The Azra-El Series Ch. 10

They have large floppy years which they use to glide around, after they use their strong leg muscles to launch themselves into the air. Their mouths have rows of closely spaced sharp shark like teeth, which make them look vicious when they snarl.

Xenodon: One of the most ferocious land animals on Azra El. They can reach a shoulder height of seven feet and can weigh up to two tons. They have two razor sharp saber teeth and each of their claws can grow up to eight inches.

They come in a variety of colors and are usually spotted. The Xenodon that attacked Momo had matte green fur and purplish black spots.

Xenodon are quite fast on open land and can cover short distances faster than even Quetzals can fly.

Poukai: Large eagle like creatures that can weight up to thirty kilograms. They are mainly used for hunting and scouting but a group of them can often fight of a grown angel.

Rin owns six poukai but her favorite and smartest bird is Ahren.

Phew! I hope I covered everything. Ask me if you have questions about anything else. For now, Enjoy the chapter!

Chapter 10

"Is that a Viridian bat?" Aahna asked Blaze, as he walked up to the pitch, swinging his matte green club.

The class had decided to play a game of ground flyball on morning of Loredas (Saturday). They had been too lazy to go over to the recreation complex, so they converted the large grass field in front of their dorm into a makeshift Flyball field. They confined the playing ground within a diameter of two hundred feet.

Since the game could only be played by twenty angels, the most enthusiastic of the lot stepped up and the rest decided to watch. Blaze and Rachel were the opposing captains and they picked players for their teams. Rachel picked Bi, and Aahna had ended up in Blaze's team.

They decided on a fifteen-round match. A round in Flyball was a set of ten throws. Each pitcher could pitch three rounds but had to switch after each round was completed. So, a minimum of five out of the ten players in each team had to pitch.

Rachel's team won the toss and decided to bat first. They ended up making a daunting score of a hundred and thirty-five, with Bi making fifty-six runs all by herself.

Aahna opened the batting with Kida, a black-haired girl with light Japanese features. They made twenty runs in quick succession, but Kida fell to a swerving fast throw from Rachel. Soon, they lost three more batsmen and the score was at a precarious thirty-three for four, with Aahna batting at ten.

"Yep!" Blaze replied concisely, practicing his baseball swings.

"Are you good?" Aahna asked with renewed hope. The rest of the team were all pitchers.

"I think so" Blaze replied. He had been the cleanup batter for his high school baseball team and had averaged 0.65 in his senior year. Batting in Flyball was a little different but the basics were the same. He felt it would be a little easier as he could hit the ball in any direction.

Blaze walked up to the batting side pole, took his stance and nodded at the pitcher. The ponytailed blonde angel with sinewy long arms readied herself. She took a deep breath, wound up and pitched with a hefty grunt.

The ball was fast and straight, but Blaze noticed the topspin right from the release. He adjusted for the drop and swung hard towards the left field.

THUNK

The ball made solid contact and flew over the angels' heads and into the flower gardens.

"SLAM!" the umpire squealed in delight and the audience went up in a cheer. Despite his size, Blaze's raw strength was equal to a fully-grown angel, and the ball had travelled a good four hundred feet. The most any of his classmates had hit was around three hundred.

"Yes!" Aahna pumped the air in excitement as a fielder went to fetch the ball. Despite her friendly nature she had a competitive spirit. She had formed an unspoken rivalry with Rachel.

The girl fetched the ball and threw it back to the blonde pitcher. Blaze looked her in the eye and gave her a hungry grin.

The girl gulped.

"Don't be intimidated, Nina! You're good. She can't hit you for a Slam on every throw" Rachel shouted from the center of the left field, trying to give Nina a boost in confidence.

Nina nodded, steeled herself and pitched again. The ball was a little wide and Blaze aimed for a gap in the right field and gently nudged the ball. He and Aahna quickly ran a couple of runs.

The first hit was strategic. It was too risky to go for a slam on every hit.

Though Blaze did not hit every throw for a slam, he and Aahna managed to finish the game with three rounds to spare. Blaze scored seventy-eight in forty throws and Aahna finished at thirty-six. She hit the finishing runs and ran up to Blaze for a mighty hug.

"It's unfair to play against you" Rachel complained, walking up to them with a shaking head.

"What do you expect of Big Bro?" Aahna replied from his shoulder.

