Deputy Headmistress Jake Line held her hands behind her back, gazing through the window of her office and out at the busy courtyard of Atlas Academy. She wore tight black pants, black heeled boots, and a black shirt with hot pink trim. On her right breast pocket was a hot pink circle with a black feather symbol in the center. Her eyes were brown and her hair was dark, tied back in a long braid. She sighed. The school year would be starting soon, and that meant new students, and new rosters, and giving herself a massive headache as she tried to wrack her brain for convincing and pronounceable four-letter anagrams. Behind her, someone cleared their throat, and the dark haired woman turned.

"Professor Line?" a young woman with curly brown hair asked hesitantly. She wore white jeans and loose white t-shirt. On her hip was the image of a black crystal-like symbol. She was wearing an silver breastplate with an iridescent crystal on the center that, when it caught the sunlight, shot sparks of rainbow-colored light across the room. On her hip hung a small pure white hammer with an iridescent crystal symbol on the side. Although small, the hammer could transform into a much larger form of itself. The girl's name was Sutara Crystal.

To her left was a young man with fiery red hair that was spiked up. He held his hands respectively behind his back like his teammates did, but his barely-controllable energy was displayed through his wandering golden eyes and tapping foot. The hem of his black shirt and the wrists on his sleeves were outlined in flames. His black combat books clicked on the tile as his long, golden-scaled tail with a black isosceles tip lashed back and forth. The lizard faunus was wearing black pants and shimmering red arm plates. On his hip were two short swords, black of blade with gold hilts fashioned in the form of dragon wings. His name was Ozic Hinote.

To Sutara's right were two students. Both were young women of about the same height. One was dressed in a tight black long sleeved shirt with with intricate dark blue designs. On her shoulders were dark blue armor plates. In the center of her shirt was a bright blue symbol resembling an eye, with a lightning bolt as the pupil. Her pants were black and she wore black combat boots. Her hair was long, curly, and dark black. Her eyes, which glittered in the sunlight like jewels, were a startlingly bright pale blue. Strapped to her back was a black bow with electric blue lightning bot design and a pure black quiver of arrows. and Her name was Kaminari Inazuma.

The girl to the right of Kaminari had short dusky brown hair, bright green eyes, and a mess of freckles. She was wearing a gray sweatshirt with a red bird design in the center. The insides of the hood and sleeves were bright red. Her blue jeans were ripped (unintentionally) and had been patched in certain placed. Around her sweatshirt on her forearm was a red band, a silver sphere on the center. Strapped to her back was a silver spear with a red spearhead. Her name was Hannah Loss.

"Team SHOK," Line said, mildly surprised. "I forgot I'd called you." Then the woman smiled fondly. "So. You're finally fourth years."

Ozic laughed. "We weren't sure some of us would make it," he teased, shooting a glance at Kaminari.

"Since some of us have a habit of picking unneeded fights," Hannah added, grinning at Kaminari, who rolled her eyes playfully.

"Oh come on, we all know we thought Tara would be expelled before now," Kaminari laughed and her team looked at their leader.

Sutara smiled lightly. "So Professor. You mentioned our mission in the letter."

"In good time, Sutara," Line said, giving a thin smile. "Have any of you thought about your future?"

The question took the four by surprise. Only Sutara kept her composure enough to answer without stammering, but even then her words sounded unsure. "We're going to be Hunters."

"Well," Kaminari started, shifting uncomfortably. The Deputy Headmistress and the two girls on her team looked at her curiously. Ozic kept his golden eyes facing forward. "I kind of thought about maybe settling down. Starting a family."

"Hunting is not a family profession," Line said softly.

In a soft voice, Kaminari replied, "I know."

"So you and Ozic really are going to end up together?" Hannah asked.

"Can we please discuss that part of our future later?" Kaminari asked stiffly.

Ozic glanced at Kaminari, who kept her bright gaze forward.

"What about the rest of you?" Line asked.

"Well, I'm going to Hunt for a few years," Hannah said in her perpetually casual demeanor, putting her hands in her sweatshirt pocket, "and then retire and do whatever. I haven't thought that far, I guess."

