Chapter Text
“Ah, Hunter. How good of you to join me.” Belos greeted his nephew as he entered the throneroom.
The ice cold air of the room greeted Hunter as he entered, sending a shiver down his spine as the large doors swung shut behind him. At times like these, Hunter was glad that his uniform consisted of multiple layers that helped keep him warm.
Hunter stepped forward, quickly approaching the Throne and kneeling at a respectable distance. “Greetings, my Emperor.” He said, his gaze lowered to the ground as he bowed his head.
The moment Hunter had entered the room he could tell the Emperor was in a bad mood today. He was slouched over one side, holding his mask covered face in his metal glove to make the pain more bearable. He didn’t have the energy to care about posture, and Hunter knew exactly why.
“None of that today, Hunter.” Belos spoke as he slowly lifted the mask from his face and set it aside as he got up. His heavy footsteps encroached on Hunter who in turn discarded his mask as well and got to his feet. Normally, Hunter would have felt at ease to be talking to his uncle instead of the Emperor of the Boiling Isles, but not today.
“How did the raid go?” Belos was referring to Hunter’s last mission as he stalked around the boy, walking in circles around him as his eyes looked for any sign of weakness. Hunter gulped, trying to keep his throat from clogging up so he could speak. His uncle wasn’t looking for an answer, he probably had the report presented to him before Hunter had even reached the healers. No, his uncle was looking for a justification.
“It went badly, uncle.” Hunter began and a shiver ran down his spine that was not connected to the cold of the room anymore. “The Bat Queen turned out to be a much more formidable foe than we had anticipated, showing a tactical and magical prowess worthy of her title as Queen. We were ambushed as soon as we arrived, with no time to study our surroundings or prepare for a battle. It is a wonder we made it out alive.”
It wasn’t a wonder they made it out, the Bat Queen had let them go and he knew it, but he would rather be struck down by her claws than admit it out loud.
His uncle came to a stop behind him and Hunter felt the panic rise up in his chest at how close the man was. Every instinct in his body told him to turn around, to face the danger that his uncle represented, to summon his staff and raise it in his defence.
But he couldn’t, he remembered too well what would happen if he did.
So Hunter just stood there, unable to move, unable to think, frozen in panic and fear as his uncle passed judgement. He could only stare ahead blankly, noticing that the giant heart behind the throne was pounding harder and harder with every second, matching his own heartbeat perfectly. But the heart that was connected to his uncle wasn’t racing with fear, it was racing with anger.
“So, you failed me again.”
What could Hunter possibly say to that?
He couldn’t deny it, he had failed and he had disappointed his uncle. He knew that capturing the palismans was important to sustain his uncle and keep the curse at bay. He had failed and put his uncle in jeopardy.
He couldn’t beg for mercy. He had only been foolish enough to try that once, only to find his punishment doubled for the insolence of even thinking he would ever go unpunished.
He couldn’t lie to his uncle, nor could he convince him that somehow this had been a success. They hadn’t captured a single palisman and he knew it. There was no bluff that he could pull that could possibly fool his uncle.
No, the only option he had was to admit his fault.
“I failed you uncle, and I am ready to face the consequences for my failures.”
It was a blatant lie and Belos knew it. The consequences for his failures were not something Hunter could ever face readily or willingly, but it was the answer Belos expected.
Hunter closed his eyes as he felt his uncle approaching from behind. He could feel how his uncle raised his hand and Hunter was prepared for the strike, the searing pain of cuts as his uncle’s magic pierced his skin. He closed his eyes, unable to keep his jaw from clenching as his whole body shook. He must look pathetic.
He could sense his uncle’s hand raised over his head, the presence making his body scream at him as every nerve under his skin was on edge.
Turn around!
Defend yourself!
Do something!
Run!
But Hunter couldn’t, knowing his life would be forfeit the moment he opposed his uncle. The hand came down on his shoulder and gripped it gently as Belos turned Hunter around to face him. “There will be no need for that.” His uncle spoke, a sadistic grin on his lips at the state of sheer panic his nephew was in.
Hunter looked up at his uncle, confused, worried, anxiety clear on his face. The tears had already started falling but Hunter couldn’t muster the strength to wipe them off. “I will give you one more chance, my boy.” Outwards, his demeanour was gentle, almost caring even. However, the heart in the throneroom revealed his barely suppressed rage.
On any other day Hunter would be lying on the floor right now, screaming at the top of his lungs as the pain coursed through his body. But not today, today he had need of the boy.
