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Back To School

The orange, burning sun in the sky sinks just over the horizon, creating dark shadows to be cast over a ruined city. Inside, thousands of corpses litter the streets, roaring flames lick surrounding buildings and the stench of blood is thick in the air. In the center of such chaos, a lone, shadowed figure is seen, smiling a wicked smile with red, glowing eyes and dangerously sharp fangs.

It chuckles in amusement at the carnage, then turns around to see a floating stainless white mirror, the object being the only witness. Inside the reflection, a bear is seen, wearing a mixed expression of horror and sadness. He shouts, but no sound comes out, and as he stares at the shadow, a small sliver of light shines on its face, revealing...

"Ah!" Xun snapped his eyes open, quickly sitting up in bed. He placed a paw to his chest, heart beat pumping rapidly as if he ran a marathon. Cold sweat ran down his fur, almost making a puddle on the dry sheets. "What was that just now?" He wondered aloud, trying his best to recall what he had just saw in his dream. 'But was that really a dream just now? It felt too...real.'

Suddenly, a knock to the bedroom door broke him from his thoughts. "Hey, are you alright in there? I heard a scream." A soft, yet familiar voice laced with concern said, waiting to hear a response.

A small groan rumbled out of Xun before shaking his head to clear off whatever it was he just dreamed of. "Yeah, I'm fine! I'll be out in a minute!" He replied, turning to the left and noticing the alarm clock on his nightstand reading 6:00 A.M. His eyes moved from that to the calendar, noting the date; September 5th, 2011.

"Okay, don't be too long because school starts today!" The voice responded back in excitement. After that, the sound of retreating footsteps could be heard before the soft click of a door closing shut.

With a grunt and a yawn, Xun got up out of bed, his feet making contact with the cold, wooden floor that sent small shivers coursing through his body; a wake up call that made him fully open his eyes. Now with his body and mind awake, he padded over to the dresser that stood in a corner of the room and grabbed a towel. Object in hand, he opened the bedroom door and made his way to the bathroom that was located right across the hall. Inside, Xun looked himself over in the mirror; a panda bear with green colored eyes stared back at him with a smile, wearing bright red briefs that hugged his form comfortably and a jade bracelet wrapped around his right wrist.

In his reflection, Xun made a few strongman poses, growling playfully before bursting out in laughter at how silly he was being. However, he didn't have time to waste since it was a school day after all so the bear quickly brushed his teeth, then took a quick shower. After he finished and stepped out of the tub, the panda ran a left paw over his body, the magic stirring and instantly drying up the damp fur in a flash. "Quick and easy," he said with a chuckle.

Heading back inside his room with the towel wrapped around his waist, Xun went to the drawer again and shuffled through them to pull out what was necessary for today; navy blue briefs, socks and a white T-shirt. Next, he made his way to the walk-in closet that stood just a few feet away from where he stood on the right side of the room and grabbed his uniform; a bright blue blazer with a black tie included, black slacks, a brown satchel and finally his dress shoes. Now fully prepared, he slipped everything on, then checked himself in the mirror again to make sure he was good to go.

"Got my clothes on...fur isn't out of place...teeth are nice and shiny." The panda smiled again, making sure there was no plaque or anything. After doing that and double checking himself, he noticed the golden pin on the right breast pocket; an emblem with the frame of a grimoire surrounded by the earth's seven elements. It was the symbol of the private school he attended, Crestridge Academy. A school for not only mages but mundanes as well. He gently touched it with a finger to straighten the pin, then made his way to the door. Opening it, Xun's eyes fell down to spot a panda an inch shorter than him who was wearing the exact same uniform, standing in the hallway with an impatient look. "Oh, hey Justin! What's up?"

"I've been standing here for five minutes, and I'm hungry." Justin stated with a huff of annoyance, one foot tapping impatiently, both arms folded across his chest. "Are you almost done?"

Xun closed his bedroom door with a soft click, then gave his brother a thumbs up. "Sorry, didn't think you'd get dressed before me." He chuckled with his tongue sticking out.

