Strange Blessings E.II

Tobias sat outside the counselor's office, twiddling his thumbs as he stared at the opposite wall of the waiting room. He could hear Jodrick's heated tones through the thick redwood door, and more vague the soothing voice of the counselor. The prefect had waited for a few moments before leaving Tobias to mull over the fight in the hall.

At first he tried to keep his thoughts collected, to stay in the serekal, the spirit meditation. It was a practice in his tribe whenever two tribewolves squabbled. They parted ways and sought serekal before coming back to reconcile with one another.

Shortly after his eyes stared at nothing and his mind and spirit began to find peace, Tobias realized that the serekal was useless in this case. It only worked if both warriors entered serekal, and the most Jodrick knew was how to spit the largest gob over the academy fence. What would he have to do with a creature whose family had been victim to the Banishment? The serekal faded fast, and he shook his head and glared at the door.

The conversation had softened until even his sensitive wolfish ears could hardly pick up on anything. Then he heard hooves thumping against the floor, and Jodrick pushed the door open.

“Get ready for a whipping,” the centaur sneered, swishing his tail once as he headed towards the waiting room entrance. Tobias tried to ignore Jodrick's reference and stood, straightening his tunic and marching through the office doorway.

He snatched the latch with a talon and closed the door behind him, and it boomed louder than he had anticipated. Tobias gulped, then turned his eyes upon the counselor.

She was a middle-aged woman with twinkling blue eyes and thick brown hair pulled back into a bun. Her entire figure was plump, on the edge of fat, and her head sat easily on her double chin. Tobias felt more gaunt than he actually was as he looked at her.

“Tobias,” she said, her voice warm like the morning sun. Tobias relaxed, and she gestured to a seat. “Welcome. Please, sit. I have Miss Tal bringing some lavender tea.”

He nodded and obeyed.

“I'm Mrs. Meun,” she said, lacing her fingers over her stomach.”But you can call me Donna.”

“Donna,” Tobias grunted. Donna chuckled.

“How are you today, Tobias?” Donna asked. Tobias' feather crest rose slightly, and he wondered with a familiar edge of terror if she would play with his emotions.

“A little bruised, but nothing a few days won't fix,” he said carefully, cocking his head at her.

“I heard it was rough,” she nodded. “It can't be easy for you, coming here. I won't sugarcoat it, lad. Not many Hakaan here. But have you liked the challenge?”

Tobias sighed hotly through his nostrils and looked away.

“The...the only reason I'm here is because my parents forced me to come,” he growled, his voice growing louder. His anger fueled a flame in him that filled his entire body, and his wings began to tremble. “'Show a good face for the tribe,' they said. 'Show good face, make good name.' I didn't want any of this.”

Donna opened her mouth when a knock sounded on the door, and she invited them in. It was the prefect, holding a tray with steeped tea in a pot and two small cups. The sweet scent of lavender filled Tobias' nostrils, and he welcomed the interruption. He tried not to meet Miss Tal's eyes, and the elf didn't show any interest in Tobias. Once she deposited the tray on the desk, she dipped her knees to Donna and left forthwith.

Donna poured the tea into the cups. Tobias lifted his hand to take his cup and found it trembling. The anger still seethed in him, trying to escape through his very fingers. He hid his talon in his lap.

“What is it you want, Tobias?” Donna finally asked. Tobias automatically shrugged, mind veering towards how his grades would be docked for not attending his class. The counselor tugged on a desk drawer and pulled out a rectangular mirror, which she propped up before her with her hands. Tobias gazed into it.

The face of a half-grown teenage Hakaan stared back at him. His bronze-colored feathers covered a thin layer of skin, almost skull-like. It reflected his almost constant hunger, as his only meal during the day was academy lunch. A white stone pierced his right ear, symbol of his Moon Rite five years previous. In his other ear hung a piercing of a dark brown feather, one of his little sister's first molted feathers.

He didn't want to look like a skeleton. He didn't want to starve trying to fulfill his parents' dream. He didn't want to be bullied for being a lupogryph. The New Era of Banishment haunted him, the years of slavery he had never even been part of cursed his emaciated hide. Everyone reminded him that Hakaan were supposed to be slaves, that their wings were supposed to be broken and healed broken or clipped chicken-short, never ever to fly. That's what had happened to his parents. Neither one of them could fly with their mutilated wings. Only he and his sister.

“I want to fly,” he finally told Donna. “But I can't fly here. Everyone treats me like Banishment trash.”

His eyes grew misty, and he blinked them rapidly to keep from crying. Even though he didn't trust Donna yet, it still felt good to express a fraction of his heart's desire. He didn't even do that much with his parents. Just his sister.

“I know you've had it rough here,” Donna said, laying the mirror flat. “I've had other counselors talk about our two lupogryph students. We've talked about you, we want to help you. Tobias, I think I finally have an answer you might like.”

He crossed his arms, listening. Donna dug through another drawer and pulled out a thick, yellowed parchment with carefully aligned scrawl and a symbol of a dragon rampant surrounded by three towers.

“The dragonriders are testing pilgrims,” she explained, showing him the paper.

“Pilgrims?” Tobias wondered, eyes wandering over the words.

“Hopefuls who want to be dragonriders,” she replied, smiling. Tobias took a closer look at the paper. It was a notice for travelers to Dragon's Peak and the valley of the dragonriders. Dragon-tamer Chirik the Wise and Dirin Bella were considering trainees for their faction.

“Dragons?” he said.

“Ever considered it?”

He allowed himself a small smile.

“I like dragons,” Tobias said, setting the paper down. “I always liked how much power they have in flight. They make me look like a fly.”

“What do you think about being up there with one?” Donna suggested.

Tobias let out a dry laugh.

“Sounds good, mum, but they'd never take a lupy.”

“They won't if you say that.” She leaned forward, one side of her mouth quirking up. “I want you to read up on Chirik the Wise. It might change your mind.”

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© 2015 by Sarah Bailey. All rights reserved