Spirit Animals: Life Of Tarik - Book 1

The Soldier In Green

Tarik ran as fast as he could to Dorian's body. He could feel the eyes of bandits burning into him as he raced across the battleground. Lumeo padded beside him, paws scrabbling in the dirt as the otter dodged an arrow. As Tarik reached Dorian, he knelt down, grabbed the dagger and pulled it out of his friend's side. Tarik pressed on the wound to slow the bleeding.
"Tarik! Tarik, it hurts so much!" Dorian wailed.
"It's okay, you're going to be all right," Tarik's voice tightened in his throat as he tried to calm Dorian.
"Tarik!" Ricko and Lishay screamed at the same time.

Tarik suddenly felt someone grab him from behind. He twisted and turned under the pressure that the person put on him. An arm was around his neck, blocking his airways. Another was around his stomach, pulling him back. Dorian panicked as he watched Tarik struggle against his attacker. Ricko charged forward, furious.

But he was too late.

The bandits held him and Lishay back as Tarik was dragged into the bushes. It seemed like only a second before Tarik was falling to the ground as the world darkened around him.

"Oh this place... this place is so cold," a voice whispered.
Tarik woke up in a dark cell surrounded by cobwebs. On the right of his cell was a girl with blonde hair and blue eyes. She had scars all over her legs and arms. Bad bruises marked her neck and face. On the left of his cell was nothing.

Tarik grabbed the bars of his cell. "Let me out!"
"Oh, they won't let you out..." The girl advised.
Tarik's heart pounded as he sat back down. Why was he here? What is this place? Who captured him?
"W-Where am I? Is this a prison?"
The girl did not answer.
"Who are you?"
"Nara," the girl looked at him softly. "You?"
"Tarik," He reached for the tattoo of Lumeo on his neck.
"Don't summon it here, they'll kill it," Nara warned. "They killed mine."
"Who?!"
Nara stared at Tarik.
"Who killed-"
The voices of people echoed in the halls of the prison. Boots against stone floor grew louder and louder. Were the people coming to his cell?

Tarik stayed as still as possible as people, who looked like soldiers, entered the room. He could not make out the faces of them because they all had their helmet on. The soldiers wore leather armour except one. The one in the middle wore green armour. The same armour a Greencloak would wear. However, the soldier was not wearing a cloak. He stepped forward to Tarik's cell, knelt down and clicked his fingers. Tarik did not move, he only stared at the soldier, fear rising in his chest.

At that moment, a large, muscular mountain lion stepped to the side of the soldier in green. It's glare burned into Tarik. He wanted to scream. He now knew exactly who this person was. This person had tried to kill him before, and may do so again.

The soldier in green was Lynk.