My name is Caxton Cadwell--I'm pretty much your average husky, and student to Solaris Notre University. I say average, but that doesn't mean I haven't experienced strange things here. This one took place a few weeks ago, back when I first came here.
Our academy is actually in a refurbished castle, with two towers for each gender--one for us guys, and one for the girls. We don't cross paths often, except on Sundays where we have a worship service in honor for Solaris the Sun Goddess, and a banquet where we can catch up with all of our friends.

It was on the first week of school, on a Sunday when I met her. I'll never forget the sight of her as long as I live--amidst the furry students, with a broad range of species, she stood out quite a bit. She had no fur save for the rusty-pink hair on her head, tied by a thin ribbon in a ponytail.
She was from the house of Aquirelle, one of the four houses in the school. The four houses represent a different Apostle to Solaris, Aquirelle being loyalty, and self-sacrifice. The house I belong to in turn is of A'risel, representing a free spirit.
The girl, apparently called a human as I had heard from some of the other students, didn't have many features like a beastman, save for a similar build, and basic eyes--her ears were round ovals on the side of her head, instead of on top like most of ours...
Judging from some of the reactions of students nearby her, she wasn't very popular. She looked rather timid, and scared of her surroundings--at first, I thought it was because she was still adjusting, like I was.

It didn't appear as though she had a friend with her, and since I didn't want her to seem so down, I spoke up as she passed by. "Uh, hey there." her reaction surprised me--she dropped a couple of books she was carrying with a squeal of surprise. Students around us were a little surprised by her reaction as well, though some glared.
I hadn't meant to scare her, thinking she may not have seen me. I apologised as I helped her pick up her books. "Uh, sorry. I didn't mean to scare you, uh...?" She looked at me like a deer in the spot-light, looking a bit shaken--finally finding her toungue, she answered, "N-no--you're fine. My name is uh, Marylise."
She looked down at the floor, seeming afraid to make eye-contact as I handed the girl her books. She thanked me, and made her way into the dining hall. "...What just happened...?" I felt a little confused myself after that encounter, but I followed the other students inside as I tried to piece it together.
Marylise was certainly--different, from the other girls in the school, and not just because of her appearance. She seemed genuinely afraid of me, and I had never done anything to her. As I looked about the large room, I saw her with a sleepy looking cheerful girl who seemed to be fairly accepting of her appearance. She sure lucked out there.

Still, the two of them seemed to be sitting away from some of the other students, possibly because of the human girl's behavior? I couldn't tell, but I wanted to try again at reaching out to her. I couldn't help but feel for her...
So, the next week came, though it was a bit...shaky. I tried reaching out to her, but she seemed really upset, and didn't pay me much mind. Tear-drops welled up in her eyes, as she was met by her only friend at the same corner they had sat in before. Who would be so cruel as to pick on a timid girl like her...?

I wound up getting my answer a little earlier than I was ready for--that next week was going to be the third gathering of all the students, and I found myself waiting for Marylise again. I was determined to befriend her, considering she seemed pretty lonely outside of her roommate. She seemed to be her only friend in the whole school, and it didn't sit well with me.
I was planning to invite her and her roomie to sit with my friends and I that day, but I was a little anxious about the outcome. Soon enough I saw the familiar pony-tail tied with a thin blue ribbon, and those ocean blue eyes full of uncertainty--now looked like a good time compared to the last, so I spoke up.
"Hey, uh--Marylise?" I called her by name, which caused her to look my way. It was a bit of a fearful glance, but she eased up a bit when she realized it was me. She approached me with very soft footsteps, as she came within a friendly distance. "Uh, yes? Can I help you?"
"Uh, I saw you and your friend sitting off by yourself last time. Would the two of you like to sit with us?" She looked a bit surprised, almost as if not beleiving what she had just heard. "Huh? Uh...pardon?" "I said, would you like to sit with me?" I smiled the sweetest smile I could muster, praying I didn't seem desperate.
The girl seemed to hesitate a bit, looking about for a moment as if to be sure I meant her. Her of all the people in the school... "You...you'd really sit with me?" She asked, looking quite touched. Even a bit embarrassed as a light blush danced across her face.
"Sure, why not? You look like you could use another friend." Mary seemed overjoyed from my kindness, giving quite a pretty smile--despite her appearance, it was as if I had been allowed a glimpse of a special treasure! This was the brightest I had seen her since we met, and I couldn't help but smile myself.
"Well, if you'll have me. Thank you." She offered her furless hand, seeming less tense than she was the last two weeks. I shook it gently, as I told her my name as well. It looked as if we were getting somewhere this time!

