Wolf with Ember Wings

[Zizikitty]

Thunder rolled over head, bringing with it the crisp clean salt sea air. Dark foreboding storm clouds spat out lightening some distance away. However the gusty wind blowing towards the Ember Coast Dragon Rider Academy meant the storm was rolling this way. The academy was inside of a rocky cliff side a couple hundred of feet from the crashing sea below. The proper entrance was about a mile from the cliff side. The building looked of moderate size if one saw it from the ground. A symmetrical squared building with wide sandy stone arches welcome guests and visitors.

But the bulk of the academy was built into the cliff wall it's self. Traveling miles into the rock, sprawling wide tunnels led into the various rooms and caves. A massive structure hidden, it had to be large enough to house riders, students and dragons alike. Inside the passage ways were wide and lit evenly with bright sun crystals to illuminate the way. It was a life's honor and a privilege for anyone who were deemed good enough to join the Dragon Order. Some training their children from birth to enter the order. Others simply had the calling. Those like Prince Wulfenstien Mcoy. Though for Wulf there was no honor, no pleasure in being here. For him this wasn't a choice he would have made.

A teenage boy of 18 moved silently though the halls. Knowing his heavy black boots could alert the trainers to his presence. Since he was supposed to be in history class, it was imperative that he kept quiet. He didn't want to be caught skipping class… Again. He is a taller boy, his physique turning into a strong muscular man. His bronze skin almost blended with the walls, though his black robes did little to camouflage him. As he walked he passed by a mirror.

He paused a moment to look at himself. Ruffling his messy shaggy hair. He tried a futile moment to smooth the wild mess of midnight black hair atop his head. His crisp blue eyes looking over the meager facial hair that he was trying to grow on his narrow but masculine face. He could hear his mother now scolding him to shave it off. He turned his head to eye the pair of striped tattoo's on his cheek bones. Though a frown creased his face upon seeing the scar on the bridge of his nose. He'd always told some lavish tale of how he got it but the real story was actually embarrassing.

His plan? Wulf usually didn't have one. The young prince was brash and impulsive with little care for whether he'd get into trouble. In fact he seemed to seek it out. Trying at just about any chance he could to get kicked out of the academy. Any other student would have been, but not the prince. His royal status insured that he'd not fail at the academy simply for picking fights and skipping class. For the time being Wulf was headed for the cliffs to spend time with his dragon. But as always he didn't get very far. "Skipping class again, Mcoy?" A deep gruff voice called from behind the boy. He paused and slumped, rolling his eyes as he groaned. Captain Urro was always one step ahead of him.

"History is boring. What can I say?" He replied in a cocky tone as he turned to face the man. Captain Urro was a warrior, a soldier, a man forged from the fires of combat. But a fall from his dragon's back in a past battle left his leg badly crippled. Instead of taking up a quiet life, he chose to train the cadets at the academy. His tall stature was imposing, his black hair peppered grey, his face embedded with a permanent scowl. War taught him to be compassionless and aggressive, although there was an air of wisdom in him. "But it is as important as learning your sword. Get back in class." He growled. Wulf scoffed and crossed his arms over his chest. He paused, an action which only seemed in infuriate the Captain. "What if I say no?" Wulf replied in arrogance.


With that the captain moved quickly towards the prince, snatching him by the back of his robes. Jerking him aggressively towards his class. "Hey!" He said in vain as he as dragged back to class. "I'll have none of your lip today, Mcoy. I'm not in the mood." He growled. "Your never in the mood." Wulf retorted. Captain Urro abruptly shoved the door open, tossing in the teenage boy in the classroom full of students. The elderly man teaching the class hushed, as did the class when their class mate was tossed in. Wulf stumbled and jerked his head towards the older captain with a sneer on his face. Looking back at the class with a sheepish demeanor. "Fashionably late, as always Wulf." The old man smirked as he shook his head. Wulf muttered under his breath as he walked to the lone open seat. Without further word the captain left the room.

 

[Lanawint]

"God, you stink!"​

The words echoed throughout the school hallway, whose eerily emptiness that inhabited it just a moment ago had dissipated, overloaded with the chaotic hustle and bustle emanating from the flow of students striding off down the tunnel toward their next classroom. Despite not being uttered for the express purpose of triggering people's attention to them, the words unsurprisingly provoked some giggles and curious glances were thrown in the direction of the person responsible for the outcry.​

The perpetrator, a young boy, was standing tall, his slender body covered with the black robe that labeled him as an academy student. If he noticed the small stir he had created, his attractive features didn't betray it as he remained absorbed in the task at hand, his face contorted in discomfort, scrubbing off the goo scattered across a young girl's face, cautiously wiping her face with a cloth, careful not to let any of the viscous ooze touch his own skin.​

