This is a side story by me, Delta.
Quick Note[]
In this version of the Prodigy Universe, the Academy Keeper does NOT keep the Academy aloft, the Wardens do. Also, eye color determines magic based upon old superstitions present on this version of the island.
Prologue[]
She was silent. In fact, she was always silent, for she couldn't talk. Watching as the enemy walked past, she hid in the brush, ready to spring at any moment, just like a proper fox spy. Her future victim was entirely unaware as he exchanged masks. He was a spy, and she knew it. Everyday he swapped the masks, everyday he reported his findings to Harriet, everyday he was silently watched by her hiding spot at the Academy Crossroads.
Moving swiftly onto a branch in a cat-like manner, she looked at the little sew-on badge on her tunic hem and sighed. Honorary fox.... I can do more than that. I can be a knight if I want, but first, I need to be a squire.
Her eyes were not a sight to behold if you were below that tree, since the manner they cast of a shine was a thing of terror during the night. She had dressed perfectly for this mission, blending in with the tree trunks, just like she'd seen the bunnies do. Hah, they can't hide anything from me.
She couldn't help but let out a little pleased growl, startling herself and the boy, causing him to look up at the frighteningly purple eyes. Instinctively, he put a hand on his wand, for the young wizard knew a beast was about to be unleashed.
Chapter 1[]
Double knot.... Triple knot.... Quadruple knot.... He couldn't help but count the amount of trouble he got into. Each knot was tied differently, some which he didn't recognize. Sighing, he looked at his captor.
The girl's hair was dark brown, and her eyes a fierce purple. Dirt was smeared all over her, only further showing her expertise on the subject of the woods. Yet it wasn't her eye's that bothered him, which would of unsettled any other wizard, for only those who possessed Shadow Magic had eyes like such, it was the way she stood. The way she stood on the branch above him was animal-like, and the growl that originally alerted (a second too late) of her presence only further encouraged that trait. If she wasn't a wizard, his next guess was a monster of some sort.
Noticing he was watching her, she looked at the ground. She didn't want to meet him in the eye, and why would she, she was the one tying him to the tree. As she climbed down, he was jolted to reality. "Hey! Are you just going to leave me here?"
Looking back at him, she rolled her eyes, and let out a hoarse hiss, making it clear that that was indeed what she was planning. He tried to wiggle out of the ropes with no avail, hanging upside down from a branch near the top of the tree. "Oh for the love of Harmony...."
Slipping into the fort, she set to find Zorro, only to bump into Verna. The fox crossed his arms, "Where have you been?" She shrugged, and set course to go around her, but the chubby knight was surprisingly quick. "Have you gone out to the forest again?" She nodded guiltily, knowing she'll pester her until she told the truth.
She shook his head, tired by the amount of times she'd done this. Zorra watched as she routinely fetched Zorro, who was simply going to scold her before asking her exactly what she did in private. Even though it would be embarrassing to others, she liked it. She liked for things to happen the same way, for change always meant something bad was going to happen, it always did.
Zorro peaked out of his quarters with a heavy sigh, "Zorra, come here, now." Zorra rolled her eyes at the name before ducking into his quarters. She knew why Verna got upset whenever she snuck out, but she was never caught. Most wizards like her were arrested on sight, or recruited by the Order. There were some accepted by the community, but she wasn't one of them. She couldn't even go by her real name, for the fear that the Order would find her.
The fox sighed, "What did you do this time?" He shoved a notebook and quill toward her. Even though she couldn't talk, she could write.... but not very well. She never learned how to write properly, and most likely never will - Shadow Wizards weren't permitted in the Academy. With her messy handwriting, Zorra wrote out the words "Found Spy".
Zorro put on his reading glasses, "Found Say?" She shook her head, and tapped her finger on the mangled "P". The knight squinted, "You found a spy?" Zorra nodded.
He allowed himself a sly smile, "You never fail to impress me, let's go."
