Before history was well-recorded in the world of Ulakam, primordial animal spirits bonded with humans. Millennia later, humans now host animal spirits and are split into tribes named for the species they host. Ulakam is slowly being consumed by a decades-long war pitting the main tribes against the smaller tribes and a group of bandits calling themselves "the Resistance".

Callida Animo was born into this world. Coming from a mixed family of generational soldiers, Callida joined the family business at a young age. In her words, she was bred, born, and raised to be a soldier. And she's good at what she does which inevitably attracts attention that makes her unambitious self extremely uncomfortable. A career detour or two provides new perspectives and an education she never wanted through love, loss, influence and growth. Will it be enough? This is her story.

Written episodically, this slow-burn story focuses on relationships and character development through a series of 50 mini-arcs that connect to make a greater whole. (The story would lend itself well to a TV series.)

⚠️ Please be advised that this story contains a wide variety of traumatizing content and dark/adult themes like abuse, torture, sexual assault, and mental illness. I avoid disturbingly graphic details, but the content is there. Reader discretion is strongly recommended. If you would like more specifics, feel free to PM me. Be prepared for the occasional, light swearing and the odd makeout scene that I don't consider sufficient to warrant a profanity or sexual content tag.

💜 If you are enjoying this story, make my day! I love engaging with my readers, and feedback in all forms is much appreciated. Thank you!