Luther-Puris Academy - 1
#2 of Luther-Puris Academy
This is the first story so far. Nothing special. Just kinda crappy intro to the school and the main character. And the main character is a bishounen fox, so gender is impossible to determine without explanation. So sorry about that and try not to barf all over your keyboards at how bad it sucks!
Luther Puris Academy of the Exceptionally Gifted: American Mountain Standard Time Division. A floating island that took the duty of teaching any "special" adolescent who's clock lay two hours behind Eastern Standard Time. It was believed efficient to keep the young upcoming mages within the same time zone, and within reasonable distance from their homes, for they would not require readjustment to their sleep schedules, and remain in contact with family, if so desired. It was late August now. The air of this atmosphere controlled environment, set to mirror the Earth below so as to not add the pressure and temperature difficulties of a levitating land mass, was brisk and cool. Beyond the gates, the grounds were heavily strewn with leaves of many warm colors, fallen from the many varieties of trees peppered across the courtyard, the hues ranging from a delicious apple red to a warm sunshine gold. Delicate morning frost coated the fallen leaves and still lush green grass, giving a soft shimmering quality as the slowly rising sun cast its gentle radiance upon the castle grounds. The castle itself, a perfect duplication of the original institute for unusual academics that Luther had built himself that now resided somewhere above Tennessee, shown brilliantly in the gentle cold gray light, its silver gray stones, clear and stained glass windows of all shapes and sizes, and rosewood drawbridge, slowly and quietly opening to greet the new day. It seemed to be a teenage dreamer's fantasy paradise. Emrys wanted to go home. The young anthropomorphic fox sighed as it looked across the grounds with unevenly matched green eyes. The vulpine was dressed in simple warm clothes that had the dual purpose of keeping its body warm, its fur too short to be truly used for warmth with exception of the tail, which hung out of a specially made hole in the back of the simple dark brown cargo pants it wore, and concealing almost all of its features. A simple sunflower yellow hooded jacket, the outermost layer looking to have the soft synthetic fur feel like a plush doll, concealed all detail of the body it encompassed, the hood drawn low to hide its head. But one glance at either the tail or the muzzle that was slightly too large to hide completely within the hood told one that this was quite an unusual creature. As if its body seemed to have been divided perfectly along an imaginary vertical line, the two equal halves were not of equal color. The markings that could be seen were typical of a common red fox, the lower half of the snout and most of the cheeks covered in white fur, triangular black nose, a long and very soft red fluffy tail with the tip dipped white with a black ring surrounding the base of the tip. But it was similar to looking at a human that had covered exactly half of its body before going to a tanning salon. The left side was a brighter red, its black portions glossy, the white so pure it stung the eyes slightly at the sight. But the right was darker in contrast, red as deep as freshly spilled blood with black that refused to glint in the growing light, the white fading slightly to be more like paper in cold gray morning light. But none of these characteristics helped in any way to reveal what gender this asymmetrically split organism was. The unusual specimen of anthropomorphic fox had never volunteered for this school. Oh, it had often dreamed about having magical abilities, but it had never been serious in its little thoughts. It was more the quiet dreamer that remained in the back of the room, either reading, writing, or drawing something involving something that most skeptics still call impossible despite the proof that Puris had given. It was content with its mediocre life at its home town. Until the day that the magical proficiency test had been assigned to everyone sixteen and older. Oh, how well the memory plagued the vulpine. How the small pin had pricked the tip of its long and graceful middle finger. How the ruby droplet was siphoned by a small tube into a machine large as its body. How the screen displayed the "loading" message like it had done for all the others who had gone before. How the screen repeated "WARNING" in large red letters, before sparks flew from the sides, plumes of smoke rising as the glass screen shattered, giving a few teachers minor wounds. How the creature had felt uncomfortable as all eyes, wide with shock and disbelief, turned on him, gazing with hardly a blink. They had nearly thrown its androgynous body out of the building with a note to its legal guardian saying that it was not only accepted to the school, but required to go. Emrys was certain that it was the first that had arrived at this school, but it had no way of telling, as it had taken a ride with its adoptive mother, rather than the bus. The young fox whimpered softly as the gates opened slowly, the soft creak of moderately well oiled hinges like a soft funeral dirge to its large but concealed ears. As it walked slowly towards the drawbridge that reminded it of a enormous monster's tongue leading it into the infinite darkness of its gaping maw, it pondered