Not So Familiar

Chapter One

Caspain Thylan twirled his pencil as he sat in his class, listening to the teacher lecture. He had been pretty excited to start his training as a mage; his excitement had diminished when he found out the first month of classes consisted entirely of guidelines and theory.

"Next week we'll be going to the forests to get your familiars. Your familiar is essential to learning magic. They will be your closest companions and will come to know you better than you know yourself. The closer you are with your familiar, the better your magic will be.

"You don't get to choose your familiars, neither do the familiars choose you. The match is made by the most compatible animal in the vicinity when the spell is cast. So for all of you who were hoping for something specific, don't get your hopes up.

"I have permission slips you all need to take home to your parents for them to sign. Bring them back by the end of the week. Our trip is Tuesday. Class dismissed."

~~~

Aleena soared through the skies in her eagle form, literally free as a bird. She had completed her one mandatory year of schooling, and now she was free to do whatever she wished with her time. 

It was a Tuesday, so she had to be back by five o' clock for her music lesson.

Entering Elvara Grove

The sign obviously meant something, and the name triggered something in Aleena's memories, but she chose to ignore that. What's the worst that could possibly happen?

~~~

"Welcome to Elvara Grove, one of our designated areas for claiming familiars," the mage teacher introduced. 

Caspain looked around. It wasn't very impressive at first sight, but after a moment, he could feel the hum of magic in the air. 

"Does everyone remember the spell?"

The students nodded in unison.

"Good. There are areas set up for each of you to perform the spell. One person per station. Do not feel rushed, but we do have to be back by five. Get to it." 

Caspain ran as far as he could, and chose the station as far away as he could get. 

He prepared all the materials, sat back, and waited. Patience was key in this. Familiars couldn't be rushed. 

He was hoping for a tiger, like his mother, but he told himself that he would be happy with whatever he got.

And so he waited, and tried his best not to get impatient. 

An hour had passed before he felt something. A flash of light glowed in front of him, dim and small in size at first. Slowly it grew, until it was blinding. 

The light suddenly disappeared, leaving in its place a very confused looking eagle. 

So this was to be his familiar. It wasn't what he'd hoped, but at least it wasn't lame. 

~~~

Aleena had perched herself on a branch and watched the passing wildlife. This is the life, she thought to herself. 

Suddenly, she felt a tug on her mind. She tried to resist it, but soon it engulfed her completely. She was captured in a flash of light. When it faded she found herself in a completely different part of the forest, staring up into the face of a boy. 

What in the world?

"Hey there," the boy said, reaching out to pet her. She recoiled and snapped at him.

"Aggressive, aren't you? Well, hopefully that'll fade."

What the hell is that supposed to mean?  Aleena tried to ask. She tried shifting back to her human form, something she had done a million times with ease, only to find that she was barred. 

"Come on. I have to get back to my teacher." He gestured for her to follow him. 

Aleena was skeptical, but she followed, flying a short distance behind and above. Maybe he, or his teacher, would be able to get her out of this mess. 

"I hope you'll warm up to me, anyway, since we're going to be spending a lot of time together."

She squawked noncommittally while she pondered his meaning. 

They got to their destination. A woman was standing over a bunch of children around the boy's age, most of whom had animal companions of their own. None of the other animals were shape shifters, though. 

Aleena started to put two and two together. The conclusion she came to was not pleasant.

Sun and stars. I've become a familiar. 

Hey guys. How's it going? 
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Until next time,
~Patchesmimi