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"Ruggie-nii? I'm hungry..."
"Me too!"
"Is the young king going to take away our food?"
"Is he going to take you away?"
His younger siblings gathered around his legs, hugging them as they cried out in hunger. The blonde hair on their heads mirrored their eldest brother who bent down, engulfing them in a hug. Tears gathered in his eyes as he watched him and his siblings get thinner and thinner, clothes barely staying on their shoulders, spines showing more and more, fur falling off their tails and ears.
"Don't worry. Your big bro will be here for as long as he endures ." He smiled as a young girl crawled onto his lap, hooking her arms around his neck and pulling him and giving him a peck on the cheek.
"Now, I'm going to get food for us. So be good, and if anyone tries to come in, what do we do?"
They all point to a loose brick in the wall, leading to a small chamber. "Hide."
"Good." He ruffles their hair before heading out into the blazing Savanna heat.
Walking away from the slums, he reaches a clearing where a single tall tree stood. Climbing on, he cursed his rumbling stomach, waiting for the familiar pack to come in. Putting his back to the tree, a familiar slithering sound comes from behind him.
Seeing a large constrictor, he smiles before the snake lunges at him, mouth wide open. Dodging it, he smiles as it lands on a rock beneath the tree, stunning it for a little while. Jumping onto the snakes body, he reacts fast, grabbing onto its jaw as the snake tries to bite at him.
"Idiot." He giggled as he brought his mouth close to the bottom of the head, biting it off with a quick snap of his jaws. Placing the large body in his mouth, he was ready to dash home.
"You're that proud of just killing a snake?" A voice rung out behind him.
Turning his head to the direction of the voice, he saw the prince sitting there, arms crossed with a bored look in his eyes. Hissing he jumps, landing on his fours as he growls, showing off his sharp teeth.
"What do you want?" He spat out, venom coating his words.
"Nothing. You just intruded on my napping territory. You better be glad I'm not going to execute you." He turns over to avoid the hyena's gaze.
"Intrude?! This is my-" He stopped abruptly, remembering what the loin said about letting him live. "Wait. You said you're not going to kill me?"
The prince turns back to face him. "Yeah. What? Do you want to die?"
Memories of his brothers and sisters flash through his mind, their voices calling out to him. "No! Just... Thank you." And he dashed off with that parting.
"What a weird guy." the other whispers to himself.
With the snake in hand, he pushes past the curtains of their worn down brick house.
" I'm back!" He calls out.
Watching as the bricks slowly inched out, he smiled as the hyena cubs flop out of the hiding spot. Shaking their heads from side to side, dust clouds erupt from their hair as he covers his mouth and nose.
"I told you it was him!" One of them argued to the other.
"Yes, yes." He cut the snake into different parts before skewering it and holding it on top of the fire, lit and placed in the middle of the room.
Once it started sizzling he hands it to them. "Be careful of bones." He warned as they each took a chunk into their hands and ate happily.
Cutting up the rest, he took the stick back, roasted the meat over the fire, and gave it back to them. He was always happy seeing them eat, they forget all their problems when they do.
"Isn't Ruggie-nii going to eat?" A little boy asked.
He shook his head. "No, no. I ate when I was out! You guys can have it all." He lied.
"Okay!" The two boys agreed, munching on their food.
"Rina? Why'd you stop eating?" He called out to his sister.
Holding the meat up to his mouth, she pouts and said. "You didn't eat yet! This is for you!"
Pushing her small hand away, he insists to her. "I ate, I ate!"
Shaking her head cutely, he pouted more." Eat!"
"Fine, fine." He took the meat from her hand, chewing on it slowly.
It was tough and chewy, but it was food, so they couldn't argue with that.
"Isn't it good?" She beamed.
He just nodded and pet their heads. "It is, so finish up you two." He pointed to the boys. "We're going to sleep after this."
Picking Rina up, he put her on a pile of hay, pulling a ripped piece of cloth over her and pressing a kiss on her forehead. Turning back to his brothers, he wipes off the debris from their mouths before setting them down next to their sister.
"Now, Ruko and Rukin, don't kick your sister." He pressed a kiss upon the boys' head. "Goodnight."
"Goodnight~" They all answer back.
Curling up on the floor, he had his arm bent as a pillow, finally being able to sleep once he hears the peaceful snores of the pups.