its present situation. The machine must have been worn out, it thought, the words echoing faintly in its nearly blank confused mind. I may have weird colors, and some bizarre tattoos on my back, but those must have come from whoever my parents are. Probably some freaky Goths that wanted their kid to follow in their footsteps then couldn't handle a kid. If I really have some overwhelming powers, why haven't I just blown away any dick-wad that made fun of how I look or something? It questioned itself, attempting desperately to think of ways to debate on whether or not it belonged here. Without realizing it was still walking as it continued its inner monologue, it heard the dull hollow thuds of its simple black slip on shoes landing heavily upon the wooden drawbridge resting above a crystal clear moat. Had it crossed that football field sized distance so quickly? What was it doing here? It didn't belong here. It didn't belong anywhere. Especially not here. It had taken it nearly its entire sixteen years of life to gain tolerance at its original school, and even a few odd friends. It didn't want to suffer through that prejudice again. It stepped into a massive pitch black room, its shadow stretched on the ground before it till the point where the growing light would stop, the shadow merging with the darkness ahead. Upon reaching the edge of the light, it stopped, and looked around with its eyes concealed beneath the yellow hood, wondering if there had been a small power outage or some other technical difficulty. When it glanced at the ground again, it realized that the light at gone. It was blind now, surrounded by infinite darkness, consuming everything. It let out a soft whimper again, and felt its tail curl a bit to press against the back of its legs, nervous now. Had they figured out it had no powers? Was it in trouble for coming to this sacred place? It started to turn around to try and retrace it's steps, hoping that it would bump into something to help, when a stern female voice was heard, as if over an intercom. It froze in its tracks, not a single hair moving, holding its breath. "Go to the library, and wait to be sorted." As if a spotlight had been flicked on, it was momentarily blinded by piercing white light, raising an arm concealed within the jacket so well that only the very tips of black furred fingers could be seen. When the small dots had left its vision, the fox saw a large wooden door, heavily lacquered with a glossy mahogany color that shimmered softly in the bright light, with a doorknob that looked to be a beautifully cut diamond. The light seemed to focus upon it alone, a half circle of light resting at its foot like a form of glowing doormat. It took a deep breath, and released it slowly, trying to still its rapidly beating heart. It was now obvious the owners of this castle were exceptionally well versed in the arts of magic and intimidation. But that doesn't make them omniscient, does it? The fox's unspoken question went unanswered. It waited a moment, as if expecting a voice besides it's own silent mental whisper to disagree with that statement, before speaking with itself again. After all, if I had magic, I wouldn't have any reason to be scared shitless, would I? It walked around the door once, as if checking for any parlor tricks, but it was as it appeared. A single door standing in the only lighted spot in a realm of all encompassing darkness. It bit its lip lightly, before reaching for the handle with its right hand, the black fur refusing to shine in the light, and felt the cool glassy feel against it's warm, slightly sweaty velvety palm, wrapping the pads on the undersides of it's fingers and thumb around it, and twisting quickly, as if expected to be scolded for being here. The latch clicked softly, and the door creaked open slightly, revealing light on the other side. A mixed rush of noises reached its hooded ears, nearly deafening it with the sudden intensity of the sound waves. Taking the plunge, it forced its arm to push out with all its might, and the door was open, gritting its teeth in preparation for a severe reprimand. The room was massive. It was as if the fox had entered a multiple story museum dedicated to the marvel that is literature. Everywhere it looked, there were more and more bookshelves, lined along the walls to the ceiling looming high above. Steel plated sliding ladders rested at one side or the other of each wall, some even bearing two or more ladders due to the expanse of the great wall of numerous volumes, all a rainbow selection of colors that were so disorientating to the eye that it made one feel slightly ill to try and take it all in at once. Books with titles in so many languages, styles, colors, and ages that Emrys nearly felt lost to the infinite void of literature upon seeing only the wall before it. In the center of the room, there seemed to be the entire student body, for before the newcomer stood a mass of chattering adolescents of varying ages, sizes, and species. The majority seemed to be wearing school uniforms of a cold navy blue, with a symbol that the fox could not identify from afar on their left breast pockets. But there were normal people as well, dressed in multiple different fashions, though they all seemed to be Emrys' age, so it assumed that they were freshmen called here from other schools. The fox continued it's analysis of the room, noting the large round wooden tables with four black metal legs and