“I have another task for you, do well and all is forgiven,” Belos spoke sweetly before his voice took on a darker tone as he leaned in to whisper the last words into his nephew’s ear, “but if you fail me again, you will regret ever having given me the hope that you were worth even a minute of the time I put into raising you.”
—
Hunter shuddered at the memory, the feeling of his uncle’s tight grip on his shoulder still haunted him, reminding him of the importance of this mission, not only for the Emperor, but also for himself.
He could not afford to fail.
He took a deep breath to steel his nerves before slowly setting one foot in front of the other as he approached his target. He shivered slightly as the cold morning air flew past him. He wished he could have worn his coven uniform as the grey uniform with orange elements that he had been given did very little to keep him warm.
Of course, his comfort had been the last thing on anyone's mind as they prepared him for his infiltration mission. Normally a simple illusion spell would have done the job, but considering that he would be going in for longer than just a few days they had taken… different measures to conceal his identity.
Hunter shook his head rapidly. He didn’t want to think about it.
He couldn’t let himself think about it or he might just blow his cover by having a mental breakdown before his first day even started.
He lifted his hand to pull some of his unruly red hair behind his ear, trying hard to ignore how his skin was now a couple shades darker as though he hadn’t lived his whole life in the castle. He tried to take his mind off of it and instead lifted his now green eyes to inspect the building in front of him.
It was an old building made entirely of white marble, erected before Hunter was even born. Four large pillars held up the roof over the entrance that led to the main building. Three towers stood tall against the sky on the left, middle and centre of the building. Behind the middle tower, the largest one, he could just make out a large dome. Truly, the construction coven had outdone themselves when they built Hexside, the school of magic and demonics.
The hallways of the building were filled with students, creating an unending sound of chatting and shouting, of doors closing shut as the demonic bell screamed to announce the first lesson. On any other day Hunter would have thought the noise was annoying, but right now he was only glad that it managed to drown out his thoughts.
Hunter quickly walked through the hallways towards his classroom, he couldn’t afford to be late on his first day. They had been careful in picking the track he was allowed to study. Since he had no magic of his own, tracks like Illusion and Plant magic were out of the question. He couldn’t stand out as the witch who couldn’t even spin a magic circle. He couldn’t stand out at all.
Tracks like potions were off the table as well. Hunter had mastered potions and while a lot of his skill could be chalked up to pure talent, he was far too adept at it for the teacher not to notice a fellow expert in potion making. The same counts for construction and Oracles, and Hunter simply didn’t have the talent to be a bard.
No, the only track that really came into question for Hunter was the beastkeeping track.
Beastkeeping was something Hunter had never shown any real interest in and only ever bothered to learn the basics of. Eberwolf had been so kind as to give him a few pointers and even spend a whole day preparing him so that Hunter would not stand out too much for his lack of knowledge on the subject.
Hunter had to repay them for that at some point he knew, he could only hope his uncle let him live long enough to do so.
Hunter wasn’t sure how long it took, but when he entered the classroom he was relieved to find he was one of the first ones to arrive. Only a few students were here already, a demon whose head was completely covered in eyes, a girl twice his size and thrice as thick as him that Hunter wasn’t entirely sure if she was a student or one of the beasts and a girl with a messy bun and a hook for an earring.
All heads in the room turned to him as soon as he opened the door, well, almost all of them as the demon didn’t need to turn his head to look in any specified direction. His eyes were blinking in random intervals, something that Hunter found incredibly unnerving.
“Ya lost, mate?” The muscular girl called across the room when she didn’t recognise him right away. “Uhm...” Hunter replied eloquently, simply staring at the rather intimidating girl instead of answering her question. Fortunately the other girl in the room spoke up in his stead. “I don’t think so, Clara, he’s wearing our colours.”
The girl, Clara, gave Hunter another look over, her purple eyes squinting as she took in every detail of him before loudly voicing her opinion. “He’s too scrawny for a beastkeeper!”
Now, Hunter knew he wasn’t the most muscular guy around, but still. “Hey!”
Clara simply scoffed at him before bringing her attention back to her scroll, apparently deciding their conversation was over.
Hunter mumbled something under his breath as he made his way to the far corner of the class, getting as much distance between Clara and himself as possible. He set down his backpack beside his new desk and decided to just stare out of the window until class started.
