The Youngest Defender

Chapter One: Forge Fire

By: The Firebending Frog

Disclaimer:

I do not own Di-Gata Defenders, it is the property of Nerd Studios and Nelvana Entertainment

A Blast of energy exploded through the courtyard launching Mel back into one of the runed stones painfully. Erik cheered happily as the battle ended. He just seemed so happy to have finally won, for his strategy to have finally worked. If he had taught me anything it was that you should find what works and stick with it. I definitely wanted to be like that. no doubt. Maybe I would avoid doing the happy dance he was currently doing but I for sure couldn't wait for that day. I turned and began sneaking towards Seth who had a book propped open while he ate behind it. He knew there was no food allowed in the library but he didn't care about anything so long as his stomach was full. I hid under the table and reached up feeling around for the pouch containing his Di-Gata Stones. Sure he only had three but that was all I needed. But maybe I should have been more stealth because he grabbed my hand and lifted my five year old form off the ground. I scowled at him and he just scowled back before dropping me and grabbing the pouch of stones and putting it on his belt just so I couldn't sneak past him again.

"Can I use your stones?!" I asked in my best impression of a beg.

"No Kara." he replied picking the book back up, "You know the rules, Stick with your guardian-"

"-And I get a new stone every year and blah blah blah!" I continued but I was persistent, "Please?! I want to be like Erik!"

"Really?" he asked pushing his blackish blue hair back, "You want to pull all nighters building a mechanical gauntlet just so you don't need to throw stones?"

"No, I'm going to be saving the realm one day so I need to start now!' I lied.

Seth didn't seem convinced and just pointed to the other corner of the library and I stalked over there grumpily. It was away from the window but that didn't matter, the training session was already over. All I'd see anyway was Professor Alnar correcting their forms. I sat down and pulled my legs in close glaring at Seth.

"That won't change my mind." he commented from behind the book and I scowled at him. I dug into the pocket of my skirt and pulled out the only stone I had. V-Moth. Sure guardians were rare but what good was a guardian without anything to back it up with. I wanted to cast like Erik, Mel, and Seth but just because I was younger I wasn't allowed to do anything cool. I still had to wait another year before anything cool happened. The green stone with a green Yin symbol binding her in there glowed faintly at my touch. Too bad I'd already depleted her earlier so I was stuck alone and bored for another two hours. time moved slow here it seemed and I had already explored every nook and cranny of the dojo in my pre-training days. I knew that after my birthday I would begin training with the others but they were all two years older and so much more mature, able to handle the immense power the stones held. I wasn't ready, I hadn't even gotten the chance to prove I was ready. They just assumed I wasn't able to handle it, but I was determined to succeed.

Suddenly the dojo bell rang and Seth stood up, happy to be free of his literary trap. I leaped to my feet and followed him down the stairs, I was so excited and couldn't wait to see my big brother. I rushed past him and came sliding to a halt next to the table where he and Mel were talking.

"YOU WON! YOU WON!" I exclaimed running around the table and leaping into his lap, "You were so cool!"

"Kara, you were supposed to be studying sigils." Erik lectured but his smile couldn't contain his own excitement.

I reached into his pouch and pulled out his three stones, he snatched them away before I could even view them.

"Kara." He stated in his older brother voice, "You aren't allowed to handle stones."

I pouted and crossed my arms unhappily. He never let me do anything fun. He acted so tough when in reality he couldn't cast more than one stone at once, and even then one stone by itself wasn't all the powerful. Why couldn't I be like him and the others. They were basically dice. I already knew which ones I wanted to use and everything. I'd done my homework and I wanted the exact same ones that he used. No questions about it. I knew there was going to be a test and everything but I was certain that I'd have the same powers as my brother.

"Come on Kara." Erik sighed pushing me to the ground, "It isn't that bad, you start you training in only a few months."

"But it's a few months!" I whined shaking my brother and clearly getting on his nerves.

"Kara, just sit down." he ordered and I sighed and obeyed, Not listening to him would only cause a problem and the last thing I needed to be right now was a problem.

"How was training anyway?' Seth asked as he sat down with a plate filled almost to the brim with food. The amount that kid ate scared me at times.

"Pretty good." Erik grinned while Mel pouted and turned the other way. She was clearly still sore over her loss on the battlefield.

"Mel?" I asked, "How great did it feel to lose to Erik?!"

"Kara, that isn't nice." Erik sighed, "Don't say stuff like that!"

"Why not?" I asked, "Who am I supposed to be nice to anyway, It's just us and a holographic professor."

"I'll be in my room." Mel growled through gritted teeth.

"I think you mean our room." I replied with a grin referring to the fact our beds were just separated by thin walls in a single room.

Mel just scowled harder and left. I didn't know that I'd harmed her feelings but Erik and Seth apparently did.

"Kara!' Erik exclaimed making me almost tired of hearing my name, "I just told you to be nice!"

"Sorry." I apologized realizing I'd gone way too far again.

"If you keep this up Professor Alnar will take your guardian stone away." Erik lectured. My hair stood on end and I felt in my pocket for V-Moth. I'd earned her fair and square though tests and studying, I wasn't going to lose her! No way! She was my friend!

"NO!" I screamed diving under the table and holding the marked cube to my chest as if that would prevent the stronger people from snatching it away, I didn't realize Erik was lying and didn't see the guilty look on his face. He didn't mean to set me off.

