New beginnings - Letter

Kate felt the grip around her arm get even tighter and looked down into a pair of massive ruby eyes. Her sister nudged her and gave a distressed look.
"I know, this will all be over soon" Kate whispered, she had never seen Lizzie so freaked out. Usually nothing could bring her down from her smiley cloud. Kate watched Lizzie close her eyes as she paled leant against her heavily.

He stared confused at the girl who said something incomprehensible to him.
But, he understood her movement of her head that told him 'no'.
"...ah-ha-ka-ay" He tried to say in his best English.
He then glared at the rejected banana intensely.
"...."
He stuffed it into his sack for later use of some sort.
"Geh, where are we going, old man?"he stated, going back to talking in Elf.
He pulled out his staff in banana mode, and transformed it back to normal.
Due to boredom, he began polishing his banana staff with his sash.
"...how long is this going to take..?" he wondered.

By now, Hendry had ferried over quite a few new students to Lillegard Island. However, he was almost positive that this was the strangest bunch yet. He looked them over again from dark eyes. The girl, afraid of water, he had never heard of such a thing. "Relax, lassie. I'll git ye there safe."

And the boy, well he wasn't even sure if the boy was a student at all. The boatman shook his head and turned his body away from the haphazard threesome, instead focusing on the sea ahead of them.

The wind was proving true, and the boat moved quickly, cutting through the calm waves. Sure enough, the island was soon in their sights. Hendry felt like they could not arrive soon enough.

Kate tapped Lizzie on the shoulder and pointed towards the aproaching castle. Lizzie sighed with relief and relaxed slightly around Kate's arm. Kate used her free arm to play with Elizabeth's curls soothingly... They were so close now.

It was quite a bit of time before they reached they island, Hendry ignoring the kids for the most part, before they neared the docks. The boatman grunted through his nose as he stood and made his way over to the mast. With ease that came with many years of experience, he pulled in the sail. The boat immediately slowed, moving forward now mostly with inertia. Going back to the rudder, Hendry guided the ship into the docks, gently coming along side the wooden platform.

The man then gathered up the rope and crossed the gap between the boat and the landing. Without addressing the passengers, he tied the tether securely, making sure that his beloved mode of transportation didn't float away in the tide. Finally looking at the students, he straightened his jacket and huffed.

"Here we ar, than." Hendry looked around the beach. Just up the way a little bit, where the land met the dock, there was a horse-drawn carriage. Upon the drivers seat, Hendry recognized one of the teachers of the Academy. His face stayed stony, but he nodded once in respect. "Thonder is yer ride."

"Eh?" Aesis looked at the old man's awkward enunciation, then turned to look at where he was staring. He saw a figure in the distance, wondering who the old man was looking at. He noticed a carriage next to the mysterious figure, and it was....attached? Somehow, two long ropes connected the carriage to the animal. Aesis had seen this creature before, but only on ceremonial occasions of the upper-class. He couldn't help but wonder what it was.

He had a strange feeling to touch the creature's ears.

Elizabeth leapt out of the boat and hovered in the air a couple of feet above the soft sand as she watched kAte step out of the boat carefully and thank the boatman. Kate then followed Elizabetth in jumping up and hovering, they both floated towards the horse drawn carriage.

(( sorry this took so long - my laptop broke and the internet kept going funny on my phone . I'm writing it on my phone now ))

The midday sun was diluted by the haze of steady-paced clouds left over from the previous night's rain. The collapsible hood of the old phaeton carriage Odqura had readied for the arrival of the new students was folded down since the weather was fair. He stood on the ground beside the well-mannered bay horse, in his black wool frock coat and stylish spats, and patted the animal's muscled neck absently. The dean nodded respectfully back at Hendry, then turned his orange calculating gaze on the approaching students. He looked entirely unimpressed with them.

Reaching forwards for the carriage's handle, Odqura eased the door open as an invitation for the students to enter.

Kate was very impressed with Lizzie - she hadn't set herself alight once during the whole boat ride. As they flew gently towards the horse drawn carriage she secretely hoped Lizzie wouldn't do anything stupid... At least not near her so no one knew they were 'related'. She sighed quietly, Lizzie is the closest thing she has to family anymore and she would do anything to protect her- even if she is a bit thoughtless sometimes... Well, most of the time. Kate followed Lizzie into the. Carriage and smiled slightly at the driver who didn't look too pleased...

