I came up with this idea when I was watching The Lion King, and it's mostly just a side project until I have a good number of votes on the poll I posted. But what if, as a baby, Jaune was raised by lions before ever being found by other humans? And not just by ANY lions, but by a pride that is ruled by the one and only Kion. As prince of his kingdom, Jaune must now embark on a journey to defend the world from the threat of the evil known as the Grimm.

*Please note that I own neither RWBY or The Lion King.*

"Sisi Ni Sawa." = Normal Speech

'We are one.' = Thoughts

"Hakuna Matata!" = Songs

"Junior Detectives!" = Someone Yelling

A Child Found By Big Cats

Far out in the territories beyond the Pridelands, there lies a cropping of rocks in a land surrounded by lush forests and wide open grasslands and plains filled with rivers and lakes where animals of all kinds live in joyful harmony whilst respecting the circle of life. Many of these animals include rhinos, hippos, deer, warthogs, leopards and other small mammals and the like.

But the greatest among them are the lions that inhabit this paradise known as the Moonlands. The Moonlands are called that because at night, they are illuminated by the light of the moon that grants great strength and power to the animals that live here. And the greatest among the lions that live here is their king. And that king's name is… Kion.

But right now, the king is out with some of his dearest friends patrolling his territory. And one of these friends is driving the other absolutely bonkers.

"ZUKA ZAMA!" yelled a honey badger as he swung through the trees.

"Bunga, quit messing around! We got word that an invader has come to these lands with intent to take over the place!" scolded a female cheetah.

Though, with her particular spot pattern and lack of the cheetah species' signature tear marks, one might very well mistake her for a starving leopard. And the adult honey badger, now known as Bunga, just waved her off as he stopped his vine swinging after landing on something furry.

"Oh, stop being such a stick in the mud, Fuli. You know one of us has to make things more lively around here. And I'm immune to just about everything!" Bunga said while bragging some. "Just remember my old motto: Hakuna-"

Bunga stopped talking when he heard growling behind him and looked back, only to come face to face with an angry tiger.

"...Matata…" he finished nervously.

"Well, well, well, if it ain't the Lion Guard." growled the tiger as Bunga ran towards Fuli.

Said cheetah was growling as she eyed the enemy, knowing that without Kion or Beshte, she and Bunga would be very hard pressed to fight against a Big Cat of this caliber. Especially since tigers are known to be a lot bigger than even full grown male lions. So a couple of smallfry like them stand a snowball's chance in hell against a tiger of this size when in a fight.

And this tiger looks very deadly and experienced as well. His fangs are still as sharp as any other tiger's, but he has burn marks on the side of his face and claw marks going over one of his eyes. The eye in question is a milky white color, signifying that he's been blinded from a past battle.

In face, his whole stature just shows that he's a veteran in both the art of combat AND survival! So killing a cheetah and a honey badger trying to fight him? That'd be about as easy as taking a nap for this tiger!

"What business do you have in this land, tiger?" she asked, trying and mostly failing, to keep her voice level.

The tiger let out a big, booming laugh at the question asked of him before pressing his paw against a small, blue bundle. A bundle that Bunga noticed right away.

"Hey, what's that you got there?" he asked.

"Oh, this? It's a human child that was still alive after I killed his parents and siblings. Quite brutally, in fact!" the tiger replied. "Your king, Kion, forbade the killing and consumption of humans in this land when he first claimed his place as king. But I plan to dethrone him and change that! And I, Shere Khan, shall start with this lowly. Human. Infant!"

"Oh, is that right?" asked a male voice.

Shere Khan looked up as a shadow loomed over him and gasped as he saw who it was that just spoke.

It's Kion!

Kion has grown quite a bit since his days as a cub. He still bares the mark of the Lion Guard on his shoulder, but his overall appearance has changed drastically! His mane is now fully grown in, having become perfect protection for his neck in a fight, and is still a beautiful sunset red. His red eyes shone with years of wisdom and experience, his golden fur shone in the sunlight like a second sun and at his size, he's a whopping four hundred and twenty pounds of muscle just waiting to pounce on any challenger who tried to usurp his power!