Chapter 2[]
"Oh Harmony-" He was still hanging upside-down from the tree, while Zorro, Verna, and that girl stood below.
Verna cupped her paws around his muzzle, "I have to say, Florian's going to have a great time telling you off!" He groaned in response, but it was the law of the land. A wizard's warden was determined by their magic. A wizard magic was determined by their eye color. No one could quite understand it, how could an eye color reveal one's life? Yet it did, and this was the way things worked on this odd island.
The girl leaned against a nearby tree with a smug look on her face. He should of known she was trouble. Purple eyes meant Shadow magic, Shadow magic meant the Order, and the Order was the very reason this was his life. He closed his eyes, angry tears streaming down his face.
He was spying on an Ivory Truckle in the woods. They were a rare sight, and it was said that only the best trackers can find them. Suddenly he had a piecing headache, and lost consciousness. When he awoke, he was told all that happened. The Order's return.... and what happened to his parents. That day he swore that even if it was the last thing he'll do, he'll avenge his family's death.
Silently facing humiliation, he eyed the girl. Zorra absentmindedly fiddled with a relic, completely unaware of exactly what he had in for her.
Walking down the edge of the creek, she angrily tossed a stone, watching it skip down into the river. Her elven-like ears perked at the sound of a branch cracking, and she stood up with a start. When nothing happened she turned her back on the woods, but didn't trust the silence.
Approaching the source of the sound, she began to wonder if this is why Zorro said no...
Chapter 3[]
A young male fairy walked down a path. It was typical to see a Fairy flying, but he didn't want to be seen - the town hated him enough. It's not as if he did anything wrong, but what he was caused him to be treated hostilely by the residents. Ever since his parentage was exposed, life became difficult. He already failed classes at the Academy, but at least the Wardens didn't consider him a threat because of it...
Kicking a lose piece of cobblestone, he overheard someone mention his name.
Zorra stumbled out onto a path, but no one was in sight. Coming with the conclusion she imagined it, she turned to leave... only to hear someone fall and let out an "oof". She whipped around to face the sound, yet still saw nothing. Taking a step closer, some unknown instinct caused her to pick up the aura of the stranger.
He was frightenedly repeating "Please don't see me, please don't see me-" silently to himself, since he was an Astral Fey and any run ins with a Shadow Wizard always resulted in hostility. Poor boy couldn't cast a spell to save his life, meaning he was in a prickly situation. On the contrary, little did he know he actually did manage to cast a spell in that moment, it's just the element of the spell that was questionable. Yet as usual he screwed it up as Zorra looked around, making him very much visible when she checked behind the bushes...
Chapter 4[]
They both let out a startled yelp at seeing each other. Zorra however, was more surprised, pressing a hand to her throat and trying to figure out how she made any sound at all.
Meanwhile the young fairy was watching her curiously, but precautious. Deciding she wasn't a threat, seeing he hasn't been blasted yet, he inquired, "Are you alright?"
She blinked, baffled that an Astral Fey was concerned about her. She nodded slowly, unable to speak for herself.
After a moment, he said, "My name's Gale." He quickly muttered under his breath, "Which is probably obvious," before continuing. "What's yours?" Doesn't matter if she doesn't know my name or not though, seeing the Order already knows it either way.
She wasn't too sure if she should answer him, Zorro would be angry enough, but she couldn't help but slowly make the hand signs to spell out her name.
Gale watched her, confused at what she was doing. After she pointed at herself, he figured out she was trying to spell out her name, and asked her to do it again. "Zorra. Your name's Zorra? Why don't you just say it out loud?"
She pointed at her throat than shook her head.
He frowned, "You can't talk, can't you?" She nodded, confirming his statement.
It was impossible not to hear the foxes riding their Mysts, clearly looking for Zorra. She turned to figure out where the sound was coming from, and when she turned to look at the fairy, he was already gone. She cocked her head curiously, but decided the better of looking for him, the foxes already arrived at the path.