He hadn’t had high expectations, he only needed to fit in and not stand out too much to blow his cover while he compiled a list of every palisman in the building while also trying to find out where the other students got theirs. He didn’t need to make friends, he didn’t need to enjoy his time here, he only needed to fulfill his mission.
Easy as fairy pie.
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Hunter’s blood ran cold at the sound and he slowly lowered his gaze to look down to his bag where he saw the red eye of his palisman look up at him from inside.
What was little rascal doing here?
Hunter quickly kicked his bag, hoping to shut the small bird up for now until he could take him out later and make him go home. It was bad enough that the bird wouldn’t leave him when he was at the castle, but now he was compromising his mission too?!
If either the human or the Blight girl saw his palisman then his cover was blown. He would fail his uncle again and this time, there was no mercy for his mistakes!
Hunter could feel himself panicking, his chest felt tight and no matter how much he breathed in it never felt like his lungs got full. There wasn’t enough time for his mission. He wasn’t good enough. There wasn’t enough air!
“Hey, you okay?” A voice derailed Hunter’s downward spiral and he looked to the side to see the girl with the messy bun and the hook in her ear standing beside him, a hand tentatively raised over his shoulder in an attempt to comfort him.
Hunter pulled away on instinct, the mere thought of the touch sending a different kind of panic coursing through his veins. He squeezed his eyes shut and took a deep breath before opening his eyes again to see that the girl had retracted her hand. Good.
“Hey, it’s okay.” The girl spoke gently, and there was something about her voice that felt calming. It put Hunter’s mind at ease, making his skin feel calm for the first time in days. It was magical.
No, literally magical. Hunter could feel the subtle magic in her tone as she spoke.
“What are you doing?” He asked, a lot calmer than he was a few moments ago. The girl blinked at him a few times in confusion so he elaborated. “That thing with your voice, what are you doing?”
“Oh.” The worry disappeared from the girl’s eyes that were a few shades darker than his own. “I was using a mix of healing and Beastkeeping magic to calm you down a bit. It’s a really useful trick to calm down beasts and people. I’m surprised you noticed though, you must be pretty good if you can pick up on that.” She smiled at him, no magic this time.
Hunter frowned at that. Mixing magic was forbidden, and for a good reason, but pointing that out right now seemed rather unnecessary. “Thanks I guess.” Was all he replied.
“You’re welcome,” the girl said before extending her hand again, “I’m Viney.”
“Alius.” Hunter said as he forced himself to shake her hand, ignoring the way the contact made his skin crawl. It wasn’t technically even his skin anymore.
“Nice to meet you Alius.” Viney said as she leaned on his table only to quickly pull away when she realised how uncomfortable Hunter seemed to get at the proximity. He kind of reminded her of the griffin pup she picked up years ago, small, scared and suspicious of everything around him.
“You have to forgive Clara, she is very straightforward and doesn’t mean anything bad with her words.” Viney went on, deciding to just talk on in hopes to get the new kid a bit more comfortable. “She is right though, most Beastkeepers have a bit more… meat on them.”
“Gee, thanks.” Hunter huffed which made Viney chuckle. “Oh don’t worry, with how many food sacks you’ll get to carry you’ll have a bit more muscle on you soon enough. I’m sure you’ll do great.”
She pulled over a chair and sat down beside him, giving him an encouraging smile. “So, now you know Clara and me.” She started before gesturing over to the guy who was covered in eyes. “That’s Riley, the all seeing. Although I suggest you don’t call him that, it really riles him up.” Viney chuckled at her own joke as Riley sent multiple glares her way. Hunter just rolled his eyes and inconspicuously stuffed his hand into his backpack where his little rascal curled up in his palm.
They sat together until class started, Viney introducing everybody who came in and Hunter nodding in acknowledgement each time, committing each name to memory. To Hunter’s relief it wasn’t too long before the teacher arrived and started class. He wasn’t even asked to introduce himself, something he had not been looking forward to.
“The Basilisk is a creature that has, until recently, been believed to be extinct. I was not originally going to host a lesson on the Basilisk, but considering that some of us have recently been a victim of this creature, while others helped defeat it, I decided that it would be good to teach you all the basics of this creature anyway. Especially considering the danger it poses specifically for witches.”
The teacher, a tall man with hooves for feet and a tendency to huff heavily between his sentences, had every student in the classroom hanging from their lips. The attack had been a great shock to everybody and a lot of witches were worried something like that would happen again. “Now, Basiliks are known for two things, can anybody tell me what those are?”
