Sparks Will Fly
First submission into this new series, which I have decided to christen "Sparks Will Fly". No action as of present, but there will be some in the future. Just gotta do this intro...
Hello, furries, scalies, and members of any other groups I did not mention that may be reading this story.
This is the first installment of what I sincerely hope to be an ongoing series. Don't expect me to get down to the nitty-gritty right away. If I don't build up a suitable setting, then the entire story will collapse around my paws. Do not despair, as there will be the much loved sexual encounters of the furred kind. (Let's see if anyone picks up on that.) I just can't get to them right away, else they wouldn't make any sense.
(*Sigh*) Why do I even need a disclaimer? I could ramble on about a purple hippopotamus, and no one would really care.... But I guess I have to do it.
Disclaimer: All characters and descriptions belong to their respectful owners.
The broiling summer heat of the sun beat down on the cab Auren was in as he rode towards his destination. About a month before hand, the silver dragon had received a letter detailing that he had been accepted into one of the most prestigious schools in the world, with a full scholarship to boot. After a rather extended celebration with his parents, Auren began to get everything ready for him to fly half-way across the country, eager to begin his education at this prized institute.
One may start to wonder what this supposedly amazing school was called. This institution was christened the Wolfthorne Academy for Higher Knowledge and Arcane Studies, often shortened to Wolfthorne Academy for obvious reasons. This academy was attended by individuals of all shapes, sizes, and species, but also catered to an even more exclusive group of people able to wield, and seeking to know more about magic.
Yes, I said "Species" and "Magic." Although, you're probably not of this world, and are not well versed in the history of this world, so allow me to school you. Yes, you're going to learn. Deal with it. It is currently the year 2335. A little over three centuries ago there was a massive cataclysm that wiped out three fifths of the worlds population. Sea levels rose, parts of continents fell into the sea, the sky was set ablaze with volcanic fire, and the world froze over for a short time. Sounds kind of like that old line about the Ragnarok. "The sky shall be set ablaze, and the world shall become as ice..." You know, that one? It kind of happened.
A minor eruption of the Yellowstone super-volcano launched billions of tons of volcanic ash into the atmosphere, blocking out the sun, and bringing about the second ice age. Plants died rapidly as they were deprived of their food source, and global temperatures dropped phenomenally. The remaining humans of the world pooled what was left of their resources and technology, knowing that if they didn't do something soon, they would all eventually die. I would tell you that was the human race's first reaction to the apocalypse, but that would be a lie. The first reaction was for someone to pull out their smart-phone, and get video of the end of the word. Then there was screaming, later followed by world saving.
The humans built massive filtering plants that pulled the ash and soot straight from the atmosphere, and scientists used gene splicing to engineer plants that would grow exponentially faster. The new plants would be grown and cultivated indoors under sunlamps, giving the survivors a rapidly replenishing food source, and a sustainable supply of trees. An entire crop of corn could be planted, and then harvested a few weeks later, while the trees, usually taking decades to reach adult size, could reach that point within a year.
However, all this was not enough. Despite the humans filtering the ash out of the atmosphere and creating a viable method of replacing all the plants that were killed by the global deep-freeze, it was not enough. People were still dying off, their bodies unsuited to the new environment. Fearing that all their efforts to save their race had been in vain, earth's remaining scientists set out to find a new solution.
They soon reached a hallowing conclusion. The human race was obsolete. Humans had inadvertently made themselves the weakest beings on the planet. Living in climate controlled dwellings robbed humans of their temperature tolerances, vaccines had stripped away their natural immunities, the human race's dependence on technology to survive was their downfall. Humanity was going to die unless something drastic was done to prevent it, and the scientists quickly came to the conclusion that the only thing that could save the human race was one of the most reviled and taboo possible solutions. The only way to save the humans was to make them not human.
There was an uproar of public outrage when their plan was revealed. Human experimentation was completely forbidden, both by scientific decencies, and unspoken religious word. Despite knowing that refusal of the new plan would be their doom, the populace refused to go through with it... That is until a single woman stepped forwards, volunteering to be the first experiment. She had stepped forwards because she knew the truth in every word of the scientists' plans, for she was one of them herself. She knew that unless the people were provided with proof that their solution would work, and that the end result of her experiment could still be classified as a person, the public would never go for it.
And so the other scientists impregnated her artificially. They created a gamete that they then spliced animal genes into. The gamete was implanted in the woman, and she left for home knowing that in her womb she carried either the human race's salvation, or it's doom. After nine months of waiting, the day finally came when the fate of humans would be decided. The woman was carted to the hospital as soon as she went into labor. The birth itself was free of complications, however, the scientists were shocked at the result.
