Behind Meeka stood four others who were as old as she was. In their hands, they each held a totem staff. Four beast heads sat on top: a racoon, a boar, a badger, and a wolverine A staff only earned when you’ve gone through your training at Spirit Ridge.

Meeka raised her hand, “give it here, Kai. We need it.”

Onwae’s brows furrowed. “why are you not with the rest of the group?”

“I don’t have time for questions.” Meeka’s nostrils flared. “Now give it here!”

Sapphire swooped down, flapping just above Onwae’s shoulder. “This is ours … go find your own!”

Meeka crossed her arms, “you’re a guardian. You’re not to speak to us humans. Only be used to do our will!”

Onwae shouted, “she can speak freely!”

Meeka rolled her eyes, “you all got a lot to learn about guardians. You can’t let them think freely … it is how they go rogue, much like Panchu had with Kawah.”

“Leave him out of this.” I shouted, pointing my spear at each one of them, “or I’ll make you wish you had.”

Meeka giggled cruely. “Careless fools … the two of you can’t do anything against the five of us.” She looked around. “And where is your pet? That beastly bear of yours? Has he already abandoned you?”

I clenched my teeth trying to hold back my inner anger. “He is here so don’t piss him off or he’ll be sure to rip your head off.”

“Threatening the Chief's daughter is not very smart." The four others behind her snickered, their eyes cold. “Now give us the rune and we’ll leave you alone.”

Onwae said sharply, "What happened to you? Since you went to Spirit Ridge you've changed …"

Meeka waved a hand, "we grew up. Now. Give. Us. The. Runestone."

“You’ll have to take it from us." Onwae said in a tone I'd never heard before. "Kill us even. This runestone is to help save one of our own. Tuma. He is injured and we need it to heal his spirit.”

“Tuma?” Meeka hung on the word for a time. “Oh yes, that boy who is always quick to anger … well I’m sure his life is expendable.”

“You dirty witch. You were one of us not too long ago,” I shouted. My arms trembled. “And you would sacrifice somebody's life just for a runestone?”

“No!” Meeka snapped. “I would sacrifice a life to save my father, your chief.”

I took a breath, “What’s become of him?”

Meeka glared at me deciding if I could be trusted, or worthy of the information.. “He was attacked … by some creature. We need that herb rune to heal him. Now what’s more important, Tuma or your Chief?”

I stood stunned, my body unable to move. Without our chief our village could fall to greater tribes. But why does a chief's life mean more than a boys? More than my friends? More than Tuma’s? “It doesn’t," I whispered.

“Excuse me?”

I took a step forward and pressed out my chest. “The chief’s life is no more important than Tuma's. This is our runestone. You must find your own.”

Meeka tilted her chin downward. “You’ve grown to become more of a fool than I thought, Kai.”

I shrugged, “ya, well, you’re no peach yourself.”

Meeka grinned. She reached for the totem on her throat and yanked, then held it out in front of her. I made out the pointed ears, snout, and rounded eyes.

“I call upon you, Vessian! Come! Awaken!” An orb whirled with fire casting to the ground, forming into the pointed ears and snout of a fox. It’s eyes black. Fur red as flames. With three tails that whipped upright.

“You’ve called, my chieftess?” Vessian said in a devilish tone. “How may I serve you?”

“Bring me that rune!”

Sapphire flew in front of Onwae, “you’ll have to defeat me first.”

Meeka raised her chin and let out a long, mocking laugh. “You’re no fighter, butterfly spirit. You’re a healer. Stay out of this!”

Onwae swiped her arm. “She is as much a fighter as your fox spirit is!”

Behind Meeka the other four of her followers grabbed at the totems on their necks. She waved a hand, “I’ll take care of this one.” She said, then spun her staff. “If I have to leave her spirit scarred.”

I looked down at the foxes feet and pointed. “Onwae … look!”

She drew her eyes downward on the five-toed paws.. “It was her … that fox is the one that left the tracks … which means ...”

“She caused the fire that blocked our path!”

Meeka raised an eyebrow, “whatever do you mean?”

“Don’t lie to us!”

I felt my flesh burn. I’ll show them, I thought, closing my eyes. I steadied my breath, trying to return to the void. Nothing. Only silence. Had I run out of spirit energy? Why couldn’t I call upon Panchu? “My spirit energy must be low,” I whispered.

