I wrote this little story of Adair's first days at the Academy together with @AvalonTheQuin. First it was only a little playaround, but it got so cute that I couldn't resist to make a story of it. So this is quasi a cooperation of Avalon and me :) Oh, and I adapted another story of Adair's childhood a little bit so it fits to this one - because doing twice what Adair does here wouldn't be so wise for him ... and he surely wouldn't dare. ;)
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Adair’s first adventure
At this day, Morituri had to attend his lessons, but the shapeshifter boy he found a few days ago just couldn't leave his side. Wherever Morituri went, Adair followed him hard on his heels. Morituri understood that the boy was still scared and that he just didn't want to be left alone again. He made a deep sigh as the boy quite literally grabbed his leg and held it for his dear life. Of course Morituri was trying not to laugh at the boy's silly behaviour, but couldn't help and chuckle once in a while.
Morituri was suddenly stopped by one of his friends. Angus his name was. Angus was quite young, but Morituri didn't mind being his friend; they got along pretty well. When Morituri and Angus were in the middle of the conversation, Angus spotted an elf boy clinging on Morituri's leg. Angus was shocked! He didn't know that Morituri had a son! Angus looked at the boy once more, got on one knee and smiled softly at Adair. Funny, Angus remembered, when his brothers always followed him and hid behind when they were scared or too shy to talk, but now they didn't do it anymore. Well, besides Andres. He still was too shy at times. Angus extended his hand for the elf boy to shake it and said with a gentle voice: „Hi there, lad. I'm Angus, and what's your name?”
Morituri smiled at the two of them.
Oh my, this guy was quite interesting for Adair ... though a little bit big ... But his new dad-friend seemed to like him. Looking at Angus's friendly smile and then at his hand, one could see how Adair was thinking hard about it. Finally, he took Angus's hand, hesitantly, and said quietly (but yet with his other hand holding Morituri's leg): „... I'm Adair ...”
[Angus] „Hi Adair. ^^ It's really nice to meet ya! ^^ Huh? Hey, you have something behind your ear!”
Angus extended his hand and took from behind Adair's ear a beautiful blue butterfly; its wings were sparkling in the light of the sun.
[Angus] „Well, well. How did he get behind your ear, Adair? ^^”
Adair looked at him, with big eyes and slack-jawed. He grabbed at his own ear. How did it get there?! Slowly he reached for the butterfly and even managed to get it on his finger - to watch shortly after how the beautiful butterfly fluttered away in the sunlight. Adair’s eyes glistened happily when he looked at Angus.
[Angus] *jazz hands*: „Magic!” ^^
^^ „... Cool!! ...“, the boy said, smiling all over the face. Then: „... my father taught me magic too ... but only a little ... before ...“ Now a shadow covered his face; a pair of sad eyes looked at Angus. A little tear tried to escape his left eye.
”Hey laddie, I know what you feel”, Angus said in a sad voice. „But don't worry, there's always somebody that will be there for you, no matter what. So now don't be a wee baby and show me what you got!^^ You are a man! Not a girl! Men don't cry! ... well .... they cry only when they've lost a bet because Ronald was cheating!!!!”, Angus yelled behind him and then they heard someone yell back „I didn't cheat ya, bastard!!!“
„See what I need to deal with every day?” Angus said, with a cheery voice.
Adair chuckled. This guy was so funny! It seemed that he could like him, like his new dad-friend Morituri.
Only now he realised that he let loose Morituri's leg and that his new dad-friend went over to a woman with red hair to talk with her. Not good - not good at all!!! Visibly worried, he looked over at Morituri, then at Angus. Then Adair grabbed him at his hand to pull him strong-willed over to Morituri and holding a moment later each of them at one of his hands.
[Angus] „I'm not supos to be affected by something like that buut .... Awwwww~~ you are such a cutiepie youngie~~ ^^”
[Morituri] „What is it, dear boy?”
Adair didn't answer. He was a little bit embarrassed, but nevertheless it was more important that he wouldn't lose his new family again.
Now he saw the strange woman looking at him. Who might she be? And - she looked alarming with her big sword ...
„Uhhh .... so the two of you are baby daddy's now?..”, Lady Mertillia said, a little bit mockingly. Angus and Morituri got red from embarrassment.
[Morituri] „Mertillia, don't. I found that boy a few days ago, and now he's staying with me. And Angus is just his new friend and not a father!!”
Mertillia chuckled. „Whatever you say, old man ...”
Morituri gasped. „I'm not old!!!”
