Akila and the light of Niwen

by AkilaOnline

This story is about a guardian spirit named Akila, the first born child of ori (this story takes place after ori and the will of the wisps)

12. Chapter 13

Hi! This story takes place after ori and the will of the wisps And follows the story of ori's first child, enjoy!

Prologue

A small blue leaf broke free from its branch and floated gracefully to the soft green grass. A small burst of light illuminated the night sky and a spirit guardian is born. The little spirit slowly opened her eyes and looked around the forest sleepily. She felt like she just woke up from a long nap, and now had a body to call her own. Her only memory was of being in a small dark abyss, surrounded by light and being close to her father. Now she awoke in a strange new world and sat up on shaky arms and legs. Her neck strained to look around, and was trying to see everything all at once, but her eyes were too small. A massive tree stood before her with a glowing orange ball in its branches, and she felt the instinct to be with this tree. Like something inside her was saying stay here with this thing, now and for always, and she crawled to it as fast as she could, her legs didn't seem to be working like how she thought they could, leaving her very slow and vulnerable. But she eventually made it there and curled up underneath one of its roots, the bark seemed to be warm and inviting as she clung to them and took a few deep breaths. Her arms were aching after the trip, and she felt very weak. There were some yellowish spots on the tree trunk, similar to the orange ball at the top of the tree she saw earlier, and reached out with both paws to the closest one to her. Once she touched it, she felt a sudden burst of energy flow through her veins and giving her strength. Once it was gone, she could stand up and walk around on small hooves that met the grass neatly. She took some time to examine herself, bluish fur, small paws, long curling tail, and round ears. Her stomach began to growl, and she was very hungry. Her white pupils caught sight of something that looked tasty, a bush filled with orange fruits. She walked steadily to it and sat on a nearby rock, and began to pluck them one by one from the bush. She held one in her paw, round and kind of fuzzy to the touch, and smelled delicious. Her stomach growled again and she took a bite, but quickly found herself stuffing five more into her mouth, and as she ate she saw the moon in the sky and stars dotted all around it. Once she was done, her paws her all sticky from the juice, but she found a small puddle of water and washed them. The cold water startled her for a second, but she found that it didn't hurt her so she continued. Her nose twitched and she let out a big yawn, as she walked back with some more fruits her

eyes felt heavy, like a rock was weighing them down. She yawned again and curled up under the giant glowing tree. She set down the fruit next to her and closed her eyes, letting sleep sink in and she dozed off.

Hi again! I don't really know how many chapters this story will be, but I really like it and it's pretty good considering this is my first time publishing my stories, anyway here's chapter 1, hope you like it!

Chapter 1: The child of Ori

the little spirit woke up from her sleep, and stretched her arms with a small yawn. She squinted her eyes, they weren't used to the bright morning sky since she had only experienced the night. She slowly crawled out from under the spirit tree's root, and she squeaked in delight at how pretty everything looked. Now under the sun the forest appeared more lively and awake than at night time, when everything was still and quiet under the big moon. Big birds flew from their nests, fish were jumping in the water, and small butterflies had landed on vibrantly colored flowers. She felt the warm rays of the sun, and closed her eyes to listen to the soft wind that was blowing through the trees and making the grass sway from side to side. She liked this much better than what she had previously experienced, it felt like being in a whole new world! After sitting in the sun for a few moments, she stood up and walked back to the tree root where she had slept and grabbed some of the fruit she had gathered from last night. Sitting out there feels better than under here she thought to herself, and brought them over to a patch of grass that was clear of flowers or water, and gingerly set them down in her lap. As she settled down and was about to eat, her ear twitched from a soft rustling noise behind her and turned her head in the direction of the sound. A small creature came running out of a bush towards her, though it was much bigger compared to her small size. The creature had big black ears and a tail with white fluff on the end, and had small yellowish eyes with a long body. The spirit cocked her head to the side in confusion, she had never seen anything like this before, and it seemed very happy to see her. It stopped in front of her "hello little spirit!" The thing chittered, "I have been awaiting your arrival ever since I saw your leaf sprout!" It said in a happy tone. Why was this thing happy to see her? She had never met it before, so how did it know her? "Oh you poor little thing" it said sadly "you must be so lost and alone, aren't you?" It's ears drooped a little. "Don't worry little one, I will take care of you. I'll take you to the wellspring glades and you can be safe in my hut where evil can't touch you" it said with it's paw outstretched in her direction. "My name is Miko, and I'm a moki" she said. The spirit was very confused by all this information, but she liked Miko, she seemed to be good company. She put her paw on Miko's, and she seemed happy about this response "wonderful! Follow me little spirit, we are going to my home!" Miko said and started to dash away. She tried to follow, but for some reason her legs weren't working again and she fell on her chin with a small wince. Miko stopped suddenly "oh my goodness! Are you alright?" She exclaimed, and ran to where she fell and helped her up "can you walk?" She asked, and had to catch the spirit as she started to fall again. "It's ok little one, I can carry you there" Miko said, and she found herself being picked up by strong paws "let's go!" She said cheerefully and dashed away with the spirit in her arms.

Chapter 2: the wellspring glades

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Miko had been carrying her for a while, and the spirit wondered if she was getting tired, but Miko put on a burst of speed and they emerged in a clearing with many buildings and structures. "Here we are!" Miko said with a smile on her face "this is my home, the wellspring glades!" She announced to the little spirit. Something caught her nose's attention, something warm and smelled of fresh herbs and spices. Miko noticed her intense expression, determined to find the source of the smell "oh! You must be looking for something to eat, am I right?" She asked, and the spirit nodded "we have marshclam soup! I'm sure Veral could make you some, he lives on the edge of Baurs peak above Tuleys hut." Miko said to her, and she cocked her head to the side in confusion, what was marshclam soup? It sounded good to her right now, she hadn't eaten since last night. "Let's go to my hut first and get you situated, then we can go get some soup" Miko laughed, the spirit had sneezed from a butterfly landing on her nose and it was very itchy. Miko soon came to a small hut next to a tree with the most beautiful leaves she had ever seen, they here bright blue, almost the same as her own fur and at the bottom of the trunk was a small hole that seemed to have lost whatever was inside it previously. She turned her head in that direction and pointed to it, and Miko looked at it "that's an ancestral tree, the soul of a spirit that once lived is in the tree as a reminder of their life" she said. This interested her, she didn't know there were others before her that once lived here "spi...rit" she sounded the word out, "yes! Spirit, that's what you are!" Miko said excitedly. "I thought spirits were born knowing how to talk, but I guess I'll have to teach you!" She said with a happy smile, and carried her into the hut through a curved wooden door. The hut was small and didn't have much room, but it was perfect for the two of them "what do you think?" Miko asked the little spirit, and she made a small happy noise in response. In the center of it was a small round table with a pot of wilted sunflowers in it, and next to the table were two flat stones padded with some soft grass on top, acting as chairs. Near the back were some sleeping areas, with a dream catcher at the top "it's not much, but I was hoping to ask Grom for an upgrade. I'm running out of room" Miko said with a sheepish laugh. She set down the spirit on one of the stones at the chair, and she notices how comfortable it was with the grass, she expected it to be hard or cold. The sunflowers in the pot looked three times bigger than her head, but she was very small so maybe this was normal? She reached out for one of them, and once she touched it it started to shine a bright light and it seemed to liven up with more leaves and a greener stem. She let go quickly and stared at her paws in amazement, Miko came rushing over to her "woah! I've never seen a spirit do that before!" She said in an awestruck tone. The spirit looked at her with a worried expression, as if to say please explain this now. "It's like you brought them back to life!" Miko said, and then her ears perked up a little. "You see that structure over there?" She asked the spirit, and then pointed to a flat stone surface with a small blue glow coming out from the center, "that's called a spirit well. They are used to heal spirits and lets them travel to other spirit wells from far away!" Miko said to her, and the spirits eyes widened in fascination. A spirit well? Made for spirits like her? That sounded amazing! The little spirit had an idea, since she could heal the flowers like the spirit well healed spirits.. I wonder.. she thought to herself. She closed her eyes tightly and concentrated on her destination, and her blue fur began to glow brightly. Would this really work? What was about to happen? Her fur was glowing brighter now, and she began to spin rapidly in circles as she was lifted into the air. "What are you—?" Miko began to ask, but was cut off by the sudden vanishing of the spirit. Sure enough, she landed on her tail and found herself at the spirit well that Miko was pointing to.

