-1Two Heylins

Chapter 1: The Newest Heylin

Note: Most of my FanFics fall on or around PG-13.

It was a calm morning. Birds sang their little songs and went about making merry.

The mountains were still. That is, with the exception of one. Its entrance resembled a gaping maw, and inside the atmosphere was quite different.

The halls thundered with monstrous sounds. The large feral cats that guarded the place were noticeably disturbed, many of which pacing on the spot. Down through corridors and galleries of statues and oceans of fountains, one room was the source of the commotion.

It was the training room.

A great draconic creature was forcefully gazing about, trying to decipher all possible vantage points in the room, and waiting, muscles tensed.

Waiting… Waiting… Waiting…

Suddenly a white and red streak coursed across the room, tackled him, and attempted to get him on his back. He brought his tail up, and she was forced to kick herself off of him. She bounded into the wall, feet first, then used it to send herself flying again. This time, she was too quick for him — no easy feat — and sent her full weight onto him again. They became locked in a death roll, then the streak, a white and red furred wolf, used her lower center of gravity to her advantage and tripped him.

She was on him again in a heartbeat, as he landed on his back. She moved her dagger-like teeth down to his exposed throat, then snapped them shut millimeters from his flesh.

"Dead." she concluded, and he responded,

"Very nicely done, Scylothia. But you forget I am not alone."

Suddenly the room filled with a group of Chase's feral cats, and she smirked. She concentrated a moment on her inner force, then with a powerful "Schlidaris!", a ring of black energy emitted from her and hit the cats, bringing all of them, unharmed, to the floor.

"Impressive." the draconic creature remarked.

She let him up, and he rose to his feet, returning to his human birth form. She resumed her own birth form, also a human.

"Thank you, Chase. I learned from the best."

He chuckled. "Perhaps, but it's rare to master that technique so early in one's training. Very impressive indeed, my protégé."

He stretched himself out a brief moment, then he instructed her, "Now go and get yourself washed up. I'll meet you in the dining hall for breakfast."

She nodded in respect, then exited the hall, victorious.

Chase too left after a moment, adjourning to his private chambers, more than willing to take his own advice.

He had intended a quick shower, but before he could even begin to remove his jet black training outfit, and odd-looking ghost, Wuya, drifted through the wall. She appeared to be holding her forehead.

"The training went well, I presume?"

"Wuya," he replied coolly, "of all the poor timing in the world, yours is the worst."

"And why, pray tell, is that?"

He glared at her a moment, then snapped, "Well, for one thing, how can a man bathe when a witch won't leave him alone long enough?"

"Fine. But could you two have been any louder? My head is throbbing!"

"Wuya, OUT!" And with that she turned around and vanished through the wall, pursued by a mild bolt of black-colored energy.

Having momentarily rid himself of company, he went about his original intent of washing, all the while cursing Wuya under his breath.

Meanwhile, after she had been sent from Chase's room, Wuya haunted the outside corridor. As she suddenly appeared through the stone, a panther that had been roaming there stopped and studied her. He'd been startled, but did a very good job of hiding it.

When she saw him, Wuya shrugged and said to him, "Hot temper, that one."

With a flick of an ear and a swish of the tail, the cat stalked along on his way, having seemingly lost interest.

Wuya, leaning against the wall as far as she could without sinking back through it, sighed and cursed, "Even Chase's cats ignore me. Oh if only I had a body! Then they'd change their tunes!"

And so she floated off down the hall, ranting and raving.

A nearby tiger rolled his eyes.

Scylothia, on the other hand, was momentarily spared from Wuya's annoying presence. The young Heylin-in-training had often had to put the ghost in her place.

Knowing that Chase absolutely hated the spook, she wished that he would just let her have at Wuya. After all, though he and his cats couldn't harm a ghost, wolves had the ability to attack and even 'kill' ghosts like they would any tangible creature by destroying a small coin-like item known as a 'Seal'.

However, Wuya wasn't a common ghost. She had become the way she was now because she'd been sealed inside Dashi's puzzle box, not because she'd died and come back. Therefore Wuya didn't have a Seal. If Scylothia was to do her in, she'd have to do it the old-fashioned way — go for the jugular.

But, then again, Wuya's rants made for some good entertainment. But still, the witch's annoyances outbalanced her potential comedic expense. She was a nuisance.

Scylothia's thoughts kept her occupied during the walk to her chambers. When Chase had taken her on as his own personal protégé, he'd given her free room and board, including a small section of rooms to call her very own.

She may still be a Heylin apprentice, but he obviously didn't regret his choice in students. She was progressing wonderfully, and the Heylin lord kept expanding her horizons, even going as far as giving her control over two of his jungle cats, whom she had named Nyasha and Naigini, with his permission of course.

It was Nyasha, a panther, whom Scylothia found lying on her bed when she crossed her main room into her night chamber. Naigini, another panther, was asleep on the floor.

"Hey girls. Can I have the room, please? I need to wash up." The intelligent animals rose, stretched, and then sojourned into the main room, curling up next to Scylothia's mantle.

Were they normal cats, their presence wouldn't have mattered. But as they were Chase's indentured warrior-servants, actually human in lamest terms, she didn't want them around when she was attending to her personal hygiene, female though they may be.

Her sweat-ridden dark blue training clothes were, just that, sweat-ridden, and she very much wanted to change.