Nature's Magic

Nature's Magic

Chapter 4: Daylight Hours

For Stormcloud, waking with the Sun was as natural as breathing. His body, from the constant need to avoid predators and survive, had adapted to need only a little sleep to be fully awake and functional. But Eclipse, being both a creature of the darkness and needing that full eight hours, was highly irritated by the fact that someone was poking him at dawn, when he still had two more good hours before his alarm went off.

“Wake Eclipse,” the childish voice of Stormcloud said, accompanied by the prodding. “Sun up. No more sleep.” Eclipse groaned.

“Stormcloud,” he said, his voice muffled by his annoyance and pillow. “It is freaking dawn. Go back to bed.” Eclipse would have been happy to just roll over and go back to sleep, but Stormcloud had no intention of letting that happen.

“Dawn time to get up, not sleep,” lectured Stormcloud.

“Stormcloud,” sighed Eclipse into his pillow. “Here we get up when that,” Eclipse pointed to his alarm clock, “Starts screaming that it is time to get up, not when the sun rises or my new bed mate decides he isn’t sleepy.”

“You let machine decide what you do?” asked Stormcloud, fascinated. “It decide how long you sleep?”

“No,” said Eclipse, finally rising from his sleeping position. “I program the machine to go off at the time I decide I want to wake. It just reminds me.”

“Oh,” said Stormcloud, his face a mix of confusion and understanding. Eclipse just shook his head, knowing the newcomer didn’t understand what he was saying. Eclipse looked at Stormcloud to try and find a way to better explain how an alarm clock worked. But looking at the boy, it took a few moments to remember anything else.

Eclipse knew that in the morning, he looked horrible. His eyes would be slightly bloodshot, his hair bedraggled, his face sporting a cross expression, his skin blotchy from his blanket, and an over all aura that he rather be back in bed then doing anything to rid himself of these issues.

But Stormcloud was a different story. From his years of living in the forest, the boy was use to remaining perfectly still while asleep, so his hair was still perfect and smooth. His grey eyes were wide, without an ounce of sleep presence. And dawn’s purple pink light washed over his face, giving his pale skin an ethereal glow. Overall, the boy looked slightly angelic and unreal.

“You can’t remember time you want to wake?” asked Stormcloud, breaking Eclipse’s study of his features. Eclipse blinked a few times until the question finally reached his brain.

“Well, I can remember, by my body doesn’t always want to wake then, so it needs a bit of a jolt to tell it to rise,” he said.

“If you still sleepy, why don’t you sleep more?” asked Stormcloud.

“Because then I would sleep all now and stay up all night,” said Eclipse.

“Why?” asked Stormcloud, leaning forth till his face was almost touching Eclipse’s.

“Just a fact of life,” said Eclipse, not knowing how to explain it to the boy. Stormcloud still seemed confused on the subject. Eclipse knew that he had two options. Option one, try and explain sleeping cycles to Stormcloud, and then maybe get another few minutes more of rest. Or, option two, just get up now and deal with the sleep lost later. He was reluctant to make his decision, as he held little trust in his tired mind to weigh the facts needed. But, having already had a small sample of Stormcloud’s stubbornness, he sighed and shook his head in defeat.

“Give me a minute to get dressed,” murmured Eclipse. “Then I will go and make us some breakfast.” Stormcloud nodded and moved off the bed. He then moved to the door and sat on his knees, impatiently waiting for Eclipse. Eclipse was about to tell Stormcloud that it was proper for him to leave the room when another was getting dressed, but rational thought had finally returned to his consciousness. Letting Stormcloud wonder the halls in furry for being kicked out was a bigger worry at the moment. Grabbing some underwear, a black tank top, and some loose black pants, Eclipse went into this bathroom to dress and straighten his appearance.

Eclipse was not a vain person. He didn’t spend hours working on perfecting his looks, but neither did he never look in a mirror. Before he dressed, he washed his face and brushed his teeth. Then, after fully being dressed, he brushed out his long hair and put it back in the normal pony tail. Taking just a moment to make certain that everything was neat and tidy, he sighed, and walked back into the main room. To his relief, Stormcloud was still there, and in all reality hadn’t so much as moved an inch. When Stormcloud noticed that Eclipse had finally came back, he gave the dark haired boy a charming and sweet smile.

“Morning Eclipse,” he said, rising to his feet. Eclipse, seeing that sweet smile, knew that there was no way he could be mad at Stormcloud for disturbing his sleep. The boy was too innocent in the ways of man to know any better then to act how he did.

“Hey,” said Eclipse, smiling, but also noticing that Stormcloud was still in Sky’s old pajamas. “Now it is time for you to get dressed.”

