The Alpha Academy

= Alpha Academy =  The Phantoms have retreated-for now, and the Alphas had decided to open a school for young animals pursuing their dreams.

Little has been chosen for this special academy, but it may not be all it's cracked up to be. But as animals begin dissapearing from the safety of the building, Little must go on a journey to find them. But the evil that lurks within is waiting to strike. Can Little defeat the evil that she finds within her school?''' '''

By Jos98ie

All of the Alphas, Phantoms, and Mira and Zios belong to Animal Jam. All original lore is also from Animal Jam. All students and other characters are from the Author’s imagination. They are all original and copyrighted under Josie’s name. Anybody who reproduces Alpha Academy or the Cover Art without permission is cursed by Cozy for eternity.™

 

Prologue

A slight breeze rustled the leaves on the trees, the warm sun shining down onto the small island. Birds sang in the small forest area of it, chirping their soothing songs. The river surrounded island wasn't a regular island, it was the home to a pack of wolves. Every day was a normal day for the tribe, the wolves woken up by the Omega’s lonely howl.

But today was different. Today, the Alphas were visiting.

“Alright Greely, you know the tribe better than all of us combined, you give us your input.” The panda alpha said, looking at the enigmatic wolf.

“I’m not here very often.” Greely muttered. Of course they expect ME to do everything.

Suddenly, a wolf with dark blue fur zoomed by.

“Coming through!” She yelled, her voice muffled by a piece of paper in her mouth. She then stopped in front of a few of the wolves. They were working on propping up a broken roof.

“Who’s that?” Gilbert asked. For a moment, he blanked out on the name.

“Ugh, what is it, Useless?” One of the wolves asked. “Guys! Guess what!” She  said, running around them.

“Get to the point, miss Useless.” The other said.

“I made plans for a raincatcher! Since the phantoms are trying to pollute the stream, soon it won’t be safe to drink!” The energetic wolf said, unrolling her scroll of plans.

“Well, wow. What if the phantoms pollute the rain, then?”

“Uh-” She began, as she took a step back. CRASH! She hit the heavy wooden support beam, causing it to crash on the ground, bits of roof raining down on them.

“Are you guys okay?” Cosmo asked, as he and Liza leaped towards the wreckage. The two wolves who were just working were brushing bits of debris off of their fur. A moment later, Little popped out of a pile of wreckage and howled.

“We’re just peachy.” The wolf said, dragging a large piece of debris away from the site.

“That. Was. Awesome! Again!” Little squealed, as Cosmo helped her up. Greely sighed, as the Alphas walked back up to their group.

“That… That was Little.” He said.

“It seems that nobody wants her around.” Peck said, bearing a look of sympathy for the wolf.

“But she sure has potential! I wish I could see those plans, though.” Graham said.

“I think she’ll be perfect.” Gilbert concluded.

“Then it’s settled.” Liza said. “She’s going to the Academy.”

 

Chapter One

 

Little hopped up and down excitedly. Today's my first day! Today's my first day! The Alpha Academy was made by the six Alphas and she was one of the few wolves who were personally selected. There was six students from each species, all ready to begin. Little spotted the purple cloak that belonged to only one wolf… “Arctic!” Little raced over to her friend.

“Little?! They chose you?!”

“Yes!!!” Little squealed excitedly, then letting out a quick howl.

“I wonder, who will I get as my Mentor?” Arctic asked. “Hopefully not Greely…”

“I bet you have Cosmo, you know so much about herbal medicines, like him!” Little said. Arctic had always wanted to become a Healer, and she pursues her dream like a mouse to cheese. Little glanced around the room where everyone was socializing. A couple of tigers chatting happily, sharing battle moves that they knew. A bunny, desperately trying to find something. And then there was this pot, with a mysterious glow. A slight clank came from the pot. Than another. Clank. Clink clank clank. Clink. Little began to step up to it.

“Gather round!” Little jumped a little, and then turned to face none other than Sir Gilbert. His gaze didn’t fall on her, but he looked out over the crowd, and landed on Cosmo. “We will be sorting you into Clawswings. Those are our groups. There are six Pawswings here: Fired, Gealou, Botaneen, Slyvinsin, Atrpin, and Moonue.” As he spoke, he gestured to the other Alphas, positioned in seperate places around the round room. Each of them sat behind a large glowing crystal. “Gather by your color please.” Sir Gilbert finished. And then he took the lid off of the pot. Colorful glowing crystals shot out of the pot, yellow like the sun, blue like the deep ocean, green like the grass. They stopped when they were about a foot away from the roof, and then, they scattered. Colorful rain flew down upon the students, as the crystals landed, each in front of an animal. Little took a glance at Arctic. She was looking at a Glowing green crystal, flying down to her. She grabbed it with her paw, and examined it for a second. Then, THWACK! “Ow!” Little turned to see a dark blue crystal at her paws. She picked it up. “Well, I guess we're in different Pawswings.” Little said, with a sigh. But when she looked up, she saw Arctic already racing over to Cosmo. She sighed, and turned to her group. Led by Greely. A bunny was bouncing around, looking very hyper. A koala was half trying to hide. A monkey was eating a bag of chips. And this tiger grumbled something to herself. Little spotted a panda sitting closeish to the koala. And if front of them all, was Greely. He looked at the group of Moonue with a disdainful look, and then turned and began to leave. “Come with me.” He said. They followed. Greely stopped at a room, and opened the door. “Get situated, classes start tomorrow.” He said. And then he left. Little stepped into the room. The walls were painted Sky blue, and the floor had soft dark blue carpet. There were beds around the room, and a blue crystal shaped like a crescent moon hanging from the ceiling. Instantly, the bunny leaped onto a bed. “This place is so monotone! It needs more color! I should hire Peck to make some art!” She squealed. “By the way, I'm Lucky!” Little walked over to the bed in the corner, and began to unpack her things. She took out a stack of drawings, and began to tape them to the walls. She hung a picture of the beach by the picture of the forest. A little something to remind me of home. “Wow! You’re so good!” Little jumped a little, and turned around to see none other than Lucky. “Oh, hey Lucky?” She then pulled out a notebook and a pen. She smiled, and began to draw a realistic four leafed clover. When she was done, she tore out the page, and gave it to Lucky.

“A four leafed clover, because you’re Lucky.” Little said, smiling. Lucky squealed with delight. The energetic rabbit was so much like Peck. Little had herself a creative streak. And she enjoyed every second she spent drawing, writing, creating.

She yawned, and curled up in her bed. Tomorrow, I’m gonna blow them all away.

 

“Little! Wake up!”

“AAH! Wha..?” Little opened her eyes, and saw the koala waking her.

“It’s time to go to breakfast.” He said, in a whispery voice.

“But it has to be like… Five thirty!” Little groaned.

“I guess we have a lot to do today. I’m, uh, Mixly, by the way.”

“Little.” She got up and out of her bed, her unfamiliar bed. She yawned, and followed Mixly down the hall. The monkey and the tiger seemed to have joined them as they walked down the hallway. Great. Now I’m stuck here with a bunch of random strange animals. Little sighed, and continued after Mixly.

“Uh, why are you following me?” Mixly asked.

“Um, I don’t know where the dining hall is.” Little said.

“I’m just...wandering around until I find it.” Mixly said.

“What if you all tried shutting up, and following the signs that say ‘dining hall’.” The tiger said. Little narrowed her eyes at the tiger, and yawned again. Then she looked up, and saw the dining hall signs pointed in the direction they came from. Little groaned, and turned around. This day is going GREAT. Little sighed, and followed the sign, the others joining her.

