Ruck Sack

I had packed what little I had, some books, my knives, some spare clothing, into a tattered old rucksack, and swung it over my shoulder. I walked out the door, shut it, and froze. This could be the last time I come back I thought to myself. I turned to look at Aaron, and he nodded, the smile gone from his mouth, but still in his eyes. I looked down at Sybenn, who seemed to have no opinion of the matter. I let go of the handle, replaced the curtains, and turned to begin walking down the road, following Aaron. “Where are we going?” I asked. “My Home, of course.” El flapped his wings, lifting off of Aaron's shoulders, and gracefully flew up high into the air, staying up in the clouds, but never leaving our sight. “It's where you'll stay, and where you'll train.” I still wasn't entirely sure about all of this, but I couldn't shake the feeling that this was the right thing to do. “Tell me about this 'training'. What will it entail?” He nodded. “To put it simply, I'm going to teach you how to control your abilities. Do you remember how it felt when you cast that spell in your room?” I nodded. “Well, I'm going to teach you to be able to do that, on command.” “Freeze things?” “Yes, but other things too. Elements are difficult. I think we'll start out small. Maybe with a mend spell” “Mend? Like, mending cloth.” He nodded again. “I was thinking more along the lines of a clay bowl, but you get the idea.” I stopped in my tracks, and Sybenn collided with my legs. “You're going to train me to mend a broken bowl?” He shook his head. “No.” He widened his hands in front of him. “I'm going to train you to have complete and total control over all things arcane.” He brought his hands close together. “I'm going to begin by teaching you to fix a broken bowl.” He grinned again. I started walking, Sybenn quick at my heels. We were silent for a long time. The further we went, the greener the trees became, and the sun felt brighter. Aaron whistled a short, ascending tune, and El plunged from the sky, flapping his wings once before gently resting on his owners shoulder. The red man dropped his pack, turning to open it and begin removing things from the top. “Lunch time” he announced, and produced a large, gray bundle of cloth, laying it on the ground and unrolling it. I sat down on the edge of fabric, Sybenn climbed onto my leg, revealing her belly for me to rub. Inside the cloth were two loaves of bred, a wineskin, and a block of cheese the size of both my fists clenched together. “That's all?” I asked, a little disappointed. “Couldn't you just magic up a feast or something?” He huffed a short, gruff laugh. “Take a bite.” He lifted a loaf of bred, offering it to me. I accepted, tore it into two, gave one half to Sybenn, and took a bite from the other. I chewed thoughtfully. It tasted just like a loaf of bread. When I brought it up to take a look at it, I was shocked to find no bite mark. I looked up at Aaron, and he began to chuckle, beginning to tear his loaf into smaller pieces. I took another bite, then quickly drew the bread back up to my eyes, to try and see the bite mark vanish. It was as if nothing had happened. I looked at Syb's piece. She had swallowed hers whole. “Don't worry” he began, seeming to sense my fear. “The bread only regenerates if you've bitten into it. Tearing it, or swallowing it entirely, has no effect.” As he was speaking it, El came down from his shoulder, and began snatching up bits of bread. “So, what's with the raven?” “He's my familiar.” I raised one eyebrow. “Like a pet?” “Sort of. El and I are linked. Emotionally and Mentally. Like you and your dog.” I looked at Sybenn, and then back at Aaron. “What do you mean?” “Have you ever had a strong thought or emotion, and almost immediately, your dog reacted?” I nodded. “Well, that means you are emotionally linked. She can pick up your feelings, and respond to them. El and I” He ran a gentle finger across the back of the raven's neck. “Are linked mentally too. He and I can communicate without speaking, while still making our intentions clear.” “So, El can read your mind?” He nodded. “And you can read hers?” He nodded again. “Does she speak English?” I asked, perplexed. Aaron chuckled. “Of course not. But she can communicate with me in other ways. I know when she is hungry or tired, I know where she is at all times, I can see through her eyes, and I can coordinate my spells with her.” “The raven can cast spells?” I gasped. “No, but I can cast them on her.” EL suddenly lifted into flight with two, heavy flaps of her wings. Aaron stood up, extended one hand, and closed his eyes. I looked up, and was amazed to see the once black raven change to a soft bronze, and shrink to about half its size. It's loud, piercing squawk was replaced with a cheerful chirp. It then changed once more, this time into that of a large, lurking vulture. It gently made its way down back to earth, perching itself on Aaron's shoulder. It began to shrink, returning to it's original size, and then from dusk gray to its jet black. I closed my mouth, unaware when or how it had opened. “Impressed?” He asked, clearly enjoying himself.