by I Heaton
Chapter 8
They went to sleep that night with their minds racing. Tom's thoughts focused on what Alex had said about him getting his wings. Zack was thinking about what they would do to survive for a month. They eventually fell asleep nearly an hour later. In the morning they both woke up excited and worried. John must have gotten back in the night because he was sitting at the table with Alex eating breakfast. The boys ate quickly and when they were done John took Zack to the Wyvern stable and Alex took Tom to the beach.
When Tom and Alex got to the beach Alex asked Tom “What is the number one rule of magic?” Tom quickly replied “Do not experiment with magic until you’re a master.” Alex nodded his head and said “Good, now I want you to swear you will not teach anyone about this, unless it is your apprentice, and not try to change yourself anymore then I teach you to.” Tom answered “On my honor I swear I will not teach anyone, except my own apprentice, about this spell and not try any more then you teach me.” Then Alex taught him how to get his wings. All he had to do was think the words of magic and imagine the wings.
Soon he was soaring above the lake with Alex. Alex told him that each Dragon Guardian could only turn into a dragon of one color, while Alex was purple Tom was a deep, jet black. Tom looked over at the wyvern stable and saw John and Zack talking. He soon forgot about it as he flew through the air.
What John was teaching Zack was how to ride his wyvern. Zack's wyvern, Dejoni as he had named it, was finally big enough for Zack to ride. John handed Zack a saddle and soon they too were flying above the lake.
Tom looked at his wings and looked at Dejoni's color and realized how close they were. Dejoni was slightly lighter than Tom's wings. After about half an hour of flying the four landed in front of the cabin. Tom and Zack went and got the things they were allowed to take with them.
They all flew to a secluded area of the forest and landed. They said their farewells and the two brothers flew away. The two boys watched them for a moment or two then looked at each other and Tom said “Well let's hurry and make a camp near a stream.” They spent a few minutes searching but eventually Zack found a small stream. Then they spent some time forming the trees and ground into a shelter and made a fire pit. They looked around for some food source. Suddenly they spotted a deer facing away from them. Tom raised his crossbow and Zack his bow. They shot at the same time and both hit the deer. They went and got the body.
They carried it back to the camp and dried most of the meat. They buried what they didn't use, so that predators wouldn't be attracted to the camp. They looked around for berries and other edible plants, they found a couple of bushes and other plants. They went to the stream, cleaned it and put some of the water in some of their containers. They went back to camp and ate lunch.
Lunch was some of the deer meat roasted and a handful of berries. They set to work making a shelter for Dejoni who had been flying around. They made a large roof of branches woven so tightly water couldn't get through and a large bed. They didn't worry about food and water, Dejoni could easily get his own. They collected a large supply of firewood near the fire pit. They then spent a few hours exploring and flying around.
They noticed the sun going down and went back to camp. Dejoni went to his pavilion and started eating the remains of a deer he had killed earlier and the boys cooked some of the meat and dried more of it. They made a small stew with the meat and some herbs they found. They sat around the fire talking about their pasts. Zack's parents were originally farmers but had moved to Hilltop Lake and his dad became a carpenter.
Zack had worked many small jobs to help earn money. The money he earned he saved, he hoped to one day travel around the world. He often had hunted in the forest with his friends when not working.
Eventually they went into their shelter and went to sleep. The next day they woke to Dejoni roaring. They hurriedly grabbed their weapons and ran out of their hut. All they saw was a large bear running away with a foul smelling fume coming of it. Dejoni must have roared and spit his acid on the bear, causing it to run.
They looked at their food and saw some of it scattered around. They spent a hour weaving baskets with magic. They put their food into them and Tom flew up to the highest branches of the trees and hung the baskets there.
As he flew back down Zack said “We should make some traps, so we don't always have to hunt.” Tom landed and replied “Good idea, and while we are at it we might as well put up protection around our camp to keep animals like that bear out.” they spent the time until lunch creating traps of various sizes and designs.
