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Chapter 1: Introductions Galore

I lay silent in my bed. All that can be heard is the small ticking of the clock and the slight sound of my breath. It echoes in the large room with nothing but finely polished and almost glossy things. My alarm clock goes off in an uproar within the soundless sanctum, causing me to leap up in a panic.

Damnit, couldn't have chosen a better time to go off. I'm having those weird dreams again. I think to myself, now sitting up with my blankets almost halfway across the room. I rub my eyes and look around to find that the blankets are the only thing that looks out of place. Computer, television, curtains; everything looks intact. I look at the demon of a clock that gave me a heart attack. My eyes widen, Oh no. Damn, I'm late for my first day at the new flight academy! What a way to start that adventure. Without taking another second to look at the pristine room, I rush to get ready for my first day. I run to my closet to grab my usual attire of jeans, combat boots, leather belt with no buckle, dark t-shirt, denim jacket, and light blue scarf; then rush out in a hurry.

I am a Red Panda or Ailurus fulgens if you want to be all scientific about it. I am not very tall, only about 4'5" and about 75 pounds, I'm a toy to most people. I have vibrant blue eyes and a small swirl pattern on the back of my left ear. This holds absolutely no respect with the tough crowd and makes me subject to name calling, although, I have my ways to avoid such. The only benefit this holds is with the ladies because I'm considered adorable to them, leading me to act as such when around them and giving me a reputation as that. One problem I have found with joining a new flight academy is that I know no-one and no-one knows me. I am going to have to rebuild my reputation and find where my true friends are before I can declare a standing with these people; shouldn't be too hard though, people are easily fooled.

I begin to get close to the new flight campus. There is a massive parking lot about halfway filled with vehicles and even a runway for the senior members to fly themselves into. There looks to be a hangar closer to the buildings, either for the seniors to park in or the teachers to teach at. The facility is located around some mountains thick with trees. There is a thin layer of snow that covers the ground and even grass growing in patches everywhere. I pull up near a crimson Camaro that looks almost as pristine as my room, then I rush into the glass walled buildings toward what I know to be my instructor.

I enter the room to find that everyone is looking at me for being late. "What is your name?" says the instructor. He doesn't sound too happy for me to be almost two hours late. "Uski, Uski Akiyama." I take a small bow and look around the class. There is a few people that look professional, sitting properly and owning some important looking materials. "Please take a seat in the corner over there, near the dragon." Says the instructor, he looks lightly irritated, probably from me arriving late and the fact that this is the first day. I look at the dragon then sit by him. He doesn't look affected by the fact that the instructor didn't use his name; in fact, he looks almost pleased with being forgotten.

"For Uski, being late and all, I am Mr. Sant." He looks a little more lighthearted when he says this. "Uski, you're going to need to fill out a small form. Nothing major, just height, weight, medical issues; simple stuff."

"Weren't you supposed to get that when we signed up? At least the medical issues as you looked into our medical history." I ask, tilting my head quizzically. My voice is a little high but it gets the point across.

"Yes, but we need a second form from the students so we have multiple examples to go off of." Just as he says this, a sheet of paper with questions arrives at my desk. I pull out a pencil and start to fill all of it in. Weight: 75 lbs. Height: 4 feet 5 inches. Medical issues: Bad hearing. The list goes on with some more boring question like if you have flown a plane before, have you flown IN a plane before, etc. What country were you looking to fly for?: _Oh yeah, this is a multi-nation school, teaches all countries flight techniques and plane styles._Japanese.

I walk up and hand the paper to Mr. Sant and go back to my seat. It's a bit odd to how the class didn't continue as I filled out the paper, but whatever. "Alright, well now that that is over, let's get started with the basics. I'm going to do this school style so pay attention." He smiles and claps his hands together. A few students find this amusing and sit up better. "Does anyone here know about the safety to working with a plane?" A few students raise their hand. One is an owl looking fellow who is sitting up straight as a board and has his desk set up like a person with OCD. His eyes have a soft grey color to them. He is wearing flight goggles , a tan vest, and a brown bandanna. "Yes, Staal? Is that right?" Asks Mr. Sant.

The owl nods and proceeds to answer the question, throwing in every detail that he possibly can and becoming the teachers favorite by that question alone. "Proper eye gear is to be worn when around the vehicle at all times. The propeller is to be started by the pilot alone, depending on the plane you're flying and what conditions you're attempting to fly in. The engine is a whole other matter altogether, as you must always wear the proper glo....." Staal keeps going. Mr. Sant nods continuously as Staal speaks and is extremely impressed, clearly. "Alright, can anyone add to that? I would ask if you want to but now it has become more of a challenge that a question." Mr. Sant nods to Staal and looks around for any hands. A falcon near the front of the room has his raised alone. He is wearing a camouflage jacket with BDU pants. He has a necklace around his neck. His eyes are an ominous black color with grey feathers covering his body. Mr. Sant calls on him and right before he speaks, I get nudged in the shoulder.

I look over to find that the dragon that I was sat by is looking at me. He is a good 7 foot tall and probably weighs around 200 pounds. His eyes are as crimson as the Camaro outside and he seems to be almost nothing but an omniscient crimson. He is wearing a leather jacket and black cargo pants. He, along with the birds, lacks shoes. "Hey there shorty, those are some nice cloths you have on." He snarls out. Feeling threatened, I tilt my head and reply with a smile, "Yes, I bought them and wear them. Care to try them on big boy?" He laughs and smacks my back lightly. "That's cute. Don't try to act like that around everyone though. They aren't all joking." He says normally. He was just trying to mess with my head. Didn't do much though.

"Very nice expansion Tanikaze, remind me to only call on you two if I don't want to teach class, okay?" Mr. Sant laughs and sits at his desk after looking at the clock. "I hope you all have a good lunch. Meet me at the simulation room afterwards. We're going to test you all of your flight ability." Almost immediately after he said that, half the class was gone. I was too dumbfounded by everyone sprinting out to be fast. All that remains now is Staal, Tanikaze (As stated by Mr. Sant), the dragon, and a saber tooth tiger girl in the front row as well. The rest of the people in class, except the tiger, group up and walk off. The girl walks up to me and says in a Scottish accent, "I'm Shirotora, transferred from the Scottish flight school in Ireland, have high marks in aeronautics/aviation, and built a fighter from scrap. Who might you be?"

I sit there for a second trying to figure out what she just said. I decide to dismiss it and respond, "Uski, Uski Akiyama. Short, sweet, and not nearly as confusing as what you just said." I smile. "Can you tell me who the hell that group was with the encyclopedias on flight?" She grins and replies, "Aye, that was Staal and Tanikaze. They are the best students at this school for obvious reasons." She picks my stuff off my desk and throws it into my backpack. "Let's go join them for a meal, shall we?" She laughs and walks off after the group, leaving me to follow at a distance but allowing me to keep up. She is around 5'7" and is wearing a good amount of tactical gear. For some reason she wears a headband that is a dark green and has what could be weapons but leave me puzzled. She also says 'Moo' a lot.