"It was just for fun, Rach. Don't think took much about it. You and Bi played quite well" Blaze told her as the rest of the angels surrounded them.

"You know what this means?" Nina commented from the side.

"What?" several of them asked back.

"Our class is going to kick some Hela's butt in Flyball this year. Maybe we can beat third years too" Nina replied with excitement. The fourth years played in the air.

The comment brought cheer to everyone.

Later that evening, Blaze headed to the south eastern exit of the school. First to third years were not usually allowed to leave the campus. The only exceptions were the Saturday visiting hours, from four to eight in the evening. The second and fourth weekends of each month could be used to visit families.

Blaze landed a little away from the gates and hurriedly made his way out. As expected, he found Jie Er and Rebecca waiting for him with forty or fifty other adult angels.

Unable to control his emotions, Blaze rushed in and wrapped them both in a bear hug. He had long accepted that his angelic body was a lot more emotional than his human one.

The two older angels smiled at each other and caressed his head while the other parents gave them equally warm smiles.

"How was your first week?" Jie Er asked warmly.

"Miss us already, lil Blaze?" Rebecca teased him.

"Quite amazing aunty. Made a bunch of foll.. umm friends. I love the campus. The classes ..." Blaze pinched Rebecca's stomach and went off on a spiel about his first week.

"Slow down, Blaze Er. Let's find a nice restaurant to sit and you can tell us everything" Jie Er interjected him with a laugh.

Blaze smiled sheepishly, and Rebecca gave him a sassy grin.

"Keep grinning like that and you're gonna regret it" Blaze told Rebecca as she and Jie Er unfurled their wings. He wrapped his arms around Jie Er's neck and she lifted him with a hand. It was too conspicuous for a first year to fly.

"Oh? Whatcha gonna do, brat?"

"Its more about what I am not going to do" he replied as they took off towards the town.

The town was more crowded than it had been the previous week. Classes for the rest of the years started on the coming Morndas, and a lot of young angels had returned to campus.

The trio chose a nice bistro and sat outside, around a shaded patio table. They ordered some hot beverages and sipped them under the cold evening breeze and the dimming sunlight, while Blaze recounted his week.

"Haha. You're telling me that you've become the boss of your class. That's our little Blaze, alright" Rebecca guffawed, slapping the wooden table.

"Blaze Er... Just don't let it get to your head" Jie Er added, trying to sound a little disapproving.

"I am just playing around, aunty" Blaze replied happily.

"Aunty Jie Er? How is Sky doing?" Blaze asked her softly, after a moment.

Jie Er took a moment to answer.

"He is quite distraught Blaze Er. He apparently wailed for you the whole time we left him with the twins. He has calmed down, but he isn't happy. To be honest, I am not sure if you should visit him next week. He may go through the heartbreak again" Jie Er told him honestly, but Blaze knew that she skipped a lot of details.

"I am coming, aunty" Blaze replied emphatically.

Jie Er nodded. Even she wasn't sure about what was appropriate for a Quetzal. He wasn't an angel youngling.

"Have you found someone to help with your condition?" she asked seriously.

Blaze nodded. Seshat was surely in his bag.

"Do you even need to ask, Jie Er?" Rebecca joked.

Th trio spent the next couple of hours chatting and eating dinner before they headed to the room Jie Er and Rebecca hired for the night. Blaze thought about introducing them to his massage therapy but he decided he needed an occasion with more time.

They had a quick but satisfying threesome before the two older angels dropped him off at the school entrance. Though the session was short, Blaze could feel that the two of them had missed his touch. However, there was something different about the way the two of them interacted.

Hmmm. Are the two of them doing it even when I am not around? I guess that shouldn't be a surprise.

"Big Bro!" Blaze heard a shout as they landed by the gate.

Blaze turned to the direction of the voice and found Aahna dragging a taller and older angel towards them. She had long greyish white hair and tawny colored skin. She looked like an older version of Aahna but her calm and quiet vibe contrasted with her daughter. It made Blaze wonder if Aahna would become quieter as she grew up.

"Minion One" Blaze whispered to Rebecca, eliciting a tiny snort.

"Why weren't you flying by yourself?" Aahna asked him when she reached him. His classmates had all seen him fly.

