Laurel moved carefully as she drifted out through the woods, dressed in her usual clothes of tight athletic pants, no-show socks, brightly color tennis shoes, and a well fitted racer back tank top. Other than her shoes everything else was black and pristine. The woods were where Laurel felt freest besides the desert where she could run free. Güzel was beside her, trotting easily along in her the odd loping gait that distinguished hyenas from most other animals due to their equally odd anatomical construction. Her long tongue lolled out the corner of her mouth as Laurel jogged along one of the many paths that wound through the woods behind the school. Between one step and the next Laurel transformed into the black leopard that was her secondary form.

She tracked across, the dirt of the path rising up from where the pads of her paws impacted the ground. She was happy, at peace with her surroundings and even though the birds here still went silent from her presence, perhaps it was Güzel's presence that alarmed them. They chattered brightly ahead of and behind them but in their immediate area there was a silence. The silence that was only wrought by a foreign predator in their midsts. It was moderately warm outside this time of year and the leaves on all of the trees had begun to change color and fall, they crunched lightly whenever she stepped on one of them.

As Laurel moved up into an easy lope her crystalline eyes scoured the area around them for threats. She could see the Hyena's radar dish ears moving to investigate the sounds around them as well. It was easy to get caught up and as she ran freely she let her powers loose, letting herself be engulfed in the voices of the animals. They surrounded her as she loped through the forest amongst the animals. She relaxed as she ran, closing her eyes for a moment and feeling the sunshine on her black fur. It warmed her heart to feel the sunshine, made her feel alive. The sunshine and the fire that went with it was her safety despite the blackness of her fur. She revealed in the heat, the fire.

When she opened her eyes Laurel could see fire, it licked up around her body and Güzel was running several yards away now and looking strangely at her. The Hyena was unsure as to why Laurel was on fire but since she didn't appear to be in any distress so the hyena let it go as they ran. Laurel left big scorched paw prints as she ran full out now in an endless gallop, her excitement fueling the fire that rolled up around her body.

Dominic began feeding Cauldron little bits of lettuce as he skimmed through a book on the properties of different leaves with interesting properties for brewing and the temperatures that they boil at best. He shifted back into his chair and began underlining key notes. Cauldron tucked up in his lap, slightly too heavy to hold and far too cute to push off, her ear twitched lapping up the lettuce and slowly licking his figures. He had been reviewing his notes and making new ones all morning.

He looked outside and noticed how sunny it was and closed the book. He was sure he was already ahead on material and he could always review again before his first class. There was no hurry. "Hey, Cauldron? You feel like a walk?" He asked as he pulled her off his lap and held her in his hands. She wiggled out of his grasp, back onto his lap and nestled there. "Oh com'n! You been there all day, you have to at least let me stretch my legs and go outside" he begged, giving her a scratch. She squealed and finally relented, skipped off the lap and trotted over to the door.. She turned a shade of blue to match Dominic. Dominic smiled and opened the door.

The change in the earth occurred as soon as Alex walked past the main front gates, bare feet stepping lightly across the stone path through the garden. 'This place is its own master.' He opened his mouth and sucked in the air of his dreams, rushing the air through his body, letting it overwhelm the rest of senses. He stood for a time, just inside the gate, breathing the new air in and out, letting it fill the entirety of his being.The rest of his body was still as his hand slowly lowered his small bag of possessions onto the ground, then back up slowly clasping the buttons he had sewn onto chest pocket that kept Rush secure. Rush slowly and methodically poked his head outside of the pocket, sensing the build up of energy and tension coming from Alex. For his part, Alex mentally reached into the core of his being and pulled the pure line of yellow power that resided there. Yellow energy cast strange light on the stone walkway beneath him emanating from his bare feet, coalescing into the rough shape of wings by his ankles. The rest of his body, with the exception of his lightly tapping finger, began to vibrate from the sense of limitless energy that filled him.

He opened his eyes and took a step forward. Then another. And another. Faster and faster, Alex pumped his legs sprinting forward along the stone, barely turning in time to avoid the fountain that suddenly loomed before him. But it wasn't yet fast enough. He had to see it all, had to use it all, in this place where he was free to run as he pleased, to move as fast as he could ever want without fear that he may be seen and taken in the dead of night. At long last, he had truly arrived at his freedom, his dream, at Rosa Claire Academy. Deep within his gut he felt a wild exultation rising up and up to his lips. He let it out in a fit of wild, joyful laughter as the landscape around him turned into blurry images barely seen out of the corner of his eyes. Only the incredible reflexes that came with his gift stopped him from crashing into the various pieces of art and furniture placed around the school, nimbly moving past them without a second thought. A quick glance toward his shirt pocket showed the top of Rush's head sticking out slightly, eyes closed and bobbing slightly, a sign of contentment from his friend. Alex could feel the joy and power spreading through out his entire body and as though the world has slowed down, Alex knew he would remember this moment as one of the most perfect moments he would have in his lifetime.

Just after the thought, his stomach began to growl. He groaned a bit inside at the thought of stopping, but the fact that he was only slightly hungry was a blessing in and of itself. He slowed his pace rounding back around to his backpack before entirely letting go on the strand of power at his center, the glow around his feet fading quickly leaving the bare and calloused once again. Alex reached a hand into his pack and pulled out a red apple, placing it between his teeth before moving off the path to sit in the extremely well maintained grass. A quick bit of more fumbling in the pack yielded a strawberry which he placed on the ground before carefully lowering Rush besides it. The two of them stayed there eating their respective meals looking around at their new home. "Well, what do you think Rush? Shall we stay here for a time?" Rush looked up briefly from his delicious meal before returning to his slow nibbles. Alex nodded in agreement, "True, true. You are a very wise man for a tortoise." Alex flopped onto the ground, arms and legs spreadeagled enjoying the feel of the grass and colorful leaves beneath, wearing a blanket of the sunlight above. The fingers on his left hands absentmindedly drumming against the green grass. His life in the streets had taught him to appreciate each carefree moment as a most precious treasure. He stayed like that for a time, mouth sporting a wide smile till he felt Rush's shell bump impatiently against his hand. Alexandros rose up with contented sigh, "Okay Rush, one more ride before we get settled in."

