Sancha: A Spirit Animals Story

Chapter 30: Falcon Boy

A/N: This is the first chapter that has dialogue from the actual books in it. However, there will be some slight alterations to some of the dialogue since in this version, the Greencloaks have a little more insight into their enemies (partially from Sancha but also from secret informants, which were referenced earlier on this story and don't really feature in the actual books but I mean, it's pretty likely something like that existed), and there are some more minor details that don't work with what I've previously written, so they'll be changed too. Enjoy!!

The journey to Sunset Tower in Amaya was taxing, and Sancha was relieved when they finally arrived. It was a beautiful clear day with enough cloud cover to prevent one's skin from scorching, but not so much as to obscure the sun from view.  The habitat surrounding the highly fortified outpost was green and robust. The grass that brushed against Sancha's legs as she walked beside Tarik (who was astride a horse), Conor, Meilin, Briggan, and Jhi was tall and close-knit, allowing Sunset Tower to seem more at ease with the nature around it than it might have otherwise.

Horns heralded their arrival at the outpost. The gesture was not new to Sancha, but poor Conor seemed a little startled by the sound, as did his wolf. Meilin, who's aristocratic background no doubt had normalized such bombastic welcomes, seemed to straighten her back just the slightest bit more, a movement most would have missed, but was not lost on the exiled Stetriolan princess, who had been drilled in similar disciplines throughout her childhood.

In stark contrast, Jhi lumbered along on short, sturdy legs, looking a tad silly as she did so, much to the private annoyance of her partner. Interactions during the trip to Sunset Tower had given Sancha a rather enlightening portrait of the Zhongese girl's character. 

Meilin was tough, yet clearly hurting. Sancha wasn't fooled by the girl's mask of soft charm and determined discipline, both because her bond allowed her insight into the true emotions and thoughts of others, a skill Sancha called 'reading', and also because she'd worn her own variations of that mask at various times throughout her life.

Meilin had a stubborn edge that reminded Sancha of her sister Drina, and of the girl she herself had been shortly after she drank the Nectar. To make the similarities even starker, Meilin had shown a desire to distance herself from her spirit animal, much as Sancha had initially with Spes. But whereas Sancha's walls had stemmed from painful memories of her past and guilt over having avoided an otherwise miserable fate that had befallen many she'd known, Meilin's walls seemed to emerge from disappointment.

It was abundantly clear to all who'd been around her lately that Meilin valued her physical strength above all of her other qualities. She'd been willing enough to discuss her extensive combative training with Sancha during their time on the road, and all she'd said painted a picture of a force to be reckoned with hidden behind a beautiful exterior.  Even had she not called a spirit animal, she'd nonetheless be difficult to defeat if one decided to be her opponent.  Of course, Meilin did call an animal. But this was a girl who valued physical strength and wanted a spirit animal that would only enhance this, and it was lost on her as to how a panda, regarded as silly and docile, could serve that purpose.

Privately, Sancha felt offended on Jhi's behalf. Sure, pandas were perhaps the least frightening of bears, but bears they were nonetheless. And still rather big, and Jhi was larger than average for a panda. Certainly Jhi could like fend off attackers if she had to. But this seemed lost on Meilin, and Sancha wondered if she'd end up watching something akin to her own struggle to reconcile with her spirit animal, when Meilin hopefully realized her folly. The idea made her heart clench, not just for Jhi, but Meilin as well.

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