Simba was laying on the grasses as he waited for Team RWBY to come back. A few days had passed since he and Amethyst returned from their meeting with Sienna Khan and right now Vale was busier than ever because it was the Vital Festival Combat Tournament ! Apparently students from all different schools would fight each other to determine the strongest team. He wanted to go to the stadium to see his friends fight but was denied access as they had no place large enough for both him and Amethyst to sit by.
So he had to staid there in the fairgrounds, waiting for Ruby, Yang, Weiss and Blake to return hopefully as victors. However, the Red Maned Lion wasn't only waiting for Team RWBY : in fact he was also waiting for Amethyst who went out with Amber but not for a 'girls-moment' but for her first hunt ! Simba thought that she was ready to go out and catch her first prey and Amethyst had been excited because today she would prove her mate that she was now a true Lioness.
Why Amber went with her you may ask ? Well the Fall Maiden had enough of being confined so she asked Amethyst if she could came with her to which the reddish-browned Lioness accepted. Simba too had agreed but had sternly inquired Amber to promise him to not help Amethyst in any way during her hunt. The Fall Maiden accepted albeit reluctantly as she climbed on Amethyst's back and Simba had watched them entering the Forest in silence.
The Golden Lion was proud of Amethyst and couldn't help but feeling a pang of nostalgia as he remembered the time when his mate was a (almost) defenseless Human. He missed the time when he played the Protector's role and sighed as he knew that it was a thing of the past now. Now his mate was a well-trained Lioness who could defend herself if she met trouble.
Then his mind wandered to Ozpin and retained himself to growl as he remembered the disapproved looks he received from both him and General Ironwood. The two Headmasters seemed to agree that it wasn't a good idea for him to reveal Salem's existence to the White Fang which angered him. Thankfully, Glynda approved of his action and would sometimes defend him in front of the two Headmasters.
Simba, since then, had started to lose trust in Ozpin and each time he saw the Headmaster of Beacon, his mind was clouded with questions and doubts : why Ozpin wanted so badly to hide the Queen of Grimm's existence ? Why the old man harbored a look of sadness when the name 'Salem' was pronounced ? Many questions but yet without any answers. Another thing that occupied his mind was the possible presence of another Lion on Remnant.
He had told Ozpin, Glynda, Team RWBY and JNPR along with Coco, Velvet, Emerald and Amber about that piece of information and the Old Headmaster had instantly sent people to look for this stranger. So far they found nothing… Not even tracks or claw-marks on trees… The unknown Lion must be really smart or trying his best to hide his presence as much as possible. As if he didn't WANTED to be discovered… Strange… but understandable as Simba himself had done the same a long time ago. However, his thoughts were quickly interrupted by someone calling out his name "SIMBA !"
The Golden Lion shook his head to regain his composure before looking over to see Amethyst approaching him with an overjoyed smile on her face and an amused Amber on her back. "Ame ! SO how was your hunt ?" Simba asked her gently as the two of them pressed their heads against each other's "I did it ! I caught I large Deer ! It was tasty~" the reddish-browned Lioness purred the last words as she licked her chops in content.
Simba raised a brow as she looked at the Fall Maiden who climbed down the Lioness's back "Hey Amber ! Did you enjoy your time ?" the Golden Lion asked her with a soft smile and the young woman looked back at him with a look of relief "You bet ! It had AGE since I leave Beacon ! And you should know that Amethyst did really great ! The Deer didn't saw her coming !" but then she made a throwing gesture, clapping her mouth behind a hand "Never again I will try raw-meat..."
The Golden Lion laughed with amusement before his mate asked him "Where are Ruby and the others ? I don't see them anywhere..." "That's because they hadn't left the stadium yet…" Simba replied with a look toward where the Tournament was taking place. "Do you think they will succeed ?" he asked her back in a soft tone but it was loud enough for her to hear. "Of course they will ! I'm sure of it !" Amethyst replied back with confidence and the Golden Lion shot her a soft smile as he nodded in agreement.
Amber then cleared her throat to catch their attentions before saying when both of them looked at her "Well… I will go look for Ozpin… See you later !" "Bored of us already ? I didn't know we were THAT annoying !~" Simba replied with a grin and Amber rolled her eyes at him with amusement before leaving them without saying anything back. However, before one of them could say something, someone else called out for them "HEY GUYS !" This voice alone was so familiar that It was easy to guess who it was because of how cheerful it was.
