Disclaimer: I do not own anything save for my own ideas. First chapter belongs to Lunarwolf11021
BloodyKitsune1997: Hope you guys enjoy this chapter. It was a bit difficult to write at times, but I managed it.
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Jostanos: You aren't wrong about that. Nope and yeah. Pretty much.
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Chapter 12
Once they managed to clear away the completely useless course, they began setting something up that would allow them to have fun while also being able to show off. While they wouldn't reveal even a fraction of their true talents as Mounted Guardians, they would ensure everyone learned not to mess with them. Lyra set up a few platforms about five feet off the ground with plans to raise them if needed.
When it came time to start the demonstration, Lyra cast the spell that would allow everyone to hear her, "Students of Hogwarts, Professor, Headmaster, and Honored Guests! We have been asked by the Headmaster to give you a demonstration of our skills in hopes it will encourage you to participate in our class. My Unit and I have agreed if only to ensure you gain a better understanding why the world at large respects the Mounted Guardian Core."
With that said, Lyra made a gesture and they began. The demonstration was much like the performance they had put on with their graduating class. The only difference was the fact that they were slinging around spells like they normally did during training sessions. Unlike normal witches and wizards, the Mounted Guardian Core could throw around spells like party favors for hours on end. It came with being so closely bonded to highly magical creatures. Of course, the higher the spell, the sooner they had to stop. As elemental magic was regarded as some of the hardest to use in England, they were tossing the basic spells every Mounted Guardian used regardless of their elemental affinity.
By the time they were done, the magicals all looked gobsmacked with some of the children looking at the Mounted Guardians with glee. Considering that they had been using some of the more explosive spells towards the end and Lyra decided to show off her fire affinity, it looked like the Englishmen had some pyromaniacs in their midst. Lyra grinned slightly as Tsuki muttered, "More Pyromaniacs...Joy."
Lyra subtly flipped her off as Karth soaked up the attention being focused on them. When he began prancing around, she shook her head with a small laugh before having him stop. She spoke again as the applause that had started died down, "I hope you enjoyed our demonstration. For those with a heavy appreciation for fire, I will be willing to meet with you after the first day of our class is over. Have a good day!"
Taylin gifted her with a raised eyebrow, "Really, Ly?"
"Even if they can't achieve as much as I do, I have to foster the next generations love and respect for fire," Lyra said earning a deadpan look that had her mock pouting, "You're so mean to me, Tay,"
"Ly, I love you, but even I'm scared of you teaching these kids some of the things you can do," Taylin replied causing her to snort, "Just promise me you won't teach them anything above C-grade,"
"I'm not stupid enough to try," Lyra took off her shirt to allow Taylin to check her left side to ensure she hadn't strained anything, "Anything above C-grade is likely to kill them and far too powerful for them to control. I'm only going to show them E and D-grade stuff with maybe one C-grade if they prove to be able to control it,"
Taylin pressed his hands to her side and she sighed as his magic began to sink into her, "At the very least, you know how to restrain yourself somewhat."
Lyra closed her eyes, "Yeah, yeah."
Lyra might be an unrepentant pyromaniac, but she wasn't stupid enough to give the kids here anything remotely powerful. While her mentor had gleefully indulged her pyromaniac habits most commonly in the form of flinging fire balls at the various members of the 13th squad, Eliza Silver had impressed a great amount of caution and restraint into her student/adoptive daughter. Even if the kids turned out to be responsible, she wasn't going to give them anything powerful or that only the Core used. Considering that half the spells that the Core usually used were either banned or out right forbidden in various countries, she really couldn't give them the good stuff without getting into trouble.
Lyra only had to wait two days before Dumbledore managed to get her a meeting with Lilac. He just needed Sirius and Remus' help to get Lilac which only made the Mounted Guardian even less likely to allow her dame and sire to have custody over her youngest sibling. When she entered the room where Lilac was waiting, she found herself instinctively bending down and catching the girl who had practically thrown herself at the Mounted Guardian. She hugged her youngest sibling with great care while noting that the girl looked a lot better compared to when she'd last seen her. Lilac hugged her around the next, "Lyra!"
