You open your eyes, hearing what sounds like laughter. You sit up, realizing you're on a tall rock with a sheer drop next to you. Peering over, you see hundreds of hyenas gathered below. All of them look up to a lion that's also on a rocks edge across from you, looking down at them. This lion is more lithe and has a black mane. A scar goes over his eye.
"The world is about to be turned upside down. A shining new era in near."
"And where do we fit in?" A hyena calls from the crowd.
The lion only smirks. "Just listen. We're going to take out Mufasa and his son, and then I will be king!"
The hyenas all cheer. "Alright long live the king!"
"Long live the king!"
"Long live the king!"
"My fangs and ambitions are bared!" The lion shouts above the hyenas cheer. "So be prepared!"
You feel the pull tugging you back and the ripples fill your vision. You close your eyes and feel yourself falling back onto your bed. You open your eyes and sit up, rubbing the sleep from your eyes.
Why did he want to be king so badly?
You get up from bed and get dressed in your school uniform. Grim runs into the room.
"Oh Y/N, you're up? Breakfast is gettin' cold! Let's go eat already!"
You and Grim walk down Main Street, Grim walking like a cat beside you.
"By the way, did you go somewhere last night?" Grim asks you. "I got up to warm up some milk. Was gonna see if you wanted some but you weren't there."
"Oh, that's right. It was the weirdest thing..."
After explaining your encounter to Grim, he nods his head.
"Huh." Grim tilts his head in thought. "A weird dude with horns? Did this dude have a name?"
You shrug. "He told me to call him by a name of my choosing."
Grim hops up and down, raising his paw in the air. "Ooh, ooh, let me pick it! Howsabout... Hornton!"
You laugh, shaking your head. "I don't know that he'll appreciate that one."
Grim hops onto your shoulder. "He said of your choosing, right? Then he's got no right to complain!"
Grim smiles. "If Hornton's a student here, who knows when we might run into him? If we do, introduce me! I ain't never seen a human with horns before."
"Okay, if I spot him again I'll let you know."
You come up to the status of the Great Seven, Cater and Riddle waiting for you. Cater smiles and waves upon spotting you.
"Mornin' Y/N."
You wave back. "Good morning guys."
"Hm. Your tie is crooked, you know." Riddle says.
Looking down, you realized you didn't do the best job at tying it this morning. "I guess you're right. I was never good at tying this thing."
Riddle walks up to you, adjusting your tie. "A disorderly uniform suggests a disorderly dorm. As prefect, you should set a better example for your dorm members. Even if you only have the one."
You blush, realizing how close Riddle is to you. He looks to you and your eyes lock for a moment. You feel mesmerized by his bright red eyes. Riddle clears his throat, looking back to your tie.
"There. All better."
Grim looks around. "So, where's Ace and Deuce?"
"In accordance with rule two hundred and forty nine, it's their turn to wear pink clothes and feed the flamingos." Riddle answered.
You can't help but giggle, imagining the duo clad in pink.
Riddle tilts his head. "By the way, it seems there was another incident last night."
"Myah?" Grim cries from your shoulder. "Really?"
"Are they okay?" You ask.
Cater pulls out his phone. "According to a portrait who witnessed it, the victim was a sophomore from Scarabia House. His name is Jamil Viper. It appears the accident happened in the kitchen."
"That's the dorm with red and gold armbands, right?" You ask.
Riddle nods, confirming your question. "It's breakfast time, so he may be in the cafeteria. Let's go see."
You and the others walk into the cafeteria, students gathered in mass. You look around, wondering how you'll find your guy.
"Jamil has long, black hair." Cater informs. "Let's see... Ah, there he is!"
The boy Cater pointed to has long black hair that reaches past his waist in length. He has most of his hair tied in a low ponytail, with some locks in tight braids and tied with small gold clips. The hair on the left half of his head is braided near the scalp, and one large lock of hair falls beside his face. The hairband for his low ponytail is dark red, with a magenta red gem on it. Hanging from the gem is one large, red feather. A cloth is wrapped around his arm from where he got injured.
Grim hops from your shoulder and runs to the table, standing on the bench with his paws on the table. "You're the guy who got banged up in the kitchen yesterday, right? Mind if we chat?"
Jamil quirks an eye at Grim. "What is this? An inquisition?"
The boy next to him, wearing a cardigan and a gold scarf around his head, points at the cat excitedly. "Oh, hey! That's the weasel who set my rear on fire at orientation!" He laughs.
You quickly scoop up Grim before he could say anything else. Riddle stands beside you.
