Spirit Animals: The Fifth Beast

Chapter Two: Kianira

Sierra woke up with extra energy that warmed her heart, head, and toe. She slept in a deer-skinned hammock, she looked around with twitching senses.
Sierra glanced at her sleeping companions, Desta and Sama both slept together on the furred bed. Desta had a protective arm over Sama, and Sama slept closely to Desta's chest.
Sierra wished that she has a spirit animal to cuddle with like Desta and Sama.
Shaking herself awake, Sierra stretched out like a feline that was fast asleep. She went to her changing cave and got dressed in a similar tunic that she usually wore most of the time and her regular equipment.
Taking a deep breath, today was her fourteenth birthday. Sierra started eating and drinking ham, toast, and water. Soonly Desta and Sama both woke up, they joined in Sierra's breakfast.
"Happy birthday, little sister." said Desta warmly.
Sierra smiled at Desta, she started to think Desta as her older sister.
"Thank you, Desta." said Sierra.
Once they were done, Desta put Sama in dormant and they began their journey. They ran and jumped, the wind boosted their leaps, and skipped off the targeted ledge to a smaller one. They only touched the next ledge once, then stretched forward and clung to a knobby outcropping with both arms, earning her usual stinging scrapes and bruises from their wrists to her elbows. The wind howled and roared into their ears and chilled them to the skin. Sierra and Desta hoisted themselves to the top of the outcropping and sprang again. This time the wind slowed them, and even with the power in their leaps, they barely caught their next handhold. Sierra and Desta knew they can't look down or they'll probably fall to their death. There was nothing but boulders and snow beneath them.
With the usual deafening wind pushing against them, Sienna and Desta pulled themselves up. They edged along the thin edge as far as they could before they did their final jump that brought them to Tellun's Forest.
"That was fun." commented Desta after they caught their breaths.
In Tellun's Forest it was beautifully green, full of life, and different kinds of sounds. Very different from the Sky Mountains which was covered in blowing winds, snow, and ice.
"That was only the start of things." said Sienna with a amused expression by Desta's surprised look.
They waited in front of a cave that was covered in boulders and fallen trees.
A blinding flash of light engulfed them for an instant. The girls shielded their eyes with their arms. When they opened their eyes, something stood in front of the destroyed cave. Desta's mouth dropped with disbelief and shock.
It was a enormous elk. His fur didn't look brown, as Desta had imagined it, but shimmering gold, silver, and white. His majestic antlers branched towards the bright blue sky, and his head was lifted in a regal stance. Wind gusted all around him, but he seemed untouched by it. He walked slowly toward them. Each time his hooves hit the earth, the ground trembled.
Hanging from the within the cage of his antlers shone a heavy, round talisman made from platinum, forged in the figure of an elk, its own antlers molding into the shape of the sun around it.
What captured the girls most of all was the Great Elk's eyes — they seemed dark at first glance, but when Desta continued to stare, she could see red and gold, fire, earth, wind, and sky, like looking into the soul of the land itself.
Desta bowed down before Tellun and silently summoned Sama. Sama had a surprised expression but she too bowed down to the Great Elk.
Sierra smiled when she saw a playful and amused wink from Tellun's eyes. Sierra noticed that colorful birds had filled the trees and animals had appeared from the trees and bushes, watching them with bright eyes.
"Greetings Tellun." said Sierra warmly with a quick cursty.
"Greetings Sierra, daughter of Sinai." said Tellun, his voice a deep and echoing rumble.
"Greetings, sweetie." said a warm, soothing voice that echoed in Sierra's head.
The voice belonged to the Great Swan known as Ninani. She landed besides Tellun, she sat on the grass as clean and pale as a lily. She was the kindest and gentlest of the Great Beasts, and by far the most graceful.
"Hello Ninani." greeted Sierra as she stepped towards the two Great Beasts.
Ninani got out a golden cup filled with Nectar from Tellun. Sierra knelt down before the two Beasts.
"Drink my Nectar." said Ninani.