"Hey girls ! How was your fight ?" Amethyst asked with a soft laugh when a red and black cannon-ball (Ruby Rose) launched at her, hugging her neck "We won ! But man our opponents were strong !" Yang responded to the two as she did looked exhausted. Blake, for her part, smiled at the two Lions before looking at Amethyst with curiosity "How was your hunt ? Did you success ?" The Lioness purred as a wide smile grew on her face "I did ! I finally caught my first prey !" "Congratulations ! I'm sure your mentor is proud of you !" Yang inquired to the reddish-browned Lioness while eying a certain Golden Lion.
"I am~" Simba said with a smile as he nuzzled Amethyst's right side earning himself a soft purr from the Lioness who beamed at his words. However, he then noticed that Weiss wasn't with them and he looked up to see that she was a bit away from them and was currently looking down at her Scroll with a scowl on her face.
"Are you okay Ice Queen ?" the Golden Lion asked her with concern and Weiss shot him an annoyed look (mostly because of the nickname) before answering "I'm fine… Thank you for your concern..."
Simba and Amethyst glanced at each other with a knowing look : they knew that the only thing that could anger the Ice Queen was her father Jacques Schnee, the CEO of the Schnee Dust Company or someone the Golden Lion disliked despise not having met the man in question. But from what he heard, Jacques seemed to dislike Faunus and was responsible for their bad treatment in the mines of the Company.
Suddenly a growl caught everyone's attention and they turned their heads to see a red faced Blake holding her stomach with embarrassment "Well… Maybe you should all eat something…or else someone will complain again~" Simba inquired teasingly as he playfully poked Blake's stomach earning a glare from the Cat Faunus and a laugh from everyone else until a new voice echoed nearby "Hey ! Might be hard to eat without this !"
It was Emerald who was approaching the group with a red wallet in her hand. At the sight of it, Ruby frantically patted her outfit with a panicked expression on her face "No no no no no !" This reaction caused Emerald to laugh as she stopped right before the group " Good to see you, Ruby ! I think this is yours !" the green haired girl replied teasingly and the Leader of Team RWBY swiftly took the wallet from her before putting it away " Oh ! Thanks, Emerald ! Oh... Guess I dropped it… Girl pockets are the worst !" Ruby slouched as she said this.
"What's up Em ?" Yang asked the newcomer who responded back by saying "Just left the stadium after your amazing fight ! You guys were awesome ! A shame I can't participate ! " At those words, Ruby blushed hard before mumbling under her breath "Oh, shut your stupid little face... " Amethyst pouted as she replied with what looked like the mixture of a whine and a grumble "I wish me and Simba were there ! But they didn't allowed us because apparently 'they didn't have seats for big Creatures like us' !"
Simba nodded in agreement as he too wanted to see how his friends did in the stadium. "Sorry to interrupt guys but what about celebrating your victory over a nice meal ? All of us..." The Golden Lion inquired the group to change the subject and return to their previous idea. "Nice idea ! But first I want to know you will go to the double round !" Amethyst replied back as she eyed Team RWBY.
" Well, as the leader of this team, I thought long and hard about this decision..." Ruby began to say in a proud tone until Weiss popped in with a straight-face "We put it to a vote..." to which Ruby replied back in an attempt to backtrack "Yes, so, but I decided that we should put it to a vote..." "We voted for Weiss and Yang..." Blake said with a neutral tone as she looked at her team-mates with a hint of amusement in her amber eyes.
"I will happily represent Team RWBY !" Weiss retorted proudly with a curtsy while Yang pounded her fists together saying with enthusiasm "Yeah, we're going to kick some butt !" Those words caused Simba, Amethyst and Emerald to laugh in amusement. Suddenly, a buzzing sound is heard from the green haired girl who pulled out her Scroll "Sorry guys I must go ! Amber want to see me !" "Go on then we will see you later !" Amethyst waved a paw at her as Emerald walked away from the group, waving back at them saying back "See you !" then she left.
Simba watched her go with a smile before Amethyst called him "Simba come on you big fur-ball !" he grumbled at this but then went after his mate and Team RWBY who were now looking around for a place where they could order something to eat. It didn't took long for them to find one : street-side noodle bar named 'A Simple Wok'. The girls sat the stools outside and were ready to order while Simba and Amethyst sat behind them.
" I'll have a bowl of the regular, please !" Yang said to the shop's answer who gave her a large bowl of noodles. Ruby, who was staring at her older sister's meal, instantly ordered the same which the man complied without words. Weiss, for her part, had a look of concern on her face as she eyed her team-mates' meals "Do you have anything with a low-salt ...?" the Ice Queen asked the guy who only handed her a large bowl of noodles (regular ones) "Oh… Okay..." the Schnee Heiress mumbled to herself as she seemed hesitant.
