It had been a balmy summer afternoon, and the sky was an expanse of endless cerulean, while the air waxed heavy with the reedy harping of cricket music; Mathias had just passed into his fifth tender year of life, a rosy cheeked boy with eyes that crinkled with each bubbling peal of laughter. And yet, despite the stillness and oppressive heat- the day could have been any in that long, infinite stretch of days before the cooler winds of autumn stirred- there was a certain tenseness to the air, a crackle of intensity thrumming a decibel too low to be discerned by the human ear. Still, they could feel it; his mother set about to feverously scrubbing the wash, the linen shirts mercilessly pounded against the rocks of their creek, his father pacing the fields and peering long into the distance, made nervous by this barely perceptible disturbance. Even Mathias, oblivious with youth, could feel it, and he wandered into the forest that day, to return a different child as his parents went about their daily tasks distractedly.
   The forest, of course, had its dangers, but the area Mathias was accustomed to contained no large predators to directly threaten the young boy. His exploration of the woods was a common occurrence, and so he focused, deciding that this was a good day to make mud pies. Of course, such earthen delicacies required careful spicing with a variety of leaves and berries and bark; smooth forehead made wrinkled with concentration, he squatted over a damp patch of clay, not far from the river, and ensured the optimal sprinkling of the broken grass stems over his creations.
   So engrossed was he in his task that he failed entirely to note the presence of a large panther prowling ever closer; but then, this was no ordinary panther, to be sure. Two enormous gossamer wings lay folded tidily against the night-black fur of his long, lithe back, and his eyes were an unnatural shade of red, glowing amber when the sun reflected off them. Any villager, any duke, any human or feli in all the known realms of Keitsul , would have known the winged cat in an instant; the blackness of coat and feather, the unreadable crimson eyes… this was the feli, the soul partner, of their king, and the proof of his legitimacy and fitness to rule them! Hundreds of years had the dynasty Rex ruled them, as far back as any could remember… and it was the Goddess’s gift to them, this ruling line; those trueborn heirs to the throne that were unworthy in the eyes of God and Man were shown so at an early age, by a pointed lack of the royal feli, while others with just a drop of the royal blood might manifest in small villages and instantly become next in line to wear the heavy crown of the five duchies. Every child was raised on tales of underdogs becoming kings, of the deceit of Ketrolian the Unworthy who attempted to take the throne without the feli of the king… but Mathias didn’t see the king’s bond before him. Mathias remained crouched, now stirring his concoction with a slender branch found on the ground.
   And the King’s feli waited, crouched and near invisible to the creatures of the forest, as a small, ordinary looking gryphlet tumbled from nowhere, falling into the creek near Mathias’s mud monstrocity. The tumult and shrill, irate screeches caused the boy to the look, and quite suddenly, the little grey and white gryph Feli pulled itself suddenly from the water, and staggered toward the boy. His first thought thrust into Mathias’s head in a demanding way, but it was a void that he had never even known was there; a moment later, the bond was forged, and he could as easily have his head severed from his body as entertained the notion of trying to escape his bond. Plynk flung himself upon Mathias.
   Mathias, Mathias, I am so cold and wet, why didn’t you catch me? The tiny creature clacked his beak irritably, and fluffed out each feather he possessed, looking very disheveled. Mathias instantly scooped up the feli, who he naturally knew was Plynk, his and only his for until they both died someday, and reassured him. I am sorry, Plynk, I didn’t know you were there! I love you, and you are hungry- my mom will feed us, come on!
   And in the turmoil at the creek, the king’s feli stalked away. The king watched the spectacle through the eyes of the great cat, and together they conferred musingly.
   Are you sure he’s the one? Demanded Orion disbelievingly, a hint of disgust in his thoughts. That tiny peeping featherball is going to alter the course of time to come??
   His feli, whose voice was deeper and wiser than that of his bond, made a mental shrug. It would seem so, now wouldn’t it? The Thief does not oft gift mortals with her insight; perhaps we are mistaken. But I do not believe that is true. That goddess is notoriously fond of altering the course of time and all futures to come with little, seemingly inconsequential creatures like Plynk. We must have them, this boy and this- as you put it- peeping featherball. If they work not for us, who knows what enemies might find and employ them? Thief’s will, that woman can hold a grudge to bring down empires!
   Hundreds of miles away, Orion Gandamar Rex ground his teeth in frustration, and simultaneously cursed and praised the name of the Thief and Cybelle. How much simpler, the goddess’s sister whom he had always patronized! How much stabler! Perhaps this was the Thief’s punishment for preference of one over the other when it came to the Thief and the Sword… one could never tell with women, goddess or no.
   In an altogether separate plane of existence, a brown eyed goddess closed her omnipotent gaze for a moment to revel in her sense of mischief. Oh, but how her sister would rage at this!



Okay, if you didn't catch it, feli's are like Daemons from the Amber Spyglass, or sort of like Anne McCaffrey's dragons, or whatever other mindbond animal you can think of. And please note I haven't written anything in forever, plus it is late and I am very, very tired. I just wanted to write an academy story, and this is the intro. After this, he'll wait another five years and get sent off the the Academy to become a tool for the king and to train his feli's magic. Yes, there is magic. Yes, it is fantasy, and probably not very original. Screw you guys. I'm going to sleep.