“Why,” asked Stormcloud, looking at his clothing. “I already have cloth on me. Wave put them on.” Stormcloud twitched his nose in slight annoyance at that memory.

“Those clothes are for sleeping,” said Eclipse, patiently. “You need other ones to wear during the day.”

“Why?” asked Stormcloud, utterly confused at another of these odd human behaviors.

“Because, well just because,” said Eclipse to a confused Stormcloud. “Sometimes we do things because a long time ago someone said it was the correct thing, and we all follow suit.” Stormcloud just looked puzzled. Eclipse sighed.

“Stormcloud,” said Eclipse, moving closer to the boy. “Humans are very complicated and hard to understand, even for those of us who have lived our entire lives in what they dub civilization. Apart of living in this world, is following their customs. And one of those is wearing a different set of clothes for morning and night. So will you please change your clothes?”

“Kay,” said Stormcloud, upon gazing at Eclipse’s pleading eyes. He knew that Eclipse was doing his best to adapt him to society, and Stormcloud knew he wasn’t going to be the best student. Eclipse smiled and lead Stormcloud back to the room that the boy was suppose to be sleeping in. Eclipse went to the wardrobe to decide what his companion should wear.

Since they had not had time to buy the boy his own clothes, he would have to make due with some of the others castoffs. Unfortunately for Stormcloud, the only two close to his size was Sky and Snow.

Sky held a bizarre style, that was fulled with bright blinding colors and mismatched patterns. Snow, on the other hand, held a traditional elegance in his clothing, most of them nice fitting trousers and high collared shirts. Eclipse knew that neither style would appeal very much to Stormcloud, so he decided to go in between.

Besides picking out the necessary undergarments, Eclipse found a long flowing light blue top that had a deep blue ribbon around the waist, and a pair of loose but form fitting grey trousers. He was about to hand this all to Stormcloud, until he realized with a silent curse that he didn’t know how to dress himself yet. Holding back a wave of embarrassment, he escorted the boy to the bathroom.

“I, ah I,” said Eclipse, not knowing nor wanting to say what needed to be said. “I, kinda, need you to undress.” Stormcloud just nodded, and stripped off his pants and underwear in a jiffy, but needed Eclipse’s help with the buttoned shirt. A deeply blushing Eclipse made quick work of garment, and their stood Stormcloud in all his unclothed glory.

Eclipse helped him into the clothing as quickly as humanly possible, while still showing gentleness. Once done, Eclipse was more at eased with the other task. He had heard from Wave the horror getting Stormcloud to brush his teeth, but knew that it had to be done. Gathering the required instruments for the task, he moved Stormcloud in front of the sink.

“Open up wide,” Eclipse ordered, and a disgruntled Stormcloud obeyed, knowing what was to come. Eclipse brushed the boy’s teeth, and Stormcloud cursed at him through the gargling. Spitting out the remaining paste, Stormcloud shot Eclipse a look sour enough to curdle milk. Eclipse just rolled his eyes.

The next part was easier, as Eclipse redid Stormcloud’s hair. Since it was braided, the tangles were less, and though Eclipse didn’t have as nimble fingers that graced Wave or Snow’s hands, his did allow for an acceptable braid to be done in Stormcloud’s hair. Satisfied with the boy’s looks, he lead the way to the dining hall.

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Knowing the horrors that teenagers could bring to a kitchen, the cook had forbade the boys from using any of her utensils, or cookware. And knowing the intense outrage of the woman if she was awaken by the sounds of Eclipse attempting to make anything, was enough to make even him shiver in fear. So, their breakfast was a pantry raid of bread, cheese, and fruits. But with his dining partner, was probably a better idea then oatmeal or pancakes anyway.

Stormcloud seemed to like the fare, just the same. He happily munched on an apple and roll, while Eclipse slowly ate his own food. Eclipse smiled gently at the boy, while he decided that he was daring enough to go back to the kitchen and start the coffee maker, knowing that he couldn’t wait the extra hour for the needed drug. Measuring out the water and beans, he turned the appliance on, and made his way back to Stormcloud and the dining room.

The boy had apparently finished his food, and was licking the juices and crumbs from his fingers. Eclipse just shook his head, and went back into the kitchen to get a wet towel to clean the boy up. When he again reentered the room, the boy had stopped his actions and gave Eclipse a quizzical look. Eclipse just smiled and shook his head, before washing the juices off of Stormcloud’s mouth and hands.

“If you want more food,” said Eclipse. “Just ask for more. And don’t lick yourself, you just make the mess worse. You use water and soap to clean, not your tongue.”

