New Adventures P2 by Pent Ghelsburg
Disclaimer: The characters depicted in this work are purely fictional. Any resemblance to persons alive or dead is purely coincidental. They are the original and rightful intellectual property of their creators. I use them with permission and respect. This work involves combat that features underaged characters You have been warned.
A blazing light appears through a window. Its rays penetrated through whatever draping existed in the room. Thin beams of bright light moved through the room and retracted against the window that protected the small room from the outside elements. The light reflects and bends against the polished stone surface of the floor. It creeps ever forward until it reaches the slopped-over sheets of the bed.
Within the confines of the warm blankets, moves a young yordle. The sun surfaced across his face as he awakens to the familiar sight of blurred vision as he struggled to ease himself up while sitting on the mattress of his bed. Hailun was always slow to get up in the morning as he wasn't exactly an early riser. Even on days when he was expected to go to school, the red panda hybrid always struggled to get up.
The boy picked himself out of bed as one of the woodpeckers outside could be heard beating their beak against one of the many trees in the wooded area of the Bandlewood. The town clock sang loudly and echoed against the wind. Hailun got himself out of bed and rubbed his stomach as it reminded him that he was already hungry. He knew had very little time to prepare for school and had to get ready quickly so he wasn't late.
He made his way to the bathroom and took a quick shower. He rather enjoyed the cold water on his fur and skin since he always slept with a blanket, even in the warmer months of the year. Hailun didn't take very long to finish rinsing off. He didn't bother to shampoo himself since he did that at night. The yordle felt immediately refreshed once he finished the short stint in the shower.
After he dried off, he grabbed his school uniform and fit it over his lithe form. Despite being an athletic kid, the boy hadn't developed much musculature. Regardless he still maintained a regular regiment of training as he took his love of swordplay rather seriously. He straightened up his uniform and made his way to the kitchen. As usual, his parents had prepared for him some freshly cut fruit.
Hailun started to nibble on it as he made himself a glass of juice. He didn't eat very much in the morning as he needed to make his lunch. As a young teen, his parents no longer made his food for him and instead expected him to do so. The yordle didn't mind much as he enjoyed having responsibilities. Besides if he did well enough in any given month, his parents would reward him in any number of ways.
Hailun prepared himself a small sack of food items for lunch later that day. Lunch was his least favorite time of the day in school as the crush of kids made him uncomfortable. Still, he went through the routine since he didn't like to get in trouble. Once he was done, the yordle finished his breakfast. He looked at the kitchen clock and saw that it was almost time to head to school.
Hailun enjoyed walking each morning as it gave him time to enjoy his new surroundings. He hadn't quite grown used to the scenery in the bandlewood. After all his family had only moved from Ionia very recently. Grabbing his bag, he headed outside. He knew his parents had already left as both of them had jobs that required leaving before he went to school so he didn't bother checking in with them.
The teen began walking down the cobblestone-lined pavement. The weather was quite nice for the day. It was breezy outside with fall leaves being carried by the wind. The sun was somewhat blocked out by the clouds in the sky. It was in the thick of fall so it wasn't quite cold enough yet to wear a jacket and Hailun was glad he had chosen to wear shorts instead of the slacks that he'd be stuck in later in the year.
The walk to school wasn't long. Every so often he would stop and take in the sites. Passing by the mother tree at the center of the village was just as awe-inspiring as the cherry oaks back at home. The leaves had already begun to change colors and the waves of reds, browns, oranges, and yellows decorated the boughs of trees all around him. Hailun couldn't help but throw a rock into a lake, attempting to skip it as he passed by it.
As he got closer to the school, the traffic increased in density. Other kids were much more common and occasionally he came across all sorts of wagons that were charged with dropping off their children. Hailun didn't pay them any mind since he hadn't met that many people yet. Once he arrived at the institution, some of the other yordles were crowding the area just outside the entrance.
Hailun looked around and wondered what all the commotion was about. A somewhat large circle of cubs kept to one of the corners of the building. The red panda was somewhat curious about what they might be staring at. His parents had taught him not to be nosy but he still thought about it. He could overhear some yelling and shouting but could not make out what it was they were screaming about.