Aahna's mom gave them a heartfelt smile. Everything about her exuded serenity, almost like a sage or a monk. Even her simple long and white sheath gown with a red cloth belt around the waist, added to her sagacious look.

"Quieter Aahna. I don't need the whole world to know about it" Blaze chided her lightly.

"Aahna has been talking about all day. Can you really fly?" Aahna's mom asked him, giving Aahna a knowing smile.

"I can Min..."

"I am Tara Maitreya. I hope my daughter hasn't given you any trouble, little one" she replied.

"Oh No, Min Tara. We've become good friends. I think everyone likes her as well. I am sure you've already heard all about us, though" Blaze grinned at Aahna, who blushed a little.

Jie Er and Rebecca introduced themselves and Blaze cringed a little as Jie Er referred to herself as his mom. Aahna's mother turned out to be the Vice chairman of Vidisha, a large merchant guild. They all conversed for a little while before it was time for the students to head back.

Aahna and Blaze bade their farewell to the older angels and walked through the gate, while the other three took off into the town together.

"Need a lift?" Blaze asked, unfurling his wings. Their growth seemed to have stabilized. He hadn't noticed much difference in length over the past week.

"If you don't mind" Aahna replied, stepping closer to him.

Blaze picked her up with a hand and she wrapped his arms around his neck.

"Hang on tight. I've never carried anyone before" he shouted as he took to the sky. Aahna clung to him like a frightened child.

Her grip loosened when they reached a steady height and Blaze began to glide comfortably.

"Hey! That could've been dangerous" she huffed, showing her displeasure.

"Why? You aren't that heavy" Blaze replied nonchalantly.

"Doesn't matter. Carrying someone changes your center of gravity. Even adults take it slow when they carry someone new. You shouldn't take stupid risks" Aahna chided, surprising him.

The maturity of his classmates always managed to baffle him. He couldn't relate them with humans. They were much more mature than they looked in some things while being quite immature in others. I guess our brains mature differently.

"I am sorry" Blaze apologized. "But I am used to varying center of gravity. My wing technique hardens my wings and drastically increases their weight" he added in his defense.

Aahna nodded.

They landed in front of the dormitory and Blaze gently set her down.

"Thank you" Aahna replied, turning to head into the dorm.

"Aahna" Blaze called out to her. "I think the three of you can become good friends. You should give her a chance" Blaze said, once she turned back.

Aahna considered it for a moment before nodding and heading in.

"Alright, punks! Let's play something different today" Blaze announced after breakfast, on the morning of Sundas. By now, most of them were used to his weird vocabulary.

"Football?" Rachel suggested from his right. Aahna and Bi occupied his left.

"I saw a court with three nets at the entertainment building. Any idea what that is?" Blaze asked.

"Troinet" Bi answered softly.

"Oh? How do you play it?"

"Hit a ball between the nets and try to make the other team miss. It can be played by fifteen players on each side but since we can't fly, I think we shouldn't have more than six on each side. How do you not know what Troinet is?" Rachel responded.

Blaze just shrugged his shoulders.

"Let's try it. We need to check out the entertainment building anyway. I am sure there are enough courts for everyone" Blaze said.

Though some angels decided to stay back and laze around, most of the others went along with Blaze. The building, like all others in the academy, was massive. It housed a variety of indoor games; from a snooker looking game to weirdly shaped bowling pins and so on.

The building was surrounded by innumerable courts of different sports. The Troinet court was a hundred cubic feet of netted enclosure, with three nets of varying widths. They left ten-foot gaps at heights of 10, 60 & 90 feet respectively.

The ball could be hit through any of the gaps and points were gained by making the opposite team miss. It was considered a miss if you hit the net, let the ball bounce or hit the outer net, or if the ball was touched by more than two players or twice by the same player, before sending it back to the other side.

It seemed like volleyball with an added dimension.

Blaze and Rachel became the defacto captains and they in turn picked five players each. Blaze intentionally picked Bi and left Aahna for Rachel. Once again, the rest of the angels decided to watch instead of playing at other courts.

They played three games for twenty-five points each and Rachel's team won all three. Though the games were close and Nina from Blaze's team put up a fighting effort, Blaze and the others' mediocre performance wasn't enough to pull the score in their favor.

"I guess even Big Bro is not good at everything" Rachel joked as she shook his hand at the end of the third game.

"Why would I need any of you if I can do everything by myself" Blaze joked back.

