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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 Feb 5, 2024 19:54:54 GMT -5
"Nope, leave me out of the flirting," Austin said with a mischievous grin. This was probably the first time he had been silent for any given about of time, and it was only because he had yet to see Trey act familiar with anyone. Of course, he acted normal around him; they were roommates, after all. However, outside their dynamic, it was interesting to Austin to watch him with Elizabeth. Now, he was fully aware that there was no actual “flirting” happening, but was he supposed to just miss this opportunity to mess with his friend? He'd rather give up the rest of his lunch than let the chance slide by.
Elizabeth cut Austin a short glare before asking, "Is he always like this?"
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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 Feb 7, 2024 19:00:52 GMT -5
He was, in fact, blushing. Now, Austin had been joking with his statement. Had Trey told him to knock it off, he would have. He wasn't one to push the topic of possible matchmaking if one of his friends told them there was nothing there. But the blush said either Trey was flustered by the idea of flirting in general, or there was something there he hadn't seen. Either way, he pushed it no more, resigning to continuing his silent observation with a devious grin.
Elizabeth gave a small sigh and gave Trey a sympathetic look. "I can always back you up if you wish to request a new roommate," she offered.
"Hey, now, there's no need for that. I was just messing with you two," Austin defended.
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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 Feb 9, 2024 9:53:11 GMT -5
Trey hadn't thought of it that way. He glanced over his shoulder, at the egg secure in its case. He had been chosen already; the hardest part was over. All that was left was to meet the intelligent little creature.
They arrived at their classroom. It was unlike any school classroom Trey had seen before. For one, it was more than twice the size of a typical classroom. For another, the walls and floors, even the back of the door, were covered by a rubbery material. There were no windows; instead, the ceiling was completely made of glass, letting sunlight pour in. There were four large chests at one end of the room, and a slightly raised platform at the other. Students were gathering around two dozen boxes that made a circle in the center of the room, each placed about five feet from the boxes next to it.
Trey joined them to see that the boxes had been fashioned into nests. They were large, long and wide, but fairly shallow. The insides were lined with old towels.
"Welcome, everyone." A woman had entered the classroom behind the last student. She shut the door behind her and walked toward them. "You can all pick a box and transfer your egg to it. We want them comfortable when they hatch."
Trey's heartbeat picked up. He chose a box and knelt down. He dropped his backpack behind him and placed his carrying case beside the box. He opened it, reached in, and carefully hefted his weighty egg up and out before settling it gently in the box.
The teacher was circling the room as everyone began moving eggs into boxes. "I'm Mrs. Kimberly, and I'll be your magic teacher this year," she was saying. "Next year, you'll all be divided by your element, learning the skills specific to the one your wyvern will choose for you today. But this year, you won't be doing much elemental magic. Instead, I'll be teaching you about the power of your bonds, and helping you to develop them so you'll be at a place come next year to adequately weild elemental magic."
Someone nearby raised their hand. "Don't you mean bond, singular? We each only have one wyvern."
"You do," Mrs. Kimberly agreed. "But by the end of the class, you will also be part of a team, and the bonds between you and your teammates, human and wyvern, can be equally as important as the bond with your wyvern."
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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 Feb 9, 2024 19:03:16 GMT -5
When they reached the classroom, the small group divided. Students were scattered all about the room, taking boxes in different places that didn't leave three open in one spot for them. They had gotten there closer to the time class began, so it didn't leave a lot of choice in where they went. Elizabeth gave Trey a short "see you later," before heading across the room to an empty nest.
Austin was a little disappointed he couldn't have a spot beside his roommate, but he knew it wasn't too big of a deal. The spot he got was two away, which was probably a good thing. He wouldn't be tempted to start any whispered conversations of excitement once the class started. When the teacher introduced herself and began telling them to get their eggs ready, he put aside the thoughts of classroom tomfoolery and focused more on the white egg in the carrier. He wasn't entirely sure what an egg would deem comfortable, but he did his best to arrange the towels around it so it would have plenty of cushion.
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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 Feb 9, 2024 19:18:56 GMT -5
Once everyone's egg was in a box, Mrs. Kimberly walked back toward the door. A large box was beside it, previously unnoticed. The teacher pulled out two large scales, and a handful of soft measuring tapes, which she started handing. "Once your wyverns hatch, your sole job today will be to weigh and measure them. A task that sounds easy, but I assure you is not."