Ndale had been napping inside the four person carriage, there were two long cushioned seats facing each other, and the cheetah had been sprawled out on his side taking up a whole bench. The sea breeze and the sun left lulling spans of warmth and chill. He breathed deep to fill his large lungs, releasing it in a contented sigh.

Golden eyes opened sleepily as the carriage shifted slightly with the opening of the door. Tilting his head lazily, he watched as two girls climbed into the carriage with him. He huffed airily and observed them, both were a bit too young for him really. The white tip of his spotted tail twitched in only slight interest.

Kate threw her arm around Lizzie's head, her hand covering Lizzie's mouth before she could squeal like a two year old at the cheetah lying across one of the two benches inside the carriage. She continued to pull Lizzie to the opposite bench with one arm and give her a look to tell her not to over react.

Lizzie sucked in a shocked breath at the CHEETAH lying in front of her! Bit before she could scream A hand grabbed her mouth and pulled her down to sit opposite the cheetah. Kate gave her a stare that said 'shut up, now.' Elizabeth pulled Kate's hand from her mouth and raised her eyebrows before pushing herself as deep into the corner as possible.

The dean watched apathetically as the girls climbed into the carriage, quirking an eyebrow at the reaction one of them had towards the cheetah. He wondered why that kid had come along to pick up the newbies anyway. Patting the horse again when it nuzzled at his arm, Od didn't fail to notice the third student that had yet to enter the carriage.

His feathery hair fluttered in its bushy ponytail as a breeze swept past, and he turned his head to pin the Elf boy with a flat look. "Will you be joining us?"

Aesis slowly climbed out of the boat, then looked up to see the female....FLOATING? She didn't even have wings!
"How preposterous!" he exclaimed in Elf.
"....then again, I summon bananas from nowhere, so I shouldn't say anything...but.."
The girl's improbable performance amazed him.
Aesis also wondered how the girl could be quiet and conceited on the boat, yet smoothly floating when she got off..?
"This confuses me."

He then walked towards the carriage...noticing one of the females gasping at something...in the carriage?
He walked up to peer inside the carriage to see...a feline.

"....." he looked at the spotted feline in amazement, analyzing ever dot, speckle, and patch of fur, right up to the white tip of its tail.

"I-It's....amazing..." his eyes sparkled with enchantment.

Ndale turned an ear towards the girls as they noticed him, one of them seemed to shrink back into the seat. He lifted his head to watch, greatly amused, and his chest shook with a huffy chuckle. It was when Od spoke to someone still outside the carriage that Ndale looked towards the door again, intrigued. He blinked, both ears turning forward in interest, as an Elf poked his head inside. He stared as the admittedly very attractive boy's gaze ran over him. The boy then said something he didn't understand, waking Ndale from his mindless staring.

He glanced towards the girls, and seeing as the bench fit two and there were two bodies on it, he should scoot over. Pushing his body up into a sitting position, he only now took up part of the seat. Ndale gave a pointed look to the elf, at the open space, and back.

Aesis watched as the feline made space for him to sit down.
"..me?" he gestured at himself. "O-Okay..."
He made his way to sit next to him.
"....a fantastic creature...its a- GROOOWWLLLL"
He looked around to see if anyone had noticed what he did, and he quickly summoned a banana and munched on it.

Something ran through his mind.....even though the creature was a beauty, he had a suspicious feel about it...

Ndale's ears, which had been pitched forward in interest for this new boy, flattened against his head at the growling sound. The edges of his mouth pulled back into a strange sort of cheetah-grin. The cat lowered his forehead, and pushed forward towards the elf, aiming to butt it against the boy's shoulder in a playful, possibly loving, manner.

Ndale decided he liked this boy immensely. He was gorgeous, and his darker skin reminded him of the son of the man who had once owned him. Though, Ndale had to admit to himself, maybe a relationship a little less brotherly would be nice. The cat's tail swung around happily, swiping very near the girl's legs.

Od's flat glare betrayed a sparkle of amusement at the big cat's reaction to the elf boy. He glanced between the two briefly, raised both of his eyebrows, and with the smallest shake of his head he turned his back on the four students in the cab and hoped deftly up onto the driver's bench at the front of the carriage. He scooped up the reins and with a gentle flick of his wrists the bay horse started forward. The carriage rocked until they had a steady, albeit slow, pace going. But the ride was anything but smooth on this old dirt road.