Blake, unlike her team-mates, didn't said anything but instead shot the guy a nod and a smile which he returned before rushing through one door… to come back with a large bowl of noodles topped with fish. At the sight of it, Blake's eyes lit up as drools poured out of her mouth causing to Lions to glance at each other with amusement. Weiss looked at the Cat Faunus strangely before offering a Card to the Shokeeper.
"Aw, Weiss! What's the occasion !?" Yang asked the Ice Queen who turned her head to look at the Blond as she responded back " Consider it thanks for sending me to the doubles round !" Simba then cleared his throat causing the Ice Queen to look at him with a raise-brow "Look behind you…" he inquired her and she blinked before turning her head to see an annoyed Shopkeeper pointing at the register as it beeped 'DECLINED' "What ?! How can my card be declined ? I was barely into my monthly allowance !" Weiss said in disbelief as she stared at the register.
Blake started to panic as she slowly reached out for her meal only for the Shopkeeper to disappear with her food "Noooooo !" she cried out in defeat until a familiar voice echoed nearby "Maybe I could help ?" they all turned their heads to see Pyrrha and the rest of Team JNPR approaching them. At the sight of the redhead, Ruby flung her arms wide in delight crying out "PYRRHA !" "Awww you don't have too..." Yang began to decline the redhead's offer but Blake interrupted her by shouting in despair "But she could !"
Simba and Amethyst snickered in the background and Blake shot them a glare as her face was as red as Pyrrha's hair. "Well, I think you all earned it after that battle !" The redhead of Team JNPR replied back to Yang until Jaune asked politely "Mind if we join you ?" "Of course you can silly ! However none of will pay anything !" Amethyst inquired to them with a grin and she received frowns of confusion from everyone.
"Oh and why that ?" Weiss asked the reddish-browned Lioness with a raise-brow, the problem of her card momentarily forgotten. "Because if this guy don't give you free meals I will eat him !" Amethyst responded with a smirk at the Shopkeeper who paled at those words before giving them bowls of noodles in fear for his life. "Ame…" Simba called out calmly but with a stern undertone in his voice which caused Amethyst to pout as she replied back "Siiiiiiimba pleeeeeease let me have some fun !~"
The Golden Lion looked at her sternly for a moment before looking at the Shopkeeper "I will come back..." then he rushed away, leaving behind a group of confused people. When he returned a few moments later, he had a large bag between his jaws and tossed it in front of the Shopkeeper "I think it will be enough for the meals..." Simba inquired as sat beside Amethyst who shot him a questioning look before all of them looked at the bag.
The Shopkeeper opened it and his eyes widened when he saw a lot of Liens falling from it and Team RWBY and JNPR gaped at the amount of money in front of them. The Shopkeeper looked at the Golden Lion before nodding which Simba returned as the man went away to do other things. "Where did you get this ?!" Jaune asked him with disbelief and Simba grinned playfully in response before saying " That's my little secret~"
The others seemed unsatisfied with this answer but then shrugged to focus on the meal he payed for them. But as they ate, Ruby saw that the Lions were standing there, watching them and asked softy "Aren't you gonna eat something guys ?" "I came back from my first hunt remember ?" Amethyst asked back as she licked her lips in content. "Oh right sorry… what about you Simba ?" the Leader of Team RWBY asked the Golden Lion who smiled before answering " A nice butcher gave me a large piece of meat earlier so I'm not hungry..."
The two group of teenagers gave him deadpan stares before shrugging as they returned to their own meals. A few moments later, all the bowls were empty and each student was holding their stomachs in content "Are you sure it's wise to have eaten before a fight ?" Ren asked Pyrrha with a hint of concern as apparently the next fight would be them against another team "Of course! It will give us energy !" as the Redhead responded to her team-mates, the Shopkeeper was picking up all the bowls before rushing away but not without shooting Amethyst a fearful glance.
Nora then gave a hearted belch as Jaune was splaying himself over the counter looking at Pyrrha directly "If I barf, I'm blaming you..." the Blond boy inquired to the redhead with a sickly tone. Hearing this, Nora had an evil grin on her face as she shouted loudly "Aim at the enemy !" to which Ren replied back saying "Nora, that's disgusting. But if you feel the urge ..." Jaune gave a weak thumbs-up at his team-mates and the two Lions stared at them with blank looks on their faces.
Pyrrha then stood up from her stool saying softy "Well… We should be off..." "So, you think you guys are ready ?" Ruby asked them with curiosity and Nora was the once to answer as she gestured to her team-mates "Of course! We've got a world-renowned fighter on our team, one's basically ninja, I can bench five of me, Jaune, we trained all year, our weapons are awesome, Glynda barely yells at us anymore, and uh... Jaune !"
