Wyvern of the Wind

A Soldier's Conception

"SILENCE! ALL OF YOU!" he commanded, and silence filled the room under his words.

"What soldiers of the Armada are you all setting yourselves up to be?!" he yelled. "Your parents have all raised you better than this?! A noble soldier who mocks and belittles another can no longer be considered noble! You don't know what Aether has been through or whether or not he is willing to tell you! If you choose to continue this nonsensical and barbaric behavior, then be my guest! But don't forget that it is all of you, not me, who would pay the price of your choices!"

The whole crowd fell silent, their jaws wired shut. Aether stood there, startled yet thankful for Bezaeel who stood beside him proudly and with his wrinkled and horned head held high.

Adonia looked to Bezaeel, then at Aether, and sighed in annoyance once more. "I told you stupid lot to keep your mouths shut. Save yourselves by running and flying 50 extra laps around the field since you all got yourselves into this!" she yelled. The students all held their breath as Adonia shouted at them, to which Bezaeel gave her a stern glare.

"You have no authority to speak orders, Adonia." he said to her, not breaking any eye contact despite Adonia giving her angriest look to the elder wyvern.

"You wanted me as your assistant. I suggest you deal with it." Adonia spoke back, to which Bezaeel responded...

"As an assistant..not a vice for me." he corrected her. "If anyone has the right to punish them, it would be me," he said to her sternly before looking back at the crowd of students. 

"You're all lucky that Adonia is not my vice. If you wish to help yourselves, keep yourselves in shape by galloping and flying around campus for 30 laps each...and make sure to heed my order since I won't bother to repeat myself to those who let my words in on one ear and out the other. Now go! All of you!"

All the students stood still before they all went out of the room, and went straight to the field. Some bickered and sneered while others hung their head low in shame. 

Bezaeel looked at Adonia, who still looked at him angrily.

"Just because a soldier can fight that doesn't mean that she has to fight every battle, Adonia." he said to her before leaving the room. "I entrust that you'll at least teach him how to hold his ground before I and my students return."

Adonia clicked her tongue as Bezaeel left. She turned to the young wyvern beside her, who was still slightly shaken up. She let out a groan.

Whatever you say, moreh..she thought, grumbling as she roughly nudged Aether with her tail.

"Come with me, chicken. First lesson. You better keep up." she spat out, walking to the center of the room. Aether quickly followed suit, trailing right behind her. Adonia scoffed.

Aether tilted his head. "Huh? What's wrong?" 

Adonia glared at him.

"What? Is the stupid little lamb lost?" she sneered. After mocking him harshly, she made Aether stand opposite her.

"Since you got the armor already, chicken, might as well know how to use it. Now keep your eyes on me and pay attention or else I'll have to cut off your claws," she said before getting into a defensive stance.

"This is how to stand to defend yourself. Hind legs wide, but not too wide, and keep your forearms close to you, but not so much as if you're a duck with her chick huddling in her pelt. Got it?" she said quickly. 

Aether adjusted his position as soon as she finished, his feathers were ruffled up as he felt jitters in his flesh that pulsed through his heart and bones.

"L-Like this?" he asked. Adonia groaned in annoyance as she shoved Aether's forearms closer together and flicked his tail upwards with her own.

"Are you blind or just stupid?" she jeered at him, her voice harsh like a dagger stabbing through bones. Aether shook underneath her glare. Before Aether could answer, she quickly went opposite him again and stood in a defensive stance once more.

"That's the basic form, your whole foundation for surviving in combat. Mess it up and you're as lucky as the corpses of rookies that lie on the battlefield," she said. Then, she performed a quick lunge, to which Aether quickly moved back.

"That is how I know if your stance is proper or not. Those stupid teachers say that this helps test the strength of one's stance." Adonia said. "And from what I see, you're as wobbly as a newborn rat."

Aether then adjusted his stance once more. He kept his claws firm on the ground. Adonia then lunged again which caused Aether to fall back from shock. Aether lay on the ground, catching his breath as Adonia snickered.

"I don't bite, idiot," she said. Aether got back up, shaking as Adonia stood in her stance once more, getting ready to lunge again as Aether prepared his stance again.

However, before Adonia could do anything else, Bezaeel suddenly teleported right behind her. He sighed in slight disappointment.

"You're training someone with no prior experience, Adonia," he said. Adonia jumped and yelled at him.

"Why you-! I told you not to do that, idiot!" she snarled as she turned around quickly to face him. She hissed from surprise, her two large front fangs protruding in hostility.

Bezaeel gave her a soft look of understanding. "I had a feeling that you'd need help with this. And the hard part is, is that I know that you know how to train others according to their level."

Adonia grumbled. "I know what I'm doing, moreh..." 

Bezaeel shook his head. "I know that, Adonia. I'm not underestimating you in any way. But you're teaching him, aren't you?"

Adonia groaned. "I don't need you to tell me what to do all the time. I can handle it on my own."

Bezaeel nodded and looked at the both of them. "If you insist. However, I suggest giving yourself a rest. The kid looks tuckered out and you might need to rest your mind."

Adonia groaned. "Whatever..." 

Aether staggered up and looked up at both of them, wondering what he could've done better to stand on his own in battle. This wasn't a serious test but he felt like he failed it somehow.

I have to get better. That's right...I have to get stronger...how else will I fulfill this prophecy?