"Hello, Little Sister," The term was something Chris had gotten her into using, "Let's sit down, Okay? I want to hear about how things have been going with you,"
Lilac nodded and they moved to settle in the comfortable chairs set up in the room. Lilac chose to sit with Lyra and would probably end up in her lap with how much the small girl was leaning into her. She poured them some tea as Lilac asked, "Where do we start?"
"How have you been feeling?" Lyra decided to start with the easy stuff.
"A lot better especially since Uncle Sirius and Uncle Remy have been making sure the House Elves keep me from stressing out my body too much," Lilac answered earning a pleased smile from Lyra.
"I'll have Tay check you over. He's been worried about your recovery," Lyra said before she drank some of her tea.
Lilac looked a bit confused, "He is?"
"Mhmm," Lyra hummed lightly, "He's a healer, Little Sister. It's in his nature to worry about others especially when they're his patients," She set down her cup, "You're also family to me which makes your health important. My unit is worried about you too,"
"Why?" Lilac's confusion was kind of adorable.
"Among the Core, our unite often becomes our family," Lyra patiently explained, "It is due to the dangers we face and the bonds we forge within one another. We're actively encourage to see one another as family as it ensures we have a safety net and to keep from becoming traitors,"
Lilac still looked a bit confused though less so than before, "If you see one another as family than why are you marrying Taylin?"
"Because I love him not as a brother, but as a lover which is very diffrent. Two other members of my unit are together as well though you'd be surprised to see who," Lyra was still surprised even if they'd been together for years now.
Lilac nodded slowly, "I see. Will I get to meet them?"
"Once we're done talking, they're rather eager to meet you," That was an understatement, "How are you feeling mentally, Lilac," Lilac drank some tea with a guilty look on her face, "Do you miss Chris and Warren?"
Lilac nodded as she looked down at her tea, "I miss them a lot. I got a bit angry at them for leave me alone with Mom and Dad."
"If how our Sire and Dame acted back in Delllea is normal, I wouldn't be surprised," Lyra drawled out earning a wince, "Lilac, do they hit you? Do you grab you roughly?"
Lilac shook her head, "No, they never hit me or grab me roughly."
Letting out a sigh of relief as some of the tension in her body dissipated, Lyra had been afraid that her youngest sibling was physically abused. She asked the next question, "Do they shout at your or say mean things in your presence even if they aren't directed at you?"
"They don't shout at me, but they say mean things about Chris, Warren, and you," Lilac frowned softly.
Lyra sighed softly, "I assume the worst of it is directed at me?"
Lilac nodded slowly, "Yeah."
"I expected as much. They've never had a high opinion of me since I was born out of wedlock," Lyra still thought that was a petty reason to be ashamed of a child especially since it's the parents fault for not being careful, "And out of your sight?"
"They shout at each other a lot and they say a lot of cruel things about you," Lilac answered in a soft voice, "They say stuff about Chris and Warren too. They say they're ungrateful brats among other things,"
Lyra shook her head, "I'm sorry you have to deal with that, Lilac. I have one last heavy question then we can move onto the fun stuff, okay?" Lilac nodded looking a bit curious, "If your parents prove to be unfit, would you like to live with Sirius and Remus?"
"Don't you want me to live with you?" Lilac looked more hurt than anything else.
Lyra hugged her youngest sibling which made the girl tense a bit before relaxing into her hold, "Little Sister, I would love to have you live with me, but I wouldn't be able to take care of you properly. While my unit and I will have a permanent place in the capital, you'd be mostly left on your own as we have duties that we can't ignore," She felt Lilac sigh, "I have it on good authority that Sirius and Remus will move to Delllea at some point."
"Really?" Lilac's wide eyes were filled with hope.
Lyra nodded earning a squeal, "So I take it as a yes?"
"Yes!" Lilac agreed quickly.
Once the girl calmed down, the conversation switched to what Lilac had been up to since returning to England.
