Sparks Will Fly: Class, Dinner, and a New Car
Now that the intro has been online for at least twenty-four hours, I can finally start this chapter. I'll be getting onto the romantical stuff next chapter, I promise. This is important.
Just over a month had passed since Auren had arrived at Wolfthorne Academy. The first few weeks hadn't been all that bad. After all, the dragon had arrived two weeks early. In that time span, the dragon had spent most of his time hanging out with Nate. The two silver anthros had gotten along swimmingly, both of them having several things in common. One of these common grounds was video games.
Yes, video games. As it turned out, the two of them shared a deep love for electronic entertainment. When they were gaming, the two anthros would often launch into insightful discussions involving games in some way. Ultimately, this is how Auren noticed Nate's accent. During a particularly heated debate about the effectiveness of tank controls in certain games, the wolf's almost completely hidden southern accent had become a full on drawl. Of course, this caused the dragon to laugh uncontrollably, bringing the short argument to an immediate end.
After two weeks of this blissful cycle of gaming, intermittently broken up with trips to the gym, classes had started. Now, another two weeks later in the school year, Nate could be found banging his head against his desk. He was bored out of his mind, already sick of the introduction bullshit. Currently, he was in his magic class "Introduction to Lightning". The instructor just kept cycling through information that the wolf already knew. Information such as how to channel one's magical energies through the body, and how to, as a first step, expel the power.
"Now, as always, we'll begin our exercises by practicing the proper way to channel energy through you form," the Instructor, a dark furred husky by name of Ramond, droned on. Nate closed his eyes, concentrating on the world around him. The students in the small, auditorium style classroom, all had varying success with the task. Some students, insecure with their abilities, tended to hold back, only a trickle of the energy necessary to cast something emanated from their bodies. Other students were over confident, venting huge amounts of energy into the environment, not really doing anything other than causing people's fur to stand on end.
Nate held back a barely contained sigh. This was simple stuff... At least, it was for him. Nate had gained his powers at the the very early age of seven, and had experimented with them ever since. By the time he was ten, he had gained exception control over his powers, whereas others hadn't even gained their powers. This marked him as a sort of prodigy, and earned him the contempt of several people in the past.
Knowing that he had drawn Professor Ramond's notice with his lack of activity, Nate lifted his arm, and poured a healthy, controlled stream of energy into it. The result drew the attention of several of his classmates, earning a few contemptible stares. Even the most inexperienced of mages could sense the energy radiating from him, and anyone with their sight could see the pale blue arcs of electricity running over the fur of his arm.
Ramond nodded his approval, watching the energy arcing across the wolf's fur. Clearing his throat, the Professor launched back into his lecture. "As every one of you should know, lightning is a very volatile, and powerful element. I'm sure that every one of you remembers the rush of untamed energy that passed through you when your powers were first revealed." Nate smirked, remembering when he had discovered his powers. He had been playing catch with his father behind their house when a sudden arc of electricity between the pup's hands had caused the football he was playing with to explode.
"Some would argue that lightning is the most powerful element," Continued the canine Professor. "While that will always be up for debate, it is a known fact that lightning is one of, if not the most flexible of the elements. Once someone has sufficient skill, they can bend the universe to their will... In a way. Our control of lightning gives us dominion over the Electromagnetic Force, one of the four base forces in the universe. And this force alone has tie-ins to the Weak Nuclear Force, and the Strong Nuclear force. Sadly, you won't be learning much about this until you get into the practical applications class next year." Ramond continued to drone on about his lecture.
The period rolled on, dotted with irregular groans of boredom from Nate. "Nate, why don't you come up here, and cast a bolt at the target?" The wolf jerked his head up from the table, having not noticed that the Professor had moved on to demonstrating how to cast a bolt... And was now calling students down to show their current mastery of lightning. Nate sighed, realizing he was the first, and got up. He trekked down to the center of the room, and faced the target at the front.
The target was a ballistics gel dummy covered in metal plating, cemented to a weighted pedestal. Looking out of the corner of his eye, Nate saw Ramond give a slight nod for him to continue. Drawing power into his arm, the wolf pointed two fingers at the target, aiming for center mass. With a blinding flash, and a bang that warped the windows in their frames, Nate shot a bolt at the dummy. Everyone covered their eyes and ears, some of the students letting out short yelps of pain as their retinas were seared, and their eardrums rattled.
