Spirit Animals Shorts

Jaisholt - Arrival {Part 5}

Hello, this is Raisha. Since all of you have been writing down what's been happening so far, I can safely supply Jolt and myself  to write this part and the next one as NONE OF YOU SHOULD HAVE BEEN WITHIN A MILE OF US WHEN WE WENT OUT, OKAY? NONE OF YOU, NOT EVEN SONG.

Thank you.

Raisha's POV:

Smoothing out her jade green dress and breathing deep, Raisha waved a nervous farewell to the group of people clustered on the docks of Greenhaven Isle. Among the people, she saw Meilin, Tasha, Abeke, Conor, Shadow, Worthy, King, and Katalin, though Song was nowhere to be found.

"And remember just try to enjoy yourself!" Meilin called as the boat was untethered from the dock.

"Have fun!" Tasha called, waving a little over-enthusiastically and falling off the dock into the water.

"Enjoy the food!" Katalin shouted, waving happily as Tero bounced on her shoulder.

"Don't get yourself killed!" Worthy called, obviously straining to say something helpful but failing.

"Be home by nine-thirty!" King shouted, it sounding more like an order than an suggestion.

"Just remember to breathe!" Conor said. Briggan barked at his side.

"Good luck!" Abeke shouted, waving while silently bending down to help Dawson get Tasha out of the water.

"And remember!" Shadow shouted, nearly jumping off the dock as it slowly disappeared into mist. "Jolt likes you!!!"

Raisha blushed, smiling happily. "Thank you!" She called back, but they were already out of sight and she didn't know whether they had heard her or not. She stared after them for a while, before she suddenly saw a head poking out of the water and recognized it to be Song.

"Have a good time on your dateeeeeeee!" She called, flipping into the air like a dolphin and slipped back under the water again and went out of view.

She and Gerathon drifted there on the helm of the ship for a while, the vast emptiness of the sea and the calming mist. The scent of the ocean spray relaxed her, and she leaned over the railing at the foamy ocean crashing below her rhythmically. She could even taste the salty water, and she breathed in again, relishing the peace and tranquillity.

Suddenly, she heard a bell chime, which, she was told, meant that they were nearing land. She peered into the mist, looking for the bumpy shoreline of Zhong, though because Gerathon gave her no sight advantage, she couldn't really see anything, but she could sense the faint presence of land beyond her sight.

Eventually, the mist cleared, leaving the sun-bathed shorelines of Southern Zhong in her sights. Raisha breathed in deeply, both in nervousness and excitement. Suddenly, she remembered her friend Xatnthe, who had disappeared so long ago over those same mountains to return to Sadre. Raisha wondered if she was okay, and if she would ever return. You can do this. If not for yourself, then do it for Xanthe.

Gerathon gave what Raisha took as a comforting hiss by her side, and she breathed in again, calmed. This was it. Her date with Jolt. Her heart raced in her chest as the ship docked at the Zhongeze shoreline, where she could already see the town where she and Jolt were supposed to meet up at. She breathed a sigh of anticipation, excitement running through her veins.

"Are you ready Gerathon?" She asked, looking towards her Spirit Animal pensively.

And with Gerathon's hiss of encouragement, she stepped forward onto the Zhongeze shores, ready for her date.

Jolt's POV:

"So," Worthy said steadily, looking at Jolt worriedly. He had never seen Worthy look this responsible, much less responsible in the first place. "You think you're ready?"

"Ummm..." Jolt stuttered, pausing. "Halfway ready?"

"Wow." Said Stead flatly. The second-in-command had actually left The Torch to see Jolt off, which actually made him a little more jumpy inside. The Redcloak normally didn't leave the tower for anything, so it made him happier to know that Stead really did care enough to help him prepare to his date.

"You have to be completely ready," Worthy explained, pacing back and forth as his tail lashed. "Do you have everything you need?"

"We've already paid for the dinner, so that's covered," Jolt said aloud, thinking over everything he had done to prepare that day. "I had Shadow do my hair, and King leant me the suit. I don't think I've forgotten anything."

"Wrong." Stead said bluntly, frowning slightly.

"What happened to the flowers?" Worthy asked, looking around immediately after he asked. He shook his head. "Never mind that. We'll just get you some new ones."

"Okay, okay. But what do I say to her?"

"You practiced this." Stead said gruffly.

"Right, right. First I complement her, then I can show her where the restaurant is. We sit down, give our orders, and then we talk while we're waiting. Then, the food comes, we eat for a bit, and then I can ask her how she thinks the food is."

"And then?" Worthy prompted.

"And then, once we finish eating, we go over to the cherry blossom orchard and we have a nice, moonlit stroll, and then I can tell her how I feel, and hopefully, she feels the same way." Jolt finished, his heart leaping on its own just thinking about Raisha and possibly telling her how he felt.

Would this really work out? Could he really have an successful date with Raisha?

"Okay buddy!" Worthy chimed happily. "Have a good time! You're ship's here!" Worthy pointed to a streamlined boat sliding it's way into the docks, smiling happily at him.

"Good luck." Stead said, his expression unmoving but still giving a neutral thumbs-up.

"Here's some flowers!" Worthy said cheerfully, shoving a bouquet of dark purple flowers into his arms.

"Thanks." Jolt said, giving one more nervous sigh before moving into the boat and hearing the warning bell chime as it took off.

After what seemed like an eternity of waiting uncomfortably on the boat, Jolt finally arrived at Zhong, happy to have arrived early. He stepped off the boat, thanking the captain, and started out towards the faint outline of the town in the distance.

Soon he arrived at the small pass leading towards the town, with steep hillsides leading up this side of the landscape, making a narrow journey through to the settlement. In ten distance, Jolt could see the growing outlines of the buildings nearby. Trees sprouted from the hills above him, covering the worn tail in dappled sunlight.

Focusing on the sound of his footsteps on the path, Jolt breathed deeply, inhaling the fresh scent of Zhongeze air. He'd never been to Zhong before. Suddenly, as he listened carefully, he noticed that his footprints became slightly louder. Suddenly he stopped, and he heard the footsteps continue behind him.

He whipped around in realization, spinning to try and see his stalker. All he managed to spy was a dark blur dash pass by, faster than he could spin.

"Who's out there!" Jolt called, spinning around to face the hills. "Show yourself!"

He heard more people behind him, and he turned around to an empty path. Am I imagining things? There was a rustling in the bushes. Nope, definitely not imagining.

"It's one of those cloak-wearing freaks!" Came a voice suddenly from behind him, and he whipped around to see a dark figure dash away.

"Oh, I hate them! Thinking they're so superior to the rest of us!" Hissed a voice from the trees, and he turned around to see a dark figure jumping from tree to tree.

"What the..?" He murmured aloud. Jolt could tell these people were different, as the agility of the one in the trees and the speed of the one who kept following him. Either these people had Spirit Animals, or they were highly trained. He just didn't know why they were doing this. He glanced at the sky. If he didn't hurry, he'd be late!

He broke out into a sprint, trying to make it through the pass as quick as he could.

"He's getting away!" Hissed the voice from behind him, and he ran even faster.

"I got this." Said the voice from the trees, and suddenly something landed on him, and everything went black.