"Dork," Justin cracked a smile and shook his head before turning around to head for the stairs and descending with the other following behind.

The smell of food reached Xun's nostrils before making it to the kitchen, his stomach audibly growling for nutrition. "Hush, you."

"Morning boys, breakfast is ready!" A female panda called out in a pleasant tone with two steamy plates being held in oven mitted paws before setting them down on the table across from where where her husband was sitting with an open newspaper in paw. There were two sausages, scrambled eggs and waffles served with melted butter and syrup; a classic dish that everyone in the house loved.

"Morning," their father greeted as both brothers sat, already scarfing down their portions of breakfast. Without putting the newspaper down, the old man reached out to his right, grabbing a -just now placed- mug of coffee with a plate sitting in front of him and taking a generous sip, then put the mug back down. "You boys excited for another year?"

"Ha!" Xun answered in excitement after swallowing some eggs. "Seeing as how I'm a senior this year, of course I am!"

The panda was definitely prepared to end school life and do whatever he wanted with no one telling him what to do. For three years, he suffered in agony over the monotone voices of his teachers, along with the boring lectures, the schoolwork and the homework. But no more will he endure this torture.

Their father chuckled at this newfound confidence. As he folded up the newspaper and placed it across his lap, he responded, "ahh, that's right. This is your last year isn't it?" A mischievous smirk crept upon the edges of his muzzle, green eyes narrowing at his son, deflating his triumph a little. "You know what that means, don't you?"

Xuns' ears flicked down as he knew where this was going and honestly, he didn't want that subject to be brought up. A small sigh escaped as he prepared for an uncomfortable conversation yet again. "Yeah, dad..."

"Oh, David, honestly!" Their mother exclaimed, surprising the two guys and grabbed a nearby magazine from the counter and bopped her husband on the head with it, earning a 'Hey!' before slipping off the oven mitts, then grabbing her plate and sitting down with the rest. "We've already talked about this!" She gazed at Xun with genuine motherly affection. "Whatever you choose to do in life, we'll support you in anyway we can, okay sweetie?"

"Uhh, yeah. Thanks, mom." Xun responded and smiled at her, then went after his breakfast again.

David chuckled, seeming to have lost the small battle. "Alright, Amanda, I'll ease off for now." His eyes turned to Justin now, who was still eating. "And what about you? Are you ready to start your first year?"

Justin shrugged. "I guess...I mean, all I'm really gonna be doing is what I've done during middle school. Read a book, study, do schoolwork, then come home and finish homework."

Amanda frowned. "But, honey, don't you want to make some friends? It's wonderful that you keep your grades up, but wouldn't it be nice to chat with someone your age and have fun?"

"No, not really," the young panda responded after gulping down the last bit of his waffles before putting his fork down, apparently finished with his food. "I prefer my books and study whenever I can."

An awkward silence soon followed after that, the sound of utensils clattering against glass plates being the only thing filling the quiet space. It was apparent that no one expected that sort of answer.

"Well," David spoke after clearing his throat, "if that's what you love to do son, then by all means, keep doing it. But please, do your mother and I a favor. Try to make at least one friend, alright?" A nod was received and silence took over once more.

Feeling the need to break the ice, Xun got up from his seat and walked to the front door. "Well, we gotta head off to school so, yeah...come on Justin!" He opened the door, already stepping foot outside, his brother coming up next to him, then closed it shut. "Jeez, that was getting awkward fast!"

Justin didn't reply as he strolled over to the black Honda Accord in the driveway and stood there, waiting patiently by the passenger side door.

"Are you alright?" Xun asked as he neared the vehicle, watching his little brother carefully for any sign of discomfort. But there was none as the panda nodded. So with a shrug he brought out his car keys to unlock the vehicle. After the both of them hopped inside and put on their seat belts, he started up the engine and pulled out of the driveway, heading towards the school.

