A picture from a mountain called Suilven in Sutherland of Scotland
Iona leads us out of the building and onto an immaculate white stone path which weaves through the forest. It is a steep ascent and I can't help but feel nervous as other students stare at us as we walk up the path.
"The School is built into the mountain as you may already have figured out. It is pretty amazing," she says. "Lady Indira's office is on the tallest point as the mountain the Academy is built in is the biggest one in this range. This path leads us off the Academy mountain and up onto a flat-topped mountain. It's really cool," she says.
"It's a long way," I say.
"Well, students normally run so they aren't late."
"We can run," Toryn says.
"That's alright, I'm showing you around! What sort of guide would I be if I made you run? Plus, you get to look at all the scenery." I smile and roll my eyes. The ascent gets steeper but it is easy for us to climb. We finally come to the end of the path, marked by white wooden archways with pretty vines growing up it. Iona laughs as all four of our eyes widen. Spread out before is the biggest open field I have ever seen. A large lake sits on one side where I assume all the water animals shift. As a small river leads off the cliff in the far distance. I can see from here that all other sides of the massive mountain, has a sheer rocky drop to the ground below. The side we came up from rises slowly, the ground covered in the thick forest we walked up. We walk across the field to the centre where people wearing red and black stand.
"Now, you won't need to bow, but all those in red will bow to you," she tells us. "The teachers included." I take a deep breath as we get closer. As we stop, all those in red bow to us and I see the two teachers standing in the centre bow as well. I gulp as they stand.
"Welcome," one says. A man. He is tall and muscular with short black hair. His eyes are emerald green which shines brightly against his dark skin. He wears red trousers which are slightly loose. Over the top of his trousers are large black boots. On his chest is a thick red vest type jacket, showing off his muscular arms. A woman stands next to him. She is very similar looking to him. Same dark skin and bright emerald eyes and thick black hair which she has cropped around her shoulders. She wears the same as him, the vest top showing off muscular arms. They are both very tall and kind of intimidating with their large muscles. "My name is Lord Marcus and this is my younger twin, Lady Olivia. As you can see, we are wearing red which means that we are a high family. Our family can shift into Panthers and we are a High family to the Howlsky's and the lands of Zina," he explains. The four of us nod our heads in understanding.
"In this lesson, we train you how to use your animal forms the best you can. This is things like combat in animal forms, using senses, flying ability," Olivia tells us. I am about to open my mouth to speak when I hear the sounds of voices in the distance.
"Hurry up Darcy, we're late enough as it is!" Eric says.
"Shut up Eric," she snaps. "They can't do anything to me, I am a Royal." He groans.
"Are you stupid! The Dragoheirs are back, they are going to be the Royals instead of us soon. We basically aren't Royals anymore!"
"Darcy, Eric. You are late!" Lord Marcus booms.
"Sorry Lord Marcus, I had to wait for my sister," Eric says.
"Why?"
"Because I was trying to get her to change into the red uniform," he says. I realise that he is wearing the red uniform and Darcy is wearing the black uniform of the royals.
"The Dragoheirs are the ones who should wear red," she snaps. "I am still the Princess of Zola." Olivia sighs.
"Face it, Darcy, the Dragoheirs are back and they will be reclaiming their lands."
"We'll see," she smirks.
"As you are late, Eric and Darcy, you are banned from visiting the city this weekend." Lord Marcus tells her.
"What!" she shouts. "You can't!"
"Yes he can, now will you shut up!" Eric shouts at her. She opens her mouth to speak but is interrupted.
"Enough, Darcy. We will begin the lesson now. Can everyone shift please?" Lady Olivia says.
"Toryn and I won't be shifting," I tell her. They both look at me.
"Why not?" Lord Marcus asks.
"We are very big Dragons, our shift is extremely painful," Toryn says.
"I understand, very well. What about you two?" He asks my sister.
"We will shift. We are a lot smaller," Tanya replies.
"I bet they won't shift because they can't. Like I said, they're imposters," Darcy smirks. Tanya turns to face her.
"I can promise you, we aren't imposters," she spits. I look at Tanya wearily. Darcy's forked snake tongue flicks out her mouth.
"Of course you are. The Dragoheir children died with the rest of the family because they were weak. The Scallis family are much better for Shadow. We will do a better job of looking after it than those Dragons," she snaps. My eyes widen.
"Excuse me?"Tanya snaps.
"Tanya," Serenity whispers. Tanya's round pupils change to the thin diamond slit and purple scales begin to form around her hairline. She steps closer to Darcy, looking down at her. Darcy just has an evil smirk on her face.
"You think you, a snake, can defeat a Dragon?" she asks.
"Yes." It is silent for a few tense seconds. No one dares intervene, not even the teachers. Then, Tanya laughs.
"The four of us have lived on an Island full of dangerous creatures more powerful and scarier than you. We crushed them with our bare hands." Tanya's face is right up close to Darcy's as Tanya looks down on her.
"Really? Well, no one was there to see that?" Darcy smiles, "How can we believe you because I certainly don't?"
"I don't care about your approval or belief, you are just a sad little child, crying because she can't boss everyone around, crying because she isn't getting her own way." I look at Toryn, sensing that things are going to get nasty. We both get ready to intervene.
"Tanya," I warn, my voice low.
"That's right, listen to your big sister, the sister who does such a good job of looking after you. A shame your parents couldn't." Tanya steps back.
"What did you just say?" Tanya asks, her tongue sliding over her sharpened fangs. I can feel anger rising inside me but Tanya is about to snap.
