The White Wolf

Lexy woke up with a groan. She got up and went over to her dresser. She pulled out one of her blue hoodies along with a gray shirt and black cargo pants.

She slipped into the cargo pants and pulled the gray shirt on. Pulling the hoodie on she zipped it up. Lexy looked at the dresser and her father’s knife. She grabbed the blade and put it in her hoodie pocket.

She walked through the halls and made her way to the dining room to see Thokath sitting at the dining table with his siblings.

Thokath looked up from his book. Brushing some of stray strands of his white hair he gave a gentle smile, gesturing to an empty chair beside Carin. Lexy sighed and sat down in the chair.

Carin looked at her and raised a brow, “Are you feeling ok?”

Lexy groaned, “Am I in pain from a stupid headache? Yes, yes I am. But I would say compared to the other things that this is a cakewalk.”

Carin blinked, “Well then, we have pain meds for headaches.”

Humming softly before she tilted her head back, “That would be nice.”

Lexy fell silent and delved into her thoughts as food was served by the butlers and maids, but she was brought out of her thoughts’ by Thokath, “Hey Lexy, have you ever played chess?”

Lexy looked to Thokath, “No, never had anyone to play it with.”

With a growing smirk, he rested his elbows on the table as he lowered his head. “Well I can teach you if you would like”.

Lexy gave a strained smile while she moved her legs back and forth, “Sure, it wouldn’t hurt but can we do it in the afternoon? I was hoping to go exploring this morning.”

Thokath frowned, “Alright, just be careful please. Don’t go too far again ok?”

“Understood.”

Lexy ate quickly and stood up. She looked to Thokath,“Thank you for the food.”

Thokath smiled, “you’re welcome.”

Lexy waved and walked out of the room. She rushed upstairs and grabbed the book Callum had given her. She dashed to the front doors.

The sun’s warm gentle rays fell down on her as she walked into the woods. Lexy walked along her chalked trail and continued past it until she reached the clearing that she and Callum had fought the warden in.

Lexy opened the book Callum had given her to see the lens. Picking it up, she turned the page in the book to see an index. The words rearranged themselves and Lexy read it out loud.

“History, 5-100. Bestiary,100-500. Enchantment’s, 501-615.”

Lexy turned to page five to see an illustration of a battle between humans, wizards, dragons and all sorts of mythical creatures.

She read the title, “The war of fire.”

Continuing to read the text below the illustration, “Long ago, there was no need to hide, all truths were told. The world was fresh, clean, and full of harmony. Peace abounded during this golden age.”

“Seven great tribes coexisted upon the land in tolerance of each other. There were the dragon-blooded, beast-blooded, Mystics, Wizards, Elves, Celestials, and witches."

Lexy paused and looked at the illustrations under the text. The dragon blooded looked like Jackson. While the beast-blooded illustration showed a man with fox ears that was transforming into a bipedal fox.

The mystic’s illustration showed spirits and a giant worm draconic creature. Lexy didn’t bother too much with the last four and continued to read.

“The volatile, ill-tempered dragon-blooded revered and respected all of the tribes. They had gargoyle-like forms but could morph into dragons at will. The magnitude of their dragon forms ranged between the size of a small pony to an enormous mountain. The dragons of the highest caliber could create a storm with a single flap of their wing.

Beast-blooded held human forms with animal tails and ears. They were able to morph into a larger bipedal form of that animal.

Mystics were pure magical creatures that held equal intelligence to that of a celestial or lower.

Elves were crafty masters of crime. Similar to the wizards they could wield magic. However, unlike the wizards, they must obtain and carry a magic item to use it. An elf is limited to one type of magic.

Wizards, they are unique. They can create magic potions. Enchantments on weapons of all kinds were just a few of their specialties. They are limited in their magical abilities though.

Celestials had no spell casting abilities, the only abilities they have is immortality.

Witches, or the shunned, to do magic, had to sacrifice magical creatures to use their twisted version of magic. The cursed beings failed a revolution. Their attempt to overthrow the tribes decimated a third of their numbers. Even though they lost the coup, they had successfully cast fear into the hearts of the celestials

Celestials retaliated with witch hunts and burned them alive at the stake. This was the celestial’s downfall. They were trapped in the witch’s web. Fear coursed through them they began to condemn all magic, and soon after the witches, they deemed the wizards equally evil.

Wizards and the other tribes tried to come to a compromise with the celestials, but the celestials were too narrow-minded to see the consequences of their sins. The wizards saw value in the celestials and tried one last time to reason a compromise with them.