The suburb of Winnipeg was a nice, quaint little place with ordinary looking brick style homes, fresh cut lawns and a very helpful community. Xun and his family lived in the area for quite a few years, with no trouble at all, which the panda liked very much. Although he never really visited almost everyone, it was still welcoming to anyone who moved in.

"I'm surprised," Justin said out of the blue, jarring his brother from the small reprieve, "you still have that bracelet on your wrist."

"Huh?" Confusion was written all over Xun's face until he looked over at his right wrist, noticing the accessory that was attached there. "Oh, this. Why wouldn't I? It's a gift from mom and dad when I turned ten." A small smile crossed his face then, as he could still recall the disappointment in his voice after being presented with such an item. He had hoped for a brand new action figure.

"Yeah, but isn't it a bit uncomfortable now that you're eighteen? I mean, it was eight years ago when you got it." The younger panda stated, eyes locked on the bracelet, almost studying it.

"Umm, I don't know if you realized it yet, but there's rope for me to adjust. Look closer and you'll see it." Xun responded, his eyes never leaving the road.

Justin leaned over as much as the seat belt could allow, and inspected the bracelet. Five medium sized green beads were in fact, connected around by a white rope that were securely looped. "Oh. Well, I feel like a dummy now." He said and laid back in his seat.

"Eh don't worry about it," Xun responded with a smile, "most people never notice until I point it out, so you're fine." He reached over and gently patted his brother on the head.

It didn't take long for them to see the large, two story building coming up ahead. As he pulled into the parking lot and quickly spotting a vacant spot (due to it being earl and school not starting until seven thirty), he turned off the engine. After successfully parking, Xun unlocked both doors and placed a paw on the door handle, ready to get out. But as soon as he turned the handle, his right wrist was grabbed. "Huh...?" he looked up to see Justin, a pained look on his face. "Whoa, what's wrong?"

"I..." Justin bit his lip, his eyes darting between his big brother and the floor before letting go, sighing in defeat, "I'm scared. I don't really know how to make friends."

In an instant, Xun let go of the door handle and placed a paw on top of the other panda's and curled his fingers around the palm, a genuine smile on his muzzle. "Hey now, it's alright. I know it's scary to meet new people and make friends, but it'll turn out okay. And it's easy! The person just has to have the same interests as you do! Trust me, you'll find a few and you'll be fine."

"Uhh...I guess you're right..." Justin gave another sigh as he scratched the side of his head, seemingly contemplating on what to say or do. Soon, a small smile surfaced as he locked eyes with his brother. "And you're here for a whole year before you graduate anyways. So...yeah, I think I can do it." He giggled and turned to the school, which didn't help him any for his ears sunk to the sides of his skull and his eyes were wide, as if the building would come alive and eat him.

'Oh, boy...' Xun simply shook his head and squeezed his little brother's paw tighter, making him look over. "It's fine. Just be yourself, okay?"

It took a minute or two, but eventually Justin nodded, his topaz eyes looking determined and filled with energy. "Thanks, Xun." In a swift movement, he hugged the other panda then let go and took off his seat belt. "I'm ready now."

Nodding in return, the panda took off his own seat belt and turned the handle, climbing out of the vehicle with his little brother doing the same before shutting the doors and locking it. With that done, the siblings walked toward the school, joining the small yet growing crowd.

Crestridge Academy; a well funded private school that's ranked number one as best school in state and country, thanks to not only it's football team winning every game, but also due to high test scores that couldn't be bested. Students and faculty alike, take pride on being able to attend here, or so they say.

"Xuuuuuunnnnn!" A familiar voice called out as they entered inside the school and into the massive halls. Xun looked through the crowd to see a short, petite ferret girl waving, then in the next instant run over to him, easily closing the distance before jumping up and giving her best tight hug. "Oh my gods! I'm soooo glad to see you! I missed you so much!"

Xun grunted a little from not just the air constricting hug, but the impact the short girl made to his ribs, but he grinned through the pain nonetheless. "Hey...it's nice to see you too Gwen. C-can you let go please?" He wheezed out the last part as he was quickly losing air and before his eyes could even turn up and around, she gave one more firm squeeze, then finally let go, allowing him to take a big intake of air.

