Starsail.
It was his favorite time of the year. The time of year when there were so many lights, games, food, stars.
Jonathan threw his koal on and practically sprinted out of his room. He managed to greet his brothers and his mama before he was out the door, dashing down the path towards town. Stars hung in the sky as lantern lights dotted the various paths. As he entered the town, excited chatter filled the air as various Finley played games, won prizes, and told stories. He heard tell of visitors from the stars- Astralits, spirits. It was all so exciting. His mind was set on seeing these mysterious visitors- he wanted to ask them everything they knew about space. What was it like? What were the stars like? Meteors? Had they been to other worlds? He couldn’t get to where they were gathered fast enough-
Jonathan’s excited train of thought was interrupted by a voice calling to the crowd.
“Looking for a way to handle Bloopers during their migration? Step inside the library and learn a bit of magic!”
Oh Bloopers.
They were always quite a pest when they showed up. This year, they had been particularly bad, getting into all the crops on the farm and worming their way inside. As cute as they were, they were quite a nuisance. There was an especially difficult one who, despite Ixi’s best efforts, had been very destructive and very tricky. This one Blooper had wormed its way inside and gotten into some treats that she had baked for Starsail, and then escaped all of their attempts to catch it.
Perhaps it would be a good idea to attend the class. It could help to know how to handle them. They had already destroyed quite a few crops, and it was stressing his mom out.
His ears perked up. If he learned how, maybe it could let her take a bit of time away from worrying about it.
Jonathan spun on his heels and turned to the library, slowing to a walk as he joined the curious crowd flowing through the doors. In the center of the building, there was a blackboard and table set out, surrounded by chairs. A Draken Jonathan did not recognize stood by the blackboard, writing various arcane scrawlings across its surface. He had heard of a visitor potentially from the Channelium- was this that visitor? He was clad in a purple cape, and had a welcoming energy around him. Jonathan took a seat, looking curiously to the small set up. He could see what appeared to be bells placed upon the table. Were they for luring the Bloopers?
The Draken cleared his throat and turned around toward the rest of the room, and Jonathan sat straight up, focusing his attention on the speaker.
“Who is ready to learn a thing or two about magic today?”, the Draken announced with a warm smile.
What Jonathan thought would be purely a lesson on how to lure Bloopers turned into a fascinating lesson on enchantments. He did not know a lot about magic. Alchemy had piqued his interest, but he- well, he hadn’t begun studying. He listened with rapt attention to the Draken- who had introduced himself as Drayton- as he walked through his lesson, never falling into an uninteresting story or boring topic. When Drayton called to the room, saying, “Who would like to try enchanting their own bell?” Jonathan was on his feet in an instant, nearly rushing to the front of the room with stars in his eyes. The crowd each took a bell and followed Dray’s lead as he walked them through the enchantment. First the ingredients, the writings across the bell’s surface, and then the words spoken to finalize the enchantment.
Jonathan followed his instructions closely, brows furrowing in concentration as he carefully spoke the incantation. He stuttered over the words and paused, frowning before trying again. Around him, finley cheered as their bells lit up with a mystical glow, the enchantment completing. His hands glowed lightly as he pulled the mana from within himself to perform this enchantment but as he finished the incantation again, the bell remained dull and he deflated. The Nyulop sitting next to him stood excitedly, rushing to their friend standing in the doorway and celebrating their success. Everyone else seemed to be getting it easily…
No, no- try again. He sat up again, closing his eyes tightly as he spoke, and…
Nothing. His bell remained cold and dim.
Jonathan slouched in his chair, staring down at the object as excited chatter and success floated around him. He just… stared.
Was it really that easy? Was he pronouncing it wrong? He must be.
“How is your bell coming along?”
Someone’s voice broke through his thoughts and he jumped slightly. Above him, the source of the voice, stood Drayton, looking down at him with a small smile.
Jonathan blinked and swallowed before slowly lifting it up to the Draken. “Uhm… I can’t seem to get it…” He looked down at his paws, curling his wings around him. “I’m not sure what I’m doing wrong.”
“Let’s walk through it together”, Drayton suggested, sitting beside him. “What ingredients did you use?”
“The chalk and the crushed crystals”, Jonathan answered quickly.
Drayton nodded and held a claw out for the bell. Jonathan placed it in his claw and the teacher looked over the written runes carefully. He traced a claw over the surface as he read before pausing. “Ah, you’re close, but see here.” He pointed to a single letter. “The dot is missing on this character.”
Jonathan sat up and quickly grabbed the chalk again, adding a single dot on the character before picking up the bell in his paws again. Carefully, under Drayton’s instructions, he recited the spell once more. Slowly, he infused his mana into the bell, watching as it glowed yellow. As he finished the final word, the bell did not grow dim. Instead, the inside glowed softly with a yellow light, warm in his paw.
Heart thumping in his chest and eyes going wide, Jonathan stared down at his newly enchanted bell in shock. He had- It had been a simple fix-
“There you go, great job!” Drayton patted his shoulder. “It’s very easy to miss something as small as a dot. You’re doing really well and I bet you’ll be enchanting a few more bells in no time.”
Jonathan’s head shot up, and he looked up at the teacher with shining eyes. “I- Thank you!” He leapt out of his seat, nearly tripping over the one next to him as he scrambled toward the door. “Thank you for the lesson!” Breaking into a sprint as he rushed down the street, he wove through the growing crowds. As it had gotten later, more and more finley had come for Starsail, and the streets were bustling with excitement and Starsail festivity. Jonathan managed to dodge through the flow of festival-goers until they thinned out, then he was able to break into a full sprint back home.
“Jonathan?!” That was the only thing he heard from Ixi as he rushed through the door into the house.
“I’m going to catch that Blooper mama!”, he answered quickly before he bounded to the pantry and scooped up a cookie. As he dashed to the kitchen and scooped up a plate, he placed the cookie inside before he was out the door again. He’d seen the Bloopers hanging out on top of the house occasionally, but in particular had seen the one that had eaten the treats hovering near the large tree in the back. Approaching the tree, he placed the plate beneath it before stepping back and sitting a short distance away, watching the area intently. This Blooper wasn’t exactly skittish, so he knew if it was there and wanted the cookie, it would come.
And it turned out he didn’t have to wait long. Within ten minutes of him placing the plate out and waiting, a small head poked out from the branches of the tree. Slowly, the creature peered out from its hiding spot before its eyes settled on the treat waiting for it below. Without hesitation, the Blooper dropped down, flapping quickly to land on the edge of the plate and began to nibble on the offering. Seeing his opportunity, Jonathan stood from where he had settled and approached the Blooper swiftly, bell in paw. Before the creature could dash away again, he had activated it, tapping it to the mischievous critter. With a flash, the Blooper disappeared into the bell.
Jonathan stood quietly for a moment, before raising the bell above his head, hopping excitedly in place. “Yeah!” Snatching up the plate, he dashed inside, bell in hand.
He had actually done it. He had actually successfully enchanted something and caught the menace that had been causing them so much trouble. Chest swelling with excitement, Jonathan sprinted back into his home, ready to show off his newfound skill to his family.
Perhaps he could be helpful after all.