Feeling his stomach rumble, followed by a dull pain, Ruggie slowly opens his eyes, leaving his memory-like dream. Trying to ignore the hunger, he turns back to snuggle into Leona's bare chest, littered with a few scratch marks. The feeling left for a few mere minutes before coming back worse, causing him to ultimately get out of bed and pull some clothes on.
Too lazy to find his own clothes, the hyena grabs the nearest set of clothes, his boxers and his mate's shirt. Stepping in front of the full body mirror, he's happy with the length of the shirt, as it reaches to the mid thigh, covering him like a skirt.
Slowly and quietly making his down to the cafeteria, he's greeted with a all-too-familiar nickname and a laugh that rivals his own.
"Hello, sharksucker~" Floyd chuckles.
"What are you doing dressed so scandalously? So late at night, too." His saner twin brother asks.
"I got hungry in the middle of the night. How about you guys?" He asks, grabbing a plate full of food before settling down across from them.
"Floyd fell off the broom. He was just lucky enough for a bush to be there." Jade motions to his ankle, slightly swollen with an ice pack on top.
"You could have caught me, you know?"
"Well either way, we're going back to our dorm." Jade stands up, letting his brother climb onto his back. "Have a good night, Ruggie."
"Goodnight." The shortest waved as they left.
Taking large bites out of the pastries in front of him, it reminds him of his first dinner here. He never saw that much food in his life, so once he got the chance to, he went on a food rampage. He probably ate half of the provided portions in one go. Reminiscing over the stupid memory, he gets up to fill his plate with pastas of all sorts.
Groaning, the lion cracks his eyes open, only to find out that the younger's missing. Grabbing his phone, he turns it on to the display of '2:29 AM'.
"Where did he go at 2 in the morning..." He pushes himself up to get dressed.
"What the fuck?" He looks around the room. "Where's my shirt?" He whispers to himself.
Pulling on his sweatpants, Leona takes a final glance around. "Ugh, screw it."
Walking out shirtless, he murmurs complaints about Ruggie to himself. Stopping at the exit to their dorm, he takes out his phone to see the Leech brothers still active.
"I swear to god you mermaid bastards, if you did anything to him, I will rip your tails off!" He whispers as he types to Jade, asking if he's seen Ruggie.
The reply comes almost instantly, reading: "Yeah. He's in the cafeteria. Said he was hungry."
Thanking the teen, he lets out a sigh of relief, walking to the main campus. Walking down the corridor, he stands at the cafeteria's entrance, a smile tempting his lips. He is still eating away at the dishes despite the tower of plates next to him, tail wagging and ears twitching occasionally.
Silently creeping up behind, Leona wraps his arms around the other's neck. Food guarding is a bad habit of his, especially because of his past, so informing him that it's his mate gives him a sense of relief.
"Leona-san!? Wh-"
The older leaned forward to lick a piece of food off his cheek. "The bed was getting cold without you. I was worried about your whereabouts."
Blushing, the hyena wipes his face with the sleeve of his (or Leona's) shirt.
"So that's where my shirt went." He sits down next to him, flicking his forehead.
Whining and rubbing his head, "Hey! That hurt!" He snaps.
Closing his eyes and drifting off in his own thoughts, he ignores the shorter's whining. Once he stops, the older opens his eyes again, immediately focusing on his hands. A large scar ran from the back of his hand to his palm. Reaching up, he traces it, all the guilt coming back.
"I can't believe you stayed with me... even after all that." The memories came rushing back. The sight of Ruggie's body laying on the floor, a bloody hand limply resting on his cheeks. The hand pressed against his abdomen, blood still pouring out of the claw mark.
"Of course I stayed." He put his head, earning a low purr. "I can't bring myself to hate you. And neither can Jack." The blond flashes a bright smile.
"I'm full now. Let's go back." He stands up, stretching.
"Hold on. Put these plates back first." The brunette lazily scolds him.
Agreeing, they both carry the plates and slip them into the washing station.
"Well, Lilia can take care of that tomorrow." Ruggie says as he washes his hands.
"I suppose. Now lets go. I'm sleepy."
"You're always sleepy, Leona-san." He giggles.
Intertwining their tails together, they walk back in silence. Collapsing onto their bed, the younger presses his forehead against the other's chest, relaxing to the beat of his heartbeat as his tail happily sways around.