Sabertooth

Chapter 9) In Armor (Part I)

The next morning, Raika felt like hardened sap. Sweat drenched his body, sticking him to the covers. Drowsiness clutched it's tempting claws at his soul, trying to pin him down.

But it's hold wasn't good enough for him. He needed to get up. His mother wanted him here to make a life for himself. Not sleep in a stiff bed.

Unfortunately that wasn't the worst part. A short time after waking Raika heard the sounding alarm, a man screaming like he just chugged a piping bottle of hot sauce.

Raika emerged outside his dorm, the man glaring at him like an animal. Like Sabertooth had before its eyes warped green.

"Morning." He grunted. The officer nodded and saluted. His name tag said "Darill, DA"

Raika paid him no mind, only lumbered down the hall, half certain where he was going. When he turned the corner his eyes widened and zoomed in automatically.

It was that girl, Raven, from last night appearing from a closet. "Hopefully, she hadn't slept here?" Raika wondered, peering thoughtfully at her glossy black hair combed tenderly back.

Raika cursed himself as she watched him, her gemstone blue eyes hovering at his face. "Aren't you that kid I told Kev to put some clothes on?" She smiled, her radiant lips snapping into place. "Guess you can follow orders pretty well."

Raika felt her eyes look him up and down and he had the inclination to cover his crotch once again. But he resisted, knowing he'd just look silly, if not creepy.

"Uh. Yeah. I see you have some on..too?"

Raven started chuckling, her whites gleaming in the dim lights. "Yeah, well. This is a mostly male campus. "

"So why are you here?" Raika found himself asking, ignoring what kind of topic could spawn from her statement. She narrowed her eyes at him, as if he looked fuzzy.

"Oh. I'm here because they've got a lead on Browning... that old man.." Raika's teeth bit into each other with the mention of his name, but he continued to be auditory.

"...that stole the crest of the Sabertooth. That seal, you know it's more priceless than a dragon crest?"

"Dragon?" Raika's mouth was open slightly. "There are Animagi's that are dragons?"

Raven rolled her eyes. "Dragons were the first Animagi, kid."

"They were?" Raika was astonished.

This time Raven ignored the urge to roll her eyes. Instead she grabbed her hips and sized him up.

"Don't you know the story of Grayson Gremory and his thousand tattoos?"

Raika shook his head, feeling deflated and utterly out of it. It was still bright and early and this girl was standing tall and ready. It really made his head ache.

"Oh." She replied. "You should really hear it. Might help you understand more about the Animagi."

Raika stared fixedly at Raven. "Isn't that just a tale though?"

"Aren't our lives tales themselves?" Raven said, wistfully.

With that she slung her moon-bright black bag over her shoulder and exited through the nearest door which led outside. As she opened the door Raika saw that she'd rolled up her sleeve. There on her forearm was the purple crest of a dragon that began to heavily shine like the morning sun.

"Kirido! Appear!" She commanded. Almost immediately a ten foot dragon dropped from the sky. It's scales a poisonous violet, it's teeth jagged spires. Raven climbed on, her hand waving back at him. She wore the brightest smile he'd ever seen. Then Kirido fled off, it's wings outspread and raised.

* * *

"Just pick one already!"

Raika grunted in surprise. It was early evening now, almost a few hours since Raven hopped on Kirido and flew off into the great blue sky. He wished he could do the same. To go home, but of course it wasn't that simple.

He now sat glaring at crest stickers fastened to pieces of paper just like the kind the officer from the IAE used to take Browning's crest.

There were so many crests it was kind of annoying. There were birds, insects, rodents, even sea creatures which made no sense since Kellel is a land-locked nation.

Raika glared almost every time at the bear crest he probably saw a hundred times. That would be his tentative decision, he decided.

Although Dr. Yeggar was probably ready to unleash all of the crests on him at once. What a joy it would be to have worms up his butt, birds in his hair, and insects crawling all over him, Raika thought sarcastically. How fun that would be. For Yeggar, anyway.

"Why are they all so weak?" Raika muttered, to which half of the crests sparkled with a tiny pulse of light. He hoped they hadn't heard him, but they probably did.

"That's because the best ones have already been taken. Dragons, Hydras, Eagles, Gryphons, a Pegasus, and oh!" He cried. "A sea serpent."

"A sea serpent? Raika pondered, hoping he wasn't serious. Forget about sea creatures, a sea serpent would be a new kind of useless in Kellel.

Doctor Yeggar nodded, "Not all Animagi are used for battle, boy. Some are used for research and development."

Raika gazed off, his imagination taking flight. He pictured scientists creating scales and gluing them onto him. While in the water then, Raika could float to the bottom.

He looked up suddenly, "Wouldn't that student have to go to Tryten then?"

"Indeed" Yeggar responded, looking away.

The country of Tryten, Raika recalled, are made up of islands called the Alleghen. Each island offers a new and diverse amount of organisms of flora and fauna. Although the islands are notorious for having pirates that double as cresters. Because of them, not many travel from Kellel to the sea.

Raika's eyes stopped cold. There it was. His fingers extended outward from his hand, pointing at the shining token.

"That one." Raika designated.

Doctor Yeggar smiled drily. "I'd forgotten about that one."

Raika was sure at that moment that the one he picked would be able to defeat Browning. There was no way it could lose.

Suddenly the door opened and a figure emerged. "Doctor Yeggar, Raika is being called to the Lieutenant's office. He has something to report."

"Just a second." Yeggar responded, taking the crest and slapping Raika on the forearm with it."

A prickling sensation followed over, the burning taking over his senses. He couldn't smell or hear for a few seconds. Then it was over and Raika stood up.

"What's up?" He called, determination etching his voice.

"We've found him. Browning." The soldier said.