The Ether-Knight's Lessons

7

She reared away, and snorted sparks, bounding back over to my shoulders, where she sat on her younger brother lazily, ignoring his indignant squawk of protest.

"I guess I still smell like Pegasi, huh?" She chuckled.

"Or the Wrong Element." Brigit shrugged, and I noticed all the dragons that weren't on me were lounging on her shoulders and chest.

I chuckled. "Interesting. Well, Archie, can I get something different, this time? Maybe something thats over-populated? They're going to eat a lot, so might as well help the environment, Eh?"

A soft rumble preceded a veritable wave of kangaroo mice in the Desert/Safari ecosystem, and all the dragons perked up, while the Drake looked at them longingly, from her place on the ground.

I hummed, and then looked at the baby dragons. "I want you all to bring a little bit of your kills to her, to help feed her, okay? No complaining, there's enough for everyone."

They grumbled about it, but began catching the little mice, and one of them dug a rather deep pit, next to the pregnant Drake.

As soon as I went to ask what it was, they dumped a whole heap of the mice in it, still alive and hopping, then went back to hunting for their own food.

"Thank you, young ones..." she murmured, and thrust her nose into the hole, eating all of them in a few bites.

Seeing as the mice kept coming, they kept filling her little feeding trough, even after they were done eating, turning it into a competition between them.

At first, I thought she'd eventually get full, but from the ease with which she ate all the mice, again and again, I figured she was eating for ten, just like the Dragon Mother, who was still asleep, and that she'd have to stop soon, because of the limits of her stomach. But no, she was still eating when I left for my class, carrying my schedule and Dragon companion.

—

Classes apparently took place, (according to one very snobby girl I asked in the lobby,) in the 'appropriate' venues, to increase their effectiveness.

And so that's how I found myself in the middle of a lake, sitting on a single plank of wood, about 200 feet long, and 50 feet wide.

Several younger people sat with us, to my surprise, and each was capable of pulling Ether, though with very limited success in actually shaping it into anything.

At one point, I got tired of the boring little exercises, and spoke to the teacher during a meditation period. "Is there any way I can be exempt from this class? It's literally for children, and while my knowledge of advanced magic may be limited, my control of Ether is perfect."

She blinked slowly. "Is that so?"

"Yes. Perfect may be an exaggeration, but not by much." I clarified.

"Hmm... I'll think about it. Return to your meditation, please." She closed her eyes, and went back to meditating.

"Perhaps you don't understand, so I'll let you in on something: I don't do Meditation, or sitting still for any period of time in which my brain is not being used for something else. My control of Ether is good, I don't need to be taught that." I attempted not to growl at her.

"All students take this course. It's necessary for your education-

"I already had these lessons, Alright? I've been through the meditation, and communing with the universe, and the lectures about balance, all of it, already. Hated it then, hate it now, but I already learned all this, so I don't need a refresher course." I snapped.