Here is a little something I've been working on since I have not been on for so long. I have't given up on the story I just haven't been tie for me to write given the work I have to do for my final year in college

~Ryuu Arishi

Different

A figure was relaxing in the sun in a large deep forest valley that looked like the lines of a crater surrounded on all sides by the mountains that tower over the clouds hidden to the world. With the only one small passage leading into the valley. No one would not dare traverse the narrow passage. The locals stay clear of the dark passage and all who do, either die from large falling rocks or the large predators that use it for their hunting grounds. The figure was leaning on a tree looking up at the clouds reflecting on his life and how he got in this position in the first place. If one was to look upon this figure you would see he was not completely human, but was still clearly a bipedal creature, a creature that had a body for a greater cat, a panther. One might ask why this…Anthro. He had the body of a human but still had the fur, head and legs of a panther even his hands looked more animal but still had fingers to grip objects. This Anthro's name is Draco a banished warrior with powers not connected to his people.

As Draco was relaxing under the shade of a tree he started to remember just how he started living in this large crater valley, but let's start at the beginning of his life, a point in his life where it took a changed for good or the worst.

A small bipedal panther was running around a back yard of a home at the edge of a great city. This home was one of the largest properties owned by the famous battle mage known to the city of Dinensia. A woman known as Arryn, was one of the most powerful mages in the city. After the revolution, where two fractions of panthers fought for control of the city one siding for beings that helped them, known as Ryu, while the other loathed the beings. This fraction was known as the Slayers. The Slayers hated the creatures for betraying the treaty between the city and them, but most of that hate came from their leader Dinensia who died moving the city to this other dimension. In doing so killed her. When the revolution started, many had died from both sides, but in the end the Slayer's won and took control of the city and kicked out the other fraction and renaming the city after the leader who died moving their city to a safer place. Arryn fought for the Slayer fraction but during the war, she fell in love with the most unexpected individual known as Ladon. Whenever these two fought they would always tie fighting each other. Never wining, always ending their battles with a tie, never getting one over the other.

As the end of the war neared the two got together and told each other their feelings and in their one night of passion and a very important secret that Ladon hid throughout the war from everyone including his own fraction. This secret nearly had Arryn kill herself, when she learned that her lover was the very thing her fraction was against. If it was for the one thing that stopped her, the creation of life. When the war ended the two got back together but not for long because Ladon had a duty to uphold, not to the people of his fraction but for something bigger than the citizens of the city, bigger than the world they came from. Ladon was a Guardian that protects an important balance. When Ladon left Arryn was pregnant, so Ladon gave her gifts for his child, one-half of a broken medallion he always wore saying that it would lead him in his most dire need when he found the other half. The half he will be leaving with another Guardian like him and a letter with a ring for when he is of age to join the battle mages. Ladon also told her of the changes that their unborn child would occur when he reach the age of six.

Six years later the city was thriving. To some of the neutral groups, it became more corrupt with the elders and the leader making the city a more military based one from the refugee based city that Dinensia had run taking in residents from their old dimension. Now citizens are harassed for not paying taxes, for keeping the military running, and the retired mages are seen as old and should not be teaching the new generation their ways from when they were in the military. Arryn was the only exception from these corrupt things being done. From the power and her leading her platoon to victory and coming out with no deaths in battles she fought. Arryn was a single mother to her son Draco. As Arryn was watching her son from the kitchen window chase a butterfly around the yard, she was worried for Draco as during the morning she took noticed of something that was blended in with his fur while bathing him in the morning after waking up for breakfast. She almost didn't notice them except when she felt something rough on his arm till she took a closer look.

Draco growing up as a kid was a happy fun loving child, with an adventurous and curious side to him. Draco wanted to learn everything there was to see. The questions he asked his mother were always calling for in-depth answers and always asking for the reasons and the how thing were happening and what drove panthers to do what they did to other. He always the why of the question and never the short answer. Draco was an intelligent little panther growing up always exploring for answers to his questions whether it is from within book or from other panthers, but he never took what other panthers said to heart as he always got this feeling that they were not being truthful. His mother always gave him answers and never left things out whenever he asked why or how. With other panthers it's like they are trying to give answers that are not making sense to him when he compares them to his mother's answers when he goes back home to ask the same question to his mother again. When he asks his mother about this feeling to her, she looked amazed that he could even sense that people are lieing to him, not telling the truth.

