Heterosexual
✧☽ ᴅʀᴇᴀᴍᴇʀ ᴀɴᴅ ᴅᴏᴇʀ ☾✧
"You never have to prove yourself to anyone who doesn't accept you for who you are."
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Post by ✧☽ ᴅʀᴇᴀᴍᴇʀ ᴀɴᴅ ᴅᴏᴇʀ ☾✧ on May 14, 2021 20:37:09 GMT -5
Here we are! ;D
Relevant Info:
Date: Wednesday, September 7, 2016
Weather: warm (75°F), sunny, windy
Wyvern ages: newborn
Characters:
Me:
♧ Name -> Trey Akkin, First Year
♧ Birthdate and Age -> May 14th, 2000; 16
♧ Origin -> Montana, USA; family originally from Scotland, moved to the States two generations ago; comes from a long line of WyvernRiders
♧ General Appearance -> 5'8", 138lbs; darker brown hair with hints of chestnut shot through, short but thick and messy, curls slightly at the tips; bright hazel eyes, a mix of green, brown, and gold
♧ Wyvern -> Atom
♧ Name: Atom (Ancient Greek origin, means “uncut, unhewn, indivisible, cannot be divided further”)
♧ Gender: male
♧ Element: earth
♧ Colors: at birth: green-brown body, like moss over bark; intelligent green eyes
♧ Size: birth: 8 inches tall; 24 inches long; 12 pounds; 32 inch wingspan
♧ Egg size: 16.2 inches long; 15.4 inches wide; 18 pounds
♧ Human: Trey Akkin
♡ Name -> Remington, "Remi" Winters, First Year
♡ Birthdate and Age -> July 26th, 2000; 16
♡ Origin -> Ontario, Canada; family has been in Canada as far back as anyone remembers; no one in her family has had a wyvern since her great grandmother
♡ General Appearance -> 5'3", 118lbs; long strawberry-blonde hair, wild and wavy; feisty blue eyes, framed by long lashes
♡ Wyvern -> Malaya
♡ Name: Malaya (Filipino origin, means "free")
♡ Gender: female
♡ Element: fire
♡ Colors: at birth: fiery dark orange body; lighter orange wings; vibrant gold eyes
♡ Size: at birth: 7 inches tall; 22 inches long; 9 pounds; 30 inch wingspan
♡ Egg size: 14.7 inches long; 13.6 inches wide; 15 pounds
♡ Human: Remi Winters
You:
◇ Name -> Elizabeth Lovvorn, First Year
◇ Birthdate and Age -> February 28th, 2000, 16
◇ Origin -> British Columbia, Canada; comes from a family line where most, if not all, first born females are WyvernRiders
◇ General Appearance -> 5'9" tall; lithe, graceful build; ash-blonde hair that falls to the middle of her back in slight waves; hazel eyes; has two moles near her right eyebrow that look like a pair of snakebite piercings
◇ Wyvern -> Nerida
◇ Name: Nerida (Greek origin, means "sea nymph")
◇ Gender: female
◇ Element: water
◇ Colors: at birth: "tall ship" blue; pale green eyes blending to blue by the pupil
◇ Size: at birth: 7 inches tall; 22 inches long; 10 pounds; 30 inch wingspan
◇ Egg size: 14.9 inches long; 13.8 inches wide; 16 pounds
◇ Human: Elizabeth Lovvorn
♤ Name -> Austin Stewards, First Year
♤ Birthdate and Age -> May 22, 2000, 16
♤ Origin -> Florida, USA; no one in his family is a WyvernRider
♤ General Appearance -> 6' tall; skinny buff in build (a.k.a: farmer muscles); shaggy brown hair, sun tanned skin; brown eyes that are bright with mischief and fun
♤ Wyvern -> Notus
♤ Name: Notus (Greek origin, means "south wind")
♤ Gender: male
♤ Element: air
♤ Colors: at birth: steel grey; pale sunrise-pink eyes
♤ Size: at birth: 6 inches tall; 21 inches long; 8 pounds; 29 inch wingspan
♤ Egg size: 13 inches long; 12 inches wide; 14 pounds
♤ Human: Austin Stewards
Student Schedules:
Trey Akkin
6:00: wake up
6:30—7:30: breakfast
8:00—8:45: Math
8:50—9:35: English
9:40—10:25: Science
10:30—11:15: Social Studies
11:20—12:20: lunch
12:25—1:10: Introduction to Elemental Magic
1:15—2:00: Wyvern Basics
2:05—2:50: History of Dragon Academy
2:55—3:55: Physical Fitness 101
4:15—5:30: after school sport: cross-country (Mondays, Wednesdays, & Fridays); after school club: library duty (Tuesdays & Thursdays)
6:00—7:00: dinner
7:00—9:00: free time
9:00: curfew
10:00: lights out
Elizabeth Lovvorn
6:00: wake up
6:30—7:30: breakfast
8:00—8:45: English
8:50—9:35: Math
9:40—10:25: Science
10:30—11:15: Social Studies
11:20—12:20: lunch
12:25—1:10: Introduction to Elemental Magic
1:15—2:00: Wyvern Basics
2:05—2:50: History of Dragon Academy
2:55—3:40: Physical Fitness 101
4:15—5:30: after school sport: cross-country (Mondays, Wednesdays, & Fridays); after school club: drama (Tuesdays & Thursdays)
6:00—7:00: dinner
7:00—9:00: free time
9:00: curfew
10:00: lights out
Austin Stewards
6:00: wake up
6:30—7:30: breakfast
8:00—8:45: English
8:50—9:35: Math
9:40—10:25: Science
10:30—11:15: Social Studies
11:20—12:20: lunch
12:25—1:10: Introduction to Elemental Magic
1:15—2:00: Wyvern Basics
2:05—2:50: History of Dragon Academy
2:55—3:40: Physical Fitness 101
4:15—5:30: after school sport: football (Mondays, Wednesdays, & Fridays); after school club: wyvern care (Tuesdays & Thursdays)
6:00—7:00: dinner
7:00—9:00: free time
9:00: curfew
10:00: lights out
Remington Winters
6:00: wake up
6:30—7:30: breakfast
8:00—8:45: Science
8:50—9:35: English
9:40—10:25: Math
10:30—11:15: Social Studies
11:20—12:20: lunch
12:25—1:10: Introduction to Elemental Magic
1:15—2:00: Wyvern Basics
2:05—2:50: History of Dragon Academy
2:55—3:40: Physical Fitness 101
4:15—5:30: after school sport: field hockey (Mondays, Wednesdays, & Fridays); after school club: wyvern care (Tuesdays & Thursdays)
6:00—7:00: dinner
7:00—9:00: free time
9:00: curfew
10:00: lights out
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Heterosexual
✧☽ ᴅʀᴇᴀᴍᴇʀ ᴀɴᴅ ᴅᴏᴇʀ ☾✧
"You never have to prove yourself to anyone who doesn't accept you for who you are."
