Education
#3 of The Prisoner
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DISCLAIMER - This chapter contains mild references to homosexuality and
love between a sentient, intelligent wolf and a human. Any who would
be insulted by this, or any children under 18 years of age (or 21 in
certain areas) should NOT read this story, and by reading past this
point, you afirm that you are legally mature and able to handle the
subjects mentioned above. Also, the writer is not responsible for any
problems which arise by not complying with this warning. Thank you for
your patience, and I hope you enjoy.
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Chapter 3 - Education
I wake up cold, opressively so, my skin frozen down to the
bone. How fortunate Crvesh is to have his own furry blanket. It's
about then that I realize that Crvesh is nowhere in sight... nor is the
cave I had been in. I sit in shock a moment, before getting up to
explore my surroundings.
It's dark, not a single ray of light coming from anywhere, and
all I feel is the ground beneath my feet. I stumble around a bit
before I hear something in the distance, so very faint, yet I have no
doubts as to what my ears are hearing. It's a battlecry. Definitely
human.
I strain to listen to the sounds, as they seem to get closer
and closer, the volume of the horrible shouting growing until I am
forced to cover my ears or go deaf. All in an instant, it stops, and I
am again alone in the darkness. Perhaps even that horrible yelling
would have been preferable to the lightless, soundless expance around
me. I sit down, hoping for this dead silence to be broken, when I feel
a soft flow of wind past my ear. "It is alright, my love. You are
safe."
Quickly, my head spins toward the voice, looking upon the face
of Crvesh, which looks oddly radiant within this eternal darkness. I
turn around and stand up, his face following me up, as the rest of his
body slowly becomes visible, apparantly by the light given off by his
face alone. My heart leaps into my throat as he quickly moves forward
and traps me in a kiss; his warm, soft lips press to mine, the
feeling new, and yet, even though our lips are completely different in
shape, perfect, as though the two were meant to meet like this. As the
kiss continues, my arms slip around his back, and his naturally wider
stance allows his arms to engulf me fully, holding my body close to
his. I notice a thickness pressed to my front, and feel the soft fur
brushing against my own growning maleness. The arousal filling both of
us seems to overflow as his arms lift me, and he ends the kiss, our
eyes meeting once again.
I open my lips to say something, but suddenly, the look on his
face changes... to one of pain. I am about to ask what has happened,
when I feel something sticking out of his back. He drops me to the
ground, and I side-step as he collapses forward, the shaft of an arrow
pointing directly to his heart. I look to my side, and see one of his
own kind holding a bowgun! Rage and sadness fill my being, but the
figure seems to disappear just moments after I see it. Instead of
charging after the fleeting ghost, I kneel beside Crvesh... something
inside me knows he's dead, knows that I'll never see him again... and
the pain drives me over the edge, I scream at the top of my lungs, into
the seamless black, the endless void...
And suddenly I sit up, panting heavily and in a cold sweat. My
eyes are filled with tears... I had actually been crying in my sleep.
The dream, it had seemed so realistic. I could still remember the cry
of a human army, the soft whispering in my ear, the kiss that brought
warmth back to me, and the final moments of agony. I begin to cry
again, looking around me for the first time since I had woken up. I'm
in the same cave, no eerie darkness or unending void, and the skins
under me feel warm to the touch.
And yet, one thing is still wrong. Crvesh is nowhere to be
found. I jump up from bed, and begin to run from the small torch-lit
room, when I run into a wall of fur and fall onto my backside, gasping
as the hard floor stings against my tailbone. I wince in pain, then
all too quickly I'm lifted up off the ground and set down on the soft
bed of skins. A soft voice comes from the Mazuku in front of me. "Are
you alright?"
I look up at the face, easily recognizing Crvesh, feeling his
soft hand/paw upon my shoulder, steadying me. I rest for a moment,
watching him perhaps a bit too intently, before blushing and looking
away. "Um, yes, I'm fine. I'm sorry I ran into you."
He almost laughs at my remark, "No, no, it is I who must be
sorry." He runs one of his paws (decidedly paws) down along my back,
feeling his way down my spine. "I just hope you are not harmed too
greatly."
