Chapter Two.

I don't own Neopets. The OC's are mine.

The Academy of Neo-Trainers
Chapter Two

The Academy of Neo-Trainers looked much like a Terran college campus. Only, there were a few differences between the two.

Of course, there were dorms for everyone staying there and buildings for classes.

But, there were three things that most colleges don't have or allow.

First of all, there was a battle field where the neopets fought to test their strength against each other and gain points. Second of all, there was a training facility where trainers-in-training trained their neopets how to fight and racked up their abilities. Third of all, people–who already owned neopets due to the fact that they were accepted–brought in their neopets.

Fangore quivered with excitement when he saw a Dire Lupe across the lot. He bounded up to the much larger Lupe. To my surprise, the Dire Lupe snarled and charged at Fangore causing him to stop in his tracks and jump back; whimpering.

I stared at the larger Lupe; observing its blood-red coat complete with a thick, gray ruff and chest. Its paws were massive and it reached my shoulder. It was attached to a harness and halter which was led by a girl who was considerably much taller than me.

The Dire Lupe growled at my normal Lupe. "Down, Callaban." the girl said, gently slapping the halter down on the Lupe's back. "Sorry about that." The girl said, looking back up at me. "Callaban doesn't particularly get along with other neos. I guess that's what you get for having a Dire Lupe."

I didn't answer. In fact, I wasn't even sure if I had heard her correctly. Dire Lupes were supposed to be really had to catch or train. In fact, they were pretty much banned from being pets because of their ferocity and lack of self-control.

"How'd you get him?" I asked.

"He was caught in a trapper's net. The farmer who caught him didn't have the heart to kill him so I took him because I was already getting into the Academy anyway and I needed to have a starter neopet." She looked down at Fangore. "Who's your neo?"

"Fangore." I answered, touching him on ear. He ignored me and kept an eye on Callaban. I could feel a slight twinge of tension as if he expected the Dire Lupe to attack. "He found me in a ravine last winter and saved me. I communed with him and we've been together ever since."

She nodded and held out her hand to Fangore for him to sniff. Fangore ignored her and kept his attention on Callaban.

"Sit, boy." the girl ordered her Lupe and he sat back on his haunches without a second bidding. Then, she turned back to Fangore and let him sniff her.

"He's really friendly." I said.

"Friendly doesn't win battles around here." the girl said. "A neopet has to be tough. Strong. Able to stand in the midst of battle. There is only one winner in a fight. One grand champion."

"Fangore is strong. And, he is tough. He's only nasty in the midst of battle."

"Really? Have you seen him fight yet?"

"No."

"Then how do you know?"

I have to admit, that stumped me. I didn't know how to answer it.

"That's what I thought." She said.

"Wait." I said. "I . . . just know these things. I don't have to see him fight to know what he's like in a battle. I just know."

"That's probably just your connection talking." She said.

"No. It isn't."

"Whatever."

I could tell that we were not going to get along. Why else did she want to pick a fight with me? Was it just to test me? Who knew?

"We'll see how tough he is next to Callaban. We've been at this for over a year now." She boasted. "I'll see you in the battle field then." she said.

"I'll be there!" I called after her.

Once the girl left, Fangore looked up at me. "Mistress, you know I can't fight against a Dire Lupe! They're too savage for normal neopets! That's why they were banned! If you have a Dire Lupe, you're bound to win no matter what!"

"That's why we have to work on it." I said, scratching him behind the ear. "I have faith in you. You've got courage. Why else would you have approached me if you thought I would have hurt you?"

"I sensed you were injured." Fangore answered. "Plus, you're young. You didn't pose much of a threat to me anyway."

"It doesn't matter." I said. "I know plenty of young creatures that can fight if they're injured."

"Oh really?"

"Yes."

"Name one."

I thought about it. "A Grundo came into the clinic once. We had a tough time trying to get him to calm down."

"Grundos are sometimes vicious if they're not injured so that one doesn't count."

"Yes it does."

"No it doesn't."

"Look, you told me to name one so I did."

"Whatever." Fangore grumbled. "Point is . . . I can't fight a Dire Lupe! I'm gonna end up dead before I even get a chance to sneeze."

"I highly doubt you're gonna end up in the ring with him soon anyway. You're probably gonna get some practice in before you reach that level." I said, raising his head so that we were looking eye to eye.

"I hope so." He said, licking my face.

I smiled as I wiped the slimy residue from my face. "Come on. Let's go find our room." I took out the room assignment from my back pocket and unfolding it.

I found Tyrannia Dorm and signed in at the front desk. The Resident Director's Assistants made me fill out a few papers and sign them. I set the papers down on the table and opened the ink pad.

"Come on, Fangore. You have to sign it too." I said.

Fangore growled before putting his large paw in the ink pad and applied it to the paper. This happened three times and I looked at the intricate design left behind by the pad of his paw. I washed his paw off with a damp tissue before returning the papers to the RA's. A key was passed over to me and I took it and went upstairs to my room.

My room was in the far, right corner on the eastern side. It had two beds, two dressers, and two desks. My school books were sitting on a desk; waiting for me to open them and learn their contents. My things had already been brought upstairs and my mother already left for the clinic. She had to work today anyway because there were a lot of patients coming in a matter of hours. From this time on, I was on my own.

I signed as I opened my trunks and began making my bed, opened my desk drawers and put my school supplies in–pens, pencils, sharpening tool, notebooks, erasers. I set my backpack on my chair for use on Monday when classes started and hung a large slab of cork-board and a dry-erase board on the wall above my desk. I tacked a copy of my schedule on my cork-board slab and wrote down the stuff I had to do today on my dry-erase.

Just as I was dragging out Fangore's bed from the bottom of the trunk and throwing a blanket down on it, when my roommate walked in.

