Page 47 of In Between Darkness
“Rules of the initiation… Space yourselves out. Try not to move and keep your mask up.”
The sound of wings pummelling the air gets louder. “The elions need to acclimatise to your presence. They might give you a sniff to check you out, or they may keep their distance. Each one is very different, as you will see.”
Nakka and Mr Knight click’ and ‘hmmm’ a few times to each other before Nakka bows slightly. Mr Knight grabs a tuft of her white fur and hoists himself up onto her broad shoulders. “Nakka and I will keep watch over you. Remember to keep your Masks up.” His voice gets quieter as Nakka flies towards the sky. I look up and watch as she circles us so effortlessly; she barely has to flap her wings to gain power. The rest of the class joins me in adoration. Nakka is really incredible.
The earth shakes around me, and I find myself reaching out for something to hold on to. I steady myself and watch as each elion lands with a thump, causing the ground to quake. The sun is behind them, casting an eerie shadow over us all. Their sheer size is making me anxious, but if Ryder is the dam in my mind that will stop the fear gushing out, I need to think about him. His lips come to my mind first and my body starts to tingle. I focus on that feeling and sink into it. I let out an exhale as I watch the last of the pack land. Nakka must be the smallest of the pack because some are twice her size. I mentally size up each of these beasts, which makes me gulp. I feel vulnerable as their shadows tower over me. I can spot Craize— the biggest and fiercest. I didn’t notice when he was staring me down last time that the tip of one of his ears is sliced off and he has a scar that runs down the left side of his cheek. He hangs back, and the rest of the pack investigates us.
Chapter Seventeen
The elions check us out with trepidation. They skulk the land with their shoulders low as if they are hunting prey. Some dart forward before cowering back as if to test us. I still feel the tingles under my skin; my mask is intact. Craize’s eyes scour me from a distance and I stare back at him, questioning his intentions. Nala is about a meter to the left of me. She is being examined by an elion with brown colouring on its feet, contrasting against its white fur, so it looks like it is wearing brown socks. It sniffs Nala’s shoulder and looks at her for a minute before withdrawing.
Another elion strides towards me. This one has a grey patch on his forehead, and he towers over me, looking down into my soul. He breathes heavily, and saliva drips down from his mouth and onto my shoes. I keep my composure and look up to face him; his eyes bore through me. He takes a step back and then roars into my face, blowing my hair back and covering me in drool. The class turns to look at me, and my heart races a little. Just stay calm. Keep your mask up. Its lips spread apart in a snarl as it shows me its teeth. I gulp. Craize snarls back at it, and it scatters backwards away from me. I watch as he dips his head in a bow of submission and retreats slowly. I stare at Craize, trying to figure him out. Was he protecting me?
He begins to approach me, tilting his head slightly, and the rest of the elions back away as he comes forward. My heart races a little more. His claws dig at the soil beneath the moss. His wide strides make the distance between us in a few steps, and I am face-to-face with the giant again. His hot breath almost singes my eyebrows, and the rumble of his chest vibrates through me as I adjust to the rhythm of his inhales and exhales. He has to drop his head low to meet my eyes. I am probably about the same height as one of his legs; his nose comes low and ruffles my hair. I feel the pressure suck my auburn locks as he inhales my pheromones.‘elions can smell fear.’
My heart skips a beat, and sweat forms on my brow. I can feel my mask dropping. Craize huffs deeply, making me jump a little. I put effort into thinking about Ryder again and focus on the tingles beneath my skin. I feel the butterflies begin to flutter and exhale a sigh of relief. My mask is still there. He nudges the top of his head into my hand and forces my palm to rest on his forehead. My hand pulsates as I feel his trill oscillate through me. His bright blue eyes motion to mine again as my hand sinks deeper into his fur; his rough white fur is as ferocious as he is, swallowing my hand up in one gulp. I feel his warm energy run through my body like a conduit; my temperature rises in response, and goosebumps erupt over my body. I don’t know why, but I feel weirdly connected to him. His eyes drown mine in a sea of blue.
‘Clickkkkkk……Clickkkkkkkkkk.’
I feel the eyes of ten students drill a hole into me. He is speaking to me again. I don’t understand him. I tilt my head in confusion and raise my arms slightly in an ‘I don’t know what you’re saying’ kind of way. He looks at me again and does the same thing.
‘Clickkkkk….Clickkkkkkkkkk.’
“What are you trying to tell me, Craize?” I whisper to him. “Did you know my mum?”
He blinks at me slowly and then nods his head briefly. Just once. If you didn’t know, you would have missed it. Did he just answer me?
He turns and begins striding away from me and the class. He clicks at his pack, beckoning them to follow him. A cold gust of wind blows my hair around my face, as the elions take to the air and slowly become lost in the clouds.
That’s it. Initiation is over. I let out a shaky breath and look over at Nala, who is gawping next to me. I can still feel the class’s eyes on me. She grasps my hand and looks at me.
“That was incredible.”
“I’m not quite sure what happened,” I say, confused as I run my fingers through my hair, sorting out the misplaced curls.
“Craize clicked at you again; it wasn’t a fluke!” she whispers to me.
“Yeah, I guess he did.” A smile cradles my face at the realisation of this. “He was trying to tell me something.”
Nala opens her mouth to reply but is cut off by the sound of wings flapping, and Mr Knight appears through the clouds on Nakka, making his descent. Nakka lands gracefully, her claws sinking into the mossy ground.
“Well done class, that is the end of the initiation. No one got attacked, which means they have accepted you for this year’s taming program.”
He jumps off Nakka and claps his hands in applause at us. She leaps into the air and joins the rest of her pack.
“Come on, let’s make our way back to the written room and I can discuss the maintenance jobs with you.”
He leads the way, and the class follows. Nala, Charlie and I are at the back of the group, trailing slightly behind.
“What do you think Craize was trying to say?” Charlie asks me in a low whisper.
“I have no idea, but I’ve got to find out,” I say, my feet getting submerged in the long grass as we walk towards the staircase.
“They’ll definitely have books on the elion language in the library,” Nala remarks.
“Great, after third meals, do you want to nerd it up with me?” I ask them, and they let out a giggle.
“We’ll be there,” Nala chimes, and Charlie throws me a smile.