Rather unsurprising, Lilac and the Vesca got along very well. Much like with Carter, Lilac had a bond with their dragons only she was highly unlikely to be able to bond with one. It was highly likely that she would end up with a career in taking care of the Vesca and Wyverns when she grew up. The students of Hogwarts were rather shocked to realize that the youngest Potter child was in the school and rather chummy with the Mounted Guardians. Lyra was more than amused when Lilac decided to sit with the Mounted Guardians during dinner instead of with her Godfather and his mate. As it was, the two males joined them once Taylin, Tsuki, and Evan promised not to kill Remus.
Taylin still refused to talk to either male with Lyra only doing so if she had to. Lilac noticed though the girl didn't say a word. It was very likely the two men would be faced with some rather awkward questions about why.
Lyra was sad to see Lilac go though made sure that the girl knew they would be seeing one another soon. She wanted to get to know her youngest sibling after all and ensure that the two idiots she called genetic donors understood that she was highly unlikely to let them keep custody of the girl. Once Lilac was gone, she headed to her room only to pause when she heard, "Sergeant Silver, may I have a word?"
Inwardly cursing at having her good mood ruined, Lyra turned towards the Ministry toad, "Yes, Madam Umbridge?"
"I was curious as to why the youngest Potter child was with you and your...unit all day," Umbridge clearing wanted to say something else but managed to refrain from doing so.
Offering the woman a frown, Lyra asked, "And may I ask why its any of your business?"
"Seeing as Chris Potter and Warren Potter never showed up for school, I was curious as to where they are," Umbridge frowned at her, "As they are members of the Potter family, they're rather important to us,"
"I'm afraid I don't know where they are," It was true since they were taking their first survival classes which meant they could be just about anywhere.
"Sergeant Silver, I don't think you realize how important they are to Magical England," Umbridge protested only to flinch back as Karth growled at her.
Lyra set her hand on his side, "Madam Umbridge, as they have been inducted into the Mounted Guardian Core, they are no longer classified as English citizens of either Magical or Mundane England. As the rules haven't changed since the first treaty between the Core and the various countries around the world, you should know that by now. They cannot return nor will they inherit anything from you people," She resumed walking, "If you'll excuse me, I must be going."
"That still doesn't explain why the Potter child was with you," Umbridge nearly shouted at her.
Lyra paused for a few moments and wondered for a moment if she could get away with gutting the woman before dismissing that fact, "It doesn't concern you, Madam Umbridge. As the child is not a student here, she is not under your jurisdiction thus you do not need to know," Lyra resumed walking away, "By the way, Madam Umbridge. If you continue to try and make us less than what we are, you will find yourself in a very bad situation."
"Are you threatening me?" Umbridge screeched at Lyra.
Karth growled threateningly at the woman as Lyra paused to offer the toad a light smile, "Madam, I do not threaten people. I make promises. I would advise you to remember the current stance Delllea and the Core have towards you before you continue. After all, it would be a shame if something were to happen to you because of your own willful blindness towards your situation," She resumed walking, "Come, Karth. Taylin and the others are waiting for us."
Disappointingly enough, Umbridge managed to keep from attempting to attack Lyra which meant she couldn't off the toad just yet.
Tsuki snorted in amusement as Lyra finished explaining the minor confrontation she'd had with Umbridge, "You know, I think the higher ups would have chosen Taylin to lead us if they knew about your passive aggressive tendencies especially since they're the reason anyone we got into fights with always ended up attacking first if you were there."
You could melt butter in Lyra's mouth as she said, "I have no idea what you're talking about."
That sent her pack cracking up around Lyra, they knew her far to well to believe that. Half the fights they ended up in during their training were started by the idiots that ended up pissing Lyra off, the funniest part was that none of the teachers realized that she'd baited every single one of them. One of the benefits of her time at as an actor and with her mentor was that she was ridiculously good at lying. She had absolutely no problem using those skills when it came to ensuring that the idiots that insult her pack got what they deserved. Another plus was that she was really good at poker and tended to draw in a lot of money when she played unless it was against Taylin. Out of her entire pack, he was the only one able to read her when she put on a mask.
Taylin cleared his throat once everyone had calmed down, "Lilac's recovery rate is surprisingly fast even given her magical heritage."
