Adventurer

[Picnicker Virgil]

Night had recently fallen as Gus Cooper took to his room for the night. Gus plopped down on his bed and sighed. Today, his sisters had officially become members of the wizarding community. There was a test all young wizards had to pass, which tested your skills in the ways of magic, and they had passed with ease. Everything seemed to come naturally to them while everything was hard to him.

Gus brought a pale hand to his head, feeling locks of curly black hair. He rolled back the sleeves of his grey tunic and then smoothed out his similar grey pants. Gus's brown boots had been removed before he entered his room as they were presently caked in mud and he didn't need his room to smell any worse than it already did. Krank hopped up onto the bed and curled up next to his master. Gus smiled, something about Krank always made him feel better.

Krank was Gus's cat, although everyone who saw the creature told Gus it was definitely NOT a cat. Gus wasn't too sure Krank was actually a cat either, but he didn't really know what else to call him. Krank mostly resemebled a cat except for a few minor differences. For one, he had a very unique color pattern. Krank was mainly black with a couple orange stripes. The tip of his tail, which oddly split in two near the end, was white, as were the bottoms of his paws. And, this was possibly the oddest part, rather than the perky ears common in cats, Krank sported floppy, dog-like ears.

Gus didn't care, though, he loved Krank. He remembered the day they first met like it was yesterday. Gus's sisters, Trinity and Dayna, had showed up one day after shopping in the center of town and had surprised everyone when they brought home their new pets, matching cats. Gus had been jealous, for he had always wanted a pet, and the next day he decided to purchase a cat of his own. Unfortunately, he had no idea where to find one and he had ended up in an odd store run by an elderly foreign lady. Luckily, she had a litter of what looked to be cats and the fourteen year old had ceased the opportunity and purchased Krank. The lady had proceeded to tell him more about Krank but her accent was so thick he had barely understood a word she said. In the time Gus had spent with Krank they had developed a close bond.

Krank rubbed himself against Gus. Gus smiled again and pet his familiar gently. But, despite the happy feeling Krank gave him, Gus couldn't help but be jealous and angry at Trinity and Dayna. They were always better than him at EVERYthing. Granted, they were older than him but they were always setting his parents expectations high and when Gus screwed up he knew his parents were comparing him and his sisters. Trinity and Dayna were good at everything it seemed. They received amazing grades, were naturally talented at most things they enjoyed and they had good looks to top it off.

Gus was practically the opposite of them. The only complicated spell he had every tried and succeeded at he had made a huge mistake on. Gus had created a Clant. A Clant was essential for most wizards, as it could give them life after death. A Clant was basically a second body which a wizard could inhabit at anytime. Most wizards chose their pets as their Clants, Trinity and Dayna had both chosen their cats, as you needed to know the location of your Clant before you entered it. Wild animals simply wouldn't work. Gus had tried to make Krank his clant while Krank was sleeping. Too bad for him, though, Krank had woken up and walked away just as Gus was finishing the spell. Instead, Gus had hit a rubber super ball with his spell and that was now his Clant. The spell was irreversible, so a wizard must be completely sure what they are choosing is what they want. And a super ball was definitely NOT was Gus wanted.

He had attempted to make the best out of his by purchasing a few scrolls to amplify his Clant. Scrolls contained magical words and took no skill to use at all. Anyone could use a scroll for a spell, but they were only good for one use. His Clant could now glow different colors, see and hear and make some slight noises (he had been interrupted while reading the speaking scroll, which messed up the spell.) Additionally, the Clant could also change size slightly, at the maximum the size of a tennis ball and at the minimum the size of a marble. And, this was something Gus was grateful for, he could see while in his Clant form. For now, Gus's Clant was rolling around the room--it took on a life of its own when not inhabited by Gus--and it rolled under his bed to rest. Krank's orange eyes followed it with interest, but he had been trained not to attack it.

Gus didn't notice himself fall asleep. He also didn't notice when his father came in to say goodnight and turn off his light, or when his mother presented Dayna and Trinity with elegant new gowns as rewards for passing their exams. And he definitely didn't notice Krank slipping out the open window...


OOC- I couldn't sleep last night and I came up with this idea. I tried to fully think it through but so far I only have a skeleton of a story and nothing really detailed. The title sucks, but I can never think of good titles. I know this first chapter may have been a bit slow but I just wanted to introduce the world Gus lives in. I'll go into more detail in the posts to come.

 

[Kalseng]

WEll, I will say that it is a very interesting start, and that I hope to see more. I also expect to see him die. I really want to see the plot develop with him as a sueprball. I'd find it very interesting if you started it out deifferently. Like, maybe;

Gus snsed around, rolling about the floor. Wherever he was, it was dark there. Gus aimed his sight elsewhere, and saw his cat, Krank. But his cat wasn't normal, he was considerably larger than Gus. Krank was about the average size of a cat, and usually spent most of his time asleep and under his bed... So, was Gus under his bed? Gus tried to speak, but couldn't. He tried to reach out his hand, but he couldn't find the right muscles. He rolled out from under his bed, and saw a mirror he had dropped on the floor earlier, and neglected to pick up. He loked into it, and saw a superball. Maybe it wasn't a mirror. gus rolled back, and saw the ball in the mirror roll along with him. "Oh shit..." Gus thought.

That was crappy, I know.But y'know, maybe like that. And then have the first chapter like you like it. That way, it hooks the readers attention, and they are more likely to stay with you. Just Kalseng, dropping by to say hi. And help.

