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Ruari could hardly sit still; he fidgeted on his talons, constantly adjusted his wings, and flicked his tail back and forth nervously. Too many thoughts nudged at his frenzied mind, trying to find their way into his head, but he just couldn't calm himself down enough to collect them. After all that had happened in the last month, today was finally the day.

Today was his first day of school.

He checked his satchel to make sure he had everything he needed: scrolls, ink, books, and his lucky rock. Then he double-checked it, and triple-checked it, added another scroll, and finally groaned loudly and smacked his forehead with his paw. WHY AM I LIKE THIS!?

Ruari paced around in a circle. Maybe if he kept moving, his brain would keep moving too? Nope. His thoughts were still too cluttered and messy, just like his room.

With a giant sigh, Ruari started cleaning his room, picking up and organizing everything. There were scrolls half-laid out that he meant to finish reading through, and he hated losing his place, but he needed clarity. He even made his bed before picking up his stuffed plushy and setting it down next to his pillows. After that, he organized his pile of interesting rocks and found a wooden box to put them in. He shoved that in the corner and finally moved on to general tidying until his room was almost spotless.

"Wow... Ruari, are you okay?" his mother asked teasingly at the doorway. "I haven't seen your room this clean since you were just a hatchling." She stepped into his room and looked around with an approving grin.

"I am not okay! I'm not ready for this. I don't know what to do. I've checked _everything_over and over again, but I just don't know what to expect. I don't think I'm going to fit in. I read over my age's curriculum, and I already know everything in it! I'm going to stand out... I don't want to stand out. And I think--"

"Ruari! For heaven's sake, come here!" Mother said, interrupting his train of thought. She looked at him with the biggest grin as he stepped over to her, and then she wrapped around him with her wings and embraced him tightly.

Ruari meeped as he was squeezed and tried to squirm out of his mother's grasp, but she wouldn't let go. "M-Mother! Stop!"

"Not until you calm down," she cooed. "You're going to be fine, sweetie. Everything is going to work out, and you're going to have a wonderful time. Your favorite thing to do is learn, right?"

Ruari listened to her and started to relax. He let out a sigh and sank into his mother's warm wings, shutting his eyes as a wave of serenity pushed all of his muddled thoughts aside. He nodded.

"Now, what's the first thing you're going to do when you get there?"

"I'm going to follow to signs to the exam area," he answered.

"Next?"

"I'm going to take the test so I know what class I'm supposed to be in. B-but is the test written? Oral? Do I need to bring--"

"Ruari..."

Ruari gulped and sighed again. He was amazed at how stern his mother could look while also maintaining such a loving, soft expression. "After that I'll find my classroom and meet the teacher and my classmates."

"Then your first day will be over before you know it, and you can come back home and relax," she finished. His mother released him from the embrace and licked his forehead affectionately. "You're going to be just fine."

Ruari made a face and nodded, baring a small grin. "I guess so... but what if... N-never mind."

His mother chuckled and grabbed his satchel for him, and he slung it over his shoulder so it rested against his flank. Nervousness crept through his bones, but Ruari felt immensely better and a bit more level-headed.

"Thanks, Mother... Will Dad be home tonight?" he asked.

"I believe so. He's finally getting all of his business situated with the dragonet. He's trying to pass a law to allow northern refugees into the city, but it will most likely fail. Even so, he's going to make sure the dragonet can stay with us, unharmed."

Ruari grumbled quietly and stared at his talons. "I don't like her..." After his father had brought Keira home to stay, Ruari tried his best to avoid her and to never have another conversation with her again. He wanted nothing to do with her. She was rude, mean, and a Northerner! He couldn't believe his father would take her in!

Mother nuzzled him and started to lead him out of the house. "It'll just take some getting used to. She's no different from us, you know; she's still a dragon."

"I know that, but I still don't like her," he grumbled. She may be a dragon like him, but she still had a terrible personality.