“Humans are confusing,” pouted Stormcloud, causing Eclipse to chuckle. But the boy’s smile soon returned as Eclipse put more food on his plate, and the boy eagerly started gulping it down.

“Don’t eat so fast,” lectured Eclipse. “You will give yourself a stomach ache, or cause yourself to choke.” Stormcloud listened, and ate slower, now that he had been given a real reason, not one of those ‘just becauses,’ that Eclipse had been saying earlier.

Eclipse decided to go and check on the coffee, hoping that it was finished. Stepping into the kitchen told Eclipse two things, the coffee was ready and the cook was up. Normally, the woman would be glaring at him and demanding to know what he thought he was doing invading on her private area and using her equipment after being told not to. But from the small smile on her face, he could tell something was up.

“The little dear seems hungry,” she said, gesturing toward the areas that had once been occupied by food. “And seems to be very energetic.” She quirked her eyebrow at Eclipse, who rolled his eyes. It wasn’t a secret that Eclipse was normally the last to rise in the morning, and then so with great reluctance. Eclipse murmured something and poured himself a cup of coffee.

“Yes, the little scamp doesn’t need much sleep,” he replied, taking a long sip of the burning hot liquid. “He had me up at dawn, after keeping me up till one.”

“Been there,” she laughed. “I use to have to sleep in the kitchen to stop you scallywags from raiding the cupboards every night. And then when one of you would become ill, oh, Master Daystar and I were up to all hours trying everything to make the crying stop.” She laughed slightly at this. “Children will be as such.”

“You make it sound as if children are a curse,” chuckled Eclipse, knowing the headaches he and his fellow classmates had caused. But putting seven young boys together could only lead to such.

“No,” she smiled. “A blessing. It is just sad to see them grow up, especially in this time.” She looked wistfully out the window, her gaze focusing on nothing in particular. Eclipse remained solemn. He knew what was on her mind, as it weighed heavily on his. The days of peace had be given an unknown number, and all the Mages were just waiting for them to run out. Stormcloud’s arrival seem to mean that the time of war was almost upon them.

“Flame will want him back,” whispered Eclipse, making the cook’s wondering mind come back to the kitchen. “He could never accept a lost. Specially not if it was one of his trophies.” He said the last word with great disgust, practically spitting venom speaking of the man’s illicit habit of claiming those he conquered as a prize. The cook winced thinking of poor Stormcloud back in the fiend’s clutches, and she knew that her fears were doubled in Eclipse’s heart.

“That just means you have to fight harder,” the cook said, breaking the awkward silence. “And that won’t be a problem for you, now will it. I have never known you to ever fight without giving your all.”

“But my all may not be enough,” sighed Eclipse.

“It will,” the cook smiled gently. “In all things, your best will be enough.” Eclipse returned her smile, though subdued, and picked up his cup of coffee. He nodded a farewell, and made his way back to were Stormcloud was. The cook just smiled, and started to work on breakfast, though it was still early.

The cook, Marigold, had never married or had children. She had always worked in households as a maid, and later on as the cook. She was happier to help raise other children then to ever rear her own. She loved the boys as her own, and when they had came here, they were in great need of a mother figure, a place she had filled. Master Daystar was wise in the way of scholars and Mages, but in raising children, he was a mere novice. He had no idea how to teach children to behave or act, and was clueless as to why they wouldn’t do what they were told. Marigold had just sighed and rolled her eyes at Daystar’s clueless antics. She had been in the school when the first students had arrived under the now late Master Silversmith, and knew what was needed. And with a grateful sigh and smile, Daystar gladly accepted her help.

She had been the one to spot the lingering touches the boys gave each other during sparing, the dreaming looks passed with the dishes on the table, and the chaste kisses given in what they deemed experimentation. And she had seen as the knowledge that his friends were in love dawn on Eclipse, who started to pull away from the group. Eclipse always tried to seem above such emotions, but Marigold knew that he was the one that craved them the most. Above all, Eclipse yearned for love and acceptation that his family had never been able to provide for him. His parents, having known what the life of a Mage was, had sent him off to the best training school for Mages, and kept their distance so that he could become great. His brother’s were envious of his abilities and scorned him, the youngest, for having them.

She saw through the partially opened door that Eclipse was sitting across from Stormcloud, who was almost done with his breakfast. She couldn’t make out the words they were saying, but as Eclipse handed his coffee cup to Stormcloud, she assumed that the little one wanted to try it. And from the look on disgust on his face after the sip, Stormcloud didn’t like the liquid, or at least didn’t like the bitter black flavor that Eclipse favored. Stormcloud scrunched up his nose and shook his head in disgust. A deep and rich laughter broke loose from the dark haired man, a rarity. Not since his childhood had Eclipse been so free with his smiles and laughs. The laugh seem to affect Stormcloud too, for he stopped his motions to give Eclipse a gentle smile.

