I sat down in the blue leather lounge chair and exhales softly. “Are we recording already?”
The nervous little border collie shakes his head. “N-not yet. S-sorry,” he stammered as he fiddled with the levels on his audio board and then connected a cable to the recorder on the table.
Looking him over, I chuckled. “Hey.” He jumped a bit and looked up at me. “You okay?”
He nodded and fixed his glasses blushing lightly. “Y-yes. I’m sorry if I seem nervous–”
“You do seem nervous.”
“Eh hehe,” he laughed a bit, uneasy. “I’m just anxious, Mister Jeo. To have your story recorded it seems… so surreal.”
“Tch… my story,” I chuckled and looked down at my paws. My story, my brain wandered a bit thinking about my past and all that has transpired. Where do I even-
“Uh, Mister Jeo,” he said again timidly causing me to look up from my paws. “Uh, we’re recording now.”
I looked down at the small recorder on the table. A little red light indicating it being ready for me to spill my life’s story.
“Are we now?” I replied after a moment of silence. “Well, then, Tanner… right?” my tone and mannerisms changed to be as casual as I can to put the poor dog at ease.
He sighed softly becoming a little more calmer as he gulped softly and nodded. “Yes. Yes, we are. My name is Tanner Reid. I have obtained explicit permission to tape, record and publish his biography.”
“Which I will be watching him write carefully,” I joked.
Finally, Tanner cracked a small smile and laughed more honestly this time. “So, for the record can you state your name?”
I cleared my throat. “My name is Jeo Xhong.”
“And how old are you?”
“I’m 26 years old,” I smiled.
“Oh, so young,” Tanner lightly blushed and scribbled on a pad in his lap I hadn’t noticed til now.
“Young? Says the college freshman,” I laughed and crossed my leg. He blushed lightly and the realization that he has a crush on me made itself known. “Well, I suppose you could say young. I mean with the things I’ve done and exploits you’ve probably heard about me… I would expect most people to think me older.”
“That is true,” Tanner shuffled through some notes. “Most people based off your appearance in this photo,” he showed me a picture of myself flexing around some workout buddies of mine taken at a gym I frequent. It was meant to be for the fliers and advertisement. “People assumed you were in your late 20’s early 30’s.”
“Heh… they weren’t too far off with the late 20’s. I’m right in the middle,” I took the picture and letting my eyes linger over it a bit more before I set it down.
“Yeah,” Tanner adjusted his glasses again and coughed a bit. “So… can I ask about your childhood.”
“You may,” Bringing my eyes back up to meet his, I sat back hearing the leather groaning a little against my back.
“What was it like growing up for you?” Tanner asked.
I scoffed. “Much different from most. You ever hear of the Dracosentinels Of Fire?”
Tanner nodded slow. “Yes… they were a highly hostile rogue nation that took over many cities and towns for a reign of 45 years but was stopped some 10 years ago by a lowly rebel force known as–”
“The Rogues of Extreme Retaliation… R.E.R. My father’s rebellion against them,” I nodded. “You know your history.” Tanner blushed. “My father, Eiichi Xhong… better known as King, led our town and a few others to stand up against them and route them.” My lips twitched and I sighed softly. “I was ‘recruited’ at the age of 12. Subjected to extreme and brutal guerrilla warfare tactics training, expert level and professional level CQC training, large and small firearm handling for the next 6 years.” Tanner stared in awe for a second. Hearing my past out loud is kind of stunning, I realized. Being that young and listening to my father tell me the reasons behind my training and drilling the sickening and twisted intentions of the D.O.F into my skull…
They will tear your body apart…
They don’t want anything but the destruction of our way of life…
We are free people. They are dictators. Do you want to be ruled?
“Uh, Jeo,” Tanner called out to me.
I blinked, catching myself before I slipped into a spiraling daydream. “Yes?” Exhaling softly, I focused on Tanner’s face, letting a warm smile form across my face and as predicted he blushed a bit.
“U-uhm… heh… S-so… Totem,” he snapped his finger, finally, grabbing the thought he was fiddling over. “Where did you and Totem cross paths?”
“Oh, Totem?” I looked over at the feral aqua patterned owlem perched on the window sill. His long blue and black lemur tail swayed from side to side as he watched the ongoing of the city life below us. “Totem is my best friend and my weapon.”
