The Academy: for Renata.

“Ni’Srilan,”

Aelina repeats the name of the desert with a small, almost longing smile. The smile becomes warmer as her eyes meet Renata’s and she shakes her muzzle, “no, I am from Solira, though I do hold the desert very dear to my heart.” She thinks, then, of Baraqel, of Maverick, of Hypatia, of Wyvern. She thinks of her whirling Wind, of burning Dunes, of the Oasis, hidden like a treasure in the folds of sand.

Renata’s brightening eyes make Aelina smile and the Fluttercheers (her butterfly-like companions, though made of brightly colored light and wind) flit excitedly and curiously toward the new student. Aelina does not feel older nor wiser than Renata but she has learned to love and appreciate her job as teacher. She has learned that teacher does not mean superiority, in wisdom or knowledge or rank, it means, to her, simply that she has been here longer and, therefore, that she can help students find the sanctuary that she has – within herself and the Academy both.

In response to the beaming girl’s question, Aelina smiles and says “well, I will teach anything you want to learn…” with a lift of her head and a glance to the ruins, she clarifies, “if I know it any better than you. I can teach you the ways of the Academy but being a scholar, I have learned, is more than that,” a pause in which Aelina catches Renata’s eye, “it is about learning about yourself, too.”

Renata’s next question, brimming with excitement, makes Aelina smile brighter. The fluttercheers flit around the two mares and Aelina’s Air brushes against her new companion warmly, a spring breeze that ruffles the mane and heals the soul. “To earn an Element you must complete objectives,” a pause and a bright smile, “as your teacher I will assign you one of your minor objectives. Once you have completed that objective and one of your own you will not only have an element but will also become a teacher.” Looking to the sky, Aelina sighs contentedly, “once you have completed three minor objectives you will have the full power of your chosen element. Major objectives will grant you even higher powers.” Her smile is unfaltering. “See, like the fluttercheers,” she motions toward the fluttering, bright lights of her winged companions, “the Wind gave them to me after I completed my first major objective.”

*

a e l i n a
apprentice, airIII