While the newborn came out screaming as all infants do, it was quickly decided to be malformed. It's eyes were fused shut, flaps of skin hung from it's head, tiny black nubs protruded from the newborn's fingers and toes where it lacked nail, the feet were horribly gnarled, it's face was completely malformed, there was an odd growth hanging from it's rear, and the infant was completely covered in hair. The scientists were horrified of what they had created... Until the woman spoke up.
As she held her child, she pointed out that the "defects" were not actually defects. She noted that the hair wasn't hair, it was actually a soft coat of fur. The flaps on it's head were the ears, the nubs on its hand and feet were the beginnings of claws, it's feet were formed to that of a canine's, and kept on naming how all the child's abnormalities were exactly what they wanted. After a brief moment of shock, the scientists rejoiced, knowing that they had successfully created a perfect fusion of man and wolf.
When the wolf-child was presented to the public, much of the resentment for the scientists' plans had evaporated. Slowly, more and more people began volunteering to undergo similar treatments as the female scientist. There were still people that didn't go along with the plan, and didn't take part of it. On the other hand, those that volunteered rejoiced as their evolved children were born, a significantly higher percentage of the births being successful than standard human breeding. And so, the human race was saved by being turned into a race of anthros. Of course, some of the people who had forgone the treatments survived, so there are still plenty of humans running around the world.
The new race of anthros found it exponentially easier to survive the post-apocalyptic world. And they continued to survive as the giant machines the past generation had built pulled the impurities from the air. After twenty years, the sun had finally shown through the ash clouds. After another ten, most of the ash had been removed from the atmosphere, and had been stored for later agricultural use.
The anthros quickly went to work on spreading genetically altered seeds, using methods that would spread vast numbers of seeds across great areas. New forests cropped up in just a few years, and the world was slowly restored to it's intended state of stability. A surprising percentage of the preexisting species of the world had survived the ice age, most of the old-world animals still walking around.
It would take another twenty years before the world would be sufficiently restored. There's still restoration projects being carried out in the present day. Now, fifty years after the apocalypse, what was left of the most powerful governments in the world came together to discuss what would happen in this refreshed environment. These leftover scraps of government were what was left of the United States, United Kingdoms, Chinese, Russian, and Australian governments.
These remaining ruling bodies decided that it would be beneficial if they all joined together. After all, the public had cooperated with itself quite well in the past fifty years. Nothing could bring humanity closer together than an apocalypse, and it would be terrible not to seize this opportunity to create a lasting peace.
And so, the five remaining governments joined into one, creating the governing body of the present day. The New Earth Commonwealth. After the formation of the NEC, society had been rebuilt with a surprising speed. Over the next 200 years, everything gradually turned to normal, except that everything was far more advanced, and that most of the population were anthros.... And there was one more thing new to the world.
Magic.
Yes, there is now magic in the world. Or rather, there had always been magic, and people can now use it. Or, at least some people can use it. Magic had near always been feared because it was seen as a dangerous source of power. However, these fears soon dissipated. Only about one in a thousand people could tap into the mystical powers of magic. And only a tenth of that had any real power. One might think that one of the more powerful beings would use their powers for great personal gain. Some have tried, and they all failed. Methods of dealing with magic users were quickly developed, so now people have no real need to fear magic. Hell, there are even schools that teach nothing but magic.
The world seemed to have been cleansed. Everything was pure again. Humanity had survived the apocalypse and managed to rebuild. While their cities were large, they didn't encroach upon the habitats of other animals. There was no threat of global warming, no creatures were going extinct, and the air was actually breathable. The slate had been wiped clean, and the anthro sized the opportunity to make things better than they were.
Now, you could be thinking that this entire world is batshit insane. The world is completely changed, there are anthros everywhere, and a good amount of them can use magic. Yeah, it does seem crazy, but that's life for the people in this universe.
We should probably get back to the present, and check on that silver dragon... Go on, shoo! Get back to where you were before the expository flashback! Go! Get moving! ... Are you there yet? Yes? Good.
