I thank KatherineOzawa of Wattpad for helping me.
The group traversed through the Hall of Mirrors and headed into Pomefiore's first. Shimmery gemstones surround the foot of the mirror, which had a magnificent carving of a peafowl atop, as torches burning purple embers burned brightly.
Seconds later, they found themselves outside the dorm. Like Heartslabyul, the dorm has the look of a castle, yet all the same was spacious for many people to be housed inside. Royal purple tiles painted the roofs and grey stones made up the structure and walls of the establishment. Numerous windows aligned the dorm, too many to count, and a metal gate with gold apple motifs guarded the area, bushy green shrubbery blocking out any awkward spaces.
But the inside of the dorm made the newcomers forget all about the outside once they stepped through the doors and into the lounge. Carpeted floors, gold accentuating the purple tones in the room in the furniture, the decor, there were even crystal chandeliers hanging above to coincide the candelabras lining the walls. But the elephant in the room: the oh so eye catching throne with a giant Peacock as the backboard, feathers and all, giving flair to those who walk in or out.
"Let's start here, at Pomefiore. There's a junior named Rook Hunt who's caught my eye. He has a blond bob cut and a fedora- you can't miss him." Cater looked through the notes on his phone as he began to scan the room alongside Riddle, who spoke.
"Rook is an exceptional player. He performed extremely well in last year's tournament. But he is a bit of an…odd duck, one might say."
"I'm...afraid to ask what that means..." Niho decided against asking.
"Oh, is that him sitting over there?" Deuce spotted him first and Niho's eyes swept up to see whom this Rook was.
A tall eighteen-year old with hair the color of Canaria Gold sharply cut into a bob, the length just reaching the middle of his neck. Ivory-washed skin only made room for Hunter Green eyes, clearly seen beneath his bangs. He was wearing the standard NRC uniform with the deep purple vest and tan hunting boots and of course: the sweeping hat he wore over his head, the rim just sitting in the space, where he could look down and have the brin covering his eyes with a shadow, and make him appear menacing. A fluffy white feather was nestled in the band of the hat, secured so it wouldn't come loose.
He was sitting at one of the seating areas with Vil and another student. This one was much shorter than them both. Milky white skin tone, making his Aquatic blue eyes pop out like Doll's eyes and his hair was a pretty tone of lavender, almost caressing his shoulders. He too had the school uniform, but the tie was knotted into a bow and his white dress shirt was frilly.
"Whoa. That dude's like a glitter bomb in human form. He's basically sparkling." Ace winced, looking away.
"Yes, and...something about that Hunt person...seems off..." Rajni whispered the last part to herself, sensing something was fishy over the first potential victim.
"Non, Epel, non. When you lift your teacup, do not insert your finger through the handle. It is most inélégant." Rook shook his finger towards the smaller boy and corrected him by showing him how the technique was truly done.
"Oh… Right. I'm sorry." the boy, Epel, corrected his positioning with a timid nod.
Vil was scrolling on his phone as he sighed, "I just cannot decide how I want to do my makeup on tournament day! I'm thinking maybe that new foundation from Felicity Cosmetics?"
"Oh ho ho! Mon belle Vil, the Rio du Poison… Surely your beauté is not so faint that you need makeup to shine?" Rook smiled towards the dorm leader with a spark in his eye.
"Of course I don't. But I don't dare miss an opportunity to accentuate it further!" Vil neither confirmed nor denied his statement.
"I admire that passion. Magnifique! Très magnifique!"
"Uhhhhh… And you're sayin' this guy is some kinda incredible athlete? Somehow, I doubt he's gonna be the target." Grim disagreed to Cater's face.
"And...something about him...seems off..." Niho started getting a very bad vibe from where he was sitting.
Cater didn't hesitate to agree with them both. "Yeaaah, maybe we should peace out and move on."
XXXXXXXXXXXX
After escaping, the group traversed to the courtyard next where,
"Next on Cay-Cay's big list of potential targets are Jade Leech and his twin brother, Floyd. They're both sophomores at Octavinelle House. Word is, they work so well together on the field that other teams don't know how to counter them."
