Spirit Animals: Life Of Tarik - Book 1

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Tarik lay on a bedroll under the tent that Marci had placed him in after he fainted. His head spun, and he was covered in sweat. The smell of Marci's herbs and antidotes added a disgusting stench to the small space that he was in. He was still unsure as to why he was still passing out, nothing was wrong with him. Marci sat on a chair to his side, mixing some herbal leaves together to get rid of his dizzy spell. Lumeo sat next to Tarik's body.

Marci carefully approached Tarik with the leaves in a small bowl and took a knee beside him. When he looked up at her, her face was pretty, with a sharp jawline and hazel eyes. She had been taking care of him for a few hours, and the sun was slowly beginning to set outside.

"Drink this," Marci said, handing the small bowl to Tarik and gently helping him sit up. He wobbled slightly, and struggled to keep his head up. With a shaking hand, he took the bowl.

The smell was just as awful.

"It stinks," Tarik tried to hand the bowl back to Marci, but she pushed it back to him.

"It will help with your dizziness," she said. "It isn't supposed to taste as sweet as Ninani's Nectar, it's just to help you. Now stop being so stubborn or you can suffer without it."

Tarik grunted, "Right."

He gulped down the crushed leaves without hesitation, almost gagging at the taste. Marci watched with an amused expression before retrieving the bowl from Tarik. Lumeo also looked amused, and Tarik coughed.

As Marci stepped away, Tarik lay back down. His thoughts wandered back to his argument with his mentor. Perhaps he really had spoken harshly to Ricko, but surely he would know what was going on? Why, what seemed like an army, was hunting Tarik? He remembered how Ricko had tried to stop him from being so loud, and then they were attacked.

He thought about LaReimaja and the bright future she sacrificed for him. He silently thanked her in his head, before the tent's flap opened. Tarik's heart sank at who had entered.

His mentor, Ricko, stepped into the tent. "May I?"

"Of course, he's awake now. Just dizzy," said Marci. "I can step out if you want?"

"If you don't mind?" Ricko said trying not to sound demanding. "Sorry, I just have to discuss some matters with him."

Marci nodded and left the tent. Ricko pulled up a chair next to where Tarik lay. His head still spun, so it looked like the entire room was moving. Tarik closed his eyes, but listened.

"Look, I never really got the chance to bond with you like i did with Lishay and Dorian, but that doesn't mean I don't care about you. I lost you for a long time and understand that what you experienced wasn't all rainbows and sunshine. I understand why you're mad," Ricko stopped.

Tarik was listening, but said nothing.

"I'm not here to give you a lecture about feelings, but as your mentor, it is my duty to protect you. Olvan gave me the task to train and guide you until you were experienced enough to go on your own as a Greencloak. During this time, it doesn't mean for you to take your anger out on me," Ricko finished.

Tarik opened his eyes just a little, and saw that Ricko was looking away. His dizziness had gone away almost, then Ricko turned to look at him. They both stared at each other for a short moment before Tarik looked down and pulled his knees to his chest. He wasn't entirely sure how to reply to his mentor, but figured that saying sorry would calm the tension.

"I'm sorry," said Tarik. It was very difficult to understand how Ricko was feeling at this point.

Ricko turned away again. "One day, you're going to be a mentor. You'll then understand how hard it is to keep the new ones happy and out of danger. You'll get attached to them without realising it, treating them as your own children depending on how old your recruits are. The people you train will follow in your footsteps for their entire Greencloak life."