Westbrook Academy for Metahumans: Forums

The Warriors and The Wolverine

It was raining. The sort of rain that felt cutting, even through heavy clothes. December rain, threatening to become sleet. It was the kind of rain that Kim liked the most. The large drops thudded against the umbrella as he held it mostly over the head of his grandfather, walking down the sidewalk toward the park.

The old man's voice was gruff as he spoke, though the many lines of his face contorted with an ever-present smile. "How are you liking the new school, boy?"

Kim was smiling as well, even though the left side of his body was soaked through and his usually meticulously kept hair hung wet and limp down the side of his face. "So far I like it quite a bit. Most of the students that I have met seem nice. They all have neat little quirks and unique abilities."

"Have you spoken to Mr. Maximilian?" His grandfather asked, his walking stick tap-tap-tapping along with every other stride.

"Yes. He has some interesting ideas. And..." Kim added, glancing over at the hunched man by his side "He says that he is familiar with the history of our ancestors. He has texts and old documents. I cannot wait to spend more time studying with him."

The pair rounded the corner into the park, which was all but vacant due to the weather. They headed over toward one of the gazibos and Kim offered his hand to help his grandfather climb the stairs. Once he was safely inside, the boy backed in and closed his umbrella, shaking the water off of it and plopping down on one of the benches inside. He shoved his wet hair back with his hands, so that it wasn't hanging in his eyes. The old man stood by the railing, leaning with both hands on his stick.

"You're doing alright otherwise?" He said, his cloudy eyes watching the mist rise over the nearby pond as the rain became more intense.

"Yeah... " the boy stretched, "I joined a couple of activities already too."

"Which ones?" the old man turned as he spoke, looking at Kim again.

"Swim and heh... cheer-leading." For some reason Kim felt flush rising to his face and ears. "Apparently some people make fun of cheer-leaders at Westbrook."

"Cheer-leading?" his face contorted as he seemed to carefully consider this. "Cheer-leading is like dancing, right?"

"I guess it involves some dancing, yes, and tumbling and throwing people around," turning to tuck one leg under the other, a chuckle rolled off of the end of Kim's sentence.

"Then it is nothing to be made fun of. Dancing is important. Before a hunt we dance to ask the spirits for good fortune, before battle we dance to ask for protection and favor. This cheer-leading..." He paused, shuffling around to completely face Kim. "Sports were invented to mock battles, you dance to raise the morale of your warriors."

The boy grinned, his grandfather always had a particular way with words. "I guess so. Besides, the girl that picked on me, I think he had a bit of a chip on her shoulder. You don't just speak to a complete stranger like that unless you have one."

The old man lowered himself finally to one of the benches. "Have I ever told you about wolverines, boy?"

Kim shook his head.

"Wolverines, they will attack anything without reason sometimes it seems. Do you know why this is?"

"No, grandfather..." The boy said, leaning forward slightly so that he could hear the words through the sound of the rain.

"Often times, the wolverine must go for a very long time without food. It feels as though it must constantly be aggressive to protect the small amount of food that it has and defend it from those that would take it. That is why they have sharp claws and thick hides."

Kim nodded, just letting him speak.

"So it is in their nature to attack. They defend what is precious to them by attacking all those that would threaten it. To ask a wolverine not to attack would be the same as asking a raven not to fly or a seal not to swim."

"I think I understand." Kim said, brushing a hand through his hair again as it threatened to fall out of place. "It's just hard not to take it personally I suppose."

"You are just a boy, Aglakti." the grin had returned to his grandfather's face "Wisdom will come with age. When you can boast as many wrinkles as I have you will see the world much differently I'm sure." Cracked laughter followed his words and he held his hand over his mouth as it became coughing. "Come on, we should go home before we both catch colds." He said, beginning to stand.

Kim rose, walking over and offering his hand. "Yeah, we've been out in the rain too long."

No Shame in a Name

"There's no point in calling you something you hate."

"Well, I don't hate it. People have been calling me that for years, I guess I'm just kind of used to it."