six rather comfortable looking armchairs around each that looked so soft and deep it slightly worried about the students resting in them would never wish to remove themselves, a rather comfortable place to study. To it's far left, there was one large wall with three windows that reached the roof in a high arch, two of which were common multiple pane clear glass windows opening to the brightening sky and the school grounds below, showing that somehow Emrys had been transported to a higher floor. And in the center was a large stained glass window, depicting a large male angel dressed in a heavenly gown holding a book in both hands, gazing skyward with the volume open in it's palms, and below a young Negro human woman, her eyes focused on a glowing ball of energy that seemed to change color every time the fox tried to decide. Sitting across the room from the windows, there was a large black desk that surrounded a closed off wall of books like a store counter, and sitting in the center was a rather irritable looking old anthropomorphic hippopotamus dressed in a large tacky black dress with a pair of spectacles that made her eyes look insect-like. She was currently busy sifting through papers, gathering simple folders, obviously not very enthusiastic about all of the excessive amounts of energetic company. Emrys made a mental note never to have a late library book due to her. Unfortunately, the fox knew that it had a horrible memory for such things, and late fees seemed imminent. The fox was once again uncomfortable, not what one would classify as a "social creature" by nature. It long for seclusion, away from the chattering masses. Then it noticed the large staircase near the librarian's desk, curling up into another section of the library, possibly holding more books. The ambiguous figure quickly swept up the stairs, and found itself in a room half the size of that downstairs. Up here, the air was thicker, and a bit more musty, with the scent of old books filling the air. Rows of bookshelves lined the walls much like downstairs, but here there were also books stacked on the floor carelessly, looking ready to topple at the slightest disturbance. There were many places to hide up here, with bookshelves forming a simple form of labyrinth with a pathway within the center to reach other turns and hidden stores of knowledge. My form of paradise... thought Emrys, a small smile grazing those melancholy lips. It was many times quieter up here as well, only a handful of people here, including a small group of students gathered around one human that looked like the leader. Emrys kept to the quieter, darker areas of the room, having learned better than to get near such people until he learned of their names and reputations. The fox sighed softly as it sat on the floor of one corner of the room, happy for some peace and silence. As it looked, this school could be enjoyable, except for the uniforms which looked rather uncomfortable. It reclined back, resting it's hooded head gently on a shelf, closing it's eyes and just waiting for some sort of intercom or something to inform the students to line up. Well, this isn't so horrible... it's a big place, so I don't need to be dragged out every few minutes to be gawked at. Some people looked really nice. The library has everything I could ever dream about. And best of all, there aren't any people like that annoying pain in the tail, Mich-- "Hey Emrys!" The fox's eyes snapped open. That voice. That one annoying, energetic voice that had haunted it ever since entering high school. The creature whimpered loudly now, and clenched its eyes shut, forming a silent prayer. Oh gods, have mercy! Not her, not her, not her!!! It felt a pair of hands on its hood, pushing it back over its head. Underneath was one of the most unusual spectacles to be seen by a normal teenager. The fox's head was equally androgynous as its body, as well as equally mismatched in color, with another twist to it's appearance. Its head fur, similar to human hair, was obviously very long and slightly wavy, pulled back into a tight ponytail hidden in the jacket it wore. On the darker side of it's body, it was a deep dark chocolate color, nearly black even in bright light, with many streaks of metallic violet, glinting insidiously in the pale light creeping over the bookshelves hiding the creature. On the lighter side, it was a slightly brighter shade of brown, like a deep chestnut color, with streaks of metallic indigo, shining gently with a much more benevolent light than it's opposing half. Heaving a great sigh, knowing what atrocity of fate would be in store for it, the fox slowly opened its eyes. The left one was a brilliant emerald green, clear and beautiful to look at, shining with innocence and a will to protect, while the right was a dark deep jade, radiating ill will without any intention from it's owner, easy to become lost within. It turned these unusual features upward towards the creature that had descended upon it, knowing a great amount of discomfort would follow. Standing over the sexually ambiguous creature was a young human female, and from just the sight of her slightly protruding and fairly large incisors, one could tell that she was rather irritating. She wore thin rimmed glasses, and had her shoulder length dyed burgundy hair with blond highlights drawn into a bun. Her current attire was a leather jacket that she enjoyed bragging about, a pair of worn bell-bottom jeans with