I strode into the Academy in Moonglade as though I owned the place. With nothing but the 2 packs slung across my back, I wandered the halls looking for the admissions office.
The previous month had been filled with packing and corresponding, arranging everything that needed to happen before I could make my journey. With a sense of frustration, I pulled the entrance letter from my pocket and looked for a name, someone I could seek out. Not paying attention as I walked the halls, I smacked headlong into another girl.
"Watch where you're going!" I scowled at her.
"Scuse me?! I believe YOU ran into me, not the other way around. Looks like someone missed their manners classes." She scowled back at me.
"How dare you! Don't you guys have some.. I dunno, a creed somewhere where you have to be nice to the new people?"
"Oh right. You nearly knock me on my arse and somehow I'm the rude one. Ok, lets try this again. Hi 'Sassy New Girl' I'm Aerynn." She rolled her eyes, clearly mocking me with her hands on her hips.
I was seething.. and close to sputtering.
Mustering as much sarcasm as I could, I grinned widely. "Well hello there fellow druid. I'm Kaliye."
I growled at her before turning to walk off.
Her booming laughter filled the hall. "Oh give it up. I'm sorry. Finals are next week and things are tense here. Let me help you out. What are you looking for?" She held out her hand to shake, in a gesture of friendship and truce.
Tentatively I shook her hand. "Well, if you guys had signs anywhere, or a map..." I frowned. "I'm looking for the admissions office. These packs are getting heavy and I'd like to get settled in before dark falls."
She gestured and turned down a hallway. "Follow me. We'll get you set up and I'll take you out for some tea. Then we can show you around, get you situated." I looked at her, slightly confused. "Oh, bah. I'm not a mean person, unless you get my temper up. And I was new not too long ago, and I wish I'd had someone to show me the ropes. And my karma needs some work." She grinned.
That night, I sat on the balcony of my new apartment looking up at the stars. They seemed somehow closer here, almost like I could touch them. I'd been surprised to find I'd have a room to myself, a spacious one at that. But Aerynn had explained that druids weren't as commonplace as one might think, and there was no reason to shove them in to cracker boxes. We needed room to work on our skills without being cramped within walls. She'd told me a story of when she was first learning to control her shifting abilities before she came to the Academy. She'd been trying to show her own parents and stumbled as she shifted into her bear form.. and broke her dad's favorite chair. I giggled, despite my best efforts not to, and she cracked a wide grin. She left me off at my apartment to unpack and settle myself in, make the space my own. It was long into the night, but I wasn't tired. Leaning on the railing, I watched the lights below slowly blink out as students retired for the night. Feeling restless, I grabbed up my cloak and made my way downstairs and towards the lake. I settled myself on the bank, watched the moonlight ripple on the surface of the water, and drank in the cool, quiet night. I was so caught up in my own thoughts that I never heard the footfalls come up behind me. A hand reached down and warmly grasped my shoulder. "Kaliye."
I gasped and turned around quickly, only to see a face from my past. The druid who'd come to our home. I searched my memory for her name, but only drew blanks. She gestured to the ground beside me, and I nodded mutely. She sat close beside me and stared intently at my face, as if studying me. A small, slow smile filled her face. "I should have seen it when you were a wee one. You're touched by Elune, child." I frowned at her words.
"How do you know that? I've done nothing but heal my mother's hand and change forms. Both were hardly intentional."
"Don't be so quick to assume things you know nothing about. Be patient, study well, listen close. Beyond the natural ability, you have a gift." She patted my forehead. "I can see it inside you."
I shifted, drawing my knees against my chest. "I feel terrible. You remember my name, but for the life of me, I can't remember yours." I looked at her, offering an apologetic smile.
She shrugged, "I'm Morgaine. And you don't remember because I never told you. You don't forget much do you?" I shook my head.
She reached out and ran a hand over my head and down my hair and stared out over the water.
"I used to come out here and sit in just this spot when I couldn't sleep. It's a good spot." She rose slowly to her feet. "If you ever feel lost, come here. It always seemed to help me."
With a little wave, she meandered back down the path, and disappeared in the darkness.
*******************
Things were so simple at first. There was no real sense of responsibility in those days. Only the wide open future and so much knowledge to absorb. I was like a sponge, or so all my teachers said. I progressed through the phases of the 'beginner' studies in less than a year. It took everyone else nearly three. I started taking my first individual healing assignments within four years. By year five, I was sought after for the lower level dungeon excursions. I hadn't been home but for the occasional weekend and quick holiday visits. I was missing Sabryel grow up.