Darkness blankets the landscape, as the early morning sun starts to peak over the horizon, inviting its warm glow over the countryside first, then into the streets of the city. The golden rays of the sun begin to slowly illuminate the academy's insignia onto the face of the academy building, as its weak rays, struggling to stream through the city skylines silhouette. As the first signs of morning fill Valion's room, His alarm blares through the speaker of his phone, awakening a very reluctant wolf. His arm outstretches towards the source of the disturbance as he flails aimlessly around his bedside table. Finally, silence fills the air as the alarm shuts down.

  Valion's limp body slowly drags itself out from under his bedsheets. as the room automatically filters in a slow warm glow as his room detects movement. The new light source assists him in finding his closet. He reaches in to grab a folded training shirt, as he opens a heavy lid of a device labelled "Quick Dryer and Heater". He selects the options for "Heating" and "Warm" as the machine whirrs to life, obeying his commands. A electrical hum fills the room and a faint warmth radiates from the machine as it fills its purpose, before finishing with a delightful happy tone to mark the end of its cycle.

  He pulls his freshly warmed shirt out before absent mindedly walking out into the communal hallways. Other academy students roam the hallways as some pay no mind to his bare upper torso. Others whisper under their breaths out of shock or even slight disgust, and a few stare out of envy. Valion, unaware to any of this, finally finds his way outside of the academy accommodations, as the sudden change of temperature finally alerts him to his inappropriate dress for climate. The fresh warmth of his training shirt takes the bite out of the cold air as he begins to hop up and down repeatedly. His outstretched arms help to circulate his blood, and his flow chart of stretches loosen his muscles in preparation.

  Finally, with his eyes narrowed in dedication and determination, he sets off in a rhythmic jogging pace towards the field and track section of the academy grounds. The sound of awakening birds pair with the deep sound of gravel shifting around each footstep. Occasionally, a fellow enthusiastic student paces by, as they lower their head in a nod out of mutual respect and admiration for their similar routines. Upon cresting the peak of a large hill separating the academy grounds from its training faculties, the airs early morning silence began to shift towards the barking of orders from drill instructors. The encouraging chanting of military cadences, and the energizing sound of practice energy-type swords clashing against one another in fierce sparring matches.

  Amongst the sights he took in, Valion spots a familiar face amongst a group of students mingling in front of the training center. Osiris's pure white fur sticks out amongst the other races attending the Academy, even just amongst his few fellow classmates. He quickly paces down the incline of the hill to join his brothers side, calling out to him as he approaches. "Hay! guess you woke up in time!". Osiris turns, recognizing the usual quips of his brother and scoffs in response. "Ha! you're one to talk, you know you're the last one here right?" his voice lowers to a whisper to inform him of his tardiness.

  Valion examines the surrounding classmates, quickly taking count inside his mind before responding. "Wait, that's it? really?" Osiris's eyebrow raises as a sly smile draws across his face. "you DO realize this is the single most prestigious academy in what could be the majority if not the ENTIRE galaxy right? they aren't exactly inviting in entrants." Valion's mouth opens to respond, but his words are usurped by a high pitched voice originating from another student who cautiously approaches them. "Only the best get in, and those that flourish are given important positions of power, but in contrast, anyone can apply, from any class of living."

  They both turn to the source of interruption to see a slim, and very toned long legged cat. Her form fitting muscles are covered with short slightly bleached fur. it's decorated with several pitch black spots the seem to consume the color around them. Her lush green eyes hide behind her long whiskers that twitch as her triangular shaped nose take their quick breaths, and her alert ears pitch toward them. she curls her arm around an outstretched one as she loosens her muscles while still approaching them. "i think it wouldn't be far fetched to say that the most critical points of history where decided by males and females originating from this very academy. I think we should aspire to be just as monumental. Don't you think? I'm Seras. good to see you two"

  She places one hand by her side and the other at her hip as she assesses the pair of wolves in front of her. They look at each other with a slightly surprised expression on each face, and try to reciprocate the greeting. "Nice to meet you, i'm-" Osiris's voice is cut off by hers in a flash. "You're Osiris Faraday, and your Valion Faraday. We haven't officially met, but i found out your names after you met with my lady" Osiris places a curled finger on his chin before exclaiming in surprise "You mean miss Kazika!" Valion whispers to himself, ignoring the situation. "Did- did she background check us?"