"It's not exactly a different universe, but you are away from your parents. You can do what you want here."

I can be something different. But I like who I am. Who am I am isn't affected by what people call me. Is it?

Shaking his head, he stared up at the Christmas tree in front of him. "Maybe I should speak to Kaskae." There was nobody around, perfect opportunity. He knew that the raven made some uneasy and so, out of politeness, had told him to stay away unless he was specifically called for.

"Kaskae..." he said, raising his voice a little and following the call up with a sharp whistle. A few moments later, one of the seats near by had a large white bird alight on it, as if it had appeared from thin air. Kaskae looked more corporal than usual today, strange. Standing, the boy walked over to sit in a closer chair. "Can I talk to you about something."

~Always, my friend.~ The bird spoke without opening it's mouth, it's voice fading and rising at odd intervals as it had to be pulled from another plane.

"I am thinking about my name..." he said, "Or I have been more than usual. I just wanted your opinion I guess."

~What's wrong with your name?~ Kaskae cocked his head to one side, then reached back to pick at some feathers which vanished as they fell off of him.

"Nothing is wrong with it. And that is the problem. Have I been dishonoring my family by going all these years by a nickname?" frowning a bit, he looked to the white raven and ran his hand over it's back slowly.

~Do you need me to answer that question?~ As it spoke, the bird churred and shifted from one foot to the other, then hopped up on the boy's forearm. It had no weight to it here, still he held his arm like a falconer might to offer stability.

"I guess not." he said, looking again at the tree.

~Remember why you started using the other name, my friend. Your peers are no longer ignorant children, they are young men and women. They should be expected to honor your proper name by pronouncing it correctly.~

The boy shook his head. "You would be surprised, Kaskae, I have already had one of them horribly mispronounce it."

~Is he unintelligent?~ the raven snapped his head to the side, blank white eyes fixed immediately on those of the boy.

"She... and I'm not sure if unintelligent is the right word." he wrinkled his nose, other hand rising to absently stroke the bird on his arm as it's form began to fade and become somewhat translucent.

~Stop hiding who you are, Aglakti.~ By now, Kaskae had all but disappeared. He only ever had a finite amount of time here and he had lasted longer than he usually did.

"Thank you for the advice, my friend." The boy lifted his arm, the now ghostly image of the bird ascending into the air with a few strong flaps before disappearing altogether.

"Stop hiding who I am," he said aloud, the words holding more weight than one would expect. Probably fully intentional on the part of Kaskae.

Aglakti stood, walking over to the Christmas tree and touching some of the pine needles with one hand as the other slid it's way into the pocket of his pants. "You're right."

Vision Quest, Part 1

Perez Park looked different in the twilight. If one forgot about the looming skyline of buildings near by, it was almost like a "real" forest and the deeper one became lost within it the more the city seemed to disappear.

Kimber stood at the edge of the tree line next to his grandfather, shifting nervously from one foot to the other. He was dressed in a manner that would be deemed "strange" for a city dweller. Soft buckskin pants were all he wore, even his feet were bare. He'd been preparing for a week for this, training in basic survival. But Perez Park was dangerous. It's winding corridors of trees often obscured violent individuals and so it had been decided collectively that Kimber would not go alone as was the custom. Instead, his grandfather had asked one of his own spirit guides to shadow the boy and keep him out of danger if the situation called for it. The spectral hawk sat near by on the limb of a dead tree, simply watching.

"Aglakti..." the old man used his proper name "The time has come to begin your vision quest." He collected some rust colored paint on his thumb and drew it from the middle of the boy's forehead down his nose. "Are you ready?"

"I... I think so..." Kimber said softly, he knew that he probably wasn't ready. Nor prepared. Who could prepare a thirteen year old boy to be alone in a place like this without food or water after all. His eyes wandered to the tree line again. It was quiet, almost unnaturally so. He couldn't even spot the fires from burning trash cans that usually dotted the area.

"Return when you are finished." His grandfather said, propping himself a little taller with his walking stick.

Kimber studied the lines on the man's face, each a like a paragraph in a novel. He nodded his head, then paused asking "How will I know?"