Little’s mouth watered. The scent of the food was delicious. She walked into the room. The sign above read “dining hall”. Little smiled, and spotted Arctic.

“Arctic!”

“Little?!” Little quickly took her seat beside her best friend.

“Yes! How was your night?” Little eagerly asked.

“Eh… it was fine. The room was kinda nice.”

“Mine was… okay. I have this annoying bunny roommate. She is super energetic. I mean, how many candy bars did she even eat?!”

“I don’t know. Does she have… light yellow tinted fur?” Arctic said, her voice shaking.

“Yea, and a clover necklace and top hat.” Little replied. Arctic made a pointing gesture with her paw. She mouthed the words “Behind you”.

“Hi Little!!”

“Ahh! How did you get here?!” Little screamed.

“I followed you, silly!”

“Oh my Mira! Get away from me!” Little screeched. Everyone in the dining hall turned towards her. Little picked up her friend’s fork, and tossed it at the bunny, not caring how easily she dodged it.

“Is it phantoms?”

“Oh my Zios! The phantoms are invading!”

“PANIC!”

Little grabbed Arctic’s breakfast tray, and prepared to throw an no-miss hit. Just then, the door to the dining hall opened, and in stepped… Oh great Mira.

“What is going on in here?”

“Hi… Greely.”

 

Chapter Two

 

“And why, may I ask, were you screaming at the top of your lungs?”

Little sighed. The alphas were all around her, waiting for a response. She was taken to the Alpha’s office.

“I… that freaky bunny…” Little sighed again.

“Why is she even in my Clawswing again?” Greely asked, turning towards Gilbert.

“Little, or Lucky?”

“Both.” Greely growled.

“Come on, the crystals we had chose them specifically. The koala, Cosmo, said.

“Does it really matter?”

“Come on, let’s finish up with this jammer and let’s go.” Liza said.

“Do not scream as loud as possible. Even when confronted by a phantom. Just run, hide, and get help.” Cosmo explained. Little nodded.

“You may go now. Greely will escort you.” Liza said.

“What?!” Both Little and Greely said in unusion.

“I...I don’t need an escort!” Little protested.

“Yea, just let her get lost in the halls. Serves her right.” Greely mutters under his breath.

“Come on Greely, just do it.” Liza said. Little slowly backed away. She reached the door, and turned, and ran. She didn’t follow the signs. Instead, she ran straight to her room. She jumped up onto her bed, and sighed. At least I packed a snack for the journey. I must have forgotten to eat it. Little reached in her bag, and pulled out the granola bar.

“You know, the alphas were wrong.” Little turned around to see none other than Greely, standing by the door. She didn’t even hear him coming!

“Um…what are you doing here?”

“I was told to escort you.” Greely said.

“Am I supposed to be in the dining hall?” Little asked, wary of her decision to go to her room.

“Yes. I think you’re in the wrong place.” Little sighed, and stood up, and went towards the door. She heard the soft sound of her pawsteps. It was almost too quiet. She looked back. Greely was still there. Wow, I never knew how quiet he was.

“If you are confronted by a phantom, it isn’t that bad of an idea to make noise. Phantoms hate noise.” Greely said, piercing the silence.

“I guess that’s one good thing about Peck.” Little said. They continued down the hallway, until they had reached their destination.

“Aww, breakfast almost over already?!” Little groaned. She glanced around at the dining hall, seeing some of the animals shooting disdainful looks at her. Little sighed, and walked over to Arctic, who was almost finished eating her eggs.

“Hey.”

“Oh! Hi Little…” Arctic said.

“So, you gonna eat that last egg?” Little asked.

“Er, I-” before Arctic could finish, Little quickly ate it in two bites. “Wow, you are hungry.”

“Yea! I only ate… wow, I still didn’t eat my granola bar.” Little opened the wrapper, and bit into the bar. In a few bites, the granola bar was gone. Little sighed, and stood up to throw away the wrapper.

“Attention all clawswings! We will now go to our classes!” Sir Gilbert’s booming voice echoed throughout the dining hall. Little sighed, and threw the wrapper in the trashcan, and went over to Greely. She could see Mixly and Lucky coming over, and the tiger. Little sighed, and hoped that nothing else would go wrong.

 

“So, what are we doing?” The tiger asked. They had arena training first. There were several doors with Zios-knows-what behind them.

“Training.” Greely replied, standing by one of the doors. He put his paw on a lever.

“What’s behind the door?” Mixly asked. Greely didn’t answer for a few seconds.

“How much do you know about common phantoms?” Greely asked.

“They’re… black?”

“They are toxic.”

“They shoot lightning.” The tiger said.

“Yes, those are all true facts. Now what do you know about defending yourselves against phantoms?” Greely asked. Little’s gaze fell upon the lever that Greely’s paw rested on.

“What’s that?” Little asked.

“You’re about to find out.” The wolf Alpha said, as he pulled the lever. Out of a door came a dark, shadowy creature. A phantom.

“What?! I don’t know anything about fighting!” Little screamed. The phantom turned towards Little.

“Don’t worry, it doesn’t shoot lightning. Now, what do you do in a situation like this?” Greely said, standing off to the side, watching his clawswing race around cluelessly.

“You run and fight!” The tiger says.

“No, Spark, that is only a last resort.”

“But Sir Gilbert always fights!” Spark pleaded. Little tried to think. What could I do? Then, she remembered what Greely had told her earlier.

“Make noise? To scare them off?” Little said.

“Good. That’s one thing you could do.” Little looked around the arena, hoping she wouldn’t have to use her voice again. She saw some swords in a corner. Great! I’ll hit these together and goodbye phantom, hello awesomeness. She raced over to the swords, and grabbed two.

“Hey! I thought Greely said to not fight yet!” Little sighed, and saw Spark.

“I have a plan!” Little said. Spark leaped at Little, who quickly dodged the attack. Little ran across the arena to the phantom. She started to hit the swords together, causing noise. She looked around to see the others. Mixly was hiding in a corner, Lucky was screeching something, and the panda was obviously trying to think of something. Suddenly, something landed on top of her.

“Hey! Get off of me!”

“Greely said-”

“I know what Greely said!”

“Shut up and give me the swords!”

“No!” Little could see the phantom advancing. Quickly, she wriggled out of Spark’s grasp, and thrust the sword foreword, shutting her eyes, afraid of what would happen.

 

“Little, you’re okay now.” Little opened her eyes, sword still in her paw. Spark was standing before her.

“That was so cool!” Lucky squealed excitedly.

“What?” Little asked. She saw Greely approaching.

“You did a good job with that phantom, Little.” Mixly said.

“What? What did I do?”

“That was smart, reflecting the… sun off of the sword into the phantom’s eye.” Greely said said.

“Uh, yea, totally smart. Yay me...” Little said, looking up at the roof. There was no sunlight. The ignited torches around didn’t give off enough light to be reflected that well. So what..?

“Good job with your first arena training. Now, we can go to Jamaa history class.” Greely said, walking towards the door that led out. The Clawswing followed their mentor out into the unknown.

 

Little smiled as she sat in her bed, drawing something in her sketchbook. They had briefly started on Jamaa history, learned about the Heartstones, and learned about weaponry. Now, the sun was high, and they had a small break before lunch. Little had chosen to spend her time drawing.

“Hey, Little.” Little turned, and saw Spark.

“Hey. What are you doing here?” Little asked. Suddenly, she pounced, and pushed Little into a wall.