Zorro let out a sigh of relief, "There you are. What are you doing out here?" Of course, her received no answer. The fox tiredly looked at the wizard, "Never mind, we'll talk when we get back."
Meanwhile the fairy had closed his eyes, hoping the foxes wouldn't see him. He had unknowingly cast the spell again when he hid, making him invisible. He didn't want to be seen, especially since Zorro doesn't take to him well.
Soon, the sound of hoof beats faded, and Gale slowly faded into reality, still unaware he cast the spell. Curiosity nagging at him, he decided to follow the path of hoofprints.
Chapter 5[]
Zorra didn't mention the boy to Zorro and managed to escape punishment. However, as she did her chores, she heard a rustle in the brush. She froze, the boy in mind. Meeting him was something new, right? And new things always end badly.
Now nervous that her run in with the fairy would get her in trouble, she decided to turn the tables and talk to Zorro. Moments later Verna approached the source of the sound, stepped back startledly yelling, "Gale!" Then the fox blinked, realized how much of a fool he was, and grabbed the fairy by an ear, dragging him to Zorro's quarters grumbling, "That half-bred brat."
Seeing Zorra, he glanced at her, amber eyes reading "Help" before the door closed.
"You should know better than to show up here." Zorro snarled at the boy, irritated. This was the last thing the fox wanted to deal with, and he didn't want any interaction. His rank didn't make the fairy any more tolerable.
The rank of Academy Keeper was an act of pity, allowing a more unfortunate student to earn hospitality and a place to stay. They would clean the school and light the lanterns, nothing more, nothing less. They did not need any magical talent whatsoever, seeing they did not need to keep the Academy aloft - since it was recently built and the levitation spell would not need constant renewal for thousands of years.
Gale was Academy Keeper because due to his parentage, he wasn't accepted anywhere, not even by the wardens themselves. He's been turned out by everyone twice fold, and only received the job of because the Wardens were tired of him. Even more so when they realized exactly how bad he was at magic, irritating all his teachers, but at least making him seem less and less of a threat.
Zorro was about to tell him off, but thought of Zorra and realized it would be self-contrary. Sighing, he dismissed the fairy, "Never mind, just go. Just don't come back or mention anything that goes on here, understood?" The boy nodded in response, relieved he wouldn't be in trouble.
At the other side of the door, Zorra had gathered the courage to knock at the door, but when she was about to do it the door swung open, and Zorro stared at her in surprise. "Zorra do you need something?" She quickly shook her head, realizing she didn't need to interfere, and went back to what she was doing. Gale gave her an odd look before realizing Zorro was watching him, leaving as result.
Chapter 6[]
At the Academy an Earth Wizard was heading to his dorm around the time Gale got back. The wizard paid no mind to him, no one did. The wizard was so occupied in his thoughts that he crashed right into the fairy. "Watch where you're going!" The wizard snapped, irritated from his run in with that Shadow Wizard and the Foxes.
"S-sorry...." The fairy stuttered in response, watching the wizard go.
As usual, he forgot about the fairy when he arrived at his dorm, and was looking out the window, watching the chaos the Order caused below. A titan was running amuck at Skywatch, which is why students were excused from class that day - so they can assist in bringing it down. However, he had promised Harriett that he would tell her what's going on with the foxes, which turned out to be more trouble than it was worth. I should've helped with that Titan instead.
The very next day, Zorra snuck out again, going to the river as she usually did. However, what she didn't know is that the Earth Wizard she caught in the act had changed his routine. Learning a thing or two from her, he had hidden in the canopy to watch. Though he did not account for the fact she could hear him.
Within seconds she had heard and found him, then left. Within minutes Verna was looking up into the tree, shaking her head in disappointment. "I hope Florian isn't busy, otherwise he won't be too happy when I drag you back to his office." Within hours the Earth Wizard was back in his dorm, having to come up with a new plan.
