The Guardians (draft 2)

Chapter 8

"Aspen, wake up. I need to check your back."

Aspen peeled open his eyes to see his doctor standing above him. He groaned, "But it's so early."

"It's not that early, roll onto your stomach for me."

Aspen gingerly rolled onto his belly, his back twinging a bit as he rolled. Aspen heard the doctor peel some gloves on and then felt her cold hands pressing on his back. She moved her hands along his spine, poking and prodding it. Aspen winced in pain a couple times as the doctor pressed down on tender parts.

"Have you been doing your stretches?"

"Kind of. I stop once it hurts."

"You are supposed to do them through the pain, that's why you stretch. If you don't stretch, then you wont heal properly, no more excuses, just do your stretches." She lectrued as she finished examing his back. 

"Now, lets take a look at that knee. Its healing well enough for you to be able to start using it again, but your back needs more rest. I will send someone in later to help you with your stretches, other than that, try not to move around too much." She said, grabbing a few papers and charts, before excting the room. 

 Aspen groaned and rubbed his hands over his face tiredly, trying to wake himself up. He had had a restless sleep the night before and his back had a dull achy pain in it twenty four seven.

"I need to get out of here." He moaned

"I think I know how to help you."

Aspen jumped letting out a small, "eep" of surprise. He hadn't seen the large dark shape standing in his doorway eyeing him. "Oh, Forrest, it's just you. You scared me! Umm, how long have you been standing there." Aspen laughed nervously.

"About ten minutes, I was going to wait until you noticed me, your senses are obviously weak. That's why I'm here though, to teach you, come on let's go."

"I would love to, but I'm not allowed to leave. I have to stay and rest."

"Well grab a wheelchair, some nature will be good for you. I will meet you in the forest."

Aspen watched as the Plant Guardian left the room and sighed. "Well how the heck am I supposed to get there?"

After ten minutes of trying to convince a nurse to wheel him out to the forest, Aspen sat in uncomfortable silence, waiting for his mentor. He then heard a rustling and looked up. He locked eyes with a large dark green face, it slowly blinked and cocked its head at him.

"Ummm. Hi?"

The face sneezed and crawled out of the tree, landing with a flutter in front of him. It was a dragon, all of its scales were a dark green and it had brown horns and spines. It was much smaller than Opal, a little over half the size of her if Aspen was to guess. 

"What's your name buddy?"

"That's Pine, he's my dragon."

Aspen looked up again and saw Forrest hanging by his legs from a sturdy tree branch. Forrest then used his powers to have the branch gently lower him to the ground, before moving to stand beside his dragon. His head just reached the top of the dragon's shoulder, who was shorter and stockier, compared to Opal's tall and elegant form.

"Are you ready to start training? I hope you did the theory work I gave you."

"I'm training today?!" Aspen asked excitedly, but his excitement fizzled away when he remembered his back. "I don't think I can. This wheel chair probably won't go into the forest."