"Found them." Niho pointed out. One such twin has turquoise hair, combed and styled with one strand black; pale skin to match. But his eyes were heterochromic: while the left eye was gold, the right eye was olive toned: for his neat appearance, his uniform was spick and span. The other, however, was the opposite: turquoise hair semi-messy to match the rumpled and undone uniform, a black strand like the first, but the eye colors were switched. His right eye was gold and the left eye was olive.
"Whoa! They have, like, the exact same face!" Grim whispered.
"Is it just me, or do they make all the other students look tiny in comparison? They're giants!" Ace was a bit scared.
"I think they just have really long legs." Niho argued.
"I could see that being a big advantage for 'em." Grim agreed.
"So what do we think? Could they be in danger?" Deuce asked.
"I don't know about that. If I were the culprit, I'd save them for last. Just look at those two. I wouldn't want to get anywhere near them- especially Floyd." Riddle told them sternly.
"Why?" Rajni was about to get her answer...
"Oh ho ho! What is UP, Lil' Goldfish?"
Riddle jumped three feet in the air when he got spooked. "Bwah! He spotted us!"
"What brings you to our humble abode, huh? Playing hide-and-seek? Sounds like fun." the tall boy leaned down to smile at him.
"F-Floyd… I've asked you several times to stop calling me by strange nicknames."
Riddle demanded.
"But you're so small and red! How are you NOT a goldfish?" Floyd childishly countered.
"This guy seems like he's a few cans short of a tuna casserole…" Grim was off-put by his demeanor, but Floyd's gaze went to him now and his grin widened.
"A talking cat? Now THAT'S something you don't see every day! Can I squeeze you 'til you pop?"
"Uh, no?! Stay away from me, weirdo!" But Floyd soon looked up to see Rajni and smiled even wider.
"Ah! The new girl! She's so cute! Lemme squeeze her!"
"I don't want to hurt you, but if you get in my personal space, then I will." Rajni warned.
"I don't mind~!" Floyd snarked.
"Very well." Rajni went to sock him.
"No! We don't know how strong he even is!" Niho hissed, trying to keep her level-headed.
"My, it would appear a contingent from Heartslabyul House has paid us a little visit. Here to assess the competition in advance of the Spelldrive tournament, perhaps?" Jade loomed over the girls as he asked this.
"Nah. We…can't really go into it, though." Cater shook his head, starting to feel jittery in their presence.
"We take a dim view of spying at Octavinelle. I would ask you to justify your actions, suspicious as they are. And please, spare no detail." Jade pressed.
"This guy sure talks fancy, but man, his eyes are stone cold." Ace started to feel small before them.
"Yeah, they're bad news for sure!" Niho nodded, starting to feel that same dread as well.
"Man, would you look at the time? Gotta run, guys! It's been real! Byeee!" Cater didn't hesitate to pull them away before things got ugly. And they were about to be.
"Shoot! They're chasing us!" Deuce looked over his shoulder with panic as he saw the towering twosome sprint after, making all of them pick up the pace.
"Hey, couldja stop, friends? Just for a second? We just wanna chat!" Floyd called out with a teasing tone, but Riddle reiterated.
"Decidedly, no! Full retreat!" Soon, they were gone in the blink of an eye.
"Awww… They're gone." Floyd frowned as he and his brother halted.
"Heh heh. I do so enjoy a brisk midday jog. Alas, we'll have to pick this up another time. Come. We need to prepare the lounge for tonight." Jade patted his shoulder, urging him to save the matter for another time and deal with another.
"Bummer. But all right." Floyd sighed and followed behind his twin begrudgingly.
XXXXXXXXXXXX
Everyone found Main Street their safe spot and they stopped running once they were far from the twins.
Grim panted out, "That was terrifying. What is the deal with those guys?!"
"I'm not the one to ask. Those two have baffled me since we were freshmen together." Riddle said.
"That's scary..." Niho sighed.
"Messing with them seems like a reeeal bad idea." Cater scratched both their names off his list.
"If I were the culprit, I know I'D steer clear." Ace agreed.
"Then it's off to the next name on my list! It's getting late, so let's make this the last one for today, 'kay? It's Jack Howl: freshman, Savanaclaw Dorm. Rumor has it that he's a great athlete. Scouts from all the major teams are fighting to sign him."
