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

Chapter Five: Stories of the Past

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, Sandra, and the Cooley brothers. But Nora was curious 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 storm. She doesn't know whether to feel wary or curious or confused or uncertain. But the biggest emotion that was racing through her was strong 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 today.
Nora might meet up with him at the courtyard balcony after breakfast while Sandra padded beside her. Her hand gently brushed through Sandra's white and black striped fur, causing Sandra to purr and leaning against Nora's gentle stroking before she refocused on her great strides. Nora had felt a little guilty for taking the Nectar by her original homeland's enemies while her people continued suffering from the terrible Bonding Sickness. But, she also felt relieved that the Greencloaks had gave her the Nectar and their friendship to her. Nora had pushed back her anger towards the Greencloaks and that anger has been replaced by her curiosity of why they haven't brought Stetriol any Nectar. She's planning to ask Olvan and Lenori about why their Greencloak ancestors haven't brought Stetriol any Nectar... Once she gains the courage and confidence to ask one of them about it.
Stetriol... Nora stared towards the southern direction of her homeland. She wasn't able to see island kingdom from where she's at, but her sense of homesickness still weighed heavily in her heart. She doesn't just missed her homeland, she also misses her two older triplet siblings, Drina and Shane. She's the youngest one of the triplets. When Drina became bonded with Iskos, her mood swings from her sickness became pretty fearsome and unpredictable by the minute. Nora learned how to read the mood in the air and was extra cautious when it comes to her conversations with Drina. But Shane, on the other hand, was quite the opposite of Drina. He wasn't bonded with any spirit animal nor caught the bonding sickness, but he was weary of the weight of the crown and the bonding sickness within Stetriol. Nora let Shane vent out his frustrations on her, knowing that he felt pressured by the kingdom's weight. But there's a flip side of his more playful personality; clever, dutiful, a bit cynical, sarcastic, and has the potential of being a great leader (if Zerif doesn't play mind games on him). When they both learned about a "Miracle Cure" from a certain traveler (aka Zerif), Nora had insisted to hear his side of the story to Shane. But as the two of them talked about the bonding sickness situation on Stetriol, Nora stayed with their father and spoke to him, in failed hopes that he'll return to normal, but it didn't.
Once upon a time, King Irwyn was a strong man and a great King of Stetriol. But before he was crippled by his bonding sickness, he was a gentle and loving father towards her and her siblings before he was forced to fight the bonding sickness everyday. But when he killed his spirit animal, he became the shell of the man he once was and was soon stuck bedridden before he was killed by Zerif's jackal. Queen Abella was a loving woman and a wonderful Queen of Stetriol. She was a calm and wise mother towards her and her siblings. But she has done many gardening projects, including what their fallen ancestors had left behind during the First Devourer War. The bonding sickness soon overwhelmed her and she soon passed away, causing many citizens of Stetriol to fall into a shape of despair, anger, fear, and hopelessness.
She snapped out of her thoughts when she felt a gentle hand on her shoulder. "Nora?" She turned to see a concerned Tarik with Lumeo on his left shoulder. "Are you okay?"
Nora gazed at him with quiet thoughtfulness. "I'm okay." She soon gazed back at the Southern Sea. "Just a little homesick. But I'll be fine." Tarik gently patted her shoulder. "Though, I have to ask. Why did you decide to become my guardian?"
"I was concerned that you'll be placed with someone you don't know after your move into Greenhaven Castle," Tarik told her. "I don't want you to feel as if you were being handed off to a stranger. I've figured it'll be easier for you to be with me, considering we've spent some time with each other."
"Especially of how... wary I was?" Nora's voice was filled with nervous curiosity.
"I knew it was nothing personal towards me," said Tarik understandingly. "It was based off your curiosity and wariness towards Greencloaks in general that you've picked up over the years."
His explanation had hit the hammer to the nail. She had great wary curiosity towards all of the Greencloaks as she grew up in Stetriol. But she had yet to hear their side of the story, in which she had her guard up when she learned about the true cure in Erdas. When she first met Tarik, she had seen his compassion and bravery. As she made new friends amongst the Greencloaks and became extremely close with Sandra, Nora soon learned that her people weren't the only ones who were having problems when it came to the bonding sickness and the protectors of Erdas were the Greencloaks, so the past won't echo itself yet again.
"But I'm not sure I could do that," Nora told him softly. "I mean, I'm not sure I'm ready to become a Greencloak."
Tarik smiled sadly. "I'm going to tell you something that very few people know. I had a sister once, named Reima. She was three years younger than me, but we were inseparable. Reima was mature, kind, and smart. She was like a warm ray of sunshine. My parents scrimped and saved just to send her to school. Of the two of us, it seemed she had the brighter future." Tarik steeled his gaze toward the horizon as he continued. "As you've seen, not all families are happy when a child calls a spirit animal. For most, having a child join the Greencloaks means losing him or her. My parents operated a carpet shop and had counted on me to run it so that they could retire — they were quite old by then. But Lumeo came to me in my Nectar Ceremony, and that changed everything."
At the mention of his name, Lumeo popped his head out of Tarik's bag, peering curiously with his bright eyes. Nora stroked Lumeo under his chin, and the otter closed his eyes as he basked in the pleasure of it.
"Reima was delighted," Tarik continued, a sad smile went over his expression. "She loved as much as I did. Secretly I wanted to join the Greencloaks, to use my new link with Lumeo to do good in the world. But I was also ashamed of that dream. Leaving would mean letting my family down. I never shared my hopes with Reima, but she knew. Without my knowledge, she told our parents she wanted to quit her schooling and work in the shop instead. They believed her — and when she took over the family business, I was free to join the Greencloaks."
"She sacrificed her future," Nora said, her voice soft. "For you."
Tarik nodded and lifted the hem of his cloak into the sunlight. "She gave up much so that I could wear the green. Perhaps, too much. Every morning, I silently thank her. Every evening too, before I sleep. She's always on my mind, even though, as I'm sure you've noticed, I don't speak of her. What she means to me, the importance of what she did, is a weight that I keep private. It is mine to bear, and sometimes that makes it seem more pure, more sacred." Nora nodded thoughtfully, understanding how much of an insult it was for him to take off his cloak and hide it away. "But that's not the only way. If your burdens become too heavy, you should also know when to share your pain or worries." Tarik placed a hand gently on Nora's shoulder, smiling softly. "As I've just done with you. You have that option too."
Nora soon realized the other reason of why he became take charge of her care and training. But, before she could understand what was happening, Nora soon wrapped her arms around him in a warm embrace. Quiet tears ran down from her eyes as she buried her face into his embrace. A little surprised, Tarik didn't push her away from Nora's embrace. She felt a warm arm gently strapping around her shoulders, holding her gently against a strong sturdy frame.
They both broke their embrace with each other and turned to look at the horizon together. But Nora smiled softly as Tarik gently rested his left arm over her shoulders and she leaned against his side while following her gaze to the horizon.
They both gazed out on the horizon far ahead, where the sun was beginning to set. All around her, the sky was painted with beautiful warm colors, the clouds turning a bluish purple in contrast. Not taking their eyes off the breathtaking sight, they both smiled at the feelings of peace and understanding wrapped around them.