Chapter 9: Recognized Skill

 

      Spike woke up a little late in the morning the next day. He looked over towards the other bed that was in the room to see that it was completely untouched since yesterday when Skylar first sat down on it. It was a little odd that the boy was still gone and Spike figured that he should probably look for him. He rose from the bed and left the inn in search for the other boy.

      It took nearly an hour for the dark-haired boy to find Skylar. He spotted him out in the field a distance away from the town. When Spike got closer to him, he noticed that there were several craters surrounding the sleeping boy. It surprised him a little and it only made the black-haired youth wonder what he had been doing here. He soon came to a stop next to Skylar and looked down at him. Spike nudged the younger boy with his foot, doing so hard enough so that Skylar would wake up from it. The blond's eyes slowly opened to see Spike staring down at him. He soon looked away as he slowly sat up.

      “What do you want?” Skylar asked. It could be told that he was a little upset about Spike complaining about his lack of skill as a warrior yesterday.

      Spike sighed before saying, “Look, sorry about yesterday. I probably shouldn't have been so harsh.”

      Skylar didn't say anything for a few seconds and soon sighed too. “Don't worry about it. But I'm going to get better. I promise to you that by the time all of this is over I'll be as twice as strong as I was before it all began.”

      “All right, I'll hold you to it.” The brilliant warrior looked around a little before looking back at Skylar. “What were you doing here anyway?”

      “Training,” answered the younger male. “I've been trying to learn a spell. I've been working on it for about half a year, but I think I finally got the hang of it.”

      “About time,” muttered Spike.

      “It's a hard spell.”

      “Sure it is,” the dark-haired youth said a little sarcastically.

      “It is. Watch, I'll show you.”

      Skylar closed his eyes as he concentrated a little. A few seconds later, he muttered, “Angel Feathers.” Right after that, numerous white feathers softly fell towards the ground. When they made contact with it, bursts of golden energy erupted from the feathers, leaving medium-sized craters in the earth. Spike watched, a little surprised. Skylar was right about it being a hard spell. Spells pertaining to healing and the light element were pretty difficult to learn.

      “It takes a bit of energy to do it, but at least I can finally do some kind of spell,” said Skylar a wee bit exhaustedly.

      “That's good and all, but we should probably get ready to leave soon,” said Spike. “I want to finish this journey as soon as we can so we can get back.”

      “Okay, but can we get something to eat first?” asked Skylar.

      Spike nodded. The two headed back into town to get something to eat. Afterwards, they continued in the northern direction of where Fairvald was located. The grassy plains continued to stretch on before them, seemingly never ending. By the time night came along, they were still in the vast field. They set up a campfire just a ways away from a lone apple tree. The two picked and ate a couple pieces of fruit for some kind of nourishment for the night.

      “Hey Spike, I was wondering. . .” Skylar began several seconds after they finished eating, hesitating a little on finishing the sentence.

      “What?” Spike asked as he looked towards him.

      “Well, I was wondering if you would maybe train with me for a little bit.”

      “Sure, why not. Not like you'd ever be able to hit me anyway.”

      Skylar smiled a little. The two stood up and walked away from the small fire. They began the training. Skylar would charge forth and swing his sword at Spike, who blocked most of the attacks with ease. However, as they continued, Spike was able to see Skylar's skill a lot easier than he had been able to before. He never truly recognized it, but Skylar wasn't so bad as what he thought he was. The blond was far from being a really great warrior, but Spike figured that he maybe had potential after all. Even as they trained, Spike could notice Skylar getting a little better.

      After about thirty minutes into training, it started to pour down rain. Spike suggested that they should stop for the night, but Skylar insisted that they continue for just a few more minutes. The older male agreed to it and they kept at it for a while longer.

      By the time they did finish, Spike and Skylar were completely drenched. Their clothes clung to their bodies and their hair was flat against the top of their heads. They went underneath the tree so they couldn't get wetter than what they already were, if that was even possible.

      “I'm cold,” Skylar stated a minute or two later, shivering some as he sat there.

      “Might as well get out of the wet clothes,” Spike said. “Not like they're going to make you any warmer.”

      Both him and Skylar shed all of their clothes except for their boxers. They piled the soaking wet clothes to the side so they wouldn't be in the way when they decided to go to sleep.

      “I'm still cold,” complained Skylar, still shivering a little.

      Spike had to admit that he was a little cold himself, but he wouldn't announce it like the younger male did. He soon got an idea of how they could resolve the problem and sighed afterwards.

      “Well, we could aways huddle together to share body heat,” Spike suggested, looking away a little.

      Skylar blushed a little, though it wasn't noticeable due to the darkness. He nodded in response before slowly scooting over towards the dark-haired boy. Spike put an arm around Skylar's shoulders and pulled him close so they could get warmer. The blond's cheeks became a deeper red as this happened and Spike couldn't help but to blush a wee bit himself. Nothing was said between the two though as they sat there. When they were finally a little more comfortable with this, they laid down and it wasn't too long until they dozed off.

Reviews

[Clark]

On a happy note! I'm liking the way your characterization is shaping up. It's fair enough, with the definite lines of lead/understudy kinda thing. I like how with vocal cues (skylar's asking permission to go get food, his hesitations) you keep Skylar on a slightly lower echelon. I can also see how, with each of them understanding previous MISunderstandings you make them a little more friendly toward each other. This is ALMOST complete enough to warrant them getting cuddly (I agree with Amund on the boxers, thing, by the way; it's another period writing kinda thing). It could thus be a little less abrupt, something you start earlier on so that they can be cozy now, or save the coziness for later. Of course, this is assuming this coziness doesn't become really awkward for them in the morning.

[Amund Schofield]

There are a few things about magic that piss me off. First off, when people have to say the name in order to do it. It's like every time they have to say the freaking name, it's boring and repetitive. Besides that, when it's in english, it's even more boring. Also for such a short spell, one that isn't too big, maybe Skylar should say a little rhyme or maybe say something in a different language.

On one more note, leaving them in only their boxers is a nice image, I don't think boxers work for the tone of your story. Maybe under skins, or something. Come up with different name to call them, or just have them nude. I mean, nude is more sexual, plus you don't have to worry about describing their underwear.