After a few minutes, a teacher finally noticed and came bulleting out of the building. The crush of kids finally dispersed revealing what was within. An orange-furred yordle seemed to be standing his ground over another smaller child underneath. The orange furred one had gnarled teeth and a blue-tipped tail. It was one of the only times that Hailun had noticed another yordle with a tail.
The red panda watched as the orange yordle was escorted away. Some of the other kids reconvened on the area to pick up the other cub. Hailun hadn't seen either of them before but had recalled the orange-furred one from the other day. The teen made his way inside of the building as he wanted to distance himself from what he made out to be a problematic group. Once he was inside he noticed the orange furred kid was being whisked away.
Hailun made his way to the area outside his first class. The halls were mostly empty except for the occasional teacher strolling from one place to another. The red panda made its way to the wall on the outside of the classroom he was expected to attend first. The hallways were almost entirely silent and the only thing he could hear was the sound of shoes on the linoleum floors.
Eventually, the halls began to fill with kids of all ages. It was getting closer to the start of class and the students were afraid to be disciplined in front of all their friends. The system was somewhat harsh but the parents understood that the results would benefit them in the long term. The first bell rung before long and the hallways immediately became more frantic. Hailun watched as people started to run all around him.
The red panda was much more casual since he was right in front of the class. Hailun filed inside slowly. As he did one of the other cubs rushed in from behind him. The teen felt himself be pushed to the side as his body was nudged against the frame of the door. He looked over to the side to see a flashing blur run past him. Continuing to watch the other yordle grounded to a halt right in the chair near one of the middle chairs.
Hailun couldn't believe how fast the other boy had moved. Looking at him closer he made out the cub to be Kennen, the same boy who he had befriended the other day. The red panda continued to walk in the same direction, wondering where he should sit. Eventually, he decided on sitting next to the same person who had just knocked into him. Kennen looked at him as he approached the other yordle.
``Sorry about that. I wasn't' paying attention.'' Kennen said to the standing boy.
Hailun nodded and proceeded to sit down anyways. The two didn't have much of an opportunity to talk as the teacher was getting ready to start. The elder yordle made his way to the center of the room. He was grayed and grizzled from ages of cynicism and strife. The man had been hired after being discharged from the military. Now he was expected to serve the community of the Bandlewood.
Today's lesson was on the Geography of the world outside of the Bandlewood. The professor always told interesting stories of harrowing feats of accomplishments. Sometimes he often went overboard in detail. Each time he did so, the kids were gripped in the gory details of what he shared. Often he got words of warning from the administration but usually, his stories got nothing but praise from his audience.
The teacher focused on the land of Noxus, a faraway region torn by warring factions and the innate desire to conquer the world. Its large obsidian towers were said to be towering over an even larger bastion that housed the great family said to be its ruler. The instructor informed the class using an illusion cast by his magic. The darkly lit streets were scattered with garbage and the wardens of the nation patrolled each of them often using unrolling force.
The teacher continued with his lecture. He shared a story of how he had been transported into the country using magical transport. Appearing as a vizier through glamour, the yordle traversed through the towns making quick treks through each of the main areas of the different sections of each town. Coming across the bastion was a harrowing sight with its black iron tower and curling stairs around its core.
Conveying that he was stopped by the wardens of Noxus brought tears to his eyes. The grizzly human woman tackled him without purpose. The yordle relinquishing his purpose and retreating with haste. Luckily his command of magic returned him to the safety of the Bandlewood and he was able to share the tale of his experience. Still, the reality of Noxian life remained much a mystery to him and he could only rely
on rumors to distinguish it.
The children and teens alike stared with awe as the story came to a close. The man had grown emotional but still managed to finish it off. Hailun wasn't sure whether to believe it or not. He had never been able to fully command the yordle magic of transportation. He'd seen it used before and knew it existed but had no idea how to use it since he hadn't been properly trained on it quite yet. Once the older yordle was done telling his story, the class proceeded to barrage him with questions and requests to tell them more stories.
