The Azra-El Series Ch. 14

Blaze hovered a couple of hundred feet in the air, observing the bird and the otter as they skirted around the edges of the dog territory. Invisible underneath the grass, Splash led the way while Sky followed with his head bobbing up and down the cover.

The dogs on their daily hunt spotted Blaze in the sky, but on realizing that he wasn't Rebecca they went back to trailing a small herd of deer. A couple of Carnikes also watched from the other side of the river but they couldn't compete with the dogs on open grasslands.

Blaze watched as the dogs expertly surrounded the herd, alarmed them into fleeing, singled out a doe, and took her down as a mob. He was tempted to save her but stopped himself and turned his attention to Sky and Splash.

Splash had smartly maneuvered downwind from the dogs and waited as the pack tore away at the deer carcass. Within a few minutes the doe lay dismembered, and the pungent smell of iron permeated the air. Splash gave Sky a nudge on his wing before scampering off.

Sky paused for a moment before giving a loud screech and shooting towards the dogs. Resisting his protective urges, Blaze forced himself to watch as Sky noisily circled the pack and dive-bombed them, carefully keeping away from their jaws; his movements were awfully familiar.

It looked like the dogs were used to this and instead of attacking the Quetzal, they chose to guard their prize. Blaze looked around for the otter, but to his surprise he couldn't spot her anymore.

The dogs were careful, but Sky's probing attacks eventually revealed an opening. One of the dogs couldn't resist lunging at the bird, who swerved away from its jaws. The otter burst out of the grass and zipped past the dog.

Before the pack could react, she grabbed a large chunk of meat and scurried back into the grass. The dogs didn't bother giving chase as Sky swooped down and picked the otter up by his claws; her thick skin preventing any damage.

Sky flew back heavily to Blaze, and the two animals presented him with the bloody meat, happily yipping and squawking at him.

"Good job!" Blaze praised them, shying from the raw meat.

Splash handed it to Sky, jumped on Blaze's shoulder, and wrapped around his neck before they flew home.

***

Blaze spent the rest of his time flying around the house with Sky. Knowing that Blaze was once again going to leave, the bird put on a show of his flying skills.

He swooped, soared, and barrel-rolled alongside him, mirroring Blaze's movements and refusing to land. So, Blaze decided to show him his Blazing Pirouette.

Sky keenly observed him for a few times before he shot up and away from Blaze, then starting to fly towards him. As he gained speed, he spread his wings wide apart and swung them around.

The bird easily spun in the air and added to the momentum by swinging his wings. As he drew close, he tucked in his wings. His spinning body barreled into Blaze's chest like a spiraling bullet.

"Oomph!" Blaze wheezed as the air was knocked out of him. Thankfully he had anticipated it and reinforced his body. "You can't do that when you're older, buddy. But that was freaking awesome!" he said, brushing under his crown.

Sky squawked happily in his arms as they returned home.

"I still can't take you with me, Sky," Blaze told him plaintively, after they landed in the garden.

Squaaawk!, Sky replied with indignation, turning around to waddle back into his shed. Blaze followed and silently brushed his crown, while the bird refused to look at him.

Finally, with a sigh, he kissed Sky's head and gently closed the door behind him.

The angels dropped him off at Varan and as the carriage flew back to Tir, Blaze's mind was beset with the guilt of constantly having to leave the Quetzal behind.

oOo

By the time he reached his combat training class that evening, Blaze was feeling a lot better. He was excited to continue his practice with energy manipulation.

He sat down to work on conjuring a simple dagger—thinking of all the various ways to use temporary weapons in his fighting style—while Siofra went to challenge the other angels of their class and prepare for the upcoming tournament.

Though the dagger was smaller than the flyball bat, conjuring it proved to be more difficult. Having played years of baseball, the form and feel of a flyball bat was more familiar and that familiarity seemed to help.

After a few failed attempts, Blaze decided to try a different approach. From Yulia's lecture, he knew there was no right method of manifesting energy weapons and that different methods seemed to work for different people. To manifest a flyball bat, he usually gathered a large amount of external energy into a sphere and then molded it. This time he decided to build up on the energy.

He started with the handle of the dagger, slowly supplying it with external energy as it grew in size. His breath, his Anja, and the flow of energy into the dagger fell into sync with each other as he concentrated on its form. If his earlier method was akin to sculpting, this one felt like building an object a layer at a time.

