Chapter Text
Prologue:
"you see, the cantaron are- er- were spirits of light." The priest told the amber eyed girl, just barely 8 years old.
"They were colorful canine creatures with large wings like stained glass. Each had 2 tails and some had a 3rd eye."
"But Daddy, I thought all spirits were human?" Merle remarked.
"Well my dear, spirits are a thing called shifters. That means they can be humanoid or more animalistic and anything between their forms."
"Ohhhhhh"
"Now the kophen are- were spirits of darkness, canine like their opposites. They had crown-like horns and a poisonous barb on their tails. They were black, blue and gray creatures that looked like the ocean at night."
"And they're evil?" She innocently asked.
"They bring despair."
"Oh"
"They are the balancing spirits. Life and death and peace in war. But you see, the Sofrien craved power, and learned they could wield the energy of the kophen, and decided that if they wanted to have the most power, they needed the cantaron to be less than the kophen."
Merle gasped.
"That is what began the great canir spirit massacre. The kophen began to turn on us while cantaron population dwindled. So we fought back. We learned to craft our morvu arrows to keep the spirits balanced and at bay, which eventually became our morvu bullets. Over time both spirits neared extinction, and now, we are unsure if even one is left to keep the light in balance. Maybe if you are lucky you can find one."
"Have you ever seen one dad?" Merle's eyes shone with awe and curiosity.
"They ran through the forests like the deer when I was in my prime! I was 14 when I went on my first kophen hunt! I was 16 when I began on my journey of priesthood, and it was a year after when I met your beautiful mother." The priest chuckled.
"With the soh-a-ton?" Merle remembered this story.
"Yes. She was studying the freedom Spirits. You see, the bird spirits were all completely different, and unlike any bird bound to our realm. Unlike the cantaron who were close to foxes but with the size of a large dog, and the kophen being very close to our wolves."
"What happened to the freedom Spirits?"
"Well, roughly 5 years ago their chief, Chief Rosloug, came to head priestess Corey. You know what he said to her? 'this land has been culled of all the spirits find good and whole. We are leaving this land until the spirits can be free again.' and then they were gone. Your mother didn't do too well after that..." He fell silent for a moment.
"Momma?"
"She was buried under the old elm tree on the northwestern side of sothru. Do you remember her funeral hunny?"
Merle shook her head.
"That's to be expected. You were quite small. Let me just say it was absolutely beautiful with an air of magic even during the somber ceremony. Your mother was truly a powerful woman."
"Woah"
That was the day Merle began to crave spirit knowledge, and crave more.
~~~
That same day, the 11 year old learned fighting the soatron was useless. She gave up on fighting, on crying. She would do what they wanted. But every caged animal craves freedom. Every fuse eventually leads to destruction.
(Sorry this was so short, future chapters should be longer)