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Post by ✧☽ ᴅʀᴇᴀᴍᴇʀ ᴀɴᴅ ᴅᴏᴇʀ ☾✧ on May 14, 2021 20:37:53 GMT -5
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Heterosexual
✧☽ ᴅʀᴇᴀᴍᴇʀ ᴀɴᴅ ᴅᴏᴇʀ ☾✧
"You never have to prove yourself to anyone who doesn't accept you for who you are."
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Post by ✧☽ ᴅʀᴇᴀᴍᴇʀ ᴀɴᴅ ᴅᴏᴇʀ ☾✧ on May 15, 2021 12:12:26 GMT -5
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Heterosexual
✧☽ ᴅʀᴇᴀᴍᴇʀ ᴀɴᴅ ᴅᴏᴇʀ ☾✧
"You never have to prove yourself to anyone who doesn't accept you for who you are."
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Post by ✧☽ ᴅʀᴇᴀᴍᴇʀ ᴀɴᴅ ᴅᴏᴇʀ ☾✧ on May 15, 2021 21:41:15 GMT -5
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Heterosexual
✧☽ ᴅʀᴇᴀᴍᴇʀ ᴀɴᴅ ᴅᴏᴇʀ ☾✧
"You never have to prove yourself to anyone who doesn't accept you for who you are."
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Post by ✧☽ ᴅʀᴇᴀᴍᴇʀ ᴀɴᴅ ᴅᴏᴇʀ ☾✧ on May 16, 2021 15:33:55 GMT -5
When the Headmaster was your mother, it made it almost impossible to be late on your first day of school. In Trey's case, he was so far from late, he was early.
The sun hadn't even risen in this mountain valley when Althea landed with a soft thud on the dew-covered grass of the LFC's flight zone. An appreciative purr rumbled through her large chest. Her wing claws hit the ground, and a second later so did her belly as she stretched out, enjoying the wet grass.
Headmaster Akkin — a.k.a. Trey's mother — laughed. "Such a baby. You came out of the lake not ten minutes ago." She swung one leg over Althea's neck and jumped to the ground. Her riding boots didn't slip even a little when they hit the ground.
As she walked up to Alethea's head to continue teasing her, Trey unbuckled himself from the saddle and slid down Althea's wing to the ground. This was not the traditional way to dismount a wyvern, and if anyone else tried it, the wyvern’s rider — or the wyvern itself, in some cases — would give you an earful about why it was BAD. But Trey had grown up around Althea. To him, she was more like a big blue dog than a wyvern. Using her wing as a slide was his favorite childhood game, especially in the summer when he slid down into the lake on their property.
Trey was getting too heavy to keep doing that, though. He wasn't quite there yet, which was both fortunate and not. On the one hand, he didn't have to give up one of his best childhood activities yet. On the other, it meant he was attending Dragon Academy while he was still on the small side. His parents assured him he was average sized for his age, but Trey still felt small, especially compared to them.
His mother gave Althea one more pat and headed for the door of the Flight Center. Trey followed. She pulled her keychain out from under her flight jacket and unlocked the doors. Trey stood in the doorway and watched as she went behind the front desk and powered on all the lights, the coffee maker, and the computer monitor. She did the same with the other three computers at the information desk. Finally, she unlocked the front door before striding back toward him.
"Are you sure you want to stay here?" she asked him. "You're already checked in with the school. There's still time for us to bring you back up. You can get settled in your dorm room. Maybe even get a head start on your egg hunt."
Trey sighed. They'd had this conversation already. "No, thank you. I want to do this like everyone else."
Even though he wasn't like everyone else. Mia Akkin had been Headmaster of Dragon Academy for almost twenty years now. As a result, Trey had grown up here at the Academy almost as much as he had in their house lower in the valley. Dragon Academy was his home away from home. He knew it better than anyone. He knew all the teachers, the staff, and their wyverns. They were like extended family.
So it really wasn't necessary for him to be here at the LFC, where all the other First Year students would start showing up in half an hour to check-in, get their care packages, and be assigned a volunteer teacher/wyvern pair to fly them up to the Academy, where Trey had literally just come from. Like his mother, he had been there since Friday, helping her get the final touches done that would prepare the school for the coming students and young wyverns. Saturday and Sunday had been spent ferrying the Second and Third Years up to the school and getting them settled into their new rooms for the year. The Fourth Years had shown up on their own, for their wyverns were old enough to be ridden.