@Aspen Wren
Alex scooped up the tortoise in one hand and placed him back into the pocket where he would be safe. Glancing around, he spotted several paths leading into the woods behind the school. "Ah a new place to explore, that is where we shall run! Hold on tight!" With that he activated the power behind his speed, sprinting off at incredible speed onto the path leading deeper into the woods. The familiar exhalation seized him again, the freedom and joy coaxing a genuine smile of pleasure onto his face. However as he ran he spotted another figure much deeper along the path. While not the height of a human, it was long and lithe, and if not for the flames that coated its body he may never have seen it so perfectly did it blend into the shadowed cover of the trees. 'Huh... some sort of apparition? Or maybe some kind of sign?' Alex did not particularly care what the creature truly was. It moved also with incredible speed somehow more fluid, graceful and beautiful than he could ever hope to be. But it too seemed to understand and exalt in the feeling of the ground sprinting beneath its feet. Alex accelerated forward, pushing himself to catch up with what he could now make out as a leopard-like creature adorned with golden jewelry. He began to weave around the trees beside it at a respectful distance matching its speed till he saw it glance his way. Then with a smile and a wordless challenge, he began to slowly accelerate down the path.

The sun was just peeking over the tree line Sulleykaar sat in the garden of the school, his gaze deep into the water that fell from the fountain. The past week was interesting to say the least, especially with that night but at the same time it was somewhat relieving. His eyes flickered crossed from the fountain and over to a couple sitting on the other end. He took a deep breath in and looked towards the sky.



With her arm wrapped around his he let a small smile escape the sides of his mouth before quickly stowing it away. I suggest we go to this wonderful lake that is only about a hour away...Walking of course. By flight its only about 15 minutes." He lead them to the front doors of the school and opened them to the outside. He released himself from Kiara and rolled his shoulders and neck, a light breeze flowed through his hair, lifting it away from his body. He grinned widely. "Finally can release this damn form for a bit." He lept forward off of the steps as two massive front claws reached the ground and begun moving forward as a large, scaly slender-like body followed with a head as large if not larger than a car. By the end of the transformation, he reached in total over 150ft long with a wingspan to match his body. His massive head turned to face the two. "Kiara-" His voice trembled the ground but still remained as smooth as ever. "GO AHEAD OF US IF YOU COULD PLEASE KIARA. WE WILL CATCH UP TO YOU-" His head turned to the side to see Morgan. It was bad enough in human form sent chills down Morgan's spine but what about a piercing gaze larger then the headlights on a truck? "I NEED TO TALK TO MORGAN IN PRIVATE." His eyes glowed dimly. He would watch her g on ahead before his focus was pulled back to Morgan. YOU HAD SAID EARLIER THIS EVENING THAT YOU FEEL I MAKE YOU UNCONFORTABLE WITH THIS "LOOK" I GIVE YOU, ONE THAT MAY HAVESOME HIDDEN HOSTILITIES OR RESENTMENT AND I WOULD BE LYING IF I SAID IT WASN'T TRUE. YOUR RIGHT... I CANNOT STAND YOUR FACE..." He belched what sounded like a large truck starting but in his true form it was merely a soft chuckle. "IT IS MORE IN THE "I HAVE DONE COUNTLESS HORRIFIC THINGS THAT HAVE CAUSED INNOCENT BLOOD TO SPILL AND AMONG THOSE CORPSES THAT LINE MY PAST YOU HAPPEN TO RESEMBLE ONE OF THOSE WHOSE DEATHS WHICH HAUNT ME TO THIS DAY." He snorted out two rather large clouds of smoke on either side of Morgan. He brought his head up higher to where the guards were posted and gave them a sight nod, reassuring them of their safety. He sighed. HE WAS A KIND GENTLEMAN WHO HAD A LOVELY WIFE AND CHILDREN WHO ADORED HIM. THEY WANTED NOTHING ELSE THEN TO BE LIKE THEIR PAPA. IT WAS AT A TIME WHERE I WAS STILL WORKING WITH MY ELDEST BROTHER - THE ONE WHO RUINED THIS WONDERFUL EVENING." He bore his teeth at the mention of his brother. They were as big if not bigger then daggers and glistened in the moonlight. BUT I DIGRESS. I WAS, AT THE TIME, APART OF A...FAMILY OF SORTS, KNOWN AS THE CHILDREN OF TIAMAT, WHOSE POWER AND INFLUENCE HAD SPREAD OVER 3 REALMS AND 15 KINGDOMS AT THE TIME. I WAS IN CHARGE OF INTELLIGENCE, COUNTER-INTELLIGENCE AND INTERROGATION TECHIQUES. GIVE ME A 12 HOURS AND I COULD HAVE A CITY UNDER MY CONTROL... GIVE ME A WEEK AND A KINGDOM WAS MINE."

A menacing smile but only briefly passed across his face before it became more dejected. "THIS OF COURSE WAS MY THOUGHT PROCESS AT THE TIME BUT AS I WAS SAYING. THE CHILDREN OF TIAMAT HAD STARTED TO SINK THEIR GREEDY TEETH INTO THE KINGDOM OF CALD'YEM. CALD'YEM WAS KNOWN FOR THEIR CONNECTION TO THE FEY LINES AND THEIR TRADE ROUTES BETWEEN CARCIRUS AND RAVENSRUN. VERY SIGNIFICANT OBJECTIVES FOR THE GROUP. SPIES WERE SENT THROUGHOUT THE RANKS OF ITS ARMIES AND INDIVIDUALS INTO THEIR POLITICAL STRUCTURE WITH ME AT THE HELM. SAMUEL'S HOUSE WAS GOING TO BE USED AS A FORWARD BASE OF OPERATIONS AND CONVINCING HIM WASN'T TOO HARD. I TOLD HIM THAT I RAN A RATHER LARGE AND PROFITABLE BUSINESS THAT DEALT IN MULTIPLE SERVICES AND FELT THAT STAYING IN THE HEART OF THE KINGDOM ITSELF WOULD BE DANEROUS FOR ME SINCE MANY OF MY COMPETITORS HAD BUSINESS HERE AND WITH SOMEONE OF MY STANDING IT WOULDN'T BE SAFE FOR MY HEALTH SO I FELT IT WOULD BE BEST TO STAY WITH A LOCAL FAMILY. I PROMISED TO PAY FOR FOOD AND ANYTHING THAT THEY MAY NEED AS LONG AS THEY KEPT MY WHEREABOUTS QUIET. EVERYTHING HAD BEEN GOING SMOOTHLY UNTIL IT WAS TIME FOR US TO MOVE INTO THE CITY TO TAKE CONTROL..." He looked up towards the sky and sighed before glancing down at him. "HE HAD FOUND OUT WHO I TRULY WAS AND THEREFORE I HAD TO DISAPPEAR YET AGAIN. BUT...SADLY...I HAD BEEN GIVEN AN ORDER. ANY AND ALL LOOSE ENDS-" He paused. "I HAD ONLY SPENT A FEW MONTHS IN THIS HOUSE WITH THIS FAMILY MORGAN AND I CONSIDERED THEM ONE OF THE CLOSEST THINGS I HAVE HAD TO A FAMILY, A TRUE FAMILY...MINUS MY YOUNGER BROTHER OF COURSE." "BUT WHEN THOSE ORDERS CAME I COULD CUT THE LOOSE ENDS EXCEPT FOR THAT FAMILY. THEN MY BROTHER GOT INVOLVED AND AFTER A LONG TRAMATIC ARGUEMENT HE HELD ME DOWN AND FORCED ME TO WATCH AS HE MASSACURED THE FAMILY. SAMUEL'S KIDS' SCREAMS STILL HAUNT MY DREAMS FROM TIME TO TIME."