A girl across the room raised her hand. She stood out to Trey because she was probably the smallest person in the room, in height and weight, and her reddish hair was like a halo around her head. "Why do we need to know how much they weigh? Isn't bonding more important?"
"Yes. And this exercise will help you do just that," Mrs. Kimberly answered. "But we also need to make sure your wyverns are a healthy size. Some, very occasionally, hatch with complications because of the prolonged stay in their eggs. We want to make sure each baby is the size and weigh it's supposed to be. Now." She stepped into the middle of the circle of boxes. "Are there any more questions before we begin?"
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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 Feb 9, 2024 20:31:26 GMT -5
Elizabeth raised her hand. "If our wyverns have any complications, what should we do?" she asked. While it wasn't common that wyverns hatched with anything wrong with them, she knew it was a very possible thing that could happen. So on the off chances that hers would have a problem, she wanted to know what she could do to help it as soon as possible. Mainly for its benefit more than hers. Many complications can be overcome with time, a good diet, and plenty of exercise, so it wouldn't hinder her in the slightest in the long run. However, she was more concerned for the health of the baby once it hatched.
(I could BS my way through other baby facts, but I'm not sure how resilient or not they are. So I'm going to leave her thoughts here and not say anything more that might be wrong.)
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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 Feb 9, 2024 21:33:52 GMT -5
"I'll let you know if any pop up," Mrs. Kimberly told her. "Let's get started. You'll only have so much time, so you'll need to make the most of it."
She spread her arms and closed her eyes. Trey watched, transfixed, as her palms began to glow with faint green light. The light got brighter and brighter, and then it pulsed and flashed, and then disappeared.
Mrs. Kimberly opened her eyes. "There. Now, we wait. It shouldn't be long before we have out first—"
A girl to Trey's right gasped. He, like most everyone else, looked her way to see what was wrong. But nothing was wrong. The egg in her box was rocking gently, and cracks had appeared on it. It was hatching.
"Perfect," Mrs. Kimberly said. "Once one starts, the rest tend to follow."
Sure enough, another egg across the circle from the first cracked audibly, and within minute half a dozen others began cracking and shaking as well.
Trey looked from one egg to the next as they started hatching. He was so absorbed in it that he almost missed it when his own egg moved.
It was so subtle at first he thought he'd imagined the slight rock. But then it moved again, more than before, and a crack split the shell from end to end.
Trey held his breath. The rest of the room disappeared around him, all of his focus on his egg and the connection between them. He sent praise and encouragement down their bond every time the shell moved or a new crack spread out from the first. It could have been minutes or hours later when, with a final shudder, the egg split completely in two.
The baby wyvern spilled out on a rush of amniotic fluid. It struggled, and then one wing popped outward and then down onto the towel, and it pulled itself upright... only to topple over sideways.
Trey had to smile. He couldn't tell what color the baby was yet, and he didn’t care. He carefully removed a dry tiwel from the edge of the box and reached in slowly. "May I?" he asked.
An inquisitive eye blinked up at him. The connection was still there, but it felt... foggy, as if the shock of hatching was momentarily muting their bond. But Trey focused on sending calming thoughts down the unsteady bond, and before long he felt a pulse of recognition and acceptance answer him.
Smiling, Trey carefully bagan patting the baby wyvern, drying it off. It held still as he did so, moving only when necessary to let him get everywhere.
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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 Feb 10, 2024 15:08:23 GMT -5
Austin could feel the atmosphere of the classroom change with the first gasp of surprise. As he and the others watched the first egg to hatch, excitement thickened the air. One by one, the eggs began to move and crack, and students were rushing to help clean off the ones that had successfully broken free of their shell prisons. A grin appeared on his face as impatience rose. He looked down at his egg often, waiting and listening for any signs that it was his turn to meet the wyvern inside. It felt like hours before he noticed the first crack.