Now it was Monday. School was about to officially start for the rest of the students, but for Trey's fellow First Years, today was the day they arrived, got a tour of campus, settled into their dorm rooms… and got to find their wyvern egg.
That was the part every First Year was the most excited for. Trey was no exception, but if there was one thing he had learned during his sixteen years on this campus, it was patience. He had waited this long. He could wait a few more hours, just like everyone else.
Trey could tell his mother still didn't understand his decision, but she stopped arguing. "If you're sure." She paused long enough for him to confirm or deny how sure he was. When he said nothing, just held her gaze steadily, she finally nodded and let her mind switch gears. "All right," said Headmaster Akkin. "Sounds like the others are arriving. Let's go open up the shed and help them switch saddles."
Indeed, as she spoke Trey could hear the rhythmic beating of massive leathery wings as two dozen wyverns descended from the mountain. Nine were to be the other transport wyverns, along with Althea. The other five belonged to the four women who had volunteered to be the Flight Center's office staff, and Coach Conners. Every year he volunteered to be the flight director, because that job basically let him shout orders to students as he directed them to their assigned wyvern.
The temporary office ladies landed first. Yrene Johnson, Helen Blake, Victoria Tellen, and Delores Matthews Each one like a grandmother to Trey. Once their wyverns settled in the grass, the four older women dismounted, making it look as effortless as the Headmaster had earlier. Then they and their wyverns headed for the building. The ladies greeted Trey and his mother warmly, then went inside while their wyverns made themselves comfortable along the side of the building, behind the storage shed.
Next came Coach Conners. Althea had to get out of the way when his massive wyvern, Branch, came down. As long as Trey had known him, Branch had never been graceful in his landings. And unlike Althea, the damp grass only made his landing more clumsy. He almost threw his human as he slipped and toppled forward. But it was Coach’s yelling that had Trey trying to smother laughter.
"What are you—! Wait! Don't! Ahhhh — OOF! You daft beast! Are you TRYING TO KILL ME?!"
Branch never batted an eye or became the least bit ruffled by the tirade. Trey couldn't think of a single time Branch had displayed even a hint of temper. He had to be the most chill and unbothered wyvern Trey had ever met. Even Althea, who loved him like he was one of her own babies, had become cross with him a time or two in his life.
Coach Conners dismounted and came stomping toward them. Branch followed, head low so he could poke his human in the back. At first each one earned an angry, "Bah!" from Coach. By the third or fourth time, Coach tossed his hands up and shouted, "Fine! I forgive you, you big spoiled baby!" And he stomped on again, leaving Branch happy as a Golden retriever.
As Coach ordered Branch around the building with the other four wyverns, the nine transport wyverns began landing in their assigned takeoff spots. One by one, Trey and his mother helped the teachers switch saddles. The traditional wyvern saddle was only meant for one rider. The specially made ones they put on now were built to accommodate an extra three people behind the rider. That was why most of the wyverns here were earth wyverns, with a few water and fire wyverns mixed in. Earth wyverns were the biggest, and therefore the best at carrying heavy loads.
By the time everyone was ready it was eight o'clock, and the first students began arriving. The first ones were always those whose parents had wyverns. Their wingbeats were heard first, and then the wyvern appeared and landed in the parking lot at the front of the building.
Trey's mother quickly headed up front to make sure no one lingered too long. The parking lot was big, but only big enough for two or three wyverns at a time. And as the morning progressed, more and more kept coming
One by one by one, strange wyverns came, each bearing a parent or two and a teenager. They stayed only a few minutes each, just long enough for the parent to meet the Headmaster and say goodbye to their child. Then they left, and were replaced almost immediately by the next wyvern. Within half an hour, the sky was filled with arriving and departing wyverns. Trey had never seen so many wyverns all at once. The ones on campus never bunched together like this. It was truly a sight to behold.
Trey was so distracted watching the wyverns coming and going that he didn't notice how much time had passed until the first flight group came out through the back doors of the Flight Center. Coach was in his element, barking orders and directing the students to their takeoff site.
Trey quickly ducked behind Althea so they wouldn't notice him. His mother hadn't returned yet, so Coach would likely keep the three students who were to fly with her and Althea by the door. One of the most important rules when meeting a new wyvern: never approach it if their rider was absent. For many wyverns, especially teacher's wyverns, it didn't make much of a difference. But you could never be too careful. Even bonded wyverns were still wild at heart, and some were very picky about what humans they let near. That wasn't a concern for any of the wyverns here, but the lesson needed to be taught regardless. Most parents would have done so before sending their kids to Dragon Academy, but it was the Academy’s responsibility to continue those lessons.
A couple minutes later his mother arrived, with three sixteen-year-olds in tow. She looked surprised to find her son there, hiding behind her wyvern. "Trey. Shouldn't you be inside?"
Trey eyed the three teenagers warily. They stared back, two curious and one… smug. Trey wasn't sure what that was about, but he didn't like it. He quickly switched his gaze to his mother. "Yes, sorry. I'm going."
He slipped past her and the students and hurried toward the Flight Center. He could see the crowd of students through the wall of windows. Even with half of the first wave out here, the room looked too full. And every single one of them seemed to be watching him as he walked toward the doors.
Trey was starting to regret his choice to start his first year the "normal" way.
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Heterosexual
✧☽ ᴅʀᴇᴀᴍᴇʀ ᴀɴᴅ ᴅᴏᴇʀ ☾✧
"You never have to prove yourself to anyone who doesn't accept you for who you are."