“W-weapon? The majestic and lethal ax you carrying is actually–”
I nod. “Totem,” his head turns to me. “Weapon Mode.” On command, he leaps toward, flapping his wings once before glowing into a bright white light and transforming into the large 2-handed battle-ax. The blade itself glowed a soft aqua blue and waves as if it was water itself. I took hold of the long handle and held it outward for Tanner to see.
“But… h-how? Every news paper article never depicted–” He examined the ax with a bit of nervous excitement.
“It’s a technique I acquired from my mother, Kulaihi Xhong… better known as Snow,” I hesitated a bit. Thinking about my mom, I laid the ax across my lap. The caring and smart fox… I miss her… “She bound me and Totem’s souls together years ago… I don’t… really recall when, but he has always been my ax. The weapon I’ve been most comfortable with since I been wielding weapons.”
“Kulaihi… she had to be a very adapt mage,” Tanner commented.
I shook my head. “She was a cleric. A mage…” my voice trailed off, “well my mother didn’t really care for mages. A clan of blood mages hunted down her parents and sacrificed them so… they kind of scarred her view on mages. It’s because of them my mother’s in hiding making sure she’s powerful enough to deal with the entire clan herself upon her return.”
“Oh… You must miss her. I’m sorry to have brought this up…” his ears lowered a bit.
I hadn’t noticed the mood kind of turned solemn after the mention of my childhood. It was rough, but it was needed. Every twist and turn and near death experience made me who I am today. I coughed and shook my head. “Don’t be. Let’s continue, Tanner.”
He cleared his throat and straightened himself up a bit. “Uh… uhm… Let’s talk about Ethan,” the border collie settled in a bit.
“My adopted little busky brother,” I smiled softly. “We found him wandering the woods at the age of 12. I was 13…,” I began to reminisce about the many laughs and life or death moments we had together. “I don’t know what tribe or village he’s from and he doesn’t remember nor does he care to go back. He’s apart of the Xhong family.”
“Do you guys get questions regarding his bear and husky origin?” Tanner lit up a bit seeing me smile a bit as I talked about Ethan.
“Some asked. People from our village asked, but eventually it was left alone and accepted by the other soldiers,” I scoffed. “Besides after Ethan started to study under Vatul the Benevolent Sear he became a force to reckon with both magickally and physical combat.”
“Vatul is the dragon always seen in the backward with your father, right?” Tanner said flipping through his notepad.
“Yes… ‘fraid I don’t know too much about him to really say anything,” I sighed. “I know he’s old like really really, but he’s a gentleman. I have nothing but respect for him and he chooses to work next to me and under me at times…”
“He sounds like the spotlight isn’t for him,” the border collie replied, scribbling a note and looking back up to me waiting for me to continue.
“Hmph, with a personality like his I don’t think that’s far from the truth for Vatul. He a classic fire breather and the man is an a true genius in front of explosive material.” I smiled. “He’s an excellent teacher of the magickal arts. Reason why Ethan has horns today. Let my brother get a little too deep in the dark arts… but was still able to save him from going overboard,” I shook my head with a chuckle. “But even with all his teachings and my failures,” I chuckled. “I can’t do much but weapon bend a small sheet of metal.”
“Weapon bend? The art of formulating metal into weapons, right?” Tanner smiled.
“Someone’s clearly good at history,” I chuckled. “It’s the only magically enchantment I’m good at and even then… takes a lot out of me.”
“Oh… I see,” Tanner said.
“And let me not forget about Donny,” I snapped my finger.
“Donny Helmburg?” he asked. “She’s–”
“He’s,” I corrected him. “New to my father’s entourage of solders. I’m still learning about him myself. All I know is that he’s a traditional fencer. Haven’t had the chance to converse with him, but I do know he’s an admirer of my father’s and that wind is his plaything.”
“O-oh okay,” Tanner cleared his throat after a short pause. “Well, I think that covers your life up til now Mr. Jeo Xhong.”
I nodded. “Cool,” Totem took his animalistic form and perched upon my shoulder. “Til next time then, Tanner.”
“R-right,” he stopped the tape.
