Yay, training scene in the arena! I've been planning this one for months! *hyperventilates*
I want you guys to know that the next chapter is a filler, it kind of explains Zeva, I kinda accidentally left who she was in a shadow, so I'm writing a chapter on her next, and in a way, it will be my last tribute to my wonderful Shoulder Angel. :'(
Another thanks to Assassin Author! *Releases doves and gold chaffinch's from a box* Here is your cyber cookie!
Disclaimer: Really? Do think I need to use this? Pft.
O-O
"Hey Zeva, can I have a ride?" Ayla prodded at her rat.
"What? No! You may not ride on me!" she flicked her ears, they were talking in sign language again.
"You see? This is another example of you being a wet blanket!" Ayla signed, adding a little growl to the end of her sentence.
Growing up on a farm really had an affect on Ayla, she was used to dead things, very used to them, she was used to blood, it never bothered her unless it was her own, no one made her bleed her own blood! She was used to animal crap, yes, having stepped in it with bare feet enough, she learned her lesson, bare feet were better than shoes, feet could be cleaned in the shower.
The one thing living on a farm had done was the fact she used more growls, squeaks, and other noises to communicate, sometimes a well placed growl could get a point across, where words would not work, some called her the Animal Whisper, her friends, and enemies called her a freak, she could care less about that.
"So, Ripred, how far is it to the Arena?" Ayla asked the rat trotting behind her.
"Twice as much as half of it," he and Zeva laughed. Ha ha.
"Oh, tee hee, so very funny, really I mean it," she scowled.
"Bah, you're no fun. We're almost there, lets hope this works out better than the pantry raid," he scoffed. The raid was going good, until Ayla knocked a bunch of pans from a shelf, causing much noise, and uproar, luckily they got out before anyone found them.
"Yeah... new ceiling huh Zeva?" Ayla smirked.
"What-evur!" she said in a girly voice, "At least we got the food too," she said.
Ayla nodded in agreement.
"Apple bottom blue jeans wid the fuuur," Ayla said suddenly in a sing-song voice.
"Now, I know quite a bit about you Overlanders, but sometimes, I must admit, you confuse me," Ripred said. Now that was something, him admitting he was confused.
"It's part of a song stuck in my head. Hey at least it's not, 'Stop! Pajama time!'" Ayla laughed. Zeva rolled her eyes.
"Come on Ay, we need to hurry, or we'll miss something," Zeva said, "I'll even give you a ride so we can run!" she said.
"Sweet! I call shotgun!" Ayla said, springing up onto Zeva's back, "Well? Giddy up!" she said tapping her heels lightly on the rat's sides.
Both rats broke into a headlong run, Zeva lagged behind a little.
"Holy crap girl! Chris is so going to dump you when he finds out how much you weigh!" she exclaimed.
O-O
"Wheel out the practice cannons!" Mareth shouted across the field, on cue several cannons were pushed over to the training area.
"For those of you who don't know what this is, this is blood ball practice, fifteen balls are shot from a cannon, you try to hit as many as possible, is that clear?" the on legged Underlander asked.
There were assorted 'yes's' and 'aye's' from everyone.
"Gregor! Why don't you go first," Mareth said.
Gregor walked up, sword in hand. The handles were cranked, and fifteen blood balls shot out of the cannon. Ayla noticed something, the moment the balls came out, Gregor stiffened, and became a blur when they neared. Fifteen shells lay at his feet within moments, this caused massive applause.
"Good, good! Luxa! Will you go as well?" Mareth asked.
Luxa nodded and held her sword up, the handles were cranked, her blade flashed, eleven broken balls littered the ground. More applause. Ayla watched Luxa bow, then walked over to Gregor, she smiled at him. Whoa, stop. I know that smile. Aww, how sweet, they're totally a thing, she thought, letting her girl side come out to say hi.
Soon it was her turn, Ayla held her dirk steady. She had refused a sword, a dirk was her weapon.
The handles cranked, the wax blood balls came out. Ayla blinked once, her eyes went from pink to dark red, everything slowed down, all sound was gone, it was silent. She smirked, and attacked. Soon all fifteen oozing shells were at her feet, she shook her head, trying to get the feeling out, she had found that she was violent when it stayed too long. Her eyes went back to pink. All was silent, she shrugged, wiped her blade on the ground to clean it, and with a tilt of her hat, walked over to Zeva.
"Good job," the rat said.
"Thanks, I could have done better," Ayla joked.
Zeva smiled.
