It was at his evening walk (Adair used to make a walk around the school area every evening to be sure that there were no shapeshifters close by waiting for the night - he would sense them instantly) when Adair heard voices near the old dilapidated barn which told every passer-by that the academy wasn't far. The voice of a man, sounding haunting, and the voice of a girl, sounding afraid. When he advanced he saw from afar Elizabeth, Rickys sister, with a strange man. She was obviously coming back from the near village where she got shopping how her full basket showed. His hair stood on end; he already saw the guy some days ago in the village. He was a strayer who had only evil in his mind. Adair went towards them, slowly, as if nothing had happened at all, and greeted the girl kindly. She smiled relieved, seeking for help in his eyes. When the guy angrily snapped at him "Get lost, pretty boy, this's mine", Adair raised his eyebrows. He turned towards the guy, now with an angry glare, and said calmly: "Aren't you a little bit too young to walk here all alone at the late evening?" (In spite of the facts that it wasn't even completely dark and this guy was older than him). "You could be in danger, my boy! - Maybe you could meet one of those big spiders you love so much (he had eavesdropped on him and a friend of his when he saw them speaking in the village and heard that the guy hated spiders). I know by chance that there is living one close-by, and that she loves especially scum like you! Maybe you should avoid this district; I know that this spider is pretty hungry!"

Adairs eye's were furiously glowing; he hid his hand when he felt that his fingers shifted to claws, caused from his anger. The girl shouldn't see this. The guy said nothing more, but retreated slowly, then he ran away with horror. If he would have been asked, he couldn't say why, but this young man had given him quite a shiver.

Adair took a deep breath, then turned to the girl, and smiled. "I don't think he will return soon. But be careful anyway. You're alright?" he asked.

"Yes - thank you so much, Adair!" she whispered, smiling now, her pretty eyes were glowing, and her smile made him feel happy.

"My pleasure", he said, stroking her cheek slightly with his fingers, which made her blush a little bit. "Now you should go, because when your brother sees us together he will surely kill me."

She chuckled a bit, then she said a litte bit anxious: "There are no giant spiders around here, are they? I thought they would live in the north, in the haunted woods."

"Not a single one", he laughed, adding in his thoughts 'except me, sometimes'. "Don't worry. But as long this fool doesn't know that, we don't mind, do we?"

He winked at her, now seeing from afar somebody advancing (whom he recognized as Ricky). Adair hurried away, hid behind the old barn and shifted into a big eagle. Then he flew away, with a eagle's cry which sounded for Ricky like a laughing ... of course ranting Ricky knew who flew there close over his head, towards the academy! 

♥

This is a fan-story of "The Night Watchers" from AvalonTheQuin.

Ricky and Elizabeth belong to AvalonTheQuin.

Adair and the "bad guy" belong to me.

Story-idea is by me.