Spirits of Alaruk

Chapter 1: Treke's Dream

An eerie energy hung over the bamboo forest as it pulled Treke in that night. The thick, humid air held no buzz of insects nor call of birds that normally filled the forest. Dark clouds smothered the sky and forbade any moonlight from seeping through. Only the bioluminescence from the tip of Treke’s long, coily tail illuminated the way, although it was barely but an arm’s length from her face before the darkness swallowed up the pale blue light.

An unfamiliar trail snaked through the bamboo and trees, confusing and disorienting, but it still compelled Treke to follow to the end. While she knew the bamboo forest well, this area only frustrated her. How could she not know this trail after living in the Tlukali Forest for decades? Keeping her reptilian eyes on the overgrown path, she kept low on all fours and pressed on.

The trail grew more confusing the further Treke ventured, forking and splitting into more paths along the way. With no idea which way to go, she chose a random direction each time, getting further lost inside the labyrinth of bamboo. Turning back proved to be even more puzzling, as the forest appeared inconsistent every time she turned around. She had no choice but to continue forward down one path until she reached the end.

It seemed there was no end to this bewildering maze, until a small clearing broke the monotony of towering bamboo. A large stone slab stood upright before Treke in the midst of the clearing, its surface covered in a blanket of thick moss. Many rock slabs like this could be found throughout the forest that stood as shrines for ancestral spirits, but this one was new to Treke. As she reached out to brush the moss away, a voice called out to her.

"Don't touch it!"

She whirled around to locate the owner of the voice, but found no one. Where was it coming from?

As she reached for the stone once more, the voice repeated with a hiss, “I said, ‘don’t touch it’!”

The stone slab, along with the entire bamboo forest, disappeared as Treke blinked and opened her eyes. Rubbing the sleep away, it took her a moment to take in familiar surroundings again, back in her hut and lying on her straw cot. The voice from before, accompanied by a second, further grounded her from the confusing dream, while the dim glow of two blue lights flashed across the room.

“Your weaves are uneven, Tirine, I’m trying to show you.”

“No, I want to do it myself!”

Treke sighed to herself with relief. As she climbed out of bed, her two younger sisters continued to bicker over a woven mat. The bamboo maze was only a dream, but for some reason it still compelled her to go visit the Tlukali Forest.

"Stop that, both of you! Your loud squabbling is enough to wake the spirits," she chided, flashing her tail light at her sisters.

Tirine, the youngest of the two and half-cousins of Treke, huffed in annoyance. “But Fralau keeps interfering with my weaving!” She held out a bamboo mat with partially woven strips.

“Because your weaving is uneven,” said Fralau. Using her tail light, she highlighted a section of weaving filled with holes. “Just look! Mother would be disappointed with such a shoddy job if she had to sit on that.”

"Enough, Fralau. Let her weave in peace. She will get better with practice."

Fralau sighed and shook her head. "I'm only trying to help."

Not even sunrise yet, Treke was already exhausted by her sisters. She yawned and pulled on her favorite silk robe, a cream color that faded to cornflower blue at the sleeves and bottom. “I need to visit the shrines today. I’ll be back later.”

Her sisters gave her a nod of acknowledgment before returning to their disagreement. Visiting the shrines was a good excuse to get some time alone to herself. Treke’s entire family shared a single hut built around a large tree, and while she loved her family, she desperately needed some peace and quiet to meditate.

She climbed down a rope ladder to the lower level of the hut, where her parents and uncle usually slept. Her uncle, already up and awake, sat quietly at the sunken hearth in the floor as he prepared some tea for the morning.

"Good morning, Treke. Off to somewhere?"

"Good morning." Treke gave her uncle a respectful nod before squatting at the hearth to warm her cold blood. "I must visit the ancestral shrines today."

"So early? At least have something to eat before you go. I’ll make you a cup of tea.”

“Thank you, uncle. I will try to be back after sunrise.”

With some hot sahuan mint tea and nangangu fruit in her belly, she headed out to the forest. While still nervous from her strange nightmare, the mint tea helped marginally to combat her anxiety.