Chapter 3: Villagers of the wellspring glades

The little spirit shook her head rapidly, she was a little dizzy from that experience. Miko came running over to her, and picked her up while examining her, "what just happened?! What did you do?" She asked the spirit. She shrugged her shoulders, and caught sight of a big creature with four arms, and two glowing eyes with an eyepatch over what she guessed was a third. He had white hair, and cracked horns, along with a backpack and a glowing lantern. He hadn't noticed her yet, but the little spirit found herself shivering with fear and she ducked behind Miko's arm, although it didn't hide her very well considering her glowing blue fur was a dead giveaway. Miko saw what the spirit was hiding from, and she started talking to it, "good morning Grom! How are you today?" She asked him. Grom turned to face her, and saw something glowing on her arm "hello Miko, I am well. What have you got there?" He asked her, and pointed to the source of light. "Oh! You won't believe it!" She said, and uncovered her arm to expose the little spirit curled up on her. Grom's face lit up with shock, "is that... what I think it is??" He said, clearly speechless. Miko chuckled, "yes, the ancient one has blessed Niwen with a spirit! It has been so long since I have seen one, and now here she is!" She said, and held the spirit up so that Grom could get a good look at her. He saw that the spirit was frightened of his appearance, and he spoke to her "don't worry little one, I am no threat to you" he said with a soft smile. The spirit looked at him with curiosity, and pointed to the lantern he held with a soft squeak, "oh yes, I use this for construction so that I can see." He said to her, and she noticed that the light seemed to be dying out, she wiggled free from Miko's grasp and held out a paw to it. She touched it, and the lantern lit up with a blue glow the same as her own and she smiled with a squeak of success. Miko and Grom looked at her with awe, "how did you do that?" He asked, and the spirit shrugged as Miko picked her up again. "She vanished out of thin air earlier, and then appeared at that spirit well! She also healed the sunflowers in my hut!" She exclaimed, and Grom opened his lantern with a thoughtful look on his face. The lantern had a small blue orb inside, seemingly the source of the light she had created earlier, "I have heard that the spirits of the past had special abilities, but this little one seemes to have many." He said, and held her paws in his hand as he inspected them. "Nothing seems out of the ordinary..." he concluded, letting them go. "She is very special!" Miko said, and hugged the spirit in a warm embrace, the little spirit's stomach growled and Miko set her down. Her little nose was hard at work, trying to smell food, and Miko laughed "we should get you to Veral's place huh? He has lots of soup for you" she said, and the little spirit started jumping up and down with happiness.

Chapter 4: Heading Home

The spirit was inside of Miko's hut, eating a small bowl of soup. The interaction between her and Veral the soup maker, had gone well. He was very kind, and like everyone else, seemed to be surprised to see her for some reason. Grom said that spirits had existed before her, so why was is such a shock that she was here? She was a spirit too, surely they had seen one before right? Her train of thought was interrupted by the sound of the door to the hut opening, and Miko came in carrying a basket with some sort of material inside. It was brown, long and thin, and was a little furry to the touch. The spirit looked at Miko in confusion as she set the basket on the table, and she noticed that there were several more strips of it inside. "This is called leather, little one" Miko explained, "it is used to make things, like bags, chairs, rugs, and many more." She said to her. The spirit peered at the leather, and picked up a piece in her paws that was about the size of her arm. Miko walked over to a different surface, and opened a door that was on it and came back with something hanging over her shoulders. It had a long piece of leather hanging, and it was attached to something that looked like it could carry things in it. "This is my bag" she said, and opened a small flap that was attached to a button. Miko began opening the contents of the bag, it contained many things the spirit did not understand but looked equally fascinating. She held up a small stone that had a slight curve to it, and had little white markings on the top, "this is a keystone. They are used to open spirit gates, they are kind of like doors that have missing pieces that are needed to open it." Miko said. That sounded strange, a door that had missing pieces? How terribly inconvenient, how was one supposed to find them? What if they couldn't find them? This idea sounded very problematic, she did not want to find herself in that situation if she could avoid it. The little spirit gave the keystone a hard stare as if trying to discipline it, and Miko laughed "not a fan of them huh?" She asked, and the spirit shook her head. "Well that's alright, you probably won't find one because most of the spirit gates have been opened already." The spirit seemed satisfied by this, and she hopped out of her chair and made her way to the door. "Where are you going?" Miko asked her, and the spirit pointed to the wooden door and then to herself. "Your leaving?" She asked, and she nodded "but why? Don't you like being here with me?" Miko asked, and the spirit thought for a moment. She then pointed to Miko, then herself, then the door. "You want me to go with you?" She nodded, "oh, I can't go with you little one, my home is here." She replied and her ears dropped a little. The spirit walked over to Miko and gave her a hug, and she hugged her back, "will you come back tomorrow?" She asked. The spirit nodded and waved goodbye as she went out the door, and closed it behind her. The sky was a purplish blue, that meant night was coming I'm a day old now she thought to herself. The wellspring glades were a safe place, somewhere she could go other than to the giant tree with the orange ball in the middle. She was walking through a forest now with lots of bright green trees, and she knew exactly where to go, her hooves stepping on grass and stone. After a while of walking, she soon saw the familiar sight of the spirit tree, and she ran to it eager to feel the warmth of the light inside. Her paws met the bark of the tree, and she realized how alone she felt, no one else like her to talk to. She had Miko and the other villagers, but it didn't feel the same as being with the tree. It felt familiar and safe, it made her want to climb inside the thick bark and exist with all the other light like hers. Her ears drooped, she was alone in this world. Inside her thoughts, she almost didn't hear the piercing SHRIEK that cut through the quietness like a sword. Her ears perked up, and she was on full alert. What had made that sound? Whatever it was, it didn't sound friendly. She jumped twoards the spirit tree and curled up beneath the roots and started to shiver. She closed her eyes, and another SHRIEK sounded again, she was terrified. She forced her eyes open, and slowly looked at the sky, trying to calm herself. what is that sound?! Her mind panicked, and something blocked out the moon, leaving her in darkness. She looked up again, and really wished she hadn't. A huge owl was blocking the light of the moon, it had a small head and massive wings, and it's talons we're outstretched, ready to kill whatever it was looking for. Something was odd about it though, it seemed to have a skeleton head that's strange she thought. The more she looked, she saw skeleton bones all over the owls body. On its wings, on its chest, and it seemed to have horns that here cracked, along with part of its face. It had intense white eyes, and she could see purple feathers where it's face was exposed. Something happened to this owl, and it didn't look happy about it. A sudden flash of memories flooded into the spirits mind. Memories of this owl attacking her, only she wasn't her, she was someone else, someone that had white fur and pointy ears, and paws and hooves and a tail. He was much bigger than her, but no doubt he was a spirit, and this spirit was fighting the owl. He took out a huge hammer, and hit the owl on its wings trying to throw it off balance. Another memory came, and this one was of the same spirit next to a small orange light, he was holding it close to himself and a bright light came. Another memory, and it had a small purple owl with a white face and orange eyes, and had a wing that was missing feathers. She felt the sensation of hugging this owl, and feeling a close bond to it. Another memory, this one with a big creature with a round white face and black eyes, picking up the other spirit in a warm embrace and giving him fruits.The memories faded, and the little spirit shook her head vigorously to clear her mind of them. She knew this owls name, and she had been hurt by the world, and decided to lash out because of it.