"Just give it time, Ruari," she said, sliding their front door open. "Have a good day at school!"

Ruari felt like she said that all too cheerily, as if she had been waiting to say it for years. "I'll try..." He fanned out his wings and jumped into the sky, leaving the warm safety of his home behind.

The morning air was cold, and he could see his breath each time he exhaled. Ruari didn't really mind the cold. He wasn't an Ice-dragon like his father, who loved freezing temperatures, or a Fire-dragon like his mother, who had an internal fire to keep her warm, but even so he'd rather be too cold than too hot.

As he flew over the city, he looked around and noticed that there were quite a few younger dragons flying around, as well as a lot of colored dots heading in the general direction he was. The school was located on the other side of the plateau that his grandmother lived beneath. It was separated from the city and walled off on three of the four sides by cliffs. There were several different buildings, each made for the different age groups of students.

The school soon came into sight as Ruari glided over the rocky plateau. In the center was an opening that acted as a park while surrounding it were the buildings. Dirt and stone paths connected everything together. Already, there were what looked to be at least a hundred other dragonets of all colors sitting, standing, flying, or walking around the campus.

Ruari gulped and touched down at a landing zone to be safe, not wanting to accidentally land on anyone. He padded to his first destination, quickly making his way there while trying not to either bump into anyone or attract any attention. To his relief, everyone was either preoccupied with talking to each other or looking around for where they needed to go.

A sign that read "Four and Five Years" stood just outside where he needed to go. It was a fairly large stone-crafted building. Stone pillars held up an overhanging roof that formed an archway for the entrance. Spirals were carved into the pillars. Two large, wooden doors were wide open where dragonets that were Ruari's age wandered through.

Ruari had never realized how many other dragonets there were around his age. Maybe if he got out more, he could have recognized a few of them as friends by now. But they were all unfamiliar faces.

Guessing from the lost looks on some of their faces, Ruari wasn't the only one that was queasy. He stepped inside and made his way around a corner, being directed by a sign that pointed him in the right direction. It read "Exam Area".

Ruari froze as he turned into a room with too many dragonets to count inside. It looked really cramped and he suddenly felt claustrophobic. It was loud and he could hardly hear himself think. He clenched his teeth and tried not to think about how many tails he had to dodge and how many that he couldn't dodge. Even wings brushed against him as he cut through a straight path to another room where he was supposed to take the exam.

It was quieter in here. There were several lines leading to several different rooms. He chose the shortest one and sat there with his tail curled tightly around his talons while staring at the ground at his feet. With steady, deep breaths, he tried to calm himself.

"Hi! What's your name?" the green dragonet in front of him asked. He looked all too excited with those big, curious eyes. "Mine's Ithan."

Ruari thought he would die. "R-Ruari... That's my name... Hi." He tried to smile, but he imagined that he looked utterly ridiculous if he looked anything like he felt. Despite that, Ithan looked unfazed.

"Nice to meet you! Are you excited for school this year? I could hardly wait to start again!" he said excitedly.

"I uhm... This is my first year." And I am far from being excited, he thought anxiously.

"Oh, really? Are you sure you're in the right building? This is for the four and five-year-olds. The one for two and three-year-olds is the farthest one on the left."

Ruari nodded. "I'm f-four years old."

"Oh, okay! Wow, you have a lot to learn then," Ithan said. He wore a genuine and friendly smile that made Ruari feel a bit more at ease. "You've missed two whole years of school."

"I'll be fine... I think," Ruari replied. He knew that knowledge-wise he would be perfectly okay; however, he wasn't entirely sure if he could make it through today!

Ithan continued to chat as the line progressed. Ruari could hardly keep up with the conversation, but it wasn't a very interesting conversation anyway. Ithan mostly talked about his previous years of school and how he was one of the smartest students. Ruari already knew he was much smarter than Ithan, though he said nothing.

