Suddenly a small something whizzed by Kitinka's ear startling her. Without thinking the dragoness snapped at it, but missed. It was a tiny little bird with lovely feathers. The wizard smiled and said "This is Hyper, my familior." Kitinka watches as the tiny avain started feeding from sone flowers located near the throne. "Hummingbirds are amazing creatures. Even amoung magical flyers the ability to hover is rare, and even rarer is the ability to fly backwards.."
"Aren't familiors usually cats or something?" Kitinka asked, genuinely curious.
"Cats are somewhat traditional, yes," replied the Wizard. "Ordinary pets are also common, and nasty looking creatures are common for Wizrds who want to be seen as Evil. One of my classmates at the Moonstone Accademy had a tarrantula for a familior. Quite entertaining since one of the teachers was arachniphobic." Kitinka thought of her classmate Andy, who would have loved to bring in a spider if he learned one of the teachers was afraid of them. He had been accepting of her disability, in his maddening way, and had helped her to become more able in spite of it.
Kitinka brought her mind back to the present. "What exactly is a familior anyway?" Kitinka asked, thinking a hummingbird or a tarrantula probably wasn't particularily good at performing small tasks.
"Familiors," explained the wizard in a voice that reminded Kitinka of her history teacher. "Are animals which are magically connected to a wizard. Animals are often better at reaching into the Unseen Worlds than humans, possibly because in many human cultures seeing into the Unseen is frowned upon or feared. By forming a connection with an animal the wizard is able to draw upon that connection.
"A skilled wizard is often able to draw on the physical and spiritual characteristics of his familior," a wry grin crossed the wizards face. "One example is that I need ot eat a great deal because, like Hyper and all hummingbirds, I now have an incredibly fast metabolism."
"Cool!" Kitinka said. "That would be soo neat."
"My familior is a tree," Elspeth said. "A Willow, amoung elves it's not uncommon for Wizards, or druids as some of the 'kin from earth issist on mislabeling us, to connect to a tree or other plant in much the same way that other wizards connect to animals."
"You're a Witch?" Kitinka asked her mother incredulously.
"No, I'm a wizard, there are a number of differences. Most of them are merely stylistic but some go deeper than that." Elspeth explained. "You get a lot of elf witches though, since witcraft tends to be found in rural areas and so are elves. Elves prefer to avoid population centers whenever possible, it's more difficult to connect to the Earthspirits when the land is built over.
"Witches are more likely to work with what is inacurately called 'Low Magic' and involves less cerimony and tends to use common herbs and stuff which is easily found in the local wilderness. Wizards, while not as picky as Magicians about these things, are more formal in their castings."
"Uh, oh, okay. I guess that makes sense." Kitinka responded, not fully understanding the differences. "What about Warlocks, Sorceresses and other magic using types?"
This time it was the Wizard who responded. "Again, the differences are mainly stylistic. Warlocks tend to be more interested in looking Scarey and frightening people than developing real power. Sorcereresses, and Sorcerers too of course, are connected to... something. I don't exactly know what it is, but it's outside the World, part of the Unseen, and that's where they draw their powers from.
"You have the potential for magic Kitinka. If you wish to learn I will arrange for your teaching." The Wizard said, something told Kitinka that this was something he really wanted her to accept.
"What do I have to do for you in return?" Kitinka asked, the words coming out before she had a chance to think about them.
The wizard laughed, "That, young lady, is exactly what your mother said when I offered to provide her with magic lessons! All I want in return is your help in fighting the antimagi, which is in your best interests anyway. As a dragon you are considered, by them, to be an abomination and should be destroyed. If you ever wish to mate, to have a draconic family, they will be a threat to your hatchlings. That is, of course, unless we defeat them first."