“You are not ever gonna be better than me at any of this crap. Is that clear?” She hissed, Little frantically trying to get away. Little managed to nod slightly, and then, Spark’s grip released. Spark exited the room quick, and Little let out a breath she never knew she was holding. Little looked out the door, staring blankly into the hall. Spark is definitely not the kind of tiger I want to engage with in a battle. The wolf thought to herself, as she sat alone in the room, hoping the school would set her free from this nightmare.

 

Chapter Three

 

“Second night here, this is sooo exciting! EEK!” Lucky squealed. Her annoying squeal.

“Yea, exciting.” The panda, Felicity, said.

“Say, Mixly, wanna go on a food raid?” Marcus said, looking towards the shy koala. Mixly shook his head.

“Suit yourself.” Marcus said, as he bounded out the door. Let him get in his own trouble. Why should I care? Little was already in bed, asleep. That’s a good thing, I suppose.

The one who was looked down upon by her own tribe. The one who had always wanted something she could never get. Spark. Spark loathed Little. Little was one of the walls that stood in her way. And she would do whatever it took to tear it down.

Even if the academy only wanted her to go so far, she would push the limits. Power sounded like something incredible. Something that everyone wanted. but only she would have it. She just needed to earn the trust of her mentors.

 

Little woke up, rubbing her eyes with her tired paws. The day was new, and this time, she wouldn’t mess up. She quickly put on her hat, and ran into the hallway, following the signs. She took her seat, and smiled. I must have forgotten something… but what? Then, she saw Arctic arrive.

“Arctic! Over here!” She shouted.

“Hey Little.” Arctic said. “How was yesterday?”

“Awesome!” Little cheered.

“Hey, where’s your bag?” Arctic asked.

“What?!?! NOOOOO!” Little said. She sighed, and put her head on the table. Sighing, she turned back towards the hallway to her room.

 

Little stood in the arena, with her Clawswing. She was standing in the arena once again. She was standing beside Mixly and Felicity. As far away from Spark as possible.

“Today, I will teach you how to fight a phantom-”

“YES! Finally, we learn something useful!” Spark cheered. Greely gave Spark a look that shit her up.

“As I was saying, we will learn how to fight a phantom by studying its behavior.” Greely finished. Spark groaned, Lucky and Marcus joined.

“Comeon! What about some action!?” Marcus asked.

“That will come later. Now, who here knows why studying the phantoms is important?” Little raised her paw.

“If you know about the phantoms, their strengths and weaknesses, you can work your way around those?” Little said, thinking of the Alpha’s technique.

“You use their strengths and weaknesses against them. Good job Little.” Greely said. Little smiled.

“Now, what do you already know about phantoms from what you learned yesterday?” Greely asked.

Marcus opened his mouth to say something.

“Do not say that they are black, toxic creatures, everyone knows that already.” Greely said. Marcus closed his mouth, and looked down at his feet.

“They hate light.” Spark said.

They also hate you Spark. Little thought with a smirk.

“Yes. We could figure that out from yesterday’s class.” Greely said, glancing at Little. She thought she saw a hint of confusion on his face, but when she looked again, any traces were gone. Little tried to think, she was still puzzled about yesterday. Where did the light come from? Did Greely help me out with that? Little shook the thought away, and began to focus on the lesson.

“So what is the best way to get information from a phantom?” Greely said.

“Ask it out, take it to a bar, and get information out through conversation!” Marcus said. The Clawswing laughed. Greely sighed, and turned to Felicity.

“Er, ask it nicely?”

“Seriously, how would you get information from phantoms?” Greely asked, obviously annoyed.

“Sneak up on it, ambush it, and demand information.” Spark said, yawning. Little glared at the tiger.

“No… you are all wrong. You-”

“Hey Greely! We need you out here for a minute!” Little turned and saw Cosmo standing at the door. Greely sighed, and walked towards it. Little looked around at her Clawswing. They just stood there. Staring after Greely as he left.

“So… now what?” Marcus asked.

“I guess… we wait?” Felicity said.

“Ugh, I don’t know about you, but I’m going to practice ambushing.” Spark said. Without warning, she leaped onto Little, her claws cold against Little’s skin. Little growled, and pushed Spark off of her, leaping onto her, pinning her to the ground. Little felt an anger pulsing through her, unlike one she had never felt before. I will finish the enemy. Little growled, and leapt at her opponent, punching her hard. Spark snarled, leaping back, pushing Little backwards. Oh, it is on. As Little prepared her attack, the door swung open.

“What is going on in here?” A voiced called. The room went still. Little glanced towards the door. Standing there was Sir Gilbert and Greely.

“Er… just...Practicing!” Little said.

“Yea.” Spark said, shooting a glare at the wolf. Sir Gilbert turned away from the arena, and Greely stepped in.

“Now, back to where we were before. The way to gather information from phantoms is by studying them and their techniques. Gather as much information as you can.” Greely said, fiddling with a combination lock on a door. A phantom, bigger than the one before, leaped out, eyes adjusting to the torchlight. Little backed away slowly, towards the swords in case she needed them again. The phantom’s one eye stared straight at her, it’s cold gaze sending chills down her spine. Little slowly backed away, the phantom slowly coming closer.

“Greely, you sure this is safe?” Little asked.

“Completely.” He replied. Without warning, the phantom show a bolt of lightning at the ground in front of her paws. Little yelped in suprise, she turned, and ran from the creature.

“I thought you said it doesn’t shoot lightning!” Little called, her heart pounding. Greely didn’t reply. Little eventually slowed down, as she watched Marcus jump into it’s view.

“Hey phantom thing! Hey, wanna go out? Not on a date! Just to a local bar or-” before he knew it, Marcus was running, screaming. The phantom chased after him, Little laughed. Marcus quickly outran the phantom, it losing sight of the monkey.

“Phantoms don’t have a wide range of sight, do they?” Little asked.

“That is right Little. They hear things better than they see. Which is why they use their hearing to tell whether things are safe, or to beware.” Greely said. The phantom turned around, and looked in Greely’s direction. Greely stepped back, staying out of it’s range of vision. Little watched to see what he would do next. He grabbed a torch from the wall, and stepped towards the phantom, herding it back to it’s cage. Little watched carefully, wondering why the phantom feared the flame. As the door closed, Greely put the torch back in it’s holder, and stepped towards the exit. The Clawswing followed their mentor out of the arena, anxiously awaiting their next class.

 

Little turned another page in her textbook, A Complete Hostory of Jamaa. As Little’s eyes scanned over the words, a picture caught her eye. It was a painting of Mira and Zios. The artist’s signature was Peck. Little marveled at the way the brushstrokes portrayed feathers, or the leaves in a tree in the background. Little smiled, and read the text beside it. This painting is a picture of the guardian spirits Mira and Zios. They created the land we all call ours, and disappeared into a portal many moons ago. See more on page 104. Little flipped though the pages until she saw the head title: Mira and Zios. Little loved reading: especially about lore and magic, spirits and portals.

Zios was the sky father, who set the stars into motion. But after eons of living alone in his sky kingdom, he grew lonely. And with that, he created Mira, the sky mother. They had fallen in love instantly. Mira was kind and just. It was she who breathed life into Jamaa. But Zios looked down at her creation, the animals, the plants, with disdain. Mira, upset at her lover’s reaction, began to cry, her fear and sorrow mixing with the elements of the land, and from it came a great darkness, the phantoms (page 63). Little smiled.

“Hey Little!” A familiar voice said.

“Arctic!” Little said, jumping out of her chair to greet her friend.

