Chapter 16: Amber

I felt completely out of place while Ruby and her daughter argued with each other back by the stairs. I didn't want to listen in on their not so subtle argument, so I looked over the weapons on the table instead. There were training swords, spears, axes and staffs that were made of wood, but nothing really stuck out to me as particularly suited to my style, so I figured it would be better for me to stick to my hands and feet, rather than mess with something I wasn't used to.

With that decided, I leaned back against the nearest wall with my arms crossed and waited until the two cheetahs eventually came to an agreement, although neither of them seemed happy, and they came back to the table. Ruby put a hand on her daughter's shoulder and sighed.

"I apologize for the delay. Amber was rightfully upset, but I let her know that you and I already discussed what would happen if you messed up again."

Amber shook Ruby's hand off of her shoulder and scowled at both of us. I understood why she was angry and groaned internally, wishing for nothing more than to forget about what had happened earlier. That wouldn't be happening though, because every time I looked at Amber, brief flashes of our interaction in the locker rooms jumped to the forefront of my mind. It was all I could do to prevent myself from breaking out into a heated blush.

"Dang it Jolt, why did you have to do this to me?!"

Even if it was awkward, I figured that the least I could do was apologize, so I gave Amber a quick, stiff bow.

"There's no need to apologize, Ruby, I was the one that made the mistake earlier today. I'm sincerely sorry about what happened earlier Amber, it was an honest mistake and it won't happen again."

I was hoping that the tension would diffuse a bit, but Amber didn't seem any less upset. She turned her head away and pouted angrily, which made it clear to me what she thought of my apology.

"Well, at least I tried."

I noticed the tiniest eye roll from Ruby as she sent Amber into the arena and then turned her attention to me.

"Did you pick a weapon, Kiran?"

"No, I'm not going to take any of them."

That was not the right answer and she sighed at me while lifting a paw up to her temple.

"This isn't the time for jokes. I want a serious fight, but if you're going to mess around-"

I gave another curt bow and interrupted her.

"I'm taking this seriously, but I'm passing on the weapons. They would be more of a liability than a benefit to me."

Ruby stared at me incredulously before shrugging her shoulders and shaking her head slowly.

"Whatever, that's your call, but it's on you if you end up being a disappointment to your sponsor. Go ahead and head to the center with Amber so we can get this over with."

Ruby left, heading towards the spectator seating, and I made my way into the arena. This one was circular and fairly small, with a dirt floor that had faint chalk lines from previous fights. A stone wall about five feet tall surrounded the area, and right behind that were seats that I saw Strongfang, Shimmer and Ruby sitting in. They were talking about something quietly, and I saw Ruby scoff at something Strongfang said before she smiled and shook his hand.

"Wow, she got up there fast… and what the heck was that all about? Wait… did they just… bet on us?!"

If they were, I wasn't going to let Strongfang hear the end of it. I wasn't expecting him to be here anyway, but he brought Shimmer with him, which I was thankful for. Shimmer caught my eye while I was looking her way and gave me a short wave that I returned before I shifted my focus back to the arena. Amber was waiting for me, glaring daggers at me as she casually twirled her staff in her was all too eager to speak as I approached.

"I want you to know that I'm going to enjoy getting revenge on you for peeping on me. It takes some nerve to walk into the female locker room like that."

I smacked my forehead in exasperation and dragged my hand down my face.

"Look, it was an accident, and believe me when I say that peeping is the last thing I would want to do. Jolt was showing me around and wasn't paying attention to which locker room was which, so… I'm sorry."

Amber didn't stop glaring at me and rolled her eyes..

"Whatever, it still wasn't right. You should have been paying more attention."

I sighed heavily, but before I could reply, Ruby yelled at us from where she was sitting in the stands.

"You both know the rules, you can start anytime!"

Amber didn't hesitate and crouched low before rushing forward with her staff twirling in her paws. I jerked backwards at the sudden start, and found myself backpedaling as I was assaulted by several quick swings from her staff that I dodged or blocked. I kept a steady retreat to create space between us that allowed me to react to her attacks properly, and we settled into a rhythm of attacking and retreating.

Amber was slower than me by a fair margin and wasn't any closer to hitting me now than she was at the start of the fight. I noticed that she only had a few angles that she would use every time she attacked, so my defense came down to watching her form and reacting to the oncoming swing. With her limited attacks in mind, I came up with an idea to counter her aggression and continued to back up towards the wall. While I was doing this, Amber started to growl in frustration with each miss, and she put even more force behind her attacks.