Auren shifted in his seat, checking his watch. It was only a quarter past three. The silver dragon was anxious to get to Wolfthorne academy. The anxiety had only gotten worse as the day went on. First, the his flight had been delayed during a lay-over, then the dragon had to wait for cab to pick him up. All the waiting was starting to get on his nerves
The drake took out a map of the campus, and looked it over. The campus was obviously large, but that didn't immediately concern Auren. For the seventh time that day, he was checking the map to see where he would need to go. Earlier in the week, Auren had received an email notifying him that he had been assigned a dorm room. The room he was assigned was listed as room 227B. The dragon's finger traced the path he would take up to building B, and into the twenty-seventh room on the second floor. He grinned, noting that there was gym connected to the building, and a couple of eateries just down the street.
From the looks of the map, the campus was structured like a small, self-contained city. The dorms were three story buildings, each with thirty rooms a floor. Every dorm had a shower room on each floor, and a small parking lot out front, for those that had cars. There were twelve dormitories, all situated around the campus in convenient locations. Four of the dorms, including the one Auren would be staying it had a conjoined gym. In total, the academy could house over two-thousand individuals.
Then there were the apartments people could rent, and the many eateries on campus students could go to, as well as a couple clubs. There were also a few wide open parks, and various other miscellaneous accommodations for the students.
Auren put the map away, wondering when he would arrive at the school. Wolfthorne Academy was placed away from the city, and the cab had been zipping through the woodlands for the past fifteen minutes. After a couple more minutes of waiting, the cab finally turned around a bend, revealing the school to be closer than expected. Auren couldn't help put gape in awe. The campus was bigger than he realized, and it was built into the base of a mountain, the apex of the residential district several hundred feet higher than at ground level. The architecture of the school was amazing in its own right. Northern European and Gothic building styles melded into a post-modern style speaking of technology, knowledge, and arcane arts. Fitting for an institution of it's kind.
The shear size of the campus itself was mildly daunting, nevermind the funds that would have been required to build it. The silver dragon briefly wondered how he got accepted into this school, only to have his thoughts interrupted by the cabbie.
"Quite a sight, isn't it?" Auren stayed quiet, still awestruck and doubtful. The feline cab driver caught on immediately, as if having seen this plenty of times, "This school is for the best of the best. Whatever you did to get put in here, you must have been good at it. You wouldn't have gotten a letter otherwise." Auren sighed, calmed by the cabbie's words. He was right. Auren wouldn't even be here if he hadn't been noticed by the Academy's admissions department.
The cab pulled up to a large reinforced gate that barred entrance to Wolfthorne. A doberman stepped from the guardhouse as the cabbie rolled down the window.
"Hey'a, Wilson," the doberman greeted in a deep baritone. "Transporting a new student to his dorm?" The cat responded with a chuckle. "The only reason I ever go on campus is to transport the students." The canine smiled, obviously good friends with the feline. "Alright, just have him show me his I.D, and I'll open the gates. Auren quickly dug out the laminated card, and handed it to the doberman through his window.
After a quick swipe through a machine, the card was handed back to the silver drake. The cat bade farewell to his friend as the gates opened up. The electron drive engine of the cab roared back to life as it was started. As the cab rolled through the gates, Auren couldn't help but feel giddy. He was officially a student at one of the most prodigious schools in the world.
When he reached his dorm, Auren dug out some money to pay the cabbie, along with a generous tip. As the cab drove off, Auren was left with the impression that people around here were generally polite. The dragon looked out over the campus. His dorm was about halfway up the side of the mountain, offering an amazing view of the forest, and the city beyond. Auren walked into the building, noting that it was surrounded by a thick copse of trees.
The interior of the dormitory was tidy. Clean white walls, unstained navy blue carpet, and unmarked furnishings in the foyer. There were three hallways. One leading to the right, one to the left, and another down the middle, as well as two staircases on either side of the central corridor. Auren headed up the stairs, and to the right. He found his room a few doors down, the steel plate on the door clearly reading "227B". Auren slid his I.D. into the lock, and pushed the door open as the mechanism beeped, and unlocked.
The room he entered was just as tidy as the rest of the building. The living room of the dorm he was assigned was rather large, and furnished with a couch, a recliner, a coffee table, an end table, and a large flat screen auto-3d TV against the wall. There were two doors to either side of the living room, each probably leading to one of the two bedrooms. There was a good sized kitchen in the back of the dorm, with a bar for the occupants to eat at. At the back of the dorm stood a sliding glass door covered with blinds that lead out onto a small balcony. And lastly, in the back corner of the dorm was a door that led to a tidy little half-bathroom.