"Are you gonna take that ?" Ren asked to his Team Leader who sighed as he responded back "She's not wrong..." "I'm kidding, he knows I'm kidding !" Nora replied back before adding in a faster manner as she seemed worried " Don't be so nervous ! The worst that can happen is we lose, that is just a few more years of walking around school with everyone knowing we're failures, our friends will slowly abandon us to preserve their social status, we won't be able to show our faces in class, no one will sit with us in the cafeteria, Ren and I have no parents, we have no home left to go to, we'll be officially renamed Team Lose-iper !"
As she finished talking,her mad laughter turned into sobs as she slammed her head on the counter. Simba slapped his face with a paw while Amethyst looked at Ren who seemed unperturbed by the orange and pink girl "How can you support this ?" "Experience..." Ren responded to the Lioness before responding to the others "So, yeah, we're feeling pretty good..." "Don't fret. If anything, we should be looking forward to a fight with actual guidelines, and not, well, ...murderers..." Pyrrha remarked to her friends and Yang nodded in agreement as she inquired "Yeah, don't sweat it, we've all faced way worse before !"
"Let's see : Grimm invasions, violent extremists, a destructive sociopath..." Blake listed calmly as she counted the threats they all faced on her fingers. Simba then grinned as he added " You forgot to mention Weiss's jump moods..." those words caused the Heiress to let out an indignant "HEY !" and the others to laugh with humor. "And don't forget to mention how reckless you are to jump into danger like that~" Amethyst added with a playful grin and this time the two Teams letted out a loud "HOY !" in protest causing both Lions to laugh at them.
Just then Professor Port's voice echoed from the intercom system " Would Team JNPR please report to the battlegrounds immediately !" then Oobreck's voice took over " Yes ! Like they were scheduled to, several minutes ago !" "Well, it looks like this is it..." Pyrrha said with a sigh before she and her team walked away with a depressed Nora and a queasy Jaune. "Go get them !" Ruby cried out for them in encouragement "You will success I know it !" Amethyst cried out with Ruby before the two exchanged a high five.
"Shouldn't you go at the stadium too ?" Simba asked Team RWBY who went back on their feet but before it could happen a new voice echoed from nearby "BLAKE !" The Cat-Faunus in question froze when she saw Ghira and Kali approaching her and her friends with wide smile "Mom ! Dad ! What are you doing here ?!" she asked them with wide eyes of shock as behind her, her team-mates were watching the newcomers with surprise.
"We came to see you of course !" Kali said as she embraced her daughter tightly "Someone told us you missed us so we decided to came ! You did great earlier !" Ghira said proudly to his daughter before glancing her team-mates adding "All of you..." Ruby, Weiss and Yang bowed their heads in a thankful manners with their cheeks a bit red from the praises. Blake, who was hugging her mother, shot a glance toward two smiling Lions and asked them tearfully "You know didn't you ?"
Simba and Amethyst nodded at her with a smile and she was about to ask them why they didn't say anything when Ghira spoke again "I told them to not tell you we planned to come… We wanted to surprise you..." "And you did… Thank you Mom… Dad… I love you..." Blake said as she hugged her father who hugged her back whispering softy "I love you too Blake..." "We will always love you, kitten~" Kali cooed as she joined the hug.
The scene caused the rest of Team RWBY to coo at how cute it was and even Amethyst saw her heart melting at such a beautiful family. "Sorry to interrupt but our friends are about to fight so..." Yang said casually as she seemed embarrassed to cut the cute moment. Ghira shot her a glance and nodded before looking back at his daughter "You can present us you friends on the way..." he said to Blake who nodded while Kali approached the two Lions.
"Hello you two ! Why didn't we saw you in the stadium earlier ?" she asked them with a frown and Simba responded gently by saying "Apparently they didn't have seats for someone our size..." Blake's mother let out frustrated 'tsk' before looking back at them with her usual warm smile "Too bad you cannot come… But still its still a pleasure to see you again~" Kali inquired with a motherly coo as she hugged their heads one after the other.
Blake looked at them with a smile and didn't felt jealous from the attention both Lions were receiving from her mother as she saw the two as the siblings she never had. "Come on Kali leave them alone already ! You can mother me later !" Ghira said to his wife in amusement and Kali shot him a quick glare before reluctantly letting go to follow her husband and daughter toward the stadium to see the next match. "Well what should we do now ?" Amethyst asked her mate with a raise-brow as they were all alone now "How about a nice tour to make sure nothing would break the day ?" Simba asked back with an inviting grin and she nodded in agreement before the two of them left the fairgrounds together.
(To be continue…)