"Just stand still for a second!"

My back hit the wall, and Amber grinned as she tried to capitalize on what she thought was a mistake. She thrust her staff forward, but I was prepared and jumped over it while pushing off of the wall with my feet. She didn't have time to react as I flew forwards and smashed my fist into her face. I rolled as I reached the ground, while Amber twirled halfway around, reeling, and dropped her staff. I didn't give her the chance to recover and tried to sweep her legs out from under her, but she was able to use the momentum from the blow to roll away and turn around to face me.

Blood was dripping down from her nose and down onto her shirt. I ran towards her and she brought up her paws, extended her claws and aimed a slash at my head. I ducked under the strike and countered with two quick punches to her gut that shoved her back, causing her to lurch forward. I moved in for another strike now that she was off balance, but a sudden spike in chakra from her stopped me in my tracks. I took a short step back and she growled, slowly raising her eyes to meet mine. Something was different, and on her neck, partially covered by fur, was a dark vein that throbbed angrily for a moment before disappearing. I was shocked to see it, but couldn't dwell on it as Amber renewed her attacks, moving much faster than before. She charged forward with several swipes from her claws, and I was forced back. We then repeated the same dance as before, where she tried to hit me and I weaved around her by staying just out of reach.

I wasn't sure how she was able to change speed so drastically, but I needed something to give me another chance to get past her offense. I waited for my opportunity as she charged, dodged two swipes from her and then somersaulted over her with a kick aimed for her head. She blocked it, but it gave me the chance to bolt for her staff once I had landed on the ground. She was right on my heels as I ran, but I grabbed the staff from the ground, pivoted, and then jabbed at her to force her back. It was her turn to be on the defensive as I brought the staff down hard, and I managed to get past her claws and hit her squarely in the chest, eliciting a small grunt from her. She was pushed back and I capitalized on her lack of footing by throwing the staff at her. She blocked it with her arms, sending it tumbling through the air, and I dashed forwards to plant my fist into her gut. She keeled forward, gasping for air and then surprised me by leaning into the strike and biting down on my left shoulder with her fangs.

That hurt like hell, but it ended up being a mistake for her because I put one hand behind her neck and fell backwards to the ground, pulling her down with me. I used the momentum and my small size to bring my feet up to her chest and kicked as hard as I could, knocking the air out of her lungs and launching her into the air. She flew several feet up, and then slammed into the ground with a heavy thud. She gasped and struggled to get to her feet as I closed the gap between us. She was wobbling a bit and tried to stop me, but I feigned an attack at her head before dropping low and sweeping her feet. She landed flat on her back, disoriented, and I quickly stood up and planted my heel on her throat before she could get up. She tried to push me off, but I put a little bit of pressure on her neck, causing her to choke, and then she tapped the ground three times.

I let out a breath of relief, took my foot off of her neck, and then offered Amber a hand, but she smacked it away while rubbing her neck. Blood was dripping down her face, and she turned away from me with her head down low, growling angrily to herself. I wanted to see if she was alright, but the sound of rumbling laughter and cheering filled the arena. I turned to see that Strongfang was laughing at Ruby, who was currently burying her face in her paws in embarrassment. Ruby cursed loudly before digging some money out of her dress and handed it to Strongfang. Shimmer, meanwhile, was whooping and hollering as she cheered for me and thumped her tail against the stands, and I gave Shimmer a wave and a smile before looking back to see if Amber needed help, but she was already halfway out of the court, staff in hand. I narrowed my eyes at her, concerned about what I had felt and seen during our fight.

"That chakra and that mark… something isn't right."

Confronting her about it wouldn't do me any good right now, so I made my way over to Ruby and Strongfang who were already arguing. I hopped up into the stands, and Shimmer greeted me with a raised tail tip that I high fived.

"That was awesome, you kicked some butt, Kiran!"

I rubbed the back of my head sheepishly and smiled.

"Thanks, but don't get ahead of yourself. It was just practice."

Shimmer rolled her eyes.

"Pft, whatever, you still showed off your skills and proved Ruby wrong. She didn't think you'd stand a chance."

Strongfang slapped one of his large hands on my shoulders and pushed me forwards a bit before I could respond, and presented me to Ruby.