He looked at Morgan for any sign of response before continuing. "BUT ALL OF THAT ASIDE IT'S THE WAY YOU HOLD YOURSELF, THE WAY YOU SPEAK EVEN WHEN THE ONE INFRONT OF YOU IS AS INTIMIDATING AS THEY COME. THE WAY YOU CHOOSE YOUR WORDS... ITS ADMIRABLE AND I GIVE YOU MERIT FOR IT BUT AT THE SAME TIME IT CLAWS AT MY CONCIOUS AND CAUSES ME PAIN." He shook his large head. "DO YOU DESERVE IT? THE COLD SHOULDER? THE ANGER? NO AND FOR THAT I AM SORRY BUT YOU HAD TO KNOW WHY." He remained silent for sometime before he leaned down to the side. "COME...WE CAN'T LET KIARA WAIT TOO MUCH LONGER." Sulley waited until Morgan hopped on before jumping slightly, his massive wings flapped up and down, helping lift him off the ground before using a little bit of magic to help move him forward towards the lake. As he flew he remained silent. If Morgan wanted to say anything he was more than welcome to but he figured that he would think about what he said. "OH AND MORGAN...DO NOT TELL HER I TOLD YOU THIS. WHAT I HAVE TOLD YOU TONIGHT REMAINS BETWEEN YOU AND ME."



'I'm sorry Kiara but I just couldn't-' Sulley thought before he suddenly had decided to stand up and make his way to the lake. He wasn't going to fly like last time. Deciding a nice quiet walk would do him well. He kinda hoped to see Kiara or Morgan along the way but after that night he didn't really want to talk to Morgan. He didn't hate him but he still had trouble coming to terms with Morgan and his resemblance. Morgan had tried to talk to him about it a few times but he blew it off. However that night was a major step towards bettering himself not just as a friend but as an individual.
@FateWeaver

Early afternoon sunlight kissed the earth in brilliant shades of fall. The trees were adorned with leaves of deep burgundy, oranges, reds, and yellows. If you breathed in deep enough, you could almost taste autumn - spices and smoked hickory and decaying plant life. The Unseelie faerie wished to bathe herself in this scent, and wear it around like the finest of perfumes. Fall Solstice was intoxicating to her kind in a deeply spiritual, almost religious way, just as the Spring Solstice was to the Seelie.

Kiara rolled around, pressing her face to the earth before settling on her back, wings spread flat, and gripping the crunchy grass with her toes. She took in every sight, sound, and smell with awestruck wonder. Nature was absolutely divine, and she would never cease to be enraptured by it’s beauty. Her eyes reflected the rarest of colors for her, besides white, and were a peaceful, tranquil, light blue.

“Hmm…” she hummed absently before sitting up. A few dried leaves were poking out of her messy cherry-colored mane, not that she cared in the slightest. Kiki pawed around in her hand-woven knapsack, pulling out some pots of paint from her homeland and a medium-sized canvas. After setting up the canvas on a makeshift tripod, Kiara set to work on painting an image of the largest tree in the center of the school’s courtyard. What a brilliant monster of a tree it was, too, it must be at least 40 meters tall!

Diligently working away on her art, Kiara had managed to unknowingly smear a streak of fiery orange paint across her cheek whilst relieving an itch. The piece was starting to really come along, and Kiki was quite proud of it; Proud enough that she decided that she would give it to Morgan. She hadn’t yet made something that even came close to the beauty of the ice lotus sculpture he gave her, but this would be a start. Thinking of the warlock brought a rosy tint to her glamoured pale complexion and a bright smile to her lips.

Kiara's slightly pointed ears perked up at the rapidly approaching sound of barking and yelling. She turned her paint-smeared face to investigate the source of the sound.

Enya woke up just as the sun began to rise. She laid sprawled out in her bed with her sheets crumpled down near her feet, and her comforter flopped off the side of her bed. She had always been a rather restless sleeper. At least that is what her grandmother always told her. She never had trouble falling or staying asleep, but apparently she tossed and turned a lot. She normally woke up with her blankets just as they were now, everywhere but covering her. She laid in her bed as she watched dust dance around in the beams of morning light that were slicing through her window-blinds.

She had nothing to do today, nothing at all. Slowly sitting up she swung her legs off the side of the bed and touched her toes to the cold floor. She looked around her room, as she stretched her arms into the air. This place had been her home for the past three years now. The room was decorated in her typical eclectic style, and was borderline cluttered. Every surface had something on it: old books, tubes of paint, mugs holding brushes, canvases leaning on the walls, jars of beads, chunks of crystals, intricately carved rocks, bundles of dried flowers, origami butterflies, packets of incense, waxy candles, jewelry, and other nick-knacks littered the place. Her room was clean and organized by her standards, but to others they might see it as disorganized and smothered in random things.

Her gown from the ball last week was still in a heap on the floor next to her dresser. She hand't been there for all the craziness that happened that night. Instead she had been running through the forest on the other side of campus. Nighttime runs in her wolf form where a favorite of hers. The time had slipped away, and by the time she was dressed and ready for the ball it was basically all over. There was no music or students in sight when she walked into the auditorium. All that was there was staff cleaning up broken glass, and turning off the magic that had been used to make the place into a glistening ballroom fit for fairyland.