However, celestials continued their retaliation out of fear. They irrationally burned the tribal wizard’s families two youngest children. Ceremoniously they burned them alive at the stake.”

Her brows furrowed together, Lexy stopped reading, "Well that got dark fast. Then again, when is any history roses and sunshine?”

She then continued to read, “Overcome with rage and grief the wizards lashed out violently at the Celestials. Nothing short of annihilation, they marched in the middle of night setting fire to cropland. Unmerciful, they ravaged whatever villages they came across.

Celestial lands were ablaze with fire so bright it looked like the rising sun. In the aftermath of the first attack, the wizards burned a fourth of the Celestial’s domain and persecuted the tribal family and their supporters.

Soon after the war of fire began. It spread across the land like a plague. The ground of what was left from the war looked like the underworld. The Wizards knew that they couldn’t kill the Celestial. So the most powerful wizards that served the king came together and created a magical spell called the veil with the goddess.”

Lexy stopped reading there and rolled her eyes, “Ok that is enough history, let’s try enchantments.”

She then turned back to the index and turned the pages to find the beginning of enchantments. Lexy started flipping through the pages for anything that would help. Lexy landed on the page of runes and their meanings. She looked at her father’s knife to look at the rune on it and looked back to the book. Lexy looked through the runes until she found one that matched the one engraved into her father’s blade.

“Loyalty.”

Sighing, she closed the book and made her way back to the mansion. She entered the mansion, went to her room and put the book back.

She looked at her father's knife. She focused on it and the rune glimmered a dark purple for a moment. Thinking back to the moment she was sent flying into the tree, she hummed.

She closed her eyes and focused on reality. With all of the sandstorms, the rebels and Callum. Lexy thought long and hard about Callum’s library. She felt a warm sanded breeze go against her skin, snapping her eyes open to see a vibrant purple glow coming from her father's knife and she looked around to see she was in front of Callum’s library entrance.

Light emitted from inside of the cave and she rushed in expecting to see Callum. But no, there sitting by the bookshelves was Niph with a tear-stained face.

Lexy walked up to Niph who looked to her with hope and desperation in her eyes, “Is he with you? Lexy, where is my little brother?”

Her eyes widened, “What do you mean Callum wasnt with me in the camps.”

Niph’s once hopeful expression went to one of despair, “Oh, if you came for a book. Enjoy, I’m not going to stop you.”

Lexy frowned and narrowed her eyes,“Where was the last place you saw him?”

Niiph sighed and brought her knees to her chest, “That’s just it, I saw him go into a shadow right as you left and he hasn’t come back.”

Running a hand through her hair Lexy looked to Niph fire in her eyes,“I promise I won’t return until I’ve found him. “

Niph shook her head, “Don’t make promises you can’t keep.”

Turning to the entrance of the cave Lexy took one last look at Niph,“I know but this is one I plan on keeping.”

Holding her fathers knife tight and focused on meeting up with Jackson while she closed her eyes. She opened her eyes and let out a strangled cough as pain flowed through her. Lexy coughed and watched with wide eyes when blood fell from her lips and into the sand. She looked up to see she was out in the desert and there was sand and a random door in front of her.

Lexy turned around to see Jackson and another person staring at her with wide eyes. This person looked to be a bipedal mouse with kangaroo legs, tail, and has long mouse ears. They were female and had a white blouse with a jene blue vest on top. They had baggy pants on their legs. She also had two quivers with four crossbows.

This woman looked Lexy over and frowned, “Are you going to be ok?”

Lexy wiped the blood from her mouth, “as long as I don’t do that again for a bit. I think so.”

Jackson raised a brow,“Right, next question: how did you get here? We’re not even at the meeting spot.”

Lexy took another glance around, “Well, I thought about this place, closed my eyes and opened them and I was here. While on horseback I had accidentally done this only instead I thought of home. I’m still figuring this out.”

Jackson looked to his friend, “Well sense we’re already here this saves us a lot of time. Should we just head through the door Fendres?”

Fendres shrugged," I don’t see why not. I mean we can just move it. It is a door in a desert.”

Jackson nodded, “alright then.” He then tore his gaze from Fendress and looked back to Lexy, “Alright, just head through the door.”

Lexy looked at the door and back to Jackson. She was going to say something when she spotted movement on top of a sand dune on the horizon. Furrowing her brows and focusing on what was moving. To see lines of sand shifting.

Lexy tilted her head," What is that?”

Jackson and Fendres stopped and turned around to see what Lexy was talking about. Their faces twisted into horror.