Her name was Shriek.

Chapter 5: Ghosts of the Past

The spirit saw shriek, and the intense look on her face told her that her hiding spot had been exposed. Shriek stared at the spirit with pure hatred in her eyes, and her wings began to tuck in ready to dive. What would she do? What would happen if she caught her? She didn't know for sure, but she knew she had to run before this massive bird caught up to her. She sprang out of hiding, and her legs did the rest as she began to run away before Shriek could dive after the tree. Her memories taught her of how Shriek had destroyed the previous tree, a willow tree, and she would not let that happen to this one, not if she had anything to do about it. The spirit felt a sudden rush of adrenaline, and some instinct let her speak her first words, "HEY!" She shouted, while waving her arms in the air to draw Shrieks attention away from the tree. Shriek turned her head in the spirits direction, and her eyes narrowed in an angry expression, "hey! uh, hi there, and um... lovely day- er night we're having, huh?" The spirit said to her, anything to keep the owls focus on herself. She felt very awkward, and she could feel Shrieks anger growing as she spoke, "Shriek, that's your name isn't it? Hi, I'm a spirit and my name is—" she paused for a moment. Did she have a name yet? It didn't matter right now, so she said the first thing that came to mind, "Akila, um yeah, that's my name, sure." She concluded, and stopped for a second to ponder this new name. Akila. She liked the sound of it, that was her name now, Akila. Shriek landed, and stood in front of Akila. She was huge, about twenty times bigger than herself, and she started to shiver a little, "uh- hi! Erm, uh..." she trailed off in her own terror. Shriek seemed to be growing in size as she walked twoards her, though she knew it was in her head. She looked behind her, and saw the forest. She could run away, and keep running, but where would she go? She couldn't go to Miko, Shriek would follow her and then find the wellspring glades. She had no choice, she had to fight back, but how? She had no weapon to use against shriek! Wait a minute... she thought, and recalled the time she lit Groms lantern with the tiny ball of light, would that do any damage? Surely not, right? Maybe I don't have to fight, maybe I can distract her and then hide somewhere. She thought of a plan in her head, and wondered if Shriek would go after the tree if she didn't find Akila. I guess if that happens, I will have to fight her after all, she answered herself but didn't like the idea of that. Even if she did have a weapon, would she really fight Shriek? She had already gone through enough, so it felt wrong to put her through more pain. Please let this work she begged whatever was listening, and took a deep breath as she summoned a small blue ball of light. Akila gatheredall her strength and tossed it into the air, as soon as it got close enough, a bright flash of light had blinded Shriek long enough for her to jump into a bush and began to pile leaves on top of her so that her fur wasn't bright enough to alert the owl of her location. Please please please please leave she begged in her mind. Shriek shook her head and blinked a few times, then was clearly confused by the spirits sudden vanishing as she turned her head in every direction, only to find nothing but rocks on the ground. She narrowed her white eyes, determined to find Akila, and searched every corner of the area, but found nothing. Shriek gave a big squawk of frustration and took off, soaring into the night sky. Akila found the courage to step out of hiding, and sighed deeply as she lay on the soft grass and let the light of the moon illuminate her fur. "I did it" she said to herself and realized how great it was to be able to speak now, it had been quite frustrating to only be able to make squeaking noises. What now? I could go to Miko, and tell her what happened, she wondered as she sat up to look at the stars above her. She stood and looked at the forest, the pathway that led to the wellspring glades, and to Miko. She started walking but it quickly turned into a run, she needed someone to talk to, and to make her feel safe. The tree had always been her place of solace, but since Shriek showed up, she knew it wasn't safe for her or the tree to stick around there. She was sprinting now, eager to feel the warm embrace of her adoptive mother, and soon found herself looking at Moki houses with the lights on. They must have heard Shriek, she guessed, and caught sight of a familiar hut. "MIKO!" She shouted, it didn't matter how loud she was since the whole village was already awake, and the door to Miko's hut opened. She came out confused, and saw Akila running twoards her and opened her arms for a hug, and the spirit hugged her tight just now letting the fear of what had happened sink in, and she was shivering a lot. "Goodness! What happened little one? Are you alright?" Miko asked, and Akila looked up at her with fear in her eyes, "Miko, it was so scary! I almost died tonight!" She exclaimed, and Miko looked at her in awe. "You—you can talk now??" She asked and the spirit nodded, "Miko, Shriek came after me! And she almost destroyed the spirit tree!" This got her attention, and she cradled Akila in her arms. "Umm... Shriek will definitely come back if she knows there's a spirit guardian in Niwen, you aren't safe" Miko said, and Akila nodded in agreement. "What's gonna happen? I can't fight Shriek! Even if I wanted to, but I don't want to, I don't have a weapon to use!" The little spirit exclaimed, and started fiddling with her paws in anxiety. Miko hugged Akila, and started rocking her back and forth in her arms, "I know, I know, but it's ok, we can figure something out." She said in a hushed voice, and Akila closed her eyes to snuggle up with her, and her ears drooped slightly. Miko did the same, and they knew that whatever happened, they would be together. No matter what.

Chapter 6: A journey back

It was a new day, but Akila hadn't gotten much sleep after last night, she had stayed awake guarding the spirit tree in case Shriek would return. But nothing had happened, and she felt much better after that. Miko slid the door to her hut open, and found the little spirit curled up outside on a flat rock that overlooked the forest, snoring softly. She nudged her slightly, "good morning little one, did you sleep well?" She asked, and Akila awoke with a yawn, stretching her arms. "Hi Miko, I slept better knowing the spirit tree was safe." She replied sleepily, and Miko sat next to her gazing at the flowered meadow. "I wonder when other spirits will come from the tree," Akila said, and her eyes locked on its branches in the distance "I don't know, you took a while after I saw a blue glow coming from it, your leaf hadn't fully developed yet" Miko replied. "Did you know that the spirit guardian who came here, didn't have any abilities like yours?" She asked, and Akila raised her eyebrows, "huh? But why not?" "It is said that he was separated too early from his spirit tree, and never got one." Miko told her, and it hadn't occurred to her that that was a possibility. "Ori, that was his name, and he is your father" she said. Something clicked in Akila's mind, the spirit that she has seen, was that Ori? Had she been gifted his memories? If that were true, how did he become a tree? "He saves this land, from decay and darkness" Miko said, and gazed at the sky. Akila stood up, "Miko, I know him! He defeated shriek! He fended off great beasts like the sandworm and the tentacle monster!" She said, he memories telling her stories of his great heroics. "He knew Kwolok the frog, once the protector of the Moki, and be befriended Mora the spider, who lives in the mouldwood depths!" She exclaimed, and Miko stared at her in awe "how— how do you know that?!" She questioned in shock, "Miko, I can see it! Ori gave me his memories! I got them when I saw Shriek, and I know why she killed all the owls in the silent woods!" Miko's jaw was wide open, clearly surprised at how much she knew. "That- that's incredible!" She exclaimed, "oh my goodness Miko," Akila started, "we can reason with Shriek!" She jumped high in the air, and pointed east of the spirit tree. "The silent woods, that's where we will find her." Akila said, and Miko looked in that direction with a worried look. She noticed her expression and asked, "what's wrong?" "Many moki have suffered from the decay in the silent woods, it turns us to stone!" She explained, and Akila Looked at her in fear. "What?! That's awful!" She said, hugging Miko tight. "It's ok, I can get help elsewhere" Akila said, and looked west towards the inkwater marsh. "There are other spirits like me out there. I can find them and ask for help" She told Miko, "must you go? I don't want you to get hurt." She said, and Akila hugged her tighter. "I'll be ok, I promise I will come back" she said to Miko, and dashed off into the woods. She waved goodbye, and gave her adoptive mother a smile as her light faded behind the bushes. "Goodbye little one! See you soon!" Miko called out to her, and turned to head back to her hut.