Ramond uncovered his eyes to see Nate standing, a smug grin plastered to his face. Turning his head, he was, for a lack of a better word, shocked to see the dummy... Or what was left of it. The husky walked over to inspect the dummy, which now hung off the back of the pedestal by a thin sheet of gel. Looking at it, Ramond saw that Nate had hit the target in the center chest plate. The bolt had melted through the plate, and seared halfway through the dummy before the energy had dissipated. Not only that, but the shear force of the bolt impacting the target nearly ripped it in half. Ramond started scribbling something on his clipboard, dismissing Nate back to his seat.
The wolf had barely seated himself before the Professor launched back into his lecture. "This is a fine example of how lightning makes use of Thermal, Kinetic, and Electric energy. From what you can see of the dummy, Nathaniel has the ability to rip a person in half with a simple bolt." Nate let his head thump back down against the table as people stared at him. Some stared at him in awe, others in fear, and some in shear contempt. Continuing the lesson, Ramond had managed to draw the class's attention back to the front of the room, allowing Nate's thoughts to drift freely.
His thoughts cycled through music, then to books, and finally, his thoughts centered on Auren. Nate smiled, thinking of the drake. Auren had become a close friend with surprising speed. Not only did the dragon have a lot in common with the wolf, he also had a great personality that said he was a good, dependable friend. Nate smiled to himself has his thoughts continued to drift, picturing in his mind the firm, toned muscles packed under smooth silver scales...
The wolf had to admit, he did find his friend attractive. Like the dragon, Nate was Bi. However, the wolf had never openly admitted it to anyone, mostly because half of his extended family were a bunch of bible-thumpers. Nate had figured out that Auren was Bi pretty easily. Honestly, whenever the dragon was ogling the silver wolf, he was about as subtle as a gun. As the lecture he was stuck in rolled on, the wolf could only hope that Auren was having a better time of this. The boredom was nauseating...
In fact, the silver scaled dragon was faring no better than his lupine friend. The dragon had been stuck in the same sort of class as Nate had, and was bored out of his mind. Like the wolf, Auren had gained his powers at an early age, giving him the experience needed to excel in magic. This experience only served to irritate him as his brain tried to shut out the pre-obtained information. Earlier in the class he'd been drilled to measure the extent of his abilities, but now it seems to have fallen into a lull. To prevent himself from falling asleep, the dragon turned his mind towards more... interesting subjects. Such as Nate.
The drake obviously found his lupine friend attractive. The question that boggled his mind, however, was whether or not Nate found him attractive. Auren wasn't entirely sure if he'd stand a chance with the wolf. He had never seen or sensed any stares coming from the lupine. He hadn't even seen any sign that the wolf might be Bi. With a shrug, Auren tossed away any thoughts involving Nate's unidentified sexuality, turning his mind to more pleasurable thoughts... Such as the wolf's lean frame.
Auren was jerked from his thoughts by the sound of a bell. He pulled his head up to see students filing out the door. With a smile, the drake jumped to his feet, and walked out. His fire class was the last of the day, so he headed away from the building where his class was held, and towards a small restaurant down the street. By the time he got back to the dorm, it would be near dinner time, and his stomach was already growling.
Walking into the restaurant, Auren was greeted by the smell of Mexican delicacies. The scent of various meats, spices, cheeses, and garnishes that went into the food was intoxicating. If there was anything that could cheer a person up, it was Mexican food. Looking around, the dragon saw that the place was decorated in a traditional fashion, the walls painted to look like adobe, the chairs and tables made out of wood, and even ornate windows. Although, the real reason Auren came here was because the restaurant allowed people to order take-out. Auren walked up to the counter where a rust-colored vixen was waiting with a note pad.
"May I take your order," the Vixen chimed, smiling.
Auren nodded, "Yes, I'd like two Super Poncho Burritos, and two Colas. To go, please."
"What kind of meat?"
"Shredded beef." After scribbling down the order, taking the necessary payment, and handing Auren a number, the vixen walked off to give the order to the chef. Auren couldn't help but notice that as she walked away, she glanced back and gave him a flirtatious wink. With a grin, Auren went and leaned against the wall, waiting for his order to be called. After a few minutes, the vixen came back to the counter, calling out his ticket number. When he approached the counter again, the vixen handed Auren two large stryrofoam boxes, and a drink carrier. Nodded a short thanks, the drake took what he payed for, and walked out of the eatery, quickly heading back to his dorm.
When the drake walked into the dorm he shared with Nate, he saw the wolf sprawled on the couch, shirtless. Judging by the slow rise and fall of the lupine's chest, he was napping. Taking a moment to look over the wolf's exposed torso, Auren walked over, and set the food on the coffee table. The drake stalked off to the kitchen to get some forks, and came back in time to see his roommate to sit up, roused by the scent of food.
"I smell queso."