many names written on it with permanent marker, and a black tank top with a white playboy bunny insignia on the front. Michawn, Emrys' only, and definitely most unusual, friend. "... you know, whatever deity's up there, he sure must not like me. How did you get here? I mean, you openly admit you'd rather be richer than half the Hollywood starlets in existence than do something like magic." Michawn straightened, and bounced lightly on the spot, letting a small high pitched squeal escape her that made Emrys wince as it stood slowly, its ears flopping back as that had always annoyed the fox. "After you blew up the computer thing, they chucked you out of school, a'right? Well, a little later, they pulled in another, and they finished the testing." Her expression switched from one of excitement to a pout with the speed of a lightning flash. "They hurted me, Emrys. Look!" She held up a finger with a single band-aid over the tip. Emrys covered its face with a paw, sighing heavily. Michawn was never one for telling straight stories, unless it came to one of her many boyfriends, which she liked to chatter about constantly to anyone who would listen. Emrys, being one of very few friends but impressive patience, was an unlucky target for the constant chatter. Michawn as a good girl underneath it all, but she had been diagnosed with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, and tended to be very infuriating with her superficial beliefs. "Michawn, chill. They did it to everyone. Now, tell me what are you doing here. Didn't they say you didn't have the qualities needed to come here last year when they tested you and all the others over sixteen?" Michawn pouted more, which in Emrys' opinion not entirely cute, but put her hand in her pocket. "Yeah, well, they shouldn't hurt me! Anyway, they said I Must have been a late bloomer or something 'cause I now had a little bit of magic." She frowned greatly at saying this, as if it bothered her. "They weren't sure if they should send me here or not, Emrys! Like, they thought my magic was too puny to go, then they changed their mind and sent me here anyway!" She stamped her foot on the carpet, as if this would gain her some sympathy. "I'm not puny!" Emrys groaned, and turned around, lightly pounding it's head on a bookshelf, muttering under it's breath. "Why? Why me? Why can't I escape this?" "Oh, and Emrys," the annoying human continued, "there's this kinda purple dog thing back there that's crying. Ya know why?" The fox remained still for a second, battling between two small thoughts for a moment. But then it turned around, looking down at the fairly shorter girl. "Let's find out. You know I don't like people crying." And with that, it shoved slightly roughly past the girl, ignoring the tell-tale jangle of multiple necklaces and bracelets that Michawn had brought to try and find a local boy. "Ya know, you're a nice guy Emrys. I just wish you'd let me do your hair." The girl bounced along behind the fox, tugging at the midriff length ponytail. Emrys growled, yanking it's hair out of the girl's hand. "First off, I'm not a nice guy. I just don't see a point in someone crying when people can at least try and help. And I'm not letting you play with my hair because last time you thought I was a girl and tried giving me pigtails. That hairspray took all night to wash out!" Emrys, the now proven male, glanced around the corner, following the sound of soft sobs. Hidden in another corner much like Emrys had been was a young girl... creature. Emrys didn't know what to classify it as, as its main body was a dark violet with short but fluffy fur, and shoulder length straight sea green hair. Its tail looked a bit lupine, but was slightly feline as it was able to twist and flick easily. Its face was hidden by its paws, and from the sound and body motions, it was obviously weeping. Emrys sighed softly, and took a breath, bracing himself, knowing how most people felt uncomfortable around him, before walking over, and then crouching next to the figure, balancing on the balls of his feet, and gently prodded the creature's shoulder, noting the long levi skirt and t-shirt. The creature looked up, a bit startled, and made eye contact with its disturber. Its fur was a dead giveaway that it had been crying, the fur around its eyes and muzzle matted down with moisture. Emrys' mismatched eyes looked into a pair of brilliant aquamarine eyes, which if not for the fact that they were bloodshot currently, would have been gorgeous. Emrys saw in those eyes something he had not guessed at first glance, and while he felt slightly uncomfortable, he did not turn away. The creature did though, the natural repulsed feeling that Emrys' eyes gave when seen at close range shining easily over it's face. It spoke in a small, timid voice, gentle and soft like a harp, making the impression of feminism. "Who... who are you?... What do you want?..." Emrys smiled gently, and reached into his pocket, before pulling out a couple tissues that had not yet been used. Emrys had a habit of carrying many things in his pockets, influencing his choice of clothing to anything that was concealing and had great amounts of storage capacity. "Nothing. I just wanted to know if there was anything I could do to help, sir." Both pairs of normal eyes snapped to Emrys' smiling face, no sign of shame to be seen at all. Michawn gripped his ponytail and yanked him back, the fox forcing a yelp down as the girl spoke