The Ways of War

Chapter 7

I couldn't help it I started laughing. Once I had started, it was only natural for Patrice and Alvin to joy in, only they were too busy gagging from the taste of the food to really get a good chuckle going. So basically I was laughing while a chorus of coughs sounded behind me.

Opher, now used to my laughter in situations that didn't really require it, waited patiently for me to finish, although I could tell by the look on his face that there was something that he wanted to talk to me about.

By the time my laughter had calmed, Patrice and Alvin had finished their poison and Opher had moved as close as the layout of the tent would allow.

I made sure it was okay that I went and talked with my dragon while the others put things away before I headed over to him. As soon as I was close enough, Opher curled his form around me, encasing me in a circle of scales and warmth while giving a semblance of privacy.

Sitting down I leaned my back against Opher and looked towards him, noting that despite all of the changes that had happened in our lives, Opher remained the same, an anchor of familiarity within a sea of deviations.

Firmly settled, Opher wasted no time in questioning me. "You changed your attire and hair." He said his voice slightly accusatory.

I winced and looked down, noting the distinct contrast between Opher's scales and my armor. "It was required." I said speaking a loud and keeping my voice quiet. "The admiral was incredibly rude. He said I looked soft, when we went to Helga, that's the armored, she was supposed to make me look tough. She was super nice, you would like her, but she cut my hair and then said my armor didn't fit right and that it wouldn't really protect me, so she gave me these." I explained, watching as his eyes changed from anger at me to sympathy to anger at someone else, I would assume the admiral.

Smoke started curling out of Opher's nose and I tensed up, slightly fearful that I might end up on the other end of a small fire. "Culus," Opher cursed, causing me to withhold laughter. I knew his anger was something to be feared, but the sound of the Latin curse leaving my mild mannered dragon was humorous. "I should show him weak! We endured the poison! A man like him would have died had he been subjected to what we were!" He snarled as he shifted, nearly knocking me over and forcing me to stand from my relaxed position against him.

Moving towards Opher's head, I put my scarred hand on his neck. "Opher, it is alright, we will prove him wrong." I told him trying to soothe his anger. Switching to a lighter tone and subject I flashed a smile up onto my face. "There is good news though! Lucas and Blade are going to be our trainers!" I said happily.

Opher's eyes trained on me, and a gleam of interest sparked in them. "Really? That is good, they know how to handle us." He said. I laughed, knowing he was more looking forward to reuniting with Blade, the two of them had become fast friends while at the academy, and I knew that when Lucas and Blade were shipped out both Opher and I were equally disappointed.

"Yeah," I said, running out of things to talk with him about but not wanting to leave quite yet. "What did you do while I was gone?" I asked him, knowing that I had been told that he had gone to explore the camp, but that could entitle any number of things.

Opher perked up and gave a dragon smile. "We went and found the feeding troughs!" He told me excitedly. "There is a pen filled with deer and when we want one we just pick it and eat! I mean it stinks that we can't hunt the deer, but they are so fat! One of them makes the perfect meal!" He told me.

I winced at the image that conjured itself up into my head. A pen filled with deer that had no chance to escape their coming death. Of course there was no chance of them escaping in the first place, but still, for them to be stuck like that.

I chose not to share these views with Opher, instead choosing to smile and nod. "Awesome!" I exclaimed and was about to ask another question when I heard a shout from the other side of Opher's body.

"Royse!" Patrice's familiar voice sounded causing me to sigh as Opher uncoiled himself from around me, leaving me face to face with my friend. She looked slightly sheepish as she glanced over my head towards where Opher was looking down at her, curious as to why she had interrupted our conversation. "Sorry, but Alvin needs help adjusting one of the blankets so that it hangs over the hallway, and well none of us can reach so we decided it would be easier to lift someone up, but we need someone to catch them if they fall." She told me.

I felt a rush of anger that she would interrupt my conversation for something as simple for house keeping. Pushing down the anger I gave a small smile before moving to follow Patrice towards where Alvin stood holding another sheet.

Alvin's looked agitated and as soon as Patrice turned to pick something up his eyes flew to mine relaying in one look that he was about done with our friend's interior designing.

Patrice turned back around and looked at me for a few seconds before nodding her head. "Alright, Royse, since you're lighter than me, Alvin will pick you up. All you have to do is push this blanket to the ceiling until it sticks. It shouldn't take long." She told me.

Looking towards Alvin, who looked as if he was extremely uninterested in doing anything, much less holding me up towards a ceiling until a blanket stuck to the ceiling, I glanced back at Patrice. "I don't think we need to hang another blanket." I said, looking towards the already hanging ones. They blocked the smoke from over powering the beds, but down the aisle there was still some wisps that worked their way towards the front of the tent. "If we completely trap the smoke in the back, it won't all fit through the opening the roof, and we will basically suffocate ourselves." I said trying to reason with Patrice, as well as get myself out of being lifted. I wasn't scared of heights while I was on Opher, I knew he would never let me fall, but Alvin was another story.

Patrice's hands dropped and she looked at the materials she held. "Oh, I didn't think about that." She said as she turned, giving me a chance to see Alvin's relieved expression. Apparently he was as keen on picking me up as I was on being picked up. "I guess the tent is ready then!" Patrice chirped happily as she bounded back to where Alvin and she had placed the cleaned bowls.

I looked around at the cramped bunk buds, hung blankets, open fire pit, and the shelf with miscellaneous items on it, and I couldn't help to compare it to my spacious private room at the academy. I also couldn't help but love this one more.