, he could smell something from her (a smell similar to Velvet in fact) and by her behavior, he could easily tell that she was hiding but didn't do anything as it wasn't his problem. Jaune Arc, the leader of team JNPR, had proven at first to be the worst fighter of Beacon and refused to have help from Pyrrha when the redhead offered him.
Later, he had been proved to be bullied by Cardin but Simba couldn't do anything as the Leader of team CDRL was doing it when he wasn't around. But then Cardin left Jaune alone after the blond saved him from an Ursa during an incursion at Forever Fall. Since that day, Jaune tried to become later and accepted Pyrrha's offer after apologizing to her for the way he treated her.
Amethyst, herself, became stronger and now could use her Semblance longer. She had surprised many when she managed to hold her ground against Pyrrha , the Invincible Girl, and that's why she was seen as the second strongest of the school. It was thanks to her personal training sessions with Simba that she managed to go this far.
Being currently at school today to finish a homework , the brown haired girl sadly couldn't come with him so he went out to hunt for a bit and the others were in Vale for what they called the 'Vital Festival' or something.From what he understood, this Festival was a mark of piece between the Kingdoms and to celebrate the end of the Great War.
That's bring us back to present.
When he thought that he couldn't get any closer, the Golden Lion stopped and now waited for the perfect moment to strike. It came when the young buck lowered his head down to eat some grasses and without wasting time, Simba jumped out of his hiding place with a roar causing the Deers to dash away to escape him. The Golden Lion, ignored the running group as his red eyes were locked on his target who was right in front of him as he ran after his soon-to-be-meal before he pounced on it when he was close enough.
His prey bellowed in fright when the large Lion pinned him down before letting out a louder one when Simba gave him the killing bite in the neck. For a few seconds, the Golden Lion kept his grip around the buck's neck but when his prey stopped moving, he released his grip before putting his right paw on top of his catch to roar at the sky.
Then he pulled his paw away from the dead body to laid beside it… before starting to feast on the corpse. While the food had Beacon was good, it wasn't the same as eating the prey you caught with a lot effort. One day he tried to eat his prey at Beacon but the sight of blood seemed to have disgusted some students and so he promised to Glynda to never bring his prey nearby.
As he ate a piece of meat, his thought went to the city of Vale where Team RWBY currently were and wondering if he should go see them. But then he chased those thoughts away : he was lucky that the teachers and students of Beacon had accepted him but he wasn't sure about a full city of people. Even Ozpin agreed with him that it might not be a good idea for him to go out in the open...yet.
Sighing, he finished the last remain of the buck before slowly making his way back to Beacon. However, before stepping on the school's ground, the Golden Lion saw two people, a female and a male, kissing each other on the lips and he felt a pang of envy as he watched them. While he had friends and people who cared for him, Simba still wanted to know how it would be to fall in love. But deep down he knew that it wasn't possible as he was the only Lion on Remnant.
"Oh father… Great Kings of the Past...please… Help me…" He silently prayed for his father but the only response he got was a soft wind against his mane. Sighing in sadness, the Golden Lion then walked straight toward the room Ozpin had assigned to both him and Amethyst. Because of his size, they had no choice but to sleep in what looked like a hut but instead of wood, it was bricks. It was kinda cozier than in his old cave back inside the forest and Simba had made a bed of mosses next to Amethyst's bed even if the brown haired girl preferred to sleep against him.
However the moment he was about to enter the hut, a familiar voice called out for him "SIMBA !" The Golden Lion turned his head to see Amethyst approaching him with a relieved smile on her face. "Hey Ame… I thought you were still working..." Simba questioned her as the two friends shared a gentle hug. "Oh I just finished ! And thankfully I'm free for the next few hours !" the brown haired girl replied back in a happy tone which was contagious.
"Alright then but you will have to wait for a bit… I just came back from hunt..." Simba told her and he could see the disappointment in her purple eyes "Oh… how about we laid against each other while enjoy the calm of this moment ?" Amethyst inquired him with a hopeful sigh as in fact they were among the fews still outside the buildings. "Of course and don't forget we planned to stargaze tonight !" Simba replied back a grin as he knew she loved this.
"I can't wait ! Do you think the others would join us ?" Amethyst asked him and he replied gently "I don't know… Did you asked them ?" "No… But I will when-" Amethyst began to reply when a duo of arguing voices interrupted her and the two turned their heads to see Team RWBY returning from their trip with Blake and Weiss arguing with each other. Looking at each other with concern, Amethyst and Simba got up before making their way toward their friends.
"Yo Amethyst ! Hey Simba !" Ruby greeted the two as they approached and Yang waved at them. "Hey girls ! How was your trip in Vale ?" Amethyst asked them with interest as she tried to ignore the two bickering girls beside her. "Well it was fine until we saw a robbing shop… many policeman thought that it was members of the White Fang… others thought that is was made by Bandits..." Yang responded as she too tried to ignored her arguing team-mates.