The sun would not rise for at least a couple hours, but Treke’s tail light made a fine natural torch to help navigate through the darkness. A light mist of rain dripped from the overhead forest canopy, just enough to get a fuglan damp if caught without an umbrella. Prepared for a drizzle, Treke brought an umbrella of her own, crafted from bamboo wood and waxed paper to protect it from moisture. Her prehensile tail also made a useful third limb to hold up her umbrella while walking on all fours.

Her back hunching due to her large forearms, she carefully crossed the suspension robe bridge that stretched from one massive tree to the next. The entire village of Neukrin was built around ancient forest trees that towered above the ground, with each hut crafted from bamboo and thatch. Hempen rope bridges connected each treehouse, creating a network of pathways in the understory of the jungle. Treke had lived in this village her whole life, accustomed to the dizzying height above the forest floor, but it was still possible to slip and fall.

Even beyond the village, the network of bridges extended far into the forest to the west. She traveled as far as the bridges took her, to the edge of the ancient forest. Unable to go further, an elevator with a rope pulley located at the edge was the only safe way down to the forest floor. Grasping the pulley, she stepped onto the platform and slowly lowered herself, pulling the rope hand over hand, until she reached ground level.

Where the ancient forest ended, the bamboo thicket began with a path that split through the dense vegetation. Here, the villagers would frequently cut and harvest the bamboo at the edge of the forest, preventing it from spreading too far into the ancient forest. Over twice as tall as a fuglan on two legs, the thick bamboo blocked out most sunlight during the day. Having a natural torch was especially useful here. She pushed through into the grove of bamboo, the cyan-blue glow of her tail illuminating the tall shafts of bamboo. Despite usually walking on all fours, she decided walking on two legs was better here to prevent her robes from getting damp with mud.

Unlike in her dream, she knew practically all the trails of the forest. She’d gone down them hundreds of times before to visit the village’s ancestral shrines, often leaving small offerings of fruit and incense for the spirits to enjoy. Even if they could not physically eat, the spirits appreciated the gifts.

The looming bamboo made Treke uneasy, the flashbacks from her dream still fresh in her mind, but she pushed the thoughts aside for the time being. Visiting the ancestral shrines of her village would hopefully put her anxiety to rest. It was silly to worry about.

Within a short walk through the thicket, Treke reached a single tall slab of stone standing alone in a small clearing. No moss, brush, nor weeds were permitted to grow around the stone shrine, which villagers cleared on a regular basis. Only a select few of wild flowers decorated the area.

Treke took a moment to quietly take in her surroundings. As the call of morning birds echoed throughout the canopy, the drizzle of rain gently plopping against her umbrella filled her with contemplative serenity. Gazing at the erected stone shrine, she hoped she would soon be able to speak with the ancestral spirit that resided within. She had been training for such a privilege for years, but now even more so that desire grew stronger.

A rustling behind her caught Treke’s attention. Her long ears twitched and swiveled towards the sound of a soft, elderly voice.

“Treke? What are you doing out here so early, child?”

“Elder Vrenik.” Treke bowed her head instinctively at the older fuglan.

Dressed in black silk robes with cyan trimming, Elder Vrenik smiled back and returned the bow. His periwinkle scales were fading and wrinkling with age, but there was still a twinkle in his kind green eyes.

“I had a disturbing dream,” she said, fumbling with the umbrella in her paws. “It involved the bamboo forest and a shrine I’ve never seen before, so I needed to visit.”

“A bad dream you say?” Elder Vrenik stroked the spines on his lower beak. “Enough to visit the shrines before sunrise?”

“Yes, well… That, and my sisters were bickering again.”

Elder Vrenik laughed. “Fair enough. Siblings can be quite a nuisance sometimes.” He gave her a knowing wink.

