Chapter 2: A New Pack

"Alexander, if you don't hurry, you're gonna be late for school."

"Coming mom!"

The day had finally come. The day I get to enter the UA high school. So many things were going through my head as I was getting ready. What were my new classmates like, would they like me, how are they gonna feel about a foreign wolf-man making it into the top hero school in their country? I knew it was stupid to worry about all that, but I couldn't stop stressing over it, nonetheless.

It also didn't help that, as far as I could tell, my family and I were the only animal folk here. Everyone I saw at both the entrance exam and around the neighborhood were all normal humans. Sure, they had some mutations thanks to their quirks, like that girl who had vines for hair, but that was about it.

It was the exact opposite of my village. Over there, nearly everyone was an animal folk with only a few exceptions. Still, I knew I had to make the most of it here and hope that things wouldn't be too bad.

As I ran downstairs for breakfast, I saw Nikolas quietly stirring his oatmeal. I could tell from his folded back ears and drooping tail that something was on his mind

"Hey Nikolas, are you ok?"

"Oh, good morning big brother. I'm ok. Just a little nervous. What if no one likes me?"

"Well Nix, you should know that not everyone will like you. There will be people who stare at you or are a little put off. What's important is that you be yourself and soon, you'll find real friends who like you for you."

"Do you really think so?"

"Of course. Just be yourself and everything will fall into place."

"Ok, I'll try."

I patted my little bro's head before giving him a lick on the cheek and the two of us enjoyed our breakfast together. Afterwards, we gave our parents goodbye hugs and the two of us headed out. This was going to be our new routine since Nikolas's elementary school was on the way to UA, so I'm able to take him there. It also helped that our schools were within walking distance from our house.

After dropping off my raccoon little brother, I hurried off to class where I made it just in time for the first bell. It took me a few minutes, but I was able to find class 1-A, which would be my homeroom for the school year.

I was about to open the door, when I heard yelling coming from inside. Before I could see what was going on, the door slid open. When I looked to see who opened it and didn't see anyone, I looked down where I saw a kid with purple balls on his head.

He yelled 'monster' at the top of his lungs before slamming the door on my face. I shook my head at this and opened the door myself.

As I entered the room, I was approached by Kaminari. I was genuinely happy and surprised to see him in class 1-A as well. The fact that there was someone I knew here made me feel better about attending UA.

He tried to introduce me to the others, but before he could, he was interrupted by these two guys who were arguing. We looked to see who they were and to my disdain, it was Kacchan and that blue-haired boy from the exam.

He was yelling at Kacchan, who was sitting back with his legs on the desk. I wasn't too surprised that the blue haired guy made it in, since he took being a hero very seriously, even if he was rude about it. It was honestly Kacchan who was out of place here. How the school could justify letting that creep into the hero course is beyond me.

This was a school where only the best of the best could get in. Where you had to take an insanely difficult test in order to get in. More importantly, it was a school for people who wanted to be heroes, which was the exact opposite of Kacchan, who used death threats violence to get his way.

Still, I didn't want to get involved with either of them. Instead, I snuck away from the group and found my seat. It was near the center of the room, but close enough to the back where I wouldn't be bothered too much.

As I put my things down, I turned my head and to my surprise, my neighbor was an animal person. I was so happy to see this that my tail started wagging on its own.

He was a black bat, with dark leathery wings attached to his arms and torso. He had long pointy ears and a single fang hanging out on either side of his muzzle, same as me. What really caught my attention, however, was that his face was closer to that of a canine's instead of a bat's. I also noticed that he wasn't bulky like I was. That said, he was well toned, which meant he trained regularly.

"Hey, I'm Alexander."

"Seteth,"

"Nice to meet you Seteth. He's hoping we get along."

"Sure."

We shook hands and I could tell he was feeling tense. He was definitely the quiet and maybe even the loner type if his short responses were anything to go by. He didn't seem like a bad person though and I was definitely interested in learning more about him. Especially after he chuckled a bit after seeing my tail wag even faster.

Suddenly, a yellow sleeping bag rose from the desk, causing everyone to reel back. The zipper was pulled down and out came a man in black clothes and a white scarf. His hair was messy, his eyes were red, and he had some of the worst bags under his eyes that I've ever seen.

