A New Era

The sun shined bright emitting incredible amount of warmth even though it was mid November. There was no sign of ill weather being broadcasted later on. Iris was still asleep in bed dreaming freely, snuggling up to the warmth under the sunlight. Alas, all comforts came to an end as soon as her alarm clock shrieked its morning bell. Odd groans slipped from her mouth as she struggled to sit up and shut the alarm off. Her sleepy eyes were barely kept open and her body felt as if she was carrying a ton. The cold sensation crept under her feet as she stood up and walked to the bathroom, which was located down the hall.

After she had completed personal hygiene, she quickly went to get ready to meet with her father down stair. Her father was currently single so it was only two of them in the house. In this world, both werewolves and humans coexist. Iris's father was a werewolf and her mother was a human, making her a hybrid. Even though werewolves get along with humans, it was still considered taboo to have a human mate or even have a child. Because Iris was a hybrid she was constantly looked down upon. Unfortunately her mother had already vainshed from the world of the living, leaving Iris and her father.

"Everyday is to be lived the fullest" was her father's motto. Her father was quite the morning bird, unlike Iris. While he was making breakfast, Iris crept up behind him intending to scare him. However, all efforts were wasted since his heightened senses picked up her presence the moment she came downstairs.

It was soon time to leave for school and Iris wasn't feeling too good about it. Her father might have sensed it because the moment she put her shoes on, he pulled her into a big hug, planting a gentle kiss on her forehead. Iris couldn't help but crack a smile.

"'Atta girl. Enjoy yourself at school today. I'll be home a little late so here's the keys to the house." He gave her the keys as he smiled softly calming her nerves the best he could. She gave a light nod as she left the house with a silent goodbye. The smile on her face disappeared into a soft frown. A bitter feeling grew at the pit of her stomach. Iris knew that something unlucky was definitely about to occur today.

The walk to school was usually pretty quiet since she was the only one who lived outside of campus, reason being that her mother was human. It would have been more of a stuggle for to survive in a dorm than along side humans due to her unusual features. When she finally got to school things were pretty docile, at least for now. Right when she was about to enter her classroom a loud banshee cry was heard from across the hall.

"IRIIIIIIIIIIIIIIS!!!" Without any warning she was smothered into an enormous hug, provided by one of her precious friends, Ned. He massaged his cheek against her's in a gentle manner, making her giggle.

"My precious little Iris, I missed you so much!" Ned cried historically earning odd looks from his surroundings, but he gave no mind and continued to fawn over the child. After them entered, Kyria, who stood tall and proud by the door with the attitude of an ice queen. As soon as his gaze fell upon the pair, mostly Iris, he rushed to their side in a heart beat joining the bear hug.  

"Alright thats enough, Ned. You're going to suffocate her." Kyria tried to pry him off of Iris, but she couldn't help but laugh at Ned's stubborn grip. The fool was getting hype for no reason making him a lost cause. Suddenly menacing whispers were heard, "Look at that filth over there enjoying herself. She's acting like some bratty spoiled princess because she has the two most hottest guys of our grade by her side. A fake wolf like her doesn't belong here. She needs to return to those weak, ugly humans." The smile on her face vanished and became clouded. Tears began to form in her eyes. She tried her best to hold them in but nothing was working. Iris was extremely hurt, Ned and Kyria were not happy about this either. Ned pulled Iris into another delicate hug and left the classroom with her. Before Kyria followed along, he took his had and glided it against that chalkboard, agonizing everyone in the classroom.

"You bastards better think twice before trying to hurt Iris's feelings or you'll find yourselves in some deep sh*t. Id advise you all to take look at yourself in the mirror first beforw calling someone wlse ugly" He left the classroom without saying another word, leaving to the rest scared endless. In the meantime Iris and Ned were walking shoulder to shoulder as Iris sobbed softly while having Ned pat her back.

"Listen Iris, don't listen to them. They're just jealous that you're just so beautiful." However she didn't respond to that, instead she gave an even more solemn expression. "Even if that was the case, the fact that I'm hybrid will not change. Is my blood really that dirty? I mean i cant even turn into a wolf like everyone else. My eyes and hair are a strange color. I cant even muster the strength to hold out my ears and tail, maybe I am filth." She finally spoke up in a shaky voice. Suddenly, Ned stopped walking and took her face into his hands. He looked at her face to face, blue piercing into gold.