•••••••••••••••••

Akila was sprinting at top speed, she knew where to go, but how would she get across the ocean? Maybe a raft, out of wood. She was too far away from Grom's to go back, but even if she was close enough, she didn't have gorlek ore for him to use. She exhaled quickly, "it's okay, I can figure this out" she reassured herself, and relaxed as the cool morning air hit her face. She loved running nonstop, it made her feel invincible, as if nothing could stop her, and she swung on a tree branch to elevate herself high into the sky. She landed with a soft thud and kept running, eventually she came to a muddy terrain with soggy grass and big puddles everywhere. She checked the map lupo had previously given her, and this part was labeled 'Inkwater Marsh' and rolled it back up. Her hooves got cold and wet after stepping in the puddles, but it didn't bother her that much, she continued with high hopes and came to the edge of the marsh. A big ocean lay ahead of her, sparkling blue like the color of the sky but much darker, "I can't swim... maybe I can make something" she wondered out loud, and looked around for some material to use. She came across a tree with big twisting vines that got tangled with the branches, and she started tugging on one. It snapped loose and fell in her paws, it was twice her height and seemed pretty thick, perfect for making things. After tugging a few more free, she started climbing the tree trunk on unsteady legs, eventually making it to the top. She tugged on some branches, and they came loose after a few tries, she fell to the ground and got to work. Pairing and tying the wood together, eventually it turned out to be a thin wood platform, then placed it in the water. It was safe to sit on, and she grabbed a big stick to start paddling. Not really knowing where to go, she decided to head straight and hoped something would appear. A strong current had picked up, and she gained some speed as she paddled along, "wait wait wait— TOO FAST!" She exclaimed, and the boat had flipped over from the speed, dumping her underwater. The salt from the ocean stung her eyes, and she flailed around trying to find the boat. Her paws found it, and she blindly hauled herself on top, she coughed and chocked and spat out the water in her lungs, then lay on the boat while taking deep breaths. "Hah.. huh.. ughhh" she groaned, and sat up with a small cough, her fur was soaked and she started shivering from the wind blowing towards her. "I can't give up now," she encouraged herself, and grabbed her paddle to continue the journey.

Hi! I've kind of been a writing maniac lately, so chapter release will probably be updated a lot. But I like where the story is going, and it's exciting to continue it! Anyways enjoy!

Chapter 7: The forest of Nibel

It had been a long day of paddling across the ocean, and the sun was starting to sink down towards the horizon. She hadn't seen anything that resembled an island, and her Hope was starting to fade. What if she never found it? She would be stranded in the ocean, probably doomed to starve. Just when hope seemed lost, she spotted something in the distance, it was big and it seemed to be an island! "No way... did I really find it??" She questioned out loud, and as she got closer her hope started rising again. She ignored the ache in her arms, and started paddling harder, eager to set foot on solid ground again. She hopped off the boat and fell on the grass, it felt great after a long day of traveling to let herself rest. Her arms were shaking, but after a while she found the strength to get up again, and traveled into the woods. The sun was setting, and the forest looked so different from what she was used to. Bushy trees with twisting trunks, instead of tall thin leaves with thick bark, but she liked it, she soon cane upon a small cluster of boulders that formed a miniature cliff. But something moved, and then something else moved, and then emerged three creatures of light sitting on the boulder holding weapons pointed towards her. "Spirits..." Akila gasped, and the edged closer to her, "hold it!" The one in the middle said, he was the biggest and had y'all pointy ears and a much whiter fur than her own. "Who are you?" The one on the left said, this one was very small, with round ears and there seemed to be tiny wings on his back. How was that possible? Only birds could fly, right? Akila stammered from her surprise, "u—umm— I'm Akila—hi" she spoke, and the three others exchanged glances. They hopped down and formed a circle around her, "why are you here?" The third one said, I he was her height and had pointy ears, but a much longer tail than the rest. "Uh I need your help, there's an owl that threatens my forest" she explained, and the smaller one piped up "Kuro? She's dead! She saved us all!" He told her, and Akila remembered this, a big purple owl with a fierce love for her children, when the light killed them she hunted down the spirits, and broke the balance of light. But ended up sacrificing herself for her last child, Ku, Ori's adoptive sister. "I—I know that, but it's not Kuro, there's another owl, her name is Shriek" she said, and they gave her confused looks. "What?! I thought all the owls were gone from Nibel!" The tallest one said, "they are, Shriek is in Niwen! She's going to kill the spirit tree if I don't stop her, and I need your help" Akila explained, and they lowered their weapons. The smallest one looked at her wide eyed, "I—I knew you weren't from around here!" He exclaimed, and held out his paw "come with us! We know who can help!" He said, and she took it as they walked away.

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They arrived in a vibrant green meadow, dotted with white glowing flowers, and in the center stood a massive tree with a blue light at the top where the leaves began. Akila gasped in awe, "..wow.." she said breathlessly. She pointed to the tree, "a—a spirit tree??" She asked and the others nodded with a smile "our father, and the source of light in this forest." The small one said, "oh! We forgot to tell you our names!" The middle one said, he pointed to the tall one "that's Oro, the smaller one is Luken, and my name is Leor" he said, and Oro put his hand on her shoulder. "Welcome to Nibel Akila" he said, and Luken flew high into the air "everyone! We have a visitor!" He announced, and spirits emerged from all sides of the meadow in curiosity. Akila felt a sense of belonging, she was finally with her own kind. Her heart swelled with happiness, and she smiled "I was alone in my forest. But now I know what it feels like to belong with my own kind" she told the three of them, and they looked at her with sad eyes "your all alone?" Oro asked, "well not all alone, I have Miko and she takes good care of me" Akila replied and waved at the spirits making their way over to the group. They started murmuring to one another, wondering who the stranger was "I don't need everyone," Akila told Leor "but maybe I could stay for the night, is that ok?" She asked "of course!" Luken said. "You can stay with us in our hut!" Oro told her, and he held her paw to lead her towards the spirit tree. "Hello child" it said in a welcoming voice, and she walked to it, to the light. "I have been waiting for you" the tree told her, and she looked at Oro in confusion. He nodded, and Akila put her paws on the roots of the tree, feeling the light inside "ho—how do you know me?" She asked it "you were born from the child that I lost in the great storm" it said, and the group gasped "Ori?! Is that your father? Has he become a spirit tree??" Luken asked, and she nodded. "Yes, I think so" Akila said, recalling the memories her father gifted her with "he saved Niwen from Shriek once, but now he's in danger again, she could destroy him and the light would fade away." She explained, "we will come with you" Oro said, and the others nodded in agreement. "How do we get there?" Leor asked, and Akila pointed to where the ocean was "I made a boat, but I'm not sure if it could fit all of us" she said, and then noticed little white dots all around the leaves of the spirit tree. Luken noticed where she was looking, "those are spirits waiting to be born" he said, and gestures to the light in the middle of the tree "that's Sein, he once accompanied your father when the forest fell to decay, when Kuro attacked our ancestors." He finished, and Oro chimed in "but they left us things to remember them by, ancestral trees, their final resting place" he said, and Akila remembered the ancestral tree she saw in the wellspring glades, and wondered which spirit had passed there. "I've seen one before" Akila said, "they look beautiful, blue leaves that look like feathers, and long twisting tree trunks" the others looked confused, "blue leaves? I've never seen one with blue leaves" Leor said. "Oh! I almost forgot! There's someone else you ought to meet!" Luken piped up, and Oro seemed to know what he was talking about, "oh yes! Let's go introduce you!" He said, and they guided her west from the spirit tree toward a village of huts close by. They pointed to a hut hanging from a thick tree branch and she noticed a blue flower that seemed to be inflated with air. She knew what this was, it was a spring plant, used to bounce on and reach high up places. She hopped on it, and was immediately launched into the air upon impact, bracing herself to catch the platform ahead of her. The momentum slammed her body against it, and she caught a good grip to pull herself up. "That was fun!" She said happily, and Luken flew up to join her, he didn't seem too keen on trying out the plant, though. Oro went next, then Leor after that, and he opened the door to the hut. Inside it was a kind of round shape, with platforms all around the walls. They seemed to be sleeping areas, with patches of grass on top and dream catchers hanging above them. They seemed to be set up so that everyone could reach their spot, in a way that you could jump from one to the other without disturbing the space. "Aalok!" Oro called to the top platform, and something moved in its spot, then emerged a spirit with dark blue fur, almost the ocean color. Akila raised her eyebrows, she had never seen a spirit with that much blue, she looked at Leor with a please explain this expression. "He was born lightless, that's why he isn't as bright as the rest of us" he told her, and it looked cool in her opinion. That's what we all look like without light she thought, and Aalok jumped down from his spot, "..hi" he said in greeting, though he seemed more shy than sleepy. "Hi! I'm Akila" she said, and he smiled weakly as he told her his name. "I'm Aalok.."