"Classes are over, so he should be at the dorm." Deuce noted the time of day by how low the sun was sinking.
"Oh, is it 5:00 already? Rule 346 says that "croquet must not be played after 5:00 p.m." I should head back to Heartslabyul and make sure that no one is breaking the rules in my absence."
"Wait, is that a thing?" Rajni's ears wiggled confused. It seems like she needed to get caught up on what happened before she arrived.
"Tch. I thought you'd rounded out some, but nope, you're as square as ever." Grim scoffs.
Riddle shook his head, "Th-that's not true! I assure you that I've become much more lenient about enforcing the rules."
"He really has. He's way nicer than before. And we all appreciate that Riddle diligence. So go do what you gotta do, Boss!" Cater gave him the green light to go.
"Then I guess the rest of us are headed to Savanaclaw House." Ace shrugged.
XXXXXXXXXXXX
Back through the Hall of Mirrors and through the next mirror. A stone archway framed by skeletal bones and torches of blazing orange light marked the entrance, amongst some noticeable claw scratches on the walls.
Dry grounds surround the group with a blue sky, clouds dotting here and there. A giant tree marked the entrance to the dorm, composed entirely out of stone and probably sand. Tribal banners marked the entryway alongside the skeleton of one such animal and a ginormous dark rock.
"Huh… So this is Savanaclaw." Deuce looked around, absorbing the new place. Grim was just in awe as he.
"Whoa, did they carve this place into a mountain? And check out these huge bones! I wouldn't wanna meet whatever animal they're from."
"I'm pretty sure that's an elephant." Niho said.
"Couldn't be less like Heartslabyul." Ace took note.
"No kidding. Even the air here feels so…primal. It's like we've left the bounds of civilization." Cater agreed.
"I know. Isn't it great? It makes me feel so wild and free. Makes you want to roar with the Pride." Niho found herself smiling slightly.
"True...this feels just like home to me..." Rajni nodded subtly with a nostalgic grin as she lifted her head up to breathe in the air as a small gust of wind blew her hair back in a gorgeous blanket behind her. If one could hear closely, it's like her name was being whispered upon the winds.
"So what's this Jack guy look like?" Ace asked.
"Apparently he's got wolf ears, silver hair and a big, bushy tail too." Cater looks at his notes.
"A big, bushy tail… Wait, you mean like that guy runnin' laps over there?" Grim founds him immediately. True to Cater's words, there was a taller guy than all of them. Wearing the Black gym uniform with a yellow undershirt, to go with his caramel skin, messy silvery-white hair stuck up in random directions. He'd nearly be mistaken for a human had it not been for two ears poking tall and upright from his head. Niho squinted and saw his eyes, like liquid yellow gold, were narrowed in concentration. Likely for keeping the task at hand.
"Whoa, good eye! There's no way that's not our boy." Cater confirmed.
"And I thought those twins were big! This guy's HUGE!" Ace winced.
"No wonder all the scouts are after him..."
"With that build, he'd be an asset on any team." Deuce agreed.
"Let's just hurry and talk to him." Niho snipped.
"Gettin' a little nervous there, Niho? Don't worry, hon! Cay-Cay's got your back. I won't let the big bad wolf bite you." Cater winked and nearly laid an arm around her shoulders had she not spoken back up with a very annoyed and threatening tone.
"Call me hon again, and I'll throw your phone in a blender and drink it as a smoothie."
"Hey, you! Mr. Scowls-a-lot!" Grim got up to the wolf hybrid, who stopped for water.
"…Huh?" he looked down to see Grim.
"Just wanted to let ya know somebody's probably gonna try and hurt you. But don't worry- Grim the Great will protect you!" Rajni facepalmed once the gremlin spoke like he usually did.
"What? Look, don't bother me when I'm training." Jack snapped as Ace sighed.
"THAT'S your approach, Grim? I can't even count all the ways that was terrible. If you were on Magicam, I'd totally unsubscribe from your feed." Cater ran towards the tanuki and grabbed him, covering his mouth before he made the situation worse, resulting in said tanuki getting his screams muffled.
"Mmmph! Mmmmmph!" Rajni gave the third year a semi-thankful look for that.