But for Shere Khan, Kion is the least of his worries at the moment.

"Twendekiboko!"

Shere Khan didn't have time to dodge as he was bowled over by a giant hippo known as Beshte, right before getting pecked on the head by a certain Egret named Ono.

"Sorry we're late, Fuli. Bunga. We would've been here sooner, but we had a run-in with some passing cape buffalo." Ono said.

"Well, that's all fine and dandy, but we have a bigger problem. Shere Khan there wants to kill this human baby, and plans to challenge Kion to do it!" Fuli replied.

Hearing this made Kion step forward and growl menacingly at the tiger before him. If there's one thing he doesn't tolerate as king, it's needless and senseless killing. And Shere Khan is known for his ruthlessness and willingness to kill, even when it's not necessary.

"You should've known better than to try such a thing, Shere Khan! As king of the Moonlands, I hereby banish you to the Outlands for good!"

The mark on Kion's shoulder began to glow with power as he took a deep breath before releasing the greatest weapon in his arsenal.

The Roar of the Elders!

Along with Kion, the kings of the past generations from every land roar alongside him, creating a sonic wave of pure wind and lion power. Not even Shere Khan was a match for this attack, for even as he dug his claws into the ground, he was blasted out of the Moonlands and far off into the Outlands.

When it was over, Kion was much calmer and instantly ran over to where Fuli was comforting a scared human baby wrapped in a blue 'blanket', as the humans call them. As Kion moved closer to the baby, he gently used his muzzle to move the cloth out of the baby's face.

The little one looked no older than a month, at least. He's still at the age where he needs to drink his mother's milk to survive. A small tuft of messy, golden blonde hair was adorned his head, and his eyes are as blue as the purest ocean water. The baby boy soon stopped crying and looked up at Kion with wide eyes filled with curiosity and innocence.

He has yet to truly experience the horrors of the world, but Kion could instantly feel this kind of fatherly connection with the little fella. Even as the baby cooed and babbled as he reached up with his tiny arms to put a hand on Kion's nose.

Beshte chuckled as he got a better look at the human kid.

"Cute little fella, ain't he? Kinda hard to believe that some of these little guys grow up to become some of our greatest enemies." commented Beshte.

"Yeah, I mean, how can anything this adorable become that dangerous?" Bunga asked.

At the flat looks he got from Kion and Fuli, being predators themselves, Bunga sheepishly scratched the back of his head.

"Okay, yeah, I hear ya." he said, having understood the silent message.

"But Kion, what are we going to do with him?" Fuli asked. "Before you got here, Shere Khan told us that he killed this cub's family. He has nowhere else to go and no one to take care of him!"

"Fuli's right, Kion. Without his mother to nurse him, he won't last out there on his own! I mean, he's not a honey badger." Ono added.

Kion looked at the man cub before him. He understands that the young boy will need someone to care for him during his childhood, but he doesn't know anyone else who could possibly keep him safe, warm and loved. Especially with him being a human.

Ever since Kion and the rest of the guard had left the Pridelands, they've seen and heard about the many horrors surrounding humans and these other creatures called Faunus. He distinctly remembers fighting against both a human with a funny hat, and a human with white fur on his head and face. But they also know that there are some that are good to animals and nature, and fight tooth and claw to protect it.

The king of the Moonlands just sighed through his nose before coming to a decision.

"Let's take him back to Lunar Rock and bring this up with the rest of the pride. I need to take into account everyone's opinion before I make a choice." Kion said. "Bunga, I need you to carry him while we head back."

"You got it, Kion." Bunga saluted.

The honey badger picked up the small child, making sure he had a good grip, and they all made their way to Lunar Rock to speak with the pride. It was going to be a long day, obviously.

*To Be Continued…*

If you have any ideas for who Jaune should be paired with in this story, let me know in the reviews. Also, don't forget to vote on the poll I have up, because I need lots of votes to come to a decision. See you all next time, and everyone have a merry Christmas!