Akari was happy with how her life was.

It was simple, predictable, and safe. The city she lived in was beautiful, her family;s business was doing fine, and she knew everyone. It would be foolish for anyone to want to leave and risk everything that they had to have a little fun.

Of course, she was subjected to that foolishness. The idea of leaving the city, going out and exploring the rest of Zhong, perhaps even the rest of Erdas was a thrilling thought. Perhaps if she did summon a spirit animal at her nectar ceremony, she might have done just that. Leave behind everything she knew to explore, to see the world, meet new people. However that fantasy was quickly wiped away the day she failed to summon a spirit animal.

The dream was a foolish one. She had been told by several people, whether it be her friends or her own family. Adventures like those happened hundreds of years before. Any quest or thrilling exploring had been speculated to be legends.

Folktales.

Spirit animals within themselves were rare, even in the stories. Any special bond that humans once had to the beasts were long gone, shriveled to almost nothing.

At least, that was the case in Zhong. Spirit animals were only summoned by very few kids. Though none stayed. They were quickly whisked away to the Zhongese palace. No one questioned why, nor did they want to know.

Many speculated that the children bonded to a beast were killed, or perhaps sent off to another continent to get training. With very few kids even bonding to a spirit animal, the rouse of suspicion or concern were low.

That was what happened with her brother.

During their nectar ceremony, despite her failure to call upon a beast, he succeeded. The creature wasn't the most impressive, only being a red panda, but the fact of him summoning one was the impressive, and terrifying part. He disappeared only days later. Her father blamed the Zhongese court, but without any evidence, and his past accusations, no one in the city seemed to listen, or to care.

That was the one reason that Akari was glad she didn't summon a spirit animal.

If she had, she too would have been whisked away.

It was midday in her hometown, the brilliant blue skies stretched for miles, with very few clouds in sight, the distant sound of chirping coming from the forests, and the tall grass surrounding her. Laying there, she could feel the soft breeze up against her skin. It was quite peaceful. She liked that.

Here, she didn't have to listen to the busy steel pounding sounds from her father's forge, or the sounds of her mother talking with her other friends about the latest gossip.

Even if she wasn't able to go out and see the world, at least she was able to enjoy this spot. She was sure that no were else in Erdas was this beautiful, and peaceful.

Akari closed her eyes, she could feel her skin warm to the sun's touch. Perhaps she could take a quick nap.

"Akari!"

The sound of her mother's voice pulled her out of her daydreaming. She quickly sat up, and after brushing off all the grass from her pants, she darted back to their small home.

Despite her father having his forge in town, they had enough money to have their own secluded home, just outside of the city. It really was a breathtaking place.

It was in a clearing in the forests. Not too far away from the rest of the world, but secluded and isolated enough that they didn't have little kids running through their yard, or the busy sounds of the city. She loved it.

Akari made her way over to the actual home. It was small, and was made of a reddish orange wood. The roof was a darker color, and the whole house was supported by a stone foundation. It didn't really seem to fit from the surrounding trees, neither by color or texture, leading her to believe that the wood must have been shipped out from another forest. Perhaps one from Amaya or maybe even Nilo or Oceanus.

As she walked, she spotted her mother at the doorway, her beautiful long black hair reaching down her back. She was a stunning woman, with beautiful brown eyes, and an almond complexion.She watched Akari approach her.

"I need you to go into town," She said, hanging onto her leather satchel. It was made of leather and had silver clasps on it to keep it closed.

"What do you need from town?" Akari asked while pulling the bag over her shoulder. She had worn it several times, so it was already adjusted to her height.

"Your father and I are to meet Stetriol Merchant and his family tonight. I need a new shawl, preferably one that has class and style to it. I would ask your father to do it, but he is going to be working a little overtime in the forge today. I already ordered the piece, you just need to pick it up"

Akari nodded. She was used to her mother asking her to pick things up for her. She rarely ever went into town, and had no intentions in doing so without a probable cause. It was one of the many reasons why they built their home where they did. Close enough for Akari's father to get to and from work quickly, but far enough away that her mother could enjoy peace and quiet.

Akari waved to her mother, before turning towards the towering trees. After walking for only a few minutes, she stopped before the treeline. The dark shadows in them at first glance didn't seem threatening. But the longer she stared at it, the darkerer they seemed to become.

Weren't you just thinking about how fun an adventure would be? Akari thought to herself, Why are you freaking out about this? It's not even that scary .You have gone through it several times. What's not another?

Akari took a deep breath, and stepped into the forest.

What could go wrong?