Tom flew up to the baskets and got some of the food. He brought it down and they ate. They split the camp border into halves. Each of them would be responsible for one half. Tom made thorns, vines and other plants that would hurt or slow anything approaching grow thickly on his side.
He also put up a wall of branches grow from the trees. Zack was putting up long sharpened sticks, pits and all sorts of other traps and obstacles on his side. Zack looked at Tom's side and saw his idea, so he added thorns and vines all over his defenses. Tom looked at Zack's and added pits, stakes and other traps. Then they sat down completely exhausted from all that work. Dejoni had been hunting and came back with another deer. Tom flew up to get a snack for both of them.
They ate and Tom said “We need to make a more reliable source of berries and plants. Let's make a garden and help it with magic.” they got some of the berries and planted them. They made the stream go into the garden. They gathered other seeds and planted them also.
Then the boys used nature magic to speed the growth of the plants. Within moments the plants were sprouting. Tom looked at the sun and said “I think we should train for a while then eat dinner.” they walked into a clearing near their campsite and started training.
The boys made warriors of dirt and made copies of their weapons out of stone, no use dulling their good weapons training. In all they made about fifty warriors.
The boys nodded to each other and both gave the order to attack them to the warriors they created. The boys leveled their bow and crossbow and fired at the dirt archers. Two melted back into the earth but the rest fired and the boys put up their shields to block the arrows. The warriors were about to the boys when the boys pulled out their axe and sword, laying their bow and crossbow aside.
The first warrior attacked Zack and the apprentice easily dispatched it. Soon both boys were covered in dirt and only the archers were left. They got their bow and crossbow and fired. There was about eleven archers left and they all shot back. The boys kept shooting back, Zack taking out more than Tom because the bow could fire faster.
The boys walked back to their camp and went in. They had left a path that any human could follow easily but still keep animals out. The boys got back to camp as Dejoni flew in.
Dejoni went into his pavilion, Zack made a fire and Tom flew up to get the food. The boys made their dinner, some deer with a side of roots. They got some water from the stream then sat around the fire talking about what they could do to make the camp more comfortable.
They worked in the garden for half an hour then went to sleep. They woke up and checked all the traps. They had caught a deer and some small game. They went back to camp and started with the work of making the camp comfortable.
They cleared away most of the undergrowth, made a larger shelter with more comfortable beds, moved the stream so it moved through their camp and made a storage container.
They worked in the garden, their magic had made the plants grow so quickly that there was already food on them. They picked the various edible parts and put them in the storage. They ate lunch then went flying. As the boys flew they talked.
Zack sat back in his saddle as Tom flew around him and Dejoni gliding on his black wings. Suddenly Tom squinted then yelled “There! A person being attacked by a cranto!” Tom flew down with Zack and Dejoni following.
A cranto looked like a giant rattlesnake, but they have a line of fire that goes down their
back when they fight. The cranto was about to strike when Tom flew into it's head. Suddenly Tom realized something, Zack and Dejoni couldn't come in trees this dense. He had to fight it alone.
Chapter 9
Tom heard Zack yell “Bring it to a clearing! There is one not far away!” Tom looked back at the giant beast. It was many times bigger than Tom.
It glared at him and he shot his crossbow. The bolt got it in its left eye. The cranto lunged at him but Tom dodged the strike. Tom fought of the cranto as he backed towards the clearing he and Zack had seen. The cranto tried to strike him again but he ducked behind a tree. The cranto's fangs dug into the wood and it took a moment for it to get them out.
Tom took this opportunity to run a bit towards the clearing. Eventually Tom burst from the trees with the cranto right behind him. As Tom ran further into the clearing his foot caught on a root and he tripped. When he rolled over he saw the cranto about to strike. The flames dancing wildly on its back. Suddenly a giant black shadow flew into the beast's head. Tom grabbed his axe and shield and ran over.
