The Beast and The Brain.

The next morning the fire was nothing but ash and a few small pieces of charred wood, but I was surprisingly warm under my blanket. Kegan was still asleep. I decided to start the fire and get it ready for breakfast. It was dark under the tree, and snow we had built up blocked out a lot of the morning light. I stacked the kindling and struck my knife against the flint stone. It only took me two tries before it lit. I waited until it was going until I added a few good-sized logs.

Kegan turned in his sleep, but didn’t wake. I crawled out from under the tree, and stood up and stretched. The two horses were still standing together between the pines, their breath rose quietly into the air. My stallion lifted his head and ears in greeting. I walked over and stroked him.

“You need a name.” I told him quietly, “I will have to think of one.” I fixed the mane that fell over his forehead. I went to the bathroom a few trees over then crawled under the pine. Kegan was still sleeping. I shook my head a small mischievous grin coming to my lips.
“Kegan! WAKE UP!” I yelled, “We’re under attack!”

Kegan sprang up, knocking his head on one of the lower branches. He grabbed for his dagger and looked around wildly. I burst out laughing. “You fell for it!”

When he realized that there was no imminent danger, his eyes narrowed into slits and he stared at me. He waited patiently until I stopped laughing, but now and again, I would chuckle to myself. It would be something to remember for a long time. “Asher?”

“What can I do for you?” I asked with a smirk. I held a stick in my hand and I was poking the fire.

“Never, do anything like that again.” His tone was dark. I paused a moment and studied him. He had taken the prank seriously. I knew we were enemies, which was why I had done it, but still, it was just a joke, but the way his eyes scanned me and the tone in his voice suggested that he was in a very foul mood. Had I been any other person, I would have been scared for my life.

I dropped my lighthearted mood as well, matching his, showing him that I did not fear him, “Or what Kegan?” I asked him, challenged him.

Suddenly there was an impact on my mind. It hit me like a physical blow and for a moment, I was taken by surprise. I gritted my teeth, and put up metal barriers. The only problem was, in order to block Kegan out of my mind I had to have complete concentration on something. So when he came at me physically my mental link was distracted and he would simply force his way into my head again.

I lashed out and we rolled in the snow, breaking the walls that we had created to protect us from the cold. The horses looked up with interest, and simply watched. “Stop!” I told him struggling to gain the upper hand.

“Not until you’ve learn your lesson.” I growled. I felt my anger surfacing from deep within me. What had turned out to be a funny prank, was now a full on test of strength.

“You don’t want to test me Kegan.” I warned him, my head pounded with a headache from his mental attack, but he would have more than a fair share of bruises before I was finished.

“I don’t think you understand how dangerous I am Asher. I don’t think you realize what I can do.” He jumped off me and disappeared. I blinked scrambling to my feet and looked around. He was gone.

My breath rose in the air. My face, fingers, and neck were cold with snow. There were patches there were stuck under my shirt and melted against my back. Sending cold drips to my warm spots. I walked a few steps, looking around cautiously. The snow was crisp and dry under my feet.

A hit from behind came out of nowhere. I reached out, but caught nothing. I took in a breath from my mouth and let it out through my nose. “Kegan.” I said calmly, “I don’t think you understand how dangerous I am.” Another punch, this one hit me in the shoulder. I didn’t react this time. “Fine.” I growled, “You asked for it.”

I let go of my anger, I bubbled over and in a flash, I changed. I kept my size small. I was eye level with the horses. My tail twitched and let out a giant breath in the cool air. Kegan’s horse spooked and pulled against his rope, my stallion remained passive.

I let out a rippling growl, and turned all my senses onto full. My headache dulled, my brain worked differently when I was in Beast form, I doubted Kegan would be able to attack me that way, but I still felt him trying, but it was having very little effect. I could see him, standing near a tree, looking at me. I kept glancing around, letting him think that I still couldn’t see him.

ThenI leapt forward, pinning him to the ground, my talons on either side of his neck. I pressed him into the ground, my palm flat on his chest. I let out another breath through my nose, his hair moved. He looked me in the eye, though he tried to hide it, his heart pounded, he was afraid.

“Finished?” I asked my voice deep and rumbling. It sounded strange in this form, unnatural, yet hypnotic. He stared un answering, “Finished?” I asked again, my sharp teeth flashing closely to his face. My wings stretched out slightly.