Gwen rubbed the back of her head sheepishly. "Sorry, I just miss us talking about guys who we think are totally cute, and going shopping." She said, then her eyes widened as they fell upon the smaller panda, who backed up slowly, ready to escape. But it was already too late as she got him in her grasp. "Oh my goodness! You look so handsome Justin! If you were older, I'd date you in a heartbeat!"

Justin squirmed, a hot blush creeping on his cheeks, which was easy to see thanks to his fur pattern. He looked at Xun with terrified eyes, silently begging him for her to stop.

"Okay, you can release him now, Gwen." Xun watched as the ferret did just that, hearing a small sigh of disappointment. "Aww don't be sad. You'll see him again. In any case, are you off to go to your home period class?" The question was aimed at Justin.

The young panda nodded. "Yeah, I don't wanna be late." He pulled out his schedule from his satchel, took a quick once over at it, and turned around in the direction to where the classroom would be, but paused for a moment as he looked over his shoulder. "Oh, will I see you at lunch? And you won't cause any trouble?"

At that question, Xun sighed heavily, but recovered and gave a thumbs up with an earnest smile. "We'll be there and I won't, I promise."

Gwen chimed in with an arm going around the pandas' waist. " Don't worry. He'll definitely stay out trouble with me around." She laughed, ignoring the annoyed glare at her direction.

With nothing more to add, Justin gave a nod and a small wave, then swiveled his head and weaved his way through the crowd, his body disappearing into the vast sea of students.

"I swear, sometimes he worries about me too much, and I'm the older brother here." Xun shook his head, then looked down at Gwen with a grin. "And what was that about keeping me out of trouble? Cause if I recall, you get into fights way more than me."

In retaliation for the remark, Gwen punched the panda on the arm. "That's because girls are jealous of my natural looks, and the dumb boys won't keep their hands to themselves." Just then, at the very mention of boys, her eyes flared up. "And speaking of, which guy do you think is good enough for you to date?"

"Look, I've already said since freshman year that I'm not dating until I know I'm certain that I want to." Xun chuckled and pulled out his own pink slip. Scanning through it, he found that his homeroom was in 14-B. "Well, I know where I'm supposed to be." He folded up the piece of parchment and placed it back in the satchel. "What about you?"

"14-B." Gwen said with a smile tugging at her lips. "I've already looked at my schedule before you two got here."

"Huh. Same place as me then, just like old times. Let's roll." Xun made his way his way down the halls with the ferret following close behind, making small remarks on a guy as each one passed by. He really didn't pay attention to her at that point as he looked at the passing numbers on top of each door.

About two minutes went by until they finally found their destination, which was upstairs on the second floor of the building. In the doorway as they approached stood a violet female dragon who looked to be in her mid 20's, wearing a black suit. Her eyes were focused on a clipboard, a pen in her paw scrolling through the list of students. She barely noticed the panda and ferret.

Xun coughed, fully grabbing the woman's attention and smiled. "Umm hi, are you Ms. Blake, our homeroom teacher?" He questioned, immediately getting somewhat of a death stare that sent chills down his spine. "Uhh, s-sorry I asked..."

An eyebrow was raised, then her eyes widened in sudden realization to what was going on. "Oh, I'm sorry! Yes, I'm your teacher. Excuse my mood, I didn't have coffee this morning." She gave a light hearted laugh and looked at her clipboard again, pen in paw scrolling through the list. "Let's see here...Xun Ling, and Gwen Keiper?" Both teens nodded in confirmation, a smile touching her lips. "Alright, Mr. Ling, you are at row three, column four. Ms. Keiper you're at row three, column three. These will be your permanent seats throughout the whole semester, understand?."

"Yes, ma'am." Xun said before proceeding through the door, and gazed around the room. Everything was a boring white, save for the wooden desks, the chairs and the Canadian flag that was perched on the top right corner of the white board. As he took his seat with Gwen right in front of him, he couldn't help but let out a chuckle.

