Draeyer Academy (First Ver.)

Chapter 3-Encounter

Gelun Forest
Arktis Skyland
Northern Space

Alec grumbled curses under his breath as he shot his fifth rabbit for the day. Just like what happened to the deer's, its wings broke into light, and carried away by the wind.

Because a Drae ate his game yesterday, he had to go back hunting the next, and with his luck, only small creatures scampered around Gelun Forest. No deer, no hares, no large enough animals that could provide him sufficient food that would last for the next few weeks, and the small creatures he spotted where very few in numbers. The only choice for food was to go into town. He let out a groan at the thought of that.

His brows creased as he remembered the red Drae that flew off a few moments after it made contact with his hand. Wondering why there was a wild red Drae around Gelun in the first place, he tossed and turned on the bed until later that night.

I wonder where it went, he thought.

He sighed and secured the five rabbit carcasses around the necks with a rope. He slung his bow and quiver on his back, before he trudged out of the forest. Moments later, an unsettling feeling formed at the bottom of his stomach. He felt eyes watching him and he whipped his head to his left and to the right. He even turned around, but saw nothing but the white piles of snow, and the trunks of the leafless trees.

He berated himself in silence for his actions. There was no possible way somebody was here, since he was the only one who lived close by and hunted on these grounds on regular basis. He turned back to the original direction he was going in.

"Drae's dung!" he cursed as his eyes grew big. He let go of the rabbit remains in the process of falling onto his rear because of shock. A series of grunts and growls filled the air around him, which sounded more like laughter to his ears. He took deep breaths to calm the erratic beating of his heart as he saw the creature in front of him. Once his normal heartbeat returned, his eyes narrowed into slits at the big red beast.

"You think it's funny, scaring the Blazen out of me?" he said through gritted teeth. He watched as the beast let loose another round of laughter, which included wheezing sounds. It sat on its hind legs, with its front, a feet off the ground. Its big sharp claws glistened under the mid-afternoon sun, along with its natural silver armor.

With a scowl plastered on his face, he stood and grabbed the rabbit carcasses in the process. The Drae ceased its laughter and stared at the food that dangled in the young man's hold. Alec was quick to notice, and held up his hand.

"These," he gestured to the rabbits, "are mine. Go hunt your own. You're capable of doing that."

When the words left his mouth, his brows knit together, wondering why he was even talking to it. He was unable to fathom how he had the courage to talk to this wild Drae. It seemed after their contact yesterday, his fear for the beast vanished along with its hostility towards him.

As he made a move to pass its large form, it dropped on all fours and turned its head so their faces were only a few inches apart. It tilted its head to the side, and its pointy ears drooped. A whimper came out of his currently toothless mouth, as its yellow eye grew big with pleading.

"No," he said, "You ate my deer yesterday so I had to work hard all morning to catch these."

It leaned forward and nudged his torso with its snout, while keeping its gaze locked on his pale blue eyes. Alec's jaw hung open in shock at what it was doing. He was even more baffled why it seemed to be working on him. He cursed himself and his weakness for anything that looked at him with big puppyish eyes.

"Alright, fine," he said with a grumble. He took a small knife and cut one carcass off the rope. The Drae's ears perked up, and it hopped a meter away from him, with excitement showing in its eyes. Its front crouched low, while its lower body rose off the ground. Its tail wagged around like a happy dog.