"Which is going to be a boon when she finally ends up moving to Sven," Evan said as he relaxed beside Cain, "Only the goddess knows how she'll adjust to the heat otherwise,"
"Have I mentioned that I'm actually a little eager to see what Winter here is like?" Tsuki asked as she lounged on a couch, "I mean imagine all that snow,"
"Joy," Lyra was not looking forward to the snow if only because it'll make her injuries ache.
Tsuki frowned at her, but was prevented from saying anything as Malcom asked, "So what now? We did the whole demonstration thing and met with your little sister. So what happens now."
"Malcom, you and Tsuki will be seeing if you can track down one of these Death Eaters," Lyra answered as everyone sobered up at the serious change in topic, "Evan, I am in trusting the our copy of the notes about Horcruxes. Arrange a meeting with the goblin clans here, they will likely be happy to get rid of any soul pieces if one of the dark idiot's followers decided to hide it,"
"I'll see if I can convince them to let me work my magic on it so we can track down the others," Evan gained a predatory look on his face.
"Once we can track them down, we'll work on finding them," Lyra looked at Cain, "Cain, go with him," The four mentioned nodded with serious expression on their faces, "Taylin and I will stay here. Malcom, Tsuki, I expect you two back in a week once you leave even if you manage to find a scent trail,"
"Yes, Alpha," The two intoned.
Tsuki spoke as she shifted slightly, "Alpha, do you want me to see if I can scent the scent of the dark mark?"
Lyra thought about it carefully before inclining her head, "Yes, but only if you take extra precautions. I don't want any of us to become corrupted."
Magics that manipulated the soul almost always corrupted both the user and the one it was being used on. Lyra was lucky that her magic and the protections of her dame kept the soul piece that had once resided within her from corrupting her long enough to allow her to bond with Karth which flushed the damn thing out. She hated to imagine what would have happened had she been corrupted and prayed that she never had to find out as the results were never pretty. Tsuki didn't even look offended when she'd said that, "I will, Alpha."
The disappearance of the four Mounted Guardians was noticed almost immediately and caused much gossip. The fact that none of the adults outside of Umbridge seemed surprised by the disappearance only added to the gossip. Some of the theories going around were absolutely hilarious especially since none of the students thought to ask Lyra or Taylin why a majority of their pack was gone. Umbridge had tried to ask, but neither Mounted Guardian was forthcoming with that information. With all the gossip being thrown around, the students were becoming more relaxed and rather eager for their class especially when they realized that neither Mounted Guardian minded the questions that were asked of them. The house of ravens was almost frothing at the mouth when neither would give them any actual information.
Lyra looked over the classroom they'd be using with a careful eye. With the help of Dumbledore and the house elves, they managed to modify one of the classrooms on the first floor into a room that many college students would call a lecture hall with enough room for all the vesca in the group to stretch out. They even added some high perches for Malcom and Striker when the duo taught. Finally, she relaxed, "This is definitely what we want."
"May I request being able to watch the first lesson?" Dumbledore requested as he looked at the portable magic screens they were setting up.
"Please inform all the teachers that they may sit in on a class though we request that they inform us when they do and to please avoid interrupting the class," Lyra was actually hoping some of them would sit in if only to make them understand the Core better.
Dumbledore nodded before moving to speak with a house elf quietly. Lyra began helping Taylin get everything set up while also making sure the technology they'd brought wasn't damaged. While she could repair it, she preferred not to as the spells and rune-work involved often gave her a headache. Magical technology was a bit above her pay grade though she was better than her mentor had been. Ezra Silver could barely use most of the magical tech outside of the things they used in battle let alone fix them. Taylin found it highly amusing and teased her about it whenever he could. Then again, magical technology was one of the things he specialized in if only because it made his job as a Healer easier.
Once everything was set up, Lyra started getting out the manuals that everyone moving to Delllea were given though they were slightly diffrent depending on which Kingdom you went to. The Sven Kingdom's manual had warnings about the various creatures that lived within their boarders and why outsiders should avoid certain areas completely unless they hired people to take them there. It also had warnings about the heat especially for those traveling the deserts. She handed one to Dumbledore and then to Hagrid when he entered the room.