“Finished.” He said simply. I nodded and stepped off him. He got out of the snow and brushed himself off. He walked back to the fire and sat down, warming his hands. “I’ll be back.” I told him, and I took off with a few simple strokes of my wings. I found myself breakfast, a few deer that were too concentrated on finding food than looking at the sky or listening.

I stayed away for a while. Trying to calm myself down and remind myself that Kegan was needed until I found J. No doubt Kegan was telling himself the same exact thing back at camp. Whenever Kegan decided to double cross me he would never win against me in a one on one fight. So I had to be prepared for a surprise attack. That or he would have friends at his call. Neither I was very worried about at the moment.

When I got back to the camp Kegan was packing up, the smell of fresh food was in the air. I changed back, fed my horse some grain and then saddled him up. After everything was packed we walked to the road and were on our way again.

Kegan said nothing as we rode, and I didn’t feel the need to break the silence. I would love nothing more than to grab a hold of Kegan fly him up a few hundred yards drop him, multiple times. The thought made me smile. I whistled as we traveled. It was slow going in the snow and cold. The horses were reluctant to go faster and I was itching to fly some more. “This is a waste of time.” I finally said after lunch.

“I don’t think so.” Kegan said simply, “We will have the element of surprise.”

“It’s J; you really think we will surprise her?” I asked.

He looked over at me, “I thought that was why you came to find me, so she wouldn’t see us coming. Are you beginning to have doubts?” I didn’t answer, I didn’t have to. “This is why I am training you Asher, to block your thoughts. Each brain sends out a different wave, each is unique, like the sent or face of a person.” Kegan explained, “By blocking your own, J will not be able to see you coming. Like I said the element of surprise, but if you turned dragon, then she would be able see you coming, because as a dragon form, your brain sends out a unique signal.”

“Why don’t I just learn to block it when I am a dragon?” I asked him, but he was already shaking his head.

“Your brain is different as a dragon; I wouldn’t know how to teach you for that. Our best bet is to keep you in human form, and stick to the plan.” Kegan said, getting a little annoyed. I nodded. I hated traveling so slow. Even if I did love horses, it was killing me, and Kegans’ company didn’t help anything. I pulled back again, letting Kegan take the lead.

I did more exercises on focusing, without Kegans help; it was the only thing I could do to pass the time. I needed to master it quickly. I focused for hours without pause, but it was around early evening when I finally realized something.

“How am I supposed to focus and do other things at the same time?” I asked abruptly.
Kegan had his feet out of the stirrups and he was tearing at a piece of bread. “What do you mean?” He asked.

“How am I supposed to keep a mental barrier up and ward against physical blows. I can’t just close my eyes and picture a blue sky and fight enemies, much less face J.” I pointed out.

Kegan shrugged, “That’s your problem to figure out, not mine. You don’t have to necessarily focus on something with detail; it just needs to be something that consumes everything else.”

“I don’t follow.” I said.

Kegan sighed and finished his slice of bread, “Look at it this way. If I needed to pick something out of your brain then all I need to do is fish around your memories and emotions until I find what I am looking for. If you, however, were only feeling one thing, or focusing on one thing, then it would be impossible for me to latch onto anything but that one thing you are focusing on, make sense?” He asked.

I nodded. It did make sense. “You would only be able to see or pick out that one thing that I use to block my mind.”

He nodded, “Exactly, you can’t keep a Brain out completely, but you can avoid us from getting information you don’t want us to have.”

“It makes sense.” I leaned back in my saddle, “How do you do it? I mean, you’re the greatest Brain right?” I said casually as hoped, his pride got in the way.

“I’m the greatest defensive Brain.” He nodded with a smirk, “I don’t waste time with barriers like you are doing. It comes more naturally to me than that, all I have to do it set up a wall of my power, not emotion.”

“So you could technically speaking, send a counter attack while you have a defense up?” I asked.

He shrugged, “It’s hard for me to do, since offensive play is not my strong point, but I could if need was dire.”

“Huh, that’s impressive.” I said, he nodded and then we were silent. I smiled to myself, I could get a lot of information from Kegan if I played my cards right. Information that could destroy J.