Somewhere near Arktis Edge
Arktis Skyland
Northern Space 

Gael sat on the railing of a wobbly porch, unafraid that it might break from his weight. His eyes darted around the rotting wooden cottage, wondering why the boy they captured even lived here. He tightened his fur coat around him, as clouds of mist formed in the air every time he exhaled.

"Can't we go inside?" his companion said. Gael lifted his gaze toward him and gave the man a glassy-eyed stare that answered his question.

"I don't know about you but, I don't want to freeze my rear out here," the man said. He proved his point as he rubbed his gloved hand over his coat-covered arms, as if it would give him warmth. His face scrunched when he moved his injured shoulder as he did so.

"This is your own fault Kreis. You said you wanted to interrogate him," Gael said, as his gaze trailed to the young man that they tied on a chair on one corner of the porch. "I already told you that he isn't the one we are looking for, judging by the color of his eyes alone. Yet you still insist on this matter. Care to enlighten me, my dear friend?"

He heard Kreis click his tongue at his words as he fisted a handful of his coat.

"Sarcasm doesn't suit you. And now it's time to answer your question," he said. "If you exclude the eyes, he's a match for the other descriptions of the person we are looking for. He's almost as tall as us and has a slightly smaller build. He's good with the knives too.

"And that red Drae, no doubt, is the one we've been tracking. And if it's here with him, he might have an association with the creature's Draeyer; the person who intruded and stole from our beloved Alma Mater," he finished, as he pointed to the recuperating creature that lay a few feet behind Gael on the thick snow.

Gael stared at him with a raised brow and a sloppy smile on his face. He scoffed out a laugh and shook his head. He closed his eyes before he spoke.

"And here I thought you were doing this to get back at him for ruining your pride when he buried a knife on your shoulder," he said. "Looks like your stay in Cetrulis Skyland as one of the head Ryders has actually helped you mature a bit."

"Oh be quiet, Mr. Professor," Kreis scoffed. "That job should have been yours if you didn't decide to remain and teach in the academy. I thought you loved fighting and defending our Space Region and allies."

"I love fighting, yes," Gael said as warmth filled his green eyes. "But teaching is my passion."

Silence lingered in the air around them after he said those words. A smile formed on Kreis' chapped lips, as he shook his head at his dear old friend.

"Are you intending to leave me tied to this chair, while I watch and listen to you old men talk about your days of yore?" a voice shattered the peaceful silence that they shared.

They whirled their heads to across the deck and spotted icy pale blue eyes watching them with a glazed look of disinterest in their depths. Gael noticed Kreis' brow twitched, and he stood at once. And before, his friend could grab a knife and hurl it towards the boy, which he was sure he was going to do, he placed a hand on his shoulder. Kreis stilled in his hold, and narrowed his brown eyes at the young man.

"We are not old, I have you know!" he said and shrugged his shoulder out of his friend's hold. Gael noticed how the young man's eyes gleamed in amusement at Kreis' outburst, before it disappeared. He stepped forward until he stood at least a few feet away from the boy.

"What's your name?" he asked in a soft melodious tone. He saw him flinched at his tone, causing him to knit his brows. The young man lowered his head to the floor.

"Alec," he said, "Alec Arden."

"What a nice name," Gael said. Another minute of silence engulfed them until Alec looked up with wide eyes that darted around outside in the snow.

"Looking for your Drae?" Kreis asked with a challenging tone. Alec looked up at him with fire burning in his eyes.

"He is not mine," he said through gritted teeth. "Where the Blazen is he?"

"He is fine," he said, "I already patched his wound as best I could. And considering a Drae's healing ability, he'll be fine before the day ends."

"You try to kill him, then you heal him, what kind of people are you two?" Alec asked them with a stone face. Gael's face scrunched up, and his eyes narrowed into a glare directed at his companion. He saw him squirm in fear, before he huffed out an air of annoyance as if unafraid a few moments ago.

"All I said was, 'So what if I did?'" he said. "That doesn't necessarily mean I actually attacked that Drae. You just jumped to conclusions."

Gael turned back to look at Alec, only to find him staring at the Drae a few feet outside his porch. It was like he didn't even hear Kreis' explanation, as the flames of anger continued to burn in his eyes. Gael sighed, and ran a hand through his hair.

"We didn't hurt him, okay?" he said, causing the young man to turn his attention to him. "We found him like that, with a sword buried on his shoulder. When we were about to help, Kreis pulled me aside when he saw you approaching.

"He thought you were the person we were looking for, when you came to the Drae with a worried look in your eyes," he said.

"So you're saying that somebody tried to kill him?" Alec said. One side of his lip tilted up as he grimaced. "Why would somebody even try to kill a wild Drae?"

A gust of wind whistled past them while he spoke, causing Gael and Kreis to shiver.

"Are you blind, kid?" Kreis said as he looked him in the eye. "That Drae has no unique marks that all Draes have since they hatch. Meaning, just like its owner, it turned into a Rogue."

Gael saw how Alec's eyes darted back to the red creature. He scanned his gaze over it as his eyes widened in realization. His lips moved, and spoke in a voice only Gael managed to hear.