"Caxton...that's a nice name. Thank you for the offer." I felt really good about what I had done, knowing I was doing the right thing. Though, that feeling was too good to be true, as the cause for her tears bagan to take shape.
Out of the corner of my eye, I noticed a few students staring--a few even glaring, in Marylise' general direction. "You're making friends with an eye-sore? What a low-life.", a haughty female stated. "You look so much more normal in comparison--talk about ugly!" "Yeah, she ain't got any fur. She's a hairless monkey!"
Before I could quite wrap my head around what was going on, several insults were hurled onto Marylise. All I could do was look on, too afraid to say a word. They jeered, making more comments on her appearance as tears welled up in her eyes. And I couldn't...no, didn't. Do anything to protect her.
"What's wrong? Can't take another lady's input? ...Not that we would really consider you one. You're such an eye-sore." That last comment was all she could stand...without a word, she backed away, turning and running down the hall. "Ah--M-Marylise!" Before I could give chase, one of the male students blocked me with a mocking smile.
I paid the lug no mind as he insulted her again, behind her back--all I could focus on was that girl, running away with a hand over her face. Those bullies seemed pretty proud of themselves, as they made their way into the dining hall, leaving me alone again...
The other students that came along had no idea what had happened, and some didn't seem to care. Was it really supposed to be like this? ...I refused to believe it. Not when someone has to suffer like that--and she was my friend.

Determined to bring her back with me, I set off in the direction she had run, bumping into her roommate along the way. After relaying what had just happened, the two of us split up to find her. I ran to check the outer walls, while Marylise's friend when to check some of the nearby rooms.
Finally, I laid eyes on her. She was standing at the edge of the wall, her hair undone as she clutched her ribbon in her right hand. She was looking down at the rocks below, looking quite melancholy...I realized what she may have been planning to do, and ran as fast as I could.
She started to lean forward, but I strongly gripped her wrist, pulling her away from the edge. "What are you doing? You can't just...jump." I cut myself short, seeing the tears streaming down the girls face as she sniffed, trying as hard as she dared not to cry in front of me.
"I--I wasn't going to..." "You...you weren't?" "......No. I was admiring how consistent the rocks are. Even they are easier on the eyes than I am." ...So that was it. I thought it was worse than it appeared, but--at least, going by what she told me, she wasn't going to commit...!

"Well, uh. You want to head back? I'd still like for you to sit with me, if you want to." I received no response, but I heard her breathing change for a moment. I wasn't sure if I was being any help or not, so...I started to leave. I didn't get far though, as I felt a soft hand tenderly grab my wrist. "W--wait!"
Looking back out of the corner of my eye, I saw Marylise. With a forlorn and lonely look on her face, she had run after me. She...didn't want me to leave... "Please wait.", she begged, the tears seeming to increase in number as she couldn't hold them back any longer.

I...still can't tell if it was out of impulse, or genuine worry. But hearing the tears of such a sensitive girl, I turned around, and wrapped my arms around her to console the poor girl. I held her for what felt like an eternity, easing her tears away. How could I turn away when someone needed me?
It took a bit of time, but I managed to calm her down enough for her to speak clearly. "Marylise, why don't we talk a bit? That might help you unwind." She nodded, and we stepped away from the railing. Sitting down against the wall, we talked for some time--we talked about our childhoods, out families, even our dreams.

Mary had been made fun of, and abused for her appearance since she was little--the only haven she had was her family. She was adopted, but very much a part of her parent's lives. Here, away from them, she didn't have that wall of support. The only real family she had was her Grandmother, a well known Priestess named Lady Yuga.
As Marylise talked about her dream, desiring to become a priestess, her eyes lit up. It was the reason she came here to this academy, but she hadn't expected such a tough crowd in a religous institute. To be honest...I didn't have a particular dream. I was so overcome after losing my Dad, I never took the time to think about it.

Hearing her excitement return, I knew she was feeling a lot better. All that stress from the past weeks of endless torture behind the teacher's backs--they built up to a boiling point. Something had to be done, and I knew just what.
"Caxton...thank you. I feel a little better now, after letting it all out." She sighed with relief, tying her hair in a pony-tail once more. "Is that invitation still open?" Smiling, I replied, "Sure--what are friends for?" I felt really good having done a good deed that day. Now I was kinda hungry, so it was a good thing we rushed back--meal-time was half-over.

After reuniting with her roomie, we made our way to the dining hall while we still had time to eat--we had to eat a little faster than we were accustomed, but I was relieved that Marylise had turned out alright, and had made friends at our table.
She fit in with the others just fine--nobody made any comments about how she looked, and we all had a good time together. I could tell that her tormenters were pretty frustrated. Their attempt to tear her down had been ruined for the day.
Somehow, the school faculty found out, and duly punished them, but I wouldn't know how. Unless, you ask Marylise--she probably already knows the answer herself.

---

My contest entry for  sanctumpolis, introducing Marylise Alding, the character I designed for the contest.
Everything here is made from scratch, event that cruddy sky. Not overly happy with it, but everything else turned out pretty nicely for my first attempts at them.
The text-box is my favorite--it looks colorful and soothing, to contrast with the atmosphere of the school.
Hope you guys like this as much as I do, it was fun to work on. Except for the sky, I'm never doing one of those again--next time I do a background, it's going to be indoors. XD

Caxton Cadwell and Sanctum Polis are copyright to  sanctumpolis
Marylise Alding, and the pixel-work here were made by hand, and took quite a bit of time--please do not use.