“So, what are you doing here?” Arctic asked.

“Jamaa History. I have to read a few chapters. But the lore is much cooler than Jamaa Township’s foundation.” Little said, as she turned to her book once more.

“I think the plants and herbs and healing is interesting.” Arctic said.

“Yea, I know.” Little replied.

“Could you two keep it down? I’m trying to study here!” A voice called. Little turned towards the sound of it, and she saw a purple-grey wolf emerge from a pile of books.

“Oh, sorry.” Little said.

“It’s fine.” The wolf said. “I’m just a bit worked up, that’s all. I have to cram in a bunch of studying for the Fired Clawswing.” She said.

“Oh.” Arctic said.

“I’d die to be in Gilbert’s Clawswing.” Little said. “Gilbert is the best.”

“I’d die to be in the Moonue Clawswing. Greely is my favorite Alpha.” She said. Little and Arctic laughed, the new wolf along with them.

“I’m Little!” The dark blue wolf said.

“I’m Gennavieve, but everyone calls me Getta.” She said.

“Cool! Getta, I like that name!” Arctic said.

“So, how much reading do you have to do?” Getta asked.

“Well, we have to read the first five chapters of section one: Jamaa Township’s History.” Little said.

“I have to read three chapters on herbal medicines and cure.” Arctic said.

“Wow really? I have to read two chapters on fighting techniques. They’re long chapters though.” Getta said.

“I should probably get back to my reading.” Little replied. “Greely probably doesn't like it  if any of our assignments are late.”

“Gilbert too.”

“I second that with Cosmo.” Arctic said, turning away to the bookshelves, scanning the titles. Little looked down at her book, and flipped back to the chapter she should be reading. And Getta went back into the wonderful world of her book. Her looong book.

 

Chapter Four

 

“Today, we will continue our observations.” Greely said to his class of Moonue.

“But we did that yesterday!” Marcus asked.

“Well, this is our main focus all year.” Greely replied. Marcus groaned.

“Excuse me, but do we have to memorize everything?” Mixly asked.

“Glad you brought that up.” Greely said, walking over to a blanket covered shelf. Partially pulling it off, Greely revealed a small stack of books. He handed each one to a student.

“Wow! A journal! Sooo cool!” Lucky shouted, flipping through the blank white pages. Little ran her paw across the blue crystal embedded into the cover.

“You will use these to record information, and anything else you learned so far in the year. You may organise yourselves however it best fits you.” Greely said, walking over to a chalkboard that had been rolled into the arena earlier. He began to write out a few things onto the green surface.

“Do we write it all down?” Mixly asked, clutching his journal tightly. Greely gave a quick nod, and finished writing the things down.

“Copy these basic facts down in  your journal.” Greely said, putting the piece of chalk down. Little quickly opened her journal, and pulled a pencil out of her bag. She began to copy down the phantom facts from the board. You may organize yourselves however you like, eh? Little wrote the date on the top of her next blank page.

September 4, 2018

Dear Journal,

Welcome to Alpha academy, this school of complete… how shall i pronounce it? TORTURE. Of course, I have Greely as my mentor. YAAY. DO YOU KNOW HOW BLAND HE IS!?!?!?! Gives us homework on day… Is it really day three? ALREADY? It feels like it’s been at least ten. Who in their right mind would think releasing phantoms out to attack Jammers was a good idea? Oh we learned something from that GREELY. YOU’RE A HORRIBLE TEACHER! That’s what! He better not be reading this… Well, just hope i survive until the end of the year.

Yours truly,

Little.

Little smiled at her work. Day three of torture. At least she got a cool journal out of it. Little smiled, and closed it up, slipping it into her bag. As she awaited instructions from her mentor, she glanced around at the others, making observations. Mixly was writing furiously in his Journal, Lucky was trying to sit still. Felicity was glancing around at the doors, wondering what they would face today. Little glanced back at her teacher, as he was watching his Clawswing finish up their writing. At last, they were all finished, and awaited instruction from Greely.

“Put your journals aside, and continue your observations.” Greely said, pulling another lever, opening another door. A phantom, like the one yesterday, leaped out out the shadows, and into the light. Little took a mental note that phantoms have trouble adjusting to lighter areas. As soon as the phantom regained it’s bearings, Little leaped towards it, into its field of vision, seeing how it would react. The phantom made a noise in alarm, and leaped towards her. Little jumped to the side, avoiding it’s attack. Little quickly lunged at the phantom, and it dodged her attack, just barley missing it. Little backed out of it’s vision, and let Marcus take over.

“Question: how would you react if I asked you out to a bar? Talk about phantom stuff and-” Marcus was interrupted by Spark and Greely shouting in unison.

“Shut up Marcus!” The Phantom locked it’s glare onto Marcus, and raised it’s tentacle to strike it’s lightning.

“Look out!” Little called, pushing Marcus aside, saving his life.

“Wow, thanks!” He said, looking up at the wolf. Little moved back to her position before she had leaped forward to help her fellow Moonue. As the phantom glanced around the arena, it’s gaze rested on Lucky, who stood stone still for once. As the phantom advanced towards her, she backed away slowly. The phantom turned around, seeing if anything else was in its field of vision. As it glanced away, Lucky quickly scampered away. Greely quickly leaped into it’s field of vision. As soon as the phantom laid it’s eye on Greely, it scampered back toward it’s cage. Greely closed the door, and turned towards his group.

“Record your observations.” Greely said, sitting by the door. Little turned to her bag, pulling out her book. As she wrote down her observations, she glanced up at Greely, who was looking at her, a look Little has seen from him only once, when she had used the “sun” to ward off the phantom. A look of curiosity. He quickly glanced away, towards Lucky and Mixly. Little looked down at her journal, continuing her writing, yet her mind stayed on Greely. What is it I’m doing? As the others finished their writing, Greely dismissed them for their lunch break.

 

Little walked to her table, as she carried her lunch tray. She set it down by Arctic’s, and she sat down.

“I hope you don’t mind i invited Getta to sit with us.” Arctic said.

“Oh, of course it’s fine! We could use a little company!” Little replied, as Getta walked up to their table, another wolf by her side.

“Hey!” Getta said enthusiastically.

“Hi Getta!” Arctic said.

“This is D.J., my friend. I hope you don’t mind if she sits with us.” Getta said.

“Oh, we don’t mind, right Little?” Arctic asked.

“Of course D.J. is welcome!” Little said, smiling at the brown wolf.

“Awesome!” D.J. said, setting her tray by Getta’s.

“So, whatcha wanna do?” Arctic asked.

“How about we tell stories?” D.J. said.

“Sure!” Little said excitedly. Getta giggled, and then spoke.

“How about I tell you about the dragons that invaded Jamaa city?”

“That never happened!” Arctic said.

“Or did it?” D.J. said. “Maybe they were lost to history.” Little grabbed her fork and held it high, as if it were a sword.

“The dragons had once ruled the lands, running the forges of doom!” Little began.

“Not doing it for me Little.” Arctic replied casually.

“Before them, nobody used forks to eat. They just ate like a bunch of wild animals!” Little continues.

“And then the dragons were making pitchforks to fight the phantoms!” Getta interrupted.

“But they were too big, the animals complained.” D.J. said.

“Angry, the dragons made a legendary invention!” Getta called out.

“The fork!” Little said, running a paw across the metal surface. Getta, D.J., and Arctic all laughed.

“You guys are so random!” Arctic said, recovering from her immense amount of laughter.

“And of course-” Before Little could finish, someone called her name.