The air carried the faint scent of vanilla, probably cast by a plug-in air freshener. Auren checked the room on the right, finding it to be the source of the scent. The room looked decidedly lived in. The full-sized bed was slightly mussed, there was a longbow on the wall, supported by nails. There was also a quiver of arrows, and a katana-style sword mounted in the same fashion as the bow. An expensive looking laptop sat on the nearby desk, and there were a few papers sitting next to it, one of which was a schedule for classes. Interested in the name of his roommate, Auren peered down at the schedule to see that the person he'd be sharing the dorm with was named Nathaniel Weese.
Closing the door, Auren backed out of the room, and headed over to the unclaimed bedroom to find the same basic set up. Full-sized bed, dresser, desk, and a chair. Auren unpacked his things, mostly just clothes, a laptop, and a few papers and binders. After getting himself situated, the dragon changed into a white sleeveless shirt, and black athletic shorts, deciding that some time at the gym would help rid him of some of the lingering anxiety.
Auren walked out of the dorm, and back down to the ground floor. Turning right down the central corridor. He walked with a brisk, purposed pace, his tail swaying behind him. The carpet was of good quality, feeling good under his silver paws. The dragon walked past a trio of students, a tiger, a bear, and a bull, who were sharing a joke about a goat who ate some bad cheese. The laughter dissipated behind Auren as he walked, eventually reaching the double doors that led into the gym.
The scent of musk and sweat washed over the dragon as he walked through the doors. It was a familiar scent to him. He had spent plenty of time working out, his well muscled 6'4" frame being pleasing evidence of that. While he wasn't huge, the dragon's musculature gave his ego a nice masculine boost whenever he caught himself in the mirror. Auren turned his attention to the gym, deciding what to do.
The gym was split into three parts. The left third of the gym was dedicated to cardio, the area filled with treadmills, stair-climbers and the like. The central section was occupied with weight training equipment. This area seemed to be the most popular, as there were furs occupying many of the machines. Seeing that the bench press stations were all taken, Auren headed to the final section of the gym, the "Fight" section.
This part of the gym was different from the rest. Instead of a polished wooden floor, there were large black mats. There was an octagon in the corner, currently unoccupied. On some mats down the line were a couple furs, a husky and a rottweiler, going at each other, sparring. There was a dull thud as one of them was thrown to the mat. There were other things in the room, but for now, Auren's attention was held by the punching bags. There were six cylindrical punching bags arranged in a ring hanging from rafters overhead.
Grabbing some gloves, the dragon headed over to the bags. There was another fur there as well. A silver wolf, only a couple inches shorter than Auren, and dressed in the same manner. He was having at the punching bag, and Auren couldn't help but look him over, the rhythmic 'thud, thud, thud' of the lupine's punches repeatedly drawing his attention.
The wolf was definitely handsome. He had a clean silver coat with a black stripe stretching down his back. Looking about 6'2", the wolf had the body of someone who took good care of his body, but didn't go overboard with it. The decently toned muscle wrapped around the wolf's lean frame were certainly something to look at. Auren's blue eyes followed the gentle curves of the lupine muscles, admiring the wolf. He was built lean and mean, and the drake couldn't help but be slightly aroused. Auren was proudly Bi, and the wolf was definitely catching his attention.
The lupine's light brown eyes flicked towards the drake, and with a smirk, the wolf picked up his pace. Auren blushed a bit, knowing that the wolf caught him in his ogling. He quickly dropped into his own fighting stance, and started slugging the bag with hard, solid blows. Keeping an eye on the wolf, Auren noticed that the he moved with skilled precision brought on by years of practice. Watching the lupine, Auren picked up the pace, copying the wolf move for move.
The wolf's eyes slid over to the drake, noticing what was happening as soon as their movements synched up. With a small grin, the wolf led the dragon through a series of techniques. 'Punch, punch, punch, kick, punch, elbow, knee, knee, knee, punch, punch, knee, elbow, kick'. Auren kept up with the wolf, matching him perfectly. This went on for several minutes, both anthros working up a good sweat. Suddenly, the lupine's movements sped up, nearly throwing off the dragon. As he watched the wolf, he continued to follow move for move. He could tell that the wolf was about to end his workout, he's body seeming to be building up to something. As he pulled back his arm for the final punch, sparks flew from the wolf's fist. As the punch made contact with the punching bag, there was a bright flash before the bag swung on it's hinge.
Sure enough, Auren had copied the wolf exactly, except instead of using lightning, the dragon had used fire magic. The two of them stood there, panting, as the bags swung back and forth, slowing down. With a smile, the wolf walked towards the drake, offering his paw. Matching the wolf's smile, Auren clasped the wolf's paw in his own, shaking it.
