Sancha: A Spirit Animals Story

The Ceremony

Authors note: I decided to remove the vow of silence that Sancha took earlier in the story. As I think ahead, it will ultimately interfere with much of her journey and development. The moments where she refuses to speak in the previous chapter mostly arise now out of fear of being discovered for what she is. Though perhaps an interesting idea, it ultimately is a hindrance to the story. I'm sorry if this upsets people. I hope you can enjoy the story nonetheless. Please comment your thoughts. I really do appreciate them.

The greencloak arrived as Ola had said she would. She was young, maybe in her early twenties, plain in appearance, but not unfriendly. Her spirit animal was in passive form, as Sancha noticed a tattoo of a small rodent with a long drooping nose on the back of her hand. The animal was an elephant shrew, but Sancha had never heard of the creature before. 

A waterskin was offered to Sancha. She hesitated at first. This seemed beyond wrong. How could she do this after what the greencloaks had done to her home? She'd watched the bonding sickness take a toll on her family and friends, and had spent years in utter terror, knowing that a similar fate would eventually befall her.

But this fear spurred her on to accept the skin. She decided to go through with it, as she told herself before that she would.  It wasn't as if she was going home anytime soon. She might as well prevent further suffering amidst her exile. Why punish herself more than she already had?

So, after a long deep breath, she took a sip from the waterskin. The liquid was thick and sweet. Too sweet. Sickeningly sweet. Sancha felt her tongue burn slightly from the sugary flavor as it dripped down her throat. At last, it was done, and she sighed. It was over. 

But then it happened. Something akin to an electrical shock ran through her entire body. Her eye's widened, and she found she was unable to move from her spot. She panicked for a moment, her mind entering a stony state best described as inoperative, her thoughts becoming as paralyzed and unmoving as her body was. 

At last, a small orb of light condensed into existence before her. Slowly, the orb widened and a shape seemed to glide through, as if untethered by gravity. It rested on the ground at the feet of the unnerved girl and when the orb of light faded, Sancha found herself locking her eyes with the ones of a seal. 

It was on the smaller side when it comes to seals, not much more than four feet long, though somewhat rounded by blubber. It's fur ranged in shades of gray, darker gray along the back, lightened along the head and face. Dark, almost black spots dotted the neck and underbelly. It's eyes were round as coins, and with large black pupils that seemed to fix Sancha in a stare. Indeed, she was unable to look away from the creature. Nor could she ignore the reality before her. 

She had summoned a spirit animal.

The seal scooted forward, pulling itself along the floor with it's front flippers until it's nose was almost touching Sancha's leg. Hesitantly, not fully registering what she was doing, Sancha crouched down and held her palm out. The seal, curious, sniffed her hand, before pressing its nose against her palm, whiskers tickling Sancha's skin.

With this close contact, Sancha found her paralysis stripped away from her. A feeling of warmth climbed up from her outstretched hand, up her arm, and gradually seeping into every crevice of her being. Somehow, she smiled for the first time since she left her homeland. For a moment, it seemed that she and her animal partner were the only ones in the world. 

But then the seal bent her head to sniff at something on the ground. The warmth faded, and Sancha found herself filled once again with anxiety. She stared warily at Ola and the greencloak, both of whom looked somewhat astonished by the last few minutes events.

"You are very fortunate," said the greencloak. "Very few are lucky enough to summon an animal. You should be proud. It will be your lifelong partner."

"Her," Sancha said, before realizing that the words had left her lips. "She's female." 

Ola was startled upon hearing her formerly silent charge speak.

"Well, then she will be your lifelong partner, then," the greencloak stated, correcting her previous statement. The words hit Sancha at last, and a feeling of overwhelming dread fell over her shoulders like a mantle. She looked first at her seal, then the two women, then to the floor, and then the seal, and then the floor again.

She had seen nothing but ill come from a spirit animal bond. She knew it wasn't as simple as that, but the association was stuck and would be hard chisel away. Now, she felt weighed down. Though she wouldn't suffer as her people had, from lack of nectar, she would have a spirit animal. The animal would be joined to her at the hip, unable to leave her. She would be forced to agknowledge the seal's presence. She felt sorry for the animal now. No doubt she would endure a life of torture at Sancha's hands, half rejected by her human partner and looked at as a sad reminder of her painful past. 

It wouldn't be fair to her, Sancha concluded. The girl wanted to love her animal, but didn't know how. It wouldn't be fair to constantly keep her in passive form either, if she could ever achieve that feat. She knew it required trust, and she couldn't imagine getting the seal to trust her under the circumstances. 

If only there was a way to let another person have the seal instead. A trade almost. Someone who would love it as Sancha believed she couldn't. 

She was filled with shame for herself. For what she was. She'd decided at  young age she would never have children, as she wouldn't be able to bear seeing them fall victim to the bonding sickness as so many of her loved ones had. 

She hadn't even realized she'd begun to cry until a drop of liquid fell onto her shoe, sounding out as a faint plunk!

"I'm sorry," she whispered faintly to her animal partner. For a moment, she longed to run, but somehow she couldn't bring herself to. If she outright rejected her spirit animal, she'd feel even greater pain, and perhaps regret. She sank to her knees on the floor. Ola and the greencloak attempted to sooth her, asking her questions as to what was causing her such pain. But Sancha's emotions and thoughts drowned out their words. Eventually, realizing that she wasn't to answer them. They simply let her cry, gave her handkerchiefs, and then, when she was too exausted and spent of tears to continue anhy further, lifted her to the cot she'd been given by Ola, and laid her on it, covering her with a carpet. Sancha shut her eyes, but even sleep would not spare her from her agony for long.