"Hey Alex!" A tall tan boy with silver hair and bright blue eyes turned and looked at a short fat boy, as he came huffing up beside him.
"Hey Tom." The low rumble of Alex's voice doesn't seem to bother the short chubby Tom at all.
"Do you always have to talk like that?" Tom asked exasperated. "I have told you a million times. This is exactly why no one believes you are only fourteen!" Tom was only half right.
Alex's tall, tan, and muscular body would make anyone think of a twenty something adventurer, not a young boy. Any time he met someone new there would inevitably be an argument over Alex's age. Some times fights even broke out over it.
While his baritone voice was not the cause of this misunderstanding, it didn't help.
"Look Tom, I have told you over and over again, I can't change my voice!" Alex replied with a sigh.
"Yeah, yeah, I know. But honestly would it kill you to shave your head?" Tom looked up at Alex's silvery gray hair.
"Do you think I want to be gray at my age? But if I shave I will only look more like a meat head than I already do! Then no one would talk to me!" Alex complained with a defeated grin.
Tom took a second and thought about it. After conjuring up a visual of Alex with a bald head glistening in the sunlight a cold chill ran up his spine.
"You might be right about that one." Tom said with a disgusted look on his face. "No one, and I mean no one, wants to see that!" He continued as they walked together down the main road of Fire Bird City.
Tom and Alex had been friends since they were babies.
All children with Spirit Companions have to go through formal training in Fire Bird City. They also must live inside the central district of the city.
This is mainly for the safety of the general public, since they will need to live with their Spirit Companions.
Before these rules were implemented by the Pheonix family, it was not uncommon for accidents to happen in the city. Sometimes, idiots would mistake them for monsters and sound alarms, or even attack them.
Tom and Alex grew up next to each other in the central district. Because Alex and Tom were contractors their housing, with their families, in the central district was paid for by the city.
Honestly, it was the only reason Tom and Alex could afford to live in the central district.
Tom's parents were shoe makers. They had a little shop in the outer ring of the city.
Alex just had his father, David, an herbalist. He spends most of his time out of the town gathering herbs and medicines. Alex only sees him about once every other day.
Because both Tom and Alex come from such humble backgrounds, they were often teased by the others in the central district growing up. When they weren't being teased for being poorer then the others, they were being teased because of their companions.
Tom's companion was an elegant Ice Swan named Sylph. It had shimmering white feathers, a long slender neck, and she gave off an aura of beauty and grace.
Tom was none of those things.
He has always been a slovenly, rascal. Pair that with his short and fat stature and it is no surprise that he gets picked on when seen with Sylph.
Alex was picked on for a completely different reason.
Alex always kept Eluril with him. In fact, since he was born they had never been separated for more than a moment.
A keen eyed observer could always spot a small, bluish silver ball on his left hip. This small scaled ball was Eluril. She spent all day sleeping and eating from the net pouch on his hip.
Eluril is no bigger than Alex's fist. She has been that size since Alex was born and they formed their contract.
Most Spirit Companions were large and powerful, if not beautiful and awe inspiring. At the very least they were all useful.
Not Eluril. Most days she simply slept and ate. The most she would do was remind Alex telepathically when he had forgotten to feed her.
She was not lazy.
At least, Alex didn't think so.
On the rare occasions that she did talk to him, she complained about how tired she was and how she would get better once he advanced.
This had always puzzled Alex. How could he advance without her?
Alex had been schooled since a very young age to know everything there is to know about Spirit Companions. It was common knowledge that contractors would gain strength, increased lifespan, and special abilities from their Spirit Animals.
But Eluril had made it very clear that she was waiting for him to get stronger. So, every day Alex went out and worked in the forest as a hunter and a lumberjack. This was why he was so dark skinned and strong.
But that would all change today. Today was the day that Alex and Tom would start at the Academy.
The Academy is the school that Spirit Companions go to at 14 years of age.
The Academy was for training practical skills. All of the schooling before hand was done for the purpose of knowledge, both theoretical and practical in order to live as contractor. As such Spirit Animals were never allowed into these classes.
The Academy however, was for the both of them.
As Tom and Alex approached the Academy walls for the first time they saw two lines forming at the gate.
All of the individuals in both lines had their companions with them. If you looked carefully you could see all sorts of animals. From flaming wolves, to lightning humming birds.
There was even what looked like a magma lion.
Seeing all of the Animals Alex shot Tom a sharp look.
Tom looked up sheepishly and sighed. He knew what that look meant, 'stop being a wuss and just call her already'.
"Sylph!" Tom call out telepathically for his companion. An elegant swan that was flying gracefully over head, swooped down beside them and landed in Tom's arms.
Tom moved to pet Sylph, but she quickly shot him a glare. "How dare you be ashamed of me! I should be ashamed of you!" Sylph huffed in his mind.
Tom could only smile apologetically. "You are right. As usual. Come now, don't be upset. You know why I didn't call you sooner."
Sylph took a deep breath and sighed. "How many times must I tell you. You shouldn't care what others say." She couldn't stay mad at him though. She knew more than anyone else, how hard it had been for him in the past. For the both of them.