The events of that night were still the main topic of conversation among the students. The morning after the ball Enya's roommate, a witch named Pippa Thisbe had told her all about what she had missed. Apparently it had been marvelous before the dragon fiasco that ended it. Formal parties and fancy dress had never really been Enya's thing, and though the night sounded interesting, she didn't really care that she missed it. She just took a long daydream filled walk back to her dorm, tossed off her dress and went to sleep.

Getting out of bed she walked into the bathroom. Streaks and smudges of paint from last night covered her from fingers to elbow. She had spent over five hours just painting away, until she eventually fell into bed and went to sleep. She let the claw-foot tub fill with steaming hot water, as she poured in some woodsy smelling bath oils. The scents of sandalwood, sweet almonds, and cedar filled the room. She stepped into the bath and lowered herself down in the hot water. Enya let it fill to the very rim of the tub before she turned the faucet off. She leaned her head back and relaxed in the deep fragrant water.
---

About an hour later she finally drained the bath tub, and dried herself off. Wrapping herself in a towel she went back to her room and sat down on the edge of her bed. Her hair dripped cold water droplets down her back and shoulders, as she contemplated what to wear today. She would choose to go naked all the time if she could, but sadly social norms called for clothing. Her wardrobe consisted mainly of loose flowy dresses, that where easy to take on and off in one motion. She had torn enough clothes when she was leaning how to control her shifting, that this had become her preferred style even after she could control herself. She also only owned one bra and two pairs of underwear, as she never wore them anyway. After a few minuet of just staring at the clothes hanging in her closet she opted for a long sleeve blue dress.

She pulled the dress on over her head, and then bent over to put on her shoes. Atop her dresser was a pretty box full of rings. She opened it up and slipped on the first four she grabbed, and of course the one she always wore too. It was made from white gold, and stamped with a tree that said 'Fidelity in Absence' in french above it, it was one of her few priceless possessions. A family heirloom of sorts, her aunt had given the pyrrha to her when she was thirteen, only a few days before her aunt left the pack forever. Interestingly enough, Enya had basically followed in her aunt's footsteps five years later, and left the pack to. That had been three years ago.

After putting on a long necklace and fixing her hair into a braided bun, she was dressed for the day. She spritzed some lavender body oil onto her neck, and rubbed a few drops into her elbows and legs. Grabbing her purse she headed out the door and left the girls dorms, hoping to catch some breakfast at the nearby cafe.

As she walked she dicided to cut through the school garden as a short cut. The smell of a million different flowers filled her sensitive nose, but there was also a distinctive smell of something similar to smokey fire. That's when she saw him up ahead in the gardens. The dragon that everyone was talking about. His name was something like Sullivan, Sylvester or Skelly something.

The cafe breakfast was always good and she was really craving some peppermint tea, and a blueberry scone. She could hear the birds twittering about and it was a rather nice day out in her opinion. Though the only weather she didn't like was hot humid kind. Rain, snow, hot, cold, basically anything else was fine with her.

Regardless of where he was Niall was a southern boy, especially when it came to his breakfast. He needed at least six pieces of bacon, several pieces of sausage (all beef perferably), a good 4 eggs, scrambled of course, and last but not least biscuits smothered in gravy. He had to say that the school cooks were nearly as good as his mother but not quite. Emmelia Collins was a cook to be reckoned with, especially her breakfasts. He missed his momma's waffles and sausage. As it was Niall sat easily at one of the small tables outside the little cafe that was on campus that he came to for breakfast, sometimes he would sneak home to eat breakfast with his mother but today was not one of those days.

His strong angled jaw was covered in scruff now, having forgotten to shave this morning when he got up. He would have to shave around lunch or by supper he would have a beard well under way. He was nearly too big for the small table he sat at, his legs stretched well across to the other side as he leaned back, slouching in the chair just as his father hated to see him do. His father got onto all of his boys about slouching, he always had some speech about how it made you look weak. Niall's father was charming and wonderful to be around but he was tough, very tough. Niall took quite a bit of the brunt of the tough love his father dished out, he could still remember the first time his father had made him fight the Beta. Niall had been nothing but a tall lanky pup then and he had taken a beating. That was the last time anyone ever beat Niall in a fight. Now he was tall and a bear of a young wolf. His father was quite pleased with the way Niall had turned out if his letter were any indication. The man was so old it wasn't even funny, he didn't use a cell phone and if you were too far away to howl for he wrote you a letter, licked the envelope, stamped it, and sent it in the mail then proceeded to wait impatiently for a reply. Those replies often came in the form of a phone call on his mother's cell phone much to her amusement.

Sipping his sweet tea and enjoying the flavor Niall crossed his legs under the table bumping the top of it, "Sweet Moon, they need taller tables." He growled as he looked crossly at the table, his eye brows furrowed. Even as large and masculine as he was it still hurt when you whacked the shit out of your knee cap on a metal table. That was one thing Niall had always hated was hitting his elbows or his knees on things. However, there was absolutely nothing worse than getting hit in the shin, especially when one ran into the hitch on a truck. Moon almighty, he cringed mentally at the thought grateful then that he had only whacked his knee and not whacked his shin.

He was surrounded by chirping birds and sitting directly beneath a large mimosa tree. Some people further North called it a silk tree but his Auntie Natalia had one and it would forever be a mimosa tree to him. It's shimmering pink blossoms reminded him of home so much, he sat here nearly every morning even if he only had an orange juice to drink or some lemonade. That was another thing he missed about home when he was here, his little sisters always made lemonade during the hot days of Summer. Louisiana got so hot during the summer with the humidity it made folks wish that they were anywhere but there. He wouldn't trade it for the world though. He ran a hand through his hair before he took a swig of his orange juice and unfurled a letter from his father. It had been inside the package that was laying on the table in front of him and it contained a set of throwing knives and a few other things along with a book his father had thought that he would like. Despite being a complete bad ass Niall's father loved all of his children and wanted them the be well educated and well rounded individuals. Each of them had their own hobbies as well as being able to fight with any number of weapons. It was something he had instilled early on in all of them, that they would be killed for their rank and they needed to be able to defend themselves and win fights.

