“Alahi o reque caliem salahe haluan rahsat” two voices spoke in unison. But not close enough. The spell itself was a simple one that Wind and Wolf could have easily done themselves. All their instructors, Master Degami Raven and Master Degami Arrow wanted was a single candle lit, but they wanted it done by the both of them.

“Again!” Master Arrow sighed, her patience wearing thin. Wind got the feeling that she was very old, but she didn’t look much older than the 14 years she was when her god had chosen her.

“Together.” Master Raven said. His patience was seemingly endless. Wind had never managed to brake that cool, collected look he had always worn. Master Raven must have been around 17 years when he was chosen by Lady Laeh, the Goddess of Life, and he was the oldest chosen Degami that Wind had ever heard about.

“He’s too slow!” Wind complained about Wolf, who remained silent. Having whined and complained as far as he could up the Chain of Command about his appointed partner, Wind was having no luck at getting a better suited one. Wolf was too quiet, too slow, and way too serious about everything! Wind would be able to work better with another Trainee closer to his own personality then Wolf’s! Almost ANYONE would be better.

Well, as long as it wasn’t Grain. It was Wind’s strong opinion that Grain’s god had given him that name for the size of his brain.

“You need to compromise.” Master Raven replied before Master Arrow could snap at them again. “You need to slow down and Trainee Wolf will pick up the pace.” He said as he looked from one Trainee to the other. Wolf nodded but Wind had his arms crossed. He’d do what he was told, but they were the last left in the classroom, the rest of the Trainees had already gone to lunch.

“Work on this more tomorrow on your own time.” Master Arrow said, glancing out the window. Master Raven nodded his agreement. Wind had no intention of following those orders.

“Trainee Wind, you are to move your things into Trainee Wolf’s quarters.” Master Arrow continued. Wind just stared at her open mouthed. Share a room?! When there were so many already empty?!

“Let it be done tonight.” Master Raven emphasized, turning his deep blue eyes to first Wolf, who immediately nodded, then to Wind, staring him down until Wind dropped his eyes and nodded. The seemingly bottomless and ageless eyes of the Degami still unnerved him, even after three years of looking at his own eyes in the mirror.

“To lunch!” Master Arrow said, and followed her words out the door. Wind, with one last glare back at Master Raven, marched out the door followed by Wolf.

“I can’t believe this!” Wind ranted, throwing his hands up in the air.

“You were an only child?” Wolf said, making the comment sound like a question.

“How am I suppose to know?” Wind turned to look at him. Wolf gave him no more of an answer then a small smile that was little more than a curl of his lips, before walking off in the direction of Johnson Hall, their living quarters. Deciding he’d get food at the Dining Facility before he went and moved, Wind stalked off in hopes of finding something good to eat.
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“Why of all times did they choose now?” Wind huffed as he tossed his linen on the top bunk. A short day of classes before four days off for some holiday. And he had to spend it with this joyless, humorless furbag.

“Had you been a little more cooperative...” Wolf began before Wind snapped at him.

“Had you been we could have had that candle lit and I’d be free of you for four days in my own room!”

“It wasn’t about the candle, it was about compromise. We have to learn to work together if we’re going to be partners.”

“We’re not going to be partners.” Wind snapped, “It won’t work.”

“They’ve never changed anyone’s partners once it’s been written, you know that.”

“I’ll make them change it.” Wind tossed his second issue boots into a corner of the room.

“Do you need help moving?” Wolf asked.

“Not from you.” he replied as he stalked out of the room to get more of his things.
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I almost wish I hadn’t been made a Degami. Wind thought as he stretched out onto his ‘new’ bed, gazing up at the ceiling. He was still in uniform, except his top shirt was in a heap on the floor. I’m going to have to spend an eternity with this guy. I wonder how light of a sleeper he is... his thoughts were interrupted by the sound of a screaming siren and an explosion of light in his room. He jumped in surprise and fell out of his bed hitting the wood floor hard.

“You okay?” Wolf yelled to make himself heard over the siren. Wind turned to find him sitting up in his bed, rubbing his head as if he too had been shocked upright and banged his head on the bed above.

“Yeah.” Wind grumbled, nodding his head. “NOW what?!” he grumbled as they both looked to the floating ball of light which had turned to an angry read and pulsed in time with the siren. As expected, a voice was heard emitting from the light. It was a little more flustered then Wind would have thought, but he soon found out why.

“Alarm red, Alarm red.” The voice of Degami Grand Master River came from the light. “Grab your mobility bags and get out to your shelters immediately. This is not an exercise. I repeat: Grab your mobility bags and get out to your shelters immediately. This is not an exercise.”

