CLASS AFFINITY SOLO
WATCHED OVER BY THE SPIRITS


“Going off on another one of your adventures,” came the voice of Negan, Kolari’s father. He was watching as his teenage daughter gathered a few belongings: a tent, sleeping bag, flint & steel and some provisions for herself, to take on a trip out into the grasslands out to the west. She liked to travel, he knew, and she had a tendency to go wherever she felt the earth was calling her. Today was one of those days. With her bag packed and ready to go, the prentice couldn’t help but flash her father an eager grin. “Yes! The grasslands are calling me, and I’d like to spend some time out there,” she explained, hoisting the bag over her shoulder. Negan just shook his head and chuckled with amusement. When his daughter felt that the spirits were talking to her, she was going to listen, no matter what. She was such a spiritual girl.

“Just take care, ok? There have been a lot of witu giving travelers trouble lately. We wouldn't want that to happen to you.”

“I’ll be careful. I promise.”

Kolari would have said goodbye to her mother, too, before she left, but unfortunately she couldn’t do that this time. Iyala had made the trip back down to Vers to help some former colleagues with some troublesome kinfa, and she wouldn’t be back for a few weeks. She would have wished her daughter well, however, and would tell her to be safe as her father had done. The three of them were close as a family, and Kolari liked to keep her parents in the know on what she was doing. Her mother would have also cautioned against witu. They could be vicious, sneaky things. The Leaf prentice wouldn’t stand much chance against them, honestly. Physical altercations weren’t exactly her strong suit.

The settlement of Isd was more forested than the other Tale towns. Close to the Sauti border, it boasted trees and harder earth than the grasslands out to the west. Kolari was still getting used to this type of environment, but it was a nice place to live. Despite that, though, she still found herself called to explore the grasslands, venturing off to watch the animals of the region and to just spend time in nature. It was what she enjoyed, and it was for that reason that the young woman made her way out toward the seas of grass.

It hadn’t been her first time making such a trip. She had gone out by herself countless times before, and each time she had made it back safely. The spirits of the elements were watching over her, she claimed to her parents. They made sure she got back in one piece, safe and sound. This time would be the same, she figured, and Kolari walked to her destination with a pep in her step as she thought of it. This would be a nice and relaxing trip. What could go wrong, honestly? Not much, that was what!

It didn’t take long for the Leaf prentice to make it to the grasslands. After about a day or so of traveling, she had finally reached her destination. She set up camp shortly after, in order to make sure she had a proper shelter for the night. While the grasslands were generally safe, one could never be too careful. It was always best to ere on the side of caution, and Kolari was doing just that. With her camp set, she could then relax a little, and then decided to venture out into the grass. Maybe she could catch a glimpse of some scorra or maybe even if a wild kinfa if she was lucky. Wouldn’t that be something!

The tall grasses seemed to wave at her as the wind blew through them, and Kolari let out a relaxed sigh. Unbeknownst to her, however, she was not alone. Something else was in the grass, and when she least expected it, the creature pounced on her. It was a witu, and an angry one at that. Snarling and growling, the canine-like creature pinned the girl down and then swiped at her with its claws. The witu hit its mark, and Kolari could feel a stinging sensation along the right side of her neck. “Agggh!” A scream escaped her, and she scrambled to get away from the witu as quickly as she could, but it wasn’t looking good.

The witu prepared to pounce for a second time, only to be stopped when a volt of electricity hit it directly in the chest. Confused, Kolari looked up and found that an elderly man was standing nearby, and that he was holding a staff in hand. With another wave of his weapon, a gust of powerful wind flew at the animal and sent it flying into the air and off into the distance. All the prentice could do was stare at him in disbelief. “You-…you saved me.”

The man glared at the animal he had just sent flying, then turned and flashed Kolari a gentle smile. “It was nothing, child,” he said before moving to her side. “Though of all the places to camp in the grasslands, you picked a precarious one. This is witu territory. You might move your camp elsewhere.” It was then that he noticed the bleeding on her neck, and his brow furrowed deeply at the sight. “Come here,” he said, motioning to his side. Not wanting to anger the man, Kolari did as she was told and made her way over to him. With a third wave of his wand, the elderly man then managed to heal the wound on her neck. It would still leave a scar, but it could have been worse. When her wound was healed, she looked at him and smiled. “You’re a shaman.”

The old man nodded. “The spirits were watching over you, since I was able to find you so quickly.”

Although she didn’t say so verbally, Kolari couldn’t help but agree. Yeah – they must have been, hadn’t they?

It was as she picked herself up off the ground and made her way back to camp that she struck up a further conversation with the man who had saved her. “I'm going to be a shaman, too, you know.” When he heard this, the man just chuckled and smiled. “I’m sure it will be quite a fit.”
(Word Count: 1065/1000)