As little Tsuna fell, screaming, his Dying Will flared to life.

'I don't want to die! I want to live!'

His body started glowing with an orange light, his Flames almost itching under his skin. Soon enough, a little orange ember sparked and grew on his forehead.

Animals had always been particularly sensitive to Flames, as they too could be affected by their different properties the same way humans could. As such, they could even sense weak Flames.

The nearby lions that had claimed the area as their territory could easily sense the strong, newly awakened Sky. They were drawn to it, and their instincts nearly screamed at them to protect it.

A male and female sprinted in the direction of the little Sky.

When they reached the spot the boy would fall to, the brunette could be seen directly above them, still descending through the air. He was battered and bruised by the few tree branches that broke his fall. His screaming had long since ceased, consciousness slowly fading, and alongside it the Sky ember, as he finally landed on the furry mane of the male lion.

The female sniffed the small figure, then gently nudged it with her nose, to see if it would wake up.

After repeatedly prodding him with no results, she lifted the brunette up by the back of his shirt with her teeth, off of the male's mane, taking care not to hurt him. The lion pair walked back toward their den, the female carrying Tsuna the whole way.

As the three, including Tsuna, neared the den, other members of the pride could be seen walking up to them, curious of the new creature being brought in. They already knew it was human, as only humans could have Dying Will Flames, but to find that one that was so young and small, yet such a strong, active Sky was surprising. An incredibly rare find.

What on Earth was such a child doing in their territory?

Regardless, the child had to be taken care of. He was injured, alone, and vulnerable, after all. The lioness that carried him lied down, curled up slightly, and lay Tsuna down against her own body. The careful action seemingly made all of the lions' previously screaming instincts almost purr in satisfaction.

Then, one of the same lioness' youngest cubs -just a month old- walked up to the still sleeping figure and sniffed, curious. He kept sniffing the Sky from all different angles for a minute, and eventually started pawing at him. It didn't take very long for the little brunette to stir.

Tsuna made a face, his eyes squinting as he slowly cracked them open. The first thing he saw was the lion cub's blurry face.

"...Natsu?" He briefly wondered why his favorite stuffed lion was here. Hadn't he left it back at the hotel?

His vision slowly cleared up as his eyes opened fully. He wasn't looking at a stuffed toy. No, he was looking at a real lion. Immediately, he looked around him, saw lions everywhere, and realized he had even been sleeping right against one. Memories of the rockslide and his fall flooded back to him.

As if sensing his panic, the lioness he had been sleeping on bent her neck downward toward his face and gently nuzzled him, then started licking his face and hair. The little boy had flinched at first, thinking that he would be eaten, but something in the back of his head told him that he was perfectly safe.

The cub followed his mother's example, nuzzling into Tsuna's whole body, almost like a tackle-hug. The brunette quickly fell onto his back, laughing.

"Stop it, that tickles!" he said while still giggling.

The sound alerted the rest of the pride that he was now awake. Most of them stayed where they were and continued doing whatever it was they were doing before, while a few, including the male lion that had caught the Sky in his mane, turned their heads and started walking toward the child to properly greet him.

They all seemed to give him the same gentle treatment as the lioness and her cub did. The full-grown male even let the boy give him a hug and feel his thick mane of fur. By the end of it, Tsuna's clothes were covered in lion fur, and his face and hair wet from the licking. He already felt like a part of their family. Their pride.

Soon enough, he grew closer to them than he felt he had grown to anyone else, even his real parents. Quickly, "their" family and "their" pride became his family and his pride.

A/N: Sorry this took so long to come out! *dodges flying chairs and fruit* This is technically the end, but I plan on writing a little sequel that will be completely optional to read that will likely be either another one-shot or two-shot. Since this chapter took a while to complete, I don't know when the sequel will be up, but it should definitely be before the end of the year at the latest. The guilt of not uploading it quickly enough for you guys would probably kill me before then. I'll update this and tell you if plans change.

NOTICE: The sequel is now up! It's titled Lions' Heir and will most likely be a three-shot.

Uploaded: 10/8/2018

Edited: 12/25/2018