"Sooo sorry about that, Jack. Listen, king, could we have just a minute of your time?" Cater shot a wide smile, hoping to ease him, but did the exact opposite.
"What's all this about? You said you wanna protect me from something?" Jack narrowed his eyes at him, growing more suspicious.
Deuce and Ace decided to take the reins on this. "A lot of Spelldrive tournament hopefuls have been hurt in "accidents" on campus lately."
"And we're trying to figure out who's behind it."
"Go on." Jack nodded, to show he was listening.
"To put it bluntly, our plan is to stake out some of the criminal's prospective targets. What do you say? Will you give us a hand in catching this guy?" Cater asked, grinning even wider.
… "No. I can take care of myself. I don't need your protection." Jack denied after some silence.
"If something happened, you might want backup." Niho pushed, but it only resulted in the wolf's glare getting harsh.
"I told you, I don't need your help. And besides I doubt I'm gonna be a target. Seeya." He snatched his things and left.
"Aaaaand he's gone." Cater sighed.
"Jeez, who pissed in his Cheerios?" Niho scoffed.
"Well, can't say I didn't warn him." Grim shrugged.
"Yeah well, you might want to reconsider your approach there, bud." Ace looks down at the gremlin with a small frown.
"Hrmph! You humans are so finicky about every little thing!" Grim scoffed with a pout.
"Hey, what are you lot doing here?" A new voice spoke up and looking up, the group saw three students heading their way.
"You're a long way from Heartslabyul House."
"Heh heh. Probably lackeys sent by Mr. Red Baby!"
"You think you can just barge onto our turf and walk away without payin' the price?"
"Wow, anyone else having dévà vu…?" Deuce whispered.
"Fine, we're leaving. Sorry to bother you." Ace held his hands up in mock surrender. He turned to leave, but soon found they were cornered when the three troublemakers circled them.
"Aww, don't be like that. Play with us first!"
"Let's play Predator and Prey! Guess who gets to be the prey? That's you!" One had reached out to grab Niho, but their wrist was sharply grabbed by someone else.
"Over MY dead body." Rajni snarled as she tightened her hold on the student's wrist, who winced when the pressure started getting to him. "Either back down now or there'll be SERIOUS consequences." She glared at all three of them, showing that she wasn't messing around.
"Hey, let me go!" The student shouted, trying to pull away from her but for someone short as Niho, maybe taller, she had a grip of steel.
"You heard what the headmage said. You want to get into detention?" Niho forced.
"And why should I give a crap about-"
"Cut it out, you three." Leona's voice cut through the air.
The three students tensed as they turned to the third year. "Housewarden Leona!"
"These students are trespassing on our territory!"
"Let's teach 'em a little lesson! Heh heh heh." The three turn back with sadistic smiles.
"Ah, I believe we met earlier, at the cafeteria." Ruggie looks down at Grim, who pointed an accusing finger up at the hybrid.
"Hey! It's the Grilled Chesseburglar!"
"Hey now, friend. Let's not get carried away with such delicious-sounding nicknames. I have a proper name befitting my manly stature. It's Ruggie Bucchi. Don't wear it out." Ruggie corrected.
Leona looked at the tanuki, only to trail his eyes up as they landed on Niho's face. "Hey… I know you. You're the herbivores who stepped on my tail at the botanical gardens." That only angered the delinquents.
"You…You stepped on the housewarden's tail?"
"Now you're really gonna pay!"
"First, I AM sorry about that. And second, I told you to prefer me as an omnivore." Niho shot a dirty look at Leona.
""Sorry" is not good enough!"
"I wasn't talking to you. I was talking to Leona." Niho flipped off the delinquent who spoke, her eyes not leaving Leona. But at the sound of the demi-lion's name, Rajni made herself known. She looked over her shoulder and made eye contact with Leona, who froze upon seeing her.
"Leona?"
"Rajni?"
She walked closer to him and he to her, as they stared at one another with surprise and some fear. Soon, hers melted into subtle formality while his remained somewhat defensive, yet stiff.
"It's been a long time, hasn't it...?" she spoke softly. "I...I hope your brother and the family are well."
