The mirror to the Savanaclaw dorm was rather simple. rock tiles lined the border of the dark mirror like a cave. Rib bones sharpened roughly lined the side entrance of the mirror and two rough torches sat on both sides of the steps. It was more interesting that large claw marks also marked the walls of the small room as if it were made by larger beasts. With the group, Lotus entered the dark mirror and when the light shone, the air wasn't the same moderate temperature air or wind anymore.
The air was dry and warm with huge winds blowing against the large crooked trees of the savannah. The dorm wasn't like that of the others they've been to. The building would hardly be called a building. Rather it was a house built into the walls of a large cliffside. with square shaped holes as windows. Plain red and gold banners hung around the entrance of the dorm and, on the nearest tree, hung the yellow banner with the Lion Emblem. That was the symbol for the Savanaclaw dorm. Large boulders, small plants, and bits of large skeletons laid about the dry land.
Deuce called out in surprise, "Whoa~! So this is Savanaclaw dorm."
"It's rugged and looks like it's made from rocks!" Grim noted with excitement, "What animals did that big skeleton come from?"
Yuu touched the tusk of a large elephant as Lotus noted curiously, "That would be a species of elephant and the one you're looking at, Grim, is a rhinoceros."
"Haha." Cater laughed, "You know these things rather well, Lotus."
Lotus shrugged, "I've seen them being processed into weapons and accessories before so I know."
"Eh?"
"It's got a totally different vibe from our dorm." Ace noted curiously as he looked about.
"Right." Cater nodded in agreement as he tried to forget the multiple meanings Lotus's word could mean, "It's, like, rough and tumble? Just the air feels wild, y'know."
"We're looking for Jack?" Ace brought up the topic curiously, "What's he look like?"
"Tan skin with silver hair." Cater responded, "His wolf-like ears and bushy tail are his trademarks, apparently."
"Bushy tail..." Grim looked about the place when his eyes rested on a field, "Oh. Isn't that him? He's running around the yard!"
Lotus turned to where Grim was pointing as they saw a tough looking guy that fitted Cater's description. In her description, Jack is a tall, handsome man with shoulder-length silver hair and violet eyes. He has a somewhat of a bright yellow shirt over a Athletic jacket and pants. Lotus held back a sigh of exasperation as she wondered what this person's personality is like.
"Bingo!" Cater cried out with a wide smile, "Grim wins this one. He fits the description perfectly. There's no doubt."
"We've got another big one after those twins earlier!" Ace pointed out in bewilderment.
"I guess that's normal since you'll need to move around a lot at the games." Yuu pointed out in conclusion.
Jack was certainly tall despite being further away from him in distance.
"That's why all the clubs were trying to scout him." Cater explained with a smile.
"He's probably good at martial arts too with that brawn." Deuce concluded with a nod.
"Let's go talk to him." Yuu suggested quickly with a wry smile.
"Your legs are shaking, Yuu." Lotus pointed out with a smirk.
Yuu quickly shot her a glare as she knew it was rude to point out the weakness of others. However, she stuck out her tongue playfully much to his bewilderment as he thought to himself.
Just how old does this guy think he is?!
"You're nervous, Prefect?" Cater assumed with a smirk, "It's okay, you're fine, just relax! If he tries to bite you, I'll protect you, okay."
However, they were a step too late as Grim had already gone to approach Jack calling him out without fear, "Hey, prickly guy!"
"Huh?" Jack stopped in his tracks and turned to their direction as not even a single sweat appeared on his face.
"Some bad guys might be coming after you so we have decided to protect you!" Grim called out with a smirk and folded arms over his puffy white chest, "Aren't you happy?!"
Lotus raised a brow and smirked as she watched Grim's little show from a distance. Like she had thought, the energy around the guy rose slightly as he glared at the cat, "What's your problem? Don't get in the way of my running."
"Aah ah." Ace shook his head in a sigh of exasperation as Lotus followed the group towards Grim.
"Wait a sec, Grim, your way of confronting him has way too many problems!" Cater responded with a bewildered expression on his face.
Cater snatched Grim and covered his mouth hastily in confusion much to Grim's bewilderment.
Lotus laughed as she shook her head and took Grim into her arms. She turned to Jack and smiled, "Apologies."
"Sorry about him." Cater continued nervously, "Do you think you could listen to us for a moment?"
"What do you want out of the blue?" Jack growled, "You're going to protect me?"
"Recently, there have been a large number of accidents around campus involving students likely to be playing in the upcoming magical shift tournament." Deuce explained without hesitation.
"And, we're looking for the culprit." Ace continued.
"What's that got to do with me?" Jack pointed out with a frown when he noticed Lotus yawn in the corner under a boulder.
It couldn't be helped. Really. She was tired after the night of studying and cultivating. Now, here they are ready to get themselves into another trouble by directly confronting the guy. Since her arm still hurts a little, she had already released him back to the others as she started using her ability under the boulder.
However, Lotus frowned. She felt as though she was forgetting something rather important.
"Put bluntly," Cater spoke up, "we think you're likely to be targeted next so our plan is to put a mark on you and catch them in the act. Thoughts? Would you be willing to help us out?"
Lotus watched the group curiously when she felt a gaze fall on her. She stopped and looked up, however, there was nothing there. Could it be those guys again?
"I refuse."
Lotus looked back on the conversation as Jack said bluntly, "I'll figure something out on my own so there's no need for you to protect me."
"It might be more dangerous than yourself." Yuu argued nervously.
