"But I can say I know you're strong. You have that desire for revenge. Just like Meilin."
The days flew by almost too fast for me to remember. But I knew we were getting closer. Nullet could feel it, and he wasn't shy on letting us know. He made the funniest noise the other night, it even made Rollan chuckle. I tried to comfort Nullet, but he seemed too anxious.
Abeke was teaching me extra tips for using a bow. I was preparing an arrow with Abeke's supervision. She whispered a piece of advice into my ear before I let go. My eyes widened as my arrow wizzed through the air crookedly flying way past my target. Rollan scoffed, "That was terrible." He had his arms folded.
I closed my eyes and sighed. Abeke placed a hand on my shoulder, "Olivia, is there something bothering you?" I hesitated to respond. I never liked opening up to people. Her hand didn't make me feel uncomfortable or uneasy.
"Can we step aside?" I asked nodding towards the forest edge. She nodded and followed me away from everyone else. There was something on my mind. "I met my twin brother." Abeke looked shocked but she had a delicate look on her face. "I-I saw him at the battle with the Belenese a few weeks ago. There was this lady and- I just- it all makes me sad and angry at once. She gave me a sympathetic look.
"I'm sorry you're dealing with this, Olivia." She was searching for words to say. I was staring intently at a rock refusing to make eye contact. "I can't say I've been through what you're going through."
"But I can say I know you're strong. And I know you want to find Meilin as much as we all do. And you want to destroy those Belenese. You have that desire for revenge. Just like Meilin. And maybe it's because you both lost someone." Deep breaths. "But I know you can push past this, right?" I nodded keeping my mouth in a firm line. "We'll be there for you if you want to find him again."
Right then I went back to that moment where I left him standing in that cave. Did I do the right thing? But why did I run? What will Ryker think? I'm a terrible person. Running from their fears. From their past. Can I really be afraid of my past? Is that possible? It definitely is. Ok. I need to stop.
"Ready?" Abeke asked her hand on my shoulder. I didn't realize it was there until I shook away those thoughts. I wanted to shrug it off, but it wasn't fair to take out my emotions on her. She was only trying to help. And she was right. I couldn't be selfish. We were on a mission.
We walked back over to everyone else. Sal and Conor we're putting together all the packs. The sun was rising over the beautiful Zhongese Mountains. Birds were chirping in the distance. It was a good morning whether I wanted to admit it or not.
Just when I expected us to leave, Sal motioned for us to sit together. He waited for everyone to stop shuffling and whispering. Then, he smiled at us sadly.
I was afraid of what would come next. I don't know why. Something about his smile reminded me of Clarice.
"I had a small group of young greencloaks to teach before you all." He said his voice lowering. Rollan was carvjng his dagger into some bark. "And I never got to properly teach you to fight like your old instructor. It almost feels like I don't have that connection." Rollan squinted his eyes speculatively. "So, I wanted to tell you a bit of my past. Just so we can know each other better. I know this was all a tad rushed." I tried to put my full focus on him. It seemed like everything was distracting me. "I promised no secrets so I suppose I need to follow this rule as well. And then we'll leave right after this." He explained.
"I grew up with my little brother in a small poor household. We both wanted to summon spirit animals so badly. But he got very sick and-" Sal paused clearing his throat. "-he told me I should leave him to visit our younger cousin who had just recently made it as a Greencloak. I felt terrible, but it had been years and my brother wasn't any better. So I left to go visit my cousin." Sal was now staring at the ground very intently. "By then I had already summoned Lusty, of course. It took a while to get to him, but when I did he was glad to help me train to be a greencloak like him."
Rollan already looked bored with this story. I wanted to kick him. He was being such an idiot lately. But I know he was only upset about Meilin. So I waited for Sal to bring his brother up again. The way he said 'brother' made him look like the life had been sucked out of him.
"After I met Olvan and everyone I learned that my brother had just passed away." He took a deep breath. "I still regret leaving him, but then again, I never would have become a Greencloak." Conor opened his mouth to say something but stopped himself. "Anyways, I wanted you to know that-" he swallowed and looked at Rollan. "-that my younger cousin, his name was Tarik."
YOU ARE READING
Spirit Animals | Damaged
Fanfiction"Damaged people are dangerous. They know they can survive." It's been 4 months since the four fallen have defeated Kovo and Gerathon. Right now they're legends. At the mention of their names there's a gasp. It's been Olivia's dream to summon a Spir...
