Emery lips parted slightly releasing a sigh of relief. He finally saw the small rays of light peeking through the bedroom window. Painting the otherwise grey room in streaks of red and orange. Emery cautiously sat up on his bed, he didn't want to wake his roommate. If he did, he knew the room would become the sun, flames burning fiercely and dancing up the walls. Today is the day, and already Emery was disappointed in himself. He couldn't bring his mind to sleep due to the racing thoughts crashing around his head. Endless waves of anxiety and questions. But more importantly, the tsunami that was the small voice in the back of his head. The voice owned by a girl he once knew and loved deeply, "be the best hero you can be, for me."
The weight of those words plague Emery's body and mind. He couldn't let her down, not after all they had been through. Letting out another brief sigh, he felt the heat forming in his nose and eyes. You can't think about them. It hurts too much still. Emery quickly looked down at his disheveled fur. It has always been a marvel of how much fur Emery the Hedgehog had. Of course, Emery was a different kind of subspecies than the normally seen Mobian hedgehog. A rarely seen species known as the Desert Hedgehog. Similar to the Long Eared, the Desert hedgehog had long ears but dark longer fur with slightly longer quills. Although, Emery still has twice as much fur as a normal Mobian Desert Hedgehog. Emery was frustrated with it, yes it made him 'fluffy and cute', but it was also a subject of immediate comments. Something that people pointed out right away or even whispered as he walked by. He knew he couldn't control it and would probably be wise to shave it, but he did have pride for the fur. It was glossy black fur, as dark as night, that shined in the sun and was velvety to the touch. And to top it off, a small spot of pristine white fur broke through the darkness on his stomach.
Emery raked his short claws through the fur as a makeshift brush. He knew his quills would be a mess as well from all the tossing and turning. But he didn't want to deal with it at the moment. Quickly, he swung his legs over the edge of the bed. His eyes settling on the sleeping form across the room. The form moved rhythmically up and down indicating it was fast asleep. Emery bent over, reaching for his shoes under the bed. He kept his only pair of socks rolled up nicely in them. Since he was in an orphanage, he didn't have, nor could afford much. Only a pair of socks and shoes that were falling apart at the seams. He didn't choose to wear gloves like many Mobians do. It was due to the feeling of them. He hated the muffled feeling they caused on his fingertips. Whenever he could afford a pair, Emery vowed to get fingerless gloves. So at least he will look somewhat more like a typical Mobian.
After he got his shoes on, he managed to silently leave the room. Patiently closing the door ever so slowly to only allow a small click be heard. Emery glanced down the illuminated hallway. All the doors were closed displaying that the other children were fast asleep. He tiptoed his way down the hall and the stairs. Upon reaching the bottom he looked into the common room. The leopard that was sitting on the couch turned his ear towards the entrance. "Going to go practice now Emery?"
Emery managed a small grunt before replying. "Yes I will be back soon. I'm only going down to the river." He turned to head out the front door when a voice stopped him. He turned back to the common room.
"Emery," the leopard turned around in his chair. "I want you back here soon. We need to eat, wake up Kai and catch the train. You wouldn't want your first impression to be tardiness."
A meek 'yes sir' escaped through Emery's lips. He turned anxiously and stepped out of the orphanage. Or rather group home as they called it. A breeze hit Emery's face and fur. It was cool and damp. Small droplets of water sprinkled down from the roof and onto the lush grass. The grass was reflecting the red and purple that painted the sky. The sun was just starting to peek through the clouds, offering some warmth against the humid air. Emery smirked and set off to his training, making sure not to stress himself or his body before the big day.
The table was set with warm bread and jams of all different kinds of fruits. A small bowl containing fresh cut fruit with a side of seeds and nuts stood proudly in the center. The steaming dancing from the fresh tea gave the air a warm feeling. When Emery approached the kitchen he saw the display on the table along with a leopard and a very groggy grey wolf.
"Just in time Emery. Quick sit down and eat. We will leave shortly to catch the train." The leopard ushered, waving his hand at the empty spot at the table.
