Academy of Supernatural Abilities: Prologue

Midnight, and the fingers of night had the small city clutched in their grasp. Although it was late, it was not quiet, and the sounds of car horns and sirens filled the air. Along the streets, a scruffy black dog scuffled, his feathery black tail scraping the ground. His eyes were a bright, unnatural red, and he worse a large blue gemstone on a string around his neck. His flat ears twitched, then stood almost straight up as he stood stiff in front of the front steps of a ground level apartment.

From the darkness of the alley,a second dog appeared. This one was a short-haired, light brown color, with bright blue eyes. He wore a tight grey chain around his neck, and there were two more chains around his midsection, and two on each of his front paws. He was significantly smaller than the black dog, who was rather large anyway, but the black dog lowered his head upon seeing him.

“Kuro,” the brown dog murmured. “Where is Hannah? I specifically told her to meet us here.”

“You know Hannah, she has Mother’s sense of direction,” the black dog, Kuro answered. The brown dog let out a soft huff at that.

“You’d be left in the desert for the buzzards if she knew that you’d said such a thing,” he said, and Kuro looked at the cement

“I almost wish she would. At least it would be a sign that she was still alive.” Both dogs went silent for a moment, before the familiar sound of one specific car engine came from behind them. Both dogs turned as the low-rider made its way to the curb, the bright streetlights glinting off of the superfluous rims of the car. The car finally slowed to a stop, and an even more superfluous woman stepped from the driver’s side. Her thich brownish-blonde hair was in tight ringlets around her Oriental cheeks, and her baby blue eyes were hidden by large, blood red-rimmed sunglasses. She wore an ankle-length faux-fur coat, and shiny, three-inch heeled black boots.

“Sorry I’m late for the party,” she grinned, producing a pack of cigarrettes from her coat pocket.

“Oh, put those away,” groaned Kuro. He now sat on the cement as a tan-skinned man, his long black hair pulled back into a ponytail, black stubble dusting his chin. A pair of floppy dog ears at on top of his head, and his feathery black tail curled around his thigh. A thin pair of blue glasses sat on the edge of his nose, and his bright red eyes peered over the rim.

“I certainly hope you weren’t smoking with my children in the car,” growled the final member of the trio. Like Kuro, he now sat as an Oriental man, his long brown hair curling around his ears. He also sported a pair of dog ears and ta tail like his brother, and a round pair of black glasses in front of his dark yellow-brown eyes. Hannah seemed insulted, and she wrinkled her nose.

“Please. I may be unhealthy but I’m not stupid, Kaze. I rolled down the windows.”

“Hannah.”

“Oh, calm down, little brother, I was kidding!” Hannah chided, and Kaze’s tail twitched. She walked over to the side of the car and opened the door, beckoning Kaze to follow. Kuro jumped to his feet, buthe dared not approach as Kaze looked inside of the car.

Resting inside of a carseat, wrapped in layers of blankets, was a tiny golden-skinned, black haired infant. A flat pair of black ears sat pinned against his head, and his eyes were shut tight. Kaze admired him happily, before turning sharply towards Hannah.

“And my daughter?” He hissed.

“Relax, Mommy,” she chided, and Kaze frowned. “She’s on the other side. Take him first.” Carefully, Kaze lifted the sleeping baby into his arms, holding him close. He admired him with love, watching as he cuddled close into his arms.

“He was quiet most of the way, sleepin’ just like that,” Hannah said as she emerged from the other side of the car, holding a restless bundle in her arms. “But this little whelp wailed almost the whole way. She just got to sleep when I pulled up.” Kaze peered into her arms to view the tiny girl, only a little bigger than her brother, twisting in her aunt’s grip. She, too had golden skin like her brother, but she had a soft patch of brown hair and lacked the puppy ears that her brother had.

“That whelp is my daughter, and the future—”

“The future head of the Inu-Ramirez Clan, yes, yes, we’ve been over this,” Hannah finished, rolling her eyes. “I know.”

“Has their father been found yet?” Kuro murmured as he looked at both of the infants.

“Rowan’s still missing,” Kaze murmured, gently reaching out to stroke his daughter to calm her. “As is Mother.”

“They’re calling off the searches tomorrow,” Hannah told them, helping Kaze so that he could hold both infants in his arms. “What are you going to do? They’ll be pronounced dead if they’re not found.”

“I had a feeling this might happen,” Kaze murmured. “This apartment is my city home. I’ll raise them here, away from the Supernatural community, until they’re old enough to attend the Academy.”

“You’re a teacher, who’s going to replace you? And is it wise to separate them from their own kind? You and I both know how volatile the Naturals can be,” Hannah said in a rapid whisper.

“Kuro will replace me. We made the deal in case I died,” Kaze explained. “And even though Felidae and Akuma are presumed dead, I doubt that they truly are. Supernaturals as strong as them could escape an explosion of that magnitude. It would be tricky, but possible.”

“What makes you think they won’t follow you here, if they are alive?” Hannah asked, and Kuro responded;

“Akuma has an intense phobia of Naturals. She fears that which she does not understand. She won’t come near a city full of Naturals, and Felidae won’t leave her side.”

Hannah hesitated, as though she was thinking of something else to say. No words came from her lips, and she sighed instead. “Alright, I fold. Take care of my niece and nephew, so one day I can teach ‘em the fun stuff!” With that, Hannah lit up an unlit cigarrette, stuck it between her teeth, slid into her car and drove off.

“Rosemary’s probably wanting me home by now,” Kuro stated, turning back into a scruffy black dog. “Take care, brother.”

“You too,” Kaze murmured, and Kuro took off down the street, leaving him alone with the two sleeping infants, the last of Rowan’s blood, in his arms.