"I told ya the boy was good, but ya didn't listen."

Ruby was rubbing her temple with her paw, and was trying to look at anything but the smug grin on Strongfang's face.

"So, where did you find him? People as skilled as him don't just pop up out of the woodwork, Strongfang."

"T' be honest Ruby, I found him out in Farleigh. I had a chance t' test his skills there and he proved himself capable. I figured he might be an asset for both of us."

"Glad to know I'm viewed so highly here, but calling me an asset…? Really? Couldn't think of a better word?"

Ruby sighed, lifted her head, put a paw up to her chin and stroked it thoughtfully as she stared at me.

"As irritating as it is to lose that bet, I think you're right. This might be the opportunity that we've been looking for, but… only time will tell. At the very least, I fully agree with you that he should be placed in the standard grouping, as per your original suggestion."

She turned towards me with a critical eye, and I stood up straight as she sent scrutiny my way. Her voice was softer than it had been before.

"Since you're clearly not a novice, I'll be placing you against opponents that should be… more of a challenge. We don't normally intermix dragons and the other races in the arena, but I think you'll be able to handle it. Come back here in the morning so we can discuss the finer details, such as who your manager is and when your first fight will be."

She then side eyed Strongfang.

"You'll be happy to know that I plan on pushing this as far as I can. We'll see how it turns out."

Without giving either of us a chance to say anything, she whirled around and left, walking briskly towards the exit. Strongfang crossed his arms and smiled at me expectantly, but I rolled my eyes in exasperation.

"Please don't tell me you just used me to win a bet!"

"Aye, but I won, and now I can start on my end of the deal. We both gained somethin' today."

I sighed and shook my head as Strongfang took some of the money he had been handed and gave it to Shimmer. My mouth dropped open when I realized that she had been in on the bet, and she gave me a cheeky smile.

"...really Shimmer?"

She fluttered her eyes innocently.

"What? Don't give me that look, I knew you were going to win!"

"That doesn't make it right though, gambling is-"

I stopped myself and shook my head, deciding it wasn't worth it to argue..

"You know what? Nevermind. You'll figure it out eventually."

Shimmer stuck her tongue out at me but then shifted to a sheepish smile with a small blush on her cheeks.

"Sorry for missing you this morning, I ended up sleeping in. Phyl woke me up, but by the time I made it to the guild you were already gone. Strongfang invited me to watch your fight though, which is why I'm here now."

I waved a hand dismissively.

"It's fine, my day was pretty boring up until now anyway, so it's not a big deal."

She looked relieved and I smiled before turning my attention to Strongfang while crossing my arms.

"So, based on how you and Ruby were talking, I get the feeling that there's something else going on here that you're not telling me about. Do you want to fill me in or are you going to keep that to yourself?"

"Ah, well, Ruby and I plan t' show ya off a bit, if that makes sense."

I wasn't too fond of his wording and frowned a bit.

"Show me off…? Like some kind of trophy?"

Strongfang contemplated what to say quietly for several seconds and then responded.

"No, not like that. It's been a while since there's been a fighter that we believe can match up against dragons, and we'd like t' flaunt that as much as we can. We're tryin' to inspire folk in the city, and I think that yer the perfect candidate to do that."

I ran a hand through my hair in exasperation.

"Really…? Isn't that a bad idea though? Won't I end up pissing off some dragons…?"

Strongfang sighed.

"Potentially, but we think it's worth the risk. As yer well aware, Kiran, there's a few problems in Warfang, and the only peaceful way t' change them is through policy. That won't happen if we don't have the support we need, and t' get that we need someone that can inspire folks to take action."

"And you think I can fill that role?"

He nodded, which led to me shaking my head in disbelief.

"You're crazy if you think that I could be some kind of… figure for the people here, especially considering the fact that I'm a human and that I'll be leaving as soon as I can."

Strongfang nodded in understanding and shrugged.

"I'm well aware, but even a small, fleetin' spark could be the start of a roarin' fire. The people have lost hope in those that run the city, and I'm worried that they'll start turnin' t' more drastic means t' get what they feel they deserve. Ruby and I want t' avoid that if possible, but we'll have t' unify the people first."

I let out a frustrated sigh. His attempt to reassure didn't abate my strong aversion to being involved in another nation's politics.

