The Elder's Path Read Free

took a deep breath and looked about her. The peace of the forest brought stillness to her heart, and she felt better. She looked over to find the hawk still gazing at her. “You know,” she said in an offhand manner, “you are the first one I’ve cried in front of. Better not tell anyone else.” She winked at him and began to make her way back home once more.
    She started as a heavy weight dropped to her shoulder, and she looked to see the bird coming to rest on her . She adjusted to support him. “Decided you wanted company after all, huh?” She joked, but despite her lighthearted words, she was aflutter. What are the chances that now, of all times, she would suddenly find a potential companion when she had failed so many times before? Could this be what she was looking for?
                   But Lyn resolved not to seem desperate and ruin the moment, so she pointedly maintained her cool demeanor and strode on casually despite the load on her shoulder. Despite her intentions, her worries returned; was this what having a companion was? While she liked the bird well enough, it didn’t seem like much of a bonding in comparison to the stories of Walker and companion acting as one, sharing mind and soul. She had the overwhelming sense she was running out of time, that if she did not set out soon she wouldn’t ever. Thinking about leaving was a scary thought; after all, the forest was all she really knew. But not leaving was a worse one.
    The burden of the Sage Tree pressed upon her mind again, and she felt her heart become heavy once more .              
    “I feel so young, suddenly,” she said to the bird, “unprepared to handle the world all on my own. I truly have no idea what it’s even about outside the wood. All of my life I’ve been taught about how to live with the forest, not without it. But I suppose that’s part of why the Elders had companions, right? To keep them connected to a piece of home…”
    She let the thought wander, becoming lost in her contemplations once more. Unnoticed, a tear rolled down her c heek in the silence. A small cry from the hawk shook her from her reverie and she wiped her face with her free hand, embarrassed to be caught crying twice in one day. The great raptor bumped her face gently, and she felt the smallest nudge in the corner of her mind, like a presence making itself known. It whispered to her, “Alir”.
     
    Chapter 2
    30 th day, 7 th lunar cycle, 700 th age of Arc
     
    “Hawks…such magnificent creatures; to me they have always seemed to have a feeling of aloofness and solitude, and with good reason. Other than the occasional show like the one Nana and I witnessed, most hawks are solitary hunters who spend their time on their own terms, so above everything else both literally and figuratively. And now, much to my immense pleasure, and relief, I have the privilege of taking my journey with one. His name is Alir, and he and I have bonded as Walker and companion. Like me, he is young and an outsider in his community, and I can feel his urge to explore and taste freedom. Perhaps that is why we bonded; we feel the same deep need to move forward on our own terms and define our existence outside the one we’ve always known. But, now that I have bonded, I have taken the last step necessary before the journey. I leave tomorrow, and despite my best intent I must wonder if I am truly ready for what the world will impress upon me.”
     
    The next morning Lyn stood facing the entire village, Alir on her arm and her belongings packed on her back. Nana had said her bond with her companion would grow with time and exercise of it, so for the time being their presence in each other’s mind was small. Still, Lyn could feel that Alir shared her excitement and trepidation both. But having even the small reassurance of his presence solidified her resolve, and his weight on her already seemed familiar. Incredible, she thought, that the day before had yielded