Chapter 4-2

Bram caught my hand as I fell over and he started pulling me up. Somehow, he managed to save my glasses from falling into the water. He used the shadows to create a net to stop any other werebeast from falling over. I watched as other students started to help bring the other werebeasts back onto the boat.

"I may be a werebear, but you are a disgusting pig!" Alex said in between punches.

His sharp teeth and claws were showing as he fought my grabber. I almost forgot how frightening he could get when he gets mad at someone. He was always the background protector in the family, so it is rare to see him in close range fighting. He normally used slingshots and bows to attack bullies.

"Alex! Stop! We may have been hurt by what he said but we are better than him," I told him as I grabbed his fist, "or do you want to prove that we are mindless animals, just like they believe we are?" I could hear some people agreeing with me in the crowd as I spoke.

Alex walked away and then the guy punched me in the face. I fell backwards as I covered my nose. Joy walked over and I finally understood the old saying 'hell hast no fury like a woman scorned'. I would rather be bleeding in front of a hundred hungry vampires than be the target of that rage. I never realized how violent some of people I know could become until now. I did not know to be more terrified for my own life or my enemies' lives.

"Oh boy, you made the worst mistake of your life by picking on my buddy." Joy said as she pulled out a doll.

He tried to hit her, but Bram kicking him in the chest stopped him. Joy got a piece of his hair from Alex and she used it to hold him still.

"But, you two are human! Why are you defending that beast?" he asked while holding his chest.

"Wrong! I'm not human at all, I'm a vampire mage."

"You fucking moron, I'm a human mage and he's a better person than you will ever be."

To my surprise, other students started to yell at the anti-werebeast students. I was surprised that there was many humans joining the side of the werebeasts. Bruce tapped me on the shoulder while I was watching in shock.

"Come over here so I can heal you. I don't want to you to have an infected cut under my watch."

I saw Joy remove the hair off the doll as I followed him to a chair to sit down. He pulled out a small first aid kit that was hidden in his pants pocket.

"Bruce, do you think that the fighting will ever stop?" I asked as he started to put some stinky herbs on the cut.

"Nope, because it is in all of our basic natures to fight each other. The main problem is humans; we fight against others and ourselves. When humans hate on werebeasts, vampires, and mages, it is a basic 'you are different and we hate that'. However, with other humans, it gets complex with 'we hate you because you have different coloration than me and you think that a different deity moves the sun across the sky'. If it gets bigger and messier then war is wanted by most but it is not needed at all. I swear that humans crave blood more often than most vampires." He said before tilting my head. "Wow, I think he was wearing a sharp ring when he punched you."

"Wow that was very insightful. I think that is the right word I was looking for."

In the corner of my eye, I saw Joy hand him some cloth right before she sat down next to me.

"This is clean and it might help you get rid of the blood to make it a lot easier to heal him."

"Shit, I'm not skilled enough in magic to heal this. It is too deep. I don't want to make it worse by accident."

"Move over then, I am skilled in stitching. Ash, do not move. Bruce, watch and learn. This will be good for you to learn when you can't use your magic."

Not moving was easy for me, the idea that my first day of real life is me getting stitches was not. My fingers twitched every time the needle moved in and out of my face. I guess making dolls is perfect practice for healers. I looked over to her and saw that the guy was about to hit her from behind.

"Um, Joy! Behind you!" I tried my best to not move too much as I spoke.

The guy froze as Joy was finishing the stitches. She got up and punched him in the face. I saw that she had one of her dolls in her hand with a piece of hair tied to it.

"Ew, I got some blood on me. Here you go, Bram."

Bram came out of the nearby shadows, licked up the blood on her hand, and then went over to help me up.

"He tasted gross, livable, but still gross. Just like his personality." He said before wiping his mouth.

Joy used the doll to move the guy towards the door to under the boat. We followed her down to the guard's room. She opened the door and made him go in first.