Emery gingerly sat beside the groggy wolf. Kai was known to have as hot of a temper as his ability to manipulate and produce fire. The wolf was getting better at controlling it, but it still made everyone feel like they were walking on eggshells around him. Kai already had a piece of bread with raspberry jam already dumped upon it. He skipped out on the fruits and nuts but was busily drinking his tea down.
Emery set to work on getting some cut fruit and nuts onto his plate. The leopard cleared his throat before speaking again. "Alright listen you two. When we arrive at the train station, I want you two on your best behavior. No flames. No floating objects. Okay?" He gave a brief pause to see the two kids in front of him nod before continuing. "Now when we arrive in Zoopolis, we will head straight to the school. They have provided us with a room for the night. You two will take three tests tomorrow to see if you qualify for the school. After that, we head straight back. And I decided to be nice to the both of you, we will go eat dinner tonight at a restaurant. Don't tell any of the kids or supervisors here alright? Does this sound like a plan?"
The ears of the hedgehog and wolf perked up at the word 'restaurant'. Both sat wide eyed for a moment before happily smiling and high-fiving. Kai's tail was wagging happily while Emery let out a pleased purr. "Hell yeah! I knew this was going to be good when I found out you're taking us Argo!" Kai responded quickly in one breath. Emery shyly nodding in agreement with the wolf's words.
"I'm glad. Now, allez."
The three Mobians set out towards the train station. It was only a twenty minute walk from the group home complex. The sun was half way in the sky and was drying all the dew from the grass and trees. Warming the air at the same time. When they arrived at the train station they only had to wait a few moments before the train came rolling in. Anxiety from the wolf and hedgehog was filling the air.
The train was practically empty, except for a few passengers here and there. They sat in a row of three seats, each seat had a small screen behind the chairs in front of them. Argo immediately set his to the news channel, while the wolf and hedgehog eagerly watched the train speed through the countryside. Though, Emery paid less attention to the view when his ears picked up the quiet conversations of the news. The Mobians were on the screen talking about the crisis happening on the other side of the planet. Something about a weird foreign alien taking over and turning Mobians into robots. There was a small rebellion trying to save the citizens and stop the madman. They were called the Freedom Fighters. But the main topic of the discussion was whether the Democratic Kingdom of Animalia should send an army and help the Mobians as well. Or to keep the army here and protect their own citizens.
Before Emery could ask questions to Argo the train was already at Zoopolis. The group of three stepped out of the train and were immediately stopped by a black Badger. "Identifications please."
Argo answered with a small nod and reached into the brown leather satchel he had. He pulled out papers and handed them to the badger. The badger quickly read the papers, glancing at each one of them to make sure they matched the identification photo. "Everything looks good, enjoy Zoopolis. And the best of luck to you two." He spoke firmly, looking at Emery and Kai intensely.
The night and morning went by quickly. It was almost as if it had just been a surreal dream. The three Mobians stood in front of a giant castle-like school. Emery tried to hide his legs shaking from nervousness as they climbed the stairs towards the entrance. He could barely talk from the anxiety bouncing around his body like a pinball. Every nerve felt tense and warm. His quills were raised, ready for an attack at any moment. He could barely understand anything as he and Kai were being led to an auditorium. Kai finally broke Emery out of his daze as he leaned over to whisper in his ear, "you scared?"
Emery heard the mocking undertone from Kai. He turned to respond back when he was interrupted by a loud booming voice.
"Please shut up all of you. Now, welcome to the Royal Academy of Animalia. All of you here today have been referred to us by professionals. You are truly gifted Mobians. But not all of you will be selected to study here. There are three tests you have to take. The first one is a test of your strength. Your power. You will all be released into an arena. The goal is to get to the other side and go through the door you are assigned to. But beware, there's many creatures in the arena who would love to stop you. You may also stop your peers from getting to the other side. Let your powers loose. Show us what you can do. Oh, and did I mention it's timed? You have thirty minutes to get to the other side. If you don't go through your assigned door, you fail the test and will be required to go immediately. Tomorrow you will find out if you got in or not, that is if you get through the assigned door. Attacking the creatures in the arena earns you points. Some earn you more than others. You want to be able to go through your assigned door with a lot of points under your name as well. Those with the most points will be automatically granted a spot in our program. In a moment you will receive your assigned door. Best of luck to you all. And understand one thing, you may die from this test."