The girl, however, was not able to keep her countenance and she grimaced slightly, flustered by the new attention directed her way, her face growing redder by the minute. She was not one to care about her appearance that much, but it didn't mean that being seen covered in this repulsive brownish goo was something that she was completely at ease with and she couldn't help feeling very self-conscious about her appearance right now. It was not the first time that she had managed to embarrass herself, and it would probably not be the last. Since her arrival at the Dragon Rider Academy, Kyleigh had managed to make a fool of herself on more than one occasion, and if it wasn't for Neddy's presence, her life at the academy would have been very lonesome.​

"Ned, you coming?" her gaze locked on the familiar face of Clifford, one of her classmates, before narrowing ever so slightly as she realized who was standing next to him, wearing her usual smug smile. Pearl. It was a fitting name, in a way. After all, she seemed to be shining in everything she did. She was everything Kyleigh wasn't and wished she could become. Popular with both teachers and other students, gorgeous, successful in everything she put her mind to… almost too perfect to be real, really. And lately, wherever Neddy was, she was not far away and Kyleigh was trying her hardest not to be annoyed by it. "Go ahead, I'll catch up!" he answered, the arrogant cast of his eyes softening at the sight of Pearl, her blonde hair framing her porcelain heart-shaped face, who shrugged, visibly annoyed. Clifford nodded and they both turned on their heels and walked out leaving them behind.​

Neddy redirected his attention to Kyleigh, who started fidgeting under his scrutinizing gaze. He clicked his tongue in annoyance and grumbled "Okay, I give up!", tossing the cloth aside. The young girl's emerald eyes narrowed with concern "What's wrong?". "It's gross. And I'm just spreading it anyway", he answered in a vexed tone.​

He seemed to think for a second before his face lit up triumphantly in realization "Oh! I know! I'm going to blow it off you!" Her eyes opened wide in realization of what was about to happen and she interjected "Wait, I don't think…" but before she had the time to finish her sentence, a strong gust of wind unleashed by the young mage blew toward her, propelling her backward with such force that she couldn't quite recover her balance and she awkwardly landed on her butt. ".. Ouch". Kyleigh looked up at the sound of his chuckle and meeting his amused gaze, she giggled before questioning: "Did it work?" The young mage shook his head negatively.​

"Oh, well…" She shrugged "I guess I need to go to class like that then". Jumping energetically to her feet, she added, dashing off in the direction of the classroom "We need to hurry if we don't want to be late". Neddy started trailing behind her, his face scrunched in confusion, before blurting out: "Are you serious? I mean, no offense, but you reaaally need to clean yourself up" but Kyleigh ignored his request and showing no sign of going back to the dormitories continued to scurry forward. "I can't! It would take too much time" she stated, her tone resolute "I'll do it afterwards"​

A little while later, both had made it on time to the history class. She was pensively fiddling with her hair, scratching at the dried goo on it, her eyes resting on the delicate features of her friend who was seated further next to Pearl when the door of the classroom slammed open, drawing her out of her reverie. Her face lit up in recognition as she gazed upon the familiar figure. It was Wulf. He was… well, he had quite a reputation. But then so did she. And despite being wary of him at first because of it, after what he did for her, he progressively grew on her. He really wasn't a bad guy, after you got to know him. Although, to be fair she didn't really know him all that much, even now. But he… the scraping of a nearby chair ended her train of thought…he was seated next to her. Her lips quirked up as she greeted him with an easy smile, forgetful of her current appearance, before returning her attention back to the lesson, intent on listening to whatever the teacher was saying before totally switching off from it.​

 

[Zizikitty]

A couple of girls giggled as the prince took his seat, no doubt fan girls of his but Wulf paid them no mind. He merely gave them a neutral glance as he defiantly crossed his arms over his chest. He looked over to the jittery book worm Kyleigh but did a double take when he saw her face and hair covered in goo of some sort. He stared dumbfounded at her a moment. What had she done this time? But by the time he thought about asking what happened she turned away. She was a curious creature. An accident looking for a place to happen. She was possibly the only person he conversed with pleasantly with. Perhaps it was her ability in magic or the way he met her. She'd been trying to practice a volatile spell alone only to have it severely back fire. The damage she caused was enough, Wulf was sure, for her to lose marks or even possibly get kicked out. She seemed the type that deserved to be here so he selflessly covered for her. Claiming he did the damage.

Probably the chivalrous Mcoy blood in him but he couldn't see her kicked out for trying so hard to perfect her abilities. "Hey…" He said in a hushed tone, trying to not draw the teachers attention but obviously trying to get hers. "What the hell is on your face?" He said looking at her like she… well like she was covered in goo. The angry red marks on her face suggested there had been an attempt to clean it, probably by her right hand man Neddy. But as he asked his question a voice behind him acted like nails on a chalk board.

