Fable's RoDs

I looked to Sakari who walked beside me, my handler and my best friend. My journey to dominance was nearly complete and I was now to face one of the elders of Tokotna. Nikolai sat there, waiting for us, sitting tall and looking us over with his experienced eyes that have seen much in his days. I was just a youngster compared to him, and I was nervous, but knowing I had Sakari by my side helped me to relax and face the elder. I looked to Sakari one last time as she stopped and stood a few steps behind me, and I stood in front of the elder. I nervously nodded my head in greeting as I took my eyes off my handler and looked to Nikolai. "Congratulations young tokota, you are almost at the end of your journey to dominance, but before that, I have one last quest for you." I lifted my head, looking at him curiously. "You must go to the Soul Pool and drink from it's waters which will reveal the animal closest to your soul. You do know how to get there?" he asked, and I nodded in reply. I had heard of the place by tokotas who had reached dominance, and of the location that hides the Soul Pool. "Alright then, I wish you luck then young one." I turned to face Sakari who smiled and followed me out as I passed her.

We left Nikolai behind us and picked up the equipment we had left just outside. Sakari placed the blanket and the fur on my back, followed by the saddle, strapping the cinch into place and then attaching the chest piece. The leg straps had been left on, so we did not have to worry about that, but she picked up the bridle and placed it over my face. "You ready Fable?" she asked me. She knew I had to do something, to go somewhere, but she was not sure what. I nodded and waited until she was balanced in the saddle on my back. I started at a trot and headed out into the mountains, towards the place that was well known as a sacred place. I could hear Sakari take a deep breathe as we got further from civilization and closer to the place she assumed we were heading to. The White Forest, a place I had only heard of but had never been to myself. Out of my entire pack I would be the first to enter the forest in search of the Soul Pool, the place where I would learn of my spirit animal. I was nervous as we got closer and closer to the entrance, the area becoming somewhat warmer the closer we got. It was still quite warm out being it was still early fall and the leaves were just barely starting to change colors.

We chose to stop for the night. We sat a little ways from the entrance to the forest, setting up a camp for the night. "We'll go in in the morning, don't want to get lost there at night." Sakari looked down the path as if she could see the entrance from where we were, even though it was around the next bend. We had arrived late and so we thought it would be best to wait until morning before entering the mysterious and sacred forest. We set up a small fire as the night cooled, and Sakari pulled out her sleeping bag. We decided to sleep out under the stars with just the fire to keep us warm, the rocks and canopy to guard us from the wind and weather, and only each other for company. The fire burned out as we fell asleep, Sakari wrapped in her sleeping bag and leaning against me. I stayed awake only a little longer, watching over my handler until the sound of the wind soothed me to sleep. We rose as the sun appeared above the horizon, providing some light. We gathered our equipment and headed around the bend, finally meeting up with the entrance to the mysterious forest. Looking at the entrance we both shivered at the sight of the forest. I heard Sakari take a deep breathe as we got closer and finally reached the opening.

I stopped at the entrance of the forest, and Sakari took the chance to dismount. I turned to her, watching her as she removed her quiver of arrows and placed it as well as her bow in a space among some rocks, hiding and protecting it for the short time they would be in the forest. I knew it was unusual for her, and she looked like she did not want to leave the precious bow behind, but she did not wish to take it with her into the forest after all the warnings she has heard for hunters who dared to hunt in the sacred forest. She took a deep breathe as she looked at me. "I'll be alright." I assumed that I had a worried look on my face when she said that. She got back in the saddle, and I paused to look at the place where she hid the bow, and then we started into the woods at a walk, following the trail created by the many tokotas and other creatures before me, though it was not a very clear path with grass and underbrush growing over it, though smaller and less thick then the underbrush on either side of the path. My eyes went wide at the sight of the large columns, covered in moss and vines from years of standing there in the forest, no humans left allowing nature to take over once again. "Would you look at that, this place is meant for you." Sakari commented as we found more of the ruins of the ancient civilization. "Don't forget why we are here though." she reminded me, making me pull out of my thoughts and try to concentrate on the task I was given. It was not easy though, oh how I loved to explore any ancient ruins we came across, giving up this chance was a challenge for me.