Of course, he had more to tell them, but today's lesson was more to focus on Geography than on the retelling of his epic tales. Fortunately, the tale of Noxus tied into the landscape surrounding the empire. The orb of forbearance allowed them to see otherwise unseeable lands far away. Once the class was over some of the young yordles stayed behind to ask the man some questions.
Hailun wasn't one of them. Since he had come from Ionia, he had seen some of the worlds outside of Bandlewood. The red panda made its way out of the classroom. As before there were already other students in the hallways. The wood-lined halls smelt of the elder oak as the school had been fashioned by the elder yordles of yesteryear. Decorations lined the hall as the great feast of the spirit blossom was soon to come.
The Spirit Blossom was unlike any of the other festivals of Runeterra. It was one of the few that was shared between each of the warring nations. It was a holiday to celebrate ancestry where many people went to public graves, prayed to their ancestors, or left offerings to the various gods. The Bandlewood was no different and the ceremonial colors of light blue and pink were adorn all over town.
Hailun was surprised by how the town prepared for the event. Spirits were much more active in Ionia but occasionally the young yordle had come across sprites that manifested from the magic that collected in the community. Some of the kids in town wore flower corsages that symbolized the holiday. But compared to Ionia the place seemed to be relatively low-key in terms of preparations.
The red panda continued down the hall towards his next class. Some other cubs passed by him, paying him no mind. The second class of the day was survival. Hailun entered into it seeing that another activity involving some form of herbalism was planned. The instructor was preparing what looked to be some form of balms. The room smelt of burnt pine but it wasn't' strong enough to spread the otherwise ashy scent.
Hailun looked around to see if he could see anyone he recognized. Kennen had yet to arrive so he didn't immediately recognize anyone. A blue-skinned boy with no fur stood near the back seemingly rubbing themselves with what looked to be a wet rag. From afar he looked to be bothered by something. Just by looking at him, Hailun couldn't be certain of what it was. He decided that his curiosity was just let be and proceeded to his seat.
It wasn't much longer until Kennen sped into the classroom. The blur of a boy wasted no time in moving anywhere he went, despite always being close to the cutoff time of what was considered to be late. The teacher eyed him warily as he stopped just short of one of the tables. Hailun watched as his friend rushed into the room and rolled his eyes at the other yordle who wasn't even panting.
Kennen smiled widely figuring he had just cut off being on time. Yet the teacher at the front of the room still stared at him intently but said nothing. The instructor sighed and moved on with her lesson. Today was a planned healing lesson with herbs already laid out on the tables. Some of them were well past their prime but most of them were green and still fresh. The lanky yordle woman began going through her motions, showing them how to identify the best healing herbs.
She took each of them to her face and examined each of them by running her fingers over the surface of the object. Kennen looked back and saw that she was starting before scurrying from one side of the table to the other. The instructor finally stopped glaring at the boy who was now playing by the rules. The lithe older yordle took one of the herbs and held them over a small urn and began to ring them out.
Small bits of goo dripped from within the plant's stem and into the urn. The little flame within jumped up to engulf the liquid and dry it up without a trace. She continued to repeat the process a few times until the flame was doused by the amount of plant chlorophyll. She blew into the receptacle causing some smoke to billow out. Once it was cooled she poured out a small amount onto her hand.
``This serum can heal any minor wound. It's capable of stopping small amounts of hemorrhaging and can stop most infections in their tracks.''
She held up a small model which had a makeshift wound with fake blood on it. Applying the solution to the open area and allowing it to soak inside. Within moments it began to fizz and bubble around the opening.
``As you can see the infection is being cleaned. This can be used almost anywhere since these herbs grow all over the bandlewood and across Runeterra.
She paused for a moment and continued. ``Now I want you to continue by mixing the herbs until you figure out a similar reaction.''
