Sancha: A Spirit Animals Story

The First Major Case

The snow eventually melted after two months and not long afterward, Sancha left Greenhaven for the very first time. With Tarik and Finn in tow.

It had taken nearly a month of convincing before Olvan had agreed to this little venture. It was something Sancha had been considering since she'd started working with Finn, and later, Finn's brother Matty, who was similarly afflicted with the Bonding Sickness (Torrin had a natural bond as well, but he'd been one of the rare few who had managed to avoid the debilitating consequences often wrought by such bonds). After working with Finn and having a better idea of what to do, Matty's case had been much more manageable despite being about as serious as Finn's. 

But once the Cooley brothers had made progress, Sancha started thinking bigger. There were countless others out in the world who had no help from the Greencloaks, whether thanks to attempts at limiting Greencloak power in the nations, difficult terrain, poverty, or mistrust of the marked. Sancha knew it would be impossible to help every single soul who would benefit from her bond with Spes, but if she could help even a handful of people, it would be better than nothing. While Olvan had hoped that Sancha would one day spread her reach beyond the confines of Greenhaven Castle, he was hesitant about letting her beyond it this early. Sancha had come along well in her training, and could now hold her own with a rapier better than many her age or older, but there was a lot of uncharted ground ahead, and Sancha was young, inexperienced, and a valuable ally that if lost, could mean disaster. 

But at length, he had allowed Sancha to make a journey to northern Eura to seek out afflicted there. Finn, having been such a person once, and knowing a good deal about the terrain, had immediately volunteered to be Sancha's guide. Tarik, as Sancha's guardian, would also go. Olvan had debated whether or not to send additional help, but ultimately decided it would be more efficient to keep the party on the smaller side. 

Sancha, truth be told, had had no clue where to even start. Thankfully, Finn had been the one to suggest starting with north Eura. From what he'd said, a case like that of himself and his brothers was not uncommon in certain areas of the north, and so if she wanted to start looking for people to help, that would be a good place to begin. Finn was a talented scout and knew more than a little about how to survive in the Euran wilds, and so he felt he was the right one for the job. Of course, there was more to it. Finn owed a great debt to Sancha and felt that by helping her bring her aid to others, he would be helping to repay that debt. Of course, it was also a chance to help others afflicted as he had been. Sancha too was grateful, partially because she expected to enjoy his company and would feel safe knowing he was familiar with the land, but also for anoher reason. If she were to enter a community of those stricken with Bonding Sickness and were to claim she could cure them, they'd probably dismiss her as a lunatic or a con-artist. Finn had warned her before leaving about Hawkers, charlatans who sold false cures for the Bonding Sickness and also animal pelts (often those taken from dead spirit animals) that they claimed would grant the buyer the same gifts a spirit animal would give. The idea of these vile people left Sancha sickened and also chilled to the bone. 

She hoped that by having Finn with her, and thereby having a credible witness and source of proof that she wasn't a liar about her abilities, those in need might be more willing to accept her help. Of course, there was no telling if they would for certain, but Sancha hoped they would and that Finn backing her up would make a difference.

She knew that Finn would vouch for her as he and Tarik and Lenori had with Olvan, but only time would tell if it was enough.

...

Sancha's first taste of mainland Eura was one she wasn't going to forget. She marveled at how tall the evergreens in the woodlands were, and how beautiful the sunlight passing through the branches to the ground was. At first, they'd passed through only one town, and there'd been no incidents there. Sancha kept Spesamari in passive form, as forest was not exactly a seal's favored terrain. She did bring Spes out when they camped for a bit, and enjoyed lying on her bedroll at night, snuggled against the seal's warm and furry body, which kept her warm in ways blankets could only dream of.