Guardian's Amulet: Tanwen's End✓

Chapter 8 - Comfort✓

Hours later we found a clearing in the forest below us. Wyvern brought us down, and we all safely landed on our feet. We unpacked our things and started a small fire.

'I have so many questions that I don't have answers to. I need to clear my head.'

"I'm taking a walk." I told the group, "I'm not going far." They nodded in agreement. I walked away from the group, into the bushes. After a couple of minutes of walking and admiring the wilderness, I reached a very pretty pound. I sat on a rock next to the pond. I peered into the water.

'My eyes are so puffy and red,'

"What am I going to do? Zaya has probably dead already and it's my fault." I sighed to myself.

"LISTEN TO YOURSELF. Yes, that may be true, but you don't know what happened back there. She may be alive and well." Talila scolded me.

'Now she says something,'

"How do you know she's alive?" I retorted.

"We may never know, but we can believe it. It'll help stay positive," Talila calmly replied.

'She's right. I don't know if she's dead or not.'

"But what if—"

Before I could finish my sentence, I heard a loud rustling noise behind me. I turned around.

"Hello?" I asked, stepping off ‌the rock. The bushes kept moving. I stepped closer.

'Are you crazy?! Get away from here you shouldn't be going any closer. You don't even know what's in there.' Talila's voice erupted in my head.

I kept moving closer; the bushes kept on moving. Suddenly, I saw green piercing eyes through the leaves.

'They look cat-like,'

"Ayla? Are you there?" A familiar voice called out of the bushes. The bushes kept on shaking until a spotty body approached out of the shrubs.

'A jaguar?!'

I stepped back, but it came closer.

"There you are, it took a while to find you." The jaguar explained.

"Did that thing just speak? Well no need to question anymore, it's confirmed I have officially gone haywire." I mumbled.

"You haven't gone haywire, and I am not a 'thing'. I am Ryoko, remember? But I guess you can't recognize me." Ryoko ranted.

In the blink of an eye, the jaguar was gone. Ryoko stood in its place. He was just like before, with normal long blonde hair, tanned skin, and tattoos.

"Ryoko, why were you following me?" I questioned him with a puzzled look.

"We're still running from Mr. Okizari, and being on your own isn't the best idea. We don't know what their next plan is," he replied.

"I imagine so," I murmured.

"You'll be safe with me." He cheered with a smile. I giggled at his positivity, even though something like this had happened.

"By the way, how'd you get your power? Being an animal holder and all." I asked, walking back to the rock and sitting down. Ryoko walked over and sat on the ground next to me.

"I swore I wouldn't tell anyone but since you're the guardian, there's no harm. This jaguar's tooth is strapped to my neck." He says as he holds up Jaguar's tooth strapped to his neck.

"This was given to me by my dad as an animal shifter too, but when it was time for him to give it down to me. The village was attacked during the reign of Tanwen, he saved my mom and me but he died trying to save others. But my Mom was lucky enough to find this and handed it down to me." He sighed, looking down.

I am sorry to hear that. "You didn't have to tell me if it brought back memories like those," I say, trying to comfort him.

"It's fine, it's all in the past, I am over it. We all have to leave the past one day and look forward to the future. Even though I miss him and the memories with him. I still love the fact that I can finish his legacy for him." He exclaimed amusingly with a smile.

'He's experienced the pain of losing someone that he's known his whole life. But he's so happy to have known them and keep them alive in his heart. I should be a little more like him sometimes.

"Thanks," I smiled.

"No worries, I'll always be here when you need me," he replied.

"Hey, shouldn't we be heading back? I remarked, hopping off the rock. Ryoko followed behind. I heard something rustling in the bushes again.

'Why do things like sneaking up on me in the bushes'

"What was that?" Ryoko asked.

I whispered, "Shh! I heard something."

"I did too." He replied quietly. We scanned the area and found nothing unusual.

"I don't see anything." He reassured me. The rustling noise happened again.

"But I see you two," A voice announced.

"Who's there?" I said over Ryoko's shoulder. Ryoko stepped in front of me; he was ready to jump at whoever was about to come out of the bushes.

"What are you two doing here?!" A familiar voice yelled. We were both surprised. "Tatsuya!" I exclaimed nervously. She walked out of the plants with a questionable look on her face. We were both fidgeting and separated.

"How'd you find us?" Ryoko said, looking away from me as she walked toward us.

"It's really easy to find two fools playing around." She sarcastically told us, looking at Ryoko and me.

"Come on, we can't leave Kaida and Wyvern alone. They share one brain cell at this point." She sighs, turning around and walking away. We followed her down the dirt path back to camp.

We get back to camp, and we see Kaida and Wyvern missing.

"Where did Kaida go?" Tatsuya asked.

"What about Wyvern, he's missing too!" Ryoko yelled, from the other side of the campsite. We frantically looked everywhere around the area, but still couldn't find them.

'Where'd they go?'

'Are they okay?'

'Were we found?!'

"Kaida, Wyvern!" Tatsuya yelled. The campsite looked like they were in a rush. What happened? We hear rustling in the bushes across from us. The three of us stayed close.

'Why is it always the darn bushes'