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Post by ✧☽ ᴅʀᴇᴀᴍᴇʀ ᴀɴᴅ ᴅᴏᴇʀ ☾✧ on May 16, 2021 15:44:22 GMT -5
Remi was about to become a third generation failure, and she was NOT looking forward to it.
She stared out the window of her mother's Subaru, too angry to appreciate the beautiful view beyond. She was ignoring her mother, who sat in the driver's seat, silently fuming. As usual, Remi had said or done something to disappoint her, and for the first time in sixteen years she couldn't think of an appropriate punishment for her daughter. Given their situation, the best she had been able to do was take away Remi's iPod.
Remi refused to let her know just how much she did see the lack of her music as a punishment. Remi never went anywhere without her music. Even if she didn't intend to listen to it, just having it on her and knowing she could was enough. But if she had tried to argue with her mother about it, then there was a good chance she would take it and not give it back. So Remi had handed it over with little resistance, and now could only hope she got it back when they arrived.
They were less than an hour from Dragon Academy now, thankfully. They had been driving for four days, sleeping in motels and eating enough fast food even Remi was sick of it. She still didn't understand why they hadn't just taken a plane to Montana. What would her great grandmother do, really? She was a ninety-five year old lady. She could hardly move these days, let alone make good on any of her threats.
Yet her mother was still afraid of the old bat, and always did everything she was told. Personally, Remi thought it was because her mother was afraid of wyverns, particularly her great grandmother's. Remi couldn't really blame her. Snowfox was downright terrifying.
Remi had never met any other wyvern, but the rest of her family had. Dragon Academy was full of them, after all. If nothing else, Remi would be glad to meet them before returning home.
The car slowed down suddenly, snapping Remi from her thoughts. She turned to look at her mother, forgetting for the moment that she was supposed to be ignoring her. Luckily her mom was too busy watching the tall cliff rising above them on the other side of the road to notice. Remi followed her line of sight, trying to see what she was looking at as they crawled along at 20 kilometers an hour.
She saw nothing, but a few minutes later her mother checked to make sure there was no oncoming traffic, then turned and drove directly toward the cliff.
Remi threw herself back against her seat. "Mom—!"
She cut off abruptly as the narrow road appeared. Her mother turned onto it carefully, then slowly picked up speed again. Wide-eyed, Remi spun around to look at the road behind them. She could only barely see the road they had left behind, and it only got harder to see the farther they went.
She spun back around and faced her mother. "What the hell?"
"Watch your tongue," came the immediate response. She shot her daughter a haughty look. "You didn't really think the Academy would be easy to find, did you?"
Remi didn't answer. She turned away and watched the scenery as they drove along the narrow road. It was barely wide enough for two cars, a fact they discovered when one appeared ahead, driving back the way they'd come. Both cars inched past each other, as far over as they could get, and their side mirrors still nearly touched as they passed.
A few minutes later, a parking lot appeared. And a wyvern.
Remi sucked in a breath. She sat forward, eyes locked on the bright red creature. Remi had never seen such a beautiful beast. It certainly beat out Snowfox, who was such a pale blue she perfectly reflected the icy heart within. But this wyvern… even before her mother pulled into a parking spot a few feet from the beast, Remi could feel the heat it radiated. It was like a furnace, or a blazing fire come to life. The oranges and yellows mixed in with the bright red lent further truth to that idea.
The moment the car was put into Park, Remi was up and out. She heard her mother hiss her name, but she was already circling the back of the car to get closer to the wyvern. She stopped when its blazing gaze swung around to land on her.
Remi held her breath. The wyvern’s stare never wavered. And then it did something that terrified and thrilled her all at once. It lowered it's head until it was level with her and let out a hot, smoke filled breath through its nostrils.
As the smoke billowed around her lower half, Remi slowly let out the breath she'd been holding. She very much wanted to touch the wyvern, but she didn't dare. Her great grandmother hadn't taught her much, but she did know it was impolite to pet someone else's wyvern without permission. Not to mention the heat emanating from it was enough to warn against reaching a hand out.
So Remi stayed perfectly still and just stared at it until, with a quiet snort, the wyvern pulled away and broke their gazes. Remi watched, transfixed, as a woman about her mother's age hurried over to the wyvern and climbed onto its back. The wyvern lowered itself to make the climb easier, then sat all the way up onto its back legs. It spread its huge red wings and launched itself upward. With a few powerful flaps of its wings it was gone, heading back down the mountain.
Remi stayed in her spot, staring after it, until her mother appeared beside her. She grabbed her daughter's arm and jerked her around. Remi barely kept in her gasp of pain.
"What do you think you are doing?" her mother spat. "Are you trying to get yourself killed?"
Remi set her jaw and yanked her arm free. "No. I was just getting a closer look. What's the big deal?"
"The "big deal," young lady, is that that was a strange wyvern. And a fire wyvern to boot! They are the most dangerous of all of them. You never just walk up to a fire wyvern like that. Never! Do you hear me?"
Remi turned her face away. "Yeah, whatever, Mother."
She grabbed Remi's chin and yanked her face back. Her voice had gone cold when she said, "Excuse me?"
Remi tried to pull free, but her mother just held on tighter, her nails threatening to break skin. Remi swallowed hard, met her mother's icy stare, and said, "Sorry, Mother. Whatever you say, Mother."
She held her there for a moment more, then all but threw her face away and stepped back just as another car pulled into the parking lot. "That's what I thought. Now." She smoothed her skirt front. "Head on in, and I'll see you tomorrow."