[Mertillia] „… Sure you're not, granny …”
Although Adair didn't know the woman yet and although she was a little bit creepy to him, he angrily looked at her. „Don't be bad to my friends!“, the boy said to her, quiet, but clearly audible. „And I'm not a baby!“
Mertillia chuckled. „You're not even the height of my sword so for me you are still a baby. Alright, I gotta go, old man. See ya.”
Morituri sighed heavily. „That woman will be the death of me ....”
[Angus] „At least this time she didn't got into a fight with-“ Suddenly they heard shouts of Lhoris and Mertillia „-Lhoris .... yeah ...”
Adair annoyedly looked after the woman. He hissed and growled a little bit. No, he didn't like her at all. At this point Mertillia didn't know yet that she brought in Adair a little scratching-cat to life. Morituri felt small, sharp nails at his hand, looked down and saw Adair's hands shifting back into his real form.
Angus looked down at Adair and said to Morituri: „A shapeshifter?!”
[Morituri] „Uh-oh. We need to get him back into the castle.”
Angus only nodded, and with one move he took Adair on his arms and ran with Morituri into the castle. Once they were inside, Angus sat Adair into one of the armchairs, he as well took one and sat opposite to Adair.
[Angus] „So you are a shapeshifter, eh?”
Adair nodded, insecure. „My mummy told me that many people are afraid of shapeshifters ... are you now afraid of me too?“ he asked sadly. „Cause I don't wanna make you afraid, Angus ...“
[Angus] „Huh? Afraid? Me? Hahahahaha!!!! Adair, don't be silly! You are a shapeshifter what means that you have lizard blood, and that also means that we are related ^^ because, you see, I'm a dragon.^^”
Adair smiled all over the face, and at the next moment a black scaled boy with white eyes flung around Angus's neck (... now Adair shifted fully back into this real shape - rrripp - another pair of trousers gave up the ghost because of Adairs tail.) „You have to show me how you look as a dragon! I never saw a dragon before! Please show me!“ ^^
[Angus] „Hehe … ^^ I have three forms. This one. A second one that is more scaled, and a third one, the great dragon. Which one do you want to see?”
XD Adair jumped up. „ALL!!!“
[Angus] „Ehhh .... I can't show you the last one as I will destroy this castle with me size ^^' but I can show you second one^^.”
Before Adair could blink, in front of him stood a red, black and golden scaled Angus with horns and gigantic wings. O_O „... Oooohhh.... That's cooool! Morituri, did you see this?! I would like to have such wings too ... Are all people here like you, Angus?!“
Angus chuckled. „No, Adair. Not everyone in here are the same. And that's what makes this place special. We are all different, yet the same. In here, we don't really care from what race you are.^^”
“That's so great!!!“ He suddenly stopped. „... And- are here also shapeshifters?“ he then asked a little bit anxious. „Cause, I don't like them ... they were ... they did ...,“ he stammered.
Angus hugged Adair. „No. You are the only shapeshifter here. And if I will ever get any of them in my hands, I swear they are going to pay!”
Adair took a breath of relief. „That's good ... you know, when I asked my mummy why they hate us she said because she was a renegade for she married my daddy, and her family doesn't like her anymore. Morituri, what's a renegade?“ he asked, with a hidden yawning.
„I will tell you later. Right now you need to go to sleep”, Morituri said with a gentle voice.
Adair nodded. He gave his new friend a kiss on his cheek, then he went over to Morituri and crawled tiredly on his lap. „Angus, do you stay here?“ he asked and rubbed his eyes.
Angus: „Well, youngie, I need to go, but if you want, I can give you a tour around the academy tomorrow morning ^^.”
Adair smiled. „Yes!!! - Oh, and please tell this grandma she shouldn't be bad to my new dad,“ he said and laid his arms around Morituri's neck. „Cause if she will I'll make her afraid of me!!“
Both, Morituri and Angus, started laughing.
„Will do, lad ^^”, Angus said, when he could speak again. „Ok, see ya in the morning! ^^”
Adair didn’t hear Angus’s last sentence anymore for he already fell asleep in Morituri’s arms.
~~~
The next morning, as Adair left the castle, Angus was already waiting for him. „Hi lad^^ ready to go?”
Adair made a jump. „Yeah! - Morituri, do you come too?“ the boy called back.
[Morituri] „Sorry, dear boy, but I have to go on a meeting.”
Adair thought for a minute ... *when he's on a meeting he surely won't go away - and Angus is with me ...* - „Okay!“ The boy waved back to him, then he eagerly took Angus' hand. „Ready!!“
[Angus] „That's the spirit!^^ So what do you want to see first?”
