The rough water heaved around him, pulling him down and flipping him violently so that he couldn't tell which was was which. Shinto carefully opened his eyes, there was no use in trying to look, the river had earned it's name well. Black River was so dark that even at noon you couldn't see the bottom even if you tried. He thrashed his paws around violently, it was no use anyway, the currents were to strong. He raised his head, hoping to see the sun, but was only greeted by what seemed like a starless night sky. His throat begged for air, he couldn't even swim in one direction without being hurled into opposite way he wanted to go.
He was done for...
Allowing his body to be carried away, he noticed the river wasn't as strong. The water only went one way, he lifted his head and flailed again. The current became much stronger, then it hit him. If he trusted the currents, he could get to shallower waters. Praying that his muscles would with-stand no air, he fell limp once more. In little to no time he could feel the bottom, and stood up. Shinto gasped for air, gagging on the tar-colored water he dragged himself father up shore, then collapsed. With what little strength he had, Shinto transformed back into a human. He was completely dry, a good sign that his power still worked. Still, he felt like he had just ran a 100k marathon. Carefully straining his neck towards the sky he could see it was about 9:00 AM. The ground beneath him was soft, clearly sand because of the warmth radiating from it.
"Well I see you escape was futile wasn't it?" A voice chuckled. Horror flooded over Shinto, it was the grouchy old man that had chased him into the river. He felt handcuffs snap onto his exhausted hands. Two men dressed in black suits picked him up. There was no possible way he could escape now, he was to burned out to even struggle. The two strong men tossed him into the back of a truck. Shinto's face collided with the cold metal, it stung with the furry of a bumblebee. The drive was a long 10 minutes, and around the 7 minute mark the truck jerked up ward, the next moment Shinto could feel a wet stick liquid coming from his cheek. His body ached, he was tired, wounded, and hungry. How could this day be worse?
Oh ya, it gets much worse.
When the truck stopped the men picked him up, the red blood dripped down his face, staining the white hood of his jacket. Before he knew it he was sitting in the hall of the Dark Lands city hall. Just the hallway alone was amazing, the walls were painted a royal purple with pictures of who knows what. The ceiling was a mosaic of a shadowy person, with a black cat at his side. Her recognized it almost right away. The man was called Waru, who founded the Dark Lands. His cat form was so powerful that no regular human could look at it. Waru had founded the Dark Lands, with the help of his brother and sister. The floor was a bright violet, with designs so complex that it must have taken at least 5 years to even complete. Shinto watched people walk by for about two hours, some were very rich men with fine leather purple coats. Others were police men with seekers from other lands or just regular criminals. Some school girls walked by, probably learning about how to be a Office Messenger. Office Messengers were people who were quick and nimble on their feet and could deliever messages in a blink of an eye. After the time was up, the two men came back.
"Where are you taking me!"
"To court, your judge is waiting for you." One of them told him harshly. Then he walked with them uneasily, then walked into a room with atleast 2,000 people in it...and a judge glaring at him...something was definitely wrong.