Rebirth

Chapter IV - Into the Forest

By the time I left school, my mind had already wandered. Will I ever see my classmates again? I would not miss most of them, just a few, but still...

Yes, Alexa, pay more attention to your goddamn classmates; what about your frickin' parents? They care more than your classmates.

It wouldn't do me any good if I kept that up, so distractions were welcome.

Considering the time, and the pretty reclusive spot of our school, leaving two mythical creatures out in the open is apparently grand. Layra took her place on Bampi, whereas I decided that the manticore had a bit more space on him, even with Edina there. Blaze was too young to fly on his own, he was literally born not even an hour ago... So, the hood of my shirt was the perfect place for him to catch a ride.

It took us maybe thirty minutes to fly to our destination, or at least reach the border between our city and the forest.

"Is this where we're supposed to train?" I asked, Blaze peaking his head out from his hiding place.

"Yes, Alexis." Edina responded.

"We'll set camp somewhere in the forest and give you the basics of training. Then we'll get some sleep and tomorrow we'll train properly for most of the day." Bampi screeched excitedly at Layra's words.

"Okay, then. Blaze, you ready for training?" I said, looking at Blaze.

"Prii!" Blaze chirped, of course, meaning yes.

"Awww, your first actual word-sound!" Laughing, I then realised that I just might be bilingual. "...I understood that."

"Of course you did! Your bond is already strong. Thus, you can understand each other." Layra stated, looking at Bampi. "Every Guardian and their Pet have this bond where they can understand each other and think as one."

"That's really cool."

"We should probably land soon, guys." Edina interrupted, patting Fluffy who was not used to being a taxi.

"Look! There's a clearing!" I said.

"Bampi! Let's land!" Layra exclaimed, already steering her gryphon towards the clearing.

"Fluffy, you too!"

We landed in the clearing and set up camp there. The Keepers' Forest was truly a wonderful and beautiful place.

"When do we start training?" I asked, excited and nervous.

"Right..." began Edina.

"...Now." ended Layra.

Fluffy and Bampi ran to them and stood by their side, as Blaze stood by mine. We were positioned a few metres away from the other duo- er, duos, and they seemed much more eager for this impromptu battle.

"The first thing you need to learn about combat along side your Guardian Pet..."

"...Is to synchronize yourselves."

Edina had jumped on Fluffy, and Layra on Bampi. Not a moment later, they lunged at Blaze and I. He did not miss a beat as Blaze leaped in front of me, his wings crossed as a barrier made of fire had materialised, blocking Edina and Layra's attack. After that, Blaze went behind me, leaving me to attack. Concentrating, I exhaled the breath I did not realise was holding, trying to make up a weapon, anything. My mind landed on a staff of some sort, one I remembered seeing ages before, but could not place where. It was something simple, similar to a long stick, really, but a solid flame decorated the end that was not meant to touch the ground all the time. ' This is gonna be fun ' I thought, a smile forming on my face.

I took a step back, then ran towards Layra.

"My turn to strike." I announced dramatically, preparing to do so.

I bounced off the ground, going for a mid-air attack, and dived towards Layra, with my staff ready. Since when can I jump that high? I pinned her to the ground and let out a rather forced, retarded laugh.

"This is awesome!" I said, still laughing a bit. "Come on, I'll help you up."

I grabbed Layra's hand and dragged her back on her feet.

"You're stronger than I thought!" Layra said, with a smile.

"Thanks! I think..." And yet my stomach was thinking of food. "Hey, I'm a bit hungry, can we eat something?"

"Sure!" Edina chuckled as she went into the tent to cook something.

But something just HAD to happen. Why must the world be so cruel towards food?

A bush was rustling behind Layra, both of us ignoring it at first. And suddenly...

A dragon.