As the years go by, Draco becomes more intelligent and has started learning magic from his mother at the age of eight. Teaching her son how to unlock his magic and his hidden power a power all panthers are born with, a power where they are excelled at, a power difficult to unlock. Arryn hidden power was super speed and flexibility like no other. That is not all that changed about Draco, in growing up these past two years, a change had occurred where Draco grew a tail blade that was five inches long and was three inches in width with a slight curve to the blade with a cut out half circle on the top of the blade. When that changed happened, Draco asked his mother about it and to her heavy heart she told Draco about his father, who was a Guardian that had a duty to uphold. About what his father truly was and just what Draco was. Even about how his father wanted to stay and raise him. Arryn even gave him the broken half of the medallion Ladon wanted to give Draco. Draco was surprised that his father was one of the beings that everyone in the entire city despises and wants nothing to do with at all. After hearing all about his father, Draco was at a standstill about what to do with his life. A life where all he knew about himself was a lie and that he now realized that if anyone found out about what he was, he would not be able to live the way he is now and would be on the constant run or die by the hands of the panthers of Dinensia.

A couple days pass by after the truth about what he and his father were and Draco came to a conclusion about what he was going to do. Draco was going hide what he is and change the view of what the panthers of Dinensia. Studying from books on different types of illusions and other forms of hiding ones appearance, Draco found the one book that could help him. An old leather bound tome that seemed to be forgotten by everyone, including the Liberian that run the library. A tome of the most complex magic known to the panthers of Dinensia… Glyphs. A surprising fact Draco learned about the old tome, it was written by Dinensia. Draco was wondering how someone never found this. Locking it up with all of Dinensia other object in the Cathedral, the building the runes the city.

With the knowledge of the tome being from the savior of Dinensia, Draco took extreme caution with sneaking the tome out of the Library and back to his home at the edge of the city. It took a while to get the large tome back home and when showing the tome to his mother and the plan he was going to be using to hide the features that he will be getting from his father. Arryn was shocked when her son Draco brought home a tome of glyphs; she almost fainted because of who wrote the tome too. Arryn considered the idea of using glyphs for hiding the appearance and agreed with it because of how complex glyphs are in general and that no one even studied them anymore, so no one would know how to break the glyph or even know what to look for if there was one on a person or object.

With no time to waist, Draco would be joining the academy in two years. For the last two years Draco spent the time studying glyphs with his mother's help nonstop. In doing so Draco gave up the one thing a child shouldn't have to give up. The rest of his childhood. Draco took to his training seriously, giving up looking for any friends in his young age and never leaving his home for anything except for going to the library or the weapon shop with his mother looking for training gear and weapons to train with. Draco's mother Arryn trained Draco more in magic with Arryn giving Draco a large leather bound tome of all types of magic from forbidden to old and forgotten spells.

When Draco studied glyphs out of the fifty levels of glyphs, Draco was surprisingly a level twenty- eight. Which to panthers that know anything about glyphs in general would take years of studying to even get to that level, but Draco took to glyphs like a fish to water. Draco soaked up everything there was about glyphs. By the second month in training in glyphs, Draco created one where it hide his tail blade in an illusion where anyone that didn't know about it would just see a normal panther tail, but to those that did would see right through the illusion. Draco put the glyph where no one would think of looking, a small dark purple tribal looking tattoo under his right eye.

That was not all that Draco trained in, as he also trained his body where there were muscles that should not be on a ten year old panther and was rather tall for his age group where other panthers of ten years are about 4'7. Draco was 5'2. Draco also learned how to wield a sword, but not a broadsword…a katana. A sword not commonly used by anyone, but after hearing a story about his father while taking a break after training. A story of Ladon used a katana fighting against his mother during the revolution. Draco went out of his way to master the use of a katana to remember and honor his father other than the broken medallion he got from his mother. While training Draco discovers he could control different types of elements without casting any types of spells. He found out he could control fire, ice, water, earth, lightning, shadow, wind, light and darkness to some degree. Draco also was able to unlock his hidden power during the two years and it nearly gave his mother Arryn a heart attack seeing what it was.