"I intend to Hunt until I am unable to," Sutara said firmly.

"I think I want to teach at a Hunting school. Maybe a Junior Academy," Ozic replied.

Line smiled at the students. She took a deep breath, her gaze traveling over each of them. "You all know why you're here."

"Yes, ma'am," Kaminari replied.

"Our Summer Mission, right?" Hannah asked.

Line nodded. It was an Atlesian tradition for the incoming seniors of the Hunting Academy to complete the first legitimate mission of their Hunting career during the summer between their third and forth year. Jake Line had never been fond of the custom, as she despised seeing the rare team come back with less teammates than they departed with. The light in the eyes of the students so often died by their fourth year, after getting a taste of how harsh and cruel the outside world could really be, even when they were still four in number. Before the missions, she often stood at Headmaster James Ironwood's side as he briefly and professionally addressed the departing teams, intently studying the way each student spoke, the way they held themselves, how their eyes absorbed everything, the way they hung onto every word spoken with anticipation, trying to observe and learn everything she could about the children the were before they returned as the broken adults they would become in the profession they followed at the Academy. She could see it all in each of them, and she wanted nothing more than to commit it to memory, though it would only bring pain when they returned, whether the teams were successful in their mission or not. However, in the times that Ironwood was busy with his military duties and Line was left to run the Academy herself, she spent more time with the students, letting them consider their future, what was at stake, before getting down to business.

"You will be assigned a professor to accompany you, but they will do nothing but grade and observe. If need be," Line said, her hard gaze locking on each of them, "they will watch each of you die."

Hannah's eyes widened at the coldness in the woman's voice.

"You will be summoned back to the Academy in exactly two weeks. You will use that time to prepare yourself for the mission ahead. You will-or will not, depending on what you choose-notify each of your parents that there is no guarantee you will come back in one piece, if at all." This was the part of the briefing she hated most. She had done it so many times that the words had become natural, but they still were painful. "Each of your lives will depend on those of the people who stand beside you now. You are the insurance of their survival. You are the defying factor in their lives. Will they grow to Hunt and survive and live out the futures you all spoke of, or will their lives be cut far too short?" Line met each of their eyes, trying to emphasize all that was at sake, trying to make them understand the apprehension she could see growing in them.

There was a long, heavy pause.

"What if our parents are opposed to us risking our lives?"

Line's dark eyes shot to Ozic's. "You are all of age. You decide what happens in your life."

"And if we are against it?" Kaminari asked.

Line looked at her as well. In a low voice she said, "You all knew the risks when you applied for this job."

Another silence settled over the office.

"Which professor is coming with us?" Hannah asked.

"Professor Skyler Aoi."

Ozic gave a loud groan. "She hates me."

"Shut up, Ozic," Sutara laughed, playfully shoving the faunus boy in the arm. "Aoi's great."

Ozic frowned. "She does not like me. At all."

"She's not the only one," Hannah said jokingly, saying it to the side to Kaminari but loud enough for everyone to hear.

Ozic glared at the girls. "I see how it is guys."

Line cleared her throat pointedly, smiling faintly at the banter. "Remember-two weeks," she told them. They each nodded, serious once more. Her weighted gaze swept over them once more. "And don't forget what's at stake," she said quietly. "You are dismissed."

Sutara gestured to her team and they walked quickly to the elevator. Sutara's pale blue eyes watched Line as the silver doors closed.

Line turned away once more, staring out the window and down to the courtyard, waiting for the next team to enter the office, preparing herself to deliver the same speech once more.

A/N: Hello and welcome to the prologue of my OC story! while I know OC stories don't really seem that popular, these chaarcters have been stuck in my head for ages now, and I figured I'd do something with them instead of just abandoning them. anyways, thanks for reading guys, and the next chapter will introduce the first of the four members of team WNGZ! Hope you all enjoyed it, and stay tuned for the next update! Remember to follow/fav, and reviews are always welcome!

~hiddenheart