"You will know. I will wait here."

Such a proposition was almost unfathomable. An eighty year old man was going to wait on a park bench for what could be many days? Still, he shuffled slowly over to it and lowered himself onto the seat of the bench. His deep brown eyes sought those of his grandson in the waning light.

Without another word, the boy finally tore his gaze back to the trees. He took a slow, deep breath and began to walk into the consuming darkness. His senses already felt heightened, he could hear small animals and birds shifting in the trees as they prepared to bed down for the evening. Soon the trees were all around him and he had lost sight of the old man on the park bench and the city skyline.

"What am I supposed to do out here anyway..." he muttered to himself, holding his hand with open palm extended to the canopy of leaves above him. He whispered a chant and a soft blueish white glow illuminated the skin of his hand and wrist, a cheap kid's trick that he had learned years ago but essential now due to the fact that he'd not been allowed to bring a flashlight with him. Kimber supposed that the first thing he'd better do was construct shelter and went about collecting some scraps of corrugated plastic that someone had left leaning against a tree. He figured that wasn't cheating, after all wasn't he supposed to use the materials his environment provided him?

Vision quest, Part 2

It was the middle of his first day in the park and he had constructed a pretty decent makeshift shelter from wood and corrugated plastic. Kimber sat just inside of it, poking the embers of the fire he was trying to keep alive with a stick. So far he'd been lucky, it had not rained and those few he saw hanging out in the park had left him for the most part alone. Some woman had mistaken him for a beggar and tossed change at him before he could correct her but other than that it had been uneventful. "I'll never find my spirit guide this way..." he sighed, wishing that he could have done this in Alaska like his father had as a boy.

He stood and walked a few paces, stretching his back and looking up at the sun passing through the dense canopy above him. Bored, he decided to go for a walk. Vision quests weren't supposed to be boring were they?

The boy wandered some of the less traveled trails, observed what he suspected to be a drug deal taking place and changed direction to avoid it. He climbed up a tree to get a better bearing on his surroundings, and spotted a small nest with three blue eggs in it. One of the eggs trembled, and he pulled himself into a better position to watch for a moment before the owner of the eggs returned and proceeded to attack him. The bird was easily warded off with a gust of wind and the call for some mist.

As he returned to his camp he spotted unfamiliar figures standing around a blazing fire through the mist. Kimber stopped, taking a step backward. Somebody had claimed his camp. Then a strange thing struck him, he noticed that he could not hear any voices. The figures were gesturing like they were having a discussion but there was no discussion to be heard, only the sound of the wind.

Cautiously, he approached and ducked behind a nearby tree to get a better look at the figures, but before he could an out of place gust of wind cleared the mist and with the mist went the forms, blown away like clouds. Kimber blinked, running over to his camp and kneeling down. Suddenly, it was as if everything was normal again.

Finally, something's happening, he thought to himself, his focus suddenly disrupted by the sinking empty feeling in his stomach. He hadn't eaten all day. The vision quest was a time of fasting, one was not permitted to eat in order to focus on the task at hand... whatever that was. Frowning, he sat back down in his shelter, tossing some kindling from the pile he'd made onto it to encourage the flames a little more.

Vision quest, Part 3

Dusk was beginning to fall on the end of the second day. Still no food but he'd snuck a little water from a group of marathon runners who had set up a hydration station, too wary to drink any water from the streams that flowed near by.

The boy lay on his back in his shelter, arms folded under his head as he watched the waning light casting shadows through the canopy of leaves above him. You couldn't see many stars out here, the city glow was too bright. Kim found himself longing for stars, longing for peace and quiet rather than the constant sound of far off talking, children chasing each other and every now and then the odd gunshot in the distance or police siren.

As he watched the sky, he felt himself drifting off but before he could slip into sleep a much closer noise startled him and he sat up. The noise had sounded like a wounded animal near by, maybe a cat, a faint pained yowl. He pushed himself to a stand, kicking through the embers of his fire and setting some more wood on it before it died out. "Hey..." he whispered toward the bushes where the sound had come from. He had no idea why he was whispering. "Come on out... I can help you."

