Don't Run

Animal City

It was raining when Alona arrived at the city. The distant and ominous Black Sand Dunes gave off pressure; powerful and mysterious things were churning in its belly. The green barrier was so weak. This was her first time seeing it. That Warm green color made her sad. What was left of her mentor's mana.

The city looked like she'd imagined it too. like a cold and emotionless place, square concrete buildings for miles, varying in size and width.

She felt her hands shake with excitement. Fighting Abyss Creatures was something she'd trained for her whole life. It was a slim chance she'd see one. But she could dream.

Even if she was fearless though, she wasn't stupid. It was a dangerous situation. Things may very well go wrong and she's willing to accept that. Whatever it is. She will never lose herself. She felt it. If she killed it wouldn't be blind.

She hated to acknowledge that the previous Witches were Saints. Kind and Innocent till the end. They endured so much without retaliating. Broken bones and bloodied faces. For decades they dreaded the 8th year. They kept all that rage inside until they couldn't take it.

But not Alona. Alona had an outlet.
She had a plan; and unlike the previous Witch's, The Bunny had been born a Genius, and she wasn't too keen on playing nice without a purpose.

They made their way in. People on the street stopped and stared. Some seemed hopeful, others hateful. These were Carnivores. Cheetahs, Jackals, Bears and any other you can think of. Their ears and tail gave them away in their Bi-pedal forms. Some looked really rough and lost. Some looked utterly beaten down. And others walked confidently and quickly to wherever they were going.

This crazy City is a real treat huh?

Alona snorted at the dreadful situation. Maybe she'd really be in for it, Damnit.

They reached the school building. Its massive concrete walls were dark in contrast to the buildings around it. As their carriage pulled into the school some students stopped. And a big Lion man with glasses and a suit came out of the main doors. A Cat girl with blue hair was standing behind him, swishing her gray tail. They both held umbrellas. Felines hated the rain.

The coachman stopped directly in front of them, and the guards got in formation near the door. Before anyone could open it. It swung open on its own.

The very pale, and small bunny girl, with big purple eyes and soft white ears perked high, stepped out and some students who'd stopped were murmuring to each other.

She looked like a little doll; her attire was so mysterious to them. And a lot of them were weary. Probably realizing who she was.

The Lion spoke with a booming and friendly voice.

"Hello, I'm Principal Gratin Farnly. I made sure to have everything ready right away. We want these ten months to be easy for you. If you have any problems, please feel free to come see me." The Lion was nodding and grinning. The Witch was intimidated by his teeth, she'd never seen such big fangs up close.

Alona sheepishly nodded.

"Th... thank you. I appreciate it Principle Farnly." She said in a small voice, shyly. Her bashful act always seemed to pull heart strings. He laughed heartily.

"No problem kiddo, this here is your dorm mate, Patricia Parvus. She can show you around and help you make some friends." He gestured to her, and she smiled and nodded, giving a little wave.

"I should be going now. But I assure you, I've tried to make it very clear to the students that you are not part of their Dominance battle. I hope it helps you out some, but like I said you just let me know." He glanced at the intimidating warriors as he spoke. Then he turned on his heal and was gone.

The Witch nodded at the Herbivore warriors, and they grabbed her luggage, she brought two suitcases for show. Mostly everything was in her <Pocket>.
They set it down and one of the Buffalo women came up to her and held her hands.

"You make sure to put yourself first you hear? Nothing is more important than you being okay little one." Heralda has been a Peace Town Warrior since Alona was a baby. She was very protective.

Alona nodded and was genuinely sad to be away from them. The women looked her in the eyes lovingly and kissed the Bunny's cheeks. Then they gathered themselves and left. Glancing back only once or twice with worry.

When they were out of sight Alona turned around and smiled shyly at Patricia. The cat girl was grinning excitedly. Alona held out her hand.

"I'm the Witch Alona." They shook hands and Patricia picked up one of her suitcases.

"Nice to meet you miss Witch." She said coyly and motioned to follow her. They went to the right of the entrance and down a couple walkways till they reached a side building, it was a bit dirty with streaks of rainwater and had a red roof.

"Home sweet home!" Patricia said sarcastically, laughing at her own irony. Alona chuckled too as they entered and went up two flights of stairs. Their room was bigger than she expected. A plain dressing screen parted the two halves nicely. One side was all done up with a punk rock esthetic and the cat leaped onto her mattress and gestured around.

"Sweet right?" She chuckled. Alona looked impressed.

"I love what you've done Patricia." The bunny said happily. And she meant it. Patricia pawed at her and snorted.

"OH stop, you're making me blush. You can call me Pat by the way. Try to relax and unpack a bit before the tour." She said nonchalantly. She grabbed a comic that was on her bed and flipped through it some.

The Witch went to her side of the room and put her suitcases on the bed. They both had bathrooms and closets to themselves luckily. This was pretty nice for a dorm.

She unpacked her clothes and subtly pulled out other items from seemingly nowhere. By the time she was done her side was clearly minimal.

Her white bed sheets and pillowcase were covered in invisible runes with different effects. Her wall had a crescent moon made from cinnamon sticks and adorned with magic preserved flowers. She'd nailed up a shelf above her bed with a couple brewing books and a little grinding bowl. Her desk had her magic journal, and jars of herbs lined the back lip. It was one of those desks that had a rounded closing door and lock. She even had a rug that was a full moon! she put it down in her bathroom and smirked.

Now it was complete. She had lived minimally at the Tower and so, she would here too. Everything she needed was on her anyway.

When Pat noticed she was done, she smiled and got up, seeing the new side of her dorm room.

"All this was in your bags? Niiiice." She said nodding with approval.

"I think we'll be good friends Alona." She smiled and the bunny blushed.

"R... really?" She replied quietly and the kitty blushed too and pounced on her, hugging her.

"Aww your so cute Alona, you need to meet Michelle! she'll adore you!" She said playfully. And with that she whisked her into the hallway.