I stopped as the deer appeared from behind the tree and stared at us, all was forgotten about the ruins around us as the deer seemed to stare me in the eyes. Light brown piebald, their dark eyes looked into mine and we paused, waiting until the deer took off into the trees again and we continued down the path, my concentration now back on the task at hand after our meeting with the deer. The day seemed to fade into night as the forest seemed to thin, the ground slanted downwards and revealed a strange body of water. Looking up the sky was full of stars and the aurora borealis ribboned across what appeared to be the night sky, but we had arrived at the forest early that morning. It was only midday, but it seemed this place held a time of it's own, or that was how Sakari described it. It was the roof of a cave, but it looked so much like a night sky that we could not help but mistake it the first time we looked up at it. We both seemed to hold our breathes as we looked around, the ceiling above us dazzling, but then we looked to the body of water before us. It was clear this was no ordinary body of water, glowing a light blue that guided us right to the edge of the pool of water.

Sakari slid out of the saddle and slid down to the cave floor, her footsteps echoing off the walls of the space. She was silent as she looked from the pool of water to me, giving me a nod of encouragement and taking a step back. I looked to Sakari as she stepped back, and then to the pool of water. I was told I must drink from the waters, but I almost felt as if they were too sacred for me to even touch. I swallowed nervously and looked back at my handler. Her smile and the motion of her head gave me just enough courage. I took a step into the water, and then another, I moved forward until all four paws were in the water. I bowed my head and lapped up the cool liquid. The water almost seemed to glow brighter as I lifted my head and looked towards the center of the pool. The figure glowed like the light of the pool, looking like mist they did not seem real. The gentle deer with large antlers upon its head watched me and then stepped towards me. Like a spirit it did not stir the water as it moved, completely ignoring the handler behind me on the shore, and I nearly forgot about her as well as the deer approached. He stood before me, then lowering his head he blew into my face. I closed my eyes for a moment and then opened them again to see the spirit lift his head and stand proudly and elegantly before me. With gentle movement he turned around and took off bounding across the surface of the water, fading into the air as if he was never there, but a presence still lingered in my soul. I wanted to follow, wanted to join the deer in its prance across the sacred waters, but all the while I was frozen to the spot, watching the deer come and go without being able to move from the place where I stood. I seemed to stand there and stare at the spot in which the deer had vanished, almost as if I was waiting for it to reappear. I stood there, the cave filled with silence, only the sound of the water echoing off the walls of the cave, and I mulled over the moment, mulled over the feelings I felt and the things I learned about myself.

I turned and looked at my handler, still standing in the cool waters of the Soul Pool. She was grinning from ear to ear and I slowly walked out of the cool waters to meet her on the shore. Her arms wrapped around my neck and she ran her hands through the fur of my mane. "I can see you as a deer, that is definitely the soul animal most suited to you." she whispered, having seen the whole scene with the spirit, having been able to see the spirit. I was almost stunned by this, having though she would not be able to see the spirit that I saw, but she did. I smiled and draped my head over her shoulder, pulling her closer. I was glad to have her there with me, and was glad that she could see this moment and enjoy this victory with me. "I am so proud of you." she whispered as we mulled there a few more moments. She finally stepped back and we looked up at the ceiling of the cave one last time, admiring the beauty of it and wondering if the stars that night would even compare to this sacred place, before turning and walking out of the cave, side by side. The night faded back to day as we reentered the forest, leaving the cave and the Soul Pool behind. I stopped to allow Sakari time to hop into the saddle and get comfortable before we continued back down the path in which we came, leaving the forest before night could fall on us. We passed the ruins of the forest, slowing to admire the beauty of the nature overcoming the man shaped pieces of stone, and eventually reached the entrance to the forest, crossing over. We stopped and Sakari dismounted, finding her quiver and bow where we had left them before entering the forest. We looked back one last time as Sakari hopped into the saddle and we left the sacred place before night fell, though I felt we did not leave alone and that feeling still lingers.