I'd be lying if I said the feel of his paw on my skin like that
didn't arouse me. I wish I could have just leaned forward and kissed
him, but I'm not known for bravery like that. I just let him feel his
way down, and as his paw brushes past my tailbone, I hiss in pain,
clutching at his arm a bit as I let the moment of pain pass. He sits
upon the skins with me.
"You will be alright. Nothing is broken." He smiles to me, at
least, I think he does. It's hard to tell with his face being like it
is. Truly, I judge more by his eyes than by his lips. "But you should
rest here, for today, and let yourself heal." I nod to him, briefly,
and lay down, adjusting myself on the skins so that my lower back has
less pressure placed upon it. He smiles and lays down beside me, "Be
glad you do not have a tail. It would surely be broken."
I think about his statement for a while, first seriously, then
slowly changing to the comical sound of his statement. I find myself
shifting to my side as I burst out in laughter, and for quite a while
afterward, I can't stop laughing. Everytime I come close, I think of
it again, and the humor returns to my mind. I wonder for a moment, as
I regain my composure, what he must think of me, then gasp as he
startles me, laying on his side and staring at me. I blush a bit and
look down, but the sight of his sheath quickly brings my eyes back up,
as I hope not to let it affect me.
His eyes catch mine for a time, before he smiles and looks away
slightly. "Tell me, why were you running this morning?"
I think for a moment of what to say, afraid to tell the truth,
'I was desperately searching for you...' The truth probably would have
gotten me thrown out on my already sore butt. I decide to simply hide
some of the truth. "I... had a nightmare."
"Night... mare?" He seems rather perplexed. "A horse?"
No wonder, I keep forgetting his limited vocabulary. "Oh, no.
I mean, a dream. A frightening dream." My voice becomes lighter as I
speak the last part. I really don't look forward to telling him about
it.
He, however, doesn't pry. He just lays there, then rolls back
onto his back. "In this village, the only dreams are ones of
preminition. I will not ask you to explain your dream, just know that
what you saw will play a vital role in your life, in some way.
I feel more drawn than ever to tell him now... to warn him of
the death I viewed, but how could that be explained? I find myself
longing to tell him about the rest of the dream too... but I know that
would probably insult him. My thoughts drift back to what he said
about magic, and I decide now is as good a time as any to ask him about
it. "Crvesh, you said before that... I could use magic? Like your
kind?"
He turns to me, a bit of a smile on his face, at least as much
as I can tell. "Yes, humans could always use magic if they wanted to.
Of course, magic comes from the earth, and humans have opposed the
planet with their course of life. You seem different from them, which
is why I suggest that you attempt to learn of our magic.
"The place you are in now, my home, and all the forest outside,
is all magically made, and used by us as a place to be here, away from
the human race that nearly destroyed us so long ago. Being that you
are here, the magic you are able to control while here will be greater
than in the real world. The planet has lost much of it's original
power, during it's struggle to keep up with the human race."
I find myself surprised, that even though he speaks of the
humans, my people, in such a way, I take no offense at all. In fact,
I'm a bit relieved that he refers to me separately from all of them.
In a way, I suppose I am different.
"I can teach you only basic things at first. The magic of the
planet is strong, but dangerous if not properly harnessed. The first
thing you should learn is how to use the entrance to this place. Come
with me." He stands, and holds a paw down to me, which I gratefully
take as he lifts me up, and I follow him out of the cave. Once we
exit, I see the open forest all around us, and, looking back, I notice
that there isn't a cave there anymore. I turn around once, confused,
and he stops me.
"Do not worry, the cave is still there. It is just hidden from
normal view. Without the proper magic, none can enter." He looks up,
and before my eyes, the cave entrance appears. Then, just as quickly,
it disappears. "Let me explain this to you. Our magic comes simply
from our thoughts. We think something, and it becomes reality. Of
course, the magic only works when we actively assert it. Not all of
our thoughts come true."
He turns to face me, at the same time turning me with his paws
on my shoulders, looking so deeply into my eyes that I feel I may be
burned up on the spot. "Now this part is important. Up until now, it
would seem as though anyone could do magic, does it not?" I nod
silently to him, listening intently. "Well, this is not the case.
Most of my kind have a great ability to use magic, but that ability
comes directly from the will of the planet. That is where we get this
power we have. I do not yet know if you have the ability to use magic
yet, however, the planet would not reject you simply because of your
race."