"Iris, you're speaking nonsense. Who the hell decided you're filth because you can't turn into a wolf or have strange features? Just because you're a hybrid doesn't mean you're not worthy. You're strong and amazing in your own way and what really matters is that you realize that you have your own place in this world. I believe that you have something special that no one in this world is expecting. You just haven't found it yet." Ned gave her the sweetest smile. He was like a mother who was encouraging her daughter to go after her dreams. Iris's came to a complete stop. A small smile formed on her face, as she wiped away the excess tears. In a flash Kyria appeared out of nowhere without any warning, startling Ned and Iris. He grabbed her hand and lead her to a specific destination, the school's secret garden. Iris and her friends were some of the few people who knew about the gardens existence, and it was the only place that brought Iris peace with in the school. Excitement grew on her face as she entered the garden that was located with in the forest area of the school. The school was isolated from the rest of society by a vast forest that was filled with enormous tall trees that covered the sky. This forest was no ordinary forest though. It is said that there's a spell cast upon it that makes it never ending, eventually leading one back to where he or she had started from. It's a mechanism set up so no stranger could enter the school premise nor can students leave before school hours were over. In the forest there was various hidden traps but it also hide a cave that lead to this secret garden. Only those who know this cave could find it, otherwise they would fall into those traps.

Beyond this cave was like a different world, the sky was no longer blue but replaced by a vibrant pink. It was clear and fresh with no trees blocking its view. The garden was filled with various types of flowers centered with a golden canopy that held tables and bench seats. 

As soon as they reached this special place, Iris stood under the canopy. She spotted her favorite flower that she was named after, Iris. From what her father told her, the name Iris is meant to be perceptive and beautiful flower thats very expressive. It gives off energy and has something deep hidden behind them. They have the power to shift and change into something great, and thats why her parents named her that. However, Iris had always wondered why she was named after something so great. She gave out a light sigh before plucking one of the flowers and placed it in her hair. She was finally at peace. She took in the gentle breeze as her friends watched her closely like guardian angels.

The rest of the day was pretty quick after lunch since Iris didn't bother returning to her classes. As soon as the day was over she rushed to get out of the school after bidding her dear friends farewell. By the time she got home the sun had already set half way and her dear father had still not returned yet. While she was waiting for his return in the meantime, she took a bath and had finished her homework. with the freetime she had left, Iris was cooked some of her father's favorite dishes, setting them aside at the table in the kitchen. For hours and hours, she sat in front of the food waiting for his return. Before she had realized, Iris had already drifted to sleep.

Iris never really had dreams when she slept and when she did it would be about her mother, when she was alive. Sometimes those dreams were pleasant, but sometimes they turned into nightmares and because of that Iris was afraid to dream. However, this time it was none of that, instead she sat in a plain meadow, sort of similar to the secret garden. In front of her appeared a great white wolf that held the same colored eyes as she did. From what she remembered, as long as she lived she had never seen anyone with the same colored eyes or fur as her own. Seeing the magnificent wolf astounded Iris.

"Iris," said the lunar wolf. She looked at the wolf with a confused expression, only to have it evaporate in front of her eyes. "We'll meet again, my child." It spoke its last words before completely disappearing. She felt a gentle touch on her back, bringing her back into reality. When her consciousness had finally returned, her eyes opens to see her father carrying her in his arms, ready to settle her into her bed.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to wake you up sweetheart. You didn't have to wait for me to go to bed." Iris looked up to her father with half slept eyes, giving him a tired cheeky grin. She shook her head lightly in disapproval before drifting back into a deep slumber.

"Quite troublesome, aren't we?" He gave a light chuckle as he set her weightless body down gently on her fluffy warm bed. He wrapped the blanket over her, planting a light warm kiss on her forehead. A good night was whispered to her as he quietly left the room. Iris's father let out an exhausted sigh as he lied his head on the bedroom door. The smell of cold food lingered, catching his attention. He took no delay in warming the food and setting it up, ready to devour it. The lone wolf took a bite out of his daughter's food, realizing he was all alone. The stabbing pain in his chest grew stronger. Tears began to spill out of his tired eyes because not only did his daughter's food taste so delicious, it was also identical to his beloved's. Both utensils fell to the floor as he sobbed uncontrollably into his hands. "And it doesn't help at all because she's a splitting image of you."

Day broke quite quickly. Iris had already left home after saying bye to her father. The class was fairly quite that morning, mainly because Ned had not shown up to school due to a minor cold and Kyria had some business to take care of with the teachers. She was now all alone and nasty whispers had began to grow once again.