It took all his will power not to try to break the shell to help the process. He knew that creatures that hatched from eggs had to do the majority of it themselves, otherwise something could go wrong. So he waited and watched. It wasn't until the wyvern had a decent sized hole chipped away and could stick its head halfway through did he offer small assistance. Carefully, he tried to helped break small chips of the shell away from the opening, just to give his wyvern a little extra room to get out of. But this shell was not as delicate as a chicken egg. It was tougher, less willing to bend and break in small pieces. So waiting would have to be the way to go. Thankfully, though, now that the process had started, it didn't take long before the grey stripped baby was free, fumbling around all wet and gross.
Luckily for him, Austin was used to the scenes of newborn/hatched animals. His uncle had owned a farm, and he had witnessed a lot of animals as they brought offspring into the world. While he still thought it gross, he wasn't afraid to get in there and help hold the wyvern with a gentle, bare hand as he used a dry towel to start cleaning up most of the mess. All the while, he could feel the bond with the little guy — well, he assumed it was a guy — as he took in its new surroundings and himself. There was a rush of curiosity, both as he sniffed his hands and sought out the connection with Austin's mind. The urge to know and climb and explore was strong, if not a bit slow to register. Once he seemed to know it was within its rider's hands, that curiosity was turned towards the room about them.
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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 Feb 11, 2024 17:36:06 GMT -5
When the boxes were clear of egg shells, Mrs. Kimberly gave her next instructions. "Good. Now, let's see if you can help your wyverns out of the box without lifting it out. You can use your hands as step stools, or a ramp. You can use the towels to give them something to climb. Whatever you want, as long as you're encouraging them to do it themselves. This is a test similar to what their mothers would ask of them in the wild. It allows them to become familiar with all their limbs and how each one works so they can move around effectively. While it isn't life or death here at school, it is still something they need to know if they're to grow up strong.”
Trey looked from Mrs. Kimberly to his wyvern. It made sense. The little guy was stumbling around in the box, walking a few steps and then tripping over his own feet or wings. He even managed to smack himself in the face with his tail somehow, earning a startled yip. Trey could sympathize with the little wyvern. He had been walking for years, yet he still tripped over nothing sometimes.
Mrs. Kimberly had stopped talking and returned to her silent observing, and the students were focused on their wyverns. Looking around, Trey quickly saw the real reason for this test: humans and wyverns did not share the same language. A mother wyvern could tell her baby through grunts and body language that she wanted it to come out of the nest. People used words, and their wyverns did not understand them.
And that was exactly what everyone was doing: trying to verbally tell their wyvern what to do. They were being met with mixed results, but one thing was consistent: no baby wyvern was climbing out of their box yet.
Trey returned his attention to his wyvern and focused on the tenuous yet ever strengthening bond between them. The response was instant. Green eyes snapped up to him, and the little wyvern tilted his head. He was listening.
Trey rearranged a few towels so they formed a ramp up one side of the box. His wyvern watched him closely, and when he was done, Trey closed his eyes and sent images down their bond. Just two or three to start, each one as clear and simple as he could make them.
He opened his eyes. His wyvern was still looking at him, unmoving. Trey sighed. Okay, new plan. Maybe—
His wyvern squeaked. And then he stood on wobbly legs and… started climbing the towel ramp.
It took several attempts, and each time the little guy tumbled backwards, Trey had to resist the urge to pick him up and put him back in the spot he'd been when he fell. But resist he did. Instead, he started sending encouraging thoughts through the bond again.
And then, finally, the little wyvern reached the top of the box. Trey held out his hands like a pair of steps and sent images for how to use them to his wyvern. It wobbled a moment, then carefully stepped down onto his first hand.
He made it to Trey's second hand no problem, but as he was reaching for the floor, his tail slipped over the edge of the box and threw him off balance. He flopped off Trey's hand and landed with a squawk on the floor.
Trey cringed. “Sorry,” he said automatically. Then he sent feelings of remorse down the bond.
His wyvern got to his feet, gave himself a shake, almost fell over again, and finally looked up at him. He squeaked, and then Trey felt… pride. The little guy wasn't mad, he was happy.
Trey grinned, taking a moment to share in the pleasure.
“Very good, Trey,” Mrs. Kimberly praised him, stopping by his box. “And good job to you, little one,” she added to his wyvern. “Our first escapee. Whenever you're ready, Trey, you can measure your wyvern. You want to get his full length from nose to tail tip, his shoulder height when he's standing on all fours, and his wingspan at full extension. That one will be the hardest,” she warned. Then she moved on, heading to the next student whose wyvern had made it out of the box to deliver the same praise and instructions.