He wandered toward the bushes, then crouched into a squat and reached forward. Just as he was about to push the leaves back a bird flew out of the bush and knocked him on his backside. The bird was quite out of place in this setting. It was enormous, for one, the size of a small dog. The other obvious thing about it was that it was pure white with light pink eyes. A giant, white raven. Kim did not realize it at the time but this raven was his spirit guide.

He stood, turning slowly to face the bird as it sifted through his camp. It picked up spent water bottles and tossed them, rummaged through the pile of wood, knocked over a stack of leaves. "Hey stop it!" Kim yelled, running over to his camp and trying to shoo the bird away.

Chittering, the bird hopped back as the boy's foot flew out toward it and cocked it's head. It flapped it's wings strongly, taking off for only a moment before it alighted and sat upon the roof of Kim's shelter. And then, as if this wasn't odd enough, things became even odder when Kim began to hear a voice. The voice itself seemed disembodied and echoed somewhat.

~That was rather rude~

"What was..." The boy said nervously, looking around into the tree line. Night had fallen and visibility was low. Whatever was speaking to him could be anywhere. He turned and looked at the bird again, it was still staring at him.

The voice spoke again, and as it spoke the bird gestured. ~Trying to kick me, why did you do that?~

Kim jumped backward, holding a hand out toward the bird. "I uh... you were wrecking my camp..." he said, shaking his head a bit.

~I was improving it. Do you know who I am?~

"Are you my spirit guide?" He said, walking cautiously over to the bird.

The corrugated plastic under it's feet creaked as it shifted, claws trying to get a better grip. ~Bravo. How long did it take you to figure that one out?~

"You're not very nice, I thought spirit guides were supposed to be nice." He huffed indignantly, folding his arms over his chest.

~You're not very smart. I thought shamen were supposed to be smart.~ The bird quipped, tilting it's head down to pick at it's feathers. ~And tiny. So short. I got the bottom of the barrel it seems. A city kid playing games.~

"I am not! Hey look I... I'm just doing my best okay, stop giving my a hard time." He blinked, was he really having an argument with a giant bird?

The bird plucked out another feather, then lifted it's head with the feather in it's beak. ~You have a lot of work to do. Your grandfather is still sitting out on that bench and you haven't even proven yourself worthy of returning yet.~

"Doesn't meeting you prove I'm worthy?" He approached again, extending his hand slowly and deliberately.

The bird let him take the feather from it's mouth and he tucked it behind his ear. ~I suppose...~ It said. ~It will do for now. Go back. Go home. I will find you again tomorrow afternoon. Then I will test your worth.~

Before Kim could respond, the bird was gone. It hadn't flown away, there was no show, no lights or anything spectacular. It was just gone. A few white feathers lingered on the plastic where it had been sitting. Kim picked one of them up. "That was it? Aren't I supposed to have some kind of life altering revelation out here?" He muttered to himself.

But the bird, the bird who had never even named itself told him to leave. So leave he did. He left his camp intact, figuring someone may have use for it and trudged out of the woods in the dark. The city came into view again, and the bench with the street light above it. On the bench sat the motionless figure of his grandfather, head tilted upward. On the street light sat the same large, white bird he had just spoken to. Kim saw the bird turn toward him before disappearing again.

Vision Quest, Part 4 [Note: Some language in this one]

His grandfather stood, supporting himself against his cane as the boy approached. Before either could speak, a group of... well all Kim could describe them as were thugs... appeared jeering and shoving one another as they walked down the sidewalk. They noticed the old man, but not the boy who still shrouded by the darkness.

"Hey old guy!" One of the boys shouted, running over to him. "Hey gramps, empty your pockets."

Kim blinked, watching this exchange. The others ran over, about five in total. They were all teenagers, a little older than Kim. "Little late to be out old man." Another said "Did ya escape from Shady Achres?"

