He walked faster. He had to get to the place before it was getting too dark. He was simmering with excitement when he thought of his little secret.
Kanetheal was a boy who lived in a small town near the Soulwanderer’s Guild, a place where mighty people were trained to be soul wanderers, humans which matched their souls with animals, so they gained the ability to morph into the matched animal and live with its special instincts and intellect.
He was only a farmer boy, so they hadn’t accepted him as an apprentice. He already had gotten over that fact though. Especially since the day he found it.
Today was his special day, the day that would change his life.
He reached his destination. A small glade. The place where he had found a wounded hawk, which he had been attending to for some weeks now.
And today he was going to match his soul with the hawk! He would be the very first person who matched his soul to a flying animal.
Kanetheal held a dagger in the left and in the other hand a glimmering glossy sapphire of the size of a raindrop, which he had to steal from a rich merchant. He had to put this gem on the forehead of the bird.
The small creature was looking suspicious and skipped nearer, in thoughts that the boy would fed him.
“Hello, my little hawk! I’m back, but I didn’t bring any food with me this time, I’m sorry… but look! Here is something interesting! A gem! Shiny, or?” He moved closer to it and held out the sapphire. The hawk cocked his head and blinked. Kanetheal smiled. Carefully he took the fragile animal and put the oval gem on its forehead. Then he murmured:
“So… now comes the difficult part…”, he kept up the black daggerand looked in these midget eyes. He felt sorry a bit. Then he whispered the old spell, which he had learned when he eavesdropped under a window of the guild hall. “Neco te, nam mihi opus sum aliqua re tuum sanguinem!” and with these words he pressed the gem on the hawks forehead and cut off its little head.
For a moment the birds eyes were shimmering full of sadness, but then the sapphire flashed brightly and a small silver shining hawk appeared and with outstretched wings it blew over Kanetheals face. This gaze was void for seconds, but then he shook his head, glared down to his fingers, which had curdled blood on them.
He stood up and looked around. The world had now a silver illusoriness. It wasn’t painfully, rather comfortable. He spun round, then he put all wishes and thoughts together and command his body to morph into a hawk. Nothing happened, and Kanetheal became angry. A loud sharp screech came out of his mouth and saucer-eyed he screamed again. Birds and other forest inhabitants flew and ran away in panic. The boy grinned. He moved his arms up and down and whished to morph. This time it happened really. He shrunk slowly and his arms formed to feathered wings, his nose and mouth were getting to a pecker and his otherwise blue eyes turned yellow, with a sharp black frame. The morph hurt him a bit, but that was definitely normal. After finishing morphing he fluttered with his new wings. “Hm…”, he croaked, “ Maybe I could test flying…”
The sight was great! He felt like he was reborn, so free and majestically! He didn’t spend a single thought at the possible consequences while flying. An illegal soul wanderer? And on top of that a clumsy farmer boy? Who cares of the consequences!
Flying was exhausting and tiring. He landed on a thick branch and rested for a while.
I think I will keep this a secret. There is no need for others to know what I accomplished. I’m sure I’d only get punished by the guild… He sighed. He hopped of the perch and morphed back. Carefree whistling he went back to his home, but not as a normal boy, no as a secret soul wanderer.