"Where are you taking that?" Rachel asked from her sofa when Blaze put a large green couch from the living room into his space ring. The couch was located somewhat in the center of the living room and had become his unofficial throne. The others kept away from it even when he wasn't around.

"It's nice and warm outside. I am gonna put it out in the sun and take a nap" Blaze replied lazily. It was a beautiful after noon and they had just eaten a scrumptious lunch. He was feeling somewhat drowsy.

Rachel nodded. Blaze wasn't the only one who had decided to spend the afternoon under the sun.

Though the afternoon sun was glaring down on the grass field, a cool Frostfall breeze blew from the north, making it an ideal time to take a sunbath.

Blaze placed the couch in the middle of a garden and planted a sunbathing umbrella behind it. He had picked it up from the storeroom. The matron, over the years, had apparently accumulated almost anything the students could ever need.

He jumped onto the couch and adjusted the umbrella so that it covered his face and cooled his upper body. He wasn't sure if angels we susceptible to sunburn, but he wasn't taking any chances.

He closed his eyes and felt the warmth of the sun wash over his legs and the cool breeze brush against his face. It was extremely comfortable.

Suddenly, he felt an urge to open his wings. He sat upright and manifested them. The afternoon sun radiated against his bright colors and made his wings look even more magnificent.

He admired them for a moment before he flopped them to the sides and fell back into the couch; his legs resting on a short wooden stool that was also procured from the storeroom.

The couch was quite large, and he had enough room to stretch his arms and legs. Within moments he drifted off into a deep dreamless slumber.

When he awoke, the sun had travelled around thirty degrees from where it had been when he had fallen asleep. But that was not what surprised him. He felt weight on his wings, hands and the left side of his body.

He tilted his head to find Ahna, Bi and Rachel snuggled into him, with his wings wrapped comfortably around them. Rachel on his right, and Bi and Aahna on his left. The northern breeze had turned colder, making it even more pleasant for the sleeping trio.

Blaze had an urge to shove them off, but it went away as quickly as it came. When he looked at their peaceful and pretty faces, a new emotion rose inside his heart and stomach.

There was nothing sexual about this new feeling. It was an intense urge to protect them. Her wanted to wrap them in his wings and hug them.

I wanna feel like a big brother, not a freaking dad! He complained into the air before letting his head fall back with a sigh.

Blaze spent Sundas evening finishing his homework for the week. The assignments had been easy to complete, but Blaze spent extra time on his History essay.

He argued in favor of the Pixies but added that some form of repercussion was warranted to prevent future oversights like the ones made by the Pixie nobility. He gave suggestions on what those repercussions could potentially be.

As Blaze walked to the Lecture building with his classmates, on the morn of Morndas, he was beheld by the sight of numerous angels of varying sizes zipping towards the building. Classes had officially started.

The day went by as usual, until after Seshat's class.

"Blaze, Can I talk to you for a moment?" she asked him.

"Yes, Min Seshat?" Blaze asked her once they were out in the hallway.

"I am sorry, Blaze. Headmistress Fiora has deemed it inappropriate to offer you extra lessons. I can still help you during my office hours" Seshat told him apologetically. She felt sorry for him and for herself.

"I understand, teach" Blaze replied glumly. That damned headmistress. She needs a good spanking. He cursed internally.

Seshat comfortingly patted his head, before he returned to class.

When classes ended that evening, Blaze skipped tea and took off to the registrar's building. He wanted to set things right, before his Pegasi class.

"I need to..." Blaze started, as he spotted Alice outside Fiora's office.

"Go on in" Alice replied with a smile.

"Close the door and have a seat" Fiora replied as soon as he stepped inside.

"You knew I was coming?" Blaze asked puzzled.

Fiora nodded pensively.

"I am sorry, nothing you say will convince me to let Seshat give you private tutoring. However, you're free to hire someone not affiliated with the school" Fiora said, before Blaze could even start his spiel.

"Ugh! What's the big deal?" Blaze asked, feeling a little flustered. The whole speech he had built up in his mind was foiled by her unyielding words.

"Why don't you think about it for a moment? I agree that you're special, but do you think it is fair for the teachers to spend extra time because you learn faster? If we allow that with you, we should allow it with every other student who can skip ahead. The whole concept of a school and classroom become pointless"