His eyes seem to smile, and he turns his back to me, looking
into the forest. "The planet seems not only to react to your heart,
but also to your path. I know that is a vague reference, but those who
have a greater purpose in life often seem to control the power to a
greater degree. I, myself, as prince of my people, have a greater
power."
My jaw drops in disbelief. A prince?! I had no idea I was
rescuing someone of his high standing! He looks just like the rest of
them! Ok, I suppose to his own kind, he is very unique, but to my
untrained eyes, many of them look very similar. He must have realized
I'd have trouble reasoning all this out, so he stands still for a
couple minutes, allowing my brain to soak up all the information it's
been given. Finally past the shock, I speak, "I had no idea you were a
prince... no offense, but you look much like everyone else here."
He turns, and his eyes still seem to be smiling at me. He
probably understands what I mean more than I realize. "It is
understandable. We are unique to each other, but I admitedly find many
humans similar in appearance, similar to how you must see us." I
smile, and nod. He turns again, this time to face where the cave
should be. "Now, I suppose we will see what the planet thinks of you
in a moment. First I must teach you how to assert your powers."
His eyes close, as I watch him, turning slightly toward the
missing cave entrance. I search, for a moment, for something to say,
but not quickly enough before he is ready to speak. "In order to
summon the powers of the earth, you must focus your mind. Think of
nothing but the radiance of the earth. If you need help, think of just
one thing, something you find beautiful, or enchanting, and focus on
it."
I listen to his words, then begin to put them into practice. I
first attempt to think of nothing. This is, of course, much more
difficult than I'd originially thought. My mind can't seem to blank
out everything at once. So I try his second suggestion, and think of
something beautiful. I think of the forest around us... that's
certainly a beautiful image. But... something about it isn't beautiful
enough. It's breath-taking, just not perfect. My mind doesn't seem to
want to hold the thought long enough, so I figure I'll need another
thought.
Crvesh must notice my effort, because he sets a paw on my
shoulder, and speaks softly. "You will feel the earth's power when you
have accomplished what I have told you about. Just relax, it often
takes some time to perfect."
His words comfort me, and I do relax. Thinking more, something
else beautiful to me... the image of my childhood, sitting up on that
one hill and watching the sunset, then laying back to view the stars as
they sparkle across the night sky... that image has always been
something of great importance to me. Not only has it calmed me in many
times of sorrow, but the hill itself was a place of solitude and
thought after my mother died.
But even with these thoughts, my mind is too jumbled. I can't
just think of the hill, I have to think of everything else, too. The
sunset, the stars, my mother, everything is too much. I need something
else to focus on. My eyes open, and I look at Crvesh.
His face seems perfect to me. I hadn't really looked at it
yet, in the full sunlight, at least not with him looking back at me.
During our trip here, he was always wary, always cautious, but now, he
seems to be focused solely on me. I close my eyes again, and the
thought of him standing there, in front of me, is the only thing on my
mind. I open my eyes again, and look into his. That's it, he can be
my thought! Why not, I wonder? He's certainly beautiful, and nothing
could make my mind so one-tracked as to think of him. I close my eyes
once more, and think of him, not hard, just fleetingly, and soon, I
feel what is like a typhoon swirling around me.
"STOP!" I hear, and open my eyes quickly, confused to hear
Crvesh speak like that. I see him nearly twenty feet away, leaning
against a tree, clutching his shoulder. I rush to his side and kneel
next to him, placing a hand softly on his shoulder, and quickly
removing it as he hisses in pain.
"What happened?" I ask, totally confused by the whole thing.
His eyes seem to be in great pain, and I notice a bit of blood running
down the tree.
"Just... a moment." He groans out, quite gutterally. I watch
as his eyes close, and even the pain I had seen on his face moments
before seems to go away. He stands up, and I see the large gash in his
shoulder, and the pointed nub on the tree that gave it to him. There
was a lot of blood loss in that little time, and I begin to worry for
his health, but as I look back at his shoulder, I'm completely shocked.
The wound has completely covered over. There is still a great
deal of blood running down his back, but the source is completely dried
up, even the fur that should have been gnarled by the injury has
regrown perfectly. His eyes open again, and he turns to me. "Are you
alright?" He asks.