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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 Feb 11, 2024 20:28:57 GMT -5
Get the wyvern out of the box without lifting them up? Austin could think of several methods in which that would be possible, but some of those ideas required more assistance on his part than the wyvern's. His eyes glanced around to see what the others were doing. Many, unsurprisingly, were giving verbal prompts and encouragement, much like one would do when training a dog. While that may work, Austin wasn't going to be doing that. It was far too boring of an approach. His attention caught on Trey just as he was helping his wyvern out of the box, using his hands as a sort of ladder. That was closer to what he might try, but still seemed bland.
Looking down at the little grey bundle in the box before him, he meet the pale pink gaze. Both, it seemed, had the same level of intrigued and wonder of what the next step would be. The wyvern had wings, and while he knew newly hatched animals couldn't fly, that didn't stop the idea of it forming. He pushed it aside, though. While jumping would be cool, he didn't want the little guy to hurt himself. Instead, he sighed and crouched/bent (I don't know how tall the boxes are), so he could cross his arms against the edge of the box. "What to do, what to do?" he murmured.
As if also effected by the wait, the wyvern broke his gaze and made one more circuit of the box. He was better at navigating the small space, but Austin was sure it would take a day before he was fully confident in his steps. As he finished, the wyvern looked back up at him once more. A thought trickled into his mind. Or, rather, more of a feeling. Up. He wanted up. If he could use his hands, Austin would have gladly picked him up. But he was banned from doing that. But... the teacher never said anything about having them climb their hands.
So, out of pure curiosity, Austin shifted so he could angle his arm as a make shift ramp. Then conjured up the image of the wyvern climbing his shoulder. To be honest, he wasn't even sure if wyverns could climb. But they were going to find out. He watched as his wyvern sniffed his arm, moved over it as he investigated it. A similar image of climbing his arm was sent back, but more hazy and what appeared to be from the wyvern's point of view. Austin grinned and gave encouraging thoughts. A few seconds more of decision was all that was needed before the little guy was slowly, and wobbly, climbing his arm.
Austin's grin broke out across his face. Seeing that the plan was working made him want to brag to whoever was nearest. He had it all worked out in his head. The higher the wyvern would climb, he would adjust his position so it wouldn't be a steep climb. Then, once he found his shoulder, he would consider that a mission completed. It would be perfect, and then he could...
The moment his wyvern got to the height that matched the edge of the box, he froze. There, he sniffed around, taking in the sights he hadn't seen before. Austin tried to coax him back on track, to tell him that he was almost to the top. However, he wasn't even sure if the hatchling was even listening. His focus was fully on the floor, where several other wyverns were now situated and being measured by their riders. Followed by a faint feeling of a free fall. It took him a moment to understand what was happening, but the pieces clicked a little too late. Before he could stop him, the wyvern jumped.
"Crap!" Austin exclaimed, forgetting he was in a school setting. He scrambled to try and catch his wyvern, to make sure he wouldn't hurt himself, but he was not fast enough. The wyvern landed unceremoniously onto the ground, sliding a bit with his momentum. However, despite the rough landing, he didn't seem to be hurt. He simply rightened himself and glanced around, then waddled back over to Austin. There was a gleam in his eyes, and, while he couldn't be sure if he was interpreting it correctly or not, it was almost as if he wanted to do it again.
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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 Feb 11, 2024 22:06:30 GMT -5
Trey picked up the soft measuring tape Mrs. Kimberly had handed him earlier. He held it out to his wyvern. “How do you want to do this?” he asked, mostly to himself.
His wyvern stretched out his neck to sniff the tape. Trey let him, then slowly moved it so the tape brushed his neck. He flinched away at first, but when Trey didn't force the contact, he slowly came back and nudged it with his nose.
“There you go.” Trey paired the words with matching emotions. He spent a few minutes running the measuring tape over his wyvern, letting him become comfortable with it. Once he was, Trey sent a new image to him.
The little wyvern tilted his head, which Trey was quickly coming to recognize as his sign that he had received the message and was puzzling out what exactly Trey was asking of him. He did so quicker this time, and shifted, still a little wobbly in his movements, so he was standing perfectly upright.
