Daughter of the Nibrue House

chapter 24:strength And skill.

Naomi was slightly scared when she woke up surrounded by lions. Then she remembered the strange events of the last night and relaxed. The lions hadn't woken yet and didn't look like they planned to for a while. Naomi sat up and stretched as if this was normal for her. It might as well be, with all the crazy things that happened in her life over the past haft year.

The old female in front of her opened her widened eyes and yawned. She nudged Naomi with her mussel and lay her head back down. Naomi decided to call her Auntie. She had a grandmother and wouldn't replace her mother, but she didn't mind replacing her aunt.

Auntie was the first lion of the group to get a name. The male was called King, because he acted like a king. The cub who slept on her dress was Sissy, because Sissy was discovered to be female. Naomi was thinking of a name for another female when a loud trumpet blast shattered the quiet morning air. The lions jumped up and backed further in the cave. Auntie and King pushed Naomi in after them, Simba followed her.

King forced Naomi to sit. Sissy jumped up on her lap. Simba growled at her and Sissy backed off, making room for Simba on Naomi's lap. With Simba on her lap, Sissy and Auntie at her side, and King ready to pounce before her, Naomi still couldn't stop her beating heart.

A figure with a hooded cloak appeared in the cave's mouth. Naomi felt fear rise in her. Then she saw the face of the figure. It did not look like her grandfather's. 

But the figure raised a sword towards the lions. King paced back and forth in front of his family, growling and roaring actual fearsome roars. More hooded figures appeared. "Come on," the first one to show himself said. "Put the collars around them and they'll let us ride them. The Nibrues won't even know what hit them."

These people were thieves, trying to steal lions from her family. And they talked in a way that made Naomi think they were planning to rebel against her family. And she had stopped a war! Naomi felt angry. She was pretty sure her face was red. Naomi held Simba tight. She leaned into his ear and whispered. "You can take them all on. When I let you go, attack." Simba growled at the intruders. Naomi waited until King was far on the other side of the cave, then let go of Simba.

Simba pounced on the closest intruder. The second closest swung his sword at Simba, but he didn't expect it to shatter on the lion's back. King followed his son's example and pounced. The intruders were scared to strike back. 

"Lions aren't suppose to act like this."

"No kidding."

"Easy, huh, boss."

"I should've listened to my father."

The females started growling at the intruders. The cubs squeaked. Naomi stood up. "Did you really think that my family would have regular lions. We don't. Only the best enchanted lions."

"Who are you?" the leader asked.

"Naomi Nibrue," Naomi said. "And these are my lions. Get out and never come back." Simba let out his squeaky roar and King roared his actual roar.

The intruders turned and ran away. Naomi sunk down on the cave floor. Sissy sat on her lap again. Simba didn't growl at her this time, instead he bit her tail and pulled Sissy off. Naomi reached out to pet Sissy to make her feel better, but Simba wasn't okay with that.

Naomi didn't know what to do next. She knew she shouldn't have climbed that fence last night. It seemed like an okay idea, but now it's a bad idea because although she was on her family's property, King wouldn't let her wonder too far from the cave.

Naomi spent most of the day in the lions den until she heard a human voice at noon. 

She was stroking Auntie's head when she heard it. "Lady Naomi!" Abir called. "Are you here?"

Naomi froze with shock. She had almost forgotten what Abir's voice sounded like. Other voices joined his. Marta's, Henry's, and Sage's. Naomi stood up and ran out of the cave.

"Abir!" she called. "Marta! I'm here!"

"I see her!" Naomi heard Sage shout. "She's at the bottom of the mountain."

Naomi looked up. Abir, Marta, Henry, and Sage were high above her on a cliff with a railing. Marta waved down at her. "Everyone's been looking for you," she said. "Your uncle joined the rest of the Lords in the Arial lands."

"My uncle is going to kill the rest of the Lords!" Naomi shouted up to them. "He's going to summon a Destroyer Storm. Get me out of here!"

"Don't worry Lady Naomi," Abir shouted down. "We'll get you out. Did your uncle manage to tell you when he's doing this?"

Naomi shrugged. "He said tomorrow night, but that was yesterday. So it's tonight." The four on the cliff balcony looked at each other. "Stop looking at each other and get me out!" Naomi screamed up at them.

King stood before her. "You have a way with lions, Lady Naomi." Abir said. "That's a good thing. It may come in handy."

Naomi looked up at him. "Are you the same boy who was afraid of a cub?"

"Do we really have time to talk about this?" Abir said. He had a point.