Draeyer Academy (Rewrite)

Chapter 4- Weak

Alec grumbled curses under his breath as he shot his fifth rabbit for the day. Its wings broke into light, and the sparkles were carried away by the wind. Because of the thieving drae that ate his game yesterday, he had to go back hunting. Unfortunately, with his luck, only small creatures scampered around Gelun Forest. No deer, no hares, no large enough animals that could provide him sufficient food that would last for the next few weeks. What small creatures he spotted were very few in numbers. The only choice for food was to go into town. He let out a groan at the thought of that.

His brows creased as he remembered the red drae that flew off, a few moments after its snout touched his hand. Why was a wild drae around Gelun in the first place? He wondered. I wonder where it went. He sighed and secured the five rabbit carcasses around the necks with a rope. He slung his bow and quiver on his back, before he trudged out of the forest. A moment later, an unsettling feeling formed at the bottom of his stomach.

He felt eyes watching him and he whipped his head to his left and to the right. He even turned around, but saw nothing but the white piles of snow, and the trunks of the leafless trees. He berated himself for his actions. There was no way somebody was there. He was the only one who lived close by and hunted on these grounds on regular basis. He turned back to the original direction he was going in.

"Drae's shit!" he cursed. He let go of the rabbit remains in the process of falling onto his rear because of shock. A series of grunts and growls filled the air around him, which sounded more like laughter to his ears. He took deep breaths to calm the erratic beating of his heart when he saw the creature in front of him. Once his normal heartbeat returned, his eyes narrowed into slits at the big red beast.

"You think it's funny scaring the Blazen out of me?" he said through gritted teeth. He watched as the beast let loose another round of laughter, which included wheezing sounds. It sat on its hind legs, with its front paws a few feet off the ground. Its big sharp claws and underbelly armor glistened under the mid-afternoon sun, along with its top armor.

With a scowl plastered on his face, Alec stood and grabbed the rabbit carcasses in the process. The Drae ceased its laughter and stared at the food that dangled in his hold. Alec was quick to notice, and held up his hand.

"These," he gestured to the rabbits, "are mine. Go hunt your own. You're capable of doing that."

When the words left his mouth, his brows knit together, wondering why he was even talking to it. He was unable to fathom how he had the courage to talk to this wild Drae. It seemed after their contact yesterday, his fear for the beast vanished along with its hostility towards him.

As he made a move to pass its large form, it dropped on all fours and turned its head so their faces were only a few inches apart. It tilted its head to the side, and its pointy ears drooped. The pupils of its yellow eyes grew big with pleading.

"No," he said, "You ate my deer yesterday so I had to work hard all morning to catch these."

It leaned forward and nudged his torso with its snout, while keeping its gaze locked on his pale blue eyes. A whimper came out of its currently toothless mouth, and Alec's walls crumbled.

Alec's jaw hung open in shock at what it was doing. He cursed himself and his weakness for anything that looked remotely adorable.

"Alright, fine," he said. He took a small knife and cut one carcass off the rope, grumbling under his breath the entire time. The Drae's ears perked up. A loud thud echoed in the forest as it hopped away from him, excitement showing in its eyes. Its front crouched low, while its lower body rose off the ground. Its tail wagged around like a happy dog.

A gust of wind and snow pushed Alec's hair back when it spread its wings wide. At once, he took in the sight of it, which spanned a few feet longer than its body. Taking notice of its still excited state, his lips twitched to form a smile and he rolled his eyes. He threw the rabbit towards it. Its sharp teeth protruded out and devoured the entire body at once.

While it ate its snack, Alec moved around it and continued his walk home. Moments later, he stopped and turned around when he heard thuds on the ground following him. He raised an eyebrow at the Drae, who in turn, mirrored his action by tilting its head so adorably that Alec broke into a full-blown smile. A chuckle erupted from his throat as he shook his head. The smile remained etched on his face as he resumed walking, knowing full well that the Drae tried to make its steps quiet as it followed him home.

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Later that night, after dinner, Alec sat on the stairs of his porch. As usual, he looked up starry sky and focused on the waning twin moons. All was quiet and peaceful. At least until the drae came inching towards him. A smile formed on his lips as he heard the familiar thuds from earlier this afternoon. After one particular thump, which was louder than the rest, silence reigned around the area once more.

He looked down and spotted the red Drae lying on the white ground. Its head lay at his feet, as the creature also looked up at the blanket of stars above them. With some hesitance, he leaned forward to run a hand over its silver encased head. Its head jerked upward to meet his before he could do so. Taking him by surprise, the Drae inched closer and settled its head on his lap. It was a bit heavy, but Alec felt comfortable, and softly ran a hand from its snout to its silver head. The drae purred and sank deeper into his lap.

"If you want to stay with me, you're going to need a name?" He spoke to it.

It raised its head a bit and looked at him. For some reason, Alec could tell that it was waiting for it to name him.

"I still have to think about it. I can't just name you on the spot?"

The drae seemed to think for a moment, before it shrugged its wings and placed its head back on his lap. Alec interpreted as "I can wait"

Alec reached out to give its head a hug. An even bigger smile formed on his lips as he looked back up at the sky. For the first time, after years of nights like this, he didn't feel alone. A small amount of happiness started to fill his lonely heart.

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Be prepared, guys. Be prepared.