Dominic promptly walked back to his dorm after only fifteen minutes outside. He had given up on sunshine about 2 minutes in and he felt that the exposure had been enough fr the day, He had never liked the outside very much. Surely one would think a witch that have bigger appreciation for the outside, as especially one with a specialism in potion crafting and arts; who needed plant and animal material as ingredients. And he did - for tamed, indoor gardens anyway.

He saw no reason to have large sprawling outdoor ones when neatly compartmentalized plants were easier to locate and tend to, like his mother's series of greenhouses with shelves and shelves of plants that were neatly labelled, organised and all cultivating of plants occurred within their square confines. Arrows hand lined the ground, color coded leading out to different areas. He had adored the organisation , even dedicating a series of shelves with miniature versions of the more versatile plants (from clippings taken from his mother's garden) in his dorm room above his desk with a small brewing pot with sitting on his desk for quick brews. He had even used her color coding system with the pots he had placed tiny plants in; his distillation and re-flux set, along with pester, mortar and specialized glassware were reminiscent of his mother's.

And his grandmother hated it. She was always harping on about how his mother was creating an inorganic environment for her plants and for him. She had pushed the case that he should go out into the world and socialize -collide with new minds and ideals. His mother on the opposite spectrum saw no reason for him to leave the influential hub of potion crafters that she had presided over a large chunk of in the city. They had meet in the middle and here he was in an unfamiliar area yet supervised. He felt nervous yet excited. He knew extensive experience and knowledge would benefit him in an academic scenery but...

He stopped in his thoughts. He had so wrapped up in memories he had realized that he was nowhere near his dorm. He was in another section of the campus. One with a greenhouse. Actually numerous greenhouses. He blinked. "I guess I miss home a lot more than I had previously assumed" he thought to himself. He also realized that he needed someone in order to open them up. "Maybe I shouldn't dive straight back into greenhouses. I've only been in a unfamiliar place for a short amount of time and I'M already itching for the old. And I have to find someone to talk to before I carry on talking to myself" he shook his head at his own revelation. There has to be someone back at the dorm that he can introduce himself to, possibly befriend. Now he had to find his way back to the dorms.

He couldn't retrace his steps and end up in a cafe on campus. He couldn't told you how he ended here, all he could tell you was that a big campus and a lack direction was bad mix. He was just tired at this point and decided that he needed a rest regardless. Even cauldron had forsaken the blue shade of his clothing for a tired grey. She trotted over to the cafe, sat and adamantly waited for him to order her food. As he walked towards her he spotted a towering figure sat at a table. He froze and stared at the other student. The ONLY STUDENT he had meet so far at the academy without an introduction by an staff or family. He stared not knowing how to introduce himself without any outside assistance. Even Cauldron could see the awkwardness he was emitting and turned a plump red on his behalf. He continued staring until Cauldron rushed head first into his legs, breaking the tension and flicking her head to the cafe. She almost seemed to be saying 'Just buy me something and save us both' in her eyes.

A cool breeze passed through the clearing, and Morgan exhaled slowly as it brushed over him. The stone beneath him was smooth and cool and the small river that formed one edge of the small space streamed steadily by. A hint of smoke and sandalwood tinted the air as incense and candle burned nearby. About an hour of fast walking into the wooded areas near the Academy, the Warlock had created a passable sanctuary out of the sheltered clearing. Tall trees surrounded the space, leaving only the center bare to sunlight. The rocky banks of the river created a space mostly free of plant life and dotted with large, smooth stones like the one he was seated upon. Another served to hold a small white candle and burner with a stick of incense. A simple silver pentacle on the stone as well, a gift from his parents that he had carried for quite some time. Normally he wore it on a leather cord around his neck.

Finally opening his eyes, Morgan looked at the river as it coursed in front of him. Every Solstice was a time of celebration back home, and he was somewhat surprised to learn that he missed it. Surely there were others gathering somewhere to enjoy themselves, but he expected it to be very different from his family's festival and that put him off. Stretching as he got to his feet, he wondered how Kiara was spending her break. Letting his eyes follow the natural flow of the river, he considered the lake and the night of the disaster in the ballroom. It hadn't turned out too bad, all told.

The water was cooler than the stones on his feet as he stepped into it. Rolling up the loose legs of his dark jeans, he waded a short way into the water before following the current down toward the lake. He hadn't visited it since that night, as he had been exploring the more immediate areas around campus in greater depth to try and learn his way around. Morgan had never followed the river to the lake before, but he had known it to lead there the first time he had come upon it. The other activity that had consumed most of his time was practicing his craft. The little river always seemed to flow with cool water, eager to bend to his will. As he wandered slowly toward the lake, not knowing exactly how far away he might be, he began his practice anew. The routine of it was relaxing.

---

Lyla wasn't even close to being ready to get up when the sun graced her eyelids. Groaning at the burning sensation, she rolled her face into her pillows and dragged her blankets over her head. She could hear the wind, and it told the story of how the sun came to be intruding upon her sleep. The Splice had been out late, wandering and dancing in the silence of the night. The sky had still been dark when she had climbed the small tree outside her window. Apparently she had forgotten to close the window and curtain.

She certainly hadn't been asleep for very long, so Lyla snuggled deep into her blankets, shutting out all possibility of the sun's light reaching her. Barring outside intervention, she would likely sleep most of the day away. It wouldn't be the first time, nor the last. It didn't seem like such a bad thing to her. At least they were currently on break, so she wasn't missing any classes.

First day in school and already Samantha had beat down a girl who she thought was laughing at her when in actuality it was nothing more than a joke that her friends told her and she then just happened to look in the wrong direction. "What is wrong with you!?" "ARE YOU INSANE!?" Oh god I think she's out cold!" "Bitch do you want to end up like her? If not I suggest you hold your tongue or I'll rip it the fuck right out you fucking troll." She let out an audible growl before storming off to her room. She was already in a bad mood earlier. The school had no other available rooms except the one with certain preppy lycanthrope named Enya. She was beautiful for a chick but goddamn. This high class bitch had a voice that annoyed her. It wasn't the pitch. It was just how she talked. She put it as "Like if Mr. Monopoly had a wife, that's her". Samantha didn't like girly girls if her clothing was anything to go by. Boots, jeans, long sleeved shirts and hoodies. Simplicity was her preferred lifestyle. It was her pack's thing. She never really talked with people or other races outside of her own but she had no choice here.