A few hands shot up, Viney’s and his own included. The teacher pointed to Viney who had long since returned to her side on the other side of the classroom. “Yes, Viney.”
“The Basilisk is known for its ability to absorb any and all magic in its surroundings and use it in order to change its appearance however it pleases.” The girl replied with a satisfied grin when the teacher nodded.
“I see you read your textbook. Very good.” The teacher complimented and a small Viney crept up on Viney’s cheeks at the praise.
Class went on for two more periods before it was time for lunch. By the time Hunter left the classroom he knew everything there was to know about Basiliks as well as a few other creatures that they had learned about that day. Hunter found himself enjoying the lesson, finding the creatures of the isles a lot more interesting than he had originally thought.
While Hunter ate lunch he found himself paging through his Beastkeeping textbook, occasionally stopping to read a specific bit about a certain creature or curiously inspect a few of the drawings. He didn’t mind sitting alone, it gave him the calm and quiet he enjoyed so dearly. Besides, he had seen Viney walk off with the older Blight girl earlier and he certainly wouldn’t be sticking his nose into their business.
He turned another page and winced as he read the name of the creature. The Selkidomus. He swallowed the last bite of his food before wincing and continuing to read on.
“The Selkidomus is a beast demon that lives in the seas around the Boiling Isles. It is a peaceful creature as long as it is unprovoked but has been known to attack and sink ships when it was threatened. It is often sought after by potion makers for its bile that can help boost magic prowess, however use of said bile is frowned upon by the potion coven due to the often unethical ways witches use to procure it.”
So that’s what his uncle had wanted the Selkidomus for. The bile of the creature after as a catalyst for the portal.
It was brilliant.
Still, Hunter couldn't help the feeling of unease that washed over him.
Did he feel… guilty?
No, that's ridiculous. The creature had been attacking imperial ships unprovoked, his uncle had assured him of that. Clearly the textbook was wrong the same way they were wrong about basilisks.
The bell screamed, signaling Hunter that it was time to make his way to the Beastkeeping grounds. He quickly packed up his lunch and started walking towards the stables.
As he passed through the hallways he didn't see many students, most people were already in class and waiting for their teacher to start the lesson.
He turned a corner and saw three students in the hallway ahead of him. He recognized Riley at a glance, the boy's many eyes seemed to look around panicky as the other two kids pushed him back against a locker.
It was a scene right out of a silly book. According to the stereotype Hunter would not be able to stand there and watch as those bullies hurt his new friend. He just had to do something.
Except, Riley wasn't his friend, he didn't even know the guy. And as Hunter's feet carried him past the trio, Riley's eyes following his every step, he realised he didn't care enough to risk a black eye for some stupid kid that got himself in trouble right in front of him.
He tightened the strap around his shoulder and kept walking, turning another corner and continuing on his way to the next class.
Hunter arrived at the stables shortly after, waiting just outside with the rest of his classmates. Viney greeted him with a smile.
"Heya Alius."
"Hi Viney." Hunter replied, already used to the girl's misplaced, cheery attitude. He looked around, noticing someone was missing. "Where's Clara?"
Viney smirked a little. "She went looking for Riley when he wasn't the first one here." She leaned in closer, her voice barely above a whisper. "I think she was worried for him. Or maybe she was just jealous that she wasn't the reason why he was later than usual." Viney winked at Hunter who only nodded in reply.
He wasn't entirely sure what Viney was insinuating but he didn't get a chance to ask as the same teacher who had taught their class earlier opened the gates to the stables and let them enter with a reminder to remain calm around the creatures.
The gates of the stables opened up to reveal rows of boxes, each capable of holding a single animal the size of a Selkidomus. Hunter had to put two fingers on the side of his nose so that the smell didn’t become unbearable.
“First time?” Viney chuckled beside him to which Hunter only replied to with a nod. They entered the stables, Hunter being the last to walk in, savouring what little fresh air he still had available before entering as well. He really missed the potions track right now.
The teacher led them towards the back of the stable where they housed the subject of today’s lesson. Hunter trailed past multiple boxes with all sorts of colourful animals, most of which he did not recognise at all. He could make out a griffin though, a magnificent beast that looked over the side of its box and purred gently when Viney gave it a few pets and a small rat from its feeding trough before they moved on and she had to go.