“Little! Over here!” Little turned around to see Marcus holding a pie. “Look what I got from my latest food raid!” he said.

“Um… nice?” Little said, turning back to her friends.

“Who’s that?” Getta asked.

“Oh, he’s from my clawswing.” Little explained.

“Well, you want some? I can’t eat it all myself!” Marcus said.

“No, leave us alone.” Arctic said.

“Come on! It’s pie!” Marcus said, holding it out to her.

“Marcus, leave us alone.” Little said, turning back to her friends.

“You sure? I mean, it’s banana cream...”

“I said leave us alone!” Little yelled, the monkey backing away.

“Okay...” He said, quickly scampering away, circling around and throwing the pie at Little, who quickly dodged the attack. The pie hit Arctic, and the wolves gasped.

“Marcus!” Getta called, as Arctic licked some of the cream off of her fur.

“Noth bath.” She said.

“What?” Little asked. Arctic swallowed the mouthful of pie and spoke again.

“Not bad.” She said, brushing some more pie off of her fur. Little and Getta laughed, not seeing Marcus sneak away.

 

Chapter Five

 

Little sat in the dining hall, finishing her pancakes. She wore he usual black scarf and hat, and wore a sword on her back. Greely let them choose their weapon about a week ago. Greely had forgotten to tell them to do their journal entry earlier, so it was homework.

September 28, 2018

Dear journal,

October coming up, yay! I can’t wait for Halloween. I hear rumors that Peck is going to host some big party. Wouldn’t that be something?! Anyways, we were in the arena (Like always.), and we FINALLY get to practice some tactics we learned over the past few weeks. IT’S ABOUT TIME GREELY!!! Anyways, vanquishing phantoms, and other foes is easy. I guess I’m sawing that because he made us practice the moves about a million times… So… I guess i learned from yesterday’s excursion, that practice really pays off.

Yours truly,

Little.

 

Little smile, satisfied with her writing, and tucked her journal away. She looked around the dining hall. Spark was glaring at some bunny, Arctic and D.J. Were running around by the trash cans, Liza rushing in to stop them. Breakfast for dinner was the theme, and Little loved it. As Little picked up her tray, she felt a strange pain on her shoulder, causing her to cry out in pain.

“Owww!” She said, looking down at her shoulder. It felt like it was on fire, but it wasn’t. It was glowing brighter by the second. Then, quickly as it started, it faded. Little glanced around the room, hoping nobody had seen it. A single koala witnessed her screaming, but Little was facing away from it. Little sighed in relief, and quickly ran out of th hallway. She stopped at her room, and entered. Little turned on a light, and looked at her shoulder. No glowing mark. That was weird. Little decided that she would see Cosmo about it later. Cosmo was, in fact, a talented healer. If anything was wrong, he’d see to it.

 

“Alright, today, we’re going to mix it up a bit.” Greely said, leading his class outside. Little wondered if they were going to the outdoor arena. Usually Sir Gilbert’s Clawswing trained there, and Greely’s Clawswing stayed inside. Except for whenever they had to practice certain battle moves, or they needed some extra fresh air. Little had gone out to explore the outside portion of the Academy several times. It mainly consisted of forest, with several trails running through it. The Alpha stopped by one of the trails.

“Where are we going” Lucky asked, looking around.

“We’re going to just simply walk through the woods.” He said, starting down a trail.

“What?” Spark asked. Greely kept walking down the trail. Lucky followed, Mixly close behind. Marcus quickly bounded off into the woods, Felicity cautiously following.

“Come on, Spark!” Little said, beckoning the tiger to follow. Spark started walking, but glared at Little as they walked down the trail. Little raced up to Greely’s side.

“So, why are we doing this again?” Little asked. Greely didn’t respond. Little fell back until she was surrounded by the rest of the group. Something dosn’t feel right. Then, all of the sudden, Greely turned around and leapt at them, the Clawswing scattering in surprise. Greely looked around at his panicked Clawswing. Little growled, and prepared her attack, but Greely held up a paw.

“You must always be alert. If something looks suspicious, than it probably is.” Greely said, looking around at his students.

“So… was this a test?” Felicity asked, nervous.

“No. There will be one coming up though.” The Alpha said, turning back the way they came. Little followed, glad to hopefully get out of the cold fall air that sent chills down her spine. Her heartbeat slowed down, from a race, to a walking tempo.

 

The four wolves walked down the hallway, following Getta’s lead. Nobody knew where they were going, except for the grey wolf.

“Guys, how would you feel about going to the music room?” Getta asked.

“There’s a music room?!” Little said excitedly.

“Greely hasn’t taken you there? Really?!” Arctic said, astonished.

“Have you been living under a rock?!” D.J. practically yelled. “Peck takes us there like, every day!”

“I haven’t been living under millions of years worth of sandstone, but I bet Greely has.” Little said, the wolves laughing. The afternoon was theirs for Saturdays, and Little usually spent it in the library, or walking on a trail.

“Well, you’re about to have the time of your life!” Arctic said, as Getta opened a door. Little gasped, and saw the most beautiful room. It washed her in a strange feeling of pure joy. The walls were painted gold, the carpet was soft: softer than the carpet in her dorm. And on shelves, lying on tables, or hanging on the wall, we’re all sorts of instruments. Little smiled, and looked around at her friends. Arctic instantly ran to a cello, D.J. ran towards a guitar, and strummed the strings. Getta grabbed a trumpet, and blew. Little marveled at the way the notes spilled out all over the room. They echoed in her mind, and came out ans a woah.

“Come on Little, get one!” Getta said, gesturing a paw to all of the instruments throughout the room.

“I never played an instrument before.” Little said warily.

“So you have been living under a rock.” Arctic said.

“The quarts is lovely, I have to say.” Little joked, the wolves laughing. Little looked around at all of the choices, and she selected a small-ish case in the side of the room. She opened it, and inside was a small violin. She took it out, and she asked the others.

“What about this one?” She asked.

“Oh that violin? Well, the students have rumor that it’s cursed.” D.J. said, shooting an evil glare at the violin. Little sighed, and pinched it up. It felt uncomfortable against her neck and shoulder. She looked into the case, and found what she thought could be a shoulder rest. She snapped it onto the bottom of the instrument, and hoisted it up to her shoulder again. She picked up the bow, instantly dropping it.

“Ugh. How do animals play this thing?” Little asked, letting the wooden violin down once again.

“They don’t, it’s cuuursed.” Arctic said, holding back a giggle.

“How so?” Little asked. All three of the wolves burst into laughter. Little looked down at her paw, which was covered in some sort of black paste. The wolves laughed harder, Little finding the same sludge on her shoulder wLittle sighed, and looked e she had tried to play. Embarrassed, she looked down at the violin, which looked normal. She turned it over, and saw black paint smudged all over. “Guyyysss!” Little said, as they laughed hard. Little out of the room, trying not to spread the mess her friends had made. Thinking about why they would do such a thing.

 

Chapter Six

 

Little hauled her bag onto her back. It weighed her down, two textbooks, her journal, some pencils, and a snack. Little looked down at her paws as she walked through the hallways, she knew every section of it by now. As she was walking, she bumped into something. She dropped her bag and fell on the floor.

“Hey! Watch where you’re go-” Little abruptly stopped when she looked up and saw Greely. He quickly raced around her, and ducked into the library. Little looked through the doors curiously. What could he be doing? Little turned and looked into the library doors. She perked her ears and listened in on what her mentor was doing. Rather than picking up the sound of book pages turning, she heard a voice. And it wasn’t Greely.