"Hell, knowing this, I'm technically stepping over the bounds of what I'm legally allowed to do. I could get into some real trouble back home if the hokage ever found out…"

"Look, I get that you have a lot of faith in me, but I really don't think I'm suited for the role. Besides, I thought our deal was limited to fighting, not political involvement."

"It is, and all ya have t' do is fight. Ruby and I will handle the rest."

I clenched my teeth in frustration because I should have known there would be more to it than just a simple favor, but if what he said was true then it wouldn't change what I was already doing.

"I suppose it's not too late for me to back out, is it?"

Strongfang looked at me with calm, sympathetic eyes and shrugged.

"I wouldn't force ya t' do anything, but I don't suppose ya have another plan t' meet with the council, do ya?"

I crossed my arms in irritation, hating the point he was trying to make.

"Well.. no, but I know I'd figure something out eventually."

"But durin' that time ya would be unsure of when ya'd get yer chance. At least with me ya know it won't be too terribly long."

Strongfang put his hand on my shoulder.

"I know I didn't give ya the entire picture until now, but I'm doin' what I feel is best for both of us. I know ya aren't a fan of gettin' involved here, but I promise ya that I have yer best interests at heart and want t' help ya."

I rolled my eyes but responded with a softer tone.

"Yeah yeah, and that just so happens to line up with your interests, I get it."

He chuckled softly.

"Aye, it's worked out nicely."

I still wasn't very happy about the situation but wasn't going to argue anymore, so I took a quick look at my bloody shoulder. Amber's fangs had left fairly deep punctures that would need some attention.

"I should go clean up, I don't want this to get worse than it already is."

Shimmer tossed me a red crystals out of the blue, and I barely managed to catch it. Without thinking, I absorbed the energy, watching in fascination as the flesh around the wounds knitted itself back together. Strongfang stroked his chin softly and marveled at the sight.

"Amazing…"

I tensed up and shot Shimmer a glare.

"Hey, that was supposed to be our secret!"

Shimmer recoiled a bit at the anger in my voice and shrugged.

"He already knew, Kiran. He told me to bring some for you, in case you needed them."

"What…? How did he know…?"

"Well, Kiran, wounds like the ones ya had back in the woods don't just disappear after a good night of rest. I figured you had a secret that you were tryin' t' keep and made an assumption. It was a perceptive guess on my part."

My irritation with Shimmer melted away and I felt a bit foolish for being frustrated with her. I blushed a bit, realizing I couldn't be mad at Strongfang for figuring it out when I wasn't putting in a lot of effort to hide it.

"Glad to know that you're keeping an eye on me I guess, but… You two don't have to give me crystals…, I don't want to feel like I owe either of you for them."

Strongfang shrugged and stood up.

"I figure it's all part of yer contract, so don't worry about it. Changin' subjects though, I have t' take care of business elsewhere, so I'll be headin' out. Do me a favor and try t' take the rest of tonight easy. Maybe spend some time with yer friends?"

"Why should I take it easy?"

"Ruby will probably be workin' ya as hard as she can because she likes t' push people, and I wouldn't be surprised if she has ya fightin' tomorrow."

"Fine, fine, I'll try to relax tonight. I'll see you later."

I gave a small wave and Strongfang did the same before leaving. Shimmer hopped over to me with a smile.

"So, since you're supposed to be taking it easy, I was thinking that you could come over to Phyl's house for dinner! What do you think?"

I grimaced, making it clear I wasn't fond of the idea.

"Meeting strangers and having an awkward dinner? No thanks, I'd rather just go back to the guild and be alone."

Shimmer rolled her eyes and bumped my shoulder with one of her wings.

"Oh c'mon, don't be lame. Ancestors know that you could use some time with others!"

I glanced at her out of the corner of my eye and shrugged before turning towards the exit.

"You might be right, but I gotta go change, see you in the lobby!"

Before she could blink I took off towards the doors I had entered from, leaving a shocked dragon back in the stands. A moment later I could hear her shout indignantly and I smiled.

"Hey, wait! You can't just- HEY! Get back here Kiran!"

I quickly navigated my way back to the locker rooms, where I was able to wash off the blood on my shoulder and change back into my regular clothes. It was a bit awkward to change now since the locker room was packed, and I received a lot of odd glances as I changed and tossed my dirty uniform into a hamper. Thankfully, no one bothered me and I was able to make it back out to the front desk without any problems.