She made her way into her room before jumping onto it with an audible creek as her body bounced slightly and looked over at her closet. It was atrocious. Dirty clothes and underwear sprawled out among the pile of clean clothes. Bags of chips and sandwiches and what not next to her bed and in the middle of that...Ghost...layed there wagging his tail and panting before barking at her. "Christ Ghost not right nooow. Just got here and already wanna fucking leave." She whined. Ghost complemented her whining with his own followed quickly by a yawn and more barking before he got up and jumped onto her bed, sniffed her hair and trid to mount her. An audible WHA THE FUCK GHOST!!" could be heard echoing through the halls followed by a short yelp, the scurrying of feet and the sounds of a chase. Ghost had started to hump the side of her face, causing her to yell shortly followed by the yelp form Ghost, thanks to her kicking him off and him quickly sprinting out of the room, Samantha quickly in tow. "YOU SON OF A BITCH GET BACK HERE!!!"

Ghost had sprinted outside about 30feet away from the school and jumped around before he caught sight of her. He quickly leaned down playfully before jumping up again and sprinting towards the forrest. The teen wolf had made her way outside to see a hyper Ghost wanting to go for a run. Her frown turned into rolled eyes and a light smirk. "Fine...let's go." She sprinted after him, slowly changing into her lycan form and joined him in the run towards the lake.

Laurel

Laurel had been easily galloping along in the long strides of a hunter. She was not one to hunt for sport though like her mother. Bastet was a mother, queen of the household and the wife but she was also a feared huntress and though Laurel took the form of a leopard Bastet's form was that of a lion as she was often depicted with the head of a lioness and the body of a beautiful woman. Laurel's secondary from was why she was not a true reincarnate of her goddess like her mother was.

She paid little mind to much of anything until she heard the ever distinct noise of the laughter of her hyena. She moved easily alongside Laurel and could do so for many miles. She wasn't overtly fast but she could move at this pace for an astounding distance. Striped hyena's were rather small compared to their spotted cousins that were more readily known. She was lithe and compact much like Laurel. Güzel's radar dish ears were focused on something just to their left and the animal glanced over at being carefully. It was a young lad watching Laurel intensely and Güzel kept her eyes on him intently so that should he pose a threat to Laurel she might could intervene on behalf of her friend. That was the difference between Güzel's captivity, if you could even consider it that, and that of other creatures. She stayed by Laurel's side by choice. Laurel could feel the pulses of worry from the creature and she soothed her. Sending out calming pulses of feeling to the hyena who settled immediately.

Laurel locked eyes with the young man who she had a feeling was also a Gifted. She wasn't quite sure what sort of gifted or line but she could just instinctively recognize her own kind much in the same manner that any other species could. She also sensed the easy challenge he offered her. She pushed off with her back paws, spreading her toes wide and extending her claws so that they dug into the dirt. She chuffed loudly like a bear, snapping her jaws together and expelling the air inside her mouth. Her hyena yipped and howled as she jolted off at a much faster pace. The flames that had started to subside flared up again and engulfed her body, covering it in a beautiful sphere of sorts.

She was sprinting now and though he was slightly faster Laurel had a key advantage, the animals of the forest. She could only ask for their help, whether they obliged her or not was their choice. She called out to them, a soft plea for assistance. Nothing urgent but a polite request. She could hear their movements as she steadily gained speed, moving easily down the path through the forest. Though she wore golden jewelry it made no noise and never moved, it was a part of her skin in a way. She could hear the crunch of leaves as some of the forest creature stirred, moving in their direction. What they would chose to do would be anyone's guess that this point. They could do any number of things.

@Aspen Wren
Alex met the eyes of the flaming being and knew at once that he had been entirely wrong about what being was. It was clearly no spirit or sign, but a being in its own right, sentient, intelligent, and beautiful to behold. There was a sense of familiarity to the being as well, a sense of solidarity that had never felt coming from another person he had ever met. Alex had only recently come into contact with the supernatural world and had never met one of his own kind before though the thought had delighted him. Alex wondered if he was fortunate enough to have met one of his own people first at the Academy. More importantly, Alex saw that the being had accepted his challenge, pushing forward past him with a great jolt of acceleration. Alex heard a yip and glanced back at the hyena, now struggling to keep up with the pair. Grinning from ear to ear, Alex began to sprint as well taking a few moments to catch up to the being's speed, now bathed in a radiant sphere of fire. Slowly he began to move past the being as the they raced through the forest. Alex could feel the path beneath him, giving strength and power to his legs, while the aura of yellow energy surrounding his feet began to slowly make its way up his shin.

Alex let out a wild whoop of exultation. To simply have the opportunity to be challenged like this had made the entire journey to this academy worth it. However, something strange was happening by the other being. It was a similar feeling when the hyena and leopard had first noticed him. It was as though there had been some kind of communication, but he had heard no words. He had once survived by taking tourists from all around the world to see certain sights, running them around the area with his bare feet understanding them all. But this was different, Alex knew that they were communicating somehow but it seemed almost... muffled? It was a conversation made up of words that he could not perceive. Earlier he had shrugged it off as just a strange fluke but now it was clearly deliberate. The other Gifted, for he was sure now that the being was a Gifted, was quite deliberately communicating with something. Alex glanced behind him to see if the hyena had kept up, before looking forward just in time to see several birds had dived into this oncoming path! Alex let out a gasp of surprise and spun out of their way, losing some of his speed as he avoided running into the creatures.

Somewhat bewildered, Alex wildly looked around him. The forest seemed to be almost coming to life. Sounds of animals moving, chittering, and even growling could be heard around the forest. Alex felt something hit against his head and peered up at the trees, one hand blocking the sun from his eyes. Squirrels had begun to drop things down on the path below them lined up on near every branch on the trail. Leval let out another laugh, realizing what must have occurred and impressed at the ability. Not to be outdone, Alex rocketed past the squirrels keeping his eyes up, moving around the small pieces of nuts and bark falling down towards him. However, three deer moved onto the path blocking the him from moving forward. There was no space in the tight treeline to run around them, so Alex leapt forward barely passing over their quickly lowered legs and found that the path apparently took a turn he had been able to see. Instead of continuing on the path as he intended, Alex found himself flattened against a tree up against the path's turn. The protective aura coming from his legs vanished and he slowly slid down the tree and fell right onto his back.

