Spirit Animals: The Giver's Legacy (Under Editing)

Chapter Two: Nectar of Ninani

Over the weekend, as well as the weeks that followed, Nora was suckered into working with the people of the village, where she did her best to learn all about them and the Great Beasts. She started to form ties with the adults and the kids.
But one day, all of that has changed yet again. She was keeping an eye on the children as they played with a graying ball with each other and kicking it between them from the shade of the trees. But Nora remembered what today was and took off to get ready.
In the center of the village was an incredible amount of people. It didn't happen every day that the honored guest of the tribe's chieftain would try to summon a spirit animal. Everybody had come to the event: the normal people, but also the real popular ones, young and old. Musicians played music, warriors stood by the chieftain and his family. There also was a chair for the chieftain and his family. It looked like there was a celebration. The chieftain and his family were great people and they always support the children's choices for their lives. Everybody was chanting the traditional chant of the Nectar Ceremony. 
It was a warm, clear day. The hills, in which Nora would rather be now, lay in the background behind tent tops. She had seen a few Nectar Ceremonies in the village. But she had never witnessed someone summoning a spirit animal, but she knew that the last month it had happened more than once. The ceremonies she had witnessed hadn't been so spectacular. There where less people. There definitely weren't as many animals as now.
Many people believed that the change of summoning a spirit animal increased when there where lots of animals.
If that was really true, then Nora might be lucky. There weren't just animals you would have as a pet. There were birds with beautiful feathers, antelope and gazelles, a few wildcats, three badgers and a snake. When Nora walked to the middle of the area, she wasn't really sure what to do.
Nora nodded to her friends as she stood in front of the two new visitors. Standing before her were two Greencloaks. Nora knew the man, Jabari, his shining graying hair was tied into a ponytail and his green cloak flowed behind him. His spirit animal — a jungle cat — Faraji was by his side. Jabari had lead the Nectar Ceremonies for years. He had given the Nectar to the kids who had reached her age too. Some of them had managed to summon spirit animals and became Greencloaks while others hadn't.
But standing next to pop was an unfamiliar man. The other Greencloak was a strange man, long and muscular, with broad shoulders and a face just as leather wore as his cloak. His skin was darker than that of the people around him, like he was from the northeast of Nilo or the southwest of Zhong; an uncommon sight here, in the middle of Eura. His animal wasn't visible, but Nora's eyes fell on the edge of a tattoo, which swirlingly went under the sleeve of the man. A wave of curiosity and excitement rushed through her. It meant that the spirit animal of the stranger was momentary sleeping on his arm.
She followed the long trail of people. When she walked past, the rows closed behind her; everybody walked with her to her destination. When Jabari saw Nora, he started to sing. The people of the village repeated every word of the old language of the tribe. Nora and the others had no idea what the words meant, but it was tradition.
When Nora had reached Jabari, she kneeled to the ground and felt the earth at her uncovered knees. As she sang, Jabari put a small bowl in a large tub. It was however exciting to find out how the Nectar tasted. However it tasted, by tasting the Nectar there would officially be an end to her childhood. Nora kneeled before Jabari. He was looking at her with a warm smile and there was curiosity in his eyes. He seemed just like every bonding ritual: relaxed and curious.
Nora drank the Nectar. It was a thick, and very sweet, like fruit dipped in chocolate. It became solid in her mouth. It was delicious. She had never tasted something so good.
The ground started shaking. The birds screeched. Antelopes and gazelles brayed. The camel snorted. The badgers cried out. The wildcats yowled.
The ground started shaking. The sky turned darker, like there was a cloud blocking the sun. A bright flash ran through the air, but closer than Nora had ever seen. The people gasped and started murmuring. Nora was blinded by the flash and blinked desperately to try and see something again. Warm feelings spread through her chest towards her arms and legs like fire. It was strange, but she felt unusually excited.
This light didn't have anything soft. Suddenly, a flaming firewall appeared, brighter than a campfire. It cast long shadows over the village. Some people shouted, shocked. When the light dissolved, a tigress had remained. Nora's entire body shook and she watched the tigress with awed amazement.
The tigress was big and strong, twice the size of Jabari's jungle cat, with a beautiful, shining pelt. Her pelt was in the stunning shade of silvery-white, streaked with black stripes. There were white patches around her blue eyes like white eyeshadow.
Nobody said a thing and continued watching her with the tigress. With fluid movements, her muscles churned underneath her pelt, the majestic animal walked towards Nora with such elegance and strength with a hint of pride and cheekiness, her fur seemed to radiate with power. She nuzzled her leg and they both met each other's eyes, Nora somehow knew that they were confirmed as equals. As soon as Nora was touched, the feeling that she was being electrified disappeared. Suddenly, Nora lowered herself down to the tigress's level. The village suddenly seemed very strange and cramped. She wanted to leave.
The tigress nuzzled her again and made an end to the stream of instincts which made her feel dizzy. Nora stood straight again and still barely understood what was going on. The animal that was standing next to her could eat her with one bite. The tigress looked up to her with a confident, but calm and determined expression. The animal was big and wild, but she seemed perfectly capable of controlling herself. She found it rather impressive that such a predator treated her with so much respect. Behind those bright green eyes seemed to hide more respect than seemed possible for an animal.
"A tigress?" commented a child.