Everyone was still staring. Ayla sighed. Now what?
"Can you guys stop staring at me? It's givin' me the willies," she said.
Something poked her back, she turned. Ripred scowled, and nodded his head for her to came with him.
O-O
"You're a Rager," Gregor said.
"Oh, is that what that's called? Huh, I call it Bloodwrath [1]. But hey, whatever floats your boat," Ayla said casually.
"You know what it is?" Gregor asked.
"Yeah, I've had it a long time, at first it was a pain in the tar muscle to control, but after a while, it was easy. Wait, are we playing Twenty Questions? Because I forgot my white board and markers," she said, a sliver of snark hidden in her voice.
"It's very rare to have this. Do you know what it is?" Ripred asked.
"Two questions down eighteen to go. No, I have no idea what it is, all I know is that it make fighting a lot easier," Ayla said, thumbing her dirk blade.
"All it means is you are a natural born killer," Gregor expected her to break down and cry about that, what did she do? She shrugged, she Trickster, holder of the Metal of curve, newly found Rager, shrugged.
"This is a lot of responsibility, and if used wrong it-" Gregor was cut off.
"I think she knows this," Ripred said[2].
"Yes, I do. Now, can I go? I'm hungry, and I want food," Ayla said.
"Yes, yes, you glutton, go and do what you want, I need to talk to Gregor," Ripred waved her off with his tail.
Ayla tipped the bill of her hat with a hand, and jogged off, Zeva trotting next to her.
"I call shotgun!"
"No you will not!"
-o-
"I want you to help me train her in echolocation, she's already mastered Rager abilities," Ripred said.
"Sure, I could do that, when do you want to start?" Gregor asked.
"Today, after she eats, I can't understand how she put away all that food and stays so thin," Ripred shook his head.
"Alright, after she eats,"
-o-
When they got to the banquet room, someone else was already eating there. It was a bat. The Underland kind.
It was a pretty blue, with smoky grey swirls.
It looked up, saw Ayla, and smiled.
"Greetings Trickster, come to dine? I would suggest Shrimp and Cream Sauce, but the rat Whatshisface, ate it all," it purred.
Ayla immediately decided she like this bat.
"Please, don't call me Trickster, call me Ayla, Ay, Lays, Dunderhead, whatever works for you. Might have the pleasure of knowing your name?" she asked politely.
"They call me Jinx," she said.
"It's a pleasure," she said.
"I'm sure it is," Jinx said cheekily.
"You know what? I like you," Ayla said coming to sit next to the flier, Zeva followed.
"And... who is your companion?" Jinx asked.
"That's Zeva, my rat," Jinx looked confused.
"Your rat? Does this mean she is bonded to you?" she asked, looking just a little disappointed.
"No, when we were in the Overland, where we come from, animals can be bought and sold as pets or in Zeva's case..." Ayla gulped a little, "Snake food,"
Jinx looked horrified, "You mean, she was raised specificity to be food for another animal? That's just, sick!" she exclaimed.
"People do what people do. Zeva was lucky, we picked her out of the snake food tank, she's the best animal I've ever had, other than my dog, who died... but I'm gonna shut up because I'm going to start rambling," Ayla finished.
"Then, if she is not bonded to you, why does she follow you?" that was an interesting question, why was Zeva sticking around?
"I do, because in a way, I am bonded to her, not in the way it is done down here as in you say the magic words, just spiritual bonding, I would be lost without her, the same vice versa," Zeva said.
Ayla was taken aback by her rat's wise words, and only nodded, what else could she do?
"Well, anyone else hungry? I'm starfished!" [3] [4]
"What does that mean?" Jinx asked.
"It's a cross between 'starving' and 'famished'," Ayla said.
"Well, then in that case, I'm 'starfished' too!" Jinx exclaimed. They all laughed.
Little did Ayla know, this might be one of the last merry time of her life.
O-O
Ohh, creepy cliff hanger!
[1] I used the term 'Bloodwrath' from the Redwall novels, it's really the same thing as being a Rager, except mostly badgers get it... this term belongs to the late Brian Jacques!
[2] Haha, Ripred said, it rhymes, couldn't help pointing that out.
[3] Starfished is another term in a Redwall book!
[4] In case you are wondering, Ayla has read the Redwall books, so that's where she gets these terms.
Alright, next chapter is a small filler for Zeva, I might turn it into a one-shot when I'm done with this book, but I'm not too sure... R&R!
}}-AAST- Abbess and Recorder of Loamtree Abbey, d:~)**(~:p