rapidly. "Emrys! Jeez, even I can tell that's a girl! Say you're sorry!" The fox gripped the girl's hand, and gently twisted at the wrist. Michawn let go, and withdrew her hand, pouting as she always tended to act extra sensitive as if she was made of porcelain. "What did I tell you about the hair? And you can't even tell if I'm a guy or girl, so you be quiet." He turned back to the young male, smiling gently. "Sorry bout that. Yes, I know you're a boy. Isn't that hard since I look like I'm a girl too." The young transvestite gulped, his eyes darting across the colorful face of the one who discovered the truth, paranoid as if looking for signs of a possible physical assault. Finding none, he spoke again in that soft voice, a very convincing feministic voice. "How... how did you... I mean... you're not gonna hurt me?..." Emrys chuckled and before anything could be said, he sat right next to the creature, smirking. "Nah, why would I? To each his own. Just be happy you're not where I'm from. Homophobe central! Took me years to make them see that this was just the way I look naturally, and not because I get special fur dye or take hormone pills or something like that." He pointed to Michawn. "And she, unfortunately, is my friend from the same place. If you two share fashion tips and who you each think is cute, then I think you two aught to get along just fine." The young ambiguous male smiled nervously, and accepted a tissue, dabbing at his eyes and nose. "Th-thanks... sorry about crying like that... it's just that..." He sighed, and pointed in the direction of the group Emrys had passed. "Those guys... found out I'm a boy... and now I'm hiding from them, 'cause the boss said that they were gonna... gonna..." He let out a soft shudder, and then covered his face with the tissue, a fresh wave of hot tears streaming forth. Emrys frowned, and even Michawn looked a bit piteous. It didn't seem like this cross dresser was one of those weird flaming-gay types as of yet. Unusual yes, but not the type that would want to hurt. Michawn, unfortunately, didn't know how to keep her mouth shut at appropriate times. "So, you really a fag, or you just like dressing like that?" Emrys glared at her, and even Michawn took a step back, a bit afraid of those mismatched eyes. The creature, on the other hand, didn't seem that offended, just lifting his head up from the tissue, speaking between sobs. "I'm not... I like girls... it's just that... I was always teased about being called a girl... so I... I dress like one... so now everyone leaves me alone... about it..." "Bullshit. If you liked girls, you'd drop the makeup at least." Emrys stiffened as he heard the new voice, his head snapping towards the only exit of the small corridor that he and the small boy were in. Standing just at the mouth of the corner was the human from before, with a smirk on that masculine face that told Emrys immediately that they were in trouble. The boy was obviously one of the older students, in full uniform, and looked downright handsome. His face had not a single mark on it, his face was clean shaven, his nose was small and perfectly shaped. His short flaming red hair was straight, even a bit spiky. His body was exceptionally well built, though not burly like a typical jock, but more of a tall perfection of the human male physique. His sharp brown eyes raked across the two effeminate males, and the smirk broadened. Emrys was strongly reminded of a Hollywood teen idol. Behind him was an assortment of young males, all approximately of the same age as their leader, and further behind them was Michawn, who stood partially dumbstruck at the large group of older handsome males of all types. "What have we here? A pair of transvestites discussing guy troubles? Or just simply asking if they think their asses are too fat?" A tirade of laughter washed over the pair. Emrys felt the skin under the fur of his cheeks burn, wondering how much he can take before the color shown through the white/off-white fur. The young male just curled up, hiding his face as he looked near to sobbing again. The leader chuckled, and walked towards them. He bent forward, and gripped Emrys' jacket, lifting him hastily to his feet, glaring malevolently down at his prey. "Another piece of freshmen trash. Wonder what nuclear waste dump this one crawled out of." He snorted, and let go of Emrys, patting the fox's shoulder in a seemingly friendly gesture, even though the fox winced as he felt his arm nearly dislocated. He then turned to the sobbing little boy on the ground, chuckling. He reached down, and gripped the quivering child's hair roughly, pulling him to his feet, his face drawn back in a silent scream of pain. "And here's our little friend from before. You know, you really shouldn't walk around Flick over there with a skirt on if you want to keep something hidden." He smirked, his eyes glinting. "He tends to live up to his name." At this, the males chuckled and glanced toward a wiry young lynx with keen amber eyes, looking rather smug. The leader dropped the oddly colored boy roughly, and didn't even stop to apologize as a dull thud was heard, the feminine boy's head lightly hitting a wooden bookshelf. He turned around, and started to head away, laughing along with his friends, proud of himself. "At least the transvestite has more balls than you." The leader froze in place. He let out a small chuckle, and looked back benignly, seeing Emrys check the young boy's