The day where Draco joined the academy, he was nervous being in the presence of so many panthers but was determined to get stronger while training at the academy to achieve his goal. For the next eight year things have gone from great after meeting one panther by the name of Yuuki in his first year. She was the first friend he meet while training at the academy and was a unique panther with slightly longer fur on the top of her head and a couple inches shorter then him, with white highlights around her neck and arms in a tribal tattoo design. One look at the highlights Draco knew they were glyphs, but for what purpose Draco didn't know. By the second year came by Draco had to take a week off from the academy for back problems, but that was only half true as during the week another changed happened to Draco. So during the week Draco had to take the time to get used to his new appendages.

When Draco returned to the academy, Yuuki was worried for her only friend and asked him what happened. Draco had told her that he push too hard in his weight training and strained his back. Draco never like lieing to his only friend but Draco knew if Yuuki had known what he was then she would want nothing to do with the year went by with the academy teaching the students about all types of magic and Draco learning new types of magic.

The next six years went by and the students learned to cast magic and learn what type of magic they were good at and how to unlock their hidden power. Since Draco already knew what his hidden power was and wanted to keep it a secret from everyone else and it pained him for lieing to Yuuki all the time with all his secrets. Draco had to play off that he couldn't unlock his hidden power and with the one percent of the student that couldn't unlock theirs either would have to pass the academy with more experience in spell and weaponry. At the end of his time at the academy Draco has grown taller to where he was 6'5 and his mussels had grown to where they were built for speed and strength.

The final test was approaching the unthinkable happen when the students were taking the test that was on a ledge of the mountain that was near the city. The test was simple to fight one of the top instructors in a full out fight and last five minutes, one of the more arrogant and pompous student used a spell that he never used before and caused a rock slide where the student got himself killed but also cause his best friend Yuuki to fall off the cliff. Without thinking Draco jumped off the cliff to save her, as the two were falling Draco dropped the illusion that was over him reveling the changes he went through during his younger year and the years he was in the academy. Yuuki saw that her best friend changed before her eyes as they were fall to their doom. Draco now had a blade at the end of his tail and it had grown longer and wider from when he was six. But the most surprising thing that Yuuki saw was the two leathery six foot wings that stretched out saving them from dying from the fall. As the pair landed in a crash landing since Draco never used his wings before for flying.

Everyone from the academy saw what happened to the pair and noticed that the wings on Draco's back were wings of the one creature that everyone in Dinensia hated with a passion. The instructors that were near Draco and Yuuki attacked Draco without warning and seeing as the teachers attacked Draco the students that were not injured in the rock slide also attacked Draco. Seeing that the panther's around him about to through spells at him, Draco did the one thing he could think of in his panic… he ran back in the direction of Dinensia leaving behind vengeful panther and a surprised and conflicted Yuuki. As Draco made his way through Dinensia passing surprised, hatful and angry citizen and mages Draco made his way back to his home being chased by a mob of panthers not that far behind him.

When Draco made it home his mother Arryn was panicking seeing that Draco was injured and that his wings were out in the open. Seeing that her son was in distress and the mob of panthers behind her son she took her son and herself back inside the house and locked the door and barricaded them in the basement. The sound of the front door being torn down an panthers searching for both Draco and Arryn. When the basement door was thrown off its hinges, panthers storming into get to both Draco and Arryn. The mod started beating both mother and son and while that was happening something unexpected happened, as Draco was trying to reach his mother his medallion his father left him started glowing unnoticed by Draco and the mod of panthers. The last thing Draco saw before blacking out was his mother disappearing in a flash of light and the yelling of the mob.

When Draco woke up he was in a cell bound by chains and wondering where his mother was, when guards came in for him to take to the elders and the people of Dinensia. When Draco was dragged in front of the elders of Dinensia his judgment was served.

"The council hears by exile Draco from Dinensia City for being what he is, a hybrid, and an abomination. Half-breed of a panther and dragon." Everyone around Draco started throwing anything they could get their hands on and pelted Draco shouting "Exile! Death!" Draco started running away while getting beaten by rocks and hard objects by other panthers. Draco kept running till he couldn't see the city anymore, but what Draco didn't notice was that a couple of the elite battle mages chased after him under orders of the elders to kill Draco. Draco stopped in a clearing to rest, but was ambushed by mages. The mages started beating Draco and to finish the job the mages were sent to do, two of them held Draco while another drew his swords and slashed Draco across the chest creating a deep "X" wound. Draco was left bleeding and unconscious in the middle of a forest in a puddle of his own blood.