He felt his hands becoming fists as one of them shoved his grandfather, the first taking on a more demanding tone as he failed to get a response. "Turn up your hearing aid, I said empty your pockets dude!" Punks. They thought they could get away with this? Picking on an eighty year old guy? Why was he still standing there...

~You're doing a terrible job of proving your worth Aglakti~

He looked around, no bird. Without further pause, the boy ran over to the group and yelled "Hey leave him alone!"

The group all turned to face him, a slightly dirty, tired looking thirteen year old Kim in nothing but a pair of trousers. "Oh my god this keeps getting better, look guys, it's Tonto!"

His grandfather lifted his gaze, eyes meeting Kim's. Kim knew that he could take care of himself, he knew that this group of punks were nothing, he also knew that this fight wasn't his grandfather's fight. It was his.

The five turned to face the boy, encircling him. "He's got nothin' guys, come on..." one of them said. Ahh, each group always had a voice of reason. Kim looked at him, nodding. The other four were not convinced. "You got a peace pipe in those pockets Shitskin?"

He found himself stumbling backward from a shove. "You all should leave." He said, trying to keep his voice level sounding. Calm was always more intimating than angry, right?

"Or what?" They were all laughing now, even the 'voice of reason' "Gonna kick our asses? Gonna break out the bow and arrow huh?"

One of them threw a punch, Kim avoided it easily. They were clumsy at best, probably a little drunk. The city was full of these kinds of delinquents. "I'm only going to warn you one more time. Leave." He said through clenched teeth. Anger was starting to well within him.

There was no reasoning with them, no more talk, they all rushed him at once. That was unavoidable for him, and he was tackled to the ground by two. Two others kicking at him. The last just stood and watched, pretending to participate. Kim struggled, but took a punch to the face. He knew his grandfather was shuffling on over, he heard the tap of the cane on the pavement.

He kicked his legs, starting to sing though his voice was strained. That made it worse, they laughed at him for singing. They wouldn't be laughing soon. The first hint that anything had happened was a localized cloud forming over their section of the park, freezing sleet pelting the backs of the boys on top of him. That was unusual for the middle of August and it was enough to make them all stop. "Dude what's this shit?" One of them said, looking up as thunder rumbled in the cloud above him.

That was time enough, Kim sang another refrain and they were all thrown to the ground by a brief hurricane force wind that seemed to emanate from the boy himself. He stood up, wiping his mouth with his hand as he felt a trickle of blood down his chin. None of them were hurt, yet.

"You need to leave." He repeated again as they stood one by one.

"Guys, come on..." the one who had hung back was urging. "It's not worth it. They ain't got nothin'."

"Yeah okay Mark stop bitching..." they all collected into a group and sort of ran off, yelling from the relatively safety of retreat "We'll get you next time gramps!"

Kim walked over to his grandfather, resting a hand on the old man's shoulder as his guide reappeared on the lamp post. ~So, you have potential after all it seems.~

"What did I tell you, Kaskae?" His grandfather finally said. "You are too impatient." He chuckled softly, running a thumb over a cut on Kim's forehead. "You're fine, let's get you home."

[Please note, 3 parts of "Vision Quest" were added today. - 1st of Jan]

Vacating Iconic Storage Containers, Part 1

He wasn't going to do it at Christmas dinner. That's what he'd told himself. It would be the most awkward thing in the world, nobody would appreciate it. But there they were, seated around the long table they owned that was a little too big for their dining room. A spread of traditional food laid out upon it, soft conversation and laughter rising and falling. This was his favorite thing about Christmas. Not the presents, not the silly music. This.

And yet...

And yet Aglakti didn't find himself soaking in the moment like he usually did. He was distracted, bothered even. He was somewhere else. Out on a frozen lake, laughing breathlessly. That touch, electric. Those eyes...

He shook his head, don't think of this now. His father was saying their version of grace. Thanking the various animals laid out on the table for their sacrifice. The boy sang the refrain mechanically, then passed his plate along to be loaded up before sinking down into his chair a bit more.

"Have you made any friends?" Was that question directed at him? He blinked, shaking his head.