"Hey... what's so funny, giggles?" Gwen asked with a smile. Her long, pink, furless tail danced in excitement.

"Nothing, really. I'm just ready to be done with all of this, finally." He stretched out, arms reaching upward as the medium-sized room quickly filled in with students.

Now that the other furs had come in, the room quickly became a cacophony of chatter, something both panda and ferret easily ignored, since they talked amongst themselves. However, once Ms. Blake came in, the room gradually fell silent. But as she checked the list one more time, a small gasp came out. "Oh, my. Thankfully I'm looking at this carefully, otherwise this boy would have been late," she muttered to herself before clearing her throat, "there is a student, who has once lived in this area, coming here as of this very moment. Please, treat him with respect."

Hearing the announcement, all of the students went about whispering to each other, wondering just who the person was and what he looked like.

"Wonder who that could be?" Gwen whispered over her shoulder, to which the panda shrugged as he had no idea who it could be.

"No clue, but the only one who I know of that lived here was--" Xun cut himself off, for someone did walk through the door and his eyes became wide like saucers. "Oh, my gods..."

Everyone fell into silence once again as a strikingly handsome white lion entered the room, all eyes and attention drawn to him as if a spell had been cast. At first glance, he looked to be like any other feline, but with a detailed eye, anyone could see that he was more than that. His mane; a lush, vibrant color of white mixed with luxurious softness made the lion appear pure and innocent, but there was power and intimidation if one were to get in the way. And his body, while clothed, was very masculine underneath. "Ah, is this 14-B?" He asked the teacher, handing her a note. His voice was deep and smooth like silk, his British accent thick.

The woman nodded and graciously took the note before reading over the contents, bobbing her head every now and then until she finished. "I see...I do hope you'll stay in Manitoba this time." She said with a chuckle before picking up the clipboard again from her desk. "Let's see...your seat is row two, column four."

"Thank you." He smiled and turned around to find his assigned seat. As he spotted the vacant chair, he walked over to it, all eyes still on him but he didn't seem to pay it any mind for his eyes were on one fur in the room; Xun. Sitting down, he gazed at him with a knowing smile. "Hey, remember me?"

Gwen's jaw dropped. "You know him?!" She exclaimed, swiveling her head around to catch her friend with the same expression she had.

Xun was speechless. He didn't know what to say, let alone do, for he just stared back at the lion, green eyes locking with purple. 'Such beautiful eyes...I could get lost in them.' And that he was, feeling like his soul was being sucked in. "I do...?" He giggled like a schoolgirl, which made the other chuckle in turn.

The ferret rolled her eyes at this, but a smile was on her lips regardless. Quickly she reached out her paw in front of Xun's face and snapped her fingers, successfully drawing him back into reality. "Come on, loverboy. Back to earth."

"Oh! Oh, right! Uhh...wow. Heh. Yeah, I do know him." Xun replied, scratching the back of his head sheepishly. He focused back on the lion, a more fond of a smile touching his lips as memories of his childhood began to surface. "I do remember you Rowen. It's nice to see you again."

"And it's nice to see you too...bear bear." Rowen smiled at the instant reaction the panda was displaying. "So, are you going to introduce me to your girlfriend here by any chance?"

Gwen scoffed, then snorted derisively. "Please, me and him are soooo not like that. I love him like a brother, so no sweetie, this ship is not happening. And since you're curious, I'm Gwen. Nice to meet you."

Laughter erupted from the lion. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to offend in any way. In any case, my name's Rowen. Me and bear bear here have been friends since elementary."

Xun wanted to die in embarrassment, his cheeks burning a pretty crimson. He glared at Rowen with such menace, but the other wasn't phased in the slightest. "You said you wouldn't call me that anymore. You promised." He said with a pout, recalling the time when he was six and the lion cub just suddenly called him that one day and the nickname stuck. He hated it with a passion.

"Aww, I find that nickname cute though." Gwen said, a beaming smile tugging on her lips as Xun put his head down on the desk and covered his head, groaning.