 

[Picnicker Virgil]

That's a good idea, but I probably should have been more specific with my definition of a clant. I didn't mean for it to be a second body after death so much as a second body whenever you want. For example, if your clant was your cat you could inhabit its body whenever you wanted, as well as use its body after death. Anyways, thanks for taking the time not only to comment but to write that bit, it was interesting to read.
Also, sorry for taking so long to post. My computer is so messed up right now and I was afraid the internet would die on me when I tried posting. I'm taking a risk right now and posting 'cause I want this Fan Fic to keep going.


Padded feet silently pressed against the cobblestone streets of Brince, the town Gus was born and raised in, as Krank crept about. The animal's bright orange eyes pierced through the darkness and took in their surroundings as though it were daytime. Cats had great night vision, and Krank's was even better, considering he wasn't a cat.

Krank was a rare breed of animal known as a Fearlyne, derived from the word 'feline'. Out of all the creatures in the world Fearlynes were known to be the most powerful, magical and loyal of them all. They resembled cats for the most part, and were actually the main cause of the stereotype that witches all had black cats.

Fearlynes had strict rules, not that Gus knew them, of course. For one, they were only able to leave their master's side at night. During the day they stuck close, even if their master wasn't aware of their presence. Another rule was that they must always protect their master, no matter what. There were several rules that all Fearlynes had to follow but the most important one of all was simply this: a Fearlyne must NEVER use his powers until he his master is truly terrified. Only then can they safely unleash their true power and live up to the title of the most dangerous creatures on earth.

Krank was meeting with a couple other Fearlynes in the woods just outside Brince. He met with them every night at the same time. The Fearlynes, after meeting up, would go on their midnight prowels, helping those in need of their unique abilities. While the rule did state that Fearlynes may not use their powers until their master is truly terrified, their mere presence could turn a bad situation into a good one.

Two pairs of Fearlyne eyes, one green pair and one blue, could be seen in the distance. The stripes on their backs, which lit up softly in the dark, were also visible. Krank nodded his head to his brother and sister as he approached them.

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Gus gave a tired yawn and rubbed the sleep from his eyes. Krank was lying beside him, just like every morning, and he made sure not to disturb the cat as he got out of bed. Gus's room was that of a typical fourteen year old: messy. Clothes were everywhere, dirty bowls littered most spaces they'd fit, and the whole place smelled like old fish to anyone besides Gus.

Gus's clant bounced happily beside him as he saw his master preparing to leave the room. Gus passed a glance to his clant for a brief second and held out his hand for it. The superball joyfully jumped into Gus's palm before being shoved into a pocket. As Gus brought his hand out of his pocket he checked his nails to see how long they were getting.

The only spell Gus could ever do, aside from the once in a lifetime Clant spell, was a fingernail cutting spell. He had learned this spell by eavesdropping on his sisters once when they were using it. Jealous, he had forced himself to learn it only to find it was quite easy. It was the only spell he'd ever mastered, or even learned.

Gus's nails weren't long at all. He cut them using his spell every chance he had, so naturally they didn't stay long for long. As Gus opened the door to his room he felt Krank weave in between his legs. So he was up after all. He picked up the creature and held him in his arms. Krank was uncomfortable, but he didn't complain. According to the Fearlyne rules, he wasn't allowed. Had Gus known how uncomfortable his pet was, he would have put him down, but Krank did such a good job pretending that he ended up carrying him all the way into the kitchen before setting him down.

"Morning." Gus's mother said as she poked at the eggs she was preparing. Gus mumbled a reply that went unheard. "I'm making eggs." Thora Cooper said, attempting to have a conversation with her son. Gus mumbled something else. Thora put down the spatula she was prodding the eggs with, wiped her hands on her apron and turned to her child with a stern look on her aging face.

"I really wish you'd answer me." Thora said, anger clearly visible in her dull green eyes.

Gus rolled his equally green, but much more glorious, eyes. "I did answer you," He said, playing with Krank's tail as the pet drew close to his chair.

Thora sighed and got back to her cooking. Trinity and Dayna entered the kitchen happily, wearing their new gowns. "Morning." The two said at almost the same time. Gus glanced up, then back down and then up again as he realized what they were wearing.

"Are those new?" He asked, trying not to sound too interested. He never got new clothes.

The girls smiled. "Yep." Trinity said as Dayna nodded. The girls weren't twins, Trinity was seventeen and Dayna was nineteen, but most of the time they seemed it. For one, they had a creepy thing where they almost always said the same things at around the same time. Not to mention they looked almost exactly alike. Both had their mother's brown curls, usually tied back into ponytails. They were both gorgeous, and had just the right amount of freckles near their noses to keep a semi-childlike appearance. They were around the same height, five foot four, and now they bore matching green gowns.

"Oh," Gus said, playing with his fork and trying to not seem jealous.

"Don't think I forgot about you..." Thora said, running into the other room for a minute and leaving the eggs to sizzle in their pan. She came back a moment later with a large smile on her face and her hands behind her back. "Open your hands." She ordered.

Gus obeyed and held out his hands. Thora dropped a small, metal object into his hands and awaited his reaction. Gus brought the object closer and examined it. It was a ring. The ring was black and the gem on top was a bright orange. "I found in one of those weird stores in the shady part of town and it reminded me of Krank. Do you like it?"

Gus forced a smile. Jewelry was for girls. "Yeah," He said, toying with the ring.

"Try it on." Thora suggested somewhat demandingly.

Gus slid it on his right middle finger. It felt loose at first but when he finally got it in place it felt comfortable. "Thanks," He managed, reaching his newly ringed hand down to stroke Krank. "Outch!" He said, retracting his hand as he felt a sharp shock course through his finger once he came in contact with his cat.

"You'll have to watch out for static electricity now." Thora joked, widening her eyes for a second before putting the eggs on plates and handing them to her children. "Eat up."