Titanic: A Lion's Story

Titanic: A Lion's Story is a fan fiction created and written by CynWann. It is loosely based on James Cameron's 1997 blockbuster, "Titanic." Unlike its live action counterpart, the plot is changed, the characters have different personalities and it consists of them being anthropomorphic animals.

The story is followed by two sequels and a series; Titanic: A Lion's Story: War Begins, Titanic: A Lion's Story: The Final Chapter and Titanic: A Lion's Story: The Series. All stories are written by CynWann.

Plot
The story begins with the R. M. S. Titanic's passengers, anthropomorphic lions, boarding the ship in Southampton on April 11th, 1912; as they are ready to start out a fresh, new life in America. Among them is 19 year old Jack Dawson and his best friend, Fabrizio De Rossi, an Italian immigrant. Jack is hoping to return to the only place he ever called home, and Fabrizio is going to try to fit in with the citizens of the country.

While this is going on, Rose, an 18 year old lioness, is frantically looking for a place to stay because she has been living on the streets. When no one pays attention to, or even notices her, Rose steals a 1st Class passenger's coat and sneaks onto the ship. Neko the Rat, her companion, while trying to get her to come back to the alley they're staying in, sees this, becomes instantly concerned, and goes onto the ship himself to start looking for her.

Meanwhile, the Titanic begins to depart. Shortly after settling in, Jack and Fabrizio meet and befriend Tommy Ryan, an Irish passenger.

Elsewhere, Rose tries very hard to search for an area to stay in the lower parts of Titanic, but she is almost caught by a steward when she tries to take refuge in one of the boiler rooms. While walking on deck, Jack first notices Rose and tries to talk to her, but when he does, she runs away from him and hides in fear. Jack becomes concerned and explains to Fabrizio and Tommy what just happened. Tommy tells Jack to let this girl come to him before anything else, and Jack is determined to keep that promise.

That night, while she finds a place to sleep in on the 3rd Class deck, Rose comes across three rowdy, eight year old cubs who do not appreciate her coming onto their "part" of the ship. They begin to attack and torture poor Rose, until Jack witnesses the incident and comes to the lioness's rescue, informing 5th Officer Harold Lowe what happened. Once everything calms down, Jack tries to convince her that he means no harm.

When he tells her to come to him if she ever needs any help, all the young lioness can do is bury herself in his arms and cry. Jack manages to gently get her to settle down, and offers her to spend the night in his cabin with him so she won't be alone. Rose accepts this kind gesture, and Jack brings her to the cabin. He keeps an eye on her after he tucks her into his bed, and suddenly realizes she is starting to appeal to him, even though he doesn't know what it is.

After countless hours trying to look for Rose around the ship, Neko finally picks up her scent, following it to Jack's cabin. When he looks through the door's keyhole and sees Jack cuddling Rose, the rat becomes furious and breaks into the room. The alley rat accuses him of kidnapping the lioness, and automatically assumes he will hurt her.

Rose begs Neko to let her stay with Jack and tells him he hasn't harmed her. Neko reluctantly gives in, but insists on keeping a sharp eye on the lion and lioness if anything, in his mind, goes wrong.

In the middle of the night, Rose has a frightening nightmare involving the homicide of her parents. Jack, who was drifting of to sleep himself, is aroused immediately by Rose's blood curdling screams and shakes her to wake her up and snap out of it; trying not to hurt her.

When Rose wakes up, she throws herself into Jack's arms and breaks down crying again. As Jack tries to calm her, Neko wakes up shortly afterwards, and accuses Jack once again of "harming" Rose. He starts an argument with the young lion about what he is doing with her, and Jack explains that Rose needed someone to talk to, and that's just what he was doing, but Neko, being his usual selfish and judgmental self, doesn't believe him.

Jack, fed up, tells the alley rat to leave the room. Rose accidentally slips about her parents' death. Jack eventually convinces her to tell him what happened, much to the lioness's dismay. She tells him that her parents were shot and Neko told her not to tell another living soul about the murders. The heartbreaking memory of the trauma causes her to cry. She tells him she has wanted to take her own life and she doesn't have a reason to live anymore.

After hearing this, he tells her not to say such a thing and then says to Rose he will never give up on her, finally telling her not to do the same to him. He holds Rose quietly in his arms, and the poor lioness ends up crying herself back to sleep. At that moment, Neko returns to the room to check on Rose and explains to Jack why he is being so harsh with him.