With a chuckle, Auren handed his friend a fork, and popped open the lids of the boxes, revealing two extra large, five pound burritos. The burritos were stuffed with shredded beef, cheese, rise, guacamole, and various other things. The exterior of the burritos were drowned in a pond of queso blanco and red taco sauce. The scent cast by the heavenly mexican foodstuffs caused both anthros to quiver in anticipation. Not wasting any time, the two of them dug into their respective burritos.
Auren soon realized that the burrito was something he wouldn't be able to eat in one sitting. He was already feeling full, and he still had about half a burrito left. With a shrug, pulled down the lid of the box, and transported it to the fridge. Walking back into the living room, he looked down to see how much Nate had eaten... And saw that the wolf's burrito was gone. Not even some scraps that would have been pushed out of the burrito when it was cut. Auren was further surprised when Nate stood up to throw away his container. The lupine's belly wasn't distended at all. He had to hand it to the wolf, he could really pack away food.
Nate sat back down on the couch, leaning back to relax. It wasn't two seconds before the wolf's cell phone started to ring. With an unamused expression, the wolf answered.
"Hello," Nate answered. Auren tried to listen, but all he heard from the phone was the noise of someone talking, rather than actual words. Auren watched the wolf as he nodded a couple times, and ended the call. "Well, that was a recorded message." The dragon tapped his foot, waiting for Nate to further explain. "Looks like we got switched over to advanced classes," the wolf grinned. "No more boring introduction classes for us."
"Awesome." Auren was genuinely thankful for the class change. The introduction classes to elemental magic were painfully boring. After all, it focused mostly on channeling energy, which both anthros already excelled at. Nate went to put his phone away, only to have it ring again.
"Son of a..." With a groan, Nate answered the phone. "Hello?" Once more, the dragon tried to listen to the conversation, but it still remained one-sided. Auren watched the wolf talk. The claws on one paw tapped against the wooden floor impatiently as the conversation dragged on. Well, one couldn't really call it a conversation as the only talking Nate did was muttering words of ascent. "Alright. I'll be down there in a bit," the wolf said, putting an end to the call. Sliding his phone back into his pocket, the wolf stood up, and pulled on his previously discarded shirt. Auren couldn't help but feel disappointed as the wolf's torso was hidden from direct view.
"Well, that was my father. Now I need to go pick something up from him," The wolf said, turning to address Auren. "You coming with?" Auren didn't hesitate, immediately nodding. He found that he liked spending time with the wolf. Standing up, the dragon followed Nate out the door. The two anthros quickly made it out to their dorm's parking lot, heading towards one of the cabs that was always waiting nearby to transport the academy's students.
The cab driver, a russet haired equine, turned to face them as the the two anthros piled into the back. "So, where're you two headed?"
"We're headed out to the club," Nate answered. "I've got some business with my father that I need to attend to." The horse looked back at him, and gave a nod, seeming to recognize the wolf. As the cab revved into motion, Auren couldn't help but ponder why Nate's father would be waiting for him at a club... Auren was further puzzled as the cab headed off campus. There were a couple clubs on the campus that some students frequented, but the dragon didn't know of any off campus. Auren hoped that the Who, What, When, Where, and Why would be answered soon.
Several minutes passed by, the cab rolling through the forested lands surrounding Wolfthorne Academy. Auren started to notice that the trees along the road were becoming more uniform in their growth, each tree growing in a near straight line along the road. Between the trees, the dragon could see the black poles of a spiked wrought iron fence. Auren's attention was drawn forwards as the cab began to slow down, pulling up to a large gate, made of similar material as the aforementioned fence. An iron plaque the stretched across the top of the gate read 'Full-Moon Country Club'.
As the cab started to pull through the opening gates, the horse spoke up again, looking at Auren through the rear view mirror. "Welcome to the Full-Moon Country Club. Please take note that the boy sitting next to you is the heir to this entire club." Auren blinked, turning to look at Nate. The wolf had his paw plaster to his face, rubbing the bridge of his muzzle in irritation.
"Terry..." The wolf sighed in annoyance. "Why do you insist on telling everyone I know of my connection to this place?"
The horse laughed, tapping his hands against the steering wheel in delight as he guided the cab towards a building. Auren continued to stare at his lupine friend, unable to contain his outburst. "You're rich!?"
"I'm not rich. My parents are rich," Nate answered.
"Only rich people say that!"
Nate turned towards his friend, a small smile spread across his muzzle. "I'm not rich." Auren just shook his head, unconvinced. He decided to drop the subject, seeking to not irritate his companion. Terry pulled up to one of the buildings, putting the cab into park. Nate payed out the fare, and climbed out of the cab, Auren in tow. The buildings that surrounded them were similar in architecture to the academy, although they appeared to be more rustic than the school's buildings.
