“Humans are so ärgerlich.” Carl Clover was irritated by many things about the Military Academy. Some examples included; the stuffy uniforms, the puzzling obligations (particularly the cafeteria duty that the students shared), and the most exasperating detail of them all… his fellow students. Everywhere he went, their cruelty followed. Every second there was an insult to be thrown, or a feather to be plucked. If that wasn’t bad enough, the staff seemed to share such prejudiced views (hardly a surprise they were humans after all) and did nothing to better his situation. When his father had told him of his enrollment into this horrid place, the poor naïve boy had been distraught. Ada, his beloved sister had grown extremely ill. The doctors couldn’t help her, why did father separate them? He should be home, at her side where he belonged, not stuck in this hell with these schläger. How could he have been so blind? His mother had spoken of friendships to be forged, adventures to be had, and memories to be made. But she had been mistaken. All that awaited the young beastkin were hatred and pain, he had known nothing else since being enrolled into this institute a month ago. “Look out, it’s the rat with wings!” “Go back to your cemetery freak!” “Yeah, you’re blocking my sun! Move it before I knock you outta the sky!” That last remark was followed through with a sharp stone nicking his cheek, the caster being none other than Blake Praktisch, his most consistent persecutor. Though the two youths both hailed from the 2nd Hierarchical City of Iwatsuchi, this commonality only added to their mutual contempt for one another. Blake had been admitted into the academy with average marks on his academic tests and was mostly allowed to attend for his impressive physical capabilities. Carl was allowed in at the early age of twelve for both his physical capabilities (his beastkin nature granting him the ability of flight and higher levels of speed and energy reserves compared to humans) and his sharp mind (which allowed him to pass his entrance exams with flying colors). In the past few weeks Carl had excelled in almost all of his classes; this earned him the ire of many of his contemporaries. Even accounting for the general distaste most students held for both beastkin and bookworms. Blake’s hatred of Carl was exceptionally strong. Unbeknownst to most, Blake came from a very poor family and his admittance into the academy was meant to provide him an opportunity to better his relatives’ financial situation. So being stuck in the same class as a beastkin (who were viewed as primitive and rather underprivileged by the majority of the populace) with a vast amount of wealth as well as a higher social standing drove the teen mad. Carl had unwittingly made the older boy feel inferior with each passing day, he handled everything their instructors threw at him with consummate ease, while Blake struggled with every assignment and deadline. Carl glanced idly at his classmate with narrowed eyes before slightly adjusting his altitude to get out of range before any more rocks could make contact with his person. Carl took a moment to simply hover in the air, allowing himself to bask in the sun’s warmth. The crisp autumn winds rejuvenated the boy, driving away the fog of sleep from his mind. Having sated the instinctual lust for his natural surroundings, the beastkin reluctantly allowed himself to descend towards the doors to the main hall of the establishment. As he attempted to quietly shuffle down the large corridor (his head hung low and his wings folded close to his back in an attempt to make himself inconspicuous), he was met with the usual bouts of name-calling from the older students that lined the walls each morning. “He smells like a corpse, and looks twice as bad!” “Look at those ratty feathers, they’re hideous!” “What idiot decided to let that thing apply to this school in the first place?” “Didn’t you hear? Apparently he comes from a rich family.” “A wealthy beastkin? Pfft! You shouldn’t make such bad jokes.” “No wonder he wears those oversized glasses, his eyes are disgusting! If I were him, I’d claw those horrid things out to spare real people the sight of them!” Carl sighed forlornly as the insults made their way to his ears, he missed home so much. He hadn’t made any headway in his attempts to become sociable with his classmates, his nerdy demeanor was off putting to the majority of his peers. Those who could keep up with him on an academic level found his beastkin nature disgusting, his applications to the chess club and theatre group were met with harsh and instantaneous rejections (the latter group had chased him from their meeting place with a series of curses and threats of physical harm before he could even give an audition). As he listlessly adjusted the strap of the book bag hanging from his left shoulder (traditional backpacks proved too problematic due to his wings), he wished vainly that his Sister would get better soon. She had served as his tutor for the past seven years, and had proven to be both a supportive and effective mentor to her beloved rabenküken. He fondly remembered the days when they would fly amongst the clouds after long hours of studying in the manor. How he wished those times had never ended… “Where do you think you’re going leiche atem?! We have a score to settle!” Blake couldn’t believe that the dreckig tier thought he could just show him up for weeks on end and get away with only a nicked cheek! He just couldn’t take it anymore, how could a simple beastkin be better than him?! “I have no interest in picking a fight with you, Praktisch.” Carl’s