He tells the lion of Rose's past after the death of her parents. Jack, offended by the rodent’s insensitivity, is shocked that Neko forced Rose to ignore such a horrible thing. He orders Neko to leave the room again, and says to him that he is determined to not turn his back on Rose. After Neko leaves, Jack makes a promise to Rose that she will always have him around, and he'll listen to her when nobody else will.

The next morning, on April 12, 1912, while he and Rose are taking a walk around the steerage deck, Jack introduces her to Fabrizio and Tommy, who are quite curious and accepting of this stranger. After she spends time with them, much to Neko's dismay, and gets to know the boys a little more, Rose begins to enjoy herself.

In a matter of the hours they've spent together, Rose warms up to Jack and forms a bond with him, despite the fact the two have known each other for such a short time; which increases Neko's jealousy and hatred of Jack in the process.

Meanwhile, the captain of the Titanic, Edward J. Smith, receives several pack ice warnings from the ship's wireless room, coming from other vessels. However, he still manages to push for speed, thanks to Jonathan Bruce Ismay, the manager of the White Star Line, and his constant insisting that the Titanic make it to New York as quickly as possible. Jack confesses his love for Rose the following night.

On the evening of April 14, Jack takes Rose to the ship's forward well deck, where he invites her to watch the stars with him. She confesses to him she stowed away on the Titanic because she didn’t have anyone to turn to or anywhere to go; recalling the horror she went through on the brink of tears. Jack silences Rose gently and they share their very first kiss.

Afterwards, the two start to explore the lower regions of the ship, but they barely evade a steward after they get chased by him and end up in one of the boiler rooms by accident. They manage to find a cargo hold and use it as a place to hide.

Once the steward leaves, Jack and Rose come across a car, where, in the backseat, they make love for the first time; introducing Rose to passionate feelings that she, unfortunately, has never felt before in her life. Unfortunately, both of them are unaware Neko, who is looking for Rose and trying to get her away from Jack, is spying on them during the moment.

When they return to the deck, Neko catches Rose and Jack, deciding he has seen enough after he encounters him kissing her for a second time. While arguing with him, he deliberately bites Jack's tail. Neko purposely confesses to him on spying on them during their consummation in the cargo hold and makes a pathetic excuse to Jack; telling him that Rose is not able to fend for or look after herself and he hasn't looked after her his entire life.

Rose, offended and now having the courage and confidence to reason with her power-hungry and overprotective surrogate parent, explains to him that she doesn't need him to shelter her all her life; that Jack understands her better than he does. When the rat tries to explain to her he is trying to keep her safe, Rose comes to the conclusion Neko has been stifling and taking advantage of her.

Neko, believing Rose has stabbed him in the back after all he has done for her, snaps, and in tears, declares she will never be bothered with him again. Up in the crow's nest, Lookouts Frederick Fleet and Lee spot an iceberg in front of Titanic's path and give the warning, "Ice, dead ahead!" From the bridge, the Titanic is turned "hard to port," but it's too late. The ship collides with the iceberg and it begins to start flooding, resulting in the deaths of many of the stewards and engine room crew

Back on the decks, some of the passengers are confused and wonder what has happened. Captain Smith orders the Titanic's designer, Thomas Andrews, to look at the damage in the lower areas of the ship. After an inspection of the first boiler room, Andrews reports to Smith that Titanic will founder, and has an hour and a half, maybe two. Smith orders Wireless Operator Jack Phillips to send the distress call, CQD, but, reminded by Operator Harold Bride, he sends an S. O. S.

Jack, Rose and Neko confront Andrews on what is happening, and he tells the three the ship will sink. Neko begins to have a panic attack, but Jack declares that all of them must fight for survival, makes a deal with Neko to be brave and for them to work together. The rat, still being cowardly, reluctantly agrees.

As this happens, Operator Bride tells Captain Smith he has contacted the R. M. S. Carpathia and that they will come to rescue passengers in four hours, but Smith knows that will be too late. He orders 2nd Officer Charles Lightoller to get the ship's lifeboats ready for lionesses and cubs first.

