An Elementalist Emerges

Introductions

"Telain! Wait for me," Lucky called out to him as he ran out of the house.

"Huh? I thought you didn't want to come with me?" Telain responded, looking slightly confused at Lucky's sudden decision to come with him to the magic school.

"Yea, I normally don't like to go to the school, since I don't have any talent with stuff like that, but for some reason I felt like I had to come with you this time," Lucky panted to him as he caught up to his older friend.

"Hmm, well, we've learned well enough to always heed your little feelings," Telain said as he playfully fell behind a bit to pull on his friend's tail before running off ahead, Lucky quickly picking up the chase as they ran to the magic school.

Lucky and Telain had become fast friends five years ago when they met by chance when their parents moved into the same apartment complex. They had since moved away when Telain went away to the magic school, and Lucky did all he could to move in with him just a few weeks later. Neither of them thought that he'd be able to, but he won a contest at a local radio station, giving him just enough to get a house for the two of them not too far from the school.

Telain Kat was a young cat, a cat-fennec fox hybrid to be exact, but he had so little of the latter that many people didn't even notice it. He stood at only 5'5" making him very small for his age of eighteen, and though he told everyone he didn't mind it, he was really insecure about his height. He'd been used to being different ever since he was small though, because his classmates had made fun of the small bright-yellow diamond of fur on his forehead that stood out sharply against his otherwise sand-colored coat. Another thing that stood out about his appearance was the large ears he inherited from his fennec side, the left one always sporting a small silver hoop about half-way up it. It was hard to pass his ears off as just being large for a cat, so he often got strange looks from people that got a half-decent look at him.

Despite his differences, Telain was well liked by almost everyone that had gotten to know him well enough but snubbed by many of those that didn't. If it wasn't his odd appearance, it was his intelligence or his magical abilities. He had never had a problem learning anything over the course of his life and the abilities of an air elementalist were no exception, even though no one had heard of anyone having any control of air for centuries. As soon as the skill was discovered six months before he was sent straight to the magic school, far from home, to hone his skills as best he could. He hadn't made many friends at the school, and didn't care about it either. Of the friends he had, there couldn't be anyone closer or more loyal than Lucky Wolf.

What about Lucky? Well, Lucky seemed just that, always lucky. He was a few years older than Telain, but he still acted far less mature, as if he hadn't grown any since he was twelve. He wasn't too much taller than Telain, only 5'8" which really helped Telain feel more comfortable around him, and vice-versa. His light grey fur and white paws weren't anything spectacular, so he was glad Telain looked far beyond a person's outside appearance. Lucky didn't have too many friends either, but, unlike Telain, it was because he was incredibly shy rather than being different. He had an aversion to going with Telain to the magic school most the time because he'd get weird looks from all the students, as if they could sense that he didn't have any talent.

Shortly after they slowed their pace, Lucky got lost in thought about his most recent revelation. Lucky had realized a while ago that he was gay and was doing his best to try and tell Telain. He wasn't afraid of his friend leaving him because of the revelation; he knew they both loved each other more than even brothers. Telain was even the one that helped him realize it. Even thought Telain was most definitely straight, he was such an affectionate person by nature and so close to Lucky that they would often end up cuddling on the couch and even slept in the same bed many nights, one holding the other close as they drifted off. He knew he'd have to tell Telain soon, he told him everything, but he'd give himself just a little while longer to figure out how.

"Whatcha thinkin' about?" Telain asked, snapping Lucky out of his self-induced trance.

"Huh? Oh, nothin' important," Lucky said as he shook his head a bit to clear his head, "I'll tell you about it later, Tel."

"Okay then," he said as they start to climb the steps to the school. "You know what's great about coming here?"

"Yes, you tell me all the time," he said, then switching to a mocking tone, "'I never have to come any more than I want to, and I can come a lot if I want to, as long as the school's open," he finished, making a face and sticking his tongue out at Telain slightly.

