Feral

Chapter 13

"Yes. Probably until the moon was at its highest. Depending on the cold..."

Darius grinned, translating for the surrounding students as they couldn't understand the language of the raptor. Shocked murmurs broke through the otherwise silent air as the students discussed the latest gossip with one another.

"I think you earned the respect of the wolfpacks around the compound." Darius motioned his head towards several of them with a grin. "They're capable of traveling all day at a gentle speed, traveling for distances up to 30 miles in a single day."

Adrian crooned deep in his throat, feeling his own respect for the relatively small canines grow. Well, small compared to his current, massive form.

And it seemed that these packs weren't as boastful like the lion prides.

"Well, you impressed everyone here, to be completely honest." Darius grinned, taking a look at the timer. "You ran about six and a half hours without stopping, balancing between eight to fifteen miles an hour."

It made Adrian bask in the attention as everyone around produced murmurs of shock and awe. He wasn't too shocked, knowing that his body was made to run.

After all, that was how he had survived on his own for so long. To chase his prey, to be persistent and not give up. But also to realize when to give up a hunt when the meal wouldn't recover the energy he had depleted.

It doesn't make sense to spend hours chasing a rabbit for a small mouthful of flesh.

Adrian jumped slightly when a hand patted on his flank, provoking him in a low hiss as his teeth clacked together in warning.

Darius slowly retrieved his hand, a gentle smile on his face as he spoke. "Sorry about that, that was completely my fault. I only meant to draw your attention so you would shift back, not to startle you."

Adrian snorted at that, feathers still puffed up in annoyance and his killing claw lifted ever so slightly.

Shaking the annoyance and stress away, he allowed his feathers to settle before snorting when Darius held out a set of pants.

Adrian shifted on the spot, not caring for his nudity as he accepted the clothes and put them on. He did hear several murmurs through the group of students and saw quite a few taking a quick peek at his body before it was covered.

What?

Undoubtedly his stare unnerved them, seeing how the majority of them reddened in the face, averting their gaze quickly. Yet Adrian was surprised when a few cheekier, more confident individuals simply winked at him.

Again, what?

He shook himself, not understanding why several of these people were looking at him as if he was a delicious meal just out of reach. Did they forget Adrian is an Apex predator, capable of killing them all if he had the desire to do so?

Darius chuckled beside him, shaking his head as Adrian nosed his way through the shirt, having to backtrack for a moment when he mistook the sleeve for his neckpiece.

Why are clothes so annoying?

Though he could only guess how grateful he'd be for those additional layers in the winter. If the frost nipped at his bare skin, Adrian would decline shifting back outdoors.

But now in the nice warmth of the sun, he didn't mind. He took a whiff of the air before stilling, inhaling much deeper as saliva flooded his mouth.

Darius followed his example before grinning, excitement filling his eyes. "Smells like the chefs have decided to treat us on some smoked meats." He patted Adrian on the shoulder before stalking away. "Come on, before the best parts get taken!"

Adrian didn't need the extra push, as his stomach was already begging him to find the source of that delicious scent. Though his stomach did an awkward flip at the mere idea of eating something that had been coated in cigarette smoke...

Yet, his nose didn't pick up on a single trace of the pungent cigarette smoke. Instead, all he could smell was seasonings and cooked meat, along with fire smoke that wafted through the air.

He could already spot several carnivores hanging around the dining halls, most likely waiting until it was their turn to feed.

Grumbles sounded when Darius pushed his way through the hungry mob. Someone even tried to pull Adrian back by his sleeve, realizing their mistake in time when Adrian spun around to snap his teeth in warning.

The girl, a tigress from the smell of it, growled in annoyance but averted her eyes demurely when Adrian's chest rumbled with a venomous snarl.

He didn't like to be touched, especially so without warning. And certainly not when it was in an attempt to keep Adrian away from his meal.

"Tamara, take a slow step back." Darius advised, watching as the tigress did as instructed, albeit reluctantly. "You know the kitchen had plenty of food prepared for everyone so there is no need to attempt to keep people from their fair share."

Tamara grumbled something under her breath, huffing as she turned her back and stalked away. Adrian snorted, shaking himself before turning to the dining hall.

His eyes flitted up at the clock before he grumbled once more, flopping down in annoyance as he was a few minutes too early.

Darius chuckled at that, offering a hand to pull Adrian back to his feet. "A few minutes earlier won't make the difference Adrian. However, Tamara is scheduled for the following hour, so she'll have to wait along with the rest."

Excited cackles and whoops sounded as the clan of hyenas pushed their way through the crowd, pausing to allow Adrian entry first.

Zuri was among her clan, the wound on her cheek having healed properly and leaving only a minor scar. She caught Adrian's eyes and nodded respectfully, following him in at a respectable distance.

As soon as he was indoors, he forgot all about the hyena clan. The scents that stung his nose nearly overwhelmed him in the best of ways and he didn't hesitate when Darius handed him a plate.

A plate that was quickly filled with heaping amounts of smoked ribs, pulled pork, smoked brisket and the select few potatoes and vegies.

Darius too filled his own plate, taking several of the other meats that Adrian hadn't picked, but his plate was simply too full to fit it all!

"You can eat all this with your hands, just don't eat the bone of the ribs." Darius warned as they seated, proving his next words by snapping the bone effortlessly. "Cooking bones makes them weaker, prone to snap and none of us want to have emergency surgery because of punctured intestines."

Adrian nodded, making a mental note of the information. He never had cooked bones before so he wouldn't have known the difference and was glad that Darius had thought ahead and given him a warning.

His eyes closed at the first mouthful, at the new flavor that exploded in his mouth. The meat was incredibly tender, falling off the bone and simply melted away in his mouth.

All that could be heard in the dining hall was the silence being disturbed by chewing, swallowing and the occasional excited cackle from the hyena clan.

Even Adrian didn't waste any moment with useless conversation, merely stuffing more food down his gullet, hoping he could finish what was on his plate so he could get up for more.

In the kitchen, the cooks grinned as they observed the diners. Knowing that no matter how dangerous the Ferals were that came within their care, they had every single one of them wrapped around their fingers.