Remi quickly fetched her backpack from the front seat. It was packed with the essentials, things she would need for the next twenty-four hours. Her mother hadn't let her pack anything more. She already assumed Remi would fail to bond with a wyvern and be sent home tomorrow. Just like she had, and her mother before her.
Remi didn't expect to succeed either, but she couldn't help but hope for it, if only so she didn't have to go home for the next ten months.
Just before she shut the passenger door she took a deep breath and asked in the most subdued tone she could manage, "May I have my iPod back? Please?"
Her mother, already buckled into the driver's seat, considered her coolly for a long moment. "I don't think you deserve it."
Remi breathed deeply for a minute to keep from snapping everything she wanted to say. "I know. But… but what if I am chosen? If I have to stay here for more than a day, I need my music. Please, Mom."
For a second, Remi thought her argument had won her over. Then she snorted and put the car in reverse. "If you are chosen, I'll send the iPod up with the rest of your things. Until then, I'll be holding onto it. Maybe it will finally teach you respect."
Remi's heart dropped into her stomach. Even if she was chosen, there was no guarantee her mother would send her anything, let alone her iPod. She needed it now, or else she might never see it again.
"Mom, wait. Please, just —"
Without a word, she reached over the passenger seat and yanked the door out of Remi's grip. The locks engaged, and then she slowly backed away. Remi watched, stricken, as she drove away without a backward glance.
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*Nightwhisper
"And guilty I may be, but don't give up on me... We will still be thick as thieves."
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Post by *Nightwhisper on May 22, 2021 10:59:56 GMT -5
The day started bright and early. For Elizabeth, that was normal. Everyday saw her rising from bed at five, going out for an early morning jog. Her family owned a large private property, complete with many trails through both forest and meadows. There was plenty of space for her mother and her aunt’s wyverns to land and stay during family get togethers, and hunting grounds for them to supply food for the beasts. An hour later, she would return home, shower, and dress for school. After the lessons and lectures of her private school, she would return home and start the training routine her mother had devised. There was never an idle moment in her schedule until late evening, when she was winding down and heading for bed. She couldn’t complain, though. She liked staying busy. She liked the feeling of being productive.
Today was no different. The sixteen year old walked into the house at the kitchen entrance, grabbing a bottle of water from the fridge as she went by. She had just finished her run, sweat making the few baby hairs not captured in her tight braid cling to her forehead. The sun was just starting to rise outside, and she knew that she wouldn’t be the only one up and about now. Her mother would be up preparing for the flight to the Acadamy. While she hadn’t seen her when she passed Trivvial earlier, it wouldn’t be long before her mother would be picking up her own duties to the wyvern. So that meant she didn’t have a lot of time to wait around.
Climbing up the grand staircase in the foyer, Elizabeth made her way through the maze of halls to her bedroom. She had packed the majority of her bags the night before so she wouldn’t have to worry about it now. So she simply picked up the outfit carefully laid out on an armchair in the corner of the room and set the water bottle on her dresser. Then took the clothes with her to her personal bathroom. There she spent a total of twenty minutes showering and dressing. When she emerged, she was dressed in a simple flying and training uniform that once belonged to her mother. Flying on Wyvernback wasn’t the most comfortable if you didn’t have the proper coverage. The wind and temperatures could turn your skin raw if one wasn’t careful. Her hair, fully dried, was once more woven into a tight braid and coiled up into a bun on the back of her head.
It was a big day, and although she had been expecting it for a long time, she still felt her nerves buzzing awake as she picked up her bags. There was a lot riding on the next few days. And a lot that could go wrong. What if she didn’t get chosen? What would she do then? The young woman shook her head, forcing those thoughts away. That was highly improbable. Things would work out just fine.
She made a stop by the front door and set down her bags. They would be brought to Trivvial’s saddle when they got ready to leave. First, breakfast. As she guessed, her father was upand helping their senior house keeper make breakfast. “Good morning, Lizzy,” he greeted, grinning in her direction as she entered the room. “Hope you slept well. Got a busy day today.”
“No busier than normal,” Elizabeth replied in an easy manner. She had kept up a strict schedule to ready herself for life at the Academy. Not to mention she had pretty much had the school grounds as her playground growing up. Making the transition from her boring, mundane school would be easy. She actually welcomed it.
Her father chuckled and continued set down the plate he had been holding to walk over and offer his daughter a hug. Eugine Lovvorn was as normal a man as they come. 5’10”, blond hair, and blue eyes, he was a picture of a man who spent his own teenage years on some kind of sports field. Now, however, he simply worked for the local news station as a researcher and journalist. “I can’t believe my little girl is finally going off to get her own wyvern,” he said, letting go of her enough to lean back and look at her face. “You know, normal dads only have to worry about their daughters learning to drive, not going to train large flying beasts to go kill other large beast.”
“You knew what you were getting into when you married me,” her mother’s voice sounded behind them. Turning, Elizabeth saw a small smile on the WyvernRider’s face. She was tall, dark haired, but her build and her eyes were the same as her daughters. Olivia Lovvorn carried herself with self-assurance and ease that came with years of experience. An ease that Elizabeth wondered if she would ever hold herself.
“I know, but I have a right as a father to be sentimental,” Eugine replied, still smiling. He placed a kiss to his daughter’s head before fully releasing her.
“You can be sentimental with the other parents,” Elizabeth said. “Once we reach the Acadamy, that is. Right now, I want to be able to eat my breakfast without fending off the waterworks.”
Eugine laughed and nodded. “I think that’s fair enough.”
