Naomi

Naomi came to the pride under... uncomfortable circumstances. The brutal king Kaldr-Sverđ had taken a liking to her and, enticed by a mixture of intimidation and bribery, the king of her own birth pride handed her over to the Scourge of Lions to be his newest "Princess". She pleaded and whimpered, but there was no changing either of their minds. She was finally forced to follow Kaldr-Sverđ into the marshes of his kingdom, followed close behind by the king's sub-male/lackey, Fleinn. She could feel them glaring at her, and it made her blood run cold with fear. The dark king's aura was that of complete evil, and she could sense it in his every breath. As she was dragged into his land, she shut down, trembling with terror and refusing to move. Until the healer, Toph, approached her. One touch from the blind lioness calmed her instantly, and her mind was taken to a place of serene tranquility. The scent of herbs clung to the female, and she radiated good intentions and kindness. As the king departed, leaving the cub in the care of the females, the only one who could get her to talk was Toph...

The healer taught her to meditate, to find her inner sanctuary, and she did so with great skill. In her mind she found swirling clouds, larger than planets, and a trillion stars dancing all around her. She found that, as long as she could get away for a moment, she could calm herself enough to go on practice hunts, even with the cruelest of the pride's queens. Soon she was able to speak again, and even make eye-contact for a short time. The healer was still her solice, her primary guardian, and she began to learn about herbs and healing, meditation and Dream Walking...

One day, as Toph sat heavy with the king's cubs, she beckoned Naomi over to her. Setting a beautiful necklace at the adolescent female's paws, she began to speak. "This is Phantom Quartz, a powerful crystal that can help you in your meditations. It is also a crystal of healing, and can help you to see the subtle changes in the world around you. Wear it always, and it will guide you on your path." Naomi's tail lashed about with glee, her claws sliding in and out impulsively. "Th-thank you." She stuttered out, a purr ripping through her throat...

The longer Naomi lived with the pride, the more she saw of their darker, hidden souls. Every lion there had a shadow clinging to them, a demon following their every move. They held fast like burrs, refusing to be shaken off, but a few seemed able to keep them at bay. Toph, for one, seemed immune to the Shades, primarily because she had a Guardian Spirit protecting her. Others, such as Heed, simply radiated so much light that the Shades were almost afraid of them. Naomi was one of those. Her inner light blazed so brightly that any Shade who dared approach was torn to shreds and scattered to the wind. As she grew, this light became more and more powerful, until even the earthly lions could see it as a flaming mark on her belly, as if her very core was aflame. She was determined to chase away every shadow in the pride, see every Shade banished, and return these poor lions to what they once were...

At Toph's urgings, Naomi threw herself into her training, going out to observe hunts with the lionesses every chance she got. And she got... a lot. After a very long day, Naomi was still pushing any lioness she came to to let her go hunting with them, but they were all exhausted. They'd reached their limits. All but the eldest lioness, Heed. The king's mother. She was on in years, certainly too old to hunt well, but in their first trip they brought down two young springbok. As they walked out to set up the next hunt, the two began to talk. At first, only Heed spoke, as Naomi never liked to talk to strangers, but as she brought up tales of the past king, the one who left the then named Kivuli as his heir before mysteriously passing away, Naomi's curiosity finally spurred her to vocalize.
"What was he like? As a cub?" She spoke of the king, her words escaping before she could think of them. She could tell Heed was not a bad lioness, far from it, but if she told her son that Naomi was asking such questions...
"Kivuli was always a charmer. And smart, even as a tiny cub. He would listen to everything around him, and if something spooked him he stood his ground. He was... my baby." A tear threatened to escape the old female's eyes, but she refused to cry. "From the moment I saw him, I knew there was something special about him, something different. I felt this fierce, protective instinct... I thought towards him. But... I see now, I was wrong." Heed grew silent after that, not offering to elaborate, and Naomi knew better than to ask...

On the day of Heed's passing, Naomi felt a bright and shining presence by her side. Now, when she meditated and went to her Inner Sanctuary, a brilliant double rainbow shone over her, magically emitting it's own radiance. It was Heed's spirit, watching over her and protecting her from the Shades...

Naomi's first cub, Micah, was an absolute beauty. She had Naomi's sunset fur, and her father's stubborn, rambunctious attitude. She grew into a lovely young lioness, and Naomi made it her personal quest to keep the cub as far away from their king as possible. She blocked his view of her, kept her away from some of the other lionesses, and never let her leave the den alone.

When Megin, one of the pride's strongest lionesses, gave birth to her latest litter, Naomi felt her very soul shift. The boy, peppered with lovely spots, was... perfect. He was beautiful, calm, and very attentive to everything around him. In fact... he reminded Naomi of the late Heed's tales of their king in his formative moons. There was no shadow, no sound, no visitor that could shake the newborn male. He faced it all with silent bravery. Until Kaldr-Sverđ arrived to see his newest additions to the pride... while he praised the cub's sister, he looked upon the young male with silent thoughtfulness. Naomi could see them, the king's pet Shades, circling the cub like vultures. The king intended to taint the cub's soul! Before Naomi could think of a way to stop him, the cub let out his first sound. A hiss, soft yet vicious, and the Shades all fled. It was in that moment that Naomi had her first true Healer's Vision.

An angel of the black star shall rise to rule the lands, and his gaze will cleanse the pride.

Forfax, as the cub was named, grew into a fine young male, strong and confident, yet cool and aloof. He didn't have an inner light like Naomi did, but whenever a Shade got brave enough to approach him, he glared at them with his disturbing pink eyes, and any Shade would flee from him in terror. She didn't even know they could feel fear! She tried to talk to him, many times, but she couldn't get close to him. For one thing, he was always either hiding from everyone, or surrounded by females! They adored him, and the adolescents followed him everywhere he went, unless he wanted to give them the slip, and then he was gone without a trace. For another, she was horrible at talking to other lions, especially males. They made her nervous, though she wasn't sure why, and she always wanted to hide when they were around. She was afraid she'd lose her chance before the king caught on and killed the poor cub, but she didn't have to worry. Now almost an adult, the mysterious male came up on her while on a hunt, nearly scaring her out of her pelt!
"Hey." He said simply, and Naomi sank into herself a bit on reflex. He sat down, trying to make himself seem smaller, and kept his eyes aimed at her chin so as not to risk eye-contact. She calmed a bit. "I know you've been trying to catch me alone. That's... kind of hard to do. The king never lets me go anywhere without a spy or a Shade around. The spies I can escape, but the Shades..." He looked around, but Naomi's light kept the Shades far at bay and unable to spot the adolescent male from a distance. He smiled, just a slight upturn at one corner of his mouth, but it made her heart flutter. "I guess I don't need to worry about that around you." He purred, laying down and sighing as if he hadn't relaxed in days. As soon as he did, Naomi spotted it. His light, slowly flaring to life as if it were a timid creature, was warm and powerful, and made her feel instantly at ease with the male.
"You're... like me?" She spoke in hushed tones. She didn't want some other lion to come across them.
"Yes, I suppose. I can hide it, though. I don't want the king to know. That's the only reason I've gotten as... close to him, as I have." He looked as though he wasn't happy with this fact. "I have a plan to take the throne from him. He hosts a demon soul, that's how he controls the Shades." Naomi wasn't really surprised. Of course the Scourge of Lions was also a demon king. As Forfax's light reached its limit, she saw glittering wings of light extend from his back. If Kaldr-Sverđ was a demon, it would take an angel to stop him...



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