“Why?” Onwae asked.

“Because I can’t call upon Panchu.”

Sapphire looked back, “or he maybe sleeping … if a guardian is sleeping you can not use spirit focus to connect with him.”

“Great,” I groaned. “that old bear is always causing me problems.”

Onwae gave me one of those smiles I loved. “I can handle this!” She then turned towards Meeka, crouching, her face twisting into a determined expression. She was ready to battle. “Sapphire air strike!”

The butterfly shot into the sky and out of sight. We all lifted our chins, narrowing our eyes, trying to find the creature. She’d disappeared.

Sapphire twirled towards the ground, quicker and quicker, building momentum as she fell. Vessix sat patiently.

Meeka watched the sky as her lips slowly curled, “vessix … dodge!”

Sapphire became a blur. Vessix leaped right. The butterfly met the Earth, slamming head first. She shrieked and bounced to a halt. Lifeless.

Meeka laughed, “Stupid girl … don’t you know anything about your guardian? This is why you must go to Spirit Ridge to learn how to use them.”

Onwae eyes trembled, looking upon Sapphire. Still. Antennas bent. Wings twitching.

“Air strike is only used as a finishing move, because if it misses it leaves your guardian useless.”

She’s right, I thought, dropping my head. We’re defeated.

Onwae placed a hand to her lips and giggled.

Meeka raised an eyebrow, “what's so funny?”

“You still have a lot to learn, little chieftess.” Onwae pointed at her guardian. “Sapphire heal!”

From the ground the butterfly glowed a vibrant bluish-green that pulsed with each of my heartbeats.

Meeka’s mouth hung open. She yelled, “vessix, use your finisher … Deep fang!”

The foxes lips raised exposing the large, white fangs beneath. She lunged forward, jaws open, attacking Sapphire’s neck.

My eyes widened and I held my breath.

“Sapphire, now’s your chance!” Onwae said, “Stun gleam!”

A ball of bright light shot across the field. We squinted our eyes, placing our arms up to shield against it. Vessix yelped as she tumbled across the ground. Shaking her head and blinking. In the air, Sapphire spun, and flapped her wings. Unwounded.

“Wow!” I smirked at Onwae. “Great job!”

She smiled warmly at me. Wobbling, she gasped, leaning over, hands resting on her knees. Onewae clutched her chest, breathing heavy.

“Onwae!” I placed a hand on her back. “Are you hurt?”

She took to more breaths then swallowed. “Fine … I just feel … weak.”

Meeka chuckled, kneeling over and patting her three-tailed foxes head. “Good girl,” she whispered, then glared at Onwae. “You need training … you’ve already used up most of your spirit energy.” She reached into a pouch on her hip, yanking out a glowing red stone. “And you need some of these.”

I raised my eyebrows, “Is that a fire rune?”

“Precisely,” Meeka’s wicked grin deepened. “You can use these to enchant your pets to keep from using too much of your spirit energy … or were you not even aware of that?”

I nodded, “we are aware … we are just not as well equipped as you are..”

“That’s too bad!” Meeka held out the totem and the runestone. “Now let me show you true power! Vessix, spirit form!”

The fox nodded. The red furs on her body and head began to fade as she became a red, fox-shaped silhouette. Meeka looked upon the rune. The hard stone softened into a ball of flame, and in one motion, she brought it upon the totem. Vessix lifted her snout and howled. Flames danced around her silhouette.

“Flesh form!” Meeka said in a fierce tone.

The red hairs faded back around the fox until she was made of flesh once again. Flames dance in her eyes. She crouched, ready to strike.

Meeka raised her hand, “Vessix! Bring that butterfly to the ground. Torchfire!”

“Yes, my chieftess!”

Onwae lifted her chin, “No! Sapphire … dodge!”

It was too late. A ring of flames spun through the air, igniting the butterfly. She screeched and fell, slamming against the ground. Her body blackened, wings fluttering and slowing with each beat.

“Sapphire,” Onwae cried.

Meeka grabbed her chest and trembled. “we’ve done it.” Then looked upon the wounded guardian. “Vessix—”

“My young chieftess," A round boy with a mole on his cheek said.“You don’t want to use all your spirit energy.”