Jackson quickly grabbed Lexy and rushed to the door with Fendres. Jackson kicked the door open and ran through. Lexy watched as Fendres ran behind them. She looked in awe as they went through the door where their whole surroundings changed to a medieval stone-built town with rows of trees along the streets. However just like on the other side there was a door here too.

Fendres was quickly behind Jackson and Lexy. Fendres then spined on a dime while she swiftly unclipped two crossbows and fired them through the doorway. The arrows flew through and landed into one of the large bumps moving through the sand.

Feral growling and clicking was heard as a monster rose from the sand. It had a human structured torso and head. With white and gray scales and sharp spikes going down from the top of its head, all the way down it’s back to the tip of its tail. Its eyes were a haunting orange and there were black marks around its eyes.

Its body reminded Lexy tales of a centaur. Only instead of horse legs the front legs were that of a bird and the back legs were that of a horse while the arms were the front legs of a lion while the rest of its body was reptilic.

Lexy shuddered, the eyes. The haunting orange eyes that were the same color and had the same black mark as the people who died in her house.

The arrow Fendres had shot was embedded in one of the creature’s spines and with how it had its eyes narrowed and was growling. Lexy could tell the creature did not appreciate that. It let out an angry roar and went to go through the door only to be shocked by an invisible wall in the door.

Jackson set Lexy down and looked to Fendres with a frown, “Why did you have to piss it off when you knew they couldn’t get through?”

Fendres looked at the monster and the other that was exactly the same. Fendres shrugged, “Because I wanted to.”

Jackson groaned," See, this is why we can’t have nice things.”

Fendres raised a brow, “But we do have nice things.”

Jackson stared at her for a long moment and then huffed. Small plumes of smoke came from his nostrils, “That is not what I meant and you know it. Besides, we’ll have to deal with them later when she has to go home.”

Fendres smirked," exactly.”

Jackson shook his head," Sometimes I hate you.”

Fendres only smiled," You know you’ll be thanking me when I have to fight again. It will be all like “oh thank you Fendress so much.”

Jackson rolled his eyes and looked to Lexy, “Alright, follow me and ignore her.” he said, gesturing to Fendres who only smiled while her left ear flicked a bit.

Jackson began to guide Lexy to one of the taller buildings as they did. The three pass a huge stadium. Lexy looked to Jackson, "What’s that?”

Fendres began to speak before Jackson could, “That is the Gershon stadium, here if you have a problem with somebody or a dispute, or just want to fight you go there. Thene beyond there you’ll just find housing and then endless green flat fields. Oh and craters from all of Leo’s crazy inventions.”

Jackson smirked, “Hey, give him at least some credit. They’re quite fun to smash.”

Fendress nodded, “There is something we can agree on.”

Jackson led Lexy to the entrance of a tall building of stone brick and dark wood. The trio entered the building and Lexy looked in awe when she saw all sorts of creatures in a large cafeteria area. However one thing Lexy noticed was how despite what these people are they all have a vest, some dark green others, yellow, red, black, and blue.

Jackson continued to lead Lexy past the cafeteria and into a set of hallways past it and eventually to a door. Jackson knocked on the door.

“Come in.” came Alcore’s voice from the other side.

Jackson opened the door and Lexy walked in while Fendres and Jackson walked in after her. Lexy looked at Alcore.

Alcore approached Lexy. He towered over her, looking down, his violet eyes met with her storm blue. “How did you manage magic, you’re human and how did you even return home before we hadn’t helped you?”

Lexy crossed her arms, “well the anawrath soldiers inspectors said I do have magic. I just have barely any. To what activated it I focused on heading home and suddenly I was near home. As to how i returned home before i’m not really too sure. ”

Alcore eyed her skeptically, getting lost in his thoughts.

“hmmm” his chest vibrates.

“I think maybe not all is as it seems. Are you sure your human?”

Lexy raised a brow," I have no idea what you’re smoking, but I was just thinking of home. Earlier today I thought of Charter then I thought of here and I started coughing blood.”

Alcore interrupted her, “Charter?! How in Tethys’s name did you end up there?” He demanded. “Are you really trying to tell me you just thought of here?”

“Yes, you nitwit”, Lexy pointedly attacked. “If you were listening to me, that is exactly what I said.”

Lexy crossed her arms. Fendres and Jackson could be heard in the background chuckling. Fendres wrinkles her nose, “what’s he smoking? I’ll be inquiring about that later. Fire? What fire? I smell no fire.”