Back at the woods, Zorra had went to the path. She was curious about the boy and wanted to see if he'll come back again. Waiting an hour of so, no one came, so she disappointedly assumed it was a one time thing before turning to head back - as Zorro will begin to worry soon. Yet as soon as she did so she heard a rustle in the bushes, quickly figuring out who was behind them.
Chapter 7[]
Gale had planned at staying at the Academy that day, but curiosity overcame him and he headed back out to Lamplight Town Outskirts. The odd girl was the only thing on his mind, as he was wondering why Zorro of all people would take in a Shadow Wizard.
Walking down the path again, he heard the grass rustle, but there was no wind. Approaching the sound he came across a sparkling river, the tallest of the Foxes towers peaking out from the dense forest on the opposite bank. How come I never found this place before-
His thought was interrupted as tree branches swayed in the air above him, making a slight swoosh in the air. He glanced around before flying a foot or so into the air, quickly finding the source of the sound. "Oh, hi again."
The purple-eyed wizard sat on the tree branch, a slight smile on her face.
"Why are you here?" The fairy asked her after a bit, gray fingers twiddling with his tail nervously.
She gave him an odd look, confused at what he meant.
"I mean, why do you live with the foxes?"
Zorra thought for a moment, before signing out "I just do". She had to repeat the gesture a few times, as he wasn't well learned in non-verbal language.
The fairy's platinum hair fell into his eyes as he gazed at, confusion welling in his gaze, "But... Zorro never does anything without reason."
The Shadow Wizard thought, but couldn't find an answer. She shrugged, but she began to wonder, Why did Zorro take me in?
Chapter 8[]
The Earth Wizard saw the odd fairy leave, wondering why he would do so. The Academy Keeper barely ever left, so curiosity filled the wizard as the fairy flew out the door.
And when curiosity overwhelms someone, they investigate.
Regardless of his conscious screaming at him not to get in trouble again, he mounted his Dreamlet, following from afar. Landing near the path leading to town, he followed the footprints until the trail stopped. Ugh, he must of decided to fly at this point, but... then wouldn't there be fairy dust?
He decided to look around, peeking in the bushes and gazing at the treetops, looking for any sign of where the fairy might of went. Eventually, he rested against a tree, finding a scrap of fabric caught on a bush. Hm.
Dreamlet trotting behind him, he parted the bushes and walked through, arriving at a familiar sparkling river. Why would he come here-
That's when he saw them.
The gray fairy, as he expected, failed at casting the attempted Astral spell, but Zorra quickly caught on, regardless of being a Shadow Wizard and having a poor example.
In fact, she's actually better than me at this...
Out of random, Zorra stopped, pointing at herself, hand-signing spell, then pointing at him.
He frowned, "You want to teach me a spell- oh, uh, I... can't, I would love to, but I-"
She put her hands on her hips and glared, making it clear he wasn't going to get way with receiving nothing in return.
"I suppose one spell won't hurt, but I'm warning you, I'm not very good..." The fairy finally said with a sigh.
A small orb of purple appeared above her right hand, and using her other hand, she magnified it to the size of Shadow Shock. The spell was let loose, striking a rock on the far side of the riverbank. She looked at him to make it clear it was his turn.
"I don't know about this," Gale stated, procrastinating.
Her purple gaze flashed in irritancy, and she spelled out the words, Hurry up, idiot.
He blinked in surprise, but with a gulp, turned to the rock, an abyssal orb forming much too quickly between his hands. It's going to fail, it's going to fail, it's going to fail-
Yet instead of imploding like his usual Starbit Blasts, the spell was cast perfectly, obliterating the target.
A purple-robed man glared back at the grey fey, glaring.
"Dad?"
There was no answer. Instead, the wizard shook his head before turning to leave, causing the boy to run up to him, tugging his shirt sleeve.
"Please don't leave me. I promise I'll get better!" Tears played at the Ivory's amber gaze, but the man paid no mind to them.
"Leave me be!"
And he did.