When they go back into the ship, Jack, Rose and Neko manage to find Tommy and Fabrizio, but the rapidly rising water chases the five of them into one of the 3rd Class hallways. After a few brief struggling attempts to try and escape, Neko and Jack, both exhausted, frustrated and completely overwhelmed, get into an argument. Rose, having enough of Neko's behavior, yells at him to stop.

When everything calms down, the gang continues to look for a way to escape the flooding ship. They soon discover a hallway, but realize the water has flooded it almost entirely. Neko gets the idea for everyone to swim to the next area, but he forgets that Rose has an inability to swim.

Jack helps Rose across the water, following the others. Before Jack, Tommy and Fabrizio are able to get Rose onto one of the deck stairwells, the water's currents pull her back in, dragging her backwards. Jack immediately goes in after the lioness and rescues her; risking his own life in the process. Once Rose gets out of a state of unconsciousness, all she can do is grab onto Jack and cry. As he attempts to comfort Rose, Neko looks at Jack guiltily; possibly realizing the lion might not be so bad after all.

Jack, Rose and the others make it to a crowded gate where other lions are trapped behind it by a steward, who is yelling that only lionesses can get past it. After attempts of begging to get past the gate by everybody fails, Neko, in a rage, squeezes through the gate and attacks the steward; injuring his face. Jack, Tommy and Fabrizio get Neko under control, and the mouse uses his tail to pick the lock on the gate and open it, much to the steward's objections. All five of them, along with the passengers, try to find another way to the boat deck.

Chaos breaks out on the now sinking Titanic. 1st Officer William Murdoch holds the passengers at gunpoint, shoots two panicked lions and kills them when they try to get past him. Lions and lionesses, including cubs, even the ones who harassed Rose a few nights before, are separated from their families as they get into lifeboats. Lightoller and Officer Lowe use their guns to get the frantic crowd under control. Andrews confronts Lightoller on why lifeboats are being filled with half of the passengers. Tommy and Fabrizo get into a lifeboat with other lions. While this goes on, more lions, lionesses and cubs are killed.

Jack, Rose and Neko try to find a lifeboat to get into themselves, but soon find out, to their horror, there are none left. Passengers jump off the ship or fall off it to their deaths. The ship's power goes out and Titanic breaks in half; with the bow pulling the stern vertically 90 degrees in the air. Jack, Rose and Neko climb the stern and ride it as it sinks into the ocean.

Jack and Neko come up to the surface of the icy North Atlantic water alive, but notice Rose is missing. The lion goes back to find the lioness and discovers her unconscious in the water. He gets her and himself onto a large board, one he had put Neko onto earlier. Before the two expect her to be dead, Rose comes to, coughing and retching out water. While Jack tries to comfort a terrified and sobbing Rose, he and Neko see thousands of the passengers screaming and wailing for help. Unfortunately, twenty lifeboats don't come back for them and they are left behind, eventually freezing to death.

Jack, Rose and Neko are forced to stay in the severe cold as the three of them wait to be rescued by a lifeboat. Shock and fear grasp a hold of Jack when he sees Rose about to die of hypothermia. Neko suddenly hears Officer Lowe's voice calling out for survivors. When he and Jack see the lifeboat is moving away from them, Neko screams for them to come back, but fails, until Jack makes him yowl, finally leading the lifeboat to them. All three are saved and taken to the Carpathia.

On the Carpathia, Jack and Neko go to see Rose in the ship's hospital wing, where she is treated for shock and moderate dehydration. Neko, having a change of heart, apologizes to Jack for the way he judged and treated him, and he accepts. Rose wakes up and asks the two if anyone had made it. Jack and Neko grimly explain to her that only 705 survived. The lion, lioness and rat all go outside to see the survivors; heartbroken, shaken up and devastated.

The fiction ends with Jack, Rose, Neko and the passengers who made it in the Titanic's disaster looking on, remembering the souls that perished while the Carpathia sails to New York in the sunrise.

Inspiration & Development
"Titanic: A Lion's Story" was created as an adaptation to the James Cameron film and also to show a new generation the real life disaster's history. The fiction went through ideas but did not have a title at that point. The inspiration for the story came from a series of pictures showing Jack Dawson as a lion.

Differences from the 1997 Film
In the original movie, Jack is a poor artist who wins tickets to go on Titanic in a poker game. In the fiction, he is seen with many others about to go on the ship.

Rose is portrayed as a homeless orphan.