"Grim. You need to work on your tone. Tact is important for these sorts of things." Riddle looks to the two. "Forgive us for interrupting your breakfast."
The boy in the cardigan smiles brightly. "Wow, the Heartslabyul housewarden and the fire spitting weasel." He lets out an infectious laugh. "What a fun combo!"
Grim clambers on to your shoulder, folding his arms. "I ain't a weasel! The name's Grim. And that's my minion, Y/N."
The boy reaches over the table and takes your hand, excitedly shaking it. "It's so nice to meet you! Well, meet you again since you're the one who saved my butt from roasting!"
You find yourself laughing from his overly excited personality. "It's nice to meet you too."
"Well, I'm Kalim, Scarabia's housewarden." He points to himself, letting go of your hand. "And that's the vice housewarden, Jamil."
"Uh, sure." Grim leans in to whisper in your ear. "Man, this guy throws me off."
Jamil's expression never changes. He keeps a neutral look but his charcoal gray eyes stay on you the whole time. "So, why are you asking about my accident?"
"We wanted to make sure you were okay." You answer.
Jamil looks taken aback for a moment but he quickly goes back to his neutral expression. "You wanted to check in me?"
You nod earnestly. It was the truth, at least, you wanted to make sure he was alright. Jamil stares at you a moment longer. He sighs.
"Well if you must know, I am alright." Jamil smiles at you.
You smile back, thankful that he wasn't seriously hurt. "Can you tell us what happened?"
Jamil nods, only giving you his attention. "Last night, I was in the kitchen frying up some lamb rolls at Kalim's request."
"Oh man, you guys have NO idea how amazing Jamil's lamb rolls are." Kalim interrupts. "You've gotta try 'em one day."
Jamil looks to his companion. "Can we stay focused here, Kalim?"
"Ah, right. Sorry!"
Jamil turns his gaze back to you. "When I was chopping the ingredients, it was like my knife hand went wild and cut my other hand all on its own."
"It makes no sense!" Kalim interjects. "Even the dorm's head chef can attest to Jamil's legendary knife skills. Were you tired from Spelldrive practice, maybe?"
"No. Not so tired I couldn't control my hands." Jamil adds. "But at one point while I was cooking, I did feel kind of light-headed."
"Did you get dizzy?" You ask.
"Most people would think that, but I know that sensation. I think I was feeling the effects of someone's signature spell."
Cater and Riddle stiffen beside you. Grim looks to you uneasily. Kalim still looks just as excited.
"Oh, right! Because your signature spell is-"
Jamil clamps a hand over Kalim's mouth. The crimson eyed boy pulls the hand away from him. "Pffft! Why'd you put your hand over my mouth?"
"Because we're not talking about me here." Jamil clears his throat. "Anyway, my theory is that someone was controlling my movements with magic."
Cater puts a hand to his chin in thought. "Interesting. That WOULD be a way to hurt people and have it appear like it was nothing more than the victim's own carelessness."
"And if it only lasted an instant, even the victim might perceive it as his own mistake." Riddle adds to Cater's thought. "When I nearly fell down the stairs, I never felt as though I was being controlled against my will."
Cater snaps his fingers. "Well, I guess this is kind of a lead? What's our next move, guys?"
"A spell that can control someone..." Grim smirks at the possibilities. "If I could learn how to cast that, I could really clean up on bakery day!"
"Such small mindedness." Riddle shakes his head. "Truly, Grim? That's as far as your ambitions extend?"
Grim doesn't listen, lost in his own world. "Man, imagine eating all the deluxe grilled cheese I wanted."
"The bakery.." You trail off.
The word makes you think back to the day of the bakery. You remember how Grim traded his grilled cheese for the bun, how he said his paws moved on their own. A lightbulb lights up in your head.
"I know who's been controlling every one!"
The boys all look to you, curious. Grim smirks, catching on as well.
"It has been Ruggie this whole time!" You say.
Cater tilts his head. "Ruggie? That lil' dude from Savanaclaw?"
Riddle smiles at you. "Let's track him down and see what he has to say."
Cater pulls out his phone. "Hmmm... Looks like Ruggie's in class 2B."
Riddle looks back to Kalim and Jamil. "Thank you both for your cooperation."
Kalim scratches his head. "I'm still kinda lost here, but good luck!"
Kalim waves as you and the others depart the cafeteria, in search of a certain hyena. Jamil stares at your back the whole time until you disappear around a corner. He wonders how he could get you to come see him again.