The Book Of Sonali

Just Luck Is Impossible?

My vision ran foggy, I felt my legs shake. A swarm of Greencloaks rushed to my rescue as one yelled to the audience, "She's summoned Lynx, But I'm sure she'll be okay." Everything moved slow. My eyelids slammed shut without any force, A loud chuffing sound echoed from the left. Everything ran cold, every light, every colour, every image, turned black. I fainted.

I gasped, I was lying on a couch I had originally sat on before the Nectar Ceremony behind the wall. My eyes squinted shut, I sighed. What happened? I thought to myself while lifting my hand to my head, a long ringing sound repeated over and over. "Sonali?" I tilted my head to the soft worried voice. It was my mother, "How are you feeling?" She spoke again. "Ma, What happened, Where is she?" I trembled with fear thinking the worst. "She's outside, but they want you to go to a special Nectar ceremony." "Why" I felt my heart drop with the choice of leaving my family behind, for an animal I had just met. "Nali, they think she's one of the chosen." I shook my head with a confused look.

"You're awake" Juliᾱn rushed his words as he spoke, He had walked into the room, Probably overhearing our conversation. "I don't wanna choose " I cried, "Nal, You wont be leaving your family and friends, Youll be making a huge future for yourself, you can visit again, and so can we." He replied with a smooth merry look. "Sonali, No" My mothers face got uncertain very quickly, "If she's one of the chosen, Then I have to go" My mother never replied, Instead I hesitated from the couch to the doorway, Following Juliᾱn to my new companion.

As we reached the scorching sun outside, I realized the Ceremony was still going. She lay on the cracked dirt. Her tail twitched, she had flattened her ears back, looking irritated. "Lynx" I whispered with fear. Her sight turned to me in a bolt, Her ears sprang high and her paws heaved her upwards. She stood as high as the bottom of my ribs, I was surprised to see how tall she stood as a white tiger of her age, could never grow that height.

I now felt very comfortable, not scared at all, I was looking into her vibrant orange eyes that looked like flames rising rapidly. I felt like I was in a cage like I was ready to run forever, I was ready to hunt. I felt my heart pump, I felt Lynx's heart beat faster, and stronger than my own. I felt her purr alongside her Chuff. She lowered her sight to my shoulder, I closed my eyes as she, then a small gust of wind whirled, and she was gone.

"Ow!" I yelped as a burning sensation crawled around my shoulder to the edge of my collar bone, off to my neck a little. I fell to the ground so I could see what had happened. I pulled my t-shirt's collar a little so my sight could see the burning damage. It was a burnt coloured red, shapes had engraved into my skin making a tattoo of an extinct animal, A sabre tooth skull with a few petals that were flying around behind.

"Where is Lynx, Sonali, Have you lost her?" I turned around to the rough, angry voice. It was a tall man, wearing a green cloak, He had short black hair with an arm drowning in tattoos. "No, I-" I stuttered, He looked like he would kill me if I made one mistake. "Then where is she?" He pushed me back while stabbing my stomach with his elbow. "What was that for," Juliᾱn asked knowing the answer as he stepped forward. "Ha ha," The man laughed at Juliᾱns courage. "What are you doing little man, Thinking you're tough!" He laughed again but held his hand on his chest in a silly gesture. We both gave the Green Cloak a filthy stare, He had soon finished laughing but spoke with an evil grudge, "Now, That sabre tooth was meant for me, So where is she!" He yelled with a killing glare.

The tattoo ran hot again, I was pushed back with force, Lynx now flew from my shoulder, Claws out, Teeth clenched ready to attack the man who had threatened me. She clutched her jaws to his shoulder, He screamed with pain as his face went red. Lynx flipped him around and threw him to the ground, She let go of his shoulder and placed her giant paw on his spine, With her weight on his back, he couldn't move. I got a wave of relief as I thought it was over, But, Lynx went for the kill. "Lynx no!" I cried with fear she would have murdered him. She immediately stopped and jumped from his back to my side, she snarled to warn him, he lifted himself with shaken skin, gave us a glare like, 'you've won for now' then left.