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The forest was dark.The thick tree cover only let in a little sky from the canopy, small flecks of golden sunlight seemed to streak across the ground. Apart from the manmade dirt pathway running through it, the rest of the forest ground was covered in thick vegetation and plants. Many roots seemed to stick out of the dirt path. It wasn't walked on nearly enough to keep anything off of it.

Akari was scared of very little things. Mainly due to the fact that there wasn't much to be scared of where she lived. However, the forest always seemed to freak her out.

It was only a mile's walk to the city, only taking Akari 20 minutes to get there. But those twenty minutes always felt so much longer.

Rubbing her arms, Akari continued to observe the surrounding area. The trees all seemed to twist and weave uniquely, none looking the same as the last. Just based on the thickness alone, she could tell that these trees were very old, perhaps some of them dating back several centuries. She wasn't quite sure what type of tree they were, but if she were to take a closer look, she might be able to discern their types.

The forest itself was beautiful, but Akari knew better than to trust it. Several feral creatures hid in the bushes.

A low growl cut straight through Akari's train of thought. She slowly turned. There couldn't possibly be a tiger this far west. Zhongese tigers tended to be found more on the southern side of Zhong. Akari started to shake, she could hear her own breathing, and could hear her heart beat start to increase in speed.

She had to act fast. Perhaps she had misheard it? No it was very deep, and she had been thinking too deeply to imagine it.

A dark shadow danced across the corner of her eye. Alari whipped her head to the side, her eyes widening at the sight. A catlike figure stood there. It was huge, almost too large to be a tiger. She couldn't discern any features of it. The only thing that differentiated from its fur was its eyes.

Its bright scarlet red eyes.

Akari took a step back, leaving the dirt path. The creature seemed to stare straight at her, its gaze unmoving, and a low rumble coming from the terrifying beast.

She didn't wait any long, she turned and quickly ran. It probably wasn't the smartest idea, considering how fast tigers could be. But she couldn't stop now. She could hear the creature pursuing her, and if she stopped, it would catch her faster.

Whatever it was. It was fast. What was once 20 feet of distance was now only 5. If she didn't do something quick, she was going to get caught. The creature growled behind her, it was about to pounce.

I should have just run to the city. Maybe someone there could have helped me. I am so stupid. I ran away from the path and now I am about to die.

Akari kept running, shutting her eyes tight and tears started to form up. What would her mother think? Would she mourn? Possibly. The young girl knew her father would be upset and heartbroken.

She waited for the creature to strike.

However, moments before the creature leapt, her foot got caught, causing her to fall. The large creature pounce was narrowly avoided. Akari put her hands over her head. She was now stuck. The creature was sure to attack.

A few moments passed, nothing.

Akari hesitantly looked up. The creature that was there before was now gone. Where could it had gone? Did it really give up just like that?

Akari tried to stand up, but was stopped. She turned to find that her foot had gotten her foot stuck. She reached over to pull the veritation away.

Stone bricks.

Confused, Akari quickly got her foot unstuck, and stood up. She brushed the dirt off of her face, and looked around.

Ruins.

Akari couldn't recall any ruins near Ðông Tàu. At least, none that had been recorded of. It didn't seem too large of an area. Not bigger than the clearing her family lived in. Several walls and broken pillars scattered across the ground. Perhaps a home? No. It was far too large and the home had pillars in them.

A sudden burst of light filled the air, crackling with an ancient energy. It was nothing lkie Akari had even felt before, a smell of sea salt filled the air for a brief moment. The green light slowly faded away. Leaving Akari alone.

What was that? She had never seen a flash like that. Even at her brother's nectar ceremony, the light was more multicolored rather than just one. It definitely was not natural, nor did it make much sense on what triggered it.

Looking around, nothing seemed to catch her eyes except a small pulsing light green light illuminating the branches above. Akari walked over, and gasped.

It was beautiful. It looked like a small circular disk made of jade. It contrasted against the dim surroundings of the forest. Akari bent down to pick it up. The moment her fingers made contact, a spark of electricity was sent through her arm, causing her to close her eyes and gasp

The feeling quickly went away again. After standing there, dazed because of what happened, she looked back down at the disk. Her thumb ran across its surface. It was surprisingly smooth on the bottom. It was small enough to fit in her palm, and a small hole at the top just big enough for a cord. The top however was beautiful. Several markings ran across the outline, with seven distinct figures all intertwining.

Akari looked around. Has someone left this here? Why had there been such a bright flash before it appeared? None of it was making sense to her.

That was when she saw the eyes.

They were not scarlet, like the beast she had seen before, but rather a pale green. And unlike the black figure she had seen before, she could very well tell what eyes they belonged to.

