Winged Warrior

A new beginning..Sorta. Or am I just running from my past? Skye thought to herself as she peered up at the gigantic castle-like institute. Both, I suppose. She stood for a moment, admiring the ancient, rugged, yet enchanting structure. It stood decorated with the academy's school colors, grass green, gold, and white, with large banners welcoming students on either side of its entrance. It was cool out today, with a slight breeze coming from the west, littering clouds in the sky in an attempt to gain a large enough swell to release its life upon the earth. The gloomy weather gave the academy a dark and haunting appearance, making it seem large and daunting. Despite this forecast, which Skye rather loved, she couldn't help but notice the lush gardens amidst the grounds. They filled the area with life as the blossom trees, rose bushes, dragon lilies, various species of mushrooms, and some other plants she did not recognize, guided her along the dirt path toward the entrance. With the gardens behind her, Skye crossed a short, dark oak bridge adorned with more flowers, and stops at the large doors separating her from the academy's students and teachers. Taking one last marveling glance at the beauty surrounding the castle, Skye straightened her uniform over her slim figure. Admiring the detail that decorated it, with white and gold seams and borders, a white shirt, a tasteful green skirt reaching her knees, a matching gold tie, and a long matching green cloak that spread across her back, covering her shoulders and dropping just above her skirt. Standing at only 5'1", Skye was quite small in stature, but there was a reason for this. A secret. She usually preferred to leave her almost elbow-length, light brown hair down because she often got headaches from the weight of it while in an updo. She had lightly tanned skin, bright green eyes, moderately plump, pink lips, and a pretty face. Skye was by no means considered drop-dead gorgeous, but she liked the way she looked and considered herself fairly decent. With one last gulp of bravery, Skye tugged on the surprisingly light door, moving it with ease considering its size. A gust of warm air engulfed her as she stepped inside, and what awaited her...she could barely fathom. Large white pillars lined the delicate green walls, seeming to never end until abruptly stopping before tearing through the high ceilings. Golden chandeliers hung dramatically, lighting every inch of space. A variety of flowers adorned the wide windowsills lining the walls, and a tall girl with dark hair, freckles, and two deer-like antlers emerging from her head greeted her, "Hey! You must be Skye! Principal Acacia sent me to await your arrival, so I can assist you. I'm Jesse." The girl held her hand out to shake. Skye took her hand and replied with a firm shake, "Thank you. It's nice to meet you." Jesse peered behind Skye, "Can I help you bring in your luggage or anything?" "No, that's okay", Skye shrugged, "This is all of it. I packed pretty light." "I'd say!" Jesse glanced at her single suitcase. "Well, Jasper can take your suitcase to your dorm, and I can show you the way to Ms. Acacia." She motioned to a waist-height man, who slightly resembled a gargoyle with pale skin and odd, distorted facial features, yet he was dressed nicely and offered a smile with a nod. He approached Skye and reached for her bag, offering to take it for her. "Thank you", she smiled, reluctantly handing over her belongings. The grand halls were quiet as Jesse led the way to Principal Acacia's office. The smell of flowers drifted throughout the castle as Skye and Jesse made their way through the seemingly never-ending corridors. Finally, with one last left turn, Jesse knocks on a wide oak door. "That was a bit of a hike." Skye joked. "Tell me about it," Jesse smiled, shaking her head, "This place is a total maze." A faint "come in" was heard from behind the door, and Jesse opened it, revealing an outstandingly tall woman! Her flesh emanated a pale green and she had flowers blossoming from head to toe. When she stood, the flowers surrounding her office stretched taller as well, "Hello Skye, I'm Principal Acacia," she said flatly, "You're a little late, but I have your schedule and a map of the school prepared for you." Straight to the point. I like that. "Thank you, Jesse, for assisting Skye." Ms. Acacia gave a polite nod, "Now Skye, I received your remaining paperwork and letters, and I have acknowledged your situation, so everything is ready for you. Jesse shares the same schedule as you and will be able to show you to your classes." After chatting for a few minutes, Jesse led the way to first period; the history of the mystical realm, Anasidora. Arriving at class, Jesse lightly knocked before entering, with Skye in tow. "Ah, miss Jesse! And this is Skye, I presume." The gorgeous man with white-blonde hair and pointed ears mused. "I'm Mr. Garcia, I'm glad you can join us!" "It's nice to meet you, thank you for having me." Skye managed to choke out, standing before the dozens of faces staring at her. Many students appeared human, but others had various animal ears, tails, fur, and features, some big and some small, there were elves, some students resembled reptiles with horns or scales, and one guy's hair was