Starsky Academy

21.

It had been two weeks since the most recent attack, where three dragons and two riders had been kidnapped from the once safe-haven that was Starsky Academy.

"You have fun, okay?" I patted Avyn's nose and he huffed, As fun as hunting can be.

"Don't you like to hunt?" I asked, still out loud. Avyn didn't nod nor shake his head, instead answering, Well, I don't mind it. I understand the cycle of life and why I have to feed myself, but of course it's never easy to end a life. 

I nodded in understanding. Of course my dragon would feel like that.

"So, you're going with Rainsong, right?" I wiggled my eyebrows at his exasperated face. He seemed embarrassed but nodded anyways.

"Well, once again, have fun buddy." Avyn quickly wrapped his wings around me and we embraced, dragon and rider, two halves to a whole. 

I paused for a moment, thinking, as I watched Avyn's catlike green eyes. What was it like to not have a dragon? My mind couldn't comprehend it - though I'd only been at the Academy for what was it, two months now? - and I knew that being without Avyn at this point would be like cutting my very soul in half. Before I met him I had just been me. With him I was us. Did that even make any sense? I doubted it, but smiled anyways as I hugged his paler chest.

Avyn, with his stunning indigo scales, and Rainsong, with her sapphire ones, flapped their wings hard to lift off into the air. As strong, cold gusts of air whipped my face, I felt my eyes water, like I was cutting onions. It was like fanning your eyes while they were bulged out, but much, much more dramatized and colder.

"I'm worried," Amber admitted, and I gritted my teeth, knowing where she was going with this, "The Shadows. What if..." Her voice trailed off, and I could tell she was unable to finish her sentence.

"They're dragons. They have dragonfire. Besides, Avyn wouldn't listen to it. He's hungry and he needs to feed himself, and he's tired of the stale meat they're serving now." I heard the tremor in my voice as well, and I knew Amber could hear it too.

She looked at me, her blue eyes troubled. "I hope you're right. That they'll be fine."

"I hope so too," I murmured, sighing.

"We still have a good half hour before lunch. Whad'ya say we spar or something like that; keep our skills in shape?" I could tell Amber was trying to lighten the mood.

I shrugged, and then we jogged across the campus to the training area, where some other students were already practicing. Thalia was among them, and I noticed that her golden eyes were filled with a more pronounced version of the emotion I had seen last week. It bothered me - the emotion reminded me not just of anger, not just of sadness, but of hate and incredible loneliness. I was a bit surprised when I didn't see her dragon hovering nearby - I hadn't seen it with her before either, though. Maybe they were fighting? Weird.

I gripped a wooden staff from the pile and Amber followed suit. We circled each other like snarling dogs, except we were friends, before beginning the battle.

It passed quickly, and this time I won the fight, but barely. I had pinned her with my staff to her neck, and that meant victory.

We were both quietly chatting, catching our breaths for the next duel, when suddenly I yelled out in pain. Instantly Amber was talking to me, but I couldn't focus on her, my vision had blurred and there was a resolute ringing in my temple. I groaned, kneeling over, holding my head, trying to calm myself, trying to breathe, and eventually it worked. 

"A-Are you ok?" Amber asked slowly once I felt that I had recovered enough to talk. 

"I don't know." My voice was stony. My fists were clenched, and my palms felt clammy and cold. My heart still pounded, and a dull throbbing remained in my head, but it wasn't so bad anymore.