Bonds - Spirit Animals Fanfic - ON HOLD

~ The Wrong Path ~

It would be her 11th birthday in a few days. Emerald was scared. Of course, she wanted a spirit animal to be with her after what had happened to her parents. Her parents. A sore subject after their disappearance and later death more than a month ago. Her tribe had tried to tell her it would be ok. They were wrong. None of them knew the pain. A tragedy like this was worse for children.

They had told her she could stay and live a good life, most likely with a spirit animal, but she ran away no matter what they told her. Emmi's tribe, as they called her, was a hunting tribe on the Northernmost point of the Amayan mainland. It was a cold place with a short summer, but Emmi liked it. It suited her. Ever since her parent's death, she had become more distant. Constantly grumpy and sarcastic. The only person she could talk to honestly was their Tribe's healer, Keela. She had been close to her parents. Then, a messenger from a nearby tribe reported that one of their scouts had seen, from a distance mind you, what looked like her parents. Dead. That had been the last straw for her.

So she wanted a spirit animal to keep her comforted. But she had heard some pretty disturbing things about people who bonded naturally. Going insane and things like that. She didn't want that. Tonight was her 5th night alone. Emmi wasn't doing to bad, at least, as good as you could do living alone on the streets. She had had her own money from her chores in the tribe to buy some food, water, and a sleeping bag. She had more than enough money to get a one way boat ride to Zhong. She had always wanted to go to Zhong when she grew up. Sure, Emmi loved her tribe, the Lotan tribe, but she had always wanted to be a part of something bigger. She wanted to work for the emperor of Zhong, not have to worry about the season and how that would affect her family's food supply. She had always planned to bring her parents but that wasn't happening. So Emmi packed up her sleeping bag, food, extra clothes, compass, knife, and water in a deerskin pack from her tribe. Emmi slung her bow and arrows over her back She also had a small necklace from her parents as a birthday present. It was the last thing she had from them. Emerald walked several miles until she found the nearest dock. When she had run away, Emmi went South. Since she lived up North, she figured it would be best to go near the more populated Southern parts of Amaya. Emmi was strong after all the training she had endured during her time in the Lotan tribe, so she had no trouble walking many miles to find a decent dock in a decent town. In fact, she traveled for several days stopping to hunt and "shop" at the many small town markets on the way to Concorba. Emmi stayed her 10th night in a small motel in downtown Concorba. She marked another tally on the piece of bark that she was using to keep count of every day she lasted on her own.

...

The next day, Emerald woke up early and walked down to the docks to try and find someone who would take her to Zhong for a reasonable price. Her blonde hair, streaked with green to show her rebellious spirit, blew in the gentle breeze of the warm autumn day. Every child in her tribe was marked with special symbol to show their most noticeable traits. Emmi had always been a very rebellious, free-spirited kid. Her tribe leader had used special green plant dyes to give her the green streaks.

"Oh no," she muttered to herself. "My eleventh birthday, it's today!" She wondered what she should do. There were no Greencloaks here, and if there were, they didn't have any nectar. So Emmi sat down near the water to wait and see what happened.

A little while later, she felt a tingling down her spine. It felt as if someone had poured a very chilly beverage down her shirt. Then, for a split second, there was a blinding pain in her eyes. It went away as quickly as it had arrived. Emmi felt her heart to race and suddenly, standing in front of her, was a small snow leopard.

...

A snow leopard in Amaya? Emerald was confused. How could that be? Then, Emmi realized with a squeal that this animal was her spirit animal. A snow leopard! This was incredible! She really had a spirit animal.

"What's your name?" She asked gently. The animal nudged a nearby leaf.

"Is your name Leaf?" She asked the leopard. That seemed a little odd seeing as this animal was from Arctica. Then Emmi looked closer at the leaf. A maple leaf!

"Maple," she said. "That's your name. Maple." The leopard looked at her gently and blinked. The leopard and Emmi had an understanding.

"Well Maple, how would you like to come to Zhong with me?" She wouldn't tell anyone that this was her spirit animal. You never know who could be on board with you...

Emerald walked over to the dock and saw the abundance of ships coming in. She saw a few that had the markings of Zhong on them. Emmi went over to one and walked up to the captain.

"Hello there, I'm Captain Laina. What can I do for you, dear?" Emmi decided she could probably trust this woman. She looked older than 20 but most likely younger than Keela and her parents. Laina was Zhongese and had blue eyes and thick black hair. She was wearing a light jacket. Laina had on a long sleeve blue shirt and casual pants. Maple came up to her and rubbed against Emmi's leg.

"I was wondering if I could pay you for a one-way ride to Zhong." Emmi was hoping this would work. "My only requirement is that you allow my... family pet to come along with me. How many gold coins would you require?"

"Oh, I'd be glad to give you a ride. Not many fellow girls in my crew." Laina didn't seem surprised that a girl of her age would be traveling alone. "Think I could give you a ride for 20 coins. I have a soft spot for children. But I'd have to add on some for the leopard. Would you settle for 35?"

This was perfect! Emmi had more than enough coins. Maple purred softly on the dock.

"Great! Thank you so much, miss! My name is Emerald, by the way. Call me Emmi." Emmi was so happy! This was a chance to live her dream.

"We leave at noon so be here about 15 minutes before then," Laina told her. "And Emmi, do be careful. Concorba is home to some dangerous people."