“Nitwit? What is Tethys’s name ? Did you just call me child?”

Alcore shook his head. He had no idea what the hell a nitwit was. He let it go as Lexy chose not to answer him. She just glared at him fiercely and continued. “Besides, we had a deal, remember?”

Nodding Alcore then ran a hand through his hair, “Sorry about being so interigateive. It’s just that most kids youre age don’t usually pull stunts off like that and it leaves me to wonder. Alright now. I’m sure you have been wondering how youre going to take part in this effort.

We’re going to put you through diffrent tests, both mentally and physaclly. Then from there we will decide what team youre going to go on.”

Lexy nodded, “So then what’s the first test?”

Alcore looked at Jackson, “I want to see if she can be a part of youre team first. You have one ready to be paired still yes?”

Jackson shook his head, “No, I don't have any more and I refuse to even think about trying at the wild ones. It’s too dangerous.”

Alcore frowned, “Alright then she would be best fit for Valdaria in the mages group”

Jackson looked back to Lexy, “You will find Valdaria in the training hall. You'll exit the door, turn left and the training hall will be the last door in the hall.”

Nodding Lexy left the room, took a left and kept going until she reached the last door. Upon going through the door she was greated by the sight of people sparing. One woman with brunette hair and bright emerald eyes caught Lexy’s attention. Recognition hit her like a ton of bricks. Valdaria was one of the warriors that fought cultists to ensure she could get away.

Valdaria was in the middle of sparring with a mage using fire magic. She dodged two fireballs with ease before flipping over a wall of fire. She raised her wooden sword to the trainee's throat, “and that was a much better defense than your last couple tries. Your firewall is coming along nicely. But I believe this is all for now.”

The trainee let out a breath of relief and Valdaria turned to Lexy. She staired for a moment at Lexy as if a million thoughts were going through her head. Valdaria blinked, “Lexy right?”

Lexy nodded, “Yeah, and youre Valdaria. Alcore assigned me to be a part of youre group.”

Tilting her head to the side Valdaria hummed, “I see, what magic do you think you are capable of?”

Scrunching her nose Lexy raised a brow, “Uh none?”

Valdaria smirked, “You are incorrect there are spells anyone can use as long as there is energy in the air. However, in order to do a spell you don’t have an infinity for you have to use runes. You usually can only learn runes from rune makers.

But I’m an exception.”

Lexy smiled, “Really? So, I can learn runes from you?”

Valdaria nodded, “Well start with an easy one.”

Pulling parchment from her pocket she drew a symbol on it. Lexy then watched in awe as the paper glowed before a ball of water floated up and then burst.

Eyes wide, Lexy looked to Valdaria, “Can you show me how?”

Valdaria took out another piece of paper and slowly drew a symbol onto the paper. Then she completed it with a single dot. The rune glowed and an orb of water formed and then dispersed.

Lexy grinned, “ok can I try now?”

Valdaria nodded and handed Lexy a paper and pen. Carefully Lexy drew a pattern on the paper, and nothing happened.

Lexy frowned and went to try again on the other side of the paper and this time the rune glowed. Valdaria smiled when she saw the orb of water form and then burst.

Chuckling Valdaria pointed to some of the other trainees working on different runes, “The more you practice the better you get. Eventually you'll get to learn a new rune.”

Lexy looked over to the other trainees. Walked over to see what they were working on. She came up behind one person working on a large rune being sketched into a large piece of paper. Tilting her head she looked to them, “What kind of rune is this?”

They looked at her and blinked, “Oh, i’m working on a teleportation rune. I was just about to finish it.”

He looked back to it and drew the final symbols but right as he did that. Valdaria shouted at them, “No Lexy qet away from-”

Lexy didn’t hear the rest next thing she knew everything went purple white and then black.

Awaking, she sat up and looked around. Surrounding her were trees ten feet thick, some having glowing racks of mushrooms set on them that little lizards were using as watching posts. Ferns shrouded her feet as she stood up. There was shrouded sunlight seeping in and slowly it was fading away.

The trainee who was working on the rune woke up and looked around. Color drained from his face, “Oh my goddess, the rune went wrong, something went really wrong.”

Birds, bugs and frogs were singing until they all went quiet.

Lexy frowned at the darkens shifting around her and immediately pulled out her bow. Drawing an arrow she moved her arms slowly. For a second there was this still moment of waiting to see something.

Suddenly an all black panther came running out. It had the mouth of a blue baboon and had its upper lip held up revealing all its teeth.

Lexy took a breath focused and fired.