  Seras, unaware of his comment, responds with a nod toward Osiris. "Yeah that's right. you two met with my lady, Lady Kazika. I was recently made her bodyguard. She attends this Academy as a second year, however her guardians thought it would be a good idea for me to also enroll into the academy. To keep a close eye on her and to properly represent the Cuyn name. Since she insisted on working with you two in the future, i needed to know who you were. Now, i must keep an eye on you both as well!" She crosses her arms like an annoyed baby-sitter as her eyes narrow toward them.

  Whilst analyzing her statements, a familiar gravely voice calls out to the group of students. The sound of wind being displaced around the flapping of wings is accompanied with the sight of charcoal textured feathers. The crow avian teacher slowly lowers himself from the sky with his rhythmic flapping of his wings slowing his decent. His talons sink into the gravel with his weight and he takes long slow strides towards his students. "Good, no-one seems to be late. I'd hate to get a bad first impression of any of you. When we first met, i was your examining teacher, today i stand before you as your mentor! I am Mr. Corvus, and i will be your combat teacher"

  The students seem to relax their shoulders in unison as this gentler side of this teacher surfaces compared to the one they knew as their examining teacher. "our first combat lesson will be the introduction of your melee weapon, namely the proto-sword." He grasps the hilt at his side as he unsheathes a metallic slate colored blade. The handle and surface of the blade is covered in militaristic text, important notes on how to operate the blade safely and using the U.S.N's insignia. The blade appears blunt, with an internal groove that runs along the full length of the blade.

  With a twist of the handle, the groove is filled with a radiant energy beam. The new blade hisses with a lethal buzz as the teacher holds it with an outstretched arm. "in time, you will learn to master this weapon among many others. The active blade itself is able to cut through even steel with mild resistance, and as you can imagine, it is quite effective against bear flesh. I would like each of you to take a practice proto-sword now, so that we may go over how to safely operate these blades." With a counter clockwise twist of the hilt, the blade sizzles out, returning to its dormant state. He gestures towards a box filled with similarly shaped swords, but with a distinct, safety orange color.

  This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

  Each student takes their turn reaching in and retrieving their swords, and as Valion receives his, he recalls a strange familiarity with it. He grasps the sword hilt firmly, the leather texture of the handle sinks into his fur as his eyes close. His mind begins to wander as early memories begin to resurface. The faint sound of grunting and the shifting of sand. The memory becomes clearer as he sees the sight of two young warriors using a variation of these blades in a sparring match. His memory quickly blends into the next as he himself is wielding one of these blades on his home planet at a very early age.

  The native tongue spoken in his mind has lost their meaning as Valion physically shifts uncomfortably, feeling more of an outsider even amongst his own memories. The actions however, come as naturally as breathing or walking. His younger self shifts forward, his weight is placed on his front leg and the sword in his hands glide through the air in an artful and efficient way. The sword hisses as it makes contact with the early morning dew, before finally resting with the blade at his side pointing behind him. The mysterious figure in his memory announces what Valion assumes to be admiration for his technique.

  The muffled incoherent voices slowly morph into a recognized language "Valion?" The voice gets louder as the soft bristling of feathers grasps his shoulder. "Valion?!" He spins around as if abruptly woken from his sleep to see the pair of concerned dark beady eyes that belong to Corvus. "Oh, sorry i just... sorry..." His arms sag by his sides as his gaze falls to the ground. "Hmm, looks like some of my students need a bit of cardio to wake themselves up, lets all give ourselves some space and i will have Valion here follow my example to show you all. Follow me please Valion."

  The teacher orders the students into a horseshoe shape with wide spans between them, with each student a swords length away from each other. He then ushers Valion into the center, having him square of against himself. "Now, im sure you've all noticed how i activated my Proto-sword, but for those that didn't, you simply twist the lower half of the handle clockwise. it will lock into the activated position until a safety switch is pressed and spun counter clockwise to deactivate it. all of you try it now... without the sword pointed at someone." A faint smirk squeezes around his beak at his own remark while observing his youthful students.