Alex blinked several times before letting out an unrestrained belly laugh towards the hint of blue sky peeking through between the trees. He checked in on Rush and found him to entirely Rush-like, irritated that his ride had stopped moving. He raised his hand up and called out, "This one is yours!" He rolled over into a cross-legged sitting position watching the flaming leopard which had been following close behind him approach, still moving quickly. "But I am certain to win next time." He gave the Gifted a warm smile. Alex was entirely uncertain as to whether or not he had ever had more fun. "I am Alexandros, or Alex, or Hey You! Any of the three are likely to work. And who might you be?" Absentmindedly, he pulled some of the acorns and twigs out of his hair.

This big stone really was a delight... Harald hadn't been around this area for long, but this place was one of the first ones he had made a mental note of. The material absorbed the energy coming from the sun and only heated up gently, but when the environment started cooling down again, it just continued to supply warmth for a long time. That's why Harald had placed his massive body right on top of it with his belly flat to the surface. His head was resting on his left paw and his tail was keeping watch so that no annoying insect would have enough time to land and start drinking his blood.

From time to time he opened his eyes and squinted. There was something nearby that looked like a well-worn path, but his resting place rather was a bit into the wilderness. Pretty much like a small cat would do, he used his claws to carefully comb his mane and polished his teeth using his own tongue. His wings were folded together, he currently didn't need them to collect more of that beautiful sunlight. Holding them up into a breeze of fresh air was a nice thing however.

He had lost track of time a bit. How long had it been since he had settled down here ? Must've been hours... He didn't care as long as he didn't get hungry again. And if that happened... well... the hunting grounds weren't that far away.

@Silent Observer

The day was very pleasant to both his sense of touch and smell. He liked spring. Spring represented a fresh beginning and it held true. It was symbolic for him since it had been a new start since his years in that so called guild. His time at school, minus the ball had been going well. In that time he also decided to run for the student government and managed to place himself at the title of president after his promise of restitution for that night. A second uninterrupted ball that he would personally oversee with the collaboration of Mrs. Langley. This helped boost his popularity as well as his reputation but at the same time it came with mixed reviews. Some liked the mystic vibe he gave off and others his sharp and quick wit as well as his somewhat abrasive attitude towards certain staff pending on the topic. Mostly his verbal battles with Mr. Ghardelli were something to behold. Others, however, had a strong distaste for his pompous and arrogant attitude and his almost otherworldly ego. But as he learned from humans a few years ago 'Haters gonna hate'. But what still brought a frown to his face was the face of someone he started to doubt his feelings for. He remembered his time back at the lake. It had started out great after what he assumed was Morgan's understanding and from there it was simple. He showed off the bit of magic he knew and then asked for Kiara's hand for a dance since theirs was rudely interrupted by a unneeded entity that was his malevolent brother. He would dance with her, humming a sweet melody that both beautiful and soothing to the ears. It eventually ended in the two locking in a romantic kiss that eventually turned into a feverishly seductive make out display. It wasn't until He saw Morgan approach did he put two and two together and quickly removed himself from here. His eyes glowing in annoyance. "I promised you a good night...NOT a happy ending. I'm sorry but this is where I take my leave...Good night..." He never bothered to look back at her but his answer to her reaction was nothing short of Schrodinger's cat.

He shook his head of the memories from that night and instead just made his way to the-

He sniffed the air, a new scent had entered into his nostrils and looked to the left of him to see a rather large wolf more or less in pursuit of a smaller wolf. He cocked his eyebrow up and shook his head until another sent was carried to him by the breeze. "Another huma- no...Gifted? Hmm..yes." He looked over in the direction of the smell and decided to follow it. Must be another new student or one of the ones that welcomed them to the school. He snorted out a plume of smoke before trekking his way to the scents.

@EurmalEye
It took him a bit to get over there but he eventually managed it. There he spotted a young man leaning against a tree, picking brush and other things out of his hair. He approached him quietly but never hiding his presence. A fox-like smile on his face. "You seem to be enjoying your spring break off I see, Gifted. What brings you out here?" His emphasis on gifted was not meant to be taken as a way to classify his superiority over him but more of just an informative tick of his. Niall, Kiara, and many of the others were given the same treatment. His eyes seemed to pierce through his body with the gaze he gave him.

- Laurel -

Laurel gave a delighted rumble of a laugh as she heard the distinct sound of fluttering wings and a body knocking into a tree. Such a wonderous feeling out here in the woods behind the school. She reverberated her thanks to the creatures who had helped her and slowed to an easy stop just along the edge of the trail. Güzel was just behind her, the hyena was not quite so fast as Laurel was at top speed but she could go for many more miles. She was still alight with fire, it covered her body and flickered softly around her. The flames shimmered oddly as they rippled across her inky black coat.

She was a bit startled when she saw Sulley, she wasn't much on him these days. He'd made it particularly clear that he wanted little to do with her family. She let out an uncomfortable chuff, slamming shut her powerful jaws and expelling a breath of air as she looked at the gifted who had introduced himself as Alex. Moving easily she flicked her tail softly as she looked at him and then nodded her head at the Dragon. Her body burned fiercely now, flames engulfing her so fully that she was no longer visible beneath the heat and the flames. Her frame stretched and remodeled, becoming the curvy young human frame that was her true form.

Güzel remained by her side as she looked at the other gifted, her luminous green eyes still showed the fire that burned in her heart as she peered up at him. "It is lovely to meet you Alexandros, my name is Laurel. Perhaps you will have better luck next time, I have many friends here in the forest though." She spoke kindly and with a smile, her voice as soft and smooth as silk. It was a warm sultry sound that fit well here in the forest, like the feeling of coming into view of a cozy cabin in the woods with a fire blazing within the fireplace. She pursed her full lips as she looked at him before giving him a nod. "I'll let you get back to your walk. And time with the Dragon. Bir sonraki sefere arkadaş." With those last words in her native tongue she dipped her head towards him, then Sulley before turning on her heel towards the woods.

Güzel's luminous eyes peered up at the young man, she stood the tall crest along her back up momentarily before letting it settle back down. She then dipped her head as she looked at him, bowing almost before trotting off after Laurel who was moving easily along the tree line.