fire! "There appears to be an open seat back there," Mr. Garcia motioned. Attempting not to stare and to keep her breath level, Skye moved to the desk resting at the back of the room. Curious eyes followed her. She put her belongings down and pulled out her seat-- "HEY! The left one!" Skye jumped with a squeak. An invisible boy sat in the seemingly empty seat. The class erupted with laughter. "Levi! Excuse yourself and go put some clothes on!" Mr. Garcia instructed, "Return promptly, I'll be timing you." Mr. Garcia resumed his lecture, explaining some of the nations of Anasidora. As Skye listened, she learned that Anasidora had a large population of werewolves, and they made up almost half of the students in the academy. They are also common within the human realm. Many of the human-looking students here must be werewolves then, Skye thought. Skye learned that there were all kinds of different beings in Anasidora, in addition to the werewolves. The morphic folk are another large population; they're half-human and half-animal, elves and merfolk, who are among the wealthiest of the realm, and fairies who are most often seen amongst trees in enchanted forests, but many do seek life with other civilizations as well. Skye took as many notes as possible, determined to learn about the mystical realm. She would have to blend as much as possible, so learning about Anasidora is crucial. Ms. Acacia had graciously created an origin story for Skye, so she would know what to tell those who question where she was from, what she is, and why she transferred to The Academy for Fantastic Beasts and Beings. So, Skye was feeling confident about conversing with curious peers. Lost in her thoughts, she jumped when a loud RINGGG went off, signaling that the first period was over. Everyone began filing out the door and flooding the halls. "Skye!" Jesse yelled over the heads of other students, waving to get her attention. Weaving her way through the crowds, Skye is almost to Jesse when her face makes contact with something hard. "Oof!" Her eyes widened as she reflexively reaches to make sure whoever she crashed into was steady. "I am so sorry. I couldn't se--" She looked up to make eye contact with an extremely tall guy, and released his elbows. At first, he didn't say anything, just stared. "It's fine." That was it. He walked away. Skye noticed that during that moment, everything and everyone had stopped, and they had watched their encounter. She coughed at the silence and began making her way to Jesse again, trying to ignore the whispers and chuckles that followed. Great. Approaching Jesse, she looked a little surprised, "Do you know what just happened?" She questioned Skye. "Yes. I accidentally bumped into that guy, but why did everyone have to stop and watch?" "..Yeah, that's Riftan. He's a werewolf, and next in line to be the alpha of the Northern Pride Pack." Jesse began to ramble, "He's known for being kinda cruel, and doesn't let anything slide. EVER." She breathed, "And you just got away with an 'It's fine." She mimicked. "Oh." Skye blinked, confused, "Okay." Drama within the first two hours of being here. Skye let out a long breath. Jesse guided the way to second period's class, magic. It was difficult to understand much of what was being said, but Skye took notes anyway. This was something she would have to learn more about in her free time. For lunch, Skye sat with Jesse and her friends. They were quirky and enthusiastic about literally everything. They welcomed Skye into their friend group with wide open arms and the questions began. "Where are you from? What do you think of school so far? Are you human?" "I'm from a little village called Eldham," Skye explained, "I'm human, and so far school has been... interesting. A lot more interesting than Eldham." She joked. "Yeah, I think I've heard of Eldham. Is it a human village?" Lucy thought out loud, she was also morphic, like Jesse; however, she was petite and had silvery-grey hair. Lucy seemed to resemble a chinchilla or some kind of rodent, with long, wide furry ears, whiskers, and a puffy tail protruding from under her skirt. "Yeah, it's mainly humans, but there are a few morphic residing there, too." She lied. She really had no idea. These were things that Ms. Acacia gave her to say to her nosy peers; Skye's new identity. Her new identity was all a lie. Lunch ended, and the third period flew by. Jesse escorted Skye to the final period; Creatures of Anasidora. As she entered class, she immediately noticed that the boy, Riftan, she had bumped into in the hallway was in this class, too, sitting towards the back of the room. He paid no attention to her as she took her seat next to Jesse close to some windows on the left. Good, Skye couldn't help but think, the last thing I would need is another enemy. Skye felt distracted throughout this lesson. She tried to pinch herself a few times to focus better, but couldn't shake the nervous feeling that kept creeping up her spine. Glancing around the room, she momentarily made eye contact with Riftan, before turning back to the teacher. That's it, the feeling of being watched. As soon as the teacher dismissed class, Skye felt eager to get to the dorms and away from the curious gazes of fellow students. "Hey, new girl!" A girl stopped Skye in the