As he finished the handle and began working on the blade, a shrill shriek suddenly broke him out of his concentration. It sounded like a cross between the cry of an eagle and the squawk of a parrot, echoing through the grasslands.

The dagger shimmered and collapsed with a pop. Blaze looked up at the sky in alarm.

He spotted two tiny figures flying towards him from the north-west; a group of young angels wielding weapons were close behind.

"Shit!" Blaze yelled as his heart leaped in his throat. He instantly manifested his wings and took off towards the bird, startling Siofra and the rest of the class.

Spotting Blaze, Sky let out a screech of happiness and furiously flapped his wings to reach him. With the otter under her claws, the bird could barely outfly the tailing angels. However, a familiar pigtailed brunette had almost caught up to them. A spear flew from her hand towards the bird.

"WATCH OUT!" Blaze screamed as the spear hurtled towards the Quetzal. Splash instinctively pulled on Sky's leg with her mouth and the bird swiveled to the right. The spear broke feathers and drew a sharp cry from Sky.

Blaze sped to the bird and Sky barreled into his chest. Noticing the crowd of frenzied angels making their way towards him, Blaze dove for the ground. He realized that fleeing could only make matters worse.

He landed on the ground, checking the two animals for wounds. Beneath the broken feathers, a few drops of blood pooled on his skin. Otherwise, Sky was alright, the spear only clipping and breaking the feathers. The mob of angels dropped around him like missiles.

As they surrounded them, the otter made herself as small as possible by hiding between Blaze's legs while Sky happily fluttered his wings, oblivious of his little wound.

"I KNEW IT!" a familiar voice drew Blaze's attention. "You are a demon spy!"

Blaze narrowed his eyes at Priscilla as she pointed her sword at with an ugly snarl that twisted her otherwise beautiful face. Rage erupted in his mind and his hands formed tight fists. No matter how much he wanted to punch her again, he wasn't stupid enough to get into a fight at that moment. There were eight fourth year angels and a teacher surrounding him.

"You're an idiot, Priscilla. And if you keep waving that sword at me or my bird, you're going to lose your fucking hand," he told her menacingly.

Blaze's tone and the glare in his eyes sent a chill down Priscilla's spine. She did not understand what the word meant, but the seriousness in his voice made her pause. He had not pulled out a weapon on her or the other angles despite the imminent threat, but she could tell that he wouldn't hesitate if they made any moves.

Soon, Yulia and a couple of the other teachers arrived, followed by more students. Sky's path and timing meant that he had flown over at least a few classes. They watched in stupefaction as they saw the bird in Blaze's arms. Siofra wanted to join his side, but she understood that her presence could make things worse.

"I KNEW IT!" Priscilla said to her new audience. "Didn't I tell you there was something wrong with her? My cousin was also talking about the strange dance she performed at Saket," she said, looking at her gang for confirmation and support. "She has a Quetzal as a pet. She is obviously a demon in disguise, and the pixie is probably in on it!"

Yulia spoke before Blaze could say something that would make matters worse. "Calm down angels. We shouldn't jump to hasty conclusions. Siofra, can you fly to the headmistress's office and bring her here?"

"Yes, Min Yulia," Siofra replied and immediately took off.

Blaze calmed himself and sat down with the two animals, softly asking how they got there. There was no way they could've tracked him when most of his journey had been in the air.

Priscilla was bothered by his sudden calmness. Was it not a Quetzal?

"Is it a Quetzal, Ms. Blaze?" Yulia asked the question on everyone's mind.

"Yes," Blaze replied calmly. He realized the importance of Sky to the angels and his mind raced with all the possible outcomes that could happen to him and the bird.

Yulia nodded and fell silent.

Headmistress Fiora rushed across the training grounds. Relief flooded her when she spotted Blaze and his pets unharmed.

"Is it your Quetzal, Ms. Blaze?" she asked him seriously.

"Yes! And if you look at his wing colors, you will realize he is an angel Quetzal," Blaze replied loudly and clearly for everyone to hear.

"So she says, but what's the proof? I think she is a demon trying to fool us," Priscilla let her opinion be known.

Fiora frowned at the young Malakim. "I think Ms. Blaze and her family are the last ones that can be suspected of supporting or being demons, Ms. Priscilla," Fiora told her flatly and turned to everyone else. "I suggest you put your weapons away. This is a matter that none of us present can decide. Go to your dorms. Your classes are done for the day," she declared and turned to Blaze. "You're coming with me, Ms. Blaze"

"I don't think Jie Er and Rebecca are going to be pleased with you two," he softly told the two animals as he picked up the Quetzal in his arms while the otter ran up his shoulder and around his neck.