"...Not long enough..." Leona said between clenched teeth. He didn't say anything else, looking at anything else other than her.
"Wait, you know each other?" Niho whispered to Rajni and she nodded.
"Indeed. I used to train under his brother's wing with the other warriors when I was but a child. I learnt so much from the guards and him in turn: from magic to combative fighting. He...he did mention having a brother but...I rarely saw him when I came to his castle. But it's like fate was pulling the strings, and soon...we crossed paths more than I could count..." she answered wistfully. Niho looked at her, feeling like there was a bit more to the story than she was telling, but she didn't dare push since it wasn't the time nor place. She didn't even notice Ruggie looking at her face carefully.
"Oh, that's right. I thought I'd seen you somewhere. It was at the gardens, huh?" it clicked almost immediately.
"C'mon, Leona, Ruggie- let's beat 'em up!" one troublemaker demanded.
Leona, teeth still clenched, hissed over his shoulder, eyes not leaving Rajni's form. "Stop yappin' like a pack of wild dogs. You really wanna risk starting a fight before the tournament? What if you get disqualified?"
"What, so you're just gonna let 'em walk away? Not even nibble on 'em a little?!"
"No one's lettin' anyone walk away." Leona fully looked over his shoulder with a snarl. But it melted into a smirk. "We're gonna resolve this with a "friendly" game of Spelldrive."
"Spelldrive?"
"After all, it doesn't violate any school rules to cast spells during a game of Spelldrive." Leona nodded.
"Shyeheehee! I doubt these weaklings could endure so much as a single game." Ruggie leant against his superior with a wide grin, showing flashy teeth.
"Welp, I'm not takin' THAT lyin'g down. Now we got no choice but to fight." Grim held up his paws like he was ready to kickbox.
"You say that like we had a choice to begin with." Deuce said vaguely. To Grim or Leona, no one was sure.
"All right, fine! You're on. Cater! Remember this when you pick the official team!" Ace cracked his knuckles.
"Are you kidding me here…? Hashtag #lame. All right, let's do this… Niho, you watch from the sidelines, Try to read their movements and convey it to us, okay?" Cater whispered to her.
The Spelldrive Stadium Savanaclaw possessed was spacious with two giant rings floating at either end of a sandy and barren field, the grounds marked with white paint. The stands were huge and spacious, covered by awnings, pillars of African designs decorated the columns like mosaic paintings.
"I'm about to tear you guys apart!" Grim was ready.
"Keep that talk up while you still can Shyeheehee!" Ruggie teased back.
"Fine by me. There's no fun in prey that doesn't bite back. Let's go, herbivores. Do your worst." Leona challenged as the three delinquents backed him up. Rajni and the Heartslabyul three geared up and it was, in a word: madness.
Rajni and the boys held their ground as Cater and Ace became a barricade as Rajni, Deuce and Grim protected the disk. Soon, they were nearing the end of the field. Soon, it was thrown and they scored. It went like this several times until a short rest break got called.
"That's how it's done! Keep up the pressure and stay on offense!" Grim cheered.
Although Ace smiled, he soon saw dark looks being given to him and the others. "I'm not liking the smirks they've got plastered on their faces one bit…"
"Good eye, Ace. I think your read's dead on." Cater shared the whisper.
"They'll be planning something, so keep your guard up." Rajni warned, knowing Leona would sink to anything to prove he was superior.
The second part came and the tables were turned. the demi-beasts got the better of them and yoinked the discus away from them too many times to count. And their score began to rise up. Ruggie and Leona took it as a chance to goad.
"They're better than expected, huh, Leona?"
"Yeah… But we weren't expectin' all that much."
"We were so close! We could have reached the goal if he hadn't swiped the disc!" Deuce huffed.
"Not the sharpest claws in the plains, huh? We've just been toyin' with our prey. Rraaah!" Leona roared as the discus flew like a boomerang towards the other end goal and only from where he stood on the other side of the field, making everyone's jaws drop.
"Dude! What was THAT?! That long shot was insane!" Ace shouted.
"And now it's back to the game. I'm far from through with you… Heh heh heh…" Leona smirked.
