Spirit Animals: Life Of Tarik - Book 1

Greenhaven

The ship stopped at Greenhaven docks at dawn. The sun had only just started to rise, and the sky promised for a warm day. Tarik awoke, excited and full of energy. Today was his big day. He got up from his bed and looked at the tattoo of Lumeo on his arm. Tarik grabbed his bag of supplies and walked upstairs. He felt a chill run up his spine, it made the hairs on the back of his neck rise. He looked into the distance, where Greenhaven Castle stood. It was huge and majestic. The castle was protected by tall stone walls with giant stone deer heads on each side. He noticed that a tall building stuck out from the castle. It looked like some kind of watchtower.
"Ready to go?" asked the captain behind him.
"Yes," Tarik nodded.
"Follow the path that leads you to the castle. Olvan will be waiting outside," said the captain.
"Olvan's already waiting for me?" he questioned the man.
"You're not going to be the only child who wants to join," the captain said calmly. With a nod of thanks, Tarik turned and made his way to the castle's entrance.
         
At the front of the castle doors, a very tall, muscular man stood with a piece of paper and quill with a list of names on it. His long green cloak swirled around behind him.
"Excuse me," said a voice behind Tarik.
"Yeah?" Tarik said while turning around. A tall, blonde haired boy, around the same age as Tarik stood infront of him. His hair was tied back into a ponytail. He looked like he was from Eura, a tattoo of a horned owl marked the side of his neck.
"Are u here to join the Greencloaks?" The boy said.
"Yes, who are you?" Tarik replied curiously.
"My name is Dorian, is it okay if I walk to Olvan with you? I'm a little nervous. What's your name?" said Dorian.
"Oh, my name is Tarik. You can walk with me, I have to admit I'm a bit nervous too," Tarik said while reaching out a hand. Dorian shook it and together they both walked up to the leader of the Greencloaks.
"Here to join the Greencloaks?" said the man, his thundering voice echoed in Tarik's ears.
"Yes sir," said the boys at the same time.
"Alright, what are your names?" Olvan got ready to write down the names of his new recruits. Tarik and Dorian both said their names and waited for Olvan to speak when he finished.
"Nice to meet you Tarik and Dorian, please head inside and when you see a woman with a rainbow ibis, speak to her. Her name is Lenori. Oh and welcome to the Greencloaks," Olvan pointed toward the door. Both of the boys walked inside and were stunned. There were a lot of Greencloak warriors rushing by as if preparing something important. Dorian watched a white tiger approach them.
"H-Hey Tarik look out!" Dorian tugged at Tarik's shirt in fear. But Tarik didn't even notice, he was distracted by something.
"Tarik?!" cried Dorian. The white tiger walked right up to Dorian and jumped up on its hind legs to lick Dorian right in the face. Tarik's attention snapped at Dorian's and laughed.
"Help!" screamed Dorian who was running around in shock.
"Dorian calm down! You're causing a scene!" Tarik rushed to the boy and tried to silence him. Suddenly everyone's eyes were on them. Tarik's eyes widened. Dorian fell silent and stared back at the warriors who were watching them.
"Whose tiger is that?" said a Greencloak woman who had a lot of scars on her face. There were soft murmurs among the crowd.
"I'm sorry!" cried a Zhongese girl as she rushed toward Tarik and Dorian.
"Zhosur go into your dormant state!" commanded the girl as she pulled up her sleeve. The tiger didn't move, it just groomed itself, paying no attention to his summoner. Tarik had guessed that the girl was a new member just like him. She looked down in embarrassment.
"What's going on here?" said a woman with a rainbow ibis walking alongside her. She was young and beautiful, her beads in her hair clanging together as she walked.
"I'm sorry Lenori," the girl began, "I failed to put my spirit animal into dormant state and he scared this boy over here".
Lenori looked at the boys carefully, then back at the girl, "That's okay, are you boys new? I don't recognise you". Tarik and Dorian nodded slowly.
"Come with me, Lishay please go and find your mentor for help," said Lenori. The girl nodded and pushed passed the crowd. Tarik and Dorian followed Lenori into a small room.
"Here are your cloaks," the woman said as she handed them their cloaks, "My name is Lenori. I am one of the healers in Greenhaven. Olvan is the leader in case you didn't know. You will meet your new mentor in the courtyard tomorrow morning to begin training. The girl that you saw with the white tiger earlier will be training with you, her name is Lishay. She joined a few hours ago. I will get this man to show you where your going to be sleeping for the rest of your nights here," she pointed to a tall man who had pure white hair and pale skin, "Any questions?"
The boys shook they're heads. Lenori nodded to the man and he signalled for Tarik and Dorian to follow him. He led them to their rooms and told them which bed they will be sleeping in. Tarik was glad that Dorian was sleeping in the bed beside him, he didn't know any other children.
"Get some rest now, you have an exhausting day tomorrow. After all, it is your first time training," the man said while exiting the room. Tarik and Dorian collapsed onto their beds and went to sleep easily.