Therian Shifters: A New Beginning

Chapter 4: Repression and Suppression

As I got home that day, I longed for my bed, flopping on the mattress eagerly after dinner as I went to sleep with a full and satisfied stomach.

I was then as I slept, I dreamt that I was walking on a large sheet of cloud. Then a mirror showed in front of me. It was my form.

But, unexpectedly, it began to speak.

"Why?" It said in my voice. "Why do you hide me away? Are you ashamed of me? What did I do wrong?"

"No, It's not like that... I-"

"Are you afraid of me?" It interrupted me. "I know we hunted people and injured people. I don't like that you keep me secret and hidden away. What if we do something worse than before..?"

All the questions swirled in my head.

"I'm not ashamed of my true self, I'm just... scared to show it. I don't want secondary school events to repeat themselves..." I replied.

"I'm proud of how far we've come. Let's keep going."

As I awoke from that vision, I felt extremely bewildered that I had an actual conversation with my animal self.

Getting up, I stretched and yawned, heading out of the door after breakfast.

Walking out of the door towards the woods, I sighed. I took in the gorgeous breeze and the scent of freshly-cut grass.

Soon, I arrived at the Highrock where the rest of our friends waited.

"Hey, Akira! We brought snacks! Chase got his wireless projector with him!"

Sitting inside the Highrock's den, Chase set up the projector with a movie. As we all sat together and ate some popcorn, I began to get tired and doze off. Turning to my form, I curled up in my leaf bed and drifted off to sleep. Soon, I felt weight press all round me. I opened my eyes to see all my friends had done the same as we all slept in our leaf beds.

This made me happy since it made me feel like I was in a true pack.

Later on when the film finished, we all sat together and chatted.

"Akira, how's college going so far?" Shade asked.

I sighed and fidgeted as I then began to speak. "Well," I started. "I nearly shifted in my first ever Math class and luckily got away to here and I shifted just after the entrance to the woods. Then a group of students made fun of me and I nearly shifted there. So I guess that sort of tells you how my time at college has gone so far."

After we chatted, we all went home. I went back to my house and jumped over the fence. My window was slightly open and so I climbed up the tree beside it and snuck back in, climbing into bed and getting comfortable.

But soon that relaxation was broken.

"Akira?" My mother shouted up the stairs.

"Yeah?" I replied.

"Can you tidy your bedroom up please, sweetheart?" She asked loudly so I could hear her.

"Yes!" I answered her back politely as I picked up a few of my books and clothing, tidied my bed and opened the curtains. Soon after I finished tidying up, dinner was ready.

After eating a late, tasty beef roast dinner, I went to bed afterwards with a full belly, feeling good that my meat cravings were fulfilled.

Sleeping, I had a vision. I awoke in the woodland of my dreams again. I was in my form as I walked along a path. As I continued to follow the path, I could hear something. Voices.

"Autist." One said.

"Freak!" One exclaimed.

"Leave me alone!" Came my past reply.

Soon, I awoke from my alarm clock. Snoozing it, I stretched and got up with an almighty yawn. But as I got to college, I didn't expect for the auditory haunting of my traumas to continue.

As I sat down in art, I felt more anxious as my leg bounced. Greg came in, impressed with my punctuality.

"Hello, Akira, I'm very glad you've shown up early." He grinned warmly then noticed my leg bouncing. "There's no need to be anxious around me, Akira, I understand how you're feeling. Relax, you've got 15 minutes until the lesson starts so maybe you could start on the title page for our Natural Forms project and grab 3 natural objects from the tray at the front."

I nodded, retrieving my sketchbook from my shelf and grabbing a bone, a pinecone and a feather.

Soon, I was relieved that my class was bare because of some being on introductory trips already.

"Good morning, everyone. Today we will be practicing our observational drawing skills. Take 3 objects from the tray as Akira has done and we'll go from there."

As I was sat in my seat, a boy glared at me. As the others sat down, he stood towered over me.

"Get out of my seat." He bluntly spoke. The harsh tone scared me as I went into an episode of Selective Mutism. He then obnoxiously and repetitively tapped on one of the ear cups on my ear defenders. "Hellooo.. deafo! I said get out of my seat!"

Greg noticed this and stared at the boy. "If you think that behaviour like this is tolerated in my classroom, then you are very mistaken. Out." I got spooked by Greg's serious tone as the boy stormed out. "One more little scene like this and you're finished. Finito."

As the boy left the room, I sat in my seat trembling. But not just from anxiousness. I could feel a shift coming on. But it wasn't just any shift. It was driven by a huge urge to chase that boy down like prey.

"Akira, is everything alright..?" Greg's voice was clear yet slightly muffled. Soon, all I could hear was my fast-beating heart and my breathing. Shutting my eyes tight for a moment, I opened them and couldn't control myself. Luckily not letting them see it, I saw my eyes change as I sprinted out of the class.

Meanwhile, Greg got out his staff walkie-talkie.

"Staff to safeguarding, this is Greg from the art department. Akira's gone AWOL. Akira DarkTail. Dark hair, unique scar on left eye. Keep on the lookout for them, over."

I ran. I could feel that the changes wanted to happen. Soon, as I did run, I could hear the voices of adults.

"Akira, where are you? Come out please!" I heard a man's voice.

"Akira, are you here? Come on, love, come here." A woman said after.

I felt surrounded. trapped.

Soon, I couldn't hold in the changes any longer at the most horrible time. When the safeguarding adults found me.

I was trembling so severely as they did approach me. I was so scared that I couldn't speak. No matter how much I tried, my mouth and vocal cords didn't want me to say a word. The only thing I was able to do was make noises.

As the male safeguarding staff member approached, I could feel my tail protruding from my rear. I felt so uncomfortable in that moment. It wasn't painful but I was mentally pinching myself because my worst-case scenario was actually happening.

I couldn't move, I couldn't speak.

And soon, it was too late.