~*~*~
The Dragon Academy grounds were a home away from home. Growing up, Elizabeth had been allowed to travel here with her mother on several occasions. Since as long as she could remember, she walked among Riders and wyverns, watched the lessons in the fields from vantage points safe distances away, and ran through the halls after her mother. And the times when she couldn’t follow her mother, she found herself spending time with other children of Riders.
Standing in the front yard of the campus, she stood with her father, watching as other new students filled the open space or making their way towards the Flight Center. Her mother and Trivvial couldn’t stay, since there was enough room for all the wyverns to stay at the drop off spot, so they went to go wait with the other members of the Guardians that would be attending the welcoming ceremony. Elizabeth scanned the sea of faces. Some she recognized, but mostly they were all new to her. There would be time to figure out who was who later, but it was still good to try and pick out those with obvious potential.
“Isn’t that Trey over there?” her father asked, nudging her with his elbow and pointing towards the right.
She looked over, and sure enough, there was the headmaster’s son walking into the Flight Center. Trey had been one of the kids she found herself hanging out with, but she wouldn’t call them close friends. Still, if he was here, than it would mean she would have someone to talk to. “Yeah, which means that I should be joining him. They’ll be taking us to our dorm rooms soon.” She gve her father one more hug, letting it draw out longer than it should, knowing that this was harder on him than it was for her. Now not only was her mother going to be away for days at a time, but she would no longer be home to keep him company either. He would be the one dealing with this change more than any of them. She just hoped that the students would get chances to go home, or for parents to visit. Or at the very least, her father would stay busy and wouldn’t have the time to notice the emptier house.
With her last goodbyes given, she jogged to catch up to the others. “Trey!” she called out when she got close enough to the boy.
●☆●☆●☆●☆●☆●☆
Wyverns. He was actually going to learn how to ride Wyverns. While the creatures were common, it was still considered a fantasy to get to be able to train and ride one. Most of the time, all you heard of the people accepted to the school were the kids that were already from families with one or more Riders in them. But for Austin, that wasn’t the case.
To be completely honest, this whole thing was supposed to be a joke. A spur of the moment dare that he and a couple of buddies did while camping one night. They all liked to talk big about how if they were Riders, they would do X, Y, and Z, but none of them actually believed they would become one. So Jacob, the loudmouth of the group, asked why they didn’t just send in applications and see what happens? So they did. The five of them all filled them out, sent them in, and had several laughs the next day about it. So imagine his surprise when he received his acceptance and directions on how to get to the Academy and what to do when he got there.
There was a celebration and farewell party thrown for him by his friends that included about half the high school they attended. While a couple of adults were monitoring the party, there may or may not have been some alcohol that found its way in, as well as some fireworks. It had been a great night.
Now, they had been on the road for a day and a half now, and Austin was getting sick of being stuck in the car. His brother, Dallas, wasn’t helping matters either. He was younger by two years and about as ADHD as he was. So the two boys were mocking and fighting with each other the majority of the trip. Every five miles, their father would call back and threaten to turn the car around if they didn’t behave. It worked… for about two minutes.
“How do we even know we’re going the right way?” Dallas complained. They were in the final stretch of the journey, and they had been driving for five hours straight since their last rest stop. “There’s nothing out here! We’re in the middle of nowhere!”
“Yeah, that’s the point,” Austin said, shoving his brother’s shoulders. “Where else are they to keep all the wyverns?”
Dallas shoved him back. “That still doesn’t answer my question.”
“Well then, why don’t you look out the window instead of fighting. Then you might find the answer to that questions,” Their father, Houston, told him.
Both boys ducked in their seats to try and see out of the windshield. In the sky, miles ahead of them, were wyverns. Now, none of them had ever seen one expect on TV, so the sight of a whole flock of them circling the sky. The school had to be below them. Otherwise, there was something really wrong going on. Instantly, their squabbles were forgotten as the brothers glanced at each other with matching grins.
“How much further?” Austin asked, looking at the map they had.
“Maybe thirty more minutes,” his mother said calmly from the passenger seat. Melissa Stewards was the only true calm one in the family. Had it not been for her, her husband would have followed through with that threat to turn the car around.
It was a rough thirty minutes. Not even ten minutes later, Austin had his window rolled down and was hanging out of it as they drew closer and closer to his new life. His eyes never left the grouping of wyverns. His attention was so focused on them that he didn’t see them reaching the cliff until the last minute. “Dad, watch out!” he shouted, but Houston had already seen the change in the road. The brakes were pressed non too gently, which almost flung Austin out of the car. Almost.
“What sort of drive is this?” he heard his father muttering as they inched forward, trying to see where they were to go. His mother, as ever, was talking reason to him and pointing out that there was no cliff, but rather a sudden incline that would take them to the school. Austin tuned out. For his eyes caught sight of the large fields and building that spread out before him. This was it. He was going to be a Rider.
~*~*~
Austin spun in slow circles as he stood in front of the Flight Center. People and wyverns were everywhere. He didn’t know where to look in the controlled chaos of it all, but he was enjoying it. His parents hadn’t been able to stay long. Even though they drove in a car and not by Wyvern, there still wasn’t the space for a bunch of lingering parents. So they all said their goodbyes quickly and left their eldest son in the hands of the teachers helping to keep things orderly.
“Oh, this is going to be cool,” the boy murmured to himself, grinning like a child in a candy store.
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Heterosexual
✧☽ ᴅʀᴇᴀᴍᴇʀ ᴀɴᴅ ᴅᴏᴇʀ ☾✧
"You never have to prove yourself to anyone who doesn't accept you for who you are."