Nate reached for the door, turning to address Auren. "Whatever you do, don't ring the bell."
"The bell?"
"Don't ring it. Just don't." With that, the wolf headed into the building with Auren in tow. Once inside, Auren took a look around. There was a large hardwood bar stretched across one wall with plenty of stools in front of it, many of them already taken by bar patrons. There were also several people seated at the dozen or so tables, many of them toting alcoholic beverages. Taking a look directly to his right, Auren found that, sure enough, there was a large, chrome plated bell mounted on the wall. The dragon extended his fingers, reaching for the rope hanging from the bizarrely tempting bell. The drake was suddenly jerked to the side as Nate seized hold of his arm, and pulled him towards the bar.
Nate led Auren towards the end of the bar, passing several patrons that appeared to be regulars to the club. As they passed the patrons smiled and muttered greeting to the passing anthros, the bar-goers recognizing the club-owner's son. The silver wolf finally slowed to a stop, approaching a stockier, older looking wolf. The wolf had black and dark brown fur, some of it streaked gray with age. The elder wolf stood, revealing that he was several inches shorter than Nate, standing at 5' 10". He had thick, beefy arms that stretched the sleeves of his shirt, speaking of a life filled with hard labor.
"There's my boy," exclaimed the older wolf, pulling Nate into a bear hug. A moment passed before he noticed Auren, and released the younger wolf from his grip. "And you brought a friend."
Nate nodded, taking a step back. "Dad, this is my roommate, Auren." The silver wolf gestured to the dragon. "Auren, this is my father. Retired Master Chief, Dean Camus Weese." Auren smiled, and held out his paw, which Dean readily shook. 'So,' Auren thought. 'He's retired Navy.' While the nation held most of the world in relative peace, there were still small countries out there that posed enough of a threat to require standing armed forces.
"So, pops, what'd you call me down here for?" Nate looked at his father, getting right to the point.
Dean shook his head, smiling, and started fishing in his pocket. "I won something at an auction that I thought you might want." The dark-furred wolf pulled a set of keys out of his pocket, and tossed them to Nate. "It's out in the garage. It'll need a bit of fixing up, but I'm sure you'll get it working fine." Nate grinned looking at his dad.
"What's the make and model," Nate asked, grinning.
"Go and see. You'll love it."
Without another word, Nate jogged out of the bar, Auren keeping up with ease. The drake followed his friend along a dirt path that led to a large house a little ways away. The house was painted white, surrounded with fresh grass, and tall evergreen trees. As they approached, Auren's nose picked up on the smell of something baking within the house. Seeming to ignore the scent, Nate made a B-line towards the garage attached to the side of the house. Nate kneeled down, and lifted up the wooden garage door, revealing quite a surprise.
The door rose to reveal a very rusty Shelby GT500. The two anthros gasped as they saw the prized pre-cataclysm muscle car.
"No fucking way," Auren remarked, looking over the rusted frame. This car had to be one of the dozen pre-cataclysm cars left. The dragon had to admit that it looked remarkably good for a 300+ year-old car. Nate walked over to it, running a finger over the rusted car, striding around to the hood. He popped open the cover to take a look at the engine.
Nate gave a low whistle, running a paw over his head. "5.8 Liter 32-Valve V-8 modified plasma engine... This thing is old. Old and powerful." The wolf leaned against his new ancient car, looking at the engine. "This has to be one of the first plasma engines. From the looks of it, it was converted from a standard combustion engine." In the years since the cataclysm, gasoline engines quickly became obsolete. Ever since the first end of the world, cars had been switched over to plasma engines. Plasma engines use hydrogen as a fuel that is stored in a fortified tank as plasma. Otherwise, they run exactly the same.
Nate tossed Auren the keys. "Start her up, and let's see how she runs." Auren caught the keys, and quickly popped open the driver side door. The leather interior of the car was in a bad state of decay, large patches of leather missing from the surfaces. The dragon slid the key into the ignition, and twisted. The engine groaned, whining as it tried to start. Auren tried the key again, with the same result. With one last try, Auren gave the key a final turn, and the engine growled to life.
Auren and Nate grinned at each other. They were going to enjoy fixing this car. It would be even more fun once they got it into driving order.
And that's that. Shorter than last chapter, but it's something.
I would have gotten this out sooner, but the past few weeks have been hectic. My dog died a couple weeks ago, I got sick the following weekend, etc.
Anyways, read and review. Hopefully I'll have the next chapter up soon.