The students that entered were from Chris and his friend's year. She spotted the blonde boy with silvery grey eyes and knew that was a Malfoy specifically from the same line as the jackass that had insulted Taylin's sister. She glanced at Taylin's who's nose scrunched up a bit at the sight of the boy. With any hope, the boy wouldn't piss Taylin off though the fact that he was likely the son of the bastard didn't give her much hope. As they didn't want to do this lesson more than a seven times, they had combined all the houses with the sixth and seventh years sharing a class. Once all the students were settled down, she began going down the list of students and reading off their names. When she finished, she said, "Welcome to introduction to Delllea and the Mounted Guardian Core otherwise known as Introduction. Before we begin, I am going to lay down a rule that will be active for the entire year and nothing will change it. We are going on a three strikes system. Get into trouble more than three times and you're tossed from the class without any hope of coming back. You may attempt to argue against your expulsion from this class, but it is unlikely you will be allowed back. Now before we begin today's lesson, does anyone have burning questions that need to be answered now?" The Malfoy boy raised his hand and she pointed to him, "Yes, Mr. Malfoy?"
"Where is Potter?" Draco Malfoy demanded.
"I am unsure as to what you mean," Lyra schooled her face into a set mask.
"Chris Potter isn't here and neither is his brother," Draco spoke as if talking to a child, "No one knows where they are and yet their little sister spends the day with you,"
Lyra spoke with narrowed eyes, "Mister Malfoy, I am not required to tell you anything though I suppose in this case I will reveal something that the Potter elders clearly don't want getting out. Chris and Warren Potter came to the Sven Kingdom in Delllea this summer. It was during this time that I met them. Due to how my partner reacted to them, I offered them a chance to see if they could bond with vesca and wyverns during the most recent bonding festival along with Miss Granger and Mister Weasley," Gasps rang out through the air, "In case the inbreeding has made you too dimwitted to make the connection, they have found their bonded partners. As of the bonding festival, they are no longer considered English citizens nor are they required to attend Hogwarts."
Furious whispers broke out at her words making Taylin snort. Lyra glanced at him and he muttered, "You really do enjoy riling people up, don't you?"
"It's fun, Tay," Lyra shot him a smile before silencing everyone with a flick of her wrist, "You may all talk about what I've revealed later," They all looked shocked at the show of focus-less magic, "For now, we will begin today's lessons which isn't really a lesson. Taylin will be passing out test papers and writing utensils. You have two hours to complete the test to the best of your ability. When you're done, come up to the front of the class and hand in your test before leaving," Lyra broke the silencing spell and watched as one of the fifth year Hufflepuffs, Susan Bones, raised her hand, "Yes, Miss Bones?"
The girl was related to the current DMLE head which made her a bit more interesting than the other students, "Professor Sil-"
"Call me Sergeant Silver, Miss Bones," Lyra cut her off, "Please refer to my unit by our ranks. None of us are actually Professors or anything close to it save for Taylin who will likely be your primary teacher unless the lesson of the day is something someone knows better,"
The class looked at her in interest at those words. Susan shook off her surprise, "Sergeant Silver, isn't the class supposed to be two hours long?"
"It normally will be unless its a day like today when we test you," Lyra replied earning confused looks, "Unlike most classes here, you will be faced with multiple tests during our year here. The reason being is that it will ensure the knowledge you're given actually sticks," She glanced at Dumbledore and knew he would want to talk to them later, "Today's test is merely to give us an understanding of what you know of the Mounted Guardian Core, Delllea, and what is considered general knowledge back home. Unlike most tests in this class, the test you take today will be the same one we give you before each of your breaks though the questions might become a little more detailed later on,"
With that said, the materials were handed out and the students set to work.
After the last fifth year left, Dumbledore approached them as Hagrid left the room, "That was certainly an interesting first day of class."
"While we have a general teaching schedule, we needed to see what the children knew," Taylin answered as Lyra began looking over the tests, "It will let us focus on where the worst holes in their knowledge are before we focus on other parts,"
Dumbledore seemed pleased with the information, "I'm glad you're taking this seriously."
