AN: Voila! Chapter Three! Thanks to Jessikalyn, Shiznit, Steelsoul, white-silver, and Amanda Swiftgold for reviewing! Much appreciated!
I just had to put Savan in here! I mean, master of magic and all, immortal Wingly. He's awesome! Plus, he made Ruff and Decal and, and...Spino and and *cries* I'm going over here now. R&R please!
Chapter Three
Savan

I woke up the next morning with a tear stained face. My dreams were filled with images of my father. I would see him laughing in the fields by my home, or his face filled with that overpowering affection as he tucked me into bed. I missed him. I wanted him back. In my dreams, I cried and called out to him, but then the scene changed, and his face was cold and lifeless.

I ate breakfast with my mother quietly. Breakfast consisting of what we could make of Wingly porridge. Savan came down later, explaining our duties which we mutely accepted. We knew it was useless to argue, he was stronger after all. My mother's first duty was to go to Reven's tower and retrieve some texts and scrolls. After she was gone, Savan took me to his lab to clean.

"Water and rags are in the corner. Get to work!" He waved a hand over to his left and then he left to work. I sighed. I didn't want to work! But, I reasoned, if I worked, he wouldn't beat me like the other Winglies. I got the impression that Savan wasn't like other Winglies, his lack of hair seemed to prove my point even more, a stark contrast to the full whiteness of other Winglies. I got to work, not saying a word. Neither did he, except for some random mumblings to himself. I scrubbed the floors; he worked. Both of us in silence. It took me a while, but I finished quite quickly in my own reckoning. Savan didn't notice my idleness as I wandered about his lab, his mind too preoccupied with whatever it was he was studying.

I poked my nose over one of the counters, using my arms to pull me to a higher elevation in order to see. I was still too short, so I looked around for something to stand on. Spotting a chair nearby, I hurried over and climbed on top. The view was awe-inspiring. There were a number of tables, each had a different coloured lighting as its focus, the one I was closest too had a gold colouring, and some rocks strewn about. I frowned. To my right a table with blue colouring stood. It had bowls and cups of water. Curious, I thought. What was he studying? Rocks and water? Over to my left there were other tables. Fire adorned one, and the others had white, black and green colours. To me, he was trying to create a pretty rainbow room, I didn't see the purpose in all of this.

"Shirley!!" I jumped in surprise at Savan's voice, my chair tipped in the process and I was sent flying to the ground. The next thing I knew, I was in Savan's arms. He had caught me. This was definately a good thing, so I made up my mind that Savan was a nice, good, Wingly. I would have to declare my discovery to Mother later. But for now, I was faced with a shocked and bewildered Savan before me.

"I'm sorry," I pleaded, my voice quiet. Savan sighed, lifting my tiny body in his arms as he stood.

"Shirley, what were you doing?" He asked, walking over to my previous chair and setting me down upon it. He knelt before me. I pouted.

"I-I just wanted to see..." I explained. He sighed again, and stood. Glancing around, he looked at me with a thoughtful eye. I took it that he was thinking about something, weighing the pros and cons. Finally, he nodded.

"Would you like to see?" He asked. I nodded eagerly and he lifted me up again. He brought me to the table with the stones. I smiled at the golden lights, and he handed me one of the stones. "Do you know about Elements, Shirley?" Savan inquired. I shook my head as he took back the rock and placed it on the table.

"Every person in Endiness has their own Elemental attribute," he told me, "there are seven Elements. Fire, Water, Earth, Air, Light, Darkness, and Thunder. There is also the Non-Elemental, but these are quite rare. Do you understand?" I nodded. It was quite simple really. Magic, I determined, was ruled by these Elements.

"Magic is ruled by these Elements," Savan went on, and I had to contain a giggle. "Do you know your Element, Shirley?" I shook my head and he made a gesture towards the table. "Place your hands over the rocks, Shirley, try to move them with your mind."

"M-me? I can do magic?!" I gawked up at him. He smiled.

"It is an experiment I have wished to try for a long time. Humans do not use magic as Winglies do. Humans need items that contain magic, and weak magic at that, in order to use it. Winglies need simply to focus their minds and energies into it. But I have often believed that, with training, humans could do the same. This would indeed be a breakthrough, especially in this war." He nodded again to the rocks. "Give it a try. When we determine your Element, I can teach you a few spells."

I swallowed as I turned to the stones. Raising my hands as Savan instructed, I closed my eyes and focused. I didn't know what I was focusing on, I just thought, and I thought hard.

"Keep trying. Open your eyes, Shirley. See your subject, concentrate."

I did as he told me, focusing my mind and narrowing my eyes at the bright golden rocks. I did this for quite some time, and yet nothing happened--to the rocks that is. The golden lights that were scattered about the table however, brightened in intensity. I turned to Savan, waiting. He was frowning in concentration.

"Come here. I don't think Earth is your Element." He grabbed me gently and lifted me from the table. He headed for the one with the red lights, and my face brightened at the sight. Fireballs were scattered throughout the table, some floating, some captured in crystal spheres. He set me down and nodded at the fire. "Try here. Do the same thing."