The woman went around the room and began handing out a collection of weeds and herbs to each group with a similar model of a wounded limb. It was an act of magic that caused the small organism to imitate the injury but it represented it well enough. She gawked at Kennen once she was close enough to where the two yordle boys were working. The hooded boy paid her no attention despite her giving him the stink eye.
Kennen and Hailun finally got to it before a disruption perpetuated chaos in the room. Some yelling was overheard as the two young yordles searched around the room for the source of it. Sure enough, an orange furred yordle was causing a fuss on the other side of the room. The instructor was arguing with the boy over his behavior but the small yordle couldn't seem to communicate his problem. He seemed to continue to make strange noises at her which continued to fuel her anger.
Hailun wasn't sure what to make of the situation. The old woman and her student were equally frustrated. The red panda boy decided to make his way over and see if he could help with the situation. By this point, the woman had given up and sent the orange fur boy out of the classroom. Hailun approached the instructor who looked at him and then waved him off, signaling that he was allowed to follow after the other boy.
The red panda made its way into the hall. The linoleum of the floor shone against the manmade light of the ceiling. He could see the orange-furred boy turned against a corner, clearly upset by what had just happened. Hailun reached over his shoulder and tapped it. The bigger boy turned around and looked curiously at the other yordle.
``Are you alright?'' The shorter boy asked the other yordle.
The orange-furred boy murmured before making an inaudible noise. ``Yadda Ya Yod''
``What?'' Hailun had no idea what he was even trying to say.
The orange furred yordle rolled his eyes. ``Gnar Yadda Yar.''
``Right....and that means...what exactly?'' The red panda figured the boy was trying to communicate with him but he had no idea what about.
The bigger boy huffed as if frustrated. ``Gnarrrrrrrrrrrrr''
A few seconds later and Kennen show up the two boys who were still having a communication breakdown. The orange-furred boy seemed happy that Kennen had shown up, approaching him and continuing the same line of strange speech patterns.
``Ah, alright. Hailun, this is Gnar and he doesn't know how to speak so he communicates in sounds instead. It takes a while to understand what he's saying but once you do, it becomes easier to make out.'' Kennen patted Gnar on the shoulder who smiled back at him.
Gnar grunted and continued his string of noises. ``Yadda Gnar Yadda Ya''
``He wants to know why you followed him out.'' Kennen followed in suit translating the boy's speech pattern.
Hailun shrugged. ``I just wanted to make sure he was alright. It looked like he was upset.''
``Gnarrrrrr...Gnarr Ra'' The orange yordles face showed an obvious smile despite being pointed out by the teacher only moments ago.
``He's fine. The teacher just misunderstood him. Most do and he's used to it.'' The smaller yordle patted the other one on the back.
Hailun nodded. ``Well, that's good. Maybe we should hang out sometime so I can learn how to understand him.''
``Gnarrrrrrr!'' The orange furred yordle's tail visibly wagged behind him
showing obvious excitement about the prospect of making another friend.
``He says sure but we should probably get back to class,'' Kennen suggested calmly before the three returned inside the room.
They went back inside the classroom. The instructor looked annoyed upon seeing the return of Gnar. She pointed to an empty table but Hailun wasn't about to have it. Along with Kennen, the two joined him at the table and the woman continued her lesson as was planned. She continued to eye the orange yordle occasionally but said nothing more directly to him. It was apparent she had enough of the young cub.
The rest of the class went without issue. Gnar continued his rambling but was much more focused now that he had friends. Once the class was over, the three made their way out of the room and into the halls which were now more full with more people than a few moments ago. The kids were buzzing with chatter as they were talking back and forth. Some of the teachers remained outside of their classrooms, mingling with each other and trying to maintain some sense of conversation among the buzz of activity.
The three boys made their way to an open area of the school where the halls gave away to greenery. A large oaken
tree adorned the center of the room and sored above the roof of the nearby edges of the building. Some leaves tilted along with the wind swaying back in forth as in a continuous seesaw. Some of the leaves were off-colored showing the change of the seasons was well underway.