Staring back at the stone shrine, the visions from Treke’s dream still lingered in her mind. While the shrine in her dream was covered in moss, abandoned from care, this shrine was well kept and scrubbed clean. Gently running a claw over the smooth surface of the stone, she still could not shake her anxious emotions. “Elder Vrenik, does anything seem off to you this morning? I could be worrying over nothing, but…”

The jewelry that hung from the old fulgan’s tattered ears jingled as he listened, his ears swerving back and forward attentively. “You have a keen sense of energy, Treke. I don’t believe you would come out here for no reason.”

Treke wrung her hands, bowing her head again. “I want to speak with the spirits. I believe only they can reassure me, but I must become a ruksala in order to do so. Can you help me?”

Elder Vrenik returned a warm smile. “Of course, my child. I have been waiting for such a day that you would be ready for this.”

“To be honest, I have been ready for some time, but I was not sure how to ask...”

Another chuckle from the old fuglan set Treke at ease. Vrenik was such a patient and understanding elder. He gestured to the shrine beside them. “Don't be intimidated by the unesudratan. You have been preparing for years now, so you are certainly more than qualified to begin your training as a ruksala. I believe Ancestor Klaiune would be an appropriate match for your first spirit bonding.” He placed a clawed hand on the surface and traced over an engraving that signified the ancestor. “Klaiune was a ruksala in life, as well. I learned a great deal from them in my youth.”

Treke nodded, also eager to learn. Becoming a ruksala was an enormous responsibility, one that included protecting the clan, healing the sick and injured, speaking with spirits, and more. She already knew how to make several kinds of medicine, but as a ruksala she would have access to healing magic as well. It both excited and worried her with how much would open up to her.

Vrenik stepped aside and gestured again to the ancestral shrine. "Pray to Klaiune, child. Let them know you wish to spirit bond. If they feel you are worthy, they will answer."

Taking a deep breath, she stepped up to the shrine. Her heart pounded. If she failed to win the favor of an ancestral spirit, she risked letting her whole clan down. Still, up to this point, she had done everything right and had no reason to worry. It would only get more challenging once she successfully bonded with an unesudrat.

"Ancestor Klaiune, can you hear me? I… I need your help."

She waited for a moment, unsure what to expect. A slight tingling sensation shot through her body, vibrating the air around her.

“I sense a presence, Elder Vrenik. Klaiune must be here.”

"Very good, Treke. Concentrate on calling out to them with your prayer."

As her desire to commune with the spirit grew, so did the tingling. An odd pressure in her forehead formed, just behind her parietal third eye, increasing as if her head would split wide open. The intense sensation, while not painful, nearly overwhelmed her at first.

An ethereal glowing figure appeared before her. Its serpentine form gave way to a long neck and head like a fuglan, which held no facial features she could make out. Tiny pinpoints of light glittered within the spirit’s gaseous blue form, which one could only compare to stars. The growing tingle shifted to a warm glow, with Treke’s senses now extending beyond her own body.

“I see them,” she whispered, almost too awed to speak.

Elder Vrenik nodded sagely, remaining curiously silent. He had nothing more to say now.

The spirit spoke with a soft, clear voice emanating inside Treke’s mind. It rattled her brain at first, catching her by surprise. “Hello, my child. It is good to finally meet you.”

Treke bowed respectively in response to the spirit. “Hello, Ancestor Klaiune. My name is Treke, a member of the Nuek clan.”

“Greetings, Treke. What brings you to my shrine, my child?”

“A bad dream about this forest led me here this morning. Something about it felt… off.”

“I wish to know more. Tell me about this dream.”

“First, I kept getting lost inside the Tlukali Forest. I have been down all these trails before, but for some reason I could not find my way in this dream.”

“Do you struggle finding your path in life, child? It is a common worry for many of your age.”

“I want to become a ruksala. If I cannot do that, then I don’t know what else to do with myself…”

“I understand. Becoming a ruksala is not an easy path to take. What else concerns you?”

Wringing her hands, Treke recalled the abandoned shrine from her dream, worn from weather and smothered with moss. “I came across a shrine I had never seen before. It felt… ominous. It was as if it was meant to be forgotten and yet it found me somehow. I don’t know how else to explain it.”

“I see... I can sense rranha within you, Treke. You see many things others wish to ignore.”