“Alright class, gather here.” The teacher called out as they came to a stop before a large cage. “This here is a fully grown cockatrice.” Hunter arrived last and had to push past a few of his bigger classmates to actually see what the teacher was pointing at. Hunter managed to wrestle his way to a position he could see from and stared on in amazement.
Sure, he just about knew what a cockatrice looked like from the images in his textbook, but those could not be compared to the real thing at all. At first glance it reminded him of a ridiculously large bird with golden glowing reptilian eyes on the sides of its head and a beak the size of Hunter’s arm that looked like it could devour a witch in the blink of an eye. Its head, torso and wings were covered in crimson feathers with black tips, the plumage especially stuck out above and below its head like a rooster.
Its bird feet sported four long claws that looked to be as sharp as a razor. However, that is where the similarities ended. The tail of the creature was more comparable to that of a snake, with sturdy looking, golden scales along its length before it ended in a plated, armoured club.
The eyes of the creature wandered over the students, making a few of them shudder slightly. Hunter almost stepped back when its eyes lingered on him for a bit longer but he didn’t, remembering well that the book warned him from showing fear in the face of any beast.
And suppressing his fear is something Hunter was pretty good at.
“This is an adolescent cockatrice.” The teacher began speaking, pointing out certain features that could tell them the rough age of the beast. “See those black tipped feathers? A cockatrice is born with black or brown feathers and only changes colours when they become of age.” The teacher halted his explanation for a moment to look at something behind them. A few of his classmates turned around to look as well and when Hunter threw a glance over his shoulder he gulped as he spotted Clara and Riley catching up with the group.
Clara was throwing a murderous glare his way before she faced the teacher and mumbled out a half hearted excuse as to why they were late. The teacher nodded in acknowledgement before he ordered the class to follow him once more and took them deeper into the stable.
“Now today we won’t be working with Peppy over there. She was just captured recently and has not been broken in yet so it would be unsafe for you to work with her.” The teacher explained as they walked and Hunter realised the boxes were getting smaller and smaller as they went. “Now, luckily I recently came across a small nest that had been abandoned with the eggs left behind. Can anybody tell me how long it takes to hatch a cockatrice egg?”
A few hands shot up at the question which made the teacher smile as he trotted ahead of the class. “Yes, Clara?”
“‘Round thirty days, Sir.”
“That’s exactly right.”
They came up to a small set of boxes and the teacher encouraged them all to step closer and get a good look. What had looked to be three boxes was actually just one larger one with a single gate. Inside sat many smaller versions of the cockatrice they had seen before except that their plumage ranged from black to brown without much colour to be seen anywhere.
A few of his classmates cooed sweetly at the sight, Viney included. The small cockatrice looked like they could easily fit into Hunter’s lap and he had to admit, they were pretty cute.
The teacher stepped forward and opened the gate before stepping inside, ordering his students to form a line in front of the pen. “Today we will be working in pairs.” He spoke as he carefully picked up one of the small wyverns and handed it over to one of the students who carefully took it and held it as instructed. “We will do feeding exercises and start playing with them a little to get them accustomed to you before we will start training them.”
The teacher handed a particularly small cockatrice with large doe eyes and brown plumage to Viney who carefully let the wyvern stand on her arm before putting her hand on its back and pulling it closer so that its head rested on her shoulder.
“Viney, if you could work with Alius over here please.”
Viney nodded and started walking towards the nearest exit, Hunter quickly falling into step beside her as they moved onto the lawn outside. “Grab that supply bag over there.” Viney gestured to the side where the teacher had prepared the supplies and Hunter quickly grabbed one and slung it over his shoulder.
He stumbled for a moment, staggered by the unexpected weight of the bag but managed to maintain his balance and carry his bag out to the field behind Viney. The girl had already sat down in the grass, the small cockatrice sitting in the grass in front of her and letting the Beastkeeper pet it softly.
Hunter let the bag fall to the ground before letting his legs give out underneath him as he slumped to the ground which made Viney chuckle. “Told you you were too scrawny.” She teased, earning herself a glare which just made Viney chuckle again.
Viney opened the bag and pulled out a small package with small, diced meat cubes before placing it in her lap. She petted the ground beside herself to signal Hunter to sit beside her which he begrudgingly did. He didn’t like having his hand held while doing something, literally and metaphorically.
The cockatrice didn’t pay him any attention as it only had eyes for the small package of meat in Viney’s lap. It tried to jump up on her leg but Viney quickly grabbed it by its plumage and placed it back on the grass, making the small creature grumble at her.