"What? Oh! At school?" He sat up straight again, sliding his plate back over. "Yeah! I have a lot of friends now actually." The boy grinned at his mother. "There's uh... there's Cass, she's like... kind of quiet.... And uh... Brodi!" He nodded at his plate, sort of muttering as he spoke, "... He's on the swim team and he's really cool... and..."

He blinked, remembering text flashing on his phone: I like you more than I should.

Aglakti shoved a piece of fish into his mouth before continuing. "David, Abby, Wil, this kid Juan who thinks he's some kinda womanizer or something" he laughed awkwardly.

His mom was smiling that smile she had, it could melt even the thickest ice. Aglakti grinned sheepishly, she knew. She knows...

Nodding her head, she took a long drink from her glass before continuing. "There's someone you like..." she said, voice trailing off as if he was supposed to pick up the answer.

"I like all my friends!" He was skirting around it, don't do that. Dumbass.

Now his father was perking up interest. Aglakti never liked anybody. He'd never had a girlfriend. The family had just dismissed it, he was only fifteen, there was lots of time for girlfriends and dating. But his mother had caught on, there was something off in the boy's demeanor. He had a crush. "You can tell us." he said, half grinning as he stabbed potatoes with his fork.

"Yeah... come on." Et tu, Paj? The boy's amber eyes moved to his youngest sister. "Is she beautiful... oh I bet she has long black hair and eyes that shine like starlight."

He could feel his face beginning to flush. Attention on the plate, don't look at them. "Can we talk about something else?" He mumbled.

"But this is much more interesting." His sister goaded. Why was everyone saying that? Why was his barely existent love life so interesting to everyone?

"No it's not." The boy lifted his eyes to meet those of his sister. His expression wasn't angry or even frustrated, it was pleading.

"It's okay, Kim..." she said, carefully though he could see a grin forming as she spoke. "We'll just have to grill you later."

"Just drop it!" He said, his voice raising somewhat as he stood from his chair. "I'm not hungry any more, may I be excused?"

This was very unlike the always even tempered boy. Everyone just... stared in awkward silence for what felt like an eternity. Finally, his mother spoke again. "Of course, Aglakti."

"I...." he began, then shook his head. "I am sorry for losing my temper. I will be in my room." He left the table, rubbing his face with his hand.

The apartment that they lived in was small, but comfortable. It was only a few feet from the dining room to his modest bedroom. Aglakti wasn't storming off anywhere, but rather he walked heavily as if mired by mud. Once in his room, he collapsed on the bed with his arms folded under his head and stared at the wooden mobile of birds that hung from his ceiling, one of the first things he'd ever made.

"What's wrong with me, why can't I just tell them..." He closed his eyes. letting out a long sigh.

Vacating Iconic Storage Containers, Part 2

Did he fall asleep? There was a soft knock at his door that jolted him out of whatever dream state he'd slipped into. Aglakti pushed himself to a sit and rested his arms on his legs. "Come in..." he said, noting to himself that he probably bad bed-hair now.

The diminutive form of his mother appeared as the door was slowly opened into the room. "Hey..." she said softly. "Are you alright? I kept your plate warm, in case you were hungry."

The boy smiled. "It's okay mom..."

"Can I come in?" She said, still standing in the door way.

He nodded, making a "come hither" gesture with his hand. "Yeah." was all he said in response.

After coming in, she closed the door behind her and procured one of the two chairs that sat around Aglakti's homework desk. She pulled it over to where he was sitting on the bed and sat down as well, peering at him curiously. "What was that all about?"

He knew that was coming.

"I'm sorry for losing my temper, mom..." he said, frowning. "I kind of ruined Christmas dinner didn't I?"

"No, everyone is a little worried but nothing was ruined." She smiled, placing a hand on his shoulder. "You can talk to me, nutaralak."

"Don't call me baby..." he snorted, grinning "I'm not a baby any more, I'm almost sixteen."

"Yes you are." she said, the words sort of hanging more than perhaps she'd intended them to. Or perhaps exactly how she intended them to.

