Short Stories

Twenty-One: Action

I was sprinting through the halls of the school, begging that the door to the class was still open. Turning sharply around the corner, I spot the door. It was still ajar but was closing fast. Using one last burst of energy, I slip through the crack and make it into the classroom. The entire class was looking at me, and I sheepishly smiled.

"Nice to see you actually making to class on time." The teacher said with his loud bellowing voice. I slightly bowed my head at the buff teacher before heading over to sit next to my friend.

"Geez! I didn't think you were gonna make it. You're lucky that you're a speedster." My friend hissed to me under their breath. I nod at their words mindlessly.

"As I said yesterday, today we are going to learn how to properly work with your animal side. Now, working with your animal does not mean controlling or taming it. Working with your animal is gaining its trust becoming one single mind instead of two. If you try to control your animal, they will fight back, and your energy will go into trying to not lash out and go on a murder spree. Eventually, you'll die, so you have to learn how to properly work your animal side. Please shift and do not attack each other." The teacher commanded us. We all shifted, and soon my nose was assaulted with the smells of other wild animals. I growled as I smelled another cheetah in the room. They were in my territory. Wait. Hold on. We're not supposed to fight. But, I want to. Wait no! I struggle with whatever voice is inside my head, and I can feel my bones painfully shifting back and forth from human to cheetah endlessly. However, before I can my cheetah under control, the other cheetah in the room attacks me. The room erupts into a mess of blood, bones, and torn fur. I am helpless as the other cheetah batters me with their claws as I try to wrestle for control over my body. I eventually get too tired and let the animal inside me fight back. I watch as I pounce at the other cheetah.

We bite their scruff, and they let out a caterwauling yowl. They try to shake me off, but I just dig my claws into their shoulder and hold on as tight as I can. But a blast of power fills the room, and we could all feel the shift in power.

"ENOUGH!" A booming voice was heard all throughout the room, and the fighting stops instantly. We all stop our scuffle to see our teacher as a dragon. I let go of the student's neck and backed away from them.

"SHIFT BACK INTO YOUR HUMAN SELVES NOW!!!!" We immediately do as he says, my cheetah whimpering. We were now all humans with various wounds on our body and our pride. We had just directly disobeyed the teacher. I glanced at the student who had attacked me. Their messed up brown hair and eyes showed fear as the teacher called him forward.

The student stopped in front of the large black dragon that stood before us. The students wildly trembled and shook in every direction. His face was pale and his hands were fidgeting.

"I didn't mean to attack the other student, sir. I tried to get the cheetah under control-"

"I specifically said not to control your animal side." The boy fell silent as the dragon's dark, purple eyes stared at the boy for a few seconds. He brought up a single claw and scraped it painfully slow against the boy's face. That would definitely leave a scar.

"Strike one." The teacher rasped. Then, he motioned for the boy to go back to his seat. I've never seen a kid go back to their seat so quickly. Still, in his dragon form, our teacher bellowed out, "go to your dorms. I want you all to think about what you've done and to talk with your animal. If you can't figure things out, we'll have to kill you. Keep that in mind." And with that, our teacher shifted back into a human and walked out of the classroom. We all quietly gathered our scattered and bloodied papers and walked out of the classroom silently. In the hallways, we saw curious students standing by the doorways to see what had happened. Once they saw us, their faces turned to looks of disdain and disgust. It was shameful to walk down that hallway, with all those students staring, knowing that we can't work with our animal side. When I arrived in my room, I plopped down in my bed and vowed to myself I would find a way to work with my animal. No matter what.