The cranto was fighting back viciously, but Dejoni was strong. Zack was leaning over in his saddle hacking at the giant snake. Tom got to the fight and jumped on the cranto's back, the fire had been put out in the rolling. He started hacking at the neck and head of the beast. It suddenly jerked sending Tom flying and finally getting Dejoni off of it. It looked at Tom then at Dejoni and Zack, trying to decide which was the bigger threat.
Suddenly Dejoni sprayed some of his acid at the cranto. The acid splattered on the cranto's back. Then Tom ran at the beast as it thrashed about and swinging his axe under hand, caught the cranto on the throat. Dejoni had run over also and Zack jumped off his back onto the cranto's head sinking his sword in the beast's good eye.
The beast died with an axe in its throat, a sword in it's eye and acid on its back. The three stood there panting for a moment then a movement caught Tom's eye. Out from the trees walked a girl and Tom realized that it was the person they had rescued from the cranto. Zack and Dejoni notice the girl and the three walked over to her. She had light brown hair and green eyes.
Suddenly both boys recognized her and said in unison “Madison?” then they looked at each other and said again in unison “You know Madison?” Tom answered “Ya, she lived in Pine Grove a year or two ago. How do you know her?” Zack replied “She has been living in Hilltop Lake for past year or two, Jessica's apprentice I think.” then Madison looked at Zack and recognized him.
She said “Zack? What are you doing out here and what is with the wyvern?” then she turned to Tom and continued “Tom, it has been a while. Why are you out here too?” Zack answered “I am out here for my training and this is Dejoni, my wyvern.” he indicated Dejoni and the wyvern looked at Madison.
“Hello Madison, I am out here for my training also” Madison looked confused so Tom added “I am an apprentice Dragon Guardian”. Zack said “And I am an apprentice Wyvern Rider, if you haven't guessed that already.” Madison looked amazed then asked “Do you guys have a camp around because I don't want to meet another cranto in the dark.” she indicated the sun, which was starting to sink below the horizon.
Tom answered “Ya, do you want to ride with Zack or have me carry you? We have to fly to the camp if we want to get there before dark.” Madison decided to ride with Zack and they set off flying through the air, Dejoni and Tom were also carrying the cranto's body. They didn't want to leave it out and they might be able to eat it. They reached the camp just as the light faded. Tom lit a fire as Zack got some food out.
They ate the rest of the deer, some rabbit and berries. They sat around the fire and talked. The boys learned that Madison was in the forest because she was camping. She had come alone so that she could focus on her magic, she was training to become a witch. She told them that no one expected her for a few more weeks. They decided that Madison would stay with them so that she would be safer.
Zack went over to Dejoni's pavilion and sat with Dejoni. Tom and Madison sat by the fire staring into the embers in silence. Soon they all went to sleep. In the morning Tom went to the cranto's body and magically checked if it would poison humans.
After a thorough check Tom concluded that it wasn't. Madison woke up about the time Tom finished checking the cranto. Soon they got a fire going and Zack woke up and made breakfast, Zack was a really good cook so Tom let him cook most the time.
While Zack made breakfast Tom checked the traps and defenses and Madison worked in the garden. Zack called for the others to come get breakfast. Tom had gotten a rabbit and a bird from the traps and he put those in the storage container. They ate their meal and decided what to do for the day. The boys would make more huts so everyone could have their own and generally make the camp more comfortable until they would train three hours after lunch.
Madison would help them where she could and organize things better, but while they trained she would practice her magic. They followed that plan and it soon became a daily routine, with exceptions like them needing to hunt, which took the place of making the camp better. Madison decided to train with the extra crossbow Tom had brought so that she could help hunt.
One night two weeks after the boys had come into the forest they saw two giant figures flying towards them. The boys looked at eachother then grabbed their weapons. Madison grabbed Tom's extra crossbow. There was a rush of wind as a purple dragon and dark blue wyvern landed in their camp. The boys lowered their weapons and sighed in relief, Madison lowered the crossbow following the boys example.