Chapter 8: New friends

It had been a few days since Akila's arrival, and all the spirits had adjusted to her living there temporarily. The group had been training a lot, ready to protect the spirit tree, it was late afternoon and they had finished training for the day, "whew! I'm starving" Leor said while trying to catch his breath. "Me too, I think it's break time" Akila agreed, sitting down on a rock in the sun. Training had been a great way to learn about the spirits, and they too had abilities like her. Oro was strong and courageous, he could break the thickest branch with his bare paws, Leor was smart and resourceful, he made weapons and devices that came in handy. Luken was fast and agile, able to swim, sprint, and climb faster than any spirit, and Aalok was good with maps and puzzles, he easily knew his way around the forest and was a good look out for danger. Akila enjoyed their company, her first ever friends and her closest allies, they became close to one another in the time they shared, even though it was short. Luken flew to a fruit tree, and began picking them one by one, dropping them in a basket Leor had made. Akila decided to wash off, she ran to a nearby lake filled with clear water, and dived in. It felt cool and wet in her fur, and was a food relief from the heat of the sun, but she had been seeing a different reflection from her own lately, instead of her face, she saw Ori her father instead. It was rather strange, she had no idea why this was, but it didn't really affect her so she shrugged it off. The days were going by fast, and they needed to hurry if they were to set off for Niwen soon, so she didn't really have time to worry about little things. The group had started eating, and Akila made her way over as well, "what took you so long?" Aalok asked, and she shrugged "I wanted to wash off and I guess it took longer than expected" she replied. "So when are we going to Niwen?" Oro wondered, "yeah! I want to see it!" Luken chimed in. "Soon, don't worry" Akila assured them, and Oro lay back on the grass with a stretch, "ahhh, I'm getting sleepy" he said, and the sky was starting to fade into a light orange. Sunset was coming, which meant she was almost 4 days old now. It felt like yesterday when she was adopted by Miko, and taken to her home with the sunflowers and the creamy soup, and the warm hugs. She missed her terribly, I wonder what she's up to right now.. Akila thought, and her mind drifted to the time Shriek came, then remembered why she was here. Right, protect the spirit tree. Got it. Akila decided to call it an early night, and made her way to the hut as the sun was starting to sink near the horizon, "I'm tired, I think I'll go to bed early" she told the others with a yawn, and headed inside after the door slid shut. Leor had made her a sleeping area near a window with a view of the moon, and she lay on it with her chin resting on her arms. The sun was almost gone, and the moon was in full view now, with the sky an orange faded into purple on the top, and her eyes felt heavy. She found herself quickly drifting off, and closed her eyes as she made soft snoring sounds. She didn't even hear the others come in and take their spots, she was too tired to notice. She woke up in a strange place, it looked like she was floating on air, and all around her was a milky blue color dotted with stars. What's happening? She wondered, and something emerged from the emptiness, a bright ball of light, floating towards her and growing bigger as it got closer. Then a flash and a white spirit stood before her, much bigger but shorter than Oro, he seemed oddly at peace and gave her a smile, "Akila, my daughter" he said, and she realized who it was, "Ori?! But your a tree! How are you here? I'm not even in Niwen!" She exclaimed in shock, and he chuckled in amusement "it has been a long time since I was in this body, and even longer since I have been home." He told her, and glanced upward as he turned around, Nibel's spirit tree stood there, and Ori lifted a paw to feel the light inside. "Yes, this is familiar, I remember now" he said softly, "my mother, Naru, she had seen me float away from my father and followed me as I drifted away" he said, and a large black being with a white face appeared, following a white leaf that blew in a storm. "She cared for me, gave me a home" he continued, and showed the same creature tossing a spirit into the air as he laughed happily, "but, it was not to last" he said sadly. The creature lay inside a cave with her eyes closed, and the spirit was nudging her in concern, seemingly trying to wake her up, "she was gone, and I left, hungry and alone" he muttered, and the spirit was in a dark forest, falling into a bush of thorns and whimpering as they poked him. "But the light saved me, gave me a second chance" he said louder, and showed the spirit lifeless on a log surrounded by white glowing flowers as they illuminated the spirit tree nearby. "I went on a journey to save my home, and gained a sister." He continued, and showed the spirit with a ball of light, escaping a giant shadow owl that was after them. Then the cave with the creature watching a large egg as it hatched, and emerged a baby owl with a white face and orange eyes. "We separated, and I lost her" his ears drooped, and the same owl lay on the ground, with her eyes closed, "but I saved her, along with the forest" the spirit held a orange light, and the owl was revived, and found a tree growing before her. "That was my story. But that was a long time ago, this is your story now Akila" he finished, and sighed deeply as he closed his eyes. "My child, you must protect those you love as I did, and care for this land when I cannot. You are the guardian of Niwen, it is your destiny" he told her, and she gasped "will I have to become a spirit tree?! I don't want that! I want to be with Miko and my friends!" She exclaimed, and Ori chuckled "you fate is not in my hands, you decide where your paths lead" he said, and held her paw in his own. They sat down and gazed at the moon, milky white and glowing in the sky, Akila looked up at her father "but how am I talking to you right now?" "You are my daughter, I am able to connect with you through the light we share, and bring you comfort when the world weighs on your shoulders." He explained, and this weirdly made sense, she liked having this company with him, it gave her a chance to meet her father, even though it was a dream. Ori stood and picked her up in his arms, "I must go now, but know that I will always love you" he whispered in her ear and gave her a hug as he set her down. He started walking away, and his figure was fading with each step, "wait! Don't go!" She called, and started running after him, he was almost vanished now and she ran faster. But he was gone when she caught up with him, leaving her on her knees and alone, she missed Miko so much, she wanted to feel the warm embrace of her mother, and the comfort of her voice. Everything started fading to black, and she woke up in her sleeping spot suddenly, she looked around but no one was awake yet, and the moon was setting too. She sensed that something was wrong, not here but somewhere else, they're in danger she thought, and felt an invisible force telling her to return home, pulling her closer and closer, willing her out of the hut. She needed to be there, now, and now, closer her heart took her towards the sea shore. She looked back to her sleeping friends, they would be alright. She would return before they woke up, just a quick trip to check on the forest she had left. She ran to the sea, and found that her boat was missing. Must've washed away she thought, and paced back and forth out of worry. How was she meant to get home? She didn't have time to make another one! Wait... she realized, she didn't have to make a boat, she could warp to the spirit well in the glades. Ok, here goes nothing she thought, and concentrated hard. Her fur began to glow, and lifted her into the air, she started twirling, and focused on her destination, she suddenly vanished in a flash of light, and found herself in the spirit well she was looking for. Home. She stood up to look at the beautiful scenery,

But she was too late.

Hi again! So this next chapter is pretty emotional (well in my opinion) so just prepare yourselves, anyways enjoy!