“Shoot!” Wind got up, grabbing one of the duffle bags he had used to move his things and started cramming what he could into it.

“Where’s your mobility bag?!” Wolf said. He still seemed calm but there was worry in his voice.

“I used it!” Wind said, frantically trying to scramble what he needed into the bag.

“What?!” Wolf opened up his heavy wooden chest and picked up a duffle bag similar to the one Wind was filling. He pulled out two canteens and filled them with the pitcher of water next to the wash basin.

“We never have bag drags and I needed some of the things in it! I was going to replace them but never got around to it!”

“We have to go now!” Wolf said, grabbing Wind’s arm to get his attention.

“I don’t know what I have!” Wind said almost in a sob. The Academy was under attack, it had to be! Although the war was officially over, there were still many bands of the enemy doing what damage they could. The Academy, the place where the Degami were trained, was a juicy target. They would be after the Trainees, killing as many as they could. Wind and Wolf were among those ranks. Their uniforms were the same as the full fledged Degami, but were a neutral grey color instead of the black, and so was easy to tell. And a half trained Degami was an easy target. Trainees were only awarded swords when they hit Senior status...and both Wind and Wolf were well below that.

“I have enough for the both of us! Let’s go!” Wolf didn’t give him time to respond and pulled him to his feet, leading him out the door while Wind tried to tie his bag closed while holding on to his top shirt and a cape he had managed to grab.

Inside the hallway was utter chaos. Trainees scrambling back to their rooms or out into the hallway, barley dodging one another. Wind saw many Trainees come out of their rooms, only to duck back in again after some forgotten item. Most were only half dressed, the alarm coming at a time when they were off duty. Some, like Wind, didn’t have their top shirts on. Others didn’t have any shirts on at all. Many were running with either their boots unlaced, or without them. Lights, similar to the one that appeared in their room, pulsed in intervals along the hallway, the siren still screaming away.

Wolf, still pulling Wind along behind him, made his way into the steady, but still small stream of Trainees heading out of the Hall and out to their predesignated shelters. Wind had managed to wrestle on his shirt and cape. But once they were out of the building, chaos met their eyes. A small portion of the enemy had penetrated this deep into the Academy grounds already, slaughtering any Trainee brave - or stupid - enough to try and get in their way. Spells went unheeded as the casters were killed before they were completed, and small pocket knifes and makeshift clubs were no match for blood-coated swords and battle-hardened maces.

Hate and fear welled up in Wind’s chest. Those were the things that killed everything in their path...those were the beasts that were killing his comrades...those were the demons that had killed him. He jerked his arm out of Wolf’s grasp, pulling his own knife free of his belt, he prepared to make a stand.

“Wind! No!” was all Wolf could get out before Wind launched himself at the grek. But before Wind could reach them, he was roughly pulled back by his collar. He spun around and raised his knife against his attacker, only to find Master Arrow looking down at him.

“Get to your evac point!” she said before she turned and ran into the midst of the grek, drawing her sword as she went. Several other Degami Masters of the Academy joined her, giving the Trainees time to make good of their escape.

Wind stood and watched as the Masters’ swords tore through the grek with a bit of satisfaction and regret. He wished he could be there. He, like almost half of the Trainees of the Academy, had been brought to the brink of death by the enemy and their pawns, the grek. He only remembered the few moments before Lord Fie’nar, his god, gave him the power to survive and take vengeance on them, but those memories were horrendous, and even after these three years, he was still having nightmares. He had sworn that he would never let the grek have their way again...but here he was, like that time before, too weak to be of any use. He hated them, and he hated himself.

“Let’s go!” Wolf said, no more the cool, collected Trainee, worry was definitely swimming in his voice, and that pulled Wind back to himself. Wind turned and nodded. Wolf took off again towards their shelter, trusting that Wind would follow him.

Johnson Hall’s shelter was in a cave that had been built in the rock wall that was part of the Academy’s defenses. Because of the commotion they had encountered in front of the Hall, they had to take the round about route that lead them to the outskirts of the Academy, instead of strait through the middle. They encountered several bodies, grek, Trainees, and Degami. At one point, Wolf swooped down and snatched up a sword from a fallen Degami without breaking stride.

“We’re not aloud to touch weapons!” Wind panted as they ran.

“I hardly think it matters.” Wolf stated. He didn’t seem out of breath at all! “Besides, we may need it.”
------------------------
They arrived at the shelter, but matters were worse here then they were back at Johnson Hall. Grek had surrounded the entrance, held back by a handful of Seniors, two of the Masters that were teachers, and one Degami. The rest of the Trainees were probably deep in the mountain, if they had gotten in at all.