“Right,” A tall boy with a half bitten ear replied, “And you don’t want to leave a scar on the girl's spirit.”

Meeka waved a hand. “Out of my way, Gornak and Juk! This is not your fight!”

“But Meeka,” Gornak, the bigger one said, “you could really injury you both.”

“I don’t care!” She laughed heinously, clutching the totem with all her might. “Vessix! Deep Fang, now!”

Suddenly from the falls, the orange orb flew into the face of the fox, flashing yellows, reds, and oranges. Vessix’s snout wrinkled.

“What is this?” Meeka yelled. “Vessix torch it!”

She nodded and spewed a ring of fire, engulfing the orb. It shot up and down, looping and spinning, trying to rid away the flames. The orb hovered over the pool and dropped into the water.

Onwae cried, “orange …”

“Pathetic,” Meeka said, shaking her head. “Now, Vessix, finish her … Deep fang!”

“No!” I shouted, raising my spear over my shoulder. I reeled back then slung my arm forward. The spear whistled as it spun. A perfect throw. It pierced the flesh of the firy fox. It yelped then exploded into a red orb. The orb spun then shot back, slamming into Meeka’s chest. She screamed, her feet leaving the earth. Airborne, she flew back ten feet and slammed on the ground with an "oof".

Juk kneeled to the ground and cried, “Young chieftess!”

Meeka screamed. She rolled in agony, clutching her chest.

Garnak’s brows furrowed. “You’ve made her guardian fall … that’ll leave her spirit scarred!”

The four boys took a step forward, glaring at me. They reached for their necks and yanked the totems from their necklace. Eyes red with rage.

“Now you will all pay for injuring our young chieffess!” Juk snapped, holding out the head of a Racoon totem.

“Yes they will!” Garnak smirked, holding a boar's head totem between two fingers.

The four boys shouted, “Spirits Awaken!”

Four purple orbs shot out from each totem. They expanded and shaped into four beasts: One was a large badger-like creature that moved with the speed of a sloth. The second was a fanged creature with the face of a wolverine and the body of a coyote. Garnaks was a boar as large as Panchu while Juks was a racoon the size of a bear cub.

Juk chuckled, “now we will leave you both scarred for hurting our chieftess!”

Onwae grabbed my hand and I could feel her trembling, eyes widened, watching the creatures drool and snap. “I’m scared, Kai …”

I pushed against her, “stay behind me.”

Garnak pat the boar and it squealed. He looked upon Sapphire. “First things first … Meaty … do your charge attack—”

Behind us the pool splashed upward. Droplets fell rained around us, some the size of small boulders. Exploding against the earth. The water settled. Standing in the pool was an apparition. It shimmered blue and white, twenty foot tall. Made of liquid, not flesh.

We all gasped!

Juk swallowed, “what is that thing?”

“I don’t know,” Garnak shook his head. Eyes wide as his boars. “Looks to be some kind of spirit.”

A bubbling voice replied, “leave my friends alone!”

“Friends?” I raised an eyebrow. “What friends?”

Onwae’s eyes beamed of light. “It’s … it’s orange! He’s an elemental … water spirit.”

Juk and Garnak turned to one another and exchanged worried looks. “A water spirit?” All four of them shouted.

“I am Gygus, the water spirit of these falls, and I thank your chieftess for freeing me from my orb imprisonment.” His voice bubbled. “Only fire could break the spell.”

Onwae nodded. “Yes. I remember now … only the opposite element can break the orb form of elemental spirits.”

“Yes.” The apparition nodded. “That and your kindness, young Onwae. And for your help, I shall wash away your enemies.”

Juk found his courage, “stop meddling in our business.”

“Ya!” Garnak nodded, raising a fist. “Before we turn you into droplets!”

“You’d be a fool to threaten an elemental spirit!” His body shimmered from blue to black then to blue again. “I will make an example of you all!”

“No if we do it first!” Garnak yelled. “Meaty! Tusk attack!”

The giant boar turned his snout towards the apparition, opened his mouth and squealed. A cloud of dust swirled behind him. His hoofs beat the ground. Gygus laughed, raising his hands. His fingers and palms whirling into a funnel. He jerked his elbows back then flung his arms forward. A burst of water shot and splashed against the boar. Meaty squealed, flew, and slammed against the stone.