***

"Why is it that I can't seem to find a moment of peace ever since you've arrived, Ms. Blaze?" Fiora sighed as they sat in her office. A lot of curious eyes had followed them along their way, but one look at Fiora's face made them hesitant to approach.

Blaze shrugged his shoulders in response. He had always been a trouble seeker but was never the one to get caught or attract unnecessary attention. In Azra-El, he couldn't seem to accomplish that last part.

"Care to tell-" Fiora began but was interrupted by a knock on her door. "YES?"

Alice peeked in. "umm... headmistress? There are two angels who say that its urgent that they see you. I think one of them is her mother," she said pointing at Blaze.

"Send them in."

"I guess they realized these two were coming here," Blaze said, rubbing their heads while Splash curiously sniffed at Siofra sitting next to them. However, the pixie's attention was entirely occupied by the Quetzal, who was happily gnawing on Blaze's hand.

Jie Er and Rebecca burst into the office, and the two animals gave squeals of delight as they rushed towards them. Rebecca simply hugged the otter, while Jie Er began scolding them.

Elyssa suddenly barged into the room a moment later, interrupting Jie Er's rant. "I heard-" she started but sucked in a deep breath as she spotted Sky. "Quetzal!" she exclaimed.

"Yes, Miss Elyssa. I suppose you already knew about this? Does Anastasia know?" Fiora asked Ely.

But Ely shook her head, gazing at the bird in awe. "No," she muttered and turned to Blaze. "Is it really yours? Why didn't you tell me?"

"It was supposed to be a surprise..." he muttered.

Fiora sighed. "You should all sit down. Seems like we have a lot to discuss."

They all sat down in front of the principal's desk and Blaze began to narrate his story of finding the Quetzal.

"I am so sorry, Blaze Er. I was sure I had locked the shed before going to sleep, and we didn't realize until this morning that these two had run away," Jie Er said apologetically.

"We first thought that they went out to mess with the dogs but when they didn't return for a long time, we realized that they had followed you and so came as fast as we could. Have a lot of people spotted him?" Rebecca asked.

"Yes. At least a few classes and their teachers. I doubt we can keep him a secret any longer. It's not your fault. Who could've guessed that an otter and a Quetzal could make such a good team?" Blaze said.

Rebecca gave the otter a gentle rap on her head. "I think it was this one's idea. She probably let Sky out too. I just don't understand how they seem to communicate so well with each other."

"In any case. We have to discuss how to approach this, Ms. Jie Er. This news is going to spread faster than the one about Blaze being a Righteous Fury. I need to inform all the related authorities, but we can discuss our mode of approach before I do that." Fiora said, before turning a stern gaze to Ely. "I think you need to call your mother, Ms. Elyssa."

Elyssa pulled out a VP and sent some energy into the stone. Hearing the familiar static click of the connection, she screamed into it "MOM!"

"Yes, dear?" Anastasia's voice spoke out of the jade.

"We may have a small problem."

"What did Blaze do?"

"Hey!" Blaze cried out in protest as the angels in the room smiled at the irony.

"So... Blaze has a cyan colored quetzal as a pet. We are pretty sure it's an angelic Quetzal. But that is not the problem. It decided to drop in at school this evening and at least a hundred angels have spotted him. I'm in the headmistress' office with Blaze, Jie Er and Rebecca, and a couple of others," she explained in one burst.

The VP went silent for a moment. "Why haven't you told me this before?"

"I only learned about him just now. But he is an angel quetzal, mom! He has the wings for it. You'll know when you see him. He is a cutie and really nice. He is bonded to Blaze, so you can't take him away," Elyssa elaborated, trying to reach her fingers towards Sky. The Quetzal looked at her curiously before letting Elyssa pet him on the beak.

Anastasia's voice carried clearly over the VP, "Fiora, we need to coordinate on the notifications we will be sending. I suspect there will be another delegate meeting over this. I think it's best if we make Tir the venue. I can tell all of you now that there will be angels trying to take the Quetzal away from you, Blaze."

"How can they do that?" Blaze blurted out. He could understand if he didn't have any potential. Sky needed a powerful rider, despite the fact that the angels' main focus would be to get more progeny from the quetzal. But most quetzals only had a few hatchlings during their long lifespans.