wound. "Could you repeat that? I think the bitch's crying kind of screwed up what you said." Emrys glared up through his long bangs at the leader, knowing that the abused boy was okay, just with a bump on his forehead. He stood slowly, not blinking as he continued his death glare. "A-at least he can be h-himself. Y-you need to show off in front of an au-au-audience. Who's the b-bigger man?" Emrys silently cursed himself. He knew this would just get himself in trouble, and that his problem of speaking normally under pressure would only make things worse. But he hated seeing someone being abused when they were in the right. The smirk was gone, and the other males let out in unison a long "ooooh" of mock fear. The leader did not come closer, just glaring at the fox from a bit away, his eyes glowing softly with some unusual light. "Listen, whatever you are... keep talking like that, and the caretaker will kill us both because of the blood on the walls." The males around him chuckled, and muttered under their breaths, placing bets. Emrys gulped, knowing that he would be torn limb from limb in a real fight, but knew he was stuck for it. He took a step forward, placing himself between the smaller creature and the burly antagonist. "Go ahead. People say I have a death wish." The leader, obviously not used to having his authority challenged like this, snarled. The others backed away as heat seemed to radiate from him, his fists clenched tightly. "Little pain in the ass... don't say I didn't warn you." And he lifted his hand, pointing it at the fox's head. An invisible wave of force flew forward, books rattling in their cases, held there by some unseen force. Emrys barely had time to crouch slightly in defense, his arms before him to try and avoid his face being hit. As the wall struck, he felt as if he was being shoved back by a punching glove the size of a beach ball. But oddly, this was different than being hit by a fist. It hurt more in a way, a bit of his sleeve tearing under the strain, but he could feel himself actually able to stave it off. Exerting every ounce of muscle in his fragile arms, he pushed as hard as he could back, and he felt the ball leave his arms, heading back to it's originator. The leader must have not expected that, as it struck him full in the face, making him stumble back. It was as if he had been struck in the face with a bowling ball, a trickle of blood flowing from his momentarily flattened nose. He growled loudly, jumping to his feet. "Little fucker!" In his rage, he seemed to gain even more size, the very air around him rippling as if a sudden high wind surrounded him. He waved one hand up, dust swirling around it as if he had conjured a miniature tornado around his fingers, and then threw it towards the fox, a much larger wave flying towards Emrys now, a few cracks heard of the wooden bookshelves giving way to the force. Emrys, not knowing what had happened, quickly put his hands in front of him, as if expecting to catch this ball like the last one, clenching his eyes together. As if an invisible sphere had surrounded him and the one he was protecting, the force went all around him, only seen by the amounts of dust it blew, and the destruction it reeked upon the books around them, a few hardback covers getting dented as if a rock had struck them. When the force was gone, the fox opened his eyes, and looked to his hands. Nothing was there, but oddly he could block something like that. What was going on? The leader stood there, dumbstruck. By now, a normal creature would be rushed to the infirmary after an attack like that, but this fox had nothing but a light scratch on his jacket. The others were looking towards him, as if now questioning his ability to beat up creatures smaller and inferior to him. This seemed to spur his rage further, snarling loudly as he glared at the fox. "That fucking tears it! You're DUST!" As if his uniform was a living creature, something began to ooze out of the back. Four points could be seen extending from the back of that jacket, extending to fill the entire space between shelves. His eyes glowed bright crimson now, as four wings appeared from his back. The top pair were seraphic, each as large as he was, the feathers a brilliant white and magnificent to the eye. The lower pair was that of a bat or dragon, a pure ebony that made a startling contrast to the ivory feathers. He drew his hands together, and this time, not a small form of invisible force, but a sphere of pure white flame glowed brightly, darkening his features, making the bully now look like a tyrant that would strike fear into the heart of Attila the Hun. Emrys whimpered, taking a step back, nearly tripping over the now staring child. I'm deep fried. Well, I led a good life... I guess... thought the fox, his mismatched eyes reflecting the impending doom. He crossed his arms in front of him in a last ditch effort to defend himself as before, knowing that he would not be able to survive this strike. He couldn't even bear to watch the sphere be thrown, clenching his eyes together as he sensed the wave of pure energy rushing at him. A loud tearing was heard, like that of cloth, and he felt his back feel like it had been ripped open somehow, and heavier. Something wrapped tightly around him just as he felt that now familiar wall of force press against the air just in front of his body again. But this time, it felt as if it had been nothing more than a breath of warm