The Animal Within You

Chapter 32

It was as if he vanished out of thin air.

I trudged around the forest, sliding through the narrow spaces between trees and tripping over the large roots that crawled out of the soil below me. I always believed that this training room was artificially made, but as I continued to explore the different regions, it started to seem entirely...natural. Taking a glance of my surroundings, I managed to travel into a section of the woods that I've never been to before. The spectacle ahead left me breathless.

There was a colossal tree, probably as old as all of the teachers working here combined, situated in the middle of a clearing I've never seen before. There were smaller, more insignificant trees that surrounded it like a barrier, the tops leaning into the large tree slightly. Dark green vines coiled around the thick trunk and snaked its way onto the branches high above the ground. The grass here was longer, untamed like the foliage nearby, and curled around the roots of trees and rocks.

How was it possible for all of these plants to live without much sunlight? I gazed up at the far off ceiling, cocking my head to the side as I saw a ray of sunshine suddenly enter into view. I gasped, following it quickly to find a gaping hole covered with glass to protect it from intruders.

"Brilliant." I heard myself whisper in awe as I continued to stare at the newly found space. My feet slowly shuffled its way around the premises, thinking back to why I was here in the first place. "Jackson? Are you here?"

No response, but I proceeded to search anyways while marveling at the view.

Making my way over to the old, towering tree, I struggled to get passed the hanging vines that worked as a screen for the giant tree. As my steps brought me closer, the sight was becoming even more magnificent. The sunlight that escaped through the window made the forest glow a vivid green.

Suddenly, a face appeared in front of my own when I turned, causing my heart to jump all the way to my throat in alarm. A barely audible gasp echoed from my lips as my eyes crossed to focus on the figure in front of me. I must have tripped over a stray root when I stepped back because I promptly lost my balance and nearly crashed onto the ground. Before I could, hands reached out and grabbed my shoulders tightly before yanking me back forward.

"Jackson," I breathed, my voice getting caught at my throat when I realized how close our faces were. I cleared my throat distractedly.

"You really are a bit of a klutz." He greeted, slowly removing his hands from me. A slight smirk turned his lips up and I came to the conclusion that he had scared me entirely on purpose. I narrowed my eyes at him.

"You scared me." I managed to stutter out a complete sentence, feeling my face flush.

"I know," He returned easily.

"I hate you."

"I know." This time, he winked. "Why are you here?"

"You seemed to have been in a bad mood." I pointed out, my eyes travelling up his body to see his legs perfectly hooked around one of the tree's branches. "I kind of thought you were hanging by your tail." Jackson tried to stifle an amused laugh, but failed miserably.

"My tail isn't strong enough yet." He shrugged, pulling himself up the branch before lowering himself to the ground. "That would hurt a lot, actually."

"What's up with you?" I finally asked, watching his blank facial expression carefully. "I wasn't the only one who noticed your hostile mood on that floor. I didn't think the instructor was that bad." He simply glanced at me before turning and walking off at the opposite direction I came from. I growled in annoyance before quickly following after him.