The Arix Dimension As Felyne (pronounced Fuh-leen) walked down the street, she felt a feeling of growing dread in the pit of her stomach, and as she did, she hoped that she would get a majestic arix. Maybe I could get a wolf, or an eagle! she thought anxiously. I hope that I also won’t get something lame, like a chipmunk, or a minnow. It would be simply unbearable. Nikel would just laugh his heart out. He and his monkey would just howl with laughter together until mother would tell them to go outside or stop snickering. Of course he would just go outside and continue if that happened. “Don’t worry” said my mentor, Encrix. “Everything will be fine.” Easy for him to say. Felyne thought. He already has his arix, Elpra, an otter. She acted laid back and cool but when she got angry she could be vicious. As soon they reached the shop Felyne was nearly about to start quaking when Encrix slid open the door to the shop and she was filled with wonder and awe. As she saw all the animals, she forgot her sense of dread and stepped into the store. It was filled with every creature anyone could think of, no cages or pens, just strolling, galloping, strutting, slithering, and crawling around. “Welcome” spoke the shopkeeper. “This is the Arix shop, the finest place for young sorcerers and sorceresses to find their companion, their arix.” While he was speaking she peered around the dim shop, seeing every creature that she could imagine. The only confinement for the animals - besides the walls of the shop, of course - were the tanks for the aquatic creatures. Once he was done talking, Encrix told her to stand in the middle of the floor, and then, almost in the blink of an eye, Felyne was surrounded by animals. At this she got a little startled, but strangely she did not feel the smallest bit scared, which surprised her a little more. “Eletarien polexof!” cried Encrix as he made a swirling motion with his wand in the air. Suddenly, from the back of the shop, came a blinding, vibrant golden-white light. The storeowner raised his eyebrows in surprise. “Her? Really? There must be some mistake. We should try again.” A shadow was slumping across the floor towards them. It was a white tiger with gray stripes and green eyes. But as soon as Felyne saw her, the stripes turned a stunning, neon blue. Encrix nodded to the shopkeeper and started the enchantment again, but noticed her intent stare at the tiger. “What is it, Felyne?” questioned Encrix. “She-she’s glowing!” she replied, dumbfounded. “Then she really is your arix!” cried Encrix cheerfully. *----------------------------------------* “Sorrel! Could you please find Nikel and that monkey of his?” mother called to her arix, a swan. “Caw!” replied Sorrel as she gracefully lifted off her perch in the kitchen. The kitchen was a simple area, much like the rest of the house. It had plain brown walls and a few simple windows. The house was a nice little cottage at the end of a lane. It was two stories tall and had a big, green backyard with lots of flowers and a little pond in the center of it. More often than not you could hear birds chirping and see squirrels scuttling up trees while they had cheeks stuffed with nuts or the bread that they probably stole from the bread people left outside for the birds. To sum it up, it was a bright and happy place with friendly neighbors and plenty of animals. “I’ll help!” Felyne put in gleefully as she finished putting the food into her arix’s bowl, for her arix was staying with Encrix currently, and was coming over after their first training session. “Thank you, Felyne. But don’t forget about your first arix practice with Encrix!” her mother reminded her. “It’s in a few minutes.” “I know. I know!” she replied. How could I forget? Felyne thought happily to herself. Well it doesn’t matter. At least it’s happening soon! It felt like it had been ages since she had gotten her arix from the small, dank shop in town, even though it had only been a week. “Well, I’ve got to go. Bye! See you!” Felyne told her mother as she walked out the door. Once she swung the door to the house open she nearly flew past the 10 cottages to her mentor’s home down the road. She opened the door and stepped inside. As she dashed to the back of the cottage, she heard incredibly deep purring coming from the sitting room. She stopped and peeked into the room. Inside she saw Encrix petting her arix. Obviously her arix enjoyed this, but once Encrix saw her looking through the doorway he got up and came over to the door. “Welcome, Felyne” he told her. “Hello” she replied happily. “So I see that while she stayed here for a bit, you got her to get a tad more active.” “Yes. She can actually go quite fast if she is motivated enough.” he told her simply. “That’s great!” Felyne said. “Now I don’t want to be rude, but when can we start?” “Ah yes. Sorry about that. Well, let’s go out to my yard” Encrix said. As they walked to the backyard, Felyne's tiger rubbed up against their legs blissfully. Wow. Felyne thought. She really is more relaxed than we thought. Once they got out to the yard, Encrix stopped walking. "Alright Felyne," he said to her with a little bit more firmness than before. "We are going to start right away. Level your head with your arix's. That's perfect. Now, look her straight in the eyes. Try not to move. Feel your hands becoming paws, your hair spreading and shortening into fur, ears moving up your head and becoming points at the tip. Become one with your arix." Felyne did just that, and then she felt an urge, a pull, and one second she was kneeling on the ground outside the cottage, then the next she couldn't help herself and blinked. When she opened her eyes again, she quickly shut them tight for another moment and then stared around herself in amazement. Everything was sharper – she even noticed a caterpillar inching up a blade of grass fifty feet away from her. "Hello" said a musical voice behind her. "I see you made it." Felyne whirled around. To her astonishment it was her arix! "I am Puffball" she said. "Just teasing." A slight smile broke across her face. "I'm Panteria, a snow tiger, and your arix." "Wha-how-no way!" Felyne finally choked out "How?" A million thoughts raced through Felyne’s head at once. Everyone knew that when you got an arix, you could travel to the other dimension with it. Of course you were just controlling yourself from a different vantage point, but it was so extraordinary because you could use the abilities your arix could. Like if your arix was a chameleon, you would be able to blend in with your surroundings in the second dimension. Felyne realized that she was still in Encrix’s backyard with Panteria but they were in the second dimension! Panteria laughed merrily. "Let me show you something." She strolled over to a tree. In a flash she jumped at it and started scaling the trunk with practiced ease. “Felyne! Stop staring into space and come on up!” “Are you crazy? I can’t do that!” Felyne called up. “You’ll never know if you don’t try it! Please, Felyne, please!” her arix pleaded. “This is what this whole lesson was about. Please, oh please, just try it!” “Okay” she said uncertainly. “But how?” “Just go up to the tree, then dig your nails in the bark, and then hoist yourself up” Panteria instructed. Felyne walked over to the tree and dug her nails in it, just as Panteria had told her to. When she hoisted herself up, Felyne was surprised to feel how easy it was to pull herself up. Soon she was sitting on a branch near Panteria, panting. “Great job. Now just jump down and then we’ll be done for today” Panteria congratulated her. Once down on the grass again, Felyne grinned at Panteria. “That was awesome! Can we do that again tomorrow?” "I think we have learned enough today, Felyne." Panteria gently told her. "Goodbye." In a blink, Felyne was back with Encrix in the first dimension. “Wow!” was all she could say about the adventures she had just had. She could not wait to tell her mother and Nikel about them and she could not wait to see Panteria again! *--------------------------------* The end!