‘Perhaps,’ thought Marigold, ‘the purpose of this boy is not just for the war. I hope he is here for what Eclipse needs now and after the battle. His one true love.’ She smiled at the boys, and then went back to cooking, with a new hope buried deep in her bosom.

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Stormcloud and Eclipse were both satisfied about an hour later. When they were about to go and clean up their dishes, the other students arrived, still in their pajamas. All of them were in different stages of awakening and confusion at seeing Eclipse up earlier then any of them. Master Daystar, as what had become normal during the last couple of weeks, was not present. He probably was still locked up in his study, doing work that had remained a mystery to them all. That was, if he hadn’t left in the middle of the night.

Marigold had finished cooking, and three maids brought out bowels of porridge, toast, and fresh fruit. They set one of each in front of each boy, even Eclipse and Stormcloud.

“No hungry,” whined Stormcloud, who had just eaten three plates of fruit and bread, and wrinkled his nose at the mass of brownish-peach lumps floating in the bowl. The elder maid, who was almost the age of Marigold, just shook her head.

“Eat child,” she said, putting his silverware down. “You too Eclipse.” Eclipse was about to protest, but the glare from the woman made him think better, and he grudgingly picked up the spoon to eat.

“Already had food,” said Stormcloud, pointing to the empty plate near the full ones. The maid sighed, but seeing that her duty to make sure the boys were fed completed, removed Stormcloud’s dishes.

Stormcloud watched the others eat. Wave, Snow, and Sprite seem to have the best manners, as they eat slowly and didn’t so much as dribble a drop of juice or porridge. Eclipse was trying to eat as fast as he could, taking bigger bites then need be. He just wanted out of this room finally. Sky seemed more interested in the shape of his food, and seeing how large a tower he could build, until Wave gave him a glare, making the boy eat. Blaze and Copper just shoved the food in their mouths, and barely swallowed before taking another bite. A small buzz of conversation took place. Someone asking how the other was, how they slept, and if Stormcloud was adapting to his new home.

The answer were the typical nice polite responds. Eclipse answered most of the questions directed at Stormcloud as the boy was a million miles away. Finally, the dishes were cleared. The others went back to their rooms to prepare for the day, and Eclipse took Stormcloud to the training field, to start practicing his magic.

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When any school for Mages started, there had to always be a place for the students to develop their magic and not harm anyone. The area for Master Daystar’s school, was a barren field. The field, besides being far enough away from any other structure both man made and natural, made for the best place to practice. Though it was five acres of dirt, underneath the soil lived seeds that were in hibernation, pockets of water and air, and iron ore. Amongst the surface, Stormcloud could see scorch marks, puddles, odd metal structures, and a few patches of grass.

Eclipse spent most of his mornings and afternoons here. Stormcloud despised the area after the first glance. Never before had he seen such a thing as this field, so much nothingness. It made him feel ill at ease and jumpy.

Eclipse noticed how fidgety Stormcloud had become. It made him nervous. If Stormcloud powers went berserk, Stormcloud could hurt himself badly. Eclipse wasn’t worried about his well being, with his training, he could easily dodge or block any of the boy’s attacks. Eclipse, though, had seen one too many Mages get themselves killed using magic that went out of control. Before any practice could take place, Eclipse needed to calm the boy down.

Eclipse started to gently massage the boy’s tense shoulders, until they loosen and the boy leaned into his touch, feeling the compassion and tenderness radiating from Eclipse’s strong hands. Stormcloud was eased enough to start listening to Eclipse’s instructions.

“Normally, there is a precedent that the teacher can follow in training,” said Eclipse, breaking away partially from Stormcloud. “But, as you are a first Weather Mage, there is no way of knowing where to start. So your training is really going to be touch and go. When you get enough control of it, we will train you in physical combat also, so that you don’t always have to rely on your magic.” Stormcloud nodded, knowing it would be useful to be able to fight with his hands also, since his powers were useless indoors.

“Now, today we are going to focus on you making it appear it is about to storm, but not,” Eclipse said. Stormcloud nodded, but was worry. He had never been able to call his powers, they just reacted to his emotional state and they had never just been used for show. But with that gentle look and nudging from Eclipse, Stormcloud plopped onto the ground to practice.

On his first few tries, nothing happened. The clouds didn’t even shift. Eclipse instructed Stormcloud to concentrate and used the oldest training method Mages had.