I've got tears in my eyes, I just can't help it. I'm confused
beyond belief, as this Mazuku who's supposed to have a serious injury
turns around, perfectly fine, and asks if I'm alright! "What just
happened?!"
"Do not worry, I am unharmed. I will explain to you if you are
able to enter my home. I will be inside waiting. Just remember, you
only need a small amount of the earth's magic to open the door." He
walks up beside me, and whispers into my ear. "It is simple. Think of
the entrance in front of you, and there it will be." He turns, the
cave appearing for just enough time for him to walk through, then
vanishing from sight. Now I'm left alone out here.
I try to do as he says, thinking of the cave appearing in front
of me. It doesn't seem to work. I close my eyes and concentrate on
the image of the cave, but my thoughts are still too jumbled. There's
so much going on inside my head that I'd never even realized was there!
Then I remember what he'd originally taught me. That's why I need to
clear my thoughts. So I think of him, standing in front of me, that
soft glimmer of a smile in his eyes. From this peaceful image, I walk
forward, envisioning him standing inside the entrance to his cave. I
walk toward this image, finding it coming closer to me, seeing his face
nearing mine... my thoughts shift to myself kissing him as I near him,
and I nearly fall backward as I bump into a furry chest, and feel arms
encircle me just moments before I feel my equilibrium give out. I open
my eyes suddenly, the image of him fading, instead replaced by the
true, physical form of Crvesh...
I breath deeply a moment, not realizing how much energy I had
just exherted. Even without knowledge of his kind's expressions, I can
recognize the smile on his face. I quickly stand by myself again,
finally catching my breath and looking at him. "How... did I do that?"
He places a paw on my shoulder and leads me down the stairs to
his home. "You seem rather gifted in the magical arts. Not just the
speed with which you learn, I am willing to profess."
He stops just a short way into the large room, and I stand in
front of him. "What happened to you, before?" I ask, curious as to
what has flung him so far, and caused such a wound.
"Do not be alarmed when I tell you this, but it was you."
Well, I'm obviously more than alarmed, and he places a paw on my
shoulder to calm me as my mouth hangs open. "Do not be afraid. This
is the kind of power you have. That was the first time you have ever
used it, so it suddenly acted out. From now on, you must be careful
with this power of yours. I had no idea it would be so strong."
I nod slowly, suddenly realizing all that he's telling me.
He'd said before that only those with a great destiny have powerful
magic... did that mean me? I was to have some great cause in the
world? Of course, I can't even begin to fathom the kind of power that
sleeps inside me. I may never know it's extent, and in some ways, I
fell I'd rather not know. But still, what makes me so much different,
so much more special than others? Even a prince!
He walks across the room, and sits in front of the fire,
speaking to me softly, though in the quiet of the cave, I can hear him
perfectly. "Your power is beyond any of my people. I had never
expected to find a human so gifted. Within time you will learn to
focus your mind, so you will no longer have to think of m... of some
other peaceful image to calm your mind. But the door was easy. It
will take much deeper concentration to make some other things happen."
I walk over beside him, still a bit in shock. How is magic
like this possible? I had always thought that the most powerful things
were machines, capable of producing their own kind of magic. This,
however, is completely different.
He stands beside me, and slowly turns to me. "There are a few
things you can do to practice working with this magical energy. Each
of us has an element of nature to work with..." Crvesh lifts his paw
up, and in no time at all, a small ball of fire lights a small distance
above his palm, generating heat, but nothing too much even at this
closeness. "I am of fire. There are others here, of my race, who can
call upon water, air, and earth. None are able to summon up more than
one of these elements." He pauses for a moment after saying this.
"There is one different. He owns no elements... but it doesn't matter.
He does not have much power." An image plays across my eyes, of a
Mazuku's face... but I can't make it out clearly. "Nevermind, I can
help you find the element you control, though I believe I know
already."
He walks up to me, and places my hand as his paw was, with the
palm facing up, his resting just beneath it. "Focus. Use whatever
means you have within you to force some small kind of distortion in the
space just above your hand. That distortion will define your element."
I focus a moment. Distortion? What did he mean? I guess I
should go through the elements he spoke of... I think of him, my mind
blanking out... no, I should try to clear my thoughts fully. I can't
always rely on this image to calm me. I start at his face, just seeing
his eyes staring back at me, and slowly let it fade. I can feel the
powers of the earth filling me as I do, my mind pulling in all my will,
which I have yet to learn to fully control.