"You should probably pay attention, prince." His royal status was said with such venom that is caused him to turn around. Gideon Louvencard. Son of a high lord and every bit as a fighter as Wulf, with matched arrogance. He was a pompous prick whom thought the prince was a fool. Tall well built with blond hair and blue eyes he was like to visual opposite of Wulf. He was the only person to stand up to Wulf toe to toe in a spar but he'd been sore about their last event. Wulf had taken it too far and had Captain Urro not stepped in there might be more than just superficial cuts. "I don't have to listen to a lowly lord." He remarked.

"Wulf! Perhaps you know the answer?" An elder voice pulled the prince away and made him turn to the front. He'd not been listening and had no clue what the teacher was talking about. The teacher gave no indication or help to the prince as to what he'd been talking about. "Fourty-two." Wulf answered with cocky confidence. "It's always fourty-two." The class snickered, as did his fan girls. Gideon scoffed and shook his head. The teacher shook his head as he sighed. "That is not the name of the first rider and his dragon avatar…"

 

[Lanawint]

Kyleigh Alihman was many things, but rowdy had never been one of them. There were high expectations placed upon the ones fortunate enough to join the academy, and she was well aware of it. And the fickleness with which she handled -some would say mishandled- her substantial powers had made her even more conscious of the fact that her place at the Academy could easily be lost, and she was very anxious to prove that she belonged. Never late to class – unless something out of her control happens, keeping to her dorm studying, she spent many hours locked up in the storage room, practicing her spells, hoping to enhance her control over them. Well, that was until something went very wrong with her spell. Very, very wrong. So wrong, in fact, that without Wulf's intervention, she probably wouldn't be here today. Since that day, she has made a point of practicing her magic only outdoors. ​

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Therefore, dividing her attention between her classmates and a lesson was not something she would usually do, preferring to focus on the latter. But, there were exceptions to this rule, and Wulf was one of them. And when his call reached her ears, cutting short on her resolution, she shot him a questioning glance that soon turned into embarrassment, a muffled noise of surprise escaping her lips as he inquired about the residue scattered over her.​

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"Oh… that…" Her voice died down as she pursed her lips in reflection, trying to find a way to answer his question without sounding like a complete airhead. That used to be a green slime. They were studying how some creatures were particularly vulnerable to certain elements, and she had been chosen to help demonstrate it to the class. What could go wrong, right? Well… a lot, apparently. All she had to do was to maintain a large enough source of fire to repel it. But then, she got distracted by "someone", panicked and well… The result was all over her. Although, the more she looked at it, the more it looked more turd-like than anything. Squirming under his probing gaze, her hands twitched as she fought the urge to cover her flushing face. But before Kyleigh could open her mouth in protest, she was interrupted by Giodeon, urging her friend to pay more attention to the lesson - which was actually a real good advice! If you set aside the visible hostility that accompanied these words, anyway. It was probably not Wulf's case, considering that he instantly brushed the blond-haired boy off.​

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Unfortunately for them, Gideon, stepping in as he did, managed to draw the teacher's attention on them, or rather on Wulf, considering that his following question was aimed at him. Her emerald eyes flickered between the two as she listened, her thin brows narrowing in concern. How was he supposed to respond to that? It had been formulated in such a way that it did not leave any clue as to what could be the answer. Wulf just brushed it with a flippant answer, much to the delight of the classroom, and her scrunched face stretched into a smile. When put on the spot, her nerves would get the better of her and she would start stuttering, but he didn't even seem to be fazed by it. And she wasn't sure if it was more because he didn't care or because he was just used to it.​

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Her amusement was cut short as she heard her name called: "Miss Alihman! Maybe you could enlighten us? Unless you think that this is a laughing matter?" She nervously looked back at him "I-I don't! I mean, I know their names, but I don't think it is a laughing matter… at all… sir… t-the history of the first rider is an important… task… matter," she stammered, her composure slowly withering under the impervious gaze of the old man, who wordlessly raised a questioning eyebrow, and she quickly added, realizing that she hadn't even answered his question: "His name was Alstaer, and his dragon was called Faerkris. Sir." The teacher stayed impassive as he kept inquiring: "Why is that?" Kyleigh remained silent, her eyebrow furrowed in a deep frown as he went-on, now addressing the whole classroom "Can someone tell me why? Why am I teaching you his tale?" An answer rang out across the classroom "Because we're in history class?" He shook his head dejectedly "Thank you Gayle. I'm glad to see that your talent for stating the obvious hasn't waned" ​

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Kyleigh timidly chimed in "because our past, I mean, our origins made us who we are now?" She stopped herself from adding "sir" as the old professor rubbed his chin pensively."History dictates the future. That is true… to a certain extent. But it also gives us the means to shape it. And the story of the Duskgazer's rise and fall would be one you all would be wise to heed", his gaze flickered briefly over to the two boys before glancing away, adding somewhat pointedly, "his arrogance led him to his doom".​

 

[Zizikitty]

All Wulf could do was star at the young girl. It looked as though someone had pushed her into dragon dung, or possibly a spell back fired and she flung herself. That seemed far more likely to Wulf at the moment but she didn't smell horrible. Perhaps a hint of burning but nothing horrid like being covered in poo. She didn't explain or rather didn't have time as Gideon butt in. For that Wulf wanted to break his nose… Again.