I repeated what I had done before with the rocks. I concentrated, frowning as I focused all my thoughts on the fire. This time though, I focused verbal thoughts on the fire. Asking it to move, to go out, to do something so that I might learn my Element. The fire did nothing, but to my surprise, the fiery red orbs of light moved, then flickered off and on, and then, they brightened with such intensity that Savan and I were blinded. I cried out, and covered my eyes. I could hear Savan mutter something, not in Human language, but in Wingly so I couldn't understand. Then, the red lights died down. I peeked out from behind my hands, and stared at Savan. He seemed most awed by what had happened.

"Is...is that good?" I asked. He blinked.

"I'm not sure. Come here, Shirley," he held out his hands and I moved over to him. Picking me up once more, he moved over to the table with the white lights. Suspended in mid-air around the table besides the glowing orbs were crystals of various shapes and sizes, but they were all clear so that the light reflected off them and tossed rainbows across the room.

"Wow!!" I gasped. "So pretty!" I reached out to touch one of the crystals. As my fingers made the slightest of contact with the translucent stones, I felt a rush of something indescribable surge through my body. My red hair flew upward, as if a great breeze had presented itself at that moment, and I was left with a feeling of content and calmness. Savan was ecstatic. He began exclaiming numerous congratulatory phrases to himself, muttering future plans, plotting quietly. He pulled out a quill and scroll and began scribbling like mad. I entertained myself with the crystals.

Soon, however, we both heard the whoosh of magic as someone entered the room through the transport orb. Mother stood there, shaken, numerous scrolls and texts in her arms. Her face was unfeeling as she walked forward to Savan, who now regarded her with curiosity, having momentarilly forgotten my magic moment.

"Aranel, whatever happened? Put the texts down, have a seat!" Savan rushed over to the blue table and grabbed one of the cups of water. My mother, seeing me sitting on one of the tables, blinked and frowned - confused. I was just as confused; what was wrong with her? As Savan neared my mother he held out the cup of water to her, but she didn't respond. All she did was stare at me blankly.

"Mama?" I broke the silence in the room. I couldn't jump down from the table, it was too high, so I stayed put. Savan was getting impatient.

"For the love of Soa, Aranel, put the texts down!!" His voice boomed. Mother shook her head free from her stupor and immediately fell to the floor before Savan. She bowed her head.

"Don't hurt me!" She pleaded, holding the texts up to him, as if she were offering to them to a god. "Please, don't do anything. I'll listen! Just don't...don't..." I was mortified at seeing her like this. My mother would never act lower than what she was, a strong and willful person. And here she was, begging to a Wingly not to harm her. Savan simply sighed and shook his head.

"Not you too," he grumbled. He reached down, taking the texts from her arms. She was shaking as he placed them aside. He reached down to her and she cowered, covering her head with her arms. Savan hesitated, but all he did was gently grasp her arms and lift her to her feet. "Aranel!" He gave her a gentle shake when she wouldn't look at him. She just stood there, eyes squeezed tightly shut, waiting for whatever punishment she thought would be dealt. "Aranel!!" He called again.

"Mama, don't worry," I piped up. Both mother and Wingly turned to me. I smiled. "Savan's a nice Wingly, he won't hurt you. See?" I picked up a crystal and held it out to her. The crystal, which was plain on the table, started to glow gently in my hand. "Savan taught me magic!" I grinned. Her shaking ceased in her awe. She stepped forward, removing herself from Savan's grip. She reached a tentative hand out to the crystal.

"Sh-Shirley?" She looked at me. "Are...are you doing this?" I nodded in agreement, and put the crystal down.

"I found my Element. Savan said he could teach me spells once I learnt what my Element was. What's your Element mama?" When she didn't answer, I turned to Savan. "Does mama have an Element? You said-"

"Yes, yes, child. She does have an Element. I'll talk to her about that later." He turned and ruffled through the scrolls and texts that my mother had retrieved and turned to me. "Can you read?" I nodded and he handed me two scrolls and a big two inch text book. I nearly fell off the table from the weight of it, but he held me steady. "The book is in Wingly, so I don't think you can read that," he told me, "I will help you with that one. The scrolls are in your language, so you can read those," he lifted me from my perch and placed me on the floor. "Now go to your room, I need to talk to your mother."

As I padded away slowly towards the green orb, I could hear my mother and Savan start to talk. I didn't know what about, but when she joined me later in our room, she was refreshed and smiling. I was in the middle of trying to open one of the scrolls, which were huge for me. I had so far managed to get myself whacked in the face thrice by it, and was attempting to try again.

"Hi mama!" I grinned at her, taking my attention away from the scroll I had infront of me. While my attention was distracted, I let go of the upper bit and it came rushing towards me. "Ow!" My head flew back from the force of it this time. I rubbed my sore jaw. Paper was dangerous, I thought grimly.

"Savan told me something interesting, Shirley," my Mother sat down beside me, and in one melodic movement she spread open the scroll for me. I looked at her expectantly. "You have a gift, he says, and he wants to help you develop it, but..." she trailed off.

"But?" I repeated.

"I don't want you to get hurt," she finished off. "Savan said that your Element would never harm you. He tested me for an Element alliance. I'm Water," she laughed, "but I don't have 'the gift' as he called it." She looked down at the scroll I was holding. She sighed. "Your lessons start tomorrow, but you still have to work."

"That's okay mama!" I told her, "Savan's nice! He won't hurt me! How come you thought he would hurt you?"

"It's just...something I saw, that's all." She brushed some hair from my face. "I have to go and cook Savan's lunch, so you get to work on those scrolls, okay?" When I nodded, she kissed the top of my head and left.