“Okay, so we are going to start off by feeding it a little before we start playing with it.” Viney said as she opened the small package and pulled out a meat cube before holding it out to the wyvern on her flat palm. The cockatrice looked down at the cube before swiftly picking at it with its beak before pulling back, throwing the small piece of meat into the air and letting it fall right into its opened mouth before swallowing it whole.
Hunter looked on in amazement as Viney reached out to scratch the little beast under the chin. “That’s a good little cockatrice.” Viney praised before she pulled out another piece and gave it to hunter.
“Make sure to keep your hand steady and your palm flat. It won’t bite your hand over the prepared meat.” She explained as Hunter hesitantly extended his hand to the cockatrice. It was staring at his hand intently and when Hunter got just close enough the small beast launched forward and picked at his finger. Hunter barely managed to pull away in time and gasped as Viney broke out into laughter beside him.
“Not funny.” Hunter grumbled as he tossed the piece of meat towards the cockatrice that caught it out of the air. He glared at the small creature as it devoured its meal before glaring at Viney for laughing. “It almost bit my finger off!”
“Oh it did not.” Viney argued as she struggled to keep in her laughter. She took a moment to collect herself, taking a few deep breaths before she went on. “You were hesitating and it felt that, so our little friend here decided to tease you a little.” Viney petted the small cockatrice on the head as she spoke before pulling another piece of meat from the package and handing it over to Hunter.
“Here, give it another try.” She spoke, except this time her hand remained on Hunter’s arm, guiding him towards the wyvern. Hunter wasn’t comfortable with this situation at all but decided to man up anyways and not to pull away now.
The cockatrice watched the hand approach wearily before it once again moved faster than the eye could see. This time however, it pulled the meat from Hunter's hand and tossed it into the air again before catching it in its open beak.
“See, that wasn’t so bad now, was it?” Viney asked, not expecting an answer from the shy guy beside her. Hunter could only watch as she fed the cockatrice another piece of meat, slowly nodding to himself.
“Yeah, I guess it wasn’t.”
Viney wrapped up the rest of the meat and put it back in the bag before pulling out a small toy to start playing with the cockatrice. It was a small string on a stick with a jiggly toy attached to it. The cockatrice pounced, its tail wagging behind it as it hunted the small jiggly toy to both Viney’s and Hunter’s amusement.
Hunter looked around, watching a few of the other students as they played with their cockatrice in the hopes of some ideas for things to do. Soon Viney handed the stick over to Hunter who took it and started to play keep away with the cockatrice as well.
“So, have you thought of a name for it yet?” Viney asked as she carefully watched Hunter play with the wyvern.
“Pardon?” Hunter turned to her, momentarily distracted by her question. The cockatrice pounced again and this time got its beak on the toy and gripped it tightly. “Hey, let go!” Hunter cried as he tried to pull the toy free, much to Viney’s amusement.
“We get to name them and I think giving this little one here a name might help you bond with it a little better. It’s your choice really.” Viney said as she watched Hunter make a grab for the cockatrice’s beak only for it to pull away and spread its wings in aggression.
“I don’t even know if it’s a boy or a girl.” Hunter argued through clenched teeth as he pulled harder on the string while trying not to break it.
Viney chuckled at that. “Oh silly, it’s neither a boy nor a girl, it’s just a cockatrice. You can’t apply our gender roles to all animals you know.”
The string broke and the cockatrice pulled away, victoriously holding up the jiggly toy before dropping it into the grass and staring at Hunter, lavishing in its victory with a small screech.
“Welp,” Hunter muttered, “I’m calling it Cocky.”
“How very creative.” Viney scoffed as she grabbed the broken toy and,with a small spell circle, put it back together again. She turned away for a second to put the toy back and grab another one from the bag when she saw it from the corner of her eye.
Hunter poked his tongue out at Cocky childishly and the small cockatrice jumped into the air and flapped its wings, charging right at Hunter. The boy pulled back, just barely avoiding the wyverns claws from scratching his skin.
But Cocky wasn’t done and would have probably charged again if Viney hadn’t grabbed it by the plumage on the back of its neck and pushed it into the grass, effectively holding the small beast down as it screeched at her. Viney leaned in, just out of range from the sharp beak and growled deeply at the cockatrice.
Cocky squawked in distress, kicking the dirt underneath it while flapping its wings wildly in an attempt to escape. It was futile.
“Are you okay Alius?” Viney asked as she kept a close eye on the cockatrice in front of her.