"It's easier to severe a bond between a Drae and a Draeyer when they turn Rogue," he said. Without his knowledge, Gael smiled for an unknown reason. His smiled dropped when he noticed the look on his face. Alec's half-lidded eyes shone in pity at the creature, along with a sad smile.

"You understand what it feels to be unwanted," he whispered as if Gael couldn't hear him.

"Enough about this already," Kreis said as he stood next to Gael. "Where is the creature's Draeyer?"

Gael sent him a glare to silence him, but it was ignored. He kept his cold brown eyes locked on to the boy. Alec looked up at him, mirroring his icy look.

"How am I supposed to know that?" he answered. "Two days ago, that Drae stole my game for its breakfast, and he hasn't left me since I fed him one of my catch yesterday."

They fell quiet after that. The two men eyed him, like they were analyzing the truth of his words. They watched him squirm in his seat, as if uncomfortable with their heavy gaze. No one spoke a word. The only sound came from the wind as it blew around them.

Their eyes widened, when the ropes around Alec loosened and fell to his lap. The young man stood and stepped over the rope that fell to the wooden floor. Kreis took a dagger and pointed it at him, but it was ignored when the boy passed them like air.

"You guys were taking too long in untying me," Gael heard him say as he stepped out into the snow. With eyes like hawks, they watched him head over to the Drae. He bent down next to his head, and rubbed circles on the creature's neck. They saw him lean into the creature's ear and whispered something which seemed to relax the Drae.

"Are we still going to keep an eye on him?" Gael asked.

"It would be best. We're still not sure if he's speaking the truth. We can send one of my men to that for us." Kreis said. They stood in the porch watching Alec as he spoke to the Drae. Gael found him smiling at the sight.

"He's got some skill, there's no doubt about that. I think I'll recommend him to the academy," he said. He heard Kreis scoff at his words.

"Just because the kid managed to untie himself from your famous knots?" he said. Gael glared at him when he detected a hint of sarcasm in his tone, but decided to let it go soon after.

"Yes. And also, don't forget that that 'kid' gave you a close to serious injury," he said. He heard Kreis' groan of irritation at him.

"You are never going to let that go!" he said, causing him to chuckle. They continued to watch him and the Drae before one of them broke the silence.

"We should head back to the inn," Kreis said. Gael looked up at the mid-morning sun as dark clouds covered it from view.

"We should, before we get caught in the snow fall," he said. Kreis nodded and placed the tips of his thumb and forefinger inside his mouth. A loud whistle escaped his lips and out into the white open.

Moments later, they heard two pairs of flapping wings as their eyes landed on their Draes. Their natural silver armor shimmered under the light that escaped through some gaps in the clouds.

Gael's black Drae landed along with Kreis' white one. They stepped out of the porch, and headed over to them.

"Hey, Asher, had fun hunting?" Gael asked his Drae. Asher gave him a nod, but he noticed the unsatisfied look of hunger in his white eyes.

He ran a hand over the white star markings on his Asher's neck before getting ready to mount the saddle nestled between where the creature's neck connected with its shoulder. But before they could do so, he stepped back when his Drae stood on its hind legs while looking attentively around them.

He looked over to find Kreis' Drae also doing the same, causing the man to knit his brows. As if in sync, the two Drae's eyes landed on Alec who had his back to them. He still kept talking and comforting the red Drae. Gael and Kreis fell to the snow, when their Drae's scampered past them and dashed towards the boy.

"Iris, Asher, get back here!" Kreis said.

But the two Drae's paid no attention to them whatsoever. They crossed the small space between them and Alec, while racing each other.

As if sensing them approaching, Alec turned around and his blue eyes widened in surprise. Before the two Drae's could reach him though, the red Drae appeared in front of him in a blink of an eye. Its teeth protruded out and growled with slit eyes at Iris and Asher. The two stopped at once, and did the same towards him.

"Easy there boy, you still haven't recovered," the two heard him say as they run towards them. They watched as he rubbed his neck and the red creature's form sagged slowly back to the snow, with a delighted purr in its throat.

Their Draes moved closer to him, and their noses twitched as if sniffing his scent. Alec's face scrunched in bewilderment at what they were doing, until they paused for a brief moment when the red Drae growled. They stepped even closer to Alec, until he fell back when he tripped over the red Drae's tail. Iris and Asher looked on at him with an unrecognizable glint in their eyes. Their Draeyers' brows rose to their hairlines at what the two did next.

"Hey...hey...stop...hahaha..." Alec said as he lay on the snow. The black and white Draes stood on either side of him as they licked his face with their big tongues. Gael and Kreis watched as Alec continued telling them to stop, filling the open air with nothing but his laughter. His hands shot out and placed each one on Iris and Asher's snouts. Laughter still escaped him as he petted the two, enticing delighted purrs from them.

Gael and Kreis shared a look after watching the scene. Their eyes shone in understanding, as if they have witnessed something important to behold.

"A Sentire?" they both whispered.

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I changed the blurb/summary a little bit. I didn't really have perfect plans for this story before I made it....