air, instead of a real effort like before with the previous strikes. What was this feeling? It was like something that had been locked inside had been released, and now that thing was standing in front of him like a shield. With nothing more than a mere thought, the defender shifted slightly, and he felt as if the flame had reached a rubber band, forming a slingshot effect and sending it back. Why did he feel so powerful now? "Emrys! What are those!?" He blinked, opening his eyes for the first time. In front of him, there was a wall of dark violet material that looked like some sort of fur. He reached out slowly to touch it, feeling it's silky smooth fur. Amazingly, as he stroked it, he felt a sensation of intense pleasure shooting along the wall into his back and into his brain, as if what he had done had been a form of self grooming. Thinking for a second, he imagined the curtain moving away so he could see. It worked. The wall shifted like a living creature, and moved away, revealing a wall of feathers, much like the bully's wings, except these were twice the size, and at a few various spots, there gleamed a spot of silver. He touched it, and the same feeling as when he had touched the fur wall raced through him, except arching to the left side of his back instead of the right. He moved this as well. Before him stood the hippopotamus librarian from downstairs, surrounded by a multitude of people. Near the wall there was the bully, his wings retracted now, and there was a bloody wound in his left arm, next to a large dent in the wall as if it had been struck with a wrecking ball but not hard enough to break through. Behind the librarian, there seemed to be as much of the student body that could manage to fit in this section of the library, with Michawn at the front, looking very shocked at something. And to the right of the hippo, a female human with golden brown tanned skin and black curly hair that reached to the waist of her black robe, which held a golden name tag on her left breast reading "Amelthia Eomis: Headmistress". I'm in deeeeeeep shit... The headmistress stepped towards the wounded young man, looking at his forearm, ignoring the hole in the wall. This was probably because the hole was closing up on it's own, as if the school was alive and always constantly repairing itself. When she spoke, it was in a stern but dulcet voice, the type that made one want to obey her in hopes of her favor. "What happened here, Mr. Randis?" The young man cleared his throat, and spoke carefully, as if giving a report to a class. "My friends and I came here because we feel uncomfortable around new students. Yes, we know we shouldn't be up here when the entire school's supposed to be in the library. I'll take full responsibility for that." He glanced to the fox, and Emrys felt certain that Randis' eyes concealed a sense of smugness. "We were just talking up here, when we saw this... thing walk up here with it's hood pulled down, looking a bit shady. We talked for a minute, then decided to follow it to find out who and what it was. And when we get here, we find it beating up that kid just because of her weird looks!" Emrys felt a block of ice drop through his stomach. The bastard was lying! To the headmistress! "Well, I didn't think that he had the right to pick on someone smaller than him, so I yanked him back to give the girl a breather. And then this fox thing tried to blast me with a little psychic wave! That's how I got the bloody nose." Emrys erfed slightly, remaining quiet and looking down to his shoes. Evidence was more on Randis' side. He knew that if he denied it, he would be forced to explain how he bounced back this "psychic wave" when he didn't even know how he had achieved this event. "Well, I was already a bit ticked, and this made me lose my temper. So I sent a bigger one, and he blocked it, and that's how he got his sleeve torn up, see?" He pointed to the one tattered sleeve of Emrys', revealing the thin effeminate arm underneath, his black furred "glove" reaching up into a point under his elbow like an unusual sort of female's glove. Damn, he's good... he's even taking a bit of the blame to make him look respectable... "Well, that got him really pissed off, and then he shows that he's a crossbreed! He must have learned a bit of simple combustion from someone because he was gonna blast me and my friends with a level one ivory flame trick! If I didn't let out my wings, my buddies might have been deep fried! He kind of caught me by surprise, too. If I saw it coming, I could have reversed it and took him to you, but at the time I was more worried about surviving. Then that girl-" he pointed to Michawn, who now looked a bit foolish, showing how bad she had messed up by even her realizing it, "went and got Mrs. Shrekfix and that's where you came in." Emrys kept looking down, knowing he was dead. They were probably going to expel him for this now. But his mind couldn't help but echo with the word "crossbreed". What did that mean? Would this explain his odd coloring, or his gender appearance? Mrs. Eomis folded her arms, surveying the situation with her black hawk-like eyes. She looked as if skeptical as to the story, but almost all of the evidence seemed to make it feasible. She thought for a moment, and then spoke. "I believe half of your story, Randis. For one, I have my doubts that Amatsu would attack someone for appearance, for obvious reasons. And while the idea that he used a psychic