„Where do you live, Angus?“ he asked his new friend. „Do you live in a castle, too?“
„Well, not anymore. I don't live in the castle anymore as I wanted to travel around the world”, Angus lied, „and my home is located on one of the islands on the Monster Ocean. It's kinda far away from here ...”
Angus's answer caused a flood of questions. „Wooow ... monster ocean ... And you travelled around the world? So you have seen many things? How is it out there? How do people live there? Which kind of monsters are there?“
[Angus] „Well .... the Monster Ocean is filled with many scary islands and monsters. And travelling around the world is quite fun until you will stumble upon a really big monster like a leviathan. Man, that one was really hard to beat.”
Adair was excited. „Woah - you defeated a leviathan? WOOW!!! - ... Ehm ... what is a leviathan? Is one of them here in the academy?“
Angus chuckled. „No, a leviathan is not a person, but a gigantic serpent that lives deep within the cold waters.”
The boy reflected for a moment. „So it surely would be too big for the academy ... Angus, Morituri told me he has a dragon, too ... can we see him?“
[Angus] „Of course!^^ You will love Elias! ^^”
Adair nodded. When they entered the stables, his eyes went wide. There laid, in a quiet corner, a huge dragon, his feathered wings folded, resting his head on the floor. The boy forgot everything else around him. His father had told him so much about dragons: that they were wise and good and that many people feared them, but that he didn't have to be afraid of them. His father even wanted to show him one, but then he couldn't anymore ... and now there laid a real dragon, so big and beautiful. Adair slowly advanced to him and, when he saw that he didn't move, ventured to touch his nose, with happy glowing eyes. „Elias,“ he murmured his name.
Suddenly the torquise dragon opened his white-golden eyes which begun to glow. The dragon shifted in its place and raised his head up, looking at the boy in front of him, with amusement.
Adair stood still for a moment and looked up to him. Overpowered from his feelings and his memories, he suddenly hugged his big leg and began to cry, hiding his face in the soft feathers. Elias gently stroke Adair's head with his paws.
For a while Adair only sat there, sniffing, then he remembered his friend Angus and looked at him. „Guess he likes you ^^,” Angus said quietly.
„I like him too,“ Adair whispered to Angus. „He's so beautiful - just as my daddy described them to me!“
[Angus] „Yes they are ... but sadly there's not much left of my kind ... after ... nevermind ... hey wanna go eat something?^^”
Adair nodded. „Yes!“ Instantly he jumped up and ran to his friend. „Does Elias come with us?“ he then asked. „Maybe he's hungry too?“
[Angus] „Actually he already ate. That's why he was sleeping.”
„Okay.“ Adair ran back once again to Elias and gave him a kiss onto his nose. „Bye and sleep well, Elias“, he called, then he hurried to Angus to follow him out of the stables.
[Angus] „So what you want to eat?^^”
Adair looked up to him, for a moment at a loss for an answer. „... maybe something sweet?“
[Angus] „Ehh ... sweets? Well ... ok ... but just don't tell Morituri …”
„Okay! ... promised!“, Adair said, with a conspirational look at him. Walking at Angus's hand, he looked around curiously. So many buildings, so many people ... near them he saw a group of girls chatting; at the other side of the place an older woman with a stick shouted at a young man. Two men walked past Angus and greeted him.
„I feel like I forgot about something”, Angus said, suddenly. „.... Oh wait ..... oh wait ....... OH NO!!!”
Adair looked at Angus, astonished.
[Angus] „Oh no, wait, it was yesterday ... ehh ... sorry for that, Adair. ^^''
Adair shrugged. „Ookay ...“ When the boy looked around, he saw the red-haired woman from the previous day standing before a building. Adair pouted. He didn't yet forget what she did!
[Angus] „Well, someone's moody. ^^ Oh wait ... You saw Mertillia, didn't you?..”
„Yes ...“, Adair answered. From the look at Adair's face Angus could see that the boy surely wouldn't make peace soon with Lady Mertillia. His green eyes looked at her, distrustful.
[Angus] „Hey, calm down. She always had a hard character, but come on. The two of you will surely someday get along! ^^..... someday ...”
Adair didn't answer. „Someday“ was a concept of time he couldn't understand yet. And at this moment, „someday“ was simply never for him.
When Adair looked around, he saw Morituri leaving one of the buildings. He instantly ran towards him. „Morituri - it was so great! We had much fun - and we visited Elias ... he's soooo big, you know, and he's cuddly, and he likes me!“, he chattered nonstop.
