Daren sighed deeply as the Jet began to take off.  Though he didn't mind his job, it did get a bit wearing.  Having to hear a group of children gabbing inanely for the hours-long flight without even any burbon to ease his tension...it was enough to drive a man mad, especially considering most of the children weren't strictly human as he understood the term.  Where they came from and how, he didn't know.  All he knew was this Learjet and the small house he was given on school grounds.<br/><br/>This trip though was better than most:  the "children" were mostly older kids, the youngest being thirteen.  Not only that, they were all human.  They mostly seemed enthusiastic when he greeted them in his thick Australian accent and stereotypical cowboy hat at the Airport.<br/><br/>Two of the students caught his eye.  They were high school students it seemed, and what was the most noticeable was that they were not fauning over being in an expensive jet with their friends like the rest of them.  No, they were seperate from everyone else in seating and in attitude, seperate even from each other.  They held books to kill time during the flight.  They intrigued Daren and he found himself watching them more than the others, even though he knew that after tonight he probably wouldn't see either again.  [ooc: if that liberty bothers you, I apologize; let me know and I'll fix it.]<br/><br/>----<br/><br/>The long flight ended at long last.  After crossing the Atlantic Ocean from New York City, they flew for some time over Europe and decended into a mountainous region.  The small landing strip that was part of the vast campus was surrounded by trees and the weather that evening was wet:  a light drizzle dampened every surface outside.<br/><br/>When the Learjet set down, baggage was loaded onto a covered truck and Daren stepped out with the students, ready for the next part of his job.  He raised his hands over his head to get the students' attentions.<br/><br/>"Alright mates," he said with a smile, "we have arrived!  We will follow this truck over to the terminal where you will all check in.  All the important paperwork has been done already, this is just a formality to ensure you all arrived safely.  After that's done you will be escorted by shuttle bus to the dormitories."  He began walking backward to the terminal, such as it was, still talking.  The terminal was a low, modern looking building of white brick about the same size as a typical house.<br/><br/>"Your rooms are already assigned," he continued, "and upon arrival you will be shown the way to them.  There is a set of dorm rules in your welcome packets I gave you as we boarded the jet, I hope you've read them."  He smiled broadly and kindly at them as they reached the double doors to enter the brightly lit terminal lobby.  "Your world-view is about to change.  Please keep in mind you are safe here, safer perhaps than you were at home.  Please go inside where its warm, dry, and bright, and follow the instructions you are given.  Have fun."<br/><br/>When they entered, he went to his own jeep parked behind the terminal and drove home.<br/><br/>Meanwhile, the students inside were greeted by an astonishing sight:  Although the lobby was clean and bright and dry as promised and for all intents looked normal, the people manning it were not.  Behind the counter stood a tall woman who was not a woman:  she looked more like a cougar transformed into human shape, covered in a soft tan fur, gold eyes warmly crinkled in a smile that was simultaneously disarming and alarming, as the sharp teeth showed in her slightly-protruding muzzle.  There was also a male anthro wolf with a silver pelt and another female cat, this one resembling nothing so much as a tabby housecat.<br/><br/>"Hello children," said the cougar warmly.  Her voice was silky and held the slightest hint of a purr.  "If you'll line up here in two groups, we can get started.  I'll take the girls, Donald will take the boys."  She indicated the wolf as being Donald.  After a moment of shocked silence the majority of the group split up into two nearly-even lines as instructed, with more than a little loud whispering to one-another.<br/>