I imagine the small ball of fire floating in my hand. I feel
no heat, but I can tell I've managed to do it. Well, that must decide
that... but... I let the image of the fireball fade, and slowly
envision a sphere of rock forming above my palm. I hear a soft gasp as
it occurs, as I quickly learn to control this new power. I let the
stone fade out of existance, and focus instead on a ball of water.
It's quite odd, imagining a perfect sphere of water floating above my
palm. It must have been even more odd to see. I let this image fade,
and wonder what to do for air? A whirlwind? No, that could get out of
hand. A small breeze should be enough. Even as I imagine this, I feel
the wind whip around my body, and I quickly end that thought. At least
I know I can use that too. But hadn't he said I shouldn't have control
of more than one element?
I hear a sudden whispering in my ear, and my mind instantly
envisions the face of Crvesh. "I want you to think of a point of
absolute darkness above your palm. I know it seems like an odd idea,
but attempt it for me."
I listen to him, clearing my thoughts much more quickly than
before, and picturing the point of darkness above my hand. I can tell,
even thought my eyes are not open, that I am not doing what I wish to.
However, I get a new thought in my head, if not darkness, what about
light? I see the point of light, bright and yet soft, shining above my
palm. In no time, I can see the brightness upon my closed eyelids. I
open my eyes, and the point of light disappears.
"This is incredible..." He whispers. And slowly lifts his
other paw, never removing the original from my hand. His eyes don't
even close as he brings back the ball of fire, showing me the true
prowess with the magic I should eventually try to find. Suddenly, the
fire changes to a deep blue water, right in front of my eyes. His paw
lets my own go, as a look of slight shock appears on his face. The
water splashes against his paw as he loses his concentration among the
shock. "But..." He stands up, and heads toward the cave's foodstores.
He turns to me. "I will be back soon with some food... practice what
you know."
I nod to him, and close my eyes. As I focus on the elements...
fire... nothing happens... ok, maybe I just need to focus harder. I
concentrate, and clear my mind, thinking of the ball of water from
before... only now, I get nothing. I open my eyes, a bit frustrated,
and focus on that gleaming light from before, letting out a soft yell
as I'm suddenly blinded by the brightness of it appearing in my hand.
Crvesh rushes into the room, surprised. "Are you hurt?" He
asks. I open my eyes slowly as I get used to the darkness again, glad
I wasn't blinded permanently.
I shake my head, looking down a moment, and wondering what to
tell him. "It... doesn't work anymore." I look down a bit.
He looks a bit confused. "It? Your magic?" I nod. "That
should not happen..." He picks up my hand, turns it to face upward,
and nods, "Show me fire."
I'm about to tell him that I can't, that it won't work, but I
just decide to show him the same. I focus on the fire, closing my eyes
methodically and clearing my mind, then bringing back the ball of fire
into my field of vision, suddenly feeling the soft warmth upon my hand.
I continue to hold the vision, and the fireball, until a great loss is
felt within my mind. His hand falls from mine, and in that instant the
fireball fades completely.
I open my eyes, and he seems to be in deep thought. "Crvesh...
what..."
He stops me short. "Does anything still work?"
I think back. So far as I know, I could only create the light,
as I had before. I hadn't tried air or earth. I close my eyes, and
attempt to create either of these, to no success. But when I think of
light, a bright beam opens up in my palm. I quickly halt the thought,
opening my eyes to make sure I hadn't blinded him. He seems alright,
and I relax. "I can only create light, now."
He turns around, as though he's trying so hard to process
everything. I stand behind him, sometimes glancing down at his tail as
it slowly sways back and forth over his muscular rump... he turns
around, and I return my gaze to his eyes. "We must talk about this. I
may know what is going on. Stay here, I will finish making our
meal..." Crvesh walks back into the foodstores, and I sit on the
skins, still thinking. What IS happening, I wonder?
copyright 2002 - Neiko Mitaki
Feel free to e-mail me with any comments you might have, I
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Getting excited yet? Yes, I know, STILL no yiff. Soon, I say.
Have some patience. Not much more to add right now, I'm just going to
continue posting chapters semi-regularly.