"Man...he's on another league..." Niho grimaced. She could only watch as the boys got wiped one by one and soon, they were depleted of all their strength. Grim panted as he flopped onto the floor.
"No way… We didn't score once!" Ace wheezed.
"There's not a single weak link in their defensive line!" Deuce moaned feeling his joints pop.
"Listen, Leona, sweetheart… Everyone knows you're a Spelldrive legend. You know we can't compete against you!" Cater tries to persuade to let them off the hook, but Leona wouldn't go down.
"What's that? You givin' up already?" Leona sneered.
"Shyeheehee! Where's all that swagger go?" Ruggie adds.
"On your feet, herbivores. We're having a rematch!" But Niho saw enough to know he wouldn't stop til they dropped dead.
"Enough already. Stop this!" she snarled, sanding in front of them. Rajni joined her side as she glared down at Leona.
"This is not like you, Leona! Where's your honor?!"
"What's goin' on here?" Jack's voice was heard as he raced onto the field to see the commotion.
"Huh? We're just having a little fun with some trespassers." was all Leona said. But Jack had seen all he needed to know Leona was semi-lying through his teeth.
"What's fun about tormenting amateur players?" He fired back.
"What's thiiis? Look at you, Jack! Heroically standing up for the downtrodden! How woefully admirable. Shyeheehee!" Ruggie grinned widely.
"I'm just saying this is a disgusting spectacle and I don't wanna have to see it." Jack snapped as he stood in front of Niho and Rajni with a fearsome glare at his seniors.
"… Well, thanks. Now you've ruined all our fun." Leona scoffed.
"Whoa, Jack. You DO realize who you're talking to, right?" one delinquent spoke up.
"If you're gonna play the upperclassman card, you oughta act the part." Jack clapped back, aggravating the delinquents, but the statement was clearly meant for Leona.
"Whaaat did you say to me?! You want a piece of this too?!"
"Pretty bold, frosh. I guess I can respect that. All right, I'm bored now. Running up the score against you chumps ain't accomplishin' a thing. Let's go, Ruggie." Leona nodded to the side.
"Toodles."
"You lot better think twice about invading our territory again!" the five demi-humans left with their backs straightened. Niho turned towards the guys as she and Rajni helped them off the floor.
"Is everyone okay?"
"Heh. Well, I can't say that was my finest moment on the field." Cater smiled awkwardly.
"Thanks for the help, Jack." Deuce nodded. But Jack shrugged it off.
"Save it. I ain't in the business of charity work."
"I'm drenched in mud over here! Let's just call it a day and go home." Ace felt his soles full of muck as he tried to shake it out without trying to rip his shoe off.
"Yeah, I'm gettin' pretty hungry over here." Grim stretched.
"Always thinking with his stomach..." Rajni groaned.
"All right, Jack, we're taking off. Don't get in any accidents, you hear?" Cater semi-winked at the first year.
"You've got a whole lotta nerve to be worrying about me. Now scram already. …" Jack pushed them to leave before something worse happened and they obliged.
XXXXXXXXXXXX
Niho sat on her bed as she brought out her journal and pen. Flipping to a clean page, she started writing.
"October 14th, First Year...I've made a new recruit who has joined the dorm. Her name is Rajni, a demi-lioness. She's very different than I thought. She's disciplined but righteous in her own way and not afraid to speak her mind. I feel as if she has potential to be what the Headmage knows I could be, too.
"Series of accidents have been happening around here as of late. While some may think it's careless students being careless students, I have a feeling there's something deeper at play here...I'm not sure what though...we've gotten testimonies, yet they're all the same...maybe soon we'll have a damning piece of evidence. We even tried to pinpoint who could be the next potential victim. We went to Pomefiore and analyzed one would-be, and got chased down by two terrifying twins...and last was a wolf hybrid.
"His name is Jack Howl. It seems like he doesn't believe he'll be a potential target...especially when he's from a dorm that vies for strength above all else...and that clearly went towards Leona Kingscholar. He's the Housewarden to the house Jack is affiliated with. And it turns out, He's got a little sidekick, goes by the name of Ruggie...turns out, Leona and his underlings aren't just all talk and no action. My allies were challenged to Spelldrive and the beasts wiped the floor with them.