I'm not a baby any more.

"There is somebody... that I like." he said carefully.

His mother's smile grew and she patted his shoulder a few times. "I knew it. I knew it the moment you stepped through the door yesterday. There's no mistaking that kind of glow about a person. Why are you afraid to tell us?"

'Because..." This was it, time to tell her. His mind was racing even though his exterior seemed calm. What will she say? She'll be angry. He was already constructing the look of disappointment that would replace the happy but curious one she wore now. "Mom I'm..." he paused again, her expression was changing, worried? She knew what he was going to say. Realization. "I... I like boys. The person I like is a boy."

That was it, he just opened his mouth and out it came. He braced for impact.

She stayed silent for a long while, but her hand never left his shoulder. Finally, that smile returned. Not forced, genuine. She was okay? "We kind of thought so."

Aglakti just... deflated. They knew already?! Or they suspected at least? What was all this build up for? All this worry? It could have been averted, he could have--

"Your father and I have talked about that possibility." She was talking again, pay attention Aglakti. "We love you no matter what, okay?"

"But the... the gift..." he stammered, he felt his eyes welling up. Oh god, why was he crying?

"There are ways, you may be a man now but you are still a young man. Don't even think about that yet." She wrapped both arms around him and pulled him over.

Attempting to compose himself, he took a few deep breaths and pushed his face into her shoulder. "I'm sorry..." was all that he could think of saying. Sorry for what? He didn't know. He could feel her shoulders shuddering as she chuckled.

"So... what's his name?" She sat up a little straighter and he pulled back into a sit as well, rubbing his eyes with his hands.

"Arthur. But everyone calls him "Ar".

Mascot

Valentine's day was in two weeks and for once he had a real reason to celebrate. Not that Aglakti disliked holidays, quite the contrary in fact. He always celebrated, green for St. Patrick's day even though he was about as far from Irish as someone could get, coloured eggs at Easter time and red white and pink for Valentine's day. This year though, this year he had a reason to be extra happy and he allowed himself to become absorbed in that rather than the recent death of his classmate.

He strolled down the sidewalk, hands in his pockets as his eyes moved from window display to window display. "Can't be a white suit..." he said, sighing and shaking his head. He passed by the clothing store and rounded the bend when he came face to face with a rather large, unaccompanied German Shepherd Dog. Ag liked animals, but this one was wandering around town downtown without an owner or a collar. "Hello dog... I'm just going to walk around this way.." he said, side stepping around the animal and continuing on his way. All the while, the dog sat there with it's tongue hanging out in a steady pant.

The boy looked over his shoulder, frowning as the animal watched him. "His owner's probably looking for him..." he muttered to himself, turning around. He whistled to the dog, not really having to lean forward given the sheer size of the thing. "Come here, I'll show you where the police station is at least. There might be someone looking for you."

The dog stood, it's back rising four feet from the ground and trudged slowly over to the boy. It sniffed at his hand and gave it a lick, then proceeded to follow him the two blocks to the police station. As the police station came into view, Ag turned to look at the dog to make sure it was still behind him, but the dog was no where to be seen. He blinked, looking around and gave a shrug. It had probably run off.

Grumbling about the time he'd wasted, he headed back toward the high street and visited the other couple of shops he had on his list. On his way to the tram station he spotted the dog again, this time it was sitting beneath the shelter of the bus stop. There was an old woman sitting beside it, the person Ag assumed was it's owner. Again the dog was watching him though, and the old woman didn't seem to acknowledge it's presence.

The boy hopped on the tram and got off at the stop nearest campus. The sun of late afternoon cast a glare as it fell behind the city skyline, and when he lifted his hand to shade his eyes he noticed a familiar form laying on a park bench, the same dog he'd seen before. There was no way it could have run faster than the tram, even given how big it was. Ag waved his hand at the dog, heading toward the campus gates. "Shoo... I don't have anything for you."

The dog hopped off the bench and tilted it's head at him, then turned to trot away.

"Weird.." Ag said to himself, shaking his head as he headed through the open gates of the campus.