To be honest, I wasn't sure how to react. This man looked like he was homeless and hadn't gotten any decent sleep in his life. Yet for some reason, the rest of the class was excited to see him. Except for Seteth, who looked just as confused as I was.

We were about to ask why everyone was so happy, when we felt someone tapping on our backs. We turned around and to my surprise, it was that Deku kid I met before the entrance exam. He had a giant smile on his face and looked like he was about to jump out of his own skin. He explained that our teacher was Mr. Aizawa, a.k.a, the pro hero 'Eraser-Head.'

Seteth and I raised a brow at this. I really hated judging people by their appearance, but even I had a hard time believing this guy was a pro hero. I mean, even his clothes were dirty and his three-o clock shadow made him look like a bum. So really, could anyone blame me for being skeptical?

Mr. Aizawa told everyone to shut up immediately after Deku's explanation. He told us that we had a lot to learn about being pro heroes if it took us this long to be quiet. He then told us to hurry up and introduce ourselves while calling us a bunch of problem children.

I was put off right then and there. My fur began to bristle as I started to involuntarily growl. In less than a minute, this man had shown himself to be a bum, was rude to us, and insulted us. If he wasn't a teacher, I'm more than certain that at least half the class would have punched him, myself included.

Despite our feelings about him, we did as we were told. One by one, we headed to the front, introduced ourselves, and how our quirks worked. I was surprised to see that, aside from Seteth, there were three other students who were animals as well… sort off. They were Fumikage Tokoyami, Mina Ashido, and Tsuyu Asui, who asked us to call her Tsu.

Mina, who I recognized as one of the girls that was talking about me during the exam, explained that her quirk was called Acid. She said that she was basically a slug, even though she just looked like a normal human with the exception of her pink skin and pink hair. She could shoot acid from her hands to attack enemies, slide on the acid she produced, and even use it to stick to walls. What I noticed the most, however, was her eyes.

Like me, her sclera, the white part of the eyes, were black as night. She was the first person who had the same eyes as me, even if our irises were different colors. While mine were a shining golden yellow, hers were a fiery orange.

Tokoyami was a weird one. His whole body was human, while his head and neck were that of a raven. What's more, his quirk had nothing to do with his appearance. I thought that maybe he had special eyesight, or he had some kind of super caw that could shatter windows. But no, he didn't have any of that.

Instead, his quirk, 'Dark Shadow,' allowed him to summon a living shadow to fight for him. Interestingly, the shadow he called forth could move and act independently of him and it also had the head of a raven. I guess the shadow having a raven head could explain his appearance, but it was still weird.

As for Tsu, her quirk was honestly pretty cool. She had a frog quirk that had a lot of utility. She could jump high, swim really fast, spit up acid, camouflage herself, and shoot out her long froggy tongue to use as both a weapon and a grappling hook. Now, she wasn't an actual frog person. Rather, she was a human who had froggy traits like webbed hands, bigger eyes, and a bigger mouth.

"Alright kid, tell us your name, hobbies, likes, dislikes, and how your quirk works." Aizawa said to me in a tone that made him sound like he didn't actually care.

"Hello, my name is Alexander Talbain. I just moved here from Norway at the beginning of summer and I'm looking forward to getting to know you," I said with a wolfy grin so big that I exposed my fangs.

This, however, wasn't the smartest move on my part. For one, everyone was taken aback by my teeth, thinking that I could easily bite into their skulls if I wanted to. The second reason was how their reactions affected me.

You know that old saying about animals smelling your fear? Well, that's completely true. I didn't need my nose to know they were afraid, but the smell of their fear got me excited. I could feel it building up within me, the thrill of the hunt. I obviously wasn't going to hunt my new classmates, but I did need to take a second to calm down before continuing.

"When it comes to hobbies, I actually have a few. They include training, reading, camping, gardening, flyting, and playing my harmonica. They may not seem like much, but they help me unwind after a stressful day."

"I like training in both martial arts and wrestling, being surrounded by nature, and working with my hands. I also enjoy listening to the old stories from my village, running through the forest and in the snow, hunting, fishing, fighting strong opponents, stargazing, and playing with my little brother. There's also howling, which I really love doing."

After I finished my list, everyone started asking me questions. They asked me what my homeland was like, what was the biggest animal/fish I caught, and other things about my culture. I answered as best I could, which caused my ears to perk up and my tail to start wagging like crazy. The class found my tail wagging adorable, but I thought it was a little embarrassing.