attack is feasible, as that tends to be among the first type of signs to powers to even the simplest of students, being nothing but a force of will and imagination, I severely doubt that Amatsu could have used a combustion spell as you described. And as to the part of him being a crossbreed, unless his legal guardians are hiding information from us about his adoption papers, it is unlikely that he even knew how to reveal that information because he most likely didn't know himself. "But..." she sighed gently. "As it stands, your story is for the most part feasible. So until a full explanation is given by Amatsu, young Yuetises, and yourself, we cannot give any full judgment. Therefore, I shall take Amatsu with me, you get yourself to the hospital wing, and Beth will sort the other new students to their dorms. Dismissed!" And with that, the students began filing downstairs, led by an exceptionally irritable Shrekfix, soon leaving only Eomis, Emrys, and the little boy who the fox assumed to be Yuetises. Emrys was keeping his attention fully on his shoes, as if they were hypnotizing him. When the chatter was now dull and far away, a small soft voice broke the silence. "He's... he's a liar, Mrs. Eomis! Em... I mean, Mr. Amatsu was protecting me! Those guys were gonna beat us up, c-cause I look like a girl!" Yuetises sounded small and timid, but sincere, on the verge of another wave of tears. "Enough, Yuetises" said Eomis with a tone of finality in her voice. "I believe you." Emrys' heart leapt. She believed it? Then why didn't she say so? He kept his nose pointed down, knowing to not speak unless spoken to when he was in trouble. "I know of Mr. Randis' skewed view that his lineage allows him to pick on those of lesser birth. But as he publicly does more good for the school than harm, I am forced to have leniency on him. He shall gain a detention. As I have no real evidence besides three freshman saying different than his story, it is the most I can do." She folded her arms, sighing softly, her exceptional bosom heaving gently, making Emrys blush as he had noticed this. "But as the entire school believes that Amatsu is the culprit, I am required to punish him accordingly." She reached up, and gently stroked her chin as she looked over the fox, her eyes traveling further to the left and to the right than Emrys though his body stretched. "Considering his background, we can call this nothing more than a loss of control. But he shall need to be relocated to a new dorm, as in his present state he is too dangerous to be placed with other students. This may change over the course of the term." Emrys felt like he could soar, now. He wasn't being expelled! Punishment? Having his own personal dorm was a dream! He would have to thank Randis next time he saw the jerk. "And his town visitation rights will be cancelled for a week or two. So he shall be required to remain in his room when not in studies. In essence, he is grounded." She turned around. "Please return your wings, Amatsu, and I shall lead you to your new dorm." Wings? Emrys thought, completely bewildered. He slowly turned his head, looking first to the left. There was the massive feathery wall again, it's white as pure as untouched snow, except for a few flecks of silver. He imagined it moving a little. The tips of the primaries shuddered lightly. It was real. Perplexed, he looked to the right. There was the wall of violet, revealing the inner webbing of a demon wing, equally as large as it's angelic counterpart. He curled it lightly, and saw that seen from the back, the wing was a deep jet black, with a small claw at the tip of the topmost arc. Altogether, the full wingspan seemed to be four times as he was tall. It felt like having an aircraft on his back. "Er... how?" His voice broke the silence, the first time he had spoken since Randis had first attacked. Eomis turned to face him, and smiled gently, her face as beautiful of that of an angel from old literature. "Think about them shrinking and sinking back into your back. It may take a moment, considering the size of yours." She turned again, and started walking down the steps. Emrys closed his eyes, and pictured himself from behind, then imagined the wings slowly sinking into him, like a rewound version of Randis' wings emerging. It was an odd feeling, like as if some bones were being liquefied, and poured into holes in his back, attached to his scapula. After what felt like an eternity, though it was probably at most a full minute, he felt the tips sink into him, and he felt as if he was confined again, trapped within his own body. He sighed, and started to follow the headmistress, when he remembered something. He turned quickly, and jogged to Yuetises, kneeling next to him, forcing a smile. "Hey... sorry bout that. Are you okay?" The little seemingly female creature nodded, and smiled nervously once again, showing how pretty he looked when he did that. "Yeah... thanks to you..." Emrys chuckled, and patted his head, gently gripping his hair and ruffling it playfully. "Nah, that was a fluke. Anyway, I better get going. See ya!" He stood up, and turned, beginning to jog out. "Um... my name's Abby! Abigail Yuetises!" called out the young creature, waving after the departing fox. Emrys turned his head and torso to glance back, smiling and waving back. "Call me Emrys!" And with that, he jogged down the steps, prepared to accept his fate.
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