Morituri chuckled at the boy and patted his head gently. „Well I am glad that your day was good.^^”
Adair nodded. „And your day was good, too?“
[Morituri] „Of course! ^^,“ he lied. XD „It was amazing! I had many adventures with my fellas. ^^”
„Oooh - Wanna hear them, please!!“ Adair begged. „And, Angus wants to hear too, don't you?“ he said to his friend.
Angus grinned. „Well of course I do want to hear them! ^^”
Morituri sweat-dropped. „Ehem ... Ummm ... So ... *yawn* You know, Adair, I'm really tired now ... Can I tell you this story tomorrow? ^^“
Adair reflected for a moment ... and nodded. „Okay - tomorrow we will hear it, won't we, Angus?“
Angus: „Of course! ^^ We will remind you, Morituri!”
Morituri: „Hehe ... great ...”
Adair snuggled happily at his new father ... until some people advanced to Morituri: Lady Mertillia, Callidum and a few other teachers. The boy instantly grabbed Morituri’s hand to hide between him and Angus.
„Ah – master baby-daddy again?”, Mertillia mocked Morituri. „Cute! It suits you!^^”
Morituri moaned quietly.
„Where did you find him?” one of the teachers asked.
„I found him a few days ago, near the academy, all alone … I’ll tell you the story some other time – not in his presence”, Morituri said in a low voice, looking down at Adair.
[Mertillia] „^^ And now he’s mummy and grandma together, aren’t you, old man?”
„Mertillia …” Morituri took a deep breath and closed his eyes, thinking ‘Why do I even try to …’
None of them would have ventured to contradict Lady Mertillia – not Angus, not Callidum, nor the other teachers. (Lady Lhoris, who just joined them, was another theme.)
But there was one little person – who was now finally very p*ssed. Tho he had been first a little bit shy, Adair advanced now, looked up to Lady Mertillia – and said to her, angrily stamping his foot, in front of all others, and loud: „Leave my new dad alone, you strange grandma!”
For a second no noise was heard. Morituri blushed, Angus gasped for air, and the others didn’t believe their ears. Except of lady Lhoris – who laughed her head off.
Lady Mertillia got red of fury. „YOU LITTLE BASTARD – you dare!!?” Angrily, she grabbed the boy by the hem of his shirt. „YOU WILL BE SORRY, YOU …”
Frightened, Adair made an outcry that hurt the other’s ears. Before Morituri or Angus could intervene, Adair’s little hands had shifted back, and, lashing about, scratched Lady Mertillia at her arm.
„STOP, Mertillia! Enough!! You almost scared him to death,” Morituri now shouted and caught the boy she let dropped.
Everyone in the round froze in place. „He’s a – shapeshifter?!?”
Morituri took Adair onto his arms and stroked his head softly. Adair clung to him as he would never let him loose. Luckily, now Adair’s hands had shifted back into his elven form.
[Morituri] „Yes, he is – and he lost his parents by his own kind. That’s how I found him. Mertillia, Adair didn’t mean to say this. He’s attached to me, and he wanted to defend me, that’s all. He will never do it again, I promise. And please don’t make a fuss about him being a shapeshifter. I don’t want everybody knowing about it – many people here are afraid of shapeshifters and even hate them. I want to give him a new home.” Morituri looked around. „Please calm down now, Mertillia, and go to the infirmary. I promise you, he isn’t dangerous. For the future he surely will avoid to meet you. And please excuse me now, I must bring him home. The boy needs rest.”
Morituri went towards the castle. Angus followed him.
Back in the castle, Morituri quietened Adair and said, sighing: „This child has definitively too much temper … - Adair, my dear boy, it’s okay now. She’s gone. Nobody hurts you.”
Adair looked up to him, sniffling.
„Adair, please don’t say something like this to Lady Mertillia again. She’s only joking, although it must sound for you otherwise. Will you do me the favour and don’t say something like this to her again, my boy?”
Adair nodded.
„Good … Adair, are you hungry? Maybe you want to go to Angus while I get something to eat?”
Adair nodded again and went over to his friend.
In spite of Mertillia’s anger, Angus laughed now quietly. „Well, nobody else would dare what you did, laddie … but away with it now! Ya know what?” Angus asked when Morituri brought something to eat for them. „Headmaster Morituri will now tell us about his adventures he had with his fellas!” He grinned at Morituri. Adair beamed with joy. „Yes …!!”
Morituri: O_o, sighing … „Now, good … ^^’ let me think a minute how to begin …”
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It's a #TheNightWatchers fanstory
The Night Watchers, Morituri, Angus, Andres, Elias, Lady Mertillia and Callidum belong to AvalonTheQuin
Lady Lhoris belongs to OldSoulUser
Adair belongs to me :) |