Hoping for an army of quetzals intended to go into war was stupid in the short term. Besides, Sky was the only one of his kind and there was no guarantee that subsequent Quetzals would be like him.

"Politics, Blaze. Though Aranya is an independent country, The Holy Caledonian Empire still holds a lot of sway. Most of our nobility are originally from Caledonia. The Queen of Aranya cannot directly oppose them.

"The Malakim are also very strong in Caledonia and Aranya. They will probably claim that Sky is better off in the hands of a more mature angel, who will incidentally be someone they can influence."

"If I am not a suitable candidate, can't we have Elyssa take him?" he asked in dismay. He glanced at Jie Er but her expression was as serious as Fiora's. She could only give him a helpless smile, but something about the way she did it gave him a little confidence.

"It's not that simple Blaze. The Caledonian Empire will stake a claim on him no matter what. Just because you found the first angelic Quetzal doesn't give you the right to keep him. A few societies may also try to claim him, though I think our biggest problem will be the Malakim and the Caledonian empire.

"I know you're bonded to the bird, but she is still young. Many will think that your bond can be broken.

"Our best option right now is to think about what we're going to say at the meeting. It may decide the Quetzal's future. What are your thoughts, Fiora?" Anastasia asked.

"Same. I will let Alice help them prepare them for the meeting. But what is our agenda going to be?" Fiora said.

"Anything to make sure that the Quetzal stays with Blaze. Blaze has immense potential and the bird is already bonded to him, so we can use that. But those won't be enough. I suggest that two of us prepare our own approach and then get together to discuss it. You should also immediately call the Wise One," Anastasia replied.

"Good! How about we force a delegate meeting to discuss the Quetzal on Thursday? It won't give our opponents enough time to prepare," Fiora suggested.

"Possibly. Take my daughter's VP, Fiora. We need to stay in touch over the next couple of days."

"What about us?" Blaze finally asked, pointing at his group.

"Just try to not cause any more scenes before the meeting, Blaze. Talk to Claudis about housing the Quetzal. Ms. Jie Er and Ms. Rebecca, I think it would be better if the two of you were not present at the meeting. We want to avoid questions about why you didn't bring Sky to the authorities when you first found him. Unless, you have other plans, Ms. Jie Er," Fiora answered.

"No," Jie Er agreed.

***

"When you said you wanted a Quetzal, I had no clue that you already had one!" Claudis said, looking at Sky in a daze. Varying emotions swelled up at the sight of the Quetzal, but Claudis really couldn't really hate any animal. She gave her Pegasi's stall to Sky and offered Blaze to sleep with her for the next couple of nights

Jie Er and Rebecca decided to head back to Varan with the otter. They had flown to Tir in a hurry and had other things to attend to. But before they left, Jie Er pulled Blaze to the side. She noticed his anxiety and her heart wrenched at the fact. She pulled him into a silent hug, wrapped her arms around him, and brushed his head consolingly.

"How can they take Sky away, aunty?" Blaze choked as his emotions burst out in the comfort of Jie Er's presence.

Jie Er pondered silently for a moment before she spoke, "Blaze. No matter what happens, just remember that I will never let anyone take Sky away from you," she whispered gently.

Blaze wasn't sure if she was comforting him, but he chose to accept her words. They brought him immense relief.

***

Blaze informed his classmates about Sky the next morning.

"You have a freaking Quetzal!?" Rachel shouted over the breakfast table.

"Big bro is really awesome. When you said you wanted to ride a Quetzal on the first day of Pegasi riding class, I thought it was just wishful thinking. Little did I know that you already had one," Aahna said dreamily.

"Is it really an angel Quetzal? Can we go see him?" Rachel asked for confirmation.

"Yes. Unless you believe he can change the color of his wings. We can go see him after classes this evening."

"Ay! Can we ride him when he grows up?"

"Only if he lets you."

"Awww."

***

By lunch, rumors about Blaze and Sky began to spread throughout the campus, and Blaze sought refuge with Elyssa during lunch. With Ely around, angels hesitated to bother him. Some angels looked at him in awe, while others eyed him with suspicion.

But Blaze was too worried to be bothered by mere looks. The fact that Sky could be taken away for flimsy reasons both enraged him and left him feeling helpless. He was too weak to do anything about it. Wait! I could use Clio!