"But...I noticed something was off about Leona when he was at play...he seemed to steer clear of Rajni when she had joined Ace, Deuce, Cater and Grim...that had me thinking back to what Rajni said when she claimed to have had some history with Leona as soon as she appeared before him...maybe there's a deeper connection than I believe...but what is it?...guess only time will tell..."
Grim was snoring slightly as he talked in his sleep, "Mm. Did ja see that…Totally wrecked 'em with my power shot…" he grinned like he won the lottery.
"Ah, I'm too sore to sleep." she decided, putting away her journal and pen as she massaged her arms, deciding to step outside for some fresh air. She carefully made her way out of her room, careful not to wake Rajni, who had taken residence in the room down the hall from her, and made it outside.
She closed the front door behind her and made it halfway down the set of steps, taking in a few deep breaths of air. A gust of wind blew and she shivered. "Wow, it's gotten really cold." she slightly cursed herself for wearing such light-material for pajamas. The sound of footfalls were behind her and soon a voice spoke up.
"Hm? Who's over there?" Niho turned to the voice and her eyes widened. Standing just before the bent iron gate was a pale-skinned figure. Not pale as an albino, but pale like he was bathed in moonlight. He wore the school uniform, but the armband he possessed was green and black. His hair was long, reaching almost to his shoulder blades, and colored a silky black. Almost hidden by his bangs were lime-green eyes, like nuclear slime. But the most prominent feature he possessed were a pair of elongated horns curving up like deer antlers, tinted black-ish blue.
'A ghost?!' she thought, almost scared for her life. The horned figure's surprise was piqued when he saw her features when she faced him fully.
"Well, this is a surprise. A child of man, are you?" He asked, voice deep and alluring.
'This guy's got horns on his head. But… he's so beautiful.' Niho couldn't stop looking at him, feeling herself being pulled into his mysterious aura, like a moth drawn to a flame.
"Do you live here? I was under the impression that this dorm had been abandoned for some time." he kept speaking.
She nodded, to show she was listening to him. "It was, but I've lived here since orientation this year. It will be the new base of the new program me and the headmage were talking about."
"'Program'?...I don't recall anything like that being talked about..." he murmured.
"Yeah, uh...it's a confidential thing..." Niho rubbed her arms for some warmth.
"I quite enjoyed having a place where I could go to enjoy the peace of solitude." A small awkward silence stood between the two. The horned figure looked at Niho who looked at the ground. Something told her to tell him her name since he didn't seem like a threat.
"I'm the dorm prefect, Niho." she forced herself to look him in the eye.
"Niho… An unusual name, to be sure. I am… " the figure shook his head at the last minute. "No, never mind. I'd rather you remain unaware. It's for your own benefit, I assure you. Instead, I will permit you to call me by a name of your choosing. Although you may one day regret it…"
'Why is everyone in this school like this?' she thought with some irk.
"But alas… If you have taken up residence here, then this abandoned dorm is no longer "abandoned." Pity. I shall have to find some other ruins for my next nocturnal constitution. Farewell, Miss." He nodded as goodbye. She nodded back, thinking little of his farewell, but then doubled back, her eyes widening at what he called her.
"What did you say?" she turned back to him. Then froze, slowly looking down at her appearance. She was in such a hurry to go outside and get some air, she didn't realize she left her hair down and that she wasn't wearing a bra, showing off her bust from behind her top. Now she was scared. She started begging, "Please, you can't tell anyone, you can't! If they found out-"
"I would never tell a living soul." the horned boy nodded. "Just as I won't tell you who I am, I will not tell anyone of your true gender. On my honor."
"Thanks." she sighed with relief. But to her surprise he had vanished, leaving a few fireflies flying around the space he was last seen. "He's gone…?" she wondered, standing on the stairs, looking out into the night air.
XXXXXXXXXXXX
Back in Savanaclaw, night had fallen over the dorm, the crescent moon shining high over the building, and through the window where Leona was lying on his bed. The entirety of his room was messy, from his closet to his floor and his desk. Some of the shades were left open while one was half-closed, leading onto a small veranda that overlooked the field below.