A large clouded leopard came out of the trees above her. Though she knew she should have felt terrified, something in those eyes seemed to calm her. To give her courage rather than fear. The beautiful creature kept its eyes on the girl, its gaze unmoving. It walked up to Akari. It sat down, which was quite strange for a wild cat to do.

Without thinking, Akari reached out her hand. It trembled as it got closer to the large cat.

However before she could touch it, a snap from the bushes filled the air.

As if instincts took over, Akari darted behind a wall facing away from were the noise had come from. The leopard surprisingly followed.

The creature was back. It was back to kill her. However it wasn't a growl or a snarl that she heard. Rather, a voice.

"Where is it!" He growled, his voice seeming to be a bit wispy, as if his throat was dry. She could tell just by the tone in his voice that he was far beyond angry or frustrated.

Akari sat there quietly, listening to the man babble. She didn't quite understand all that he was saying. It was mostly muttering and growling. The warm midday air was slowly turning cold. It wasn;t because too much time had passed. It had only been 30 minutes since she had left her home. Something else was going on.

Akari noticed a small crack in the wall she was hidden behind, she slowly maneuvered around the leopard in order to view what was going on.

She found herself staring at a tall man, with long black hair that seemed messy and unkept. His skin was ghostly pale, to the point it looked as if he had never been out in the sun his whole life. He had his back turned away from her, so she wasn't able to see his eyes, or his face.

Out of the shadows, the shadow creature emerged.

Akari froze, getting ready to sprint back home once it saw her. However the creature paid no attention towards the young lady.

Now looking at it, while not running away for her life, she noticed that even though the creature held itself similar to how a tiger would, it had several other features that didn't quite add up.The creature's head looked much more reptilian, with a long snout and no visible ears. Its tail looked similar to a lizard's one, leading her to think it might be a lizard of some kind.

But there were no lizards that were pitch black, with scarlet eyes, and larger than a tiger that she knew of. Also none of them had wings, which this creature also seemed to possess. Whatever it was, it looked monstrous, as if taken straight out of a nightmare.

"I need you to find it." The man turned to look at the creature, "I can't lose those beasts, and if they do get out into this world, who knows what would happen. Get me that talisman or it's back to the shadow realm with you!"

Talisman

Akari looked down at the jade plate laying in her palm. Could that be what the man was searching for?

Would she give it to him?

Every muscle in her body told her otherwise. Sure the man might have owned it, but that creature tried to kill her. It felt right taking it from him.

But if that creature was looking for it, perhaps it was best. But who knew what the man would do to her after she gave him the pendent.

Such hard decisions.

She looked back through the crevice. The man and the reptilian creature were now gone.

Akaru turned and gazed at the carvings, following each line ith her thumb. She realized that the seven figures intertwined were animals. A wolf, a Snake, a Raven, a Fox, an Okapi, a Horse, a Leopard. All of them looked so majestic, so beautiful. The Clouded leopard stared at her, its eyes full of deep knowledge. More knowledge she had ever seen in a creature.

"Is that you?" She whispered. She was afraid that the man or the monster might still be nearby.

The Leopard, in response, nuzzled its nose up against the pendant. The Leopard looking carvings started to faintly glow.

"It is you. What are you doing here? Why is that scary man after you?"

The Clouded Leopard continued to stare at her. She stared back, a sudden realization washed over her. This wasn't some random Clouded Leopard, it had come to her in a flash. Had she summoned this creature as a spirit animal? Impossible. She had failed to summon one at her bonding ceremony.

But maybe....

Akari took a deep breath, and reached out to touch the Leopard. A spark of energy, similar to the one she felt after picking up the pendent, coursed through her arm. For a brief moment, any shaking that was going on in her hands stopped.

It felt incredible .

After a few minutes of sitting there, she gazed into the Clouded Leopard's eyes.

"I don't know how I summoned you, or why that man wants to find you so badly. But maybe I can help you out?" Akari asked quietly. The Leopard seemed to give off a strange expression on his face.

Akari knew what this meant. With a spirit animal, she was sure to be targeted by government officials and such. And with that man after the pendent, and her new partner, she couldn't stay at her home for much longer.

Her life was about to get a lot more interesting.

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AHHHHHHHHHHHHH

Ngl it took a few tries to get the chapter right. I much say I wrote like half of it and edited it at midnight so somethings might not Make sense.  

Im just putting this down now. This is not going to be your stereotypical Spirit animals fanfiction. You can just tell by this chapter-

Anyways. I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter :)

-Isronswara