The grand mess hall of Ursa Major Academy was a controlled chaotic symphony of sound and smell. A thousand distinct conversations blended into a dull roar: the sharp clicks of avian beaks, the low rumbles of ursine gossip, and the high-pitched chatter of rodentia arguing over scraps. The air was thick with the competing aromas of greasy fried food, freshly cut greens from the herbivore-friendly salad bar, and the underlying damp-fur-and-musk scent of the student body. Light streamed through massive arched windows, illuminating tables packed with a vibrant menagerie of species.

The main doors swung open with a heavy thud, silencing a solid third of the hall's clamor. Framed in the entrance was Roric Carno, his sheer bulk seeming to absorb the light around him. At seven and a half feet, he was a walking mountain of burnt orange scale and unforgiving muscle, the fabric of his worn grey tank top stretched to its absolute limit over a massive chest and thickly corded abdomen. His heavy, three-toed feet fell with deliberate, ground-shaking impacts on the linoleum, and his thick tail swayed behind him, a counterweight of immense power that forced smaller students to leap out of its path.

He spotted a table occupied by a few lupine students. As he drew near, his shadow fell over their table, and the alpha abruptly shoved his tray away, muttering something about a forgotten study session. The others followed suit in a panic. Roric stopped, a low rumble vibrating in his chest—a sound of pure, undiluted annoyance. He clenched his massive, three-fingered hand into a fist and brought it down on the table, which exploded into a shower of splinters.

The destruction was followed by a silence so complete it was almost physical. Roric's chest heaved, steam venting from his nostrils. He was about to turn and leave when his gaze landed on something utterly out of place—the only human student on campus, sitting alone at a table near the back wall. Utterly alone. With a final, dismissive snort, he began to walk again, his path now set directly towards the human's table.

He reached the table and stopped, his enormous frame blocking out the light from the window. He gripped the back of the metal-framed chair next to the human's and pulled it back with a deafening screech of metal legs dragging against the tile. Then he lowered his colossal weight onto the comically small seat, which groaned in protest under the strain. The entire table tilted slightly as he settled in. He folded his arms over his chest, his huge pecs and biceps bunching impressively. He stared forward, not at the human, but at the wall beyond, his amber eyes unblinking.