Lotus sighed and shook her head as she could see Jack's expression becoming more firm than before. He glared at them furiously before continuing, "... I said, I don't need it. And..."
He stopped himself after some thought before he narrowed his eyes in suspicions with a look of concern, "Me being target... probably won't happen. See ya."
"And, there he goes..." Cater said in defeat as they watched him turn around and continue his run.
"He sure was a rude jerk, huh." Grim said with a scowl.
Ace scolded him, "The way you talked to him would rub anyone the wrong way."
"Gaah!" Grim cried in frustration, "Having to pick a different way to talk to everyone makes humans such a pain!"
Lotus sighed and smoothed out the fur on Grim's head with a finger, "We only wanted to talk somethings out with Jack earlier but you came off sounding condescending. If someone came with you for a similar purpose, but, use a condescending attitude, won't you also feel offended? Also..."
She looked to Jack on his run as Lotus continued with their eyes on her, "I think you should take his words into consideration..."
"Eh?"
Cater looked to her in surprise and said nervously, "You can tell that much?"
Lotus looked to Cater with a raised brow, "I thought this before, but, if I'm right about him, people, like Jack, don't tell lies, but also have an obvious fault as well."
"Huh?" Yuu raised a brow in confusion, "What do you mean?"
"Hey, what are you guys doing?!"
Lotus and her group turned around to find three rather tough looking students who were all tall and muscular with tanned skins and short hair but different ears. More importantly, aside from the yellow and black ribbon with the Savanaclaw emblem on the arm of their uniform, they all have a not so welcoming glare upon their faces as they looked to them.
"They're from Heartslabyul." The one with the red hair and black fox ears pointed out with a scowl.
"Hehehe!" The silver hair with the bear ears sneered at them, "They're that red brat's grunts!"
"Did you really think we'd let you come onto our territory and just leave like that?" The one with the cheetah ears and brown hair said firmly with a scowl.
Deuce froze up in bewilderment, "Ugh. This pattern..."
"Ah." Lotus's eyes lit up in surprise, "So, that's what I've forgotten."
"Lotus, not now..." Yuu grumbled nervously.
"What is it?" Cater questioned nervously.
"Since the dorm is filled with tough people, doesn't that mean they'd treat their dorm grounds as a territory? So, basically, we've trespassed their grounds." Lotus nodded understanding the strange feeling in her heart now with a smile.
"Don't say that so matter of fact!" They scolded her in disbelief of her casual words.
"Ah, we're leaving!" Ace cried out with a nervous smile, "Sorry about the intrusion~!"
"Don't be like that," the fox ear guy called out with a smirk, "come hang with us!"
The bear guy sneered, "Hehehe! Let's play a game of cat and mouse! Y'all are mice of course!"
"Oh?" Lotus feigned a look of surprise as she bit back the urge to smirk in excitement, "Uh, then, we're suppose to run, right?"
"Knock it off."
The three were bewildered as they turned around as the bear guy said in surprise, "Dorm Head Leona!"
"These guys are the ones who thoughtlessly encroached on our territory." The fox said in excuse.
"We're just gonna rough 'em up a bit!" The cheetah explained with a smirk.
Turns out it was the Hyena guy and the lion guy that they had met before. The hyena guy, Ruggie, looked to them in bewilderment, "Aren't y'all the guys I met in the cafeteria?"
"Aah, you!" Grim pointed with a glare, "Deluxe mince Katsu Sandwich!"
"Woah woah woah!" Ruggie pointed out in bewilderment, "Don't go around giving people delicious-sounding names. I've got a very manly name, Ruggie Bucchi, y'know."
Lotus sighed in exasperation and smoothed out the fur on top of Grim's head again before speaking with a smile, "Apologies, Ruggie. He's a little sour at the moment. Do forgive him."
Ruggie was taken aback when he heard her words as he responded nervously, "A-Ah... It's all right... I guess."
Lotus smiled in gratitude before turning over to the lion guy in surprise, "So, you're the dorm leader of Savanaclaw. Hmmm."
"What?" Leona glared at her with a scowl.
"Your tail." Lotus questioned feigning nervousness, "You're not still holding a grudge against us, right? Though I guess we did stepped on it by accident..."
"Ah, Lotus!" Yuu's eyes widen in bewilderment, "A-Actually that was me..."
"Ah." Leona looked to them with a frown as he inspected them carefully, "Now that I get a good look at you, you're that herbivore that stepped on my tail in the botanical garden."
"Whaaat?!" The bear ears guy glared at them, "Dorm head Leona's tail?!"
"No forgiving that!" The fox ear guy glared as he cracked his knuckles.
"Sorry about that..." Yuu apologized nervously.
"Wouldn't need police if 'sorry' fixed everything!" The bear growled at him.
"Oh yeah." Ruggie nodded upon realization, "I was wondering where I saw you, it was the botanical garden."
"Leona, Ruggie, let's show'em who's boss!" The fox suggested calling them out.
Yuu grimaced and glanced over to Grim and Lotus. However, Grim was just as nervous and Lotus remained there with a small smile. Would everything really be all right?!
"Stop barking up a fuss, mutts." Leona spoke down on the irritatingly, "What're you gonna do if your little fit of violence interferes with the magift tournament."
"You're saying we should just ignore these trespassers?" The cheetah said with a scowl, "But they're such tasty looking prey."
"Nobody said anything about ignoring them." Leona stated with a frown before he smirked, "We'll solve this 'peacefully' with a game of magical shift."