Feral

Chapter 12

A low thrum rumbled in Adrian's throat as he nuzzled his bedding, enjoying the warmth of the sunlight. He laid curled within his nest of comfortable blankets and soft pillows, feeling lazy and tired.

The teachers had let Adrian back to his room, stating that the young feral was too smart for his own good.

The boy snorted, yawning and stretching his body without a care. It wasn't Adrian's fault that his brain absorbed knowledge like a dry sponge, how his vocabulary was improving at a dizzying speed...

Or that his mere presence intimidated the other students. Surely, they should've been used to being in the presence of predators on a daily basis but somehow, being near Adrian always had negative results for the weaker shifters.

Which was, most of them.

So, Adrian now had private lessons for everyone's safety and comfort. However, Adrian didn't quite understand why, if so many of the students were suffering underneath his predatory presence, why there were still females, and males, that seemed to be drawn to him.

It didn't make any sense for these people, a vast majority of predators, to attempt to approach him and gain Adrian's attention.

Especially when they squeaked and quivered in fear when he so much as looked in their direction.

He shook his shoulders as if he was in animal shape before letting out a soft thrill. Nostrils flaring, Adrian grumbled to himself before hopping out of bed.

After having spent years on his own and as his animal, it felt annoying... confining to remain in his human skin. Several teachers had told him that the young Feral was allowed to shift. He just needed to warn someone of the faculty before he startled shifters left and right.

The mere idea of shifting brought his animal closer to the surface. Dark feathers seeping through his hair, glinting in the sunlight as Adrian shouldered past the door, pushing his room closed before heading out.

Once in the hallway, he inhaled deeply, needing to find an adult that wouldn't wet their pants at his approach. Inside the shadow of the building, things were much cooler than in the direct heat of the sun.

It made Adrian long to shift and sunbathe, to stretch his legs and feel his blood pumping through his veins.

Adrian was used to long days of tracking prey and roaming through the woods. Now that he was forced to sit still and do nothing, he was bored out of his mind.

And a bored carnivore was a dangerous one.

Tapping his foot on the floor a few times, Adrian pushed his shift back as much as possible. He didn't want to be confined into his room for shifting without permission, nor did he want to listen to Willem scold him for tearing another outfit to shreds.

So the young male grumbled, sounding more animalistic than human as he shook himself before following the scent of the closest adult.

Several students fluttered through the hall, grinding to a halt and watching him wide-eyed as he paid them no mind and pushed past them.

The stench of fear was curling through the air, making Adrian snort and shake his head to not give into the desires of his shift.

"Oh boy... Michael, go get Darius and Willem, I'll deal with him." Adrian stilled, turning his head as Sebastian quickly approached, raising his hands to show he meant no harm.

"Easy does it. What has you so upset, Adrian?" The Cape buffalo asked warily while his brother rushed to the exit. More feathers sprouted from his neck as Adrian's eyes settled on the disappearing form of the other buffalo.