Awakening

I stirred slowly. I was confused for a moment, then cursed fluently. Damn that bastard Jaques! I volunteered to serve like that, and he knocks me out, and sends me away!

I continued to curse his name for a few more moments, then stopped. I was wasting my energy – either I'd be picked up in a few years by a team (I know they don't send evacuees to abandoned planets alone – and I sure as hell was alone, so I'd find a way to survive), or everyone back home would be dead soon, and they didn't matter anymore. I swore that if the former was true, I'd make it my personal duty to be a pain in the ass for him knocking me out for at least a month. And I might have been the best at my job, but I also 'won' the 'imp of mischief' award in my second year, and broke records for getting every form of punishment, save exile and the burning of my Gift from me in my third.

By the fourth, I was regarded as the student body's best, brightest, and biggest pain in the ass the school had ever seen. And I didn't want to think about the second.

I looked around, getting my bearings. Thankfully, they hadn't sent me off to die – I had my staff. It looked like a… forest, I guess. I'm used to orange banisti, but this world must work differently. Damn, I wish I'd paid some attention to the class on other worlds.

So long as there was something that I could eat here, I could survive. I doubted that I had to worry about the inhabitants, most species cannot fly at need.

I heard a flat drone, and looked up. Above me was some sort of contraption that was trailing white, but flying through the sky.

Damn. Well, mental note, don't piss of the natives. I sighed, brushed myself off, and shuddered, feeling the heat. With another sigh, I removed the leg parts of my pants, and most of the sleeve from my shirt, and shoved them into several of the pockets my pants were covered with. Since it was designed to be light and let heat vent, I didn't have to do anything else.

I blinked, and grabbed my staff. I twirled it around in a circle for a moment, then held out my hand. Several na'tiani birds appeared, and I smiled at them. The things were fragile if mistreated, but loyal and dependable. "I need your help. I've… been evacuated. Could you show me the way to somewhere… somewhere… where I can decide what to do?"

The birds looked at me curiously, and then their small beaks curved into a smile, as much as a solid beak could. They mostly radiated the smiles, not actually smiled, but it was one and the same.

With a flash of silver, purple, and blue, the tiny birds took flight. I could feel them spread out and start to search. For all their tiny size, they could fly fast, far, and stronger than almost any bird from home.

The only predators insane enough to try to eat them were the anaik, and they ate whatever they could get their greasy claws on.

I twirled my staff in my hands, idly thinking. If I WAS stranded… I'd best find a way to live. I couldn't exist on nothing. Hmm… I guess I could pose as an animal tamer, or somesuch. My abilities assured me that I could control creatures summoned, so I don't see why I couldn't control actual animals instead.

There's a slight difference in summoned creatures, and actual ones. Summoned creatures are tied to the caster – and aren't actually able to 'die'. If they are about to, the summoning power breaks, and the power remaining is assuredly enough to heal the creature as it is returned to its plane of existence.

Or I could be a magician. Heh, I could practice my Art, and no one would think it strange, they'd just believe it to be smoke and mirrors. Tempting… I smiled, and rested on one of the solid-looking banisti. The surface was far more craggy than I liked, but I was weary, and dizzy still.

I lowered my head, and started to catch a powernap.