Wulf gave his cocky answer which he knew would irritate the teacher, which it did. He gave a smug grin as he placed his hands behind his head and lounged back in his chair, much to Gideon's annoyance. The prince could feel the seething anger rolling off the blonde boy in waves and Wulf enjoyed every moment of it. But the teacher quickly turned his question towards the small mage. Glancing at her like everyone else did, Wulf waited to see how she'd respond. Part of him was annoyed at the teacher for his remark, even going as far as to shoot him an glare for commenting on her smile. She stumbled and stammered over the answer like walking in the forest in the dark.

Wulf didn't feel compassion for very many people but he felt it for her. After hearing the answer he realized he actually knew it also. His grandmother the queen was fond of history and often tried to teach it to him as a child. She regaled him with the might and power of Alstaer and his dragon Faerkris. The young prince was only interested in his power and strength and though she tried to tell him the moral of the tale it unfortunately fell on deaf ears. Kyleigh gave a pause as she seemed stumped by the answer. But the almost cute airhead Gayle answered. Wulf chuckled at her oh so obvious answer. Cute but dumb.

The goo covered girl found her voice again and Wulf glanced over at her. Her words held deep truth and meant more to Wulf then his distant nonchalant appearance let on. He was aggressive and brash because for the men in his family this was something he had to keep in check. But his loathing to be here was because he needed to be with his brother. It was highly possible not many knew he had a brother. Urro certainly knew but he didn't flaunt it in his face. For that he respected the man. The teacher explained more and his meaningful glance was not missed by the prince. It made him glare a little and frown. He heard Gideon shift in his seat suggesting he was effected by the warning glance too.

 

[Lanawint]

The legend of the first rider was one that Kyleigh was very familiar with. After all, he had been a native from her own country, the kingdom of Yberade, and his exploits were widely reported back there. Although, to her initial surprise, the account of his life and death as written in the manuscript she unearthed at the academy's library varied from the one she knew in many particulars, and she had realized that some details may have been intentionally left out. ​

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But it always started with the same prophecy, a prophecy that the teacher was now reciting in a solemn voice: ​

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"War will arise again ​

Cities will crumble in its wake​

Brothers will fight against brother​

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From the ashes, He will rise​

Restoring the world's balance"​

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After a short meditative silence, he went on, his voice resounding around the room:​

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"Thus spoke Ahheia, through the voice of the high-priestess. With the world teetering on the edge of chaos, tensions finally reached their breaking point, and as predicted, the war raged on between the worshipers of the Law and those of the Chaos, through their entities, Ohreus and Sehesis, destroying homes and tearing families apart."​

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The professor sat carefully on the edge of his desk and pursued: ​

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"In the kingdom of Yberade, proud defender of the Law as we all know, once stood the city of Oakston. It was a small but booming city located at the border of the country of Nerravia, who openly worshiped Sehessis back then. During those dark times, civil unrest spawned by rumors, as many believed the city to be sheltering Sehesis's Chaos mages and sympathizers. After the macabre discovery of a hundred children's bodies sacrificed in Sehesis's name, a group of vigilantes surged, deciding to take matters into their own hands, and bring the culprits to justice as the local authorities turned a blind eye. But things quickly got out of hand and from the first arrests soon followed a wave of mob violence, and soon stakes were lighted, burning without distinction man and woman of all ages, whose only crime was to be suspected of indulging in the enemy's faith or harboring them. But their own weapons turned against them, as the fury of the pyres' flames, kindled by the curse of their victims, soon devoured the entire city. When dusk came, the troops sent from the neighboring town to restore the peace found only ashes. Ashes and a little boy of two, unharmed, tearful eyes gazing at the sky. A boy who we know now as the first rider."​

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The steady flow of his speech came to a halt, his gaze theatrically wandering across the classroom before stopping on a raised hand. "How come he survived?" The old man answered, "He was immune to flame. Now, as to how he developed such immunity, the opinions differs, but most see it as a mark of the divine favor, considering his young age at the time, as well as the events leading to his death." As another student tried to get his attention, he inquired "Yes, Neddy?" and the black-haired boy questioned: "What about his dragon?".The teacher scoffed: "He died during the fire". "Really?" the young boy asked in surprise, before noticing the giggles that accompanied his answer while the teacher rolled his eyes "No, Faerkris did not die in the fire. Alstaer met him years later."​