“Focus all you energy in your heart,” said Eclipse. “Make it into a little ball and release part if it into nature.” Stormcloud obeyed, and found it easy to do just that. But deciding on the right amount was hard. The next few attempts barely made a difference in the clouds. He released more energy, and a light rain shower soaked both of them. The next hour or so was the same, with either his powers being too weak or too strong. Finally, right before Eclipse was going to call it a day, he had made the prefect fake storm, and managed to hold it for five minutes before his energy gave way.

Stormcloud was panting slightly, but proud that he was able to do it. Eclipse himself was proud. He hoped it hadn’t harmed the boy, though he could tell that Stormcloud was worn out. He smiled and patted the boy on the head before lifting him up.

“I walk,” yawned Stormcloud, nuzzling into Eclipse’s neck. Eclipse chuckled.

“Magic takes a lot out of you,” he said. “You probably won’t have much energy for the rest of the day. We will try again tomorrow.” Stormcloud didn’t answered. Though he was still awake, he was too content being held in Eclipse’s strong arms and cuddling with his teacher.

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After a quick bath, Stormcloud and Eclipse cuddled up again in Eclipse’s bed for a nap. Snow came in to talk to Eclipse for a moment, but smiled and nearly left when he saw the two boys sleeping peacefully. Snow remembered that Stormcloud had given Eclipse enchanted roses the day before, and he wanted to see how they were coming along. He smiled even more when he saw that Eclipse’s roses were now taking on a reddish hue in the petals. Snow made a note to tell Sprite when Sprite and Copper returned from a picnic that Copper had convinced Sprite to go on. Snow was pretty sure Copper was more interested in Sprite then any food, and giggled slightly. Stormcloud, as if on cue, rose from his sleep, smiled at Snow, and shook Eclipse until the other awoke. Eclipse moaned, but finally opened his eyes.

“I have a feeling that you are going to be doing this to me a lot,” whined Eclipse, which caused Stormcloud to giggle.

“Snow here,” Stormcloud said, pointing to the man in the door.

“I was just coming to get Stormcloud,” said Snow. “Wave, Sky, and I are taking him into town to do some shopping. He needs his own clothes, among other things. We will be back later tonight.”

“If your sure,” Eclipse said, looking at Stormcloud. The boy was still half-wild, Eclipse didn’t know if taking him into town was a good thing or not. True, the boy needed things and it would give him a better idea about people. But, it was uncertain how the boy would behave. Then he noticed that Stormcloud aura was still very low. Though the boy could now walk and do things on his own, it would be at least night fall before he managed to do anything magical. If Wave and Snow were both going, they could keep an eye on him, while Sky kept him distracted.

Snow nodded, and Eclipse nudged Stormcloud up. Stormcloud only understood that he was going somewhere with the others, but not Eclipse.

“Eclipse go,” he pleaded, tears welling in his eyes. He didn’t want to go alone, not even with his friends. He wanted Eclipse. Eclipse was about to relent, but Snow shook his head.

“Eclipse has to stay,” said Snow. “Master Daystar is gone, so Eclipse must watch over the school. You will be fine. Now go and get ready.” Stormcloud nodded sadly and left.

“I could still have gone,” said Eclipse.

“Stormcloud needs to not develop a dependency on just you,” said Snow. “He needs to socialize with the rest of us and other humans. He won’t if you are always there. And besides, your taste in clothing is atrocious.” Snow laughed as Eclipse threw a pillow at him.

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Master Daystar sighed overlooking the ruined village. When Key had come two hours past midnight to say his services were needed, he didn’t think it would be for this. The entire village had been burnt to the ground, and only one person could be responsible. Flame. Not a single person had survived the attack. Daystar hadn’t seen such destruction since the first village Flame had attack. And knowing that Key was a few feet away, made the fact even more wicked.

“We tried to stop the fire, but we couldn’t,” Key said, his voice strained. He didn’t want to admit how badly seeing the wreckage made him feel. “But Flame must have a few Water Mages on his side, because all the lakes and wells wouldn’t let us near them. And we couldn’t even get the doors opened, he planned this.” Key couldn’t continue, tears broke through his resolve.

“This is why you didn’t want me to bring any of the others,” said Daystar. Key nodded. Key, though he left much to be desired, loved his brothers. Key never wanted Eclipse to have to see war and carnage, or any of the other Mages for that matter. Daystar let his own tears fall. Flame had just ended the count for days of peace. There were none left.

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Author's Note: Sorry for lack of updates. School, life, and my birthday got in the way. Self-edited.