"I'm Auren. Auren Drakeson," The dragon said in a friendly tone.
The wolf nodded, "And I'm Nathaniel Weese. Just call me Nate, though."
Auren blinked. This handsome wolf was to be his roommate? This day was getting better. Auren's thoughts were cut short as Nate started talking again. "I have to say that I'm impressed. It's been a while since I've seen someone match me like that." With an unspoken word of consent, the two of them started walking out of the gym, dropping off the gloves where they got them. "Thanks," the silver drake replied. "Let me guess, you're attributed to lightning?" The wolf nodded. "Only as much as you're attributed to fire." Auren nodded, and continued walking alongside Nate.
After a few minutes of silence, Nate spoke again. "So, where's your dorm?" Auren paused for a second, rubbing at an itch on the back of his head. "Actually... You and I share a dorm." The wolf looked at him with a grin, "Really? About time my roommate showed up." At this point it was clear that the wolf enjoyed the dragon's company. After another few minutes of silence, the two of them reached their dorm. After unlocking the door the two anthros fetched themselves changes of clothes, shampoo, body wash, and some towels, agreeing that it would be better to shower before lingering in their living space, else it would begin to smell foul within hours.
Nate led his dragon companion down a couple of corridors to their floor's shower room. There was no one inside, save for an equine that was in the midst of showering. Nate stepped up to a shower, with Auren claiming the one adjacent. The two anthros started stripping down, placing their things in an alcove set into their respective showers. Auren couldn't help but watch Nate undress, the wolf's increasingly exposed body drawing his eyes.
As Auren suspected, Nate's arms and legs weren't the only good looking part of him. The dragon's eyes trailed over Nate's back, working downwards towards the wolf's rump. '_He's definitely a looker...'_Auren thought to himself with a grin. The drake's ogling was cut short as the wolf stepped into the shower, closing the smoked glass door behind him. Slightly disappointed at being denied a view of Nate's front, the dragon stepped into his own shower, twisting the knob for hot water.
Auren stood under the warm water, relaxing as it loosened the muscles in his back. He looked down to see that a few inches of his black dragonhood had pushed free of his slit. The dragon gave his cock a few gentle strokes before deciding against it, skipping straight to washing. He relaxed further as he lathered the soap over his scales, being careful to rid himself of any filth. Suddenly there was a loud 'Thump' followed by a yelp, and a couple of choice obscenities from the wolf in the next shower. The dragon chuckled, seeing Nate's ears popping over the rim of the shower wall as he hopped on one foot.
The drake stood under the running water, letting it rinse away the suds. Auren turned off the water, and stepped out of the shower, grabbing his towel from the alcove. He paused, seeing Nate wrap a towel around his waist. Auren looked down at his still exposed cock, and quickly wrapped his towel around himself, using his fire magic to evaporate the water on his hide. Not a moment later, the wolf turned around, and grabbed his clothes from the alcove, beginning to dress. Auren followed suit, quickly pulling up his boxers. Sneaking a look over his shoulder, the drake found that the wolf had a preference for boxer-briefs, the constricting fabric framing Nate's tight rump as he pulled on a pair of jeans.
Auren turned his attention back to getting dressed. He pulled on his low-riding blue jeans, and a white shirt. He turned around to see Nate waiting for him. With an unspoken word, the two of them packed up the shower supplies, heading back to their dorm. Once back to their domicile, the two anthros split to put away their things. Auren walked into the main room to see Nate leaning back into the couch, his black shirt pulled against his arms and chest.
In the wolf's hand was a game console controller, with another sitting on the couch. Nate gestured to it as he powered up the console. With a smile, the dragon sat down, picking up the controller. Auren sat back, and relaxed as he gamed with his new-found friend and roommate. With a grin, he reflected on what the day might mean for the coming year. A new, attractive friend, video games, and hopefully easy classes... Definitely sounded like the start of a good year.
Well... I certainly haven't written anything this long in quite a while. Hell, I haven't written anything in a while. So, I have to say that this is pretty good with me being so rusty... At least from a literary standpoint.
As for the quality of the story so far, that's up to you readers to decide.
Before I leave off, I have to point out how there was no yiff in this chapter. If you're disconcerted by this, you needn't worry. There will be yiff in future chapters. This is just the part where I had to introduce the setting, backstory, some main characters, and whatnot.
So, leave your comments below, and hopefully I'll be coming up with a new chapter relatively soon.