I was expecting Jolt to be at the desk with Shimmer, but someone else was attending to it. Glancing around, it took me a few seconds before I saw them both standing off to the side, arguing with someone familiar. Jolt's eyes were darting around nervously, and Shimmer didn't look very pleased as she glared at Amber who was returning said glare. It wasn't very effective though because her nose was stuffed with some tissues and her cheek was swelling and turning purple, courtesy of our fight earlier, which left her puffy and the opposite of intimidating.

She was also wearing a dress that was similar to her mom's, except it was amber in color and had a much more revealing cut by her collarbone. On her feet she had a pair of brown sandals that showed off the well manicured and painted claws that shined in the light.

"Do cheetahs have a thing for dresses or something?"

Jolt was more than happy to be looking elsewhere as the staring contest went down, so he saw me first and rushed over as fast as his legs could carry him.

"Oh thank the ancestors you're here, let's go before-"

Amber sauntered up after him, with Shimmer hot on her heels, and glared at me with her arms crossed. Jolt moved to stand behind me, and started to poke his claws together as he stared at the ground. Amber pointed a claw at me and growled while Shimmer moved to stand next to me.

"I want a rematch."

"Oh great, this is going to end well."

"Sorry but I've got things to do. Maybe some other time."

She brought a paw to her face and rolled her eyes.

"Obviously not right now. You're clearly better than me and I don't think I can beat you, at least not yet. I meant that in a future sense."

Amber sighed and frowned.

"Look, that's not actually why I came to talk. What I wanted to ask is… Who are you?"

"I thought you heard my name earlier."

"No- ugh, you know what I mean. Are you an ape?"

"Why do you care?"

"Because you beat me easily, even after-."

Amber cut herself off and sighed before poking a claw into my chest, which Shimmer gave a growl at.

"Watch it!"

The cheetah shot Shimmer a glare and didn't back down.

"Quiet, frosty. I'm not talking to you."

Shimmer bared her fangs angrily and stepped forwards, but I moved in front of her to block her view.

"Let me talk to her, Shimmer, I'll meet you out front in a few."

"But-"

"Take Jolt with you, I can tell that this is bothering him."

Shimmer scowled in disagreement but didn't argue further. She shepherded Jolt forward with her tail and gave me one last glance as they left the building. I looked back at Amber with a frown.

"So what's your problem?"

Amber huffed angrily.

"I want you to know that you took my spot. I was set to be matched up against dragons, until you showed up, and I want to know why. What makes you so special?"

"What are you talking about?"

"Look, I can get over you waltzing into the wrong locker room, but I'm having a hard time coming to terms with the fact that you showed up out of nowhere, kicked my ass, and are suddenly taking my place! So I want to know why! Why are you here!?"

She seethed while I muttered a curse under my breath. I didn't want to deal with this.

"Look, I'm not trying to do any of this on purpose. I'm only here for a short time as an exchange of favors with Strongfang, and as soon as that's done, I'm out, ok?"

Amber was confused and her arms slowly fell down to her sides.

"So you don't even care about the position…?"

"Not really, I'm sorry I took it from you, but it's not personal."

That didn't help call her down. She clenched her fists angrily and glared daggers at me.

"You can't take it so lightly! Do you even understand what you're getting into?! This is too important for you to act like it doesn't matter!"

I sighed and put my hand on the bridge of my nose.

"Look, it's nothing personal, I'm just try-"

She cut me off and threw her paws up into the air.

"Of course it's personal! It became personal when you humiliated me in front of my mom like it was nothing! It became personal when you decided to place yourself front and center as the one person that my mom and Strongfang are putting their support behind! You can't tell me it's not personal when it directly affects me and potentially a lot of others too!"

She snarled and poked me in the chest again.

"I'm not gonna sit around while you make a mockery of it. You'd better take it seriously or else."

I rubbed the bridge of my nose in irritation. I didn't want to do this in the first place, and now I was being lectured because Strongfang decided to snub someone else in favor of me.

"As if I didn't have enough people that hated me already…"

"Look, for all intents and purposes, I am taking this seriously. I'll do whatever I have to for Strongfang, as long as he keeps his end of the deal. If it means I have to fill the role or whatever, I'll do it, even if I don't like it. So, keeping that in mind, I'd appreciate it if you stopped lecturing me and left me alone."