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Post by ✧☽ ᴅʀᴇᴀᴍᴇʀ ᴀɴᴅ ᴅᴏᴇʀ ☾✧ on May 22, 2021 11:45:52 GMT -5
The Flight Center wasn't exactly big, certainly not when compared to all the buildings up on campus, but it had never felt as small as it did now.
Trey stood in the back corner, leaning against the wall with his hands in his pockets. He hadn't joined any of the lines yet, choosing instead to watch as everyone else lined up. First, they lined up at the front desk and spoke to Mrs. Matthews. She checked them in, registered and stored their luggage, weighed them, and gave them their flight information.
Next, they moved to one of three lines that went to Ms. Johnson, Mrs. Blake, or Ms. Tellen. They confirmed the student's admittance into the school and gave them their care package, which contained a map of the campus, a beginners guidebook on wyverns and magic, their class schedule, a list of school rules, and their dorm key. Once acquired, the students simply milled around by the back doors, talking excitedly and waiting eagerly for the transport wyverns to return.
They had already returned and gone a second time since Trey had come inside. He should line up, he knew that, but there was something interesting about watching all the new First Years, especially those who had never seen a wyvern in real life before. Trey couldn't imagine not knowing wyverns, so it was new to see it with these strangers.
He was also seeing a few familiar faces. He wasn't the only kid who practically grew up at the Academy, though he had spent more time there than most. The others were kids whose parents were teachers or stay-on staff, like security, egg care, and a handful of maintenance guys. Many of them came for weekends but spent most of their time in their home State going to private school.
Trey put names to every face he knew, but only one noticed him and actually approached. Elizabeth Lovvorn. Trey was honestly a little surprised when she acknowledged him. They had hung out many times over the years, but they weren't exactly friends. Still, he pulled one hand out of his pocket and waved. "Hey." Shoot. What did social people say after the greeting again? "Uh, how was your flight?"
☆~☆~☆
Remi wasn't sure how long she stood in the parking lot. Long enough for the lot to fill with cars, and for the newly arrived parents and teenagers to give her funny looks. Finally, after receiving one too many stares, she turned around and joined the flow of people heading inside.
What she found looked like pure chaos at first, but upon a closer inspection she realized it was organized chaos. Just inside the door was a large waiting room type space, only there were no chairs. Over to the right was a desk with an older woman sitting behind it. There was a line there, and what looked like a large scale and an even larger pile of luggage just beyond the desk. As Remi watched, the first person in line stepped on the scale. The woman wrote down the weight, asked a couple questions, then handed over a piece of paper and directed the teenager to another line.
It was less clear what was happening in that line, but she saw that there were actually three separate lines all going to the same long counter, where three more older women sat at computers. From there, the teenagers gathered in the large space in front of a pair of big double glass doors. Those in front were peering outside eagerly, but Remi was too far back, and there were too many people between her and the doors, to see what they were staring at. Being short certainly didn't help, either. |
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*Nightwhisper
"And guilty I may be, but don't give up on me... We will still be thick as thieves."
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Post by *Nightwhisper on May 31, 2021 13:14:35 GMT -5
The bustle of activity in the Flight Center made it a little difficult to hear Trey's first greeting, but as Elizabeth got closer the issue solved itself. "Windy and rough. Trivvial's never been the graceful flyer," she said, but there was a fondness in her voice. She had grew up with that wyvern, learning to ride from his back, so no matter the bumpiness of the flight, she would never truly complain about it. It did, however, hope she didn't end up with an Earth Wyvern as well. "I figured you would already be at the dorms. What are you doing lurking around down here?"
~*~*~
There was more people here than Austin had ever seen in one place before. Well, a place that different involve big trucks and a whole lot of mud. It was hard for him to focus what he was supposed to be doing. He noticed all the lines, but by the time he thought that he should probably check them out, something else had caught his attention. Sadly, that wasn't the presence of people around him.
The boy had turned to look at something as he passed, walking backwards for a few steps, when he felt himself bump into someone. "Oh, sorry there. Didn't see you," he apologized, looking back at the girl he had hit. He had to look down in order to do so. He grinned. "Sorry, didn't mean that as a short joke either."
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Heterosexual
✧☽ ᴅʀᴇᴀᴍᴇʀ ᴀɴᴅ ᴅᴏᴇʀ ☾✧
"You never have to prove yourself to anyone who doesn't accept you for who you are."
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Post by ✧☽ ᴅʀᴇᴀᴍᴇʀ ᴀɴᴅ ᴅᴏᴇʀ ☾✧ on May 31, 2021 15:21:10 GMT -5
Trey nodded sympathetically. His father had an earth wyvern as well, so he knew how sloppy their flying could be sometimes. But Geode was patient and dependable, no matter what, so it was easy to overlook his one fault.
Trey was distracted thinking about his parents' wyverns that he almost missed Elizabeth's question. "Oh. I, uh..." He gestured helplessly toward the crowd. "I didn't want to miss out on all the First Year experiences." There was a lilt at the end that made his statement sound more like a question. Hoping she didn't notice, he asked, "Have you checked in yet?"
☆~☆~☆
Remi had just taken her first step toward the nearest line when someone bumped her from behind. It wasn't a hard bump, but there was a big enough size difference between them that she stumbled forward and dropped her bag anyway. She let out a frustrated breath and pushed some of her hair behind her ear before turning to face the person who'd bumped her.
It was a guy — surprise, surprise. He seemed nice enough, but Remi had never been very good at accepting anyone at face value. She bent down to scoop up her backpack and slung it back over her shoulder. "Then you'd be the first," she said, looking him up and down. No one in her family was tall, but most everyone else in her life was, so she was used to being the shortest person in the room.
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*Nightwhisper
"And guilty I may be, but don't give up on me... We will still be thick as thieves."