Rowen smiled as well and was about to say something, but the morning bell, signaling that school had just begun, cut him off.

"Alright class, time to begin the day." Ms. Blake announced, stacking the thousands of paperwork in her hands.

~ ~ ~

Mr. Klowski; a mid to late 30's panther shut the door before he sat down at his desk, addressing all of the freshman. "Good morning, students. This room you are sitting in is..."

Justin didn't pay a single word to what the old man was saying, for his thoughts swirled with paranoia and fear. The last fifteen minutes, he kept repeating what happened earlier today, and it was him bumping into someone by pure accident, all because he didn't pay attention this one time.

He was in the halls, trying to figure out where his homeroom was like any other student who was new to the school grounds. His eyes were stuck to the schedule like glue. However, there were times he did look up to see if he was on the right track and surprisingly, he was, but then he would come back down to the parchment. It was smooth going for the most part, until he hit an almost solid brick wall and fell down on his rump with the paper slipping out of his grip and onto the floor.

Now normally, in these types of situations, he would quickly get up and apologize, grab his stuff and keep moving. But this time, it was different. Instead an offered paw was lent, and it belonged to a kneeling red and white husky with eyes the color of sapphire. This simple action perplexed him because he had been bullied before. So he hesitated at first, unsure if this small act of kindness was merely a trick to beat him up, but somehow, he felt the sincerity, so he grabbed on. After standing up and dusting himself off, the husky kept asking if he was alright.

All Justin could respond with was a quiet 'yes', embarrassment filling him as onlookers stared before going back to what they were doing. Apparently the canine didn't hear him, and as he opened his maw to repeat himself louder, he finally noticed the cheetah that stood nearby and was receiving a glare that could make even the toughest looking guy shake in his boots.

And that was all it took for him to shut up, grab the paper off the ground and hightail it out of there. He walked through the halls with such speed that the voice of the husky was lost to him. Eventually, he did find his destination without any more incidents, but once he settled in and the small room quickly filled up, he noticed the same two furs that were out in the halls were now in the very same classroom.

So now here he was, waiting in pure agony, wishing for lunch to start so he can go be with his brother. Suddenly, as if in answer from the gods themselves, the bell rang, and everyone got up out of their seats to merge in the beginning crowd. Justin quickly got out of his seat to join them, to be lost into the sea so he could avoid the cheetah and husky both, but luck was not in his favor. His fur bristled at the feeling of his left wrist becoming caught in a firm grip, forced to look back and see the canine smiling at him.

"Whoa, hold on there. I still need to make sure you're okay." He held on as other students passed by. Some curiously looking, while some didn't care and kept going, eventually thinning out until it was just the three of them.

Justin was dumbfounded now. "But...you've seen me walk all the way to class, and then some," he started as he calmed down, finally being released from the hold before shaking his head, "a-and anyways if you're here to fight, you're landing yourself in a lot of trouble."

Now it was the other's turn to be confused. "Wait, what? Who said anything about fighting?" His eyes eventually caught on to the panda gazing not at him, but someone else. Head turning, he glanced at the scowling cheetah nearby and smiled, "oh, you mean Cameron. Nah, he's not gonna hurt you, I can assure you that. And I won't either, I promise."

The feline scoffed, tail lazily bobbing to and fro. "Says you Damien, ya mutt. Now get your feet moving, so we won't go hungry." He huffed and started walking ahead of the two stunned teens, not even stopping to see if they were going to come.

"See? Won't hurt a fly." Damien chuckled and gave a sly wink. "He has a sharp tongue, but don't worry, he likes you. Now come on," he got behind the panda and placed his paws on his shoulders, lightly pushing for him to walk, "let's go eat!"

Justin opened his maw to protest, then snapped it shut and sighed, his feet shuffling to catch up to Cameron with Damien following closely behind. They walked through the halls together, with the two of them conversing casually. He didn't add any input on the matter. He really didn't know how to strike up a conversation, let alone join one amongst people he never knew, so he stayed silent.

