Chap 4

CRAAAAACK!

The golden egg split open in Dan's hands.

A tiny creature poked its head out.

It looked like a rabbit.

Mostly.

It had two little antlers growing from its head, a pair of ridiculously small wings on its back and a fluffy tail that looked as though it had been stolen from a cloud.

The creature blinked at Dan.

Dan blinked back.

They stared at each other.

Five seconds passed.

Ten seconds passed.

Finally, Dan whispered:

"...You're a rabbit with Wi-Fi accessories."

The instructor looked absolutely horrified.

"That's not an ordinary rabbit!"

Dan raised an eyebrow.

"Really? I thought the antlers were just a fashion choice."

The little creature hopped onto his arm and sniffed his black sleeve.

Then it sneezed.

A tiny puff of blue sparkles burst from its nose.

Dan stared at the sparkles.

"...Okay. That's actually pretty cool."

Suddenly, the instructor's folder opened by itself.

A small pair of eyes appeared on its cover.

"A JACKALOPE!" it announced.

Dan jumped.

"AAAAH! THE PAPERWORK HAS GAINED SENTIENCE!"

"I'm not paperwork," the folder replied indignantly. "I'm an enchanted informational folder."

"That's exactly what paperwork would say if it were trying to avoid taxes."

The folder ignored him.

"A jackalope is an extremely rare mythical creature resembling a rabbit with antlers. This specimen also possesses a pair of miniature wings, which is highly unusual."

Dan looked down at the rabbit.

"So you're a rare magical bunny with antlers and wings."

The jackalope twitched its nose.

"Congratulations," Dan continued. "You're officially more qualified to fly than I am."

The folder cleared its throat.

"Every mythical companion must receive a name from its bonded student."

Dan didn't even hesitate.

"Eggward Cullen."

Silence.

The instructor slowly turned towards him.

The folder's eyes widened.

"...You named a jackalope after a vampire because it hatched from an egg?"

Dan nodded proudly.

"Exactly."

"That's not how naming traditions work!"

"Neither is naming a rabbit after a vampire, and yet here we are."

The folder shut itself with a loud THWACK!

"I refuse to document this."

"Put it under creative genius."

"I'll put it under questionable decisions."

"Same thing.”

Dan held out his arm.

Eggward climbed onto his shoulder, tucked its tiny wings against its body and settled comfortably beside his neck.

It couldn't speak. It simply stared at the world with enormous, curious eyes.

Dan gently scratched behind one of its antlers.

"Well, Eggward Cullen, welcome to your new home."

The jackalope licked his cheek.

Dan froze.

"...You know, I've been here for about ten minutes, and you're already the most affectionate person I've met."

The folder floated beside them.

"Your companion appears to have accepted you as its bonded partner."

"Great. Does that mean I get a discount on rabbit food?"

"No."

"Then what's the point of magic?"

The instructor pinched the bridge of his nose.

He had taught at the academy for twenty-three years.

He had seen dragons burn down training halls, phoenixes set fire to their own feathers and a griffin steal the headmaster's lunch.

But somehow, he suspected that Dan Xarek was going to be his greatest professional challenge.

As Dan followed the instructor towards the academy's main building, the enchanted folder suddenly began flipping through its pages.

"Wait a moment."

The folder stopped.

Its pages glowed blue.

"That's impossible."

Dan sighed.

"Oh, fantastic. My favourite words."

The folder turned towards Eggward.

"Jackalopes are rare, but this one's magical signature doesn't match any known classification."

The instructor frowned.

"What do you mean?"

"I mean this creature's energy readings are… changing."

Eggward yawned.

A tiny blue spark jumped from one of its antlers.

For a fraction of a second, every magical symbol carved into the academy gates lit up simultaneously.

Then everything returned to normal.

Nobody spoke.

Dan looked at Eggward.

Eggward looked at Dan.

Dan slowly nodded.

"Right. New house rule."

He held up one finger.

"Don't sneeze near anything expensive."

The jackalope twitched its nose.

PFFT!

A little blue spark landed on the instructor's hat.

The hat transformed into a chicken.

"BUKAWK!"

The chicken sprinted down the corridor.

Dan stared after it.

Then he turned to the folder.

"...Does the academy have a refund policy?"

The folder slowly closed.

"I'm going to need a new folder."