“Yeah, I’m okay.” Hunter replied past his heavy breaths. The surprise was still making his blood pump in his veins. “Stupid cockatrice.” He muttered, which earned him a glare from Viney.
She let go of the wyvern once she was sure Cocky wouldn’t try anything else and turned to Hunter, poking a finger into his chest as she spoke. “That was a stupid move.” She hissed, making sure to drive her point home to the person at fault for this. “Cockjatrice don’t take lightly to being made fun of, they are proud and act extremely aggressive when their pride is hurt.”
“Well, it was acting out of control!” Hunter argued back, pointing accusingly at Cocky who was now poking its tongue out at him in return.
“Beastkeeping is not about controlling animals, Alius!” Viney groaned. “It’s about earning their respect and learning to live with them. Give and take, not servitude. A good Beastkeeper is compassionate, empathetic and understanding while still maintaining boundaries with the creature they are keeping!”
Hunter scoffed at that which was like pouring a flammable potion into the lit fire that was Viney’s anger. “You listen here!” She said, her voice dripping with disdain. “Clara told me about what happened in the hallway earlier, how you just walked past Riley when he clearly needed help! That sort of behaviour? That is not what makes a good Beastkeeper! We are compassionate people who help others, we show respect to the people and animals around us and if you are not up for that then you might as well go and pick another track to study!”
Hunter stared buggy eyed at Viney as she went on her rant. Cocky flew up to her shoulder as she spoke and glared at him as well, adding more insult to injury.
He could only nod in reply before looking down at his lap, not having the strength to look up at Viney. “Good.” Was all she said before she picked Cocky up from its spot on her shoulder and placed it down into her lap to keep playing with it.
The rest of the class was spent in silence and Hunter was all too glad when it was over and they could return the cockatrice to the stables. He spent the rest of the day in deep thought, Viney’s words ringing in his ears as he walked back to the main building. He wasn’t able to get her words out of his head when he picked his books from his locker, nor could he think of anything else when he walked out of the main entrance.
So what if he wasn’t a compassionate guy? Who said he needed to be?
Showing compassion in the emperor's coven was a good way to get yourself killed, either by trying to protect others or getting stabbed in the back by the people you wanted to protect. He had been rushed to the healers after taking a blow from the Bat Queen that was meant for Steve and now he paid the price for it.
Compassion?
Empathy?
Respect?
What good was that to him when he was dead?
No. he couldn’t risk his skin, fake as it may be, for just anyone, especially not some multi eyed brat that he had only met less than a day ago.
A roar broke Hunter out of his thoughts and he turned around to see where it had come from. Everybody else who had stepped out of the main entrance beside him turned as well, wondering if another monster was approaching the school.
In the distance, Hunter spotted Viney running towards the stables and as he listened closely he could make out multiple roars coming from that direction.
Something was up at the stables.
“Welp, none of my business.” He shrugged and turned around again, ready to head home and make his report for the day, ignoring how Little Rascal tweeted angrily in his backpack as if it was his responsibility to go check it out.
Hunter kept walking, taking one step in front of the other away from the trouble. What did he care about some creatures?
Cocky almost poked his eye out earlier!
He shouldn’t care!
He didn’t care!
Right?
Hunter cursed loudly before he turned around and fell into a sprint, quickly heading away from the entrance gate and towards the stables.
“If anything happens it’s your fault!” He shouted at his palisman as the small cardinal flew ahead, heading right towards the stables.
He didn’t care, he truly didn’t!
Not about the beasts, not about Cocky and especially not about Viney. But he did care about Little Rascal, and the palisman just had to go flying beak-first towards trouble.
As Hunter’s feet carried him closer he could hear the many beasts cry in distress at whatever was going on in the stable and he quickly moved double time to get closer. He burst into the stable, throwing the gates open with a hard shove. He spotted Viney right away, trying to calm down one of the larger Hippogriffs before it tore its box to pieces.
“What’s going on?!” He cried over the many panicked screeches from the animals. One of the Griffins kicked open its enclosure and raced towards the gate that Hunter had just come in through. He managed to duck out of the way just in time before he was trampled to death by the massive beast.
“I don’t know!” Viney shouted back as she appeared at his side, offering him a hand to pull him up to his feet. “But do you feel the magic in the air? It feels strange.”
