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

Chapter Eight: Greenhaven Chaos

After breakfast, Nora decided to go to the courtyard balcony and 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 Nora had pushed back her anger towards the Greencloaks and that anger has been replaced by her curiosity of why they haven't brought Stetriol any Nectar.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 has learned why they done it. Tembo and the first Greencloaks had punished the people of Stetriol for their unjust crimes against Erdas and Jessika.
She snapped out of her thoughts when she heard someone calling her name and the sound of rapid footsteps. Nora looked over her shoulder to see that the person was Kirsi. Kirsi is a year older than Nora and is Olvan's niece, she has a badger spirit animal and is a Greencloak.
"Kirsi?" Nora spoke up and walked towards her, Sandra padding behind her. "What's wrong?"
"The Cooley Brothers," panted Kirsi. "They have gone completely berserk again."
Nora remembered that Henry, Jay, Neil, and Finn have some wild form of the bonding sickness since they bonded with their spirit animals without the Nectar. The only who has ever taken the Nectar was their youngest brother, and that brother was Alec. He told her about it a few days ago when she caught sight of him handling Finn and she ended up helping him. Not just that, she had suddenly become an honorary Cooley.
"Oh boy." Nora was nervous about using her ancestor's power. She was afraid of doing more harm than good by accident, so she had been avoiding it since she had a dream about Jessika. "Who's handling who?"
"Desta is handling Henry," replied Kirsi. "Jay is being handled by Nico. And Neil is being handled by Gavi."
"But what about Finn?" Nora asked.
"He's why I came searching for you," said Kirsi. "He went missing somewhere in the castle, and nobody hasn't seen him. Even Alec was confused of where Finn had disappeared too."
After a quick and knowing glance with Sandra and glanced back Kirsi. "We'll help out." At that, Nora started searching through the castle for Finn with Sandra's help.
As she looked around in the hallway of where Finn was last seen, Nora felt as if someone was watching her and looked around warily. As Nora and Sandra both walked past Finn's room, they heard a crash and the sounds of pain, almost like how Drina fought against herself in the midst of her bonding sickness. She and Sandra both looked at each other in concern, but they headed into Finn's bedroom together.
His room was as if a miniature tornado had blown through the room. Nora gasped when she saw Finn — gentle, quiet, loyal Finn — acting like a trapped wildcat in his own room. She caught sight of a sleek shadow of a wildcat watching the scene, its bright yellow eyes glowing in the shadows. Its eyes were unfocused and hardly recognizable.
"Finn!" Nora ran towards the Euran boy, but he let out an animalistic growl at her and ran towards her. She tried to keep him handled as she was forced to fight him and subdued him temporarily, while Sandra was shadowing Finn's spirit animal. "Please! This isn't you!" He let out another animalistic cry.
Nora quickly got out a piece of tannish cloth and damped it in a small bottle of valerian, a liquid sleeping herb that should temporary knock him out till she brings him to the physician. She placed the damp cloth in front of Finn's nose and he soon relaxed as he fell asleep. The shape in the corner, which turned out to be a black wildcat stepped out of the shadows. His eyes shone with calmness and remorse. Sandra soon allowed Finn's spirit animal stepped towards his summoner and the summoner of the tigress.
With a rough sigh, Nora put the rag away into her satchel and helped Finn onto his feet whilst letting him lean against her. The two of them and their respective spirit animals both headed towards the physician room.
There was a few potted plants and a tank with a few fish swimming around in it. There was also a barn owl perched on a chair by the window and was watching her with calm amber eyes. The lovely scent of fresh herbs had went over her and calmed Nora.
In the ridge beam above were dozens of clusters of herbs, leaves, flowers, roots, nuts, bark shavings, and seeds. There were some more on the window and in the center of the table. Because of the bundles, the whole cottage smelled of sage, sunflower seeds, and oak shavings.
With all of these ingredients and tools Mia used to make her healing powders, pastes, and poultices. The table a little away from the meal table held a large collection of bowls, knives, mortars, pestles, strainers, and other utensils. Nora had watched Mia crushing leaves or small fruit(s), mixing powders, straining plants, or applying a mixture of remedies to someone's injury.