Kennen went right under the trunk of the tree and folded his legs, beginning to meditate. The young yordle was one of the ones who was already attuned with the spirit realm. Rumors were surrounding that his speed had been gifted to him by this connection but no one knew for certain. Gnar was rolling around in the leaves as they rustled around his body in a catapulting ball of fallen foliage.
Hailun watched both boys do their things. Kennen wasn't bothered by Gnar who seemed to be much more playful than the silent yordle. The red panda allowed the wind to rustle through his fur. It was a cool day out and windy enough that the breeze was able to reach where they were. Hailun gripped a small leaf and held it out in his paw. It was bright green and didn't look like it should befall.
Eventually, Hailun joined Kennen on the floor, trying to rest his mind to concentrate on meditation. Just like last time, he couldn't quite calm himself enough to allow for a state of focus. Soon the bell rung once again, signaling that the next class was to begin. Kennen took a deep breath and gathered himself to get up. Gnar was a little harder to calm down as he was running around the tree with no particular goal in mind.
Kennen reached out to grab the boy who almost ousted him from his otherwise firm stance. Gnar was stopped hot in his tracks, looking disappointed that he could not have any more fun. The three began to walk back into the building. The crowd was much more subdued now since class would be starting soon and discipline was rather strict. The teachers were already in the hallway, looking around to make sure that no mischief would be had.
Kennen went to a separate room leaving Gnar and Hailun to their own devices. This time of day the two yordles had magical studies, even know neither of them had as strong of a connection with the spirit realm as other yordles did. The person running the class was a fresh-faced instructor just out of the academy. He was only a few years older than some of the seniors who went to the same school. Still, he was well-liked by the students as his fame in the bandle scouts had preceded him.
Gnar and Hailun made their way into the room and proceeded towards two of the only desks that were open in the room. They were sitting next to each other but this was one of the few classes where groups were seldom used. Every student was expected to perform whatever incantation they were told to cast. The instructor always relied on his textbook and very rarely went off the beaten path, so students pretty much knew what to expect by this point.
The man came out from a draped entrance. The area by his desk was steeped in incense and littered with papers. He was far from the most organized person on staff. He got up on his podium and held out the dusty tome of a textbook that lay to the side of him. Without even bothering to take attendance, he started anew. The area in front of him lit as if some unknown light source dawned down upon him.
The students watched as he read off one of the spells in the book as one of the books nearby him levitated. He guided it with one of his fingers and the thing moved around with ease as it floated in the air. Many of the kids had seen it done before so it wasn't that special. Still, a lot of them struggled to repeat the same trick on their own. Gnar couldn't produce the words necessary to pick up the book and Hailun was only able to do it after a few errors where the book flopped onto the desk below.
Eventually, Hailun turned to help the other boy who still couldn't vocalize much of anything. Each time he spoke it came out some version of his name. Regardless Hailun remained persistent to help the other yordle in managing to lift the book. Gnar grunted a bit as he was getting increasingly frustrated as time went by. Luckily the instructor had started to go around and showed him how to do it without changing the words that went with it. It took some extra effort but Gnar ended up just lifting the book ever so slightly from where it lay on the surface.
He virtually jumped up and down in place as he smiled with ornate happiness adorning his face. Hailun couldn't help but smile at him as the instructor nodded and moved on to the next table. Crying could be overheard as one of the kids had a breakdown from not being able to accomplish the task of making the book float. One of the other yordles self-esteem had been crushed by their failure.
The instructor happened upon them, looking at them with a concerned eye. The disruption caused Gnar to stop in his jubilation, joining the rest of the class in staring over towards where the other yordle was crying their eyes out. Looking over at them, they made out a green-furred yordle whose wardrobe was in tatters despite it being the same uniform that everyone else was wearing.
It seemed that the kid came from lesser circumstances. The instructor peered over them and gently touched their back in an attempt to ease their discomfort. Still, the young yordle continued pouring his eyes out. They were upset.
``Can someone take him to the counselor?'' The young man asked trying to end the disruption in an attempt to move on.
Hailun didn't hesitate and raised his hand. He was one of those people who didn't like to see others upset. The teacher goaded him to come over and the red panda wasted no time in making his way to the other side of the room.