"Fine, I do say it about every time you come with me, but it doesn't change the fact that it's awesome," he said as he jumped up onto the large stone slope beside the stairs and began walking up it instead. Lucky laughed loudly at Telain's antics as he turned around and began walking up the slope backwards to the top. As he went to jump off backwards onto the top of the stairs, Telain gestured slightly with his left hand, causing a sharp gust of wind to sweep up beneath him and throw him high into the air, allowing him to complete two full back flips before gracefully landing on his feet a short distance in front of Lucky.

"You know no matter how many times I see that, I'll still be amazed. You show-off," Lucky said, playfully sticking his tongue out at Telain again.

"Yea, so what if I'm a show-off, nobody else can do that," Telain responded, a small hint of pride in his voice.

"One day it'll probably come in handy, why else could you do it?" Lucky asked rhetorically before adding, "You know as well as I do, little happens in our world without a good reason."

"Don't remind me," Telain said, shivering slightly, "I don't want to think about what I might have to do 'cause of these powers someday."

"Well, if it isn't our little prodigy," a deep, male voice said from behind Telain, "showing off again I see. That's a good way to hone your skills, keep it up," he continued as he ruffled Telain's headfur. Telain giggled and turned around to see his teacher, a thin, black bat that stood several inches above Telain at 5'10" but for some reason never made Telain feel uncomfortable. His body was near perfect, probably having never been in a fight. He kept surprisingly fit for someone that spent most their time researching.

"Heya Ventus, ready to try and teach me something else?"

Ventus slid his hand down and laid his arm gently across Telain's shoulders, "I can teach you more theory, but as always you've got to learn how true it is or not. I'm an expert on the air elementalists of the past, but I have none of their talents. Heck, I have no magical talent except seeing other's potential. I see you brought Lucky along with you again, always a pleasure to see you," He said as he took Lucky by the shoulders as well and led them into the school.

The building's main entrance looked much like a library, for that's really what this section of the building was: a library devoted to the collection of magical information. The tall shelves housed hundreds of thousands of tomes devoted to a specific magical art, the history of magic, and magical theories. Lucky didn't like reading, but he none the less was caught marveling at the amount of information available just like he was every time he came with Telain as Ventus and Telain discussed what Telain would try to master that day.

"I'm glad you came again, it's been a little too long since I've last seen you," Ventus said, lightly scolding his favorite and only student.

"I've only been gone a week, and besides, I've been using the time to practice a lot of the skills I haven't quite gotten down," Telain protested. "Don't you remember how I threw myself over the school last time I tried tossing myself up like that?"

Ventus chuckled lightly, recollecting Telain getting stuck in a tree the last time he had been at the school, "Yes, I do. Glad you were able to get better at that."

"Want to see what else I've learned to do?" Telain asked excitedly, not waiting for his teacher's response to close his eyes and raise his hands up in front of him, taking up the focusing pose he had been taught to help with skills he hadn't perfected. The sudden stop startled Lucky, his attention quickly focusing on Telain as he recognized the stance. Ventus stayed silent, watching his student intently, wondering just what he was about to try.

Telain opened his eyes slowly, focusing his gaze on an apple resting alone in a bowl on a table about thirty feet in front of them. The bowl started to shake slightly, the apple rising away from it slowly as Telain brought his hands together, imagining cupping the apple gently and lifting it between them. It rose a few feet above the bowl before it suddenly dropped back down with a thud that was relatively loud in the library. Telain slumped down to one knee, breathing heavily as Lucky clapped loudly, and a small grin spread along Ventus's face.

"When did you learn to control and sustain your wind like that?" Ventus asked as calmly as he could, "I read it took the past elementalists years to learn those kind of skills, especially using them in conjunction."

Telain beamed up at his teacher, proud of his achievement, "You did always say that I was the most talented elementalist you'd ever met. It took me almost, I wanted to surprise you with it, so I came and got all the information I could on the skills, and I took it home to study when I wasn't here," he said, pausing to take a breath before adding in a mock-scolding voice, "whenever I wasn't being distracted by this guy."