Taking note that Mia was absent, she must be tending to one of the Cooley brothers. She heard footsteps heading her way and saw that those footsteps belonged to Mia. The woman has ponytailed brown hair hinted with dark blonde and twinkling hazel eyes. Mia was wearing a purple dress with a white apron and dark brown boots. She soon spotted Nora struggling to hold up an unconscious Finn next to her.
"Oh, poor dear." Mia soon helped Nora take Finn to another bedroom. She caught glimpse of the other unconscious Cooley brothers, though she noticed that Alec sitting in the empty room that Finn will be occupying for a bit.
"Alec." Nora's whisper caught his attention, his face was stamped with relief at the sight of Finn and was worried as Mia gently placed Finn on the bed.
"Thanks for finding him, Nora," Alec whispered to her.
She nodded, but she kept her eyes on Finn and his spirit animal. "No problem."
Alec's eyes were filled with tears and emotions as he gazed at his older brother. "We already lost our parents and our little sister. I can't lose my older brothers too."
Nora sighed quietly and gently placed a hand on his shoulder. "You're not the only one who feels like you do my friend. I know what it feels like to lose somebody you love, only to be ripped away." It was vague, but she knew she must stay true to her promise that she has made for Olvan and Lenori.
Alec smiled empathetically at her. "I guess that's something we both have in common." He sighed again. "I'll go and check up on Henry, Jay, and Neil. Can you please keep an eye on Finn for me?"
After sensing Alec's fears for his older brothers, Nora knew how that feels like. "Of course I will."
Alec sighed in relief. "Thanks Nora. I'll be right back." She watched as he walked into the other rooms to check up on his older brothers.
Nora quietly pulled up a chair next to Finn's bed, spotting his hand on the top of the white blanket. Uncertainly, she placed her hand underneath his and gently squeezed his hand to show that she was still with him. Nora perked up when she saw Sandra stepping up in front of her and placed her paw on top of their combined hands. That's when something odd happened.
Nora felt the spreading sensation of warmth going through her, like a fire running through her veins. But as she continued holding Finn's hand, she was surprised to feel his once cold hand becoming warmer. She glanced over at his spirit animal, stunned to see how calm and relaxed the black wildcat was becoming by every passing moment. Nora felt something changing between Finn and his spirit animal, their bond with each other was being mended. That's when she saw a brief, fiery flash of light and it was done. Their bond has been miraculously been mended. Once she felt the fire in her veins calmed down, Sandra pulled back her paw and Nora pulled back her hand from Finn's hand, gasping quietly and felt completely winded.
"N-Nora?" She blinked in surprise at the sound of Finn's hoarse, wary voice and took notice that he had woken up from the incident. "What happened? Where am I?"
"You're in the physician's room," Nora told him softly.
As Finn gazed at himself, he smiled at the sight of his approaching spirit animal and ran his hand through his spirit animal's black fur. The black wildcat purred underneath Finn's gentle stroking. But when he gazed up at Nora, he flinched when he caught sight of a scratch that he has accidentally given her on the left wrist.
"Nora," whispered Finn, his expression was filled with regret and remorse. "I'm sorry."
"It's okay." Nora smiled at him. "You and Donn weren't thinking straight. It's not your fault."
Finn smiled at her gratefully, but as he continued checking on himself and was surprised to see that the aftermath of his bonding sickness couldn't be felt anymore and seemed to have disappeared without a trace. "Nora. H-How?"
Confused, Nora looked at him. "How what?"
"I can't feel the effects of the bonding sickness anymore," said Finn, amazed and overjoyed. "But I can sense the bond I have with Donn."
"I don't know." Nora shrugged, both confused and sheepishly. "I held the palm of your hand and Sandra placed her paw on top of your hand. That's when it happened. I felt your bond with Donn being repaired by me and Sandra."
Finn's eyes glistened with joyful tears. "Thank you." He smiled at Sandra too. "Both of you."
Nora smiled softly at Finn and exchanged a knowing glance at Sandra. The striped wildcat's blue eyes glittered like sapphires, showing a hint of secretive mysteries to her summoner.
Sandra gently nuzzled her with her nose. Hesitantly, Nora held out her left arm to her spirit animal. With a flash, Sandra became a tattoo on the back of her forearm. The tattoo burned for a moment, as if her arm had brushed against something scalding. But the pain of it faded quickly.
The girl smiled at the tattoo of her beloved spirit animal, understanding what they both can do together. They can help those who haven't reached the Nectar in time and heal them from the bonding sickness together.