Chapter Six #2
“Come on. We don’t have time to fawn over each other,” commanded Killian. Bréagha walked up to him, stopping just short of stepping on his toes.
“Notice I didn’t say you looked handsome, growly boy.” He glared down at her, then surprised everyone by tapping her nose and smiling.
“Notice, I didn’t say you looked beautiful.
We’re even. Roz, let’s go.” Roz stepped forward before Bréagha could come up with something to say.
She weaved an intricate image with her pink magic, then pushed.
Her portal opened with its swirly pink light.
Killian walked through first with Bréagha close on his heels ready to give him hell.
She completely forgot once she walked through and saw where the ceremony would be.
The Spirit Grove was high up on the mountains but seemed to be temperature controlled.
While there was snow this high up, the clearing was snow free.
It was carpeted in thick green grass with wildflowers of every color.
There was a stone circle in the middle of the clearing that had an arch dissecting it into two halves.
The sun was just starting to set behind the mountains, painting the scene with pinks, purples, oranges, and blues.
The Soul Keeper elders stood on the opposite side of the arch while the other elders fanned out on the side they were on, as if they were the audience at a wedding.
“Come forward you two. No need to be afraid.” Isadora raised her hand gesturing for Aiden and Bréagha to join them under the arch. They moved forward as Killian, Liam, Cathal, and Roz joined the other elders outside the circle.
“Aiden, you step forward first. Bréagha, stand back a few feet,” instructed Donegal.
He reached up where a small golden thurible hung from the arch on a chain and hook.
He lifted it down, then placed a pouch of herbs and a small candle.
He lit the candle and raised it back in place on the hook.
It only took a few seconds for a light stream of smoke to swirl down from the sphere.
“This incense will create a gateway to the Spirit Wilds where the animal souls, found deserving of the honor to bond with Sentinels, wait. Don’t be afraid, they cannot and will not hurt you,” explained Isadora as she moved Aiden to the very middle of the circle.
He was standing perfectly centered in the arch, facing the group watching.
He gave Bréagha a reassuring smile when he saw the concerned look on her face.
She never liked it when he was put in a position where she didn’t know the outcome.
She was a fierce warrior already, and they would both gladly give their last breath for the other.
Hopefully, that wasn’t asked of either of them though.
Aiden pulled his attention away from his best friend and back on what was happening.
Donegal’s deep voice started a low incantation that Aiden didn’t think was English.
Isadora’s more dulcet tones joined and though Aiden was able to discern that they were saying words, he still had no idea what language they were speaking.
Suddenly, the light smoke that had been swirling down from the thurible thickened into a shield around him.
All he could see was that smoke, he couldn’t hear Isadora or Donegal as they continued to chant, and all he could smell was the pungent herbs that were burning in the sphere, not the wildflowers carpeting the clearing.
From what seemed quite a distance he heard rustling, growls, and roars.
He started to see shapes moving towards him in the fog.
How was that possible when he was in a small clearing with people surrounding him?
He tried to see Bréagha or Isadora or Donegal, but he still couldn’t see them, only the dark shapes moving towards him.
He stood still, trying to stay calm and relaxed while he waited to see what was happening.
It seemed like forever but, couldn’t have been more than a minute or two, the shapes got close enough for him to be able to see what they were.
There was a grizzly bear, a snow leopard, a giant black wolf, and a white tiger pacing towards him.
They were in their original forms as they drew alongside him, so he could reach out and touch them, unlike the animal souls him and Bréagha saw earlier.
Each animal came up to him, sniffed him, then laid their head on his chest. The grizzly didn’t have to do anything to reach his heart, but the snow leopard had to put their paws on his shoulders until he kneeled before them.
He stayed in that position for the wolf and the tiger.
When the tiger stepped forward, he stood still for a moment, looking Aiden right in the eye.
He cocked his head and chuffed, then rubbed his big head against Aiden’s, pushing against him until Aiden lost his balance and fell back on his ass.
It startled a laugh out of Aiden, and he could’ve sworn the tiger grinned at him.
Aiden got back into position and waited to see what the tiger would do now.
It walked back up to him, stood gazing at him a moment with crystal blue eyes, then did as the others had done and placed his head on Aiden’s chest, where his heart beat erratically.
When the tiger’s head touched Aiden’s chest, his heart stopped beating altogether.
A bright light shot down from the sky above where they were standing, wrapped around him and the tiger then shot into each of their chests.
With a sharp pain Aiden’s heart started again.
Somehow, he knew it beat in the same rhythm as the tiger before him.
“Finally, you’ve come. I’ve been waiting for you.” Aiden heard a deep rumbly voice in his head and his eyes shot to the tiger’s.
“Are you talking to me? Can I hear you?” Again, Aiden could swear the tiger grinned at him and nodded.
“We are soul-bonded, when you need me just say my name.” Aiden waited a moment for the tiger to tell him his name, but when he was silent, he finally asked.
“What name do I call you?”
“You must give me one. My past names aren’t what I am now,” the tiger said, sitting down and waiting patiently like he had all the time in the world.
“Do I have to give you one right this second? I mean this will take some consideration. You don’t just name an ancient tiger soul just anything.” Aiden stood up and started pacing as he thought of names. “I mean I can’t just call you Bob or Michael now, can I?”
The tiger didn’t say anything, just waited for Aiden to finish his freak out.
“Okay, how about Meeka? Means ‘will of gold’?” The tiger made a face and shook his head. Aiden continued to pace, mumbling different names and rejecting them all for one reason or another. Finally, he stopped. “I got the perfect one. Makani, meaning ‘moves like a ghost’.”
The tiger tilted his head. “Makani,” Aiden heard. “I like it.” The tiger nodded then moved to stand beside Aiden. “I’m Makani, and I choose you, Aiden, as my Soul-Bonded.”
There was another bright light that swirled around the two, clearing the smoke and transforming Makani from his full form to the transparent one like the other’s. He was reborn again, but as a soul-bonded animal soul he would always be like a ghost, like his name suggested.
Aiden’s head snapped up when he heard Bréagha gasp.
The smoke was again a light swirl from the sphere above him.
He could see everyone and smell the wildflowers that covered the clearing instead of just the herbs from the orb above him.
He grinned at Bréagha who was bouncing up and down on her toes.
“Everyone, meet Makani, my soul-bonded animal soul.” They all started cheering and yelling their approval.
The Sentinel elders came forward to greet their new Sentinel and his new familiar, as did Killian and his team.
As they stepped closer to the circle, they heard howls and a roar.
Everyone stopped and looked toward the mountains.
Out of the clouds they saw Killian’s dragon with what looked like two cats on his back.
Bréagha stepped forward trying to make out what was riding on the dragon. As they moved closer, and she got a better view, she was still confused.
“Is that a leopard and a…. a lion? Riding a dragon?” she glanced over at Aiden who shrugged.
“Killian, what’s Kaedryn doing?” Drago questioned as they watched the dragon drawing closer.
There was barely room for the transparent form of the dragon to land in the clearing but as soon as he touched down, indeed a leopard and a lion jumped off his back and headed for Makani who had just caught sight of them.
He chuffed and leaped towards them as they ran for him.
Aiden stepped forward to stop him, but Colin grabbed his arm.
“I have a feeling I know what’s happening.
Give him a minute.” Everyone watched as the three cats slammed into each other and started rolling around the clearing, causing the dragon to lift his legs carefully out of their way.
At one point, he stopped them from rolling down the mountain with one of his wings.
The dragon watched on fondly as the big cats acted like kittens, chuffing and rubbing their heads against each other and wrestling.