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Post by *Nightwhisper on Jun 7, 2021 20:40:37 GMT -5
Elizabeth smirked a little at that. She had never seen the events of a new school year until now either, but she had been around in months after. She had been witness to the new students struggles and hectic schedules all her life. Now she got to live it out herself. "Can't say I blame you, although, if there's going to be anyone who will have an advantage to all of this, it's us," she commented. And the other kids who grew up around the Academy, but she liked to believe that they were the most prepared. Trey literally lived here with his mother, and she had been training as soon as she was old enough. This would be a walk in the park. "And to answer your question, no, not yet. I just got here and haven't had time yet."
~*~*~
Austin gave a lopesided grin. "Can't say I'm not tempted to make any jokes, but you look like you could kick my ass if I tried," he commented. "And I'd rather not have anything my brother would make fun of me for on the first day of school. Then I'd have to send you to go beat him up too."
Chuckling, he adjusted his bag on his shoulder to a more comfortable position. "Name's Austin, by the way."
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Heterosexual
✧☽ ᴅʀᴇᴀᴍᴇʀ ᴀɴᴅ ᴅᴏᴇʀ ☾✧
"You never have to prove yourself to anyone who doesn't accept you for who you are."
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Post by ✧☽ ᴅʀᴇᴀᴍᴇʀ ᴀɴᴅ ᴅᴏᴇʀ ☾✧ on Jun 7, 2021 21:33:02 GMT -5
Trey wished he had her confidence. It wasn't that he thought being a student would be hard, exactly. The hard part, for him at least, would be interacting with the other students. He was used to being invisible while at the school. Most of the students eventually noted his presence and accepted it as normal, but they rarely interacted with him, not unless they were trying to use hum to win favor with his mother.
He nodded. "Right. Well, uh. Should we? Check in, I mean," he clarified, then berated himself for it. Checking in was the topic of conversation; clarifying was hardly necessary.
☆~☆~☆
Remi blinked, startled. No one had ever said she looked capable of ass kicking before. Sure, she put up a prickly exterior to strangers, but she didn't actually know more than basic self-defense. Still,she wasn't about to correct him.
She considered him a moment more, then started walking slowly toward the back of the line. She kept her body slightly angled toward his as she responded. "Remington. But I might have to hurt you if you call me anything but Remi." She was teasing, but even she could tell that her teasing tone needed work. She still sounded much too serious.
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*Nightwhisper
"And guilty I may be, but don't give up on me... We will still be thick as thieves."
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Post by *Nightwhisper on Jun 12, 2021 12:13:31 GMT -5
Elizbeth glanced over at Trey, noting the boy's nervousnous. He had always been on the timid side, and most of the times whenever they hung out together, it was her that had to approach him first. It wasn't the first time she wondered how he could be so shy and be the headmaster's son. And, as all the times before, she didn't comment on his behavior. Instead, she nodded. "I think we should before we're stuck as the last ones here," she agreed. The last thing she wanted was to waste an entire day in the Flight Center.
~*~*~
"Oh, is that right?" Austin asked. Her tone might have sounded serious, but he wasn't the type of guy to handle serious well. His grin took on a challenging hint as he followed her. "What about Rem? Remster? Reming? R-Dawkg?" he asked, letting the full weight of his accent take over on that last one.
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Heterosexual
✧☽ ᴅʀᴇᴀᴍᴇʀ ᴀɴᴅ ᴅᴏᴇʀ ☾✧
"You never have to prove yourself to anyone who doesn't accept you for who you are."
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Post by ✧☽ ᴅʀᴇᴀᴍᴇʀ ᴀɴᴅ ᴅᴏᴇʀ ☾✧ on Jun 12, 2021 16:27:49 GMT -5
Trey nodded and made his way toward the first line. It was shorter than the next three, but still went halfway to the door. From the looks of it, everyone who was supposed to be here was. He hadn't seen any new people come in recently. There was only two people he could see who weren't in line yet. He hesitated a moment before joining the end of the line in front of them. Was this considered cutting? They weren't in line, but it did look like they were heading that way... or maybe they were about to fight? That looked plausible, too. Trey didn't want to get involved, so he stopped wavering and joined the line before they noticed him.
☆~☆~☆
Remi slammed to a halt and spun around. She wasn't sure if she should be amused or outraged. She went with outraged. "Are you trying to get your nose broken?" She stepped toward him, eyes narrowed. "I won't even need a step ladder to reach, because I'll aim for something more precious first." She realized later that that was probably going a little overboard,bbut the loss of her music had left her in a rotten mood and right now, she didn't much care.
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*Nightwhisper
"And guilty I may be, but don't give up on me... We will still be thick as thieves."
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Post by *Nightwhisper on Jun 12, 2021 17:49:42 GMT -5
(Oh poor Trey is stuck with Austin. XD I'm so sorry, sweet baby. I did not think about that until now.)
She figured as much. Elizabeth nodded as they inched their way forward as the line progressed. "I'm sure we'll be told who our roommates will be when we get to the dorms, so there's no real point in worrying about that now," she commented. Truthfully, she wasn't excited about having a roommate, but she had no grounds to complain. It was just that she was used to her space. Her house was full of it, after all. And there was also the chance that her roommate might not even have a wyvern hatch for them. In fact, she figured a lot of dorms would be reduced down to one occupant before the week was over.
~*~*~
"I wouldn't call it at your expense. They weren't even bad names," Austin said, letting his hands drop when he deemed it was safe. "If it helps, my brother calls me Tin Tin. Or did when he was younger. Now he doesn't do it as much."
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