@FallenTrinity@EurmalEye

It had been a few miles since she decided to take Ghost up on his little run. Ghost had been barking a lot since he had been on the trail. More or less thanks to small rabbits, deer and other woodland creatures he saw along their way. The wolf would dash out to chase them and with a growl Samantha would call him back. It wasn't until a new smell caressed the dogs nose that it stopped, panting as it did so before it started to sniff the ground, and quickly his head shot up and he sprinted into the woods. Samantha sniffed the air. Her ears pointed up then down. "OH shit...GHOST!!" She darted off towards the scent and Ghost. Her eyes widened as she saw a [color=004b80][/color]slender red-headed girl who seemed to be painting turn in her direction. The sight would have been terrifying:

One is minding their own business only to her what sounded like a fox hunt heading their way only to see a giant white wolf heading their way with a much larger wolf in tow yet screaming "GHOST YOU SON OF A BITCH I KNOW WHAT YOUR PLANNING AND YOU BETTER- OH GOD IM SORRY!!!" Only to have the former of the two leap up onto you, tail wagging and mouth open with its tongue flopping around.

Ghost had pounced onto Kiara, possibly knocking her to the ground but surely avoiding the painting. As the dog came crashing down on the red-head, he would stop, sniff her face and hair, lick her face once before licking her face and proceeding to hump her. If it wasn't for the larger wolf leaping over them and transforming, grabbing Ghost by the sides and twisting in an areal tackle and tossing him to the side he would have finished. A slight yelp from ghost followed by a low growl before laying down where he was "put". "Goddamit Ghost! What the hell I up with you? Do I need to get you neutered or something." To this he whined and covered his face with his paws, ears down. "Geez....Hey you ok?" She looked at her with a frown before looking at what the red-head was painting. Her eyes widened slightly as she took in the artwork. "Wow that's pretty good. When did you start drawing this?" Samantha didn't glance over or turn to help her up. She was just mesmerized by the painting.

@FallenTrinity
Harald took in another breath of what he thought would be fresh, clear air as he had gotten used to at this place. However - it wasn't. Was that tobacco or something else ? He couldn't clearly identify it, but for the moment he just assumed that it would most likely be tobacco. How the hell could those humans who designated themselves as 'ordinary' just do that and kill their own lungs by smoking ? On the other hand... they also called a bunch of madmen basically doing nothing else than breeding ill-fated creatures like himself honorable 'scientists'! Hopefully it wasn't a bushfire that had started without him noticing and that would ruin all of this...

Harald was a bit annoyed as he had to cancel his rest in order to see if there was anything wrong going on. Sluggishly he pushed his body back onto his feet - all four of them - and got moving. The huge labyrinth of horns growing out of his head pushed leaves and small bushes aside, causing a quite audible noise. It didn't take long for him to spot the origin of the smoke, but he didn't approach Sulleykaar right away. Instead, he sat down like cats did when they were studying things from a fixed position.

@Aspen Wren @FallenTrinity

As the flaming leopard caught up to them, another figure approached Alex the shadows from his height drawing his attention before he had ever heard a noise. Alex looked up at an impressively large man, with slightly crimson skin and smile on his face that spoke of fox like cunning. Alex cocked his head slightly at the man asked him about his reason for being here. Alex raised an eyebrow and laughed, pointing down at the path in front of him. "Why the path came through here of course! And what brings you to this curve in the path? Following the path or coming for conversation?" He paused for a moment, noticing the rather intense gaze the man seemed to be giving him. "Ah if you intend to eat me, I must warn you I doubt that I would be particularly tasty. Too stringy you know?" He let out a laugh to let the man know that he wasn't being serious. He turned his head away from the slightly red man as the flaming leopard completed its approach, flicking its tail and nodding to the other man beside him.

Alex watched in open fascination as the flaming leapord, bathed itself in flames once more and transformed into an attractive, curvy woman. She introduced herself as Laurel and responded to his banter with some of her own. She smiled warmly and spoke with a tone that matched perfectly with a surrounding forest. And Alex could clearly see the fires still burning in her eyes, never dwindled just changed. Alex looked on, slightly stunned as she turned away and called out to them in Turkish. Snapping back to attention he called back out to her also in Turkish "Çok uzun , güzel Laurel. Her zaman parlak yakmak." He looked at her as she left, before turning back to the the apparent Dragon. He eyed him with interest, and then behind him before speaking casually. "You are not as large as I might have expected. Also, are you aware there is some sort of horned winged lion behind you?"

@EurmalEye@Fetzen
He nodded as the Greek-gifted man spoke of the trail and he nodded. "The trail is quite nice. It's path leads to a rather large lake, my original arrival point but this pungent odor filled my nostrils and I had to investigate and here I find you. Must have had a nice run." Then the young boy then looked at him strangely and this caused Sulley to raise an eyebrow. "Ah if you intend to eat me, I must warn you I doubt that I would be particularly tasty. Too stringy you know?" He snorted a plume of smoke, paused for only a brief moment to process what he said only to let out a bark of laughter as a result. His fangs glistened slightly in the sunlight. The laugh was hefty and strong and seemed to be somewhat condescending but it was the mere randomness of it that caught him off guard. After regaining his composure, a smile rested on his face.

"My dear boy I have eaten the boney ashes of my enemies, your slender frame would not be a problem for my digestive system but I feel you would give me indigestion. Hmhmhmh A chuckle resting in the back of his throat. There was definitely a subtle hint at the truth in there. He turned to see the leopard approach. Laurel! A pleasure to see you on this wonderful fall break." Her attention was on the young boy as they exchanged words in Turkish before they both gave each other a nod and Laurel took off. "You are not as large as I might have expected. Also, are you aware there is some sort of horned winged lion behind you?" He looked at him with a raised eyebrow before nodding. "Yes I am quite aware of who is behind me but as to your comment about my size...." He seemed to pivot on his heels, turning 180 degrees the other way before lunging forward, His body morphing and twisting as a massive scaly body over 150 feet long formed and like a serpent slithered around, his massive horned head directly in front of the young boy. He let out another plume of smoke on either side of the gifted. A deep rumble bellowed out as he snarled before roaring directly in the face of the Gifted before he erupted into laughter. "Is this better? I must say I'm not usually in this form long and that's only due to the size of myself. It's quite cumbersome this body to move about the school grounds. Always having to watch my steps to make sure I don't crush anyone under my claws. But as for our other guest." His massive head and neck winding around to the cat-like thing. "Greetings....whatever you are. You look much like a chimera, am I wrong?"