Soon enough, they reached the massive cafeteria with it's eight columns of long benches in order to seat a number of students. Justin scanned around for Xun, quickly spotting him as he ate his food. Curiosity overtook him then, as he saw a white lion in the group, but it felt like he knew him from somewhere. 'I wonder...'

"I'm guessing that's your sibling over there?" Damien asked as he pointed, breaking him from his thoughts.

" Oh...yeah." Justin replied, walking over to the formed line of students.

"Hmmm, he looks alright." A light hearted smile broke on the husky's lips then, but faltered a little after noticing the disinterested look.

"Meh, looks like a dork." Cameron chimed in, grabbing a plate and packed a few items onto it after the line quickly moved.

Justin didn't comment as he grabbed one also before picking out a few things, with the husky doing the same. With food in paw, he went over to where everyone was and sat down, delicately chewing on a french fry. "Hey, Xun. Who's this?" He glanced at the lion.

"Oh, you don't remember Rowen? The two of you played games with each other all the time whenever he hung around our house." Xun explained with a proud smile, seemingly overjoyed at seeing his friend again. "And you never sent me a postcard or anything to tell me how you were doing!"

The young panda searched his memory, trying to recall any of what his brother just told him. There was only one though, but he doubted if this lion would remember such an event. "I don't know if he was there, but I do remember a lion cub failing very hard at this role playing game where you wield a magic key that can unlock doors..."

Rowen scratched the back of his head, blushing hard. "Uhh...yeah, that was me being terrible at those types of games. And sorry Xun, but I had to focus on school, so I didn't have the time. And with dad going through major hoops to start up his own business, well...I couldn't do anything."

"Wait," Damien scrunched up his muzzle and studied the feline for a moment before snapping his fingers, "I think I've seen you on TV before."

The lion shook his head. "No, more than likely you saw my dad, proud owner of Webster Industries. We look alike, I know."

Justin balked, and looked up from his food with surprise. "I...I'm really shocked. It must be overwhelming to be the son of a man who not only owns but manages a great and productive industry that's beneficial to society."

Rowen flushed again, his round ears splayed on either side of his head. "One would think that..but it really isn't. I just avoid being in the spotlight."

"Wow..." Damien said in awe as he listened in on the conversation. "We're sitting with a really rich kid."

"Eh, another rich kid, go figure." Cameron quipped as he ate on his sandwich.

"Riiiight so, Justin are you gonna introduce us to your friends?" Gwen asked with a perky smile.

Justin felt all eyes staring at him then, waiting patiently. His round ears flattened a little, not liking the sudden attention very much, but he replied. "Oh, umm, this is Damien and Cameron. And how we met was through an accident..."

"A great one, if you ask me!" The husky interrupted with a grin, his fluffy, curled up tail wagging in excitement. He relayed the whole event to the group, failing to notice the blush on the panda's cheeks as they grew redder and redder to the point where he looked to be a ripe tomato. "And here we are!"

"Aww, that's soooo cuuuute! Our little boy is growing up!" Gwen held up a finger to her face and sniffled, wiping away a non existent tear.

"Oh, don't tease him." Xun smiled down at his little brother with a small nod. "Glad to see you made some friends though."

Justin sheepishly rubbed the side of his arm. "Yeah, I guess I am too. By the way," he glanced at Rowen again with curiosity, "I've noticed that you have somewhat of a British accent. Are you from the United Kingdom?"

Rowen shook his head. "No, but my dad is. I just have this accent due to living with him there for a few years."

"I see." He didn't add anything more to that comment, so he continued eating.

Just then, Gwen clapped her paws together, drawing everyone's attention. "I've got it! Now that we're becoming a bigger group, why don't we all hang out at the mall sometime? It'll be fun!" She looked around the table expectantly, her eyes dancing around with joy.

"Sure! I'm down for that!" Damien gave a thumbs up.

"Guess I'll come along too, so this mutt won't burn anything down." Cameron said, a small smile on his features as the husky began to pout.