I brushed past her with a sigh and started to walk away.

"Wait!"

Amber grabbed my wrist, and I quickly whirled around to face her. I was about to yell at her but she bit her lip and frowned angrily, and I could tell that she was struggling to keep herself calm. She forced her next few words through gritted teeth and managed to lower her voice a bit.

"I'm sorry. I'm not trying to be… pushy, but it's hard to be calm after getting beaten down like that. I really wanted that spot, and I don't like losing, but what really irks me is the fact that I don't know anything about you at all. I want whoever takes that spot to do a good job and be respectable, and I'm worried that you might not be, ok?"

For the first time since I had met her, Amber seemed reasonable and I sighed softly.

"I guess that makes sense."

"Then can we just… restart? I made a bad first impression and I don't want you to think I'm some crazy cheetah. I just care. A lot."

She let go of my wrist, realizing that she had been holding it the whole time, and smiled awkwardly, flashing her sharp fangs.

"I'm Amber."

I wasn't ready to glide past what had just happened and remained cautious. Hesitantly, I told her my name.

"I'm… Kiran."

There was an awkward pause as neither of us knew what to say. Amber put her hands behind her back and I rubbed the back of my neck, until Amber sighed, shifted her weight to one leg, and put her hands on her hips.

"Ok, so, I get the feeling that you're secretive, but would you be willing to train with me? You're really good, and if I'm going to take your place after you leave, I need to get better. A lot better."

I tried to figure out a way to politely decline because I didn't want to spend any more time around her than necessary. She grated my nerves and I could only imagine what training with her would be like.

"Ah… well, I already have a training partner and I don't need another, sorry."

Amber pouted and sucked in a deep breath.

"Yeah? Who's your training buddy? Are you sure you couldn't fit in one more?"

"It's Shimmer, the dragon you so kindly called frosty earlier."

Amber grimaced and averted her eyes.

"Shimmer, huh? Jolt's talked about her a few times… but take my advice and steer clear of dragons. They're all about themselves and will only end up causing you problems. Besides, are you sure she's the best choice for practice?"

"Great. Now she's going to pester me about this."

"…She's a… yeah, she's a good training partner."

"What makes her so good?"

I sighed heavily and rubbed my nose. Why couldn't she just leave me alone?

"Well, Shimmer may not be the best fighter, but she has strong magic. We spent some time sparring together back in Farleigh, and she's a solid challenge."

"Strong magic, huh? That's great, but wouldn't you want someone that could give you insight on who you'll be fighting?"

"I mean, I guess, but…"

Amber's eyes lit up excitedly.

"I could do that, if you let me train with you."

"Look, Amber, that's really not-"

She moved up to me in one fluid motion, threw an arm around my shoulders, and pulled me into a tight hug. I was extremely uncomfortable as the soft fur on her neck rubbed up against my face, and her chest pressed up against my neck. I tried to ignore the thoughts that were running through my head and desperately tried to find a safe way to escape. I stopped as Amber squeezed me closer and talked to me with a bittersweet tone.

"You owe me. You stole my spot and walked in on me in the locker rooms. This could be your way of making it up to me."

"Ok, ok, fine! Just let me go!"

She released me and I quickly took a few steps back, doing my best to hide the blush on my cheeks. I didn't need to be that close to a girl ever again.

"I'm so happy to hear that you're cool with it! Just let me know when and where you want to start, ok?"

Amber looked at me expectantly with a big smile and an excited sparkle in her eyes. I wasn't happy that she had forced me to agree, and briefly considered turning her down.

"Would I really want to deal with the fallout from that though? No, that would suck. I'd better just agree to it now and figure out how to get rid of her later."

"Fine, whatever. I'll let you know what I'm doing after I talk to your mom tomorrow."

Amber smiled wide in victory, and her tail wagged happily behind her.

"I look forward to it! Sorry that I held you up for so long, but I couldn't let you walk away without at least trying to talk. Thank you so much Kiran!"

I rolled my eyes sarcastically.

"Yeah, my pleasure."

"Well, have a good night. I have some of my own stuff to do, so I'll see you tomorrow."

Amber winked at me and then bounded away. I groaned, trying to figure out what had just happened and bemoaned the fact that I had let Amber wiggle her way into training with me. I berated myself silently and started to head outside, where I saw Shimmer and Jolt waiting impatiently for me. I gave a quick wave, glad to see that there was still a decent amount of sunlight and walked up to them. Shimmer immediately got up from the bench she was sitting on and smiled.

