Prince of Pigeons

One Simple Error

"Now then, after you draw the circle, place the seed at the exact center of it." Ms. Revin said, I scribble down what she just said in my notebook, this class period was dedicating to teaching us a ritual to strengthen crops and plants, with a single potted plant as the example. I briefly wonder if I should use a potted plant if I ever need to do this ritual, if it'd be easier to correct a misplaced seed, if its hard to put the seed exactly at the center of the circle. "Okay, does anyone here know the next step of the ritual?" Revin said, there is a sound from behind me, I turn to see a girl with long, white hair and very determined eyes near the back of the class, her hand raised high. "Yes, Cynthia?" With the go ahead, She jumped out of her seat and walked over to the plant, she took some of the white chalk used for the circle, she then drew four markings in the circle, they resembled seeds, she then grabbed some water from nearby and poured it on the plant before Revin stopped her, "Okay Cynthia, I'll take it from here." Revin then drew a second, smaller circle surrounded by the seed markings.

Someone behind me stood up, "I think she did it wrong." I turn to look at her. She has long black hair and a purple shirt with white lining. She ran to the front of the class, "W-well, Cynthia did mess up." Revin began, but was interrupted by the girl pulling a purple glass from one of the shelves, then poured it over the sigil. "Z-Zaria." "And after you pour the monster extract into the sigil-" "ZARIA!" Revin shouted, "Please go back to your seat, I'll take it from here." For some reason, Zaria looked betrayed, and I feel like she would describe it as that, as she sulked back to her seat. "N-now then, after you pour monster extract onto the sigil, you pour soil onto it."

During Flight class (or Aeronautics, apparently), the teacher planned for us to fly higher than we usually do, as he was beginning to teach us about launching. As I flew up into the higher parts of the courtyard, I noticed one of the walls was covered in loads of vines. Just, loads of vines, they were inside and outside of the windows decorating that wall. It was only later on, late at night, did I realize that wall connected to what happened in Spells class, and what would happen over the week.

In the dorms, someone was complaining about vines growing in the closet. This school was hard to get into, and still we had to worry about things like this? The place getting overgrown and swarms of pigeons flying overhead?

(Wait, was that second one my fault? Are the pigeons following me?)

During that lunch period, I was looking out one of the windows, into the valley below. I was thinking about the vines, because who wouldn't? I walked near someone, and I paused when I realized who it was, which was Dane! While I was thinking about whether I should greet him or not, I sat down, and he sat down right next to me.

Ah, ok, I can work with this. He probably won't talk to me or even notice me if I just don't talk to him. I began to eat quickly, almost choking on my food. He turns to me and takes a deep breath, when suddenly, something happened.

"Attention students, the courtyard is no longer accessible due to an unexpected occurrence. Please avoid it until later notice."

And then multiple students ran to see what happened in the courtyard, and Dane was one of them. I continued eating.

The courtyard was covered in flowers of varying colors, which was not normal, the suffocating groups of bushes and vines flooding the courtyard was clear evidence of that. When I got to see it, there were only a couple of students still hanging around. I stop and stare, taking in the confusion and subtle horror, knowing it might get worse. That hallways could get flooded by the bushes and hedges. I turn around to leave, but I look at the other students and see that strange girl from the class I talked about in the beginning of this chapter, she seems to be both shocked and disappointed, like she could discipline whatever was responsible for this. I get to the closest door before she starts talking. "This is awful!" "Truly awful!" "This could have been avoided, you know!" "We could have avoided this!" Those were all from her, she's seeking attention or something. Someone wanders up and asks her what she's talking about. "It was in Spells class, second period! That Zora moron!" Oh, did I see what started this? What's gonna happen to... Zoria?

At the end of Friday, most of the students were trying to leave and go do something outside of school, the couple remaining were either trying to leave as well, or too curious about the massive hedge maze taking over the hallways in the eastern wing. Seriously, I stop and turn to look down one of the hallways, a mass of bushes and flowers overtaking it. I see another student preparing something, a cyan ring appearing in front of them. It doesn't really matter what that spell was supposed to do since it flickers out and fails, then another student walks in front of them and creates an orange ring.

This spell works, and a small red orb flies out, hitting the mass of greenery and getting it to shake a bit.

A few seconds pass...

And then it responds.

A bush comes flying out of the mass, hitting it's assailant in the face and sending them flying straight into me. We crash into some lockers and fall onto the ground pitifully, he's much faster at getting up than I am. I can see that the other student is stuck in place, only watching as vines spring out of the mass, they start moving again as the vines lash out at them. I get up and see that the overgrowth has started moving down the hall, the vines whacking any lockers or doors open. My senses kick back in and I run away, I expect to see other hallways overcame with the plant life, but nothing else comes up, until I run into the first door leading outside that I can find.

It's my flight class, and it's a natural mess.

More bushes, more vines, more flowers. I'm frozen in fear, right above me was the head of a Mars Foresteater. You would call it a cartoony, giant plant monster. It screams, I run back inside as my wings freak out, hearing the thing move around above me, we move in a straight line towards the courtyard. I go outside again through the double doors, the Foresteater through a hole it made a while ago. I see other students freaking out over the massive plant monster, but I see a few fighting it.

One in particular stands out, it's the girl I saw flying outside of Biology on day two. She's flying sloppily with a broom, if that makes sense. She's firing off pink blasts with panic and recklessness. I'm distracted by a larger vine whacking me and a few tables away, the assault causing the plant monster to move every part of it's anatomy in retaliation. I get struck by a few smaller vines before my higher survival instincts return and I try to fly away. My attention returns to the pink-haired girl, she fires off a few blasts before getting scared and dodging flying bushes as the plant's maw snapped menacingly. 

I made the mistake of getting distracted again, and get hit by a launched bush. I land on stone tiles surrounded by bush and bright flowers; I see someone tied up by vines, it's the other girl I saw in Spell class, and the girl I saw in the hall. She becomes a lot more frustrated when she sees me, "I WARNED YOU ABOUT THIS!" "I DON'T EVEN KNOW YOU?!" I shouted in response, and she becomes more frustrated for some reason, and she recites "I am Cynthia Fresten! Child of-" Before we are both shocked by a large, thorny vine shooting out between us. It blindly reaches for me, and I duck as it swings across my portion of the small breathing room from the murderous hedge maze. I run closer to Cynthia, which isn't helpful, and just results in my hand getting caught and wrapped by vines.

We hear someone fly overhead. 

"CEASE, FOUL CREATURE!" It's Halendria. I can't turn to look at her, because my attention is divided between the massive vine and the vines trying to drag me into the plant. She recites something, it becomes much, much colder, and the shifting green plant starts spasming, the bushes surrounding us start to collapse. Cynthia is freed in the struggle, and she runs off through an opening. I get it worse, as the vines don't relent and even dig in tightly around my arm. Gods it hurts.

Thankfully, the whole Foresteater stops moving, and I can get the vines off my arm. I look and see what Halendria did, and I'm floored. The Foresteater's head is covered in a mass of ice, I can see Halendria, flying with no wings or broom, and the pink-haired girl circling down to the floor. I fall into a sitting position from sheer relief.

It's about three days later, and nothing as crazy as the Mars Foresteater has happened. There's an article, but it's only on a website I've never heard of. I saw what created the Foresteater, it was created when Zaria poured monster extract on the sigil in Spell class. And this is the most that happens, we still had to go to class the day after, I don't know if they told our parents, I don't know if they're trying to keep quiet.

I don't think anything will come from what happened.