Viney wasn’t wrong. Hunter had rarely felt magic this potent, the only times he ever had were when his uncle had been extremely upset. But this was different. His uncle’s magic was centred, collected and bent precisely to their man’s will. But this? This was different. The magic he felt in the air ran rampant, with no connection or correlation. It raged wildly through the stables, uncontrolled like a gorenado and unpredictable like the boiling rains.
It was wild!
“We have to get out of here!” He shouted as he felt the magic become more aggravated and Viney nodded in agreement before she added. “But not before we get the beasts out!”
Hunter groaned. Had this girl no sense of self preservation?
She quickly moved to the next box, unlocking the gate and throwing it open in a practised move to let the animal make a run for the exit. Hunter grabbed Little Rascal and pulled him into his backpack before he made his way to the exit. He wouldn’t stick around to be wiped out by whatever was going to happen next.
He walked towards the exit, ready to run away when Viney’s words rang through his ears once more.
“We are compassionate people who help others, we show respect to the people and animals around us and if you are not up for that then you might as well go and pick another track to study!”
Hunter sighed before turning around and racing over to the next box to help Viney get all of the animals out alive.
Stupid morals!
“Glad you decided to stick around!” Viney called over to him as she opened another cage, letting a bunch of small fairies out to fly for their lives.
“Yeah yeah!” Hunter called back, already fed up with doing a good thing for once. He opened the next cage and barely managed to get out of the way before Peppy, the adolescent cockatrice from earlier, raced towards the exit.
Viney herself let a griffin out of its box and hugged it tightly. “It’s gonna be okay Puddles, we’ll get you out of here.” She consoled the griffin before turning to Hunter. “You get out of here, I’ll get the cockatrices!”
Hunter nodded in agreement, all too happy to make a run for it when he suddenly felt a shift in the magic. They both looked up to the ceiling where they could feel the magic converging in one spot, suddenly forming a centre of golden light.
“We’re out of time!” Viney shouted as she opened up the cage for the cockatrices only for her pet griffin to grab her by the neck of her uniform and carry her out of the stables with a strong flapping of its wings.
“No, Puddles! Let go!” She shouted as she was carried out. Her cries fell on deaf ears as the griffin pulled her out of the stables and up into the sky, as far away from the magic singularity as possible.
Hunter had no time to think and quickly raced over to the last box, quickly throwing it open and shouting at the cockatrices inside while pointing towards the nearest gate.
“Run!”
The beasts took flight. Rushing past him on their wings, their panicked retreat fastened by the ever growing sensation of magic in the air. It was as if the magic was gathering for something, Hunter didn’t know what but whatever it was, it couldn’t be good!
He was about to turn away when he saw it.
Cocky was lying on the floor. The small cockatrice’s wing bent in a way that Hunter was pretty sure it shouldn’t be. It seemed that in their panicked retreat, the other cockatrices had trampled Cocky over and made their younger sibling crash.
Hunter didn’t have any time to consider this though as he quickly picked the young beast up in his arms and started to run towards the exit. The magic was collecting above him, the golden light shining brighter and brighter by the second.
He had almost made it towards the gate.
Freedom was in sight.
When the magic reached its peak and everything went to hell.
Cocky’s cries of pain and fear rang in his ears as the magic imploded behind him. Hunter was swept off of his feet and pulled backward into the air towards whatever it was that was forming in the stables.
Wood creaked, metal broke into pieces and bent as it was pulled towards the glowing orb of golden light.
The roof collapsed over the epicentre and it all disappeared to titan knows where.
The stables were ripped apart inwardly and Hunter could do nothing against it.
All he could do was to hold onto Cocky tightly as he was sucked into the light.
It felt like he was pulled into a pool of warm water. The magic surrounded him, pulling him down farther and farther. He didn’t dare open his eyes. He didn’t dare breathe. He was afraid.
He held on tightly to Cocky, only to realise that the wyvern wasn’t in his arms anymore.
He was too panicked to worry about that now.
Then, just as violently as the magic had sucked him in, it spat him back out.
Hunter went flying through the air, feeling entirely weightless for a moment before his back slammed into something hard that brought his flight to a violent end.
He groaned in pain as he slid down the wall and landed on the hard ground with a thud. Little Rascal flew up to his shoulder and pecked at his ear to make sure he was alive.
“I’m blaming you for this.” Hunter mumbled as he saw the darkness creep up on him from the edge of his vision.
He could barely make out a person walking up to him. Dark skin, brown hair, round ears.
Luz.
“Human.” He managed to mutter through the pain before his world went black.