A lone teen. Wandering the streets. Little does he know about the adventure he's about to wind up in…

I wasn't supposed to be here. Where I was supposed to be was back home… so why did I leave the house? It didn't matter. I promised I'd come back home, but I've been out on the streets for so long…

I'd have to keep an eye out for the late-night police wandering around. But that made me think. Why weren't teens allowed outside during the night, but the adults were able to stay up until morning if they wanted to? It was a stupid rule to be honest. I turned a corner and saw two policemen. They luckily didn't see me, but I knew the consequences of what would happen if they did. I turned right back around and bolted back to the house.

Corner after corner I ran, jumping over boxes and vaulting over trash cans. I was breathing pretty heavily. But... wait. I stopped dead in my tracks. "This doesn't look familiar at all..." I said to myself under my breath. I looked all around me but… none of it was familiar.

I took off my hood and put my hand to my forehead. "Where's the house?" I pulled out my phone and realized that I'd taken a wrong turn. "Typical…" I muttered to myself. I was just about to go in the right direction when I suddenly heard voices. Terrified that it might be the police officers from earlier, I quickly dove into a bush. I parted the leaves just enough that I could see, but not be noticable. I heard a gruff voice say first, "So what if I don't have any apprentices? I just have to be stronger than Iozen, right? All the rest is just for show anyway." I… Iozen? I've never heard that name before... Then another voice said, "The lord sets high standards, you know that." Lord? I thought to myself. W-We aren't in the Ying Dynasty or anything… are these guys from out of town? "You had ONE apprentice. How long did he last?" The voice said again with a clear sense of sarcasm. The gruff voice responded with, "A month. A week. A day." Dear god… The second voice said back, "Not even a full day, just the morning!" I held my breath as they walked past. I finally got a look at their lower halves but… wait. "What the fuck…?!" I whispered. Between the beige colored sandals the dude with the gruff voice was wearing, I could see red fur on his feet. The other guy walked by and… h-he had fur on his feet too! A-And… w-was that a tail?! The gruff voice responded by saying, "Well he was a crybaby." "Beggars can't be choosers." The second voice said. "I know... While we're here, why don't you find a human and make HIM your apprentice?" "Hey… you know what, that's a good idea…" I heard the gruff voice say. "W-Whoa, wait a minute, I was kidding!" The second voice said, startled at the gruff voice's comment.

I had a good feeling that was my cue to leave. I quietly tried to sneak out of the bush but SNAP! My foot got caught on a branch and it snapped off. The footsteps I heard earlier suddenly stopped. I silently panicked, hoping they hadn't heard me at all. I heard the gruff voice say, "I have a feeling we're being watched." S-Shit, they DID hear me! I quickly bolted out of the bush and started running, but one of them grabbed me by the collar of my hoodie and lifted me up. I flailed about, trying to break free of his grip, but he had a hold like iron. "Just a pesky human." It was the one with the gruff voice. "Let me go!" I yelled. I tried grabbing at his hand to make him drop me, but… I f-felt fur? "Hey kid, what're you doing out this late? Where's your parents?" I said back to him, "None of your business! Now let me go already, damnit!" "Strong talk for a kid like you." The strange man smirked. I yelled back to him, "I'm not a kid! I'm 15! Now let me go!" He finally released me, and I fell to the ground like a brick, hitting the back of my head on the pavement. I sat up, rubbing the back of my head as the one who held me up turned to his friend and said, "Hey Tatara, remember what you said earlier?" Tatara looked to me, then to the man, then back to me. "Oh no," he said, "I don't like where this is going." The man that had grabbed me turned back to me, an almost devilish smile on his face. That's when I noticed… He had fangs… I was broken out of my fazed state as whatever the hell this thing was said to me…

"How'd you like to be my next apprentice?"