Spirit of The North

Chapter 1

I ran as fast as my legs could take me. I dodged obstacles in my path as I sprinted through the winter forest. The sounds behind me were getting louder, then a howl was heard.

This triggered an instinct and I ran faster. I leaped behind a boulder and hid, my heart pounding out of my chest.

I heard footsteps and my breath hitched. It smelled of strawberries mixed with earth. The noise of the footsteps grew dim.

I sighed in relief only to be attacked from behind. I yelped as I looked up to see dark red eyes staring at me.

Then the predator opened her mouth coming closer to my neck. She growled and showed her fangs then my neck was in her jaws.

"Bleh! Blood! Blood everywhere! And death!" I yelled dramatically as I threw my paw over my forehead.

"Seishin just no..." Rōzu chuckled as she jumped off of me. "You know you would be dead for real if I was a hell hound." She sighed.

"It's not my fault that you run so fast!" I said standing up and shaking the dirt off my body.

"Yeah well hell hounds run faster." She said smirking and walking away.

"Is that supposed to scare me or influence me to do better?" I said following her.

"Both." She replied simply.

"Wow...very good pet talk from one of my trainers..." I said sarcastically.

"I'm just saying if you want to become a spirit walker you need to be a lot faster on your feet." She said.

"There hasn't been a spirit walker in a hundred years. What makes you so sure I'm the spirit walker of this generation?" I said rolling my eyes.

"Listen Seishin, every hundred years a new spirit walker is chosen to protect the forest and keep things in balance." She said.

"I already knew that!" I said annoyed.

"I wasn't finished! Remember when we found you?" Then old memories came flooding back.

I was all alone, the hell hounds had just left and I was still in the same spot. It was dark...and i was scared. That's when I heard a voice. "We're to late...the hell hounds beat us to them."

"Kota...it's not your fault. Maybe a new spirit walker will be born?"

"No Speranza...Rīdā told me the spirit walker was located h-do you smell that?"

"Yeah...I do, could it be...?"

They started to move around until the one who you believed was Speranza found you.

"Kota...I found her...I found the spirit walker."

"Seishin? Hello?"

I was yanked away from my thoughts when Rōzu got my attention. "T-that doesn't mean anything! Just because Rīdā claims I'm the spirit walker doesn't mean I'M the spirit walker."

She was about to say something but got cut off when we heard Rīdā's howl.

"Night fall...come on Seishin we have to hurry!" Rōzu said before she sprinted off.

"Wait! My legs are shorter then yours!" I said before sprinting after her. "Blah blah blah you're the spirit walker you have responsibilities blah blah blah." I said to myself.

"I heard that!" Rōzu yelled.