Chapter 9: The fallen

Akila looked around the glades in horror, houses torn apart, bones scattered, and everything turned to stone in a silence that chilled her. She saw all the Moki that had been out in the open now turned to stone, their fear frozen on their faces. Her heart began to race, Miko, where is Miko?!? She thought, desperately searching every corner of the glades. Her hopes started to fade with each fail, and she was about to lose hope when she heard a rustle in the leaves. She crept closer, cautious of what it could be, she brushed the leaves aside and found Miko buried underneath them. But something was wrong, She was half turned to stone, starting from her tail and spreading to her chest, in a slow creeping way. "Miko!!" She exclaimed in relief, and she opened her eyes weakly to look at the spirit with a sorrowful expression, "little one, you are here. Good." She said in a hoarse voice, and she tried to sit up, only to fail and lay back down. "Shriek attacked us, she found our home, and destroyed everything. Now there is nothing left" she said, her ears dropping as she closed her eyes. "No, no! Stay awake! I can still save you!!" Akila said, summoning her healing powers and reached a paw out to Miko, but just as it was about to touch her chest, Miko stopped her. "Little one, my time has come and gone. It is time for me to rest," she said in a whisper, and started coughing. "No! You can't leave me! Not now!" Akila shouted, tears flowing down her cheeks, and lifted Miko into her arms with a hug. The Moki returned it, and she said softly "I will always love you, little one." She sighed, and that was the end. Miko was gone. Akila sobbed quietly, gripping Miko's fur as it began to turn to stone. She cried out, "NO!" As she lifted her head to the sky, staring at the grey clouds. It would rain soon, but she wasn't ready to leave Miko yet, possibly never. She lay Miko's body on the ground, and curled up underneath her limp paws. This couldn't be happening, no. No, no, no, no. Why?! Why would shriek do this!? Was she so cold hearted that she would attack innocent Moki, who had done nothing wrong?? Why and no, the only words repeating in her mind. She didn't want to accept the truth, but she had to. Miko was dead, and her home was gone. She had nothing left. Maybe I could revive her, she thought, but knew she couldn't. Her power only let her revive dying things, not things that were already dead. She thought back to the sunflowers, they weren't dead yet, so she was able to heal them. But Miko stopped her from healing her, why? My time has come and gone her words echoed in her mind. She must've been older than she expected, maybe she would rather die now than drag it out. Akila looked up, her vision foggy from her tears, and realized that Miko was now a stone statue, a look of peace and acceptance forever on her face. Then Akila realized, she must have faced shriek, but hid under the leaves when she was turned to stone. She didn't want me to see her like this, trying desperately to survive as long as she could. Poor Miko. She cried more, and closed her eyes as her tears fell on her body. She got up and let herself mourn, as she walked away towards the woods. She had to check on the spirit tree, but she would cry as long as she wanted to. It was a long walk, but at least the tree was safe when she got there, she sighed in relief and ran underneath the roots. She clung to them with both arms, and cried harder as she heard a booming voice, don't cry my child, everything will be okay the tree tried to reassure her, but she replied "everything is not okay! Miko is gone! I-I couldn't save her..." she trailed off. And the glow of the spirit trees light brightened, as something descended from the sky, it was her friends! The tree must've brought them, and they looked around the woods with wonder in their eyes. "Wow! So this is Niwen!" Oro exclaimed, and they all turned around to look at the massive tree. "Ori.." Leor said breathlessly, clearly in awe, and Akila crept out of her spot to slowly join them. Aalok saw her approaching, and he ran to her and grabbed her shoulders, "Akila, what's wrong?" He asked with concern, seeing her tears. The others caught up and looked worriedly at her. Akila hugged Aalok tight, and she started sobbing "She's gone! Everything is gone! I lost them!" She said in between sniffles, and they looked at each other in confusion, "who's gone??" Luken asked, "Everyone! The glades have been destroyed, Shriek killed them!" She exclaimed, and they stared at her in shock. Akila pointed in the direction of the woods, "straight ahead, the wellspring glades. It's destroyed." She said sadly, and her hears drooped as she closed her eyes, remembering the time she and Miko had shared together. She'll never forget the excitement Miko had when she found her near the spirit tree, barely a day old. She had cradled her in her arms, and cared for her, introduced her to the villagers, kept her warm and fed. She really was a mother to her, but now that's all over. She sighed, she would miss Miko always, never a day would go by in which she didn't think of her smile. Oh Miko, how am I going to do this without you? She wondered, but she knew one thing for certain. She had to avenge her death, Shriek would pay for this. Akila was suddenly filled with burning hatred for the stone owl, she didn't care what happened to her, she had to pay the price. She messed with the wrong spirit. But it bubbled away as she remembered her reasons, she had been an outcast from the moment she hatched, something Akila didn't know since she was quickly taken in. But she was familiar with the loneliness of it, she had conflicting emotions, anger for Miko's death, but also sadness and heartache for Shriek, she had never known love. Her memories flashed of shriek as a little owlet, small and helpless as she wobbled through life, trying to make friends with other owls, but instead thrown out and isolated into the darkness she now called home. Her thoughts were interrupted by the others dashing off into the forest, in the direction of the glades, probably went to see the damage she guessed. I don't want to see it again, but I'll join them she thought, reluctantly dragging herself after them. She caught up in time to hear their horrified gasps, and they turned towards her with sadness written across their faces. "This is awful!" Luken exclaimed, and Aalok nodded, speechless. "Who did this?!" Oro asked, "Shriek" Akila simply answered. And they followed her as she started to Miko's body, she sat on her knees and held the statue, hugging it tight. "Who..?" Leor asked, "Miko. My mother, Shriek killed her. But I got to see her before she.." Akila trailed off, and the others sat around her. They closed their eyes and put their paws to the dirt, suddenly dozens of white glowing flowers burst through, surrounding the gloomy area with some light. "To honor them" Aalok finally spoke, "it's a tradition in Nibel," Oro explained, and they all placed a paw on Miko's body. "She was a Moki, she found me just after I had been born, and took me here for safekeeping. But I left to be near the tree, and Shriek came, after I made her leave, I came to meet you. But then I returned and... She killed them" Akila said. "But how did she find them? That's the only thing I can't figure out! I wasn't there, so how did she know?" The spirit questioned out loud, and the others lifted their heads to look at her. "Maybe she was following you?" Luken wondered, and shock hit her like a bolt of lightning. Of course, why else would she leave so quickly? She wasn't going home, she was following her! Grief spread through her body, "if I hadn't gone back... if I had stayed with the tree, I could have stopped this." She said, covering her face with her paws. Oro hugged her, and the others did the same, trying to comfort their friend. Akila sighed, "I don't know what to do..." she whispered, "we go to shriek, right? Our mission isn't a failure, we were supposed to protect the tree, we can still do that!" Aalok replied, and Leor nodded in agreement. She looked up, and rubbed her eyes with a sniffle "your right. We might not have been able to save the glades, but we can save the spirit tree." She concluded, and stood up with a look at the sky "Shriek can't hurt anyone else as long as we're here, let's save the forest."

