The Fifth Season

CHAPTER SIX: A GUARDIAN OWL

SNOH

"So, what exactly is a guardian?" I was seated on the grass just shy of where the minor waterfall stream—Sleepy Rapids as it was dutifully named, rested. The title fits the body of water very amicably as it was a weaker set of streams that flew down into the circular pool of water below it; almost in a lazy manner, hence its name.

My body was still a shivering mess as I engaged in deep conversation with Saam and now I wasn't so sure if it was because I was initially scared of the tsunami or that something inside of me had been extremely disturbed, almost like opening up a box of items that weren't meant to be seen to the probing eye.

Saam sighed internally, I could sense that; it was hard to explain but it was almost as if I could feel Saam's emotions through mine. I could only imagine if he felt the same whenever I had a turn of personality.

Possibly why he could tell I was a little unnerved tonight.

Guardians are specially selected creatures by the Ultimate Goddesses themselves. You never know when you are chosen... you just live your life as an animal and the next, you are touched and become a very sentient individual whose goal is to wait and find your attachment.

My eyes perked up in wonder at his statement. So, they were chosen? This was some very interesting information, I couldn't help but want to ask more probing questions. So how long do you have to wait before finding an attachment? I inquired.

Saam got up from the grass and batted his wings fast enough that he flew to a rock beside bushes near the water. I turned my seated position so I could face him; although I didn't necessarily have to be staring at him in order to carry on a conversation, I still liked to give the people I was talking to my full attention, besides this was new information to me; I needed to make sure I was getting every last bit of clues to what was going on with me as possible.

It varies. I'm not sure about others since I simply worry about my own attachment, but I have been here for quite some time now. He stated. I cocked my head to the side. How long? I asked.

Nearly five hundred isos. He finished replying.

Saam's gaze seemed concentrated on the trickling water and the steady wade of the water down in the pond beneath it. I was amazed he had lived for that long! I would just imagine the average lifespan of a normal owl but then having to quadruple that—no! It definitely had to be more than, I couldn't imagine living for that long, was there that much to do in that time?

But now that I think of it, I wanted to travel across the nations. I'm sure Saam had the opportunity to see many different places during his extended life period and that in itself was quite an accomplishment. Am I your first attachment? I found myself asking him instinctively.

Saam slowly turned to me, his golden molten eyes focusing back on me once more.

Yes, that would be correct.

I smiled softly, I felt honored that I was his first, but it made me think of the possibility that there could be more out there. Am I the only attachment you can form? What if you have more out there that you don't know of?" I inquired.

Saam hooted. The first sound I've heard that he's made as an owl since I met him; all our meetings were met with intense probing stares before he would simply fly off—oh, and that weird neck thing he would do to freak me out, but other than, I would forget I was speaking to an owl if he wasn't staring at me with his intense eyes or clinging onto my shoulders with his prickly claws.