Spirit Animals : Empty

Chapter One The Horse of Wisdom

Sylar wished he had more time to stay in the library.

Now as he exited, he made sure to balance the stack of books in his arms as the librarian chased him out. It had been way beyond the closing time and the sky was pitch black. How long was he there?

Making sure none of the books fell, he glanced quickly at the tattoo on his arm. It was an Akhal-Teke mare with a golden coat and dark brown eyes. His spirit animal.

He had named her Reyna, after his favorite book character in one of the current novels he was reading. Reyna was a very odd animal who was still getting used to the bond, but so far she didn't hate him thankfully.

He wasn't sure what to think of the mare as he continued on his way home. A spirit animal seemed like a lot of work, and Sylar was never really a fan of animals anyway. They took up space, were expensive, and needed to be fed almost everyday. Where would he have the time for that?

At first his parents didn't even care that he'd shown up with the horse standing behind him. They were so engrossed with their work, the moment he had left the animal outside both had thrown a fit.

"Horses are too much work. Take it to the market and sell it."

"Spirit animals are just a waste of time. You don't need one."

"If you want to succeed in school, you need time to study. Get that animal out of my sight."

Of course he agreed with them, but he couldn't just dump her in the middle of the marketplace. What kind of person would that make him?

His parents wouldn't understand. They had no spirit animals and all they cared about was their work. For years, Sylar had lived his life fully independent. Every birthday and holiday was spent alone in his room without his parents even remembering to wish him. Now at the age of fourteen, he was used to it by now.

Eventually, he reached his house and set the stack of books down carefully as if he were afraid they'd fall from their perfect stack. Frowning slightly, he fished around for the spare key in his pocket and finally grabbed hold of it.

He made sure to pull his sleeve over his spirit animal's tattoo as he picked the books up one at the time with a deep sigh. But then suddenly Sylar came across the book he was reading earlier and began to get lost in the pages.

For hours and hours he sat there, gently flipping the pages only when he needed to and absorbing every single word in the page. He had half of it memorized - No surprise there, and was so close to finishing it when suddenly the book was slapped out of his hands.

Startled, he looked up quickly. "What the—"

There was a tall man with light colored skin and deep brown eyes that watched him with an unreadable expression. A cloak that was pure green was clasped around his shoulders. "Pardon me, but are you the one who has called a spirit animal?"

With a skeptical look, Sylar reached for the book and set it on his pile. He turned to face the strange man with a confused expression. Why would he mind if he had a spirit animal? "Who even are you?"

"I go by the name Cupun. This is my spirit animal, Ticasuk." He pulled up his sleeve to reveal the tattoo of a creature. "I'm a Greencloak."

Oh. That answered his question. What was a greencloak doing here? Weren't there plenty of other marked in the world? "Sylar." Was his only response as he sat down. "I think you should leave. My parents don't like strangers."

Alright so maybe that was a lie, but what was he supposed to say? This person didn't seem trustworthy, but at the same time he was a Greencloak. Greencloaks were everywhere nowadays and they only brought trouble.

"Before I go, I suggest you should come with me to Greenhaven. We could help improve the bond with your spirit animal and you can help us in return," The man, Cupun, continued.

"Why would I leave my home? The answer is no and that's final." Sylar grunted as he began to pick his books up one at a time. Turning to the door, he outstretched a hand to the knob.

"Alright I understand... Greenhaven is just about ancient rubble nowadays. No one really comes by anymore with their spirit animals."

That caused him to stop in his tracks. Ancient rubble? This would be a great opportunity to study the building and everything about it. A thousand thoughts began to fill Sylar's head as he slowly turned around. "Ancient rubble you say?"

Cupun raised an eyebrow.

Sylar dropped his books onto the steps. "Count me in. I need a change of scenery anyway."