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

Chapter Four: New Friends

Over the weekend, as well as the weeks that followed, Nora was suckered into working with the people of Greenhaven Castle, where she did her best to learn all about them and learning more about her brand new bond with Sandra. She started to form ties with Olvan, Lenori, Tarik, and Sandra. But Nora was nervous and shy about the idea of her being in the same castle with the Greencloaks. She used the advantage of the massive size of the castle to explore it with Sandra.
Emotions rolled around inside Nora like a strong whirlwind. She doesn't know whether to feel wary or curious or confused or uncertain. But the biggest emotion that was racing through her was confusion. And that confusion belonged to Tarik. A few days after their meeting, Nora was very surprised to hear that she became the charge of Tarik and he became her new mentor at her new home in the Greencloak Castle. She planned on asking him about why he had decided to become her mentor by the next day. Nora was getting ready to go to the training room, but she felt both nervous and excited of meeting her mentor and guardian. Her own gray cloak gleamed like the silver of the moon as she strapped it on.
She signed. "I'm ready, Sandra. I think."
Her words were directed at the tigress, who was sitting down as she groomed herself and watching her patiently with a calm look in her amber eyes in the room. The room was big enough for Sandra to play fetch with Nora.
In just a few short days, their world had shrunk from her home in the lands of Stetriol to the island fortress: Greenhaven is the headquarters of the Greencloaks, guardians of Erdas. Nora figured that the castle was very beautiful Nora it stood on the top of a waterfall.
Outside the window, a bell sounded from a distant tower. Three tolls: the call to training. As Nora opened the door, the dim hallway was full of sound. A monkey barked a laugh somewhere at the side of the ceiling and a boy was calling out for the monkey. A horse whinnied. Hoofbeats followed by footsteps resonated through the stone walls. Nora ducked as a hawk soared overhead. She quickly took hold of Sandra's scruff after recognizing her spirit animal's excited glint and looked ready to go on the hunt.
"I'm not going to let you eat somebody's spirit animal," scolded Nora. "Remember what I've told you. You're allowed to eat the wild animals in the wild, but not at Greenhaven. Okay?" Sandra seemed to have given a sigh and nodded at Nora, an understanding had shone in her bright green eyes. "Good, now let's go." As she and Sandra walked quickly down the hallway, various Greencloaks waved and greeted her by name.
Sandra made a curious rumbling sound as they climbed down the circular stairwell in front of them. At the bottom, both Nora and Sandra hesitated. They faced two identical halls, each with plaster-white walls and exposed timber ceilings. Only one led to the training room.
Maybe there was somebody inside that arched doorway who could help her find her way. Even if the room was empty, there was something tempting about the curved entry. Although it surely led to another room, something about it felt as if it led to the outside instead. Nora couldn't quite explain the sensation to herself.
Cautiously, she pushed the door open. Inside was a dim room she'd never seen before. It was cluttered with musical instruments, mysterious pieces of art, and mirrors. There was a pile of drums as tall as Nora, a piano-like instrument the size of a dog, and a bin full of flutes and recorders. A portrait of a girl smiled at her from one wall, while a mural of a man leading dozens of unfamiliar animals through a field covered another. The room smelled like dust, wood, and leather, but it also somehow felt like the outdoors to Nora's delight.
A single man stood inside, partially turned away.
It was possible his spirit animal was in its passive state, but Nora was quick to realize that she wouldn't be able to tell. Apart from his face, every inch of visible pale skin was covered in green and purple tattoos: inked mazes, circles, stars, moons, knots, stylized creatures. The mark of his spirit animal wouldn't stand out in the rest of the tattoos. Nora was impressed. Whether it was the man's intention or not, he had done a wonderful job of hiding the current location of his passive spirit animal. Even though he seemed young, his hair was a spiky brown.
He didn't seem to notice her silent, accidental presence. Nora suddenly felt as if she was intruding on something private, almost scarce. But she couldn't shake the feeling that she had seen this man before. In that dim, mirrored room, it was also a little mysterious.
She backed out and made sure she had a good grip on Sandra as they went to find their way to the training room.
"Hello." Nora flinched and spun around to see the tattooed Greencloak, his gray eyes gleamed with gentle warmth. "Who are you?"
She bowed her head shyly. "I'm Nora." She ran a hand over her spirit animal's fur. "And this is Sandra." The tigress nodded to him.
"And I'm Finn Cooley," said Finn. "But if I'm not mistaken, don't you have to train today?"
Nora gave him a sheepish smile and nodded. She backed out and made sure she had a good grip on Sandra as they went to find their way to the training room.