Cantavi smoothed down her new, white dress once again and jiggled her knee impatiently. oops. She hoped no one had seen that.
But the sun was relentless, beating down on Cantavi and the other children receiving the nectar that day.
Right now, usually Cantavi would be splashing in the cool ocean water, or exploring the humid jungle nearby her home, in the hundred isles. But today, she was stuck here, in Amaya, waiting to take the nectar to try to call a spirit animal.
She sighed silently.
She and her family had escaped to Amaya about a month ago, after the conquerors had overrun her island.
But now, the war was over, and they should have been preparing to go back. But instead, her parents insisted that they stay to see if she would call a spirit animal.
"Just a few more days Cantavi," her mother had said. "It won't hurt to stay a while."
She sighed again.
"Cantavi Azure, please step forward."
Hearing her name, Cantavi quickly snapped out of her thoughts and did as she was told.
"Receive the nectar of Ninani." the greencloak said, offering a wooden flask.
Cantavi took a sip, cautiously. She had heard the taste of the nectar changed for each person.
It tasted better than she had expected! Like raw sugar cane, her favorite sweet.
Suddenly, flashes of light zinged across her vision, and Cantavi thought she could smell the ocean air, the scent of home. Then the lights faded away.
And a white…bird... came flying out of nowhere!
The other candidates looked at Cantavi with admiration and envy, while the onlookers were stunned, so Cantavi guessed most hadn't observed an actual summoning before.
The bird came to a halt on Cantavi's shoulder, and at that moment, she felt completely energized and free. Like she could fly all the way up into the sky and never come back.
When she looked more carefully, she could tell that her bird was a seahawk, and a female.
Then the greencloak stepped forward.