Spirit Animals: The Keeper's Book

Chapter Five: A New Mission

A year after the Second Devourer War.
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Jenna could be seen walking through the courtyard of her home with Destiny by her side. Her knot of worry had left her after months of peace spent in Amaya, undertaking simple work of rebuilding her homeland with the sea trading crew and donating medicine to the citizens in the nation. But she has been hearing whispers of Erdas's new troubles, the worried knot was back yet again and it was followed by the fierce determination of stopping the new danger ahead.
Many Greencloaks were coming and going from the docks, whispering amongst themselves and swiftly admiring glances at Jenna. She had more self-assurance than most teens, or most adults for that matter, but it made her bashful to be seen as a hero. In Amaya, she'd gave a shy smile, which was encouraging enough to honor the people's interest, but fierce enough to discourage any sudden handshakes and questions.
Jenna soon caught glimpse of something red jumping from each rooftop in Greenhaven. She eyed it warily, but she pretended not to notice it and kept walking with her spirit animal. Destiny noticed the unfamiliar presence of the uninvited guest and followed Jenna's lead. The two of them were both relaxed, but they remained vigilant in case the unknown visitor decided to attack them.
Come and get me buster, thought Jenna warily.
After a while, Jenna could see that the uninvited guest has finally disappeared without a trace. In her battle instincts, she remembered that sometimes her enemies ambushed her and Destiny when she thought they had lost them in her mission. But something about this uninvited guest had started to ring bells into her ears, and she's unsure whether to make of it.
Jenna soon noticed Destiny was gazing up at her, eyes alert and ears perked up. "Hmm... Maybe we've lost them?" She shrugged uncertainly at the thought and continued on her way with Destiny. But just like Destiny, she's on high alert.

Perhaps Jenna had eaten a bit too much, because she had a very strange and yet familiar dream. All around her seemed to be the faint outlines of the mountains from the mist. She seemed to be plunged into mist and everything around her had became blurry colors.
Jenna soon watched as everything had came into focus to see her younger self standing with her parents at the Eura docks. She smiled softly as she watched as her younger self helped out by moving the boxes and gave the boxes to the rightful owners. Her younger self unintentionally caught the attention of three boys, two brothers and their servant.
One of the eldest of the dark-haired boys stepped forward as he watched her curiously. He resembled Devin Trunswick greatly (Mustela told her about him). Maybe Jenna did meet him before she lost her memory at the shipwreck incident.
Devin soon cleared his throat, which caught Past Jenna's attention. "Um... H-Hello." His younger brother and his servant both let out muffled laughter, which earned a glare from Devin before he gazed at her. "So, what's your name and where are you from milady?"
"My name is Jenna Wiseheart," said Past Jenna as she stood up and kept a hand on one of the wooden crates, who was eyeing the boy warily. "I'm from Amaya." Past Jenna eyed him up and down before she asked. "What about you? What's your name?"
"My name is Devin Trunswick." Devin puffed his chest proudly. "I'm from Eura, Trunswicks."
"How about you tell me about yourself?" asked Past Jenna curiously.
He hesitated for a little bit before he spoke again, but a little softer and more uncertain. "I am about to be the future Lord of Trunswicks and... Umm... That's pretty much it." 
Past Jenna's gaze softened as she looked at him. During her time on the Essix's Spirit, she had came across a boy Niloan-Zhongese boy named Kirat, who is pretty much like Devin, born and raised to live up to his family's reputation and the family name with nothing else in mind.
"What about you?" Devin asked curiously.
"I'm here with my parents," said Past Jenna with a smile. "They're both sea traders. We travel together nonstop so we won't be separated from each other."
Jenna's teenage counterpart watched the scene nonstop, stunned to the point of silence as she continued watching her past self and Devin have started to become close friends. Jenna swallowed nervously. She finally understood that Devin was really heartbroken that they were forced to face each other on opposite sides and she wasn't able to recognize in the midst of her battle.
Jenna bolted awake and headed towards the door. She pulled out her best sword and her favored archery gear that's perfect for her. Jenna quickly summoned Destiny and quickly told her about her lost memory and dream, in which the wolf understood the situation.
Without a word, Jenna started exploring the courtyard with Destiny by her side. After she was finished speaking to her reunited friends, Jenna was just about to head inside when something caught her attention. Her instincts pricked up, it only happened when she was being watched.
Jenna scanned the darkening grounds, and then Destiny let out a low growl, and Jenna's eyes tracked up the wall to see a single figure perched on top. He stood, leaning almost lazily against the place where the wall met the shadowy alleyway. He'd be hard to notice in the fading light, but Jenna felt her eyes focus with Destiny's sharp eyes. She could see him clearly, from the sweep of his bright red cloak to the silvery wood of his cat mask. There was something so... familiar about the figure. Which was impossible, she knew. He was covered head to toe, every inch hidden from view except the bright glint of golden eyes, and in them was relieved recognition.
With a cat's agility, he jumped down from the wall and into the shadowy alleyway as the two of them regarded each other. Feelings flashed between them like lightning: unspoken fear, uncertainty, wariness, and curiosity.
"You're the one they call the Keeper, right?" The Masked Stranger's voice sounded muffled due to his cat mask, but his voice is still strong and determined. "My name is Worthy... and I desperately need your help."
Jenna blinked in surprise and exchanged a confused glance with Destiny before eyeing the mysterious Masked Stranger warily. "That depends." Her eyes flashed, a clear warning to him. "What is it?"
"A friend and I were exploring an underground cavern when we were attacked by monstrous animals," Worthy explained to her. "It was like they'd been possessed. Every one of them had a strange spiral symbol on their foreheads."
Jenna felt a little worried and concerned about the situation, and wonders if her abilities could work on these possessed animals. "I've never heard anything like that before."
"My friend is still down there," continued Worthy. "She was headed for the deep center of the caves." Jenna frowned, feeling conflicted with the new problem. She had taken up a solemn promise to protect Erdas for Ninani, who is responsible for bringing her here and facing her destiny as her newest champion.
Seeing the conflicted look on her face, Worthy gently held her hands as he implored to her. "Please help me! I know you have unique gifts. You're the only one who can free those animals and break through to her."
"I... I'm not sure I can do this," admitted Jenna uncertainly, still feeling conflicted about the new problem.
"I'm returning to the caves tomorrow morning." Worthy's desperate golden eyes locked onto her conflicted blue eyes. "Talk to me here if you're willing to help. Please, just think about it."
As Jenna and Destiny both exchanged another conflicted glance, she has since that her spirit animal was telling her that she should trust her intuition. But as Jenna turned to look at Worthy, he had disappeared without a trace into the incoming night.