Sierra put her lips on the offered flask. The Nectar was light-weighted, like juice and richly sweet, like honey on toast and mixed with chocolate milk. The consistency became more liquid once it was in her mouth. She swallowed. It tasted amazingly like her favorite snack that her parents used to fixed up for her, the thought brought tears into her eyes.
Sierra felt a burning, tingling sensation spread through her chest.
Animals began to cry out. The birds shrilled. The wildcats yowled.
The ground began to tremble. The sky darkened, as if a swift snow cloud overtake the sun. A brilliant flash pierced the gloom like lightning, but much nearer than any lightning Sierra had ever experienced, nearer than the time she saw a tree struck at the crest of a hill from across a river.
Dazzled by the flash, Sierra blinked repeatedly to restore her vision. Hot tingles spread from her chest along her limbs. Despite the oddness of the moment, she felt irrationally joyful.
And then she saw a snow leopard.
Buzzing from head to toe, Sierra stared in wonder. The snow leopard was large and sleek, almost the size of a lion or a young tiger. Her glossy hide was flawless.
Much like any foreign adventuress such as herself, she had experience with snow leopards more or less. Snow leopards had stolen food from her and the Arcticans. They had stolen lifestock from farmers. She had seen a few snow leopards in the mountains before from a safe distance. She had once taken care of two orphaned snow leopard cubs last year till they were old enough to live on their own and away from any power-hungry Conquerors.
Now the biggest snow leopard she had ever seen stood before her, head held high proudly. It was a remarkable creature — long-limbed, well fed, with the most beautiful and luxurious beige and silver coat and brown spots that Sienna had ever seen, and probably the longest tail she had ever seen. She took in streamlined and strong body structure, large and sleek paws, keen and sharp claws, sharp and savage teeth, and her eyes are stunningly amber, crossing the color of the amber dawn and the amber sunrise with a bright twinkle.
In the history of Erdas, only one snow leopard had such deep amber eyes.
It would be Kianira the Snow Leopard, patron beast of Arctica.
Muscles churning under its pelt, the great snow leopard walked to Sierra with liquid grace, and nuzzled her leg. Its head came well above Sierra's waist. Acting on reflex, Sierra coiled slightly. She wanted to run free in the mountains, to prowl, hunt, and climb.
The snow leopard looked up at her with such confidence and secrecy as she sat down neatly. Though large and fierce, the animal seemed to be in control of herself. Sierra was awed that a predator such as this would show her so much respect. Those gold-amber eyes hinted at a greater understanding than any animal should possess. The snow leopard was waiting for something.
Sierra held out a trembling hand and the snow leopard's warm leopard-kiss/ nuzzle caressed her palm. The touch was electric, and the tingling in Sienna's chest immediately ceased.
For an instant, Sierra felt courage, wisdom, confidence, determination, peace, silence, and alertness that she never knew from herself.
Which was probably locked away from her when she got separated from her parents. She smelled the snow leopard with enhanced senses, and somehow knew it was a female, and it considered her an equal.
Then the strange moment of expanded perception passed.
She had summoned a spirit animal! Not just any spirit animal. A snow leopard. Only Zhongese or Eurans summoned snow leopards! Kianira the Snow Leopard had been one of the Great Beasts, and spirit animals were never the same species as the Great Beasts. Mostly. Everyone knew that. It didn't happen.
Yet it had. Undeniably, inexplicably, it had. A full-grown snow leopard was nuzzling Sienna's palm. A snow leopard with amber eyes.
Desta and the Amayan creatures remained silent as they watched Sierra and the snow leopard.
Tellun, Ninani, and Desta both stepped forward to her.
"Stay near us, and we will let no harm befall on you. I won't press you to take your vows until you're ready, but hear us out. Much depends on you." said Tellun in a low voice and looked at her in the eyes.
Sierra nodded stunned. It was all too much to digest.
Tellun raised his head and spoke in a powerful voice. "Good creatures of Amaya! News of this day will echo across all of Erdas! In our hour of need, Kianira has returned!"
All the animals and birds started calling out like a overwhelming joyful cheers. Desta clapped and laughed, she was relieved to see her young friend had summoned the legendary Kianira.