Kirafiki brushed her hair out of her face, staring at the turtle in her hands. It tilted it's head as it stared at her, wondering what she was going to do next. Kirafiki was now just feeling embarrassed--out of all the animals she could get, a turtle. And the other people had gotten foxes, cheetahs, mountain lions... how stupid she looked compared to them! And Toa could get killed within seconds. Kirafiki thought that she would probably lose him somewhere.
Suddenly, she remembered her parents. They'd surely be proud of her getting a spirit animal, no matter what it was! None of her family had spirit animals, so she was special. "Come on, Toa," she said, a huge grin crossing her face. She slid through the crowd of people, quickly exiting the ceremony. Kirafiki raced down the streets, when she heard a voice behind her. "Ha! Hey look guys, little girl's got a turtle!" It laughed, which caused even more kids to laugh. [No, not the bullies again!] she thought, and continued walking as if the group of boys were invisible. But, the mud stain on her shirt from them pushing her into a puddle surely wasn't.
But, the boys decided to continue following her. They soon stepped in front of her, blocking Kirafiki from getting through the alleyway. The girl held Toa close to her chest, shaking as she stared up at them. "You call that a spirit animal, kid? Look at this!" the boy laughed, lifting up his sleeve and releasing a wolf. Kirafiki jumped at the size of it, clutching Toa even more. "Get away from me!" she whimpered, and ran the other direction. At the command of the boy, the wolf chased after her. "Stop!" she cried, but the wolf didn't even pause.
-
"Dala! You fool, get back here!" Eldu called, chasing after her all too hyper hyena companion. She was leaping through the crowds, sniffing them and causing them to panic. Dala stopped to sniff something on the ground when Eldu whistled, immediately getting Dala's attention. The hyena perked her rounded ears, and saw Eldu's outstretched arm. In a flash, she disappeared into a tattoo on Eldu's upper arm. Lowering her sleeve, the elder chuckled and started to walk towards the city. "Sorry hun, but someone's gettin' a little too hyper, eh? I'll let ye' play by the pond for a bit," Eldu said, arriving quickly at a small pond near the edge of the city. The woman was about the release her spirit animal after she had splashed some water on her face, when she interrupted by screams. "What in the world?" she muttered, looking up and seeing a girl being chased by a wolf.