"We kind of have to if the next generation of English magicals is going to have an actual understanding of us," Lyra had to scowl at some of the answers, "Clearly the English magical community needs to be dragged into the light if they believe half of this absolute crap,"
Once she finished grading the paper, Lyra handed it to Dumbledore to look over and the old man winced at some of the answers, "I see your point. Though why did you tell them about Chris, Warren, Hermione, and Ron being in the Core?"
"Better to tell them the truth now than let them find out later," Lyra began grading the next test, "I also did it to encourage the snake to send his men to Delllea. If he does, it means there will be less work for us to do,"
"There's also the fact you enjoy riling people up," Taylin pointed out.
Letting out a laugh, Lyra said, "As if you would've done anything diffrent."
Taylin opened his mouth before pausing and conceding, "Point."
"If I may ask, why did you look like you'd smelt something particularly foul when the students were coming into the class?" Dumbledore asked Taylin curiously looking amused at their byplay.
Taylin immediately scowled, "Lucius Malfoy was the bastard that insulted my sister. As far as we can tell, his son is just like him."
Dumbledore openly winced at the information, "I see."
"I don't blame the kid for turning out the way he did if that blonde bastard is his father," Lyra shook her head, "But he better be careful,"
"I will see to it that Severus warns him," Dumbledore decided as he stood up after putting the test onto the stack that Lyra had already graded, "If you'll excuse me,"
"Of course," Lyra waved him off, "It was a pleasure speaking with you, Albus,"
"You as well, Lyra, Taylin," Dumbledore replied before leaving the room.
Taylin looked up from the test he was grading, "I'm almost tempted to act childish and do everything I can to toss him out of the class."
"Why do that when it's likely he do it on his own?" Lyra retorted earning a snort, "Let the kid dig himself his own hole and rot in it,"
For the most part, the pureblood and half-blood magically raised children did really bad on the test. The muggleborn and muggle-raised half-bloods did decently for the most part especially if they came from areas where the Core had a presence. Lyra almost wanted to toss some of the tests into a fire or have Karth burn them due to how offensive many of the answers were. The vast amount of Pureblood Supremacy bullcrap made her want to bang her head repeatedly on the nearest hard surface. How an entire sect of magicals could end up so misguided that they forgot almost all the principles and laws of magic that had been laid down since the beginning, she didn't know.
Tossing down the last test sheet, Lyra muttered, "I know inbreeding fucks things up, but I didn't know it could be this bad."
Some of the questions were so basic that a four year old living on the streets would know an acceptable answer:
1) Where is the magical core usually located?
2) What is magic?
3) What can magic do?
The three most basic questions had been answered wrongly by almost the entire student body. The answers were simple:
1) Usually behind the heart or below it.
2) The life energy of the earth.
3) Anything you can imagine so long as you have the will or desire for it.
The answers that annoyed her the most came from the Ravenclaws who didn't seem to understand that the answer was supposed to be simple. Taylin wrapped an arm around Lyra's waist and gently pulled her to lean against him, "Me neither. The council will not be pleased that they've fallen so far."
It was an affront to the very nature of magic for the English magicals to have forgotten the core knowledge of the world. If they didn't shape up within the next century or two, they would die out and likely turn England into a magical dead zone outside of the areas where magical creatures or the Core commonly traveled. Lyra sighed, "Looks like we'll have to go in depth on what magic really is."
Chris actually looked a bit shocked when she finished ranting about his former countrymen, "Guess that would explain why we had to take extra tests and classes along with everything else."
"You'll be playing catch up for awhile, Chris," Lyra felt sorry for him, "If you need any help studying or have questions that you don't really want to ask your teachers, I'm just one mirror call away,"
"Thanks, Lyra," Chris smiled a bit, "I'll tell Warren though I think Carter's helping him,"
"He probably is," Lyra knew her adoptive little brother wouldn't hesitate to help those that were supposed to be family, "Speaking of younger siblings, I spent the day with Lilac a few days ago,"
Chris perked up, "Really? How is she?"
