I sat in the courtyard, beside the small creek. I allowed the calm sound of the water to lull me into a meditative state, attempting to connect to my spirit animal. I started to feel the nature all around me; the birds flying through the air, the leaves rustling in the breeze, the stream of water flying towards my face, the-wait, wha-
The ice-cold water struck me right in the face, snapping out of my tranquil state. My sense of the world faded, leaving me feeling nothing but the water soaking me and the dirt underneath me. I heard a high-pitched laughing, and instantly knew who it was.
"Really, Jake? Hitting me with water while I'm meditating? That's immature for you, which is saying a lot." Jake scowled at me. He was a skinny and pimple-faced teen whose balls had yet to drop, but somehow he thought he was a massive muscle bound jock. I was easily more physically fit than him, but the difference between us that allowed him to be the bully was that he had passed the Trial and I hadn't; ergo, he had an animal and an element, while I didn't. Jake summoned another ball of water from the creek while his pale blue magpie settled on his shoulder. "Immature? Coming from the loser who failed the Trial four times, that IS saying a lot." Jake cackled, his ego soothed, while I growled. "Hey, maybe you will pass the Trial." Jake said. I furrowed my brow. He cackled and said,"Nah! Besides, even if you do, you'll probably get something weak like Leaf or Pebble!" I growled again, my rage doubling. I started walking towards him, ready to pound him. He got scared and his ball turned into a stream which flowed around his body, and then towards me. Then out of nowhere, a blast of fire struck it, turning it to steam. We both spun to see a tall, broad-shouldered, muscular man come striding toward us. We both bowed our heads. "Magpie Apprentice Jacob! Why are you attacking a fellow student?" He said in a voice that was filled with anger without being loud. Jake gulped and bowed his head further. "Apologies, Master Pansa." Pansa jerked his chin forward and barked out a terse, "Go." Jake scrambled away as fast as possible. Pansa turned to me, his face softening. "Really, son? Another fight with him? He's beneath you." I grimaced, and muttered under my breath,"He started it." Pansa sighed. "Ryu. I know it's not easy for you, but you must stay strong. Do not allow the weaker people to dictate your life." I sighed. "I know, Dad, but he splashed me in the face while I was meditating and then insulted me! What was I supposed to do?" Pansa gave a slight grin. "Walk away or ignore it, Ryu. He wanted you to attack so he would have some excuse for attacking you. He wanted to feel strong." He smirked. "He also might have wanted to make you miss the Trials."  I looked down at my watch and gasped. "Crap! Sorry Dad, bye!" I sprinted off to the temple as fast as I could.
A/N: Hey guys! I've had this idea marinating in my mind for a long time, and finally decided to write it. Tell me what you think! I already know what the next chapter is going to be, so it should be up pretty soon. (Pretty soon=in about a year) Also, I'm considering putting little stories before the chapters, just for a bit of fun and to let you know what will be happening in the chapter. Sound like a good idea? Tell me! See ya, guys!