"You must be tired, Leona. I've brought you dinner." Ruggie pushed open the door with his shoulder, leaving a plate of food on the desk as Leona cracked an eye open, following the hyena's movements. "And on the way, I got a little "work" done." he smiled crudely over his shoulder.
"Always there when I need ya, Ruggie." Leona sat up with his own smile.
"Oh, it's a pleasure to be of service to you, Housewarden." Ruggie mock bowed as the banter between the two began, between playful and dark.
"You always say that, don't you? Even though you're really doing this for yourself."
"Perish the thought, Leona! It's a pleasure to be of service to OUR cause. All of us want to turn the world upside down. That's precisely why the hyenas joined hands with the King of Beasts in the first place- to improve their lot in life forevermore. I'm pretty much doing the same thing."
"Then make sure you're careful on your "hunts." Don't leave any evidence behind."
"Shyeheehee! You should know how hyenas work. We pick our prey clean to the bone. Incidentally, Leona- any thoughts as to who my next target should be?"
"Oh, I've got an idea. How about a little wolf who likes to eavesdrop?" Leona pretended to think only to frown when he spoke.
"Huh?"
Leona glared at the door. "I know you're there, frosh. No use hiding." The door then cracked open and there was Jack.
The demi-wolf entered silently and stood there, not making eye contact with either one of the seniors.
"And what are YOU doin' up so late? Need someone to sing you a lullaby?" Leona asked, turning his head to look at the freshman.
"Maybe I'll give it a shot! Shyeheehee!" Ruggie joked. Jack balled his hand into a fist as he spoke,
"I want to know why. What are you two doing this?"
"Huh. So it's a bedtime story you're after. All right, I got one for you. We went up against Malleus's Diasomnia team in round one of the tournament two years running. We were eliminated both times. We got a wall fulla championship trophies, but they ran circles around us like we were still in diapers. And that disgrace was broadcast to the entire world. I looked like an incompetent moron. And now the pro league recruiters, well, they pass right by Savanaclaw."
"But that's because we weren't good enough!" Jack argued and Leona nodded stiffly.
"You're right about that. Last year, you could certainly say that we didn't give the tournament our all. Only a total moron would have thought we could win. But that's how naïve we were. We never even came up with a plan or nothin'. And we've got the nerve to claim Savanaclaw honors the tenacity of the King of Beast! What a joke."
"But that's exactly why acting like cowards and cutting down our opponents is so wrong!" Jack fired back, trying to keep his voice from yelling but trying to make the Housewarden see reason in his actions.
""Wrong," you say?" Leona shifted his body towards Jack, putting his feet on the floor as he sat on the edge of the bed, looking forward now. "Jack, who do you think I'm doing this for? I'm thinkin' about you and your dorm mates here! This is about crushing Malleus and restoring Savanaclaw's reputation! The headmage said if we don't win this year, Malleus is getting inducted into the hall of fame. That means this is our last chance to beat him. And you're gonna throw it away over…what? Some moral superiority complex?"
That made Jack tongue-tied. "But… I…"
"Using your wits to corner your prey is part of the hurt. There's nothing cowardly about it."
"Shyeheehee! Night Raven operates on the survival of the fittest. Nice guys don't last long here."
"But Housewarden, if you got serious about playing, we could actually be a threat to Diasomnia! I saw the way you played three years ago! I'll never forget it!" Jack only got started until-
"What do YOU know about ANYTHING, frosh?!" Leona snarled, his eyes darkening as he pushed himself off his bed, glaring down at him. "You want me to "get serious about playing"? Hah! Now you're the one who's naïve. It wouldn't change a thing. Get outta my sight."
Jack hesitated before sighing and left without another word. Leona and Ruggie looked at the door he just left through, speaking to one another.
"That boy could be a problem. You want me to take care of him?" Ruggie suggested, but Leona shot down his request.
"No. Don't. Even if he goes and blabs it all to Crowley, he ain't got a shrewd of proof. And besides, that'd be a terrible waste of talent. Just make sure you keep an eye on him."
"Understood." Ruggie saluted and left. Leona crossed his arms as he turned, looking out the veranda and up at the moon with a frown.
"Tch. Stupid frosh… Talkin' like he's better than me." he sneered, unaware of a dark puddle growing bigger than before.