"Looks like I'm next! Wish me luck!" Ithan said and disappeared behind the sliding door.

Ruari let out a sigh of relief and tried to collect his thoughts again. There was a line behind him now, and after the green dragonet came out it would be his turn. He patted the satchel at his side, wondering how long the test would take him. It seemed to take about ten to twenty minutes for everyone else.

Then, his turn finally came. Ithan was too busy sticking his nose in the piece of paper he held to even notice Ruari walk past him. Ruari shut the sliding door behind him and turned to see an old, ruddy-red dragon sitting at a table. He had more papers and scrolls littered across the table than Ruari ever had on his desk!

"H-hello," Ruari greeted meekly. He was happy to find that all of the noise from outside was blocked off, leaving the room entirely quiet except for the shuffling of papers and scrolls. It was a welcome transition.

"Come sit down," the teacher directed.

Ruari nodded and quickly padded to the front of the table and sat down on his haunches on a soft pad. His tail swished back and forth behind him, and he shifted his wings at his sides. "I'm supposed to take a test?"

He nodded and slid a paper off to the side. "What's your name?"

"Ruari."

"And your family name?"

"Frostfire."

The teacher looked down at him and raised a brow. "Oh, you must be Fallon's son?"

Ruari smiled awkwardly and nodded.

"Hmm, alright. Have you attended school before?"

He shook his head.

"Okay..." The teacher dipped his claws into an inkwell and scribbled some things down on a piece of parchment. "I guess we'll get started with the test questions then. What is the name of this city?"

"Mongrove," Ruari answered and added, "named after Earthmover Mongrove, one of the founders." Was I supposed to answer it like that or was that too much?

The teacher looked up at Ruari curiously and bobbed his head. "The name of the region?"

"Northeastern Highlands because of its topography." These are easy questions... I guess the added information is necessary.

"And the name of the continent?"

"Regeldum--named after the very first organized clan."

The teacher peered at Ruari and shifted some more papers around. "Okay..."

Ruari still felt extremely nervous, but thinking about the test answers gave him something to focus on, and he could hardly wait for the next set of questions. It made him jittery just watching the teacher jot things down and flip papers. Then the teacher slid him over a sheet of paper and some ink.

"Can you write the runic alphabet?"

Ruari nodded and quickly scribbled everything down. Were these really test questions? It was so simple that he forgot to take his time, so his handwriting was atrocious, but he finished rather quickly. The teacher looked over the paper quickly and handed it back.

"Okay, now spell out your full name, and then spell 'Regeldum'."

Ruari did just that and looked at the teacher hopefully. It looked like he was somewhat surprised, but Ruari couldn't really tell. He took out another paper and handed it to Ruari. On it were seven simple questions. Two of them were mathematics, two science, two language arts, and the last one was a personal question: "What do you hope to gain through schooling?"

With ease, Ruari answered all of them, ending with, "I hope to master my studies and begin my understanding of the world." The teacher looked over the answers and raised his brow.

"This is unusual... How old are you?"

"I'm four..." Ruari tried to keep from wriggling in place. Was something wrong? Did he mess up somehow? He thought his answers were perfect!

"Well... Let's see... Ah, here!" He took out a scroll that was buried beneath the others, obviously not having seen any use yet today. "Let me ask you a few of these questions. What are the four primary elements of magic?"

"Fire, Water, Earth, and Light," Ruari answered.

"And the four secondary elements?"

"Lightning, Ice, Life, and Shadow."

The teacher then asked Ruari a series of questions about the basics of magic and its utilization. He answered each of them flawlessly, seeming to have surprised the teacher each time. He even showed him his ability to control light.

"Well, you seem to have an excellent grasp on the concepts of magic already... I'm afraid that was the most challenging scroll for this age group."

"So what does that mean?" Ruari asked. "Do I not have to go to school?"

"Well, you won't have to attend with the other four and five year olds. You're too far ahead even for our advanced classes. I suggest that you go over to the Six to Eight Years building instead."

