Guardian Spirit Short Story

The forest was screaming. Jarlek could hear it - he'd been able to hear the forest as a young boy, much younger than the others in his village. He heard the whispers through the tress, showing him paths to wonder, warning him against danger, and teaching him the ways of the ancients. The voice of the forest was always gentle, calm and peaceful. But now it was screaming.

Jarlek rushed from bough to bough, leaping like a frantic beast. He landed in a crouch on a tree branch, dark skinned hands and feet grasping the solid tree before propelling him forward to the next. Anything that could disturb the forest like this would be dangerous, but all Jarlek could think about was the cries of his beloved forest. He would find the source of the forest's pain. And whoever was doing this would pay.

The scream got louder and louder, and Jarlek strained against it to keep his grip on a branch. He failed, and dropped ten feet to the ground. As he sat up, the screaming stopped. He saw a strange figure in a white and gold robe turn from a great scale-bark tree to come towards him - the figure's finger was smoking, like a smoldering stick. Past the figure Jarlek could see strange symbols burned into the tree. As he watched they began healing, grey ash turning back to healthy bark. His eyes widened even more, and the figure stopped his advance to look back, and sighed.

"Now I shall have to start all over. But first, foolish primate, you will know the mark of Empire." As he said this, the figure lifted its hood to reveal a middle-aged man with expressionless eyes. Upon his forehead was a strange symbol, burned in place just as the marks in the tree. The smoldering blackness spread from the man's fingertip to the rest of his hand, and he stretched that gnarled, smoking claw toward Jarlek's face. A symbol similar to the one on the man's head glowed fiery red on the man's palm. Realization suddenly dawned on the youth, and he tried to scramble back on all fours. His limbs seemed to be frozen - he couldn't move, only stare at the dead-faced man with the burning hand..

Just then, Jarlek heard a voice to his left. "Move, boy! This man is nothing to you, a slave of someone far away. You are here, in the Ancient Forest! You have the power of your ancestors all around you. Move!" At this shout, Jarlek's head darted to the left, where stood one of the guardian spirits of the forest. A translucent figure, dressed in the leathers of a hunter in the forest. His wild white hair and beard framed his dark face like a lion's mane. Jarlek's mind drifted to the elder who taught the names and faces of the ancestral spirits. This was Korenak, a defender of the forest, he remembered. And then he recalled his predicament. The youth was up in a flash, running through the forest as fast as the spirits' guidance could take him.

Jarlek stopped a few minutes later to catch his breath. What had happened? Whoever that man was, he was hurting the forest. The forest was life for the Guardians, the tribes who lived here for centuries, and drew on the life within for their magic. This dead-faced figure had to be stopped. And though he may have some sort of magic of his own, he was no match for the might of the Ancient Forest embodied. Jarlek knew the rites to channel the power into himself, though he hadn't used them since his naming day ritual. He stood with his back against a great oak, breathing heavily and trying to recall the words to the ritual. Then Korenak appeared.

Jarlek dropped to his knees, hands over one another in front of him. "All honor to you, Great Ancestor!" the youth squeaked. This time, at least, he would observe traditions.

The spirit absently waved the greeting away. "Enough of that, boy," it said, looking back in the direction of the dead-faced man. "you've got heavier rocks to haul. You're from the, what, Raven's Feather tribe?" The spirit looked toward him, and Jarlek felt insignificant. This man had served the forest for centuries, protecting it in death as he had in life. He had a commanding presence even in death. As one of the Ancestor Spirits, he had incredible powers, and could grant them to living Guardians he deemed worthy of the honor. Many young warriors dreamed of becoming the Chosen of the Spirits, wielding the might of the Ancient Forest against outside forces. Maybe he appeared to Jarlek to-

"Don't even think about it," Korenak laughed, guessing easily the route the boy's thoughts had taken. "You're good, don't get me wrong. Eyes sharp enough to see me clearly and good ears to hear the forest's signal. But you've got years of training ahead of you before I just hand over any powers." The youth's cheeks turned red, bright against his dark skin. The spirit reached down to ruffle Jarlek's hair, though all he felt was a slight warm wind. "Don't worry, you've a part to play, boy. Your tribe, it's the Raven's Feathers, right?" the spirit asked again.

"Yes, Great Ancestor" Jarlek manage to meekly reply.

"Then run to them. Find an old man by the name of Tor Blacknail. Tell him the old fox sent you. Explain everything. the calls of the forest, the hooded man, everything. Lead him back to the screaming tree. And if you don't find that blank-faced man, dead on the ground, tell him I did all I could." Before the youth could even protest, the spirit of Korenak, ancient defender of the forest, had faded away. Jarlek hesitated for a moment more, then took off through the forest, climbing a tree and leaping from branch to branch back to his village.

As he leaped, the young guardian's mind raced. Tor Blacknail was an old shaman, estranged from the rest of the tribe and living on his own. Jarlek had seen his hut many times, and been warned away from visiting. Sometimes he and the other boys would throw a stone at it and run - The one who threw last was the bravest. Jarlek had been taught to stay away from the mad old shaman, but he'd been given a command by one of the great ancestor spirits! He knew there was no shirking this responsibility. Suddenly, the cries of the forest began again. He had to bring Tor Blacknail as fast as possible!