“Good boy. Now hold still just one second…” Trey quickly placed the start of the measuring tape on the ground and pulled it taunt until it reached the wyvern’s shoulder height. “Eight inches,” he said out loud so it was easier to remember. He let the tape fall. “Thank you,” he told his wyvern, alongside an image of him relaxing his stance.
The little wyvern did so. And then he did something Trey wasn't expecting. He sent an image of his own to Trey: him swallowing a morsel of unidentifiable meat.
Trey was so surprised by the image that it took him longer than it should have to understand what it meant. “Oh. You’re hungry. Right. Uh…” He looked around until he saw Mrs. Kimberly, helping a nearby student who’s wyvern was still in the box. Most of the others were out now, with just a couple still struggling to help without interfering.
“Uh, Mrs. Kimberly?” he called out. Once he had her attention, he asked, “Are we allowed to feed them?”
“Of course, dear. Give me one moment.”
Trey nodded and left her to finish with the other student. He faced his wyvern, who was sitting and staring at him with what Trey could only describe as an expectant and hopeful expression. Trey laughed. “It’s coming. Just be patient a little longer.”
Finished with the student, who’s wyvern was now free of the box, Mrs. Kimberly stood. “Once your wyverns are out of the box, you can empty it of the towels and bring it over here,” she told the class. She walked over to the four large chests at one side of the room. She opened the one on the far right, but Trey was too far away to see what was inside.
Trey quickly dumped his box and brought it to the line that was quickly forming by the teacher. He had to watch where he stepped, for many baby wyverns were wandering around, some following their human, like Trey’s was, and some who just wanted to explore their surroundings. Trey’s wyvern was quickly getting better at walking, but Trey noticed many others were still very wobbly, especially those with gray or blue coloring.
Because they’re air and water wyverns, he realized. It was pretty well-known that those species moved better in the air or water — hence the names. And my little guy… Trey looked down at the wyvern at his feet. Is earth. Earth wyverns were the best walkers, followed by fire wyverns.
Now that he was fully dry, it was easy to see his color: a dark green-brown. Green on top, brown on the bottom, like moss over bark. And the startling green eyes had become more vivid than ever. There were no spikes along his spine yet, the other identifying feature of an earth wyvern, but Trey knew that those would start growing in his second year.
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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 Feb 12, 2024 13:25:15 GMT -5
Austin, after the initial scare of his wyvern hitting the floor had faded. He had to chuckle to himself as he settled onto the floor to start the measuring. To think that the hatchling had come to the same conclusion as he had when figuring out how to leave the nest. It was more amusing now that it was over and no harm was done. Now, the next job was to figure out how to measure the little guy. Even still wobbly, the wyvern was determined to go. Go where, he wasn't sure. From the bond, Austin could feel the inquisitiveness faintly radiating from his mind. Which, in turn, had him crawling over his hands, arms, and legs as best as he could.
Eventually, Austin manged. To others, he was sure it looked as if he had to put the wyvern in a headlock. But it really wasn't as bad as that, and the process was over just as all the others were lining up to take the ruined towels to the chest designated to them. Austin stood, and scooped up the towels to go do the same. As he went, he made sure to keep an eye on the floor. It was hard for him not to laugh at the sight of all the hatchlings everywhere. They were cute in that baby animal kind of way. It was like watching a new clutch of ducklings or chickens, all following their Rider or exploring the classroom. His own Wyvern was one that was following in the general direction he was walking, but there were other things that seemed to catch its attention every few seconds.
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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 Feb 12, 2024 14:47:40 GMT -5
As Trey reached Mrs. Kimberly, he saw that all four chests were open now. The two on the left were empty; the middle right had a shelf with four by six note cards and a cup of half-sized pencils. And the one on the far right, where Mrs. Kimberly was standing, was an icebox, split down the middle. One side was filled with dozens of dead mice, and the other with as many dead fish of a roughly equal size. Trey wasn't sure what kind of fish they were. Sardines, maybe?
“Ah, Trey,” Mrs. Kimberly smiled at him. “Which element did your wyvern choose?”
A simple look down would tell her — if she didn't already know. She had looked right at his wyvern earlier. Was this a test?