"Hey, you ask me to come and cuddle with you whenever you take a break. It's not my fault that you don't want to get back to work after," Lucky retorted, acting as if he was hurt by the statement, but in all honesty, they all loved the little playful teasing that seemed almost constant between them.

"It's quite alright, Telain needs his rest after working and being affectionate with someone, even if it's just a good friend, is a great way to rebuild magical energy," Ventus replied with a small scratch at Lucky's head.

"Oh, great, here comes Jared. I bet he wants to fight you again, Telain," Lucky says as he looks in front of him the one person that seemed to always want to directly challenge Telain constantly.

Jared had considered himself to be Telain's rival ever since he first found out he was an air elementalist. The 6' tall fox also looked odd, having a ruddy-orange coat and lacking the typical white socks of his kind. He insisted on wearing a blue headband with a small metal plate, on which was engraved a paw-print. He was one of the few that also carried a weapon, a small kunai throwing-dagger, but luckily he was honorable not to use it in any fight he didn't have to.

"Hey, Telain, been practicing your skills since you've been gone? I've probably run far ahead of you with how long you've been away," Jared said harshly.

"I beat the crap out of you last time, and I'll guarantee that I can do it again," Telain snapped back at him as the air started moving faster around him and a low growl emitted from his throat.

"Whoa, boys! Take this outside, the library's no place for fighting," Ventus said quickly, taking Telain by the shoulders and pushing him slightly toward the back doors, where a small field was setup for elementalists to test their powers against one another.

They stepped out into the bright sun, the various sounds of fire, air, water, and earth being heard around them. Small piles of wood sat about with fires crackling as they slowly consumed their fuel. The air blew in an awkward pattern around the area, whipping around everything without disturbing anything. Water tickled slowly down rock faces, as it coursed its way around the field in a small stream beginning at the rocks. Rocks were strewn about in various patterns around the field, creating a very hypnotic patten for anyone that looked at one of them for too long.

Ventus punched some buttons on the outside wall and the field changed, the sounds from the rumbling earth and roaring fire becoming muffled as the running of water and rushing of air intensified. The slight running over water over the rocks turned into many small waterfalls crashing down and creating a fine mist for a few yards around each water source. The air blew harder and ebbed suddenly, rapidly changing back and forth as it blew straight across the field now, as the rocks and urns faded slowly and disappeared from sight.

Telain and Jared walked out onto the middle of the grassy field, Jared taking up a position near one of the small waterfalls as Telain took up a defensive stance on the opposite side. The air slowly calmed as Telain began to breath steadily, focusing on his element and concentrating on every movement it made around him, willing it to calm as he calmed himself. Jared took his usual offensive stance, one hand resting over the water as its level rose slowly and filled a small dip in the ground all around him. He stood on a small bump in the middle, his paws just barely touching the surface.

Ventus cried out, "Begin!" and Jared immediately took off across the water in a straight line toward Telain. Thick tendrils of water quickly rose to his hands and trailed behind him, remaining linked to the pool they originated from. As he drew near he balled one fist and, forming a hard liquid sphere around it, swung at Telain. Telain quickly flexed his legs and sprung into the air, a strong gust of wind knocking Jared slightly off balance. As Telain soared overhead, Jared brought his other hand in a wide arc, pulling the strand of water thinner and longer before lashing out at Telain with it and hitting the watery whip against his chest.

Telain gasped as he felt the sharp impact of the water slapping against his chest, his arms moving in a wide arc and a few strong gusts of wind turning him about in midair. He pulled his hands together and formed a small whirlwind as he moved them about the center, his feet suddenly planting against a plate of air he formed. He pushed himself back down toward Jared and extending his arms outward, the whirlwind flew forward and caught Jared up in it as he fought to regain his balance.

Jared was thrown through one of the waterfalls and into the hard rockface behind it as Telain landed where he had been only moments before, a strong gust of wind breaking his sudden descent. Ventus whispered to Lucky as they both watched the intense fighting, "That's one of Telain's favorite techniques: exposing someone to their own element before hurting them." Jared slumped down, resting on one knee just behind the waterfall momentarily until sprung to his feet, running across the surface of the water, this time jumping up on a column of water and attempting to kick Telain as he descended.

