Adventures in Interning: Kaytlyn Finds a Teacher

    When Kaytlyn’s magical powers started to manifest, it was initially in small, subtle ways. The dead plant came back to life when the young fennec went to pull it from the garden or a sneeze that produced a small flurry of flower petals. After deciding these incidents weren’t coincidences, Kaytlyn chose to find someone to teach her how to use magic properly. The twelve-year-old fennec would not get stuck being taught by a war criminal like her brother, Varick. Since she was manifesting earth powers, only one person Kaytlyn felt could properly teach her. None other than Archdruid Violet Drackonas herself would be a proper mentor.

    “Archdruid, I beg you to hear my request,” Kaytlyn pleaded as she fell to her knee before the purple-eyed lioness. Archdruid Violet looked around the open-air carnival, confused, like this was some prank. “Please take me as your apprentice and teach me the ways of the wild so I can one day rise to your glory.”

    “Kaytlyn, what are you doing,” Violet asked, confused, as she lifted the child back to her feet. “Why are you talking like that? Is this part of a school play.”

    “No,” the fennec answered as her large ears dipped slightly. “I’m starting to manifest magic, and I thought maybe you could be my teacher. It’s okay if you say no.” Kaytlyn was starting to realize that asking the Archdruid to be her teacher was a bad idea. Maybe one of the lower-rank druids was a better idea.

    “Normally, I don’t take apprentices,” Violet said, taking a moment to think, “but I think I can make an exception for you.” There was a smile on the lioness’s face as the realization hit Kaytlyn. Immediately the fennec excitedly jumped up and shouted in celebration of the good news. “There will be rules, however, and I’ll expect you to follow them without fail. The Archdruid can’t have a misbehaving apprentice.”

    “Yes! Of course, I will follow all the rules,” Kaytlyn excitedly agreed to the proposition. No matter what the rules could be, she would follow them all if it meant the Archdruid herself would teach the fennec to be a druid.

    A week later, Kaytlyn’s druid training began promptly in the Grove of the Harvest Druids. That was when Violet informed her new apprentice of the first rule. If she became a druid, the fennec would need to reduce her sugar habit and eat healthier. Kaytlyn had a notorious sweet tooth, but it could affect her control over higher-level magic. This rule would be brutal for the sandy-furred fox, but Kaytlyn was determined to be a druid. That night she went home, gathering all her hidden candy and cookie hoard to be donated.

    Rule number two was that Kaytlyn couldn’t longer sneak off to play in the guild with her stolen badge. Luckily, as a “Guild Intern,” Kaytlyn learned how to sneak paperwork through the system. Within days, a new badge arrived for the fox with her name instead of Varick. While this wasn’t in the spirit of the rule, it was still following it.
There were a few other small rules about dress and behavior, but these were the big ones. 

    Kaytlyn quickly learned how to master low-level earth magics. She could easily heal plants or heal minor wounds. Meditation was difficult for Kaytlyn as her young mind found it difficult to silence her mind and focus on nature. Over time it became more manageable, and as it did, her powers improved. Soon she was able not just to heal plants but also summon them from the ambient magic in the air. Animals began to recognize the fox as a protector of the wild and even spoke with her a little bit.

    “Kaytlyn, you have made impressive strides in under a month,” Archdruid Violet told her young protege. “Maybe one day you can become a grove warden or even an Archdruid.” 

    “Does that mean you’ll teach me to fight with a staff like yours,” the fennec excitedly asked, as that was the one part of the training she wasn’t allowed to participate in. 

    “You know your parents won’t let me teach you how to use a weapon,” the purple-eyed lioness responded, reminding Kaytlyn of the promise she made to her parents. With a hand on her shoulder, Violet kneeled before her apprentice to look her in the eyes. “Sometimes, though, if you reach out to nature, it will provide you with the weapon you need when you need it. If you learn to use that weapon, I’ve kept my promise, and you get to skirt the rules the way you like.” Before Kaytyn could respond, the lioness winked and walked away.

    Later that night, when she was alone, Kaytlyn meditated alone. She asked nature to bring her a weapon to defend the wilds. A new weight in her hands caused the fox to open her eyes to find a brick. Her brother Varick had always told her it was the best weapon. With her new earth magic powers and a weapon to defend nature with, Kaytlyn was now ready to take her “Guild Intern” duties to the next level.