hall. She looked human. "You human? I don't sense a wolf." The girl sneered, her group of 5 friends grinned behind her. "Yes." Was Skye's simple reply. She senses mischief and begins to continue forward, ignoring the taunting of this girl. "No abilities or nothin'? Like, you can't even wield an element?" She chirped. "Nope." Skye popped the 'P' without turning around, unwilling to give her the time of day. "Well, plain humans at this school are pretty rare and don't usually last long. Don't you think you're acting a little arrogant?" The girl and her friends chuckled. "You should have more respect for those who can squash you like a bug, especially when you sorta resemble one." Mocking her height. Skye glanced at Jesse and read her discomfort. Trying to make light of the situation, she continued to walk and rolled her eyes so that only Jesse could see. "Hey," The group followed, "Stop being rude." They chimed. The girl suddenly grabbed Skye's shoulder and swung her around to face her. She smiled, "You'll be outta' here in no time, human." She spat, looking down at Skye as her next victim. "That's kinda racist," Skye laughed, "That's an issue here, too?" The back of a hand came flying toward her face, but Skye easily avoided it. Despite her height, speed and agility have been what have kept her alive all this time. This time a closed fist sped toward her nose, but it was easily avoided yet again. The embarrassment on the girl's face was evident, and she turned red with anger, letting out a low growl. "I would rather not fight," Skye exhaled slowly. But the girl didn't hear her as she unleashed more punching and kicking, all of which Skye easily dodged. Skye had been trained to fight, to use her size as an advantage, and defend herself from multiple opponents at a time. This was her first time fighting a werewolf though. The girl was faster than her past opponents, she'd give her that. However, she still struggled to keep pace with Skye. The girl panted, probably from exerting too much energy at once, but Skye had barely warmed up and stood alert for the next round of punches, unswayed and barely sweating. Skye did not prepare herself for what was about to happen next, however. The entirety of the girl's eyes darkened to black, her teeth began to elongate as she stood panting and snarling in a vicious manner, her bones cracked and popped as her body realigned itself, thick brown hair sprouted from her pores, and giant paws took place of her hands and feet, destroying her shoes and shredding her clothing. Now, standing before her, a giant brown wolf. Skye had never fought, let alone seen anything like this before. She was giant, twice the size of a regular wolf, and her teeth and claws were razor-sharp. She growled and snapped at Skye, threatening to rip her tiny body apart. Skye stood, awaiting the wolf's next move. It paced, trying to decide how it would get its hold on her. It froze, and stalked towards her, readying itself to pounce. The first pounce was narrowly avoided. The girl was even faster in this form. Spinning to face her opponent, Skye readied herself for the next attempt. The wolf lunged past her this time, and before she could fully turn, it snagged her cloak with its teeth, yanking her small body to the floor, and causing the back of her head to smash against the ground. She lazily looked at the snarling face inches from her own, fading between consciousness. Defeated and vulnerable, unable to move. "Enough!" a low voice growled, "Not this one." But Skye succumbed to darkness before she could see her savior. "Skye," A small voice called her, "Skye, Skyyeee, wake up." A hand lightly patted her cheek, causing a pained groan to escape. "Come on, Skye." the voice egged her on. She blinked her eyes open and winced at the throbbing pain emanating from the back of her skull. Above her, a worried Jesse sat kneeling beside her body. Jesse helps her to sit up, and Skye replays the moments in her head that led her to this position. Everyone was gone now, except Jesse. The halls were empty. "They left," Jesse started, "Riftan showed up and told them to cut it out and to leave you alone." "I'm surprised they stopped just 'cause he told them to," Skye grimaced. "They'd be foolish not to. Riftan will be their alpha one day and is much stronger than they are." "Oh, right." Jesse helped Skye stand and guided her to the dorms. "Here we are, lucky number 13." Jesse stopped at a dark wooden door with a golden nob with the number 13 posted slightly above eye level. "This room was vacant before you arrived, but Ms. Acacia insisted on letting you use it even though there is available space in other quarters." She eye'd Skye curiously. "Oh, I wonder why that is.." Skye tried to play dumb. "Maybe it's because I'm one of the only humans, and she's worried my status could get me into trouble." Skye hinted with her latest attack. "Maybe," Jesse shrugged, "Anyways, we're neighbors," she pointed to the door across from hers. "While you get settled in, I'm gonna go run to the infirmary and see about getting you something for your head." "Thank you, Jesse. I appreciate that more than you know," Skye smiled sheepishly. Entering her new home, two beds sat at either corner of the room, with large matching trunks covered in beautiful carvings at