airy tone made Blake’s blood boil. Who was this geflügel to dismiss him so casually?! “Don’t play games with me greuel, I’m not going to take your shit anymore!” The human’s face had turned a nice shade of red, almost like a ripe tomato. It would have been amusing, had the idiot not been standing in the doorway to their classroom. Carl had never been late to a single class, and he didn’t intend to break that record anytime soon. “I don’t know what it is that has you so angry, but can it wait until after we finish our studies? Neither of us has time for these trivial quarrels, so let’s just focus on getting our work done, alright?” Carl hoped to placate the human by reminding him of the more important matters in their lives, and at that moment, inspiration struck the fledgling fowl. “Yes, that should work…” Taking a faux back step, Carl was successful in baiting the older boy into following him out of the doorway. “You think you can mock me and just walk away?!” Blake’s turquoise orbs burned into his own dull amber eyes, it was almost like staring down an angry bull. “Mock you? I don’t recall doing that.” Carl felt both confused and frustrated, what on earth was he talking about? It was Praktisch who had been teasing and hounding him these past few weeks, not the other way around. “Bullshit! Who the hell do you think you’re fooling, Clover?” Blake lunged towards the young blonde, who managed to duck under and around him, taking the opportunity to sprint into the classroom before the conflict could escalate any further. “What the-?! Nein!” Blake made a desperate grab for the small youth and was rewarded with a fistful of feathers for his effort. Growling in frustration, he watched as his target sighed in relief and took his seat at the desk farthest from the rest of the class (as was his custom). “So, you think you’re safe little vulture? We’ll see about that.” Blake’s eyes never left the younger blonde as he made his way to his own desk as the rest of the class filed in, only looking down once in order to securely set the feathers into his book bag when the teacher entered the room and addressed the class. “Good morning, students.” Mr. Smith smiled brightly, his usual good spirits in full bloom despite the cold weather. Unfortunately, his class did not share his enthusiasm and simply stared at the hyperactive brunette blankly. His smile didn’t waver, however, and he quickly grabbed the book of poetry sitting on his desk. “Right! Let’s start today off with a bang. We’re going to plunge ourselves into the fantastic world of the legendary, William Shakespeare!” The students groaned as the passionate man took a seat on the edge of his desk. Later, in Carl’s dorm room… The fowl themed beastkin let out a content sigh as he felt the warmth of the water sinking into his tired bones. After yet another day spent with his rather frustrating schoolmates, a warm soak in the tub was like heaven in comparison. If the school did one thing right, it was the dorms. The rooms themselves were furnished with over-the-top amenities and came equipped with the basic utilities. The heating in the dorm building was excellent, and the silence that the sound-proofed walls provided was a dream for a booklover like Carl. But more to the point, this particular activity gave Carl the most time to reflect on the events of the day. Over the course of the last five weeks, the bullying he faced had worsened considerably. It wasn’t surprising really, beastkin were almost always treated unfairly by their human counterparts. “Sis, get better soon. I don’t know how much longer I can go on like this…” Carl brought his wings to the front of his body for a well-deserved grooming, his mind traveling back to better days gone by as his hands carried out the routine task. Flashback “Stop squirming so much, rabenküken.” Ada shot Carl a serious look with her gold eyes, clearly not amused by his escape attempts. “Aber schwester, ich möchte nicht, ein bad zu nehmen!” The young six year old glared defiantly at his older sister, unwilling to sit still in the soapy water. He hated taking a bath, he was always dizzy and cold whenever he got out of the tub. “I don’t care, you’re getting clean. Whether you like it or not. And remember to practice your English Carl, or I’ll keep you grounded until you can speak it fluently.” Ada’s threat left her brother shivering in dread, the thought of not being able to fly in his beloved sky until he could master the new tongue left an empty feeling in his gut. “Please don’t! I’ll sorry, Sister! I’ll pratice my English, so please donut ground me!” Carl’s wide eyes were brimmed with tears, his clasped claws completing the heart melting posture. Her eyes softening ever so slightly, Ada took a moment to tussle the boy’s blonde locks before pulling him onto her lap. With his forehead resting on her shoulder, Ada began to gently preen the younger fowl’s wings. Cooing in pleasure, Carl nuzzled his nose into the crook of her neck, bringing a warm chuckle from her ebony lips. “Your wings are so beautiful rabenküken. Promise me you’ll take care of them when you leave the nest, okay?” Carl took in Ada’s request with a furrowed brow, why would he have to take care of his wings? His sister was always there to clean them for him. “What you mean sister?” Carl had moved his head away from her in order to look her in the eye. Ada let out another chuckle as she enlightened him. “Well, you’re going to leave home eventually Carl. Once you grow up, you’ll find yourself a mate and have a family of your own and you won’t need me hovering over your shoulder anymore, right?” Ada’s eyes began to brim with tears of their own, her smile becoming sadder as she imagined her beloved baby bird all grown up and with a flock of his own to care for. Oh, she would miss these simple days dearly. “NEIN!” Carl’s eyes had narrowed and an expression of unease and irritation washed over his face. “Hmm? What’s the matter Carl?” Ada was worried, it had been a long time since she had seen Carl this upset before. “I wun’d let that haphen! You’re the most inportat person in the wurld! I would never leaf you!