Without looking back at his passengers, Od raised his voice so that it floated back to them. "Students. I welcome you to Lillegard Island. I am Dean Odqura, Professor of History and Guardian of Eala House." He paused effectively. The carriage steadily made it's way over the moor, approaching the line of trees that marked the beginning of the forest. Then, addressing Kate and Elizabeth, he continued. "I believe the young ladies will be joining myself and Ndale as part of the swan house. Ndale is also a member of the student council, should you have any concerns that would be brought to them. He is also the cheetah currently relaxing in your presence. It will be our pleasure to aid you if ever you require it of us." Od's chin was raised proudly as he spoke of their house.

Another gust of wind from off the ocean carried the scent of salt and kelp across the grasses and rustled at hair and clothing. "The young man, on the other hand, is a part of Sionnach House with Dean Kale." He completed the statement dismissively, alluding to the possibility that there may be some sort of rivalry between the two houses. Whether friendly or malicious, however, remained un-addressed.

Aesis looked away from the feline to stare blankly at the man who just spoke.
Of course, as always, he did not understand what he was saying.
He didn't dare ask anything either, as they might not understand him as well.

Turning back to his accompaniment passenger, he kept his mouth shut and reached out to pet the feline's fur.

"......"

'The cheetah is our student council?' Elizabeth thought as she stared blankly at the cat sitting across from her, it's tail swinging worryingly close to her tiny legs. She could see Kate watching warily as the strange boy reached out to touch the animal beside him. Elizabeth dug into her bag and found a hairband to tie her curls back with, next she reached over and started plaiting strands of her sisters hair slowly and gently, pausing everytime there was a bump on the dirt road. She was glad she wouldn't be separated from Kate, she always knows what to do.

Kate smiled slightly at Lizzie's expression, she could read Lizzie like a book - most people could,she isnt the best at hiding her emotions. Kate watched as the banana boy reached over to pet the Cheetah, he had looked a bit confused by Dean Odqura's welcome but hadn't said a word. Elizabeth tied her hair up in a bun, a few stray ringlets falling down - again it was easy for Kate to read this as a sign that Lizzie Felt unsettled and nervous... When Lizzie started playing with her hair though she relaxed slightly and gave her sister a smile.

Ndale's chest shook with airy laughter as he leaned into the boy's hand. He was used to Od's way of speaking, but his introduction was highly amusing. Out of the corner of his eye, he could see the slightly worried and confused looks on the girl's faces. Sliding down slowly, so as not to disturb the hand petting him, the cheetah lied down. With some of the space now taken by the elf, Ndale had to curl up slightly. Still his back end was against the carriage wall and his chest was nearly touching the boy's leg. He tilted his head to pin his gaze on the two across from him. A coarse, but suave, voice rumbled from his chest.

"Well now, surely you cuties must have questions?"

Ndale went to lay his head on Aesis's thigh

His hand stopped in midair, almost touching the animal's forehead, as the creature spoke.

"Wha-?"

His mind swirled in confusion- "...animals talk? People float?"

Questions darted to and fro through his mind.
Aesis froze in place, ignorant on what to do. "Perhaps this is the result of being confined to my cottage most of my life..." he thought, "I doubt this is real..."

Another question that rang through his head- "..what was he saying?"
Alas, poor Aesis could not understand anyone. Not even the talking animal.

After all that, he didn't notice the feline about to lay its head on his thigh.

Kate's mouth fell open with a loud 'pop'. She felt the hands in her hair drop and hit the bench beside her, did the cheetah just... Talk?
"um, can I just check that everyone else heard that cheetah talk?" Kate asked, her voice just as quiet as always. She had to make sure she wasn't going insane...

Ndale quirked an eyebrow as his eyes twinkled in amusement.

"Sorry, I don't usually make a habit of talking. And please, my name is not 'cheetah', it's 'n-DAH-leh'." He pronounced his own name carefully, so many people miss-pronounced it. He pawed lazily at the simple black collar around his neck, making the small gold licence on the ring jingle. The word 'Ndale' was clearly inscribed in the flat metal circle in neat, simple letters. "Not everything is as it seems that this academy, it would do you well to remember that."

Then it seemed as if Ndale had realized that the petting had stopped, and pouted, deciding quickly that this needed to be remedied. Rolling over onto his back, the cat grabbed at the elf's hand with both his paws, intent on pulling it towards himself to rub his cheek against. It was decidedly not okay for this elf to not pet him.