Aizawa told the class to keep it down since they were getting too rowdy. He then told me to move on to my dislikes and quirk.

"What do I dislike? Well, honestly, I can't stand people who are lazy, arrogant, entitled or egotistic. I hate loud noises, being in large crowds, feeling confined, and I find warm weather to be unbearable. What I hate most however, are people I see as enemies or dangerous to my pack."

Some of my classmates raised their hands again, but quickly put them down when Aizawa glared at them. He then told me to quickly finish up so we could move on.

What happened next was basically what I expected. I told them I had two quirks, which made all of them stare at me in disbelief. I couldn't really answer them when they asked me how that was possible, but explained that since I was born a wolfman and not a normal human, it might have been the reason why I was able to get a second quirk.

They all looked at each other in confusion. I shook my head and continued talking. I told them that as a wolf, I have super strength, speed, agility, and enhanced senses, which I've trained for many years. I even admitted that I've already memorized all of their scents and that I can both hear and smell everything within a thirty-mile radius.

They wanted to ask me more stuff, but I knew Aizawa would get upset, so I finished by explaining how my water quirk 'Undine' works. They were surprised to find out that my water quirk could double as an ice quirk, but I just shrugged at this.

After I sat back down, Seteth went up and told us all about him. He explained that he liked reading, flying around town with his wings, and relaxing underneath a shady tree. He disliked loud noises, crowds, and people who he found annoying. When asked for an example, he said that he hates idiots, people who scream at the top of their lungs for no reason, and people who only use violence to get what they want.

"In other words, anime protagonists," Kaminari joked.

Everyone else laughed at this before Aizawa told them to be quiet and that the next person who talks out of turn is expelled. He then turned to the bat and told him to tell us about his quirk.

Seteth let out a sigh and explained that he was a bat and that he had all the powers of one. He had super strong hearing, could fly really fast thanks to his training, and even had echo location. That wasn't all though. Apparently, he also had wind abilities, such as creating powerful whirlwinds by flapping his wings or creating wind scythes. Needless to say, everyone was surprised.

As Seteth sat back down, Mr. Aizawa told us that we would be performing a quirk assessment test. My classmates thought it was strange since they took one before they got here. They also said that the entrance exam's results should be enough to tell him how good we are. Mr. Aizawa, however, didn't agree and honestly, neither did I.

It's true that the entrance exam showed our potential, but not what we currently had to offer. A quirk assessment was definitely a better way to show that. I did take one before coming to UA, but that was almost immediately after my family moved here. Now that we'll be taking another one, I'll be able to measure how much I've grown over the summer.

As Mr. Aizawa left the room, everyone gathered around me. They wanted to ask me more questions and I was happy to answer.

Kirishima, a red haired boy whose power was making his body as hard as steel, asked me what flyting was. He said he wanted to ask me that when I talked about my hobbies, but couldn't because of Aizawa.

I explained to him that flyting is an old Norse game. It's basically a battle of words where you use poetry to one up each other. I could tell from my classmates' faces that the game sounded mean, but I quickly explained that it's more complicated than that. There are all sorts of rules and themes you need to follow and that only a few people can flyt properly.

Tokoyami asked me if I could give them an example and I did just that. I pulled out one of my notebooks and opened it to one of the more basic flyting poetries. I explained that our theme would be boasting, and I handed the raven boy the notebook. I asked him to read the first three lines, letting me answer after each one. He nodded in agreement and our battle started.

Tokoyami: "Have you ever seen muscles as massive as mine?"

"What you make up in muscles, you're lacking in spine!"

Kirishima and Kaminari snorted at the remark.

Tokoyami: "More than strength, I can boast my features are fair."

"They seemed perfectly placed to give children a scare."

"Dang, I think I felt that one," Sero said as he jokingly held his chest.

Tokoyami coughed a bit and went on to the last line.

"Have you ever met anyone so witty and quick?"

I gave my opponent a big toothy grin. It was time for the final blow.

"No, you're more like your arms, just incredibly thick!"

The rest of the class started laughing at that last one. They still didn't really get it, but liked it nonetheless and asked if I could teach them more sometime. I told them yes, but that we need to get going before Mr. Aizawa chews us out. They agreed and after I made sure Tokoyami was ok, the two of us headed out, excited to see what our teacher had in store for us.