*” Carl was at once furious and terrified. How could his sister think that he would just abandon her like that? She was the most important person in his world, no, she was his world. He couldn’t imagine his life without her in it. “Carl…” Ada’s eyes were widened to the maximum degree, her heart skipping a beat at her brother’s avid declarations. “Ohne dich kann ich nicht leben Ada, ich weiß nicht, was ich ohne Sie tun…*sniff* I- Ich liebe Euch so sehr!” Carl collapsed into his sister’s arms, sobbing into her shoulder as she sat there, stunned by the depth of her brother’s devotion. Looking down at the sobbing mass of pale skin and gloomy feathers nestled in her arms, Ada felt a slightly maternal grin tugging at her lips. “Es gibt kleine Bruder, es ist in Ordnung. Ich bin jetzt hier. Das ist alles, was zählt...” Ada pulled the sobbing child closer to her bosom, weaving her talons through his damp hair in a comforting fashion. Hiccupping, Carl pulled back once more to lock eyes with his sister. “Ada, Versprich mir, dass du mich nie verlassen… Bitte.” Carl held up a claw, searching his sibling’s eyes for the love and support that he craved so badly. Ada felt the familiar maternal instinct take over as she reached for her brother’s claw. Clasping their leathery palms together, the eldest Clover child made a vow that she would one day, unwillingly, break. “Ich verspreche, immer an Ihrer Seite, ich werde Dich nie verlassen Carl. Sie haben mein Wort.” Ada’s reassuring smile brought peace and security to the young boy. His sister had told him that Clovers never go back on their word, so she had to follow through on her promise. He would never be alone. Not when Ada had promised to stay by his side… End Flashback Carl’s trip down memory lane was cut short by a sharp pang in his right wing. Looking at the affected area, he remembered the incident that had occurred this morning. Praktisch had managed to pluck a fistful of his feathers, and while this did not hinder his ability to fly, it did leave him with a sharp stinging in his appendage that had lasted throughout the day. “Why does he insist on hounding me so? Sister, if only you were here, I’m sure that you would have the answer…” Carl’s forlorn expression was soon replaced with one of frustration. He could not, for the life of him, figure out what Praktisch’s motives were. He was well aware of the disdain most of his fellow students had for him and those like him, but they had never been as persistent as his countryman. Why did the teen hunt Carl so much more persistently than any of the other humans that attended the academy? He didn’t recall mocking the boy once, let alone enough times to justify this ridiculous grudge. So, what were the reasons for Praktisch’s constant harassment? “Argh! Huh… I’m just giving myself a headache trying to figure him out…. I hope this will all just blow over soon, and that my actions this morning haven’t made him even more spiteful.” Exiting the tub calmly, the blonde proceeded to make the necessary preparations for a good night’s rest. But in another dorm room… Blake glared angrily at the ceiling, silently seething as he mulled over the past few weeks. He had tried hard to excel in his studies in order to help his starving family, and that stupid bird had shown him up at every turn! How? How could this have happened? His father had told him that all beastkin were uncultured barbarians, he couldn’t have been wrong! Could he? Despite what his outward appearance suggested, Clover was a genius, the top of their class in fact. Had he been human, Blake wouldn’t have given him a second thought, he would’ve been just another genius he had to contend with. A rich kid that was smarter than him? That he could’ve accepted. But a beastkin? No. There was no way in hell that he would let some overgrown vulture outshine him. It was time for their rivalry to come to a close. Turning his eyes to the small amount of feathers on his nightstand, Blake’s eyes took on a vengeful gleam. Tomorrow, he would put that featherbrain back in his rightful place… To be continued…? Translations: Ärgerlich - Annoying. Schläger - ruffians Rabenküken – Raven chic Leiche atem – corpse breath Dreckig tier – dirty animal Geflügel – poultry Greuel - abomination Nein! - No! Aber schwester, ich möchte nicht, ein bad zu nehmen! - But sister, I do not want to take a bath! Ohne dich kann ich nicht leben Ada, ich weiß nicht, was ich ohne Sie tun… - I can’t live without you Ada, I don’t know what I’d do without you… Ich liebe Euch so sehr! - I love you so much! Es gibt kleine Bruder, es ist in Ordnung. Ich bin jetzt hier. Das ist alles, was zählt. - There, there little brother, it’s alright. I’m here now. That’s all that matters. Ada, Versprich mir, dass du mich nie verlassen… Bitte. - Ada, promise me that you’ll never leave me… Please. Ich verspreche, immer an Ihrer Seite, ich werde Dich nie verlassen Carl. Sie haben mein Wort. - I promise to always be by your side, I will never leave you Carl. You have my word.” A fanfiction story I had written which recieved abysmal results. Posted here for the sake of having it SOMEWHERE.