What did he want with you Lynx? I thought as I wrap my arms around her neck as a hug, She began to purr. "Was I mistaken? Or did he say Sabre Tooth?" Juliᾱn spoke to himself with curiosity, that made me wonder.

We now walked back to the ceremony, for we had begun to walk to my house. Everyone was gone except the green cloaks. "Sonali, Lynx, We've been looking for you everywhere!" The same lady that had given me the nectar ran towards us with a worried look and open arms. She grabbed me tightly in her grasp. "We need to get to Amaya before sun down, so we better start going now" She grabbed my wrist and pulled me to the group of Green cloaks. "Ow," I whispered, Lynx growled, The lady dropped my wrist with a heart beat, "Sorry" She whispered, I could tell was a fake apology.

Now standing on the oak plank boat deck, I wobbled with a terrible balance. Multiple gusts of winds blew at us with a deep chill. I sat on a bench near the engine and staring wheel, My white tiger leapt behind me, Then lied against my back. I felt secure but still controlled. At least I knew Lynx would protect me, But I needed to show her I could protect her too.

I kept my eye on each of the others who had also been selected to witness another 'Special' Ceremony. One was a short girl with long brown hair that cascaded to the bottom of her ribs, her spirit animal was in passive form, a tattoo of a Hoatzin flying through a crescent moon was engraved on her shoulder. At the other end of the boat sat two boys, One tall with light brown hair that was short and scruffy that matched his dark brown hair, He too had his spirit animal in passive form. I couldn't' quite see, but it seemed to be a brown bull dog, with three heads? I wondered if an animal like that even existed.

The next boy was slender and tall. He had grown dark brown hair that reached for the tips of his ears. His eyes were the colour of the moon. I noticed his tattoo was on the back of his hand as he started to show it off, a huge polar bear with brown branches growing from its head. The second boy sat far from the first, I guess we all sat a distance from each other, I wasn't quite sure I could trust anyone: This all changed as the boy with the three headed dog tattoo spoke. "Ok, are we really going to be just awkward? Or are we gonna get to each other?" He asked with such style. I looked around, they started to shake their heads, in the gesture of fine, okay. I didn't, really care. As long as I had Lynx forever, that I could show her the trust and protection I could give her, Getting to know each other is not my first priority. "Well I'll start, My name is Almon, I'm from Eura. I summoned a bull dog." With a wave of his hand, a brown bulldog appeared, "Why does it have three heads on your tattoo if it doesn't in real life?" I asked not really expecting an answer. "That, That I don't really understand." He had now lowered his head and sat in his original position. I seemed to have made him sad, or not really want to talk anymore. "My names Jay. I came from Zhong, and now ive summoned a bear." The boy with the eyes as silver as the moon dear not to release it from its tattoo. The ship would not have been made to size for a bear that size. The boy didn't seem to care about any of this, nor did I, Lynx seemed too soon rub off my boredom as she purr against my shoulder. It was now the girls turn as I would never set my personal info to people I didn't trust. "I guess.." The girl drifted off, "My names," She paused, unsure of everything she spoke. "I'm Safira, I summoned a Hoatzin and im from Amaya." She finally spoke again after her small pause of thought.

"So you're from Nilo?" Almon asked with a confused look. I huffed, Annoyed already. They would judge me before they knew me, Not really the kind of people I would want to friend with. "So what? My skin is lighter than most in Nilo, I wasn't born in Nilo anyway. My parents weren't from Nilo, So why should I be-" Lynx interrupted me with a chuff, I was getting ahead of my self. I was over reacting over such a tiny thing, "Im sorry" I whispered as my head met my palms that were balancing on my knees. "It's fine" Kanya spoke so gently. I had forgotten about her, about everyone accept the other three kids.