"Finally get rid of her?"

"Sort of, don't worry about it."

"Ok, then have you thought more about coming over for dinner? Jolt is coming!"

"Look, I really don't want to-"

I stopped mid sentence when I caught Jolt looking up at me with big, hope filled eyes. I tried to look away, but it was too late, because I realized if I crushed his spirits I would feel guilty until I made it up to him. I let my head fall forward dejectedly and sighed.

"Fine."

Shimmer and Jolt shared a quick look and celebrated with a quick shoulder bump.

"I told you it would work Jolt! Kiran's a total softie."

Jolt smiled at Shimmer and then back at me.

"He fooled me for sure. He was all grumpy and serious when we met earlier today."

"Yeah, he acts tough but he's really not. You just have to know how to talk to him."

I let my mouth fall open in disbelief that they had done that on purpose.

"Seriously you two? That's not cool."

"Pfft. What's not cool is you always dodging my invitations! It's about time you accepted one of them!"

"You took advantage of me to get me to agree! How is that fair!?"

Shimmer shrugged her shoulders and gave me a sly smile.

"It's not, but I don't have to play fair. I'm dealing with you after all."

Begrudgingly, I admitted to myself that she made a good point.

"Whatever, let's just get this over with. Lead the way I guess."

Shimmer motioned with her wing to follow and took off into the streets with Jolt right behind her. I ran after them and settled into a light jog as we made our way through the evening crowds that lined the streets. We went East, towards a nicer section of the city, and it only took a while before the crowds thinned out and the buildings around us morphed from what I would call middle class homes into large, expensive mansions that were adorned with all manner of lavish decorations.

Shimmer eventually slowed down to catch her breath, and Jolt followed suit. I didn't have that issue and stepped in line right behind them as Shimmer finally led us toward one of the sprawling homes. It resembled the picture that would pop into my head if I was trying to describe a mansion. It was made of a smooth gray stone and had several large columns out front that supported an overhang for the entrance, large windows that had small arches above them for whatever reason, and a set of massive wooden doors that were made of a bright, lively wood that stuck out in a nice way.

As we neared the front doors, I spotted a few servants tending to various flowers and plants that tracked around the perimeter of the building and I could already feel my nervousness pick up as I looked down at my clothes, feeling that the night was going to be rough, no matter what I did. If the people that lived here were anywhere near as fancy as the house and servants were, then I'd stick out like crazy and it would leave me feeling out of place.

"Hey, are you sure this is ok, Shimmer? Did you ask his parents beforehand?"

"No, but it should be fine. You are my friends, after all."

"Great. That doesn't reassure me at all."

"Right. Sure. Guess I'll have to take your word for it."

Jolt turned around and tried to be encouraging.

"Hey, don't be so negative. I've been here a few times and Phyl's parents are always super nice. I'm sure they'll like you too!"

I mumbled under my breath and sighed.

"I wouldn't be so sure…"

Jolt looked at me quizzically.

"What'd you say?"

"Nothing, don't worry about it."

"If you say so."

Jolt looked back ahead only to be stopped by Shimmer's wing. Because he had looked back, he hadn't been paying attention and almost ran into the front door.

"Jolt, what have I told you about paying attention to your surroundings? You remember what happened last time you were here, right?"

Jolt winced and nodded with clear embarrassment.

"I know… It won't happen again, I promise!"

Shimmer looked at him sternly for a few seconds and then smiled.

"Ok, good, just making sure."

Shimmer took a step forward and lifted one of the heavy metal rings on the door and used it to knock. After a moment, the door slowly opened and a female mole greeted her.

"Oh! Welcome back Miss Shimmer, you're just in time for dinner."

She noticed Jolt and gave him a friendly smile, and then turned to look at me. Her smile faltered for a brief moment before she put it back on her face.

"And pray tell, Miss Shimmer, who might this be?"

Hey everyone! I hope you enjoy this chapter. I'd like to say really quick that I've been sick a lot this past month, so I've had trouble doing much of anything, including writing. I'll probably take an extra week or two before I post the next chapter, but know that I'm still here and working hard.

Please leave a review if you like, dislike or don't have any feelings towards the story at all! I love hearing what you think.