As the three mages left a panther wearing white and black battle robes with a gold design come out of the bushes and walked over to Draco and kneeled over him with a worried expression showed on its face "Why?" the panther mumbled. "Why didn't you tell me?" the panther said out loud, reaching over to pick up Draco and carry him away deeper into the forest. The scene shifted to the panther walk into a cave placing Draco on the ground and treating his wounds. After Draco's wounds were patched up the panther walked opposite to the wall from Draco, waiting for him to awake. Draco sat up holding his chest in pain. He looked around him and noticed he was in a cave and that there was a female panther leaning against a wall opposite to him.

Draco was surprised that panther was his best friend Yuuki. "Why did you help me Yuuki?" he asked out loud waking Yuuki sleep.

Yuuki opened her eyes to see Draco awake and looking at the ground.

"Draco you're up." She said "I was so worried about you."

"Why? Why did you help me?" Draco asked again.

"Because you are my only friend I have in all of Dinensia" Yuuki replied. "All the other panthers stay clear of me for being different with my markings."

"You know what they would do to you if see you with me" Draco said.

"I know and I don't care. I…I love you" Yuuki said. "I fallen in love with you from the time we spent together in the academy!"

Draco was shocked at what Yuuki just said, he never knew. But he knew what would happen to her if he stayed in Dinensia with is secret revealed.

"I…I'm sorry, but I can't accept your love" Draco said in a sad tone. He didn't want to say that, it pained him to even say it. Even though he loved her too, he just could see her get hurt for something that was his fault.

"Why not?" Yuuki said starting to cry.

"Because I don't want to see my friends get killed or hurt because of me" Draco said getting up. He walked over to the mouth of the cave with some difficulty and leaned against the wall.

"I need you to do something for me" Draco said.

"What?" Yuuki said whipping away the tears.

"I need you to get my things from my home along with the two tomes that are under my bed in a hidden compartment." Draco asked.

"Okay. But why?" Yuuki asked.

"Just get them … please" Draco replied. As Yuuki left to get what he wanted. Draco spent the time thinking of what he was going to do. Where was he going to go? When Draco took a hold of his father medallion thinking of his current problem…it hit him, Draco looked down at the medallion Draco knew where to go. Yuuki returned two hours later with a bag filled with his armors and weapons along with a small magical chest of his most important objects that also held both the old tomes. Draco took the bag and put on his leather shin and arm guards along with his chest armor being carful of his wound Draco put the bag over his shoulder and opened the chest pulling out a black cloak and the tome his mother gave him. Draco threw the cloak on and strapping the small chest to his lower back Draco was about to leave the cave when Yuuki stopped him.

"Here" Yuuki said handing him a pair of black and white gantlets with a blue, gold, silver, black, white and gray crystal's on them.

"What are these?" Draco asked.

"There are my favorite pare of fighting gauntlets" Yuuki replied.

"But these are yours, I can't take them" Draco said handing them back.

"No, keep them to remember me by" Yuuki said pushing them back into Draco's hands. Draco looked down at them and said with a smile on his face "Thank you."

"You're welcome" Yuuki said "Where will you go?" she asked. Draco looked up at her and said "Home" opening the tome in his hands.

Yuuki had a confused look on her face "You can't go home, you've been banished" she said. "Not Dinensia" Draco said.

"Then where?" Yuuki asked.

"Remember when we were training to find our hidden powers and I failed" Draco asked. Yuuki nodded.

"Well I didn't" Draco said as a white aura appeared around him. He vanished in a blink of an eye. Yuuki gasped seeing this.

"You might recognize this. It's called Jumping" Draco said appearing behind her. Yuuki yelled in surprise when he appeared

"You have the saviors' hidden power" Yuuki exclaimed surprised. Then Yuuki knew what 'home' Draco was talking about. The Dragon Realm.

"Yes and a whole lot more than that" Draco replied.

"I guess I'll see you around" Draco said

"I hope" Yuuki thought.

"Bye Draco" Yuuki said giving him a hug crying.

"Bye… Yuuki" Draco said giving his only friend and his love a kiss on the cheek and grabbed his things and jumped to the Dragon Realm.