At first, all I saw was the thick, blood-red fur and the glowing, yellow eyes of a Dire Lupe. Then, Fangore whimpered.

"Mistress! It's him." Fangore said, putting his head in my elbow. I held Fangore close as I looked up into the angelic face of my roommate.

"You!" She sneered and pointed to me.

I groaned. We already had a rather lousy meeting in the parking lot of Tyrannia dorm. I already had an idea how this was gonna work.

"Yes. Me." I said.

She stomped her foot, disturbing Callaban. "This isn't acceptable. I can't be rooming with someone who doesn't have experience in training neopets."

"Whatever." I said. "I'm just as qualified as you."

"Oh really?" she put her hands on her hips. "What exactly makes you qualified to be one of us?"

"My mom's a vet. I've had experience in handling neopets and fixing up wounds."

"That doesn't mean anything." She answered, undoing the halter clasp from Callaban's harness. "Vets heal. Trainers train neopets to fight. The two don't match."

"Maybe not. But I've seen wounds due to fights. I know, by now, what caused them."

"You're still too young to know that."

"I'm not much younger than you." I said.

"Stop." Fangore said. "Mistress, don't argue with her." He nudged my hand with his cold, wet, leathery nose.

Callaban grumbled something at him, though I couldn't understand him because we were not connected.

"I will not butt out!" Fangore snarled at Callaban.

Callaban snarled back at Fangore. Just by guessing (mostly because Callaban had dropped into a fighting crouch), I grabbed onto Fangore's thick harness and held him back.

"Go ahead and let him go." My reluctant roommate said. "I can guarantee that Callaban can beat him."

"I'd rather not find out yet." I said. I crouched down next to Fangore and wrapped my arm around his neck to enforce the idea that I didn't want him fighting in this little room.

"Wimp." I heard my roommate say. She re-hooked the halter to Callaban's harness and stalked from the room.

"Where you going?" I demanded.

"I am going to housing to complain about this. This is an insult." She said. "It's insulting to me that they would put me in with an underling who doesn't know anything."

"I can learn just as fast as you."

"That will take too long. You'll never reach my level." She snapped.

I have to admit, that struck a vein. "What?" I asked.

"Don't think I can't see what the Council has done for you. I can tell you're not thirteen. You may be able to trick the president or anyone else, but you didn't fool me."

"What if I'm really short for my age?" I was true, I was short for my age. Always have been. Always will be.

Unfortunately, she didn't buy it.

"You look too young to be thirteen. And it's not your height either." She pointed to my face, indicating what gave me away. "That's why I need to complain to housing. This is ridiculous! I'm here to learn and get my degree not babysit!"

"Whatever." I said, collapsing on the bed I had just finished making. I listened to her footsteps recede down the hall and descend the stairs to the lobby.

Fangore climbed into the bed next to me. He lay down next to me and I wrapped myself around him. For a moment, I had felt unwanted. As a kid, I had never made friends with kids my own age. I was strange and considered an enemy to them because of it. I had been hurt too many times due to false friendships. So much, in fact, that I built a wall around me. One high enough and thick enough for people to be able to get in.

Only Fangore knew a way through my wall to be with me. He was doing that now.

"It's okay, Mistress." he said, licking my face tenderly. I smiled.

There was something about the love of a neopet that surpassed any love any human could present.

"She's not really the person that matters."

"Thanks, Fangore."

He cocked his head at me. I could see suspicion radiating in his cool, yellow eyes. "You've put up your wall again, haven't you?"

I nodded. I had been hurt once again by the snide remarks of the people around me. I took my usual defense. I put up my wall.

"Can I come inside?" Fangore asked.

"You can always come in." I told him.

I didn't know for how long we lay there. All I know is that he fell asleep with my arms wrapped around him. I stroked him while he slept until darkness fell and shafts of light from the glow stones outside came streaking in through the windows. I was so content laying there next to Fangore. So much so, that I nearly slept too but found myself unable to answer the call the sandman was giving me.

Just then, my reluctant roommate returned in a huff. Without a word to me, she began unpacking her trunk; muttering darkly about how this was "so unfair" and "I shouldn't have to deal with this" and "I'm a Neo-Trainer not a babysitter".

Fangore awoke, yawned cavernously, and sat up. He nudged my arm as he always did whenever he was contented.

Or wanted something.

"I'm hungry, Mistress." he said.

"Go figure." I muttered as I jumped off the bed and helped him off. I removed the halter from the bedpost and attached it. "I'm going to the café." I told her.

"You can jump in a lake for all I care." she called after me.

That drove a knife into my heart. It hurt so bad to hear her say that.

"Don't worry, Mistress." Fangore said. "I would care if you jumped into a lake."

"You're just saying that because I'm the one that puts the stuff in your bowl." I teased.

Fangore gave me a slight smile. "That's part of it but . . . we've been together for eight months now. I would care because you've taken care of me. I love you for that. And I would care if you died."

I hugged Fangore around the neck and squeezed hard. I took comfort in knowing that. Fangore had always been someone I could fall back on if I was troubled.

The cafeteria was nearly empty due to the late hour. I looked around at the odd setting.

Tables of food were arranged all over the place, categorized by species. Both humans and neopets alike had their own tables. The tables to eat at were extremely low to the ground and blue mats were placed around them.

I gathered our food and chose a spot close to the window. There, Fangore and I ate together.

"What do you think school'll be like?" Fangore asked me.

I shrugged and spoke around the mouthful of vegi burger that I had just taken a bite of. "Don't know, Fang." I put the burger down and wiped my mouth off on a napkin. "I 'spect it'll be interesting."

Fangore touched placed a paw on my forearm. "If it gets tough, I'll still be here if you need me."

I smiled and scratched Fangore under the chin. "Thanks, boy."