𝗥𝗘𝗦𝗨𝗥𝗥𝗘𝗖𝗧𝗜𝗢𝗡

Chapter I

It was just another late morning for seventeen-year-old Ana Hawkins as she hiked in the forest valley with her best friend, Orion. She could think of no one better to spend her last day of summer with before moving off to college. After all, it's always been the two of them from the start for as long as she can remember.

"Race you to the top, Orion!" Ana shouted breathlessly, heaving herself up the rocky slope onto a flat ledge, which naturally served as a lookout point, marked by a bright-colored ribbon tied to a nearby tree branch left behind from their last hiking trip. Standing upright, she turned around to stare at the view of the forest valley and a town in the distance with a proud grin before bursting into cheer. "Ha! It's over, Orion. I have the high ground!"

Ana glanced down the slope, somewhat breathless, but her breath caught when Orion was nowhere in sight. What the – where is he? I swear he was right behind me.

Suddenly, she heard loose pebbles falling down the slope behind her to her left. Instinctively, she turned around with her guard up but instantly relaxed when a familiar sound reached her ears.

Bark! Bark!

A handsome, black, and brown four-legged canine stood proudly on top of a nearby ledge, several feet higher than she stood. His tail wagging behind him, he gazed down at her with a smug look that screamed, "You underestimate my power."

"Hey! How'd you get up there?"

For as long as Ana could remember, Orion has always been at her side. She could not recall ever a time before without her faithful companion. Ana remembered her adoptive mother sharing a story of encountering a lone dog during one of her hiking trips in the forest valley, barking for attention and leading her to Ana as a young child with no identity or family to claim her—all except for a dog who never left the little girl's side, wearing a strange-looking belt.

Growing up, Ana knew her faithful companion was more than an average dog. He was somehow more intelligible and always one step ahead of her, as though he always knew what she was thinking. It was times like these that Orion never failed to astonish her.

"Stay right there. I'm coming up." She climbed the rest of the way to where Orion waited patiently. Then, within reach, her friend bolted and disappeared into the trees. She huffed her hands on her hips. "Aaand he's gone. I should've known he wasn't going to listen to me."

Bark! Bark!

"Yeah, yeah. I'm coming!" Ana huffed, following the sounds of her companion's barking. After several minutes of maneuvering through the forest, she came upon a small meadow with a thick, lone tree sprouting at its center.

"Wow." Her jaw dropped slightly as she took in the scenery. She had hiked across this familiar valley for many years but had never encountered this particular meadow, its location seemingly out of place.

Suddenly, Orion popped into view from behind the tree, his tail wagging furiously as he barked for her attention as if to show her something. "What is it, boy? What is this place?"

As Ana heads towards him, her bright green eyes analyze the great tree, from its thick roots peaking through the dirt to its canopy of branches swaying against the passing breeze. Strangely, no leaves were shaken from its branches, and the tree itself looked as though it was glowing faintly.

Once she reached Orion, Ana petted him and glanced behind the tree, noticing a sizeable hollow crack in its trunk. "Well, that's interesting."

Bark!

Sunlight pierced through the swaying branches, reflecting off something within the hollowed trunk. Eyes squinting, Ana stepped forward for a closer look. Curiosity getting the best of her, she raised her hand, reaching inside the dark hollow. Feeling something round and warm, she pulled it out to see a small golden orb with astronomical rings around it. "What is this? What's it doing here in a tree?"

Bark! Bark! Bark! Grrrr —

Noticing Orion's growl, Ana glanced down at her companion, crouched and staring intensely behind her, his teeth baring threateningly.

"Orion, what's going — " She looks over her shoulder, following Orion's stare until she sees a cloaked figure at the edge of the meadow, a pair of red eyes staring right back at her with menace.

Bark! Bark!

"Twist the rings, Ana!" a voice shouted, starting Ana. However, it did not come from the cloaked figure standing far away from her. It sounded much closer, or rather more so in her head. She felt a nudge against her foreleg, drawing her attention from the cloaked figure to Orion looking up intently at her.

Bark!

"Hurry!" Again, the same voice that startled her echoed in her head, though something told her it was coming from Orion, who glanced warily at the cloaked figure and then back at her, his eyes seemingly more intelligible than an average dog. What the hell —?

At the corner of her eye, Ana notices the cloaked figure move, approaching her at inhuman speed, but Orion pounces forward with a ferocious growl to meet it head-on, his jaw open and teeth bared. "Now, Ana!"

Frightened, Ana finally did as she told, twisting the rings randomly. Suddenly, the rings began to hum and vibrate in her hand, its rings spinning over each other as the orb within them flashed brightly in gold and encompassing everything in iridescent white. Then, her vision faded, and she fell back into the light's embrace. 

Hello there!

I hope you enjoyed the first chapter! 

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Happy reading!

- Miss_Nightingale