"And why are they..well like this ?" Amethyst asked the sisters as she pointed at Blake and Weiss. "Weiss dislikes Faunus especially White Fang… I don't know why thought… and Blake said they were just misguided..." Yang replied back and Simba glanced at Blake with inquisitor eyes and frowned when he saw her bow..twitching ? "That's explain a lot..." Simba thought to himself as he thought about the many times the dark haired girl acted around them and her strange loves for fishes.
However, he quickly shook his head away to approach the two girls who were so busy bickering with each other than they hadn't notice him. Simba was having enough of their behavior and did something that both shocked and terrified them : he forcedly placed a paw between the two before roaring on their faces which caused them to fall on their butts, looking up at him with terror.
"Sorry for doing this but you were becoming annoying ! Look at the two of you bickering like kids !" Simba scowled them sternly and they lowered their heads down in shame. The Golden Lion then looked at Weiss before saying in a sharp tone "I'm disappointed of you Weiss… Just because the White Fang are acting badly, you put all Faunus in the same basket ! What about Velvet ?! Do you find her evil too ?!"
The Schnee Heiress wanted to protest but when Simba mentioned the Rabbit Faunus's name… She looked down in both embarrassment and shame, trying her best to not look up at the Golden Lion whose face who clearly showing his disappointment but then he turned his large head away from the Heiress to look at Blake who instantly flinched under his hard gaze "Blake… Follow me… I want to talk to you alone..." The last word was said in a cold tone which sent shivers down everyone's spines.
But no one was as scared as Blake herself ! If was the first time Simba talked to someone (apart of Team CDRL maybe) with such a harsh tone but she instantly went after him when the Golden Lion walked away to who-know-where. The dark haired girl sent a glance at her Team-mates who returned the stare with a worried one "I will come with you… I will try to calm him down a bit~" Amethyst inquired her in a soft tone and Blake relaxed a bit as she nodded at her before the two of them went after the Lion, leaving behind the rest of Team RWBY and some students who were there.
Simba was walking toward a clearing a bit far away from Beacon where he and Amethyst would come when they wanted to be in peace, away from the rest of the students. Arrived there, he sat in the middle of the clearing, his head turned toward where Blake was supposed to arrive and was not really surprised to find Amethyst with the dark haired girl. Sighing, he then turned his gaze away from his best friend to look at Blake who instantly gulped when his red eyes landed on her.
"Don't worry, I will be by your side the whole time..." Amethyst whispered to the dark haired girl who gave her a grateful smile before stepping closer to the Golden Lion whose eyes didn't turned away from her. "Blake… Since the day I met you, I kept a close eye on you… Not because I don't trust you but because you are hiding something..." Simba began to explain before lowering his head down so he was face to face with Blake who silently gulped as she waited for what he was about to say next.
"Blake… Tell me… Are you a Faunus ?" Simba's question caught her off guard as she looked around frantically while Amethyst was looking at her Golden Friend with wide eyes "Blake… are you really a Faunus ?" the brown haired girl asked the member of Team RWBY with shock and surprise after a moment of stunned silence. "…. yes..." Blake responded in a weak tone as she looked down in shame.
Imagine her surprise when Amethyst wrapped her arms around her in a hug whispering "Why didn't you tell ? I would have kept your secret..." the brown haired girl inquired her friend as she hugged her "I wanted people to see me as who I am and not WHAT I am…" Blake replied back as a few tears escaped her amber eyes before returning the hug. While Amethyst was shushing the crying dark haired girl, Simba was looking at her with pity and a bit of sadness but decided to let his best friend comfort the crying Faunus. "Blake… I have another question for you..." the Golden Lion inquired in a soft tone and Blake glanced at him from Amethyst's shoulder.
"Are you with the White Fang ?" Again, Blake found herself shocked by Simba's questions but responded regardless "I was a member of the White Fang… but I left… At first the White Fang was pacifist but when Sienna Khan took my father's place… They became the terrorist we know now…" "Sienna Khan ?" Simba asked her with a frown "The actual Leader of the White Fang..." Blake responded almost automatically and he nodded at her.
For a moment, all we could hear was silence, but then Amethyst cleared her throat "Blake… I understand why you hide yourself but you should have known that neither me nor Simba would have judged you !" Amethyst inquired as tears fell from her eyes. Blake looked down again in shame, replying back "I'm sorry… I really am… But… I was afraid..." Simba frowned sadly as he heard this and gently she approached the dark haired girl before using his left foreleg to pull her against his mane into a gentle embrace.
"I understand and remember this Blake… whenever you need help me and Ame will always be there for you~" The Golden Lion whispered gently to the dark haired girl who pulled away from him to stare at his face with a grateful smile on her face as she whispered a soft 'thank you' "He is right Blake ! You can always count on us !" Amethyst added in agreement as she stepped closer.
"Thank you… Both of you…" The dark haired girl said to the two with a smile before it faded as she added somberly "But I don't think the others would be just as kind as you..."