The remark started a lot of whispering. The tigress stepped back a few steps away from Nora, feeling curious, and looked at the tigress. She has gorgeously beautiful blue eyes, shining like a pair of sapphires.
But Nora knew she had to name her spirit animal. A great name that matches the greatness, the beautifulness, and fierceness that her tigress was carrying within her. Nora lowered herself again and nervously started petting the beautiful tigress. Nora closed her thoughtfully, thinking up a good name for her tigress that will suit her perfectly.
"Sandra." Nora looked up and met the striped wildcat's eyes. "Is it okay I'll name you Sandra?"
The tigress let out a rumbling purr. She started sniffed Nora's face, her whiskers tickled her face. Nora could smell the sweet scent of fresh wildflowers and the jungle from her new spirit animal.
She ran a hand through the tigress's coat with a smile. "Sandra it is then." She stared at the two Greencloaks with wary curiosity, both of them looked amazed by the results of the events.
"You are very fortunate," said the new Greencloak. "Very few are lucky enough to summon an animal. You should be proud. It will be your lifelong partner."
"Not it." Nora smiled softly as she gazed at the tigress. "She." Not only she had summoned her own spirit animal, she did it with the Nectar and didn't catch the bonding sickness. "And her name is Sandra." She hugged Sandra with a smile.
                  ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
By the next day, Nora heard muffled whispers coming from outside of her hut. The whispers were coming from Jabari, Chief Sãhasí, Surak, and the unknown Greencloak. A moment of silence soon followed after the hushed conversation, making Nora thinking that they had a disagreement. She glanced at Sandra, who was simply grooming herself and Nora shrugged, unsure what to make of her new situation.
But at that moment, the unknown Greencloak soon opened the door and entered the room. Both Nora and Sandra both became alert, gazing at the unknown Greencloak.
The man stared with an unwavering, neutral gaze at her and then at the spirit animal beside her, he soon spoke calmly to her. "Chief Sãhasí tells me you've come from far away, not having had your Nectar. Are you lost?" Nora shook her head. She's not lost since she remembered reading the maps back home, but that's beside the point. It was more like a forcefully, but secret exile if anything else. "Is there anyone we can send a messenger to? Anyone who would want to come retrieve you." Nora frowned and shook her head, not sure if Gar would even want to pick her up and it might put her back in the hands of her father's assassin. "I am Tarik." His brown eyes gazed at her, warmth and sternness, could he seen in his depths. "What is your name?"
With a heavy sigh, she finally spoke to him in a shy and yet quiet voice. "My name is Nora."
"Nora." He sighed. "I'm afraid you aren't safe here anymore, Nora." She exchanged a confused glance at Sandra before they both continued gazing at Tarik. "I mean you no harm. But there are those who want to take advantage of the young Marked, much like yourself. I know those who can help you."
She swallowed nervously, the horrible memories returned to her mind... And it was her fault for not being able to do anything when the time came. "The last time I trusted someone, they backstabbed me and m-my f-father." She struggled to calm down her nerves. "Why should I trust someone who I don't know?"
"I wish I could answer that," Tarik replied sadly. But a thoughtful expression soon went over his face. "This man who killed your father? Who is he?"
"Zerif." Nora's eyes flashed with a predatory light at the mention of the Jackal, unafraid of revealing the truth.
"Zerif," Tarik echoed. "Are you sure that's his name?"
"Again, it's what he told us," Nora replied. "Do you know him?"
Tarik nodded. "We don't know much, but what we have heard is alarming to say the least."
"I don't doubt it," Nora responded angrily.
"From what you've said, I cannot argue with you on that," Tarik agreed. "This is unsettling news." He paused. "Nora... You may be in more danger than you think. And we — the Greencloaks — may need your help."
"My help?" Nora gazed at him, scared of the answer to the question. "Why would you need my help? Am I a danger?"
"You are not a danger," Tarik assured her. "But if you choose to leave, we will not be able to protect you."
"I don't need protection," snapped Nora.
"I certainly hope that's true," Tarik said. "In any case, we are not at that point just yet. Right now, we... I am asking for your help. And, if you let us... We may be able be able to help you and your partner."
Nora remained hesitant though. This was a big decision, and it had all come about so quickly. Did she really want to become a Greencloak? The Greencloaks were known for their tireless effort to keep all of Erdas safe and keeping tabs on the Nectar Ceremonies. Would Nora really have that same level of devotion to their cause? She continued to mull over the thought.
What about her parents, what would they have thought? Nora wasn't sure, she wasn't sure she knew who her parents were anymore. If she accepted the Tarik's offer that meant she'd get to find out what was happening. What if she didn't like what she found out though? No. She had to do it. Whether she liked what she would find out or not she needed to push through in order to come to peace with everything.
Hesitantly, Nora gazed at Sandra and the tigress gazed back at her. Emotions rolled around inside Nora like a whirlwind. She doesn't know whether to feel curious or confused or nervous or uncertain. Nora and Sandra both seemed like they're communicating silently with each other and came to a silent agreement.
Nora met Tarik's eyes firmly. "Me and Sandra will come with you. But I won't become a Greencloak. I... want to get used to my new surroundings and know more about Sandra." Nora smiled as the tigress's head gently bumped underneath her hand, she soon received more gentle scratches. "But in time, I'll probably put on the green mantle."
Tarik smiled at Nora warmly. "Thank you Nora. We'll leave tomorrow."