1--then the unnamed feeling takes me away

[one_part_saint]

[Zak has been standing at the Garden entrance for a little bit. It was one thing to be told that yes, his transfer request had gone through. It was another thing entirely to be standing at the doors of Balamb, acceptance letter in hand

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[black_wildheart]

[There's what looks like a big wolfy dog padding towards Zak and the Garden entrance. It starts striding alongside him, grinning.]

[one_part_saint]

Interesting welcoming committee... [Zak knew that Galbadia didn't allow pets, but maybe Balamb's different. So he doesn't protest being followed. Though hopefully nobody thinks this is his dog...]

[black_wildheart]

[Volug pads alongside Zak for a moment, then turns back into his human form. Hi Zak, you're suddenly next to a 6'1" muscly guy with a big, bushy tail and no shirt.]

Where do you come from, beorc? Are you an inhabitant of this world?

[one_part_saint]

[At the unexpected shapeshift, Zak lets out a startled yell and nearly falls over, just catching himself. He does back up a little, and he dropped his duffel again.]

Yes! Yes, I am! Hyne! I transferred in from Galbadia Garden, okay?

[Zak takes a moment to catch his breath.] What's a beorc? And what ARE you?

[So much for listening to the Headmaster's request in the welcome letter, right?]

[black_wildheart]

[Volug looks extremely entertained. He's grinning, in fact. The beorc in Hatari all know about the laguz, so they're near impossible to startle.]

"My name is Volug, and I am laguz. You without fangs and claws, you are beorc." He pauses. "Galbadia Garden? That is a different garden than this one, yes? A sister?"

[one_part_saint]

I guess you could call it a sister Garden, though these days it might be more accurate to call it a rival. [Some people might disagree with Zak's opinion, though.]

So beorc is your word for human? And you're laguz. Okay. I can deal with that. [He guesses. He's heard a couple rumors, seen a couple outworlders, but this is the first time he's ever seen someone USE their powers.]

[black_wildheart]

[Volug hesitates for a moment. ]

Where I come from, laguz only call beorc 'human' out of hatred. But yes.

Why are they rivals? Are they not from the same family?

[one_part_saint]

[Someone is not up on his Garden history. Zak...hadn't cared at the time, and now he's awkward about it.]

I don't know entirely. Galbadia's been power-hungry for a while though, and its Garden is just...sort of a front for the army these days.

[black_wildheart]

Another puppet organization?

[Volug scowls; why did beorc allow themselves to be led by undeserving rulers?]

So you came here instead? For what reason?

[one_part_saint]

Because Balamb is better. [Hear the devotion in those words, Volug? Someone's got a bit of hero worship going on.]

Besides, I want to be a SeeD, not some stupid soldier in the stupid Galbadian army.

[black_wildheart]

Ah, so you don't want to fight for an undeserving ruler.

[Volug sounds pleased with this.]

So this SeeD, it's deserving of your loyalty?

[one_part_saint]

I used to live in a place called Dollet when I was a kid. When Galbadia invaded, Balamb Garden sent their SeeDs in to liberate the town.

[Zak shrugs at this.] It kind of left an impression.

[black_wildheart]

[Volug nods.]

It is a shame that your ruler could not protect Dollet from being overtaken in the first place. Though they obviously chose well when they decided to enlist the help of a mercenary force.

So you have been living with your enemies?

[one_part_saint]

Yeah. Not by choice, though. If they'd asked I would've requested to be sent to Balamb a long time ago. They just never did.

[Which is par for the course with Galbadia, in his opinion.]

So...what was your world like? I guess?

[black_wildheart]

I lived in the nation of Hatari, separated from the rest of the Tellius continent by a great desert wasteland. For a long time, we thought we were the only ones to have survived the great flood from centuries ago, but my queen and I traversed the desert to find that there were many others who had survived. Countries in which beorc and laguz lived separately, and fought bitterly.

My queen joined the battle on behalf of the beorc nation of Daein, but when war erupted across the continent, the goddess of order turned all but a select few to stone.

Despite the battles, however, Tellius was a beautiful country. I regret having to fight my laguz brothers.

[one_part_saint]

So laguz don't normally fight other laguz? [That's...kind of weird if only because humans usually fight other humans, but...okay.]

It sounds nice. I haven't seen much of the world at all.