Bodyguard
#1 of Life Magic
Marek hid in the bushes near his house reading his one and only book. If his parents found out he had this book they would more than likely destroy it. They did not understand the need for books, and believed that anything that was useful to know is carried within your own mind, and transferred by word of mouth, or at least according to them. The only reason he could read at all was because it was mandatory for everyone to learn to read and write at a young age. He had loved to read, but no one expected the son of the brutish retired mercs to be able to learn much of anything. That, and the fact that he scared the other students just by being near made them hurry him out of school as quick as possible, passing him over for any extra learning the other bright students got. He did not mean to scare them, but his looks made it very hard to make friends with the other students. He was a blood red dragon in a town with no other dragon families. His scales pebbled together in way that looked shiny and fluid, that coupled with his coloring made it obvious why the other kids were afraid of him. The only friend he had was singled out early as one of the gifted students and sent to continue his education in the capital city. That was years ago though, no doubt his friend had already forgotten him in his studies. He was now almost eighteen years old.
He had to leave soon or his parents would come looking for him and discover his newest hiding place. Marek put the book in a leather bag and hid it in a pile of large rocks so that no one could see it, and that it would be safe from the rain. His newest hiding place was a circle of bushes just off the forest path, but not visible from the path. He grabbed his glaive and hurried home. His parents had been teaching the use of weapons since an early age, and his favorite was his glaive. It was a six foot staff topped with and extra eight inches of sharp curved steel. His appearance scared away most, and any that it did not scare off, his weapon all the threat he needed to drive away the stone-headed fools.
The walk home was quiet; he was far from where anyone normally went. He enjoyed the forest, green and full of life. Though he was happy anywhere he was, everywhere had life teeming and growing in its own way. Even a big grey city always had something happening. Life moves on regardless of what happens day to day.
Marek entered his family's small house and quickly headed to his room before his father, or mother for that matter, could challenge him to another 'sparring' match. He was good, really good, but they were just flat better. They were very successful mercenaries in their time and the only reason they were not still out there was they had to raise him and his siblings.
"Hey Marek" his mother called from the front yard. He almost groaned before turning to go outside to see what she wanted.
"Yeah, mom?"
"Don't cringe there. I did not call you out here to spar. I need you to run down pick up some things I sent in to be repaired last week." His mother said impatiently.
"Oh" was all he said before he got the directions, and ran off towards town. They lived a couple miles from town, near the edge of the forest. This was one of the reasons not many accepted them. They were strange, skilled fighters, and not often went to town.
It did not take him long to travel the long path that lead to town. He had been running this route often since he was very young, though less often once his friend left town.
After he was done grabbing the item, which turned out to be the vase his father had broken months ago, he walked through the town for a bit to delay going home. It did not matter if anyone try to mess with him, he was more than good enough to beat any number of opponents from these people. If they were able to work up the courage to try again after the last beating he gave them, that is. At the center of town, he heard some kind of ruckus start up. Marek pulled his glaive out of the bindings on his back and made his way towards the focus of the crowd.
"We don't want your kind here!" said one of the larger aggressors.
"Leave before you bring demons down upon us!" said another.
Backed up against the wall of one of the houses was a small fox who frankly looked terrified of the growing crowd. His eye darted around like he was looking for someone, or looking for an escape. Then Marek noticed the faint sigils on the fox's temples, marking him as a mage. The first one who spoke reached his hand out to grab the fox and found his hand closing on the blade end of Marek's glaive that suddenly appeared in his way.
"Fuck!" The warthog yelled as he yanked his hand away from the blade. He turned to see who had blocked him and paled as he saw the large red dragon starring down at him.
"Maybe you should be more careful of what you grab, you could cut yourself pretty bad that way." He said to the portly butcher in front of him before he turned to the fox. "Here, come with me" Marek gestured away from the crowd and the fox gratefully followed. Everyone backed out of their way and acted like they suddenly remembered some vitally important task they were supposed to be doing.
Once they were away from the fast dispersing crowd the fox turned to the dragon and said, "and I used to protect you!" The fox-mage turned and sized up his rescuer, he was over six feet tall with almost as much muscle as the blacksmith, but better proportioned. His tail was just above the top of his pants, and almost touched the ground, tapering from six inches at the base to a blunt point at the end.
"I'm a little too big to need your protection from kid-gangs anymore David" Marek said as he stowed his glaive away again and turned to David. They stared at each other for a second before Marek broke into a huge grinned and picked up his friend in a huge hug. "It is good to see you again. Why are you back? This backwater town probably isn't big enough to a bigshot learned mage like you!"
"I had to come back to make sure I caught you before you left on your family mandated adventure. If I didn't I would probably never see you again!" David laughed as his old friend swung his small body around in his arms. "But when did you get so BIG?"
"That's what happens when you leave for nine years, you miss seeing your friend's awkward growth spurts." Marek reluctantly put the fox down and turned to lead him back to his house. "Though it looks like you missed your own awkward growth spurts! Don't they feed you guys in the capital?"
"Of course they do, but sometimes you forget to eat where you are in the middle of a good book, or cramming for an important test. I'm technically only on vacation though, I need to be back in a month or two or my master will be coming to get me, and you don't want to know what would happen then!" They laughed and caught up on what had happened to them, though David had many more stories to tell than Marek.
"Absolutely not!" He father said once again. "We will not have a mage staying at this house!"
"He has nowhere else to go! His parents would let him, but no one wants a mage in town, and I am not leaving him to those curs in that town!" Marek yelled.
"I'm sorry son, but this issue is closed." His mother said firmly.
"Fine" he said and stalked off to his room, pulling the embarrassed fox after him. Marek pulled David into his room and closed the door behind him.
"I should go, I'll be fine. I just did not know they would react so... badly. I'll know to stay away from people in town now." David was about to leave when Marek held up his talon to signal him to wait. Then he began buzzing around his cluttered room, picking up a backpack and filling it with clothing and other necessary items. Extra knives were strapped to certain areas around his body under his clothing, then he looked down at himself to make sure they would not be seen by the casual observer.
"Wait, you don't have to..." Marek interrupted him with another silence gesture and finished up his meager packing. Once he was done he opened up the window, climbed out, and gestured for David to follow. David sighed and followed quietly.
As soon as they were out of sight of the house David stopped Marek and pleaded with him, "Please, it's okay, you really don't have to leave for me. I'll be fine."
Marek looked at him and laughed, "I was going to leave soon anyways to start my little 'adventure' they wanted to send me on. And anyways, don't you have to be back in Umar in a month or two? It will take us a few weeks to get there, but we will be early. Think of how your 'dedication' will surprise them. And you will have your own personal bodyguard. You mage types are too small for your own good. All I ask is that you let me read some of your books! Which reminds me," he said all in a rush, leaving David confused, but happy. Marek stepped off the path for a second and grabbed his precious book. In the any book vendor's wares he had ever looked through, he had never seen this book in any of them, though he just attributed that to the lack of selection in small towns like this.
"Are you coming?" Marek asked before he put his book in his bag, and made sure his backpack would not get in the way of him drawing his weapon quickly.
David positively beamed as he said, "Of course. Lead the way, my trusted bodyguard." And off they went down the trail, both happy to be reunited with their one and only friend.