"I think Ruby and Yang won't mind much… but its Weiss I'm worried about…" Amethyst remarked with concern as she thought about how the Schnee Heiress would react at the news of Blake being a Faunus AND an ex-member of the White Fang. Simba too looked unsure : while Weiss was nice (when she wanted to be), she could be kinda stubborn at times. And now that both he and Ame know that the Schnee girl had a strong dislike against White Fang members…
"Blake do what you think you are right… If you want to not tell them its fine… but don't surprised if they got angry at you from hiding this from them… and if you DO tell them… Get prepared for the Ice Queen's outburst..." the last part was said with a grin which caused both girls to laugh in amusement. Weiss had been surnamed the Ice Queen because of her cold behavior and appearance.
Blake then regained her composure as she stared at her two friends "Thank you again for supporting me…" "What are friends for ?" Amethyst asked with a smirk which caused the black haired girl to chuckle in amusement. "Now Blake can you show us who you truly are… physically at least~" the brown haired girl asked Blake with a sweet tone and the black haired Faunus slowly removed the bow off her head to reveal two Cat's ears.
"Awwww cute~" Amethyst cooed as she slowly started to pet Blake's ears who protested at first but then purred in contentment. Simba grinned at the black haired girl who, when she noticed the grin, quickly pushed Amethyst's hand away with a red face "Don't do that again !" Blake inquired the brown haired girl who pouted in response "Now you know how I feel every day..." Simba couldn't help but commenting which caused Amethyst to glare at him with irritation.
"Well… I should go now… The sun is declining..." Blake remarked as she looked up at the sky where indeed, the sun was slowly descending. "See you tomorrow then Blake ! And if you see Professor Goodwitch tell her me and Simba will be do stargazing tonight !" Amethyst replied back to the black haired Faunus who nodded as she waved at them before walking back toward Beacon.
"I said it before, I say it again : It must be hard to be a Faunus..." Amethyst commented as she watched the spot where Blake disappeared. "Yes it must be… but not as much as being the only one of your kind..." Simba said the last part in a whisper but sadly, for him, his best friend heard him and was now looking at him with pity. She wanted to help him but she didn't know how… and not being able to comfort her best friend make her feel… useless.
"I'm sorry Simba…" Amethyst apologized sadly to her best friend who shook his head to answer back in a soft tone "Don't be… Its not your fault… Maybe I'm destinate to live alone..." Those words broke Amethyst's heart as she swiftly pulled herself against his mane, hugging it as best as she could in a comforting manner to which the Lion responded by a loud purr of affection before nuzzling the top of her head.
Amethyst giggled as she pressed her head further into the soft mane of her big friend who let himself fall on his side as the two of them kept embracing each other. "I will always be there for you Simba… no matter what… I will always be..." Amethyst whispered to the Golden Lion who smiled down at her warmly before looking up at the sky as some stars were appearing in the darkness of the night.
"I missed doing this with you..." Simba inquired as he couldn't look away from the dark sky as more and more stars stared to appear. It had been nights since the last time they did this so they would enjoy this nigh as best as they could. "I miss this too..." Amethyst whispered back as she leaned closer to her big friend who glanced down at her with a soft smile which she returned, her purple eyes shining under the Moon's light.
"Seeing something you like Big Boy ?~" Amethyst suddenly asked him seductively and he quickly looked away with embarrassment as he realized that he had been staring at her eyes for a while "Yes-I mean No !" he tried to deny but only caused the brown haired girl to laugh in amusement which embarrassed him even more. "Then why are you looking at me like that huh ?" Amethyst asked him with a devious grin.
Simba sighed before responding with sincerity "Your eyes are shining like jewels under the moon… They made you even prettier than you already are..." Amethyst wasn't prepared for his answer and blushed madly even if she DID have a soft smile on her face "Do you really think I'm pretty ?" she asked him in a soft and shy tone. "You are the prettiest Human I have ever seen… Shame you aren't a Lioness..." Simba replied back with a smile as he looked away from the dark sky to look down at her.
Amethyst returned the smile as some tears could be seen falling from her eyes. Then without warning, she pushed her face into the softness of his russet mane "Its the first time someone said something like this to me…" Amethyst softy mumbled as her face was nuzzling into her best friend's large mane "And I meant every words..." Simba whispered back as he looked down at her with his usual smile.
"Thank you Simba..." the brown haired girl said in a gentle tone as she gazed up at the Golden Lion with affection and he returned it with a smile on his own. Then the two went back to look at the stars, both of them having smiles on their faces as Amethyst was leaning against Simba's large mane while the Golden Lion was silently thinking to himself while looking up at the stars "I wish Amethyst was a Lioness… That's way I wouldn't be so alone in this world… But would she be willing to give up her Humanity to be with me ? I don't think so..."
However ,what the Golden Lion didn't know was that Amethyst was also deep in thought "I wish I was a Lioness… So Simba wouldn't be alone anymore… I love him so much…" As the two of them were lost in their thoughts, a familiar black haired Faunus was dashing away from Beacon with a look of pure sadness in her amber eyes while Mufasa was looking down at his son with a warm smile on his face as he whispered those words "You'll be happy my son… really soon..." then he disappeared.
(To be continue…)