“Good, finally we can talk in peace.” A voice that resembled Liza’s spoke.

“What is this about?” Greely asked. The next voice spoke so quietly Little couldn’t hear.

“Getta?” Cosmo asked, a bit louder. They’re talking about Getta?

“Yes, Getta.” Peck said. Little took notice that Peck wasn’t talking in her usual cheerful voice. This voice was sullen, almost unrecognizable. As Little stepped into the library, she hid behind a pile of books. She could hear the Alphas more clearly, and Little dared herself to peek around the pile during their conversation.

“Just a note?” Liza asked. Little saw Peck nod slowly, as she held out a piece of paper. The Alphas studied it for a moment, and Graham spoke.

“Leaving for Zinzos. Don’t worry. What does that mean?”

“Zinzos… Zinzos… what does that mean?” Greely asked.

“I have no idea.” Gilbert said, as he ran a paw over the note. Peck sighed again, speaking in her sullen voice.

“She made beautiful music.” Peck said. Music… Little took a moment to think about the music room, and why Greely never took them there yet.

“Speaking of music, Lucky has been complaining about not being able to go there on a regular basis.” Liza said, as if she had read Little’s mind. Greely didn’t answer.

“Er, we don’t have time for it.” Greely said.

“Come on, they’ll get a kick out of it.” Cosmo said, as he tried to convince Greely.

“Just do it later today. Let them do something they like. Not just training.” Gilbert said. Greely sighed.

“Maybe sometime soon, like in a few days.” He said. Little whispered a yes and turned to sneak out of the library. As she walked out, her tail accidentally nudged a book, causing it to fall on the floor. Little hoped nobody heard it, but she could hear Liza call her name.

“What are you doing here? She asked.

“Er, getting a book? But I see you’re busy?” Little said, slowly backing away. Liza shook her head, and gave Little an accusing look.

“You must mention none of this to anyone, is that clear?” Liza said sternly.

“Y-yes.” Little replied, looking around nervously.

“As far as you are concerned, she is training seperatly from everyone else. Now go.” She said. Little didn’t think twice, she turned, and raced out of the library. She could not believe her friend had ran away. And Zinzos? What was that? Little sighed, and walked towards the music room, the only place she knew that she could be happy now. As Little walked into the room, she saw a few bunnies, a monkey and a koala playing a salsa tune on their instruments.

“Wow, you’re good!” Little said, accidentally startling the bunny.

“Gee, thanks!” She said. “I’m Clover!” She said, as she picked up her trumpet. She blew a short tune, and her friends played along, and Little watched them in awe.

“Wow! You guys are soooo good! I wish I could play an instrument.” Little said.

“I can teach you! I know how to play all kinds of instruments!” Clover said.

“How about the violin?” Little asked, walking over to the case again.

“Oh, it’s cursed.” Clover said casually.

“Not you too!” Little said, sighing. “Will you teach me, or not?”

“Yea! I’d be glad. But you want that violin?” Clover asked. Little looked down at the “haunted” violin.

“Yes. I want to learn on that one.”

“Okay, let’s begin.” Clover showed Little how to hold the bow, how to place the violin on her shoulder, and how to play the right notes. Little found it easy, it seemed to come naturally to her. After an hour, the two looked at the time.

“Oh no, we have to go in a few minutes.” Clover said, sighing. Little put the small violin away, and grabbed her bag. Clover was already running to the door.

“Clover! Wait!” Little called after her. Clover stopped, and looked back. “Thanks.” The wolf said.

“Come tomorrow, at this time.” The bunny said.

“Sure!” Little said. Clover smiled, gave a quick nod, and hopped off. Little smiled. She already had forgotten about Getta’s disappearence.

 

The hallways were dark and empty. Everything was silent. Nothing stirred at all, with the exception on one wolf. Her brown fur matched the walls, and her pawsteps were nearly silent. She turned into the library, and turned on a light. She grabbed a scrap piece of paper, and wrote a message.

Dear whoever is reading this message,

My friend, Getta had disappeared. And I will not let her get herself into trouble. So I am leaving to find her. Please forgive me when we return. If we return.

-Diamond Jane. (D.J.)

The wolf folded the note into the shape of a crane, carefully making sure each fold was precise. D.J. Had her bag that she had packed with food, a sketchbook, and her crystal from Peck’s Clawswing. D.J. Carried it out of the library, and she walked once more down the hallways. Little did she know that she would never walk those halls again. She exited the building, and inhaled the fresh air, letting it fill her lungs. She picked up speed, and raced into the woods, not noticing her paws leaving the trail, and that she was traveling deep into the woods.

 

Little woke up to hear Arctic calling her name.

“Little!”

“Arctic, What are you doing here? This isn’t your dorm!” Little whispered. Arctic whimpered.

“D.J. and Getta are gone.” She said. She clutched a note in her paw. Little grabbed it, and walked out into the hallway. She quietly closed the door behind her, and turned on a hallway light. She looked over the note. The second wolf disappearance this week. Little wondered why they had left, and to where.

“Come on Arctic, let’s go see what we can dig up about this stuff.” Little said.

“Where do we start?” Arctic asked.

“The library.”

 

Chapter Seven

 

Little scanned the shelves.

“Now, what did the Alphas say Getta’s note read?” Little asked.

“I’m not sure about this Little, it’s like, 2 AM.” Arctic said, followed by a yawn. Little was too busy looking on the shelves for Z. Various titles were gathered on the shelf. Zebras (some kind of striped horse.), Zios’s creations, Zios’s history, Zinzos.

Little pulled the last book off of the shelf, and opened it. The book was th8n, only a few pages. As Little opened the book, she saw most of the pages consisted of art of a great cloud kingdom. It was written by paw, with a handwriting that was all over the page, almost  unreadable. Little’s handwriting wasn’t the sunniest either. She read the words that were on the page out loud so Arctic could hear.

As it states in Jamaa history, Zios was the sky father. He lived in a great sky kingdom. It is not mentioned much, mainly referred to as the Sky Kingdom. It is actually called Zinzos, which many are unaware of. No mortal being has even set paw in the kingdom, it’s location unknown. Nobody would dare try and search: for the place is sacred, Zios’s own territory.

Little closed the book, the book giving off an ominous feeling. Little looked at Arctic, who wore her frightened expression.

“How does one get to Zinzos anyway?” Arctic asked.

“Does Getta want to be the first to set paw there? She seems like that kind of wolf.” Little said, looking back and forth, hoping nobody was listening to them.

“Maybe. Or she has another reason to have left so suddenly.” Arctic said.

“Yea, but why would she leave?” Little asked. “She was happy here with us, and she told us everything.”

“Almost everything, I guess.” Arctic said, looking down at her paws. She yawned, and looked around. Her gaze locked on something, and Little followed it. She saw Greely enter the library, and he looked at the two.

“What are you doing here at two in the morning?” He asked.

“Catching up on homework.” Little said, finding a certainty to her voice.

“At two AM?” Greely asked. “Unlikely.”

“Getta running off is unlikely.” Little said.

“And D.J. too.” Arctic blurted out. Instantly, Greely’s expression changed to a look of suprise.

“D.J. left too?” He asked.

“We found a note.” Arctic said, handing it to the Alpha. Greely examined it for a second, then turned to the two wolves.

“Why didn’t you say a something before?” Greely asked.

“Do we really want to cause a riot at two AM?” Little asked.

“We were gonna tell you later.” Arctic said. Little knew it was a lie, but information would have gotten to him anyway. Greely sighed, and stood in silence for a few seconds.