"W-wait... does that mean I'll be going to school with older dragonets?" A twisting feeling turned his stomach upside down. He was going to stand out. He was going to be the youngest in his class, and his appearance would make that evident. A dragonet's growth rapidly increases from the ages of six to eight, and by the end of their eighth year, they are considered to be an adult. He was half that age!

The teacher nodded. "You're very smart, Ruari. Your father must have taught you well. There's nothing you can gain here."

"Thanks," Ruari said, grinning awkwardly. His father had taught him some of the stuff he knew when he was younger as well as his sister, but he taught himself mostly everything.

Ruari turned around and exited the room. He was the only dragonet that didn't come out with a piece of paper, and he suddenly felt a bunch of eyes staring at him. He kept his head down and slinked away, making his way through the crowded room again and then out the building.

After following the same directions but in a different building, Ruari took the test for the six to eight-year-olds. The test was easy at first, but it got much harder and it even touched subjects that Ruari had never even thought about before. Still, he was given much praise as well as the slip of paper to tell him where his classroom was.

Ruari stared at it and read it over and over again, feeling butterflies fluttering inside him. He was supposed to take a class with seven-year-olds, dragonets who were three years older than he was. Nervousness was to put it lightly; he felt scared.

Stepping away from the exam area, he made his way down a hall. The hallway was fairly large with just enough room that he could fly in it. Red banners were strung from one wall to the other. Light poured in from the windows on the left side while a few classroom doors lined the right side. Older dragonets wandered around, finding their classes and talking to their classmates. Following the instructions given to him, Ruari found the one hallway that cut to the left at the other end of the building.

He realized that this building was built in a square around an open atrium in the center. He could see the colorful glints of scales outside the windows on his left, and then there were a few more doors on his right. The door he was looking for was the very last one on this side of the building. It was already open, and there was one golden-scaled student inside talking to the violet-scaled teacher, Master Ardan.

Ruari stepped inside and looked around. There were fifteen mats laid out around the room, following no organized order. He imagined he would be sitting on one of those along with fourteen of his classmates. Empty scrolls were stored in a few different shelves that were twice as large as Ruari's. Inkwells were set beside them in their own smaller shelves, and there was even a feathered bouquet of quills for those who didn't want to stain their claws.

The teacher had his own desk in the corner of the room that was stacked high with scrolls, papers, some leather-bound books, and a few educational charts that were similar to the ones already hanging over the stone walls.

"Oh, hello there, youngling," Master Ardan said. "Are you lost? The building for the younger dragonets is the next one over."

Ruari's face flushed as he shook his head. The student and Ardan were both staring at him probingly. "N-no, this is where I'm s-supposed to be," he replied and held up the slip of paper.

The purple dragon took it from him and peered at it curiously. The piece of paper also had Ruari's information on it. "Hmm... You're a little young, but I'd expect nothing less from Frostfire's own son! It's a pleasure to meet you, Ruari," Master Ardan said and dipped his head respectfully.

"It's n-nice to meet you too," Ruari said politely and dipped his head in return. It was strange to hear his dad's name like that, but it was very honorable and noble to be called by one's family name.

"I was just speaking to Caden here about the plan for today," he said, tilting a wing to gesture to the golden dragonet sitting beside him. "I didn't get very far, so I suppose I'll just start over and make it quick. Today, I'd like everyone to hang around for a while until all of my students have gathered here and introduced themselves to each other. After that, I'll summarize our school year and what we'll learn and do together. Sound good?"

Ruari and Caden nodded.

"Great! Don't be shy now," Master Ardan said with a bright grin and turned tail to them.

Ruari gulped and smiled uneasily at Caden and introduced himself. Caden seemed friendly, but Ruari realized that he would have to put himself through this torture of meeting someone new thirteen more times...Today was going to be a very long, awkward, and difficult day!

* * *