Sebastian jumped out of bed as the sun was rising. He loved the smell of the air fresh in the morning, and the atmosphere when the world was bright but still asleep. He leaned out over his balcony, breathing it in, ears forward, tail curled against his back. When he smiled, his small fangs were just visible beneath his upper lip. He normally wouldn't reveal so many of his bestial aspects in this quarter of the citadel, but the streets below were empty. No one would notice.
He went quickly inside, grabbing his bag and grooming his face, then ran back out and leaped over the rail of the balcony. Sebastian remembered the first time he did - peering over the edge wondering whether he'd make the drop from two stories up. A fit human could do it, he'd told himself, and I'm fitter than a human.
Landing low with bent knees and a sturdy thud, Sebastian took off, once again embarking on the four-mile sprint to DHHQ. The roads were all his this time, as hardly anyone would be outside this early. It took him a half hour, but still he arrived at the always-open campus before 5 o'clock.