The boys eyes widened and they took a step back.

Juk pointed to Onwae and I, “take them out! If we get them the spirit will fall!”

“Wrong!” Onwae snapped. “Gygus is not bound to either of us … hurting us will do nothing to him but make him angry.”

The boys turned towards each other, faces twisted. Garnak said, “What should we do? That thing is insanely strong.”

Juk yanked a crimson runestone from his robe. “We set it ablaze!”

Each boy nodded and did the same. “Spirit form,” they yelled. In a flash, their beasts were spirits surrounded by fire. “Flesh form!” They then said.

“Could it work?” Onwae whispered, a tremble in her voice. “Could they really hurt him?”

I shook my head. “elemental spirits are said to be stronger than both beast and grim spirits … and if that is true, it would take several experienced shaman to bring him down.”

Juk looked between the four boys, “Together now, triblings! Fireblast!”

The fire boar, wolverine, racoon, and badger beasts positioned, then together roared. Four beams of flames arched together, forming one giant beam that blasted forward, tearing a hole through the apparition. Gygus flashed blue and black, groaning. The spirit split in half. His lower half liquified and collapsed. The top half fell and splashed into the pool.

Onwae screamed.

I shook my head in disbelief. “I’m sorry.” I grabbed Onwae and pulled her into my chest. “Orange was a good spirit.”

She teared. “Why are they so cruel …”

“I don’t know … but look there.” The four boys stood panting, sweat pouring from their faces. Each of their beasts collapsed on the ground as lifeless as Sapphire. “Looks like they’ve used all of their spirit energy.”

“But I thought Meeka said that using runes doesn’t drain as much spirit energy.”

I nodded, “She did … but it seems she still has a lot to learn herself.” I rubbed her back. “I think enchanting them while the beast is in spirit form drained a lot of their energy.”

Juk wiped his face then took a step towards us. “Come on, fellow shaman,” he gasped, “let’s finish them off.”

The other three boys looked up at us grimly. Their faces twisted in agony. Gronak said, “together we can still take them.”

Onwae whispered, “I feel weak too, Kai … too weak to run.”

I sat her down on a rock, “I know you are. You’ve done well. Let me handle them.” She gave me a smile and I felt more confident. I turned and faced the four boys, standing tall, appearing unafraid. “Listen. We need not go any further. Please. Let’s end this.”

Juk looked down upon Meeka who past out from the pain. “We are going to end this,” he said, “with you and that girl paying for what you did to the young chieftess. Then we will take that runestone!”

I clenched my hands into fists, “looks like this will come down to fists seeing how our guardians have been weakened.”

I will try one last time, I thought, closing my eyes and taking three long breaths. The darkness did not return and Panchu was nowhere to be found. I could not call him. I could not use my spirit focus. I reopened them and glared.

“Who’s first—”

Behind me was a low, deep laugh that made my neck hairs stand. I peered over my shoulder. The pool churned and churned, as I watched the water rise, shimmer blue and black as before.

“Fools!” Gygus said, laughing. “It’s take more than that to put me into orb form!”

The four boys looked upon the shimmering apparition, trembling. Garnak mumbled, “I-I thought we killed it.”

Juk shook his head, “you thought wrong …”

Garnak fell to his knees. The other two followed. “We yield!”

“No we don’t!” Juk snapped. “We need to get that runestone. The chief is counting on us.”

Garnak’s lip trembled, “but we’ll die!”

“So be it …”

“But i don’t want to die …”

“Me neither!”

“Nor I!”

Juk narrowed his eyes, “wimps …” He then turned to the apparition, to Onwae and I then to … Sapphire. His beamed open. “Rocco … Jaw grip!”

Spent, the racoon-like creature jumped to all fours.

Orange watched, his hands whirling. Suddenly they were balls of water. He brought his arms back then forward, firing droplets the size of watermelons.

“Rocco … Dodge!”

The giant coon nodded eyeing each ball of water. He leapt and dove, ducked and dodged each ball of water as they splashed around him. A final jump carried the beast to sapphire. He opened his mouth and snapped his jaws around the butterfly's neck, preparing for the kill.