both ends. The entrance to a single bathroom sat across from the bed on the left, so Skye decided to utilize this side of the room. She was surprised to see how beautiful the room was, especially since it has housed countless students for who knows how long. The walls were colored an elegant pink, and the room had a soft, shaggy, white carpet that felt warm and comforting. In the center of the wall between the beds, stood a large window with golden sills overlooking the academy's gardens. Her suitcase sat in the middle of the room. Some fresh bedding sat neatly folded on the bed to the right, so Skye took it and began to make the bed to the left of the room. The spread was nice, its soft fabric was decorated with school colors. She reached for her luggage and preceded to unzip and take out some clothing and personal items. She was refolding her clothes when two knocks reverberated on her door. It was Jesse, she assumed, and opened the door freely. "Hey, so I got some herbal stuff to help with pain and the nurse said you should put this where your head was bumped." Jesse handed a small bottle of serum, labeled Curamin. "I appreciate this," Skye thanked her new friend. "It's the least I can do, considering all I did was watch you fight that she-wolf, Becca." She apologized, "I'm sorry Skye. I'm not a fighter, it's not even in my nature." She pointed to her deer antlers. "It's okay, I'm glad you didn't get involved, to be honest. I would have felt horrible if you got hurt on my behalf." The girls chatted for a while, bonding, and Jesse updated Skye on the academy's "cliques". Werewolves are considered to be fierce predators and are naturally at the top of the food chain. They are easily angered and tend to pick on weaker students. Some werewolves will belittle other students until they basically become their servants, doing whatever they're told to do. Not all are like that, of course; however, the majority of wolves are very proud and selfish. Elves tend to keep to themselves, only associating with their fellow elves. Morphic folk vary depending on their animal side but seem the most accepting and friendly thus far. Fairies are a little more uncommon since they prefer nature and forest life, and it was unlikely to see any merfolk considering they are half-fish. After a few hours of conversing, Jesse checked the time. "Wanna grab some supper? The cafeteria is open from 4:30 to 7:00, or we could grab the others and head to a pizza shop or something." Skye mused about how this realm, which was so different from the human realm, could also be so similar. "Let's just head to the cafeteria tonight, just so I can figure out how to get there on my own from here." Just like the rest of the academy, the cafeteria room was extravagant, with high ceilings, chandeliers, flowers everywhere, and school colors decorating the walls with banners. The food was also exceptional. The girls grabbed their fancy silver trays and stepped in line. There was a full-course turkey dinner, with mashed potatoes, gravy, carrots, corn, Yorkshire puddings, fresh loaves of bread, different cheeses, and delicate crackers. Everything was mouth-wateringly amazing. Skye greedily filled her plate full, even though she had had a large lunch. The food was just too good to not stuff your face as much as possible. Stuffed and sleepy, Skye and Jesse headed to their rooms. They said goodnight and departed to their sleeping quarters. Skye was content. The most content she has felt in a long time. She had a comfortable place to sleep, a full stomach, and felt safe, being hidden from her pursuers. She stretched and yawned, preparing for bed. She untied the bow holding her cloak over her shoulders, and let it slide down her back, freeing her glorious wings. They were a beautiful pure white, like an angel. Each wing was almost 3 ft. in length, yet surprisingly light. These were part of her undoing, the reason she had to remain hidden, and also why the cloaks provided by the academy were so convenient. Skye had sewn another layer of fabric on the underside of her cloak to tuck her wings into so that they wouldn't be spotted when her cloak is moved or blown by the wind. If she kept her wings limp-like while wearing her cloak, they weren't even noticeable. She stretched her strong, elegant wings to their fullest, shaking the sleepiness from her back. She wished she could stretch them further by going for a quick flight, but knew better. It was too dangerous, and she was not yet familiar enough with her surroundings, nor was she comfortable potentially exposing herself, especially this early on. They were a little sore from her fall earlier, however. Skye switched off her lamp that sat on the table next to her bed and reached for her covers-- but froze. Two small shadows beneath the door seeped into her dark room, probably feet. As quietly as she could, Skye crept to the door. She stood on her toes to peep through the tiny hole embedded in the center of the door. But as she looked, there was nobody. She stepped away and peeked under the door; however, the shadows were gone. Double-checking her locks, and reassuring herself that someone was probably just walking to their dorm, Skye crawled back into bed. Exhaustion weighed on her heavy lids, and she drifted into a deep sleep.