“I wish I knew what to do about this.” The Alpha said. “We can’t just let them get themselves hurt, or killed even. And we can’t leave our Clawswings on such short notice.” Greely sighed again, and turned to the doors.

“Then take the Clawswings with you.” Little said. Greely stopped.

“We cannot leave the Academy unattended.” He said. “Now go to your dorms, and get some sleep.”

“Then only send a couple Alphas.” Little said. “Bring the Clawswings on the search, and you may appreciate the extra help.” Greely turned around, and spoke again.

“Go to sleep.” Greely commanded. He turned towards the door, and left.

 

Little turned over in her bed. She couldn’t go to sleep. She tossed and turned, counted sheep, but nothing worked. Little decided to go to the music room and admire the instruments, maybe pizzicato her violin quietly. As she walked through the halls, she heard a sound, like a clatter. She turned towards it, and abandoned her thoughts of the music room. Suddenly, a sharp pain shot through her shoulder again, and Little shrieked in pain. Her mind spun, a strange dizziness overcoming her. And all suddenly went dark.

 

“Is she okay?”

“I think she’s coming to.”

“Shh! Give her space!” Little opened her eyes, the light blinding her for a few seconds. As her eyes adjusted, she saw Cosmo standing over her. Little glanced around the room she was in, and saw Greely and Peck standing nearby.

“Wh- what happened?” Little asked.

“You fell unconscious in the middle of the hall.” Cosmo replied.

“How long have I been out?” Little asked.

“Twenty minutes.” Cosmo said. “That’s some weird marking.”

“But how?” Little asked. Cosmo lay a paw on her shoulder, which was still glowing slightly.

“It May have something to do with this.” Cosmo said. “Has this happened before?”

“Once. When I was in the dining hall. It wasn’t as severe though.” Little replied. Greely stepped up, and examined the marking.

“Dosen’t this look like a map of some sort?” He asked. The marking suddenly disappeared. The Alphas watched Little for almost an entire minute of silence, as if the marking would reappear. Finally, Little broke the silence.

“I don’t know what it is. So can you stop staring at me, and tell me what is going on.” Little said.

“I have never seen anything like it.” Peck said, as Little sat up. Greely murmured something to himself.

“What was that?” Little asked again, pointing a paw to her shoulder.

“Some sort of sign.” Cosmo said.

“It looked as if it were some sort of map to me.” Greely said, looking towards the door. “I know I’ve seen that marking before… but where?” He asked himself, clearly lost in his thoughts.

“Perhaps Greely is right.” A voice said. Little quickly turned towards the voice, which belonged to Liza, who Little had not noticed. Greely quickly snapped out of his thoughts, and spoke.

“Let’s look at a map of Jamaa, maybe we can recognize this.” Peck suggested. Liza pulled a map, and laid it out on the table by Little. Where did it come from? Little looked down at the map along with the Alphas, and looked over the map. There was a star on the map, marking the Academy’s location, in the middle of Sarepia Forest. Little searched the map, until she found an island that called her attention. Little turned the map, and saw the exact shape of the marking on her fur.

 

Chapter Eight

 

Little pointed to the island.

“There is the island the marking has shown.” She said, the Alphas gathering around. Peck read the name aloud.

“Shadowstar Island.” Peck said, as she examined the island on the map. It was an island in the river, all the way up in Baloosh.

“But what significance could that have?” Greely asked. Little thought for a minute.

“Could it be a way to Zinzos?” Little asked. The Alphas looked at Little suspiciously.

“What do you know about Zinzos?” Liza asked.

“Oh, I read about it in a book. You know, what Getta’s note said.” Little said, looking at her paws.

“Baloosh was only recently found. Maybe Zios intended for us to find Baloosh so we could find Zinzos.” Greely pointed out.

“True, but why would he want us to find Zinzos?” Cosmo asked.

“Maybe… maybe that’s the key to getting them back.” Liza said. The animals thought for a minute. Little turned around.

“Then What are we waiting for? Why can’t we go now?” Little asked.

“Like I told you earlier Little, we cannot leave the Academy-“

“Then like I said, one take a few Alphas. And their Clawswing. You could use the help.” Little yelled, not caring how early it was.

“It’s too dangerous.” Greely said.

“Little has a point. If she’s going, than why can’t a Clawswing go too?” Cosmo said.

“Safety in numbers.” Liza said.

“I think that Greely should take his Clawswing, and Gilbert take his. The rest of us will stay at the academy.” Cosmo said, a tone of finality to his voice. Greely sighed, and agreed.

“Great, we’ll leave tomorrow. That gives us a day to prepare. And to tell Gilbert where we’re going.” Peck commented. “For now, let’s get some rest.” And with that, Little finally went to bed, just as the clock turned four.

 

Little walked down the hall, and she entered the golden room. Little smiled as she saw Clover and her friends getting their instruments out.

“Little! Glad you made it.” Clover said, greeting her friend.

“Me too!” Little said, pulling out her violin. Little didn’t care that the sound didn’t resonate as well as other violins she had heard, she loved it anyway. After she was unpacked, and Clover beckoned her over to the group.

“I am the leader of the Lucky Clovers band, and I would like you to join us in our quest to spread our message of how music can change lives, maybe even the world!” Clover said. Little smiled, and nodded.

“I’d love to, but I’m not experienced.” Little said. Clover laughed.

“It’s fine! We can help you learn and grow in your musical journey! We have members who don’t play an instrument at all, they dance, sing, and make their own music!” Clover said, smiling.

“Well, I’d rather play violin than sing.” Little said, smiling. Clover handed Little a sheet of music, and Little looked over it.

“I can’t exactly read music.” Little pointed out.

“We’ll teach you!”  Clover said. “Starting tomorrow!”

“Well, about that, I will be leaving tomorrow with my Clawswing to go on a mission.” Little said cautiously, hoping they wouldn’t respond negatively.

“Oh, it’s fine. Lessons will begin when you return.” She said, smiling. Little then hoisted the violin up to her shoulder, grabbed the bow, and began to play a tune. She didn’t pay any attention to anything she had heard before, she let the tune flow out into the open.

“Wow! What song is that?” Clover asked when Little had finished. Little smiled, and thought a moment.

“Mira’s Ballad.” Little said, the title having a nice ring to it.

“Nice!” Clover said. Another bunny hopped up to the two.

“Can you teach me how to play that?” the bunny said, looking up at her.

“I don’t know…” Little said. “I haven’t learned to read or write music yet.”

“Aw, that’s fine.” Clover said to the bunny. “She’ll teach you one day.” Little smiled.

“I have to go pack some things.” Little said, as she took the shoulder rest off of her violin.

“Well, see you all soon.” Little spoke, as she walked out of the room.

 

“Little! Wake up!” Little quickly snapped awake, and faced Greely.

“Good Zios Little, you are one heavy sleeper.” He said.

“Did I sleep in? Did I miss class?” Little asked.

“We’re leaving, remember?” Little jumped out of her bed, and grabbed her bag. The rest of the Clawswing was up, and it was morning. Greely beckoned for the Clawswing to follow. As they exited the academy grounds, Little’s ears picked up a sound.

“Is someone there?” She asked. Nobody replied. Little sighed, and kept walking on the trail, as Gilbert’s Clawswing followed.