"Kara, please... Just wait your turn. Stones can be dangerous." Erik explained as I peeked out from under the table.

"Okay, I will." I sighed reluctantly knowing full well I'd be back to trying to take the other's stones by the next day.

Moonlight shone through the window and lit up the room, Everyone was sleeping in their beds peacefully, some better than others. Erik was cuddling with his tools, Seth was snoring lightly, and Mel was apparently having a nightmare judging by the way her forehead shuddered in the light. Suddenly she sat up screaming and I jumped back like I was about to be damaged by it.

"Kara?" She asked rubbing her eye.

"Nightmare?" I asked curiously.

"Yes." She replied looking at her bedside table to see her stones still present and scattered over the table. The Yan and Sum sigils imprinted on the silver stones gave off a light blue glow. She looked at me accusingly as if I'd been trying to take them.

"Don't worry, I couldn't sleep so I was sneaking out when I saw you having a nightmare." I explained.

"Kara, you should be sleeping." She muttered, even though she was only seven she seemed to be way more mature than Erik or Seth and seemed almost as fun as Professor Alnar. So basically really boring.

"I know. I know, but what do I have to rest for anyway? I only spend one Period studying anyway and then I get to goof off." I explained, "Why can't I have a stone?!"

"You know that defender training only starts when you're six." Mel replied crossing her arms.

"How did you bear the wait?" I asked curious to the answer.

"I don't know really, There was no one training here anyway when we were still waiting. I guess it's hard for you since you get to see us doing that all day and can't take part huh?" Mel asked while rubbing the back of her head.

"yeah... Sort of." I replied copying her habit.

"Well you don't much longer to wait, and that energetic attitude is bound to help you in training." Mel grinned flashing me a smile, "Just try to build good habits and not bad ones."

"I will." I nodded feeling glad she'd forgiven me. I had been an annoyance earlier and that was seemingly forgiven.

I watched her lie down and I sighed and returned to my bed laying in it and staring up at the ceiling. The dome was made of red stone and covered in sigils. I happened to have all eight above me. I pointed at Sum and Infinis, two sigils that I myself wanted to use. I didn't want to be exactly like Erik but I wanted to have something in common. It wasn't uncommon for two defenders to have the same sigil but in this case every sigil but Yin and Altas had been used. Mostly storm based combinations that I would shrug indifferently to. The sigils were where I wanted to end up, So I was intent on learning their secrets.

The Study hall was quiet as me and Erik sat there leafing through books, the occasional blast from the training field told me Seth was pummeling Mel's shields. I just stared at the sigils in the book straining myself to concentrate but I just simply gave up and hopped off my chair.

"Kara, this is study period." Erik stated with a sigh.

"Yeah but what's better than looking at real sigils?" I asked picking up my Guardian stone and watching a beam of light pop out and the adorable purple bug appeared.

"Kara, how is that going to help you?" he asked but I ignored him and chased V-Moth around happily trying to grab her but she'd stay just out of my reach. I didn't even slip on the floor due to lack of shoes either.

"Erik." Professor Alnar stated appearing in the room and freaking Erik out, "I need you to clean the mess you left in the parts rooms up, don't you know any better?!"

"Oh! Sorry Professor." Erik yelped in embarrassment before dashing out of the room not noticing his Di-Gata Stones falling to the ground in the process.

I had just captured V-Moth in my hand when I looked down and my eyes widened with glee. I let go of V-Moth and bent down to pick them up.

"OOh Erik's Di Gata Stones." I grinned losing interest in V-Moth as I picked up the Infinis and Ogama Stones. They gleamed lightly in my hand and felt natural, even if they were just cubes. I glanced about to see if anyone was there this was my big chance to prove I could be just like everyone else.

V-Moth hovered towards the stones curiously and I clenched my fist feeling them rub together like when we played board games with dice. I opened my hand and they glowed with a yellow light and began floating off my hand just within reach of balling my fists again.

"Now I can cast just like my big brother!" I exclaimed in glee as I stared at the entrancing light that fell off my hands and illuminated my face. I'd seen the others cast before and having that power in my hand was almost electric. I felt the tingle of unused power in my hands, I had to cast them. I could prove my worth and start my training early.

Giggling with joy and not realizing the serious nature of the situation I spun I a circle and threw the stones upward watching them begin to glow with power and release the energy. I saw the glowing symbols of Yan and Ogama attempt to fly together to form whatever they were supposed to but something went wrong. I watched in curiosity as the symbols fell apart and turned into glowing balls of flame above my head The began to fall spiraling towards me. I gasped in shock, suddenly afraid of the power that had been launched at me It flew down to the ground and smashed into my legs creating a blazing ring of fire that burned with a pain like no other. The magical fire licked at my skin burning my clothes and making the skin bubble I screamed as if that would make it stop, but it didn't I felt my legs waver, the fire began to die down. The stones reappeared and the pain throbbed making me dizzy. I felt a blackening wave wash over me and I collapsed hearing the stones tumble across the floor and come to a halt feet from me. My entire body throbbed and I could barely feel my legs through the pain. I lay there in a circle of blackened stone letting tears flow out as I lost consciousness.

The wave tumbled and I felt like I was falling, I blacked out and then nothing.

Felt like starting this, thought it would be a fun project. Kara does have the most interesting backstory save Mel. But then again I have a scene to work off of. So I picked this. Anyway I should update this soon. Then I can move onto getting my updates for February out.

Anyway, enjoy.

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