Spirit Animals: The Chosen Three

Chapter 2: Kade and Karr

 Kade sat, listening to the sound of people around him. He pictured what they looked like. He could only hope that one day he would be able to see them, for he was born blind. Kade had gotten pretty good at imaging what people looked like. He knew they had a head, arms, legs, things like that. But what he really couldn't picture was animals. Let alone a spirit animal.

Kade did want a spirit animal. But, he knew that he wouldn't summon one. No one in his family has summoned one. Not even hundreds of years ago. He knew he wasn't special. When he was younger, Kade would run around pretending that their was a spirit animal beside him. 

But, his parents never took him seriously. He was small for his age. Kade had tan skin, brown hair and brown eyes. He wore a black t-shirt and jeans. 

His father, Aute, was a tall, stern man. He had never like Kade, and he knew it. Kade had often wondered why his father had never liked him. Maybe it was because he was to wild for such a serious man. Or maybe it was because he was defective. But Kade couldn't help it. There wasn't a cure for blindness that they knew of.

 Kade thought about the times when his sisters had told stories about the Four Fallen, summoned by four children named Conor, Abeke, Meilin, and Rollan. He wanted to be like those children. He wanted to be special. He wanted to save Erdas.

Kade left home early today to clear his mind. Something had been bothering him, he just didn't know what.

Kade thought about what today was. He was turning eleven years of age today, and would get a shot at summoning a spirit animal. He smiled. He'd better be off to his ceremony.

He stood up. Kade scratched his brow, and walked toward his ceremony. The Stetriol sun blazed over his head. 

When he arrived at his ceremony, he found his mother, father, and sisters. Aute stood frowning at the people around him. Kade's sisters just stared at the ground. This made Kade feel much to uncomfortable.

 Cannam, the town's greencloak, guided Kade toward a wooden bench. He sat down and nervously tapped his hands to get her. He noticed that he would be the only one drinking the bile today. He sighted. He sensed that everyone was staring at him. He could tell that he was shaking.

 Today he could summon a spirit animal. Today he could really show his father what was special about him. Today, he could really shine!

 A few minutes passed. Kade sensed three odd people in the front of the crowd. One had an antelope as a spirit animal. One had a grizzly. He couldn't tell for sure what the third one had, but he guessed she had a sheep. The person with the grizzly and the person with the sheep were wearing odd cloaks.

Odd, Kade thought, are they greencloaks? Or are they something else?

 Cannam raised his hand in the air. The crowd fell silent. Panic rose up inside Kade. He knew that he would mess up, embarrass himself, not summon a spirit animal. He knew that's what his father wanted. If he could even call him his father anymore.

 Kade had stopped looking up to Aute. He had stopped listening to him, stopped trusting him. Kade rather not have a father. 

 Kade loved his sisters the most. Chana, his oldest sister, loved him the most. She had always taken care of the whole family. She had always made sure that they had food and water and supplies.

Cannam beckoned for Kade to come forward. Kade stood up and bowed to the greencloak. He stuck out his hands for Cannam to place the bile filled flask on them. Cannam obeyed. "Kade, son of Aute, receive the Nectar of Ninani." Aute looked dissatisfied. Kade sniffed the nectar and frowned. It smelled disgusting! Like leftovers that had been left out for days. Kade wasn't even sure it was nectar.

Kade placed the flask up to his lips. He reluctantly took a sip of it and handed it back to Cannam. The nectar tasted bitter and strong. Like Kade had just swallowed a fire. He gagged. Then it pain stopped. Kade thought people were staring at him-- and they were.

Nothing happened. The man with the grizzly seemed surprised. Kade was about to sit back down on the bench when the fiery pain returned, stronger that before. Kade tried not to scream. But the horrible pain was to much.

"AHHH!" 

Cannam stared at Kade, concerned. Every muscle in Kade's body ached. He clasped onto the ground. His breathing became heavy, quick breaths. It hurts, he thought. Then it happened.

A flash of light flickered fiercely all around the sky. Kade froze. Then, he saw it. He saw a harpy eagle appear out of thin air. It's strong gaze met Kade's blind eyes. He stood up, heart racing. The grizzly man smiled. 

"I don't understand," Kade whispered to Cannam. 

"You don't? You've just summoned a spirit animal!"

"A-are you sure?"

"Positive."

The harpy eagle stared at Kade. Kade ran toward the beast. He stroked the feathers on its head. As soon as he did, both beast and kid felt serenity, peacefulness. Kade knew what this majestic animals name was.

"Karr. A male harpy eagle," Kade said proudly. Chana clapped her hands together. The girl with the antelope smiled. 

"Greencloak. Step away from this child. I don't want any trouble," the grizzly man spoke. Cannam took one big step back. 

"Who's asking?" The greencloak asked.

  "Galo."

 "I'm Kat!"

"I'm Betha."

 "I must take this child. For he has summoned a spirit animal," Galo continued, "he is not safe with the greencloaks." 

 Cannam sighed, "how is he not safe?" Galo smiled grimly. "Well, you know that the greencloaks are not to be trusted now, right? They want to start another war." People in the background gasped. "Just imagine how TERRIBLE that would be!""

"What?! You're the worst lair I've seen in my entire life! Cannam yelled. Galo pulled out his watch. "I need to be in Eura tomorrow, you know. You just give me that child, man with the cloak of green."

 Cannam hesitated. "Fine," he said after a while, "can you be trusted?" Galo nodded. "You should find that I am VERY trustworthy." Cannam raised his brow. 

Galo grabbed Kade's hand and pulled him away from his home. What about my sisters?  Kade thought to himself. The eagles perched on the boy's shoulder, gnawing at its talon. The girl's antelope bounded beside her. 

"Galo, sir, why do you need me? I am not special. There is nothing different about me," Kade spoke, raising his head to the man.

"Child, there is much different about you. Much indeed!"