Treke cocked her head. “What do you mean? Isn't rranha a bad thing?”

“Some rranha resides within all spirits and the living, but too much can disrupt the balance of the world. It is a negative energy that in excess poisons the consciousness and can drive one mad.”

“I… I do feel some of that negative energy, yes. It’s a terrible inkling that brought me here.”

“You are quite sensitive to it, if that is the case. A good ruksala should be able to locate the source and root it out.”

Treke nodded in contemplation. The excess rranha was likely coming from that shrine. “Do you know of such a shrine, like in my dream? It was covered in moss, untouched by fuglans for many years, hidden deep in the forest.”

“Mmm, yes… I know of such a shrine. I had hoped our clan could simply forget the ancestral spirit sealed within it, but it seems they may have found a way to break the seal.”

“A forgotten unesudrat?”

“A zreusudrat, to be precise - a corrupted ancestral spirit that has lost all sense of principles. They are a very dangerous spirit if left in the hands of a misguided fuglan.”

Turning to Elder Vrenik, Treke gave the old fuglan a look of concern. “Do you know of an old abandoned shrine in the Tlukali Forest?”

Elder Vrenik closed his eyes in thought. “Yes, unfortunately. It belongs to Ludaru. What did Klaiune say to you?”

“I saw an abandoned shrine in my dream this morning and Klaiune has confirmed such a thing exists in this forest. Who are they?”

“Oh, child…” Elder Vrenik shook his head with disapproval. “You do not know what danger you are getting into. Our clan was meant to forget this ancestral spirit.” He paused, apprehensive at first, before lowering his voice. “They are not a benevolent spirit, I will tell you that much. The fact that their shrine was in your dream is concerning, however.”

“Ludaru is a dangerous one,” Klaiune warned. “If you pursue this, know that it may come at a great risk to yourself.”

Treke’s stomach lurched at the information. What if my dream is more than just a common nightmare? she thought. I cannot simply let this go. “Where is Ludaru’s shrine? I need to see it.”

“Hidden somewhere in the bamboo thicket. The path is long overgrown,” said Elder Vrenik. “But why?”

Reluctant to answer at first, she knew this was important somehow. “What if they broke the seal at their shrine and escaped? Maybe that is why I had that dream…”

“Treke… I must warn you, this sort of thing is not to be taken lightly.”

“I understand, Elder, but…” She paused and gave Vrenik a pleading smile to hide her anxiety. “It is time for me to take on greater responsibilities. A ruksala should protect our clan from any potential dangers. I cannot ignore this.”

Elder Vrenik sighed then nodded. “Very well. You are quite committed, I see. I won’t stop you.”

“If you wish to take on such a burden as a ruksala, I will help you,” the spirit hummed. “We will locate the shrine together.”

“You will spirit bond with me, Ancestor Klaiune?”

“Yes, child. Are you ready?”

The morning sky glowed a greenish blue through the scattered clouds as the sun prepared to break dawn. The light drizzling rain was barely a faint mist now. Treke took a deep breath of fresh morning air before she answered.

“I am.”

The serpentine form of the unesudrat dissolved away, leaving a nebulous cloud that surrounded Treke before absorbing into her body. Startling at first, the tingling sensation flowed through her once more while the splitting in her head finally subsided. Now anchored to Treke like a shadow, the transfer from shrine to fuglan was complete.

"I am now bound to you and will accompany you wherever you go, my child. My kenha, spiritual energy, is yours to channel. You are a fledgling ruksala now.”

Closing her eyes, Treke took in the moment of her new title. She could hardly believe it. No longer just tending shrines and making salves and medicinal teas, she would have many more responsibilities she would need to soon learn, and quickly. As she opened her eyes and looked to Elder Vrenik, the old fuglan smiled back at her.

“Is it done, my child?”

Treke nodded.

“I am proud of you, Treke,” Vrenik chuckled. “Listen to Ancestor Klaiune and they will guide you. In time, there will be many more spirits you will be able to commune with. Even the dreaded tukran.”

“Thank you, Elder Vrenik. I must go now and find that shrine.”

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