Telain laughed loudly at Jared, "You expect to try and turn my own element against me; you forget what the main component of flying through the air is?" He sidestepped slightly as he pulled his arms in a sharp movement from in front of him toward the ground at the same angle as Jared's fall. Jared felt the wind press hard against his back as he was pulled hard towards the ground and landed too harshly to keep his footing. His face slammed into the ground at an astonishing speed as he tumbled forward. Telain turned and walked away slowly as Jared lost consciousness, "It's over, reset the field, master."

Ventus pushed a few more buttons, the field beginning to revert to its prior state as Ventus held down another and spoke into the comm, "I need a medic to field 3, Jared just lost another fight to Telain."

"How bad was it this time?" a voice from the comm asked.

Ventus replied with a small laugh, "Not quite as bad as last time, he's improved and Telain's learned much more control and restraint. He'll probably just have a light concussion."

"Okay, don't worry about hanging around; someone will be there in a moment," the voice responded as Ventus released the button.

Confessions

Ventus took the two boys by the shoulders as they turned and walked back into the school, leaving Jared to the care of the two medics that rushed in past them to tend to the loser. "You did very well, Telain. You could still use some work on that temper, but you're getting yourself more under control," Ventus said calmly, proud of his student for not using too much more force than was necessary.

"I know, Ventus, but he gets me riled up so easily. I can't explain it, normally I don't have much a temper at all, but whenever he actually struck me I could just feel a need to teach him a lesson," Telain responded, looking at his feet as they walked on, disappointed in the fact that he still hadn't gotten his temper in check as much as he thought.

"But you definitely beat his ass this time! I think you hurt him worse than the last time you fought," Lucky interjected excitedly, bouncing slightly and beaming with pride for his friend.

"Yes, it was a quicker battle than the last time, but Telain showed far more restraint. I think Jared's only going to be in medical one night this time," Ventus replied, scratching behind Telain's left ear softly to cheer him up.

"You're right; I didn't hurt him too bad. After the last time, he was gone almost a week nursing a broken ankle," Telain said more cheerfully, tilting his head up and purring softly as he guided his teachers fingers to a better spot.

"If you've taught yourself that much control only being gone a week, maybe you should take a few more days. Besides, I think you earned at least the rest the day off after a show like that," Ventus said, finding a way to hide the fact he hadn't found enough information to show Telain a new technique. Lucky looked hopefully at Telain, begging him with his best puppy-dog face to take up Ventus's offer.

"Stop lookin' at me like that," Telain said, running around behind Ventus to tickle Lucky briefly. "Fine, I'll be back in a few days, just make sure you found something else to show me before then," Telain finally said, giving Ventus a knowing wink. Ventus just took them in his arms and gave them a tight hug before pushing them off towards the front door.

"Have fun, boys. I'll be sure to find something really interesting for you while you're gone, Telain." Lucky grabbed Telain's hand and starting running toward the door, pulling Telain along with him as he laughed.

"Hey! Slow down, I'm still a little winded from all that you know," Telain said between heavy breaths, doing his best to keep up with Lucky.

"Sorry, I can't; you got me so excited watching that. When did you learn to push off thin air like that?" Lucky asked, slowing down slightly as he grew tired.

"I never had gotten it right before today, but I've been working on it almost since I got to the school," Telain replied, showing off his new skill by bouncing slightly off his feet and taking his next step in mid-air.

"I noticed Jared learned to harden the water as well, running across it like it was flat ground."

"Yea, forming a solid plane of your element is the first thing that most novices seem to learn, but it's hard to maintain for much longer than a second, so they can't manage anything more than running across it. If I can learn to it with less concentration, I'll be able to run all around the sky without a second thought," Telain said, slipping off into his frequent contemplation about his abilities.

He was snapped back into reality as Lucky turned his key in the lock to their home and opened the door, "Wake up, daydreamer; we're home."