Xun scratched his head with a grin. "I'm up for it if I'm not busy."

Rowen nodded. "I'll come along as well."

Justin sighed, seeing how the decision was unanimous. He never liked activities that required him to be around other people, but he didn't want to disappoint everyone, nor did he want to be left alone while they had fun. "I'm coming too, I guess..."

"Great, it's settled then! We'll have to do it sometime this weekend, so whenever that time comes, I'll text you all. Everyone, except for Xun and Justin, give me your numbers please!" She ordered, putting down each contact info that was given on paper into her phone before putting it back in her purse.

After doing that, everyone chatted about their classes and what they planned on doing after school. Justin made some commentary here and there, though he mostly kept quiet, just listening through it all until the bell signaled the end of lunch.

As everyone said their 'byes' and' laters', the panda made his way back to class. Now that he was feeling better, time flew by as he paid attention in the other classes before the final bell rang. He got up out of his seat and marched on outside to the sidewalk. Nearby, to his right, he spotted his brother and two friends. However, before he could even get to them, Damien came up and stood in his way. "W-wha? W-what is it?"

"Can I see your phone real quick? I promise I won't do anything and I'll stay right here. Pleeeease?" The husky pleaded with his paws clasped together, giving his best puppy dog eyes.

Justin hesitated for a moment, wondering just what this guy was up to. He looked over his shoulder to see Cameron a good distance away before turning back to face the husky, an annoyed look on his face. He was about to refuse, but in that moment, he recalled his parents' little favor and a small sigh came out. "Fine..." He took out his phone, unlocked it and handed it to him. "Long as you don't try to steal it."

"Trust me, I won't. I'll be quick." Damien pulled out his own phone, and started using his thumbs in a blur. He typed a few times, pressed something on the panda's phone, then pulled it away from him as he posed with a wide grin and a thumbs up, before the sound of a camera was heard. "There," his tail wagged after looking at the photo he took, and placed the item back in the panda's hands.

With the item back in his paws, Justin viewed the contacts list and saw Damien's picture and number. "Umm..." he started, not knowing what to say.

"Call me whenever you need me, and I'll come running." Damien said, his grin never leaving, though there was a hint of seriousness in that promise. But Justin failed to notice.

The panda nodded with a small smile of his own, then went past him after saying his farewells to go join up with his brother. "So, what are you all talking about?"

"Just reminiscing about the good old days." Rowen answered with a chuckle, then stretched his arms up high before bringing them back down. "And as much as I would love to keep going, I have to head home." He started making his way to the parking lot, but stopped next to Xun with a coy smirk. "It was really good to see you again. I like how you turned out." And with that, he left.

"Ooooh this is exciting!" Gwen said, her tail whipping back and forth. "A long time friend coming back to his roots and hitting on you! Scandalous!"

A blush appeared on Xun's, wide eyed as he stared after the lion. "I-I guess..." he coughed soon afterwards, shaking his head, "b-but I don't know if he really meant that or not!"

Justin laughed, extremely amused to see his brother like this. "Well, we'll have to find out and see sometime won't we?" Suddenly, his phone buzzed once, and after pulling it out of his pocket, he saw that it was a text message. "Oh, looks like we'll be home alone for a bit."

Xun cocked his head. "Why's that?"

Justin put the phone back in his pocket. "Mom says she'll be at the book club for awhile, and Dad's with her."

"Yikes...sucks for him." Xuns' ears flipped down before turning upright again. "Looks like we gotta go too, see ya Gwen!" He waved and proceeded to his car with Justin trailing behind.

As they hopped in and got out of the parking lot, Justin couldn't help but smile a little. "You were right. I was myself and somehow, I made friends. I'm...happy about this."

Xun chuckled. "Well, you should be. Having friends and doing stuff with them makes school go by so much faster, and you'll be making plenty of memories."

"Yeah...I just hope I don't regret having them in my life." The panda sighed to himself as he stared out the window, watching the trees and homes go by. He really did hope these two will work out.