As Alex changed back into a human, John got off Masdifi, his wyvern. The boy's masters looked around their camp and nodded in approval Alex said “Nice little camp you boys got here.” then he saw Madison and asked her “Who are you?” Madison didn't hesitate and answered “I'm Madison, Jessica's apprentice. She has me out here to test me, from what I understand it is a lot like what Tom and Zack are doing.”
Alex nodded approvingly “We just came to check on Tom and Zack, have any questions boys?” Tom quickly asked “Is cranto meat edible?” John answered his question “Yes it is. Why do you ask?”. “We were just wondering, we killed one when we found Madison, because it was attacking her. Right now you are sitting on it.” both of the brothers looked down startled.
Sure enough they had been sitting on the dead cranto. Alex looked at the boys and said “How did two boys and a small wyvern kill a cranto?” Tom looked at his master and replied “We worked together, Dejoni did most of it.” The two brothers stayed for another hour or so then left. Tom, Zack and Madison sat around and talked.
But eventually Tom went to sleep, after a few more minutes talking to Madison, Zack went to sleep also, Madison going to her hut moments after. In the morning they ate some of the cranto meat, it actually tasted like chicken. The group flew around, Zack and Madison on Dejoni and Tom just flying. Tom was lost in thought as they landed in a clearing and ate lunch. They set off flying back to camp.
Madison looked at Tom, flying on glistening black wings and wondered what it felt like to fly on your own power, to be so free and powerful. Tom looked over at her and she realized she was staring at him.
Then Tom said “You are wondering what flying like this feels like aren't you?” Madison nodded and asked “How did you know?” Tom replied “I wondered that every time I saw something flying on it's own. But it feels amazing, flying, just soaring through the sky, seeing everything and feeling the wind. Flying with something under you just isn't the same, I know that, Alex flew me to the Guardian Meeting.” Tom dipped and swayed in the wind. He flipped and rolled, then yelled to Zack “How about a race to camp? I want to see how fast Dejoni can fly!” he shot forward with Dejoni and the rest of them just behind him.
The race didn't last long, it ended in all of them laughing, Dejoni made an odd noise that sounded somewhere between a laugh and a growl. They landed in camp and Tom was exhausted he said “I need to fly more, Dejoni is barely out of breath and he was carrying two people.
How does he do it? I must be getting fat.” they laughed and Tom went to take a nap. Zack and Madison practiced combat magic. Witches did many things, some fought in battles, some healed or they chose a different path.
Every witch apprentice learned the skills of all the different kinds, then chose one to specialize in. When the sun started going down Zack and Madison made dinner, Tom waking up when the smell reached his hut. He came out and said “I'm going to check the traps. Save some of that for me if I'm not back when you start eating.” Even after telling them that Tom still hurried checking the traps.
He got back just as the two others finished making the stew. They ate all of it and soon after Zack went to sleep. Tom said “I am going flying, I love flying in the night.” Tom's wings formed, blending into the night. He stood and took off. Madison went to sleep.
As Tom flew through the night he thought about many things. It started raining as he flew, and he was about to turn back when lightning started a fire in the trees. He flew down and harnessed the rain, soon he had put out the fire and he took off again, flying towards camp. He got back to camp and went to sleep. The next day he woke to the smell of cooking meat. He got up and went outside. He looked around at their camp.
The garden had many rows of various plants, the walls of wood and earth, the three huts and the main hut where they made meals when it was raining. Dejoni's pavilion now had walls and was bigger, so it wasn't really a pavilion anymore. There was a small pond that they used to get water quicker. Tom walked over to the fire and asked “What's for breakfast? Do you need any help?” Zack shook his head and said “It is almost done, you seem to do that often, ask if we need help when it is almost done. And for breakfast we have rabbit, blueberries and strawberries.” Tom pretended to look offended and said in a fake hurt voice “I just woke up, I offer my help when I see you doing something.” all three sat in silence for a moment then they all started laughing.