Wind and Wolf exchanged glances. They were no more than horse fodder if they stayed out here. Should they run back to another shelter? But that would risk the chance that that shelter too was under siege, or that they would run into another pack and be even more helpless. Option two was to attack from this side and try and get into their shelter. Two three year Trainees, one with a sword, one with a knife. Yeah, they would get far. But Wind saw the same conclusion in Wolf’s eyes only a moment before he spoke.

“Let’s take them.” Wolf said, resolution clear in his voice. Wind grinned.

“Together, but I’ve got a plan.” Wind said, one quickly forming in his mind. The plan was two fold, and counted on the sole hope that they could surprise the enemy. But something strange was happening, Wind felt as if he shared his skin with another person. He felt the other’s every emotion, and thoughts came floating into his mind that he knew wasn’t his own. The sudden connection was so strong he felt even the other’s heart beat in time with his own. Was this what it meant to be in union with your partner? Wolf looked at him in a mirror of Wind’s own slack jawed amazement, but they quickly came back to themselves. It was only a matter of time before the grek noticed they were there.

“I saw your plan.” Wolf said with emotion that was more like Wind’s personality then his own. “Let’s do it!” They both turned and faced their enemy, and as one being, took a wide stance and began their spell.

“Alahi o reque caliem salahe haluan rahsat” But this time, they sang it in one voice, speaking from two sources. A power welled up inside them, feeling as if it came from the earth itself. And the simple, small fire spell erupted, catching the grek’s leader and anything near it, in a fire as blue as Lord Fie’nar’s eyes. As the grek scrambled out of the way and tried recollect themselves, Wind and Wolf, still acting as one, charged. The scattered grek soon found themselves under attack by twin warriors from one side, as the Degami from the cave pressed their advantage on the other, and the battle was quickly resolved.

As soon as Wind and Wolf found no more grek to put under their blade, they looked at each other and the same, full toothed and weary smile spread across their lips only moments before their strength left them. Amidst the bodies of the enemy they had slain, Degami Trainee Wind and Degami Trainee Wolf collapsed to the ground unconscious.
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Wind came into consciousness only moments before he felt Wolf stir next to him. Looking up he found the cave’s low roof overhead and heard the low murmur of conversation not far from him.

“So, the heros are awake.” A very familiar voice spoke. Wind sat up to face the speaker but winced and cradled his head in his hands as he was attacked by a major headache.

“Master Raven?” Wind said, rather startled to see his teacher there. Wind looked around and saw more of his fellow Trainees from Johnson Hall than he had first feared had made it. Wolf chose that point to sit up, but was smart enough to do it slowly. Master Raven smiled at them.

“I closed your wounds,” he began, “But you two burned yourselves out with that spell. I’m surprised you still had the strength to fight! Lord Fie’nar and Lord Kran must have held you in favor for that. I’m impressed young ones!” Wind’s god, Lord Fie’nar, was the god of fire. Lord Kran was the god of battle, and was Wolf’s god. Had that been what got them through?

“Why does my head hurt so much?” Wind complained. Master Raven smiled.

“Pay attention to your lessons.” he said.

“There is a price to pay for every spell.” Wolf explained. But this time Wind realized he was trying to be helpful, not just being a know-it-all. “The price Degami have to pay is our strength. But sometimes, with the blessing of our gods, we can go beyond that, but pay in weakness and pain after.”

“Ah...got it.” Wind said. “I think I’ll remember that from now on.”

“You two seem to be getting along.” Master Raven chuckled. “And you pulled off that spell with outstanding results. Still want to get a new partner Wind?”

“No Sir!” Wind said with such enthusiasm he was rewarded by the first full smile he had seen from his partner.

“Then I must say ‘lesson learned’.” Master Raven smiled at the both of them. “Wind can move back to his own room once we’re released from shelter, and you two are well enough to be in your quarters.”

“What?!” Wind exclaimed, “I have to move all my stuff again! Can’t I just stay there?!” and then he laid back down and tried to cower from the headache he had roused to greater fury.

“You can stay as long as Wolf agrees.” Master Raven said. Wind found Wolf had fallen back to sleep, but somehow he knew that he there wouldn’t be any arguments, and decided to follow his partner’s example.

Just as the wings of sleep were enfolding him to take him to the realm of dreams, he heard a quiet, young, but confident voice that he knew so well.

“Well done, my Wind.” Lord Fie’nar said, “Well done.”