The green-furred yordle was still crying and sniffling. Hailun reached over to touch his shoulder and the other youngster looked over at him. He was still teary-eyed but the tears seemed to be slowing down from what the Red Panda could gather. The two started to walk out of the class. The green yordle was still sniffling but the tears were flowing less frequently now. As Hailun looked over at him and noticed a slight smile on his face.
``Feeling better now?'' Still, Hailun started down the hall as he wasn't entirely certain this was the case.
The other boy nodded and sniffled a bit. They started to walk down the hall. Neither said a word as they trodded down the halls. Eventually, they made their way to where the main administration office was. It was busy with some people who were pulling their kids out for the day. Hailun stopped just short of where the entrance to the room was. Chatter could be heard but no words could be heard through the wall just next to them.
``So what's wrong anyway?'' The red panda asked as he took an increased interest in the other yordle.
The green yordles eyes were still red with sorrow. He remained silent and unwilling to speak for a moment. Hailun waited a few seconds for him to respond and yet they remained silent for the time that they stood there. The red panda shrugged and started to walk again, this time making headway into the office. He looked back and saw that the other boy had not followed him. It was apparent he didn't want to go in.
``The counselor can't help you if you stay out here and I can't either if you don't talk.'' Hailun placed his hands on his hips.
The other boy sighed and mumbled a bit but spoke under his breath. ``I have...''
``You have what?'' The red panda came closer to goad the boy to say more.
The green yordle turned away seeming ashamed about something. ``I have no...''
``Well...out with it?'' Hailun figured it must have been difficult to speak about whatever was bothering the other boy.
The other yordle turned back slowly and spoke even more under his breath. ``I have no friends...''
``Mmmm well, I wouldn't mind being you're friend if you like.'' The red panda slung his arm over the other boy?s shoulder to be friendly.
The green yordle blinked a few times as if uncertain of himself. ``R-r-really?''
``Sure, I don't see why not. Come on you can talk to me since you don't want to see the counselor.'' Hailun considered going back to class but thought that the instructor might consider this issue important.
The other boy nodded. ``O-Okay...''
They began walking in the opposite direction, Hailun had his hand behind the other boy?s back as if guiding him. The red panda was taken back towards the open area of the school. He figured that some fresh air would help the other boy settle down a little more.
``So what's your name anyhow?'' Hailun asked since introductions had not been shared yet.
``Amumu.'' It sounded as if the boy was mumbling but it was still audible enough to make out what was said.
``Mine's Hailun. Come on, let's go to the elder oak.'' Hailun continued to walk making the way to the encircled greenery of the school.
It didn't take them long to arrive there. The area around the tree was completely abandoned as most of the other kids were still in class.
``So what makes you think you don't have friends? You seem nice enough.''
Hailun stood at the base of the tree and laid back against it.
Amumu shook his head and mumbled. ``A blighted curse affixed upon me...''
The green yordles were cryptic and somewhat advanced for how old he appeared to be. The verbiage caught Hailun off guard who was nothing of the sort.
``A curse? What do you mean?'' Hailun had a confused look on his face.
Amumu hesitated a second before responding. ``A voice spoke onto me, friends I shall not have.''
``Well, clearly they didn't tell the truth.'' The red panda reached over and touched the green yordle on the shoulder.
Amumu remained silent for a second and cracked a smile at the other yordle. He felt a huge weight lift off his chest. The tears dried up in his eyes as the sun draped down the hallowed rays upon the two of them. A spring breeze gusted past them, picking up some leaves and scattering
them through the courtyard. A nearby passerby only paying attention to them for but a second before moving on.
Amumu's tears dried up before long, having a slight smile on his face before they returned to class. The remainder of the day without much of anything else happening. The instructor had no issue upon their return, glad to see that Amumu was no longer in a foul mood. School went on as it should. Repetition and the mundane ruled the day as kids went from class to class, only breaking from routine when the crowd called for it. After all, kids will be kids...regardless of age, and such things should be expected.