“Earth,” he answered.
“Ah, big appetite then.” Mrs. Kimberly lifted six mice by their tails and placed them in a large cup, which she handed to Trey. “Do not hand feed. Just drop the mice on the ground one at a time. A wyvern’s baby teeth are razor sharp, and we don't want any injuries today. And be sure to keep a fair distance between you and other feeding wyverns. Babies or not, there's always a chance someone will get territorial if they think another is moving in on their meal.”
Trey accepted the cup, awkwardly because of the box, and nodded. “Yes, ma'am.”
“As soon as he's eaten, you can go back to measuring him. He should be more amenable. The first meal tends to make them sleepy.
“You can place your towels in the second chest,” she continued, “and put your box beside the first chest. Later, you can collect your eggshells and put them in that first chest. Alright?”
“Right.” Trey nodded again. He went to chest #2 and dumped the towels in, then placed his box on the floor in the corner by chest #1.
Then he headed off, his wyvern following eagerly. He was definitely getting better at walking; he almost had a bounce in his step, and his eyes stayed on Trey and the box more than where he was going.
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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 Feb 12, 2024 16:32:38 GMT -5
Austin had to admit that this class was probably the most chaotic one of the day. Back and forth they had to go, going from one box to another. Gather this, drop of that, beware of your steps, dodge the hungry teeth. It was a nice break, in Austin's opinion. Unlike with the other classes, this one he felt like he could be a little more loose in his behavior. He chuckled and made exaggerated dodges to miss baby wyvern's scrambling along the floor. He felt like he was at a dog park more than a school. It was fun. Now, he was sure it wouldn't be like this tomorrow or for the rest of the year. Yet, after a full morning of normal school routine, it felt nice having this kind of break.
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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 Feb 12, 2024 16:58:33 GMT -5
Trey was watching the floor, once again navigating carefully around milling baby wyverns as he made his way back to his backpack and carrying case. He sidestepped one wyvern on his left, then looked to his right, where his wyvern was, just in time to see the little orange wyvern he was about to walk into.
“Watch out!” Trey warned, remembering too late to send his alarm down the bond and not just into his voice.
His wyvern crashed right into the orange wyvern. Trey was expecting them both to fall at the impact, but his wyvern hardly seemed fazed. He came to a sudden stop, sure, but that was about it. The little fire wyvern, on the other hand, flopped backwards and got momentarily stuck on its back.
The petite girl who had asked Mrs. Kimberly a question at the start of class hurried forward to help right the little wyvern.
“I am so sorry,” Trey told her, setting his cup of mice down to crouch beside his wyvern. “He's hungry, he wasn’t paying attention to where he was going.”
“It's alright,” the girl said. “She's fine. Just—” She flinched. “Mad. Maybe you should— Malaya, no!”
Too late. Now on her feet, the little wyvern launched herself at Trey's wyvern. Trey fell back with a gasp. The little guy squeaked in alarm, but surprisingly did not fall under her weight, even though she ended up with her wings around his shoulders and her teeth at his neck.
Trey reached forward helplessly. He didn’t know what to do. The orange wyvern was biting his fiercely, but even the girl bonded to the fire wyvern looked reluctant to reach out and pull her off. Trey's wyvern was making distress calls, but showed no intention of fighting back.
Finally, Trey twisted at the waist. “Mrs. Kimberly! Help!”
The teached glanced over and her eyes widened. She quickly handed off the cup she held to the closest student and hurried over. “Make way!” she called as she came, parting students and wyverns alike. She stopped a few feet from the fighting babies. “Back up, you two,” she told Trey and the girl. They both reluctantly edged away from their wyverns.
Mrs. Kimberly raised her hands. A wind kicked up, making Trey forget for a moment that they were indoors. Mrs. Kimberly twisted her hands, and a mini tornado kicked up around the two wyverns. Trey's squeaked in alarm, but continued to hold steady, only his tail being moved by the wind. The fire wyvern, on the other hand, was lifted right off of her opponent. Only her jaws around his neck kept her tied to him until, with a growl far too fierce for such a small creature, she let go to snap at the offending wind.
Immediately, Mrs. Kimberly pushed, and the mini cyclone, with wyvern, moved to the far side of the room. “Go calm your wyvern,” Mrs. Kimberly said.
