Animagics 2: The Revenge

Chapter 12

"A..liger, mother?" she asked, unsure of what she heard.

"Yes, a liger." her mother answered. "A child of a lion and a tiger."

"I have never heard of an animal such as him." she said, moving closer to her animal spirit, slowly reaching to touch its mane.

"It is one of its kind." her mother answered. "I am one of a kind as well, you see, and when me and your father decided to make a family, I passed it on to you."

"What is it, mother?" she asked, standing and facing her mother.

"My mother, when she was thirteen, the time when most children finds out about their animal spirits, saw that her animal spirit is a tiger." her mother said. "The same animal spirit as her mother, and her grandmother."

"All of you had tiger animal spirits?" she asked. Her mother nodded. "But why does that make you and your mother, her mother, and her mother's mother one of a kind?"

"Have you heard of a family with a single animal spirit for generations?" her mother asked. She shook her head. "Neither have I. Animal spirits are unique to a person. It is a representation of what a person will become."

"Like the tiger." her mother continued. "Aggressive, strong, reckless, courageous. These traits passed on to me from my mother. I have always tried to prove my strength when I was young, and I would often end up in fights."

"Fights?" she was surprised to hear that. She did not think her mother is a fighter.

"Yes. One fight led me to your father." she continued. "He is a proud lion. So when he heard there was someone beating up a lot of his kingdom's sotamiehet, he went to challenge himself. He was surprised to see a woman fighting five sotamiehet all at once and when his turn came, he was hesitant."

"Why?" she asked. "I thought he is a proud one?"

"He is. But he is honorable as well, and he does not want to hurt a woman like me." her mother answered. "Aggressive as I was, I attacked him, and he had to fight back until we were both too tired. We settled our differences, and that is when I decided to marry him."

"Just like that?" she asked. Her mother smiled and nodded. "Wow. I never thought you met in a fight like that."

"Have you seen the same traits in yourself?" her mother asked.

She remembered the first time she met Serehm. She was aggressive then, trying to pick a fight with Rasm in front of them. And then her fight with Sera and after. She was proud, she did not want them to think she was weak. She nodded.

"That is what makes us unique." her mother said. "There are only a few people who would have the same traits as their parents. The same animal spirits."

"But I am not entirely the same as you. My animal spirit is a liger. A combination of you and father's traits." she said.

"It may be so, but that is what makes you more unique." her mother answered. She suddenly remembered her use of lightning magic.

"Is a tiger a lightning element spirit animal?" she asked.

"Yes. Tigers are aggressive as lightning." her mother said. "Lightning will strike stronger than its first strike to show its power, much like a tiger."

"Then how come I can only use the fire magic of a lion?" she asked.

"It is because you have not tapped on the tiger's natural instincts." her mother said. "Its aggressiveness, protectiveness, courageousness."

"But I have shown all that." she answered. "Why am I not able to use it?"

"Because the times you have used them are false." her mother answered. "It was not natural instinct you used when you did so, you were just arrogant. You must feel the need to be aggressive, protective, and courageous."