"Look she's all alone now, heh," few of the guys in her class began to snicker ominously. Iris tried to take note of Ned's advice and ignored those bastards. Class had long started, grabbing the attention of every student in the room. Time passed and soon it was lunch time. Kyria had still not returned, so she decided to go to the place she felt the best at, the secret garden. The same Golden canopy shined brightly under the radiant sun. The frangance of the flowers filled her nostrils, evaporating any tension left in her state of mind. However, Iris had not noticed the ominous stanger lying under the canopy due to the eye blinding glare of the sun. After taking a few steps inside to sit on the bench, she tripped over the stranger's legs. On the other hand the mysterious person had not realized the younger girls clumsy stunt. He continued to take his leisured nap on the ground, with earphones in. Iris rose from her agonizing fall to find a man with dark features lying like a dead man on the floor. Irritation was clearly plastered on her face as she got up dusting herself. She stared at the man on the floor with visible frustration. Suddenly a glint in her eyes began to glimmer as she smiled mischievously. Without any warning, she kicked the unconscious man in the gut, dashing quickly behind the bushes taking cover, not waiting even a second to see his reaction in fear that she may perish. Seconds were delayed, until finally an agonizing scream was heard from the direction of the canopy. She snickered under her breath, proud of her ruthless revenge. While she was cheering silently she had not realized the man sneaking up behind her. Without any warning he lifted her by the back of her collar and threw her out of the bush. Tears began to form at corner of her eyes, trying to rub her bottom better from the stinging pain.

"That really hurt you know. Who the hell are you and why did you kick me?" The man gave her a cold glare making her tremble under the gaze. His eyes were like daggers piercing through with each given stare. They were an onyx color coated with silver giving it a more dark and ominous aura enough to engulf one's soul. His hair was dark and wild giving off a beastly vibe. Iris couldn't help but gawk at his appearance because it was like no other that she had ever seen. A single snap brought her back into reality. In that moment she had realized she was in deep trouble because she saw his hand reaching out to her. Instinctively she closed her eyes trembling uncontrollably in fetal positon. Even though Iris was cheerful, silent and a bit mischievous, that didn't mean she was exactly good at dealing with people. In reality she can't even speak to another person without her best friends with her, she becomes almost mute. She didnt even know what gave her the courage to kick this man anyways. Ever since she was little she had introverted characteristics to the point where she didn't trust anyone with her own feelings and emotions. The only people to break through that shell were Ned and Kyria. Even they havent touched the deepest parts of her. However there were reasons to her depressing complications, and unwanted memories began to flow through her mind. Tears threatened to fall out as she felt the cold hand over her head. She thought she was going to die. Before anything could happen any further, Iris heard her name being called. She didn't even need to look to know who it was.

"Iriiiiiiiis! Where are y--" Without any warning she ran into Kyria's arms sobbing an unstoppable river. Kyria was shocked to see Iris crying. When he had notice the mysterious man, he gave him a threatening glare. The man lifted his arms in surrender, "Relax, She's the one that started it. I haven't even touched her." Kyria said nothing still glaring viciously at him. The man reminded him of someone, but couldn't recall the hidden memory. The man in the meantime took no delay in leaving the pair to themselves, passing by them pretty swiftly. As he walked the gentle wind blew against him making his hair fly magnificently. That's when it finally clicked in Kyria's head. He was the special third year that implanted fear in others with his strange features. His form and looks were infamous throughout the school. His presence brought everyone's respect, enough  to stay away from to gaze at from a distance. He was more of an ice queen than Kyria could ever be. His name was Wolfram, aka black wolf. 

Wolfram was a bit confused on what had occurred earlier. Nonetheless, he couldn't help but feel pissed about the matter. He gazed at his hand intently. There was a nostalgic feeling emitting when his hands touching that girl's head. He couldn't understand why the child's terrified face wouldnt vanish from his mind. Why exactly was he upset? She was the one who started it all. He was bewildered by her response expecially because he was never good with people who cried. He was seriously expecting a bloody war, but that girl was just too fragile to even lift a finger. He felt like that the girl would have shattered if his presence lingered any further. That girl was just too naive for her own good. Wolfram cleared his head before going back to class, even if the day was almost over. However, to him, anything was better than having to ever see that girl again. Seeing her made him feel uneasy. However little did he know that their encounter has now changed the course of time. Their destinies were now intertwined with one, another. The mystical journey has finally set sail.