"She's recovering at a rather quick rate," Lyra wondered if she should ask Chris about the advanced healing before putting it out of her mind for now since it wasn't a bad thing to have, "I broached the subject of our sire and dame no longer having custody of her. She actually wanted to come live with me,"
"Really?" She could understand his shock.
After all, it said quite a bit about Lily and James' parenting skills when their children didn't actually want to be near them. It made Lyra all the more grateful to have Eliza Silver as her mentor and adoptive mother. While growing up hadn't been exactly pleasant at times, it was still a sight better than what she probably would've had if Lily and James had actually raised her. She pushed away her thoughts, "Yeah, but that isn't exactly possible despite us having what will likely be a permanent residence in the capital. I'm going to do my best to see that Lord Black and Consort Lupin get custody as they're planning to move to Delllea to be closer to you and Warren."
"Thank Merlin," Chris' look of relief was a bit surprising, "While life probably is a bit rough for humans here, its still a sight better than back in England. I'm shocked at just how far removed the English magical communities are,"
"With any hope, they'll change their ways," Lyra wasn't too sure they would, "How was your first survival class?"
"Fucking horrible," Chris visibly shuddered, "I will never look at rabbits the same way again,"
Ouch, that meant they went to the Hundred Spires Gorge, "Let me guess, you saw them devour something whole?"
"One of the other members of my squad nearly got eaten alive and it was only the intervention of the teachers that kept her from dying," Chris' voice was flat, "Why didn't you mention man eating bunnies?"
"I didn't think they'd take you to the Hundred Spires Gorge this soon in your training. They usually save that for the second year of it," Lyra didn't mind the gorge mostly because the creatures inside were easy to deal with if you had access to a good lightning spell, "If you have to go again, you should look up some lighting spells since Spire Rabbits and pretty much any other creature inside become a non-threat if you can shock them good enough,"
"Should I mirror call you whenever we have trips like these?" Chris asked her.
Lyra shrugged with a smile, "Sure, but try asking your teachers about likely areas you'll travel to. Sometimes they'll tell you about the area or give you a book title to look up. The goal of these lessons are to teach you to survive in often hostile situations, how to plan for it, pack for it, and be ready for just about anything. Just be glad you're no where near your sixth year, you actually have a chance to prepare for that stuff."
Chris deadpanned, "They're going to drop us into the middle of nowhere randomly, aren't they?"
"Got in one, Chris," Lyra still wanted to kill Bala for dumping her unit into the middle of the Violet Forest during winter, "Hope to hell you don't have Bala as the one to pick out where they put you or dump you especially if its in the middle of winter,"
"There's a story attached to that, isn't there?" Chris looked torn between demanding answers and not wanting them.
"The Gorge isn't that bad compared to Violet Forest in the middle of winter," Lyra pushed back those rather fun memories, "Anyway, anything else happen?"
Chris shook his head, "Nothing really, it was kind of interesting to see everything. Most of the squad isn't that bad since they've pretty much elected a wait and see approach. There's actually a female falcon shifter that's actually really helpful, she actually helped Hermione, Ron, and I around the city."
"Falcon shifters tend to have a neutral view on humans, so she probably actually means to be helpful. Do your best to avoid pissing her off," Lyra thought of something, "What's her name?"
"Shuna Kordan," Chris looked a bit surprised when she laughed, "What's so funny?"
"Ask her if she has an uncle named Causi," Lyra told him, "If she does, I know her uncle since he was under my mentors command. He was my all time favorite baby sitter when I was growing up,"
Chris looked a bit skeptical, "I'll ask though I didn't know you had a baby sitter."
"My mentor was the commander of a division, Chris," Lyra explained with a small laugh, "She couldn't exactly keep an eye on me all the time. Baby sitting me was one of her favorite punishments especially after I discovered my love of seeing how things burned,"
"You would get along with one of my old classmates," Chris' dry tone made her snicker, "He's a pyromaniac,"
"I've met him. He's kind of cute," Lyra smirked as Chris' jaw dropped, "Don't give me that look, Chris. I'm a girl and we look at others just as much as guys do. We're a lot more discrete for the most part,"