Chapter 10: Silent woods

Akila and her friends were now on their way to the silent woods, the home of Shriek. Her friends had given her time to grieve, and now it was time to face the stone owl, "ok were here" Luken said, putting away his map. He had complained to Lupo the map maker, that his prices were too high, and they practically had to drag him out before they got into a full on debate. They stood on the outskirts of the forest, the silent woods lay ahead of them, it was eerily quiet. The trees and plants seemed to stand still, and silence covered the land like a thick fog. Akila looked at the others and they nodded, ready to charge in. They walked silently and carefully, knowing what would come if they disturbed the silence. "What if shriek finds us?" Aalok whispered, and Akila shrugged "I don't know, but it won't end well" she replied, and they all stayed silent. Stepping over small sticks and pebbles, making as little noise as possible, and eventually they made it to a huge lake filled with muddy looking water. Big bubbles would appear at times, then pop when they got too big and repeated, Akila looked at her friends who were studying the water curiously. "Don't touch it!" She whispered, grabbing Leor's paw before he dipped it in. "This water is dangerous, it grabs you then sinks you down and drowns you." She explained, and he reared his head back in fright and fell backwards on his tail. "It's okay though, we can jump on the bubbles to avoid it," Akila told them, and they looked at her worriedly. "I'll go first" she whispered, and peered at a growing bubble in the water, waiting for it to get big enough. She lightly hopped on it, and shot her up to the next, then the next, then the next, until she was safely on the other side. Luken didn't look convinced, so he flew instead and joined her, and Leor seemed ready to go next. He and Oro made it, and Aalok was the only one left to cross with them, he started making progress, and he was almost to the other side. But a bubble popped too early, and he landed right in the lake, flailing his arms around only for him to start sinking deeper and deeper. "AALOK!!" Akila screamed, not caring about the silence being disturbed. Luken grabbed his arms and started pulling, but the little spirit wasn't strong enough to pull him out, and Aalok's chin was starting to submerge in the lake. Oro grabbed a long branch and threw one end to him, and pulled on the other. But the decay from the rotting wood split in two once they pulled on it, and panic started to rise in Akila's chest. Luken pulled her into the air, and she held on to Aalok, desperately pulling with all her strength, but it was no use. Only the tips of his ears remained free, when someone suddenly burst out of the woods with a giant blue sword in their hands. It was a spirit! He looked about Akila's age, but slightly taller, then he reached out the blade to the sinking spirit, and started pulling. He was slowly being pulled out, and eventually he was freed from the lake, and was on the ground gasping for air. The group turned to see the spirit who had saved Aalok, and he held his sword over his shoulder. "Who are you?" Akila asked, and he shushed them as he gestured to come with him, and he dashed off into the forest. Oro quickly held Aalok in his arms, and they went with him as he ran into a dark cave, and sat down waiting for them to catch up "okay, we're safe now." He said, and set his sword next to him. Akila sat across from the spirit, and she wondered who he was, he didn't come from Nibel, so she had no idea. "I'm Oran" he said, then pointed to Akila "I saw you, your leaf when it fell. You hid from the danger, like me when I started out. Young. Alone. Scared." He said, and held his sword in his arms, "but I stayed under the tree, and I hid for a long time. I found my power, this sword, it protects me." Then stopped abruptly, and realized he had slipped in his words, shutting down immediately. Akila had caught it though, "wait, did you say you hid under the tree?? That—" "yes," he interrupted, looking at each other. "I saw you when I could see. Your my sister."

Chapter 11: Ruins

"What?!" Akila shouted, her jaw wide open. She had a brother?! A twin brother?! How was that possible? Oran seemed unfazed by this revelation however, and sat there with a calm expression. "I. Have. A. Brother." She said, and he nodded, clearly confused why this was such a big deal. So what if he had a sister? That was good news of course, but why was she freaking out over this? Didn't she know? "Yeah," he shrugged, and Akila looked at him in bewilderment "Wha— but— huh?!" She stammered, her brain couldn't process this in the slightest. She took a second to catch her breath and collect her thoughts, "ok, here we go," she started, "hi. My name is Akila" she said, reaching out her paw to Oran. "What-what are you doing?" He asked, "I'm greeting you! Don't you know what a paw shake is?" She responded, and he shook his head in confusion. "Like this" she took his paw and placed it on her own, shaking it up and down, "this feels weird." He said simply. And the others poked their heads in the cave, "...Awkward..." Aalok whispered, making them chuckle. Akila sighed and sat down next to her new brother, studying him intensely, "I can't believe it, I have a brother." She said to herself, their eyes meeting and Oran shrugged again. "Yep, so what?" He replied, making her jaw drop, "so what?? What do you mean?! I just found out I have a brother. A sibling. Don't you know what that means??" She said to him. He looked to the side, "...that I won't be alone anymore?" He said softly. She stopped, and contemplated his life so far. Born alone, ran away scared, and stayed here all alone. Huh, how sad. Her ears drooped slightly, "sorry." She said and turned away. Oran looked back at her with kind eyes, "it's ok, I'm sure it's been hard for you too." He replied softly and stood up with his sword in his paws. "We should get going. It's a long walk to Shriek's Nest." Akila looked up in shock "how did you-" "you guys aren't the best at being quiet," he observed and Leor elbowed Oro with a stern expression. "Ow!" He exclaimed, and the others shushed him loudly while Akila and Oran facepalmed themselves. Her brother gestured for them to follow him, and they walked silently through the woods.

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The group had been traveling for a while, and for the first time in a while Akila was alone in her own thoughts. The chilling silence of the woods eventually lost their fright, and Akila found it rather peaceful once she got used to it. She could still feel the cold dull breeze in the air though, and it felt as though she could feel her fur turning to stone. However nothing was happening, she was a creature born from the light and so she could not be affected. She thought of Miko, her adoptive mother as they walked. She missed her terribly, and yet her mind kept going back to when this was all over, then she could return to the glades and into Miko's arms. But then realized that Miko was gone, and the glades were destroyed. It was a painful reminder, but she still hoped that somehow everything would magically fix itself, and her life would go back to normal. The group came upon a flat clearing, and quickly realized this was a cliff with a pit in the center of it. Her mind flashed to a moment she never experienced, of A spirit and a small owlet, coming across a big purple feather. The spirit reached for it as the owlet spread her wing, revealing the missing feathers on it. But suddenly something crashed down on them, sending them and Akila flying until they landed, and once she looked up she saw Shriek, violently attacking the other spirit as her wing smashed into the ground creating a pit. The spirit was knocked into it while Shriek started hunting for him, but the small owlet hopped onto Shriek and was pecking her aggressively with her wings flapping. But Shriek tossed her aside and cornered her to the edge of the cliff, and Akila reached out to pull Shriek away, but her paws slipped through and she realized this wasn't real, it was a memory. She stood there helpless as Shriek came upon the owlet. She looked so small compared to the massive stone-wing, and started rapidly looking for a way to escape. But with her wing, any jump from this height would certainly be fatal. The owlet started flapping her wings again, trying to seem like a threat, but Shriek instead gave a loud squawk and lifted her wing high in the air. "NO!" Akila shouted as it swiftly landed on the small owlet, crushing her body and sending her falling off the edge of the cliff.

Akila felt faint, and started slowly walking away until the fell into the pit. The spirit lay there, unconscious, and she looked around when he suddenly awoke with a worried expression. He walked slowly with his ears drooping, until he came to a dying tree with two flat branches on it. "KU!" He shouted with both paws to his mouth, then continuing forward. Akila followed the worried spirit, knowing of the little owlets fate as he started walking faster from anticipation. They soon found themselves in a clearing where the little owlet was laying, and the spirit rushed towards her. He was desperately trying to wake the little owl, but didn't succeed and curled up next to her with his eyes closed. The scene faded, and she was back with the group. Except.. she wasn't. Akila looked around, and realized that she was in the same area, but the owl and spirit had disappeared. And it looked a lot more lively than in her memory. She turned around to discover that the group was racing to catch up to her, then stopped and looked at her like the shed her own skin and turned out to be a Moki. "Why are you looking at me like that?" She questioned, and the others looked at each other in bewilderment. "Well.." Leor started, then trailed off as Luken started talking, "you were like, acting super weird. You kept on making scared faces then ran off over here when you started crying." The others nodded in agreement. Akila looked at them in shock, she must have been moving in real life while she was chasing her visions. Oran came forward, and grabbed her head as he inspected it closely. "Did you hit your head or something?" "Hey! Get off!" She exclaimed and jumped free of his grasp. She would have to explain herself. "So, I have these visions- er memories, of this spirit and a little purple owl. I don't really know why, but it shows me things, like why that pit was there. Shriek did that." The group looked confused, but Oran seemed to understand what was happening by the look on his face. "Ori.." he simply said. "I'll bet that's the spirit in your visions. The tales of him say that he came here looking for an owlet." He explained, then pulled out a large purple feather. She gasped, recognizing it, and nodded her head. "Yes! Thats her feather!" She said, and he handed it over. It was heavier than she expected, with long purpleish blue streaks on it. As she held the feather, it started flowing in rythem with the gentle breeze.