 

Spark growled. How am I going to get this plan back into action? The Clawswings had been walking for the past few hours, the sun rising in the sky. She knew that the Alphas’s magic always worked better when all united. So get rid of an Alpha means an easier time taking over. Spark wondered how she would get rid of one of the Alphas, especially with a bunch of students. Wouldn’t they suspect something? Or I could play a game. Pin the blame on the Wolf. Spark smiled sinisterly, and glared at the dark blue pelted wolf. Suddenly, she knew just what to do.

“Ow!” She called out, falling over on the trail.

“What is it Spark?” Sir Gilbert asked.

“It’s my paw.” She said. “It bursts sooo bad!”

“We should probably send her back to Cosmo.” Greely suggested.

“We can’t send her back to Cosmo, we’re too far out.” Gilbert pointed out.

“Can you walk on it?” Mixly asked.

“No.” Spark growled. Her fib would hopefully stall her some time to think of how she could pull he idea off. It’s not every day you have two Alphas separated from the rest. I have to do something and soon. Spark pretended to favor her paw, and Gilbert looked at it.

“It doesn’t seem to be hurt, but I’m no expert.” He said.

“Maybe it’s a sprain.” Greely suggested, as he glanced around at the Clawswings.

“Yea, probably is.” Spark agreed.

“Stay here Spark, we’ll make sure that everyone else is here.” Gilbert said, as the two Alphas walked to their Clawswings for a headcount. I hope they won’t do another headcount for a while. I may “disappear” sometime soon.

 

Little walked over to the feisty tiger.

“So, you hurt your paw, eh?” She asked.

“Yes. And it hurts.” Spark hissed.

“Well, it can’t hurt forever, we have to leave soon.” Little pointed out.

“Hey, could you do me a favor, Little?” Spark asked.

“Sure?”

“I’m going to… get some fresh air. If anyone asks, tell them that I’m just out in the woods.” Spark said, as she rushed off.

“Wait! You sure about this? With your paw and all?” Little called after her. She didn’t respond, and Little ignored it. Instead, she walked over to Greely.

“Need anything Little?” Greely asked.

“I wondered if you needed me to do anything.” Little responded.

“No.” Greely responded. He quickly glanced around the makeshift camp. “Where’s Spark?”

“Oh, she went on a walk. She said she wanted some fresh air. Strange, we’re outside getting all the fresh air we can get.” Little said, deeply inhaling the crisp autumn air.

“Strange indeed.” The Alpha said, pondering the thought.

 

Chapter Nine

 

Little smiled as she opened her journal. She flipped to a new page, and grabbed her pencil.

October 1, 2018

Dear journal,

It’s been about two days since we left, and already crazy stuff has happened. Spark insisted on carrying the larger sacks. She’s been running off into the woods several times lately, and I’m thinking somethings up. Anyways, I’m doing great. We’re halfway across Sarepia forest. Man, this place is bigger than the maps look. We’ll stop at the township tomorrow, pick up some more gear, and then it’s straight through Appondale to Balloosh. I hope that this trip doesn't last too long. I want to be back before the big rumored halloween party.

“Alright everyone, let’s go!” Gilbert’s booming voice called to the students.

Oh, gotta go. Breaks over.

-Little

Little closed her journal, stuffed the book into her bag, and walked over to the rest of her Clawswing.

“I wonder if you could draw that bird. Or that tree!” Lucky started. Little hadn’t noticed her standing there before, sighing, she walked up closer to the Alphas.

“Hey! Watch it!” A tiger from Gilbert’s Clawswing said, growling. Little stepped back, and sighed. It was going to be a long journey.

 

Little  was walking through the woods, which were now vacant of any other animals.

“Hello? Anyone there?” She asked. She couldn’t have lost them, could she? As Little continued her journey through the woods, she heard a voice.

“Little!” It called. Little turned towards the voice. It called out again, only now it was above her. No, it was all around her.

“Anybody there?” She asked again. Nothing stirred.

Suddenly, a light engulfed the whole woods, too bright for Little to see. It dropped quickly into darkness, and Little couldn’t move, couldn’t speak, or do anything for some strange reason. A whispery voice repeated some strange phrase over and over.

Beware of the stalker of shadows

The one who hides deep in the trees

Beware of the one who has ultamite power

The one with strange aura locked without key.

 

“Ah!” Little woke up with a yelp of surprise. She looked around. She was still in the woods. She glanced around nervously, as she remembered that she was still traveling on a journey to find the missing wolves. The nearly full moon shone in the sky, providing barley enough light to see. Little sat up, as she glanced around the camp. Nothing else was awake. What a strange dream. Little thought, as she turned her head to look over to the corner of the clearing. The two Alphas were over there, both asleep. Little looked back towards the trees, and heard a slight rustling. A squirrel? A mouse? She thought.

“What are you doing up at this hour?”

“Ah!” Little turned around and saw none other than Greely. Wasn’t he sleeping over there just a second ago?

“So, are you gonna answer me, or just sit there?”

“Oh, just had a really strange dream.” Little started, as she stood up. She turned back around, and lay down in her bed. She let out a fake yawn and pretended to go back to sleep.

“What kind of dream?” Greely asked, to her surprise. Little sat back up.

“Er, I was walking in the woods. And… there was a voice.” Little said, wondering why the Alpha was taking interest in her dream.

“What did it say?” He asked.

“Uh, ‘Beware of the stalker of shadows, the one who hides deep in the trees. Beware of the one who has ultimate power-’”

“The one with strange aura locked without key.” Greely said, finishing. Little stared at him in awe.

“How did you-“

“I had the same dream.”

“What?! How in the name of Zios is this possible?” Little asked.

“There’s something about you that I can’t understand. Something unlike anything any of us have ever known.” Greely said.

“Like what?” Little asked. She moved her tail across the ground in a smooth, sweeping motion.

“The strange marking, the way you handle phantoms, and now this...” Greely said, trailing off, as he stared out into the forest. Little followed his gaze, and she saw a pair of glowing orbs. Eyes? Little got up to her paws and turned toward it, but Greely stopped her.

“You should go back to sleep. We’ll talk more in the morning when it’s easier to keep an eye out for ny eavesdroppers.” He said in a quieter voice. He turned back to the corner where he was sleeping before, and walked over to it. As Little lay down in her spot, she wondered what it all could mean. What is it that I have that nobody understands? Little yawned, and fell into sleep faster than she could blink.

 

“Little! Wake up!” Little yawned, and opened her eyes for the second time. She looked in the direction of the sound. She saw Lucky jumping up and down excitedly.

“Ugh.” Spark groaned, as she sat up. She began to groom her dark orange fur. Little wondered why some animals did clean their fur. Couldn’t a simple leap into a stream do the trick? Little realized that she hadn’t washed in days.

“Alright everyone, let’s go.” Gilbert commanded, as the clawswings began to pack up their temporary camp. The hustle and bustle would be perfect cover for talking. Little hoisted her bag onto her back, and dashed over to Greely.

“So, Greely. About last night-”

“The time is not right to talk yet.” Greely said bluntly. Little’s ears drooped.

“Why?” Little asked. Greely remained silent. Little sighed.

“Help!” A voice called. Spark. Little instantly thought. That tiger was trouble. But it was Felicity.

“What is it?” Greely asked. Felicity sighed.

“Spark is gone.” She said.

“I’ll look for her.” Greely said, turning towards the woods.

“Me too.” Little said, stepping forward.

“No, you stay here.” Greely insisted, as he turned and ran off into the woods. Little growled softly to herself. Felicity backed away slowly.

“I’m going after him.” Little grunted.

“But you-”

“I have to! I need to prove to Greely that I can help. That I can be strong and brave too!” Little said, as she turned and bounded into the woods.

(more to come.)