The Great White Lion

Chapter 2: Big Brother, Sick Brother

"Ah . . ."

"Don't you dare, Noble Embers!"

"Ah . . ."

"Oh my god, no - "

"Ah . . . CHOO!" Noble sneezed for the fourth time that morning only after waking up mere minutes before. His mother gazed at him disappointingly since his daily sickness had seemed to amplify since yesterday. Noble shrugged under his two blankets his mother insisted he wore around the house, almost chuckling when he heard his mother huff behind him.

"Good morning, big brother." Sam slurred, rubbing her eyes from the sleep still within them. Her similar light brown hair shot in different directions while she dragged the little white blanket that meant the world to her behind her small body. Noble only smiled down at his little sister, picking her up even if he had layers beyond layers on.

"Good morning to you too, Sammy Bear," Noble whispered before carrying her into the small living room of their cottage-like house. Sam rested her head on Noble's shoulder, falling half asleep it seems. Noble gently shook her, and Sam groaned, content to stay in her position forever.

"Alright, Sammy honey. You need to wake up, so you can go to school." Their mother sighed, stealing her out of Sam's arms, "Don't you remember? The Luna Festival will make school out for a whole week."

"Yeah, I know." Sam still sounded like she was about to fall asleep again.

"I need you to bear school for another three days, so you can finally sleep in, okay?" The witch sat her daughter down on the couch, which Sam, in turn, stood up to wake herself up. Noble stood in the hallway watching to scene happen in front of his eyes. He couldn't help to laugh that Sam, his five-year-old sister, is acting like a lazy teenager like himself.

Noble excused himself from the living room to go fix himself up in his own room. Stepping inside, he closed the door with a kick and went straight to finding suitable clothes to go to school in. He picked out a wool brown long sleeve that was a little too big on him made by the seamstress in the village. He wore his regular form-fitting pants while he slipped into his big, lighter shade of brown, fur coat. He basically purred every time he slipped into the soft heaven he refused to take off.

Satisfied with his choices, Noble moved to the bathroom that held a semi-medium mirror to fix his out of control hair. He just stared at himself, sinking in just how he is and how he is always going to be. He was small, that he hated to admit. He hated just how much he was related to his mother, but different at the same time. He had very pale skin since sunlight around here was basically out of the question. His bright brown hair curled everywhere, listening to no one even its head it inhabited. He had also inherited very high cheekbones that Sam and his mother didn't have. One reason to hate himself. Another was that he had these big bright grey eyes, again another trait Sam and their mother didn't beautify with their charm.

"What makes you so different?" Noble asked his twin in the mirror. Of course, the Noble that was staring back couldn't answer that question. Noble, however, had hope that something would answer him. After stupidly gazing at his weak self in the mirror for a good ten minutes, Noble gave up and escaped the small bathroom of the Ember house. He walked into his mother serving Sam a piece of boar meat that the village had provided yesterday to give to the families would couldn't exactly hunt for their families.

"Noble, come and eat before Daley comes and fetches you." His mother ordered, and Noble obeyed. His bare feet instantly froze from lack of heat in the room, and he fought the urge to shiver. He sat next to his little sister who had fixed herself up to look presentable, finally. The boar meat that was placed in front of him wasn't exactly what he had in mind of breakfast, but his mother taught him to be grateful he even had food in front of him in the first place. He dug in.