  The air is suddenly filled with the clicking of machinery and followed by the hissing of energy as each blade is activated including Valion's. After activating his sword, his mind wanders for a moment back to his memories as he instinctively holds the sword at his hip, the lowered toward the ground and his right foot forward. His muscle memory begins instructing him on how to position himself for an upcoming battle as his heart starts to beat harder in anticipation.

  Corvus doesn't initially take notice as he instructs the students on the outside of the horseshoe. "Now, hold your swords with the tip pointed toward your opponent. Whatever your dominant foot is, will be the one you place forward. make sure you all have a firm grip and keep your heads up! don't lean to farrrr.... into the..." He slowly analyzes Valion's posture as he brings him into focus. His eyes widen as large as his sockets will allow with his beak held open in the middle of his sentence. He slowly recomposes himself as he cautiously approaches Valion with his feathers raised in a disarming posture.

  "Valion. Where did you learn that stance?" His teacher's question suddenly brings Valion out of his trance like state as he responds. "oh uh. It.. just felt natural is all. I'm not quite sure who i learnt it from..." Corvus lowers his hands before equipping his own sword and whispering to himself. "i wonder... " His voice booms out a command to the rest of the class. "Everyone! Valion and I are going to have a sparring match! nothing official, just a test of abilities. Valion, just do your best with what you might know. I'll know when I'm going to go to far." His comforting words come off as supportive and inquisitive, rather than a tone of punishment.

  Hearing his teachers words soother his nerves as he nods toward him, placing himself back into the stance he fell into naturally. The beating of his heart fills his ears as they focus solely onto the teacher before him... the opponent before him. Corvus assumes the same stance as he instructed the other with, although he shifts slightly uncomfortably. As Valion analyzes Corvus's slight movements an aura begins to build around his body. Only slightly emanating the feathers at his side and those that grasp the sword. Corvus, noticing his hesitation takes a small leap forward raising his sword above his head before quickly bringing it down toward Valion.

  He quickly deflects it with an upward slash. the contact of the two swords fizzle and streaks of electricity splay out from the contact. Valions sword quickly turns to its side as he counters with his own swipe at Corvus's exposed midsection. His teacher is surprised at the reaction speed of the student before him, but his own reactions quickly react in response and block the incoming attack. Both swords hiss as their blades are pressed firmly against each other. As Corvus's sword inches slowly toward his opponent, Valion realizes that in a battle of brute strength, he wont come out on top.

  Thinking quickly on his feet, he drops to one knee, allowing his own blade to flow backwards and hover above his shoulder allowing Corvus's sword to glide past him. Taking advantage of the opening he re-positions his blade aiming directly at his opponents open chest and begins to thrust forwards at his teacher. The moment begins to strangely slow down to the millisecond. The aura around his teacher begins to grow rapidly, almost engulfing Valion entirely. His whole body sweats in an instant as the fear and smell of death radiates from him. Time catches up to the both of them as they stand completely still.

  Valion's gaze cautiously lowers, noticing the glint of 4 razor sharp claws aimed directly at his heart in a move that went completely undetected until it was almost too late. Corvus's eyes narrow in study, taking in every minute detail of their sparring match he just experienced and mentally logging it. They both recompose themselves with the deactivation of their swords, allowing silence to resettle amongst the awed students surrounding them. Osiris himself stands out amongst the others, as his reaction shows more concern rather than amazement. His crossed arms clench at his biceps. Seras glances between the two brothers attempting to analyze the situation. "are... are you two REALLY brothers?!"

  Corvus suddenly clears his throat, causing a chain reaction around the students as they all come to attention. "I will have a substitute teacher around to continue your training. Valion, id like to... discuss that battle with you" His tone returns to its usual stern gruffness as he urges him toward a pathway. Reluctantly, Valion steps toward it while swallowing the saliva pooling in his mouth, uncertain of what this new path will hold in store for him, both physically and metaphorically.