Dragon Boy

7: Classes

Akora Rynne pulled Kyle away from his group after class. She cupped a hand over his mouth and dragged him to a tree a few yards away from the entrance. Kyle was very startled by this, but when he saw the excited smile on her face, he calmed down as much as he could, because she was still terrifying to behold; she wore armor fashioned from leather and a few iron plates, most of her head was shaved save for a deep red streak down the middle, her eyes burned like smoldering coals and embers, and she was covered in scars that would tell thrilling tales if they could speak.

"Akfernen," she breathed in an optimistic disbelief.

"Yes?" He was nervous. He reached around to his shoulder and pat Fledermaus, who was startled but did not seem too threatened.

She did nothing for a moment, but stare, grinning ear to ear. Then a small noise came from a large pouch on her belt. She opened the pouch, revealing a pup and a cub.

"Two Familiars?" Kyle was confused. Was that possible? Well, if a chicken's egg could have two yolks, maybe a Familiar egg could have two completely different creatures within.

She shook her head. "One of them is, the other is a little reminder of home."

He took a step back, putting himself right against the shady tree.

The babies looked up at him with their tiny eyes. They were adorable now, but Kyle assumed they would grow to be much bigger than he.

"My parents spoke of your family fondly," she recalled. Her voice had the tone of an avid archeologist making an enormous discovery of some long lost, almost mythological civilization.

"Did they now?" Kyle knew no one at that point, yet they all knew him."

She looked him over, then thrust her arms forward to grab his.

"What are you doing!"

"Yes," she started slowly, more to herself than to him. "The Akfernen are a strong people." She gave his arms a bit of a squeeze, then started looking at his face. "Sturdy and opposing," she peeled open his eyes and gazed into them for a split second, "enough to make an enemy quiver with a mere gaze."

"Nah mah mum," he struggled as she opened his lips to look at his teeth. When she moved to his hands, he asked, "Could you please stop?"

She looked at his fingers closely. "Yes, your mother was sturdy but soft, firm yet fair. I can see you are more soft." Her enthusiasm faded as she felt nothing but smooth skin without a trace of callouses or cracks, or any other signs of experience. "Oh she nurtured you... No, she didn't care for the fighting much, I should've seen this coming." She let out a sigh. "I thought I heard the name in class yesterday, but I didn't believe it." Suddenly, her enthusiastic grin came crawling back. "I could build you up!" She started shaking, it was so difficult for her to contain her excitement. "I can see it now, a Rynne building up a great Akfernen, a team more powerful than all those before!" She was practically shouting! "Ah yes, won't it be grand! The power between us, there won't be a single foe who'd dare stand up to us!"

Kyle, feeling awkward, tried to joke, "Is this a marriage proposal or something? Because I don't know if I'm ready for this kind of commitment."

"I hope our first mission is together! Oh, how great I will make you!"

"There you are!"

Akora snapped out of her high as she and Kyle turned to look at Elvia bouncing across the field towards them, with the rest of a confused Birchwood group right behind her.

"Ah," Akora sighed, "the rest of your school." She chuckled a bit and added, "Oh, Earth."

Elvia came to a stop before Kyle, then looked up at Akora. "You're that girl from class. Did you two agree to meet up or something?"