Chapter 12: The nest

Shriek flew through the silent woods quietly, scanning for any threat that could harm her or her secret. Her purple feathers flapped in the still air creating a whoosh sound that stirred the breeze to flow. She ruled this land, these were her woods, and no one would take them way from her. She twitched her talons slightly as she looked out at the horizon, her glowing white eyes narrowed on a tall cliff with steep ridges crackling down one side. It was just big enough for a bird her size to fit in, and she tilted her wings to dive downward with her talons outstretched for the landing. Her body came crashing down with a loud thuumpp and her wings settled in place. The stone owl weaved through a cavern of sharp rocks and ridges, eventually making it to her destination, her nest. It was a massive cave with little holes and crevasses in the walls, and one was just big enough to hide her egg. Well it wasn't her egg per say, it was her mother's egg, and shrieks baby brother was trapped inside. She had been waiting for so long for it to hatch, and after several years they only progress was a few shakes here and there, and tiny little cracks on the shell. She didn't know if anything was wrong or not, she had no experience with egg hatching. All she could do was wait and see. She tucked her wings in and crawled to the nest to check on it. There it was, a soft milky blue color carefully placed in a bed of sticks and leaves. She gave a soft squawk of relief and lay beside it. Her beak just barely tapping the stone of the cave floor. She looked out at the hole in the backside of it, it took up almost all the wall, but it was too small to fit her through, so she had to go in the cave a different way. The sky was a dark blue grey color, with clusters of clouds slowly moving across the land, she wished she could be up there, gliding freely with her egg when it hatched, but it wasn't safe yet. She needed to be close to it in case something happened, and she would not let anything happen to it. He would be safe, Hatched in this cave and be beautiful and live with her in the silent woods together forever. They would keep away from the spirit tree and it's guardians, and stay in their territory, safe and sound. Shriek closed her eyes slowly, listening to the calming quiet of her woods.

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Something disturbed the silence, and shriek jerked her head up, listening intensely. Something was moving on fast feet, and calling out to someone. She listened harder. After a few moments, something stirred the air, "NO!!" Someone shouted in a heartbroken voice, and shriek slammed her talons on the stone floor and dashed out and away from the cliffs. Her wings spread wide and she was in the air in a few seconds, flying at top speed towards the sound. She had only one rule in her woods: do not disturb the silence. Or you will be punished. Her talons twitched in the anticipation of finding the culprit. Flapping harder, she heard more footsteps, running it sounded like, and twisted in the air to fly in that direction. Whatever was running came to a stop, and she heard small pebbles fly somewhere below. Shriek started looking around, staring at every rock and tree, trying to find the creature. Maybe a Moki, they were the most common outsider and they always made noise. Her eyes scanned the area until she found it, a group of spirit guardians whispering to each other. She recognized one of them, the one with the round ears, that one had protected the spirit tree when Shriek went to attack it. That one made the noise. The guardian was holding a purple feather that was almost its height, studying it carefully. Shriek clutched her talons, and narrowed her eyes to a piercing gaze, this one was able to keep Shriek away, who knows what it would do to her egg? She gave out a loud shriek and dove down, talons outstretched. "Look out Akila!!!" One of them cried, but it was too late, Shriek snatched up the guardian in one fell swoop, and flew off into the clouds where she wouldn't be seen, gripping the small guardian tightly in her talons.

Hello everyone! Just wanted to give a quick update on some things. I wanted to write this next chapter quick because I know how cliffhangers can be annoying, but I'm finally getting into the writing rhythm! I'mreally happy with where this story is going, and hopefully you guys enjoy it too! I'll be updating my "friends forever" story soon, and continuing my "ancient spirits of Niwen" story as usual. Anyways, that's all for now!

Chapter 13: Sandswept

Akila stood with her friends, the purple feather in her paw. She couldn't believe how big it was, full grown owls must be huge. She finally let her muscles relax, and listened to the gentle breeze. "Look out Akila!!!" Oran shouted, startling her, and she was lifted into the air suddenly. Giant talons gripped her body, and she twisted her head to see the angry expression on Shrieks face, and she almost passed out. She was dizzy from the sudden rush of motion, and was still trying to keep her head from spinning. She closed and opened her eyes a few times, and saw the clouds falling underneath them as they went higher and higher in the sky. Giant purple and navy feathers brushed against her fur with each flap, and Shriek made soft squawking noises as she breathed in and out. Even though she was obviously in danger, the birds figure towering over her somehow made her feel safe and secure, as if Shriek would protect Akila from anyone else so that she could deal with her herself, in some twisted sense of protection. The spirit was held sideways in a lay down position, so that Shriek could hold on to her tightly and ensuring she didn't slip through her talons and fall. They flew on for a while, and Akila wondered where she was being taken. They were heading northwest of the silent woods, and the only thing near there was the ink water marsh, the wellspring and... the wellspring glades. Shriek tilted her head to the side, and shook it as she suddenly turned right and headed northeast. She couldn't quite remember what was there, but she imagined it wasn't somewhere where Shriek released Akila with a nudge and left her. The owl drifted mid air, and started heading downward, with her eyes squinted tightly. The sky changed from a blue grey to a warm orange pink color, and a blast of sand filled the air as they went further inward. She suddenly remembered, the windswept wastes lay here, the most dry, barren area in Niwen. They went farther and farther until the sandstorm faded and Akila gazed down at the desert below. It was beautiful, the sand was a warm orange color, and a small city swept past them as they continued forward. The only thing out here were sand dunes, she wondered why Shriek would take her here. Shriek leveled out and tossed Akila away from her, sending her flying downward into a pit of sand. She landed hard against a few rocks and felt her body crash against them. "Ugghhhh..." she exclaimed, and sat up on shaky arms. Her body was aching and cramping, as she slowly lifted her head upward a giant shadow blocked out the sun. Shriek landed on her bony wings, spraying sand everywhere, and Akila quickly dove under the sand and began digging herself deeper until she was hidden. A long moment passed, and she guessed shriek was still looking for her, but she eventually stamped her feet in anger and flew off with a squawk. Akila burst out of the sand and shimmied out of it with a few heavy coughs. She shook her fur from the sand on it, and looked around the vast desert plane. Oh boy, she thought to herself I'm way lost... She covered her eyes with her paws from the bright sun, and began trudging southeast through the sand. She was a long ways away from the windswept wastes, and even there it wasn't a complete safe zone. Akila gazed out at the horizon and the sky began to fade into a more orange red color, the sun would be setting soon. The thought for a moment, hmmm, I need to find somewhere to stay the night she pondered, and there was no need for guesses, she wouldn't find any structures or trees out here, it was a desert with nothing but sand as far as her eyes could see. "Hmmm..." she said aloud, there was no way of surviving out here in the hot sun, not with all her fur warming her up so quickly. She needed to get moving while it was getting dark. "Ah!" She realized, the spirit well! At the wellspring glades! She could warp there! She sat on her knees and closed her eyes tight, concentrating hard. She put her paws together and tried connecting with the well. Huh. That was weird. No response? She couldn't warp! "What's happening?" She said aloud, "maybe I'm out of range?" That didn't seem right, from her knowledge there was not limit to how far a spirit needed to be in order for a spirit well to work. Unless.. "ohh" she realized. Shriek must've destroyed all of the spirit wells. It wouldn't be hard for a bird her size, she was a fast flier, and certainly strong enough to break them. "Ooughh" she said, exhausted. She had no choice now, she would have to walk across the desert.