The girl shot Trey a look filled with apology, then got up and ran across the room. Once she reached her wyvern, Mrs. Kimberly released it from the cyclone. The girl crouched down, blocking the little fire wyvern from leaving the corner she had been placed in.
Meanwhile, Trey had gone to his wyvern’s side as soon as the cyclone moved away. He was running his hands over his neck and back, looking for injuries but finding none.
Mrs. Kimberly crouched beside him and placed a hand on his shoulder. “Is he alright?” she asked gently.
“I think so,” Trey admitted. “He doesn't seem hurt, just shaken. But I don't understand. She was biting him so hard, and you just said a baby wyvern’s teeth were super sharp. How is he unhurt?”
Mrs. Kimberly smiled. “That, my dear, is the power of the earth wyvern. They may be slow, may be considered poor fliers, but they are strong. Very little can pierce their hide, even at this age.”
Trey knew this, of course. His father had an earth wyvern. But it was hard to apply what he knew about his father's four thousand pound wyvern to the little ten pound one in his arms.
“Is that normal?” he asked. “For fire wyverns to attack like that?”
Mrs. Kimberly sighed. “Unfortunately, yes. Most are very easily offended, and all are willing to solve every perceived problem with a fight. Speaking of…” She stood and raised her voice to address the class, most of which had stopped what they were doing to watch the fight. “Let this be a lesson for you all. Wyvern fights happen, at all ages, and quite often. If yours gets into a fight, at any time or at anyplace, you do not interfere. Find the nearest teacher or Academy personnel and let them handle it. Now, everyone back to what you were doing. We have a full afternoon ahead of us.”
“What do you mean?” a boy asked. “What about the rest of our classes?”
Mrs. Kimberly frowned. “Did you not read the message board in the main hall?” She glanced around, and then amended her question. “Did anyone?” No one answered. She sighed. “All afternoon classes are canceled for First Years on day one — today. Instead, you'll all be here, or in one of three other rooms just like it, being supervised by one of the afternoon teachers. I'm technically not your magic teacher today, just your instructor. You have until four o'clock to earn my approval to leave this room with a well-bonded wyvern.”
Well, that was news to Trey. But he was glad for it. Now he didn’t feel rushed to finish measuring his wyvern.
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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 Feb 12, 2024 17:47:20 GMT -5
It was hard to miss the commotion that started in the class. Even with everyone talking and all the wyvern sounds, Austin heard Trey's warning. He glanced over, not too concerned, and saw that it had just been a collision between wyverns. Seeing the orange one get knocked over was actually a little funny, he wasn't going to lie. But funny turned into seriousness when the littler wyvern pounced onto Trey's. For the second time, he almost let out a swear as he did his best to navigate through the others. It was a good thing Trey had called for the teacher's help, because his first instinct was to hop in and try to separate the two. He had done so with dogs before. Hadn't been a smart decision then, and wouldn't have been a smart one now, so it was best that the teacher got there to handle things.
He hung back a bit, wyvern climbing over his feet and a cup of fish in his hands, as he waited for Trey to finished checking his wyvern for injuries. He nodded along to the advice of Mrs. Kimberly, telling himself to ignore that urge if it were to happen again. Then, once he was sure he wasn't going to interrupt, he made his way over to Trey. "First day out, and he's already starting fights, I see," he teased, trying to help lighten the mood.
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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 Feb 12, 2024 19:17:55 GMT -5
"Other than mine skydiving to the floor? Nah, not really," Austin said with a chuckle. He nodded in the direction he saw a lone cup sitting on the ground. "You might want to get that before someone else takes claim to it. We can talk over there." He nodded in the direction that was closer to the far wall, just out-of-the-way enough they could feed their wyverns without, hopefully, any other mishaps.
While he said this, his little grey wyvern had only a small bit of hesitation, approaching Trey's. Grey Guy (as Austin was calling him temporarily) was smaller than Big Boy (obviously Trey's), but it wasn't long before Grey Guy was sniffing and wobbling about him, trying to get to know this new friend. Even as Austin started to walk in the direction of the wall, his wyvern stayed by Trey's, taking him in with curious eyes. It wasn't until Austin reminded him that he had fish to eat that he scampered after his Rider.
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