"You heard me." This girl does not know the danger she is in. "Your parents were too weak to protect you. Or was it your fault they're dead? If they weren't so busy trying to save their weak little children, then they would have actually fought instead of dying. They would have fought to protect all the oh so powerful dragon shifters instead of abandoning their duty to save their pathetic little children. I think it's all your fault that your whole family are dead, that your whole species are dead." She looks at me. All four of us are trying to keep our anger at bay, to try and be responsible, but she is making it very hard.
She laughs, looking directly at me. "Or is it your fault Isla?" she asks. "Did the thought of shifting scare you too much? Was the pain too much to protect your family, your people? Isla, the coward who could have saved everyone with her oh so spectacular dragon form, but instead chose to run and hide on an island far from here. Yeah, we really want someone like that ruling our lands. Isla the coward, Isla the girl who killed her family." She looks directly into my eyes.
"Don't like what I'm saying?" she says. "Are you just going to stand there Murderer, like the coward you are?" My siblings have had enough and I can sense them about to do something.
"No," I order. My voice comes out calm. Though on the inside my emotions are raging with anger, on the outside I look perfectly calm. My siblings, on the other hand, all look pretty scary. That is why no one dares interfere. They don't want to be in the crosshairs of an angry dragon.
"That's it, all obey her like good little followers. Obey the girl who killed your parents." I sigh.
"You should be grateful," I tell her. "I just saved you from being ripped to shreds," I tell her.
"Please," she laughs. "So pathetic, you're going to get them killed you know. You're going to be the last one alive because you are a coward and you are weak and you won't be able to protect them," she spits."You're going to kill..." It turns out that I am the one that should have been held back. I interrupt her, attacking before she even realises. My knee slams into her chest and I can hear the crunch of bones as she flies through the air. Her body lands far away, sliding in the ground and taking it up as she slides. She groans and stands up. I can hear her bones repairing as she stands. She glares at me with a look of hatred. Tanya laughs.
"You don't want to do that," she says as Darcy begins to shift. She grows in size, black scales forming over her body until a giant black snake stands in the distance, its head arched and fangs the size of my head. My eyes finally change as my emotions begin to take over. They are completely white, leaving behind just the thin diamond pupil. My siblings say that my eyes look scary when they go white. I can feel white glowing scales beginning to form on my face and my fangs grow in my mouth. I slide my tongue over them, letting out a hiss. The snake moves. It is incredibly quick as it manoeuvres toward me. I don't bother moving as it gets closer and closer. When it gets close, it arches up its body so it is high above me. Then, its head snaps down at an incredible speed. I step back and swing my fist as the snake's face appears where I was just standing. It flies back with a roar. I race toward it in a blur, my body slamming into its thick muscular one. My claws grow, embedding themselves into the snake's thick skin. Darcy lets out a hiss of pain as her body collapses onto the ground with a heavy thud myself on top. The snake writhes underneath me. Suddenly, it flicks its tail sending me flying. Flying straight off the cliff. I hear people gasp and begin to run across the field.
"Are you going to get her?" I hear Iona ask one of my sisters.
"No, she jumps off cliffs all the time," I hear Toryn reply casually. The wind flicks my hair around me as I fall to the ground and the field. This is high up though, higher than I have jumped from before. My heart races with exhilaration as I fall and a pressure fills my stomach. The ground rumbles as I land on my feet perfectly, causing a large dent in the ground. I look back up at the cliff far above me and smile. I zoom in and see Darcy in human form looking rather pleased with herself. I also see the faces of the other students as they try to see me. I crouch down, then leap with all my force. I fly into the air and arch, landing high on the rock face with my claws extended. They bury deep into the rock. I look up again, seeing Darcy watching me with horror. I begin to climb. My movement is fast as I almost run up the rock. It doesn't take long until I am at the top and jumping over the side, back onto the summit. She doesn't have time to react before I go over and slam my fist into her face. She falls to the ground unconscious and bloodied. I watch as multiple teachers run onto the field. All the students and Lord Marcus and Lady Olivia look at me in shock. The teachers run over us, Lady Indira following closely behind her blue dress flowing around her as she runs.
"Get Darcy off my field now, she will not be attending this class for the rest of her time here." Lady Olivia says. The teachers all pick up the unconscious girl and begin to carry her away.
"What has happened?" Lady Indira asks.
"I have heard some nasty things come out of that girl's mouth, but nothing like her hateful attack I just witnessed. She is lucky she only has a few broken bones in her face," Lord Marcus says. Lady Indira nods.
"I will have stern words with her mother," she says. "Isla, Toryn, Serenity, Tanya, I am very sorry you had to hear those horrid untruths. I can promise you that they were all lies and that she is the only one who thinks that way," she tells us. I nod my head, taking a deep breath. She smiles softly.
"I think this lesson should finish for the day. Let them have a small break after all this excitement and let everyone calm down ready for their next lesson," Lady Indira says.
"Of course," Lord Marcus replies.
"Iona, during this break, take the Dragoheirs to get their weapons then take them to meet their new teacher before the lesson starts."
"Yes Lady Indira," Iona says. Lady Indira nods and turns, walking gracefully away.
"You heard Lady Indira, you are dismissed, I'll see you all tomorrow," Lady Olivia says. Everyone nods and runs off the field. Iona looks at us.
"Come on, we need to get your weapons." I smile, excited to feel them in my hands again. I did wonder where they had gone.
"What you did was awesome by the way," Iona tells me. I smile and we all begin to walk down the mountain, though deep inside, I worry that what Darcy said was true.